Welcome to a new edition of the Pirates Beat newsletter. Pittsburgh embarks on a nine-game road trip with stops in Los Angeles, San Diego and St. Louis to round out August. |
PITTSBURGH -- Peruse a Major League clubhouse and you’ll see baseball players enjoying their usual beverages. Whether coffee, protein shakes or good ol'-fashioned H2O, each athlete has their preference to refresh before game time. But orange juice? Leave that to Luke Weaver. “I think it's delicious,” Weaver told MLB.com minutes before grabbing a fresh plastic cup of OJ. “I think it's helpful. I think if you want to get nutritionally deep into it, it has a lot of benefits that keeps the mind and the body energized in different ways. And it just tastes freaking good.” |
Weaver was acquired by the Pirates from the Mets at the Trade Deadline for No. 10 prospect Sammy Stafura to be a top-leverage reliever and shore up their faulty bullpen. Weaver has done just that so far, holding a 2.30 ERA and 0.89 WHIP this year despite slipping up with three earned runs on Aug. 15. The 32-year-old Weaver brings World Series experience, positivity and a vibrant personality to Pittsburgh. And, of course, a love for his favorite drink. “I’m probably drinking it four or five times a day. It's just pick-me-ups,” Weaver said. “I drink coffee, but it’s just a little bit of a healthier, easier way to establish and keep the energy mainstream. Easy carbs … I mean, we could sit for an hour and talk about it.” It started as a lighthearted joke. As Weaver was evolving into the Yankees’ bona fide closer in 2024, he was asked by the YES Network what had led to a tick-up in velocity. Avoiding the clichés of spinach or Wheaties, he credited orange juice. When reflecting on the initial comments two years later, Weaver said he tries not to be so “robotic” in interviews and wants to show off his personality to connect with fans. Though Weaver was serious about this quip. |
Per “Healthline,” orange juice is high in key nutrients like vitamin C, folate and potassium. Additionally, studies have shown that long-term orange juice consumption lowered levels of both total and “bad” LDL cholesterol. Weaver prefers organic juice, though he doesn’t mind pulp or no-pulp. “I've just kind of kept that lighthearted joke,” Weaver said. “But I do drink a lot of orange juice.” When Weaver takes the mound, he’s as energized as ever. He often sprints from the bullpen to the edge of the infield for his check-in with the umpire. Weaver’s journey to Pittsburgh started a decade ago in St. Louis, where he came up as a starter and stayed in rotations amid stops in Arizona and Cincinnati while serving a relief role in Kansas City and Seattle. Then came an opportunity out of the bullpen in 2024 in the Bronx. Weaver pitched on the biggest stage in the sport, helping the Yankees to an AL pennant in 2024 with a 2.89 ERA in 84 innings. He tallied four saves and blossomed further in the postseason, recording four saves with a 1.76 ERA. Fellow bullpen arm Mason Montgomery said Weaver and veteran Kirby Yates have an “aura” to them due to their experience in the biggest moments. Though Weaver explained that even with the experience, the bright lights never get easier. He said the game slows down, but obstacles always spring up. |
Weaver’s recent challenges have changed from the past. With Pittsburgh reshaping its bullpen so drastically at the Trade Deadline and struggling to get much going offensively until as of late, Weaver hasn’t taken on a save opportunity yet. Weaver was 50/50 on whether he would be traded or not. He expressed his desire to stay in New York but was one of the multiple Mets players told to stay back in New York on Aug. 3 rather than travel with the team to Cleveland. Weaver was sent to the Pirates midday ahead of the Deadline and pitched only once in his first 10 days with the club. “It’s not easy. It’s not something you prepare for. It’s not something that anybody’s got a recipe for. I’m learning as I go. This whole month has been a bit of a blur,” Weaver said. Weaver is expected to largely pitch the eighth or ninth innings, mixing in with the left-handed Montgomery. As his role evolves, expect him to keep the same juice. Preferably orange. |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
GRIFFIN HONORS ‘ONE DAY TO REMEMBER’ |
Konnor Griffin isn’t taking the field for the Pirates this Players’ Weekend, as he’ll be in Bradenton rehabbing from his torn left sagittal band injury. Though the 20-year-old phenom still found a way to honor a cause on his cleats. With the help of local artist Matt Speck, Griffin had a custom pair of cleats made to honor “One Day to Remember,” a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that gives kids one good day with a parent who's fighting advanced-stage cancer. Griffin’s cleats feature a blue background with orange hearts and the organization’s signature mascot, Bo the Bear, which each child gets in stuffed animal form. Griffin has one too. “He's such a genuine and awesome, just lovely human being, and you can tell he really wants to be involved in the community and help,” said Rachel Antin, an oncologist who founded ODTR in 2016. “And we're just really fortunate that he's helping us bring smiles to faces, and kids who are going to grow up without their parent due to their terminal cancer diagnosis.” Over her career, Antin watched many families struggle to find quality family time outside of treatment, hospital stays, lab draws and chemotherapy. She founded “One Day to Remember” to create memories, and has since helped over 800 families. |
The organization reached out to Griffin early in his rookie campaign to help make some of those memories. This season, he’s made a day to remember for two separate families with terminally ill parental figures. Griffin signed autographs, delivered custom jerseys and took plenty of pictures. Shortly before Griffin hit the Injured List in early July, he and Speck began working on the pair of cleats for Players’ Weekend. Griffin was then injured and knew he wouldn’t be able to play, but still wanted to make the pair to promote the cause. “I always like to say it humanizes [players] in a way to some people because you see these people out there, and they're just sometimes viewed as a number on a field or like a player on some fans' favorite team,” Speck said. “But these guys deal with real-life situations, and have things they're passionate about and care about, and organizations they work with. And I think it's cool to be able to design something that showcases that for both the organization to appreciate and Konnor to rep as well.” |
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