11 years after Pirates’ 98-win heartbreak, 82 wins shouldn’t be treated like a breakthrough

Eleven years ago today, more than 40,000 fans packed PNC Park expecting the Pittsburgh Pirates to begin another October run.

Instead, Jake Arrieta and the Chicago Cubs ended a 98-win season in one cruel night.

On Oct. 7, 2015, the Pirates lost the National League Wild Card Game, 4-0, bringing an abrupt end to what remains the franchise's best regular season since 1991. Pittsburgh had won 98 games, finished with the second-best record in Major League Baseball and still walked away feeling like the season hadn't been good enough.

Eleven years later, that heartbreak offers some badly needed perspective. The Pirates just finished the 2026 season 82-80 — and as encouraging as their first winning season since 2018 may be, it cannot be treated like some monumental breakthrough.

Think about how far the standard has fallen. The 2015 Pirates won 16 more games than the 2026 team, reached the postseason for a third consecutive year and still went into the offseason disappointed. The 2026 Pirates missed the playoffs entirely.

There's nothing wrong with acknowledging the progress Pittsburgh made this season. But there is an enormous difference between progress and success, and the anniversary of that 2015 Wild Card loss is an especially appropriate reminder of what expectations in Pittsburgh once looked like.

That team didn't celebrate getting over .500. It didn't congratulate itself for playing meaningful baseball in September. It didn't view merely hanging around the playoff picture as proof that the rebuild — or whatever version of roster construction existed at the time — was working.

The Pirates expected October. They had reached the postseason in 2013 and 2014, and by 2015, simply getting there wasn't enough anymore.

Pittsburgh went 98-64. Only the 100-win St. Louis Cardinals had a better record in baseball. In almost any normal season, 98 victories would have meant a division title and a multi-game playoff series. Instead, the Pirates were forced into a winner-take-all game against a 97-win Cubs team and Arrieta at the absolute height of his powers.

Nine innings later, it was over.

Anniversary of Pirates 2015 Wild Card loss is a painful reminder of how far the standard has fallen in Pittsburgh

There wasn't much interest after that 2015 Wild Card loss in celebrating the 98 wins. There was heartbreak because expectations had become that high. Now compare that with where the franchise stands exactly 11 years later.

For almost any other organization, an 82-80 season after missing the playoffs would be understood for what it is: a modest step in the right direction. With the Pirates, years of losing have lowered expectations so dramatically that finishing two games above .500 threatens to be treated like a destination rather than a checkpoint.

From 2021 through 2025, Pittsburgh won 61, 62, 76, 76 and 71 games. Fans were repeatedly asked for patience while Ben Cherington accumulated prospects, waited for young players to develop and talked about building something sustainable.

An 11-win improvement is encouraging. But after all those years of waiting, 82 wins can't possibly be the payoff.

The Pirates finally possess the kind of young pitching foundation capable of accelerating the timeline. They shouldn't need another three-year plan.

They need offense. They need ownership to spend enough money to complement the pitching staff instead of expecting it to carry a flawed roster. They need to treat Brandon Lowe's potential departure as a hole that must actually be filled, not another opportunity to hand at-bats to someone cheaper. They need more lineup depth, fewer automatic outs and enough support that every Skenes start doesn't feel like it requires perfection.

This isn't 2021, when the Pirates were losing 101 games and selling everyone on a distant future. The window isn't theoretical anymore, and windows don't stay open indefinitely.

That's why the organization has to be careful about how it frames 2026. Celebrate the improvement internally. Recognize the development. Appreciate finally ending the losing streak. Then raise the bar immediately.

Pirates fans know what a real contender looks like. Exactly 11 years ago today, they watched one win 98 games — and they were still crushed when the season ended without a championship.

Nobody is asking the 2027 Pirates to magically become the 2015 team overnight. But Pittsburgh should aspire to get back to a place where missing the playoffs hurts more than finishing 82-80 impresses anyone.

Eleven years ago, 98 wins weren't enough. Eleven years later, 82 shouldn't be treated like they are.

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