Pirates deliver in pinch
No one is better off the bench in National League than the Pirates
Manager Clint Hurdle passes on what he learned from a great pinch-hitter.
Clint Hurdle had good intentions. As a bench player for the New York Mets in the 1980s, Hurdle would routinely lump an enormous amount of pressure on himself whenever he was called upon to pinch-hit.
One day, perhaps noticing this, Hurdle’s teammate and mentor Rusty Staub approached him with a message.
“[Staub] pulled me aside and said, ‘What are you trying to do up there?’” Hurdle recalled. “I said, ‘I’m trying to win the game!’
“[Staub] said, ‘Ah, if the manager thought you were that good, you would have started.’ It was like, ‘Bing! You got my attention now.’”
Staub finished his career with 100 hits as a pinch-hitter — among the top 20 all time — and the words of wisdom he imparted to Hurdle have shaped the Pirates philosophy in this (often overlooked) part of the game.
While the first 70 games of this MLB season have seen the Pirates struggle in a few areas — most notably pitching — they’ve actually been extremely good at pinch-hitting, the best in the National League.
Entering Saturday, Pirates pinch-hitters were batting .320, more than 30 points better than the second-place Marlins (.284). The Pirates’ 31 pinch-hits led all MLB clubs, while they were tied for second in home runs (5) and led the league in pinch-hit RBIs (23).
They have achieved those numbers, in part, because of the philosophy that Staub shared with Hurdle that day and also some flatout impressive performances from a few players off the bench.
What Staub basically told Hurdle was that, as a pinch-hitter, in that situation, you could do no wrong. It was one at-bat. Don’t treat it as anything more than that.
“You’re getting one shot to go up there and fire away,” Hurdle said. “You’re usually trying to clean up a mess that’s been made over six or seven innings.
“See something you can hit, get your swing off, and you’ll find out where your timing is, then go from there. … You have one shot. There’s no way you can do bad.”
Throughout Hurdle’s career, he has encountered a few of the game’s best pinch-hitters. In Colorado, Hurdle managed Mark Sweeney (175 pinch-hits, second-most all time) and one-time Pirates player John Vander Wal (129, seventh). Another of Hurdle’s former players, Greg Norton, led all MLB players with 23 pinch
-hits in 2003.
Hurdle preached the same message to all of them, the same one he has repeated every season in Pittsburgh.
“The guys have that understanding from me,” Hurdle said. “I just try to take the responsibility or the weight off their shoulders.”
Melky Cabrera leads the way with a .545 (6 for 11) average. Among those six hits, three have been doubles. Cabrera has also driven in five runs, walked four times and scored four runs as a pinch-hitter.
Second has been Gregory Polanco, who’s 4 for 4 this season as a pinch-hitter. Colin Moran is 3 for 14 with two home runs, four RBIs and two runs scored.
Talk to these guys, and one thing is common when it comes to their success during key parts of the game — preparation.
Moran likes to stick to his routine — just starting it a couple of hours later. Cabrera makes sure to watch the pitcher throughout the game, picking up tendencies — what he likes to throw in certain counts.
“Preparation is key for me, whether I’m coming off the bench or starting,” Cabrera said through Pirates translator Mike Gonzalez. “Mentally and physically I’m preparing myself so that any time the team needs me, they can look down and see me and know I’m ready.”
It’s a similar deal for Jose Osuna, who has four pinch-hit home runs in his career and two this season. Osuna is ready for anything starting in the third or fourth inning, and he has been taking swings in the indoor batting cages to stay loose.
“It’s a little bit different when you play every day, but you have to make a routine,” Osuna said. “When that opportunity gets to you, you have to be ready to try and help the team.”
Moran isn’t new to the whole pinch-hitting thing, having gone 11 for 26 (.423) last season. In Moran’s mind, it’s a lot like walking into a casino and making a bet. When the money’s gone, it’s over. Might as well enjoy it.
“It’s usually a crapshoot,” Moran said. “It could be a minute long, and your day’s over. You can’t really take it too personally if you fail because it’s the hardest thing to do in sports.”
This is by far the best pinch-hitting Pirates team of the Hurdle Era. The previous best was actually last season, when the Pirates tied for fourth in the NL at .238. Before that was 2015, when they were also fourth, this time at .237.
Among the worst seasons for Pirates pinch-hitters in Hurdle’s tenure were 2012 (.176, 15th) and 2017 (.199, 13th).
But with an offense that’s been humming along lately and has plenty of reliable options off the bench, the Pirates should be able to stay at or near the top of the league.
Even if Hurdle doesn’t always expect them to be perfect.
“Pinch-hitting is one of the toughest jobs in baseball,” Hurdle said. “However, we’ve had a number of guys step in and give good at-bats. We’re having some really good results right now.”