Our Buccos Can’t Get a Break

As I’ve shared on several occasions, I was a huge baseball fan as a kid, long before I discovered hockey. I still recall the sense of anticipation I’d get each spring while awaiting each new season. To say nothing of collecting a fresh batch of Topps baseball cards (and the stale slab of pink bubble gum included in each pack.)

Thus, on occasion I feel compelled to write about our Pirates.

Although they didn’t win the pennant (they finished third with a record of 92-70), the 1966 Buccos are still one of my all-time favorite teams. Some 60 years later, I can still recite their lineup without looking: CF-Matty Alou, SS-Gene Alley, RF-Roberto Clemente, LF-Willie Stargell, 1B-Donn Clendenon, 2B-Bill Mazeroski, 3B-Bob Bailey, C-Jim Pagliaroni.

Acquired from the Giants during the offseason, Alou won the National League batting title, hitting .342 under the tutelage of manager Harry “The Hat” Walker. “The Great One,” Clemente, clouted 29 homers, drove in 119 runs and batted .317 to earn NL MVP honors. My personal favorite, Stargell, swatted 33 homers, poled in 102 runs and hit .315. The rangy Clendenon, 28 dingers, 98 RBIs and .299.

Talk about a murder’s row!

A peerless glove man, Mazeroski and the underrated Alley turned 161 double plays. A major league record for middle infielders that still stands to this day.

The staff ace? Fireballing lefty “Blazin’” Bob Veale. Not only did he throw hard (Veale led the league with 250 Ks in 1964) but he was touch wild and wore glasses to boot. He’d frequently pause between pitches to wipe perspiration off his specs with a big white handkerchief, which must’ve been more than a little unsettling for opposing batters.

In the end, a lack of pitching depth doomed the team, causing it to fall just short of its quest for the flag. But I digress.

The reason for my trip down memory lane? I have a similar affinity for the current Buccos squad. In fact, they remind me a lot of that ’66 crew. Talented, but ultimately flawed.

With the notable additions of slugging second baseman Brandon Lowe (29 homers), professional hitter Ryan O’Hearn, scrappy switch-hitting reserve Jake Mangum and hard-throwing lefty relievers Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto, to say nothing of shortstop phenom Konnor Griffin, I felt we had a great shot at earning a wild-card berth.

Despite the collapse of projected closer Dennis Santana and the unexpected regressions of staff ace Paul Skenes and veteran anchor Mitch Keller, to say nothing of the occasional managerial gaffe by second-year skipper Don Kelly, the Bucs were very much in the hunt at the All-Star break. The lineup, bolstered by slugging rookie outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez, was surprisingly potent. Starter Braxton Ashcraft emerged as a second ace, worthy of All-Star recognition.

Then the injury bug bit…hard. In rapid succession, the Bucs lost Griffin, steady Spencer Horwitz, rejuvenated bomber Oneil Cruz, glue guy O’Hearn and switch-hitting catcher Endy Rodriguez, ripping the guts from the lineup. Keller exited as well.

Fueled by GM Ben Cherington’s bullpen additions at the trade deadline, the banged-up Bucs hung tough for a time. However, the remaining lineup staples, most notably Brian Reynolds, slumped. In the midst of incredible rookie season, Valdez turned from red-hot to ice-cold in the blink of an eye after being hit on the hand by a pitch.

Beginning with a 2-0 loss to the Yankees in the back end of a July 22 double-header, the Bucs swooned. They went 5-15 in their next 20 games and 10-20 in their next 30. At that stage, practically everyone, including yours truly, had written them off.

But the battlin’ Bucs kept swinging. Horwitz and Cruz returned. Reynolds and Valdez began to hit again. Power-hitting rookie catcher Rafael Flores, Jr. added some badly needed pop. Flame-throwing starter Jared Jones found his groove. Hard-throwing Bubba Chandler settled down as well. Virtually unhittable, Montgomery established himself as the new closer.

Starting with a series victory over the Red Sox in mid-August, the Bucs slowly but surely clawed their way back into contention. Incredibly, they won seven of eight series, including a sweep of the AL Central-leading White Sox, to crest the .500 mark at 74-73.

Then…more rotten luck. Having hurled a team-high 165-1/3 innings, Ashcraft was shut down due to “arm discomfort.” During yesterday’s lopsided loss to the Cubs, Valdez pulled up lame, just when O’Hearn returned to the lineup.

We can’t buy a break. Makes you wonder if PNC Park is constructed on the site of some ancient Native American burial ground.

Still, I love this team. Especially the heart and fight they’ve displayed in the face of unrelenting adversity. Peering into a prospect pipeline stocked with sluggers Tony Blanco, Murf Gray, Edward Florentino and Jhonny Severino to name a few, the future, indeed, looks bright.

I’ll close with a time-honored baseball refrain.

Wait’ll next year.

(That is, if a new CBA is reached.)