Pirates Officially Eliminated From Playoffs
Following their loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the series opener on Monday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates have officially been eliminated from postseason contention.
The Pirates' playoff drought now extends to nine seasons, which is tied for the third-longest active streak in the league with the Kansas City Royals, who appear destined to break out of that dry spell this year as they sit four games up on a Wild Card spot in the American League with 11 left to play in the regular season.
The Bucs previously endured a drought of 20 years after failing to make the playoffs from 1993 to 2012. They also have yet to win the National League Central since joining the division in 1994, as their most recent first-place finish came as a member of the National League East in 1992.
Pittsburgh last reached the postseason in 2015, where they lost to the Chicago Cubs in the National League Wild Card game at PNC Park.
The Pirates have not advanced in the postseason since defeating the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card game in 2013 or won a playoff contest since Game 3 of the subsequent National League Division Series against the Cardinals that same year.
The Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels are the only two organizations who have longer ongoing droughts than Pittsburgh, as both have not played playoff baseball since 2014.
The Angels currently own a 60-90 record and were eliminated from postseason contention on Sept. 11. The Tigers, however, are just 1 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the final AL Wild Card spot following a resurgent September for the ball club that could finally push them into October.
This year initially had a different feeling for the Pirates, with an infusion of young talent hitting the major league roster while plenty more waited in the wings down on the farm. Their playoff odds, according to FanGraphs, reached as high as 37.6% on April 8 and were at 25.2% on July 22 as the club was just a half game back of a Wild Card spot.
Pittsburgh acquired Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Bryan De La Cruz and Jalen Beeks at the trade deadline in hopes of making a push, but ultimately fell short after recording an abysmal 8-19 record in August.
Now, the organization must consider instituting widespread changes this offseason. Whether that's in the form of opening up the checkbooks, firing Ben Cherington and Derek Shelton or all of the above, something has to give in order for the Pirates to get back to their winning ways.
