After 20 plus straight seasons of a losing record, the Pirates and their fans were more than ready for tonight.  Some Pirates fans had been waiting their whole life for that moment: playoff baseball.  The Cincinnati Reds were no match for Pittsburgh in the NL Wild Card game.  Reds stud 2nd baseman, Brandon Phillips, went on a tirade after the game saying his team choked.  I expect a lot of changes this offseason in Cincy because they have invested a lot of money in Phillips, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce and haven’t gotten the playoff success under Dusty Baker that they thought.  Johnny Cueto got knocked around as Marlon Byrd and Russell Martin homered off of him putting the Reds in a hole early.  Martin would add a 2nd homer later and Francisco Liriano was almost unhittable.  Here is what it looked like at the final out and beyond in Pittsburgh:

The Pirates advance to face the dreaded St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS.  Let’s Go Buccos!  Keep raising the Jolly Roger!