Musgrove proud to start this opener
Derek Shelton’s first big event here — his introduction — actually was preceded by a lunch at Primanti Brothers where he sat and chatted with pitcher Joe Musgrove, the two discussing the direction of the Pirates and what needed to happen.
With that in mind, it’s fitting for the real portion of Shelton’s Pittsburgh career to begin this way: Musgrove taking the ball Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, his first opening-day start matching the first time Shelton will manage in the major leagues.
Musgrove said it was “a big honor” to start opening day and that he was proud of himself for the amount of work he has put in. Hard to argue there. But it’s also a neat connection with Shelton, as the two had something of an awkward realization when Shelton broke the news a couple of days ago.
“We had talked about it before a little bit, the possibility of me being that guy, and I figured with the way the rotation had lined up throughout spring that I was kind of lined up to be that guy,” Musgrove said. “So he said, ‘You might already know this, but I want to tell you officially that you’re going to be the opening-day starter.’
“I didn’t really know what to say. I just kind of sat there. I had a smile under my mask. I was happy about it. He’s like, ‘You know, this is my first time doing it, so I don’t really know what to say or how to do it.’ I said ‘It’s my first time, too, man. We’ll do it together.’
“It was just a cool moment for both of us.” Musgrove said he still was processing the information when he chatted with local reporters Friday via Zoom. Shelton had called him just a short time earlier while Musgrove was shopping at City Grows, a plant store in Lawrenceville, and told him he was going to announce the news.
Musgrove laughed and said his mom (Diane) likely would find out on Twitter before he could tell her. It’s also sure to mean a lot to Musgrove’s dad (Mark), as the two of them would treat every opening day like a holiday.
“My dad just had undying belief in me and my ability to make it to this level,” Musgrove said. “You always hope that you’re going to be one of those 30 guys on opening day. It’s really exciting for me to get it.”
The move hardly came as a surprise, especially after the Pirates lost Chris Archer for the season when he had surgery to relieve symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome.
Mitch Keller might be that guy in 2021, but not yet. Trevor Williams is coming off a down year, the same for Derek Holland, and you’re not going to show up on opening day and trot out the Steven Brault-Chad Kuhl piggyback.
Which leaves Musgrove, the Pirates’ most consistent starter in 2019. Musgrove was 11-12 with a 4.44 ERA but finished the season in a very good place — with a shortened arm path that created additional deception. Over his final five starts after he made the change, Musgrove pitched to a 2.89 ERA with 32 strikeouts and five walks.
Take that and mix it with what he has done so far this year — adding a two-seamer that figures to be effective against lefties and learning a lot from first-year pitching coach Oscar Marin — Musgrove believes he’s in an excellent spot.
“I feel really, really good right now,” Musgrove said.
And so do the Pirates, it seems, because of how Shelton has been able to flip the attitude of the club and instill a sense of belief for the upcoming 60-game season.
To do that, though, the Pirates need important voices such as Josh Bell and Musgrove, players who have been places and done things. Both have taken sizable steps forward.
“I think he’s developed into a leader,”
Shelton said. “You have different people that lead in different ways, and he leads definitely by example. He works his butt off. He’s prepared, he’s diligent, he asked really good questions.
“He’s extremely respectful. He embraces the fact that guys want to have conversations with him. And it’s exciting to me to see how people are attracted to him, how people gravitate toward wanting to ask him questions. For him being a younger guy and not having a ton of major league time, that that shows you know how special of a person he is.”
Shelton said that no plans beyond Musgrove have been finalized for the starting rotation. Musgrove will start Saturday against the Cleveland Indians, and he’ll be followed by Brault and Kuhl.
For Musgrove, it’ll be more about honing his six pitches (more like seven now) and also seeing some game-like action, which nobody has experienced since March. But the thrill of opening day, something about which Musgrove always has dreamed, certainly will loom in the background.
“It’s gonna suck that it’s going to be a pretty dull, boring opening day, but it is opening day nonetheless,” Musgrove said.