PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It was the familiar smile and the dozens of handshakes and hugs as Clint Hurdle returned to PNC Park Friday. There were so many people he touched during his nine years, 735 wins and three playoff appearances with the Pirates.
“It’s like an old friend, one that I haven’t seen in a long time that I’m happy to see,” Hurdle said in the visiting dugout that looks out at left field, where Russell Martin’s ball sailed over wall and into the stands in the biggest moment in ballpark history as the Pirates beat Cincinnati in the 2013 Wild Card game.
“One of the things that I shared publicly when I was given the opportunity to be the manager were the hopes were to re-bond the city with its baseball team and I believe we did that,” Hurdle said. “There are a lot of finger prints on the success that we had collectively. We didn’t get to where we wanted to go, the final destination, a World Series championship.”
To that Hurdle feels regret, even thought they went from a doormat and through some hard times to ascend to one of the best teams in the National League. Hurdle said those three years from 2013-15, PNC Park became a hostile environment for opposing teams.
“I probably had as much fun in the game of baseball as I’ve ever had anywhere,” Hurdle said. “The fans made part of that happen because the fan base, as you well know, here is so deeply passionate. There are a lot of good feelings coming back because we did a lot of hard together too.”
Even though he has returned to baseball with the Rockies as the bench coach, Hurdle said he still follows the Pirates, mainly because of relationships with Bryan Reynolds, Mitch Keller and Andrew McCutchen. Hurdle said he and McCutchen have stayed closely connected over the years.
He also stays in touch with Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison, Jason Grilli, Travis Snider and others. Now 68, Hurdle still gets notes from Pirates staffers and fans thanking him for putting baseball back in its proper place in Pittsburgh.
The current Rockies manager is a former WPIAL star as is the Pirates skipper. There is no ill will toward Don Kelly, who said he gets goosebumps thinking about those seasons and what Hurdle did.
“I’m excited for Donny’s opportunity, very excited,” Hurdle said. “I didn’t know what it’s like to be a Yinzer. I’ve had people who reached out and told me I’m as close to being a Yinzer as an outsider can be from the time I spent here pouring into the community. You don’t know Pittsburgh unless you’ve lived in Pittsburgh and spent time in Pittsburgh. It’s a very passionate place to be.”
“I’m pulling for Donny. I reached out to him when he got the job. I thought it was really cool that he asked Gene Lamont to come back and find some GPS for him.”
“There is always going to be a hole in my heart for the people here, the fans here because we got close, but we didn’t crack that nut. To know how they reacted for three years and to know what it can look like. I’m just hoping that happens for somebody."