Pirates got screwed by MLB replay in loss to Yankees, but Don Kelly did the real damage

Looking for a doubleheader sweep of the New York Yankees on Wednesday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates ran into MLB's instant replay system — and their own stubborn nature.

Manager Don Kelly pulled starting pitcher Bubba Chandler after just 84 pitches while he was cruising. The end result was rather predictable after that. The Pirates bullpen blew another game, and then had a call go against them by the thinnest of margins in the ninth inning that took some heat off their manager.

Pirates fans don't forget easy. So, sure, when Ryan O'Hearn was called out on a bang-bang play at first base that — at least to the naked eye — looked like the wrong decision AND was upheld by instant replay, they were rightfully upset. They also won't forget about what put them in said compromising position in the first place.

Had O'Hearn been called safe at first, it would've loaded the bases with two outs for Marcell Ozuna. Say what you want of Ozuna — the Pirates have been a far worse team with him in the lineup this season — but he also can get into one, especially with the short porch in play. Instead, the Yankees dodged a bullet, and Pirates fans weren't happy.

One bad call shouldn't let Pirates manager Don Kelly off the hook

The Pirates put themselves in this position. First, even had O'Hearn reached base, Ozuna doesn't exactly inspire much confidence. Pittsburgh is 25-36 this season when Ozuna starts. That makes it all the more impressive that the Pirates are three games over .500 overall. But Bob Nutting doesn't like to see his green go wasted, and Ben Cherington has all but assured him it won't. Rather than spending that extra $12 million on bullpen help the Pirates have proven would've been the right call, Cherington and Kelly keep trotting out a dejected DH who's two years past his prime.

And speaking of that bullpen, we haven't even gotten to the best part. Doubleheaders are notoriously tough on relief pitching. All it takes is one bad outing, especially if it occurs in the first of two, to knock an entire bullpen off-course. Pittsburgh used four pitchers in an extra-innings victory over the Yankees on Wednesday afternoon. That makes it all the more confusing why Kelly chose to remove Chandler — who is no longer the young buck he was in 2025, and can certainly handle flirting with 100 pitches — a full inning sooner than he had to. Chandler isn't Cy Young, but he also doesn't need to be handled with bubble wrap.

Pittsburgh's bullpen predictably imploded. Chandler was removed after 84 pitches in favor of Brandon Eisert, a left-handed reliever the Pirates acquired in the Jacob Gonzalez deal. The Pirates' bullpen was spent, so Kelly had little choice but to go to his third-best lefty reliever (if that) in a moment of weakness. At that point, I'd much rather ask Chandler to find his own way out of a tough inning, as would most Pirates fans.

The biggest issue with Kelly, Cherington and the entire Pirates regime is that they play it safe. Kelly keeps his starting pitchers on strict pitch counts even when that's supposed to be the strength of his team. Cherington says he'll add relief help, only to acquire Eisert and Hunter freaking Stratton. And Nutting wants the Pirates to contend, but won't commit more money to the cause. Make it make sense.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow