On November 14, 2010, after a disastrous 2010 season, which saw 105 losses, the Pirates hired a new manager in Clint Hurdle. Hurdle was a part of the Colorado Rockies 2007 NL Pennant and was the hitting coach for the American League Champion Texas Rangers during the 2010 season. The 2011 season had a promising start, as the Pirates were above .500 at the All-Star Break for the first time since 1992. The Pirates also sent three players to the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game with the selections of starting pitcher Kevin Correia, closer Joel Hanrahan and center fielder Andrew McCutchen.[26] On July 15, and again on July 18, the Pirates moved into first place of the NL Central. This marked the first two times that the Pirates were in first place this late in the season since 1997.[27] Starting in late July rumblings of "America's Team" began to surface, with ESPN television picking up 2 of their games for their nightly baseball telecast. The Pirates acquired two former all-stars through the trade market during the Trade Deadline on July 31: First baseman Derrek Lee from the Orioles and outfielder Ryan Ludwick from the Padres.[28] On July 26, a questionable call at home plate led to a 19-inning loss against the Atlanta Braves. The Pirates then won only one game from that point to August 8, including a season-high 10 game losing streak in that span. Despite a promising season, with a loss to the St Louis Cardinals on September 14, 2011, the team lost its 82nd game of the season, ensuring a 19-year losing season streak.
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