The Pittsburgh franchise is a small market. It was once famous as a steel city. It is also famous for its many bridges where three rivers meet. With the rapid rise of the Pohang Iron and Steel Company, the city’s steel industry also declined. It is now a financial center.
The Pittsburgh franchise is the NFL Steelers. 먹튀검증With a total of six Super Bowl victories, they hold the record for the most, along with the New England Patriots. It is a national team. In Korea, he is known as Heinz Ward, a Korean wide receiver who won the Super Bowl MVP.
Since winning their last World Series in 1979, the MLB Pirates have made it to the postseason just six times in the past 43 years. 1979 was the best year for the Pittsburgh franchise. The MLB Pirates and NFL Steelers won the World Series and Super Bowl in the same year. The Pirates advanced to the National League Championship three years in a row from 1990-1992 under outfielders Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonia, and right-hander Doug Drabek.
Since then, he has not won a district championship. When manager Clint Hurdle took the baton, he had entered fall baseball for three consecutive years from 2013 to 2015 as a wild card. However, it is all about advancing to the division series by passing the wild card in 2013 from advancing to the postseason for three consecutive years.
From 2016 to last year, the average number of wins per season is 71, excluding 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year, gamblers and experts predicted an average of 70 to 75 wins. However, at the beginning of the season, he broke expectations and won 7 consecutive wins, taking the lead. With 16 wins and 7 losses in the season, they are off the best start in 31 years since 16 wins and 6 losses in 1999.
Every year, MLB reports that one or two teams exceed their pre-season expectations. There is also a main character in the Cinderella story that advances to the World Series in the postseason. Last year’s ‘surprising team’ was the Cleveland Guardians of the American League Central District. This is a low-paying team.
In the AL Central, the Chicago White Sox were strong favorites. Cleveland defeated the Tampa Bay Rays with two wins in the Wild Card Series and went on to the final 5th game in the Division Series, putting pressure on the New York Yankees.
The current surprise teams that have played about 10% of the 162 long-term races are the Milwaukee Brewers and the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Central Division of the National League. The Texas Rangers, who lead the AL West, are not considered a surprise team. Over the past two years, the money poured in to catch free agents in the offseason alone is $804.9 million (1.1294 trillion won).
Milwaukee and Pittsburgh aren’t big money clubs. Pittsburgh’s team salary is $75.32 million, which is 27th in the MLB. Milwaukee spent more than Pittsburgh at $119.37 million. Pittsburgh’s highest paid player is 26-year-old third baseman Kybrian Hayes, who earns $10 million. Outfielder Brian Reynolds, the team’s flagship, is worth $6.75 million. That’s why they asked for a trade. The club is coaxing him to sign a long-term contract.
The two teams are strengthening their strength by nurturing and trading prospective players through drafts and contracts with international prospects. Currently ranked 1st and 2nd in the NL Central. The St. Louis Cardinals, a traditional powerhouse, are struggling with their starting rotation not working properly. Milwaukee lost the wild card ticket as it collapsed after running in the lead all the time as the trade of closer Josh Hader (San Diego Padres) during the season last year became poisonous. Pittsburgh went 62-100.
It is difficult to say for sure whether Pittsburgh’s initial storm will lead to the postseason until the end of the season. Even experts question this answer. This is because there is no ace to break the losing streak. In long-term races, injuries occur one after another, and teams with a thin player base collapse in the second half.
In particular, when the team is composed mainly of young people with no postseason experience, they fail to overcome the psychological pressure at the end. This is also the background to the acquisition of offseason veteran Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen is a fan favorite who started his MLB career in Pittsburgh and won an MVP award.
Currently, Pittsburgh’s rise is supported by records. 0.252 batting average on offense (12th in MLB), 27 home runs (tied for 6th), 22 stolen bases (tied for 4th), 3.80 ERA (10th), 11 saves (1st), 1.37 WHIP (11th), 14 errors (Joint for 4th place) The pitching defense on the back is chosen as the upper-middle rank.
It is interesting to see if he can become the main character of fall baseball for the first time in 8 years since 2015.