Pittsburgh Pirates Wake Up Call – The Final Home Game

In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.

End of the Year

Yesterday the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 in the final home game of 2017. PNC Park will be closed until next April and soon the stillness of winter will wash away the memories of 2017. It’s always bittersweet when the season comes to an end. This year was not a strong one for the Pirates but there were still good memories. It’s always important to remember that even bad years have good moments. When I think back

When I think back on 2017, I will think of Sean Rodriguez’s walk-off home run, Jameson Taillon’s return from cancer and Felipe Rivero establishing himself as of the elite closers in baseball. I know it will be easy to only think about the losses and the questionable decisions by management. Before you allow yourself to succumb to negativity, think about how you felt during some of the highs of this year. I may be an overly optimistic idiot but I refuse to let myself dwell on the negatives for too long.

I got friends in low places

My optimistic nature aside, I’d be naive to pretend this season was all rainbows. 2017 also featured Tony Watson failing as the closer, the suspension of Starling Marte and the VISA issues of Jung Ho Kang. You also learned how long the goodwill from 2013-2015 lasted in regards to GM, Neal Huntington. I don’t think anyone had a worse year than Neal Huntington. There were some questionable and controversial decisions by the veteran GM. None more maligned than the waiver release of Juan Nicasio. The team was already in the

I don’t think anyone had a worse year than Neal Huntington. There were some questionable and controversial decisions by the veteran GM. None more maligned than the waiver release of Juan Nicasio. The team was already in the midst of the lost season, but you still saw massive fan backlash over the move. That may seem bad but I genuinely liked knowing that people were still paying attention to a mediocre baseball team.

The Pirates future remains in flux. The team has young talent but some key pieces are coming towards the end of their Pirates careers. How the team will perform moving forward is anyone’s guess. If everything goes right, they could compete for a playoff spot as soon as 2018. However, if the young pitchers don’t perform up to par, you will likely not see Buctober in Pittsburgh for a long, long time. No pressure on the young pitchers, right?

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