<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-pittsburgh-latest-coaching-move-catch-paul-skenes-attention');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pirates news: Pittsburgh’s latest coaching move will catch Paul Skenes’ attention');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Paul-Skenes-.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pirates news: Pittsburgh’s latest coaching move will catch Paul Skenes’ attention</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-30T16:05:34-07:00">September 30th, 4:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-30T16:05:34-07:00">September 30th, 4:05pm</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut-based sports journalist with over five years of professional experience. After graduating from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism, he has covered every sport from fencing to football in the online and print medium. Dan hopes to see his beloved Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Pirates made a pivotal decision when they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-don-kelly-contract-extension-71-91-season">decided to extend manager Don Kelly</a>. However, his coaching staff is set to see some changes as the Pirates prepare for 2026.</p><p>Pittsburgh <a href="https://x.com/JonHeyman/status/1973137229175206372" rel="noopener">is firing</a> pitching coach Oscar Marin, via Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Marin had been in the position since the 2020 season.</p><p>During the 2025 campaign, the Pirates finished seventh in the league with a 3.76 ERA. Pitching was clearly the biggest strength on the team. Especially considering that on the inverse, Pittsburgh ranked dead last in runs scored with 583. Perhaps the Pirates will take a long look at hitting coach Matt Hague. But hired in 2024, he could be awarded a longer leash.</p><p>As it stands though, Marin has been deemed the dreaded fall guy in Pittsburgh’s organization. It’s clear they needed to make some form of change, as the 2025 season marked their 10th straight season missing the playoffs.</p><p>Pirates ace Paul Skenes will certainly take notice of Marin’s dismissal. The right-hander was an absolute superstar in 2025 once again, potentially earning him the National League Cy Young Award. Over 32 starts, Skenes held a league-leading 1.97 ERA and a 216/42 K/BB ratio. The Pirates will continue to build their pitching staff and franchise around him.</p><p>But whoever replaced Marin will be working with more than just Skenes. Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler and Mike Burrows will all be in line for spots in the rotation. Braxton Ashcraft and Johan Oviedo will look to claim theirs as well as Pittsburgh will also see the return of Jared Jones at some point.</p><p>All that to say, Marin has some big shoes to fill. Whoever the Pirates choose to replace him will be extremely telling for their organizational philosophy.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pirates news: Pittsburgh’s latest coaching move will catch Paul Skenes’ attention

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-don-kelly-contract-extension-71-91-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pirates’ Don Kelly gets contract extension after 71-91 season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Don-Kelly.jpg"><figcaption>Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pirates’ Don Kelly gets contract extension after 71-91 season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-29T10:44:12-07:00">September 29th, 10:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-29T10:44:12-07:00">September 29th, 10:44am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut-based sports journalist with over five years of professional experience. After graduating from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism, he has covered every sport from fencing to football in the online and print medium. Dan hopes to see his beloved Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the Pittsburgh Pirates dealt with continued struggles, they decided to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-pittsburgh-fires-derek-shelton-after-12-26-start">part ways with manager Derek Shelton and hired Don Kelly</a> as their next leader. After a solid second half, the Pirates have fully committed to Kelly.</p><p>Pittsburgh has signed the manager to a contract extension, the team announced. While the terms of the deal haven’t been revealed, owner Bob Nutting <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/pirates-extend-contract-of-manager-don-kelly" rel="noopener">seems extremely pleased</a> with the work Kelly has put in thus far, via MLB.com.</p><p>“Donnie has earned the respect of the players, front office, and our fans – and he has certainly earned mine,” said Pirates Chairman, Bob Nutting. “Donnie took over the team at a true low point. Since then, we’ve seen meaningful progress, not just in the clubhouse culture, but on the field. His connection to the community and passion for the franchise make him more than just a manager. He is a Pittsburgher; he is part of our community. He’s the right fit, at the right time, and is the right person to lead us forward.”</p><p>Since taking over as manager on May 9, Kelly led the Pirates to a 59-65 record. It may not be the prettiest on paper, but it’s a strong effort considering Pittsburgh started 12-26 under Shelton. The Pirates clearly trust Kelly and believe he is the right man to continue leading their charge towards contention.</p><p>Still, even with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-why-jeff-passan-urging-pittsburgh-keep-paul-skenes-invest-team">emergence of Paul Skenes</a>, that may take some time. Including the 2025 season, the Pirates have missed the playoffs for the past 10 consecutive years. While they have plenty of intriguing prospects, eventually, Pittsburgh will need to invest in their major league roster to compete with MLB’s best.</p><p>But at least for now, the Pirates have found their leader. They’re hopeful that Kelly’s presence adds some familiarity to the offseason and allows the franchise to build off of any success they found. In turn, Kelly is embracing his role and is eager to continue managing Pittsburgh.</p><p>“I’m proud to continue leading the Pirates,” said Kelly. “Our clubhouse is full of players who care deeply about each other, about winning, and about representing Pittsburgh the right way. I was a Pirates fan first. I know our fans deserve a team that delivers on the field, and it’s on me to make sure we reach that standard.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pirates’ Don Kelly gets contract extension after 71-91 season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-michael-harris-ii-20-20-club-pirates');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves’ Michael Harris II joins 20/20 club with bomb vs. Pirates');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Atlanta-Braves-outfielder-Michael-Harris-II.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Braves’ Michael Harris II joins 20/20 club with bomb vs. Pirates</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-26T21:11:50-07:00">September 26th, 9:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-26T22:22:35-07:00">September 26th, 10:22pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Atlanta Braves outfielder <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-michael-harris-walks-streak">Michael Harris II reached a major career milestone</a> on Friday night, <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1971745352421413191" rel="noopener">launching his 20th home run</a> of the 2025 season against the Pittsburgh Pirates to complete his first-ever 20/20 campaign.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This HR by Michael Harris II gives him his first career 20 HR/20 SB season 🙌 </p><p> <a href="https://t.co/f9F8dXEZHo">pic.twitter.com/f9F8dXEZHo</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1971745352421413191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The 24-year-old Stockbridge High School alum hit the homer in the bottom of the sixth inning off Pirates reliever Mike Burrows, a 407-foot blast that evened his totals with 20 stolen bases this season. Harris had previously racked up 20 stolen bases in three of his four major league seasons, and he needs just one more before the year ends to set a new career high.</p><p>Harris’ 20/20 milestone places him among an exclusive company in Braves history. He is just the 12th player in franchise history to reach 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a single season. He joins active Braves stars Ronald Acuna Jr. (2019, 2023) and Ozzie Albies (2021) in this achievement.</p><p>Before Friday, Harris had come close twice, hitting 19 home runs with 20 steals in his 2022 rookie season and 18 home runs with 20 steals in 2023. Although his .247/.267/.407 slash line is his lowest so far. Harris has maintained a strong defense and successful base-stealing.</p><p>The Braves, however, stumbled offensively and lost 9-3 to the Pirates at Truist Park. Atlanta went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, and the only other run outside of solo homers came via an RBI double from catcher Drake Baldwin in the seventh, scoring Acuna.</p><p>The Braves’ offense found brief momentum, with Acuna tallying three hits and a walk, and Matt Olson hitting his 29th home run of the season in the first inning, moving one shy of his fifth thirty-homer campaign.</p><p>Atlanta’s pitching staff faced difficulties throughout the game. Starter Joey Wentz, acquired off waivers from the Minnesota Twins in July, allowed four earned runs over four innings while allowing eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Wentz had previously pitched in relief for the Pirates earlier in the season before being claimed by Minnesota, and he finished the year with a 4.92 ERA over 13 starts with Atlanta.</p><p>The bullpen, consisting of Hunter Stratton, Joel Payamps, Dylan Dodd, and Pierce Johnson, largely stabilized the game, aside from a three-run homer by Pirates slugger Spencer Horwitz, who also added a solo shot earlier in the seventh.</p><p>This season has been a seesaw for Atlanta. After opening 0-7, the team fought through injuries and inconsistencies, including a midseason 10-game win streak, but ultimately finished 75-85, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-atlanta-completes-bonkers-mlb-history-9-games-in-the-making">missing the postseason for the first time since 2017</a>.</p><p>Friday’s loss was the beginning of their final weekend series against the Pirates, with rain causing a 49-minute delay in the seventh inning. The Braves’ pitching rotation saw heavy usage this year, including 18 players starting and a pending 19th with Charlie Morton tapped for Sunday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves’ Michael Harris II joins 20/20 club with bomb vs. Pirates

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/cincinnati-reds/reds-news-noelvi-marte-saved-season-home-run-robbery');   ga('set', 'title', 'Noelvi Marte just saved Reds’ season with home run robbery');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Noelvi-Marte.jpg"><figcaption>Katie Stratman-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Noelvi Marte just saved Reds’ season with home run robbery</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-25T15:08:12-07:00">September 25th, 3:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-25T15:28:21-07:00">September 25th, 3:28pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cincinnati Reds</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Cincinnati Reds are one of four teams still vying for the final NL Wild Card berth. But the Pittsburgh Pirates had a chance to play spoiler. Cincinnati opened the three-game series against its division rival in a tie with the New York Mets for the league’s final playoff berth. But after the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/reds-news-terry-francona-message-crushing-loss-pirates">Reds’ crushing 4-3 loss</a> to the Pirates on Wednesday, Cincinnati trailed New York by a game.</p><p>In the series finale, the Reds took a two-run lead in the fifth inning but Pittsburgh once again threatened to ruin the day. The Pirates added a run in the eighth as Cincinnati entered the ninth inning clinging to a 2-1 lead.</p><p>With Reds closer Emilio Pagan on the mound, Bryan Reynolds belted a 3-0 fastball deep to right. It appeared the Pirates’ seventh-year veteran just tied the score with a solo shot, But Noelvi Marte had <a href="https://x.com/MLB/status/1971308713706426499" rel="noopener">other ideas</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">NOELVI MARTE BROUGHT IT BACK 😱 <a href="https://t.co/0iSRePAHIS">pic.twitter.com/0iSRePAHIS</a></p><p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1971308713706426499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Reds right fielder calmly tracked the high fly ball. He paused at the wall, timed his leap and reached over the fence to steal a home run from Reynolds. The crowd erupted after the sensational grab, realizing that Marte may have saved Cincinnati’s season.</p><h2><b>Noelvi Marte’s web gem keeps Reds in thick of Wild Card chase</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Noelvi-Marte-2.jpg"><figcaption>The Enquirer/Sam Greene / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The reactions of Marte’s teammates after the catch illustrates how big the play was for Cincinnati.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The reactions to Noelvi Marte's home run robbery 😮 <a href="https://t.co/qjjxJw7hs1">https://t.co/qjjxJw7hs1</a> <a href="https://t.co/wL3PbjVmyh">pic.twitter.com/wL3PbjVmyh</a></p><p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1971310641383346264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Marte actually accounted for all three outs in the pivotal ninth inning. He snared Nick Gonzales’ leadoff fly ball before robbing Reynolds of a game-tying home run. And Marte then secured the Reds’ win with a nice <a href="https://www.mlb.com/reds/video/andrew-mccutchen-flies-out-to-right-fielder-noelvi-marte" rel="noopener">running grab</a> near the right field line on an Andrew McCutchen liner.</p><p>The win temporarily moved the Reds within half a game of the Mets for the third NL Wild Card berth. The Arizona Diamondbacks opened the day tied with Cincinnati at a game behind New York. But Arizona trails the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-0 in the bottom of the eight. So the Reds’ victory could place them a full game ahead of the Diamondbacks in the Wild Card standings.</p><p>The Mets play the Chicago Cubs Thursday evening. If New York loses, Cincinnati will move back into a tie for the final NL playoff spot as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/reds-news-terry-francona-ready-playoff-push-its-baseball-not-calculus">Reds’ dogged postseason push</a> continues.</p><p>Cincinnati has three games remaining in the regular season. The team begins its final series, against the Milwaukee Brewers, on Friday. Zack Littell will take the mound for the Reds while Milwaukee will counter with Quinn Priester.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Noelvi Marte just saved Reds’ season with home run robbery

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-why-jeff-passan-urging-pittsburgh-keep-paul-skenes-invest-team');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Jeff Passan is urging Pirates to keep Paul Skenes, invest in team');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Skenes-throws.jpg"><figcaption>Katie Stratman-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Jeff Passan is urging Pirates to keep Paul Skenes, invest in team</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-25T11:42:13-07:00">September 25th, 11:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-25T11:42:13-07:00">September 25th, 11:42am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s been another rough year <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-manager-don-kelly-brutally-honest-losing-streak">for the Pittsburgh Pirates</a> in 2025 as the MLB season winds down, with the team set to be on the outside of the playoffs looking in. The Pirates currently sit 20 games below the .500 mark at 69-89 with just a few games to go until they can hit Cancun, and the fanbase is running out of reasons to be optimistic about the squad’s future prospects.</p><p>One of the lone beacons of hope for the Pirates over the last couple of years has been the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-livvy-dunne-loses-it-paul-skene-masterclass-reds">play of starting pitcher Paul Skenes</a>, the former first round pick out of LSU who burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2024, quickly establishing himself as one of the best players in the game at his position. Although things have been a bit rocky during certain stretches of his sophomore campaign, Skenes remains an elite player who is seemingly a major building block for the team moving forward.</p><p>Recently, MLB insider Jeff Passan of ESPN stopped by the Pat McAfee Show to <a href="https://x.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1971254320114041150" rel="noopener">break down why</a> the Pirates should never consider trading Skenes and should instead build around him.</p><p>“That’s all Pirates fans want. They want a reason to go to the ballpark,” said Passan, per Pat McAfee on X, formerly Twitter. “They want to feel like ownership cares as much as they do, and right now, that’s just not the case. But in this offseason, you sure can make the case that it is. It’s right there for the taking for the Pirates, and the eternal question for that organization is, ‘will they?'”</p><h2>A tough reality for the Pirates</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Paul-Skenes-with-Pittsburgh-Pirates-2.jpg"><figcaption>Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Indeed, the Pittsburgh Pirates have long been considered to have a notoriously cheap ownership group, unable to buy their way into championship contention the same way other squads like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees have.</p><p>“I understand, it’s unfair the landscape in Major League Baseball right now when you have one team that’s spending $500 million in the Dodgers, and another team that’s not spending even a quarter of that, and there are a few of those teams,” added Passan.</p><p>It remains to be seen which path the Pirates will take.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Jeff Passan is urging Pirates to keep Paul Skenes, invest in team

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-livvy-dunne-loses-it-paul-skene-masterclass-reds');   ga('set', 'title', 'Livvy Dunne loses it after Pirates star Paul Skenes’ masterclass vs. Reds');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Pirates-ace-Paul-Skenes-vs-Reds.jpg"><figcaption>© Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Livvy Dunne loses it after Pirates star Paul Skenes’ masterclass vs. Reds</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-25T10:32:36-07:00">September 25th, 10:32am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-25T10:32:36-07:00">September 25th, 10:32am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Pirates continue to ride the arm of Paul Skenes, and once again, his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-creates-own-mlb-club-in-final-2025-start">latest performance against the Reds</a> showed why he has become the face of their future. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-insane-season-summed-up-9th-inning-reds">On Wednesday, Skenes dominated the Reds’ lineup</a> and delivered a shutout gem that kept the crowd buzzing from start to finish. Meanwhile, in the stands, his girlfriend Livvy Dunne could not hold back her emotions. Cameras caught her <a href="https://x.com/RedsDaily4/status/1971006087798341675" rel="noopener">screaming</a> with pride after his six shutout innings, and soon after, the video quickly went viral.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Livvy Dunne screaming as the Reds get shutout against Skenes. </p><p>This video may have ended me. <a href="https://t.co/ZoeAApQoMx">pic.twitter.com/ZoeAApQoMx</a></p><p>— Reds Daily (@RedsDaily4) <a href="https://twitter.com/RedsDaily4/status/1971006087798341675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>From the very start, Skenes attacked the zone with power and confidence. His fastball exploded out of his hand, and his off-speed pitches kept Reds hitters off balance. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/reds-news-terry-francona-message-crushing-loss-pirates">Although the Reds entered the matchup with momentum</a> in the standings, Skenes quickly stripped them of rhythm and answers. Every frame felt like a statement. He combined pinpoint command with overpowering stuff to put together one of the cleanest outings of his young career.</p><p>Meanwhile, off the field, the spotlight shifted toward Livvy Dunne. For her, the night became a <a href="https://x.com/SNPittsburgh/status/1971001259923554328" rel="noopener">showcase of support</a> and celebration. Since she and Paul Skenes have been open about their relationship, her reaction in the stands reflected how personal his success has become. In turn, fans online highlighted the clip of her screaming as the defining image of the night. Many called it the perfect pairing of dominance on the field and passion off it.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">We are ALL <a href="https://twitter.com/livvydunne?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@livvydunne</a> watching Paul Skenes pitch 😅 <a href="https://t.co/aAaTpcwZzU">pic.twitter.com/aAaTpcwZzU</a></p><p>— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNPittsburgh/status/1971001259923554328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>In the end, the Reds left frustrated as their late push fell short, sealing a 4-3 win for the Pirates behind Skenes’ dominance. Meanwhile, the Pirates took another step in proving they have a star who can anchor both their rotation and their identity. With Dunne’s reaction grabbing attention and Skenes showing his best stuff, the Pirates gave their fans a moment to celebrate. Even if October is out of reach, nights like this remind Pittsburgh of the ace they can build around.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Livvy Dunne loses it after Pirates star Paul Skenes’ masterclass vs. Reds

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-insane-season-summed-up-9th-inning-reds');   ga('set', 'title', 'Paul Skenes’ insane Pirates season summed up by 9th inning vs. Reds');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Pirates-SP-Paul-Skenes.jpg"><figcaption>© Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Paul Skenes’ insane Pirates season summed up by 9th inning vs. Reds</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-24T20:08:41-07:00">September 24th, 8:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-24T20:08:41-07:00">September 24th, 8:08pm</time><address><a>Kendall Capps</a>Kendall Capps is a multi-media journalist and editor who is overly passionate about all sports (to his wife's dismay). He's a Senior Editor at ClutchPoints who previously managed SB Nation's golf vertical. He has also done work for FantasyPros and co-hosted the Lay The Points podcast as part of a decade-long career in sports entertainment.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2025 season is coming to a close this weekend. It has been a long year for those playing near Three Rivers once again, with the Pirates 20 games under .500 with four games remaining. At the very least, starting pitcher Paul Skenes has proven that what he did during his rookie season was not an anomaly.</p><p>He was easily one of the best pitchers in all of baseball and put his skills on display in his final start of the season.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-creates-own-mlb-club-in-final-2025-start">Skenes dominated the Cincinnati Reds</a> lineup. He tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits while striking out seven. The Pirates’ ace was in line for the win until Pittsburgh’s bullpen blew his victory, yet again.</p><p>Starling Marte hit a solo shot in the 8th to cut into the Reds’ deficit. Then, in the bottom of the 9th, Tyler Stephenson took Pirates reliever Dennis Santana deep for a game-tying home run.</p><p>The Pirates ultimately won the game in 11 innings.</p><p>But this was a microcosm of Skenes’ season. He will finish the year with a 10-10 record, a record commonly seen by a mid-rotation guy. But Skenes finished the year with a stellar 1.97 ERA, to go with 216 strikeouts, a 0.95 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched), and a 5-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio.</p><p>In other words, he tied for 39th in the league in wins. But he was top-5 in every other category. After Wednesday’s start, he became the first person in MLB history to post a sub-2.00 ERA, with 200 strikeouts without a winning record.</p><p>Pittsburgh had hopes that this year that players like O’Neil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds could take the offense to new heights. Instead, Cruz is hitting .201 while Reynolds has hit just 16 home runs.</p><p>Unfortunately, it may only be a matter of time before <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-rumors-new-york-interest-paul-skenes-trade-deadline">Skenes plays elsewhere</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Paul Skenes’ insane Pirates season summed up by 9th inning vs. Reds

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-creates-own-mlb-club-in-final-2025-start');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pirates’ Paul Skenes creates own MLB club in final 2025 start');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Pirates-ace-Paul-Skenes-looks-on.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Ross-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pirates’ Paul Skenes creates own MLB club in final 2025 start</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-24T19:47:59-07:00">September 24th, 7:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-24T19:47:59-07:00">September 24th, 7:47pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Pirates continue to be in the trenches, as they are going to finish with a record below .500 for the ninth season over the past 10. There is certainly plenty of room for the Pirates to grow in the coming years, but they at least have a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-paul-skenes-earns-pittsburgh-honor-never-won-pitcher">foundational piece in ace Paul Skenes</a>, who ended his NL Cy Young award-caliber sophomore campaign with yet another incredible start in a 4-3 win over playoff hopeful Cincinnati Reds.</p><p>Skenes, as per usual, was at his best on the mound, and he was nearly unhittable in six innings of work. In his 32nd start of the season, the Pirates ace threw six innings of shutout ball with seven strikeouts while allowing just four hits. And in so doing, Skenes <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/paul-skenes-2025-stats" rel="noopener">ended the season</a> with an ERA of 1.97 to go along with 216 strikeouts in 187.2 total innings — the stuff of a legitimate ace.</p><p>It’s a bit of a shame that Skenes’ greatness could not propel the Pirates anywhere close to playoff contention. This makes Skenes the <a href="https://x.com/OptaSTATS/status/1971022665935925406" rel="noopener">only pitcher</a> in MLB history to finish a season with an ERA below 2.00 and with more than 200 strikeouts without a personal win-loss record above .500, according to OptaSTATS on X (formerly Twitter). (Skenes finished the year 10-10 and was a no-decision on Wednesday.)</p><h2><b>The Paul Skenes clock is ticking on the Pirates</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Pirates-give-stern-answer-to-team-inquiring-about-Paul-Skenes-trade.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When a player as talented as Skenes is playing for a perennial losing ballclub like the Pirates, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-rumors-new-york-interest-paul-skenes-trade-deadline">vultures are inevitably going to circle</a>. It’s on the Pirates to surround Skenes with as much talent as possible to maximize his elite pitching displays and perhaps squeeze a few contending years out of him before their years of team control vanish.</p><p>It’s a testament to how bad this current Pirates team is that Skenes, despite his consistently excellent play, has 10 losses on the year. Never mind the fact that Skenes has just 10 wins on the year; him having 10 losses speaks volumes to how Pittsburgh fails to give him consistent run support early in games, putting him in losing positions even though he’s only allowed over two runs in a start six times this year.</p><p>Half of Skenes’ 10 losses on the year came with him allowing just two earned runs or fewer. Two of those losses for the Pirates ace came with him pitching eight innings of one-run ball. It is clearly on the Pirates offense (and front office) that they let these gems from their ace go to waste.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pirates’ Paul Skenes creates own MLB club in final 2025 start

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-paul-skenes-earns-pittsburgh-honor-never-won-pitcher');   ga('set', 'title', 'Paul Skenes earns Pirates honor never won by a pitcher');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Pittsburgh-Pirates-starting-pitcher-Paul-Skenes-smiles-as-he-walks-off-the-field-during-the-third-inning-at-T-Mobile-Park-1.jpg"><figcaption>© Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Paul Skenes earns Pirates honor never won by a pitcher</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-19T18:35:02-07:00">September 19th, 6:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-19T18:37:24-07:00">September 19th, 6:37pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-manager-don-kelly-brutally-honest-losing-streak">Pittsburgh Pirates may not have reached the postseason since 2015</a>, but the rise of Paul Skenes has provided a rare bright spot for the franchise. Selected first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, the 23-year-old right-hander has quickly developed into one of baseball’s most premier pitchers.</p><p>Paul Skenes broke new ground before Pittsburgh squared off against the Athletics on Friday, becoming the first pitcher in franchise history that the Pittsburgh BBWAA named team MVP and taking home the Roberto Clemente Award. He followed it up by claiming back-to-back Steve Blass Awards.</p><p>Since <a href="https://x.com/AlexJStumpf/status/1969131208198988149?t=hrBhFdUVsDh_GJ7i4q1PDQ&amp;s=19" rel="noopener">the introduction of the Steve Blass Award</a> in 2012, no Pirates pitcher had ever won the Clemente Award until Skenes, according to Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. The last pitcher overall to be named team MVP was Joel Hanrahan in 2011.</p><p>Outfielder Tommy Pham finished second in voting for the 2025 Clemente Award, with Bryan Reynolds and Dennis Santana tying for third. Mitch Keller placed second in the Blass Award race, followed by Santana.</p><p>On the mound, Skenes has written a season that speaks louder than numbers, a benchmark in the Pirates’ long history. Across 31 starts, he owns a 10–10 record, an MLB-best 2.03 ERA, and 209 strikeouts in 181 2/3 innings. His 7.4 bWAR leads the National League, while opposing hitters have been held to a .199/.253/.310 slash line. He has also posted a 0.96 WHIP, 10.35 strikeouts per nine innings, 2.08 walks per nine, and a 4.98 strikeout-to-walk ratio.</p><p>By the numbers, Skenes ranks among the league’s best. He leads all pitchers in ERA and WAR, sits third in strikeouts, fourth in WHIP, seventh in innings pitched, and eighth in batting average allowed. He also recorded his 200th strikeout on September 10 against the Baltimore Orioles, becoming just the sixth pitcher in the live-ball era (since 2020) to reach that milestone in a season. In franchise history, he is one strikeout shy of tying Mitch Keller’s single-season record for a right-hander, set in 2023.</p><p>Skenes has already achieved several notable distinctions in only his second season. He became the first pitcher in MLB history to start the All-Star Game in each of his first two seasons and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/will-any-pitchers-upset-paul-skenes-nl-cy-young">remains the frontrunner for the 2025 National League Cy Young Award</a>. In 2024, he claimed the NL Rookie of the Year title, earned All-MLB First Team honors, and took third place in Cy Young voting.</p><p>Skenes has shown he’s sharpening himself on and off the field, but he keeps hammering home that it’s team success that really counts. Pittsburgh, who field one of MLB’s lowest payrolls at $50.7 million, will enter 2026 with Skenes anchoring a rotation that could also feature Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, Mike Burrows, and a healthy Jared Jones. Three years of team control may sound like breathing room, but for the Pirates, it’s decision time on committing to their ace and most valuable player.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Paul Skenes earns Pirates honor never won by a pitcher

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-how-konnor-griffin-rose-prospect-of-the-year-winner');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Pirates’ Konnor Griffin rose to Prospect of the Year winner, per Keith Law');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Konnor-Griffin.jpg"><figcaption>Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>How Pirates’ Konnor Griffin rose to Prospect of the Year winner, per Keith Law</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-18T09:33:35-07:00">September 18th, 9:33am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-18T09:33:35-07:00">September 18th, 9:33am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut-based sports journalist with over five years of professional experience. After graduating from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism, he has covered every sport from fencing to football in the online and print medium. Dan hopes to see his beloved Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With their 65-88 record, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-manager-don-kelly-brutally-honest-losing-streak">Pittsburgh Pirates are poised to miss the postseason</a> for the 10th consecutive season. But as the Pirates look towards their future, they have yet another top prospect who will soon take the league by storm.</p><p>Barring anything unforeseen, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-pitching-gem-assessment">Paul Skenes is set to lead the rotation for the foreseeable future</a>. Once he reaches the major leagues, Konnor Griffin will be the leader of the lineup. He is <a href="https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/top100/" rel="noopener">already ranked as the No. 1 prospect</a> in all of baseball, via MLB Pipeline.</p><p>Furthermore, Griffin has recently recently been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6634835/2025/09/18/minor-league-year-end-awards-2025-konnor-griffin/" rel="noopener">named the Prospect of the Year</a> by Keith Law of The Athletic. Still only 19-years-old, the shortstop/center fielder has already been drawing mammoth sized buzz.</p><p>“Griffin did the thing that only the best prospects seem to do: He got better as he moved up the ladder, in his case reaching Double A just a few months after he turned 19,” Law wrote. “He played at three separate levels this season — which was his pro debut — and didn’t post an average below .325, an OBP below .396 or a slugging percentage below .510 at any stop. He stole 65 bases in 78 attempts, for an 83 percent success rate.”</p><p>Griffin was selected by the Pirates with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Starting out in Low-A, the top prospect managed to work his way up to Double-A by the end of the year. Over 122 games total, he hit .333 with 21 home runs, 94 RBI and 65 stolen bases.</p><p>The High-A level gave Griffin a true chance to shine, as he hit .325 with seven home runs, 36 RBI and 33 stolen bases over 51 games. But his first 21 games in Double-A have proven to not be much of a challenge for Griffin either. He is hitting .337 with five home runs, 22 RBI and six stolen bases.</p><p>While the Pirates won’t rush him to the majors, Griffin is carving our a fierce path in the minors. Eventually, Pittsburgh will have no choice but to call him up. When they do, the Pirates will hope Griffin’s addition spawns a much more successful era of baseball in Pittsburgh.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Pirates’ Konnor Griffin rose to Prospect of the Year winner, per Keith Law

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/mlb-stories/will-any-pitchers-upset-paul-skenes-nl-cy-young');   ga('set', 'title', 'Will any pitchers upset Paul Skenes for NL Cy Young?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Pittsburgh-Pirates-starting-pitcher-Paul-Skenes-4.jpg"><figcaption>Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Will any pitchers upset Paul Skenes for NL Cy Young?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-17T14:23:12-07:00">September 17th, 2:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-17T14:23:12-07:00">September 17th, 2:23pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Paul Skenes burst onto the scene for the Pittsburgh Pirates halfway through the 2024 Major League Baseball season. With the 2025 regular season coming to a close, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-continues-shine-impressive-showing-tigers">Skenes’ dominance on the mound</a> has him as the favorite for the National League Cy Young Award. However, contenders like Cristopher Sanchez and Freddy Peralta are looming with less than two weeks left.</p><p>The Pirates’ struggles have defined their season this year. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-pittsburgh-fires-derek-shelton-after-12-26-start">Pittsburgh moved on from its manager early</a> but never recovered from a disastrous start. However, Skenes is the one of the only players on the roster who were unaffected by the constant turmoil. He has a .500 record, but the rest of his numbers have him head and shoulders above almost any other pitcher in the major leagues.</p><p>In the modern era, a pitcher’s individual success has meant more than their record or how their team finishes in the standings. Despite that, 2025’s NL Cy Young Award race is an interesting though exercise. If Skenes wins the award, he would be the first to do so on a team that missed the playoffs since Roger Clemens did it in 2004. There is precedence, but it is very rare.</p><p>Even though his team has been one of MLB’s biggest let downs, Skenes has been elite. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-mlb-history-second-all-star-nod">Pirates’ ace started in the All-Star Game for the NL</a>, cementing his place as the league’s most popular pitcher. Unfortunately, his image among baseball fans doesn’t help him in award races. Sanchez and Peralta have a distinct advantage when it comes to their records and spots in the standings.</p><p>Earlier this season, Skenes was a no-brainer to win. However, dominant stretches from Sanchez and Peralta have extended the race. We took a look at the numbers to see if Skenes is still deserves to win.</p><h2>Sanchez’s impact on the Phillies makes him a worthy challenger</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Cristopher-Sanchez.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-news-cristopher-sanchez-turns-clock-back-cole-hamels-career-best">Sanchez set records for the Philadelphia Phillies</a> earlier this season and has not slowed down since. While any pitcher would look good on the Phillies because of their offense, the 28-year-old’s numbers would translate everywhere. He had to step into a much bigger role for Rob Thomson when Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler suffered injuries and missed time for Philadelphia.</p><p>The southpaw is <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/42359/cristopher-sanchez" rel="noopener">13-5 with a 2.66 ERA</a> so far this season. In most other seasons, those would be good enough to win the Cy Young without much of an argument. Unfortunately for him, he is locked into a tight competition with Skenes. The latter has a better ERA and more strikeouts, though. Picking between the two comes down to a lot of splitting hairs.</p><p>Peralta’s numbers are among the league’s best as well, but the fact that he plays for the Milwaukee Brewers inflates his numbers, especially his record. Luckily for Skenes, MLB pitchers are not tied directly to their wins and losses. However, it does play a factor when voters try to determine where to lean when picking between a lot of deserving candidates.</p><p>Sanchez deserves a chance to take Skenes down to the wire in the Cy Young Award race in the NL. However, he needs to be elite in his final start of the season to make one last push for the award.</p><h2>Verdict: the NL Cy Young is Paul Skenes’ to lose</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Pirates-ace-Paul-Skenes-pitches-at-ASG.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-drops-truth-bomb-after-dodgers-sweep-we-got-nothing-to-lose">Skenes and the Pirates are playing with house money</a> for the rest of the regular season. Despite missing the playoffs, Pittsburgh has a lot to feel good about, especially when it comes to its pitching staff. The team’s ace is arguably the best in all of baseball and should win the first NL Cy Young Award of his career. The only question is whether or not his team will give him another start.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-threw-64-pitches-dominant-outing">Pirates did not let Skenes throw his normal amount of pitches</a> in his last start. He has one more before the end of the regular season, giving fans one more chance to go see the ace. At this point, it would take a historically bad performance for him to lose his stranglehold on the award. While some would complain about his team, Skenes can only control his individual production.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-rumors-new-york-interest-paul-skenes-trade-deadline">Pirates’ star had to deal with trade requests</a> and a ton of drama throughout the regular season. Despite all of the outside noise, Skenes proved that his success in 2024 was no fluke. Despite excellent seasons from Sanchez and Peralta, their late pushes to catch him have come up short. Skenes deserves to win the NL Cy Young Award and should do so with a majority of the votes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Will any pitchers upset Paul Skenes for NL Cy Young?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-manager-don-kelly-brutally-honest-losing-streak');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pirates manager Don Kelly gets brutally honest on team’s losing streak');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Pirates-manager-Don-Kelly.jpg"><figcaption>© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pirates manager Don Kelly gets brutally honest on team’s losing streak</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-13T06:35:18-07:00">September 13th, 6:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-13T06:35:37-07:00">September 13th, 6:35am</time><address><a>Benjamin Adducchio</a>Benjamin Adducchio is a journalist and writer with more than a decade of experience in covering sports news. Ben is a passionate sports fan who loves college football, basketball, and the New York Yankees.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/baltimore-orioles/orioles-pitcher-gets-real-on-importance-of-close-wins-after-sweep-vs-pirates">Pittsburgh Pirates have had a rough season</a>, by any stretch of the imagination. The losses are piling up for Pittsburgh, as the club is now on a seven-game skid. Manager Don Kelly is being honest <a href="https://www.mlb.com/pirates/news/mitch-keller-solid-start-not-enough-in-pirates-loss-to-nationals" rel="noopener">about the team’s recent pains</a>.</p><p>“Going through a six-game losing streak, being down by three going into the ninth against their closer, the fight, the chance to score,” Kelly said, per MLB.com. “It’s frustrating when you’re losing seven in a row, and especially the last four by one run. I just like the fight in the guys to finish strong there.”</p><p>The Pirates are now 64-84 on the season, after dropping a contest to the Washington Nationals on Friday. Washington defeated Pittsburgh 6-5. It was the fourth game in a row that the Bucs lost by just one run.</p><p>Pittsburgh has now also dropped seven of the last 10 contests.</p><h2><b>Pirates have sailed through rough waters all season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Jul-20-2025-Pittsburgh-Pennsylvania-USA-Pittsburgh-Pirates-starting-pitcher-Andrew-Heaney-45-delivers-a-pitch.jpg"><figcaption>© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Pittsburgh has been in the cellar of the National League Central division nearly all season. The Pirates fired their previous manager, Derek Shelton, following a rough start. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-don-kelly-umpire-ejection">Kelly is an interim manager</a> who has tried nearly all year to collect wins.</p><p>The Pirates have some bright spots, including their starting pitching. One of their best hurlers is Mitch Keller, who did fairly well on Friday against the Nationals. Keller allowed two runs and four hits through a little more than five innings of work.</p><p>“As a competitor, you want to stay out there, but a full lefty lineup like that and obviously the home run to lead off the inning didn’t help my case,” Keller said about his performance. “Obviously, I just want to be out there. I wish I could go nine every game.”</p><p>Pittsburgh has been woeful on offense this season. The club is at the bottom of Major League Baseball in nearly every offensive statistical category. Pittsburgh also traded away a lot of talent before the MLB trade deadline, including closer David Bednar.</p><p>The Pirates try to snap their losing streak when they play Washington again on Saturday afternoon. Washington is 61-86 on the campaign.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pirates manager Don Kelly gets brutally honest on team’s losing streak

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-pitching-gem-assessment');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pirates star Paul Skenes’ latest pitching gem draws honest assessment from ex-player');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Pirates-news-Why-Paul-Skenes-couldnt-pass-up-World-Baseball-Classic-honor.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pirates star Paul Skenes’ latest pitching gem draws honest assessment from ex-player</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T07:28:07-07:00">September 11th, 7:28am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T07:28:07-07:00">September 11th, 7:28am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the Baltimore Orioles by a final score of 2-1 on Wednesday. Nevertheless, Paul Skenes pitched well once again. The right-handed hurler struck out eight Orioles over five scoreless innings while allowing no walks. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-pittsburgh-manager-explains-paul-skenes-escapes-trouble">Skenes is in the middle of a tremendous season</a> to say the least.</p><p>Former MLB player Xavier Scruggs <a href="https://x.com/MLBNetworkRadio/status/1966139124022182080" rel="noopener">addressed</a> Skenes’ performance following Wednesday’s game, via MLB Network Radio.</p><p>“Just the dominance that we’ve seen with Paul Skenes, reaching now 200 strikeouts,” Scruggs said. “Only eight Pirates players in history, starters, have reached 200 strikeouts. I think to see that in his second full season just reminds us of the dominance, but also the understanding of what he’s doing from a pitching standpoint. The sequencing, the tunneling of his stuff, the adding of pitches, the ability to command the strike zone with such high velocity.”</p><p>Paul Skenes has established himself as a true National League Cy Young candidate. The 23-year-old has pitched to a league leading 1.92 ERA across 30 starts. Skenes also leads the league with 203 strikeouts.</p><p>After winning the Rookie of the Year and finishing third in NL Cy Young voting a season ago, Skenes seems like a legitimate candidate to win the Cy Young this year.</p><p>“I know we talk a lot about his ability, but I think a lot of it, too, is the mental capacity in which… We walked to him early on in spring training about wanting to get incrementally better each start,” Scruggs continued. “I know he didn’t go deep in this one, they’re trying to hold him back a little bit, save some of those bullets. But what we’ve seen from him this season is another example of what the Pirates have to look forward to with arguably the best arm in all of Major League Baseball.”</p><p>The Pirates are out of postseason contention. Pittsburgh is hoping to build a contending roster around Paul Skenes sooner rather than later. At the moment, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-drops-truth-bomb-after-dodgers-sweep-we-got-nothing-to-lose">Pirates will try to play the role of spoiler</a> against contending ball clubs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pirates star Paul Skenes’ latest pitching gem draws honest assessment from ex-player

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-threw-64-pitches-dominant-outing');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Pirates’ Paul Skenes only threw 64 pitches despite dominant outing');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Pirates-ace-Paul-Skenes-pitches-at-ASG.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Pirates’ Paul Skenes only threw 64 pitches despite dominant outing</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T07:26:12-07:00">September 11th, 7:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T07:26:12-07:00">September 11th, 7:26am</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy is a Senior Editor at ClutchPoints, with expertise in MLB, NHL and golf. Chris graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Pirates lost to the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 in ten innings on Wednesday night. The Buccos picked up their 82nd loss on the same night their ace put together another dominant outing. But the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-drops-truth-bomb-after-dodgers-sweep-we-got-nothing-to-lose">Pirates had Paul Skenes on a pitch count</a>, stopping him at 64 pitches despite allowing two hits and no runs in five innings. Skenes spoke with Ian Nicholas Quillen of the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/paul-skenes-strikeouts-pirates-orioles-557bd52c847cec94569ce0c122b4d701" rel="noopener">about the pitch count.</a></p><p>“The main goal that I’ve had coming into the past two years is making every start,” Skenes said. “There are opportunities to give and take throughout the season, and tonight was kind of one of those. I probably needed it, to be honest.”</p><p>The Pirates ace continued, “I pitched in September last year, but it was different. Throwing 160 innings with 27 of them in the minors, it’s not the same as throwing 160 innings all in the big leagues.”</p><p>The Pirates limited Skenes’ pitch count last September as well. He threw 73 pitches in his penultimate start and 23 in just two innings in his final start. Now,<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-pick-nl-cy-young-award"> with the National League Cy Young award on the line</a>, they are limiting his pitches once again. Skenes took his 64 pitches and dominated the Orioles on Wednesday night.</p><p>The Pirates have 16 games left in the season, so Skenes could get four more starts if they keep the rotation in order. He has 22 innings to go until reaching 200 on the season, and already has 200 strikeouts and a sub-2.00 ERA. Even with a limited September, Skenes could put together a jaw-dropping stat line in just his second season.</p><p>The Pirates have been walked-off by the Orioles in both games to start the three-game set. They look to salvage the final game on Thursday afternoon at Camden Yards. Skenes’ next start is slated for Monday at home against the Chicago Cubs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Pirates’ Paul Skenes only threw 64 pitches despite dominant outing

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/milwaukee-brewers/brewers-news-quinn-priester-breaks-record-11th-straight-win');   ga('set', 'title', 'Brewers’ Quinn Priester breaks franchise record with 11th-straight win');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Milwaukee-Brewers-starting-pitcher-Quinn-Priester.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Brewers’ Quinn Priester breaks franchise record with 11th-straight win</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-05T19:54:06-07:00">September 5th, 7:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-05T19:54:06-07:00">September 5th, 7:54pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Milwaukee Brewers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Milwaukee Brewers continued their dominant season on Friday, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 at PNC Park behind a seven-inning performance from <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/milwaukee-brewers/brewers-news-quinn-priester-2025-first-shutting-down-dodgers">Quinn Priester, who set a franchise record</a> with his 11th consecutive winning decision.</p><p>Priester (12-2) allowed two runs on six hits, striking out six and walking one, rallying from a shaky start to retire the final 11 batters he faced in a 96-pitch outing. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/milwaukee-brewers/brewers-news-real-reason-milwaukee-trade-quinn-priester">Priester, acquired from the Boston Red Sox</a> on April 7, was originally the Pirates’ first-round pick in 2019. Since joining Milwaukee, he has posted a 3.25 ERA across 26 games, 21 starts.</p><p>The Brewers have now won each of the last 17 games in which Priester has pitched, including 14 starts and three bulk relief appearances dating back to May 30. This surpasses the previous franchise mark <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/quinn-priester-wins-11th-straight-decision-with-brewers" rel="noopener">of 10 consecutive wins</a> in a season, held jointly by Chris Bosio and Cal Eldred in 1992, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.</p><p>Friday’s win was far from easy. Milwaukee went 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position through most of the night but overcame the deficit with timely hitting.</p><p>Jake Bauers delivered the game’s decisive blow with a two-run single off Carmen Mlodzinski in the sixth, snapping a streak of 22 hitless at-bats with RISP that stretched back to the Brewers’ win over Philadelphia.</p><p>Brice Turang added an RBI single in the eighth, and a combination of Pirates errors and Andrew Vaughn’s contribution in the ninth accounted for the fifth run. Abner Uribe closed the game with a perfect ninth for his fifth save of the season.</p><p>The Brewers achieved the victory despite <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/milwaukee-brewers/brewers-news-pat-murphy-christian-yelich-plan-injury-absence">missing star outfielder Christian Yelich</a> and facing injuries in the bullpen, which has seen multiple pitchers, including Trevor Megill, Shelby Miller, Grant Anderson, DL Hall, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/milwaukee-brewers/brewers-news-milwaukee-reliever-nick-mears-il-back-injury">Nick Mears, on the injured list</a>. Right-hander Carlos Rodriguez was recalled from AAA Nashville to bolster relief options.</p><p>Milwaukee’s offensive leaders on the night included Bauers, Turang, and William Contreras, each with two hits, while the Pirates’ Johan Oviedo allowed just one unearned run over five innings in his fifth start since returning from Tommy John surgery.</p><p>The Brewers have improved to 31-11 in their last 42 road games, ending the Pirates’ seven-game home winning streak and maintaining a 5½-game lead in the NL Central over the Chicago Cubs with 20 games remaining.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Brewers’ Quinn Priester breaks franchise record with 11th-straight win

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/2-free-agents-pirates-must-pursue-mlb-offseason');   ga('set', 'title', '2 free agents Pirates must pursue in offseason');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/780139523-bo-bichette.jpg"></figure><h1>2 free agents Pirates must pursue in offseason</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-05T12:30:36-07:00">September 5th, 12:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-05T12:30:36-07:00">September 5th, 12:30pm</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/ranking-50-best-mlb-players-2025-season">Pittsburgh Pirates have arguably the best player in baseball</a>. That is, of course, Paul Skenes. The former No. 1 overall pick has quickly taken over baseball. Unfortunately, it hasn’t led to many wins during his young career, as there is next to no notable talent around him on the Pirates roster.</p><p>The team can’t afford not to improve. Not only would future low-win seasons waste Skenes’ prime, but they would risk frustrating the star, which could lead to him jumping ship. Because of that, the Pirates need to be aggressive in free agency this upcoming offseason. So, which impending free agents should the Pirates sign to jumpstart their rebuild?</p><h2><b>Bo Bichette</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/780134533-bo-bichette-crossing-home.jpg"><figcaption>Katie Stratman-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The entirety of the Pirates’ offense has been a disaster this season. Almost every position in the team’s lineup could use an upgrade. One of the weakest position groups on the team is shortstop. Isiah Kiner-Falefa started the most games at the position, but he has only been able to belt one home run all season long. Jared Triolo didn’t add much more offense production, as he has batted just .226 this season.</p><p>One of the best shortstops in MLB is set to hit the open market, so the Pirates should go all in on making Bo Bichette their franchise player on offense. Bichette has hit 18 home runs for the Toronto Blue Jays this year. He also leads the American League in hits (177) and doubles (42). Bichette has played a key part in turning the Blue Jays into one of the best teams in baseball. Their 81 wins thus far are tied for the second most in MLB.</p><p>Bichette also plays killer defense in the middle infield. The Blue Jays might not be able to afford him after giving <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/toronto-blue-jays/grading-vladimir-guerrero-jr-blue-jays-500-million-contract">huge contracts to Anthony Santander and Vladimir Guerrero Jr</a>. Considering Bichette is just 27 years old and regularly has a batting average above .300, he may end up as the top player on the open market this offseason, regardless of position. Signing him would be just the move that could immediately improve the Pirates’ win production while simultaneously alleviating any concerns Skenes could have about Pittsburgh’s willingness to improve.</p><h2><b>Ramon Laureano</b></h2><p>The addition of a superstar like Bichette would drastically help, but the Pirates need a lot more than just one addition on offense. The team’s 102 home runs are by far the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/stats/team" rel="noopener">fewest in</a> baseball, and their team batting average of .234 isn’t far from the bottom. Chasing two superstars in the same offseason might be unrealistic, but Ramon Laureano could be a realistic and beneficial get for the Pirates.</p><p>Laureano started the season with the Baltimore Orioles, and he was expected to serve as a bench bat. Instead, he ended up being one of the best players for the team during a down season. His production in Baltimore led to him being a coveted trade deadline target, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/padres-orioles-trade-grades-for-blockbuster-ryan-ohearn-ramon-laureano">Laureano was eventually traded alongside Ryan O’Hearn</a> to the San Diego Padres.</p><p>Laureano has continued his hot streak with the new team. Laureano has batted .322 and has seven home runs in just 31 games with the Padres. He has arguably been one of the best players in baseball since being traded. The outfielder is likely a mere rental, though, and considering he is a long-time journeyman, he likely won’t be too expensive in free agency. Perhaps Laureano’s hot streak will continue into next season, though. He’d be an upgrade over Tommy Pham in left field, so the Pirates should sign him when free agency kicks off.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2 free agents Pirates must pursue in offseason

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-drops-truth-bomb-after-dodgers-sweep-we-got-nothing-to-lose');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pirates’ Paul Skenes drops truth bomb after Dodgers sweep: ‘We got nothing to lose’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Pirates-starting-pitcher-Paul-Skenes-30-walks-in.jpg"><figcaption>© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pirates’ Paul Skenes drops truth bomb after Dodgers sweep: ‘We got nothing to lose’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-04T21:17:02-07:00">September 4th, 9:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T21:17:02-07:00">September 4th, 9:17pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2025 season has long been lost for the Pittsburgh Pirates. But that doesn’t mean that the final stretch of the regular season is meaningless for them. In fact, the Pirates locker room cannot be any more fired up after their recently-concluded three-game set against the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, as they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-las-sweep-pirates-concerning-trend">finished off a sweep on Thursday</a> with a 5-3 win.</p><p>The Pirates have been bad all year, but as the old adage goes, it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish. This Pittsburgh squad is playing with a chip on their shoulder, and with ace Paul Skenes on the mound on Thursday, there was plenty of reasons for them to be confident, especially when they were <a href="https://twitter.com/SNPittsburgh/status/1963790072303501703" rel="noopener">gunning for the sweep</a> in front of their home crowd.</p><p>“We’re playing good baseball. I don’t know what confidence comes from, individually or team-wise. I think, to an extent, it comes from success. We’ve shown ourselves that we can do it. That gives us confidence. We got nothing to lose. It’s time to go. We don’t want to leave anything out there on the field. Just got to keep going,” Skenes told reporters following the Pirates’ win, via SportsNet Pittsburgh.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"We got nothing to lose. It's time to go… We don't want to leave anything out there on the field." 😤</p><p>Paul Skenes is AMPED to finish the season strong 👏 ⚡ <a href="https://t.co/6e7cj1QllJ">pic.twitter.com/6e7cj1QllJ</a></p><p>— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNPittsburgh/status/1963790072303501703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Since coming out of the All-Star break, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-fans-ruthlessly-clown-la-after-wild-pirates-sweep">Pirates have been playing winning baseball</a>, having won 25 of their 44 games during that span. And this win over the Dodgers is simply a continuation of the much-improved level of play the whole roster, top to bottom, has displayed over the past month or so.</p><p>“That’s the stuff you enjoy, going for a sweep at home against arguably the best team in baseball. Those are cool opportunities, you can’t take them for granted,” Skenes added.</p><h2><b>Paul Skenes, Pirates are on an upward trajectory</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Pirates-give-stern-answer-to-team-inquiring-about-Paul-Skenes-trade.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Much has been made over the past few years of the Pirates ownership’s propensity for cheapening out. But for all the flak they’ve caught, their record of 64-77 following their win over the Dodgers on Thursday could be a lot, lot worse.</p><p>Skenes, in particular, provides so much hope for the Pirates’ future. Every five days, the Pirates have as good of a chance to win as any other team in baseball, with their 23-year-old ace showing no signs of slowing down in his sophomore campaign. After another excellent start on Thursday where he allowed zero runs across 6.0 innings of work while striking out eight, Skenes is now sporting an ERA of 1.98 on the year across 173.0 innings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pirates’ Paul Skenes drops truth bomb after Dodgers sweep: ‘We got nothing to lose’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-las-sweep-pirates-concerning-trend');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers sweep vs. Pirates reinforces concerning trend');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Dave-Roberts-v1.jpg"><figcaption>Katie Stratman-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Dodgers sweep vs. Pirates reinforces concerning trend</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-04T20:32:19-07:00">September 4th, 8:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T20:32:19-07:00">September 4th, 8:32pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Dodgers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers entered September with one of the easier schedules in the Majors, but their recent performance against weaker opponents has raised concerns. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-fans-ruthlessly-clown-la-after-wild-pirates-sweep">The Dodgers were swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates</a> in a three-game series, losing 5-3 on Thursday night at PNC Park, who entered the series 13 games under .500 and last in the NL Central.</p><p>This sweep has pointed to <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-swept-by-pirates-to-start-september" rel="noopener">a worrisome pattern</a> for the Dodgers over the past two months. Since August 1, L.A. has posted an 11-4 record against teams with .500 or better records but gone 4-12 against sub-.500 opponents, according to Sonja Chen of MLB.com, revealing inconsistency against weaker competition.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-paul-skenes-claims-he-would-strike-out-babe-ruth">The Pirates’ victory was powered by right-hander Paul Skenes</a>, who pitched six scoreless innings, allowing only two hits, walking one, and striking out eight. Skenes improved to 10-9 for the season, surpassing .500 for the first time in 2025 and lowering his ERA to a major league-best 1.98. The former NL Rookie of the Year has now won six of his last seven decisions.</p><p>Blake Snell started for the Dodgers but was hit hard, allowing five runs on nine hits over five innings, while Pittsburgh scored four runs in a decisive fifth inning following three consecutive singles. Tommy Pham’s third-inning single opened the scoring, and Nick Yorke’s two-run double contributed to the four-run rally that effectively sealed the game. Ben Rortvedt, called up to assist with catching duties, struck out to end the ninth as Colin Holderman recorded his first save of the season, despite entering with a 7.89 ERA.</p><p>Offensively, the Dodgers were limited to five hits, with Mookie Betts breaking up the shutout with a leadoff ninth-inning home run. RBI singles from Pedro Pages and Miguel Rojas trimmed the deficit to 5-3, but it was too late to mount a full comeback.</p><p>It’s the first time in a decade that Los Angeles has been swept by Pittsburgh. The loss was the Dodgers’ fifth defeat in six games, with the team scoring just 16 runs during that stretch. Overall, since the beginning of July, the Dodgers have gone 25-30, while the Pirates, after the sweep, stand at 28-27.</p><p>Still, Los Angeles remains atop the NL West, two games ahead of the second-place Padres, who lost eight of their past 10 games, including a sweep in San Diego by Baltimore. The Dodgers also sit three games behind the Phillies for a first-round postseason bye, leaving little room for error heading into the final month of the regular season.</p><p>The Dodgers’ road trip continues with a series against the Baltimore Orioles, followed by a home series against the Colorado Rockies, the worst team in MLB this season. For a team chasing a championship, the next few weeks are make-or-break, as they need to get their act together and make the most of games against teams they’re supposed to comfortably win.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers sweep vs. Pirates reinforces concerning trend

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-paul-skenes-claims-he-would-strike-out-babe-ruth');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pirates’ Paul Skenes claims he would strike out Babe Ruth');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Paul-Skenes_86684c.jpg"></figure><h1>Pirates’ Paul Skenes claims he would strike out Babe Ruth</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-04T10:18:31-07:00">September 4th, 10:18am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T10:18:31-07:00">September 4th, 10:18am</time><address><a>Gerard Angelo Samillano</a>Gerard Angelo Samillano is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, with his focus primarily on the NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football. When he's not writing for CP, Gerard can often be seen playing VALORANT or playing pick-up basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Paul Skenes is a force of nature. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/pirates-news-paul-skenes-continues-shine-impressive-showing-tigers">The Pittsburgh Pirates ace is currently one of the best</a>, if not the best, pitchers in the MLB now. Skenes’ ability to completely overwhelm batters makes him a devastating threat to every hitting lineup.</p><p>There’s one question that remains to be answered, though: how would Skenes fare against the greatest players of all time. The Pirates ace gets his opponents out on a regular basis, but what would happen if he faced someone like, say, Babe Ruth?</p><p>Well, Skenes himself attempted to answer that question when he went on Mookie Betts’ podcast. The Pirates pitcher said that <a href="https://x.com/BleacherReport/status/1963104732974563678" rel="noopener">he believes he’ll be able to strike out</a> Babe Ruth himself. His solution? Throw something that even hitters today rarely see: his signature “splinker”.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pirates’ Paul Skenes claims he would strike out Babe Ruth

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-news-fans-question-emmet-sheehan-cam-devanney-1st-hit');   ga('set', 'title', 'Fans question Emmet Sheehan gesture after Cam Devanney’s 1st hit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Emmet-Sheehan.jpg"><figcaption>Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Fans question Emmet Sheehan gesture after Cam Devanney’s 1st hit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-03T19:07:55-07:00">September 3rd, 7:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-03T19:38:43-07:00">September 3rd, 7:38pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Dodgers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Shohei Ohtani was scheduled to take the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers as the team looked to bounce back from a 9-7 loss in the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. But <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-scratched-starting-pitching-pirates">Ohtani was a last minute scratch</a>. Los Angeles gave the ball to Emmet Sheehan instead. And the second-year pitcher provided some controversy along with his spot start.</p><p>Pirates infielder Cam Devanney made his long-awaited MLB debut on August 31 and recorded his first major league hit on Wednesday. After Devanney reached on a single to left in the bottom of the second inning, <a href="https://x.com/BenVerlander/status/1963385854157885447" rel="noopener">cameras caught</a> Sheehan doing something… odd.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">It appears Emmet Sheehan just intentionally kept the first MLB hit ball for Cam Devanney. </p><p>The team asked for the ball. The umpire threw Sheehan a new ball and he clearly switched it in his glove. </p><p> <a href="https://t.co/juwAc0loEG">pic.twitter.com/juwAc0loEG</a></p><p>— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenVerlander/status/1963385854157885447?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“It appears Emmet Sheehan just intentionally kept the first MLB hit ball for Cam Devanney,” Ben Verlander wrote on X. “The team asked for the ball. The umpire threw Sheehan a new ball and he clearly switched it in his glove.”</p><h2><b>Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan faces backlash after switcheroo</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Emmet-Sheehan2.jpg"><figcaption>Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>An on-air breakdown of the footage did appear to confirm that Sheehan swapped out Devanney’s memento. Was this an act of unmitigated cruelty or a simply a harmless accident?</p><p>Dodgers reporter Kristen Watson attempted to <a href="https://x.com/kirsten_watson/status/1963415042440716612" rel="noopener">clear things up</a> after speaking with the pitcher. “Emmet Sheehan said it was not intentional,” Watson wrote. “He didn’t realize that the ball was being called for and shared he would personally apologize to Cam Devanney for the misunderstanding.”</p><p>That explanation failed to satisfy some fans. And many took to social media to share their thoughts.</p><p><a href="https://x.com/PlatinumKey13/status/1963391932035371465" rel="noopener">Platinum Key</a> wrote:<br>“Going to post every clip of Emmet Sheehan getting shelled in the postseason. This guy SUCKS”</p><p><a href="https://x.com/KyleBroughton4/status/1963398917418274850">Kyle Broughton</a> added:<br>“Emmet Sheehan is a complete dickhole. What if this justifiably curses the Dodgers for the next 100 years?”</p><p><a href="https://x.com/bennybumNEPAL/status/1963385397498839235" rel="noopener">Benedict Bumford</a> noted:<br>“Absolute scumbag behavior from Emmet Sheehan of the @Dodgers not saving Devanney’s first hit ball. You can’t take someone getting a hit off you, get off the mound you pigeon. @MLB fine this guy.”</p><p><a href="https://x.com/trotterman3/status/1963408794085724191" rel="noopener">@trotterman3</a> contemplated:<br>“If he had the ball in his hand that was the kid’s first hit and then caught the new ball in his glove why reach into his glove at all? He could have just thrown the ball in his hand towards the dugout. He didn’t and clearly switched the balls. That’s a scummy thing to do.”</p><p>And <a href="https://x.com/tybuttrey_/status/1963387396403363946" rel="noopener">Ty Buttrey</a> reasoned:<br>“The pitcher looks in the zone, probably had no clue it was this kids first at bat. He reacted from the umpire look at which ball was better and threw the bad ball in… You all love drama”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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