The setting could not have been any better. As Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin chatted with members of the Clemente family on Tuesday morning, they stood next to the statue of the Great One, steps from the Roberto Clemente Bridge.

It’s getting harder and harder to top Clemente Day, an organization-wide

As Denny Heindl and Stephen Wong walked around Legacy Hall on Monday night, they couldn’t help but get lost in the “visual feast” that exists for Pirates fans — incredible baseball artifacts everywhere.

But more so than Willie Stargell’s bat, Roberto Clemente’s jacket or Chuck Tanner’s hand-written notes, Heindl and Wong

CHICAGO — There are plenty of words to describe Brandon Lowe. Professional, productive and calm are a few of the first ones that come to mind.

But Bubba Chandler went a different direction after Sunday’s 4-3 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, essentially saying the Pirates second baseman is underappreciated

CHICAGO — As Ryan O’Hearn pushed himself slowly on a pair of crutches to the visitors’ clubhouse at Great American Ball Park back on Aug. 1, hours after suffering a gruesome quad injury, his face lit up when discussing the prospect of what was then an eight-week return.

If O’Hearn worked

CHICAGO — Billy Cook has seen cone earrings, peddled an orange ice cream cone and even spotted a balloon animal depicting the Pirates’ unique rallying cry this season at a recent fan event.

On Thursday at Rate Field, Cook and his teammates enjoyed more evidence of the cone's reach when a

CHICAGO — Oneil Cruz unfurled his long, powerful limbs and stared. He knew it was gone. Everyone knew it was gone.

A Statcast recalculation would cost Cruz 34 feet in home run distance, but let’s be honest: There’s usually plenty to spare.

The Cruz missile traveling toward center field in the fourth inning

CHICAGO — Another successful bullpen game. Two clutch double plays. Rookies supplying the offense. Tempers flaring and benches emptying.

The Pirates' 4-2 victory over the White Sox on Wednesday at Rate Field had a little bit of everything. But more important than any of that other stuff, it delivered another series

CHICAGO — As the Pirates grinded through three one-run outputs over the weekend, they remained confident that a breakout was near.

If they stuck to their approach, if they didn’t try to do too much, if they took what was given, their offense would rediscover its previous form.

The timing couldn’t be

CHICAGO — While there’s been much discussed regarding Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler, TBA doesn’t get nearly enough attention.

To be announced, of course. It’s what the Pirates will sometimes use as a placeholder until the prior game is completed, allowing them to determine who’s available to

They’re separated by thousands of miles. They also feature climates on extreme ends of the weather spectrum.

So, why in the world is Jared Jones, a Southern California kid who grew up going to Dodgers games, an ardent Buffalo Bills fan?

Easy: fantasy football.

Six years ago, Jones tried it for the first

At the beginning of this homestand, Don Kelly implored his team to focus on going 1-0 every day. The Pirates ended it with a literal interpretation of their manager's words.

They notched another 1-0 win over the Angels on Sunday, the second in three games to secure a series win despite

The hope was for the Pirates to head to Chicago next week at .500, which would’ve required a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels at PNC Park this weekend.

Those plans were complicated on Saturday thanks to a 6-1 loss, one that featured more struggles against a left-handed starter and short-circuited

Now this looked familiar, the pitching, aggressive baserunning and the swagger. The Pirates are nearly whole again, and they might yet have a run in them.

We'll get there.

But first, the Pirates' 1-0 victory over the Angels on Friday at PNC Park was primarily centered around Konnor Griffin's legs and Jared

Seated at a coffee shop minutes from his offseason workout facility in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Paul Skenes’ face lit up when discussing another pitcher from the Pirates’ 2023 draft class, Khristian Curtis.

Skenes was the marquee selection, Curtis a project — though one Skenes was warning would help the big

Singing has always been an important part of Tony Beasley’s life. The Pirates' third-base coach started when he was 10 or 11. He used to be in a traveling choir and sings every Sunday in church throughout the offseason.

Another unavoidable part of Beasley’s story is cancer. The 59-year-old overcame Stage

John Candelaria threw a no-hitter and won a World Series in Pittsburgh. The left-hander might be soft-spoken, but he knows the organization's rich history and grasps the magnitude of being enshrined in the Pirates Hall of Fame.

“It's a wonderful honor,” Candelaria said. “I think of all the great Pirates players

It wasn’t pretty. But style points don’t matter at this point.

The Pirates won another series with a 5-2 victory over the Giants on Thursday afternoon at PNC Park, keeping hope alive for a potential playoff push.

Mario Lemieux would’ve been proud of this one. Just look at the ways the Pirates

Brandon Lowe has appeared in 874 MLB games throughout his nine-year career.

Most, if we’re being honest, were probably more aesthetically pleasing or crisp than the Pirates’ 13-12 victory over the Giants at PNC Park on Tuesday.

But that perspective has allowed Lowe to see some things, especially when it comes to

When Roman Senft grabs the microphone and yells “Play Ball!” prior to Tuesday’s Pirates game against the Giants are PNC Park, there will undoubtedly be plenty of excitement.

But for 10-year-old Roman and his family, the moment will represent so much more considering everything the baseball-loving bunch from Cranberry has endured

Paul Skenes likes to joke that his first-ever dream job, before baseball or flying planes, was to become a firefighter.

Perhaps that’s why Skenes enjoys this stuff so much. Or maybe it's the opportunity to help a worthy cause.

(OK, it's probably a mix of both.)

Backed by support from the Gary Sinise Foundation

ST. LOUIS — With sand slipping through the hourglass and the Pirates badly needing a hot streak to jump back into contention, this felt like a season-defining road trip for the club.

Nine games in 11 days across three cities. A chance to shift this thing one way or another.

Turns out

ST. LOUIS — Jake Mangum saw Cardinals left fielder Joshua Báez fail to field the ball cleanly and discovered another gear. Mangum’s helmet went sailing. He was nearly called out at third base, though the Pirates saw third baseman Nolan Gorman drop the ball, challenged and won.

It's the type of

ST. LOUIS -- Before the Pirates left for their current road trip, Paul Skenes had a conversation that put his mind at ease.

With the Tigers in town, Skenes wound up chatting with Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander about velocity. Pittsburgh’s ace described what he’s gone through this season and asked questions,

ST. LOUIS — A handful of hours after the MLB Trade Deadline had passed, after he delivered one of his best starts of the second half and that night’s game in Milwaukee ended on a walkoff challenge, Bubba Chandler was addressing Mitch Keller’s season-ending injury when he offered an honest

SAN DIEGO — When the Pirates offense has struggled this season, it’s been pretty easy to diagnose the problem.

Either a left-handed pitcher has been on the mound, or the Pirates have been unable to convert with runners in scoring position. Sometimes both. A familiar problem resurfaced at a terrible time