Chronicles of Stanley: Sidney Crosby's strike; What's in Phil's pockets?

The Chronicles of Stanley is an occasional series this summer that tracks the Pittsburgh Penguins as they each get their special alone time with the Stanley Cup.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Summer with Stanley kicked off this week after they defeated the Nashville Predators in Game 6 Sunday night to claim their second straight title.

A pool party at Sidney Crosby’s house saw owner Mario Lemieux jump right in, which is probably better than finding the Cup at the bottom of Le Manifique’s pool all those years ago.

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On Tuesday night, the Cup champs were invited to PNC Park for a night with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Penguins’ presence helped the Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies 5-2 to extend their winning streak to four games. Andrew McCutchen continued his hot play with a pair of dingers.

Before the game, Penguins players dressed in Pirates jerseys and the team made its way out to the mound to watch Crosby throw out the first pitch. With Ron Hainsey acting as catcher, the captain delivered a called strike.

There was some question as to whether or not the umpire, Pennsylvania native Jerry Meals, made the right call.

“I heard there might have been something on the line out there for him to throw a strike,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said via the Tribune-Review. “And I think he nailed it.”

Speaking of questions, we need to find out what two-time Stanley Cup champion Phil Kessel had in his pockets.

A pair of batting gloves or a couple bags of sunflower seeds?

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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