The Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton on Thursday morning, with the team mired in a 12-26 (.316) start.
Bench coach Don Kelly now takes over as manager and will debut Friday evening at PNC Park vs. the Atlanta Braves.
So ends Shelton’s tenure as Pirates skipper, which began ahead of the covid-shortened 2020 campaign.
Over parts of six seasons, the 54-year-old Shelton was 306-440 (.410).
Here is a timeline of Shelton’s time with the Pirates, which included several on-field mishaps, no winning seasons and the debuts of many of the club’s top prospects.
2019
• Nov. 27: Shelton is hired as manager of the Pirates, succeeding Clint Hurdle, who was fired before the final game of the previous season. The Pirates finished 69-93, going 30-50 over the final three months. Nine days prior, the Pirates hired Ben Cherington as general manager, replacing the fired Neal Huntingdon. Travis Williams, who hired Cherington, joined the Pirates at the end of October, taking over for Frank Coonelly, who was let go like Hurdle and Huntingdon in the aftermath of the 2019 campaign.
2020
• Jan. 27: The Pirates trade outfielder Starling Marte to the New York Mets, signalling the start of a rebuild under Shelton.
• July 26: Three days into the season, following a pair of losses to begin Shelton’s managerial career, he picked up his first win, 5-1 over the St. Louis Cardinals.
• Aug. 25: The Pirates are no-hit by Lucas Giolito in a 4-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
• Sept. 27: A loss to Cleveland in the season finale gives the Pirates a 19-41 (.317) record to complete the season, worst in baseball.
• Dec. 24: Slugging first baseman Josh Bell is traded to the Washington Nationals.
2021
• Jan. 19: Right-handed pitcher Joe Musgrove is traded to the San Diego Padres.
• Jan. 24: Right-handed pitcher Jameson Taillon is traded to the New York Yankees.
• May 27: Pirates commit a now-infamous defensive blunder in a 5-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs, botching a bizarre rundown situation that allowed a run and resulted in no outs.
• June 8: In another on-field mishap, Ke’Bryan Hayes sees a home run turned into an out after failing to touch first base vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• July 11: The Pirates choose catcher Henry Davis first overall in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Louisville.
• Oct. 2: Oneil Cruz makes MLB debut.
• Oct. 3: The Pirates finish the season 61-101, losing 100 games for the first time since 2010.
2022
• May 15: The Pirates manage to beat the Cincinnati Reds, 1-0, despite being no-hit by Hunter Greene and Art Warren.
• May 30: Shelton notches win No. 100 with the Pirates in a 6-5 victory over the Dodgers.
• Aug. 9: Another embarrassing episode on the field occurs, as Rodolfo Castro’s cellphone pops out of his pocket during a headfirst slide into third base in Phoenix against the Diamondbacks. Castro is later suspended one game for the incident.
• Aug. 24: With an 122.4 mph single against the Atlanta Braves, Cruz sets a Statcast record for hardest-hit ball.
• Sept. 16: Hayes draws criticism when he pulls sunflower seeds out of his back pocket mid-game as a New York Mets runner rounded third base.
• Oct. 5: The Pirates finish the season 62-100, a one-game improvement from the year prior. For the first time since 1953-54, the club posts back-to-back 100-loss campaigns.
• Dec. 6: The Pirates win the inaugural MLB Draft lottery, eventually using the No. 1 pick on right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes out of LSU.
2023
• April 10: Cruz fractures his left fibula sliding into home plate vs. the White Sox. Ten games in, Cruz is lost for the season.
• April 22: Shelton is signed to an unspecific extension with Pirates.
• April 29: The Pirates pummel Washington in a doubleheader, getting off to a 20-8 start to the season.
• May 29: Pirates (26-27) drop below .500 for the first time since April 2.
• June 19: Davis makes MLB debut.
• June 23: Infielder Nick Gonzales makes MLB debut.
• July 9: Skenes drafted first overall by the Pirates.
• Sept. 23: The greatest comeback in franchise history is pulled off, as the Pirates rally from a nine-run hole to top the Reds, 13-12.
• Oct. 1: Pirates finish the season with a 76-86 record, improving 14 games from 2022.
2024
• March 30: Rookie righty Jared Jones, after earning a rotation spot with a stellar spring training, makes MLB debut and strikes out 10 vs. Miami.
Featured Local Businesses
• April 1: The Pirates begin the campaign 5-0 for the first time since 1983.
• May 11: Skenes makes highly anticipated MLB debut.
• July 16: Skenes starts for NL in All-Star Game, becoming fifth rookie in MLB history to do so.
• July 30: Pirates are buyers at the trade deadline, acquiring infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Toronto Blue Jays and outfielder Bryan De La Cruz from the Marlins.
• Aug. 28: After error-riddled season at shortstop, Cruz makes first career start in center field.
• Aug. 30: Pirates go 8-18 in August, including a 10-game losing streak, slipping to 63-72 by month’s end, as postseason hopes evaporate.
• Sept. 4: Shota Imanaga, Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge of the Chicago Cubs combine to no-hit Pirates.
• Sept. 29: Pirates finish 2024 with identical 76-86 record as ‘23.
• Nov. 18: Skenes wins NL Rookie of the Year honors.
2025
• March 31: Pirates begin season 1-4 after losing three of their first four games in walk-off fashion.
• April 1: Righty and 2022 draft pick Thomas Harrington makes MLB debut.
• April 4: Shelton booed by PNC Park crowd during pregame introductions for the home opener.
• April 13: Pirates swept by Reds, dropping their record to 5-11.
• April 30: Pirates finish month 12-19.
• May 7: Pirates drop seventh consecutive game, falling to 12-26 following sweeps by the Cardinals and Padres.
• May 8: Shelton is fired by the Pirates, replaced by Kelly.