Liriano, Byrd, and Martin Lead Pirates to First Playoff Win in 21 Years

The Pittsburgh Pirates did something on October 1st that they hadn’t done in since the first George Bush was president; they won a post season game.  That year, 1992, was the last time the Pirates even had a winning season until 2013. The Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2, leaving Reds fans disappointed again.

After years of stumbling around looking like they had no idea how to end the misery, the Pirate organization finally started heading in the right direction three years ago.  The team began to improve, key players like center fielder Andrew McCutcheon were signed instead of traded to save money, and the organization began making trades to fill in the holes.  Pitcher Francisco Liriano was picked up last year from the White Sox and was just 6-12 with a 5.34 ERA for two teams in 2012.  This year, he had his best year ever, going 16-8 with a 3.02 ERA and163 strikeouts, and looked a lot like the pitcher he was back when he played with the Minnesota Twins in 2005-11.  Liriano was lights out against the Reds Tuesday, allowing just one run and four hits in seven innings.

Catcher Russell Martin, who was signed by the Pirates as a free agent after two lackluster seasons with the Yankees, hit two home runs in the game.  Marlon Byrd, who was picked up late in the season from the Mets, also homered.  Byrd, who is with his seventh big league team since he made his debut in 2002, hit the home run in his first ever post season at bat.

The Pirates will now play their N.L Central rival St. Louis Cardinals in a Divisional Series matchup.  The Cardinals are a “been there, done that” team who have been to the post season on an almost annual basis in recent years.  Pittsburg was 10-9 against St. Louis in 2013, but the Pirates have lost four straight to the Cardinals, including three in St. Louis where the series opens on October 3rd.