Pittsburgh Pirates fans held their collective breaths as Ed Easley came to the plate in a bases loaded bottom of the ninth situation.
His fly out which ended the game with an ultimate cliffhanger.
Friday was Spring Training baseball at its finest as the Pirates and Minnesota Twins battled to a 2-2 tie.
Liriano faces former team
Francisco Liriano may have felt as though he was seeing double facing the team whose uniform he once wore.
It would have been hard to notice as Liriano struck out four batters in two innings of work.
Three of Liriano’s strikeouts came in the first inning with two swinging and one looking.
Strike one is always an important pitch but that especially holds true with the left-handed Liriano. His off-speed pitches are hard to read and hitters often chase low pitches.
Coffee Break
Big things are expected this season from Gregory Polanco and he provided a small glimpse into a possible response with a 3-for-3 day at the plate.
Polanco has added muscle in preparation for the season and has held himself at a higher standard.
His defense has improved and not the liability it once was. Polanco also struggled with the pop up slide but is working to be a more consistent threat on the base paths.
Up Next
The Pirates will play the Atlanta Braves Saturday. Tyler Glasnow will start for the Pirates against Bud Norris. Jameson Taillon, Steven Brault, Chad Kuhl and Trevor Williams each are also scheduled to pitch.
Photo credit: @ Pirates
