Don Kelly’s entire lifetime puts Pirates’ postseason drought into brutal perspective

Don Kelly is no spring chicken. He has nine big-league seasons under his belt as a player and just wrapped up his first full season as Pirates manager, leading the team to its first winning season since 2018. But in his 46+ years on this planet, Kelly has yet to witness one thing: the Pirates winning a postseason series.

Sure, Pittsburgh has hosted an iconic Wild Card Game in 2013, but that was the age of one-game winner-takes-all affairs. The last full series the Pirates won was the 1979 World Series against the Orioles (which occurred months before Kelly’s birth in February 1980). Now, the pressure is on the young skipper to break a streak that even Hall of Famer Jim Leyland couldn’t shake.

Don Kelly hopes to reverse nearly 50 years of postseason failure in Pittsburgh

The weight of the expectations on Kelly becomes even more apparent when comparing the Pirates’ fallow period with the rest of baseball. Only the Mariners, who have never been to the World Series, have endured a longer wait for a chance at a championship, and thanks to Seattle’s exciting run to the ALCS in 2025, the Pirates have the longest span between LCS appearances.

First, though, the Bucs need to make the postseason. In a strong National League, the team’s 82-80 record placed Pittsburgh six games out of the Wild Card at season’s end. To add insult to injury, that record would have won the AL West this year. The unfortunate imbalance between the leagues has generated controversy and conversation about the playoff format and the upcoming CBA negotiations, but only improvements on the field will help the Pirates return to October baseball.

From early offseason buzz, it seems like Kelly isn’t going to get much in the way of help from the front office to break this vicious cycle. GM Ben Cherington already sounds like he’s preparing to part ways with Brandon Lowe, the team’s most valuable and consistent offensive player. It will take wiles and tactics for Kelly to weave this Pirates team into a product that can overturn nearly a half century of failure, but perhaps some hometown magic will spark a resurgence in Pittsburgh.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow