Pirates' April run provided a good distraction from frustrating Steelers NFL Draft miss

For a few hours Thursday night on the North Shore, the energy felt like it was supposed to. Thousands packed in, phones up, waiting for that jolt — the kind of moment that reminds Pittsburgh fans why they keep showing up.

Then Jerome Bettis stepped to the podium, delivered the pick, and the air came out of the night.

The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t land their guy. The Philadelphia Eagles had traded up and stolen him. The crowd knew it almost instantly. And just like that, what was supposed to be a celebration turned into another reminder of how often things have gone sideways for this city’s flagship franchise lately.

Which is why, oddly enough, the most comforting thing in Pittsburgh sports right now wears black and gold of a different kind.

The Pittsburgh Pirates — yes, those Pirates — have quietly become a needed distraction.

Pirates are suddenly the one Pittsburgh team fans can believe in right now

At 14-11, this isn’t just a fluky April stretch for the Buccos. There’s something more stable taking shape, particularly on the offensive side. For a team that has spent the better part of the last decade searching for any kind of identity at the plate, this version looks… competent. Dangerous, even.

It starts with Brandon Lowe, who has been everything the Pirates hoped for and more. His approach has been as valuable as his production — working counts, driving the ball, and setting a tone that this lineup hasn’t had in years.

Alongside him, Ryan O'Hearn has provided consistency, while Marcell Ozuna has begun to settle into the middle-of-the-order role he was brought in to fill. It’s not perfect, but it’s functional. And in Pittsburgh, that’s a meaningful step forward.

More importantly, it’s been watchable. That matters right now. Because across the river, the Pittsburgh Penguins are staring down a 3-0 playoff deficit against the Philadelphia Flyers. And the Steelers just walked out of a nationally televised moment with more questions than answers.

The Pirates weren’t supposed to be the steady hand in this city. Not in April, and certainly not in a year where expectations were still cautious at best. But that’s exactly what they’ve become.

They’re not fixing everything. They’re not erasing the frustration from Thursday night; they themselves dropped a series to the Texas Rangers in Arlington while NFL Draft madness descended on Pittsburgh. But for a few hours each day, the Pirates are offering something Pittsburgh fans have been craving: a reason to lean in instead of shake their heads.

Right now, that’s enough. And if this version of the Pirates keeps hitting, keeps competing, and keeps giving this city something to rally around, that “distraction” might start to look a lot more like something real.

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