Mike Piazza's go-ahead homer on Sept. 21, 2001, was more than any old game-winner. The two-run shot gave a grieving city and nation a moment of elation when it needed it most, 10 days after the 9/11 attacks. Twenty-five years later, the story of Piazza’s homer and the first sporting

Mike Ditka, who passed away on Friday at 86 years old, was known for a lot of things. He was the first-ever tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ditka also helped the Bears to their first and only Super Bowl victory as their head coach in

Four years before Munetaka Murakami had the White Sox on the brink of the American League Championship Series, he captured the Triple Crown in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League while playing for the Yakult Swallows. Ahead of his expected move to the United States and Major League Baseball, Teruaki Sato

As Konnor Griffin went through his pregame infield routine just an hour before a late-September day game at Wrigley Field, it was impossible to ignore the noise. Just a few feet away from where the 20-year-old Pirates shortstop practiced his glove work, fans of all ages shouted for his attention.

The Pirates have promoted former director of player analysis Justin Newman to director of domestic amateur scouting, multiple sources confirmed to MLB.com Thursday. Newman began working with the organization in 2017 as a baseball informatics intern, moving his way up the ladder throughout the last decade. Assistant general manager Kevan

This story was excerpted from Aiden Stepansky’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Just as Tai Peete earned the promotion to Double-A Springfield on Aug. 4, another opportunity came his way. Cardinals Minor League outfield coordinator Ryan Ludwick approached Peete (Cards’ No. 17 prospect per MLB Pipeline) and told him the organization wanted him to play in the Arizona Fall League. As Ludwick

DETROIT -- Mason Montgomery delivered a 99 mph fastball at the bottom of the zone for strike three on Sunday, clinching a 4-2 victory over the Tigers at Comerica Park and the first winning season for the Pirates since 2018. Pittsburgh made an 11-win improvement from just a season ago,

DETROIT -- Kirby Yates took two steps backward off the mound, tipped his cap and kissed his glove as a final goodbye. The 39-year-old Yates came a long way from an undrafted JUCO pitcher. In this moment, Yates was exiting on his own terms with an ovation from the opposing

DETROIT -- With a game left to play, 2026 has already featured the best season of Ben Cherington’s tenure as general manager. The Pirates improved by double-digit wins since a year ago and have secured a .500 season. Cherington addressed the media pregame on Saturday in the visitors’ dugout at

DETROIT -- With only two games to play in 2026, Bryan Reynolds is nearing a place that no Pirates player has been in the last two decades. Jason Bay played all 162 games in 2005. On Friday at Comerica Park, Reynolds appeared in his 160th game of the season as

DETROIT -- The first time that Pirates manager Don Kelly saw Justin Verlander pitch, he threw so hard that the opposing team’s stadium turned its radar gun off. The year was 2005, and Verlander was making his Double-A debut for the Erie SeaWolves (Detroit) while Kelly was an established veteran

PITTSBURGH -- A year ago, Paul Skenes was on top of the world. In his final start of 2025, also on Sept. 24, Skenes put the finishing touches on a National League Cy Young campaign, going four scoreless to keep his ERA under 2.00 for the year.

PITTSBURGH -- No team has performed worse against left-handed starters this season than the Pirates. Luckily for Pittsburgh, Wednesday marked what appears to be the final matchup versus a lefty starter in 2026. Southpaw Matthew Liberatore delivered one final nail in the coffin for the Pirates as they lost 5-1

PITTSBURGH -- September is usually a time when pitchers run out of gas. Yet for Jared Jones, who started his season two months later due to rehab from internal brace surgery on his right arm in May 2025, he has plenty left in the tank. The Pirates defeated the Cardinals,

PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates have designated right-handed reliever Camilo Doval for assignment. The former All-Star and National League saves leader was acquired ahead of the Trade Deadline from the Yankees in exchange for prospects Omar Alfonzo and Luis Cruz. Pittsburgh acquired Doval as a project piece, looking to restore his

This story was excerpted from Aiden Stepansky’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PITTSBURGH -- Oneil Cruz heard the two other names on the elite list he just joined and smiled, pausing for 10 seconds before speaking his mind. Barry Bonds and Andrew McCutchen are as good as it gets for Pirates royalty. On Sunday against the Royals, Cruz joined them to become

PITTSBURGH -- You never know when you’ll have to break out a Harlem Globetrotters-esque trick play on a baseball diamond. For Pirates first baseman Ryan O'Hearn, his time to shine came in the top of the fifth inning, with his back to the intended target. In Saturday night's 6-5 comeback

PITTSBURGH -- Braxton Ashcraft fell short of his goal of 200 innings and 30 starts due to right arm fatigue that landed him on the 15-day injured list on Sept. 10. The Pirates All-Star right-hander still has plenty to be proud of in 2026. And after avoiding a serious injury,

PITTSBURGH -- Franchises need their pillars to succeed. For the Pirates, Konnor Griffin, Oneil Cruz and Paul Skenes are those pillars. Yet with just single-digit games remaining in 2026, the trio played in just their 12th game together on Friday night. In an 8-5 series-opening win over the Royals at

PITTSBURGH -- With the Pirates' postseason chances all but erased, there’s still one accomplishment to hang their hat on. The Brewers are baseball’s best team, on their way to 95-plus wins for the second consecutive year. They are among the favorites to take home the Commissioner’s Trophy. However, Pittsburgh has

PITTSBURGH -- Oneil Cruz's barrel perfectly met a hanging sweeper from Brewers starter Logan Henderson, belting the ball into the right-field seats for the Pirates' 172nd home run of the season. While cutting Pittsburgh’s deficit to one in the fourth inning of an eventual 5-4 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday

PITTSBURGH -- Jacob Misiorowski has carved through plenty of lineups en route to a National League Cy Young-worthy season. He entered Tuesday night at PNC Park with a 14-5 record and an NL-best 1.95 ERA. Pittsburgh has proven to be one of the league’s top offenses. But Misiorowski’s performance only

This story was excerpted from Aiden Stepansky's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.