OOTP 27 Pittsburgh Pirates Rebuild — 2028 Postseason: 128 Wins and a Championship to Match
After winning 128 games, you would think I could go into October feeling pretty comfortable about our chances. Unfortunately, the playoffs don't give you much credit for what you did during the regular season. Last year's World Series sweep was still a pretty good reminder of that.
The Buccos finished 128–34, scored 898 runs, and allowed just 507. We went 64–17 at home and 64–17 on the road, finishing 49 games ahead of the Cubs in the NL Central. SP Paul Skenes (80/80) led the way with a 26–1 record, a 1.71 ERA, and 260 strikeouts, winning the National League pitching Triple Crown.
It was an incredible regular season. Now we needed to finish the job.
Table of Contents
Wild Card Round
While Pittsburgh and Atlanta waited on the National League side, Baltimore and Seattle had the American League byes.
Tampa Bay over Texas, 2–0: The Rays opened with a close 6–5 win before taking Game 2 by a 5–1 score. 1B Tre' Morgan (54/58) earned series MVP honors, batting .500 and reaching base at a .700 clip.
Detroit over Los Angeles, 2–1: The Angels took the opener 4–3, but Detroit responded with 9–2 and 6–1 wins to advance. LF Kerry Carpenter (48/48) hit .455 with four RBI and three runs scored, taking home the series MVP.
Colorado over New York, 2–0: The Rockies eliminated the Mets with 8–6 and 5–3 wins, setting up a trip to Pittsburgh. CF Brenton Doyle (54/54) was the series MVP after hitting .500 with a homer and five RBI.
Arizona over Los Angeles, 2–0: The Diamondbacks handled the Dodgers in two games, winning 7–3 and 5–2. RF Corbin Carroll (67/69) hit .625 with a home run, four RBI, and four runs scored to earn MVP honors. Arizona was moving on again, and we would eventually get another look at a very familiar opponent.
National League Division Series: Pittsburgh vs. Colorado
Game 1 — Pirates 4, Rockies 1
SP Paul Skenes (80/80) got our postseason started the way we hoped he would, allowing one run over six innings without issuing a walk. He struck out nine, and LF Shalin Polanco (53/53) added a solo homer in the sixth to extend our lead to 3–1. We finished with a 4–1 win and an early series lead.
Game 2 — Rockies 7, Pirates 4 (12 innings)
SP Reid Detmers (60/60) gave us another strong start, allowing just one earned run in 6.2 innings. Unfortunately, we couldn't turn it into a second win.
LF Christopher Morel (48/48)hit a two-run homer in the eighth, and Colorado pushed across an unearned run against CL Danny Young (49/49) in the ninth to keep the game going. The Rockies eventually broke through in the 12th, with RF Yanquiel Fernandez (56/58) delivering a two-run double. Polanco and C Henry Davis (58/59) both homered for us, but we headed to Colorado tied at one game apiece.
Game 3 — Rockies 5, Pirates 1
This was a rough one for the offense. SP Moises Chace (67/75) held us to one hit over 7.2 innings, and we managed just two hits all game. SP Jared Jones (57/57) allowed four earned runs in six innings despite striking out eight, while Colorado got home runs from Doyle, C Drew Romo (50/50) , and DH Kris Bryant (42/42).
Just like that, our 128-win season was one loss away from ending in the Division Series.
Game 4 — Pirates 5, Rockies 3
2B Termarr Johnson (55/55) picked a pretty good time to have a five-hit game. He went 5-for-5 with a homer, a double, two runs scored, and two RBI, giving us the spark we badly needed.
SP Will Warren (54/54) did his part with seven scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and a walk. A two-run single from 1B Jhonny Severino (53/53) in the eighth pushed our lead to 5–0, and we needed that cushion. Colorado scored three in the bottom of the inning before Young eventually closed things out.
We were heading back to Pittsburgh for Game 5.
Game 5 — Pirates 6, Rockies 0
If you could pick one pitcher to have available for this game, it would be Skenes. He delivered eight shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out 11.
RF Jack Suwinski (53/53) gave him an early lead with a three-run homer in the first, and RP Yennier Cano (49/49( finished the ninth. After dropping two straight games, we won the final two and kept the season alive.
Pirates win the series, 3–2.
Series MVP: 2B Termarr Johnson (55/55) — 5 G, .348/.348/.565, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .913 OPS
The Rest of the Division Series
Baltimore over Detroit, 3–0: The Orioles looked very comfortable, winning 9–0, 4–3, and 8–1. They outscored Detroit 21–4, with DH Josh Lowe (48/48) hitting .600 and earning series MVP honors.
Tampa Bay over Seattle, 3–2: This one went the distance. Seattle won the opener 3–1, Tampa Bay took the next two 1–0 and 6–1, and the Mariners forced Game 5 with a 7–6 win. The Rays then won the deciding game 5–2. 2B Theo Gillen (66/74) was the series MVP, hitting .429 with a homer and three RBI.
Arizona over Atlanta, 3–2: Arizona won the opener 11–4, then dropped the next two games 7–5 and 6–4. Facing elimination, the Diamondbacks won 1–0 and 2–1 to advance. 1B Joc Pederson (50/50) hit .381 with two home runs and seven RBI to win the series MVP.
Once again, the road to the World Series would go through Arizona.
American League Championship Series
Baltimore over Tampa Bay, 4–0: The Orioles continued rolling, beating the Rays 4–3, 4–1, 7–5, and 3–1. 1B Yordan Alvarez (64/64)earned series MVP honors with a .353 average and a .421 on-base percentage.
Baltimore was heading to the World Series with a perfect 7–0 postseason record. Whoever came out of the National League was going to have their hands full.
National League Championship Series: Pittsburgh vs. Arizona
Game 1 — Pirates 3, Diamondbacks 2 (11 innings)
SP Reid Detmers (60/60) gave us another good outing, allowing one earned run in 6.1 innings. Once again, though, we needed extra innings to settle things.
This time we came out on the right side. DH Tyler Locklear (50/50) delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 11th, giving us the opener and a little breathing room after that stressful Colorado series.
Game 2 — Diamondbacks 5, Pirates 4
2B Termarr Johnson (62/62) did what he could, going 2-for-4 with a double, a homer, a walk, and two runs scored. His solo homer in the ninth brought us within one, but that was as close as we got.
SP Jared Jones (57/57) allowed three earned runs in four innings, and Arizona added two more against RP Logan Gilbert (57/57). We were tied again heading on the road.
Game 3 — Pirates 5, Diamondbacks 1
SP Paul Skenes (80/80) was outstanding again, allowing just two hits over 7.1 scoreless innings. C Henry Davis (58/59) hit a two-run homer in the sixth, and Johnson caused plenty of trouble on the bases with three steals.
A 5–1 win put us back in front. At this point, every Skenes start felt like our best chance to take control of a series.
Game 4 — Diamondbacks 3, Pirates 1
Unfortunately, we couldn't follow it up. Warren allowed three runs in four innings, with Pederson's two-run single in the fourth giving Arizona a 3–0 lead. Our offense managed just one run, and the series was tied at two.
Game 5 — Diamondbacks 3, Pirates 2
Johnson had another big game, going 3-for-4 with a homer, a double, and two runs scored. The Diamondbacks only managed three hits all game, but C Gabriel Moreno (80/80) made one of them count with a bases-clearing double in the sixth.
Detmers allowed three runs, two earned, in 5.2 innings. It was another tough result for a pitcher who had generally given us a chance to win throughout October.
For the second straight round, we were heading home needing to win every remaining game.
Game 6 — Pirates 4, Diamondbacks 0
Jones came through when we needed him most. He threw six shutout innings, allowing two hits without a walk, and the bullpen handled the final three innings without allowing a run.
Davis gave us an early lead with a two-run homer in the second. After a couple of frustrating losses, this was exactly the response we needed.
Game 7 — Pirates 2, Diamondbacks 1
Skenes on the mound with the season on the line again. I can't complain about that setup, although it would have been nice to give him a few more runs to work with.
3B Brendan Donovan (50/50) provided all of our offense with a two-run homer in the fourth. Skenes allowed one run over six innings and struck out nine, then RP Gregory Soto (49/49), RP Abner Uribe (47/47) , and CL Danny Young (49/49) protected the lead over the final three innings.
It wasn't comfortable, but it was enough. The Buccos were National League champions for the third straight year.
Pirates win the series, 4–3.
Series MVP: 2B Termarr Johnson (55/55) — 7 G, .357/.419/.643, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1.062 OPS
Two rounds, two series MVP awards for Johnson. He had been a huge part of getting us back to the World Series.
World Series: Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore
We had already played 12 postseason games. Baltimore had played seven and won all of them. After surviving four elimination games, we now needed to beat a team that hadn't lost once in October.
Game 1 — Pirates 8, Orioles 2
That undefeated run didn't last much longer.
Our offense collected 14 hits, with LF Shalin Polanco (53/53) going 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI. RF Jack Suwinski (53/53) added a solo homer in the eighth, and we opened the series with an 8–2 win.
SP Reid Detmers (60/60) struck out eight in four innings, allowing two earned runs. Soto and the rest of the bullpen took it from there, combining for five scoreless innings and allowing just one hit. After last year's World Series, getting that first win out of the way felt pretty good.
Game 2 — Pirates 5, Orioles 4
1B Yordan Alvarez (64/64) nearly carried Baltimore himself, going 2-for-3 with a homer, a double, a walk, and all four Orioles RBI. SS Bo Bichette (53/53) homered for us, and Suwinski delivered the go-ahead RBI double in the seventh.
RP Logan Gilbert (57/57) earned the win with two scoreless innings in relief, and Young closed it out. We had taken the first two games, but there was still plenty of work left.
Game 3 — Pirates 5, Orioles 2
Johnson got us going with a two-run single in the third, and the offense put together another productive night with 13 hits.
Skenes wasn't quite as dominant as he had been earlier in the postseason, allowing two runs and three walks in 5.2 innings. He still gave us enough, earning his fifth win of the playoffs. Uribe finished the game for the save, and suddenly we were one win away from a championship.
Game 4 — Orioles 6, Pirates 2
Baltimore wasn't going to let us finish this without a fight. Jones gave up four earned runs on seven hits in 2.2 innings, and we couldn't recover from the early trouble.
Alvarez went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and two RBI, while 2B Jackson Holliday added a homer. SP Dean Kremer (48/48) held us to two unearned runs over 5.1 innings, and the Orioles stayed alive.
Game 5 — Pirates 7, Orioles 4
We certainly didn't waste any time in this one. The Buccos scored six runs in the first inning, taking advantage of two Baltimore errors. All six runs were unearned, but I'll gladly take them in a potential championship clincher.
Detmers struck out eight over four scoreless innings, and Soto and Cano each followed with a scoreless frame. Baltimore made things interesting with four runs in the seventh, including homers from RF James Outman (50/50) and Alvarez, but the bullpen held on from there.
Young recorded the final four outs, and this time we got to celebrate.
Pirates win the World Series, 4–1.
It was the seventh World Series championship in franchise history and our second in three seasons. After the way last year ended, this was a much better finish.
World Series MVP: RF Jack Suwinski (53/53) — 5 G, .400/.455/.700, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1.155 OPS
Suwinski had already delivered a huge homer in the deciding game against Colorado. He followed that up with an excellent World Series, including the winning hit in Game 2. In the two World Series wins in this rebuild, Suwinski won the World Series MVP both times.
The Players Who Got Us There
These numbers cover the entire 17-game postseason, including the World Series.
SP Paul Skenes (80/80) 5 G, 33.0 IP, 5–0, 1.09 ERA, 40 K, 7 BB, 0.79 WHIP
There really isn't much more we could have asked of Skenes. He won all five of his starts, including the deciding games against Colorado and Arizona. A 26–1 regular season followed by this October is going to be hard to top.
SP Reid Detmers (60/60) 5 G, 26.2 IP, 0–1, 2.02 ERA, 31 K, 8 BB, 1.05 WHIP
The record doesn't tell the story here. Detmers kept giving us useful innings and finished with a 2.02 ERA, even without a win to show for it. He started both the opening game and the clincher in the World Series.
RP Danny Young (49/49) 7 G, 6.2 IP, 0–0, 0.00 ERA, 9 K, 3 BB, 0.75 WHIP
Young finished with four saves, including the final outs of both the NLCS and the World Series. He allowed an unearned run against Colorado, but no earned runs all postseason.
2B Termarr Johnson (62/62) 17 G, .315/.359/.507, 3 HR, 10 RBI, .866 OPS
Johnson earned both of our National League series MVP awards, and his five-hit game with the season on the line in Colorado was one of the biggest performances of the playoffs.
RF Jack Suwinski (53/53) 17 G, .302/.375/.492, 2 HR, 8 RBI, .867 OPS
Suwinski finished strong and came through in some very important spots. Between that first-inning homer in Game 5 of the NLDS and his World Series performance which included being named MVP, he had a lot to do with how this season ended.
C Henry Davis (58/59) 17 G, .246/.333/.459, 3 HR, 10 RBI, .792 OPS
Davis tied Johnson and LF Shalin Polanco (53/53) for the team lead in postseason RBI. His two-run homers in Games 3 and 6 against Arizona were especially important, and he hit .368 during the World Series.
Looking Back
I can't exactly complain about a season that ends with 128 wins and a World Series championship. That doesn't mean October was easy. Colorado and Arizona both pushed us to the final game, and we had to win four elimination games just to reach the World Series.
We won those four games by a combined 17–4 score. Skenes was a big reason for that, but Warren and Jones each delivered a crucial start, and the offense found enough runs when we needed them.
There were disappointments along the way. LF Kevin Alcantara (57/63) followed a 35-homer, 133-RBI regular season by hitting just .141 without a home run in the playoffs. Jones had a difficult October overall, even with that excellent Game 6 against Arizona. We also had stretches where it felt like Johnson was doing an awful lot of the work at the plate.
Fortunately, the offense came around in the World Series, and we outscored Baltimore 27–18 over the five games. After all the trouble getting there, we played some of our best baseball in the final round.
Three straight pennants and two championships in three years. Last season ended with us watching Boston celebrate. This time, the trophy is coming back to Pittsburgh.
Of course, the salary cap won’t give us any extra room for bringing home another trophy. Some of our big contracts get even bigger in 2029, and with young stars needing extensions, I’ll have to figure out how much of this championship roster we can actually afford to keep together. All that said, some shred contract extensions we signed earlier in the year help alleviate the strain and a couple key trades of some players that are now more expensive than their production will certainly help. All that and more to come in our next article, the Offseason recap.
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