What Was the Best Pirate Game This Season?
The 2014 season had a lot of ups and downs for the Pirates. They had another winning season and a playoff berth for a second straight year. The Pirates had multiple players step up, but there were some players who took a turn for the worse. Jason Grilli, who was one of the five Pirates All Stars in 2013, could not seem to find his groove and was subsequently dealt to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for pitcher Ernesto Frieri, another inconsistent closer. The first base tandem initially consisted of Gaby Sanchez and Travis Ishikawa until the Pirates swung a trade with the New York Mets to acquire Ike Davis. Ishikawa was subsequently designated for assignment and became a free agent. Both Davis and Sanchez performed below expectations. Also, Pedro Alvarez failed to play his position properly. Alvarez, who had a solid 2013 season in which he added an All Star selection to his name, could not seem to complete plays. When a routine ground ball was hit to him, he would field the ball and throw it over the first baseman's head. While these players did not seem to find their niche with the team, players like Josh Harrison and Tony Watson really stepped up. Harrison started the year as a bench player. His role increased when Neil Walker spent some time on the disabled list. Also, when Alvarez's struggles continued, Harrison became the everyday starting third baseman. Harrison's success gave him a selection to the 2014 All Star Game. Tony Watson became a very reliable reliever. Not only was he able to shut down opposing offenses in the eighth inning, he compiled a record of (10-2). Watson also added an All Star selection to his name. These were some bright spots for the 2014 squad.
Besides individual player performances, there were some very good games that the Pirates played. I got to see 13 wins this season and I thought that a few of them were some of their best games. I would say that the best game that I went to this season was the game on Friday, May 9 against the St. Louis Cardinals. PNC Park was somewhat empty due to an impending rainstorm and that the Pittsburgh Penguins were hosting the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In the bottom of the first inning, Pirates first baseman Ike Davis hit a two-run double to give the Pirates an early 2-0 lead. The Cardinals responded in the top of the fourth inning when Allen Craig hit a three-run home run to give St. Louis a 3-2 lead. The very next inning, the Pirates tied things up when Neil Walker hit an RBI single. With Francisco Liriano out of the game, the Pirates turned to Jeanmar Gomez. In the top of the seventh, Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta hit a solo home run to give the Cardinals a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Neil Walker came to the plate against Carlos Martinez with runners on second and third with one out. Walker hit the Martinez offering 403 feet for a three-run home run and to put the Pirates ahead for good and the Pirates went on to win 6-4. This was my favorite game that I attended and watched in 2014. What was your favorite game?
I went to the game where the Bucs thumped the Red Sox 9-0 or 9-1... something like that. They hit 4 or 5 home runs and it was great. I think after this game I realized that they were going to make the postseason for a 2nd straight year.
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