Here are 10 fun Bucs games to watch right now
While the 2020 season is on hold, fans still have plenty of opportunities to satisfy their baseball cravings.
Every single MLB game from the past two seasons is available, for free, on MLB.TV. That equates to more than 4,800 games, including regular season and postseason, from 2018 and ‘19.
This dive into the archives is free to all users, on any supported device, with zero blackout restrictions. Simply visit MLB.TV for details or download the MLB App on your favorite device.
There is no shortage of viewing options, whether you prefer to relive the ups and downs of your favorite team’s season or discover something you might have missed the first time around. There are fantastic individual performances, dramatic October classics, and much more. There's also a large collection of classic games available on YouTube.
To help fans find a place to start amid those two seasons worth of baseball, we’ve curated the top 10 games for each of the 30 teams. Here is a recommended viewing guide for the Pirates.
1) July 15, 2018: Walkin’ off in the rain (Pirates 7, Brewers 6)
It’s hard to summarize the context here, but consider this: Just a week before, former general manager Neal Huntington essentially said the Pirates needed to reel off a significantly above-average stretch of games to avoid a Trade Deadline sell-off. Arguably the biggest highlight of the Pirates’ subsequent 11-game winning streak was this game, which capped a five-game sweep of the Brewers heading into the All-Star break, that ended with Josh Bell ripping a walk-off double to center field in the pouring rain.
2) July 24, 2018: This one goes to 11 (Pirates 9, Indians 4)
This was the final victory in the aforementioned 11-game winning streak, when it felt like the Pirates could do no wrong for two weeks. Coming off a game in which Trevor Williams shut out Cleveland and Pittsburgh knocked out Corey Kluber, the Bucs delivered the first blow again in this game. Starling Marte hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and by the time Gregory Polanco’s homer landed in the second, they were up, 7-1.
3) April 8, 2018: Pure dominance (Pirates 5, Reds 0)
Jameson Taillon’s best stretch in his best season actually came later, as he posted a 2.71 ERA after May 27 while allowing three or fewer earned runs in each of his final 22 starts. But this was his most outstanding performance, a one-hit shutout against the Reds at PNC Park in which he struck out seven while walking only two. The only hit Taillon allowed was to opposing pitcher Tyler Mahle. By the Game Score metric, Taillon’s outing was the Pirates’ second-best start of the decade, behind only A.J. Burnett’s one-hit shutout of the Cubs on July 31, 2012.
4) March 30, 2018: Wild opener (Pirates 13, Tigers 10)
The Pirates’ regularly scheduled Opening Day game in Detroit was delayed by inclement weather, which gave them an extra day to prepare for a crazy game. An instant-replay review overturned the Tigers’ potential winning run in the 10th inning, then Polanco hit a three-run moonshot to win it in the 13th.
5) April 29, 2018: Almost-perfect debut (Pirates 5, Cardinals 0)
Right-hander Nick Kingham never lived up to his lofty prospect potential with the Pirates, but he delivered an unforgettable debut. Called up to start against the Cardinals, Kingham baffled St. Louis with wicked sliders as he carried a perfect game into the seventh inning before giving up a single to Paul DeJong. Overall, he struck out nine without walking a batter while allowing only one hit in seven innings.
6) April 7, 2019: A bomb and a brawl (Pirates 7, Reds 5)
This game had it all. Derek Dietrich hit a homer that bounced into the Allegheny River, which led to Chris Archer throwing a pitch behind him in the fourth inning, which led to a benches-clearing brawl in which Yasiel Puig attempted to take on the Pirates’ entire team on his own, which led to former Bucs bench coach Tom Prince doing his best impression of an offensive guard -- and this tension later resurfaced in a July 30 brawl in Cincinnati. Perhaps you’ve forgotten, though, that the Pirates beat the Reds in part because Josh Bell smashed a 474-foot homer over the PNC Park batter’s eye.
7) July 1, 2019: Ring it in a rout (Pirates 18, Cubs 5)
It might be easy to forget, given how the second half of last season went, but the Pirates hung around .500 -- and within five games of the National League Central lead -- heading into the All-Star break. This was arguably their best all-around game during that stretch, featuring a powerhouse performance by an inconsistent lineup. Josh Bell homered three times and drove in seven runs, Adam Frazier went 5-for-6 with four doubles and Colin Moran also picked up five hits.
8) April 20, 2019: Storybook debut (Pirates 3, Giants 1)
The outfield collision between Starling Marte and Erik Gonzalez, combined with a bunch of other early-season injuries, forced the Pirates to call up Bryan Reynolds and Cole Tucker -- and given how little time the prospects spent in Triple-A, it was assumed neither would be ready for The Show. Reynolds clearly proved he was throughout the season, and Tucker played up to the moment by cracking a game-winning homer in the fifth inning of his rain-shortened debut. It was a wonderful moment for Tucker, his family and the organization that drafted and developed the likeable young shortstop.
9) June 23, 2019: Crazy comebacks (Pirates 11, Padres 10)
Former manager Clint Hurdle called this “one of the best wins that I’ve watched in nine years here,” and it was indeed a wild one. Down three in the ninth against a closer who hadn’t blown a save all season, the Pirates rallied to force extra innings. Down three again in the 11th, they battled back -- and then, all of a sudden, rookie shortstop Kevin Newman was at the plate, working a walk-off walk to cap the Bucs’ fourth straight win. They unraveled in the second half, but at this point, they were only 5 1/2 games behind the NL Central-leading Cubs.
10) Sept. 25, 2018: September surprises (Pirates 6, Cubs 0)
This one didn’t age terribly well, as Chris Archer struggled last season and Pablo Reyes was suspended for using a performance-enhancing substance this spring. But in the moment, it seemed like a positive step for the Pirates. Archer finished a strong September by striking out nine over six innings, and the undersized Reyes smashed a homer in Pittsburgh’s 80th win. The Pirates went on to later clinch their fourth winning season since 1992.
And here are some other games from around the league you might like:
Aug. 17, 2019: Brewers 15, Nationals 14
Christian Yelich homered -- No. 40 -- as part of a three-homer, four-run ninth inning for a 12-11 Brewers lead, only to see the Nationals come back to tie it up against Josh Hader. Yelich homered again in the 13th for a 13-12 lead, only to see the Nats come back again. Finally, in the 14th, the Brewers scored twice and this time held off another Nats surge.
June 27, 2019: Dodgers 12, Rockies 8
The Dodgers overcame a shaky Coors Field start from Walker Buehler (seven runs) with a six-homer onslaught -- two by Max Muncy -- for their 12th consecutive win over Colorado.
July 25, 2019: Orioles 10, Angels 8
The Orioles and Angels had been engaged in a marathon, 6-hour, 16-inning, back-and-forth affair when things went from simply weird to historic. That's because of who closed the game -- outfielder Stevie Wilkerson, who recorded a 1-2-3 bottom of the 16th throwing nothing but mid-50 mph floaters to record the first save by a position player in MLB history.
July 12, 2019: Rangers 9, Astros 8
The Rangers scored five runs in the last three innings to erase the Astros' 8-4 lead. The Rangers hit five home runs in this game, including three off Astros starter Gerrit Cole.