Tommy Pham stretches hard to explain away Pirates’ offensive struggles in 2025

After a fan pointed out on social media that the Pittsburgh Pirates faced MLB’s best opposing defenses in 2025, old friend Tommy Pham decided to add a new wrinkle to the narrative: the humidor at PNC Park was apparently “broken,” and it hurt hitters all season. But don’t worry — he says they bought a new one, so 2026 should be better.

MLB parks have used humidors for years. They’re standardized. They’re monitored. They aren’t some mysterious Pirates-specific conspiracy device sabotaging line drives. And even if PNC Park’s humidor wasn’t calibrated perfectly for part of the season, we’re talking about marginal differences — not a black hole that turns barrels into long outs.

More importantly? The Pirates were over .500 at home in 2025. If the humidor was sabotaging the offense, it apparently forgot to sabotage the win column.

Tommy Pham blames faulty stadium equipment for Pirates' poor offensive performance in 2025

The Pirates’ offensive struggles were systemic. Poor contact quality. Too many chase-heavy at-bats. Long droughts from veteran bats (yes, including Pham). Streaky production masked by a few hot months. In other words, you can’t humidor your way into a bottom-tier lineup.

Were the Pirates unlucky at times? Sure. Did they run into good defensive teams? Absolutely. But good offenses beat good defense, and the 2025 Pirates didn't because they weren't consistently good.

This feels less like a legitimate environmental gripe and more like a veteran trying to explain away a personal downturn. When you spend half a season under a .600 OPS, the simplest explanation usually isn’t faulty baseball storage equipment.

Of course, circumstances still play a role here. PNC Park's infamous North Side Notch suppresses right-handed power. But where bad offenses often look for external explanations, good offenses adjust.

If the humidor was truly the culprit, why didn’t the Pirates’ pitching implode at home? Why didn’t opponents suffer the same mysterious suppression? Why did the team still manage to be over .500 at PNC? Because baseball games are won by execution, not humidity levels.

When a veteran player — especially one like Pham, who is a free agent seeking his next contract — publicly floats equipment-based excuses, it doesn’t inspire confidence. It suggests a player still searching for reasons instead of solutions.

The Pirates didn't need a new humidor in 2025. They needed more impact bats, better swing decisions and more consistent contact quality. And maybe — just maybe — a little less excuse-making.