As a kid in the 90s and a teenager in the 2000s, I got to watch a lot of great players for most, or all, of their careers. My personal favorites were probably Ken Griffey Jr. and Greg Maddux. There were tons of great players though, Bonds, Clemens and Ripken, just to name a few more. There were a few problems with this era however. One of these problems is determining what was “real” and what wasn’t. Most people think that Bonds and Clemens took PEDs and that Griffey, Maddux and Ripken ... Read More
Liriano shines in debut; Tabata and Mercer pace the offense in 11-2 win
To say that the Pirates had its most satisfying win of the season Saturday is an understatement. It's not just that they dominated the Mets 11-2, it's the way they got there. One of the biggest acquisitions in the offseason, Francisco Liriano, made his long-awaited Pirates debut on Saturday. If this is a preview of things to come, Pirates fans will be quite happy. Liriano, who missed spring training due to injury, came out looking like the pitcher that threw a no-hitter for the Minnesota ... Read More
Pirates bats come to life in win over Mets
NEW YORK -- The Pirates followed a vexing loss in the opener at Citi Field with a blueprint 7-3 victory against the Mets on Friday night. Left-hander Wandy Rodriguez disposed with the Mets' lukewarm batting order for six innings, and cleanup man Garrett Jones started one three-run rally with a double and ended another with a replay-reviewed three-run home run. The result was the Bucs' second victory in six games. The victory could have been more easily achieved, but Jose Contreras allowed ... Read More
The Mind Game of Being a Pirates Fan
The fact that the Pittsburgh Pirates have fans is weird, isn’t it? Think about this for a minute; fanhood is an investment. You pour hours of your day into following the team, and the majority of fans invest monetarily in the team as well, buying tickets and merchandise to prove their interest in the team is legitimate. So what’s the possible return on this investment? Pride, enjoyment and some extent of happiness. Everyone has a different view on the value of time, money, pride, enjoyment and ... Read More
Pirates fall victim to Murphy’s Law in loss to Nationals
The Pirates have been one of the better teams in baseball so far this season. There's really no denying that. Unfortunately, every good team will have its bad days. The Pirates fell victim to Murphy's Law as they walked eight and hit three batters as a team, en route to a loss to the Nationals by the score of 5-4. "We've played very good ball to this point. Every once and awhile you have a game where you're not in sync," Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said. "All of those walks and hit batters ... Read More
McKenry jumps at the chance to give back to the community
When you think about athletes, some of the words that you'll associate with them right away are rich, gifted and celebrities. I think all three are accurate, fair assessments. There is one major one, though, that I have to disagree with. Too often, the word hero gets thrown around when an athlete hits a game-winning home run or scores the winning goal. With the recent events that took place in Boston, the true heroes are the first responders and the police of the city. True heroes are the ... Read More
Pirates are proving to be a contender
The Major League Baseball Season is only 25 games old, but the Pirates are showing that they are good enough to battle with the elites of the National League. So far this season they have faced some pretty stiff competition, such as the Dodgers, Braves, and Reds. Last week they had a ten-game home-stand when the Reds, Cardinals, and the Braves came into town. Those 10 games were shortened to nine because of a rainout, but in those nine games the Buccos went 7-2. That’s pretty legit if you ... Read More
Pirates led by Martin, Jones and Locke in blowout win over Cardinals
ST. LOUIS -- Clint Hurdle always calls baseball, alternately, a funny or a wonderful game. This episode probably qualifies as both. Jeff Locke began the season as the Pirates' No. 5 starter, and now is riding a scoreless streak of 13 innings after going the first seven on Sunday as the Bucs downed the Cardinals, 9-0, to vault over St. Louis in the National League Central. It can be reasonably assumed that Locke has earned a promotion to the No. 4 slot, previously occupied by Jonathan ... Read More
Pirates rally late to beat Phillies 5-3
MLB.com PHILADELPHIA -- On a night Wandy Rodriguez did just enough to keep his team in the game, the Pirates did just enough to secure a win on Wednesday. Rodriguez allowed three runs, including solo home runs by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, on nine hits, but Pittsburgh rallied against the Phillies' bullpen for a 5-3 win at Citizens Bank Park. Roy Halladay had a third straight solid outing before the relief corps surrendered three runs over the seventh and eighth ... Read More
Pirates grind out win over Braves, finish homestand 7-2
Jonathan Sanchez lasted three innings but only allowed two runs as the Pirates took the four-game series from the Braves by a 4 – 2 margin. The Braves got on the board in the second by scratching together four straight singles by Chris Johnson, Reed Johnson, Gerald Laird, and Andrelton Simmons to make it 2 – 0. The Pirates would immediately answer back in the bottom with three straight hits of their own. Pedro Alvarez led off with a single, Russell Martin would then hit an RBI double, and ... Read More