by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of @MearsyNHL on Twitter.
September 3, 2023
It is that time of the week when Draft 412 summarizes the past seven days of worthy news nuggets that you may have missed. Let us catch you up here:
Bob Errey and Steve Mears are Out
After the purchase of ATTSN by the Fenway Sports Group, major changes were announced. Bob Errey and Steve Mears were told that they would not resume their roles as part of the Penguins TV broadcast team. Errey and Mears have been a duo since 2017 when Mears left his play-by-play gig with the NHL Network. Bob Errey has been the TV commentator since 2004.
Skenes Weekly Update
The weekly Paul Skenes update this week took us to Erie. The Pirates' top prospect had his 2nd AA start and it went a lot smoother than his first one. Skenes threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 and giving up just one hit. He threw 25 pitches, including 18 strikes.
Steelers Fill Practice Squad
The Steelers have filled their 16-man practice squad this week. Here is a list of the 16 players the Steelers have signed:
RB- Greg Bell
WR- Simi Fehoko
WR- Dez Fitzpatrick
TE- Rodney Williams
OT- Kellen Diesch
OG- Joey Fisher
DL- Jonathan Marshall
DL- Breiden Fehoko
LB- David Perales
CB- Luq Barcoo
CB- Anthony Brown
S- Trenton Thompson
DB- Josiah Scott
DB- Tariq Carpenter
RB- Zander Horvath
RB- Qadree Ollison
Pirates Match Last Year’s Win Total
The Pittsburgh Pirates finished last season at 62-100 and were able to win the lottery and pick first in the MLB Draft, eventually picking Paul Skenes.
This season, the Pirates won game 62 on September 1st, a sign that they have improved from last season. At 62-73, the Pirates have played better baseball in the past month, going 18-15 since July 30th and giving some hope to the fan base about the future of the franchise.
Andre Jackson Strikes Out the First 5
Andre Jackson earned his first career victory last week and in the process did something that no other Pirates pitcher has done since 1979. He struck out the first 5 hitters of the game against the Royals, something that hasn’t been done since Bruce Kison in 1979.
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