PITTSBURGH – Thirty-two-year-old Ryan O'Hearn never experienced a curtain call before. He was always hesitant to do it in the past, only considering the honor “if the fans really wanted it.” Yet in the sixth inning Tuesday, as his home run total hit three and his RBIs reached 10, the

PITTSBURGH -- Braxton Ashcraft didn’t have many plans for the All-Star break. He was going to return home to Texas and take some pregnancy pictures with his wife. Those will have to wait. MLB announced on Tuesday that Ashcraft will take fellow Pirates starter Paul Skenes’ place on the National

PITTSBURGH – Paul Skenes entered his start against the Braves on Tuesday night on the cusp of history – just not the good kind. Winless in nine starts since May 12, Skenes was amid the worst stretch of his MLB career. The right-hander’s drought was tied for the second longest

PITTSBURGH – Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin is expected to miss 8-10 weeks after being placed on the 10-day IL with a torn sagittal band in his left ring finger. The 20-year-old suffered the injury in Sunday’s game against the Nationals on a diving attempt at a single up the middle

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 – Pittsburgh has the most pool money in this year’s MLB Draft, totaling $19,130,700 to upgrade its organization in 2026. The Pirates have succeeded in the first round in recent years, adding Paul Skenes with the first overall pick in 2023 and Konnor Griffin with the ninth pick in

PITTSBURGH -- Sarah Johnson’s shifts as a Pirates ball girl often close out a 24-hour workday. Johnson will begin her day – or night – by working the night shift at AHN Wexford Hospital from 7 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. After a quick sandwich and some coffee, she’ll make her

PHILADELPHIA -- It’s a rarity to see the designated hitter bring out the lineup card. As veteran Marcell Ozuna hoped for the Pirates to get hot in late June, he asked manager Don Kelly to have the honor. The 35-year-old Ozuna is taking on a different role in his 14th

PHILADELPHIA -- The Pirates acquired Brandon Lowe to be an aircraft carrier, lifting their offense out of baseball’s basement. Though Pittsburgh likely didn’t envision Lowe having this impact. On Thursday in Philadelphia, Lowe singled twice, walked and stole his first base of the season. He went on to score the

PHILADELPHIA -- The noise can’t be quieted at this point. The Pirates hadn't claimed a victory with generational ace Paul Skenes on the mound in eight starts entering Wednesday, last winning on May 12. “There's a lot being made about it, and it is tough,” Pirates Manager Don Kelly said

PHILADELPHIA -- The Pirates have batted so poorly against left-handed pitchers that they benched two of their best hitters as a possible solution. Against one of the best southpaws in the sport, the latest iteration of a possible answer faltered. Pittsburgh fell to Philadelphia 8-0 Tuesday night, tallying just three

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.

PHILADELPHIA -- Good teams must beat other good teams to become great. The Pirates have proven to be a good team 85 games into 2026, producing a .500 record. Though to break a 10-year playoff drought -- the longest in the National League -- Pittsburgh must begin to beat the

PHILADELPHIA -- Pirates rookie Esmerlyn Valdez isn’t hitting like a rookie. Valdez hammered a two-run homer to left field in the top of the fourth inning against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Monday for his fourth long ball in as many games. His two-run shot spurred the Pirates

Levi Sterling was the 13th-youngest Draft-eligible player entering the 2024 MLB Draft. Already committed to Texas, Sterling was 50/50 about whether to sign professionally out of high school or keep his commitment to Texas. The Pirates then made his decision easy, taking Sterling in the Competitive Balance Round A and

PITTSBURGH -- Pirates manager Don Kelly knows what it’s like to replace a star. Across his six years with the Tigers, Kelly took two-time American League MVP Miguel Cabrera’s place in the infield at times. “If I were a fan buying a ticket for a game, I would've been pissed

PITTSBURGH – The Pirates' need for consistent relief pitching has reared its ugly head. Needing just one more strike for a comeback victory on Saturday at PNC Park, the bullpen reached its darkest hour. Gregory Soto delivered a 2-2 fastball over the middle of the plate rather than the inner

PITTSBURGH – Paul Skenes usually needs just a few pitches to mow through an opposing lineup. In the top of the second inning Friday night, he needed 38 to escape. Skenes’ career-high pitches in an inning led to an exit after five innings. He allowed four runs on six hits

PITTSBURGH – Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin was “itching” to return from the injured list. On the second pitch he saw Friday night, he made it known to the baseball world. Griffin hammered a fastball 435 feet at 108.9 mph to left field in the first inning for a no-doubt home

PITTSBURGH – Baseball is a game full of numbers that dictate milestones. With Thursday being the 81st game of a 162-game marathon, the Pirates haven’t produced a first half of this caliber in a decade. A 5-1 win over the Mariners at PNC Park gave Pittsburgh a 41-40 record at

PITTSBURGH -- When Major Leaguers return to Double-A for a rehab assignment, they’re usually the elder statesmen of the roster. That wasn’t the case for Konnor Griffin. When the 20-year-old began his rehab assignment in Altoona’s 8-4 win against Reading on Wednesday, he was the youngest on the squad by

PITTSBURGH – After three innings on Wednesday, the Pirates had produced just one hit across their last seven innings, dating back to Tuesday’s game. Then Ryan O'Hearn switched his cleats from a highlighter pink and yellow set to a mustard yellow pair. The floodgates suddenly opened. “I didn't get a

PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates need their starters to go deeper into games. Mitch Keller needs to regain his usual form. On Tuesday night, it looked as if the Bucs would achieve both of those needs. Then came the top of the seventh inning.

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 -- Bill Murphy knows what it’s like to be a part of a successful pitching staff. As the Astros' assistant pitching coach in 2022, Murphy helped build a bullpen with a 2.80 ERA -- the second-best bullpen of the last five seasons in baseball. Houston threw a combined no-hitter