Baseball is a quirky sport. The season includes more games than any other professional sport. Each pitch comes with several data points, leading to in-depth statistical analyses, probability models, and countless other ways teams try to find an edge.
Some things can’t be explained with numbers, though. One of those things is the Wednesday Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates have played 11 games on Wednesdays this season and have won 10 of them.
There’s probably no rhyme or reason for why the team wins on hump day, but there could be. Maybe the team serves the same Wednesday meal each week. Maybe there’s a standing team ping pong tournament on Wednesday afternoon that gets everyone loose. It could even have something to do with the phase of the moon, if you’re into that sort of thing.
This Wednesday, they have probably their most difficult matchup yet. Reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal takes the mound for the Tigers. The lefty comes into the game with a 1.99 ERA and 32.7% strikeout rate. He’s as dominant as last season when he won the award, and is throwing the ball even harder than in 2024.
The Pirates have had a difficult time against left-handed pitching this year. Players on the active roster have a combined 65 wRC+ against southpaws, tied for last in baseball. To make things even more difficult, Bryan Reynolds, one of the more productive hitters against lefties, is likely to be placed on the paternity list after leaving last night’s game when his wife went into labor.
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So, will the Wednesday luck run out? Will the Pirates overcome their lefty woes and continue winning on Wednesdays? Let’s hope the meal is the same, or the moon is in the right position to keep the trend alive.
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Featured image via Gregory Fisher/Imagn Images