The Pittsburgh Pirates have brought fun and excitement back to a fan base and city ready to watch winning baseball once again.听
Last season, the Pirates finished fourth in the NL Central with a 76-86 record. It鈥檚 been a while since the Bucs have had much fun. The ballclub has not had a winning season and has not won a postseason series since 2013.听
Before the over the Cincinnati Reds in 2013, the Pirates suffered twenty losing seasons in a row. In 2021, Pirates fans collectively decided they had enough. Only 27% of PNC Park seats sold per game on average 鈥� the in the National League. Fans could attend a game for an average ticket price of .
However, the 2023 Buccos showed a spark that fans had not seen in years. In May, the Pirates held a with control of first place in the NL Central. But when the calendar turned to June, the Pirates plummeted to a and relinquished first place.听
The theme is that these strong runs occur, yet the law of averages always maintains, and the Pirates鈥� hot start never projects their inevitable decline.
However, the fans responded accordingly. The Pirates鈥� attendance almost doubled to of PNC Park’s capacity in the 2023 season. The Pirates returned club legend Andrew McCutchen the season, and his attitude was infectious.
鈥淚鈥檓 not here on a farewell tour. I鈥檓 here to play,鈥� during his first press conference following his return to Pittsburgh.
The 2023 squad started to show some signs of real life. Third baseman Ke鈥橞ryan Hayes came into the league an elite defensive third baseman and lived up to it by winning his first National League Gold Glove. The Pirates also locked up two-time All-Star outfielder when he signed an eight-year, $106 million contract. The pitching started to improve, highlighted by Mitch Keller.听
The Pirates have always struggled with carrying momentum. The 1909 Bucs in seven games. But rather than shooting themselves into annual contention, the ballclub did not even make the playoffs until , where again, they won the World Series in seven games. The 1990-92 Pirates managed to NLCS series, infamously followed by 20 seasons with little to acknowledge.听
The 2024 Pirates are here, and this team is aiming to shoot to orbit. The season started with five straight wins for the Bucs. Jared Jones, in his first two big league starts, coaxed 43 swings and misses,. Pitcher, the recent No. 1 overall draft pick, and .听
If there is a reason that the Pirates conserve the strong momentum they have built, it鈥檚 Skenes. The other half of the 鈥�鈥� struck out in his first big league start. This made him the first Pirates pitcher to do so at age 21 or younger in over a hundred years, and he did not seem satisfied.
Skenes said . referring to his pitches in his first big-league start.
In Skenes鈥檚 second start, the phenom the first seven opposing batters in a row and finished his six innings giving up no hits and striking out 11.
Further fueling the club鈥檚 success, All-Star Bryan Reynolds batted .330 and recorded a hit in for the Pirates in June, the longest streak for the Bucs since Kenny Lofton鈥檚 26-game streak in 2003. The Pirates went in the month.
Fast forward to July 5 against the Mets, and in only his tenth start, Skenes pitched in front of a sell-out home crowd that stayed the whole game, according to Pirates manager Derek Shelton.听
鈥淵ou could feel the energy in the ballpark,鈥� Shelton said in an about Skenes. 鈥淸The fans] were into it. Even late in the game when it was 14-2 they were still up on their feet. You get a situation like that sometimes where crowds will leave, and they were all here and cheering and I thought that was really cool.鈥�
How did the Pirates win a game 14-2 against the Mets, who have held the since May 29? Where did 14 runs even come from?
The Pirates slugged an MLB season-high , including two grand slams 鈥� the first time the Pirates had done so since 1996. to celebrate the seventh.
Pittsburgh, known as the City of Champions for accomplishments by teams from a bygone era, is finally winning again. While still a distant goal, the Buccos are in the race for the post-season with a .
with , the Pittsburgh Pirates for the National League in the MLB All-Star Game in Skenes. Through his first 11 starts before the break, the 22-year-old right-hander has a with a 1.90 ERA and struck out 89 batters with 13 walks across 66 and a third innings. Skenes鈥檚 impressive statistics earned him the starting job for the All-Star game 鈥� the to do so since Hideo Nomo in 1995.听
What is more fun than the heralded number one overall pick flying through the Pirates farm system, dominating his first start, rarely giving up hits, let alone runs and not only making the All-Star team but starting on the mound?听
Well, all that鈥檚 left to fully bake this feel-good story is to win NL Rookie of the Year 鈥� a foregone conclusion, considering ESPN bet oddsmakers opted to rather than leaving him at -1000 odds 鈥� and to make a run at the Cy Young award, which Skenes currently holds 13-2 odds to win.听
Is it too early to celebrate? If there is one thing Pirates fans know, it鈥檚 to cherish the good times, as they are not always around for long.