In my last post I mentioned how home field was such a small part of the equation for Tuesday and how home field could not matter that much in the scheme of things.
I take it back. I take it all back.
I knew the atmosphere would be incredible. I went in with high expectations. I mean, I was nervous to hell about the game itself, who could blame me, but the one thing I was high on was watching the fans and the feelings in PNC Park. And at the moment of the first pitch I was blown away with how the Pirate fans were acting. They were deafening, in your face, raucous, and of course, deeply into the game. It reminded me of Oakland and the fans they have there. Raiders fans are loud and in your face, and A's fans are often the same, though their ballpark limits their impact a bit.
The Pirates were that and more. They wore all black. They screamed at the top of their lungs. And thanks to PNC Park, they were right on top of the game (and, in a couple cases, perhaps too on top of the game, when a fan seemed to touch an eventual Choo homer, and another touched an in play ball the next at bat). All the weight of 20 years of losing came crashing into PNC Park at once. In an elimination game. It was glorious.
The fact that it was an elimination game no doubt added to the elation. This was the first Pirate game in a long time, and it was life or death.
There were so many great moments of the game, but I want to focus on one: Cueto dropping the ball and immediately giving up a homer to Russell Martin.
Earlier that inning, Marlon Byrd assaulted a Cueto pitch into the left field stands (and those seats and bleachers out in left looked crazy by the way, with all the black shirts). The fans, sensing weakness, started chanting "Cue-to! Cue-to!" over and over.
With 1 out and nobody on, the count was 1-1 to Martin. Cueto delivered a ball outside to Martin, and the fans jumped on him. Here's the video. They were relentless, and Cueto dropped the ball as he approached the rubber. After that, there was no stopping the fans from having their way with Cueto.
In the most direct fans has an effect on the game situation I've ever seen, Cueto badly missed his spot with his fastball and catcher Ryan Hanigan knew it. Martin was all over that pitch in the center of the zone and slammed the ball to left. 2-0 Bucs.
That sequence represented the game for me.
There's so much else to talk about, almost too much, that I'm just gonna run them down, because you could go on for days honestly about this game and there's just no way to do it justice. Just watch the replay.
Liriano was brilliant, especially in the early innings. He was poison to the Reds' big lefties Choo, Votto, and Bruce as they combined to go 1 for 8 against him, with a single, a HBP, and 4 strikeouts.
Liriano's control and energy tailed off a bit in the 6th and 7th giving up a few hits, but he held it together, and the Reds only tallied one run off him.
Even with Liriano taling off in the later innings, panic never really set in, the Pirates had a comfortable lead by then, and you knew Hurdle would be quick to use his biggest weapon, his bullpen. The biggest scare in the game happened in the 4th, when with 1 run already in in the inning, 2 outs, and 2 runners on, Todd Frazier hit a long and high fly ball that looked foul off the bat but just kept.... on... staying.... straight. It just would not bend foul! Thankfully, it lined a good 10 or so feet to the left of the left field pole, but that strike gave just about every Pirate fan in the universe a mild heart attack.
Liriano recovered and struck out Frazier to end the inning.
Frazier was actually the biggest thorn in the Pirates side, as he nabbed a couple of balls at third to sap some of the pirates chances, including a great dive into the left camera well to catch a Walker foul, and a humpback liner off the bat of Justin Morneau.
But it wasn't enough for the Reds.
McCutchen was clutch as expected. 2 for 3 with 2 BB (including 1 IBB) was key in the center of that lineup. He also went all out an eventual double that showed he was all-in on this game. Love seeing a player pay out like that.
Neil Walker continued his hot hitting, lacing a double off the left field wall off Sean Marshall (Who is a lefty! That's supposed to be Walker's kryptonite!)
And the big star Russell Martin, with two big homers.
Marte, Byrd, Morneau, Alvarez, Barmes were also big parts of the win, all getting at least one hit, except for Pedro who made up for that with a key sac fly that he fisted into center.
It really was a team victory. From the 1st man to the 10th.
Watson (who gave up the Choo homer) and Grilli finished it off, Grilli having a particularly swift 9th.
Bucs win 6-2. This is what I've been dreaming about all year.
See you in St. Louis on Thursday!
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