Exhibition at PNC Park goes into books as experience which will not be forgotten
I’ve been to dozens and dozens of Pirates spring-training exhibition games over the years. I don’t remember a thing about a single one. I went to another game Saturday night. I’ll never forget the Pirates’ 5-3 loss to Cleveland.
Maybe it was being back at PNC Park for the first time in more than a year. The ballpark never looked better. The previous time I was here, Bryan Reynolds hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning and
Felipe Vazquez closed down the Milwaukee Brewers to send the Pirates into the All-Star break just 2½ games out of first place in the National League Central Division and
2½ out of a wild-card spot. They then lost six of their first seven games after the break on their way to a 4-24 slide. There was no reason to go back unless you wanted to see what players were fighting what coaches. You knew Clint Hurdle and Neal Huntington were going to be fired.
Certainly it was the freshness of being at a sporting event. My most recent game of any kind was the Penguins’ 62 home loss to Carolina on March 8, a day after they lost at home to Washington, 5-2. Talk about an embarrassing weekend. It was the Penguins’ eighth loss in 10 games. The NHL season went on a hiatus a few days later after the Penguins beat New Jersey on the road.
And maybe, just maybe, it was the sight of the Gateway Clipper floating by the ballyard and tooting its horn in the second inning, its decks loaded with people while there were no fans at the game. No jokes here about this being a typical Pirates game. Nothing was typical about this night. It was surreal.
From the extra players on each team sitting under canopies in the stands to practice social distancing to the pumped-in fake crowd noise that was irritating and so much louder than at a normal Pirates game, to the public-address announcer introducing the hitters to, well, no one to the walk-up music for the Pirates hitters, to the playing of “Take Me out to the Ballgame” in the seventh inning when I have to admit I felt a little foolish for standing and stretching, to Cleveland manager Terry Francona offering fake high-fives and fake forearm bumps with his players and staff after their win.
It wasn’t like Cueto night, but I still loved it.
It had been so long.
It was fun to see Joe Musgrove go three innings and give up just one single with five strikeouts. He looks ready for the opening-game start Friday night in St. Louis. It was encouraging to see Guillermo Heredia drive in the first two runs of the game with a single up the middle. He could get the start in right field in that opener for coronavirus-stricken Gregory Polanco. It was enjoyable, as it was predictable, to see Reynolds smash the first pitch he saw for a single to center field and Josh Bell bang a double off the center-field wall. It’s just a shame, not to mention a bit troubling, that Kyle Crick wasn’t able to hold a 3-0 lead in the eighth inning and Nick Burdi gave up a run in the ninth. One of the two likely will be the closer with Keone Kela out with what we are left to presume is a case of the virus.
Derek Shelton must have been disappointed, but he should look at the bright side even though he must wait a little longer for his first win as Pirates manager. How many other skippers can say they didn’t lose their first game until July 17? Is it just me or is that impressive or what?
Just trying to have a little fun during the pandemic.
Even after the loss, it would have been nice to have been able to say hello to Shelton and shake his hand. He’s been on our 93.7 The Fan radio show every Wednesday at noon for the past couple of months and seems like a personable guy. But I’ve never had the chance to meet him. Thank you, COVID-19.
It really would have been fun to see Francona, a guy I’ve known for more than 40 years, having grown up in Beaver Falls across the Beaver River from him in New Brighton. He ranks right there with Jim Leyland on my list of all-time favorites. He’s terrific as a manager and a person.
Francona led the Boston Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007 and lost to the Chicago Cubs in the 10th inning of Game 7 with Cleveland in 2016. He has done it all in baseball. He is going to the Hall of Fame.
I’m still betting Francona will never forget this bizarre night, either.