Pirates Conclude ’25 Season in Fitting Fashion; Now the Work Begins
In the final game of the 2025 regular season, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ offense was what it had been for most of the season. The Pirates (71-91) were shut down by the Atlanta Braves and were defeated 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at Truist Park.
How We Got There
Ronald Acuña Jr. blasted a 451-foot two-run home off Pirates starter Johan Oviedo in the bottom of the first inning to put the Braves up early.
The score remained 2-0 until Joey Bart singled home Bryan Reynolds in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut the Braves’ lead in half.
Matt Olson tacked on an insurance run for the Braves (76-86) with an RBI single in the eighth inning off Yohan Ramírez and added another later int he inning on a throwing error from shortstop Jared Triolo.
Key Moment
Acuña’s early home run was all the Braves needed to take down the Pirates in the season finale.
Player of the Game
Chris Sale (7-5) struck out nine batters and allowed just one run on four hits in 5.2 innings.
Stat to Know
The Pirates finished the season with a 3.71 ERA from their starting rotation this season, which ranks fifth in MLB. It’s their first time finishing in the top five in rotation ERA since 2015, when they also finished fifth with a 3.53 ERA.
Strong pitching and dreadful offense. At least the Pirates know what’s needed to push towards contention, but will they do what’s needed?
Notable Performances
- Johan Oviedo: 5.0 innings, three hits, two runs, three walks, three strikeouts, 71 pitches/45 strikes
- Hunter Barco: 2.0 innings, one hit, no runs, o walks, three strikeouts, 27 pitches/20 strikes
- Bryan Reynolds: 1 for 1, one double, one run
Noteworthy
- Bryan Reynolds hit his 38th double of the season, which set a career-high. He hit 37 doubles as a rookie in 2019.
- Charlie Morton, who pitched for the Pirates from 2009-15, opened for the Braves and tossed 1.1-scoreless innings. Morton is expected to retire at the end of the season.
Up Next
The offseason. Thank you all for following along with us all season long. Stay tuned for our offseason coverage!
2026 Opening Day: March 26 against the New York Mets at Citi Field.
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