It should come as no surprise that the introductions that drew the loudest ovations from Pittsburgh Pirates fans at the home opener were reserved for generational talents Paul Skenes and Andrew McCutchen.
Where McCutchen helped the Pirates end a two-decade losing streak, Skenes seeks to serve as the catalyst in snapping a six-year losing streak and a nine-year drought since they made the postseason.
In what was the first home opener for Skenes and possibly the last for McCutchen, an ugly 9-4 loss to the New York Yankees was marred by fans booing Pirates manager Derek Shelton and directing chants of “sell the team” at club chairman Bob Nutting after every on-field mishap. So with the Pirates off to a 2-6 start, I asked Skenes on Saturday about fans voicing their frustration with such disapproval of their direction.
“They want to win. We want to win. Obviously, we’re not doing enough right now to win. You can put that on whoever’s shoulders, but we’ve just got to get back to execution,” Skenes said. “(Fans are) not in the building behind closed doors seeing what’s going on. I think a lot of the time they don’t get the full scope of things, sometimes in good ways, sometimes in bad ways. But, at the end of the day, we’ve just got to play better.”
In a Q&A with MLB.com in November, the National League Rookie of the Year credited Nutting and general manager Ben Cherington for being receptive to input from Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, as well as All-Stars in pitcher Mitch Keller and outfielder Bryan Reynolds and Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes.
“They listen to what we think we need to do to win,” Skenes told MLB.com. “Mr. Nutting is very approachable. He’s willing to listen because he wants to win, which is good because that’s not the picture that a lot of people paint of him. The only difference is we’re going to win in a little bit different way than the Dodgers and the Yankees. But we’re going to win.”
As a follow-up, Skenes was asked to elaborate on what he sees or hears that gives him hope the Pirates will turn it around.
“There are reasons it’s behind closed doors sometimes,” Skenes said. “We’ve got to keep doing things right. Mr. Nutting and Shelty aren’t the ones playing. We’re the ones playing. If we’re 8-0 through however many games we’ve played right now, the fans aren’t booing. We’ve got to play better.”
Chasing Clemente
It was poetic that McCutchen started the home opener in right field, given one franchise icon’s chase of another for a career milestone. McCutchen needs four homers to tie Roberto Clemente (240) for third place among the Pirates’ all-time home runs leaders.
“Clemente means everything,” McCutchen said. “I always feel like I have a little bit of help out there when I’m in right.”
There are some interesting coincidences: McCutchen is 38 and in his 18th season in the majors. Clemente turned 38 in his 18th and final season with the Pirates before a plane crash claimed his life.
“I think everyone knows what Cutch means to this organization and what Clemente means to this organization,” Shelton said, “but anytime we’re representing 21 is a good spot.”
McCutchen dislikes discussing personal accolades, even though he’s creeping into the company of Hall of Famers. Ralph Kiner (301) ranks second behind Willie Stargell (475) on the Pirates’ home runs leaders.
“You see Willie Stargell at the top of the Pirates’ list — I don’t know if anybody will ever come close to that — but anytime you’re a Pirate, especially for a long period time and you start to see numbers like guys like Clemente and Stargell put up, especially offensively, that’s a pretty good barometer,” said Pirates broadcaster Neil Walker, who counts McCutchen as a former teammate and close friend.
“I’d be shocked if he doesn’t surpass him. My goodness. I remember hitting a grand slam on Opening Day (at the Chicago Cubs in 2011). They said, ‘Nobody’s done that since Clemente,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. That somebody’s using his name and my name in the same breath, as far as baseball accolades.’ And that was a one-time thing, not a home run record or Gold Glove record.I can guarantee that he may not say it, but he’s going to feel a gigantic sense of pride when that day does come.”
Cutch’s clutch catch
The Pirates moved McCutchen from designated hitter to right field to replace Bryan Reynolds, who is dealing with a teres major strain in his right arm and is throwing on a limited basis.
McCutchen made no promises that he would provide any highlight-reel plays in right, only to chase down a Ben Rice line drive to the warning track for a catch beneath the Clemente Wall in the fourth inning.
“We need Cutch to do that,” Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier said. “That’s huge for our team. He’s showing he’s still got it. I told Reynolds he couldn’t make that catch, and he agreed. I know he’s feeling good. He wants to help the team win. He’s not trying to sit and hang out. That’s a big add for us if he can bounce out there and fill that void.”
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Forget first base
Just for fun, McCutchen also did some pregame work taking grounders at first base in Tampa Bay. Shelton ruled out the possibility of him or Reynolds playing first base for the Pirates.
“We’re trying to get Cutch moving around as much as possible,” Shelton said. “I think he got a little bit bored and went out and took them. I think he realized after he took them that he’d rather just take throws at first.”
Shelton is more impressed with how Endy Rodriguez has handled the transition from catcher to first base.
“With the exception of the ball Opening Day, the routine play Opening Day, he’s made every play,” Shelton said. “The game we won in Miami, he saved a double and turned a really good double play. I would think that the more time he gets over there — the other thing we have to remember is, this guy played second base. He’s played the outfield — he’s a really good athlete.”
Gonzo’s bad break
Nick Gonzales wasn’t thrilled to spend his first home opener with the Pirates riding a scooter and wearing a protective boot on the nondisplaced fracture in his left ankle.
The Pirates second baseman is expected to be out four to six weeks but hopes to heal quickly. Doctors told him it was the best-case scenario for an ankle fracture, even though it appeared in the worst way.
Gonzales wants to clarify that it didn’t occur on his Opening Day home run at Miami but rather when he fouled a ball off his ankle in a Grapefruit League game against the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers. He knew it hurt but thought it was a bone bruise and tried to play through it. Gonzales struck out in his first two at-bats, so he didn’t have to run on it until his two-run homer in the sixth inning.
“Ultimately, having to actually run is what was the last straw for me,” Gonzales said. “I just couldn’t take the pain I was in anymore. And they saw me running around the bases. I wanted to play. Nobody wants to miss any games, so it’s kind of frustrating. I didn’t want to miss Opening Day and I didn’t want to make it any worse by playing. … But there’s nothing I can do. I fouled the ball off my ankle and fractured my ankle. There’s nothing I could have trained to be better at or anything. That’s what’s frustrating about it.”