Hurdle happy to see Royals succeed
PITTSBURGH — Clint Hurdle made it through just six innings of Tuesday night’s thrilling American League Wild Card game.
However, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager was happy to wake up Wednesday morning and learn the Royals had rallied for a 9-8 victory over the Oakland Athletics in 13 innings at Kansas City.
He was the Royals’ first-round draft pick in 1975, broke into the major leagues two years later and played the first five seasons of his 10-year career with them.
“There was a small part of my heart that was pulling for that team, pulling for that organization for so many years, and to see the flash points,” Hurdle said Wednesday night before the Pirates played the San Francisco Giants in the National League Wild Card game at PNC Park.
It marked the Royals’ first postseason game since 1985 when they won the World Series.
Hurdle also got a big kick out of former teammate and Hall of Famer George Brett’s attire as he watched the game from the owner’s box at Kauffman Stadium while wearing a pink shirt.
“That wonderfully hand-picked shirt his wife made him wear — the pink shirt — because the George Brett I knew would not have worn a pink shirt to a ballgame,” Hurdle said. “He looked great, though.”
—-
Catcher Russell Martin, as expected, started for the Pirates. He sat out the final two games of the regular season with a strained right hamstring.
Meanwhile, backup catcher Chris Stewart was not placed on the roster. He suffered a bruised right wrist in the regular-season finale on Sunday at Cincinnati.
Rookie Tony Sanchez served as the No. 2 catcher.
—-
Third baseman Josh Harrison is one of three finalists for the Player’s Choice National League Outstanding Player Award, which is voted on by the players and presented by the Major League Baseball Players Association.
The other finalists are Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw and Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton.
Right-hander Edinson Volquez, who started Wednesday night, is in the running for NL Comeback Player of the Year award along with Giants right-hander Tim Hudson and Marlins third baseman Casey McGehee.