Posted on 10/04/2015 4:21:04 PM PDT by smoothsailing
October 4, 2015
By Adam Berry / MLB.com
PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates already knew the what, who and when. Now, they know where. The Bucs will host the National League Wild Card Game presented by Budweiser at 8 p.m. ET (on TBS) on Wednesday at PNC Park.
Pittsburgh clinched home-field advantage in the NL's win-or-go-home showdown for the third straight year by beating the Reds, 4-0, in Game 162 on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park. The Cubs beat the Brewers, 3-1, but the Pirates' victory -- their 98th of the season -- kept them one game ahead in the standings.
The Pirates finished the season 98-64, the Majors' second-best record and Pittsburgh's highest win total since capturing the NL East title in 1991. At 97-65, the Cubs finished with the third-best record in baseball -- but they will be on the road with their season on the line Wednesday night.
"They'd be in first place in any other division. We'd be in first place in any other division," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Sunday afternoon. "We're going to face off in a one-game Wild Card [Game] on Wednesday."........
(Excerpt) Read more at m.pirates.mlb.com ...
Dave could smack ‘em, but it was Willie you’re thinking about.
Home Runs out of Dodger Stadium
Five home runs have been hit completely out of Dodger Stadium.
Outfielder Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit two of those home runs. Stargell hit a 507-foot home run off the Dodgers’ Alan Foster on August 6, 1969 that completely cleared the right field pavilion and struck a bus parked outside the stadium. Stargell then hit a 470-foot home run off Andy Messersmith on May 8, 1973 that landed on the right field pavilion roof and bounced into the parking lot.
Dodger catcher Mike Piazza hit a 478-foot home run off Frank Castillo of the Colorado Rockies on September 21, 1997 that landed on the left field pavilion roof and skipped under the left field video board and into the parking lot.
On May 22, 1999, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire cleared the left field pavilion with a 483-foot home run off the Dodgers’ Jamie Arnold.
And most recently, on May 12, 2015, Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins hit a 478-foot home run over the left-field roof off of Mike Bolsinger.[33]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodger_Stadium
BTW, the other interesting thing about that game was that Pujols got his 40th homer.
So we have three guys this year with 40 homers and less than 100 RBIs — Bryce Harper, Pujols, and Trout.
The best pitcher in MLB Jake Arrita will shut down Pittsburgh Wednesday night.
Hey! Hey!!
As “Back to the Future 2” suggested, 2015 is the Cubs year!
They gotta get past the Cubs to get to the Cards, but I like their chances.
LOL, strange days for sure!
Thing is there not getting past the Cubs. Personally as a Cub fan I’m glad it’s in Pittsburgh. Wrigleyville would be an insane pressure cooker.
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Been a Bucs fan for 50 years but I do not like facing Arrieta in a one game and done situation. Cole is a good pitcher, but Arrieta has been out of his mind good this last month.
It’s sort of sad that two of the three teams with the best records in MLB are playing in the wild card game when each of those teams has a better record than seven of the eight other teams that made the playoffs.
No kidding. Cubs have 97 wins.. Just won 8 in a row and are playing away in a wild card game.
Pirates-Blue Jays
Arrieta is very good, but in baseball you just never know.
Go Buccos!
If I have to hear "The Big Piece" or 2008 again I'll get sick. This is the young guys team now, let's not haunt them with ghosts of the past.
We'll see if MacPhail can break the Phils less than mediocre baseball culture but I doubt it, after being a fan for more than 50 years I expect more of the same.
Don’t get too cocky, baseball is unpredictable.
They got to get past Jake Arrieta, which is going to be tough.
Arrieta is very good, so is Cole. It’ll be a humdinger!
True enough, but Gerrit Cole is no slouch. We’ll see soon enough.
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