Jim Leyland Doesn’t Give A Shit If His Pitchers Get A Hit

So much

is made of the Pittsburgh Pirates record against the American League.  Sure, the Pirates record sucks.  But this current Pirates team had about as much a part of that record as we do.  Sorry, just something that bothers me.

We really enjoy thinking back on the Jim Leyland years.  He lets it all go in his interview below.  Listen to it.  It’s what is great about Leyland.

"This is a great baseball town.  It was probably a baseball town before it was a football town."

The Pirates organization has a .382 winning percentage (52-84) in interleague play.  Last year the Pirates won two games and dropped 13.   Don’t be scared tonight. We have a good feeling about this game.  Tomorrow night, well that looks like a hefty challenge as the Detroit Tigers send Mad Max to the bump.

Jeff Karstens has made six starts this season.  In eight interleague games Karstens has a 3.62 ERA.  He faced the Detroit Tigers once and gave up two runs in seven innings.  Damn, that would be sweet tonight.

Jim Leyland returns to the Burgh, probably had lunch with his daughter and headed over to the yard to manage his Tigers club tonight.    Leyland hates interleague play, but it has nothing to do with wins and losses as the Tigers have been dominant.

Brad Penny gets the start for Leyland and is on a roll with three straight wins during which his ERA is miniscule.  In Penny’s last five starts he has allowed six earned runs.  Damn the AL is weak.

Most of the Pirates have never faced Penny.  Well, of course the most dangerous man on the Pirates has, Ronny Cedeno has had some success in a small sample.  For the Bucs, Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, and Pedro Alvarez are all having success recently.    Pedro will be out of the lineup tonight with a sore quad.  The only one Pirates fans are waiting on is Jose Tabata.

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Listen to Jim Leyland courtesy of Colin Dunlap confirm our lunch talks, shit I thought I had a scoop-haha!  But really, I had inside info as I was with Katie today at Robert Morris.   She’s awesome, even if she is an Ohio U. alum. 

In the audio clip, Leyland talks about his young players and pitchers.

"I don’t give a shit if the pitchers get a hit.  But they are all excited about it."

It’s cool to hear Leyland talk about Donnie Robinson and Rick Rhoden.  Leyland even batted eighth and the pitcher ninth one time in the minors…

Leyland says he didn’t blast interleague play.  We believe him.  He mentions that the rules should be the same in both leagues.  It’s more fun to manage in the NL, but he says it’s more difficult to manage in the AL.

Ok, enough, it’s good listen to it.

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Here is a cool Detroit Tigers site if there is such a thing.