Pittsburgh Pirates - Turning Points

2 • Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013

ANNOUNCING

Columbiana Office107 Royal Birkdale Drive

330-482-9350

Prima Orthopedics andJames N. Pantelakis, M.D.

Sports Injury Clinic

James N. Pantelakis, M.D.

• Care and treatment of sports injuriesincluding sprains, strains, fractures,overuse and other ailments

• Every Monday 3-5 p.m. at thePrima Columbiana Office

• On-Site X-Rays• No Appointment Needed - Just Walk In!

Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013 • 3

330-426-21846 6 E .M a in St.•E a stP a lestin e,Oh ioMon-Fri 8am-6pm; Sat 8am-1pm

Schedule an appointment today!

For more information go to www.mastercrafttirerebates.com

Courser HSXTOUR™, Avenger Touring LSR™, Courser HTR™ or HTR Plus™, Courser AXT™ or Courser C/T™ Tires.Promotion valid from October 1 thru November 15, 2013.

$75Getup to a

Visa® reward card bymail when you buy a new set of fourqualifying Mastercraft tires.

ALL BRANDS!Tire, Oil Changes, Brakes,Alignments & Diesel Fuel

John BuckCatcher

Martin RussellCatcher

Tony SanchezCatcher

Pedro AlverezInfielder

Clint BarmesInfielder

Josh HarrisonInfielder

Garrett JonesInfielder

Jordy MercerInfielder

Justin MorneauInfielder

Gaby SanchezInfielder

Neil WalkerInfielder

Marlon ByrdOutfielder

Andrew LamboOutfielder

Starling MarteOutfielder

Andrew McCutchenOutfielder

Felix PieOutfielder

Travis SniderOutfielder

José TabataOutfielder

A.J. BurnettPitcher

Gerrit ColePitcher

Brandon CumptonPitcher

Kyle FarnsworthPitcher

Jeanmar GomezPitcher

Jason GrilliPitcher

Jared HughesPitcher

Kris JohnsonPitcher

Fran LirianoPitcher

Jeff LockePitcher

Vin MazzaroPitcher

Mark MelanconPitcher

Bryan MorrisPitcher

Charlie MortonPitcher

Stomy PimentalPitcher

Tony WatsonPitcher

Justin WilsonPitcher

Meet the team -2013PittsburghPiratesRoster


GOOD LUCKPIRATES!

Turning Point in the game: After coming off thedisabled list, free agent acquisition Francisco Liri-ano, in his Pirates debut, shut down the Mets over5 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts. He gave up sixhits and two walks in a performance that showedBucco fans that he was out to become the stafface for 2013.

NEW YORK — Francisco Liriano turned out to be theace of Pittsburgh’s pitching staff in 2013, something thatbecame evident with his Pirates debut on May 11 againstthe New YorkMets.

Liriano struck out nine batters over 5 1/3 innings andthe Pirates teed off on New York’s pitching for an 11-2 winagainst theMets.

“He’s pitched before and he’s been good,” Pirates man-ager Clint Hurdle said. “Good to have him in the fold now,for me it’s ä three left-handers in the rotation, I like that alot. Especially in the division we’re in, the way we matchup against the teams.”

Jordy Mercer homered twice and Jose Tabata had fourhits, including a two-run shot for the Pirates.

The Mets have struggled to score at home, but thestart by Jonathon Niese would have put any team in ahole. He tied a career high by allowing eight runs, and walked more batters than hestruck out for the fourth time in eight starts this season.

Liriano, returning from a broken non-throwing arm, allowed one run in 5 1/3 inningsand 90 pitches. He gave up six hits and two walks.

“Today went good. Really good location and just using a lot today,” Liriano said. “Itwas a little weird, nervous. But that went away and it just feels good to get the first oneout of the way.”

After a late-spring injury to Jeff Karstens and the release of Jonathan Sanchez, thePirates needed the help in their rotation.

“You can probably count the teams on one hand that have really good offensive splitsmore so against left-handed pitchers than against right-handed pitching,” Hurdle said.

The Pirates jumped on Niese early, and finally drovehim out of the game in the fifth.

Mercer hit a solo shot after third baseman DavidWright made a nifty barehanded play to throw out StarlingMarte, and Tabata hit an RBI double off the base of thewall in center field.

Michael McKenry followed with a two-run single offreliever Scott Atchison and Clint Barmes followed with anRBI single before Liriano popped foul to end the inning.

Liriano agreed to a contract with Pittsburgh in the off-season, but broke his right arm on Dec. 25, the day beforehe was supposed to fly to Pittsburgh and sign a $12.75 mil-lion, two-year contract. Liriano, who said he was injuredwhen he slapped a door in his house, signed a revisedoffer and prepared for a delayed start to the season.

And Liriano delivered. He set the first seven battersdown in order, and the Mets didn’t get anyone to thirdbase until the sixth inning, when Justin Turner singledwith Wright on first and one out. Marlon Byrd, now aPirate following his late season trade, hit a tough dribblerdown the third base line that Brandon Inge charged, buthe mishandled the transfer to his throwing hand on a playthat was ruled a single.

The Mets put two runners on in the fourth inning afterByrd’s two-out single. But Liriano struck out Andrew

Brown. He fanned Daniel Murphy to end the fifth after Tejada’s double.

Barmes hit an RBI single in the second inning and Tabata hit a two-run homer in thethird, after AndrewMcCutchen’s RBI single.

“For our guys to swing the bats today the way they did in a big ballpark, I think thatwas a feel good for the offensive side of our game,” Hurdle said.

In the bottom of the seventh, reliever Bryan Morris hit pinch-hitter Jordany Valde-spin with his first pitch. The night before, Valdespin hit a long home run and took plentyof time time admiring its trajectory.

When he returned to the dugout after the inning, he threw his helmet in the cornerand tore off his batting gloves while no one acknowledged him. Over on the Pittsburghside, Morris received fist bumps from manager Clint Hurdle and many of his team-mates.

May 11, 2013 - Win #20 - Pirates 11, Mets 2

210 East Lincoln WayLisbon, Ohio

330-424-7586

POST 4111

V.F.W. ofOhio Charities

GO PIRATES!

STEAK FRY & DANCE1ST SATURDAY EVERY MONTHDINNER.......5:30 - 7:30DANCE.........8:00 - 11:00OPEN TO PUBLICSTEAK OR CHICKENCALL FOR DETAILS!330-424-7586


Turning Point in the game: AndrewMcCutchen caps a Pirates comebackwith a 12th inning, opposite fieldhome run.

Beating the teams you’re supposed tobeat is one of the hallmarks of a winningbaseball club.

This season’s struggling MilwaukeeBrewers certainly fell into that category forthe up-and-coming Pirates. But with a dismalrecord against the Brewers over the past sev-eral seasons, and having lost three of theirfirst four games against them in 2013, thePirates’ ability to take care of businessagainst lesser competition remained an enor-mous question mark heading into the teams’May 14matchup at PNC Park.

With the score deadlocked at 3-3 in the12th inning, a towering, opposite-field shot toright center field off the bat of the team’sunquestioned leader, Andrew McCutchen,turned that question mark into an exclamation point.

Things got off to a rough start when the second batter of the game, Brewers short-stop Jean Segura, drilled a Jeff Locke pitch into the left field bleachers for a solo homerun, getting the Brewers out to an early lead. The Pirates would go on to tie the game inthe bottom half of the frame on a run-scoring ground out.

After each surrendered runs in the first, both Locke and Brewers starter Kyle Lohsesettled in, but Milwaukee would break the tie in the bottom of the fourth, scoring a sin-gle run on a pair of doubles by Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez. The Brewers would addon the following inning, plating Norichika Aoki on a Segura groundout, after the speedyleadoff hitter had reached on an infield single and advanced to third on two Locke wildpitches.

The Pirates tied the game with single runs in the sixth and eighth innings, the lattercoming on a sharply hit double down the left field line off the bat of catcher Russell Mar-tin. After Jason Grilli struck out the side in the top of the ninth, the Bucs wasted anopportunity to walk off in the bottom half of the frame when Garrett Jones groundedinto an inning-ending double play with two runners on base.

Leading off the 12th inning, McCutchen— hitless in his first six plate appearances —seized his chance to make a statementagainst the Pirates’ nemesis, connecting on a2-2 offering from reliever Mike Fiers thatlanded in the second row of the right centerfield seating area.

McCutchen sprinted out of the box uponcontact and quickly made his way around thebases, raising his right fist in the air betweenfirst and second base.

“After the other two balls I hit, I wasn’ttaking anything for granted,” he said. “I did-n’t know if it was going to go out or not whenI hit it, so I just started running. Once I saw itwas a home run, I just kept running.”

McCutchen hit a drive to deep center fieldin the first inning with two runners on basethat center fielder Carlos Gomez caught justin front of the fence. In the seventh, rightfielder Norichika Aoki hauled in

McCutchen’s drive to the 375-foot sign in right-center field.

“I thought both of them were gone but I guess it’s the cool weather keeping the ballsin the park,” McCutchen said. “It’s been a cool spring and the ball doesn’t seem to becarrying anywhere. Summer is just around the corner so hopefully the weather willwarm up and balls will start flying pretty soon.”

As he approached his teammates waiting to mob him at home plate, McCutchentossed his helmet and raised his arms skyward. The Pirates and Brewers would squareoff 14 more times, but there was a sense that things might be different this year.

Indeed, the dramatic win proved to be the turning point for the Pirates in the seasonseries with the Brewers, as the Bucs would go on to win a total of 12 out of 19 meetingswithMilwaukee.

On a side note, the May 14 game also featured one of the season’s more bizarremoments: In the top of the 11th inning, home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth was forcedto leave the game when the Brewers’ Yuniesky Betancourt fouled off a pitch that lodgedbetween Culbreth’s mask and left shoulder, injuring his collarbone. He returned the fol-lowing game to umpire at third base.

May 14, 2013 - Win #22 - Pirates 4, Brewers 3

126 N. Market Street • Lisbon, OhioPh. 330-424-9211 • Fax 330-424-0582

Toll Free 888-482-1145

Congratulationson such a great

season!ITW PaslodeHitachiBoschDeltaDewalt

StarrettMakitaMilwaukeePorter CableMetabo

Refrigerators, Ranges, Dishwashers,Microwaves, Washers & Dryers,

Televisions, StereosAuthorized

Warranty ServiceCenter For AllBrands Sold!

Frigidaire-Amana-Crosley-LG-Panasonic

Frigidaire - Amana - Crosley - LG - Panasonic • Frigidaire - Amana - Crosley - LG - Panasonic • Frigidaire - Amana - Crosley - LG - Panasonic

Frigidaire-Amana-Crosley-LG-PanasonicFrigidaire-Amana-Crosley-LG-Panasonic

330-332-11371785 S. Lincoln Ave. • Salem, Ohio

Frigidaire- Amana-

Frigidaire -Am

ana -Crosley

- LG- Panasonic•

Frigidaire-Am

ana-

Frigidaire-Amana-Crosley-LG

-Panasonic•

WE SERVICE WHAT WE SELL

SALES & SERVICE SALES & SERVICE


Quality Foods Since 1920

1735 S. Lincoln Avenue • Salem, Ohio

330-332-8508

Proud to be Colum biana

County’s largest m anufacturing

em ployer.

Turning Point in the game: With the bases loaded in the bottom of the sec-ond, Gerrit Cole singles to right center field off the Giants’ Tim Lincecum,plating two runs to put the Pirates up 3-0.

When the Pittsburgh Pirates made flame-throwing righty Gerrit Cole the first overallpick in the 2011 draft, they firmly believed they had selected a future staff ace that wouldanchor their rotation for years to come.

The future arrived on a warm Tuesday night in June that the more than 30,000 fans inattendance won’t soon forget.

Pressed into service after veteran left-hander Wandy Rodriguez left his June 5 startagainst the Atlanta Braves with a forearm injury that ultimately would sideline him forthe rest of the season, Cole came to Pittsburgh just looking to hold down the fort in arotation that was quickly emerging as one of baseball’s best.

He delivered that and more when he took the hill against the San Francisco Giantsand former Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum on June 11, delivering 6 1/3 strong innings

before a crowd of more than 30,000 that turned out to witness Cole’s Major Leaguedebut at PNC Park.

When the gates opened, fans made a beeline for the best spots overlooking thebullpen, many standing in place for more than an hour to catch their first glimpse of Colein a Pirates uniform. You couldn’t have scripted a better opening as Cole blew leadoff hit-ter Gregor Blanco away with three fastballs in the high 90s to chalk up his first bigleague strikeout.

He looked dominant at times and vulnerable at others, but showed fortitude in pitch-ing out of some early jams, stranding five runners on base over the first two inningswithout surrendering a run. The fresh-faced rookie could do no wrong. Even a routinelineout to center field in the sixth inning — albeit relatively hard hit — drew a standingovation.

A player never knows what to expect when he makes his Major League debut — andit’s probably safe to assume Cole didn’t anticipate finishing the night with as many runsbatted in as strikeouts.

Cole came to the plate to face Lincecum in his first big-league at bat with the basesloaded in the second inning. After working the count full, Cole smacked a high pitchover the inner half of the plate the other way that found grass between the center fielderBlanco and right fielder Hunter Pence.

The single plated two runs, and Cole couldn’t help but flash a grin as the crowd onceagain showed its appreciation.

The Pirates bats came alive in support of their newest teammate. Pedro Alvarezdrove in three runs on three hits, including a mammoth two-run shot in the seventh.Starling Marte also homered, and Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones and Neil Walkereach collected RBIs as the Bucs scored eight runs to back Cole’s strong outing.

After hitting Gregor Blanco with a pitch to load the bases with two outs in the second,Cole proceeded to retire the next 13 batters he faced, a streak that ended when AndresTorres singled to right to lead off the seventh inning. A single and a fielder’s choice putrunners at first and third for pinch-hitter Tony Abreu, who chased Cole from the gamewith a run-scoring double down the right field line that made the score 5-1.

Reliever Tony Watson surrendered a run that was charged to Cole, who finished thenight giving up two runs on seven hits, walking none and striking out two in his 6 1/3innings, more than good enough for his first Major League win.

He would go on to win his first four starts, the first Pirate in 106 years to do so.

June 11, 2013 - Win #38 - Pirates 8, Giants 2


330-427-1010 404 Pearl Street Leetonia, Ohio TANK LINES

Turning Point in the game: Gaby Sanchez, not the fastest Pittsburgh Pirate,led off the 14th with an infield single. With one out, he stole second for hisfirst steal in more than a year. After a walk, Russell Martin hit a soft liner tocenter off Francisco Rodriguez. Sanchez chugged around third and beat thethrow home. This followed 11 scoreless innings by the Pirates’ bullpen.

As Gaby Sanchez “trucked” around third some 6 1/2 hours after Pittsburgh’s June 30matchup against Milwaukee began, one thought went through his head.

“’This is enough,’” the 216-pound first baseman said after the game. “’I’m tired. It’sbeen a long day.’”

Then Sanchez laughed. The Pittsburgh Pirates have been doing an awful lot of thatlately.

Pinch-hitter Russell Martin singled home Sanchez for the winning run in the 14thinning and the Pirates earned their ninth straight victory, defeating the MilwaukeeBrewers 2-1.

The Pirates extended their longest winning streak since 2004, when they took 10 in arow. Pittsburgh reached the midpoint of its season with the best record in the majors at51-30.

“It’s fun right now,” said Martin, who played a key role in an extra-inning victory hedid not start for the second straight Sunday. “Obviously, winning is fun, but just being ona team with a bunch of guys who play with their hearts out there and enjoy the game, it’sdefinitely been a pleasure.”

Teammates were having fun with Sanchez, a slugger not known for his speed.Sanchez led off the 14th with an infield single. With one out, he stole second for his firststeal in more than a year. After a walk, Martin hit a soft liner to center.

Sanchez chugged around third and slid home ahead of the throw by Carlos Gomez.

“I guess he felt fresh today for some reason,” Martin said with a wry smile. “We’rejust grinding; he’s out there grinding and made it happen and I think everybody is enjoy-ing it.”

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle gave the sign for Sanchez to make an attempt for hisfirst stolen base as a Pirate and first overall since May 6, 2012.

“Once it gets late like that, you’ve got to take some chances,” Hurdle said. “Gaby’salways heads-up.”

Sanchez validated the efforts of Pittsburgh’s stingy bullpen, one that refers to itself as“The Shark Tank.” Vin Mazzaro pitched five perfect innings. He was among six Piratesrelievers who combined for 11 scoreless innings after Charlie Morton was pulled follow-ing a rain delay of 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Justin Wilson, Bryan Morris, Jason Grilli and Mark Melancon each pitched a score-less inning following Mazzaro ä allowing a total of two hits and no walks.

Tony Watson (2-1) struck out four in three hitless innings.

“A truly incredible job from everybody out there,” Hurdle said.

“It feels like they all throw 110 mph, and they’ve all got good stuff,” Brewers outfield-er Logan Schafer said. “They know what they’re doing. They locate their pitches for themost part and they get ahead early in the count. Those guys are very good.”

Andrew McCutchen hit a tying single in the Pittsburgh eighth.

June 30, 2013 - Win #51 - Pirates 2, Brewers 1


Call Candace King at 330-938-1085 or 330-501-7824 • www.CrandallMedical.com

Specializing in rehabilitation, skilled nursing and long term care. On the cam pus of Copeland Oaks in nearby Sebring, Ohio.

W hen life throw s you a curve ball... don’t strike out. Our rehabilitation specialists can get you rounding 3rd base and headed hom e...safe.

Turning Points in the games: In the opener, it took an 11th inning single byAlex Presley to give the Pirates a 2-1 victory on a strong start by A.J. Bur-nett. In the nightcap, Brandon Cumpton picked up his first Major Leaguevictory by shutting out the Cardinals 6-0 over seven strong innings.

After a euphoric doublehead-er sweep of reeling St. Louis onJuly 30 that propelled them to thetop of the division, the PittsburghPirates were ready to get greedy.

“We want more,’ managerClint Hurdle said.

Keep pitching like this, andthat shouldn’t be a problem.

Alex Presley hit a game-end-ing single with two outs in the

11th inning, lifting the Pirates to a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener July30.

Presley hit a sharp bouncer that deflected off the glove of pitcher Kevin Siegrist andaway from shortstop Pete Kozma, who was moving toward second base. Kozma couldnot recover and the ball rolled into the outfield, allowing Russell Martin to sprint all theway home from second base.

Pirates starter A.J. Burnett pitched seven emotionally charged innings, giving up onerun on three hits, striking out nine and walking three. Though it was just his second vic-tory since May 3, Burnett’s performance set the tone and the bullpen followed his lead.

“It’s a battle, it’s fun,’ Burnett said. “Let’s roll from here. Let’s keep going.’

Vin Mazzaro (6-2) picked up the victory after retiring three of the four batters hefaced in the 11th. Despite leading the National League in runs and batting average, theCardinals went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position in the opener.

“We had some hard-hit balls with runners in scoring position,’ Cardinals managerMike Matheny said. “It just didn’t work out.’

The Pirates survived by doing what they’ve done for most of the first four months ofthe season, riding another stellar effort from baseball’s top pitching staff and getting justenough hitting to win.

Presley’s slapper capped a 3-hour, 52-minute marathon that had all the makings of

playoff baseball. A packed PNC Park — on a Tuesday afternoon, no less — buzzed asBurnett and Lynn matched each other for the better part of two hours.

Burnett received a bit of help with two on and one out in the first when center fielderAndrew McCutchen made a diving grab of a sinking liner by Carlos Beltran. The GoldGlover then hopped to his feet and alertly doubled up Holliday.

Three hours after Alex Presley’s grounder caromed off Siegrist’s glove in the opener,the Pirates breezed to a 6-0 victory in the second game behind rookie starter BrandonCumpton.

Working with usual Triple-A battery mate Tony Sanchez ä making his major leaguedebut ä Cumpton scattered three hits over seven innings to extend the Cardinals’ losingstreak to a season-high six games.

“Pitching inside has been my thing all year,’ Cumpton said. “I didn’t want to get awayfrom it. I wanted to force the issue.’

All it did was compound the issues for St. Louis, which has scored all of five runs inthe last 56 innings. Even worse, catcher Yadier Molina is likely headed to the disabledlist after leaving in the top of the fourth inning of the second game with a sprained rightknee.

The sweep pushed Pittsburgh to a season-high 22 games over .500.

Cardinals starter Tyler Lyons gave up four runs, three earned, in six innings. Hestruck out five and walked one but received no help from a reeling offense and somesloppy play in the field.

On the heels of Presley’s game-winner, the fortuitous bounces kept on coming for thePirates, who took a 1-0 lead in the second when a rare passed ball by Molina let JoseTabata sprint across the plate. Molina was done for the night in the top of the fourthwhen the right knee pain he’s been battling for the better part of a month flared upagain. He was replaced by Rob Johnson.

The absence of their leader further weakened the Cardinals, and things quickly fellapart. While Cumpton kept the NL’s top offense in check, Pittsburgh poured it on with alittle help from St. Louis left fielder Matt Holliday. The Pirates took a 2-0 lead on JordyMercer’s RBI single before McCutchen stepped in. He drilled Lyons’ pitch deep to leftbut Holliday appeared ready to track it down at the wall. Instead, the ball popped off theheel of Holliday’s glove and into the stands.

Cumpton needed just 87 pitches to get 21 outs. He received a loud ovation as heheaded to the dugout, the latest in a series of unheralded Pirates pitchers to rise fromobscurity and help propel the franchise into the midst of a pennant race.

July 30, 2013 - Wins #63/#64 - Pirates vs. Cardinals


COLUMBIANA COACH LINES 195 Carbon Hill Road • East Palestine, OH 330-426-2376

Keep makin’ us proud, Bucs!

Turning Point in the game: Josh Harrison hits a walk-off homer — his firstsince high school — over the right-center field wall in the bottom of theninth at PNC Park to give the Pirates the win over the Marlins. Centerfield-er Andrew McCutchen also made a diving grab with two on in the seventhto save two runs.

For Josh Harrison, it didn’t get any better than his walk-off home run on Aug. 6 togive the Pittsburgh Pirates a 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins.

What made the hit even more interesting is that the last time Harrison hit a walk-offhomer, he was a high school senior in Cincinnati. The game was played in front of a fewdozen people on a spring afternoon. Still the only homer of his prep career remainsingrained in Harrison’s memory.

Now it’s got company.

The Pittsburgh Pirates utility infielder sent a fastball from Miami reliever Mike Dunninto the first row of seats in right-center leading off the ninth, the improbable homer lift-ing the Pirates to a 4-3 victory.

“I knew it had a chance,” Harrison said after his second home run of the season. “Iknew it wasn’t caught off the bat. I was running, watching (Giancarlo) Stanton’s reac-tion. I knew he wasn’t going to catch it. I saw him pull up and it didn’t kick back, I knewit was gone.”

Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle sent Harrison out to leadoff the inning modestlyhoping Harrison could find a way to get on base. Instead, Harrison provided another sig-nature moment in a season full of memories for the Pirates.

A marvelous diving grab by centerfielder Andrew McCutchen with two on in the sev-enth saved two runs and reliever Vin Mazzaro narrowly escaped a bases-loaded jammoments when a liner from Jeff Mathis landed inches foul. Mathis eventually flied to lefton a night Miami left 11 runners on base.

Minutes later Harrison was getting the creampie to the face treatment.“Those are little things that happen that make you go àYeah, something’s going on,’”

Hurdle said. “There’s no doubt the more feel good you get, the more you feel good.”

The win moved the Pirates to 68-44 at the time, 24 games over 500.

Dunn bailed Chad Qualls after Qualls loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth. Hestruck out Pedro Alvarez and got Russell Martin to hit into a double play but couldn’t getthe best of Harrison, a bench player who has spent most of the season shuttling betweenPittsburgh and Triple-A Indianapolis.

“Initially, I didn’t think it was high enough to go out butit carried and it was a home run,” Dunn said. “It was a goodjob on his part.”

Bryan Morris pitched a perfect top of the ninth for thevictory. Neil Walker had three hits for the Pirates.McCutchen had two hits, including a two-run double, forPittsburgh.

Pittsburgh’s Jeff Locke provided a solid start, eventhough things started a bit shaky.

Miami turned three singles (none of them sharply hit)into a run in the second then added two more in the thirdbehind four straight singles to start the inning. The Mar-lins, however, couldn’t pile on and Locke eventually settleddown. The left-hander allowed three runs on nine hits in 52-3 innings, walking three and striking out four.

“There are lessons to be learned for him,” Hurdle saidof Locke. “He’s always got to be the predator and theaggressor. We’re into August. We’re into September.Everybody that gets that ball, you’ve got to be throwingaggressive punches off the mound with intent and conviction.”

Locke left two runners on in the sixth. He also left with a no decision as Mazzaroretired Ed Lucas with two runners on to end the inning.

Henderson Alvarez handcuffed the Pirates in their previous meeting, limiting Pitts-burgh to just two hits in six innings of a victory two weeks ago. The Pirates, however,briefly figured him out in the third. McCutchen doubled off the wall to drive in two runsand Pedro Alvarez followed with his first triple of the year to tie it.

The Pirates never threatened against the Miami starter again, and Alvarez left afterseven innings, giving up three runs on six hits, striking out six while not issuing a walk.

That left it up to the bullpens and Pittsburgh’s “Shark Tank” continued its dominance.Mazzaro survived the seventh and the Marlins went meekly in the eighth and ninthbefore Harrison stepped to the plate.

“I’ve never been around a group of guys that fights this hard the entire game,” Lockesaid. “We load the bases in the eighth and Pedro comes up and we don’t score and yousee who comes up with nobody on and walks off. It’s funny how the game works likethat.”

August 6, 2013 - Win #68 - Pirates 4, Marlins 3

Computer Sales & Service New Systems, Consulting, Repairs, Networking & Cleaning.

BUSINESS COMPUTER SYSTEMS B A R G ER EN TER P R IS ES

East Palestine, Ohio • 330-426-9706 Call or email for new system pricing

[email protected] www.businesscomputersystem.com

WAY TO GO BUC S ! WAY TO GO BUC S ! WAY TO GO BUC S !


330-457-7107

Congratulations, We’re Behind You! BLACK’S

RADIATOR SERVICE 46424 Beaver Lake Road

New Waterford, Ohio

Turning point in the game:Starting Pitcher Francisco Liri-ano throws a gem at St. Louis,besting the Cardinals. ThePirates’ defense erased threeCardinals leadoff baserunnersen route to Liriano’s four-hitcomplete game victory.

In need of a win followingarguably their toughest loss of theseason, the Pirates on Aug. 14turned to Francisco Liriano, their acewho was looking for a bounce-backperformance of his own when hetook the hill in St. Louis.

The previous night, with thegame seemingly well in hand, leftfielder Starling Marte dropped a rou-tine fly ball with one out in the ninththat opened the door for AllenCraig’s game-tying single, resultingin Mark Melancon’s first blown saveof the season. The Cardinals finallybroke through in the 14th, walkingoff on Adron Chambers’ single offJared Hughes.

On a more personal level, Liriano was trying to shake off his previous start — hisworst of the season, in which he allowed 10 earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings of work.

He answered the challenge by delivering one of his strongest outings of the year,tossing a complete-game, four-hit gem that keyed a 5-1 Pirates victory over the Cardi-nals, putting to an end a four-game losing streak.

“What we’ve seen all year, he’s just given us chances to win. He’s pitched deep intogames, he’s mixed pitches, he’s really been in command when runners get on base,”Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

After both Liriano and his mound opponent, Shelby Miller, cruised through one-two-three first innings, the Pirates offense went to work in the top of the second. PedroAlvarez homered to lead off the inning, and Garrett Jones followed two batters later witha shot over the right field fence to put the Bucs up 2-0. Marte and Tony Sanchez added

run-scoring singles in a three-runfourth.

Liriano frustrated the Cardinalbats all night, retiring 12 of 13 battersduring one stretch from the secondthrough the sixth innings. His swing-and-miss stuff wasn’t what it’s beenat other points during the year, buthe worked efficiently, needing only94 pitches to go the distance.

“You can say the guy was on it,”the Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter said.“It’s one thing to come in here andsay we lost the game because we did-n’t play well or we had a ton of pitch-es to hit and we didn’t do our job.

“This guy was nasty.”

The defense backed up Liriano’ssharp pitching throughout the night,three times erasing leadoff baserun-ners via the double play. The onlyblemish on the left-hander’s stellarnight came in the ninth, with thePirates holding a comfortable 5-0lead. A Carlos Beltran groundout

scored Matt Carpenter, who had doubled with one out and advanced to third on a wildpitch.

Liriano retired Craig to end the game, putting the finishing touch on his second com-plete game of the season and the third of his career. He scattered four hits, striking outsix and walking only one as he faced just three batters over the minimum.

The strong all-around performance stretched the Pirates’ lead in the NL Central backto three games, after the Cardinals shaved it down from a season high four games.

“It was important because every game counts, especially after last night,” Lirianosaid. “It was a tough game last night and we had to put that one behind us and comeready to play.”

August 14, 2013 - Win #71 - Pirates 5, Cardinals 1

Congratulations Pittsburgh Pirates!

COUPON EXPIRES 10/20/13 5:00 - 8:30 P.M. TUESDAY-SUNDAY

Restaurant Purchase of $ 25.00 $ 5.00 OFF

Salem Hills Golf & Country Club

Restaurant: 330-337-3616

Pro Shop: 330-337-8033

2 M ILES NO RTH O F SALEM O N S.R. 45


Turning Point in the game: Following two consecutive walks and a doublesteal attempt, Pirates starter Gerrit Cole preserves a scoreless tie in thesixth inning by getting Adrian Beltre to ground out. Pedro Alvarez woulddrive in the game’s only run the following inning with a two-out RBI dou-ble. The win marked Cole’s best start to date.

In a pitcher’s duel that lived up to its billing, Pirates rookie Gerrit Cole outlastedTexas Rangers ace Yu Darvish to earn a victory that meant a lot more to Pittsburgh fansthan it did to the men in the clubhouse who had just earned it.

Cole’s seven shutout innings against Texas on Sept. 9 helped end a four-game losingstreak that included a sweep at division rival St. Louis, and set the tone for a road seriessweep against the Rangers. It also represented elusive win number 82, ensuring thePirates’ first winning season since 1992.

Following the game, the team acknowledged the feat but made it clear No. 82 was astepping stone, not the destination.

“It’s going to touch a lot of people on a lot of different levels,” Pirates manager ClintHurdle said. “We are aware of it. Everybody’s here for a reason, and that’s to knockdown things we haven’t done in a long time.”

Cole — who was 2 years old when the Pirates last made the postseason — also keptthings in perspective after arguably the strongest outing of his young career.

“We don’t really understand what the fans have been through. I know it definitelyputs a smile on their face when they see that No. 82 up there,” Cole said. “We’reextremely happy to be able to make them feel like we’ve got a winning team out there.But we’ve got a few weeks ahead and those are going to be some real big games.”

The game moved Pittsburgh to within a game of the Cardinals, who had seized thedivision lead by virtue of their three game sweep of the Pirates.

Cole and Darvish matched each other practically pitch-for-pitch through the earlypart of the night. The game’s first five innings saw just one man from either club reachsecond base — Rangers catcher Geovany Soto, who singled and advanced on a Colewild pitch in the second.

The only hint of trouble for Cole came in the sixth, when he issued back-to-backwalks to Elvis Andrus and Alex Rios after getting two quick outs. A successful doublesteal put both men in scoring position, but Adrian Beltre grounded out to short to endthe threat.

In the seventh, Darvish also recorded two quick outs before Marlon Byrd doubled to

left, giving the Pirates their first runner in scoring position. Pedro Alvarez cashed in theopportunity with a line drive double of his own to center field.

It was the only time the Pirates would threaten all evening until Andrew McCutchen’sone-out triple in the ninth. He would be thrown out at the plate as he tried to score onJustin Morneau’s subsequent ground ball to second.

But Bucs relievers Tony Watson and Mark Melancon made the single run stand up.Cole gave up just three hits, walking two and striking out a then-career high nineRangers in seven innings of work. Despite throwing just 81 pitches, Darvish was liftedafter seven innings due to leg cramps.

September 9, 2013 - Win #82 - Pirates 1, Rangers 0

39 E. Ta g g a rt Street • Ea st Pa lestin e, Oh io

1506 East Palestine

EAGLES Keep Going Bucs!

CORNERSTONE INSURANCE AGENC Y 40 N. Market St. • East Palestine, Ohio 330-426-4111

GO BUCS!


Turning Point in the game: Starling Marte homers in the top of the ninth toput the Pirates up 2-1; then, in the bottom of the ninth, Jason Grilli earnssave No. 32 when Andrew McCutchen picked up Ryan Sweeney’s single andthrew to first baseman Justin Morneau, positioned just in front of the pitch-er’s mound. Morneau caught the throw on one hop and made the relay tocatcher Russell Martin, who applied the tag on Nate Schierholtz trying toscore from first base.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ 21-year hiatus from the playoffs ended Sept. 23 just as itbegan: with a play at home plate.

Russell Martin’s tag on a play at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninthmarked win No. 90 for the Pirates, a 2-1 thriller over the Chicago Cubs, and also clinchedthe team’s first postseason berth since 1992. That season ended when Sid Bream beatout a throw home from Barry Bonds in the bottom of the ninth in game seven of theNational League Championship Series to claim the pennant for the Atlanta Braves.

“Even though I didn’t lose for the last 20 years, they make you feel like you are. Youfeel like you lost those 20 years,” Andrew McCutchen said. “That’s all you hear. You hearit every single day ä àWhen’s it going to change? You think this is the year?’ You get sickand tired of hearing that. It’s awesome that there won’t be any questions anymore. Thequestion is, àAre we going to be able to go farther?’”

It marks Pittsburgh’s first trip to the postseason since Barry Bonds, Jim Leyland andCo. won three straight NL East titles from 1990-92.

Starling Marte hit a tiebreaking homer in the ninth inning at Wrigley Field, and JasonGrilli closed it out for save No. 32.

The Pirates sprayed each other with bubbly and beer and sparkling cider in the visi-tors’ clubhouse once St. Louis’ 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals became final.

The Cincinnati Reds also clinched at least a wild-card berth, when they beat the NewYork Mets 3-2 in 10 innings.

Pittsburgh players sang Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.” They chanted “MVP!MVP!” while dousing McCutchen. They took pictures and manager Clint Hurdle hadthem gather for a group photo in the middle of the cramped visitors’ clubhouse.

“The people of Pittsburgh have been waiting a long time,” said Neil Walker, whohomered in the first to give the Bucs the early lead.

The Pirates snapped a 1-all tie when Marte sent a drive off Kevin Gregg with two outsin the ninth into the left field bleachers.

September 23, 2013 - Win #90 - Pirates 2, Cubs 1

Quality products, fair pricing & excellent service has kept us in

business for over 68 years

521 E. Taggart Street • East Palestine, Ohio330-426-2232 OH LIC: #26442

Bush Heating, Inc. Bush Heating, Inc.

KEEP WARM THIS WINTER! KEEP WARM THIS WINTER! KEEP WARM THIS WINTER!

No Free Stuff • No Nonsense

VALLEY GOLF COURSE GREAT JOB THIS SEASON BUCS!

WITH THIS AD COMPLIMENTARY 9 OR 18 HOLES Green Fee When Partner pays for equal or greater value.

Valid Weekdays until 4:00 p.m. Sat., Sun. & Holidays after 2:00 pm Easy Access from Rt. 11 4178 Cherry Fork Rd. - Columbiana, Ohio CARTS NOT INCLUDED

OPEN GOLF • LEAGUES • OUTTINGS • TOURNAMENTS CALL TODAY!

330-482-9464 OWNERS: Ted & Mary Ann Ossoff

Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013 • 13In a fitting coincidence, they then preserved the victory on the final out in a play at the

plate.

McCutchen, the center fielder, picked up Ryan Sweeney’s bloop single after right fielderMarlon Byrd failed in trying to scoop up the ball and threw to first baseman JustinMorneau, positioned just in front of the pitcher’s mound. Morneau caught the throw onone hop and made the relay to catcher Russell Martin, who applied the tag on Nate Schier-holtz trying to score from first base.

Still on his knees, Martin held the ball over his head in jubilation. Then, he wasembraced by Grilli before heaving the ball toward deep left field as the Pirates celebratednear the mound. Grilli escaped with his 32nd save in 34 chances.

“Twenty-one years since we popped champagne in a Pirates clubhouse ä and we’re act-ing like it’s been a long time,” Hurdle said. “The hard work, the fun. I’m just proud of eachand every man in here, the fans they represent, ownership, general manager, president ...the scouts, players. This has been a group effort for a long time.”

The Cubs tied it in the eighth off Mark Melancon.

Walker homered off Jeff Samardzija in the first to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead, and CharlieMorton pitched three-hit ball over seven scoreless innings before the Cubs tied it againstMelancon.

Brian Bogusevic led off the eighth with a single, his second hit, and moved up on agroundout by Darwin Barney. Then, after a wild pitch, he scored the tying run on a singleby pinch-hitter Donnie Murphy.

That spoiled a terrific start for Morton, who struck out five and walked one.Samardzija was almost as good, allowing one run and five hits over six innings. He

struck out seven and walked four after going 0-1 with a 7.11 ERA in his previous fourstarts.

He pitched seven solid innings against Milwaukee last week but got into a disagree-ment with third base coach David Bell over defensive positioning in the dugout.

Samardzija’s only blemish in this one came when Walker drove a 1-1 pitch out to left-center with one out in the first.

With the long ball, Walker matched a career high of 14 set last season. He has fourhomers in the past five games.

Samardzija settled down after that but got little support as the Cubs lost for the 10thtime in 13 games. It was also the second straight day an opponent celebrated at WrigleyField.

Atlanta clinched the NL East on Sept. 22, and this time, it was the Pirates’ turn to party.“That’s what we need to do,” Samardzija said. “I think we’re getting there, but we need

to get some things ironed out.”

The Pirates finally have it figured out. Now, they’re playoff-bound.

V.F.W. of Ohio Charities Post 5532

NOW BOOKING HALL RENTAL

C OME W ATCH T HE P LAY O FFS W ITH U S ! 330-427-2533 CALL TODAY! 575 S. C OUNTY L INE R D . W ASHINGTONVILLE , OH

330-938-6457 1-800-246-6457

26755 State Route 62 • Beloit, Ohio

S A L E S & S E R V I C E

Congratulations on a Great Season!

OPENERS

G ARAGE D OOR O PENERS & D OORS , I NC .


Editor’s note: In a season filled withsurprises, the Pirates pitching

stands alone at the top of the list.From a solid core of starters to abullpen that was the best in base-ball throughout the year, solid, con-sistent pitching has been a hallmarkof the team’s resurgence. Ray Sear-age, the man responsible for thepitching staff’s development, talksabout his role and how the staff hascome together as the Pirates head

into the postseason.

Q: The starting pitching has remainedconsistent throughout the 2013 season.What’s been different this year as opposedto the past couple years?

Searage: We’ve got starters out therewith experience, that know when to gochange their game plans, and are able tomake adjustments during the course ofthe game. Our catchers play a big part in

that. The communication between ourstarters and our catchers (has) beenextremely good as to what’s working andwhat’s not working today, and we go fromthere.

Q: The starters’ overall performancehas been very consistent, but the faceshave changed through the season. As apitching coach, what challenges do youface trying to hold things together whenyou’ve had a dozen guys start games thisyear?

Searage: You know, you take that game— that one game that one day — and who-ever’s starting it, you go over the gameplan, you try to help them become thebest pitcher that they can be by using theirstuff, and go to their strengths, and youput the pieces together. You connect thedots out there, and you let them have it,and the catcher plays an integral role inthat. It’s really a good thing to do, that

we’re all pulling in the same direction.

Q: The bullpen has exceeded just abouteveryone’s expectations this year. To whatdo you attribute that success?

Searage: These guys have maturedgreatly during the course of the year. Theyknow what they’re all about, they knowwhat their stuff is. They know what theirjobs are, and it makes it a lot easier to pre-pare for the day when you know what timeof the game that you’ll be coming in, whatthe score might be, and then you knowwhat hitters you’re going to be facing.Preparation, and knowing a little bit aboutthe unknown, helps you perform a little bitbetter.

Q: The whole âshark tankã theme hasgotten a good bit of attention this year. Isthat just something fun for the guys outthere, or does it speak to a deeper solidari-ty that’s translated to on-field perform-ance?

Searage: I think it’s both. In the begin-ning, they wanted to make an identity forthemselves out there, and they wanted toget ... an animal that was a predator, andthe shark, it just happened that (Mark)Melancon had some experience in a sharktank in Australia, in New Zealand. It tookoff, and now they know they have highstandards that they perform to.

Q: A lot of guys have looked like thestaff’s ace at various points this year, butFrancisco Liriano obviously seems to havebeen your most consistent stopper thisyear. What has his presence meant for thisclub?

Searage: Outstanding. He’s a quiet

leader. He goes out and leads by actions.He’s not a rah-rah, boom-boom guy on thebench here. He’s very smart, he’s verywell-grounded. He’s got a good idea onwhat his abilities are, and he does hishomework on the opposing team. He goesout there and he competes, and he’ll try tofigure out how to beat you, one way or theother.

Q: Any thoughts on what was keepinghim from achieving that form the past cou-ple years?

Searage: You know, to tell you thetruth, I really couldn’t put a finger on it, orto tell you this was the reason why. Whenhe got here, it was like a new beginningfor him — new coaches, and everything,and we looked at him in a brand new,fresh way, and we tried to help him inorder to get his delivery sound, to find outwhat his strengths were. He’s not yourquintessential two-seam left-hander; youknow, he can throw a slider, a changeup,at any time in the count, so you just can’tsit on one pitch. If he’s executing all thosepitches, and pitching in, it’s really hard toget a good feel for him because you don’tknow what he’s going to throw. His per-sonality is tremendous. He’s a great leaderfor the younger kids, especially the Lati-nos, and he goes about his business, andhe’s a well-grounded human being.

Q: What has it been like to work withGerrit Cole, and the tremendous amountof raw talent he possesses?

Searage: It’s like holding onto a torna-do, you know, trying to ride it. He is ayoung kid with, God bless him, somegreat talent. Now all we have to do is try tofunnel that and get it going to where it’s

Talking with the pitching coachRay Searage, 58• Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach

• Born in Freeport, N.Y.; attendedWest Liberty State College

• Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinalsin the 22nd round of the 1976 draft

• Spent parts of seven seasons as arelief pitcher for the White Sox,Brewers, Dodgers and Mets from1981-90

• Served as Pirates pitching coachsince August 2010

8150 Market Street • Boardman, Ohio

Mc C amon - Hunt Insurance Agency, Inc.

330-726-8850

“GREAT SEASON BUCS!”

24 6 West F o u rth Street • D o wn to wn , E a st L iverp o o l, Oh io • 3 3 0-3 85 -13 4 3 Hou rs: 8a m to 11 pm d a ily, 8a m to 10pm Su n d a y • Save time with our DRIVE-THROUGH!

We Accept We Accept

YOUR ONE STOP PARTY CENTER www.RaylsMarket.com

YOUR CRAFT BEER HEADQUARTERS

Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013 • 15going to be more beneficial to him. Earlieron, the breaking pitches, the offspeedpitches, were not quite there yet. Heworked tirelessly in the bullpen to makesure that they got consistent, and beforeyou know it, we started seeing the benefitsof that. Right now, he’s still going to gothrough his growing pains in the MajorLeagues, but you know, he’s got a betteridea that he can adjust, absorb, and makethe adjustment for the next start.

Q: Let’s stay with Cole. What specifical-ly has been the key to the outstanding per-formances he’s had the last three times orso out?

Searage: He’s got a better feel for whathe can do. You know, success breeds con-fidence, breeds success ... it’s a never-end-ing wheel. And as he’s going out there andpitching and finding out what he can do,and about the hitters, and knowing the hit-ters’ weaknesses and knowing theirstrengths, knowing what his strengthsare, and competing and battling out there.He’s learning with every pitch. He knowsand kind of has a good feel about himself,especially on the mound.

Q: How has Cole handled being sad-dled with the âfuture of the franchiseãtitle, if you will?

Searage: You know, I don’t really thinkhe thinks about that very much. Everytime that we’ve talked, he’s got both feeton the ground, and he’s focusing on hisnext start. How can I keep the team in thegame, how can I help the team get achance of winning this game that I’m start-ing, how far can I go and what do I have,and those things have really helped inspeeding up (his) maturity level as aMajor League pitcher.

Q: Cole’s in uncharted territory as faras his workload this year. How do you bal-ance health considerations with the factyou’re right in the middle of a pennantrace?

Searage: We’re watching. We have anidea — there’s a couple times where we’vepushed him back from a start. ... We did itin August, and we did it in September. Asof right now, we can’t prepare for some-thing that we don’t have just yet. What wehave to do is concentrate on every game,taking care of that one game, and thenwhen the next day brings the next game,we focus on that.

Q: Was there ever any conversationabout shutting him down at any point thisyear?

Searage: No, no. We just made surethat we found out where he was the lastyear, and where he is this year, and wekind of calculated it, that’s why we hadhim pushed back a couple times.

Q: As a pitching coach, how does yourapproach differ working with a veteransuch as A.J. Burnett versus a young guylike Cole or a Jeff Locke?

Searage: With A.J., it’s more of Xs andOs, and it might be one or two keys that Ijust need to say something about them,because he’s been pitching for some time,and he’s got a good idea of what he needs.I’m there for support. With Cole, he’s stillprogressing into a bona fide Major Leaguepitcher. He still has some hoops to jumpthrough, but when talking to a young kidand somebody who’s had experience,you’re thinking about the positives andwhere his delivery is. That way, with A.J.,it’s more like a àyou’re not doing this,you’re not doing that,’ and that’s it. It’s cutand dried, whereas the younger kids, youhave to go a little more in depth so thisway they understand.

Q: Mark Melancon’s been a huge addi-tion this year. What has he meant to theteam over the course of the season?

Searage: Tremendous. Tremendousacquisition by Neal Huntington, and thisguy, we were able to get him back, backinto the swing of things, no pun intended.But you know, his confidence level andwhat he’s done for us out of the bullpenhas been tremendous — I mean, not onlyas the eighth-inning guy, and then he filledin for the stopper when Jason went down.You know, when you’ve got two guysdown there like that, and you can count onMelancon coming in and shutting it downin the eighth inning, and sometimes lastyear, Grilli faced two-three-four when hewas in the eighth inning role, and Melan-con was doing that, too. Mark has been areal positive influence, especially for theyoung guys out of the bullpen, like(Bryan) Morris, and (Justin) Wilson, and(Vin) Mazzaro, those guys — watch howthe routine is made, what he does in orderto prepare himself for the game, not onlyphysically but mentally. And they’vegrown that way, and Mark has been a big

add to the chemistry of the bullpen. Notthat I’m saying he’s the only reason. Theyall get together and they all pull the sameway and they’ve always got each others’back.

Q: Melancon spent some time in thesame bullpen as Mariano Rivera. Whatkind of impact do you think that’s had onhis development as a relief pitcher?

Searage: I mean, there you’ve got thebest of the best. You know, and he’s hadconversations with him that he told me(about), and Mariano was always thinkingabout the execution of that one pitch, andthen the execution of the next pitch whenthat came up, so you know, when (Rivera)went out there, (Mark) watched him, and(Rivera) practiced what he preached.There was no over-excitement, no panic,he was able to control his emotions. He’sbeen doing it for how many years, youknow? But to watch somebody do that, towatch the best of the best, you can try toemulate yourself about that.

Q: How has Jason Grilli handled return-ing to a middle relief, setup type role sincecoming off the disabled list?

Searage: Fairly well. There have beentimes where he’s frustrated, you know,he’s not where he wants to be. ... We’vegot to keep him elevated, keep him up,because it’s frustrating after a while. Yousee the team winning, and the guys are inthere, and you want to be a part of that.You want to get back into your own role,but sometimes you don’t want to rush theprocess because you’re not ready for it,and as he continues to go on throughthese games, he’ll get back to it.

Q: Looking back over the season, whoor what has been the biggest surprise toyou on this staff?

Searage: Wow. Well, Liriano out of thestarters, coming over and pitching the wayhe has been pitching has been tremen-dous. Out of the bullpen, I couldn’t giveyou one guy. They’ve all been surprises tome. I’m really happy, in a good way, thatMorris has done so well, Wilson has doneso well, Mazzaro — (Tony) Watson, weknew he was on his way, he just neededmore seasoning and he got it this year,and he’s been phenomenal. Grilli andMelancon, you know, so I can’t give youone guy down there. ... I’m really happy tosee how they’ve matured so well, and

they’ve taken a really good hold of theirjobs down there, so it’s been really, really alot of fun.

Q: You guys have had one of the bestpitching staffs in baseball this year. Canyou speak to the organizational depth thePirates have, and how you think that willtranslate in the coming years to maintain-ing that status?

Searage: Well, in the past, we didn’thave depth. We had young pitchers, butthey weren’t ready for the Major Leaguelevel, or as we did this year, we spot start-ed (Brandon) Cumpton, (Kris) Johnson.We had guys that could come up thatcould fill that void when we had a pitchergo down, to save about a week, to getthem back to normal, to get thembounced back to their old ways of pitchingagain, because this is a long year. This is agrind, and when you have the Cumptonsand the Johnsons coming up and spotstar ting, that saved our tail big timebecause we had depth. We had depth inthe minor leagues also out of the reliefcorps, coming up. So now, all of a sudden,the transition’s going, that all of theseyoung kids are now getting closer to theMajor League level, they’re getting a littlebit of dosage up here, and when we bringthem up and we use them because weneed somebody to take a break or some-thing, they come in and they do a goodjob, they see how it is, now the next timethat they come up, they’re going to bemore familiar with what’s happening uphere and how to handle it.

Q: Last question: what has it been likefor you personally, being a part of bringingwinning baseball back to Pittsburgh?

Searage: You know, I’ve said this manytimes before, I’m just a lucky man rightnow, to be in the position that I am. I’vebeen with the Pirates for 12 years, and towatch it turn around and being a part of it— in it — it’s priceless. I don’t mean tocoin a phrase, but you can’t put a price tagon it. The kids — I call them kids, becauseI’m an old man — but these men that goout there and perform and compete, it’sjust tremendous, and it’s really nice to seethe personalities, how they all get togetherand they all pull in the same direction. Sofor me, I hit the lottery.

Dunham’s Plaza • 15765 State Route 170, Calcutta • 330-385-9239 Hours: Mon, Wed & Fri 10am - 8pm, Tue & Thur 10am - 6pm, Sat 10am - 5:30pm, Sun Noon - 4pm

AVAILABLE IN: • STEEL TOE and NON-STEEL TOE • WATERPROOF GORTEX • INSULATED • WIDTHS B through 3E & H AVAILABLE

• SPECIAL ORDERS INCLUDED! • IN STOCK OR SPECIAL ORDER

Pittsburgh Pirates Postseason Performances• 1903 World Series - Boston defeats Pittsburgh, 5 games to 3

• 1909 World Series - Pittsburgh defeats Detroit, 4 games to 3

• 1925 World Series - Pittsburgh defeats Washington Senators, 4 games to 3

• 1927 World Series - New York Yankees defeat Pittsburgh, 4 games to none

• 1960 World Series - Pittsburgh defeats New York Yankees, 4 games to 3

• 1970 N.L.C.S. -- Cincinnati defeats Pittsburgh, 3 games to none

• 1971 N.L.C.S. - Pittsburgh defeats San Francisco, 3 games to one

• 1971 World Series - Pittsburgh defeats Baltimore, 4 games to 3

• 1972 N.L.C.S. - Cincinnati defeats Pittsburgh, 3 games to 2

• 1974 N.L.C.S. - Los Angeles defeats Pittsburgh, 3 games to 1

• 1975 N.L.C.S. - Cincinnati defeats Pittsburgh, 3 games to 1

• 1979 N.L.C.S. - Pittsburgh defeats Cincinnati, 3 games to 1

• 1979 World Series -- Pittsburgh defeats Baltimore, 4 games to 3

• 1990 N.L.C.S. -- Cincinnati defeats Pittsburgh, 4 games to 2

• 1991 N.L.C.S. - Atlanta defeats Pittsburgh, 4 games to 3

• 1992 N.L.C.S. - Atlanta defeats Pittsburgh, 4 games to 3

Notes:• The 1903 World Series was abest-of-nine series. It has been abest-of-seven series since, except fora three-year period from 1919-21,when it returned to the nine-gameformat.• The League Championship Seriesformat was not adopted until 1969.Prior to that, the team in eachleague with the best recordadvanced automatically to theWorld Series.• The LCS was lengthened from abest-of-five to a best-of-seven seriesbeginning in 1985.




Get 6 Weeks of MoJo for $ 14.50 ! • Local & National Sports Coverage

• Local & National News • Classifieds • Coupons • Comics • Entertainment and MORE!

C ol um biana C ounty’s Largest Dail y Newspaper

To order, complete order form and send it along with your check for $ 14.50 to Morning Journal, 308 Maple Street, Lisbon, Ohio 44432

Name:

Address:

City/State/Zip:

Phone:

For faster service, you can pay by credit card by calling 330-424-9541 x261. Offer good to non-subscribers only. Offer expires 10-22-2013.

IPO/Pirates


Bowser Says GET READY NOW FOR WINTER

DRIVING!

2014 Hyundai 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Santa Fe Sport

Quiet Solid Ride, Attractively Priced, Ready To Go Nose To Quiet Solid Ride, Attractively Priced, Ready To Go Nose To Nose With The Best Among The SUVs Nose With The Best Among The SUVs

• AWD or FWD • 5 Passenger • 7 Airbags • 6 Speed 2.0 L Turbo or 2.4 L Direct Injection • AWD or FWD • 5 Passenger • 7 Airbags • 6 Speed 2.0 L Turbo or 2.4 L Direct Injection • Active Corner Control • Bluetooth Connectivity • 6 Speaker Audio • Active Corner Control • Bluetooth Connectivity • 6 Speaker Audio

• Reclining Rear Seats • Reclining Rear Seats

VISIT US AT WWW.BOWSERCHIPPEWA.COM

Mon, Tues, Thurs 9 to 9; Wed & Fri 9 to 6; Sat 9 to 5; Parts & Service: Mon - Fri 8 to 5; Sat. 8 to 4

Rt. 51 & McKinley Road, Chippewa (Across from Beaver County Airport)

1-724-847-1703 *See dealer for LIMITED WARRANTY details.

America’s Best Warranty* 10-Year/100,000-Mile

Powertrain Limited Warranty

ATTENTION ACTIVE OR RETIRED MILITARY OR

COLLEGE GRADUATE: YOU MAY SAVE EVEN MORE. SEE US FOR DETAILS!


14887 East Liverpool Road East Liverpool, Ohio 43920

330-385-5672

Documents

Pittsburgh Pirates - Turning Points