The Pittsburgh Pirates announced several coaching changes for the 2017 season. Kimera Bartee was named the first base, outfield and base-running coach, Joey Cora was named the third base coach and infield coach and Tom Prince was named the bench coach. Bartee served as the Pirates' minor league outfield and base-running coach for nine seasons. He made several trips to Pittsburgh while filling this role, so he's familiar with the team and its strategy on the basepaths. He also served ... Read More
About Zachary Weiss
Column: No clear answer for team MVP
In many respects, it's hard to name an MVP for this year's Pittsburgh Pirates team. There isn't one name that truly sticks out — for once, center fielder Andrew McCutchen won't be topping this list. So, where does that leave us? The following had good seasons, but they still weren't the team MVP, so apologies to: David Freese: On the surface, this appeared to be a desperation signing by Pittsburgh. At the very least, it was a concession that third baseman Jung Ho Kang wouldn't be able ... Read More
Column: Great, now what?
Mercifully, the Pittsburgh Pirates' season (78-83) ended Sunday afternoon after a 10-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Let's be honest for a second, what reason is there for you to waste your time with another recap about how the bullpen didn't hold up their end of the bargain? None? That's what I thought, too. So, let's take a look at what needs to change for next season. This season has been over for some time now, arguably when the offseason ended and both Jeff Locke and Jon ... Read More
Pirates lose three-run lead, fall to Cardinals
The Pittsburgh Pirates had a chance to play spoiler for the St. Louis Cardinals' playoff hopes — they'd be eliminated with a loss and a San Francisco Giants win — but, despite a 3-0 lead before a Cardinal even stepped to the plate, Pittsburgh lost Saturday's game 4-3 at Busch Stadium. This defeat puts the Pirates at 78-82 on the season. Michael Wacha started for the Cardinals and pitched all of one inning. He threw 29 pitches and allowed the three runs on two hits. Those runs came when ... Read More
Pirates-Cubs game ends tied after rain delay
The word “tie” is very, very rarely used in Major League Baseball. But, Thursday night at PNC Park in front of 19,991 fans, that's exactly what happened. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs tied 1-1 after an extended rain delay (one hour and 23 minutes) in the Pirates' final home game of the 2016 season. It was the first tie in the majors since 2005. The game, which was called in the top of the sixth inning, was declared a tie and not suspended because the game has no effect on the ... Read More
Jaso’s cycle, Taillon’s pitching give Pirates win vs. Cubs
Just one day after being eliminated from playoff contention, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a historic performance from first baseman John Jaso in an 8-4 victory Wednesday night against the Chicago Cubs. Jaso hit for the first cycle in PNC Park's 15-year history after he trippled off Pedro Strop in the seventh inning. “It's an interesting thing,” Jaso said to reporters after the game. “When you have a season where you don't really make it to the playoffs but there are these little moments ... Read More
COLUMN: Pirates season doomed from the start
Heading into Tuesday night's games, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a magic number of two and were able to secure their fate for the 2016 season. Unfortunately for the Pirates, that magic number was what it took for them to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. First the Pirates fell 6-4 to the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Colorado Rockies, 12-3. This sequence ends a streak of three consecutive seasons with playoff berths. Now the Pirates fall to ... Read More
Cubs prove too much for Pirates
In his previous start against the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Chad Kuhl didn't make it past the fifth inning, and, Monday night, Kuhl struggled again against the Cubs. Kuhl (5-4) made a mess of the fourth inning and was unable to see it through, and Chicago won its 100th game of the season with a 12-2 victory. This season, the Cubs are now 13-3 against the Pirates, while the Pirates fall to 37-41 at PNC Park and 32-38 against the National League ... Read More
Neal Huntington examines season, team’s future
For what is likely the final time this season, Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington met with reporters to discuss a myriad of topics relating to the past, present and future. Here's an edited transcript of what was said. On pitcher Gerrit Cole’s routine: “Really, his offseason routine has been a good one. We had the challenge in January (right rib inflammation) that we’ll address, but he was working. It’s hard to fault a guy for working when he got off track. Essentially knocked ... Read More
Ejections overshadow offensive slugfest
A back-and-forth Sunday afternoon contest that totaled over four hours of baseball culminated with a 10-7 Washington Nationals victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates held a 7-5 lead going into the eighth inning with set-up man Felipe Rivero (1-5) on the mound against his former team. From the beginning, Rivero couldn't impose his will against those he previously called his teammates. Everything went down hill after a leadoff walk to Stephen Drew, which brought up pinch-hitter ... Read More