Pittsburgh Pirates Rebuild - 2026 Postseason

The 2026 MLB Postseason has come and gone, a lot of exciting things to cover ,and we will cover each series all the way down to the World Series in the post.

AL Wildcard Series - Twins vs. Yankees

The Minnesota Twins played host to the New York Yankees in our first Wildcard match up. It was a series that went 3 games.

Game 1

The Yankees opened a 1-0 lead with a 2nd inning Jazz Chisholm Jr. (48/48) RBI single. Yankees ace Carlos Rodon (56/56) tossed 6 innings of shutout ball, striking out 11.

The Yankees would add 3 more in the 8th with an Anthony Volpe (51/56) solo homerun and a 2-run homerun from Spencer Jones (47/53). Twins 3B Royce Lewis (56/58) hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the 9th but that is all the Twins could muster in game 1.

Game 2

Game 2 started much the same as 1, this time it was Aaron Judge (74/74) with the early home run. It would stay that way until the 6th when Luke Keaschall (50/55) tied it up in a with a solo homerun.

The game would move into extra innings until Emmanuel Rodriguez (46/61) hit a dramatic walk off grand slam to send the series to game 3.

Game 3

Game 3 the Yankees jumped on the Twins early once more, this time it was Judge again, hitting a 3 run homerun in the top of the 1st. Yandy Diaz (49/49) would add 2 more in the 2nd as the Yankees jumped out to a 5-0 lead. The Twins would strike back, a Josh Naylor (51/51) RBI single would add 1, then a 2 run home run by Naylor in the 4th would cap a 3 running frame, making it a 5-4 game.

But a Trent Grisham (50/50) solo homerun in the 6th and a RBI double from Jonah Bride (50/50) in the 7th would prove too much to over come as the Yankees advance to the ALDS.

Series MVP: Aaron Judge, for hitting .308. 2 HR and 4 RBI with 3 Runs scored.

AL Wildcard Series - Rangers vs. Guardians

The Texas Rangers hosted the Cleveland Guardians in a series that took 2 games.

Game 1

Game 1 was a back and forth affair, with the Rangers jumping out to an early 2-0 lead in the first. The Guardians would take a lead in the 3rd by scoring a run in the 2nd and then 2 in the 3rd.

With back to back 2 run innings in the 4th and 5th, it would proof enough to hold off the Guardians, who added 2 more in the 7th. Jacob deGrom (60/60) closed out the game in the 9th.

Game 2

Game 2 was all Rangers, as they would tally runs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th which would be prove more than enough as Rangers pitching combined for a 3 hit shutout to win the series.

Series MVP: Wyatt Langford (66/75) for hitting .250, with 2 HR and 3 RBI.

NL Wildcard Series - Nationals vs. Reds

In this 2 game series the Nationals hosted the Reds, as the Red starting pitching proved too much for the Nationals. Game 1 was a 4 hit shut out powered by Hunter Greene (63/65) who tossed 7 strong with 12 K's as the Reds won 3-0.

Game 2 was an offensive outburst that say the Reds score 5 runs in the first and never look back in a 11-6 victory, all 6 runs coming in the late innings after the game was put out of distance.

Series MVP: Spencer Steer (52/52) for hitting .556 with 3 HR, 7 RBI and 4 R scored.

NL Wildcard Series - Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks

The Los Angeles Dodgers hosted NL West rival Arizona Diamondbacks in a series of 2 games.

Game 1

Game 1 was a back and forth affair. After an RBI double by Ketel Marte (60/60) in the top of the 1st, the Dodgers responded with 2 in the bottom half. After trading runs in the 2nd, the Diamond backs scored 1 in the 3rd and it remained tied 3-3 until the 8th when 2025 World Series MVP Joc Pederson (55/55) doubled in a run to take a 4-3 lead. But in the bottom half, C Will Smith (59/59) and LF Andy Pages (52/52) hit back-to-back 2 out homeruns to steal game 1, 5-4.

Game 2

Game 2 was more of the same, the Diamondbacks this time jumped out to a 4-0 lead with a run in the 1st and 3 runs in the 2nd. But a Will Smith grand slam in the bottom of the 3rd tied it up. The Dodgers would add single runs in the 4th and 6th to stretch the lead to 6-4.

But the Diamondbacks would answer in the 8th, tying it with 2. But Any Pages once again played late inning hero hitting an 8th inning home run, which would be enough to sweep the series.

Series MVP: Andy Pages for hitting .375 with 2 homeruns in both games' 8th inning.

AL Division Series - Orioles vs. Yankees

This series went the distance, each team trading wins until game 5, when the Orioles won in a dramatic bottom of the 14th inning homerun from Adley Rutschman (59/59) sent the Orioles on the AL Championship series.

Series MVP: SS Gunnar Henderson (80/80) for hitting .500 with a .600 OBP. He hit 4 HR, and drove in 6 RBI while scoring 6 times.

AL Division Series - Tigers vs. Rangers

The Tigers would play host to the 2025 Champions in a hotly contested, back-and-forth series. It all came down to a pitchers duel game 5, and int he 10th inning LF Riley Green (60/60) smacked at solo homerun to walk off the defending champions and advance to the ALCS.

Series MVP: 3B Jeimer Candelario (51/51) hit .350 with a .409 OBP. He also hit 2 HR and drove in 4 RBI with 4 runs scored.

NL Division Series - Braves vs. Dodgers

The Braves would jump out to a 2-0 series lead, where they scored 27 runs in those games. A game 3 gem from SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (68/68) game the Dodgers life, but the Braves offense proved too much in game 4, scoring another 9 to advance to the NLCS.

Series MVP: CF Michael Harris II (80/80) hit 4.12 with 9 RBI.

NL Division Series - Pirates vs. Reds

In a showdown of NL Central rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates host their first Divisional series game since 2013.

Game 1

With Paul Skene going the Pirates generally don't need much, and an early 2 run single from LF Jack Suwinski, and a 2nd inning solo homerun from CF Oneil Cruz was all the Pirates would need, they would tack on 3 more runs to cruise to a 6-2 victory and a Game 1 win. Skenes pitched 6 innings of 2 run ball, striking out 9.

Game 2

Game 2 saw the power bats come to life, as 2B Nick Gonzalez, 1B Kyle Manzardo, and CF Jack Suwinski all clubbed homeruns, Suwinski hit 2, including a walk off homerun in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving the Pirates a 6-5 win, and a 2-0 lead on the series.

Game 3

The Reds would get a measure of revenge in game 3 at Great American Ballpark, after the teams traded runs in the 2nd, the Pirates added 2 more in the 5th. After gaining a run back in the 5ht, the Reds would score 3 more in the 6th inning, giving them the decisive 5-3 edge, staving off elimination. LF Carlos Jorge (50/50) drove in 3 runs.

Game 4

Game 4 turned into a tense pitchers duel. The Pirates took a 5th inning lead with an Oneil Cruz RBI single, and added another run in the 7th, of which the Reds would equalize. DH Bryan Reynolds (52/52) would add an insurance run in the 9th, and CL Caleb Ferguson would pitch a clean bottom of the 9th to send the Pirates to their first NLCS since 1992.

Series MVP: CF Oneil Cruz hit .429 with 1 HR, 4 RBI and 3 runs scored.

AL Championship Series - Orioles vs. Tigers

This series went the 7 game distance, with each team defending their home stadium leading up to game 7 in Baltimore. Tigers ace SP Tarik Skubal (73/73) was tabbed to start, and despite a bumpy first 3 innings where he allowed 3 runs, the Tigers offense had his back, score 4 in those frames. He would go on to settle in pitching 6.1 and striking out 9. The Tigers added 3 more runs in the 6th, as the Tigers won the ALCS sending them back to the World Series for the first time since 2012.

Series MVP: 1B Colt Keith (72/72) was named series MVP for hitting .500 and having a .552 OBP. He smacked 2 HR and drove in 4 RBI while scoring 6 runs.

NL Championship Series - Pirates vs. Braves

The two best teams in the NL face off, as the Atlanta Braves look to get back to the World Series, after making it and winning it in 2021. The Pirates on the other hand are looking for their first trip since winning it in 1979.

Game 1

Game 1 was all Buccos, with Paul Skenes toeing the rubber, he went 7 shutout innings as the Pittsburgh offense got 2 solo homeruns from 1B Kyle Manzardo, and RF Josh Palacios drove in 4 runs in the 8-1 victory.

Game 2

Game 2 was a closer affair, with both teams being tied at 3 in the 5th inning. The Pirate would score 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th to pull ahead thanks to a Termarr Johnson (46/51) 2R homerun. But the Braves would strike back with 4 in the 8th, capped by a Nacho Alvarez Jr. (51/51) 3-run bomb.

But C Henry Davis (58/58) would tie it back up with a 2-run shot of his own in the bottom of the 8th. The game would remain tied until the bottom of the 12th inning, when Oneil Cruz would hit the game winning sacrifice fly giving the Pirates a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3

With a chance to take a stranglehold of the series, SP Logan Gilbert (59/59) twirled a gem, going 7 shutout inning while striking out 8 and allowing just 3 base runners. But the Braves pitching staff would not be out down, and the would combine for 8 shutout innings of their own.

Then came the 9th. And with trade deadline acquisition 1B Anthony Rizzo (45/45) leading off the 9th, he would smash a 381 foot home run to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead, Jack Suwinski would double in Nick Gonzalez for an insurance run. Caleb Ferguson would close things out as the Pirates found themselves 1 game away from the World Series.

Game 4

The Braves got their pound of flesh in game 4, first time playoff starter Mel Ramos (55/55) struggled, allowing 6 runs in 41. IP. The Braves had 2 inning scoring 4 runs enroute to a 10-6 win in front of their home crowd. C Drake Baldwin (59/59) and SS Nick Allen (41/41) both had 3 RBI's each, as the Braves cruised to a 10-6 win, staving off elimination.

Game 5

Paul Skenes took the mound once more, and delivered another gem to close out the Braves. Pitching 6 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 8. Both Jack Suwinksi and Bo Bichette had a pair of RBI's, and 5 Pirates starts had multiple hits. With the 6-1 win the Pirates have finally made it back to the World Series.

Series MVP: Josh Palacios, for hitting .375 with a .423 OBP. He also drove in 6 runs and scored 4 times.

2026 World Series - Pirates vs. Tigers

It all comes down to this, two of the MLB's oldest teams facing off for all the marbles.

Game 1

Game 1 was a pitcher duel and SP Chris Sale (57/57) squared off with SP Jared Jones (55/56), both allowing just 1 run, and the bullpen for both teams pitch cleanly.

Until the 11th, until Riley Greene blasted a 2 run homerun off Kirby Yates, which would prove to be the difference as the Tigers take game 1. Oneil Cruz accounted for the only Pirate run, a solo homerun in 7th.

Game 2

The Pirates would turn to Paul Skenes once more, and like he had all of the regular season, answered the call, and the Pirate offense woke up, fueled by 2 Jack Suwinski homeruns and 4 RBI's. Oneil Cruz would also hit a 2-run home run to give the Pirates a 7-3 Game 2 win.

Game 3

Game 3 was filled with dramatics. The Pirates scored 4 runs in the top of the second after the Tigers opened the game with 2 runs in the 1st. The Tigers would then tie the game in the 4th with a Colt Keith (72/77) 2-run homerun, and the game would remain that way until the 9th.

Josh Palacios would break the deadlock with a 2 run shot of his own in the 9th. But C Jake Rogers (48/48) would hit a game tying 2-run homerun in the bottom of the 9th. Riley Greene would win the game in the bottom of the 10th, giving the Tigers a 7-6 win, and a 2-1 series lead.

Game 4

The Pirates, lead by Jack Suwinski would answer back in game 4. Lead by 2 homeruns, Suwinski drove in 3 runs while the Pirates offense collected 12 hits, the 7th inning saw the Pirates score 4 runs to put them out ahead permanently 8-4, tyin the series at 2.

Game 5

I pivotal game 5 for the Tigers, as the series shifts to Pittsburgh after game 5. The Pirates struck early, with Bo Bichette hitting his first homerun of the playoffs, a 2-run bomb. The score would stay that way all the way up until the 6th, with 2 runners on, Colt Keith smashed a 3-run homerun to put the Tigers ahead 3-2.

It was looking like the Pirates would be heading back to Pittsburgh down 3 games to 2. Until a 2out 8th inning rally. Rookie LF Chris Newell (44/47) would smack a double, and Oneil Cruz would single him in on a 2-2 pitch, tying the game.

Then 3B Eguy Rosario (48/48) took to the batters box. Not having a hit all postseason, he comes through in the clutch, Oneil Cruz stole second and advanced to 3rd on an error. A sharp single brought Cruz in, giving the Pirates a 4-3 lead. Caleb Ferguson worked a clean 9th, giving the Pirates a 3-2 series lead, 1 win away from their first world series in 47 years.

Game 6

Paul Skenes toed the rubber in game 6, sporting a 4-0 record and a 1.88 ERA the 2026 playoffs. The Pirates made no question early on who would take this one, scoring early and often, putting up 6 runs in the first 4 frames, including 2 RBI's from Jack Suwinski, and a 2-run homerun from Anthony Rizzo, tying him for 2nd on the team for homeruns in the 2026 post season.

The Tigers would plate 2 in the 6th, but it would be too little too late, as the Pirates cruised to a 8-2 game 6, and series win.

Series MVP: Jack Suwinski had an amazing World Series hitting .333 with 4 homeruns and 9 RBI, he slugged 1.000 for the series.

Summary

We did it. Just 2 years into a rebuild we found our mojo and brought a World Series trophy back to Pittsburgh.

• Jack Suwinski has a stellar postseason, slashing .316/.435/.825 with a 1.259 OPS and a 237 wRC+. He hit 7 homeruns and knocked in 18 runs in just 15 games, setting team records in both those categories for a single postseason.

• Bo Bichette also played a big role, leading the team in post season WAR at 2.5 while slashing .302/.353/381 while hitting 1 HR and knocking in 10.

• Oneil Cruz slashed .268/.323/.518 hitting 3 HR and driving in 11 runs.

• Anthony Rizzo collects his second World Series ring and he earned it. In 11 starts in the post season he slashed .306/.333/.611 with 3 HR, 7 RBI and OPS of .944. He posted a career best 159 wRC+ in the postseason.

• Paul Skenes stepped up hugely, winning all 5 of his postseason starts, posting a 2.12 ERA

We now enter the off-season, a lot of questions on where this team is heading, but after their first World Series win in 47 years, the only way we can go is up.