Pirates/MLB category, Page 157

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays used their Grapefruit League game to showcase two of baseball’s top shortstop prospects, and Wander Franco hit a blast for the deciding edge over Oneil Cruz. Franco, the consensus No. 1 overall prospect, made a powerful first impression when he smacked the first...

MLB has informed Triple-A teams that their season is being delayed for health and safety reasons, pushing back the start date for the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis until at least May. The move cuts 24 games from the Triple-A schedule, narrowing it to a 120-game season with 10 home...

After being asked to first buy into the bullpen then stretch out to become a starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates, JT Brubaker wants his breaking ball pitch path to follow that of his career arc. The right-hander spent his rookie season trying to blend in. Now, he wants to create...

Todd Frazier continued his bid to make the Pittsburgh Pirates as a nonroster invitee to spring training, hitting his second home run in three Grapefruit League games. Frazier’s shot to left field off Erasmo Ramirez in the fourth inning was the Pirates’ only run in a 6-1 five-inning loss to...

It was a bittersweet reunion for Anthony Alford and the Toronto Blue Jays, the organization that drafted and developed him, then discarded him last summer by designating him for assignment. When Alford came to bat against Robbie Ray on Monday in Dunedin, Fla., it was as a designated hitter in...

Mitch Keller wanted to focus on filling up the strike zone. Instead, when the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander had trouble throwing strikes, he was forced to work on pitching from behind in counts. Keller allowed two runs on three hits in the first inning of a 2-2 seven-inning tie with the...

After playing a shortened season in an empty ballpark last summer, the Pittsburgh Pirates received welcome news Monday that will allow them to have fans in the stands at PNC Park this season. Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday revised restrictions to allow for 20% of maximum capacity at outdoor venues....

After seeing Cedric Mullins swing early on the 2-0 pitch, Colin Moran anticipated that a grounder could be coming his way at first base. When Mullins pulled the next pitch down the first base line, Moran was ready. With two runners in scoring position and two outs in the Pittsburgh...

It was an eight-inning game that had the first half-inning called after only two outs were recorded. And, yet, the aspect of Sunday’s Grapefruit League opener for the Pittsburgh Pirates that perhaps stood out most was there were 1,750 spectators on hand to see it. It had been 353 days...

Kevin Newman is both the answer to the questions of who will be the Pittsburgh Pirates first 2021 starting shortstop and to who will take their first at-bat of the Grapefruit League season. Newman is in the leadoff spot for Sunday’s 1:05 p.m. game against the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota,...

If asked to reveal the starting shortstop as spring training begins, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton’s answer would sound like something out of a famous Abbott and Costello comedy sketch. I don’t know. Never mind that he played third base in the “Who’s On First” routine. For the Pirates, the...

AT&T SportsNet will televise all but one of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 15 Grapefruit League home games in spring training, with the exception of a conflict of schedule with a Pittsburgh Penguins game. The only Pirates home game that won’t be televised is the March 6 game against the New York...

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Entercom announced a multiyear contract extension that will keep 93.7 FM as the team’s flagship radio station and broadcast all spring training and regular-season games. The Pirates’ radio broadcast partner since 2012 on KDKA-FM, Entercom will now air all weekday and afternoon games on sister stations...

The Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t going to pretend their corner outfielders didn’t bat below the Mendoza Line last season. Right fielder Gregory Polanco and left fielder Bryan Reynolds just don’t want anyone to think playing amid a pandemic resembled a normal baseball season. After Reynolds batted .187 (35 for 185) and...

Whether it was lost in translation or a mistake by the manager of his Dominican winter ball club, Gregory Polanco on Thursday disputed reports he fractured his wrist in the offseason. “First of all, the injury, they said it the wrong way,” Polanco said on a video conference call from...

This week’s “U mad, bro?” turns ugly for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and owner Art Rooney II. Penguins fans take a little slap. We get a 2021 Pirates reality check. There’s a thorough examination of Cold War-era Europe. And I call out one of my TribLive...

One of the newest Pittsburgh Pirates never imagined being the oldest guy in spring training. That didn’t stop Todd Frazier from dropping an indicator of his age while reminiscing about his rookie year. When talking about accepting a role as a corner infielder who can back up both first and...

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired outfielder Dustin Fowler from the Oakland A’s in exchange for cash considerations Wednesday. The 6-foot, 198-pound Fowler is a left-handed hitter who last played in the major leagues in 2018, when he batted .224 with three doubles, two triples, six home runs and 23 RBIs in...

Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco, who fractured his right wrist while sliding in winter ball in the Dominican Republic, reported to spring training in Bradenton, Fla., with no restrictions. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk proclaimed Polanco “100% ready to go” on Wednesday while delivering the first injury...

After building up his surgically repaired right arm by pitching piggyback to start the season, Chad Kuhl found a familiar feeling after throwing 78 pitches over five innings last August at Cincinnati. “I woke up the next day, and I was really, really sore,” Kuhl said on a video conference...

With a spectacular September followed by an offseason that saw the Pittsburgh Pirates trade their biggest names, Ke’Bryan Hayes went from the club’s top prospect to the future of the franchise. That’s a role the 24-year-old third baseman is eager to embrace. After winning NL rookie of the month honors,...

After allowing season ticket holders first shot at buying tickets to spring training games in Bradenton, Fla., the Pittsburgh Pirates are opening sales to the public on Wednesday. Fans interested in attending a Grapefruit League game at LECOM Park can buy tickets in pods of two or four starting at...

Tuesday’s “First Call” wonders why the NFL Network is overlooking Steelers pass rusher Bud Dupree. Tyler Glasnow dishes on the difference between the Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rays. We check in on the Eastern Division standings. Marc-Andre Fleury pitches another shutout. And we recall the “Miracle on Ice.” Tampa...

Adam Frazier heard his name in rumors about being dealt at the trade deadline last August and again all offseason, so it was something of a surprise that the second baseman is back in spring training with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not that Frazier was complaining, explaining that he is ready...

Brian Goodwin aced his first test as a Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder with the answer to why he was willing to sign with the team that finished with the worst record in baseball last season. “I don’t really see a reason to not like the opportunity here,” Goodwin said on a...