Only 38 games into the 2025 MLB season, the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton on May 8 and promoted longtime bench coach Don Kelly as his replacement.
With Thursday as an off day, and with the club completing a midweek three-game road trip in St. Louis, Pirates’ general manager Ben Cherrington dropped the proverbial axe on Shelton in the morning. Prior to delivering the news to Shelton, it is reported that Cherrington spoke with Bob Nutting, Pirates’ principal owner and chairman of the board, and Travis Williams, the club’s president, for their approval.
Friday, with the Pirates opening a brief homestand against the visiting Atlanta Braves, Don Kelly will be in the dugout as Shelton’s replacement. A press conference is scheduled at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park to introduce Kelly as the franchise’s 42nd manager.
Kelly, the Pirates’ bench coach under Shelton throughout his six seasons at the helm, is inheriting a club that has lost seven games in a row, and nine of the last 10. Since Shelton signed on as manager in 2020, the Pirates haven’t had a winning record. Pittsburgh also hasn’t appeared in postseason play under Shelton’s leadership.
From the Pittsburgh area, Kelly, 45, a graduate of Mount Lebanon High School in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County, was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2001. Kelly’s Tigers’ skipper for five seasons (2009–2013), including the 2006 American League pennant-winning club, was Hall of Famer Jim Leyland.
Leyland had high praise for the now-rookie manager.
“I’m tickled to death for Donnie getting the opportunity to lead the Pirates. I wish him the best. At the same time, I wish it would have worked out better for Derek,” Leyland told The Epoch Times on Friday.
Speaking with the media on Thursday, Cherrington said he also accepts accountability for the Pirates’ failing this season. Cherrington signed Shelton as manager on Nov. 27, 2019, less than two weeks after he was named to the general manager’s post.
“If I had done my job perfectly for five years, I might not be meeting with you here today,” Cherrington said to media members gathered at PNC Park. “It became clear to me that this was the choice, however difficult that it was, I needed to make.”
Those who have been around the Pirates for years are welcoming Kelly’s elevation to managing and overseeing a coaching staff of 13. Matt Capps, who played five of his eight MLB seasons with the Pirates, is optimistic that his teammate in Pittsburgh during the 2007 season can turn things around.
“Donnie Kelly is one of the nicest and most genuine people that I’ve met in my life. He works his tail off and is always looking to help people in any way he can. His experience as a Major League player will help him in meeting the guys where they are in their careers and relate to the emotions that they experience in their day-to-day lives. I’m excited to see how he can impact the clubhouse and on the field for the Pirates,” Capps said in an email to The Epoch Times.
Pittsburgh is 27th among the 30 MLB clubs in team hitting as of Friday with a .219 average. In attendance this season, the Pirates rank 26th among the 30 clubs, averaging 16,577 per home game. After this Sunday afternoon’s game with the Braves, Kelly’s club will hit the road for six games against two National League East powerhouses: the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.
Greg Brown, now in his 32nd season broadcasting Pirates’ games, is among Kelly’s well-wishers. In an email to The Epoch Times on Friday, Brown spells out why he believes Pirates’ ownership has made the right move in promoting Kelly.
“Donnie, for me, hasn’t changed. That’s what I love about him. He’s the same humble, kind, down-to-earth, enthusiastic, passionate human I’ve known since he reached the major leagues as a player. That is unique. I have seen people/players change over the years. Many forget where they come from once they reach a certain level in this game. They lose that humility and take on a ‘better than you’ attitude. Not Donnie. He loves the game of baseball, specifically the Pittsburgh Pirates.”
As Shelton packed up his office at PNC Park and put away his memories of wearing the black and gold Pirates uniform, this columnist recalls one thing about the former manager that doesn’t involve his filling out a lineup card. As I covered the Pirates’ beat for the past three spring training seasons in Bradenton, Fla., the one constant surrounding Shelton at Pirate City and LECOM Park was his father, Ron Shelton, attending camp on a daily basis. The senior Shelton, a former Baltimore Orioles’ farmhand, would proudly watch his son lead the club through drills and during exhibition games. On more than one occasion, Ron Shelton would declare, “My son takes good care of me.” For home Pirates’ exhibition games at LECOM Park, Ron Shelton could be seen sitting in the first couple of rows behind home plate, rooting on his son and the club.
A new chapter in Pirates baseball begins on Friday. Don Kelly is in as the new field boss, and Pittsburgh fans no doubt will express their support.
