The 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates finished the season 79-83, slipping to fourth place in the National League Central after peaking at first place on July 18 when the club was 51-40. Marred by a second half collapse in which the team went 31-46, including a 7-21 stretch in September, the Pirates lost their bid at ending the organization’s long-standing losing streak.
But on a July 31 night in Chicago, while hopes were high and the Bucs were only three games back of the number one spot in the division, AJ Burnett took the ball to face an embattled Cubs squad who was destined to finish fifth in the Central and lose 101 games.