PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – As the Pirates slogged through another 100-loss season in a 8-7, 10-inning loss to the Cardinals Tuesday, we find out the losses aren’t the only thing bothering third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes.
The 25-year-old signed an eight-year, $70 million deal at the start of the season and says he’s been dealing with a back issue that’s been bothering him all year. He said he’s been trying to find ways to get on the field and stay on the field, but it’s been frustrating. Hayes says some days he feels pretty terrible.
He said some times his back was tweaked getting off a flight or from a hotel bed. Hayes said the last two weeks of the season he’s tried to limited the number of swings and turning he’s done just so he can play.
“I just try to do what I can to feel the best I can to go out there and compete,” Hayes said.
About to finish his third major league season, he admits no ballplayer this time of year is 100% healthy, nor are you going to feel great all year.
“I learned a lot about mobility going into the offseason,” Hayes said. “What kind of stuff I need to really, really work on. That way once I get this fixed and combining all that moving forward, I know what will make me feel the best each and every day.”
The 2015 first-round pick said he’s not making excuses. He didn’t always feel the greatest but did what he could. He said he felt terrible playing defense early in the season because of the lack of reps in Spring.
Hayes said the team is super, super young and dealt with a bunch of changes. He said he felt like there were a ton of positives including sweeping the Dodgers, glimpses of things to come. He is also optimistic after seeing some of the young pitchers he saw later in the year.
“It’s a process,” Hayes said. “It’s not going to always happen overnight. Guys have to get experience. I know for me from last year to this year, certain guys I had trouble with, I thought my at bats were way better this year. As they get acclimated and get that experience, over time it will improve.”
He Was Safe
The Pirates reached 100 losses on a play where it appears replay got it wrong. Kevin Newman called out at the plate in the 10th after an infield hit by Oneil Cruz. The replay seemed to clearly show his fingers touched the plate before he was tagged.
“I think he was safe,” said Pirates Manager Derek Shelton. “I think whatever they called on the field was going to stand.
But yeah, I thought he got his hand in.”
“Yeah, I thought I was in there,” Newman said. “I thought I got my hand in before he tagged me. I thought we were going to get it overturned.”