There is an optimism to Don Kelly. A buoyancy. A lightness. How could there not be? The Pittsburgh-area native has spent the last two-plus decades authoring an unlikely success story that has carried him from a downtown liberal arts college to nearly a decade in the big leagues as a utility player who got by more on intelligence than innate talent.

The slumping Pittsburgh Pirates became the first team to change managers on Thursday. They replaced Derek Shelton, who had been hired during the winter of 2019-20, with Pittsburgh native Don Kelly, who had been the team’s bench coach. Salary figures were not announced.