I thought I would write a quick post on the recent triumph of the Pittsburgh Pirates. For as long as I’ve followed baseball, this team has always been awful and, honestly, awful for pretty much anyone who thinks of the team. Ever since Barry Bonds went to San Francisco, the Pirates have been the team that was always is in last place and has that weird yellow color on their uniforms.

Being a fan of an American League team, I do not think I have ever watched my team play the Pirates, except for this year. I have never known any player on their team besides Jason Kendall and Barry Bonds, but that is reaching far back. I have always thought the Pirates were a sad story and looking at things now, I am living it with the Mariners, but let’s not turn this post into a Mariner pity party.

In the past couple of years, with the addition of Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez, to name a couple, the Pirates have been slowly on the road to relevancy, which is absolutely terrifying. However, I think it is a cool and awesome thing for the fans there that have lived in torment for so long. For example, up until a couple nights ago, the Pirates had yet to record a single postseason win since I was born in 1992. That was the year I was BORN! That is heartbreaking and just a horrid stretch to live through. I complain about the Mariners not making the playoffs and they have only been out for 12 years. I do not have the right to complain looking at the Pirates’ woes.

However, it looks like fortunes may be turning the Pirates’ way, for once. Being a force in the regular season and actually being a team that was looking to get players at the trading deadline instead of selling. Key acquisitions include Justin Morneau from the Twins and Marlon Byrd from the Mets. They also got an absolute steal in Francisco Liriano, who has been dominant this season with a 16-8 W/L record and a 3.02 ERA. The Pirates were finally able to get some luck and to breed some players from within their organization to create a team that has a chance to go deep.

Watching the one-game wild card match against the Reds gave me chills. Not only was the chanting of Cueto absolutely terrifying, but it worked. The starting pitcher for the Reds, Johnny Cueto, dropped a ball while simply standing on the mound after an inning or two of chanting and the crowd could smell blood in the water. As if it couldn’t get any better the Pirates’ catcher, Russell Martin, promptly smashed the very next pitch for the first of his two home runs in that game. Not only was this an important game from a postseason standpoint, but it also felt like it was getting rid of some old frustrations and anger. I have never seen that stadium so alive and packed and it was great to see. The faces of the fans young and old cheered with excitement and were almost in awe that their team was back in the postseason. I honestly wanted the Pirates to win because I feel like if they hadn’t won, it would have just continued the trend of having a “meh” to horrid team. Having won last night, the Pirates have finally ushered in a new era and hopefully one that will last for quite a while because, let me tell you, from a Mariners fan, the fans deserve it.