Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Neftali Feliz was in a jam when he allowed the first two Cincinnati Reds to reach base with Billy Hamilton at the plate. Hamilton hit a ball on a short hop that Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang quickly fielded. He got the out at third base and threw to Josh Harrison to get the out at second base. Kang did not have any chance to react until the 88 mph hit bounced into his glove but he quickly formulated a game plan. "I was thinking of throwing the ball ... Read More
Tony Watson closes to his own tune
When a new closer is named, there are a number of changes that need to be made. When the Pittsburgh Pirates' Tony Watson was named the team's closer after the departure of Mark Melancon, those changes included new walk-up music and a new video package. Watson chose “Sweet Emotion,” an Aerosmith song off the band's 1975 “Toys in the Attic” album. “The song was by default,” Watson said. “I wanted ‘When the Levee Breaks,’ but Jamo's got that one, and I'm not going to take it from him. We ... Read More
Sean Rodriguez’s home run leads Pirates to victory
It was a short night for Cincinnati Reds pitcher Ross Ohlendorf. At PNC Park, Ohlendorf's outing Friday night lasted all of four pitches — on a mound that previously served as home. This time, though, it wasn't so kind. The Pittsburgh Pirates' Sean Rodriguez led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a game-winning home run on a 2-1 fastball to secure the 3-2 victory over the Reds (44-64). Pittsburgh is now 54-53 on the season. The homer was Rodriguez's 11th of the season, and he's now ... Read More
Four-run sixth highlights Pirates’ win vs. Braves
A day after the Pittsburgh Pirates made some tough decisions at the trade deadline, the team gave fans something to cheer for. For the first time since last Wednesday, the Pirates (53-51) found themselves in the win column with a 5-3 road victory Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves (37-69). Tony Watson made his debut as the Pirates' closer and pitched a scoreless inning to earn his first save since April 22, 2015 (and his sixth career save). He struck out one batter and walked another ... Read More
Why timing was right for Mark Melancon trade
Here's a memo to Pittsburgh Pirates fans upset about closer Mark Melancon being traded: Relax. The Pirates' management is very aware of what it is doing and, under general manager Neal Huntington, they're not wrong by making this move. First of all, Melancon is going to be just fine. He's heading to a Washington Nationals team that leads the NL East by five games. Those who question whether Melancon can handle being outside PNC Park because he doesn't strike enough batters out should stop ... Read More
Pirates bench the difference in win
Pittsburgh Pirates reserve Adam Frazier had seen Philadelphia Phillies reliever Edubray Ramos during the Arizona Fall League baseball season and used this knowledge to his benefit. Frazier was able to hit his first career home run, a solo shot over the Clemente Wall in right field, to help lead the Pirates to the 5-4 win over the Phillies on Sunday. "It was up and in," he said. "I figured he was going up and in with a fastball after missing with two off-speed pitches, so I just tried to ... Read More
Pirates sweep doubleheader against Mets
Doubleheaders always bring the potential of unique accomplishments, and Tuesday's contests between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Mets brought some of those into play. Both games ended the same, a 3-1 Pirates victory giving the home team nine consecutive wins over the Mets, the most in franchise history. Often times in doubleheaders, relief pitchers appear in one game, but both Mark Melancon and Neftali Feliz appeared in each of the victories. Feliz allowed the lone run in Game ... Read More
Watson’s struggles continue in loss to Angels
Tony Watson's struggles continued Sunday afternoon and his two runs allowed in the eighth inning cost the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The runs came from a familiar source in Albert Pujols' bat. Pujols tormented Pirates fans for years with his power and with this homer, he now has 30 for his career at PNC Park. Watson (1-2) has been known as one of the best and consistent set-up men in baseball but has now given up at least one run in his last ... Read More
Pirates earn split in Cincinnati
Wednesday was supposed to be Josh Harrison's day off, but a Starling Marte ejection quickly changed things. Marte was ejected along with manager Clint Hurdle when a call was reversed by replay in the sixth inning. Marte was ruled out at second base on a stolen base attempt as a result. Harrison turned around and hit one of four Pittsburgh Pirates home runs on the game in a 5-4 victory against the Cincinnati Reds. This Pirates win puts the team at 18-15 on the season while earning a ... Read More
Jung Ho Kang returns to Pirates in big way
With the approach the Pittsburgh Pirates have taken this season, swinging at the first pitch is often frowned upon. Jung Ho Kang, in his 2016 debut, apparently didn't get the memo Friday night in a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Kang, in his first game back from left knee surgery, swung at the first two pitches he saw, which resulted in a double play and a pop-out. His approach seemed to be unsuccessful. That is, until Cardinals' pitcher Tyler Lyons threw a sixth-inning pitch to ... Read More