Five Best Moments From First Half of Pirates' 2026 Season
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The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the midst of one of their best seasons over the past decade.
They're firmly in the National League Wild Card race, sitting two games back of the Miami Marlins for the final spot with a 50-47 record, and are primed to buy at the trade deadline for the second time in three years.
Though Pittsburgh was also three games above .500 (55-52) and two games back of the last WC spot at the deadline in 2024, marking the last time it bought, this year's squad is far more formidable and feels like more of a threat to go on a run.
There isn't a better time to sit back and reminisce about the first half than right now in the middle of the All-Star break and ponder about what may lie ahead for the 2026 Pirates as they look to snap the organization's 10-year-long playoff drought.
With that, here are the five best moments from Pittsburgh's campaign thus far in no particular order.
Ryan O'Hearn's Career Day
We're starting off the list with a moment that should be top of mind for all Pirates fans.
At PNC Park against the Atlanta Braves on July 7, Ryan O'Hearn single-handedly plated double-digit runs in a 14-4 victory for Pittsburgh.
The left-handed slugger launched three home runs and finished with 10 RBIs, a single-game franchise record, as his strong first season with the Pirates continued.
O'Hearn, who signed a two-year deal worth $29 million with the club this past offseason, has an .838 OPS with 16 home runs and 63 RBIs as a key piece of a Pittsburgh lineup that's tied for the most runs in the league (516).
Tyler Callihan Leads Comeback Over MLB's Best
When the Pirates acquired Callihan in a minor trade with the Cincinnati Reds for Kyle Nicolas in March, there wasn't much fanfare surrounding the move.
It didn't take long after he was recalled in late May for the 26-year-old to endear himself to the Pittsburgh faithful and turn in one of the more memorable performances of the team's campaign thus far, however.
Facing off against the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park on June 10, Callihan blasted a solo home run off Shohei Ohtani in the bottom of the fourth, marking the first long ball of his big-league career.
Later in the contest with the Pirates trailing 6-4 in the bottom of the eighth, Callihan hit a three-run homer that put them up 7-6 before the club escaped by the skin of their teeth with a 9-8 victory.
Tyler Callihan's 2nd home run of the night and his career 💪
— MLB (@MLB) June 11, 2026
Pirates lead in the 8th! pic.twitter.com/8LKOgmNf1C
Konnor Griffin's Electric Debut
It's tough for any prospect's MLB debut to measure up to the hype surrounding Paul Skenes when he did so on May 11, 2024 against the Chicago Cubs, but Konnor Griffin may have exceeded it.
The Pirates' 2024 first-round pick, Griffin was not included on the Pirates' Opening Day roster. It didn't take long for him to get called up for the first time at just 19-years-old, however, as it came just in time for the club's home opener against the Baltimore Orioles on April 3.
The energy at PNC Park was palpable for baseball's No. 1 prospect, and he delivered with an RBI double in the first at-bat of his career as Pittsburgh went on to win 5-4.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW, KONNOR GRIFFIN 😤
— MLB (@MLB) April 3, 2026
The 19-year-old phenom mashes an RBI double in his first MLB at-bat! pic.twitter.com/htbNc5pRBQ
Griffin will likely be out until September with a torn sagittal band in his left ring finger, which is a huge blow in the middle of a tight playoff race.
As long as the Pirates stay afloat without him, however, he should provide a nice boost to their hopes of playing in October once he returns.
Esmerlyn Valdez's Doubleheader to Remember
On the penultimate day of the first half, Esmerlyn Valdez pulverized the Milwaukee Brewers in both games of a doubleheader at PNC Park.
In the first contest, Valdez kicked off the scoring in the first inning with an RBI single before hitting a solo home run off Brandon Sproat in the third.
Then, with the Pirates trailing 6-3 in the seventh, Valdez put the club up for good with a grand slam off Aaron Ashby.
During the second game, the 22-year-old hit a two-run homer in the third for his 10th of his rookie season as Pittsburgh scraped by Milwaukee by a final score of 3-2.
Valdez has been a complete revelation for the Pirates thus far, boasting a 1.084 OPS in 94 at-bats.
Bryan Reynolds Sends Pirates Home Winners Against Derek Shelton
Bryan Reynolds didn't waste any time spoiling former manager Derek Shelton's return to Pittsburgh.
Shelton, who is in his first year managing the Minnesota Twins after getting fired by the Pirates in May 2025, saw his new club carry a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth in his first game back at PNC Park since departing the organization.
With one out and Callihan on first, though, Reynolds came to the plate as a right-handed hitter against Taylor Rogers and became the hero of the night with a walk-off home run to hand Pittsburgh a 6-5 victory.
BRYAN REYNOLDS. BALLGAME. pic.twitter.com/W8TuU7dJbn
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 30, 2026
As one of two players left on the roster next to Mitch Keller from the start of Shelton's tenure with the Pirates in 2020, it was quite poetic that Reynolds was the one to come through in that moment.
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Jack is a New Jersey native who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh as a Media & Professional Communications major in 2024 who is now covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Yankees for On SI.