Latest news with #DonKelly
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pirates Manager Gets 'Serious' Attention Amid Paul Skenes Speculation
Pirates Manager Gets 'Serious' Attention Amid Paul Skenes Speculation originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton on May 8 after a 12-26 start to the season, and replaced Shelton with bench coach Don Kelly, who became the interim head coach. Advertisement Amid growing frustration around baseball with the Pirates' lack of competitiveness with Paul Skenes in tow, the move to fire Shelton signaled urgency to start trying to win more ballgames. Skenes' 4-6 record despite his 1.88 ERA and 0.84 WHIP is just bad for baseball, and complaints over his stats seem to be redundant at this point. However, Kelly is quietly earning praise for his handling of a tough situation. Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch to Chicago Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki (27) during the first inning at PNC LeClaire-Imagn Images Since Kelly took over, the Pirates are 15-14, but they have fallen to 13.5 games out of first place, down from 10 on May 8. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted Kelly's local roots as a Mount Lebanon native who found his way to the big leagues after playing infield for nearby Point Park University. Jon Heyman, insider for MLB Network, even went as far as to say that Kelly has already earned an extension. Advertisement The Gazette's Jason Mackey asserted that Kelly's ejection on May 10 was a suggestion from legendary manager Jim Leyland as a means of earning respect. Leyland, who coached the Pirates from 1986-1996, was inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame in 2024. Mackey, along with ESPN insider Jeff Passan, have praised the job Kelly has done at stabilizing the trajectory of the Pirates' season. Even if the idea of a playoff bid feels laughable, the new skipper has commanded the respect of the city and seems to enjoy this newfound attention. Related: Pirates General Manager Silences Paul Skenes Trade Rumors: 'Not Part of the Conversation' Related: Yankees Announcer Rips Pirates for Failing Paul Skenes This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Paul Skenes dominated again without getting a win. This time, the Pirates ace didn't mind
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes is in a routine. Pitch deep into a game. Allow a single run, if that. Walk away without a win. That didn't change Sunday. The 23-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates ace worked 7 2/3 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, giving up one unearned run on two hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. He was pulled with the game tied 1-all. Skenes remained 4-6 in his sophomore season despite lowering his ERA to 1.88, second-best in the National League behind the New York Mets' Kodai Senga (1.59). This time, he didn't mind the no-decision. Pittsburgh won 2-1, completing a three-game sweep and handing Philadelphia its fifth straight loss. 'I think we've been playing pretty good ball for a little bit now and either haven't come out with (wins) or lost by a run or something like that in a few games,' Skenes said. 'I've been happy with the baseball we've been playing. It's nice to finally get some wins out of it, too. It's easy to go on a losing streak, too, so we've just got to keep going.' Skenes threw 97 pitches (62 strikes). He got through the first two batters of the eighth on four pitches before manager Don Kelly signaled for rookie right-hander Braxton Ashcraft, who entered as fans' booing over the decision subsided. 'We felt like (Skenes) was done,' Kelly said. 'He emptied the tank there that inning. Just felt like it was an opportunity to go to Ashcraft in that moment. 'Unbelievable. What can you say? Just continued to fill up the strike zone, elite stuff. At the beginning, really sharp. Kind of in the middle, looked like it got it away from him. That's just what he's shown, that he's able to dial it back in and just dominate the strike zone. He was unbelievable again today.' Ashcraft picked up his first win in the majors after Andrew McCutchen hit a go-ahead, broken-bat single in the eighth. The 25-year-old started with a walk of Brandon Marsh but recovered by getting Rafael Marchán to ground out to second. Returning for the ninth, he forced Alec Bohm into a game-ending double play as rain began to pour. 'It means a lot after somebody puts up a really good outing,' Ashcraft said. '(Skenes) has done that consistently this year. It means a lot to us, as a team, to be able to go out and get him that win. He didn't get the win. I got the win. But, I mean, he got it just as much as I did.' It was nothing out of the ordinary. Skenes gave up one run on three hits with eight strikeouts in eight innings against the Houston Astros on Tuesday in his previous outing, but the Pirates lost 3-0. Skenes is 1-4 in his past eight starts, even though he's given up just five runs in 42 1/3 innings over his last six. Pittsburgh has averaged 3.35 runs in his 14 starts and he is 0-2 in three games where he's gone into the eighth, despite allowing three runs total (two earned). Cristopher Sánchez nearly matched Skenes on Sunday, giving up two runs and striking out nine in seven innings. Dueling with another starter is fine with Skenes, but he doesn't mind the alternative. 'It's fun,' Skenes said. 'Pitching in 10-0 games is fun, too.' ___ AP MLB:
CTV News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Ottawa recognizing a new community hero: ‘It's about service'
Move 100 and CTV are proud to introduce you to our community hero, presented by La-Z-Boy! Ottawa has a new hero and it's a former military officer and adventurer who dedicated his time to serving the community after retiring. Don Kelly is the winner of the CTV and Move 100's Community Hero Award 2025. He received a $5,000 cheque from La-Z-Boy Ottawa Thursday. 'It's not an individual award. It's actually a community award. And I'm very grateful for anybody who nominated me,' Kelly told CTV Morning Live. 'I served with the military. And I know it's about service. And this is just an extension of that service.' When Kelly is not taking care of his sick wife and driving her to the hospital, you'll find him at community events in the capital or helping the Blackburn Community Association. Here's a list of Kelly's 2025 community activities: Winter Carnival/ Hockey Day in the Hamlet: Coordinator of annual event Neighborhood Watch: Coordinator First Aid Training: Co-Ordinator Children Bike Rodeo: Coordinator of annual event Adult Bike Ride: Coordinator of annual event Emergency Preparedness Program: Coordinator of Blackburn Hamlet Community Showcase: Chair of committee and organizer Cancer Chase: Special assistant Christmas Market: Chair of annual event Christmas Pancake Breakfast: Chair of annual event Lighting of Community Christmas Tree: Chair of committee and organizer Volunteer Appreciation Day: Co-Chair of annual event Community Association: Director of safety Kelly has always been a friendly face in Ottawa, starting conversations with residents in the local Metro in his neighbourhood, talking about one project or another. On Saturday, Kelly will be helping Ottawa police promote their crime prevention strategies.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Frustrations boil over in rain as Astros GM Dana Brown tries to ‘protect the boys'
PITTSBURGH — Dana Brown tries to hide his blowups behind closed doors, but frustrations boiled over during a contentious meeting Thursday with Pittsburgh Pirates officials amid a 3-hour, 22-minute rain delay that preceded his club's 8-2 win at PNC Park. In one of the most heated public scenes of his two-season tenure as the Houston Astros' general manager, Brown grew agitated during a gathering behind home plate that determined whether the game would be played Thursday night. Television cameras captured Brown acting demonstratively toward Pirates manager Don Kelly and a slew of other Pirates staffers. Major League Baseball renders the ultimate ruling of whether a game in a delay will be played or postponed, Brown said. Why is the Astros GM down on the field arguing about the weather with Don Kelly — Platinum Ke'Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) June 6, 2025 'I would have preferred to bang the game just because of the conditions and the length of time and all of that,' said Brown, who used baseball's colloquialism for a postponement. 'I would've preferred to bang it.' Instead, the game — originally scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET — began at 10:02 p.m. Houston needed 2 hours, 24 minutes to dispatch the hapless Pirates and increase its American League West division lead to 1 1/2 games. Advertisement Afterward, the Astros gathered in their clubhouse in the wee hours of Friday morning. A game against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field loomed later that night — a fact that fueled most of Brown's frustration. He repeated multiple times that the team's traveling party would be in bed 'around 3:30 in the morning, if we're lucky.' 'That was my concern. We got a lot of schedule left and so I want to protect the boys,' Brown said. 'My whole point is to protect the players at all costs. I got a little frustrated. 'If we were here tomorrow, it would've been no problem. The fact we had to get on a flight and go to Cleveland, post in Cleveland against a good team, getting in late. I had my ace going, too, in bad weather. I was worried about guys getting hurt. And I showed it.' Asked whether he regretted the agitation, Brown replied: 'Not at all. It's a natural reaction to being the GM of a club and starting a game three-plus hours after it's supposed to start. Almost four hours, right? On getaway day.' Pittsburgh and Cleveland are separated by only 134 miles. Although some clubs bus between the cities, the Astros opted to take a charter flight that should take about an hour. According to the sport's collective bargaining agreement, the latest possible start time for any getaway day game 'shall be determined by taking the portion of the in-flight time that exceeds 2 1/2 hours and subtracting that amount of time from 7 p.m.' The Astros and Pirates never discussed moving up Thursday's scheduled first pitch because, according to Brown, 'it was always under a 50 percent chance of rain and that's probably why they didn't think about moving it up because they didn't think we'd have a problem.' Rain did not fall for the first hour and 10 minutes of Thursday's delay, but Brown said he had no interest in trying to start the game at 6:40 p.m. Doing so could've wasted outings from two premier starters: Pittsburgh's Mitch Keller and Houston's Framber Valdez. Advertisement The downpour that ensued at 7:51 p.m. included claps of thunder, at least one lightning strike and produced puddles on the left-field warning track. At 8:45 p.m., the two managers emerged for a meeting. Rain pelted a tarp still covering the field at PNC Park, but the 'window' existed to play nine innings. Kelly and Houston's Joe Espada talked by themselves for a few minutes before umpires D.J. Reyburn and James Hoye arrived. As the gathering grew, Brown appeared with the body language of someone boiling. He talked with his hands and appeared agitated throughout a conversation he dominated. As tensions rose, Reyburn positioned himself between Brown and a Pirates contingent that included Kelly, assistant general manager Bryan Stroh, senior vice president of communications Brian Warecki and PNC Park director of field operations Matt Brown. 'I want to protect all of our players at all costs, and I was frustrated we were starting so late and we couldn't find a window to get a makeup game,' Brown said. Warecki escorted Kelly away from the discussion after Brown appeared to direct comments toward him and pointed at him. 'I don't have an issue with Don Kelly,' Brown said. 'I think they thought they could play. They're home. I don't have an issue with Kelly at all.' Espada appeared intent on diffusing the situation, extending his hand toward Kelly. Both were part of the Astros' 2019 coaching staff and remain friends. Kelly was not asked about his interaction with Brown during his postgame news conference. 'Obviously, it's the last game that they're here and trying to find — while they're here, we wanted to play,' Kelly said. Espada and Brown departed for the first-base dugout moments after the discussion. At that point, Brown said, the teams had still not determined whether to play Thursday's game. Both sides searched for mutual off days when the Astros could return to Pittsburgh and potentially make up the game. Advertisement 'We went back in and looked at more dates, tried to see (if) there was any way we could squeeze this game in,' Brown said. 'If you take the liberty of going to look, it's really tough to match us up when they have a day off and we have a day off and play the game.' The teams share two mutual off days that coincide with both a Pirates homestand and Astros road trip: Sept. 8 and Sept. 22. They could've cut short their All-Star breaks for a one-game showdown July 17, but the Astros begin a six-game West Coast trip in Seattle on July 18. With no available dates for either club, Pittsburgh's grounds crew emerged to prepare the field for a first pitch Brown never wanted to see. That his team won the game and secured the series soothed some of the frustrations from an often jovial man who rarely is seen without a smile. 'I get fired up behind closed doors usually,' he said as one crept across his face. 'Never out in public.'
Forbes
29-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Pittsburgh Pirates' Ace Paul Skenes Shrugs Off Unfounded Trade Talk
National League 2024 Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes continues to deliver. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) As might be expected from a pitcher who throws 100 mph, Pittsburgh right-hander Paul Skenes took the high road when he found himself the subject of trade rumors. 'It doesn't affect anything,' Skenes said. 'Anybody can play GM.' The Pirates seem to understand how ludicrous it would be to trade Skenes at this point, less than two years into his major league career that includes the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year award and a start in the 2024 All-Star Game. 'It's not part of the conversation at all,' Pirates' general manager Ben Cherington said. There are many ways to build a pennant contender, and they can vary by market size and financial means. History indicates the Pirates would be best served by keeping Skenes and fitting pieces around him rather than vice versa. They tried it the other way with Gerrit Cole. It did not work. "He's definitely a guy you want to build around,' Pirates interim manager Don Kelly said after Skenes threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a 10-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. 'No doubt. Paul Skenes, they don't come around … ever. There are few pitchers like that.' Kelly knows the type. He played with legitimate aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer during the Detroit Tigers' postseason runs in 2011-1014, and he noted the similarities between those two Hall of Fame candidates and Skenes. Verlander won the AL Cy Young award in 2011 and was second in 2012. Scherzer won it in 2013 and won consecutive NL Cy Youngs after being traded to Washington in 2016-17. Scherzer is one of seven pitchers to win it in both leagues. 'That's what you see in Paul, that type of guy,' Kelly said. 'If he continues to develop, continues to grow. He's a pitcher, not a thrower. Just the way he works.' Not that keeping him would not stretch the budget. Skenes, 23 today, has five more years of team control, two when his contract can be unilaterally renewed before three more of arbitration. If Skenes continues on his current same path, he certainly would challenge or break the record arbitration award for major league pitchers of $13.5 million, which was set by Cole in 2019 and met by Max Fried in 2023. Skenes has made quality starts in 10 of his 12 appearances this season, including eight of the last nine. His ERA fell to 2.15 Wednesday, and he is 4-5 because of limited run support. 'When he is on, he is on, and we know as a club if we can just score one run, we're gong to be in a good place,' Pirates veteran Andrew McCutchen said. 'We've probably taken that a little too literally this year. He's a special talent.' Skenes struck out Bryce Harper on four fastballs in the first inning of a 1-0, complete game loss to Philadelphia to May 18. All four were at least 98.9 mph, according to Statcast, and Harper swung through a 99.7 fastball to end the at-bat. Skenes is as physically imposing — 6-foot-5, 260 — as his numbers. The Pirates have been in this position before, albeit late in their star pitcher's career. Cole, like Skenes, was the first overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Pirates. They traded him to Houston before the 2018 season for a package that included Joe Musgrove and three others. Finances were the driver. Cole had one year of arbitration eligibility remaining at the time of the deal, and the small-spending Pirates saw it as fiscally prudent. They were right on that side. Cole has made $337.5 million since. The Pirates' payroll this season is $90 million. Cole has built a Hall of Fame resume in the seven-plus seasons since that deal, and Musgrove threw the first no-hitter in San Diego history after being traded as part of another Pirates' roster renovation. How the Pirates handle their ace this time, time will tell. 'We have a good core for sure and a good opportunity to do something in Pittsburgh,' Skenes said. 'We saw it last year for a good part of the year. Just have to keep going.' As for the future? 'I don't know,' he said. 'Just here and now.' The Pittsburgh Pirates will have four more years of control of ace Paul Skenes after this season. ... More (Photo by)
