2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season

2009  Pittsburgh Pirates
League	National League
Division	Central
Ballpark	PNC Park
City	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania [1]
Record	62–99 (.385)
Divisional place	6th
Owners	Robert Nutting
General managers	Neal Huntington
Managers	John Russell
Television	FSN Pittsburgh
Radio	WPGB-FM (Steve Blass, Greg Brown, Tim Neverett, Bob Walk, John Wehner)
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The 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 128th season of the franchise and the 123rd in the National League. ^[2] This was their ninth season at PNC Park. The season is the franchise's second season under the management of John Russell. ^[3] With this season, the Pirates became the first franchise in professional sports to have a losing record in 17 consecutive seasons, passing the Philadelphia Phillies of 1933–1948 with 16. ^[4] The Pirates finished sixth and last in the National League Central with a record of 62–99. The Pirates were attempting to improve on their 2008 record, and conquer a winning record and make it to the playoffs for the first time since 1992. However, after going 11–10 in April, the Pirates suffered losing streaks. After an 8-game losing streak on May 3–10, the Pirates never reached above the .500 mark again, and failed to reach their goal.

Off-season

The organization fired pitching coach Jeff Andrews and first-base coach Lou Frazier the day after the 2008 season concluded, ^{[5] [6]} but are expected to retain the rest of the staff through 2009. ^[7] In October 2008, Joe Kerrigan—previously of the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies—was hired as the new pitching coach, ^[8] while Perry Hill became the first base coach. ^[9] On November 24, the Pirates signed Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh of India. ^[10] The pair participated in the Million Dollar Arm, a contest held in their home country to discover who out of the 30,000 contestants had the strongest, most accurate arm. ^[11] Having never heard of baseball prior to 2007, both Patel and Singh can throw over 90 mph. The pair will participate at spring training. ^[12] Management plans to keep closer observations of players' off-season workouts. ^[13]

Pirates' radio announcer of 33 years, Lanny Frattare, retired prior to the season. ^{[14] [15]} Tim Neverett, formerly of Fox Sports Rocky Mountain, was selected to replace him after a search of approximately 200 candidates. ^{[16] [17]} In January 2009, the team held its sixth PirateFest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The three-day event was attended by 15,127 people, and increased the number of season ticket packages purchased from the 2008 season. ^[18] President Frank Coonelly stated that the team had fallen behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Penguins from a "marketing and business perspective", but are "...working hard to get ourselves back up to where we belong both in Major League Baseball and Pittsburgh." ^[19] The Pirates added sleeves to their uniform, and added an alternate uniform with a gold-colored P on the chest which will be worn during select games. ^[20]

Spring training

"It's time for us as an organization and our players to realize that losing is not acceptable. It's not an acceptable way of life for a Pirate."

John Russell ^[21]

The Pirates pre-season schedule consisted of 35 games in Bradenton, Florida, including two evening games and a game against the Netherlands national baseball team. ^[22] When pitchers and catchers reported on February 13, three of twelve pitching positions were set: starter Paul Maholm, set-up man John Grabow, and closer Matt Capps. ^[23] The Pirates entered spring training with 21 of 40 different players from 2008 spring training; ^[24] among those were Eric Hinske, Ramón Vázquez, and Jason Jaramillo who were acquired during the off-season. ^[21] Beginning March 5, Ian Snell, Ramón Vázquez, and John Grabow represented their countries in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. ^[25] The Pirates finished spring training with a 17–15 record. "It gives us some confidence", said John Russell, "We worked hard all spring." ^[26] The Pirates opening day salary was US$50,984,000. ^[27] The Pirates finalized their opening day roster two days prior to the season opener (asterisk noting new players for the 2009 season): ^[28]

Infielders Luis Cruz Adam LaRoche Andy LaRoche Freddy Sanchez Ramón Vázquez* Jack Wilson

Outfielders Eric Hinske* Nate McLouth Craig Monroe* Nyjer Morgan Brandon Moss

Catchers Ryan Doumit Jason Jaramillo* Starting pitchers Zach Duke Jeff Karstens Paul Maholm Ross Ohlendorf Ian Snell

Relief pitchers Sean Burnett Matt Capps Jesse Chavez John Grabow Craig Hansen Donnie Veal* Tyler Yates

Regular season

April

The Pirates opened the season with a 6–4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, scoring four runs in the final inning to win their third consecutive come-from-behind opening day game. ^[29] The Pirates had 17 hits two games later to beat the Cardinals 7–4, ^[30] but were held to one hit the next day and split their opening series two games to two. ^[31] Rain shortened the Pirates' series in Cincinnati to two games; Pittsburgh won the first game 10–2 after Ryan Doumit hit his first career grand slam in the final inning. ^[32] On April 13, the Pirates completed the league's first triple play of the season and the Pirates' first in 16 years; however, they lost the game 2–0. ^[33] In the team's home opener on April 13, Zach Duke pitched a complete game shutout, as the Pirates defeated the Houston Astros, 7–0. ^[34] In the game, both the Pirates and the Astros wore Pittsburgh Police hats in honor of three officers who were shot and killed on April 4. ^[35] The pre-game ceremonies honored the officers, as well as former Pirates pitcher and current broadcaster Steve Blass for this 50th season with the team, and included a flyover by four Apache helicopters from the 1/104th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. ^[36] In the first Saturday afternoon game in Pittsburgh since 2005, Craig Monroe hit two three-run home runs in consecutive innings to give the Pirates their first back-to-back victories of the season. ^[37] On April 21, catcher Ryan Doumit announced that surgery was needed to fix a broken bone in his wrist, and that he would miss eight to ten weeks. ^[38] Later in the day, the Pirates beat the Florida Marlins 3–2, taking them two games above .500 since the first series of the 2007 season. ^[39] The following day the Pirates swept the Marlins for the first time since 2005, giving Pittsburgh their best start through 15 games since 2002. ^[40] The Pirates took two games out of three against the San Diego Padres, ^[41] before closing April by getting swept by the Milwaukee Brewers. ^[42] Andy LaRoche hit safely in a career high 11 games during the later part of the month. ^[43]

Pittsburgh finished the month with an 11–10 record—the first time since 2002 that the team was over .500 at April's end. ^[43] The team was tied for third place in the NL Central division, four games behind the St. Louis Cardinals, who finished the month with the league's best record. ^[44] The pitching staff posted a league-low 3.41 earned run average (ERA), due in part to first-year pitching coach Joe Kerrigan teaching pitchers to base pitches on hitters' tendencies. ^[45]

May

The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Pirates in two games out of three at PNC Park to open May. ^[46] The concluding two games of the homestand saw the Pirates lose their 16 and 17th consecutive games to the Milwaukee Brewers—the second longest streak of any team over another in MLB history. ^[47] The Pirates were swept during a two-game series in St. Louis—the losses extended Pittsburgh's losing streak to five consecutive road games and nine out of their past ten overall. ^[48] The Pirates were swept by the New York Mets in their first series at New York's Citi Field, extending their losing streak to eight consecutive games. ^[49] The Pirates returned home to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in two out of three games. ^[50] On May 13, Adam LaRoche became the first player in MLB history to have a home run taken away due to instant replay, during a procedure put into effect in August 2008. ^[51] The Pirates concluded their homestand by taking two games out of three against the Colorado Rockies—finishing their homestand with a 4–2 record. In the final game of the Rockies's series Pittsburgh scored ten runs in one inning for the first time since August 2003. ^[52] The Pirates won three out of four games against the Washington Nationals, extending their winning streak to five games. ^[53] The Pirates continued their road trip with six games in Chicago—becoming the first team in MLB history to play the Cubs and White Sox in back-to-back series since interleague play began in 1997. ^[54] After losing their first two games of the first interleague series of the season against the White Sox, Jack Wilson hit his first home run of the year to tie the final game of the series with two outs in the final inning; Nyjer Morgan scored the winning run later in the inning. ^[55] On May 25, Freddy Sanchez became the first Pirate to acquire six hits in one game since Wally Backman in 1990, as the Pirates defeated the Cubs. ^[56] The Pirates lost two out of three games against the Cubs, scoring a total of three runs in their losses. ^[57] The Pirates concluded the month by losing two games out of three to the Houston Astros. Nate McLouth hit a home run to lead off the final game of the month, but the Pirates score any other runs, losing 2–1. ^[58] Throughout May the Pirates accumulated an 11–17 record, finishing 20–28 overall for the season. The team was in fifth place in the National League Central division. ^[59]

June

The Pirates began the month with a four-game series against the New York Mets, although it was shortened to three games when the June 3 game was postponed. The Pirates won all three games that were played. On June 4, the Pirates traded All Star Nate McLouth to the Atlanta Braves for three minor league players, including future starting pitcher Charlie Morton. Later in the day, the team promoted outfielder Andrew McCutchen from AAA Indianapolis, ^[60] who became the team's regular starting center fielder. The Pirates then dropped two of three to the Astros in Houston, and two of four to the Atlanta Braves before returning home for the start of Interleague play. They took two games from the Tigers before going on another road series, first to Minnesota (where they only won one game), and then to Colorado (where they were swept). They then came back home to win two of three against both the Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City Royals. In the game against the Royals on June 26, starting pitcher Virgil Vasquez earned his first win in his major league debut. The Pirates then played a three-game series against Chicago which stretched into July, which they lost two games to three. On June 30, starting center fielder Nyjer Morgan and relief pitcher Sean Burnett were traded to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan. Hanrahan was put on the starting roster immediately, but Milledge was forced to go through a series of rehab-starts in AAA Indianapolis before being called up, due to an existing injury. During this month, the city's National Hockey League team, the Penguins, won the Stanley Cup, which coupled with the team's struggles and the National Football League's Steelers winning the Super Bowl back in February, led to a running joke that dubbed the city to be the "City of Champions. And the Pirates".

July

The Pirates lost the first game of the month against the Cubs, then played the Mets in the make-up of the postponed June 3 game. They lost 9–8 in 10 innings, despite having tied up the game off of All-Star closer Francisco Rodríguez. The Pirates then went to Florida to face the Marlins, and lost two games to three. They fared no better on their trip to Houston, where they also won only one game, and then they were swept by the Phillies in their next series. On July 17, in the first of a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants, reliever Evan Meek picked up his first win of the season in a 14-inning game. They also won the next game, though they would lose the series finale. On July 20, in the first of a three-game series against the Brewers, the benches were cleared in the eighth inning when Milwaukee pitcher Chris Smith hit Pittsburgh reliever Jeff Karstens with a pitch. The Pirates won that game 8–5, and the series 2–1. Their next road trip took them to Atlanta, where they dropped three of five, and then to San Francisco, where they were swept. Before the final game of the series on July 29, the Pirates traded veteran shortstop Jack Wilson to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for future starting shortstop Ronny Cedeño and four Minor League players. After the game, the Pirates traded three-time All-Star second baseman Freddy Sanchez to the Giants for minor league pitcher Tim Alderson. On July 31, the Pirates returned home for a four-game series against the Nationals which stretched into August.

August

Though they won the games on both July 31 and August 1, the Pirates lost the next two games to split the series 2–2. This started an eight-game losing streak, against the Nationals, the Diamondbacks, and the Cardinals, which ended August 11 when the Pirates defeated the Rockies in Colorado. They lost the next two against the Rockies, and the next two against the Cubs. The August 16 game in Chicago was postponed because of rain. Returning home, the Pirates swept the Brewers and took two of three from the Reds and Phillies. The Pirates didn't win a game the rest of the month, being swept by the Brewers and the Reds in a series stretching into September.

September

The Pirates opened the month of September losing both games in a doubleheader against the Reds. They then returned home to play the Cardinals, against whom they won one game out of three. They then lost the first game of a three-game series against the Cubs, giving them their 82nd loss, and setting the record for most consecutive losing seasons in any sport since the 1933–1948 Philadelphia Phillies. ^[4]

Game log

2009 Game Log (62–99) [61]
April (11–10) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 1 April 6 @ Cardinals 6–4 Grabow (1–0) Motte Capps (1) 45,832 1–0 2 April 7 @ Cardinals 3–9 Lohse Snell (0–1) — 35,206 1–1 3 April 8 @ Cardinals 7–4 Duke (1–0) Wellemeyer Capps (2) 35,535 2–1 4 April 9 @ Cardinals 1–2 Carpenter Ohlendorf (0–1) Reyes 35,293 2–2 — April 10 @ Reds PostponedRescheduled for August 31 5 April 11 @ Reds 10–2 Maholm (1–0) Cueto — 22,276 3–2 6 April 12 @ Reds 0–2 Harang Snell (0–2) — 12,876 3–3 7 April 13 Astros 7–0 Duke (2–0) Moehler — 38,411 4–3 8 April 15 Astros 1–4 Hampton Ohlendorf (0–2) — 20,690 4–4 9 April 16 Astros 3–6 Wright Burnett (0–1) Hawkins 13,877 4–5 10 April 17 Braves 3–0 Maholm (2–0) Jurrjens Capps (3) 15,659 5–5 11 April 18 Braves 10–0 Snell (1–2) Reyes — 20,755 6–5 12 April 19 Braves 1–11 Vazquez Duke (2–1) — 14,776 6–6 13 April 20 Marlins 8–0 Ohlendorf (1–2) Miller — 8,790 7–6 14 April 21 Marlins 3–2 Karstens (1–0) Sanchez Capps (4) 9,917 8–6 15 April 22 Marlins 7–4 Maholm (3–0) Nolasco Capps (5) 10,655 9–6 16 April 24 @ Padres 3–4 (11) Moreno Capps (0–1) — 25,601 9–7 17 April 25 @ Padres 10–1 Duke (3–1) Hill — 41,665 10–7 18 April 26 @ Padres 8–3 Ohlendorf (2–2) Peavy — 30,848 11–7 19 April 27 @ Brewers 5–10 Coffey Yates (0–1) — 32,198 11–8 20 April 28 @ Brewers 5–6 Julio Chavez (0–1) Hoffman 26,594 11–9 21 April 29 @ Brewers 0–1 Gallardo Snell (1–3) Villanueva 29,791 11–10
May (11–18) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 22 May 1 Reds 0–4 Arroyo Duke (3–2) — 14,238 11–11 23 May 2 Reds 8–6 Ohlendorf (3–2) Owings — 22,891 12–11 24 May 3 Reds 0–5 Cueto Karstens (1–1) — 13,670 12–12 25 May 4 Brewers 4–7 DiFelice Capps (0–2) Hoffman 8,482 12–13 26 May 5 Brewers 5–8 Suppan Snell (1–4) Villanueva 9,775 12–14 27 May 6 @ Cardinals 2–4 McClellan Duke (3–3) Franklin 36,188 12–15 28 May 7 @ Cardinals 2–5 Wellemeyer Ohlendorf (3–3) Franklin 41,928 12–16 29 May 8 @ Mets 3–7 Parnell Yates (0–2) — 38,496 12–17 30 May 9 @ Mets 1–10 Maine Maholm (3–1) — 39,769 12–18 31 May 10 @ Mets 4–8 Hernandez Snell (1–5) — 39,871 12–19 32 May 12 Cardinals 7–1 Duke (4–3) Wellemeyer — 11,718 13–19 33 May 13 Cardinals 5–2 Ohlendorf (4–3) Piñeiro Capps (6) 10,494 14–19 34 May 14 Cardinals 1–5 Miller Karstens (1–2) — 12,347 14–20 35 May 15 Rockies 1–3 Embree Capps (0–3) Street 17,179 14–21 36 May 16 Rockies 7–4 Burnett (1–1) Belisle Capps (7) 24,496 15–21 37 May 17 Rockies 11–4 Duke (5–3) Embree — 14,545 16–21 38 May 18 @ Nationals 12–7 Ohlendorf (5–3) Mock — 14,549 17–21 39 May 19 @ Nationals 8–5 (10) Gorzelanny (1–0) Beimel — 18,579 18–21 40 May 20 @ Nationals 2–1 Grabow (2–0) Hanrahan Capps (8) 17,854 19–21 41 May 21 @ Nationals 4–5 Tavarez Gorzelanny (1–1) Hanrahan 17,816 19–22 42 May 22 @ White Sox 0–2 Floyd Duke (5–4) Jenks 23,347 19–23 43 May 23 @ White Sox 0–4 Richard Ohlendorf (5–4) — 32,389 19–24 44 May 24 @ White Sox 4–3 Grabow (3–0) Jenks Capps (9) 28,309 20–24 45 May 25 @ Cubs 10–8 Gorzelanny (2–1) Cotts Burnett (1) 38,942 21–24 46 May 26 @ Cubs 1–6 (5) Marshall Snell (1–6) — 38,303 21–25 47 May 27 @ Cubs 2–5 Marmol Chavez (0–2) Gregg 38,314 21–26 48 May 29 Astros 1–6 Moehler Ohlendorf (5–5) — 18,236 21–27 49 May 30 Astros 7–4 Karstens (2–2) Rodriguez Capps (10) 37,167 22–27 50 May 31 Astros 1–2 Hampton Maholm (3–2) Hawkins 19,566 22–28
June (14–13) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 51 June 1 Mets 8–5 Gorzelanny (3–1) Putz Capps (11) 11,812 23–28 52 June 2 Mets 3–1 Duke (6–4) Santana Capps (12) 10,459 24–28 — June 3 @ Mets PostponedRescheduled for July 2 53 June 4 Mets 11–6 Jackson (1–0) Pelfrey — 20,683 25–28 54 June 5 @ Astros 1–9 Hampton Karstens (2–3) — 26,222 25–29 55 June 6 @ Astros 6–4 Maholm (4–2) Oswalt Capps (13) 26,099 26–29 56 June 7 @ Astros 4–6 Fulchino Jackson (1–1) Hawkins 25,729 26–30 57 June 8 @ Braves 6–7 (15) Medlen Karstens (2–4) — 21,856 26–31 58 June 9 @ Braves 3–4 Lowe Burnett (1–2) Soriano 20,124 26–32 59 June 10 @ Braves 3–2 Karstens (3–4) Jurrjens Capps (14) 21,610 27–32 60 June 11 @ Braves 3–1 Jackson (2–1) Soriano Capps (15) 29,331 28–32 61 June 12 Tigers 1–3 Porcello Snell (1–7) Rodney 18,369 28–33 62 June 13 Tigers 9–3 Duke (7–4) Galarraga — 31,411 29–33 63 June 14 Tigers 6–3 Ohlendorf (6–5) Willis Capps (16) 27,565 30–33 64 June 16 @ Twins 2–8 Perkins Maholm (4–3) — 25,351 30–34 65 June 17 @ Twins 8–2 Snell (2–7) Liriano — 30,057 31–34 66 June 18 @ Twins 1–5 Blackburn Duke (7–5) — 30,670 31–35 67 June 19 @ Rockies 3–7 Marquis Ohlendorf (6–6) — 31,248 31–36 68 June 20 @ Rockies 7–9 Street Chavez (0–3) — 32,137 31–37 69 June 21 @ Rockies 4–5 De La Rosa Maholm (4–4) Street 44,131 31–38 70 June 23 Indians 4–5 Huff Snell (2–8) Wood 19,109 31–39 71 June 24 Indians 10–6 Duke (8–5) Pavano — 20,162 32–39 72 June 25 Indians 3–2 Capps (1–3) Herges — 30,120 33–39 73 June 26 Royals 5–3 Vasquez (1–0) Meche Capps (17) 18,458 34–39 74 June 27 Royals 6–2 Maholm (5–4) Chen — 36,032 35–39 75 June 28 Royals 2–3 Greinke Morton (0–1) Soria 25,888 35–40 76 June 29 Cubs 1–3 Harden Duke (8–6) Gregg 15,400 35–41 77 June 30 Cubs 3–0 Ohlendorf (7–6) Lilly Capps (18) 17,054 36–41
July (8–17) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 78 July 1 Cubs 1–4 Wells Vasquez (1–1) Gregg 15,770 36–42 79 July 2 Mets 8–9 (10) Rodriguez Capps (1–4) — 14,321 36–43 80 July 3 @ Marlins 7–4 Morton (1–1) Volstad — 16,114 37–43 81 July 4 @ Marlins 3–5 Miller Duke (8–7) Meyer 25,303 37–44 82 July 5 @ Marlins 0–5 Nolasco Ohlendorf (7–7) — 13,287 37–45 83 July 6 @ Astros 1–4 Hampton Vasquez (1–2) Valverde 26,834 37–46 84 July 7 @ Astros 6–3 Maholm (6–4) Moehler Capps (19) 27,142 38–46 85 July 8 @ Astros 0–5 Rodriguez Morton (1–2) — 29,243 38–47 86 July 10 @ Phillies 2–3 Blanton Duke (8–8) Lidge 45,246 38–48 87 July 11 @ Phillies 7–8 Walker Capps (1–5) — 45,209 38–49 88 July 12 @ Phillies 2–5 Happ Vasquez (1–3) — 45,245 38–50 89 July 17 Giants 2–1 (14) Meek (1–0) Howry — 26,709 39–50 90 July 18 Giants 2–0 Morton (2–2) Zito Capps (20) 37,023 40–50 91 July 19 Giants 3–4 Cain Duke (8–9) Wilson 24,842 40–51 92 July 20 Brewers 8–5 Ohlendorf (8–7) Burns — 11,471 41–51 93 July 21 Brewers 0–2 Looper Vasquez (1–4) Hoffman 16,184 41–52 94 July 22 Brewers 8–7 Capps (2–5) Stetter — 21,186 42–52 95 July 23 @ Diamondbacks 4–11 Gutierrez Meek (1–1) — 24,008 42–53 96 July 24 @ Diamondbacks 10–3 Duke (9–9) Petit — 24,911 43–53 97 July 25 @ Diamondbacks 0–7 Davis Ohlendorf (8–8) — 26,037 43–54 98 July 26 @ Diamondbacks 0–9 Scherzer Vasquez (1–5) — 27,507 43–55 99 July 27 @ Giants 2–4 Lincecum Maholm (6–5) — 40,008 43–56 100 July 28 @ Giants 2–3 Romo Morton (2–3) Wilson 35,972 43–57 101 July 29 @ Giants 0–1 (10) Wilson Capps (2–6) — 37,582 43–58 102 July 31 Nationals 5–4 Ohlendorf (9–8) Lannan Capps (21) 23,363 44–58
August (9–19) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 103 August 1 Nationals 11–6 Vasquez (2–5) Stammen — 26,855 45–58 104 August 2 Nationals 3–5 Burnett Maholm (6–6) MacDougal 21,894 45–59 105 August 3 Nationals 4–8 Clippard Morton (2–4) MacDougal 11,630 45–60 106 August 4 Diamondbacks 0–6 Petit Duke (9–10) — 11,294 45–61 107 August 5 Diamondbacks 3–4 Davis Hanrahan (0–1) Qualls 11,470 45–62 108 August 6 Diamondbacks 6–11 (12) Rauch Jackson (2–2) — 17,311 45–63 109 August 7 Cardinals 4–6 Carpenter Ascanio (0–1) Franklin 24,854 45–64 110 August 8 Cardinals 3–5 Wainwright Morton (2–5) Franklin 38,593 45–65 111 August 9 Cardinals 3–7 Piñeiro Capps (2–7) McClellan 24,369 45–66 112 August 11 @ Rockies 7–3 Ohlendorf (10–8) Chacin — 35,212 46–66 113 August 12 @ Rockies 0–8 Jimenez Hart (0–1) — 29,430 46–67 114 August 13 @ Rockies 1–10 Marquis Maholm (6–7) — 27,619 46–68 115 August 14 @ Cubs 2–17 Wells Morton (2–6) — 41,619 46–69 116 August 15 @ Cubs 1–3 Gorzelanny Duke (9–11) Gregg 41,197 46–70 — August 16 @ Cubs PostponedRescheduled for September 30 117 August 17 Brewers 9–5 Hart (1–1) Villanueva — 12,478 47–70 118 August 18 Brewers 5–2 Ohlendorf (11–8) Parra — 12,188 48–70 119 August 19 Brewers 3–1 Maholm (7–7) Gallardo Capps (22) 12,630 49–70 120 August 21 Reds 5–2 Morton (3–6) Owings Capps (23) 22,725 50–70 121 August 22 Reds 12–2 Duke (10–11) Lehr — 32,570 51–70 122 August 23 Reds 1–4 Bailey Hart (1–2) Cordero 21,209 51–71 123 August 25 Phillies 6–4 Capps (3–7) Lidge — 17,049 52–71 124 August 26 Phillies 1–4 (10) Madson Jackson (2–3) — 17,403 52–72 125 August 27 Phillies 3–2 Bautista (1–0) Happ Capps (24) 24,470 53–72 126 August 28 @ Brewers 6–8 Parra Duke (10–12) Hoffman 34,438 53–73 127 August 29 @ Brewers 3–7 Vargas Hart (1–3) — 41,773 53–74 128 August 30 @ Brewers 1–4 Suppan Ohlendorf (11–9) Hoffman 41,157 53–75 129 August 31 @ Reds 3–4 Masset Chavez (0–4) — 13,051 53–76 130 August 31 @ Reds 3–6 Cueto Maholm (7–8) Cordero 9,087 53–77
September (8–20) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 131 September 1 @ Reds 5–11 Lehr Morton (3–7) Owings 10,304 53–78 132 September 2 @ Reds 3–5 Bailey Duke (10–13) Cordero 11,541 53–79 133 September 4 Cardinals 7–14 Wainwright Hart (1–4) — 15,258 53–80 134 September 5 Cardinals 1–2 (10) Hawksworth Capps (3–8) Franklin 27,071 53–81 135 September 6 Cardinals 6–5 Chavez (1–4) Franklin — 19,274 54–81 136 September 7 Cubs 2–4 Lilly McCutchen (0–1) Marmol 14,673 54–82 137 September 8 Cubs 4–9 Dempster Duke (10–14) — 17,862 54–83 138 September 9 Cubs 5–8 Zambrano Hart (1–5) Marmol 10,899 54–84 139 September 11 @ Astros 1–9 Norris Morton (3–8) — 31,302 54–85 140 September 12 @ Astros 2–4 Fulchino Ohlendorf (11–10) Valverde 35,213 54–86 141 September 13 @ Astros 2–1 Maholm (8–8) Paulino Capps (25) 34,405 55–86 142 September 14 @ Dodgers 2–6 Garland McCutchen (0–2) — 42,045 55–87 143 September 15 @ Dodgers 4–5 (13) Belisario Dumatrait (0–1) — 52,562 55–88 144 September 16 @ Dodgers 1–3 Kuroda Hart (1–6) Broxton 53,193 55–89 145 September 18 Padres 5–1 Morton (4–8) Stauffer — 26,178 56–89 146 September 19 Padres 1–2 Gregerson Dumatrait (0–2) Bell 20,379 56–90 147 September 20 Padres 0–4 Correia Maholm (8–9) Bell 24,028 56–91 148 September 21 Padres 6–11 (11) Gallagher Karstens (3–5) — 12,566 56–92 149 September 22 Reds 4–10 Cueto Duke (10–15) — 16,492 56–93 150 September 23 Reds 2–12 Bailey Hart (1–7) — 15,980 56–94 151 September 24 Reds 1–4 Arroyo Morton (4–9) Cordero 15,892 56–95 152 September 25 Dodgers 3–1 Veal (1–0) Garland Capps (26) 19,452 57–95 153 September 26 Dodgers 4–8 Sherrill Bautista (1–1) — 35,605 57–96 154 September 27 Dodgers 6–5 Capps (4–8) Broxton — 26,831 58–96 155 September 28 Dodgers 11–1 Duke (11–15) Kuroda — 16,696 59–96 156 September 29 @ Cubs 0–6 Dempster Hart (1–8) — 35,308 59–97 157 September 30 @ Cubs 4–0 Morton (5–9) Lilly — 34,362 60–97 158 September 30 @ Cubs 8–2 Karstens (4–5) Zambrano — 33,299 61–97
October (1–2) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 159 October 2 @ Reds 3–1 McCutchen (1–2) Lehr Capps (27) 16,288 62–97 160 October 3 @ Reds 4–8 Cueto Duke (11–16) — 24,539 62–98 161 October 4 @ Reds 0–6 Bailey Karstens (4–6) — 20,940 62–99
Legend:       = Win       = Loss       = Postponement Bold = Pirates team member

Divisional standings

• v
• t
• e

NL Central

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
St. Louis Cardinals	91	71	.562	—	46‍–‍35	45‍–‍36
Chicago Cubs	83	78	.516	7½	46‍–‍34	37‍–‍44
Milwaukee Brewers	80	82	.494	11	40‍–‍41	40‍–‍41
Cincinnati Reds	78	84	.481	13	40‍–‍41	38‍–‍43
Houston Astros	74	88	.457	17	44‍–‍37	30‍–‍51
Pittsburgh Pirates	62	99	.385	28½	40‍–‍41	22‍–‍58

Record vs. opponents

2009 National League record v t e Source: MLB Standings Grid – 2009
Team	AZ	ATL	CHC	CIN	COL	FLA	HOU	LAD	MIL	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL	WSH	AL
Arizona	–	3–4	4-2	1–5	7-11	5–3	5–4	7-11	2–5	5–2	1–5	6–1	11-7	5-13	2–4	1–5	5–10
Atlanta	4–3	–	4–2	3–6	4–4	8-10	3-3	4–3	3–3	13–5	10-8	3–4	3–3	3–4	4–2	10-8	7–8
Chicago	2-4	2–4	–	10-5	2–4	4–3	11–6	3–5	10-7	3-3	1–5	10-4	4–5	4-2	6-10	5–2	6–9
Cincinnati	5-1	6-3	5-10	–	0-7	3-3	12-4	1-5	8-7	2-4	2-5	13-5	1-6	3-3	8-8	3-4	6-9
Colorado	11-7	4-4	4-2	7-0	–	2-4	2-5	4-14	6-0	3-4	2-4	6-3	10-8	8-10	6-1	6-0	11-4
Florida	3-5	10-8	3-4	3-3	4-2	–	4–3	3-3	3-4	11-7	9-9	2-4	4-2	3-4	3-3	12-6	10-8
Houston	4–5	3-3	6-11	4-12	5-2	3-4	–	4–3	5-10	1-5	6-2	10-5	6-1	2-4	6-9	3-3	6-9
Los Angeles	11-7	3-4	5-3	5-1	14-4	3-3	3-4	–	3–3	5-1	4-3	4-3	10-8	11-7	2-5	3-2	9-9
Milwaukee	5-2	3-3	7-10	7-8	0-6	4-3	10-5	3-3	–	3-3	4-3	9-5	2-4	4-5	9-9	5-3	5-10
New York	2-5	5-13	3-3	4-2	4-3	7-11	5-1	1-5	3-3	–	6-12	4-3	2-5	5-3	4-5	10-8	5–10
Philadelphia	5-1	8-10	5-1	5-2	4-2	9-9	2-6	3-4	3-4	12-6	–	4-2	5-2	3-4	4-1	15-3	6-12
Pittsburgh	1-6	4-3	4-10	5-13	3-6	4-2	5-10	3-4	5-9	3-4	2-4	–	3-4	2-4	5-10	5-3	8–7
San Diego	7-11	3-3	5-4	6-1	8-10	2-4	1-6	8-10	4-2	5-2	2-5	4-3	–	10-8	1-6	4-2	5–10
San Francisco	13-5	4–3	2–4	3–3	10-8	4–3	4–2	7-11	5-4	3–5	4–3	4–2	8-10	–	4–3	4–2	9–6
St. Louis	4-2	2-4	10-6	8-8	1-6	3-3	9-6	5-2	9-9	5-4	1-4	10-5	6-1	3-4	–	6–1	9–6
Washington	5-1	8-10	2-5	4-3	0-6	6-12	3-3	2-3	3-5	8-10	3-15	3-5	2-4	2-4	1-6	–	7–11

Detailed records

National League Opponent W L WP RS RA NL East Atlanta Braves 4 3 0.571 29 25 Florida Marlins 4 2 0.667 28 20 New York Mets 3 4 0.429 38 46 Philadelphia Phillies 2 4 0.333 21 26 Washington Nationals 5 3 0.625 49 41 Total 18 16 0.529 165 158 NL Central Chicago Cubs 4 10 0.286 44 75 Cincinnati Reds 5 13 0.278 64 94 Houston Astros 5 10 0.333 43 67 Milwaukee Brewers 5 9 0.357 62 73 St. Louis Cardinals 5 10 0.333 58 75 Total 24 52 0.316 271 384 NL West Arizona Diamondbacks 1 6 0.143 23 51 Colorado Rockies 3 6 0.333 41 53 Los Angeles Dodgers 3 4 0.429 31 29 San Diego Padres 3 4 0.429 33 26 San Francisco Giants 2 4 0.333 11 13 Total 12 24 0.333 139 172 American League Chicago White Sox 1 2 0.333 4 9 Cleveland Indians 2 1 0.667 17 13 Detroit Tigers 2 1 0.667 16 9 Kansas City Royals 2 1 0.667 13 8 Minnesota Twins 1 2 0.333 11 15 Total 8 7 0.533 61 54 Season Total 62 99 0.385 636 768

Month Games Won Lost Win % RS RA April 21 11 10 0.524 101 75 May 29 11 18 0.379 113 141 June 27 14 13 0.519 123 114 July 25 8 17 0.320 83 116 August 28 9 19 0.321 109 154 September 28 8 20 0.286 100 153 October 3 1 2 0.333 7 15 Total 161 62 99 0.385 636 768 Games Won Lost Win % RS RA Home 81 40 41 0.494 360 354 Away 80 22 58 0.275 276 414 Total 161 62 99 0.385 636 768

Roster

2009 Pittsburgh Pirates
Roster
Pitchers 45 José Ascanio 54 Denny Bautista 52 Chris Bootcheck 17 Sean Burnett 55 Matt Capps 43 Jesse Chavez 61 Anthony Claggett 57 Zach Duke 32 Phil Dumatrait 24 Tom Gorzelanny 34 John Grabow 17 Eric Hacker 52 Joel Hanrahan 38 Craig Hansen 25 Kevin Hart 58 Steven Jackson 27 Jeff Karstens 28 Paul Maholm 62 Daniel McCutchen 47 Evan Meek 37 Charlie Morton 49 Ross Ohlendorf 45 Ian Snell 50 Virgil Vasquez 56 Donald Veal 30 Tyler Yates		Catchers 23 Robinzon Díaz 41 Ryan Doumit 35 Jason Jaramillo Infielders 10 Brian Bixler 13 Ronny Cedeño 36 Luis Cruz 25 Adam LaRoche 15 Andy LaRoche 51 Steven Pearce 12 Freddy Sanchez  5 Ramón Vázquez 19 Neil Walker  2 Jack Wilson 48 Delwyn Young Outfielders 16 Eric Hinske 46 Garrett Jones 22 Andrew McCutchen 13 Nate McLouth 85 Lastings Milledge 18 Craig Monroe  3 Nyjer Morgan 44 Brandon Moss 18 Jeff Salazar		Manager  7 John Russell Coaches 86 Heberto Andrade (bullpen catcher) 29 Tony Beasley (third base) 60 Luis Dorante (bullpen)  6 Perry Hill (first base) 39 Joe Kerrigan (pitching) 59 Don Long (hitting) 14 Gary Varsho (bench)

Opening Day lineup

Opening Day Starters
Name	Position
Nyjer Morgan	LF
Freddy Sanchez	2B
Nate McLouth	CF
Ryan Doumit	C
Adam LaRoche	1B
Andy LaRoche	3B
Brandon Moss	RF
Jack Wilson	SS
Paul Maholm	SP

Awards and honors

2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

• Freddy Sanchez, 2B, reserve
• Zach Duke, P, reserve

Statistics

Hitting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Regular Season [62] Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI F. Sanchez 86 355 105 0.296 6 34 G. Jones 82 314 92 0.293 21 44 L. Milledge 58 220 64 0.291 4 20 A. McCutchen 108 433 124 0.286 12 54 R. Díaz 41 129 36 0.279 1 19 N. Morgan 71 278 77 0.277 2 27 J. Wilson 75 266 71 0.267 4 31 D. Young 124 354 94 0.266 7 43 R. Cedeño 46 155 40 0.258 5 21 An. LaRoche 150 524 135 0.258 12 64 N. McLouth 45 168 43 0.256 9 34 E. Hinske 54 106 27 0.255 1 11 J. Jaramillo 63 206 52 0.252 3 26 R. Doumit 75 280 70 0.250 10 38 Ad. LaRoche 87 324 80 0.247 12 40 B. Moss 133 385 91 0.236 7 41 R. Vázquez 101 204 47 0.230 1 16 B. Bixler 18 44 10 0.227 0 3 C. Monroe 34 79 17 0.215 3 16 L. Cruz 27 70 15 0.214 0 2 S. Pearce 60 165 34 0.206 4 16 Z. Duke 31 60 12 0.200 0 5 N. Walker 17 36 7 0.194 0 0 I. Snell 15 23 4 0.174 0 1 C. Morton 18 31 4 0.129 0 1 K. Hart 10 16 2 0.125 0 1 D. McCutchen 6 11 1 0.091 0 1 P. Maholm 30 58 4 0.069 1 2 R. Ohlendorf 28 59 4 0.068 0 0 J. Karstens 37 22 1 0.045 0 0 J. Salazar 21 23 1 0.043 0 1 C. Bootcheck 13 2 0 0.000 0 0 S. Burnett 37 1 0 0.000 0 0 J. Chavez 71 1 0 0.000 0 0 T. Gorzelanny 9 2 0 0.000 0 0 J. Grabow 43 1 0 0.000 0 0 J. Hanrahan 33 1 0 0.000 0 0 S. Jackson 39 1 0 0.000 0 0 V. Vasquez 14 10 0 0.000 0 0 J. Ascanio 2 0 0 — 0 0 D. Bautista 14 0 0 — 0 0 M. Capps 56 0 0 — 0 0 A. Claggett 1 0 0 — 0 0 P. Dumatrait 15 0 0 — 0 0 E. Hacker 3 0 0 — 0 0 C. Hansen 5 0 0 — 0 0 E. Meek 39 0 0 — 0 0 D. Veal 19 0 0 — 0 0 T. Yates 15 0 0 — 0 0 Team Totals 161 5,417 1,364 0.252 125 612

Pitching

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Regular Season [63] Player G IP W L ERA SO J. Ascanio 2 22⁄3 0 1 6.75 2 A. Claggett 1 1 0 0 9.00 0 E. Hacker 3 3 0 0 6.00 1 K. Hart 10 531⁄3 1 8 6.92 39 M. Capps 57 541⁄3 4 8 5.80 46 V. Vasquez 14 442⁄3 2 5 5.84 29 T. Yates 15 12 0 2 7.50 9 D. Bautista 14 132⁄3 1 1 5.27 15 P. Maholm 31 1942⁄3 8 9 4.44 119 C. Bootcheck 13 142⁄3 0 0 11.05 13 Z. Duke 32 213 11 16 4.06 106 I. Snell 15 802⁄3 2 8 5.36 52 D. Veal 19 161⁄3 1 0 7.16 16 J. Karstens 39 108 4 6 5.42 52 C. Morton 18 97 5 9 4.55 62 D. McCutchen 6 361⁄3 1 2 4.21 19 J. Chavez 73 671⁄3 1 4 4.01 47 R. Ohlendorf 29 1762⁄3 11 10 3.92 109 P. Dumatrait 15 13 0 2 6.92 7 J. Grabow 45 471⁄3 3 0 3.42 41 C. Hansen 5 61⁄3 0 0 5.68 5 S. Jackson 40 43 2 3 3.14 21 E. Meek 41 47 1 1 3.45 42 J. Hanrahan 33 311⁄3 0 1 1.72 37 S. Burnett 38 321⁄3 1 2 3.06 23 T. Gorzelanny 9 82⁄3 3 1 5.19 7 Team Totals 161 1,4181⁄3 62 99 4.59 919

Transactions

Pre-season

(October 29, 2008 – April 4, 2009)

• On December 1, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost free agent Franquelis Osoria to the Kansas City Royals. ^[64]
• On December 5, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost free agent Matt Kata to the Houston Astros. ^[65]
• On December 5, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Boston Red Sox free agent Daniel Haigwood to a minor league contract. ^[66]
• On December 8, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Cleveland Indians free agent Brian Slocum to a minor league contract. ^[67]
• On December 10, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Ronny Paulino to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Jason Jaramillo. ^[68]
• On December 11, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost Kyle Bloom to the Detroit Tigers due to the Rule 5 draft. ^[69]
• On December 11, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Donnie Veal from the Chicago Cubs due to the Rule 5 draft. ^[70]
• On December 12, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed free agent Ramon Vazquez to a 2-year contract. ^[71]
• On December 17, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost free agent Josh Shortslef to the Philadelphia Phillies. ^[72]
• On December 22, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Denny Bautista, Chris Bootcheck, Garrett Jones, Juan Mateo, Andy Phillips and Jeff Salazar to Minor League contracts. ^[73]
• On December 22, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Ryan Doumit to a 3-year contract extension. ^[74]
• On January 6, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Eliezer Aquino, Jacobo Espiede, Sadid Pontier-Frias, Corey Hamman, Jeffrey Infante, Pedro Lopez, Anderson Machado, Leandro Mejia, Jean Ozoria, Angel Reyes, Eduardo Rodriguez, Carlos Vásquez and Jesus Vasquez to minor league contracts. ^[75]
• On January 6, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost free agent Ray Sadler to the Tampa Bay Rays. ^[76]
• On January 13, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Craig Monroe and Miguel Pérez to minor league contracts. ^[77]
• On January 13, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost free agent Michael Ryan to the Florida Marlins. ^[78]
• On January 20, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates re-signed Adam LaRoche to a 1-year contract. ^[79]
• On January 22, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost free agent Juan Pérez to the Atlanta Braves. ^[80]
• On January 26, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Virgil Vasquez off of waivers from the San Diego Padres and signed Jason Davis and Hector Gimenez to minor league contracts. ^[81]
• On January 30, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates re-signed Paul Maholm to a 3-year contract extension and signed free agent Eric Hinske to a 1-year contract. ^[82]
• On February 5, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost T. J. Beam off of waivers to the Toronto Blue Jays. ^[83]
• On February 9, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost free agent Ronald Belisario to the Los Angeles Dodgers. ^[84]
• On February 17, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates re-signed Nate McLouth to a 3-year contract. ^[85]
• On February 21, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates exercised contract option on John Russell as manager through 2010. ^[86]
• On March 4, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates re-signed Andy LaRoche, Brandon Moss, Brian Bixler, Craig Hansen, David Davidson, Donnie Veal, Evan Meek, Jason Jaramillo, Jeff Karstens, Jeff Sues, Jesse Chavez, Jimmy Barthmaier, José Tábata, Luis Cruz, Neil Walker, Nyjer Morgan, Phil Dumatrait, Robinzon Diaz, Rómulo Sánchez, Ronald Uviedo, Ross Ohlendorf, Sean Burnett, Steve Pearce, Steve Lerud, Tom Gorzelanny and Virgil Vasquez to 1-year contracts. ^[87]
• On March 29, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates received returned Rule 5 draft pick Kyle Bloom from the Detroit Tigers. ^[88]

In-Season

(April 5, 2009 – November 4, 2009)

• On April 15, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Delwyn Young from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for two players to be named later. ^[89]
• On April 17, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Mike Dubee from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Andy Phillips. ^[90]
• On May 16, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Eric Hacker from the New York Yankees in exchange for Rómulo Sánchez. ^[91]
• On May 17, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Jeff Corsaletti from the Boston Red Sox and Randy Newsom from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for players to be named later or cash considerations. ^[92]
• On May 18, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Steven Jackson off of waivers from the New York Yankees. ^[93]
• On June 3, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Charlie Morton, Jeff Locke and Gorkys Hernández from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Nate McLouth. ^[94]
• On June 30, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Eric Fryer and Casey Erickson from the New York Yankees in exchange for Eric Hinske. ^[95]
• On June 30, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan from the Washington Nationals in exchange for Sean Burnett and Nyjer Morgan. ^[96]
• On July 22, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Argenis Diaz and Hunter Strickland from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Adam LaRoche. ^[97]
• On July 29, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Tim Alderson from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Freddy Sanchez. ^[98]
• On July 29, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Jeff Clement, Ronny Cedeño, Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin and Nate Adcock from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Ian Snell and Jack Wilson. ^[99]
• On July 30, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Kevin Hart, José Ascanio and Josh Harrison from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny. ^[100]
• On August 12, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Jon Meloan off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. ^[101]
• On September 2, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost Jon Meloan off of waivers to the Oakland Athletics. ^[102]
• On October 17, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that Ray Searage was promoted to Major League coaching staff. ^[103]
• On October 29, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Justin Thomas off of waivers from the Seattle Mariners. ^[104]
• On October 30, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates named Carlos García as first base coach. ^[105]
• On November 3, 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Aki Iwamura from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Jesse Chavez. ^[106]

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Indianapolis Indians	International League	Frank Kremblas
AA	Altoona Curve	Eastern League	Matt Walbeck
A	Lynchburg Hillcats	Carolina League	P. J. Forbes
A	West Virginia Power	South Atlantic League	Gary Green
A-Short Season	State College Spikes	New York–Penn League	Gary Robinson
Rookie	GCL Pirates	Gulf Coast League	Tom Prince
Rookie	DSL Pirates	Dominican Summer League	N/A
Rookie	VSL Pirates	Venezuelan Summer League	Osmin Melendez

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Lynchburg

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External links

• 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season Official Site Archived July 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
• 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season at Baseball Reference