October 14, 1992. A day of reckoning.
It’s Game 7 of the NLCS. Pirates manager Jim Leyland calls upon Stan Belinda to get them out of a jam. The Pirates are one out away from going to the World Series. Then, in steps Francisco Cabrera. Barry Bonds was playing too deep in left field at the moment. Centerfielder Andy Van Slyke tells Bonds to play shallower. Bonds responds casually by flipping him the middle finger. On a 2-1 count, Cabrera belts the ball over the shortstop. Tying run, David Justice, scores easily. Winning run, Sid Bream, rounds third with a full head of steam. Bonds’s throw is off target and Bream scores. The Atlanta Braves are going to the World Series.
This day was the last time the Pirates were in the playoffs.
After 21 years of frustration and anger, the Pittsburgh Pirates are back in the playoffs.
The excitement in the city is already at an all-time high. Everywhere you go, you see someone rocking some Bucco gear. People can not stop talking about them around the water cooler at work. I have never seen anything like it. It’s truly a beautiful sight to see thousands of fans getting behind and supporting this hard-nosed, grind it out team.
There has been numerous factors for the Pirates success this year. For starters, the attitude in the locker room. Just by the way the players carry themselves, you can tell that they want to satisfy their hunger for success. Each night, they are putting it out on the line. Willing to run through walls and over dugouts to make a catch (yes, I am applauding you Tony Sanchez), this team is doing anything and everything to win.
Even the front office is evolving. Pirates GM, Neal Huntington, has been highly criticized for not trying to win games and just trying to make a quick buck but that has changed. Huntington made three key moves this season that will help the Pirates go late into October, the acquisition of Marlon Byrd, John Buck, and Justin Moreanu.
Byrd, a veteran outfielder, is having a career year with posting a .291 BA with 24 HR and 88 RBI. Byrd provides a legitimate bat in the middle of the order to protect MVP candidate, Andrew McCutchen, and left-handed slugger Pedro Alvarez.
Buck is a solid catcher with some pop in his bat. He is an upgrade coming off the bench, backing up Russell Martin.
Morneau, 2006 AL MVP, provides another legitimate bat in the middle of the order. The 32-year old veteran has the ability to put one out of the park at anytime and also has a very good glove while manning first base.
So how far can they go?
The Pirates have good starting pitching depth in Francisco Liariano, A.J. Burnett, Charlie Morton, and Gerrit Cole that will keep them in ball games. The bullpen has been shaky of lately, but will hold down the fort when called upon. The lineup is going to be the x factor. Will McCutchen and company be able to keep the hot bats going? If they can keep them going, the Pirates have a real shot of winning the NL Pennant and reaching the World Series. But it will be no easy task.
On Tuesday night, our beloved Buccos take on the Cincinnati Reds at 8:07 p.m. in the NL Wild Card game. Liariano will take the mound against Johnny Cueto. This pitching match up is very intriguing. Cueto is a Cy Young caliber pitcher who has been setback with several injuries this year. Liariano is also a top notch pitcher with good offspeed pitches. The game will be broadcasted on TBS and 93.7 The Fan, the official flagship of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
October baseball is back Pittsburgh. So get on board the Bucco bandwagon for a great ride.
