Numbers associated with Pirates' playoff elimination feel like a cosmic joke

Earlier this week, on Sept. 15, the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrated Roberto Clemente Day, an annual commemoration of one of the franchise's great icons.

Unfortunately, the Pirates didn't put on a great performance on the field that day. Instead, they were shut out by the Cubs in the first game of (what would become) a series sweep.

That loss officially eliminated the Pirates, now 65-89, from playoff contention. For good measure, some cruel irony also marked the end of Roberto Clemente Day, as Pittsburgh ended the day 21 games under .500, the same number worn by the Hall of Famer.

Pirates' lost season officially ends with Roberto Clemente Day dud

It's been a difficult season in Pittsburgh, to say the least.

Whatever offseason optimism existed was quickly wiped out when manager Derek Shelton was fired just one month into the season. The team was a disappointing 12-26 at the time, and though they've somewhat rebounded to go 53-63 since, this has hardly been the leap forward for the young core than Pirates fans were hoping for.

To make matters worse, Ke'Bryan Hayes was traded to the division rival Reds (where he's now thriving) and David Bednar was dealt to the Yankees for peanuts at a wildly frustrating trade deadline. From the front office to the coaching staff to the players on the roster, it truly feels like the team can leave no stone unturned this offseason as it analyzes what has gone wrong during this most recent rebuild.

And that, of course, fails to mention the penny-pinching ownership that has refused to invest in this team. That the Cubs -- another team that has been rebuilding for the past few seasons -- punched their own ticket to the postseason later in the series is just one more frustrating detail for Pirates fans who feel trapped in limbo.

Of course, the loss shouldn't take away from the importance of the day it occurred on. Despite a serious gaffe earlier in the year when the right field panel of Clemente was replaced by a poorly-received advertisement, the two-time World Series champion is still held in exceptionally high regard by the franchise for his play on the field, as well as his incredible impact off of it.

It's a shame the Pirates of 2025 had to be eliminated on what's become such an important day on the calendar, but this iteration of the team has been nothing but disappointing for most of the season. Hopefully, the franchise will address its serious flaws over the winter as they look to make the turn back toward contention in 2026.