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Homepage articles from the 2009 season
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| Still a super hero behind the plate |
Big night, big bat: Doumit finishing 2009 strong Sept. 30, 2009 -- It was a year
Pirates Starting Catcher Ryan Doumit says he will use as a learning experience: Missing 73 games and his push to return to
the starting lineup after a broken wrist mended by surgery, and then a late summer struggle to find his groove. The man wearing
No. 41 in the visitors' gray at Wrigley Field on the last day of September didn't show any signs of the struggle. On a day the Pirates swept the Cubs in a double-header, Doumit caught the
second game and batting cleanup, went 4-4 reaching base 5 times. He had 4 RBI, and hit a ninth inning home run off the lethal
Carlos Marmol to bring the score to 8-2. It was only the second homer given up by Marmol all year. It was Doumit's third 4-RBI game and his fifth career four-hit game. Interviewed on camera by FSN as the player of the game after the win, Doumit was asked about
his year: Missing 73 of a 162 game season; returning from the wrist injury "early" as later acknowledged by his
agent in Doumit's eagerness to contribute to a young, struggling team post trades, struggling at the plate and even a
behavioral issue that sat him mid-game this fall. "It's
been a grind" Doumit told FSN, adding he'll use this year as a learning experience. Whether Doumit wants to play winter ball or not to make up some of his lost time, General Manager
Neal Huntington - vocal to the press about his displeasure that he had no takers amongst Pirate players for winter ball this
year - has said more than once that Doumit needs to rest that wrist and get ready for 2010.
Doumit's agent addresses rumors
Sept. 2, 2009 -- One of Ryan Doumit's agents publicly said what loyal fans of No. 41 already
knew: There's frustration with his own performance. There is no pouting, no push for a trade.
Doumit has not commented
on what led to his Aug. 28 benching in Milwaukee, but the incident inflated (see article below this one) into accusations
that his low batting average, his demeanor reflect displeasure with the multiple trades of starting players this year and
his dissatisfaction with the PBC. His agent, however, did speak out just last night, after having dinner with Doumit in Cincinnati.
"He really didn't want to get caught up in something that's just so farcical, or giving any credibility to
it," Matt Sosnick, one of Doumit's agents, said in an interview published in the Post-Gazette, answering why Doumit
himself didn't talk. "But I feel like people should know that Ryan Doumit's not the kind to not care, or not
hustle. People who know Ryan Doumit know that."
The whole story can be read by using the link below.
Doumit's agent responds to pouting charge
Benching
to DoumitGate: It was a rough few days
Sept.
1, 2009 -- Something happened in Milwaukee. The reason or reasons
that Ryan Doumit was pulled mid-game Friday, Aug. 29 by Manager John Russell is/are not known publicly. The Skipper told the
Post-Gazette Friday night, “That’s between me and Ryan.” What happened the rest of the weekend, for lack of a better term, is this borrowed
term: DoumitGate. Blogs dedicated
to baseball in general and Pirate baseball specifically came out of the woodwork with speculation. During the game, on the
television broadcast, Greg Brown announced that according to General Manager Neal Huntington, Doumit was not hurt or ill.
During the game broadcast, on the radio side John Wehner was reportedly citing reasons he could think of for Doumit to be
pulled that game. On Saturday
night, KDKA television reported from their pre-game Steeler coverage at Heinz Field to announce reporters had learned from
Pirates inside staffers that the team would release Doumit.
This did not happen. On Saturday evening and again Sunday, the Post-Gazette reported that Neal
Huntington addressed the issue in general, leaving the settling of whatever the actual issue was between Russell and Doumit. Here’s a quote from Dejan Kovacevic
as a blog post on the PBC blog this weekend: "This isn't going to be the first time one of our players experiences a disciplinary
issue, and it's not going to be the last time," he (Huntington) said. "The response isn't always going to
be to get him out of here. And it's not in this situation. There will be some in the future. ... JR and Ryan are going
to handle it, and we expect to move beyond it, move forward, learn from it and expand beyond it and grow beyond it."Doumit again declined
to be interviewed.As far as what actually led to the benching, all I could determine was that it was no single incident but rather
a cumulative thing.
Doumit did not play Saturday night either, played the Sunday day-game and the night game of the Monday double-header.
--- Administrator’s
note: This is a fan site. That means it’s run by a fan, for other fans to get information about the athlete.
Not for picking apart a professional athlete during a dark time. As much as I felt obligated to put something up about
this over the weekend, I couldn’t get enough facts, and was too busy wielding the sword of righteousness and defense
on Doumit’s behalf on every public blog I belong too. I don’t know what happened, that’s his business, but
for those that say he’s not producing at the plate on purpose, or call for his release – I feel compelled to shut
those fools up.
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| Photo by Dejan Kovacevic, used with permission |
An excellent person to have in your corner Aug. 27, 2000 -- The Pittsburgh Pirates celebrated the
30th anniversary of the 1979 World Series Championship the weekend of Aug. 21-23, with the champion team members honored before
the Saturday game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park. Before
the game, Ryan Doumit wasn't all that hot at the plate, even though the night before he'd gunned a runner down at
second, getting an essential out to squash a Reds rally in what became a 5-2 victory in the series opener. He also had two
killer hits but was robbed by the Reds, who played him perfectly. Before
Doumit went to warm up Pitcher Paul Maholm Saturday night, Mr. Tanner hung back in the dugout and had a little meeting with
Superman. As the Post-Gazette reports, "Tanner
caught Doumit by the elbow, got his full attention, and gave him an old-fashioned earful." Those not familiar with the championship skipper may not know that he is always, always positive.
Which is probably what stunned some of Pirates management at spring training 2008 when, while Ronny Paulino was still considered
"the guy" behind the dish, in a closed door meeting Mr. Tanner slammed his fist on the table and said Doumit was
the right man for the job. Doumit told the Post-Gazette he's
honored to have a man like Mr. Tanner in his corner, and has every respect for the words of such a wise man. In Saturday's game, after the talk, Doumit busted out of what he may
have called a "schnied," going 3-4 with a home run, actually a triple short of the cycle. The link to the full, amazing story, is below.
Tanner's words spur Doumit's breakout
Tough times, these are
Aug. 18, 2009 -- It's not easy being a Pirate fan these days. We know the wins are in there, the
talent is in the line-up, but the results aren't always what we want.
From comments to the press, it's not what
the team wants for itself - or its fans - either.
John Russell recently responded to the media allegations that the losing
is designed to get a better draft choic in 2010, or that he doesn't seem to care about the outcome of these games. This
is what he told Chuck Finder at the Post-Gazette:
"We don’t want to lose. I hate losing. I don’t
think I’ve slept in four weeks. I don’t think many of our players have slept. It’s not a good feeling. Until
we turn around losing, people are going to say a lot of different things about us. Until we start winning, it’s open
game. We’re headed in the right direction, but it doesn’t make it any easier when we go out and lose. That’s
why each day we preach to the players that we’ve got to prepare for that day [when it turns around]. It’s the
only thing that keeps me going."
It hasn't been all homers and roses for Ryan Doumit either. Now carrying
a batting average of .222, he was moved to the fifth spot in the batting order Aug. 18 in the win against the Brewers at PNC
to try to take some of the pressur off of him to perform at the plate.
"We're just giving him a break,"
Russell said. "I think he's really been pushing it. Right now, he sees a couple guys on base and he's trying
to drive them all in at once. He needs to relax, find a better, balanced approach, hit offspeed pitches, use the whole field.
It's a cycle hitters go through."
Doumit did get one hit that game and reached on an error.
In Neal
Huntington's chat with fans Aug. 18, he attributed Doumit's slump at the plate to his wrist injury this year (the
same wrist, different location on the wrist, was bruised last week and he sat out one extra game after a rest day to let it
heal) even though the General Manger said Doumit won't say it's the wrist that's the problem.
Still a Pirate
Aug.
4, 2009 --The Pittsburgh Baseball Club started trading early this year and kept at it, until most of the opening
day lineup was traded for primarily prospects, with a few major leaguers in there.
Ryan Doumit was not traded and now
becomes one of the most tenured on the 40-man roster. Of the five starting pitchers Doumit worked with this spring and began
the 2000 season with -- Paul Maholm, Ian Snell, Zach Duke, Ross Ohlendorf and Jeff Karstens - three (Maholm, Duke and Ohlendorf)
remain starting pitchers, so most of that hasn't changed for the Bucs' starting catcher.
While the batting order
has changed with the trades of Adam LaRoche, Nate McLouth, Freddy Sanchez, Nyjer Morgan and Jack Wilson, Doumit still
bats cleanup, primarily behind Garrett Jones, the Rookie of the Year potenital outfielder/first baseman.
The Pirates
gained national sports attention with the volume of trades made this year (add to the above list John Grabow, Tom Gorzelanny),
and many wondered in published Q and A's and on blogs if Doumit would be part of the clean sweep. For those who argued
his recent five year contract, Nate McLouth had a big extension too, and was the first to go.
Below is a series of comments
in the Post-Gazette about those very subjects:
Longtime Pirates still standing? There aren't many.
Maholm, Zach Duke, Matt Capps and Ryan Doumit -- "I don't have anything to say," was all he offered -- are in
their fifth Pirates season, graybeard John Grabow his seventh. Grabow becomes the club's second oldest vet, at 30, behind
only Ramon Vazquez, 32.
--Clubhouse reaction story from San Francisco, July 30, written before the Grabow trade
From the July 30 Post-Gazette chat with beat writer Dejan Kovacevic:
Milo613: What is
the organization's feeling on Ryan Doumit? Will he survive into next spring? He must feel like The Lone Ranger. Dejan
Kovacevic: Yes, he must feel that way. The Pirates and particularly John Russell say they love Doumit and want him to be their
everyday catcher for years to come.
The trades up to July 31 coincided with an 0-15 slide for
Doumit at the plate, which he broke out of Aug. 3 in the final of the four game series against the Washington Nationals, going
3-for-5. There were, again, media mumblings and blog blathering wondering if the goose egg in the hit column was the mental
reaction to the trades. Here's Kovacevic's comments to that before the game where Doumit put up three hits:
For those wondering about Ryan Doumit's spirits in the aftermath of the trades -- and there
are plenty of emails to that effect -- it seems unfounded. He is smiling and having a good time out there at BP, but one can
easily tell he is pressing at the plate with that 0-for-15 slide.
Again, slump over.
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| Dejan Kovacevic photo used with permission |
Ryan Doumit: Back battling with the Bucs
July 23, 2009 -- Reinstated before the All-Star break, Ryan Doumit hasn't
missed a game since, not even getting the expected day game after a night game off.
On Wednesday, the last game of a
six-game homestand against first San Francisco then Milwaukee, Doumit had two home runs - the first longballs since his return,
he went 2 for 4 with two homeruns, two runs scored, 3 RBI, and on base on balls, bringing his average up to .235. He helped
the Pirates continue to bury their tendency to lose to the Brewers. Until the July 20 game against the Brewers, the Bucs had
lost 17 in a row to them. They broke that trend Monday and then took the series from the Brew Crew with a win Wednesday, 8-7,
after a 2-0 loss Tuesday.
Since being reinstated on the active roster July 10, Doumit has 8 hits and 8 RBI. He's
now played 21 games this regular season, missing 73 for the broken wrist and surgery on it.
Click on the link below to
MLB.com video of Doumit's two home-runs Wednesday, including the contested two-run dinger first thought by officials to
be a double, then, after the new play review, he was awared the home run.
Doumit's 2-run homer, replay shows solo shot counts
Superman
is back!
July 10, 2009 -- Ryan
Doumit has been reinstated on the 40-man roster for the Pirates and is back with the team, in the lineup today against Philadelphia.
Doumit went 2-for-4 with the Indianapolis Indians yesterday afternoon and then, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
met with General Manager Neal Huntington after the game and did not join the Indians to their next destination.
He is
starting tonight in Philadelphia, the opening of a three game series before the All-Star break, batting cleanup. The wrist
injury took him out of 73 games this year, his last being April 19.
More information to follow... Let's Go Bucs!
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| Ryan Doumit at bat in Indianapolis, Sandlot Swashbuckler photo |
Almost ready: Doumit on rehab
assignment
July 6, 2009 -- Ryan Doumit is catching and hitting at the Pirates
AAA affiliate Indianapolis as the last step on his way back to wearing No. 41 for the Pirates again.
He was sent to Bradenton
and got in a few games with the Gulf Coast League Pirates before moving up to Triple A for a few more games.
According
to the Pittsburgh Tribune:
"Sunday, in his first rehab
game with Triple-A Indianapolis, catcher Ryan Doumit (wrist) caught five innings and went 0-for-2 (both groundouts). "It's not necessarily about getting hits; it's
how he looks (at the plate)," Pirates manager John Russell said. Doumit
isn't expected back until after the All-Star break, but Russell did not rule out a return this weekend. "If he progresses quickly, we'll see," said Russell, who added that the wrist
injury, once fully healed, should not have any lingering effect on Doumit's power at the plate."
Cleared
to throw and hit, Doumit advances
June 15, 2009 --
Ryan Doumit was cleared by team doctors June 13 to begin throwing with his surgically repaired right hand and to begin
hitting baseballs again.
According to the Pirates official site, Doumit resumed throwing and taking steps back toward
the batting cage that include dry swings and then hitting off a tee.
Management plans to take his rehabilitation cautiously,
optimistic that his broken right scaphoid "healed very well," reports say.
The projected time for return is
now right after the All-Star break, which is mid-July (July 13-15).
See the link to the recovery update from MLB.com
below.
On Saturday, June 13 at PNC Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates honored the 100th anniversary of the 1909 world
series win by the club by bringing alumni of world champion Pirate teams back to the ballpark. Some in attendance included
Kent Tekulve, Manny Sanguillen, Bill Mazeroski and Chuck Tanner. The champions each tossed out the first pitch, lined
up across from current Pirate players. Ryan caught his mentor, Manny Sanguillen's, pitch. He then headed out to the bullpen
with the relief pitchers for the duration of the 9-3 interleague win over the Detroit Tigers.
Newest article on Doumit's next rehab phase
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| Ryan Doumit in the bullpen at PNC Park 2008. |
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Mid-draft reflection and someone familiar
in the bullpen
June 10, 2009 -- Amid the first-year player's draft for Major
League Baseball, a Washington state paper reflected on the draft 10 years ago when that state was the hotbed of draft picks.
In 1999, a ton of talent was drafted out of Washington. Not all of it 'stuck' in baseball, and so far 1/10th of
it made it to the majors.
Here's an excerpt from that story:
"A look back at the great Washington Class of '99 reveals the cruel and fickle nature of professional baseball.
Only one of the 10 made it big — catcher Ryan Doumit, one of three players
chosen in the top 63 picks that year from Moses Lake High School. Doumit
hit .318 last year for Pittsburgh and then signed a three-year, $11.5 million extension with the Pirates..."
The
link to the full article is below, which includes comments from one of Doumit's fellow draftees that is a full-time business
owner these days, and says he's having a great time following Ryan's career in the bigs.
In Atlanta, the camera
focused on Ryan in the bullpen during the June 10 victory against the Braves. Contrary to reports still making the rounds
on fantasy baseball blogs, Doumit does not have a cast on his right wrist. He's in the bullpen with the shin guards on,
as seen Wednesday night, and can catch for pitchers - he's not yet allowed to throw the ball back.
The Pirates drafted
a catcher, Tony Sanchez out of Boston College, as the first choice in the draft this week. An interview with Sanchez
reads a lot like an interview with Doumit would - someone who doesn't want a lot of hype, just wants to work harder for
his teammates than he works for himself, and someone who is strong offensively and defensively.
Article on the draft of 1999
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| He says he's ready to play ball! |
Doumit admittedly
eager to get back on the 25-man
June 7, 2009 -- On May 31 at Jack and Julie Wilson's
Fifth Annual Bowling with the Bucs in Crafton, Ryan Doumit said "let's get this thing moving!"
He was referring
to getting in enough rehabilitation, enough practice to get back to the team, behind the dish and batting clean-up.
Ryandoumit.com's
administrator talked to Skipper John Russell at the event.
"Promise me, please promise me, Ryan will go slow. Take
it carefully. He's too important to have wrist problems for years," the web admin said.
"Neal and I talk
about this every day," Russell said patiently, referring to General Manager Neal Huntington. "I told Ryan two days
ago, and four days ago, and six days ago, that we have to take our time."
Just then the subject of the conversation
came over.
"I made him promise you'd take it slow," the web admin told Ryan.
"No way, we've
got to get rolling. No time to waste!" Ryan responded.
The catcher grinned.
The skipper kept that amazingly
patient look he wears.
The web admin said "At this rate you'll be all bionic by the time you're 30!"
Ryan just smiled.
There's a new Bowling with the Bucs 2009 page on this site. Use the menu bar at left to
get there.
Check out the video board!
Haven't had time to get to PNC? Live too far away to hit a game? Check out the new at-bat features for
Ryan in 2009 with captured images of the jumbotron at PNC Park! Just go to the "Ryan Doumit on the Big Screen" page
by using the navigation menu on the left.
Doumit cleared to start baseball
rehabilitation
May 28, 2009 -- Ryan Doumit's
CAT scan on his surgically mended right scaphoid bone has progressed well enough that he's allowed to start throwing this
week, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Doumit will begin baseball rehabilitation now, though there will be a
cast on for a few more days, according to the report.
Doumit's return to the team was most optimistically mid-June
if the bone healed quickly, and that's what the doctors at Allegheny Hospital found today, according to reports.
When
Doumit will head to Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. has not been published yet.
Next x-ray is Thursday to gauge how fast
he's healing
May 27, 2009 -- When the Pirates take their off day before a
homestand this Thursday (May 28), Ryan Doumit will have his wrist examined to see how fast the scaphoid bone is healing after
the April 23 surgery.
According to an article on MLB.com, the pace of healing will determine when he is allowed to begin
baseball activity again. In a previous report, it was stated that when cleared to begin a rehabilitation program, Doumit will
be sent to Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. for rehabilitation and eventually get game time and a rehab assignment to a
farm team before being taken off the Disabled List and brought back to the Pirates every-day roster.
It was unclear how
soon after the check-up he would be sent to Florida or if he might be making an appearance at Jack and Julie Wilson's
annual Bowling with the Bucs, which is this Sunday, May 31, in Crafton, PA.
Also in the article, Skipper John Russell
said they plan to bring Doumit back slowly and cautiously, so the wrist isn't a problem again. Russell, a former catcher
himself who is a huge advocate of Ryan's, was clear that he didn't want the wrist to bother Ryan not only this
season, but in the season to come, as he fits into the team's long-term plans.
Doumit has promised to come back quickly.
A link to the MLB.com article is below (although the dates of the injury and surgery are wrong in this article).
Doumit to undergo wrist examination
Doumit's
healing on 'fast track,' MLB bosses say he's underrated
May 18, 2009
-- Ryan Doumit's injury update says he's going to beat the Pirates July 1 timeline for returning to the active roster.
This from PiratesReport.com:
"DOUMIT UPDATE: Catcher Ryan Doumit said he is making significant progress in his
recovery from the broken wrist he suffered April 20. He believes he will beat the loose timetable of July 1 that has been
set for his return. 'It won't be 10 weeks that I'm out, I promise,'
Doumit said."
(PiratesReport.com is run by John Perrotto)
Underrated?
mlb.com's
Corey Brock recently polled baseball managers and executives to find out who they think is major league baseball's most
underrated player. While the winners were Jayson Werth and Adrian Gonzalez, Ryan Doumit also received multiple votes. So did
these guys: Ryan Theriot, Corey Hart, Shane Victorino and Garrett Atkins.
The
next step to healing: Stitches come out
May 6, 2009 -- Ryan Doumit stayed in Pittsburgh when the Bucs
traveled to St. Louis for a two-game stint today in order to have the stitches in his right wrist removed.
Once
the stitches come out, if the incision is healed adequately, Doumit will be allowed to work out again.
While the stitches
were in, Pirates Manager John Russell was told by the doctors "not to let him sweat." They didn't want to risk
infection of the incision since it was covered by a cast.
"It's been driving him crazy," Russell said of
Doumit's inactivity.
With the doctor's go-ahead, Doumit should be able to start running and working out as part
of his rehabilitation.
He will join the team in New York for a three-game series against the Mets Friday, according to
MLB.com. His rehabilitation program will continue while he's there.
Doumit was hitting .244 in 12 games with six
extra-base hits and nine RBIs before fracturing his wrist in a fluke injury while swinging against the Braves on April 19.
Doumit to
have surgery Thursday on wrist, out 8-10 weeks
April 20, 2009 -- When Ryan Doumit
felt "a pull" at his second at-bat on Sunday against the Braves, he didn't figure it would be much.
Turns
out it's a fracture to a bone in his wrist that gets the least amount of blood flow naturally, and his quickest course
of healing is surgery.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Baratz will insert pins into Doumit's scaphoid
to fuse it together. After 4-5 weeks, another CT scan will determine if the bone has healed sufficiently to begin full baseball
rehabilitation. "If we see the bone healing, solidifying, then we can move forward," general manager
Neal Huntington said. "If not, then we have to wait for the surgery to take. So, 8-10 weeks is the most likely time.
It could be a little bit longer if the bone doesn't heal. It could be shorter if it does."
Ryan Doumit
reported to PNC Park Monday for the start of the series against the Hot Marlins and told Manager John Russell his right
wrist was sore after what felt like a "pull" early in Sunday's game against the Braves.
Doumit had an x-ray,
then later Monday an MRI.
The CAT scan on Tuesday was intended to give Doumit the most information about his
injury so he could decide his course of action, according to the PG.
In reaction, Doumit said "It sucks." Having
done everything he could in the offseason to report in shape, one at-bat has taken him out of the line-up.
Click the
link below for the full story from the PG, and to hear the comments by his fellow teammates.
Another unique thing in
that story is that Doumit has asked for, and received, permission to stay in Pittsburgh for his rehabilitation in order to
spend the most time with the team. Traditionally players on the Disabled List go to Pirate City in Bradenton. Doumit said
he wanted to be with his teammates and perhaps use the time in the dugout to learn more about the pitchers, and learn more
from Joe Kerrigan, the new pitching coach who has given the Pirates the coaching to have the most shutouts in the National
League - at four so far this year - and last weekend having the lowest ERA of ALL starting rotations in baseball.
Article explaining Doumit's surgery
Listen to Ryan's reaction
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| 2009 Ryan Doumit bobblehead |
Superman shines on his bobblehead day
April 19, 2008 -- Twenty-thousand plus fans got more than a Ryan Doumit bobblehead
at a Saturday afternoon game April 18 at PNC Park - they got a sensational performance by the starting catcher.
Doumit,
whose likeness was immortalized on the first bobblehead game of the Pirates 2009 season, went 3-for-4 with three doubles and
an intentional walk. He also nailed a runner stealing second base.
Now that Doumit's name and number are available
on T-shirts and team jerseys at the stadium, more and more fans are sporting the 41 at the ballpark. None of them were disappointed
Saturday in the Bucs 10-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
On Doumit's first double in the second inning, he was
singled in by Andy LaRoche for the only run of the game until the sixth inning, when Doumit was again on base when Craig
Monroe sent a three-run longball into the visitor's bullpen. Doumit scored again later on Monroe's second three-run
homer.
Click the link below for game highlights from Saturday.
Also, several fans have emailed into the site in
the past about where to find a Doumit jersey or T-shirt. Links for that are below as well.
A couple of photos from
April 18 are on the Ryan's Photos page, just click on that title in the menu at left.
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| July 9, 2008 at PNC Park |
Doumit grand-slams into 2009
April 11, 2009 --With the Pirates holding a comfortable 5-1 lead over the Cincinnati
Reds, Ryan Doumit stepped to the plate at the top of the ninth with three men on base and launched the first grand-slam of
his major league career at All-American Ballpark in Cincinnati.
It was all cape for Superman as he doubled the lead over
the Reds on a 1-1 pitch from Mike Lincoln.
From the Post-Gazette:
"With pinch-batter Eric Hinske aboard on
a walk, Morgan singled and, with a hard slide, prevented Reds second baseman Phillips from turning what could well have been
an double play on Sanchez's grounder. Ryan Doumit followed a McLouth walk with his first career grand slam in 37 major-league
homers and tied his career-high output with four RBIs in a game."
Doumit had a two hits in the game before the big
slam.
Oddly enough, Saturday's game was supposed to be Doumit's off day, but the first scheduled game of the
Pirates-Reds series as rained out Friday night, postponed completely. Doumit got the nod for the start Saturday to call the
game for Pirates ace Paul Maholm.
Paul Maholm had a second stellar start, and though Johnny Cueto of the Reds outdid
Maholm in strike-outs, he was hit consistently by the Bucs. Nate McLouth launched a two-run homer in the first and Adam LaRoche
homered after Doumit's slam in the ninth, landing half-way up the moon deck in right field. Nyjer Morgan went 3-for-four
with two stolen bases.
The multiple hits Saturday afternoon in sunny Cincinnati grew Doumit's average to .238 after
a slow start in St. Louis. His OBP is .261 and his slugging percentage is .429.
The link to MLB's video highlight
of Doumit's grand slam is below.
Highlights from the April 18 game
Get a Doumit T-shirt
Ryan Doumit's first MLB career grand-slam
2009 Underway; Bucs win opening day
April 6, 2009 -- Cold and blustery in St. Louis, the Pirates opening day game against
the Cardinals ended with a hot, four-run ninth for the third consecutive opening day win.
Middle reliever John Grabow
recorded the win, Matt Capps recorded the save.
Ryan Doumit started the game behind the dish, the first season as the
"starter of record" for the Moses Lake, Wash. product that turned 28 on Friday.
While Doumit was 0-for-five
in the game, reaching first base once on an error and flying out and grounding out twice, with one strike-out as well, his
veteran teammates Adam LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson batted the team to a win over St. Louis, 6-4 in the top of
the ninth.
To see baseballreference.com's information on Doumit's major league career, click the link below.
Fate was not helpful...
March 29, 2009 -- The second annual pilgrimage to Bradenton
for Pirates Spring Training took place by the ryandoumit.com staff last week.
Camera ready and game tickets in hand,
as fate would have it Andrea never saw Ryan, not one time. He was not at either of the two games she attended (one at the
McKechnie Field at home, one at Port Charlotte, both against Tampa Bay) but of course he went lights-out at the Braves away
game she couldn't attend (darn economy).
Fortunately Andrea has enough connections that other fans did take pictures
earlier this Spring Training, and those will appear here shortly. Other pictures of Pirates from Spring Training last week
will get their own page here as well.
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| photo courtesy of Deanna from the Chris Duffy fansite |
'I want to be great at what I'm doing'
March 5, 2009 -- As Spring Training in Bradenton,
Fla. progresses and the Pirates game record climbs to 6-1, Ryan Doumit told MLB.com that he's not just content to be there,
satisfied to ride a three-year contract.
He is working with new pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, whose resume
includes such October contenders as the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. This year, Kerrigan and Doumit will formulate
a pitching plan for each game, and it's Doumit's job to implement it.
He also intends to become one of the great catchers of the game,
Doumit told MLB.com.
"I'm not just satisfied being in the big leagues," Doumit said. "I'm
not satisfied signing a three-year contract. I want to be great at what I'm doing. I want to look up in the stands and see
people wearing my jersey. I'm not just content. I'm not comfortable just being here. I want to be great at what I do."
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