Clint Hurdle will be watching his team play from the PNC Park suite level for a second night in a row, and he admits the view from there is quite different.
The Pirates' manager will finish his two-game suspension Saturday night when the Pirates face the New York Mets. Hurdle watched Friday night’s 8-4 victory from the suite with his wife and their two children as he served the first game of his ban for his part in Tuesday night’s brawl between the Pirates and Reds in Cincinnati
“I’ve often shared how I feel the game looks easy watching it on TV, but it’s even more skewed from (the suite) view because the game looks even easier up there,” Hurdle said. “It looks way easy and it’s not. It’s the part I really embraced and enjoyed because I don’t get many opportunities.”
Friday also marked the first opportunity Hurdle has ever had to watch his team while sitting next to his family. That was certainly a different experience.
“There wasn’t a lot of focus in the suite with the kids when it came to actually watching the game,” Hurdle said with a laugh Saturday. “We were wrestling with the (latest) Disney movie, so we had a lot going on beside baseball.”
Bench coach Tom Prince is serving as acting manager. Hurdle’s daughter, Maddie, is a big fan of Prince.
“She wanted to know if he would get a cream pie if we won,” Hurdle said. “I explained to her that they’re not actually cream pies and (the players) have got another thing going on now to celebrate.
“She has also been a little concerned with the roster turnover with the suspensions. She’s on a need-to-know basis right now, though.”
Keone Kela (10 games), Jose Osuna (five games) and Kyle Crick (three games) were also suspended Thursday. Kela began serving his suspension Saturday while the cases of Osuna and Crick are still under appeal.
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