Pirates extend manager Clint Hurdle's contract
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates and manager Clint Hurdle have officially agreed to a contract extension that runs through at least the end of the 2014 season.
Terms were not disclosed but the deal includes a club option for 2015. The 55-year-old was in the final season of a three-year deal he signed in December 2010 when he replaced John Russell.
Pittsburgh is 151-173 in two seasons under Hurdle, including a 79-83 mark in 2012, tied for the franchise's best record in two decades.
General manager Neal Huntington says Hurdle has played a "significant role" in the team's turnaround. Pittsburgh had the worst record in baseball the year before Hurdle arrived but has improved its record in each of the last two seasons.
Hurdle's career record is 685-798. He led the Colorado Rockies to their only World Series appearance in 2007.