Why Hedges is the unsung hero of the Bucs’ win streak
PITTSBURGH -- The greatest play within the Pirates’ 2-1 win over the Reds on Saturday evening at PNC Park wasn’t a swing of the bat. It wasn’t a defensive spotlight or an enormous strikeout. It wasn’t actually even a play. What it was, nevertheless, was the newest exhibition of the intangible worth Austin Hedges, the veteran backstop with 9 seasons below his belt, continues to offer.
“It’s why we targeted him,” stated supervisor Derek Shelton following the membership’s sixth consecutive win. “It’s why he’s so important, because there’s a lot of things that he does that you can’t measure.”
In the third inning, Rich Hill misplaced the strike zone. He walked Spencer Steer and Stuart Fairchild on eight straight pitches. When Hill opened Tyler Stephenson’s at-bat with a curveball that missed th...