Pittsburgh’s Don Kelly Aims to Revive Slumping Pirates \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Don Kelly, a Pittsburgh native and former MLB utility player, has been named interim manager of the struggling Pirates. Following Derek Shelton’s firing, Kelly brings his experience, calm demeanor, and deep ties to the city to a roster desperate for direction. His challenge now is restoring confidence and purpose to a team off to a dismal start.
Quick Looks
- Don Kelly, longtime Pirates bench coach, takes over as interim manager after Derek Shelton’s dismissal.
- The team sits in last place and entered the weekend on a seven-game losing streak.
- A Pittsburgh native, Kelly brings a personal connection and deep baseball experience to the role.
- Players and staff describe Kelly as a communicator, teacher, and team-first leader.
- Rookie star Paul Skenes called the firing “expected” and emphasized the team’s need to perform better.
- Kelly had a 9-year MLB career as a utility man and previously coached with Houston.
- Injuries have plagued the Pirates’ lineup, with key starters like Spencer Horwitz and Nick Gonzales sidelined.
- Franchise icon Andrew McCutchen praised Kelly but stressed players must take ownership on the field.
- Kelly promises to bring energy and belief, but admits the turnaround will take time.
- With over 120 games left, Pittsburgh hopes to rediscover the potential it showed in spring training.
Deep Look
There’s a quiet intensity to Don Kelly — the kind of unspoken strength built not through stardom, but through years of grinding out a career in baseball’s shadows. That intensity is now the fuel the Pittsburgh Pirates are betting on as they try to salvage a season that’s spiraling fast.
On Thursday, General Manager Ben Cherington made the call that had been looming for weeks: firing manager Derek Shelton amid a slump that had the Pirates dead last in the standings. In his place, Cherington tapped the steady, familiar hand of Don Kelly — a former big league journeyman, longtime bench coach, and Pittsburgh native who grew up just five miles from the site of the old Three Rivers Stadium.
Kelly isn’t walking into a glamorous situation. The team has lost seven straight, is 12-26 on the season, and boasts one of the least productive offenses in baseball. But where others see dysfunction, Kelly sees an opening for leadership, clarity, and growth.
“This isn’t about me,” Kelly said during his first press conference as interim manager. “It’s about this group and finding ways to get the best out of them.”
A Hometown Story With New Stakes
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Kelly played college ball at Point Park University, a small liberal arts school just across the Allegheny River from PNC Park. His baseball journey is one of quiet perseverance. Drafted in the eighth round by the Detroit Tigers, Kelly spent nine years in the majors, carving out a reputation as a versatile, intelligent utility player who filled gaps wherever needed.
After retiring in 2016, he worked as a scout and then joined the Houston Astros’ coaching staff in 2018. By 2019, he was back home with the Pirates as bench coach, a trusted figure in the dugout and a respected voice among players.
His connection to the city runs deeper than baseball. As a kid, he trick-or-treated at the house of Hall of Fame manager Jim Leyland. Today, he walks through a darkened PNC Park postgame and reflects on a skyline that’s been part of his life for four decades.
Turning Around a Tumbling Team
The assignment ahead isn’t easy. The Pirates have struggled across the board, particularly at the plate, ranking near the bottom in nearly every offensive category. Injuries to Spencer Horwitz and Nick Gonzales have weakened the lineup, but even healthy players haven’t delivered on expectations.
Star rookie Paul Skenes, despite being new to the majors, was blunt in his assessment. “We’re 12-26,” he said. “Someone’s got to be held accountable. But I don’t know that it fixes the root of the issue, which is we need to play better.”
Veteran Andrew McCutchen echoed that sentiment, praising Kelly’s baseball mind and demeanor, but emphasizing that success starts on the field. “He’s going to do his job,” McCutchen said. “But we have to do ours too.”
Kelly knows the challenge isn’t just strategic — it’s emotional. The team has looked flat, its clubhouse subdued. His goal, he says, is to restore joy to the game, to create a culture where players feel connected to both each other and the city on their jerseys.
“When players know you care, and they know it’s about the team and about winning, that’s what matters most,” Kelly said.
Managing With Heart, Not Ego
Kelly doesn’t come across as a taskmaster. He’s more of a mentor, a coach with a “teacher’s heart,” as Cherington put it. His style is less about tearing things down and more about rebuilding from within, focusing on effort, accountability, and small victories that can snowball into momentum.
With more than 120 games remaining, the season isn’t mathematically lost — but the path forward is narrow. It depends on healing bodies, breakout performances, and a manager who can pull the right strings in the dugout while holding the clubhouse together.
Kelly admits he doesn’t have all the answers. “I guess time will tell,” he said. “I don’t exactly know.” But for now, his presence brings a measure of calm to a chaotic season — and maybe, just maybe, a bit of hope to a team that’s been searching for it since Opening Day.
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