Pirates fans had multiple convincing takeaways from Don Kelly's first win as manager

Now that Derek Shelton is gone as the Pirates manager, all eyes are on Don Kelly to see if he can turn this sinking ship around. He got his first test as the new skipper against the Braves on Friday night, and made some key decisions that contributed towards his first career win as manager.

There definitely was some skepticism behind whether or not he would make a major impact. For one, Kelly has never managed a ballclub before. He has only been a first base coach and bench coach, so there was not a lot of data on him. Additionally, regardless of who manages the club, a key issue upstairs will always linger on the field. Money is consistently a problem in Pittsburgh, and that doesn't seem to be changing any time soon.

Kelly evidently has a major challenge ahead of him, but he may be better suited for this job than Shelton ever was. Even though it was just one game, Kelly displayed some convincing decision-making that may bring optimism that he can manage this club more effectively than Shelton.

Here are some of his big decisions that he showed in the 3-2 victory over Atlanta.

These Don Kelly decisions in his first managerial game as Pirates skipper were convincing.

Sending Caleb Ferugson vs Alex Verdugo

Chase Shugart was sent out for the seventh inning and got the first two outs, but walked Michael Harris. The next batter was Stuart Fairchild, and Shugart got ahead with an 0-1 count, at which point Atlanta decided to send in Alex Verdugo. Instead of letting Shugart try to finish the inning, he went straight to Caleb Ferugson for the lefty-lefty matchup. It worked out in the Pirates favor, as he got Verdugo to strike out and strand the runner.

Taking David Bednar out of the closer role

After David Bednar collapsed in 2024, Derek Shelton sent him right back out as the closer against Miami. He immediately struggled again and picked up two losses. He got optioned to Triple-A to reset, then found his way back to Pittsburgh in late April.

After just three solid appearances in non-save situations, Shelton decided he could handle the closer job again. Since getting a save against the Dodgers on April 25, he had been a bit shaky, getting hit around and allowing runs in multiple games.

Kelly did not mess around with such things against Atlanta, putting Bednar into the eighth inning to preserve a three-run lead. It was not the save opportunity, but it was still a high-leverage situation in which he allowed two hits and picked up three strikeouts. He brought the tying run to the plate and did work out of it, but it was not entirely pretty. Bednar is simply not ready to return to being the closer and seeing Kelly go with Santana, the hot hand in the bullpen, was the right call, even though Santana was not at his sharpest.

Scratching Tommy Pham, utilizing his defense off the bench

Less than an hour before first pitch, Tommy Pham was scratched from the starting lineup and Alexander Canario started in his place. Neither are really hitting that well, but this decision actually led to the victory, as Canario homered.

Even with that hunch to take him out of the lineup, Pham was still utilized later in the game defensively. He was subbed in left field for Canario, and it was nice to see Kelly valuing the better defender in the late frames. Shelton occasionally did this, but it was never consistent.

Overall, Kelly easily impressed in his managerial debut, and that brings some excitement to the team. There will definitely be mistakes made in this position; every skipper makes them. Just seeing these decisions be made in Game No. 1 brings some optimism that he is the right manager for this ballclub.