Pittsburgh Pirates’ series with St. Louis Cardinals comes home
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals comes back home to Pittsburgh for a favorable ending.
That’s right, I see the Pirates as matching up very well against the Red Birds, especially in the rocking PNC Park. The fans of this team have endured so much heartache the last 20 years that they are especially enthusiastic in the best ballpark in America.
Oct 4, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Members of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrate after game two of the National League divisional series playoff baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Everyone that witnessed the NL wild card game against Cincinnati would agree that the crowd helped Pittsburgh defeat the more experienced Reds. The Cardinals are also much more experienced when it comes to the postseason.
However, the Pirates played their divisional opponent very well in the regular season, winning 10 out of 19 games. The two teams know each other very well.
Gerrit Cole pitched lights out Friday in St. Louis. The series comes back to Pittsburgh tied 1-1 with a maximum of three games remaining. Games 3 and 4 are both in the Steel City.
I might be a little biased but I don’t see this series going back to St. Louis. Sunday the Pirates will send Francisco Liriano to the mound and if the wild card game was any indication, Liriano will bring his ‘A’ game.
Many fans thought the same way about A.J. Burnett before his Game 1 start. I have to admit that I was one of those people. Burnett has pitched great all season long so fans are hoping that it was just a rare bad game.
The pitching for the Pirates this whole season has been phenomenal therefore I have to go with my gut and predict the Pirates will end this series Monday night in Pittsburgh. Most knowledgeable fans would know not to look ahead of this series therefore I will not do that at this time. I just know that I am not alone in believing that the Pirates match up extremely well with the battle-tested Cardinals.
The 2013 season for the Pirates should bring many awards to players and coaches, such as MVP for Andrew McCutchen, manager of the year for Clint Hurdle, comeback player of the year for Liriano and executive of the year for Neal Huntington, to name a few. This has been a monumental season for this organization as a whole. I know many fans feel the same way.
I for one will show my love of the team in the crowd on Sunday night, helping them “Raise the Jolly Roger!”