If the Duquesne basketball team is able to achieve its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1969, could the Pirates possibly win their first full playoff series since 1979?
Or their first division championship since 1992?
Okay, maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves.
But the Bucs just started 2024 with a four-game sweep of the Marlins in Miami. According to a team announcement, the last time the franchise began a season with a four-game road sweep in one city was in 1903 against Cincinnati. A Pirates team hasn’t started 5-0 since 1983.
Now, to be fair, March and April were great for last year’s Pirates as well. Manager Derek Shelton’s group was 20-9 before the start of May. However, they only managed 27 wins over the next three months and finished below .500 (76-86).
Oh, and that 1983 team? It ended up with a fairly average 84-78 record and missed the playoffs.
So perhaps this opening series reflects more on how much the Marlins have regressed from being a wild-card contender last year, rather than assuming the Pirates will become one this year.
Or maybe it’s just four games out of 162 for both organizations.
That shouldn’t diminish the excitement for the positive results in Pittsburgh. After all, last year's early success at least generated interest until around Memorial Day weekend when reality kicked in.
I can delude myself for about 60 days of baseball interest. Hey, I've been deluding myself that the local hockey team would eventually turn it around since December. What’s another two months?
Or perhaps this year, we won’t be deluding ourselves. As we discussed here at “Breakfast With Benz” on Opening Day, there are plenty of reasons to believe that the Pirates could at least make incremental progress on last year's 14-game improvement. I predict the Pirates reaching 81 wins this year to at least reach .500.
And if the national football media has shown us that non-losing seasons are a reason for celebration in Pittsburgh these days, as exemplified in their coverage of the Steelers.
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One point to consider regarding the Pirates’ strong start this year compared to what we saw in April 2023 is that there is at least cause to believe that the reasons behind their early success can be repeated as the year progresses.
Specifically, the Pirates are focusing on their offense. The potential for the lineup seems to be greater than that of the starting rotation (until Paul Skenes is called up, at least).
During the first weekend of the season, the Pirates rank fourth in runs scored (31) and on-base percentage (.382). With Oneil Cruz healthy and Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes possibly moving from solid 2023 performances at the plate to All-Star-worthy displays this year, the lineup could be something extraordinary throughout 2024. All three have made good starts, amassing 19 hits and 29 total bases in the opening series.
The Pirates bullpen seems to be a strong area. Except for David Bendnar’s missed save on Sunday, the bullpen did great against the Marlins. In four games, the Pirates’ relievers only gave up two earned runs in 20.1 innings, making their collective ERA 0.89, the third best in MLB. The Marlins batted just .123 against Pirates relief pitchers in the series.
Last year’s great start was mostly because of some unusual starting pitching that didn't seem sustainable. The Pirates were a bit ahead in dealing with the new base-running rules and pitch-clock regulations, but that advantage faded as others got used to them.
Despite all the positive talk, things could change quickly. Fans who have followed this franchise for 45 years know good times don't last. They might end up being defeated by Washington and return to Pittsburgh with a 4-3 record for Friday’s home opener.
That's still a possibility.
I had similar doubts about Duquesne's chances in Omaha before their NCAA opener against BYU. But two days later, I was there watching a second game against Illinois.
When it comes to sports success in Pittsburgh, “stranger things have happened” doesn't apply to the Pirates too often. But based on what we've seen this spring with Dukes, I'm willing to keep an open mind it may apply this year.
At least for a few weeks. We'll see when the NFL Draft comes around.
Listen to Tim Benz and Kevin Gorman talk about Pirates baseball.
