Pirates/MLB category

The Pittsburgh Pirates added MLB’s best pitcher and another good hurler this season. Their best offensive talent was healthy after playing just nine games in 2023 because he didn’t know how to slide. (Probably still doesn’t.) Yet somehow the Pirates managed to finish with the same rotten record (76-86) as...

The Pittsburgh Pirates had just blown a ninth-inning lead in a 7-6 loss to the San Diego Padres on Aug. 8 at PNC Park when manager Derek Shelton was asked about suffering a fifth one-run loss in seven days. “If I could put my finger on it, I would,” Shelton...

With the Pittsburgh Pirates in wild-card contention, general manager Ben Cherington became a buyer for the first time at the trade deadline and dealt for three players to make a push for the playoffs. The acquisitions of left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks, outfielder Bryan De La Cruz and infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa...

That the Pittsburgh Pirates followed back-to-back 100-loss seasons with successive 76-win seasons might be viewed as progress, but general manager Ben Cherington isn’t about celebrate. Not when the Pirates have posted six consecutive losing seasons. Not when they have missed the playoffs nine years in a row. And not after...

In the days since his death Monday night, the conversation about inducting Pete Rose into baseball’s Hall of Fame has regenerated. Supporters of Rose are calling for Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader to finally be inducted posthumously in Cooperstown because, theoretically, his lifetime ban for gambling on baseball has...

One of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ most disappointing players is in line for the biggest raise among their nine arbitration-eligible players, based on annual projections by MLBTradeRumors.com for the 2025 season. Right fielder Bryan De La Cruz, who batted .200 with six doubles, three home runs and 17 RBIs in 44...

Clint Hurdle called it one of the best days of his life. Many of the thousands of Pirates fans who filled PNC Park 11 years ago have a similar feeling as the then-Bucs manager. Tuesday is the anniversary of the 2013 National League Wild Card game between the Pirates and...

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington gave a vote of confidence to Derek Shelton last month, saying he would return in 2025 for his sixth season as manager. Shelton’s coaching staff, however, is undergoing changes. Sources confirmed to TribLive that the Pirates dismissed hitting coach Andy Haines and bullpen coach...

“You either get better or you get worse. You never stay the same.” If ever there was a sports team that personified that inspirational thought-for-a-day calendar entry, it was the 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates. In the strictest of terms, this year’s Pirates club stayed the same as last year. They were...

Ke’Bryan Hayes repeated the words “definitely frustrating” over and over, reinforcing that he wasn’t pleased with anything related to his health or performance when discussing the 2024 season. After winning the NL Gold Glove at third base and being voted team MVP, the 27-year-old was entering his prime and expected...

Paul Skenes earned the first of what could be many awards Monday when Baseball America named the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher its rookie of the year. The 22-year-old Skenes becomes only the second Pirates player to win Baseball America’s rookie of the year honors, joining outfielder Andrew McCutchen (2009). The...

The Pittsburgh Pirates played their final 2024 home game Thursday at PNC Park, but there are items from the ballpark’s concession stands still being served, though not to fans. The leftover food is being donated to 412 Food Rescue, a non-profit that recovers and redistributes food directly to people who...

Even before the Pittsburgh Pirates played their finale Sunday, Ben Cherington was asked to point out the highlights and lowlights of a season that fell far short of expectations. Given that they already had clinched their sixth consecutive losing season, the Pirates general manager was reluctant to put too positive...

After enduring backlash for releasing Rowdy Tellez earlier this week when he was four plate appearances from qualifying for a $200,000 performance bonus, the Pittsburgh Pirates found themselves in another payroll predicament before Sunday’s season finale at the New York Yankees. This time, it was the player who opted out...

That Oneil Cruz went down swinging for a strikeout for the final out in the ninth inning was a fitting end to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ season. It proved to be a big whiff. Alex Verdugo hit a two-run single with the bases loaded to break a tie in the bottom...

As Mike Burrows made his way from the bullpen to the mound, he couldn’t help but think of the long road it took for him to make his major league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher, who grew up about two hours from The Bronx in Waterford,...

Paul Skenes made Jazz Chisholm jump back off the plate with an inside fastball that was just a tick shy of triple digits for a called third strike to end the second inning, then walked off the mound wearing a wide smile. The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander had a perfect ending...

The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled pitcher Mike Burrows, promoting the 24-year-old right-hander 18 months after he underwent Tommy John surgery. Burrows is expected to make his major league debut on Saturday at the New York Yankees, pitching piggyback with rookie Paul Skenes. Burrows is the Pirates’ No. 16 prospect, per MLB...

Jared Jones’ reaction to being pulled in the fifth inning Friday at Yankee Stadium left few doubts as to how pleased he was with his final outing of the season. The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie, sharp to start vs. New York, had loaded the bases in the fifth inning, leading to...

The Pittsburgh Pirates added right-handed pitcher Mike Burrows to the major-league taxi squad ahead of Friday night’s game at the New York Yankees. Burrows, 24, could be on the cusp of making his MLB debut. The Pirates’ No. 16 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, Burrows is 1-1 with a 4.06...

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has excelled at quite a lot in his rookie season. One thing in particular has been seizing the moment. • Striking out the first MLB batter he faced (Mike Tauchman of the Chicago Cubs) with five pitches of at least 100 mph. • Posting 11...

With two bone bruises causing inflammation in his left hand and a broken middle finger on his right hand, Henry Davis has trouble getting a grip on a bat let alone how his season with the Pittsburgh Pirates went awry. It isn’t lost on the No. 1 overall pick of...

Mitch Keller won 10 games before the All-Star break but couldn’t quite put his finger on what has gone wrong since, as the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander completed another second-half slide. In his final start of the season, Keller saw positive signs with an uptick in his fastball velocity and six...