Pirates take advantage of speed, athleticism of Anthony Alford, Ke'Bryan Hayes on basepaths

Knowing Cincinnati Reds righty Trevor Bauer had two strikes on John Ryan Murphy and expecting him to look for a swing and miss, Anthony Alford took a cue from Pittsburgh Pirates third base coach Joey Cora and stretched his lead down the third-base line.

“We knew he was going to try to put him away, throw something nasty, maybe in the dirt,” Alford said, “and Cora was just telling me to get enough, that if he spiked it and it bounced away from him, that I could score pretty easy. And that’s what I did.”

When Bauer’s slider went wide, Alford froze. When he saw the ball skip away from Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart for a wild pitch, Alford broke for home plate and scored the go-ahead run on a head-first slide in the Pirates’ 4-3 victory over the Reds in the second game of a doubleheader at PNC Park.

That's wild.#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/swWY82GYQB

— Pirates (@Pirates) September 5, 2020

The play impressed Pirates manager Derek Shelton.

“You don’t see many guys start, stop and then decide, ‘I’m going,’ and be able to turn it on that fast and be able to get to the plate,” Shelton said. “That just shows, too, how athletic he is. It was an unbelievably athletic move. He made a really good read.”

The Pirates increased their athleticism dramatically this week with the additions of Alford in the outfield and rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base, and their speed and savvy baserunning fit perfectly with the aggressive attitude Shelton is preaching to his players.

But now the Pirates likely will be without half that speedy duo for the rest of the season. Alford suffered a fractured right elbow chasing a home run ball hit by the Cincinnati Reds’ Tucker Barnhart to the wall in the third inning at PNC Park on Saturday night.

Alford was just getting started with the Pirates.

In what was the debut for both with the Pirates, Hayes scored the tying run in the 10th inning when he broke for home from third on an Alford one-hopper back to the pitcher in Tuesday’s 8-7 11-inning loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Yada, yada, yada. Something about your DMs...#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/Yp6QDXvNd4

— Pirates (@Pirates) September 2, 2020

Hayes went 2 for 5 with a double, a home run, two RBIs and two runs in his major-league debut. Alford started his first game the next night and hit a solo homer.

In the second game of Friday’s doubleheader, Hayes sparked the Pirates with a triple in the second inning and a single in the fourth. Alford followed with a two-run triple and then scored the go-ahead run.

Let's GO!

A triple to the wall for @ajalford_ drives in a pair!#LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/HI0dmCd1v2

— Pirates (@Pirates) September 5, 2020

“I think when you have guys that play like that and are extremely athletic, it definitely gets your energy up,” Shelton said. “Both guys have given us a little bit of a boost. Those two guys changed the course of a game offensively.”

Shelton was impressed by Hayes’ primary and secondary leads, saying his improved speed was something he noticed during the game and even brought up to bench coach Don Kelly.

“The way he’s moving, it’s outstanding,” Shelton said. “He’s running like a middle infielder.”

Hayes has worked to improve his speed in the offseasons, starting with 10-yard sprints to get a good jump. His goal is to be a well-rounded player, not just offensively and defensively but also on the basepaths.

“If I’m not able to hit a double,” Hayes said, “I’ve got to figure out a way, if I hit a single or walk, how to score.”

Alford, however, was blessed with speed. A former college football star who played quarterback at Southern Miss and safety at Ole Miss, Alford credits his mother for his speed, calling it a “gift from God.”

“You can’ t really teach that,” said Alford, who was claimed off waivers late last month from the Toronto Blue Jays. “I just try to use that to my advantage, because, obviously, like, if my bat’s not there, I can use my speed, defense, on the basepaths. If I come in to pinch run in that type of situation or beat out a groundball or whatever it might be, I have to use that to my advantage. …

“I mean, not every team has that. Especially, like, I came from a team in the AL East, and it’s more about slugging and hitting homers over there. So it’s nice to be in a league like this where people value guys with that speed.”