MLB Rumors: Pirates gaslight Austin Hedges into thinking team woes were his fault

Rangers catcher Austin Hedges got jolted out of his shoes a bit when he got booed at PNC Park prior to the deal. The ex-Pirate got traded to Texas on August 1, but for the last few months, Pirates fans very vocally made their opinion about Hedges known at home games.

Hedges, fed up with the jeers, genuinely wanted to know why the Pirates fans were booing him as much as they did. On Monday, he said on a podcast that the boos were “wild” and he “didn’t expect that.”

Hedges continued:

“I was really excited for this year. Things offensively didn’t go as well for me as I would have wanted. Then when they started calling up some catchers… [the booing] was like out of nowhere on one day. Was there a group text? How did they all know?”

In all likelihood, there was no group text. Just a ripple effect of a few disgruntled Pittsburgh fans who started gaslighting Hedges into thinking the Pirates’ losses were his fault.

Currently, the Pirates sit last in the NL Central with a 53-66 record. The team was doing Hedges a favor by shipping him to one of the best teams in the AL, and besides, it was clear he had outstayed his welcome in Pittsburgh.

Blaming the Pirates’ offensive woes on Hedges makes little sense. Hedges came to Pittsburgh ahead of the 2023 season to contribute on defense and mentor the youth, and he executed those two tasks well; improving the Pirates’ limp offense should not fall anywhere near him.

In any case, both sides got what they wanted. The Pirates fans can find someone else to pick on, and Hedges can keep playing baseball in October.