PITTSBURGH - The Pirates already have one headline ace in Paul Skenes, and Jared Jones just spent September making a case that he belongs in the same conversation.
Jones was named National League Pitcher of the Month for September after finishing 2026 on a blistering run that turned his season around and raised the ceiling for what comes next in 2027. For a pitcher who returned late from injury and had to work his way back into rhythm, the final month looked nothing like a recovery tour. It looked like domination.
Over five starts, Jones went 3-0 with a 0.93 ERA across 29.0 innings. He piled up 40 strikeouts against just four walks, held opponents to a .133 batting average and posted a 0.59 WHIP. The month also included a 12.41 K/9, 1.24 BB/9 and a 10.00 K/BB.
That kind of stretch put him in rare Pirates company. According to Alex Stumpf, Jones became just the second Pittsburgh pitcher to record 40 strikeouts and an ERA under 1.00 in a calendar month since Mike Lynch in September 1904. Noah Wright noted that he is also one of only seven Pirates pitchers since World War I to finish a month with an ERA below 1.00, with the minimum set at five starts and 25 innings.
The month was almost flawless. Jones gave up runs in only one outing, a three-run start against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park on Sept. 16, though he still matched his season high with nine strikeouts.
In three of his starts, he allowed no more than one hit, including three hits in his first outing against the Los Angeles Angels at PNC Park on Sept. 4.
He flirted with history twice. Jones carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Sept. 10, then followed that with eight strikeouts in a 2-0 win.
Later in the month, he took a perfect game into the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on Sept. 22 and again tied his season high with nine strikeouts in another 2-0 victory.
“I think I set the standard a little bit too high, but if I do get one, that’s going to be pretty special," Jones said on coming close to a no-hitter and a perfect game. "You don’t take those things for granted. It’s been a really good month.”
That finish carried extra weight because of everything that came before it. Jones spent the 2025 season sidelined after internal brace surgery and didn’t make it back until late May. He had to rebuild his velocity and re-acclimate himself to major league hitters, a process that came with some rough patches during 2026.
By the end, though, the season looked a lot different than it did in the middle. Jones said simply getting back on the mound for four months after surgery meant a lot to him.
“Not only did I pitch well to end the season, I kinda look back on every other guy that’s had surgery and coming off of it, I didn’t have a single bump in the road and that’s something I’m super grateful for," Jones said. "The guys taking care of me did one hell of a job.”
He closed the year with a 5-6 record in 21 starts, a 3.72 ERA over 101.2 innings, 123 strikeouts, 21 walks, a .209 batting average against and a 1.08 WHIP.
From his first start on May 29, Jones ranked among baseball’s better pitchers on a minimum 100-inning basis, with the ninth-lowest batting average against, ninth-best K/9 at 10.89, 14th-lowest WHIP and 20th-best K/BB at 3.97.
"Getting into the statistics, it was the best season I’ve put together as a professional since I signed," Jones said. "Doing that coming off of surgery is really, really cool. I don’t like giving myself a lot of props, but I feel like in this time, it’s kind of needed and it's really cool to look back on.”
Looking ahead, Jones still sees another level to reach. He wants to lean more on his curveball and changeup to go with a four-seam fastball and slider combination that already gives hitters problems.
“Kinda just becoming a true pitcher," Jones said. "Mixing in the curveball and changeup a lot more this year.
And then staying true to my bread and butter when stuff gets tough. Just becoming more of an overall pitcher.”
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