Kevin Gorman stories, Page 48

The Pittsburgh Pirates cleared room for rookies Ji Hwan Bae and Canaan Smith-Njigba to possibly make the Opening Day roster with moves that should settle their utility positions. The Pirates optioned infielder/outfielder Mark Mathias, acquired from Texas on March 8, to Triple-A Indianapolis, and reassigned infielders Drew Maggi and Chris...

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Monday that they will wear their City Connect series uniforms for the first time when they play the San Diego Padres on June 27 at PNC Park. The Pirates are one of six major league teams participating in the Nike MLB City Connect program, created to...

The Pittsburgh Pirates made two roster moves Sunday, reassigning outfielder Miguel Andujar and left-handed reliever Angel Perdomo to their minor-league camp. Andujar signed a $1.525 million guaranteed contract last fall but likely will start the season with Triple-A Indianapolis. He was competing with Connor Joe and Canaan Smith-Njigba for the...

Connor Joe looked like a lock to make the Opening Day roster for the Pittsburgh Pirates before being hit by a pitch in the sixth inning Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Braves. Joe, an outfielder/first baseman acquired last fall from Colorado, started in left field but left the game after...

From the outset of spring training, Mitch Keller made no secret of his goals for this season. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander wanted to be the Opening Day starter and become the anchor for the starting rotation. Keller can check the first item off his bucket list when the Pirates play...

The Pirates got a strong start from right-hander Vince Velasquez, who became their third pitcher to record seven strikeouts this spring, but they didn’t have an answer for Ryan O’Hearn. O’Hearn went 3 for 4, including a solo home run, and scored three runs to lead the Baltimore Orioles to...

Before Ben Cherington could contemplate what type of expectations he has for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season, he first recalled what it was like to endure the brutal past three years as general manager. After compiling the worst record in baseball during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Pirates made the...

A pair of players fighting for a roster spot got the Pittsburgh Pirates got off to a good start and one of their competitors provided a strong finish. Where Connor Joe and Mark Mathias spotted the Pirates an early three-run lead, Ji Hwan Bae rallied them by scoring a ninth-inning...

The Pittsburgh Pirates are getting closer to settling two of their most contested position battles, but that involved cutting one of their standouts of spring training. The Pirates optioned outfielder Travis Swaggerty and infielder Tucupita Marcano to Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday to reduce their major-league camp roster to 38 players....

A beaming David Bednar showed off his silver medal from the World Baseball Classic on Thursday and called playing for Team USA an “awesome experience, top to bottom.” The Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star closer, interviewed on AT&T SportsNet during a Grapefruit League game against the Boston Red Sox, said playing in...

Trouble came in twos for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Boston Red Sox, who hit a trio of two-run homers. On the strength of homers by Bobby Dalbec, Ronaldo Hernandez and Jorge Alfaro, the Red Sox beat the Pirates, 7-4, on Thursday afternoon in a Grapefruit League game at LECOM...

The Pittsburgh Pirates are rolling out new enhancements to PNC Park, from a bigger LED scoreboard and better sound system to a speedier fan entry screening, in an effort to improve the fan experience. “Obviously, we start with the ‘Best Ballpark in America’ with PNC Park,” Pirates president Travis Williams...

Forbes placed the team value of the Pittsburgh Pirates at $1.32 billion again in its annual rankings of baseball’s most valuable teams, which ranks 24th out of 30 major league franchises. Despite the Pirates enduring a second consecutive 100-loss season, Forbes estimated they made $51.5 million in operating income in...

Tyler Chatwood was finishing his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery when he threw a bullpen session at Arizona State for the Pittsburgh Pirates, his first audition before a major-league team. It marked the first time in five years that Chatwood, a 33-year-old right-hander, was pitching pain-free. The attention he received from...

Wil Crowe wanted to get back to being the pitcher he was at the start of last season instead of the one who finished it on the injured list. His offseason motivation came as much from a Halloween photo as it did stepping on the scale. By early October, the...

The Pittsburgh Pirates made eight more cuts Tuesday, optioning one of their top pitching prospects in right-handed starter Luis Ortiz and righty reliever Yohan Ramirez to Triple-A Indianapolis. The 24-year-old Ortiz, ranked the Pirates’ No. 4 prospect by Baseball America, was 1-1 with a 10.50 ERA and 2.50 WHIP in...

Andrew McCutchen hadn’t played in a Grapefruit League game since March 12 while nursing a sore elbow, but he made a major impact in his return to the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup. McCutchen hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies for his first homer of...

It’s not often Derek Shelton tips his hand on lineups, so it’s big news when the Pittsburgh Pirates manager does reveal plans. Some go without saying. Because of his glove, Ke’Bryan Hayes is the starting third baseman. Because of his bat, Bryan Reynolds is starting in the outfield — either...

As the position battles heat up for the final spots on the Opening Day roster, so have the bats of the outfielders fighting to start the season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Canaan Smith-Njigba continued on his tear, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs, while Travis Swaggerty and Miguel Andujar...

When Ji Hwan Bae was promoted to the Pittsburgh Pirates in September, one reason he wasn’t overwhelmed by the jump to the major leagues was because of the familiar faces in the infield. Bae had played alongside Oneil Cruz and Rodolfo Castro at Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, and they...

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a pair of roster moves Sunday afternoon, optioning outfielder Cal Mitchell to Triple-A Indianapolis and reassigning infielder Nick Gonzales to minor league camp. Mitchell, 24, finished the season with the Pirates last year, slashing .226/.286/.349 with 11 doubles, five home runs and 17 RBIs in 69...

Vince Velasquez signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the opportunity to earn a spot in the starting rotation, but a pair of Baltimore Orioles former first-round picks spoiled his start with two-run homers. Adley Rutschman homered in the first inning and Heston Kjerstad in the second as the Orioles pounded...

Duane Underwood Jr. brought a five-pitch repertoire to the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen, but the right-hander did so with a grudge. He remained a reliever who wanted to be a starter. It took some convincing last year, when Underwood lasted 10 pitches on Opening Day before a strained hamstring sent him...

Mitch Keller continues to show why the Pittsburgh Pirates named him their Opening Day starter. The right-hander had seven strikeouts and allowed three hits in 4 2/3 innings as the Pirates beat the Minnesota Twins, 7-4, on Saturday afternoon in a Grapefruit League game at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla....

After enduring a season in which the Pittsburgh Pirates used eight catchers, breaking the emergency glass for an ill-fated inning with a position player, Ben Cherington wasn’t about to allow their backstop to become a laughingstock again. The Pirates general manager looked smart after trading NL Gold Glove winner Jacob...