Frustrations appear to be reaching a boiling point in Pittsburgh.
The Pirates faced the Chicago Cubs on Saturday in a game in which highly-anticipated prospect Paul Skenes made his official MLB debut. Skenes was predictably electrifying, striking out seven batters over his first four innings of work as the Pirates raced out to a 6-1 lead.
But after Skenes allowed the first two batters to reach in the fifth inning, manager Derek Shelton made the decision to pull Skenes from the game at 84 pitches. The decision backfired as reliever Kyle Nicolas, after striking out the first two batters, issued a hit-by-pitch and then three consecutive walks to force in three runs. Only then did Shelton remove Nicolas, replacing him with Josh Fleming. The trouble continued however as Fleming allowed yet another bases-loaded walk and then an infield single to Mike Tauchman to tie the game at 6-6 in the blink of an eye.
The apparent scene of pitching mismanagement led to Shelton receiving a harsh chant from the Pirates’ own fans — “Fire Shelton!!”
The chant was very audible on the local television broadcast. Listen below.
#FireShelton pic.twitter.com/2U22bAC68a
— Joey Wagner (@TheTruthSwagner) May 11, 2024
Shelton is in his fifth season as Pirates manager but has posted zero winning campaigns and produced zero playoff appearances. His overall record in Pittsburgh sits at 235-350 (.402).
With the Pirates currently fourth in the NL Central at 17-22 this season, Saturday’s contest was supposed to be a welcome reprieve for the fans as Skenes made his MLB debut. While Skenes delivered on his end, the game ultimately turned into more of the same woes for the Pirates. Unfortunately for the fans too, Shelton got an extension from the team not that long ago, so he might not be going anywhere any time soon.
