On Tuesday night, Pirates manager Don Kelly’s decision to have Nick Yorke pinch hit for Brandon Lowe did not pan out and was criticized externally. Twenty-four hours later, Kelly having Mason Montgomery open for Carmen Mlodzinski worked to perfection — and served as the primary storyline in the Pirates’ 2-0

The way Bubba Chandler remembers it, the idea started with a random conversation in Altoona at the tail end of the 2023 season. Paul Skenes had made two appearances for the Curve before the Pirates shut him down. Chandler pitched once. With a rare opportunity to decompress, their minds drifted

Brandon Lowe stood at the top step of the Pirates dugout, shaking hands with teammates and cheering on Nick Yorke. It was as professional as a player could possibly be in that situation, further evidence the Pirates made a smart trade by acquiring Lowe this offseason. But the sequence that

By the time the Pirates took ground balls prior to Monday’s series opener against the Nationals, the mood of the team and chatter between players had returned to normal The blown leads and failed attempt at a Chicago sweep squarely in the rearview mirror, Brandon Lowe even chided Spencer Horwitz

Hunter Barco needs to start. The Pirates’ busy bullpen, meanwhile, could use an extra arm. That was manager Don Kelly’s explanation for Monday’s roster move, Pittsburgh optioning Barco to Triple-A Indianapolis and recalling Evan Sisk, a 28-year-old lefty who made his MLB debut last season. Sisk appeared in six games

CHICAGO -- The Pirates have certainly lost games to the Cubs at Wrigley Field before. Painful ones, too. Yet while Sunday’s outcome might’ve looked similar, it felt different for a club with raised expectations. Dropping a 7-6 decision stung, in part because the Pirates led 5-0 and 6-3. But also

CHICAGO -- The same as anyone who watched them win the World Series, Kent Tekulve knows the 1979 Pirates featured plenty of stars, most notably Willie Stargell and Dave Parker. Tekulve was also keenly aware of the role Phil Garner played on the team. “Phil Garner was the heart and

CHICAGO -- The Pirates employ the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner in Paul Skenes. Bubba Chandler has been named an NL Rookie of the Year candidate for 2026, while Mitch Keller is the highest-paid and second-longest-tenured player on the team. He's also delivered quality starts in 20 of

CHICAGO -- As Oneil Cruz held court at his locker early Saturday evening, Marcell Ozuna passed by the scrum and tried to convince Cruz to use his English. Later, after the crowd dispersed, Joey Bart complimented Cruz on his recent at-bats, especially against left-handed pitchers. Although the Pirates won a

CHICAGO — In a sea of blue, red and white, Tone Digz stood out at Wrigley Field on Saturday, rocking Pirates gear while seated near the visitors' dugout. For the Plum native who’s a regular on "The Pat McAfee Show" (real name Anthony DiGuilio), Digz has been ... well, digging

CHICAGO — There’s certainly more available when it comes to results for Henry Davis. But given the size and scope of the swing changes he made this offseason, the Pirates catcher has been pleased with the progress. Davis is striking out far less than he has in previous years; three

CHICAGO -- With a new vibe around the team and three weekend games in a place where the Pirates haven’t won a series since 2014, a strong showing in Chicago could conceivably deliver some sort of statement. Bryan Reynolds isn’t going there. Sure, the Pirates outlasted the Cubs, 2-0, at

CHICAGO — While the sample size is certainly small, the amount of ground the Pirates had to cover was also large. I’m talking, of course, about the team’s offense, which ranked last in MLB in 2025 in runs, home runs, OPS and more, shortcomings that framed much of what the

CHICAGO -- Hello, everyone. Welcome to my weekly mailbag. Apologies for missing last week. Opening Day was a little hectic. A lot of great questions. Let’s get started. Thomas Fitzgerald (@FitzGThomas): Why’s Don Kelly pulling starters so early? Jason Mackey: Thanks for the question, Thomas. It’s the hot topic with

When A.J. Burnett wore the Pirates’ new City Connect uniform for a promotional shoot the team teased on social media during Spring Training, his mind immediately began to race. The pitcher also reflected on what makes Pittsburgh so special, the bond that exists between players and fans and how the

At just 75 pitches through six scoreless innings five days after firing 88, it’s natural for fans to question Pirates manager Don Kelly’s decision to remove Mitch Keller on Wednesday for the seventh inning. The Padres, of course, scored four times in the seventh and never looked back, taking the

In some clubhouses, it might be awkward when the 19-year-old rookie who’s been here for a week signs the largest contract in franchise history. That’s also not even close to the case when it comes to the Pirates and Konnor Griffin. As everyone waited on Griffin in the press conference

It may have been missed amid the cold weather, the dominant outing from Paul Skenes, the 10 opposite-field hits for the Pirates or the bounce-back effort they provided with a 7-1 victory over the Padres. But on Tuesday at PNC Park, the future officially arrived. Or least a couple of

Ben Cherington had the opportunity to shoot down outside speculation over a potential contract extension for Konnor Griffin. The Pirates general manager did no such thing. Speaking with reporters at PNC Park prior to Tuesday’s game against the San Diego Padres, Cherington said there’s “a level of hope” when it

Since the start of Spring Training, one of the words cited often by Don Kelly has been resilience, the Pirates manager wanting it to define his team the same way it does his hometown. An important, early-season test arrives Tuesday, as Kelly’s team played a game it can’t wait to

A lack of offense was by far the Pirates’ biggest flaw in 2025. It was unquestionably the deficiency that defined their offseason direction. It’s early, sure. But the way things have been going, with Oneil Cruz mashing lefties, Ryan O’Hearn arriving as advertised and more, it’s starting to look like

Football teams like to describe their fan base as the 12th man. Billy Cook returned to Pittsburgh on Sunday and will fulfill a similar role. The cone man. Cook wasn’t in the lineup for the Pirates’ series finale against the Orioles at PNC Park. However, he was prepared to do

Moments after the baseball sailed over Orioles left fielder Dylan Beavers’ head, Jake Mangum came running out of the Pirates dugout holding an orange traffic cone over his head. Nick Yorke screamed and flipped his helmet off before celebrating with teammates. Yorke’s walk-off double sealed a come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over

Brandon Lowe didn’t know what to expect. Prior to the Pirates trading for him this past offseason, the longtime member of the Tampa Bay Rays had played just two career games at PNC Park. He heard some things but wanted to see for himself how the atmosphere on the North

The Pirates have been building for this. There’s increased excitement and raised expectations around PNC Park this season, sure. But when it comes to how the organization arrived here, chairman Bob Nutting believes it’s the culmination of a long process. Asked prior to the home opener Friday what drove the