Overhauled Pirates Offense Completes Historic First-Half Turnaround
· Yahoo Sports
Last year, the Pittsburgh Pirates had the worst offense in baseball at the All-Star Break, ranking last in runs per game at 3.36. Their hitting woes continued in the second half, too, as they finished the season last in numerous offensive categories, including runs per game, home runs and OPS.
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This year has been a completely different story for the Pirates, however, who now boast the most prolific lineup in baseball. They proved that again on Sunday, erupting for 14 runs and 15 hits against the Milwaukee Brewers in their final game before the All-Star Break.
Incredibly, Pittsburgh is tied for first in scoring with the Washington Nationals at 5.32 runs per game. According to OptaSTATS, the Pirates are just the second team in MLB history to go from last to first in runs per game at the All-Star Break in consecutive seasons, joining the 1986 and 1987 St. Louis Cardinals.
The @Pirates are the 2nd MLB team ever to enter the All-Star break last in MLB in runs per game one year (2025) and first in runs per game the next year (2026). They joined the 1986 and 1987 Cardinals (who won 95 games and lost to the Twins in the World Series).
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) July 13, 2026
Much of Pittsburgh's improvement has come from offseason additions such as Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn and Jake Magum. Several holdovers have also stepped up this year, namely Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds and Spencer Horwitz.
Throw in Konnor Griffin's strong rookie season prior to his injury, and the Pirates' lineup is far deeper and more potent than last year's.
As a result, Pittsburgh is three games over .500 and on pace for its first winning season since 2018. If the Pirates keep hitting like this and add some reinforcements at the trade deadline, they might make the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
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