Pittsburgh Pirates Betting, Odds, Picks & Predictions

Here is some information about the Pittsburgh Pirates to get you started:

There are very few teams in sports that have as storied a history as the Pittsburgh Pirates. The story begins in 1876 when the first professional baseball club came to the Pittsburgh area. This was the Allegheny Base Ball Club which operated as an independent professional team. In 1877, they joined the International Association, but the league folded a year later.

In 1882, Allegheny was back with a new team. The club was not very good but managed to stay around. In 1887, they left the American Association, joining the new National League. 

The club remained in existence for three more seasons but faced a major obstacle when two of their best players left to join the new Players League. That new league ran for one season before folding, opening the door for the Pittsburgh Pirates to be created. 

The truth is that in the first two decades of the franchise “Pirates” was not a widely accepted team nickname. It was not until 1912 that the name actually appeared on the team’s uniforms. 

The club had received the name after allegations surfaced related to when the team was in Allegheny, allegations that were never proven but gave a “piratical” feeling to the city and its baseball team.

The club had a rough first year, going 55-80 with two ties (yes, there were ties back then). The next season, the team made a major improvement, going 80-73-2, finishing sixth in the National League. The club finished at or above .500 over the next four seasons but struggled to battle for the pennant until the turn-of-the-century. 

In 1901, Pittsburgh won their first NL pennant, going 90-49-1. The next season they would win 103 games, going 103-36-3, an amazing .741 winning percentage. They reached the first ever World Series the following year when the club finished 91-49-1, but lost in eight games (this was one of just four seasons when the World Series was a nine-game series).

The Pirates had won three consecutive National League titles behind future Hall of Famer Honus Wagner, who was one of the first people inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. 

Following the World Series loss, the team continued to compete, never finishing lower than fourth place and had four 90-when seasons out of the next five campaigns. In 1909, the team finally returned to the World Series after finishing with a 110-42-2 record. 

It was the team’s first season in Forbes Field, one of the first ballparks ever constructed out of steel and concrete. They made the most of it, knocking off the Detroit Tigers in seven games for their first World Series title.

Wagner had been a key to the team’s success, posting a career .328 batting average, including hitting .339 with 100 RBI in the World Series campaign. However, his skills began to diminish as the new decade began. He finished at .300 in 1913 and would not hit above .300 in any of his final four seasons.

The club followed the fortunes of their superstar, winning 93 games in 1912, but never going above 80 over the next eight seasons. Things were especially bad in 1917, the last year before Wagner retired. 

The team finished an abysmal 51-103, but there was a lot of hope as a young player named Pie Traynor joined the club. Pittsburgh also had a very deep pitching staff, and that culminated in the team winning 90 games in 1921. They finished second that season, always seeming to find themselves falling a bit short of winning the NL pennant. 

However, in 1925 things went their way as the team finished 95-58-0. They won the pennant and advanced to the World Series where they defeated the Washington Senators in seven games. It was an exciting series as the Pirates trailed three games to one but battled back to grab the final three games and the title.

Two seasons later, Pittsburgh finished 94-60-2 and advanced to the World Series once again. This time they faced Murderer’s Row, that great 27 Yankees team that featured Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig among other great superstars. Pittsburgh was no match for the Yankees, swept out of the series and into oblivion for the next 35 years.

The Pirates had one of the premier sluggers in the 40s and 50s in Ralph Kiner. Kiner spent eight seasons in Pittsburgh, clubbing 301 homers and driving in 801 runs in that span. That included leading the National League in homers in seven of those seasons. 

However, it was not enough to lead this team to a winning campaign. In fact, the Pirates had just one winning season during his time with the team, including going 42-112-1 in 1952, his final full season with the club. 

Following the 1927 World Series, the team finished in the bottom half of the National League 16 times over the next 33 years. That included finishing seventh or eighth 10 times, including finishing in last place for four consecutive seasons.

It looked like this organization would be doomed to oblivion, but things began to turn around in 1958 when Pittsburgh finished 84-70-0, second in the NL. They took a step back in 1959, finishing 78-76-1, but won the pennant in 1960, going 95-59-1. 

Baseball legend Branch Rickey had been brought in to rebuild the club, and that is exactly what he did. Pittsburgh had a number of talented players, including Harvey Haddix, Roberto Clemente, Dick Stuart, and Don Gross, but it would be an unknown infielder who would become a baseball legend during the World Series.

Pittsburgh won the NL pennant and faced the heavily favored New York Yankees. This was the team of Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra. Pittsburgh scraped out three victories, forcing a game seven where Bill Mazeroski hit the most dramatic home run in World Series history.

He blasted a walk off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning of game seven to give the Pirates the title. It was the first time in Major League history that a player had ended a World Series on a homerun. Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Joe Carter matched the feat in 1993.

Following the World Series title, Pittsburgh fell back into oblivion. They finished sixth in 1961, and would finish no better than third over the next nine seasons. It was not until 1970 when things turned around again. That season the club finished 89-73, winning the NL East Division, but were swept by the Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS, 3-0. 

In 1971, they won the East Division again, winning the league championship series before advancing to the World Series. It was the team’s first season in Three Rivers Stadium and the club followed the story they had written in 1909, becoming champions in their first year in a new stadium. Pittsburgh defeated the Baltimore Orioles in seven games behind Clemente and the pitching of Steve Blass.

It was not just an exciting moment for the Pirates, but for baseball in general. Pittsburgh became the first team that had a lineup made exclusively of black and Latino players and winning was a testament to the integration and development of the league.

The team was reveling in their fourth World Series title. The Pirates had built quite a club, and with stars like Parker, Al Oliver, Stargell, and Clemente, they had become the hit of the baseball world. The team became known as the “Lumber Company” and built their clubhouse atmosphere around the 1970s hit We Are Family. 

Things were looking great for the club. In 1972, the team won the division again and returned to the LCS where they lost in five games. It was a disappointing loss that became far more tragic months later when star Roberto Clemente was killed in a plane crash when he was bringing relief supplies to his native country, Puerto Rico. 

The club was understandably shocked by the turn of events, and finished 80-82 the following year. However, they rebounded in 1974 and 1975, winning the division title in both years.

For the next three seasons the club finished in second place, but won the division again in 1979, finishing 98-64-1. That year, Pittsburgh took on Baltimore once again, forcing a game seven where they won in Baltimore to earn the franchise’s fifth title. 

That was the last time a team had won a Game 7 on the road in a World Series until the San Francisco Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series.

After the 1979 World Series, the club returned to mediocrity. Over the next 10 seasons they finished in fourth place or below in seven of those campaigns. Finally, in 1990 the club turned things around behind a group of young stars that included Barry Bonds. 

Bobby Bonilla and Doug Drabek were a part of that club as well, and they helped the Pirates to a 95-67 record in 1990. Three straight seasons the team won the division title, but each year they lost in the NLCS, falling to Cincinnati in 1990 and to the Braves in 1991 and 1992.

After the 1992 season, several of the team’s big stars moved on, including Bonds and Bonilla. The team finished fifth or sixth in the division 13 times over the next 20 seasons. In 2013, Andrew McCutchen helped the team to a 94-68 record. They lost in the NLDS that season, three games to two. The next two seasons they lost in the wildcard game. 

Since 2016 Pittsburgh has had just one winning season. They have finished in last place in the NL Central in each of the last two years.

The Pirates struggled again in the 2021 season, recording one of the lowest win-loss ratios in the league, 61-101. This meant that the Pirates finished in last place in the NL Central, 34 games behind the Brewers, that won the division.

The Pittsburgh Pirates finished the 2022 Major League Baseball season with a record of 62-100, which put them in fourth place in the National League Central Division. They did not qualify for the playoffs in 2022. The Pirates finished as one of the worst teams in all of Major League Baseball this season and they were one of four teams to lose over 100 games.

If you are a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, then you know that the only thing that matters right now is how they are expected to perform in the 2023 season. Do the Pittsburgh Pirates have the star power to make it all the way to the World Series in 2023?

It was yet another terrible finish for thw Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022, and it likely is not going to get much better for them in 2023. As they are longshots to win the World Series and will likely find themselves at the bottom of the standings once more.

Preview on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Manager: Derek Shelton

Derek Shelton will be entering his fourth year as the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, heading into the 2023 Major League Baseball season..

At the conclusion of his minor league playing career with the Yankees organization in 1993, Derek Shelton stayed involved with the Yankees and managed their minor league teams from 2000-03.

Shelton got his first taste of MLB coaching in 2005, joining the Guardians as a hitting coach. He then accepted more coaching positions with Tampa Bay, Toronto and Minnesota between 2010-2019.

He was named the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates prior to the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, which resulted in Pittsburgh finishing his debut season with a 19-41 record and in last place in the NL Central.

It has not been much better for him or the Pirates in the last few years either. As they have yet to record a winning record and he could potentially find himself out of  a job if they dont improve quicky.

Preview on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Key Player: Bryan Reynolds

In an offense that admittedly is lacking in depth and talent, we like the look of Bryan Reynolds for the 2023 season. Reynolds is only in his mid twenties and has a bright future ahead of him. 

The upcoming season will just be Reynolds’ fifth in MLB, but he has already shown some promise. In his rookie season, Reynolds went on an eight game hitting streak, and he finished fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting from 134 games on a team that finished with a lowly 69-93 record.

This season he will be the main man in the lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He is expected to put together a decent year even if the Pirates end up finishing towards the bottom of the Major League Baseball standings once again this season. Last season he had 27 homeruns as he combines a unique combo of power and speed and uses it well.

Preview on the Pittsburgh Pirates Next Best: ONeil Cruz

ONeil Cruz is an up-and-coming superstar with a ton of potential as he comes into his second full season in Major League Baseball. He only appeared in 87 games last season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he showed a ton of potential during his time with the team. As he hit 17 long balls, and drove in 54 runs while hitting for .233 on the year.

He is also shown some flashes with his glove at the shortstop position, and he is only going to get better this season. If he can produce the season for Pittsburgh, they can be a lot more competitive than they were last year and he can quickly continue to make a name for himself around the league.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were given +4000 odds to win the 2023 National League Central division this season. Their odds to win the National League Pennant were +10000 prior to the season starting. 

While their odds to take home the Commissioner’s Trophy and win the World Series were set at +20000. Their total over/under for victories this season is set at 67.5, With odds of (-115) for the over and (-105) for the under. Last season they managed to finish the season with a record of 62-100.

Their odds to win their division are the second lowest odds out of the five teams. While their odds to win the National League pennant are the third lowest out of 15 teams. They rank 26th in total odds among the entire league to win the World Series this season out of thirty teams.

Still got some burning questions about the Pittsburgh Pirates? Well, we have answered some of the most common questions people have, hopefully, you will find the answer you are looking for below!

Where do the Pittsburgh Pirates play?

The Pittsburgh Pirates play at PNC Park, which has been their home since 2001.

What other stadiums have the Pittsburgh Pirates played in?

When they were in Allegheny, the team played at Exposition Park I and later at version II. That was from 1882 to 1883. In 1884 the club moved to Recreation Park and played there until 1890. In 1891, Exhibition Park III was available for use and the team played there until 1909 when they moved into Forbes Field. 

Forbes Field not only housed the Pirates until 1970, but they were also the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. In 1970, Three Rivers Stadium opened for the Steelers and became the home of the Pirates the next year. The team remained there until 2000, moving to their new park in 2001.

How many World Series championships have the Pittsburgh Pirates won?

They have won five. The Pittsburgh Pirates won championships in 1909, 1925, 1960, 1971, and 1979.

How many National League pennants have the Pittsburgh Pirates won?

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been National League champions nine times. That includes 1901, 1902, 1903, 1909, 1925, 1927, 1960, 1971, and 1979.

What division do the Pittsburgh Pirates compete in?

The Pittsburgh Pirates are part of the National League Central Division. There are four other teams in the division, including the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati Reds.

Do the Pittsburgh Pirates have a game tonight?

If you are wondering if the Pittsburgh Pirates will be playing baseball tonight, you can find out all the latest information about the team as well as all teams in Major League Baseball by visiting SportsTips. You can click on the Pirates team page to receive all the latest information about the team.

What is the record of the Pittsburgh Pirates?

The Pittsburgh Pirates went 60-102 in the 2022 MLB season.

Who do the Pittsburgh Pirates play tonight?

All the information about the Pittsburgh Pirates, including transactions, games, and injury reports you can find at SportsTips. You will find detailed information of who Pittsburgh is playing each day, including starting pitching matchups and lineups.

How much is the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise worth?

According to Forbes magazine, the Pirates are worth $1.32 billion.

Will the Pittsburgh Pirates make the playoffs this year?

The Pittsburgh Pirates did not make the playoffs in 2022, as they finished fourth in the NL Central.

How can I catch Pittsburgh Pirates games on TV?

If you are in the local Pittsburgh area, you can catch games on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. All Pirates games are available as part of the MLB package.

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