Not to be that guy, but this ... meant nothing.
Next to nothing, anyway.
Rich Hill, who'll be the Pirates' premier piece offered up at Major League Baseball's Aug. 1 trade deadline, pitched 5 2/3 plenty-good-enough innings -- four runs on eight hits, at least a couple of the latter being hugely assisted by lackluster fielding -- while making damned sure everyone around him knew that he was going to fight, even if they wouldn't:
Say what one will about Hill showing up Jack Suwinski for a drop at the fence and a plop in front of him, but me, I couldn't care less. Hill's 43. He knows what's up, knows what's down. And these Pirates, even after sliding by the Guardians, 7-5, on this steamy Wednesday afternoon at PNC Park, aren't trending downward as much as they're engaged in an endless free fall.
Hill gets that. He gets that the recent parade of prospects would come with all the requisite giddiness and gosh-wows. But he also gets that the broader group's still supposed to stay focused on a singular goal, and it couldn't be clearer to me, upon multiple conversations in this clubhouse afterward, that the veterans feel that hasn't been the case for a while now.
So the old man let 'em hear it. On the field. In the dugout. Apparently everywhere.
And without apology:
"Yeah, I mean, look, it's ... " he'd begin before pausing and glancing around the room. "The opportunities that we have to play the game at this level are fleeting. I've felt that way throughout my career. I understand how important every single game is, how important every single out is. Taking responsibility for how I throw the ball is imperative on my part. But at the same time, with where we're at in this division, and where we want to go, the only way to get there is to win every single night."
Another pause.
"That's the way I look at it. Having been fortunate enough to be in postseasons, and understanding what that takes, how physically exhausting it is ... it takes a total team effort. And it's every day."
Good for him, man. Seriously. He could collect his $8 million salary, shut up, and nobody'd speak an ill syllable of him. Or he could just count the days to the deadline, when he'll be in a better baseball place than this one. Which is to say ... anywhere but Oakland?
Lest anyone forget the latest Progress™ chart:
MLB.COM
Hill wasn't alone, either.
Ji-Man Choi, who, like Hill, was hailed by management for his leadership upon being acquired this past winter, hasn't disappointed in that regard even through a 60-day IL stint for a calf injury. His English isn't anywhere near what his Korean is, but he makes his points with whomever he wants, and he does so however he wants.
On this day, this was how:
Just another sword celebration?
Nope, as Choi'd confirm without hesitation, he didn't like what he was observing in the dugout leading into that seventh inning, when Choi's two-run screamer of a single into the right-field corner and Jared Triolo's follow-up two-run single over shortstop sparked a five-run rally.
I asked Choi, through interpreter Daniel Park, how much that burst was needed, given the Guardians having gutted the Pirates by an aggregate 21-1 through the first two games of this series:
"It was a much-needed win for us today," he'd reply. "As you know, these past two days have been tough for us. We really needed to get some momentum back."
Asked specifically about the sword scene, Choi stated flatly, "The dugout needed a little bit more energy. The sword pull was definitely a little bit more than what I'm used to because it was to give the other guys more energy, too."
Mm-hm.
Listen, I'm not going to take this too far. Mostly because, again, it means next to nothing with the season shot and with Hill, Choi and another team leader, Carlos Santana, sure to be shopped over these next two weeks.
But answer me this: Why do these veteran players, including Andrew McCutchen, represent the only semblance we see or hear of emotion, urgency, disappointment and yeah, outright anger as it relates to what's become of this summer?
Ben Cherington's blaming 'the math.'
Derek Shelton's showing the odd dent in his usual jovial demeanor, though that's been most visible when defending a decision as opposed to simply dealing with a specific defeat or series of defeats.
Who's really responsible for a setting that'd soured to the extent that both Hill and Choi could demonstrate -- and voice -- their sentiments as they did on this day?
Just saying.
As it is, hey, enjoy that rally ...
... and here's hoping the kids will be braced for a life without clubhouse motivators by, oh, early August. Because that stuff sure won't be coming from anyone in charge.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Team feed
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 10-day injured list: 2B Ji Hwan Bae (ankle), 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes (lower back)
• 60-day injured list: SS Oneil Cruz (ankle), RHP Wil Crowe (shoulder), RHP JT Brubaker (elbow), LHP Jarlin Garcia (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), RHP Vince Velasquez (elbow)
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Jack Suwinski, CF
2. Bryan Reynolds, LF
3. Carlos Santana, DH
4. Ji-Man Choi, 1B
5. Henry Davis, RF
6. Jared Triolo, 3B
7. Tucupita Marcano, SS
8. Nick Gonzales, 2B
9. Austin Hedges, C
And for Terry Francona's Guardians:
1. Steven Kwan, LF
2. Amed Rosario, SS
3. José Ramírez, DH
4. Josh Bell, 1B
5. Andrés Giménez, 2B
6. Tyler Freeman, 3B
7. David Fry, RF
8. Myles Straw, CF
9. Cam Gallagher, C
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates don't play Thursday, but they'll fly out west for a three-game series in Anaheim, Calif., then three more down the freeway in San Diego. Alex Stumpf's making the trip.
THE ODDS
Anyone interested in the gambling perspective on this weekend's series, be sure to check out the following betting apps that've partnered with us.
THE MULTIMEDIA
THE CONTENT
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