‘Maz’ makes the Pirates’ day
Accepts invitation to spring training
BRADENTON, Fla. — This was not anything Bill Mazeroski was expecting to do. Then again, Pirates fans learned long ago that expectations and “Maz” never really got along.
Now 83 years old and a month away from auctioning his Hempfield home and moving to Philadelphia to be closer to his grandkids, Mazeroski didn’t plan on attending spring training as a guest instructor.
But at the beginning of February, Mazeroski’s phone rang. Turns out it was first-year Pirates manager Derek Shelton, asking arguably the greatest defensive second baseman of all time to make the trip.
“I’m glad [Shelton] asked, and I’m glad to be here,” Mazeroski said. “It’s always interesting to see how a camp is run. I think [Shelton] will do a great job.”
Even though Shelton is new to Pittsburgh and played and managed in the Yankees organization, his respect for Mazeroski is palpable.
Shelton said Mazeroski’s home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series still gives him “goose bumps” and joked that he must’ve thanked Mazeroski 100 times for showing up to Pirate City on an unusually chilly Friday morning.
“We’re very fortunate,” Shelton said. “I don’t know if I begged him or not, but the fact that he’s here is awesome.”
The Pirates held a team meeting at 9:15 a.m. Friday, at which point Shelton spent time explaining Mazeroski’s defensive prowess — a seven-time All-Star, eight Gold Gloves, inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.
Then Shelton steered the conversation to a different place, trying to relate it better to his players. In 2015, Bill James made the statistical case that Mazeroski was indeed the greatest defensive second baseman of all time. By a wide margin, too.
Shelton described Mazeroski in that way and as potentially one of the best defenders of all time at any position.
“When you talk about that and how that translates to today’s game, using advanced analytics to look at it, anytime you can have a Hall of Famer in camp, anytime you can have a Pirates alum in camp, it’s special,” Shelton said.
After the morning meeting, Cole Tucker said he was the first one in the batting cages — just him, hitting coach Rick Eckstein and Mazeroski. The three chatted briefly before Tucker got to work.
“It’s kind of sacred ground,” Tucker said. “That’s pretty special. I’m just honored that he was in the room but also cool enough to talk shop.”
Was Tucker nervous with Mazeroski watching him hit?
“You don’t get nervous, but you’re just appreciative to be around someone who’s a Pittsburgh baseball legend,” Tucker said. “It was sweet. I’ll tell my kids about that one day.”
Eckstein was pretty geeked about it, too. After spotting team photographer Dave Arrigo, Eckstein asked for a picture with Mazeroski — a request that was later mimicked by the Pirates’ current second baseman, Adam Frazier, as well as Tucker.
“It’s just so special for us that he’s so gracious to spend the time here with us and influence us,” Eckstein said. “Hopefully some of his magic rubs off on us.”
That magic wasn’t always legal, Mazeroski would later explain while discussing the differences between what he did and today’s game.
In his prime, Mazeroski was lightning quick turning double plays. He joked that he didn’t actually catch the ball; it “ricocheted” off his glove.
“It just happened,” Mazeroski said. “It’s quicker than anybody else who ever did it.”
To gain an extra second, Mazeroski would get his foot near second base but didn’t always swipe it cleanly. To demonstrate, he put his hands roughly 3-4 inches apart, although the point was made.
Mazeroski cut corners because he could, because there wasn’t video replay to catch him.
“Sometimes it was just a little quick step that you couldn’t see with your eyes,” Mazeroski said. “I did that all my life. I was that far off the bag on just about every double play I ever made. But you couldn’t see it. You had to have slow motion to slow it down.
“I cheated just about every play.” Here’s guessing the Pirates couldn’t care less, especially not Shelton.
With Mazeroski moving to Philadelphia — where he joked that “I don’t know anybody” — who knows if he’ll want to come to spring training next year, especially since he wasn’t initially planning on going down this time.
But to get at least one more year of Mazeroski, and to spend the next week around the Pirates legend, Shelton and his players were definitely psyched.
“I think he should rub off on anybody,” Shelton said, laughing. “I can stand next to him and rub shoulders, and hopefully some of that wears off. It’s really cool that he decided to be part of our camp. I feel very fortunate.”