Pirates Record Looks Way Better With One Key Stat
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a solid season overall in 2026, but it hasn't been easy for them with some of the ballclubs they've gone up against.
The Pirates have played 19 games this season against teams that are .500 or above, which marks the most for any MLB team, according to High Heat Stats, making their 19-16 record an impressive one.
Most of those games for the Pirates have come against the National League Central, which they've played five series against the four teams, or 16 of their 35 games so far. Every team in the division is above .500 and the Pirates actually are at the bottom of the standings.
The only other team they've faced that's above .500 was the Tampa Bay Rays (21-12) at PNC Park, taking two of the three games, April 17-19.
Pittsburgh also faced the San Diego Padres (20-13) at home, April 6-8, and took one out of three games against them, but the Padres were below .500 during that series, which is why they aren't in the 19 games.
Pirates Playing Well Against NL Central
While the Pirates are in a strong division and have played many games against them already, they have a 9-7 record in those games.
The Pirates have won four of those five series, taking two out of three games in three of those series on the road, which came against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, March 30-April 1, the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, April 10-12, and the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park, April 24-26.
It marked the first time that the Pirates had won their first three series against divisional opponents since 1994 and just the third time in their history.
Pittsburgh did suffer a four-game sweep to the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park, April 27-30, but bounced back by sweeping the Reds in their most recent series, May 1-3.
The Pirates having the worst record in the division is even more impressive, as they have the 10th best record in all of baseball, but are still three-and-a-half games back of the Cubs in first place.
Team | Record | Games Back |
|---|---|---|
Chicago Cubs | 22-12 | (None) |
St. Louis Cardinals | 20-14 | 2.0 |
Cincinnati Reds | 20-14 | 2.0 |
Milwaukee Brewers | 18-15 | 3.5 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 18-15 | 3.5 |
The Pirates would have the best record in two divisions in the American League Central and the American League West and only the New York Yankees (23-11) and the Rays have better records than them.
Pittsburgh would also have the second-best record in the NL East Division and have the third-best record in both the AL East and NL West Divisions.
Pirates manager Don Kelly noted after the sweep of the Reds that it was huge for his team not to let the sweep by the Cardinals ruin their season, praising his team for bouncing back the way they did.
“I think it’s that toughness and the grit that we’ve got, the way that we compete," Kelly said. "They’re not letting the day before affect them in how they go about it every single day. That’s really cool to see, the leadership in the clubhouse taking shape and how they hold each other accountable. To be able to go out and compete like that, it’s fun to watch.”
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.