Pirates Enjoy First Winning Season Since 2018

The Pittsburgh Pirates finished the 2026 season on a positive note with a 4-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. 

This positive gives the Pirates an 82-80 record marking their first winning season since 2018.

I am sure that the Bucs are annoyed that they will have a better record than the AL West champion Houston Astros and have go to home.

Nevertheless, the Pirates are heading in the right direction despite a subpar season from 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes whose ERA nearly doubled. But Braxton Aschraft stepped up with 14-6 record along with a 3.46 ERA in his first full big-league season although he ended the season on the IL. Bryan Reynolds led the NL in doubles while Brandon Lowe led the team with 35 HR and 96 RBI though he is heading to free agency. But Konnor Griffin and O'Neil Cruz still have their future ahead of them.

To give you an idea of how rare a winning season has been for the Pirates, Don Kelly is only the second Bucs manager since Jim Leyland's departure after the 1992 season to lead the club to a winning record. The other is Clint Hurdle who led the club to three consecutive NL Wild Card appearances between 2013-2015 after 20 consecutive losing seasons as well as the 2018 team.

Of course, there is tremendous uncertainty as to whether part or all of the 2027 season will be lost due an owner-imposed lockout. But this is uncertainty is true for all 30 MLB teams. The Pirates might be sailing in choppy waters, but they are afloat.