TORONTO -- Things have been anything but smooth sailing for Bubba Chandler to begin 2026. But on Friday night at Rogers Centre, the Pirates right-hander took a step forward.
Chandler needed just four innings to set a career high in strikeouts, besting his previous total of seven from a mid-September start in 2025. And when his night officially came to an end after the fifth, he left the mound with 11 total punchouts and 22 whiffs -- also a career best -- in a 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays.
Coming off a start against the Phillies in which the 23-year-old surrendered four earned runs in three innings and said he pitched “soft” afterwards, there was nothing soft about his response in Toronto.
Chandler dominated with his fastball in the outing, averaging 99.3 mph on 55 heaters and generating 10 whiffs with the offering while relentlessly attacking the Blue Jays’ lineup.
But the fastball wasn’t the only pitch Chandler had working. He earned multiple strikeouts with each of his changeup, slider, and curveball, catching Toronto off balance while trying to keep up with his high-90s heat.
The 22 whiffs he generated tied for the second-most by a Pirates starter through the first five innings of a game in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). Francisco Liriano recorded 24 on July 23, 2015, vs. the Nationals.
“We’ve seen the elite stuff,” manager Don Kelly said of Chandler pregame. “The last start last year in Atlanta stands out to me, when he worked into the seventh inning and dominated a really good lineup.
“He’s got the stuff to do that, just allowing himself to go out there and trust it, believe it, and let it play in the zone.”
It’s that second part and some sloppy defense behind him that prevented Chandler from working as deep into the game as he could have.
Only two Blue Jays managed to record hits while Chandler was on the mound, but the 6-foot-3 righty issued three free passes on the night and saw Pittsburgh commit three errors between the second and third innings.
The defensive miscues proved particularly costly in the third.
After George Springer reached on a two-strike catcher’s interference call to lead off the frame, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. moved him to third with a single into center field. Daulton Varsho then grounded to drawn-in first baseman Spencer Horwitz, who caught Springer too far off the bag and looked to get the out at third -- but sent his throw down the line, allowing the run to score.
Even though Chandler bore down to strike out the next batter, a 114.8 mph double off the bat of Yohendrick Piñango made the Pirates pay, bringing home both Guerrero Jr. and Varsho.
Chandler went on to punch out six of the next nine batters he faced on the way to the finish line.
Just one of the runs on his final line was earned, marking the third time this season he has allowed an earned run or fewer.