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Pittsburgh welcomes the back the Boston Red Sox this weekend. As to be expected, PNC Park may very well reach stadium capacity of 38,496 and then some.
There are two different tales in these cities. The Pirates have their fans excited because there is a possibility that they may end the streak of 18 consecutive losing seasons. As the Pirates teeter-totter on a dream of breaking .500, Boston is all smiles because they are sitting on top of the American League with a 44-29 record.
The History Goes Back – WAY Back...
The history is definitely there between the Pittsburgh and Boston. How much history you ask? Let’s go back to the year that the construction on the Panama Canal got underway, the year that Ford released his first Model A car, the Wright Brothers decided to fly, the first message was sent over the Pacific Cable, and Miller High Life made its debut. That’s right; I’m talking about the year 1903. 108 years ago was the start of the notable history that Pittsburgh and Boston met on the diamond.
At the end of the season in 1903, the Pittsburgh Pirates found themselves on top of the National League and the newly formed Boston Pilgrims (also known as the Americans, Braves, and later – Red Socks) found themselves winning the American League division. At the time, the competitive owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Barney Dreyfuss, got in touch with Boston Americans owner and Milwaukee lawyer Henry Killilea and challenged Boston to a post-season tournament. A contract was signed and thus begins the history of the Pirates and Red Sox. What is now known as the World Series, found the Boston Red Sox battling the Pittsburgh Pirates at Boston’s wooden Huntington Avenue Park, about a mile from their current Fenway Park. The Red Sox found themselves down 3-1 before coming back and winning 3 straight to being the first World Series Champions.
Tossing the Stone
One thing is for certain, this mini-series will not be short of stars on the mound. Let’s take a look at the hurlers scheduled for this matchup.
Game One
Friday June 24th, 7:05 pm ET
Boston is putting up their left hander Jon Lester against Pittsburgh’s lefty Paul Maholm. Lester is 9-3 with a 3.70 ERA and is looking to grab his tenth win of the season. He was able to complete eight innings against the Brewers and struck out eight so he seems to be warming up coming into Pittsburgh. Lester is 2-1 in his last 3 games with a 2.86 ERA and an eyebrow raising 21 strikeouts. Maholm, on the other hand, struggled against Cleveland’s left handed hitters. Maholm came out on fire at the beginning of the season but has seemed to start to chill down. His last few games Maholm has managed a 1.86 ERA with 11 strikeouts. The Pirates have scored one or fewer runs in 7 of Maholm’s 15 starts so far this season. Maholm has a history of being eaten up by Boston’s Mike Cameron. Cameron has 3 homers and 9 RBI’s against Maholm.
Game Two
Saturday, June 25, 7:05pm ET
Game Two Boston will be putting their right-handed flamethrower Josh Beckett on the mound against Pittsburgh’s Jeff Karstens. Beckett currently is 6-2 with a 1.86 ERA. He will be coming back with 9 days of rest after he was scratched from his Tuesday start because of a stomach sickness. He is also the major league leader with his ERA and has allowed only two earned runs against the Pirates in his two starts against them. Karstens is no slacker though. Karstens just had his scoreless innings streak snapped at 15 2/3 last Thursday. He has been more than efficient for the Buccos lately, lasting at least seven innings in three of his past four games.
Game Three
Sunday, June 26, 1:35PM ET
Game Three Sunday afternoon should be an interesting one. The Pirates will be putting their right hander James McDonald on the pile of sand. The Pirates have decided to skip Charlie Morton in the rotation so McDonald will get the start. He’s been having it rough, though, and has been knocked around the second and third times through their lineup. Now let’s talk about the old man for the Red Sox. I say old, because Time Wakefield is a 44 year old with a mean knuckleball. Wakefield is currently 4-2 with a 4.26 ERA. The advantage here is that the Pirates have done well against knuckleballers this season. They actually won both games they played against the Mets’ notorious knuckler R.A. Dickey this season.
Batter Up!
There will be plenty of cracks echoing across PNC Park this weekend and fans should have plenty of souvenirs. Regardless of the make of the bats, there’s a good chance for plenty of runs and foul balls.
Red Sox
The Red Sox are not having much problem scoring runs. Big Pappi David Ortiz leads the team in home runs with 17 and counting. Adrian Gonzalez has been swinging a consistent bat and has 15 homers while Kevin Youkilis has donated 11 home runs and a solid glove at third base. With the current rotation in the Pirates pitching lineup, look for the Reserved section at PNC Park to get a workout this weekend.
Pirates
The Pirates haven’t been as lucky at the plate, but once they catch a streak it’s hard to slow them down this year. They are lead by the dreads. That’s right, fan favorite Andrew McCutchen leads the team with 10 home runs and 14 stolen bases. The MLB Network’s proclaimed ‘best center fielder in the game’ is quick and has been able to come up big in clutch situations this year. 2nd baseman Neil Walker who is also on the All-star ballot has 8 homeruns and has a team leading 49 RBI’s this season.
Boston is a dynasty. Led by big money trades, acquisitions, and moves – instead of red I only see green when it comes to clubs such as the Boston, New York, and Los Angeles of the league. Smaller markets such as Pittsburgh can sometimes seem like an extended version of a minor league team when put up against these Goliaths. There is nothing more satisfying than watching clubs with a much smaller pay scale take care of the jolly ‘Green’ giants. One thing is for sure, this matchup could be another for the history books.
Prepared by JC Coulter.
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