http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
WASHINGTON — The ball kept rolling until it bumped into the left field wall, so Jack Wilson had no choice but to round second base and keep on chugging.
"I got to third and said, 'I am officially old,' " Wilson said with a laugh.
Pittsburgh Pirates' Jack Wilson(notes) watches his two-run double against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning of a baseball game Monday, May 18, 2009, in Washington. (AP)
Wilson's triple in the eighth inning Monday night was his first of the season. It was part of a 4-for-4 performance in the Pirates' 12-7 victory against the Washington Nationals.
Wilson hit a career-high 12 triples in 2004, when he tied for the league lead, and seven in 2005. In the three-plus seasons since, though, the 31-year-old shortstop has a total of five.
No big deal, said manager John Russell.
"With the way he plays defense, it's a big plus for us if he can get a few hits," Russell said.
In the fourth inning, Wilson gave a highlight reel-worthy demonstration of his glovework.
Ryan Zimmerman hit a hard roller deep to Wilson's right. Wilson backhanded the ball on the run, turned and spun in the air, and fired a strike across the diamond. First baseman Adam LaRoche barely had to move to catch the ball, which beat Zimmerman by a half-step.
"Really, really good play," pitcher Ross Ohlendorf said. "Jack's just an unbelievable shortstop, and it's good to have him back."
Wilson spent two weeks on the disabled list because of a sprained middle finger. Last season, he sat out a long stretch due to a calf injury and a broken finger.
Last year, the defense struggled — and, not coincidentally, the pitchers' ERAs skyrocketed — without Wilson on the field. That's something management will have to consider when it mulls whether to pick up Wilson's $8.4 million option for 2010 or either trade him or pay him a $600,000 buyout at season's end.
Other teams continue to take notice of Wilson's potential availablity. The Seattle Mariners reportedly are discussing a straight-up trade of Wilson for shortstop Yuniensky Betancourt.
Pirates general manager Neal Huntington would neither confirm not deny that Wilson's name has come up in talks with the Mariners.
"While we are consistently engaged in dialogue with other clubs in an effort to improve our major-league club and the organization," Huntington said, "it is our policy to avoid commenting on any specific trade discussion or speculation."
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