The worst months of September in Pittsburgh Pirates history

2009

The 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates did not have a chance to make the playoffs. They were 44-58 when they headed into August. But the team went from bad to worse as they entered the final months of the year. There was a stretch from August 26 through September 24 where they won just four games. Although they won their last few games of the season, they still went 9-22 in September.

Their offense was last or next to last in nearly every notable offensive stat. They batted just .229/.315/.353. Their on-base percentage was the only number in their triple-slash that wasn’t among the bottom three in baseball. However, they were last in both wOBA (.296) and wRC+ (77). The only thing they managed to do that wasn’t horrendous was walk with a 9.1% BB%.

The Pirates’ pitching staff also wasn’t good, working to a 4.85 ERA, 4.48 FIP, and 1.47 WHIP, ranking in the bottom 10 in baseball in each of the aforementioned stats. They struck out just 14.5% of opponents with a 9.1% walk rate and 0.94 HR/9. 

1963

Three years after the Pirates won the World Series in dramatic fashion with Bill Mazeroski's walk-off home run, the Bucs would go on to have one of the worst months in their team’s history. While they were at least on pace to finish above .500 at the end of August, any semblance of putting together a respectable record would go by the wayside in September, as they went 7-22.

As a team, they had a 3.62 ERA, which may not seem horrible, but keep in mind the league average ERA in this era was 3.46. That mark was the sixth-worst among teams in September. They were also one of only three teams to walk 100+ batters while having the seventh-lowest K/9 rate and the sixth-worst WHIP at 1.35.

Their offense was abysmal, too, as they batted a collective .245/.291/.329. Their batting average was the only number among the three triple-slash stats in which they weren’t in the bottom five league-wide. The Bucs’ 85 sOPS+ was also among the bottom five, ranking 17 out of 20 clubs. They had the third-most strikeouts (186) but the second-fewest walks (64). The only number they were average or better in was total bases, where they racked up the ninth-most. Yay.

1998

The worst month of September the Pirates have experienced in the expansion era came in 1998. Once again, the Pirates weren’t a playoff contender this year, but they went 12-9 in August and were 64-71 heading into September. If they could keep up their hot streak, they could finish the year with a respectable record, but any chance of that fell apart in the ninth month of the year, when they went just 5-22. That marked the only time the Pirates have had a sub-.200 winning percentage in September.

Pitching was definitely not a strong suit for the 1998 Pirates. They had a 4.97 ERA, 4.79 FIP, and 1.50 WHIP. FIP was the only stat they didn't rank bottom five in, but don't worry; they were still among the bottom 10 teams in the league. Their 17.5% strikeout rate was the 17th-lowest mark in baseball, but their 10.3% walk rate was the fourth-highest sum. They were also home run prone, as their 1.20 HR/9 rate was the 11th highest among all teams.

Notably, they were by far the worst team in baseball when it came to hitting. The Pirates slashed just .215/.279/.311, ranking last in each stat by a fair margin. Their combined OPS was just .589; the next-lowest was .663. Their .266 wOBA was also the lowest by a lot, with the Marlins ranking 29th at .296. The cherry on top was their 54 wRC+, compared to the Angels’ 74 wRC+.

This isn’t just one of the worst months in Pirates history, but of all time, by any team. There have only been 15 times a team has had just as bad or a worse triple-slash in the month of September than the Pirates did in 1998 (not including strike-shortened seasons or 2024) or an sOPS+ below 60 (these Pirates sat at 59).