2013 Pittsburgh Pirates Season Recap

2013 Pittsburgh Pirates Season Recap

2013 Pittsburgh Pirates: Swashbuckling Again

A 20-Year Wait Ends

It had been 20 long years since the 1992 campaign, when the Pittsburgh Pirates last played baseball at the level of the National League Championship Series. Two decades of mediocre and often forgettable baseball followed in the Steel City, until 2013 arrived — the year the Pirates would finally go swashbuckling again. The 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates delivered the franchise’s first winning season since 1992.

The 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates finished the regular season 94-68, just three games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central, but the club still secured a playoff spot. Manager Clint Hurdle was voted National League Manager of the Year for guiding the turnaround. Pittsburgh went 10-9 against the Cardinals in head-to-head play, finishing 50-31 at home and 44-37 on the road.

Position Players Power the Offense

The main driving force behind Pittsburgh’s resurgence was center fielder Andrew McCutchen, who emerged as the leader of the team. McCutchen batted .317 with 21 home runs and 84 RBIs off 185 hits, 38 doubles, 5 triples, and 27 stolen bases — numbers that propelled him to the National League Most Valuable Player award.

Middle infielder Jordy Mercer batted .285 with 8 home runs, 95 hits, and 22 doubles in 103 games. Outfielder Jose Tabata batted .282 with 87 hits, 17 doubles, and 5 triples in 106 games. Left fielder Starling Marte batted .280 with 12 home runs, 143 hits, 26 doubles, 10 triples, and 41 stolen bases. Third baseman Pedro Alvarez hit 36 home runs and drove in 100 runs off 130 hits and 22 doubles, and he was named Player of the Week for the period ending June 23. Second baseman Neil Walker added 16 home runs and 53 RBIs off 120 hits, 24 doubles, and 4 triples.

Catcher Russell Martin had 15 home runs and 55 RBIs off 99 hits, 21 doubles, and 9 stolen bases, and he was named Player of the Week for the period ending April 28. Utility player Garrett Jones hit 15 home runs and drove in 51 runs off 94 hits and 26 doubles. First baseman Gaby Sanchez collected 67 hits and 18 doubles. Shortstop Clint Barmes had 64 hits and 15 doubles in 108 games, and right fielder Travis Snider recorded 56 hits and 12 doubles in 111 games.

Pitching Staff Delivers

Starting Rotation

Allan James Burnett, known simply as A.J., recorded 209 strikeouts and a 3.30 ERA with one complete game despite going just 10-11. Burnett notched his 2,000th career strikeout against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 29, a game the Pirates won 5-0.

The National League Comeback Player of the Year was Francisco Liriano, who began his major league career as a young standout with the Minnesota Twins back in 2005 before a series of arm and elbow injuries set him back. In his first season as a Pirate, Liriano reminded baseball fans how good he could be, going 16-8 with 163 strikeouts, a 3.02 ERA, and 2 complete games.

Jeff Locke went 10-7 with 125 strikeouts and a 3.52 ERA. Gerrit Cole went 10-7 with 100 strikeouts and a 3.22 ERA. Charlie Morton went 7-4 with a 3.26 ERA. Wandy Rodriguez went 6-4 with a 3.59 ERA. Jeanmar Gomez went 3-0 with a 3.35 ERA.

Bullpen Strength

Closer Jason Grilli recorded 33 saves and a 2.70 ERA, earning the Delivery Man Award for both April and May. Relief pitcher Vin Mazzaro went 8-2 with 1 save and a 2.81 ERA. Justin Wilson went 6-1 with a 2.08 ERA. Mark Melancon went 3-2 with 16 saves and a 1.39 ERA. Tony Watson went 3-1 with 2 saves and a 2.39 ERA. Kyle Farnsworth went 1-1 with 2 saves and a 1.04 ERA.

All-Star Recognition and a Dominant Season

The Pirates sent 5 players to the 2013 All-Star Game: Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Jeff Locke, Jason Grilli, and Mark Melancon.

The Pirates were impressive throughout the regular season, posting a .500 record in only one month while winning in every other. Pittsburgh went 15-12 in April, 19-9 in May, 17-9 in June, 14-12 in July, 14-14 in August, and 15-12 in September.

The Postseason Run

Wild Card Game vs. Cincinnati

Qualifying for a playoff spot, the Pirates played the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Wild Card Game on October 1 at PNC Park, and Pittsburgh prevailed 6-2. Francisco Liriano continued his successful comeback campaign by pitching 7 innings and giving up 4 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run while recording 5 strikeouts.

In the bottom of the 2nd inning, right fielder Marlon Byrd and catcher Russell Martin each hit solo home runs. In the bottom of the 3rd, Pedro Alvarez added a sacrifice fly. In the top of the 4th, right fielder Jay Bruce got Cincinnati on the board with an RBI single. In the bottom of the 4th, Neil Walker doubled in a run, and Byrd followed by grounding into a forceout at second base to score Walker. In the bottom of the 7th, Martin hit another solo home run, and by the time Cincinnati center fielder Shin-Soo Choo hit a solo home run in the top of the 8th, it was too late for the Reds.

NLDS Clash with the Cardinals

Though they advanced to the National League Division Series, the Pirates fell to the St. Louis Cardinals 3 games to 2 in what was a compelling series between division rivals. In Game 2 on October 4 at Busch Stadium III, the Pirates beat the Cardinals 7-1. Gerrit Cole pitched 6 innings and gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run while recording 5 strikeouts. Cole helped his own cause by putting his team on the board first with an RBI single in the top of the 2nd inning. In the top of the 3rd, Alvarez crushed a 2-run home run. In the top of the 5th, Byrd had an RBI ground-rule double, and Martin followed with an RBI single. After catcher Yadier Molina scored the only St. Louis run with a solo home run in the bottom of the 5th, the Pirates kept the pressure on with a sacrifice fly by Martin in the top of the 7th and a solo home run from Starling Marte in the top of the 8th.

The Pirates then won Game 3 on October 6 at PNC Park by a score of 5-3 to take a 2-games-to-1 series lead. In the bottom of the 1st, Byrd had a 2-run single, and in the top of the 5th, right fielder Carlos Beltran responded for the Cardinals with his own 2-run single. In the bottom of the 6th, Martin added a sacrifice fly. In the top of the 8th, Beltran hit a solo home run to tie the game at 3-3, but the Pirates pulled away in the bottom of the 8th as Alvarez and Martin both delivered RBI singles.

The next two seasons confirmed that the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates were no fluke, as Pittsburgh returned to the postseason in each of the following years, reaffirming its renewed status as a possible World Series contender.