Pittsburgh Pirates on a Ridiculously Historic Roll Not Seen Since 1884

After sweeping the New York Mets over the weekend, the Buccos shut out the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller (23) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at PNC Park on June 2. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates stayed hot on Wednesday afternoon, shutting out the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 at PNC Park.

With that, the team has now done something not seen since 1884, according to @OptaSTATS:

The @Pirates have outscored opponents 43-4 over their last six games.

That's the most runs scored over a six-game span while allowing fewer than five runs in MLB history. The previous most while allowing so few was by the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds in 1884 (42).

The @Pirates have outscored opponents 43-4 over their last six games.

That's the most runs scored over a six-game span while allowing fewer than five runs in MLB history. The previous most while allowing so few was by the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds in 1884 (42). pic.twitter.com/9nBSnkQvdU

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) July 2, 2025

Veteran right-hander Mitch Keller earned the win on the mound, going seven strong innings. He surrendered just five hits and one walk. He struck out seven. The former All-Star is just 3-10 now, but he has a respectable 3.64 ERA. We learned over the weekend that the Chicago Cubs are working hard to acquire Keller in advance of the trade deadline, and a performance like this should drive the price up on the National League Central rivals.

Offensively, the Pirates were led by Oneil Cruz, who went 1-for-4 with a double and a stolen base. The double was his 11th of the season.

The Pirates are now 38-50 through 88 games, while the Cardinals are 47-41. Sonny Gray surrendered four earned runs over 6.1 innings to take the loss.

Pittsburgh will be off on Thursday before traveling to the West Coast for a July 4th matchup with the Seattle Mariners. First pitch on Friday is set for 4:10 p.m. ET. Neither team has announced a starting pitcher at this point, but Luis Castillo is expected to take the ball for Seattle.

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