Clint Hurdle
Clint Hurdle
Clinton Merrick Hurdleis an American former professional baseball outfielder and current manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. Hurdle played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals, and has also managed for the Colorado Rockies...
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth30 July 1957
CityBig Rapids, MI
agonizing beaten clean dig efficient games hole imaginable knew last losses lost obviously step
We have been beaten and had agonizing losses and we've lost games every way imaginable for way too long to get overconfident. We knew we couldn't dig a hole like last year. You know where that's going to get you, in any sport. So to come out clean and efficient is obviously a step in the right direction.
baggage came cutting farm good guys laid last players success together work
We are a work in progress. These guys had a lot of baggage laid on them last year. We weren't that good last year. There were a lot of young players cutting their teeth, but they also are players who came up together (through the farm system) and had success together. And they want to have more success together.
chefs hacking three
We were up there hacking like chefs at Benihana's the first three innings.
hearts purple regular save
We don't want them going out and working uphill. We'll save the purple hearts for the regular season.
couple found guys hang hung plate run tying
We hung around, we had the tying run at the plate a couple of times, we just couldn't get it done. We do hang around. It's something these guys have found a way to do this year.
created depth happened living people prepared three winter
We created depth all winter long to be prepared if something like this arises. Three years ago this happened and we were in a shambles. You never want to see people injured, but it is part of the game. You have to live with it. If you have depth, living with it can be a easier.
anybody home
We don't take anybody lightly, at home or on the road.
chances handled winning
You'd think if you handled him, your chances of winning are better. We were able to handle him. We weren't able to handle some of the other guys.
advantage
We didn't take advantage of opportunities because we really didn't have any.
beats heck punching regular season spinning vehicle wheels worked
The regular season is another world, but this is the only vehicle we have for him to put what he has worked on in play. It beats the heck out of spinning his wheels and punching out.
bitter bridge brought five forward gap group guys hung large moving players rather six steps taken taste took woods
We are moving forward with a large group of players rather than having five or six guys we brought in to bridge a gap for a year. We had our first taste of the process. The first two months, it was a very bitter taste. We took a lot of ridicule. But we hung together. We are not out of the woods yet, but we've taken steps forward.
confidence good guys helps starting
We are new at this. We are starting to like it. We need to keep it going. Each one is a confidence builder. Each one helps the guys feel they belong. Guys each get a chance, and when they perform, they feel good about themselves.
create game moved tried
We tried to create some game situations, and he moved around pretty well.
heard pitcher saw
We saw a different pitcher than what we heard about.