The student news of Bethel Park High School.

Hawk Eye
The student news of Bethel Park High School.

Hawk Eye
The student news of Bethel Park High School.

Hawk Eye

Pirates off to best start in years

Jake McCall, Staff Writer
May 28, 2013

For the past two decades, not much has remained the same within the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball organization.  However, a common theme within the clubhouse has been losing.

This season, the team has looked to turn that around and start an old, forgotten tradition in winning.  The Pirates are off to a 31-20 start, and are 2.5 games back in the current NL Central standings.

The Pirates are now eleven games over the .500 mark  and would be leading in 4 of the 6 divisions in the MLB.  The only four teams with better records than the Pirates in the MLB are the Texas Rangers, the Boston Red Sox, and division foes St. Louis and Cincinnati.

Everyone on the team is contributing in some sort of way with much of the production coming from newer faces.

Off-season acquisition Russell Martin is tied for second on the team in home runs.  Also, behind the plate he has thrown out 12 of 29 runners attempting to steal bases, giving runners a 58.6% stolen base percentage against Martin.  This is down significantly from the success rate that base stealers had against the Pirates last year at 89%.

Last year, Starling Marte showed that he can compete at the highest level by homering off of the first pitch of his first major league at-bat.   This season, Marte has dazzled the Pirates dugout again by leading the team in batting average, hits, and stolen bases.

While the offensive production has come at a high rate for the Pirates, the pitching has been the real key to success.

The Pirates have a very experienced pitching staff led by right-hander A.J. Burnett.  Behind him are newer faces to the organization like Francisco Liriano, Jeff Locke, and Wandy Rodriguez.  As a team, the Pirates hold a 3.24 ERA placing them second in the MLB behind division rival St. Louis.  The Pirates are also second in the league in WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched), and first in the league in opponent’s batting average.

In the back end of the bullpen, production has been brought to the field by set-up man Mark Melancon and closer Jason Grilli.  Grilli is the MLB’s leader in saves going 20 for 20 in opportunities to close out the game, while Melancon leads the MLB in holds with 18.

Even though most fans aren’t quite selling themselves to the early season success of the Pirates quite yet, there is a lot to be excited about this spring.  The offense is young, energetic and electrifying, while the pitching is filled with reliable veterans.

The challenge for this Pirates team will be keeping pace.  With the collapses in the past two years many fans fear the same thing this year.  However there is a different feel with this team.  A feel and an attitude that could lead this team into the playoffs in October.

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About the Contributor
Jake McCall
Jake McCall, Staff Writer
In this world, a good man is hard to find. Most men, shallow men that is, want wealth, fame, a hot wife, a nice car, and a big house. But you need not look any farther than the halls of Bethel Park High School, because there you will chance upon a humble guy, who comes from a good-natured family. In a material world, Jake McCall, a Senior, is a fine man with simple tastes. Jake spends most of his time playing baseball. He’s dedicated 13 years of his life to America’s past-time, a passion of his. “Baseball is my happy place. When I play the game, or even if I’m around it, all of my troubles go away.” Soon to be a 3 year varsity letterman, Jake plans on receiving a scholarship to play in college. His interests include Allegheny College, Denison University, and Washington & Jefferson. A sport-enthusiast, Jake enjoys meeting players of all sports, and getting autographs. His favorite teams include the Pirates, the Steelers, and the Mountaineers. Jake is also hoping to win fantasy football this year with his team, “The J-Mac Attack.” His inspiration is Yankee pitcher Mariano Rivera. Rivera came from a poor family, and not letting anyone stop him, became the MLB’s greatest closer. Jake wants to model his life after Rivera. “He’s a guy who achieved all of his dreams and is humble about it. He didn’t use his success to marry a supermodel, but instead he married his childhood sweetheart.” Jake and Rivera share a simple but strong love of family and baseball. In 30 years, Jake sees himself living the American Dream. “I just want to be settled down, with a wife and kids, in a nice house.” He doesn’t want much, just to be happy. Happiness to Jake isn’t about getting everything you want; it’s about the road to getting everything you want. When asked what it is that he wants, Jake replied, “At the end of my life, I want to look back and say, ‘wow’.  I want to make a difference.” Modest, humble, and friendly, we can all learn something from Jake McCall. He treats everyone with equality and does not judge. Years from now, one could hope to see Jake coaching their son’s baseball team. When it feels like the world is a bad place, and immoral people are everywhere you look, somewhere in a green, quiet suburb, you’ll find a shimmer of light. You’ll find Jake McCall, playing catch in his front yard with his son, and his beautiful, kind wife cooking up a hearty meal in his quaint home.   Written from the heart of Mitch Krieger, Staff Writer