Former Pirates Pitcher Will Face Team In Final Start Of Career

The Pittsburgh Pirates will close the 2025 season against a familiar face.

Pittsburgh plays its final three games on the road against the Atlanta Braves, who signed Charlie Morton earlier this week. The Braves revealed on Thursday, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, that Morton will start Sunday’s game before retiring.

Chris Sale will follow as a bulk reliever, so Morton will likely make a short appearance to end his MLB career.

Morton spent seven years with the Pirates, registering a 4.39 ERA in 801 innings from 2009 to 2015. The right-handed pitcher enjoyed a late-career renaissance when exceeding 200 strikeouts in consecutive All-Star campaigns for the Houston Astros in 2018 and 2019.

After playing the abbreviated 2020 season with the Tampa Bay Rays, Morton spent four years in Atlanta. He ranked 13th in fWAR among starting pitchers from 2017 to 2024, notching a 3.64 ERA and 10.35 K/9 rate.

The 41-year-old finally stumbled in 2025, registering a 5.42 ERA with the Baltimore Orioles before a midseason trade to the Detroit Tigers. Morton posted a 7.09 ERA in nine starts before getting designated for assignment, clearing the way for an Atlanta reunion.

Sale will make his first regular-season appearance as a relief pitcher since 2011. The 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner was thrilled to see his former teammate return for the final week, per Bowman.

“Chuck has been here for a long time,” Chris Sale said. “He means a lot not only to this organization and this fan base, but to all those guys in the clubhouse. He’s taught a lot of these guys how to be a pro.”

Morton will take the mound when the Braves play the Pirates this Sunday at 3:15 p.m. ET.

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