Time to Talk About Pirates Next Elite Pitcher
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CHICAGO — The Pittsburgh Pirates knew the talent they had in starting pitcher Bubba Chandler when they drafted him out of high school, and it's now coming to fruition.
Chandler had an incredible outing against the Chicago White Sox, throwing six innings and posting eight strikeouts with no walks in the 9-3 series opener win at Rate Field on Sept. 8.
It was one of his best starts of the year, despite giving up two runs late, as he displayed the maturity and confidence to get out of those jams.
Chandler is still learning a great deal this season, but he's showing the potential that made him a top pitching prospect and the promise of developing into an ace.
Bubba Chandler tonight:
— Platinum Key (@PlatinumKey13) September 9, 2026
6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO, 1 HR
95 pitches, 65 strikes, 17 whiffs
OUTSTANDING stuff. Perfect through 4. Fastball looked excellent. Love it. pic.twitter.com/A2WbbujzgX
Fastball Leads Chandler to Glory
Chandler made it to the major leagues for many reasons, but his four-seam fastball played a big part in his rise through the minor leagues.
He got seven of his eight strikeouts on the fastball against the White Sox, while also getting 16 whiffs on 32 swings for a 50% whiff rate,
Chandler is one of just three MLB pitchers who posted 16 whiffs on the four-seam fastball in the same start: Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans and New York Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler, per Alex Stumpf.
His 50% whiff rate on the fastball is also the highest of any MLB pitcher in 2026 (minimum 10 swings), also per Stumpf.
"It was electric," Pirates manager Don Kelly said on Chandler's fastball. "I thought his location was good. He was throwing it up in the zone but not ball-up in the zone. Then, when he needed to, he would expand. He could get them to chase because his command was so good with it. I thought it was the best his fastball has looked this year."
Chandler used the fastball more against the White Sox, throwing it 54% of the time, and utilized the sinker (23%), with 77% of his total pitches as high-velocity.
Bubba Chandler Pitch Usage vs. White Sox
Pitch | Usage |
|---|---|
Four-Seam Fastball | 54% (51) |
Sinker | 23% (22) |
Curveball | 9% (9) |
Slider | 7% (7) |
Changeup | 6% (6) |
The pitch usage showed Chandler's confidence in his other pitches, which he acknowledged he didn't have, but the fastball kept working, so he and Pirates catcher Rafael Flores Jr. went back to it again and again.
“I don’t wanna say I didn’t have anything but the fastball," Chandler said. "The sinker was pretty good, too, but we were moving the ball around; we were keeping them guessing with the ability to throw offspeed and I think everything just went our way tonight.
"Me and Flo' did a good job of moving the ball around and mixing the fastballs. That’s what we had tonight: Two really good fastballs, and just mixing them-going up, going down, going in, going out.”
Limiting Damage When it Matters Most
Chandler has shown elite stuff this season, but major league hitters are also great at taking advantage of pitches and getting after them quickly.
He threw four perfect innings before giving up a double to White Sox designated hitter Andrew Benintendi to lead off the fifth inning and then a one-out single to right fielder Braden Montgomery, ending the shutout.
Chandler then got the next two batters to fly out and escaped the inning unscathed, trusting the plan and going right back after the White Sox batters, which kept the Pirates far ahead.
“Yeah, maybe. I also think, too, I gave up the first run with one out, and it’s 9-1, so it’s not a big deal," Chandler said on the fifth inning. Let’s continue to throw strikes and trust in the stuff. If we give up another run, who cares? We’re still winning and the bullpen is gonna come in after me and shut it down. Don’t try to do too much.
"The at-bats against Benintendi and Montgomery, I tried to do a little too much with the two-strike pitches. They were still good pitches in good zones, but we were trying to go up and away, and I went up and in. It was both times. I liked the chances of swing-and-miss with both of those guys. Just trying to do a little too much, and they made good swings.”
Chandler also faced adversity in the sixth inning, when he gave up a leadoff home run to catcher Kyle Teel and then a single to Sam Antonacci.
He prevented a White Sox rally afterward by getting third baseman Miguel Vargas to ground into a double play and striking out first baseman Munteaka Murakami with a 99.4 mph four-seam fastball to end his night.
Chandler took down two White Sox All-Stars and helped the Pirates secure an emphatic victory, though he may not have done so earlier in 2026.
Kelly praised Chandler for learning to slow the game down and handling this outing better than almost any other this season.
The Pirates manager has noticed Chandler's growth too, how fast he's had to mature as a rookie and that he will become the great pitcher he's destined to be.
"I do," Kelly said on Chandler's growth. "It’s hard when you’re a rookie, you’re coming up, and things start to speed up a little bit, to learn how to slow it down. It takes experience. It takes going through it. He’s continuing to learn and grow."
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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.