Posted on 09/24/2013 11:46:16 AM PDT by smoothsailing
CHICAGO -- Twenty-one years ago, Mike LaValliere didn't get his man. Monday night, Russell Martin got his -- and as a direct result, the Pirates riffed on Andrew McCutchen's vow, "I'm playing for October."
The Bucs will be playing in October. They confirmed their reservation with a 2-1 win over the Cubs on Starling Marte's ninth-inning homer, coupled with Washington's loss in St. Louis. When, where and against whom yet to be determined -- with the hunt for a division title still alive.
But go crazy, Pittsburgh. Your Pirates have brought postseason baseball back to its early '90s home, to where the Allegheny and the Monongahela merge to form the Ohio.
"This has been a great run," McCutchen said between sprays of the "Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvee" bubbly, "and it's great that we get to continue."
"At the beginning of the year, the only people who believed in the Pittsburgh Pirates were the Pittsburgh Pirates," said Neil Walker, the hometown hero. "We got ourselves an opportunity now, and that's all we can ask for."....
(Excerpt) Read more at mlb.mlb.com ...
Burgh Ping!
Congratulations. I really liked Clint Hurdle when he was in Denver and still like him. He’s a quality guy who deserves this success.
Congrats to your Bucs. Thought of you this morning when I saw they made it after a short dry spell. ;-)
Cardinals fan here, but I know it’s been a great season for the Bucs. Congratulations, it’s well deserved! Good luck in the playoffs, and if the Cards get bounced, I hope the Pirates go all the way!
good for them. I have someone to root for and a reason to watch.
Congrats to the the bucs, reds and cards!
Freegards from a lowly gnats fan
Though I am not sure why Yogi Berra is chasing Maz.
;)
Thanks!
If the Bucs are eliminated and you’re still in it, I’ll root for your Cards. (But NOT YET!)
“Birds on a bat” have always been one of my favorite teams.
LOL....or why he's out of uniform. B^)
Clint Hurdle has become very well liked in the community here. He comes across as a down to earth guy.
Clint is a down to earth guy. What you see is what you get. I always liked that about him.
Congrats to the Bucs. Fourth lowest salary total in the bigs, and one of the best records.
“Congrats to the Bucs. Fourth lowest salary total in the bigs, and one of the best records.”
That is really something. I checked and was shocked. This doesn’t say anything negative about the Cards and Reds, but it sure makes a statement about the Pirates!
TOTAL NL CENTRAL DIVISION TEAM PAYROLL OPENING DAY 2013
St. Louis $116,702,085
Cincinnati $110,565,728
Chicago Cubs $104,150,726
Milwaukee $91,003,366
Pittsburgh $66,289,524
http://deadspin.com/2013-payrolls-and-salaries-for-every-mlb-team-462765594
As an aside, almost half of the total Pirate team salary is paid to just two players:
A.J. Burnett $16,500,000
Wandy Rodriguez 13,500,000
For some reason, that really irritates me.
+1
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