 |
| (Sam Greene/Cincinnati Enquirer) |
The Pittsburgh Pirates have 19 games remaining in their 2021
schedule. They are not even close to
making a push for a playoff spot, nor can they fall far enough to get the first overall
pick in 2022. They are stuck in a limbo
situation where their games at this point do not particularly matter. However, the Pirates have one thing they can
still accomplish. The Pirates play the
Cincinnati Reds 9 of the Reds last 18 games and could play a large part in
keeping them out of the playoffs.
Remember to enter our current Giveaway on Twitter in partnership to with Pittsburgh Clothing Company! Details can be found here: https://www.goldlotpgh.com/p/giveaway-details.html?m=1
GIVEAWAY: Once we hit 412 followers one lucky retweeter of THIS TWEET ❗️will receive a free @PGHClothingCo T-shirt on us! To win, you must retweet THIS TWEET and be a follower at the time of the giveaway. We will do this for every 412 followers we receive up to 2500 followers!
— GoldLotSports (@GoldLotSports) September 1, 2021
I am a petty man.
When it comes to sports, I hold grudges.
Once you have wronged a Pittsburgh sports team once, I root against you
regardless of your opponent. In the case
of the Cincinnati Reds, they have wronged us far more times than just once.
The Rivalry Begins
The rivalry between these two teams started in 2012. The Pirates were unknowingly about to begin one of
their best several season stretches in over 20 years.
Andrew McCutchen was batting against Aroldis Chapman in an early August
game at Great American Ballpark. At a
blazing 101 miles per hour, a fastball from Chapman drilled McCutchen directly
in the middle of his back.
McCutchen did not flinch, nor show any pain. He simply stared down Chapman, threw his shin
guard toward the Pirate dugout, and jogged to first base. What McCutchen could not have known at the
time is that this would spark a rivalry that still exists today.
Fast forward to the 2013 National League Wild Card
game. The Pirates were facing off
against the Reds in the Bucs' first playoff game in 19 seasons. Reds fans thought they had the game locked up
with ace Johnny Cueto on the mound.
Among chants of “Cueto, Cueto, Cueto”, the opposing pitcher
was rattled to the point of dropping the ball on the PNC Park mound in the
middle of his stretch. He then gave up a
city shaking homerun to Pirate catcher Russell Martin that essentially sealed the win for the
Pirates. It was one of the biggest
sports events in recent Pittsburgh history and really kept the rivalry fire
alive.
The Rivalry Explodes
In 2019, the rivalry again brought with it some fireworks,
but in a different way. Well known “tough guys” Amir Garrett and Yasiel
Puig tried to fight the entire Pirates dugout in a game at the end of
July. According to Reds manager David
Bell, former Pirate reliever Keone Kela had thrown at the head of Cincinnati’s
Derek Dietrich. Amir Garrett retaliated,
starting a bench clearing brawl. Garrett
charged at the Pirates dugout with Puig right behind him.
 |
| (Sam Greene/Cincinnati Enquirer) |
I have never been a fan of Puig or Garrett. Puig has perennially underachieved despite being one of the biggest trash talkers at the time he was in the league. He is no longer on a major league roster.
Amir Garrett on the other hand is constantly referred to as a “bad man” nobody wants to mess with, despite having a career ERA of 5.09. He is performing even worse this year with a 6.18 ERA. I guess to disguise their ongoing struggles on the field, they both wanted to get in the spotlight for something other than baseball.
Three Series To End the Reds
Anyway, among those described above and several other events
that have gone on between these teams, the hatred remains. I imagine the classic cliché of “No love is
lost between these teams” will be uttered several times in the next few weeks by
Bucs broadcasters. As much as I hate
that cliché, it is certainly true in this case.
The Reds come into this series against the Pirates tied with the San Diego Padres for the last wild card spot in the NL. They are also just one game up on the St. Louis Cardinals.
I hate the Cardinals as
well, but that is more of a jealousy hatred.
I can’t wrap my mind around how they are just always good, and seemingly
have three levels of starters on their depth chart every season. However, nothing like the magnitude of the events
that have taken place in the rivalry between the Pirates and the Reds have
taken place against the Cardinals. Plus,
the real prize would be the Pirates knocking out the Reds in place of the
Padres taking that last spot.
Be here this Wednesday as we wear 21 in honor of The Great One.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 12, 2021
I will be paying close attention to these three Pirates series. The first one starts tomorrow for three games at PNC Park, with the final game on Thursday. Then the Pirates travel to Miami for a series against the Marlins before taking on the Reds in Great American Ballpark for three more games. The Pirates then finish their season with a final series at home the first three days of October.
Since the Pirates do
not have much to play for themselves, it’d be a nice high note to end the
season on if they can knock out their biggest rivals. I hope we sweep the Reds 9-0, but I’d take 6-3 as well if it puts the Padres ahead of them for the last wild card spot.