In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Playoffs Are Here
There were no baseball games yesterday as it was the last off-day before the playoffs begin today. For the first time since 2012, the NL Wildcard Game will be played at a stadium other than PNC Park. It just hit me that I won’t be sitting at PNC Park for the Wildcard Game this year. I almost forgot that stadiums other than PNC Park can host the Wildcard Game.
The AL Wildcard Game will be played tonight as the Blue Jays take on the Orioles. Currently, Mets-Giants is garnering most of the attention but this game features two division rivals and should be fun to watch. Yesterday there were rumors the Blue Jays were going to start former Pirates Francisco Liriano in the game. However, they decided to go with Marcus Stroman as he takes on Chris Tillman. This game could feature a lot of offense as both pitchers feature fairly high ERAs for postseason starters.
We asked you which team with ex-Pirates you are rooting for and the Toronto Blue Jays ran away with the poll.
Which of these teams with ex-Pirates are you rooting for?
— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) October 3, 2016
End of an Era?
Following the final out of the 2016 season, there was already a huge rumor for the Pirates. Some writers suggested that the Pirates are going to shop Andrew McCutchen this offseason. Depending on how this shakes out, we could be seeing the end of the Cutch ERA in Pittsburgh. I know a lot of people soured on McCutchen this season because of his poor numbers but if he is playing on another team in 2017, I will be sad. McCutchen represents the end of
McCutchen more than any player represents the end of the losing seasons’ streak and he is one of the best players in franchise history. Fans often wonder why players have no loyalty. All it took was one bad season, following four straight top-five MVP finishes for many fans to turn on the superstar. A player performing poorly deserves criticism but many fans seemed to take McCutchen’s struggles personally. They seem to believe they cared more than he did. Which is insane.
I am not sure how the offseason will play out but if this is the last of McCutchen as a Pirate, I will miss him. He has been my favorite player since 2009 and deserves a chance to bounce back WITH the Pirates in 2017.
Baseball Talk on the Web
Misery meter: How much have fans of each MLB playoff team suffered?
MLB roundup: Ex-Cubs skipper to lead White Sox
Revisiting preseason MLB predictions
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