Since the Pirates clinched home field for the wild card on Saturday, I've been trolling fans left and right on social media sites. Well, technically, the I haven't been trolling, because no matter where you look, you see something about the Pirates playing on Tuesday against the Reds. All of the fans are excited, which is great. It's great for the city and great for the fans. However, do fans really know how to feel? Fans have experienced the Penguins and Steelers playing in the playoffs ... Read More
‘Twas the Night Before Buctober
Follow @TBerardi_OVA 'Twas the night before Buctober, when all through the tahn, Not a fan was asleep, not even Greg Brown. They lay awake anxious for the day ahead, when their Buccos would be battling those dreaded Reds. Thoughts of Willie and Clemente get's everyone giddy, while Cutch and Pedro prepare to rock the city, Maz's homer replays on computers all around, and "You Gotta Believe" plays in loud sound. In the homes of the Pirates, they go to their beds, it is Christmas ... Read More
Message to Hurdle: Play the match ups
Clint Hurdle has made a major impact on the Pittsburgh Pirates since choosing to manage them at the start of the 2011 season. He's created a new atmosphere in the clubhouse, replacing the mundane, defeatist spirit left behind by John Russell, with a loud, energetic voice of optimism. With a group as young as the Pirates, that type of message can go a long way. Especially if the team starts winning. As a motivator, Hurdle is one of the best in baseball. As a strategist, he's, at times, ... Read More
Pirates Call for Blackout on Tuesday
Follow @TBerardi_OVA For the first time since October 11, 1992, the Pittsburgh Pirates will be hosting a playoff game on the shores of the Allegheny. This will be the first playoff game ever played at PNC Park and the single-game attendance record could be broken on Tuesday night. Sunday night the Pirates requested a favor to BUCN. How sick would it be if all the fans wore black on Tuesday. Black it out!!! @wudeydo34 @TheCUTCH22 @NeilWalker18 #PNCBLACKOUT — Michael McKenry ... Read More
No matter what, enjoy the game on Tuesday
The Pittsburgh Pirates will be hosting the opening game of the National League playoffs on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds for the city’s first playoff game in 20 years. The club has won 94 games this year — an improvement of 15 from last year’s talented team that just missed breaking the streak of consecutive losing seasons. Beyond that, the team entered this weekend’s series needing to take 2 of 3 from their now-hated rivals across the border to host the game, and instead they decided to ... Read More
Burnett shuts down Reds
In the opener of a three-game series that will determine which team hosts Tuesday's National League Wild Card one-game playoff, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark, 4-1, behind a strong outing from A.J. Burnett. Burnett, now 10-11 on the season, has often suffered from a lack of offensive support, but the Pirates jumped to an early 2-0 lead when Marlon Byrd singled with the bases loaded in the third inning off of Homer Bailey (11-12). Todd Frazier ... Read More
Pirates move a game ahead of Reds with win over Cubs
CHICAGO -- Gerrit Cole's stellar September continued on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field and the Pirates regained the top National League Wild Card spot with four regular-season games remaining. Cole tossed six strong innings and drove in two runs to lead the Bucs to an 8-2 win over the Cubs that moved them a game ahead of Cincinnati for the first Wild Card, as the Reds lost to the Mets. The Pirates also remained two games behind St. Louis in the NL Central with a Cardinals win over the ... Read More
Pirates beat Cubs in close one; clinch playoff berth
CHICAGO -- The Pittsburgh Pirates are going to the playoffs. No, you did not read that wrong, they are going to the National League playoffs. With their 2-1 victory tonight over the Chicago Cubs today, the Pirates will be playing in October for the first time since 1992. The Pirates got on the board early, as the second batter of the game, Neil Walker, hit a solo home run. There wasn't much for the Bucs offense after that until the top of the ninth inning, when Starling Marte had one of the ... Read More
Tyler Glasnow: Pirates Minor League Player-of-the-Year
Tyler Glasnow, this years Pirates minor league pitcher of-the-year, held up to his preseason #9 ranking on the Pirates Prospects list as he recorded a 9 - 3 record for Class-A West Virginia while recording a 2.18 era in 24 starts while striking out 164 batters and walking 61. The great numbers weren't part of Glasnow's plan at the start of the season. It was strictly work to get better. "My focus at the beginning of the year was to not really think of results, not really think of stats," said ... Read More
Pirates better get used to pressure
On Friday night, the Pirates lost a heartbreaker in the opener of a crucial three game set against division rival Cincinnati in one of the most crushing losses for the Pirates in recent memory. Everything was going the Bucs way: Francisco Liriano had shut down the Reds, allowing just 2 runs over 8 fantastic frames, the offense picked him up behind back-to-back homers by Jose Tabata and Neil Walker to lead off the game, and the best reliever in the National League, Mark Melancon, was on the bump ... Read More