2016 was a weird season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
With the calendar year coming to a close, we have officially reached the doldrums of the MLB offseason. Most big name free agents have found a home. The Pittsburgh Pirates are bringing back a much needed Ivan Nova, and remain frontrunners in the Jose Quintana sweepstakes With the exception of some minor moves, we now have two and a half months to wait for Spring Training. To help make that wait a little easier, let us reflect on the 2016 season.
Winning 20 less games from the previous season is never pleasing, but the 2016 Pirates gave us some interesting moments to say the least, both good and bad. Some moments gave us hope. Some moments gave us despair. All in all, here are the top ten defining moments of the 2016 season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
10. Nova Knows
August 23rd – When the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Ivan Nova at the 2016 trade deadline, a sense of deja vu was felt. This was the second straight year the Pirates acquired a struggling AL starting pitcher. It wasn’t a flashy move, but it paid off as Ivan Nova was electric for the Bucs. Over 64.2 innings, Nova registered a 3.06 ERA striking out 52 batters and walking just three. Three walks over 64.2 innings is insane to say the least.
In his fourth start with the Pirates, Nova tossed a complete game against the Houston Astros, giving up just one run, six hits and a walk. He struck out six. It was his third win in four starts with the Pirates and brought the team within 2.5 games of the Wild Card at the time. Ivan Nova’s play down the stretch earned him a contract with the Pirates this offseason. He will make $26 million over three years.
This signing was critical for the Pirates as their biggest issue going into the offseason was finding a starting pitcher. Ivan Nova will slot as the Pirates third starter behind Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon. Some would say that the Pirates are one solid starting pitcher away from being a true contender in the National League.
9. Dancin’ in the Desert
April 24th – Going into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Pirates were cruising to victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a comfortable 8-4 lead. Yasmany Tomas led things off with a home run of to make it 8-5. After a walk and two recorded outs, Chris Owings gapped a triple to make the score 8-6. That score would remain going into the bottom of the ninth with Mark Melancon coming on for the save. Arizona had other plans as Brandon Drury blooped a one out single followed by a Paul Goldschmidt home run to even the score at eight.
After little action in the 10th and 11th innings, Francisco Cervelli led off the top of the 12th with a single. Mercer sac bunted him to second. McCutchen walked. David Freese untied the game with a double to score one run and Marte followed that up with a single to give the Pirates a 10-8 lead going into the bottom of the 12th. Neftali Feliz came into close. Jake Lamb began the bottom half of the 12th with a walk. Nick Ahmed was then called out on strikes but got ejected after arguing the call. That created a problem as the Diamondbacks had no remaining position players. A pitcher was going to have to play the field if the game advanced. That is exactly what happened when David Peralta doubled and Jean Segura singled to tie the game once again.
The top of the 13th got started quickly with back to back doubles from Josh Harrison and Sean Rodriguez. A few batters later, Jon Niese slapped a one out single to left fielder Shelby Miller to make game 12-10. Arquimedes Caminero shut the door in the bottom of the 13th, ending the game with strikeouts of Patrick Corbin and Miller.
We continue on with some much-needed revenge, and a much-anticipated return.
CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING…
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
