Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of September 9, 2001. The Pirates manager Clint Hurdle was in Phoenix, Arizona playing the Diamondbacks when 9/11 happened.
“I know it was about 7:30 when I woke up, Hurdle said. “I went down to the workout room and I came back quickly. It must have been nine o’clock. I came back in my room and I turned on the TV. It was all starting to unfold. Within 20 minutes you realize that this is a crisis of the largest order. It was paralyzing. It was absolutely paralyzing. The closest thing I can remember to that was [President John] Kennedy’s assassination when I was a young child.”
Before both games on tonight and on Sunday, volunteers will collect donations at all ballpark entrance gates to benefit the construction of the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA.
During the pregame ceremony on Sunday, the United States Army Field Band Choir will perform the National Anthem while members of the City of Pittsburgh Police and Fire hold a large American flag in the outfield.
“So sad,” Hurdle said. “It still is. Obviously as a country and a Nation we’re doing everything we can to honor and to remember and to move forward. I can’t even grasp the depth of really, probably, the extent of how many lives and families have been touched.”
- The Pirates will face tonight Anibal Sanchez, who in his two outings against the Pirates has struck out 13, walking four (one intentional). The Bucs have struggled with team strikeouts this season.
“We’re well aware of the fact, I think we lead the National League in strikeouts since the All-Star break,” Hurdle said. “We got to be at the top of the list from a seasonal standpoint. And I do think that’s the part that I do think they have a better grasp of. If you’re averaging eight or nine strikeouts a game, that’s three innings of catch between the pitcher and the catcher. Truly, you can talk about a lot of different ways, but they play catch for three innings. Which kind of shortens the game on you.”
- The Pirates second baseman Neil Walker is celebrating his 26th birthday today. Walker leads in the National League and is second in all of the Majors with 79 RBI by a second baseman. He trails only the Yankees’ Robinson Cano who has 104.
- The Pirates have sold out each of their eight Saturday home games and have played in front of 16 sellout crowds at PNC Park this season –the most sellouts here since posting a club record 19 in 2001.
- Left-hander Jeff Locke will make his Major League debut tonight against the Marlins. He will become the 51st different player used this season, tying the club record set last season.
- Alex Presley has 14 hits this month, tied for the fourth-most among all NL players. The Dodgers Dee Gordon leads the way with 16.
- The Bucs have gone 20-13 against the Marlins in the 11 years of play at PNC Park. Overall the Bucs have lost 10 of their last 11 games played against Florida, including an 0-4 record this season.
Marlins:
Emilio Bonifacio LF, Bryan Petersen CF, Omar Infante 2B, Gaby Sanchez 1B, John Buck C, Donnie Murphy SS, Matt Dominguez 3B, Vinny Rottino RF, Anibal Sanchez RHP
Pirates:
Alex Presley LF, Chase d’Arnaud SS, Andrew McCutchen CF, Derrek Lee 1B, Neil Walker 2B, Ryan Ludwick RF, Pedro Alvarez 3B, Michael McKenry C, Jeff Locke LHP (Major League Debut)
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