Perrotto: A Night to Remember for Don Kelly

PITTSBURGH – The smile on Don Kelly’s face couldn’t have been wider.

Of course, you would be smiling broadly, too, if you just had one of the best days of your life.

The Pittsburgh Pirates held off the Atlanta Braves 3-2 Friday night at PNC Park in Kelly’s major-league managerial debut. He took over the scuffling Pirates a day earlier when he was promoted after Derek Shelton was fired in his sixth season as manager.

Kelly was asked if he could have drawn up Friday any better as the Pirates ended their seven-game losing streak by withstanding the Braves’ two-run rally in the ninth inning.

“Honestly, I can’t. It was great,” Kelly said.

The Pirates played one of their crispest games of the year. They didn’t make their daily baserunning mistake(s) and played flawlessly in the field.

Left-hander Bailey Falter was elite for a second straight start, pitching six scoreless innings and allowing two hits. Alexander Canario and Jared Triolo hit solo home runs.

Chase Shugart, Caleb Ferguson, and David Bednar combined for two shutout innings of relief before Dennis Santana survived a harrowing ninth to get the save.

Most importantly, there was joy in the Pirates’ clubhouse before and after the game. It felt like the tension built during the 12-26 start under Shelton dissipated.

“DK has been amazing with me since I’ve been here,” said Falter, who was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in a 2023 trade. “I know a lot of guys respect him. It was very good to see him get that managing dub today. It’s safe to say that I feel like everyone was kind of playing for him tonight.”

“I feel like DK is always the same guy, no matter what. He’s always a guy we can lean on. He will hold everybody accountable. He’s a guy that’s been through all of this also, so there’s a lot of feel coming through it that way. We’re all happy that he’s here leading us.”

Kelly understands that he is facing a difficult task.

The Pirates have fallen to the bottom of the National League Central standings, nine games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs. Even on a joyous evening, the Pirates are still 13 games under .500 after just 39 games.

However, the 45-year-old Kelly sees his new job as an “exciting” opportunity.

“Yes, the record isn’t where any of us hoped it would be right now, but there’s a lot of opportunity for growth, there’s a lot of opportunity to get better, and I’m excited about that,” Kelly said. “Talking to the players … just challenging them. How do we show up every day? How do we show up with that enthusiasm like we did when we were in Little League, high school, and bring that enthusiasm out onto the field and show up every day to get better and show up every day to help the team win a ballgame.”

That might sound like a bunch of baloney coming from many major-league managers. And Pirates’ fans have heard a similar spiel before.

However, the messenger is different. Kelly grew up as a Pirates fan in Mount Lebanon, made his major-league debut as a player with them in 2007, and has been on the coaching staff since 2020.

Kelly truly cares about the Pirates. I’ve known him for 20 years, and he is as sincere as anyone you’ll ever meet. When he says something, he means it.

Time will tell how Kelly works out as a manager, but he’ll always have Friday night, a special win for a special person.