Pirates Doing Something They Haven't Since 1940
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had an excellent season, particularly from the plate, as they're maintaining impressive production so far.
The Pirates have scored 270 runs this season, ranking fifth-most in baseball and giving them an average of 4.91 runs per game, or five runs per game, to round it up to the nearest whole number.
It is the most runs per game they've scored this century, just ahead of their 4.90 runs they scored per game in the 2000 season, their final season at Three Rivers Stadium.
Joe Block of SportsNet Pittsburgh said that this was the most runs they've scored per game since 1940, although it is close, this isn't technically correct, as the 1940 Pirates averaged 5.19 runs per game.
The 4.91 runs per game this season does rank 12th most of any Pirates campaign in the Modern Era, since 1901.
How the Pirates Have Scored So Many Runs
The Pirates scored the least runs in baseball last season (583) and also hit the least RBI (561), home runs (117), while also posting the worst slugging percentage (.350) and OPS (.655), the third-worst batting average (.231) and tied for the seventh-worst on-base percentage (.305).
Pittsburgh went into this last offseason with the goal of adding players that would bolster their lineup and make them a formidable team going forward.
This included signing free agent Ryan O'Hearn and trading for Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe, but it's also seen them benefit from internal improvements as well.
Pirates 2026 Hitting Totals/MLB Rankings
Stat | Total (MLB Ranking) |
|---|---|
Hits | 482 (Tied-Second) |
On-Base Percentage | .333 (Tied-Third) |
Batting Average | .252 (Fourth) |
Runs Scored/RBI | 270/258 (Fifth) |
OPS | .724 (Sixth) |
Walks | 209 (Tied-Eighth) |
Slugging Percentage | .391 (Ninth) |
Home Runs | 58 (Tied-14th) |
Center fielder Oneil Cruz, left fielder Bryan Reynolds, first baseman Spencer Horwitz and third baseman Nick Gonzales have all had great seasons too, while shortstop Konnor Griffin is excelling as a rookie.
Cruz and Griffin have used their speed to generate a great deal of runs scored, while Lowe and O'Hearn have made sure their power is playing in driving those runs in.
Pirates Runs Scored/RBI Rankings
Player | Runs Scored | RBI |
|---|---|---|
Oneil Cruz | 38 | 35 |
Bryan Reynolds | 33 | 34 |
Brandon Lowe | 32 | 33 |
Konnor Griffin | 28 | 20 |
Ryan O'Hearn | 27 | 29 |
Nick Gonzales | 23 | 22 |
Spencer Horwitz | 20 | 25 |
Cruz ranked tied for ninth in MLB/ fifth in NL in runs scored, while Reynolds is tied for 33rd in MLB/21st in NL and Lowe ranks tied 38th in MLB/25th in NL.
The Pirates have found a way to use new additions, plus returning players and bringing up a new talent like Griffin to have success.
Pittsburgh has scored double-digit runs four times, which includes a 17-7 win over the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on May 2, a 16-5 win over the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on April 13, a 13-3 win over the San Francicso Giants at Oralce Park on May 9 and a 12-1 win over the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on May 26.
The Pirates have also only been shutout six times and scored at least two runs in all but 10 games this season.
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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.