8
The 9 Games
SEPT. 30, 2013
Martin shows power As Gaby Sanchez âtruckedã around third some 6 1/2 hours after Pittsburghás June 30 matchup against Milwaukee began, one thought went through his head. âáThis is enough,áã the 216-pound first baseman said after the game. âáIám tired. Itás been a long day.áã Then Sanchez laughed. The Pittsburgh Pirates have been doing an awful lot of that lately. Pinch-hitter Russell Martin singled home Sanchez for the winning run in the 14th inning and the Pirates earned their ninth straight victory, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1. The Pirates extended their longest winning streak since 2004, when they took 10 in a row. Pittsburgh reached the midpoint of its season with the best record in the majors at 51-30. âItás fun right now,ã said Martin, who played a key role in an extra-inning victory he did not start for the second straight Sunday. âObviously, winning is fun, but just being on a team with a bunch of guys who play with their hearts out there and enjoy the game, itás definitely been a pleasure.ã Teammates were having fun with Sanchez, a slugger not known for his speed.
J U NE 3 0 , 2 0 1 3
Pittsburgh 2, Milwaukee 1 Win No. 51
Turning point: Gaby Sanchez, not the fastest Pittsburgh Pirate, led off the 14th with an infield single. With one out, he stole second for his first steal in more than a year. After a walk, Russell Martin hit a soft liner to center off Francisco Rodriguez. Sanchez chugged around third and beat the throw home. This followed 11 scoreless innings by the Pirates’ bullpen.
Sanchez led off the 14th with an infield single. With one out, he stole second for his first steal in more than a year. After a walk, Martin hit a soft liner to center. Sanchez chugged around third and slid home ahead of the throw by Carlos Gomez. âI guess he felt fresh today for some reason,ã Martin said with a wry smile. âWeáre just grinding; heás out there grinding and made it happen and I think everybody is enjoying it.ã Pirates manager Clint Hurdle gave the sign for Sanchez to make an attempt for his first stolen base as a Pirate and first overall since May 6, 2012. âOnce it gets late like that, youáve got to take some chances,ã Hurdle said. âGabyás always heads-up.ã Sanchez validated the efforts of Pittsburghás stingy bullpen, one that refers to itself as âThe Shark Tank.ã Vin Mazzaro pitched five perfect innings. He was among six Pirates relievers who combined for 11 scoreless innings after Charlie Morton was pulled following a rain delay of 2 hours, 20 minutes. Justin Wilson, Bryan Morris, Jason Grilli and Mark Melancon each pitched a scoreless inning following Mazzaro ä allowing a total of two hits and no walks. Tony Watson (2-1) struck out four in three hitless innings. âA truly incredible job from everybody out there,ã Hurdle said. âIt feels like they all throw 110 mph, and theyáve all got good stuff,ã Brewers outfielder Logan Schafer said. âThey know what theyáre doing. They locate their pitches for the most part and they get ahead early in the count. Those guys are very good.ã Andrew McCutchen hit a tying single in the Pittsburgh eighth.