BRADENTON, Fla. — On July 18, 2017, it reached 88 degrees in Pittsburgh. But the hot days of July marked the beginning of a cold front for Starling Marte, who returned to the PNC Park outfield that Tuesday night after serving an 80-game drug suspension.
From that first game back — in which he singled, was picked off, walked and scored a run — through Sept. 12, Marte batted .249, with a .314 on-base percentage and a middling .654 OPS.
He started to heat up in late September, despite being sidelined by a shoulder and finger injuries.