Familiar faces bring back memories
The Pirates’ 6-3 loss against the Detroit Tigers provided time to reminisce for former Pirates Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison. The infielders were with the Pirates during the playoff runs of 2013-2015. Now they’re playing in Detroit. Each player has fond memories of Pittsburgh.
“It brings back a lot of memories. It really does. Pittsburgh was my second home for a long time. My family’s second home for a long time,” Mercer said. “I probably spent more time there than I did at my house in Oklahoma. Very grateful for the opportunity. We had some really good teams. We brought 20 losing seasons away in Pittsburgh. We got to the playoffs and got to play in those games. This is where it at all started. You always remember your first game and first hit. All that stuff happened at PNC Park.”
Harrison had similar views.
“It means a lot. It’s where I started from. I was traded from the Cubs within my first year and [the Pirates] gave me an opportunity. But I’m here now, I’ve got a fresh start and I’m excited,” Harrison said.
“It’s a fresh start for me and my family. Pittsburgh was good to me. It was close to home [Cincinnati] and we made a lot of great friends. My wife made a lot of friends who she still keeps in close contact with.”
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle walked over and embraced each man before the game and chatted with them.
“It was really good to see them. I had communication with them during the winter and when they both caught on with the [Tigers]. They’re fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine to play for the Tigers with that Old English ‘D.’ As a kid growing up in Michigan, listening to Ernie Harwell and your favorite player ever being Al Kaline, it’s pretty cool,” Hurdle said.
“They landed in a good spot. It’s pretty funny. You pick up the lineup today and there they are [batting] 1 and 2. Good for them. They meant a lot to our guys.”
“They were both dependable guys who were able to help us navigate through the end of a 20-year drought and put us in a position where expectations have changed and are much higher. They helped create a clubhouse culture and environment that is also in a much better place.”
Harrison scored the first run of the game after getting on base because he was hit by a Chris Archer changeup.
Mercer made it a priority to sign early with the Tigers. He also was able to recruit Harrison.
“I switched agencies and I made it clear that I wanted to sign early and get something done right away,” Mercer said. “You get a little scared because you don’t know what’s going to happen or what could happen. Detroit was on me from the get-go, which was really awesome to see. They stayed in touch throughout the offseason.”
Mercer was asked the inevitable question about the end of the Pirates’ playoff run. His answer was thoughtful.
“I don’t think you realize it until you come over somewhere else. For instance, I was talking to Jimmy Leyland the other day and he said ‘man, you guys had some really good teams in ‘13, ‘14 and ‘15, but you were just missing a couple of pieces,’” Mercer said. “It makes you reflect back on where we would’ve been if we would’ve just added another piece. Who knows what could’ve happened if we added a piece here and there? We took the Cardinals to Game 5 of NLDS. If we would’ve won that game, who knows where we would’ve gone after that. You reflect on how good we were and that you got to experience those playoff games. Not everybody gets to experience the playoffs and to go three years in a row was pretty cool.”
Life goes on for the Pirates and for Mercer and Harrison. Mercer and Harrison are finding their way in Detroit and now the Pirates are left to replace them. Hurdle believes the Pirates have good options in-house.
“You move on. You’ve got to move on. If you stand still, you get run over,” Hurdle said.