PITTSBURGH – Andrew Heaney thought he and Joey Bart had the fitting sport plan going into Sunday’s finale in opposition to the Yankees, however he didn’t make good two-strike pitches within the first. The Yankees would capitalize with an early run in that first body, which impressed Heaney to make a change.
Throw every thing and the kitchen sink at ‘em.
“Simply sort of opened up the playbook just a little bit,” Heaney stated after the Pirates’ 5-4, 11-inning win at PNC Park. “Obtained into a very good rhythm, and simply saved it going.”
For a veteran southpaw who’s nearing 10 years of service time within the Majors, that playbook can get fairly deep.
Heaney threw just one curveball in his first begin this season in opposition to the Marlins. Let’s lean on that extra and get 5 strikeouts with it Sunday. He threw solely 10 sinkers from 2020-24? Let’s fireplace seven of them in a single sport. Sidearm supply slots? For those who’re a left-handed hitter, it’s on the menu, so be careful.
“That is what Andrew Heaney does. He mixes and matches,” supervisor Derek Shelton stated. “He retains folks off steadiness, and that was seven actually robust innings.”
The outcome was a high quality begin this Pirates workforce sorely wanted, seven innings of one-run ball with 10 strikeouts. Combine in a Tommy Pham walk-off single within the eleventh, and the Pirates ended the collection with an much more sorely wanted win.
Bart realized earlier than the sport that Heaney can fireplace sidearm, so Bart was on his toes nearly as a lot as these Yankees batters. Bart noticed firsthand final yr how tough Heaney will be to sq. up, twice being a strikeout sufferer of his in a scoreless efficiency Heaney tossed in opposition to the Pirates final Aug. 21 whereas with the Rangers.
“The fastball is simply completely different,” Bart stated. “You assume it seems actually good once you have a look at the scoreboard. You get in there and it feels prefer it’s by you. Only a bizarre angle.”
Heaney might need thrown extra four-seamers than something, nevertheless it was his secondary stuff that stole the present, significantly the curveball. Sunday was the primary time since 2020 that he punched out 5 batters together with his curveball in a sport, and he gave completely different seems with it, with velocities starting from 81 to 69.9 mph.
“I feel that is issues that I might love to do extra of,” Heaney stated about utilizing his curveball. “Typically it sort of comes later. It isn’t as many occasions as I might wish to, or it is possibly not the fitting hitter to do it to. And I believed this was a very good workforce and a few good guys to do it to.”
The curve wasn’t Heaney’s solely putaway pitch, although, as he acquired strikeouts with a four-seamer, changeup and sinker, too. It was the primary time he had gotten a strikeout with a sinker since 2019, in keeping with Baseball Savant knowledge.
After throwing simply 10 sinkers in 2024 and none till ‘19 earlier than that, Heaney stated the sinking fastball might be again within the arsenal transferring ahead, not simply each time the playbook is absolutely open.
“I feel that it isn’t outlierish within the high quality of it, nevertheless it’s positively simply one other look,” Heaney stated. “If you’re a three-pitch man, very not often a fourth pitch within the curveball, I feel that is one thing that simply is a distinct look.
“The lefties that they’ve in there are good hitters. I do not assume I can go in there and simply be a two-pitch man to them. If I’m, I will have to combine up arm slots, throw in some extra changeups to these guys and actually attempt to preserve them off steadiness.”
Heaney gave the Yankees’ lineup all it might deal with, and the Pirates acquired a much-needed breather after a tough begin to the season. It’s simply three collection, however Pittsburgh sits at 3-7 with query marks within the bullpen and on offense, whether or not it’s from accidents or gamers underperforming.
If nothing else, being on the fitting facet of the walk-off is a change of tempo. Common supervisor Ben Cherington stated on his 93.7 The Fan Radio Present Sunday that he thought the workforce wanted to take a breath. This might doubtlessly be one.
“The season began off, first three losses are walk-off losses, you are simply sort of getting hit with a physique blow proper there thrice to start out the season,” Heaney stated. “I feel he is [Cherington] in all probability proper. Sort of must get a breather, get again house, and sort of re-establish who we’re as a workforce and the way we will win video games.”
