The Weekend Begins: Bubba Chandler’s Dream Debut and the Pirates’ Statement Shutout
Few moments in baseball rival the pure adrenaline rush of a top prospect making his major league debut in front of a roaring hometown crowd. For the Pittsburgh Pirates faithful at PNC Park on Friday, August 22, 2025, anticipation yielded to pure elation as Bubba Chandler, the most hyped Pirates pitching prospect since Paul Skenes, strode to the mound. The already electric atmosphere was primed by a raucous start; the Pirates pounced on a jumbled Rockies squad, ultimately delivering a 9-0 dismantling that would set the tone for the entire series.
Rookie Braxton Ashcraft, himself only months from his own debut, stifled Colorado through five brisk, scoreless frames. His fastball had late life, his breaking stuff induced weak contact, and he needed just 65 pitches to rack up six strikeouts while allowing only one hit and a walk. But it was Chandler, pitching in his Number 57 jersey, who stole the show in the late innings. Taking over with a comfortable lead in the sixth and the stadium chanting “Bubba!,” the 22-year-old right-hander promptly dialed his fastball up to 100 mph and flashed an advanced arsenal as he blanked the Rockies over four historic relief innings.
Chandler’s debut was the stuff of dreams and record books. He struck out three, permitted just two hits and no walks, and needed only 40 pitches, 29 of them strikes, to navigate four innings for the save. In doing so, Chandler became the first Pirates pitcher ever to record a four-inning save in his debut, and only the fourth such player in MLB history since the save became an official stat in 1969. His command and poise belied his youth as he navigated out of his one real jam, finally fanning Mickey Moniak with a 100 mph heater, the crowd erupting as PNC Park got a preview of what the future could bring.
Such pitching brilliance deserved robust run support and the Pirates’ bats responded in kind. Andrew McCutchen, the club's spiritual leader, hammered two doubles and drove in four runs in the first two innings alone. Spencer Horwitz, Tommy Pham, and Alexander Canario each launched home runs. In a sign of offensive versatility, Pittsburgh notched 14 hits, 10 going for extra bases, and the defense remained flawless, turning in multiple smooth double plays to thwart any hint of a Colorado rally.
The 9-0 win clinched the Pirates’ third victory in four games and continued a home hot streak that ultimately culminated in the most dominant sweep of their up-and-down season.
Game 2:
A new day brought no solace for the beleaguered Rockies, as the Pittsburgh Pirates continued to ride their newfound momentum on Saturday, August 23. Game 2 saw the home team win 5-1, thanks to power, speed, and once again, strong pitching depth. Most notably, it was a showcase for the unsung utilityman Jared Triolo.
Triolo, summoned back from the minors at the start of August, is a player whose value often escapes the boxscore. But on this night, his bat and glove were anything but quiet. After Andrew McCutchen staked the Pirates to an early lead with his 12th homer of the season, Triolo followed with a two-run blast off Rockies starter Kyle Freeland, his third home run of the campaign, and the start of a remarkable back-to-back performance. Not content with merely showcasing his power, Triolo also tripled in the fourth and scored on Bryan Reynolds’ double, compiling a season-high seven total bases and bumping his average above .200 for the first time this year.
Defensively, Triolo made several key stops, notably snagging a tough grounder in the second inning to keep a run from scoring. His glove did not go unnoticed; on a night with a razor-thin lead, every extra out mattered, and Triolo’s performance as a shortstop saved at least one run and demonstrated his reliable range and first-step quickness.
Meanwhile, the Pirates pitching staff performed a tightrope act that showcased the club’s much-improved bullpen. Rookie Mike Burrows started strong, tossing four scoreless innings with five strikeouts and keeping Colorado's bats off-balance with a mixture of fastballs and sliders. Carmen Mlodzinski then delivered two clean frames, rearing back for five punchouts and earning the win. Pittsburgh's bullpen strung together five innings of one-run ball, with only a ninth-inning homer from Rockies outfielder Brenton Doyle, August’s third-best OPS in MLB, spoiling what could have been the Pirates’ 16th shutout of the year.
One defensive gem in the outfield, involving Jack Suwinski and Alexander Canario combining to cut down a runner at the plate, embodied the Pirates’ newfound defensive sharpness. These extra outs, coupled with the attacking baserunning (Triolo, notably, both tripled and swiped a base in the series) and energetic offense, signaled a team playing some confident baseball. The 5-1 victory marked the Pirates’ third consecutive win.
Series Finale:
The Pirates entered Sunday’s series finale seeking their first four-game winning streak since early June. On the mound—front and center—was Paul Skenes, already dubbed “the ace of PNC” and a frontrunner for the National League Cy Young Award. With the crowd buzzing, Skenes delivered a masterclass that capped the sweep and provided an emphatic exclamation point on both the series and the team’s pitching resurgence.
Skenes’ seven innings of shutout ball were as technically sharp as they were dominant. He permitted just three hits, struck out seven, and didn’t walk a single batter, markedly sharper than his previous outing against Colorado earlier in the month, when he had surrendered four runs over five innings at Coors Field. He baffled Rockies hitters with his mix of high-90s fastballs and devastating off-speed pitches, recording three strikeouts in a riveting seventh inning, and his 101-pitch effort underscored both his elite efficiency and manager Don Kelly’s faith in letting him go deep.
Perhaps most impressively, this outing marked Skenes’ 50th career major league start and dropped his career ERA to 2.02, the second-lowest in history for any live-ball era pitcher through 50 starts, trailing only Hall of Famer Vida Blue (2.01). His WHIP stood at a dazzling 0.94, while he continued to maintain a strikeouts-per-nine figure near 11.0, all marks that put him firmly in the conversation for best pitcher in baseball, even as his 8-9 record underscored the Pirates' frequent lack of run support this season.
The offense was once again led by the now red-hot Jared Triolo, who notched another pivotal home run, his second in as many days, a three-run shot to break a scoreless tie in the sixth, off 24-year-old Rockies pitcher McCade Brown, who was making his MLB debut. Triolo finished the series 4-for-6 with two homers, a triple, three runs, and five RBIs over the last two games. In addition to Triolo, Isiah Kiner-Falefa provided a clutch double in the same frame, driving in Henry Davis and extending the margin.
The bullpen was once again airtight, as Isaac Mattson and Dennis Santana closed the final two innings, working out of a minor jam in the ninth. Mattson and Santana combined for four strikeouts to secure the club’s 16th shutout of the season, a league lead and a testament to the Pirates pulling themselves back to respectability through an identity built on run prevention.
Pirates Pitching and Defense: Defining the Identity of 2025
The Pirates’ sweep of the Rockies was as much a celebration of process and player development as it was of immediate results. More than ever, pitching depth and defensive consistency are defining the identity of the 2025 squad. With a patchwork offense beset by injuries and inconsistency for much of the campaign, skipper Don Kelly’s team doubled down on glove work and run prevention, a decision that paid dividends not only against Colorado but throughout August.
Pittsburgh’s 16 shutouts through August 24th lead all of Major League Baseball, outpacing even contending powerhouses such as San Diego (15), Chicago (13), and Milwaukee (12). What’s more remarkable is this achievement comes for a team sitting last in the NL Central and 24.5 games behind the division-leading Brewers. The performance gap between the Pirates' home (39-30) and away (18-44) records mirrors a staff and defense particularly capable of taking advantage of the PNC Park environment.
The Pirates have proven they could have a top three pitching staff in 2026…now if they can find some consistent bats ...if they do..they sky is the limit.