Not only did the Pirates break the Sid Beam curse.
Not only did they make it into the Wild Card game.
They won.
Last night, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2. Andrew McCutchen stated after the game "We're real." Manager Clint Hurdle said that the discussion of "one and done" never came up; it was all about one and run. And running they are. Right into St. Louis for the National League Division Series.
Some the Pirates acquisitions from during the season continue to prove their worth, such as Marlon Byrd, who hit a home run during the game. In PNC Park's first playoff game, the atmosphere was electric. McCutchen called for a "blackout" from the fans, and the vast majority obliged. Pittsburgh waited 21 long years from this, and it would seem that the players are feeding off of the excitement. It will be interesting to compare with the atmosphere in St. Louis, a town that has gotten used to postseason appearances.
For the Reds, their 90-plus game regular season ended on a six game losing streak, the majority of which were handed to them by the Pirates. The Pirates had 94 wins during the regular season, an amazing improvement after the 21 years of torture that fans and players both dealt with.
For Pittsburgh, this has been an amazing change. It has been a great environment and really enjoyable. Experiencing baseball playoffs for the first time in my hometown has been fun. Baseball playoffs are fun. I like this a lot.
Who would have thought that the 2013 sports season would have the Pirates in the NLDS and the Steelers starting 0-4?
