PITTSBURGH — Prior to Wednesday’s season finale, which turned out to be a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, Pirates manager Derek Shelton admitted that he gets frustrated too, sometimes.
Much of that pregame discussion surrounded the season at large, because that was most appropriate. Sure, this win on the final day of the season at least sends the Pirates out on a high note, but it doesn’t really change anything. They didn’t set out this season on a quest to win 62 games on the dot, and the bumps along the way have been ugly and plentiful.
But Shelton joined the Pirates as part of a new brain trust prior to the 2020 season. When he was hired, general manager Ben Cherington laid out the plan, and the two have worked closely to try to see it out. That plan is clear by now. Any veterans from that 2020 are mostly gone. The young players have been given the playing time. After a round of substitutions in Wednesday’s win, the Pirates had five rookie position players on the field, with Rodolfo Castro, Kevin Newman and Miguel Andujar the only exceptions.
