ADVERTISEMENT

OT: 2018 Pirates Thread

bucs now 4-0
Just returned from the game. Happy with the record, but their relief pitching is a big concern. If it doesn't improve, it's going to be a long season. Also, this makes two games in which they scored in the first and were shutout the rest of the game. This despite the Twins walking a ton of batters today.
 
Pirates positioning themselves as the front-runner to challenge the Reds this year! It'll be just like the 1970s again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheGLOV
Hey, we can dream, can't we?

Absolutely! That's what April and May are for for fans of bad MLB teams!

Reds and Pirates play their first of 19 games against each other on Thursday. Dock Ellis vs. Don Gullett on the pitching match-up.
 
Absolutely! That's what April and May are for for fans of bad MLB teams!

Reds and Pirates play their first of 19 games against each other on Thursday. Dock Ellis vs. Don Gullett on the pitching match-up.
Time to move on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheGLOV
I could name you both of those starting lineups of those teams without a problem.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheGLOV
If Dock Ellis drops Acid 6 hours before a game....watch out....no hitter for the Pirates...of course there will be a couple hit batsman, 10 walks.

If you have not seen the documentary on Dock Ellis on Netflix well worth your time in watching.......
 
On the downside for you Pirates fans, you don't play the Tigers 162 times. ;)
And, what little I follow MLB, I am a Tigers fan. It shall be a very long season in Motown.

OL
I'm not a Pirate fan. My post was more about baseball on the whole than the Pirates.
 
It is TRULY, TRULY rare to be able to say this....

But there is only one UNDEFEATED team in all of major league baseball...and that would be.....

The Pittsburgh Pirates!


Beat 'em Bucs!


I have no idea if that's ever occurred in my lifetime that the Buccos were the last team in baseball to encounter defeat at the start of a season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheGLOV
It is TRULY, TRULY rare to be able to say this....

But there is only one UNDEFEATED team in all of major league baseball...and that would be.....

The Pittsburgh Pirates!

Congrats :rolleyes:
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheGLOV
WetAdorableFantail-size_restricted.gif
 
  • Like
Reactions: EPC FAN
They came back to earth with a thud last night.

Polanco gets thrown out at home plate to end an inning - looked like he didn't care to run in the cold weather. Bob Walk remarks that he hopes that baserunning doesn't come back to haunt them.

Very next inning, Twins guy walks, goes to second on a wild pitch. Batter pop behind home plate - Cervelli loses the ball (in the snow) and it falls in fair territory - batter didn't run to first so Bell picks up the ball and lollipops a throw to first for the out - runner on second moves to third when the throw gets there late.

Next guy up gets a hit, beating the Hurdle metrics which had the 2nd baseman on the 3rd base side of 2nd base. Hurdle does the stroll to the mound and changes pitchers and it goes down hill from there.

The final highlight was when somebody strokes the ball into the right field corner. Polanco (still probably stiff from his base running effort in the previous half inning) gets to the ball and fires a 5 or 6 hopper to home plate. Twins base runner (who was on first base) actually slows down and looks back over his shoulder between 2nd and 3rd - still beats the throw to home plate.

Still can't believe that nobody claimed that Cervelli lost the ball in the snow.
 
They came back to earth with a thud last night.

Polanco gets thrown out at home plate to end an inning - looked like he didn't care to run in the cold weather. Bob Walk remarks that he hopes that baserunning doesn't come back to haunt them.

Very next inning, Twins guy walks, goes to second on a wild pitch. Batter pop behind home plate - Cervelli loses the ball (in the snow) and it falls in fair territory - batter didn't run to first so Bell picks up the ball and lollipops a throw to first for the out - runner on second moves to third when the throw gets there late.

Next guy up gets a hit, beating the Hurdle metrics which had the 2nd baseman on the 3rd base side of 2nd base. Hurdle does the stroll to the mound and changes pitchers and it goes down hill from there.

The final highlight was when somebody strokes the ball into the right field corner. Polanco (still probably stiff from his base running effort in the previous half inning) gets to the ball and fires a 5 or 6 hopper to home plate. Twins base runner (who was on first base) actually slows down and looks back over his shoulder between 2nd and 3rd - still beats the throw to home plate.

Still can't believe that nobody claimed that Cervelli lost the ball in the snow.
The Reds announcers tonight made that claim. Mich, if you're lurking this thread, 5-2 Pirates over the Reds. They'll need to sweep the Reds on the season to draw even with them for the havoc they've caused the last several years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: androcles
The Reds announcers tonight made that claim. Mich, if you're lurking this thread, 5-2 Pirates over the Reds. They'll need to sweep the Reds on the season to draw even with them for the havoc they've caused the last several years.

I just raced through the highlights of that game in about 5 minutes. Polanco hit that ball a long way in the cold. Nice start to 2018 for him. I can see him having an offensive breakout season.

Once the Pirates got ahead, that was that - Reds offense is scuffling thus far.

From my POV, if it's not the Reds, I prefer the Pirates be leading the NL Central! They were "sort of" my team for my few years at Penn State.

I always went back to Michigan for the summers so I never followed the Pirates day-to-day for an entire season. But my PSU friends were mostly Pirates fans so I would root for them at the end of spring semester. A lot of watching Pirate games on KBL and Fox Sports Pittsburgh in April & May.

Then I'd spend June to August in Michigan. Lots of listening to, watching and attending Detroit Tigers games. I'd still pay attention to the Pirate scores on the out-of-town scoreboard.

This being the late 1990s, though, the Pirates' games were always irrelevant by the time I got back to Central PA. There was never a Pirates pennant race to follow at the beginning of fall semester :(

Sorry you had to listen to the Reds announcers. Thom Brennaman is terrible. Ugh.

Hopefully the Reds and Pirates get to play at least one game in 50+ degree temperatures sometime before Memorial Day! It's no warmer out west - I have tickets to Rockies Opening Day tomorrow and it's supposed to snow here too!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: nits74 and TheGLOV
I just raced through the highlights of that game in about 5 minutes. Polanco hit that ball a long way in the cold. Nice start to 2018 for him. I can see him having an offensive breakout season.

Once the Pirates got ahead, that was that - Reds offense is scuffling thus far.

From my POV, if it's not the Reds, I prefer the Pirates be leading the NL Central! They were "sort of" my team for my few years at Penn State.

I always went back to Michigan for the summers so I never followed the Pirates day-to-day for an entire season. But my PSU friends were mostly Pirates fans so I would root for them at the end of spring semester. A lot of watching Pirate games on KBL and Fox Sports Pittsburgh in April & May.

Then I'd spend June to August in Michigan. Lots of listening to, watching and attending Detroit Tigers games. I'd still pay attention to the Pirate scores on the out-of-town scoreboard.

This being the late 1990s, though, the Pirates' games were always irrelevant by the time I got back to Central PA. There was never a Pirates pennant race to follow at the beginning of fall semester :(

Sorry you had to listen to the Reds announcers. Thom Brennaman is terrible. Ugh.

Hopefully the Reds and Pirates get to play at least one game in 50+ degree temperatures sometime before Memorial Day! It's no warmer out west - I have tickets to Rockies Opening Day tomorrow and it's supposed to snow here too!
Hear about the mistake in the Denver Post yesterday? Pretty funny.
 
Hear about the mistake in the Denver Post yesterday? Pretty funny.

Yeah --- newspaper journalism is just about dead anymore, sadly.

Heading for the ballpark here in a few. It's currently snowing, but the game is still on for the moment.
 
Way too early, but could most of us, myself included, have been wrong about these guys? The lineup looks very well balanced so far. Pitching still very questionable, though.
 
Last edited:
Yes, but it seems like you have to earn your stripes here. Anyway, I am a Pirate fan and did not expect much this season, but it sure is fun so far.
Well, you have a kindred spirit here. Call me a sadist, but the Pirates are by far my biggest rooting interest in Pittsburgh. Always have been.
 
Is the Jolly Roger at "half-mast"?

I just noticed that the Pirates are in 4th place (of 5 teams) in their division. That can't be encouraging.
 
ADVERTISEMENT