The End of An Era

So long, Jose K. It all ended much too soon.

Three days after Resident Genius Jim Tracy made his compelling case for Jose Hernandez as not only the best 25th man in baseball, but also the defensive equal of anyone on the team, the Pirates unceremoniously shipped the All-Purpose, Man-About-PNC to the Phillies for cash. How much? Not disclosed, although probably more than the $9.95 cynically conjectured by one of the Buccin' Ear's faithful readers.

And so ends the strange tenure of Senor Strikeout. He must be wondering, as many do, just exactly who is in charge in Piratedom. Not only was he cut loose after RG's ringing endorsement; the Pirates even saw fit to go with 24 players for a day. (Ryan Doumit was to join the team tonight. No word on whether he will be christened the best 25th man in baseball, or if Rajai Davis or Humberto Cota will battle him for the prized designation. On the other hand, perhaps RG will decide that no one but Senor K could ever merit that moniker.)

Hernandez was the perfect symbol for the Buccin' Ear of the strangeness of this season, with its oddball personnel moves and surreal decision making. No game symbolized this better than the May 21 contest in Cleveland (memorialized in the May 22 post, "Facing the Indians with an Empty Quiver"). Masochists will recall that RG sent Jose (hitting about .150 at the time) up with runners on first and second to pinch hit -- with Craig Wilson on the bench. To top it off, he asked Hernandez to bunt. Needless to say, the strategy worked out poorly, prompting a torrent of criticism from this quarter and others.

In any event, the Pirates showed what they were made of Tuesday night, recovering from the shock of JH's departure and going out to score a 5-3 victory over Atlanta that was, well, brave. It was just their 16th road win of the year, and it came in the rarest of fashion: a four-run rally in the eighth that featured a string of big basehits.

Still, RG contributed another of his alternate-universe observations following the game:

"You love to see that. And I'm seeing more of it in the second half."

Really? The Buccin' Ear is stuck for a response.

Shawn Chacon returned to the mound and, on paper, the results were encouraging: five IP, one ER. However, it's hard to wax too rapturously over a performance that included five walks and two hit batsmen. Could be the Braves were not at the top of their game.

But why quibble? He was probably pitching through tears.

The Pirate Past: According to baseballlibrary.com, on August 23, 1970, Roberto Clemente got five hits against the Los Angeles Dodgers in an 11-0 Pirates win. It was the second straight five-hit day for The Great One, making him the first Major Leaguer in the 20th century to collect 10 hits over two games.