Let's go back in time. It’s March 31, 2014. Bottom of the 10th. No score. Full count. Neil Walker at the plate.
The second baseman gets a hold of a Carlos Villanueva hanger and puts it in the seats. Pirates win.
This is Walker’s signature moment as a Pirate. Not just because it won the game, but what it represented.
The Pirates had just come off an incredible season. The losing season streak was snapped. The playoff drought was over. CUE-TO happened.
But there wasn’t as much optimism for 2014. A.J. Burnett left in free agency. The starting pitching looked thin. It looked like they wouldn’t be able to keep up with the rest of the National League.
With one swing of the bat on opening day, Walker offered the Pirates’ rebuttal.
The 2014 season was a volatile one, but Walker was one of the key contributors for a team that won a second wild card. It built up a head of steam for the 98-win season the following year.
Yes, those other two years didn’t yield another playoff win. The organization didn’t make the most of that window of opportunity. But for three years, Pirates baseball mattered. That opening day home run mattered and had playoff implications.
The Pirates will get back there someday, but for now, there are just memories. Walker didn’t have as many signature moments as some of the members of those Pirates team. He didn’t have as many walk-offs as Andrew McCutchen, tape-measure home runs like Pedro Alvarez or big pitching performances from Francisco Liriano or Burnett.
But he was a key contributor for those teams, and he deserved a moment like this. With his right arm lifted high, signaling his team was No. 1, the Pirates reaffirmed they weren’t going anywhere. Not yet.
YOUR TURN: What is your favorite Neil Walker moment?
