Kevin Gorman stories, Page 54

Amid the hoopla surrounding his arrival with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Travis Swaggerty took time Sunday afternoon in the home dugout at PNC Park to reflect on his road to the major leagues. In that moment, Swaggerty thought about what he calls the “trials and tribulations” of his professional baseball career...

The Pittsburgh Pirates got what they needed from Mitch Keller, even if the right-hander didn’t get what he wanted. Despite making a second consecutive strong start, Keller left a tied game after six innings and didn’t get a decision when a Pirates victory would have marked the first back-to-back wins...

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Max Kranick underwent surgery last week to repair the UCL in his right elbow and will be out 14 to 16 months, team director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday. Kranick was shut down during the offseason with forearm soreness and reaggravated the injury after pitching...

The first thing Todd Tomczyk wanted to know when he saw the fractured ring fielder on Josh VanMeter’s hand was who threw the ball and what the velocity was. The Pittsburgh Pirates director of sports medicine was amazed at the damage the throw — believed to be from third baseman...

Tarik Skubal started from scratch and kept the Pittsburgh Pirates from scratching out a win. The 25-year-old Detroit Tigers left-hander was scheduled to start against the Pirates on Tuesday night before being scratched at the outset of a rain delay and then was reinserted into the starting lineup. The uncertainty...

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen took a blow when left-handed reliever Dillon Peters was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a low back strain. Peters (4-2, 3.86 ERA) tossed multiple innings in seven of his 12 relief outings this season and had pitched 12 scoreless innings in seven games...

Mitch Keller was making the third start of his major-league career when he faced Miguel Cabrera, the Detroit Tigers star who was the last major-league hitter to win the Triple Crown. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander remembers watching Cabrera on “Sunday Night Baseball” with his father, so Keller was surprised to...

The Pittsburgh Pirates provided Derek Shelton a peek into the future by filling their roster with rookies, allowing the manager to dream about the days when his dugout is teeming with young talent. Where having a handful of veteran starters on the injured list had the potential to be devastating,...

Travis Swaggerty was getting dressed in his Indianapolis Indians uniform Saturday when he felt a tap on the shoulder. Manager Miguel Perez wanted to see the outfielder into his office. “He talked to me about (how) I was playing well and what I can improve on and all that,” Swaggerty...

Sundays are Kids Days at PNC Park, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Pittsburgh Pirates relied on their rookies. Cal Mitchell crushed his first major-league home run, Jack Suwinski hit a pair of doubles and Diego Castillo drove him in with a sacrifice fly as the Pirates...

Cole Tucker, the former Pittsburgh Pirates first-round pick who was designated for assignment Monday, was claimed off waivers Sunday by the Arizona Diamondbacks. It’s a homecoming for Tucker, 25, who was drafted No. 24 overall as a shortstop out of Mountain Pointe High School in 2014 and makes his offseason...

The arrival of one Pittsburgh Pirates rookie came at the expense of another, as infielder Rodolfo Castro was optioned Sunday to Triple-A Indianapolis to make room on the roster for outfielder Travis Swaggerty one day after making a pair of costly gaffes against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Castro, 23, batted .197...

The Pittsburgh Pirates are promoting outfielder Travis Swaggerty in time for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team source confirmed. Swaggerty, 24, signed for a $4.4 million after being drafted with the No. 10 overall selection in 2018 out of South Alabama, where he was regarded as one of...

After hitting the first walk-off home run of his career and receiving a celebratory ice bath, Jack Suwinski couldn’t suppress his smile. On Faith Night at PNC Park, he turned Pirates fans into believers. Just when the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie outfielder was satisfied with extending his ninth-inning at-bat against Arizona...

Ke’Bryan Hayes quickly has earned a reputation as one of the best defensive players in baseball, so the Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman shakes his head when he looks at one important statistic. Hayes had seven errors through the first 50 games this season — including three in a five-game span...

JT Brubaker’s worst enemy returned, as the right-hander set an ominous tone for the Pittsburgh Pirates by serving up long balls. Brubaker surrendered three home runs, including a two-run shot to Ketel Marte for the go-ahead runs, as the Arizona Diamondbacks went deep five times. Then it almost came back...

Watching the Pittsburgh Pirates sweep a three-game series at the Los Angeles Dodgers had a profound impact on Ben Cherington, but not necessarily the way one would expect. “I thought it threw off my sleep schedule,” Cherington joked Friday at PNC Park. The Pirates general manager was measured in his...

David Bednar punctuated a marvelous month with a “gritty” two-inning, 50-pitch outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers and an expletive to express his excitement. After notching seven saves in May, the Pittsburgh Pirates closer was named NL reliever of the month. “It’s cool. It’s definitely an honor but, ultimately, it...

After striking out Will Smith to clinch a comeback win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night, David Bednar couldn’t contain his excitement on AT&T SportsNet’s postgame interview. When Robby Incmikoski asked him about the excitement of beating the best team in baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates closer dropped an...

Trailing the best team in baseball by a run in the top of the ninth inning, the Pittsburgh Pirates decided to go for broke by taking a chance on a pair of plays at the plate. Diego Castillo scored from second on a Michael Perez single to right for the...

The Pittsburgh Pirates formally announced the trade with the Cleveland Guardians for corner infielder Yu Chang — and it came at the expense of a former first-round pick. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated infielder/outfielder Cole Tucker for assignment Monday morning. Tucker, their first-round pick (No....

Trent Grisham showed bunt in the bottom of the 10th inning before the San Diego Padres gave him the green light. Grisham swung away when he saw Chris Stratton’s 2-0 fastball and drove it 368 feet off the right-field foul pole for a two-run home run to lift the Padres...

Down to playing a middle infielder at first base because of injuries, the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday acquired Yu Chang from the Cleveland Guardians for cash considerations, a source confirmed to the Tribune-Review. Chang’s arrival comes after the Pirates placed outfielder Ben Gamel and designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach (left hamstring...

The Pittsburgh Pirates were dealt another blow to their starting lineup and already depleted outfield depth Sunday when they placed Ben Gamel on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring. Gamel was injured while stealing second base and left in the eighth inning of Saturday night’s 4-2 win...

When it comes to his own swing decisions, Mason Martin has changed his mentality so that he’s not searching for the perfect pitch. Now, he’s proving that his patience goes beyond the plate. Despite the Pirates dealing with depth issues at first base because of injuries, the top prospect at...