Pittsburgh Pirates: Why this year is different
By Matt Shetler
Two months ago, as the Pittsburgh Pirates were in the middle of rolling through a successful month of July, who in the world would have thought that finishing the season under .500 would even be a possibility for the Bucs?
Certainly not any baseball minds I would trust.
But just a year after the monumental 2011 collapse, here we go again.
The month of August just isn’t a good month for a Clint Hurdle-led Pirates team. In 2011, during a span that dated from Aug. 1 to Sept. 3, the Bucs compiled a record of only 10-23.
There was no way this Bucs team would do something similar, but that’s exactly what happened, as the 2012 version of the collapse saw the Pirates go only 11-20 in the same span.
However no matter how bad things may seem at the moment for Hurdle’s squad, this team is still different and has the chance to not make this season a repeat performance of just one year prior.
That’s simply because the playoffs (insert Jim Mora joke here) are still within reach.
Now there are many so-called Pirates fans that have already jumped ship and moved on to Steelers season, but the reality of the situation is that this team is still contending for the postseason, despite playing their worst 31-game stretch of baseball of the season.
If this Pirates team is to be different, it’s as simple as looking in the mirror.
They have what it takes to get the job done. Now it’s just a matter of going out and executing. If they don’t do so and miss the playoffs, or God forbid finish under .500, well then no one will feel sorry for them.
Why is this season different? It’s the fact that the playoffs are within reach, but also the fact that they control their own destiny. By this time last year the playoffs were an afterthought, as was finishing 2011 over .500. Last year by this point there was nothing left to play for. This year, everything is still within reach.
The bottom line is that the Pirates are still six games over .500 and still only 2.5 games out of the final playoff spot.
If I presented you with that scenario at the beginning of the season, every single Pirates fan would have taken it. Now it’s time for this team to “FINISH,” as their rallying cry would suggest they are all about this season. Hurdle likes to say they are “all in.” Well now is the time to show that and quit talking about it.
The opportunity is there with five games remaining against Houston, seven against Chicago, three against Milwaukee and four against the Mets – all teams currently under .500.
This year is different because the opportunity for success still exists for this team.
Now it’s only a matter of time to see what this Pirates team is really made of.
I always say that in a 162-game season, things have a way of evening out. The baseball season is a roller coaster ride filled with ups and downs. The Pirates are in the fortunate place that they still have 28 games to prove that this year is different.