PNC PARK OPENING Mighty Casey at the bat

By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
PITTSBURGH -- If the Pittsburgh Pirates weren't going to win their first game in PNC Park, at least it was because a kid from Upper St. Clair stole their thunder.
Cincinnati first baseman Sean Casey had four hits Monday, including a first-inning two-run homer, to lead the Reds to an 8-2 triumph in the regular season debut of the Pirates' new home.
The 26-year-old infielder who grew up in suburban Pittsburgh and reached the majors with the Cleveland Indians connected for the first hit in the ballpark on the North Shore of the Allegheny River.
With two outs in the first inning, the Reds' cleanup hitter sent a 1-0 pitch from Bucs starter Todd Ritchie into the right-field seats for a 2-0 lead the Reds would enjoy the rest of the game.
"I was just hoping to get the first hit," Casey said. "I wasn't trying for a home run."
Paid for mistake: Saying he made "a bad pitch," Ritchie said he was "trying to get it inside, but it came back over the plate.
"These guys are major-league hitters -- they get paid to hit mistakes, and that's what he did."
Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon said Ritchie "did a pretty good job. He left that one pitch over the plate to Casey, but otherwise, it was a quality start."
The 29-year-old right-hander admitted he was nervous taking the mound for the home opener, but that's nothing unusual.
"I get nervous every time before I pitch, but that's normal," Ritchie said. "If I didn't get nervous, then I'd think about quitting. That's part of the game.
"I wish we could have won," said Ritchie, who gave up three runs and seven hits to fall to 0-2. "I wasn't pleased with my performance."
"Pops" fan: Casey, who drove in five runs, said the career of Hall of Famer Willie Stargell is something he appreciates.
"You couldn't grow up in Pittsburgh and not be a 'Pops' fan," said Casey of Stargell, the Bucs' home-run leader who died early Monday.
"I have a lot of great memories of him. He brought a lot of joy to the Pittsburgh fans and the baseball community," Casey said. "As kids, we did the [Stargell] windmill [warm-up swing] with the whiffleball bats in our backyards."
The Reds' lead grew to 3-0 in the sixth inning when Michael Tucker doubled off the center-field wall and came home on a Casey single.
Casey's other hits were a fourth-inning single and a ninth-inning double that knocked in two runs.
In honor of Stargell, Casey's bat earned him eight bases on his four hits.
Bats awakened: The Pirates finally got their bats going in the bottom of the seventh inning against Reds starter Chris Reitsma.
Aramis Ramirez, Kevin Young and Pat Meares loaded the bases with consecutive hits, but two infield groundballs took the Bucs out of a bigger inning.
"I thought we had a good opportunity in the seventh inning," McClendon said. "It was good to see the guys battle back."
Reliever Dennys Reyes induced pinch-hitter John Vander Wal to hit a groundball that was booted by third baseman Aaron Boone and kept the bases loaded with Ramirez scoring.
Pinch-hitter Enrique Wilson hit to Boone for a double play that scored Young. The threat ended when Tucker caught Adrian Brown's line-drive with a sliding catch in center field.
Reitsma (1-0) allowed two runs on six hits and lowered his earned-run average to 2.25.
Wilkins plundered: The game turned into a blowout when the Reds walloped reliever Marc Wilkins for a run in the eighth and four in the ninth.
"Wilkins didn't throw well," McClendon said. "He struggled to hit his spots, but he's been throwing quite well and we expect he will bounce back."
Pirates catcher Jason Kendall, who had an infield hit in three at-bats and was struck by a pitch, said he wishes the Bucs and Reds were playing again tonight.
"You want to win your home opener," Kendall said. "This is one of those days off that you don't really want. You want to get back out there as quick as possible."