Of the myriad sources of frustration for Pirates fans, one of the toughest to swallow is the success of players who couldn't cut it in Pittsburgh but flourish elsewhere.
This year, Exhibit A is Oliver Perez, the left-hander who sizzled in 2004, fizzled in '05 and pitched himself out of the Pirates' plans in '06. They shipped him to the Mets, with whom he hurled well enough in last fall's playoffs to raise hopes among New Yorkers that he could regain his form.
So far this season, he's looking like the Ollie of '04, if not better. Last night, Perez beat Atlanta, 3-0, his third win against the Braves this season. He pitched seven shutout innings, giving up four hits and walking just two, in improving his record to 6-3 and lowering his earned run average to 2.54.
Most people who follow the Pirates saw this coming. The Pittsburgh hierarchy had attempted to have Ollie change his pitching delivery, and he obviously didn't respond well. The culture of losing permeating PNC Park probably didn't help much, either. Now that he's on a team that looks as if it's bound for the postseason again, he seems to be back on track. And more good news for the Mets: He won't turn 27 until later this season.
(Maybe his resurgence will mean the autographed poster I have of him might be worth something someday ...)
As if Perez's success weren't enough, the Pirates suffered the humiliation of losing last night to former teammate Kip Wells. Having landed in St. Louis by way of his trade from Pittsburgh to Texas last season, Wells was off to a horrible start this year: 1-8, 6.75 ERA. Against the Pirates, he tossed seven innings and gave up one earned run.
Watching results like that, the big question around Pittsburgh is: When does Steelers training camp start?
Trivia question 34: Speaking of pitchers who stunk in Pittsburgh and went on to better things elsewhere ... who posted a 2-19 record for the Pirates and later led the league in strikeouts for St. Louis?
You cringe when you hear it: "Baseball ... it's so boring." Don't tell that to the people who help set new records each year attending games in the majors and minors. There's something about baseball that keeps folks coming back for more, even if football is harder-hitting, basketball is faster-paced, and you might see a wreck at a NASCAR race. Join me for various observations and history lessons about America's pastime. -- Harry Funk
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- Harry Funk
- • Online editor, The Observer-Reporter, Washington, Pa. • Member, Society for American Baseball Research • Guitar & bass player
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Trivia answers
- 56. Dallas and Chicago
- 55. On Oct. 1, 1933, Babe Ruth pitched a complete game for the Yankees against the Red Sox. According to Boston Post writer Paul Shannon, "though hit hard at times, and seemingly very tired toward the end, [Ruth] was able to steer his hard-hitting teammates to a 6-5 win in the season's final contest."
- 54. Gaylord Perry, San Francisco Giants, April 27, 1971
- 53. Rolando Arrojo went 14-12 for the Devil Rays in 1998, the team's first season. That represented 22.2 percent of the Rays' total victories.
- 52. Chester "Red" Hoff (1891-1998), who pitched for the New York Highlanders from 1911-13 and St. Louis Browns in 1915
- 51. George Steinbrenner, New York Yankees, 1974
- 50. Barry Lamar Bonds, 2002, age 38, breaking the previous record held by another ex-Pirate, Al Oliver
- 49. Manny Trillo, George Vukovich, Jay Baller and Jerry Willard
- 48. Dean Stone. In the eighth inning of the 1954 All-Star Game, the Washington rookie came in to pitch with two outs and runners on first and third. As Stone wound up, Red Schoendienst raced toward home. Stone threw to the plate to catch Schoendienst stealing. The American League scored three times in the bottom of the eighth to take an 11-9 lead, and Stone got the win in his only All-Star appearance.
- 47. Carlton Fisk, 1972
2 comments:
I don't know the answer to the trivia question. It seems that every player, pitchers included, traded away by the esteemed (dripping with sarcasm here) Dave Littlefield goes onto better things.
It depresses me. I read an article this morning pointing out that since their playing turned from bad to horid (horrid?), the Pirates have held no team-only meetings, nor have they scheduled any extra practices. I keep hoping they will get tired of losing. I know I'm tired of it.
If you scroll down and look to the right, I've posted all the trivia answers. See if you remember the guy in question.
We're never going to see the end of the Pirates' losing ways, I'm afraid. This seems to be the best they can put out on the field, and those players aren't very good.
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