The Pirates went 57-104 in 1985. That was the summer of the Pittsburgh Drug Trials. Cocaine was sold and used in the team's clubhouse. The city was a national joke both on and off the field. It was the darkest moment in franchise history.
Sydnor W. Thrift was hired as the Pirates general manager in November 1985 and promptly hired little-known Jim Leyland as his manager.
"It ain't easy resurrecting the dead," Thrift would say later.
I thought of Thrift Monday night.
It ain't going to be easy resurrecting these Pirates from their worst 3 1/2 -year stretch since the early-1950s.
The 11-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians provided that brutal truth.
One of the most anticipated nights in recent Pirates history ended with the home team suffering through its most lopsided loss in a season filled with ugly defeats.
Somehow, that seemed so Pirates-like.
Not to be critical.
The crazy thing is it didn't feel as if it was going to be that kind of night at the start. There was a feeling of optimism at a smoky, then damp PNC Park. So what if the game was delayed for 47 minutes? The Pirates were starting six rookies, including two who were making their MLB debuts. That provided something that hadn't been felt at the North Side lawn in a long, long time.
Hope.
Pirates fans couldn't wait to see Quinn Priester on the mound for the first time. He didn't disappoint for three perfect innings before collapsing in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits. Two of those hits were home runs that delighted the sizable crowd from Cleveland which took over the ballpark.
Pirates fans, sick and tired of watching Austin Hedges and Jason Delay, couldn't wait to see Endy Rodriguez behind the plate. He went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.
Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo and Liover Peguero were the other four rookies in the Pirates' lineup. They went a combined 2 for 13 with five strikeouts.
It's safe to say better days are ahead and, no, not just because those days can't possibly be worse.
I know this:
These Pirates will hold my interest the rest of the season.
I haven't given a damn about baseball here since the glory years — if that's what you want to call them — from 2013-15, but I want to see what these young guys can do.
The Pirates rookies who started Monday night are between the ages of 22 and 25. Davis, 23, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft. Priester, 22, and Gonzales, 24, were first-round picks. Triolo, 25, was a second-round pick.
Oneil Cruz, 24, is due back from his mid-April ankle surgery at some point after mid-August. He was supposed to be the Pirates' best player this season.
I'm not ready to give up on Roansy Contreras, 23, and Luis Ortiz, 24. I saw too much from them last season.
Best of all, Paul Skenes, 21, will be here — hopefully — sooner rather than later. Tomorrow wouldn't be too soon.
Touted pitchers Anthony Solometo and Jared Jones should be here down the road. So should second baseman Termarr Johnson, the franchise's top-rated prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
I want to believe Ben Cherington and his scouts knew what they were doing when they collected the young players.
I have to believe that.
If Cherington and his people were wrong, I'll probably never see winning baseball again in this town let alone the city's first World Series team since 1979.
It should be pointed out here that Thrift and Leyland did pull off their resurrection, at least to the point that the Pirates won three consecutive division titles from 1990-92.
It also should be pointed out that it didn't happen overnight. That first season for Thrift and Leyland — 1986 — the Pirates lost 98 games.
I remain hopeful despite that loss by a touchdown, a 2-point conversion and a field goal Monday night.
Hope is all we've got.
