LEADING OFF: Pirates-Reds renew bitter rivalry, Acuña ailing

[ASFN Admin]

The Reds and Pirates renew what erupted into one of baseball's most bitter rivalries last season, with one major change at the top. Long-simmering tensions between the Ohio River rivals over batters getting plunked escalated into a benches-clearing brawl at Great American Ball Park last summer and resulted in Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, Reds manager David Bell and six players suspended. Hurdle was fired after the season and replaced by Derek Shelton.

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