Notes: September callups; historic lineup

PITTSBURGH -- With Sept. 1 comes roster expansion, and while this year’s list is shorter than in years past, the pair the Pirates brought up could get very meaningful time in different respects.

Pittsburgh recalled right-hander Max Kranick and selected the contract of right-hander Shelby Miller from Triple-A Indianapolis to fill the two extra spots created on the active roster in September.

• Pirates Injuries and Roster Moves

Kranick has seen a handful of starts with the Pirates this season, recording a 7.20 ERA ahead of his outing Wednesday in the series finale against the White Sox. But any additional time the Pirates can get their eyes on one of their best Major League-ready starting prospects is a bonus.

In Miller’s case, he has a lot to prove. An accomplished starter with the Cardinals and Braves in his first four Major League seasons, the 30-year-old righty has scuffled in recent seasons with mechanical issues. He elected not to play in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fourteen innings in two months’ time since he was signed to a Minor League deal by the Pirates on July 1 may not sound like a lot, but Miller said right now is the most he has felt on track. And now he’s in a new role: He has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen aside from one game as an opener, which manager Derek Shelton said will continue with the Pirates.

“It’s been a tough road with the injuries and just really not living up to performing very well,” Miller said, “but I think this reinvented my career a little bit, coming out of the bullpen.”

So as important as September is for top prospects in the organization, it might be just as important for a pitcher who many have counted out since his lackluster return from Tommy John surgery in 2018. Miller said he’d love to see where this goes in the offseason if September goes to plan -- and he’s ready to make the most of his one-month audition.

“It’s an important month. We’re not going to make the playoffs or anything like that, but the personal goals are just finishing the season strong,” Miller said. “It’s pretty important to not only finish strong but set up more opportunities for next year going into Spring Training and looking for a job.”

Pirates honor historic lineup
The Pirates hosted a number of on-field and off-the-field celebrations of the 50th anniversary of what is believed to be the first all-Black and Afro-Latino lineup in AL/NL history.

On Sept. 1, 1971, Pittsburgh fielded an all-minority lineup, which featured Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell.

“He felt that when he first put his uniform on in 1955, he was representing not only the Latino [population], but the all-minority and hard-working class,” Roberto Clemente Jr. said of his father. “That, for him, was I know a special day to have all his brothers on that team that day.”

Clemente Jr. was one of five panelists featured in a discussion panel the Pirates held at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. The panel also included center fielder Gene Clines (batted second), catcher Manny Sanguillen (fifth), third baseman Dave Cash (sixth) and first baseman Al Oliver (seventh).

Oliver said he knew the historic lineup was very good because he was batting seventh.

In Chicago, the Pirates’ Major League team honored the groundbreaking lineup with special 50th anniversary shirts that had the names of all nine members on the back.

“I'm very proud to be a Pirate every day, but I'm really proud of today and the fact we're honoring them,” Shelton said.

“The more that we highlight it, I think the more guys study the history of the game. I don't know how much players do that anymore. I know growing up for me it was a huge part of the game to study the history of the game. But I think any time we can highlight things that have happened, it's extremely important.”

Pirates join MLB in childhood cancer awareness
The Pirates wear yellow for their games, but on Wednesday in Chicago, they donned a different shade for a good cause.

On Wednesday, all MLB on-field personnel, including Pirates players and coaches, wore gold ribbon decals and wristbands to raise awareness for childhood cancer. It’s part of the ongoing Stand Up 2 Cancer campaign that MLB and its 30 clubs have championed.

Among the organizations highlighted by the league on Wednesday were the American Cancer Society, Stand Up 2 Cancer and Starlight Children’s Foundation.