While no Pittsburgh sports teams brought home titles in 2015, there were still a lot of happenings on and off the field. From athletes returning to Pittsburgh, record breaking performances, late-season let downs and the protest of a quarterback, Pittsburgh Sporting News is counting down the top 10 sports stories in Pittsburgh in 2015.
The first half includes stories 10 thru six.
No. 10 – Gung Ho for Jung Ho
When the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Jung Ho Kang to a four-year, $11 million deal, some worried if the former Korean Baseball Organization star would be able to have a successful transition to Major League Baseball. All the infielder did in 2015 was finish third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. After a slow start, Kang hit .287 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI and provided stability at third base and shortstop when Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer went down with injuries. After winning NL Rookie of the Month for August, the 27-year-old’s season was abruptly ended on Sept. 16 when Chicago Cubs’ Chris Coghlan slid into Kang’s left knee while he was covering a double play. Kang tore his MCL in the collision, and many Pirates fans were outraged at Coghlan’s slide.
Not only did Kang become a fan favorite in Pittsburgh, but he also opened the door for future KBO players to play for Major League clubs. Byung Ho Park and Hyun Soo Kim both signed multiyear offers to play in the MLB, both of whom credited Kang for his role in allowing them to receive the deals they did.
No. 9 – Batman and Aram return
Fans had mixed reactions when A.J. Burnett and Aramis Ramirez departed from the Pirates. When Ramirez was traded in 2003, it was considered one of the worst trade in baseball history. The Pirates gave away a young, future All-Star for what amounted to very little. But when Burnett chose to sign for more money with the Philadelphia Phillies after the 2013 season, making some think the pitcher was disloyal.
Both made their returns to Pittsburgh in 2015, and both became fan favorites again. Burnett opted out of his deal with the Phillies and took less money to sign a one-year, $8 million deal to play his last season with the Pirates. Burnett had often said he felt he had a special bond with the city, and most fans forgave him for signing with Philadelphia the year before. Burnett ended up making his first and only All-Star appearance in 2015, and he finished the season with a 9-7 record and 3.18 ERA.
Ramirez, meanwhile, returned to Pittsburgh 12 years to the day when he was originally traded to the Cubs. Acquired for a minor league relief pitcher to play third base while Harrison was out, Ramirez was a RBI-machine for the Pirates, contributing 33 RBI in 56 games, while hitting .245 in that span.
Both Burnett and Ramirez retired after the season.
No. 8 – Bettis gets the call
It seemed like former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis would never make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The sixth-leading rusher of all time had to wait five years and watch fellow running backs Marshall Faulk and Curtis Martin be inducted until after he was eligible to receive his gold jacket and to have a bust in Canton, Ohio, where the Hall of Fame is located.
During his in induction in August, Bettis’ speech was given in front of a host of terrible towels waving in the crowd from Steelers fans that traveled to watch. Bettis also received a loud applause during the Hall of Fame Game the next day, which the Steelers played in.
No. 7 – Vick isn’t It for some fans
The Steelers signing of quarterback Mike Vick in August was, to say the least, controversial. Vick, who served 21-months in prison after being convicted of felony dog fighting charges in 2007, was signed to be Ben Roethlisberger’s backup after Bruce Gradkowski was placed on injured reserve.
The signing of Vick was immediately met with harsh criticism by many in the fan base, and some protested the Steelers for doing so. A Facebook group called “Pittsburghers against Michael Vick by Rally for Animals, Anti-Cruelty Group” has 29,651 likes as of Wednesday. A rally was held before the Steelers pre-season finale against the Carolina Panthers, and a second was held before the team’s home opener against the San Francisco 49ers. The protests and rallies have died down in recent months, especially after Vick led a comeback win on Monday Night football at the San Diego Chargers, but the signing was still a huge topic in the Steel City.
No. 6 – Johnston out, Sullivan in
Mike Johnson may have just been doomed from the start. Johnston was not the first, or even second, choice to coach the Pittsburgh Penguins when he was hired from the Portland Winterhawks prior to the 2014-2015 season. He was given little more than one full season as head coach before he was fired in favor of Mike Sullivan. In Johnston’s first season, the Penguins finished 43-27-12 and eighth in the Eastern Conference before being eliminated by the New York Rangers in five games in the first round of the playoffs.
The Penguins were 15-10-3 in 2015-2016 before Johnston’s firing, and are one of the lowest scoring teams in the National Hockey League, despite having Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. Since starting his career 22-6-4, the Penguins place in the standings continued to plumment, and currently find themselves out of a playoff spot. Since Sullivan has taken over, the team is 2-5. To Johnston’s credit, the Penguins did have one of the worst luck with injuries in the NHL during his tenure, including injuries to Crosby, Kris Letang, Marc-Andre Fleury and Pascal Dupuis.
Check back for the five biggest sports stories in Pittsburgh in 2015.
