Heaney delivers 1st Bucs win after celebration of 10 years of service time

PITTSBURGH -- Andrew Heaney's morning started with a surprise. Thursday marked the day he reached 10 years of Major League service time, a prestigious mark for players and their entryway to a full pension. It’s a cause for celebration, but it was a day game, so does anyone really want to do that at nine in the morning?

His new team did. The six teams he’s played for -- the Pirates, Angels, Marlins, Dodgers, Rangers and Yankees -- were carved into watermelons in a pregame spread. He was gifted a bottle of champagne, painted by local artist Cody Sabol. His wife, Jordan, their daughters, Eleanor and Olivia, and his mom and step-dad made the trip to take part in the pregame festivities to recognize him hitting his plateau.

“I don't love attention, to be honest,” Heaney said with a smile. “The fact that everybody had to come in here and sit in here in the morning and watch video of me talk, listen to me talk, I'm just like, 'Oh God, these guys just want to play a baseball game.'

“The fact that people have been so nice, and everybody here has just been so understanding of, you know, it's a big deal.”

Heaney’s afternoon ended with a standing ovation. The veteran southpaw authored a gem to mark his 10 years, spinning 7 1/3 scoreless innings. Oneil Cruz’s leadoff home run was all the offense he would get and need, as the Pirates completed their series win over the Nationals with a 1-0 win.

The first three Pirate starters in this set with the Nationals recorded quality starts, and Heaney continued the trend, attacking primarily with his four-seamer and changeup. He executed whenever he needed to, avoided hard contact and rolled despite only striking out four, and he lowered his ERA with his new club to 2.13 in the process.

"He was mixing up the fastballs, curveballs, high fastballs, in and out,” Nationals bench coach and acting manager Miguel Cairo said. “He pitched good. We just didn't have any luck.”

“He stepped up and really went out and showed why he is a 10-year Major League veteran,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “That was really impressive."

Heaney hasn’t been afraid to open the full arsenal whenever he needs to this year, whether that’s different arm slots, changing velocities on his curveball or mixing in more sinkers and sliders. They’re all tools for his toolbelt and the product of his decade of pitching in the Majors. Just about all of them were on display.

“There are [fewer than] 10% of Major League players that play for 10 years,” Shelton said. “You have to be pretty damn good to do it, and he is."

The Pirates needed an outing like that, too. After an emotional win Wednesday night, finishing with a series split would have been a downer, especially as they try to dig themselves out of this early hole. They were far from perfect offensively, unable to cash in with runners scoring position, but one Cruz swing was enough (even if Heaney missed it live).

“I want to win,” Heaney said. “Whether it's 1-0, 10-9, 10-0, I don't care. I think everybody in here understands it's about winning a baseball game. You play to the circumstances and the situation in the game. Get a 1-0 lead, I'm going to do my best to hold it.”

That mindset is a glimpse into why Heaney has been pitching for 10 years now and probably has more to come.

“You start a big league career and you don't ever know how, where, when it's going to end,” Heaney said. “Obviously, 10 years now is just something I honestly didn't really ever seek out to do. I just wanted to go pitch and whatever happens, happens. To get here and be in this situation with this group, just happy to be here.

"You just never know where the game is going to take you, and you know that time goes on. You know the game doesn't wait for anybody. To be able to do what I've done so far, I'm just proud of myself and just happy to get to do this.”