Kevin Gorman stories, Page 47

Vince Velasquez got goosebumps in anticipation of making his first start for the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, and the right-hander had extra motivation in facing his former Chicago White Sox teammates. What Velasquez didn’t have was control. Velasquez was pulled in the third inning after allowing five runs on...

The black-clad crowd chanted M-V-P during the introduction of Andrew McCutchen in his return for the Pittsburgh Pirates, bringing back that Buctober feeling to PNC Park. The trade that sent McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants five years ago came full circle when fans later serenaded the player the Pirates...

Andrew McCutchen leaned back into his chair and imagined hearing “No. 22” and his name announced while wearing black and gold again before his first at-bat with the Pittsburgh Pirates back at PNC Park. McCutchen allowed his mind to wander with anticipation about the emotions and energy the ovations will...

Carlos Santana was making solid contact, so the Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman believed he was close to making an offensive impact. Santana, who hit .105 (2 for 19) in his first five games, went 2 for 4 with his first home run as a Pirate and an RBI double to...

The Pittsburgh Pirates will have the highest slot value ever for the No. 1 overall pick and the third-highest bonus pool to use for the 2023 MLB Draft, per a report by MLB.com. After winning the inaugural draft lottery, the Pirates learned Tuesday that the slot value for the first...

Ji Hwan Bae had a Monster night, one that left everyone in Boston green with envy. The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie was the talk of Tuesday’s game against the Red Sox, thanks to a pair of amazing plays he made to bookend the 4-1 win. Bae hit his first career home...

Ji Hwan Bae picked a towering target and a historic ballpark to hit the first home run of his career, and Bryan Reynolds made some personal history of his own by going deep for the third consecutive game. Bae blasted an improbable two-run home run over the famed Green Monster...

After using eight players at the position last season, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ catching carousel has started early. The Pirates placed Austin Hedges on the seven-day concussion injured list Tuesday and selected the contract of Tyler Heineman, who will join Jason Delay as the backstops while Hedges is out. To make...

ALTOONA — Henry Davis was blunt as could be about his minor-league assignment, starting this season with the Altoona Curve again after finishing last year with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Double-A affiliate. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the 23-year-old catcher doesn’t dance around any notions that...

ALTOONA — The Pittsburgh Pirates announced their minor league assignments Monday, revealing that MLB Pipeline top 10 prospects Henry Davis and Liover Peguero will return to Double-A Altoona to start the season. Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, slashed .207/.324/.379 but played in only 31 games after being...

The Pittsburgh Pirates like the pitch repertoire right-hander Vince Velasquez offers but believe he needs to stay in the strike zone to be effective as a starting pitcher. Just not up in the zone. Velasquez surrendered a pair of solo home runs in his Pirates debut as the Cincinnati Reds...

The Pittsburgh Pirates don’t know the severity of JT Brubaker’s arm injury except that it’s serious enough to keep him out of the starting rotation for the next two months. The 29-year-old right-hander, who left spring training with right elbow/forearm discomfort, was moved from the 15-day injured list to the...

Asked if he could envision signing a player to a $100 million contract in the near future, Pirates chairman Bob Nutting told the Tribune-Review that it was “definitely inside the realm of possibility.” Nutting knew that it would be met with skepticism by a fan base that views him as...

CINCINNATI — Rob Zastryzny wanted to absorb the atmosphere of his first Opening Day but was trying to keep his emotions in check after days of uncertainty if he even would make the Pittsburgh Pirates. A non-roster invitee to spring training, the 31-year-old left-hander’s status was the ultimate cliffhanger. Zastryzny...

CINCINNATI — The deadline for a deal passed without the Pittsburgh Pirates and Bryan Reynolds finalizing a contract extension, which the star outfielder wanted to complete by first pitch on Opening Day. MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post tweeted Thursday afternoon that “while there’s agreement on dollars”...

CINCINNATI — The first Opening Day for Oneil Cruz will go down as one to remember, as the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop started their scoring with a solo home run and ended it by driving in the winning run. The 6-foot-7 shortstop went 1 for 2 with two runs scored and...

CINCINNATI — Ji Hwan Bae was surprised to see his name in the Opening Day lineup at second base for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Canaan Smith-Njigba wasn’t surprised at all to be starting in right field. Derek Shelton had different reasons for starting a pair of rookies Thursday against the Cincinnati...

CINCINNATI — Ke’Bryan Hayes is hoping for an Opening Day that more closely resembles his first than his last, even though he has 70 million reasons to feel the opposite. If the Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman prefers the two-run homer he hit as a rookie in the 2021 opener against...

CINCINNATI — Derek Shelton sat in the visiting dugout at Great American Ball Park on the eve of Opening Day, believing his fourth season managing the Pittsburgh Pirates finally will bring progress. If that’s received with a shrug, it’s because Shelton’s first three seasons have been a bit of a...

Even though the Pittsburgh Pirates’ rotation appeared set at the start of spring training and his bet to make the Opening Day roster was as a reliever, Johan Oviedo was absolutely positive that he wanted to be a starting pitcher. The 25-year-old right-hander worked in a relief role for the...

Canaan Smith-Njigba earned a spot on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Opening Day roster with a strong spring, then showed why with one swing when he hit a three-run, opposite-field home run for the lead in the sixth inning. The Minnesota Twins rallied late for a 7-5 win Tuesday afternoon in the...

Jason Delay won the three-man battle to be the backup catcher, and a pair of rookies — infielder Ji Hwan Bae and outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba — will join the Pittsburgh Pirates when they travel to Cincinnati for the season opener, a source confirmed Tuesday morning to the Tribune-Review. The Pirates...

Just when the starting rotation appeared to be set for the start of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates were dealt a major blow. Manager Derek Shelton said that right-hander JT Brubaker, who led the team in strikeouts last season, is likely to begin the season on the injured list with...

For all of the talk by the Pittsburgh Pirates about competition in spring training, only one position was truly up for grabs. That was at second base, with a handful of candidates for the starting job. Rodolfo Castro announced from the outset his intention to create separation from Ji Hwan...