PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He was part of a team that swept the Yankees to win the American League. He managed a Rockies team to a 20-8 September, won a play-in playoff game 9-8 in 13 innings and then the National League pennant. However, Clint Hurdle told the PM Team about the Pirates Wild Card win over Cincinnati in 2013.
“I’ve never been a part of any eruption like that from any fanbase ever before,” Hurdle said.
Hurdle said the fans ‘Cueto-ed, Cueto’ causing him to drop the ball and then the next pitch Russell Martin hit a home run and the Pirates won a first playoff game since 1992.
Martin and AJ Burnett were a big reason for the change. Hurdle credited general manager Neal Huntington and the front office for bringing in players who were game-changers. They were not going to be overwhelmed with anything. Then they took their belief and spread it through the clubhouse.
“They would bring knives to a fistfight,” is the way Hurdle explained their impact while a guest on the PM Team.
That attitude matched the desperation and determination of a baseball market clamoring for a winner. People here knew of the recent unsuccessful history, Hurdle saw it firsthand.
“The vibe in Pittsburgh was different,” Hurdle explained on 93.7 The Fan. “It was a hungry city. It was a hungry fanbase. It was players that put a foot down and said we are going to reverse this trend.”
It all came to a head on one October day, well before first pitch.
“I can remember getting to the park about 11 o’clock that day and walking outside, just for some quiet time, and starting to hear people,” Hurdle told the PM Team. “The vibe, the people, the music, the noise. It kept building as the day went on and then erupted when we took the field.”
Hurdle credited the entire organization for their success starting with former team president Frank Coonelly.
“Everybody was inclusive,” Hurdle explained on 93.7 The Fan. “Everybody was positive and wanted to show up and reverse the trend we had been in. Once we were able to flip the script in 2013, some momentum got on our side. Some traction got on our side.”
“But the fanbase has no idea how helpful they were through it all. That park, PNC Park, the North Shore, it became a hostile playing environment for opposing teams.”
The former Pirates manager has written a book about his experiences called ‘Hurdle-isms: Wit and Wisdom from a Lifetime in Baseball’. It’s a unique journey of a player introduced to the world on the cover of Sports Illustrated before he ever took an MLB at bat. Now 67-years-old, Hurdle has experienced several life events, but there is something about being in black and gold that always stuck with him.
“It was an absolute joy to be the manager of the Pirates the nine years I worked there,” Hurdle said. “I can tell you for three years (2013-15) that place was electric.”