Historic Pirates anniversary should remind fans of Pittsburgh's ceiling as baseball town

Call it “The Drop Heard Round the World” or at least ‘round the Alleghenies. 11 years ago, Pirates fans taunted and jeered with such tenacity that Johnny Cueto dropped the ball, both literally and figuratively, in the 2013 Wild Card Game between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

The narrative leading into the game may have led some fans to believe that the Pirates were done for. Cueto had been the bane of the Bucs’ existence at PNC Park. Over 85 ⅓ innings in Pittsburgh, the Reds righty had allowed the Pirates a mere .544 OPS with a 70:20 strikeout-walk ratio. Over the final series of the season, though, the Pirates had owned the Reds, outscoring Cincinnati 16-6 and sweeping at home to earn a second place finish in the division. The stage was set.

11 years ago, fans propelled the Pirates past Johnny Cueto and into Pittsburgh lore.

Francisco Liriano cruised through two perfect innings to set up a fateful bottom of the second. Marlon Byrd, a waiver wire acquisition, stepped to the plate. The right fielder was a noted Cueto killer even then, and finished his career with a .786 slugging percentage against the Reds starter. Byrd crushed a solo shot to left deep into a sea of black-shirted fans.

That’s when the cheer began.

PNC Park rocked to the calls of “Cuuuueee-to, Cuuuuee-to.” Cueto dropped the ball, which rolled pathetically off the mound. Russell Martin laced the next pitch into the left-center stands. Cue fireworks. Cue nostalgia in 2024.

The story has become part of Pittsburgh mythology. It was the type of game that fans, truthfully or not, claim to have seen live, hoping to claim 1/40,000th of the glory owed to the chanting faithful. Considering the recent history of the Pirates, it comes as no surprise that fans are eager to grab hold of one shining moment.

Only Andrew McCutchen, who won that season’s MVP Award, remains from the players that rushed the field after the Wild Card win. Many have retired, and some are awaiting different forms of immortality. The criminally underrated Martin, for example, finally received his due by being inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame this year.

Unfortunately, the 2024 season ended in disappointment, and PNC Park now lies dormant for the winter. But I hear, if you walk by on a chill autumn night, you just might hear the chants of “Cueto” echoing across the bridges and into the surrounding hills of Pittsburgh.