Pirates/MLB category, Page 58
Pirates sign 5 Day 2 draft picks, including a pitcher with Westmoreland County ties
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed five college players selected on the second day of the MLB Draft — including one with Westmoreland County ties — and assigned them to the Florida Complex League in Bradenton, Fla. Pirates amateur scouting director Justin Horowitz announced the signings Monday of three pitchers, a shortstop...
Mark Madden: Why be careful with prospects? Time is now for Pirates to maximize Paul Skenes’ window
Yet another column on why the Pittsburgh Pirates have to get a legit bat before MLB’s July 30 trade deadline: The Pirates aren’t far from a playoff berth. The standings show that, as did the Pirates with their performance in the just-completed home series against Philadelphia, baseball’s best team. Winning...
Madden Monday: Is Paul Skenes’ debut already more impressive than Sid’s? Big Ben’s? Mario’s?
Despite all the hype surrounding his All-Star Game start, Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Paul Skenes delivered by getting through the first inning without allowing a hit. Paul Skenes retires Aaron Judge and it's a scoreless first inning ???? pic.twitter.com/X4o89E5f6f— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 17, 2024 “I thought he handled...
Locked in: Now healthy, Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz off to a strong start to 2nd halfVideo
On Oneil Cruz’s first swing of the second half, he smoked Aaron Nola’s changeup off the base of the center-field wall at an exit velocity of 120.5 mph for an RBI double that saw him slide effortlessly into second base. That was a sign Cruz could be a catalyst for...
Tim Benz: For Pirates GM Ben Cherington, it’s not about new math — it’s about ditching old philosophies
On Sunday, Ben Cherington wanted to take us all to math class. During Cherington’s weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan, play-by-play man Joe Block asked the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager if the team’s recent hot stretch of eight wins in nine tries altered the front office’s approach in advance...
Pirates farm report for July 21, 2024: Ji Hwan Bae smacks 3 hits, homer in Indy loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 40-52) were walked-off by Omaha (Royals), 3-2. 2B Ji Hwan Bae (.360) was 3 for 3 with two walks and a solo homer on the game’s first pitch. SS Alika Williams (.271) was 1 for 5 with an RBI. LF Gilberto Celestino (.271) was 2 for 4 with...
Pirates’ Jim Leyland among those inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Jim Leyland said there was something special about all four of the organizations he managed during his Hall of Fame career — the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers. The Pirates gave the longtime minor-league coach his first chance to manage, and what followed...
Bats fall silent, Pirates fail to sweep Phillies
Back-to-back wins over Philadelphia put the Pittsburgh Pirates in position for a series sweep against the visiting Phillies Sunday afternoon at PNC Park. But pulling that off against their cross-state rival proved to be an unattainable accomplishment as the Pirates fell 6-0, snapping the longest active win streak in baseball...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington: Win streak could ‘clarify’ whether to be trade buyers or sellers
Ben Cherington called July an “incredibly exciting” time but also a month in baseball that can be “exhausting,” and the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager knows his work is far from done. “We’ve made July into quite a month in baseball,” Cherington said on his weekly radio show on Pirates flagship...
Pirates farm report for July 20, 2024: Thomas Harrington strikes out 10 in Curve loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 40-51) fell to Omaha (Royals), 7-4. C Henry Davis (.297) was 2 for 4 with an RBI. DH Seth Beer (.299) hit a solo homer. LF Matt Fraizer (.273) was 2 for 3 with two runs scored. RF Edward Olivares (.222) went 2 for 4. SS Alika Williams...
Luis Ortiz sharp as Pirates top Phillies to extend winning streak to season-high 6 games
Despite a more fluid role than his fellow pitchers and a background not as sexy compared to some of the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie phenoms, Luis Ortiz has quietly been a major asset for the club this season. That was on full display Saturday at PNC Park, with Ortiz starting against...
‘People love Jim Leyland’: Pirates get thrills, chills in anticipation of Hall of Fame induction
Don Kelly stood on the field during batting practice Saturday afternoon at PNC Park wearing a wide smile and a black T-shirt celebrating Jim Leyland’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Just the thought of Leyland being enshrined among the game’s greats Sunday afternoon in Cooperstown, N.Y., gave...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Getting a bat at the deadline will keep deception going for Pirates
Here’s why the Pittsburgh Pirates should add a significant bat before MLB’s July 30 deadline, proposed in a way that owner Bob Nutting might approve: If the Pirates legitimately appear to be trying to win, it would hook the marks for at least five more years. The suckers. That’s you....
Pirates farm report for July 19, 2024: Matt Gorski hits 16th homer in Indy win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 40-50) took care of Omaha (Royals), 8-1. 3b Malcom Nunez (.260) went 3 for 4 with his ninth homer and three runs scored. RF Matt Gorski (.248) went 2 for 3 with his 16th homer and three runs scored. 1B Jake Lamb (.284) went 1 for 5 with...
Rowdy Tellez sets Pirates record with 3 sacrifice flies in game; 1st NL player to do so since 1987Video
Somewhat lost in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ comeback ninth-inning walk-off victory against the Philadelphia Phillies Friday night at PNC Park was a franchise record and an occurrence not seen in the National League for almost 37 years. Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez recorded three sacrifice flies in the 8-7 win, making...
Nick Gonzales singles in 9th, Pirates rally for walk-off win over Phillies
When the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied twice from early deficits to tie the Philadelphia Phillies, it didn’t just keep them in the game. It provided a belief that the best team in baseball was beatable. The Pirates believed that, even as manager Derek Shelton’s decision to rest Mitch Keller and Paul...
On Sports: MLB deems Pirates’ rivals as Phillies, Tigers; Paul Skenes’ signing bonus record surpassed
In announcing its 2025 schedule Thursday, Major League Baseball tacitly expressed belief that fans have demanded more of the Pittsburgh Pirates-Detroit Tigers annual matchup. But not so much so that it will formally recognize it during a weekend specifically deigned to showcase so-called “rivalries.” Two aspects of next year’s schedule...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates fans fuming about Mitch Keller, Paul Skenes skipping Phillies
The Pittsburgh Pirates finished the first half of the season on a positive note to pull their record to .500 for the first time since April 27, giving fans a glimmer of hope they could be a playoff contender. By taking two of three at the NL Central first-place Milwaukee...
Pirates to host Yankees in 2025 home opener
A showdown between Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was the talk of the MLB All-Star Game this week. There could be a rematch in the Pirates’ home opener next season. For the first time in franchise history, the Pirates will face the Yankees...
On Sports: Pittsburgh led viewership of All-Star Game; Steelers QB drafted by UFL
Was it a Paul Skenes bump? Is MLB in the midst of a mini renaissance? Tuesday’s All-Star Game was the most-watched telecast on Fox in almost six months, drawing 7.6 million viewers, according to the network’s PR arm. That was up 6% from last year’s game. Most notably from a...
Paul Skenes’ meteoric rise aside, development process takes time for Pirates draft picks
The Pittsburgh Pirates are treating the drafting and development of Paul Skenes like a phenomenon, given his unprecedented rise from No. 1 overall pick to the starting pitcher in the All-Star Game. With Skenes serving as an anomaly by making an immediate impact, the Pirates focused on the future when...
Mark Madden: Pirates have opportunity to win now with Paul Skenes, but will they follow through?
Paul Skenes’ performance at the MLB All-Star Game was anticlimactic. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ rookie pitching phenom did face Aaron Judge after walking Juan Soto. Unintentionally, no matter what conspiracy theorists think. But that “big on big” matchup wasn’t too big: One pitch, fielder’s choice. (That’s good for Skenes’ pitch count.)...
On Sports: Davante Adams’ agent denies his client is on the trade block, surely to chagrin of Steelers fansVideo
Much of the oxygen from the NFL news cycle Tuesday focused on a player who has sucked up much of the attention from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “hot stove” over most of this spring and summer. San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has requested a trade. But while Aiyuk has...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: With Paul Skenes in a starring role, can the Pirates imagine playoffs?
The Pittsburgh Pirates were in the All-Star Game spotlight from start to finish, with rookie Paul Skenes making history in the first inning and Bryan Reynolds the final out in the ninth. As impressive as Skenes was in becoming the first player to go from No. 1 overall draft pick...
Pirates OF Bryan Reynolds lines a single in 7th inning, strikes out to end All-Star Game
Bryan Reynolds got a much different All-Star Game experience than his Pittsburgh Pirates teammate. Where Paul Skenes started for the National League and didn’t give up a hit or record a strikeout in the first inning, Reynolds was a reserve who got a knock in his first at-bat and ended...
