The Pittsburgh Pirates don’t need to become an offensive juggernaut to change their trajectory in 2026. They just need to stop bleeding out in the margins.
Last season, Pittsburgh played in a league-leading 60 one-run games. More than a third of their schedule came down to a single swing, a single pitch, a single defensive play. They went 25–35 in those games, a record matched only in futility by the Chicago White Sox, who somehow managed to be even worse.
That’s not random noise. That’s the difference between “rebuilding team with promise” and “fringe Wild Card contender.