With only 30 games remaining in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2025 season, it’s almost time to start looking ahead to next year.
Major League teams released their 2026 regular-season schedules on Tuesday, allowing Pirates fans to start marking their calendars for next year.
Pittsburgh opens the season on the road and will face the New York Mets at Citi Field on Opening Day, which is slated for March 26. After three games with the Mets and three games with the Cincinnati Reds, the Pirates will have their home opener against the Baltimore Orioles on April 3 at PNC Park.
Other notable dates include games against the Chicago Cubs at home on Memorial Day (May 25), at the Washington Nationals on the Fourth of July and versus the Milwaukee Brewers on Roberto Clemente Day (Sept. 15). Pittsburgh wraps up the regular season on the road against the Detroit Tigers on Sept. 27.
While the Pirates have struggled this year (57-75, last in the NL Central), fans are hopeful their team can turn the corner in 2026. Led by a talented young pitching staff fronted by Paul Skenes and armed with a deep farm system, Pittsburgh has a chance to compete for a playoff spot next year if it can beef up its lineup. Next season could also feature the debut of Konnor Griffin and other top prospects.
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In the meantime, the Pirates will try to end their 2025 campaign on a high note. They’ve won five of their last seven games but have been up and down in August, going 10-13 with a minus-20 run differential.
While Pittsburgh is too far back in the standings to make a playoff push, this is an important time of year for young players like Bubba Chandler to prove themselves and for the front office to evaluate the team’s strengths and weaknesses heading into 2026.
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Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images