DENVER -- Pirates rookie reliever A.J. Schugel came about as close as a kid can get to having a big league ballpark for a backyard. The only way he could have been more at home at Coors Field in Monday night's 6-1 win against the Rockies would be if he'd been born on third base.
With at least 25 friends and family in the stands, Schugel pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings of two-hit ball and recorded his first big league save in the park where he grew up.
Among his family members was Schugel's dad, longtime scout Jeff Schugel.