The Pirates are bad this year. I don’t think that statement comes as a surprise to anyone. But the depths of their badness deserve a little more exploration - however, Pittsburgh fans might want to skip the rest of the article, because nothing good can come of them reading it. This is more aimed at the rest of baseball, who probably have gone no further than noticing the Pirates usual presence in the cellar.
The Historic Awfulness Of The Pittsburgh Pirates
They’re currently on pace to go 53-109, which would tie for third-most since 1980 (trailing the 2004 D-backs and 2003 Tigers, who lost 111 and 119 respectively). However, if you look at their Pythagorean record, based on runs scored and allowed, the picture is even bleaker, as they’re projected to win only 48 games. Pittsburgh have been outscored by an average of more than two runs per game - the 2.05 figure there is perilously close to the 2003 Tigers’ 2.08.
This will happen when you get blown out with relentless ferocity. The Pirates are 6-34 in games decided by five runs or more. They’ve lost seven games by double-digit margins, including losses to Milwaukee by 20-0 and 17-3. Both were part of a miserable week against the Brewers and Astros, where the Pirates scored 12 and conceded 72 runs - the first time an NL team has been outscored by sixty over seven games, in at least the past fifty years.
It’s not just on a team level, either: some individual performances are also reaching historic badness. The 10.03 ERA owner by Charlie Morton going into September is, according to Stats Inc., the third highest by a starter with 10+ decisions since the 1952 season. Roy Halladay’s 10.63 in 2000 for Toronto is the worst, so Charlie shouldn’t give up yet. “It’s been up and down, obviously,” Morton said, in what may be the polite understatement of the year.
He’s one of five in Pittsburgh who have already lost double-digit games, with more than a month to go in the season - no National League team has had more since the ‘85 Giants managed six such hurlers. And no-one who started even a single game for the Pirates this year has a winning record for them - over the past thirty years, that’s a record shared in the NL only by the 1998 Marlins.
It may seem cruel to be pointing out all these things, but beyond a certain point, badness becomes impressive on its own terms. It’s a bit like it is with films: bad movies are no fun, but extremely bad movies take on a life of their own. That’s where we are with Pittsburgh - at this point, their single-minded pursuit of the #1 draft pick next June can probably only be admired.
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