http://www.stltoday.com/
April 6, 2014
Edinson Volquez pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed one run in the Pirates' 2-1 win over the Cards on Sunday afternoon. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH • Last year the Cardinals and Pirates clashed for the NL Central division title, going deep into September before the conflict was settled with St. Louis finishing on top. The teams had a memorable return engagement in October, with the Cardinals rallying behind starting pitchers Michael Wacha and Adam Wainwright to prevail in a dramatic NL division series.
Though the Pirates lost both duels to an established power, in many ways they scored a larger victory: after 20 seasons of abject failure, Pittsburgh reemerged from the malaise as a worthy and menacing opponent. No longer playing the role of chumps to the champs in St. Louis, the Pirates captured the Cardinals’ attention and respect. And with good reason.
“We knew they were continuing to get better,” Cards manager Mike Matheny said. “And last year they proved to the world that it’s true. The Pirates aren’t going anywhere. They’ve got a lot of young talent, and they’re very motivated, and they’re moving in the direction that they want to go.”
Matheny is right; this rivalry should last a while. The Cardinals and Pirates are stocked with riches of young talent. They’re girded by proven veterans. They’re led by successful GMs and managers.
Last season didn’t seem like a one-time throwdown between the teams between the Gateway City and the Iron City. Given each organization's youthful roster core and acclaimed player-development system, this pleasing new rivalry appears to be sustainable.
“There’s personal respect here for that organization, and they’re an organization we’re trying to emulate,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “The record speaks for itself. The consistency. The continuity. The Cardinal Way. We’re trying to develop our own ‘Way’ here.
“It’s a very engaging game that we play against those guys. And the respect is mutual. Both teams are going to play the game hard, and they’re going to play the game right. They fear nothing, and they respect everything. That’s personified by their front office, and by their manager and by their coaching staff. And that’s the way we’re trying to grow our program here.”
After being pounded 12-2 Friday, the Cardinals counterattacked Saturday night at PNC Park, winning 6-1. The visitors ambushed Pirates lefthander Francisco Liriano for a three-run first inning, got homers from Yadier Molina and Jhonny Peralta, and held the lead on the rigid pitching of starter Joe Kelly and three relievers. (Carlos Martinez: what a talent.)
With Wainwright starting Sunday afternoon, the Cardinals are in strong position to win the three-game series before zooming home to St. Louis for Monday's 2014 opener at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals will see the Pirates at Busch later this month.
To me, the revival of baseball in Pittsburgh is one of the best stories, and developments, in major league baseball over the last decade. The Pirates don't have the financial power of large-market franchises, or the broad generational and regional support that benefits the Cardinals.
What the Pirates do have is a home base in a visually striking city that's undergoing a renaissance. They play in a gorgeous ballpark; PNC is an underrated gem. And the Pirates have effective, visionary leadership that instituted a transformative rebuilding plan.
Saturday the Pirates rewarded Hurdle and GM Neal Huntington with three-year contract extensions that include a club option for 2018. It was a fitting payoff for two highly capable baseball men who guided the futile Pirates out of baseball’s lost colony and to their first winning season (and postseason) appearance since 1992. The new deals signified that the Pirates are dropping anchor and planning to challenge the Cardinals for the long term.
“The Cardinals are tough competitors, I can tell you that,” Pirates president Frank Coonelly said Saturday. “They have set the standard, not only in the division, but in the National League. It’s quite a benchmark that they’ve set, and we’ve got a lot of work to meet that challenge. I think we’re on our way to becoming a formidable opponent in the National League again.”
Coonelly recruited Huntington late in the 2007 season, and Huntington hired Hurdle before 2011. With Hurdle as manager, the Pirates certainly have held their own against the Cardinals, going 26-26 in regular-season games played between the teams.
After winning 94 games and the wild-card play-in contest a year ago, Pirates’ management isn’t content to merely be competitive. The Cardinals have set a high standard, and the Pirates hope to match it with an appealing combination of the best farm system in the majors (according to Baseball America) and multiple youthful core veterans personified by center fielder Andrew McCutchen, the reigning league MVP.
“We’ve just begun,” Huntington said. “We’ve had one great season at the major-league level. We’ve got to keep going. We’ve got to put ourselves in position to have a great season this year, a great season next year, and as many great seasons as we can. I’m not looking back. We’re looking forward to how we can grow and get better.”
If you prefer to have an element of ugliness in your rivalries, then the Cardinals and Pirates will disappoint. Theirs is a gentlemanly competition _ at least to this point, anyway.
The Cardinals respect the impressive work that's been done by the Pirates' organization. At the field level Matheny repeatedly has complimented Hurdle and the Pirates coaches and players for their professionalism and hardcore (but clean) competitiveness.
As the Pirates continue to evolve, Huntington views the Cardinals as a template, praising Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr., GM John Mozeliak and Matheny. The admiration is genuine.
“They’re the model franchise,” Huntington said. “Whether it’s ownership, or ‘Mo,’ they do a lot of things really well over there. We try to steal a few of their secrets at times, just by watching them and trying to figure out how they’ve done so well.
“Because they’re exemplary in everything that they do, whether it’s scouting, it’s development, what they do at the major-league level. And to be mentioned in the same vicinity of them is an honor. But we’ve still got a lot of work left to do before we’re even beginning to be at that echelon.”
If the Cardinals are to win the difficult NL Central again this season, the title will be earned — not given. The Reds aren't going to have a fade-out season as some seem to believe. The Brewers' starting pitching is sturdy and improved. The Cubs have a solid rotation and are preparing to graduate several acclaimed hitting prospects to Wrigley Field over the next two or three seasons. But as the 2014 season takes shape and courses through the spring and summer and into the fall, the division race should come down to the Cardinals and Pirates again. Their fresh rivalry should produce memorable, meaningful baseball for years to come.
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1 comment:
Just wondering where you got my photo from?
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