Kevin Gorman stories, Page 70
Pirates All-Star closer David Bednar throws live batting practice, takes step toward returning
Dressed in full Pittsburgh Pirates uniform, David Bednar ran in from the bullpen, took the mound at PNC Park and threw warm-up pitches as if it was a save situation in the ninth inning. It was only a live batting practice session four hours before the start of a game...
Pirates react to MLB rule changes to restrict shifts, add pitch timer, make bases bigger
When asked about the three MLB rules changes for 2023, Bryan Reynolds broke into a big smile. The Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder couldn’t hide his enthusiasm for the elimination of one in particular. Reynolds is sick of the shift, so he welcomes the requirement that teams must have a minimum...
All-Star closer David Bednar named Pirates nominee for Roberto Clemente Award
Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star closer David Bednar, a Mars alum, was named the team’s 2022 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, one of MLB’s most prestigious individual honors. The Roberto Clemente Award recognizes a major league player who best represents the game “through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions,...
Pirates see rookie Oneil Cruz’s improvement at the plate as an ‘encouraging sign’
After Jacob deGrom dominated the second game of a doubleheader that left the Pittsburgh Pirates humbled, manager Derek Shelton searched for superlatives to describe the New York Mets ace. “As screwed up as it sounds, you pick the small victories,” Shelton said, accentuating the strength of deGrom’s slider in the...
Pirates go quietly in twinbill against Mets
If the Pittsburgh Pirates were going to split their doubleheader with the New York Mets, they needed to fare better against the starting pitcher in the nightcap than they did in the matinee. And with a two-time NL Cy Young Award winner on the mound for the Mets, the odds...
Pirates DFA Josh VanMeter, recall Hoy Park, claim 2 players off waivers
Josh VanMeter showed his value to the Pittsburgh Pirates in his versatility by playing six positions this season, including three games as a pitcher and once as an emergency catcher. But his bat proved to be the problem. After VanMeter hit only .187 with five doubles, two triples, three home...
Oneil Cruz homers into river, Mitch Keller throws 6 scoreless as Pirates pound MetsVideo
The Allegheny River has served as an inviting target for Oneil Cruz, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 6-foot-7 rookie shortstop with left-handed power and Statcast record-setting exit velocities. Finally, he made a splash. Cruz crushed a 422-foot home run that cleared the right field seats and bounced into the river in an...
Weather postpones Pirates-Mets game, doubleheader planned Wednesday
The Pittsburgh Pirates are getting Labor Day off, but they will have to work overtime Wednesday. Monday’s Pirates’ game against the New York Mets was postponed due to inclement weather expected throughout the day, the first rainout of the season at PNC Park. Instead, the teams will play a split...
Pirates 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes takes swings in cage, ‘looking to be in there’ for Mets series
After missing two games with left shoulder soreness, Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes said he expects to return to the lineup Monday for the New York Mets series. “I’m looking to be in there tomorrow, whether it be DH or in the field,” Hayes said following the 4-3 loss...
Pirates whiff in 9th-inning rally as Blue Jays pull off 3-game series sweep
Jordan Romano started the ninth inning with a one-run lead before back-to-back singles by Jack Suwinski and Cal Mitchell put the winning run in scoring position for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Toronto Blue Jays closer then recorded three consecutive strikeouts to finish off a 4-3 win and three-game series sweep...
Bo Bichette’s 3-run double leads Blue Jays past Pirates in Hall of Fame game
On the night the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrated their history by inducting their inaugural hall of fame class, it was the Toronto Blue Jays who brought PNC Park alive with cheers. The chants of “Let’s go Blue Jays!” grew louder with the bases loaded in the seventh inning when Bo Bichette...
As Pirates honor inaugural 19-member Hall of Fame class, ceremony disrupted by protester
The Pittsburgh Pirates celebrated their 135-year history Saturday afternoon by inducting their long-awaited hall of fame, which involved the historic gesture of signing four Negro Leagues players to honorary contracts and including them in the inaugural class. The Pirates unveiled plaques for each honoree on the wall inside the Roberto...
Blue Jays shut out Pirates, who clinch 4th consecutive losing season
It wasn’t quite a backyard brawl – even though a West Virginia product was pitching against the Pittsburgh Pirates – but the cheers and sing-son chants of boisterous Toronto Blue Jays fans drowned out their counterparts and only made the result harder to swallow. Behind 7 1/3 shutout innings by...
RHP Johan Oviedo to make Pirates debut in start against Blue Jays on Friday night
Johan Oviedo, the 24-year-old right-handed pitcher acquired from St. Louis in the Jose Quintana trade, will make his Pittsburgh Pirates debut when he starts Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Pirates announced the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Oviedo will start Friday, right-hander Roansy Contreras on Saturday and right-hander JT Brubaker...
For Pirates reliever Chase De Jong, earning first MLB save against Brewers ‘pretty special’
After recording the first save of his professional baseball career, Chase De Jong was in the middle of giving a shoutout to his teammates when he got a celebratory shower courtesy of them. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander took a twisting path to the milestone moment that he called “very humbling,”...
Mitch Keller strikes out 10, Pirates draw bases-loaded walk to beat Brewers
A night after Milwaukee won on a walk-off home run, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Brewers when they walked the winning run home. Mitch Keller had a career-high 10 strikeouts, Rodolfo Castro drew a bases-loaded, four-pitch walk and Oneil Cruz doubled to add an insurance run for a 4-2 win...
Pirates SS Oneil Cruz sets another Statcast record with 117.5-mph homer at Brewers
Oneil Cruz gave an indicator of how hard he was swinging from the start against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night, when he hit a leadoff line drive right at second baseman Kolten Wong. The recorded exit velocity of 113.8 mph was just a fraction of a tick faster than...
Keston Hiura hits 2-run homer in 9th to lead Brewers to walk-off win over Pirates
Just when all of the attention was on Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Oneil Cruz for a Statcast-shattering home run, the Milwaukee Brewers got a gift when rookie Garrett Mitchell hit his first major league homer. Mitchell’s two-run shot off Wil Crowe tied it with two outs in the eighth inning, and...
Pirates recall OF Jack Suwinski, option Bligh Madris to Triple-A Indianapolis
Jack Suwinski is back with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who recalled the rookie outfielder from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday before their series at the Milwaukee Brewers. To make room on the active roster for Suwinski, the Pirates optioned rookie Bligh Madris to Indianapolis. Infielder Kevin Padlo, who was designated for assignment,...
Since trading Daniel Vogelbach, Pirates using DH role to ‘facilitate best matchup’
After spending his coaching career in the American League, Derek Shelton enjoyed the chess match of the National League last season as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. As much as he enjoyed doing the double switch, Shelton had no qualms when MLB adopted the universal designated hitter this season. He...
Pirates hit 3 triples, shut out Phillies to snap 7-game losing streak
The Pittsburgh Pirates found the fastest way to score starts at third base. Oneil Cruz, Tucupita Marcano and Bryan Reynolds all scored after hitting triples, and Roansy Contreras tossed five scoreless innings as the Pirates snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-0, on Sunday afternoon at...
Pirates place RHP JT Brubaker on paternity list, add RHP Robert Stephenson to active roster
Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher JT Brubaker will miss at least one scheduled start, as the Pirates placed him on the MLB paternity list Sunday. Brubaker (3-11, 4.39 ERA) leads the Pirates in starts (24), innings (127) and Pirates starting pitchers in strikeouts per nine innings (9.4). He allowed six runs...
Phillies pound Bryse Wilson early to hand Pirates 6th consecutive loss
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies are on opposite ends of the state and headed in different directions. The Phillies scored six runs in the first two innings, knocking Pirates starter Bryse Wilson out early, and added an insurance run in the eighth on their way to a fifth consecutive...
Matt Olson’s grand slam punctuates 7-run 8th inning as Braves pound Pirates
At first glance, the Atlanta Braves handed the Pittsburgh Pirates their worst loss of the season. Kyle Wright tossed seven scoreless innings, the Braves batted around the order twice and Matt Olson delivered a dagger by smacking a grand slam that bounced into the Allegheny River. The worst part? The...
Pirates rookie Oneil Cruz sets Statcast record for hardest hit with 122.4-mph single
When Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz blistered a baseball at an exit velocity of 122.4 mph against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, it smashed a major-league record for the hardest hit in the Statcast era. Believe it or not, Cruz didn’t clear the fence. Cruz crushed Kyle Wright’s first-pitch slider...
