Pirates closer Jason Grilli brings excitement back to Pittsburgh baseball

Jun 29, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Jason Grilli (39) reacts after the final out of the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Pirates won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The one they call “Grilled Cheese,” Jason Grilli, has brought some needed excitement back to Pirates baseball. The veteran pitcher shows a lot of intensity when he’s out there trying for another save.

On Sunday, Grilli completed his 30th save for the ballclub in the Steel City. We are barely past the all-star break and Jason Grilli has a minuscule 1.94 ERA. Yeah, I had to look up his ERA because it is barely noticeable.

The Pirates 2013 closer is pitching lights out however his genuine excitement he shows when pitching and closing out the wins is getting fans more excited than your average baseball win. The team has not won since I was fresh out of high school.

I know most everyone reading this already knows that however I am stressing that statement because it hurts me deeply. There are 20-year-old kids walking around that haven’t seen the Pirates have a winner. Growing up I would always look at the box scores to see about every Pirate that played the day before. There is nothing better than being in a playoff race for your average childhood baseball fan.

However these days require a little something extra to get your average fans excited. There are too many other options in the year 2013 for an average kid. Today, kids are playing X-Box or anything else rather than watching a baseball game.

Grilli is helping to bring some of those fans back with every save. My wife today told me that he is one of her favorite players because of the way he plays, exciting. These type of players are exactly what the Pittsburgh Pirates need after 20 straight losing seasons, along with a playoff berth.