The Pittsburgh Pirates have landed themselves in a spot where they seemingly cannot get it together. And the reason behind this is the substandard decision-making by the Pirates’ manager, Derek Shelton. It was really difficult to understand which one was louder on Saturday night. Was it the cheer for the Pirates’ Paul Skenes or was it the chorus of boos when Colin Holderman was called by the manager?
The Pirates’ manager, Derek Shelton, clarifying his decision to bring Holderman, said, “It’s just a decision by me. Here, different decisions were made depending on what the score was.” However, the move didn’t pay off, as they couldn’t fire on all cylinders, leading to an 8-4 loss against the Dodgers.
Now, fans are enraged, demanding Shelton’s exit. Well, they have their reasons.
Colin Holderman was on the injured list until the Pirates brought him back as their relief pitcher, putting him on the roster. And so far this season, Holderman is having a poor run, with a 9.64 ERA across the 4.2 innings he has pitched in his five appearances. He allowed six hits, four walks, and five earned runs.
Despite the difficulties, Derek Shelton decided to activate Holderman just a few hours before the game. And then, expectedly, Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernandez hit a solo home run on Holderman’s second pitch, followed by allowing a double to Tommy Edman and a walk to Will Smith, until he was removed.
Fire Shelton
— Danny Mayer (@mcgregorpub) April 27, 2025
While it’s not something new that the Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t managed to win back-to-back series since July 2024, this time, fans couldn’t hold back on showing their frustration out loud. “Fire Shelton” was their response.
Well, in the fans’ defense, Shelton did make a terrible decision, right?
It was a bad bet on his part, given that he had just been brought off the injured list and was making his first appearance since April 5. “Holderman has pitched in those situations before. That’s the thing. He’s pitched in leverage and today, with where we were at with our bullpen, that’s the lane that we liked. We just didn’t get it done,” Shelton pointed out, clarifying the reason for calling him into the game.
But fans are still not on the same page, as they express their disappointment, blaming Shelton for the loss against the mighty Dodgers. Holderman went 0-1 with a 15.43 ERA and gave away three runs.
Pirates’ manager’s poor move in the loss has left fans fuming
What was expected to be a great move by Derek Shelton quickly turned into a botched gamble. Fans are now flooding the internet, demanding the immediate exit of the manager from the team, putting the entire blame on Derek Shelton for the Pirates’ loss against the Dodgers.
“Holderman lmao. F— you, Derek Shelton. With everything inside of me. I truly can’t believe that happened to the very first f—— batter he faced. Why the f— would you even pitch him tonight, you stupid f—— piece of worthless managing f—.” Despite knowing that Holderman was not entirely fit, being placed on the 15-day injured list, bringing him all of a sudden was a poor call. Even worse was the decision to make Holderman pitch against a batter like Teoscar Hernandez, who has been batting at a .271 average and has already posted 6 home runs this season.
Holderman lmao. Fuck you Derek Shelton. With everything inside of me. I truly can’t believe that happened to the very first fucking batter he faced. Why the fuck would you even pitch him tonight you stupid fucking piece of worthless managing fuck
— Cam (@KillaCam0531) April 27, 2025
More criticism followed: “Derek Shelton commits organizational malpractice daily and still gets to collect a cheque. I’m sick.” Clearly not happy with the way Derek Shelton is running the club. Be it the poor bullpen usage, poor substitutions, bringing starters too late, or even bringing someone, knowing that he might get hit for home runs. Pointing out his recent mistake, the X user questioned how Shelton’s been getting the money.
“Fire Shelton.” The Pirates have won only 11 games this season, and it’s a worrying sign for many. The fans are the ones who are most disappointed. Not to mention that even after removing Holderman and bringing in Joey Wentz, Hernandez hit a three-run homer that sealed the game for the Dodgers.
A fan wrote, “Shelton has no clue how to manage a bullpen. Zero,” blaming Shelton’s lack of knowledge in bullpen management. Shelton probably knew that Holderman might not be as effective as he was in rehab. Despite that, just a few hours before the game, he was added to the roster, and it was a big mistake, to be precise.
Another user on X questioned Derek Shelton’s decision; however, they pointed out the dismal performance of Colin Holderman. “Please stop with Colin Holderman. My goodness, he is awful. Derek Shelton, why???” Holderman was bad in 2024, where he went 3-6 with a 3.16 ERA, 55G, and only 56 strikeouts. But he has been even worse in 2025, where he went 0-1 and with a 15.43 ERA and managed only 6 strikeouts with a 2.79 WHIP.
Now, after all this chaos, it is yet to be seen if Derek Shelton decides more cautiously!
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