The Pittsburgh Pirates are off to one of the hottest starts of any team in Major League Baseball.
A loss to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday kept Pittsburgh from becoming MLB’s first team to ten wins this season, but entering the day tied with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, two current and historic baseball powerhouses, isn’t too shabby for a Pittsburgh club that has spent the better part of the last three decades in the National League cellar.
Tuesday’s loss will stick with fans for a while, though, as the Pirates gave up four runs in the top of the ninth inning, losing 5-3 to the Detroit Tigers.
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Blame for the loss immediately turned to closer David Bednar. The 2022 and 2023 All-Star gave up all four runs in the ninth, marking his second-straight blown save. Bednar also gave up the tying run in the ninth inning of Pittsburgh’s game against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, though the Pirates were able to snag a walk-off victory in the 11th.
Bednar’s struggles are uncharacteristic of one of the league’s best closers and will almost certainly work themselves out over a larger sample size. At the moment, however, Pirates fans were frustrated and booed the pitcher.
After the game, as Bednar spoke with Sportsnet Pittsburgh’s Hannah Mears, teammate Rowdy Tellez walked over with a message for both Bednar and the fanbase.
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“This is the pride of Pittsburgh. We don’t do that out here,” Tellez said of the booing. “We’re a good team, we’re winning for a reason. We’re going to get our man back on track. What happened today was, I think, unacceptable. We as a group in Pittsburgh gotta be better. That being said, he’s a two-time All-Star.”
Bednar was clearly thrilled by the support.
“Seeing these guys have my back is huge,” he said.
About Robert O'Neill