The Pittsburgh Pirates spent years leaning on a familiar excuse: the fans had checked out.
Empty seats at PNC Park made that story easy to sell. So did the frustration, the losing, and the steady erosion of interest that followed. But 2026 changed the conversation in a way ownership can’t ignore.
Pittsburgh finished the season with 1,704,229 fans, its second-highest total since 2017. Only 2024 topped it in that span, when 1,720,361 came through the gates.
That matters because 2024 and 2026 started from very different places. The Pirates entered 2024 with some momentum after a 76-win season, while Paul Skenes was about to arrive and hope was still hanging around the roster.
By contrast, 2026 began after a letdown. Pittsburgh had just finished 2025 with 71 wins, and the optimism had been drained out of the building.
The early numbers reflected that. Through the first 25 home games in 2024, the Pirates drew 454,130 fans. Through the first 25 home games in 2026, that number was only 422,854.
That gap tells you a lot about how fans were approaching the two seasons. In 2024, there was belief.
In 2026, there was caution. Season-ticket sales and early attendance are built in the offseason, and the Pirates had given people much more reason to hesitate than to buy in.
But the bigger story is what happened after that sluggish start.
Once the team became competitive, the crowd followed. After those first 25 home games, the 2026 Pirates outdrew the 2024 club by roughly 15,000 fans over the rest of the home schedule. That is not what a checked-out fan base looks like.
Pittsburgh finished 82-80, posted its first winning season since 2018 and stayed relevant deep enough into September to make games at PNC Park meaningful again. That does not make the season a success in any larger sense. A franchise doesn’t celebrate an 82-win year when it missed the postseason and still hasn’t won a playoff series since 1979.
But the attendance trend says something important: Pirates fans are not the obstacle here. They showed up anyway. More than 1.7 million of them came through the turnstiles in a season that started with skepticism and uncertainty.
Now the burden shifts to ownership.
An 82-win season is a much easier sell than a 71-win disappointment, and the Pirates should have more goodwill heading into 2027 than they had a year ago. There should be better season-ticket interest.
The opening month should feel different. There should be real anticipation around Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Konnor Griffin and a young core that at least showed signs of moving forward.
That is why this offseason matters so much.
The Pirates can’t keep asking fans to believe while hiding behind payroll limits, market size or uncertainty about support. The support is already there.
The response is already on the books. Now ownership has to meet it with actual ambition.
That starts with treating Brandon Lowe’s free agency as a real decision, not a bargain-hunting exercise. It means adding offense instead of banking on internal growth to solve everything. And it means building around a strong pitching base while that advantage still exists, rather than trying to squeeze the roster into something that merely hangs around.
For much of Ben Cherington’s tenure, the Pirates asked for patience. In 2026, fans finally saw enough to respond. They came back when the team gave them a reason.
That should be the message ownership takes into 2027. The fans already answered. Now it’s the Pirates’ turn.
In Other News...
Pirates Are Already Sending A Worrying Brandon Lowe Offseason Signal
Brandon Lowes first offseason as a free agent has already become one of the more interesting decisions facing the Pirates, and Ben Cheringtons latest comments made clear why. The general manager was complimentary about Lowes production and what he brought to the clubhouse, but he also signaled that Pittsburgh has to look at the full market before settling on a path, which is rarely the kind of language that points to an easy reunion.
Lowes strong 2026 season gave the Pirates a real reason to want him back, and there has been mutual interest in continuing the relationship. Still, once a player reaches free agency for the first time, it often comes down to timing, price and what else is available, and that is where Pittsburghs decision gets tricky. For now, the sides sound open to a return, but the next move may tell a lot about how aggressive the Pirates are willing to be. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Have An Internal Answer To A Costly Offensive Problem
The Pirates spent much of 2026 looking overmatched against left-handed pitching, an issue that quietly dragged on the offense even as the roster showed flashes in other areas. It was the kind of problem that can reshape a season without always announcing itself in one dramatic moment, and for Pittsburgh it became a persistent obstacle as the club tried to stay in the postseason picture.
Heading into 2027, there is at least reason to believe that weakness does not have to define the lineup again. Konnor Griffin, Oneil Cruz, Esmerlyn Valdez, Bryan Reynolds and Rafael Flores Jr. all showed signs that they could help the Pirates handle lefties better, giving the front office and coaching staff an internal path toward improvement rather than a need to chase outside fixes. The bigger question now is whether that promising group can turn potential into something more reliable when the matchups start mattering every night. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Just Moved On From A Rotation Depth Gamble
Jos Urquidys latest stop has already ended, with the right-hander electing free agency after clearing waivers following his designation for assignment by the Phillies. It is the sort of roster churn that comes with the back end of a season, especially for a pitcher who was brought in as depth and never got the chance to factor into October.
For Pittsburgh, Urquidys name is a familiar one from a busy 2023 that saw him pitch for the Pirates, White Sox and Phillies while working through 13 games and 36 1/3 innings. He was acquired by Philadelphia in September, but he was not playoff eligible and was later released, leaving him to look ahead to a new contract for the 2026 season and another chance to reestablish himself somewhere on a major league staff. [Read more 🡒]