1992.. The year I was born. In fact, it was a significant year for the city of Pittsburgh. Mario Lemieux lead the Penguins to sweep the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup finals. The Pirates posted a record of 96-66 and were one out away from the World Series before the bullpen collapsed in game 7, losing a 2-0 lead and being eliminated by a Francisco Cabrera single in the bottom of the 9th. Most importantly, this year was significant because it was the last time the Pirates finished a season with their record over .500. Pirate fans have endured 18 years of horror, which has included 7 managers, two stadiums, and a winning percentage of .430. These 18 years have been a North American sports record for most consecutive losing seasons.
For the first time since 2005, the Pirates are at the .500 mark on Mother's Day. A win over the Houston Astros at PNC Park on Sunday made the club 17-17, reaching the mark for the first time in 6 years. A total of 17,946 fans watched Ryan Doumit's three-run home run in the put the Buccos in the lead for good in the eight inning. A slew of young athletes have used timely hitting and small ball to give the city some hope as we reach the quarter point of the season.
Although this young team is still a work in progress, there have been many positives through the first 34 games. As everybody knows, defense wins championships. The Pirates are a long way from a World Series appearance, but their defense and pitching has been surprisingly well this year. Their defense sports a fielding percentage of .982%, which ranks 11th out of 16 in the National League.
A cumulative earned run average of 3.69 runs per game is a strength of this team. A fantastic onset by starter Kevin Correia is something to brag about. General Manager Neal Huntington is not known for making good decisions, but picking up Correia from San Diego has paid off so far. A 5-2 record and 2.91 ERA has been a pleasant surprise. Charlie Morton is a pitcher that came to Pittsburgh at the expense of giving away Nate Mclouth to Atlanta. Morton has produced 5 quality starts that have resulted in a 4-1 record. The bullpen has been a definite strength so far. Closer Joel Hanrahan ranks 4th in the NL in saves with 10. He has only allowed 3 earned runs in 18 innings, striking out 14 in that span. Setup man Daniel McCutchen has pitched 14 innings without allowing an earned run. If Correia and Morton can be made into a potent 1-2 punch, many believe Hanrahan can continue his success and have a job as a Pirate closer into the future.
The Pirates offensive statistics rank among the lowest in the National League. Bucco batters have struck out the most, have the second worst slugging percentage, and the third fewest home runs out of the 16 team league. Honestly, if the Pirates win games, statistics should not matter. Second baseman Neil Walker, who worked with Pirate hero Bill Mazeroski during Spring Training, leads the team in batting average and RBIs. This is definitely a step forward for Walker, working with the man who ended the 1960 World Series with a walk-off home run. No other Pirate batters have been quite as successful as Walker so far. That being considered, fans can look at it as positive that the Pirates have been able to hold this record with a below average offense. The face of this franchise, Andrew McCutchen, has gotten off to a slow start. This is disappointing because during Spring Training, Clutch was ranked as one of the top center fielders in the MLB and was drafted early in many fantasy baseball leagues. Veteran Lyle Overbay, an acquisition from Toronto, holds a subpar average of .226 and only has one home run. Jose Tabata started the season off tremendous, but is starting to cool down. The bottom line is that Mccutchen, Tabata, Overbay and Pedro Alvarez are good players. Sooner or later, they will start to hit the ball and produce runs.
If the young Pirate hitters are able to step up and earn their money, the Buccos may be able to keep up this play. Once they earn the trust of their city and fans, you never know what can happen. Pittsburgh has dreamed to play a meaningful game at PNC Park in August or September, but that time has yet to arrive. First-year manager Clint Hurdle believed he could take this team to the playoffs when he took over, and he is working his way there. It may not be this year, but I predict this record of consecutive losing season to not reach 22.
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