How Pirates Fared Against MLB Playoff Teams
The Pittsburgh Pirates season has long been wrapped up, and a pair of teams remaining in the playoffs played a key role in them missing out on the postseason for a ninth consecutive season.
Eight teams remain in the MLB playoffs after the New York Mets staged a ninth-inning rally to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 and advance to the National League Division Series, setting the stage for a pair of rivals squaring off. The Mets will face the Philadelphia Phillies, while the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres square off in the NLDS for the second time in three years.
On the other side of the bracket in the American League, the New York Yankees face the Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Guardians will face the Detroit Tigers after they scored a huge upset over the Houston Astros.
Here's how the Pirates fared against the eight teams left playing in October.
National League:
Los Angeles Dodgers: 2-4
The Pirates got the best of the Dodgers in their first series, taking two of three at PNC Park. Jared Jones out-dueled former Pirates starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow in a 1-0 win to open the series on June 4 and Paul Skenes was backed by a rare offensive outburst in a 10-6 victory. Pittsburgh dropped the final game of the series in another high-scoring affair 11-7.
A struggling Pirates team didn't get any help when it made the trip to Los Angeles in August, as they were swept for the second consecutive series after dropping three in a row to the Padres at home. Paul Skenes turned in the worst outing of his rookie season, allowing four runs over six innings and Los Angeles capped off the sweep with a come-from-behind walk-off win over Pittsburgh.
The sweep extended the Pirates' losing streak to seven and dropped their record to 56-61.
New York Mets: 2-5
A red-hot Pirates team first squared off against a Mets team that was still trying to find their footing in early April.
Naturally, the Mets got on track with a three-game sweep of the Pirates. The loss sent Pittsburgh on a downward spiral, as it went from 11-6 to 14-17 by the end of April and it didn't get back to .500 on July 14 with a sweep over the Chicago White Sox right before the All-Star Break.
The two teams squared off again on the first weekend in July and split the four-game series at PNC Park. The Pirates and Skenes turned in a dominant showing in a 14-2 win to open the series and Mitch Keller salvaged it, as an 8-2 win helped Pittsburgh avoid dropping three of four to the Mets.
Philadelphia Phillies: 4-3
Of the six teams that made the playoffs in the NL, the Phillies were the only team the Pirates had a winning record against.
The two teams out of Pennsylvania met in early April and alternated wins en route to splitting the four-game series. Pittsburgh's loss in the first game of the series tied it for first place in the NL Central and marked the last time it had sole possession of the division lead.
The two teams squared off again for a three-game series right after the All-Star Break at PNC Park. Pittsburgh took the first two games, including a walk-off win in the series opener and was above .500 for the first time since April 24.
Pittsburgh's bid for a sweep was thwarted with a 6-0 loss in its final meeting of the season against the Phillies.
San Diego Padres: 0-6
Pittsburgh's hopes of making the playoffs as a wild card team effectively ended at the hands of the Padres. During the Pirates' 10-game losing streak in August, they were swept twice by San Diego.
In their first three-game series, the Pirates blew a pair of ninth-inning leads en route to two one-run losses. Those losses dropped Pittsburgh below .500 for the first time in nearly a month.
The Pirates squared off against the Padres again for another three-game set four days later and was swept again, effectively putting the final nail in the coffin for their playoff hopes.
American League:
Cleveland Guardians: 1-2
A matchup between two of the better pitching teams in the league produced a slugfest in the first game of the series at Progressive Field, though the Pirates couldn't hold onto a two-run lead and eventually went on to lose 10-8.
Luis Ortiz turned in one of his best outings of the season, holding Cleveland scoreless over six innings of work en route to a 3-0 win. With a series victory on the line, the Pirates' bats struggled mightily in a 6-1 loss.
Detroit Tigers: 2-2
The Pirates and Tigers met for a pair of two-game series, splitting both. After winning the first game of the series at PNC Park in April, the Pirates bid for a sweep was thwarted when the Tigers scored four runs off of David Bednar in the ninth inning and went on to beat Pittsburgh 5-3.
In late May, the two teams met for a doubleheader at Comerica Park and traded blowout victories. The Tigers won the opening game 8-0 behind a strong outing by Tarik Skubal, and the Pirates took the second game behind a stellar showing from Skenes en route to a 10-2 victory.
Kansas City Royals: 1-2
The Royals were still in the hunt for the AL Central crown and took care of business in the first two games of the series, winning 8-3 and 5-1. The Pirates avoided the sweep with a 4-3 win in the series finale.
New York Yankees: 2-1
The Pirates ended their season on a high note, taking two of three from the Yankees. Bryan Reynolds' two home runs powered Pittsburgh past the Yankees 4-2 in the series opener and the offense roughed up AL Rookie of the Year contender Luis Gil en route to a 9-4 win. The Pirates' bid for a sweep was spoiled with a 6-4 loss in the final game of the season.
The series victory over the Yankees was Pittsburgh's first since 2017.
