Tonight, the Pittsburgh Pirates made history. They ended history. They ended the worst streak in professional sports history. 20 years of forgettable baseball in Pittsburgh is over. With the Pirates 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers tonight, the Pirates have officially broken the streak of 20 consecutive losing seasons.
If I had to choose for the streak to end anywhere other than PNC Park, I would pick Miller Park, and that’s exactly where it ended tonight. All the awful games at Miller Park. All the sweeps at Miller Park on the hands of the Brewers. The House of Nightmares for the Pirates will now be remembered by some fans as the place that the Pirates ended their historic streak.
Andrew McCutchen opened the game off with a bomb. With two outs in the first inning, McCutchen’s solo homer off of Yovani Gallardo put the Pirates up 1-0. The Brewers didn’t waste time getting the runs back, as they took the lead in the bottom of the first on a two-run single from Jonathan Lucroy.
Gerrit Cole got the start and had a decent outing. Cole allowed two earned runs through six innings pitched, while striking out five. He threw 92 pitches altogether and his ERA stands at 3.74.
The Pirates tied the game up at 2-2 on a RBI single from Marlon Byrd, and took a 3-2 lead on a RBI double from Byrd in the 8th inning.
Vin Mazzaro pitched two innings of relief and blew the lead in the eighth inning.
Travis Snider, in just his second game back from the disabled list, was the hero tonight, hitting a solo home run in the top of the ninth off of Jim Henderson. The home run was Snider’s fourth of the season.
Mark Melancon closed the game out with his 11th save of the season, and ultimately clinching win number 81.
Snider was the hero of the game. After a blown lead in the bottom of the eighth, and unlikely hero in Snider had one of the bigger hits of the season for the Bucs. Pirates look for the series sweep tomorrow night.
The streak is over. It’s crazy to think about. Two collapses in 2011 and 2012, and it’s all washed away with this unbelievable season that the Pirates have put together in 2013. For the fans who have watched 20 years of losing, pat yourselves on the back. Tomorrow night, the Pirates look for their first winning season in 20 years as well.
Photo Credit: USA Today
