Jul 23, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski (50) and catcher Joey Bart (14) shake hands after defeating the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pirates Break Wild MLB Streak Against Tigers

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 12:00 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had great performances and awful outings during this recent homestand at PNC Park.

They suffered a sweep vs. the Chicago White Sox, July 18-20, the first series right after the All-Star break, then swept the Detroit Tigers, July 21-23, making it three wins and three losses so far during this homestand.

These two series are even more confusing for Pirates fans, as the White Sox has the worst record in the American League, 37-66, and the Tigers had the best record in the American League, 60-40 before the sweep.

Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported that the Pirates became the first team that swept the best team in either league and then suffered a sweep to the worst team in either league since the San Diego Padres did so in 1980.

Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the Pirates are the first team to sweep the best team in a league (Tigers) and get swept by the worst team in a league (White Sox) in back-to-back series since the 1980 Padres.

It’s been that kind of year.
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) July 23, 2025

The Pirates got outscored 27-7 against the White Sox, who also rank towards the bottom of the MLB in many hitting metrics.

They then held the Tigers to just seven runs over three games, which included a 3-0 shutout in the series opener on July 21 and a 6-1 win in the series finale on July 23.

Pirates Right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes threw six scoreless innings in that series opener vs. the Tigers and left-handed starting pitcher Bailey Falter gave up just one run in seven innings in the series finale.

First baseman Spencer Horwitz had back-to-back three-hit games for the Pirates and then hit his first career grand slam in the series finale.

Pittsburgh swept both the New York Mets, June 27-29, and the St. Louis Cardinals, June 30-July 2, in the previous homesteand before this one.

Their 43-4 run differential marked the most runs scored scored with less than six runs allowed over six games in MLB history. The previous high was the Cincinnati Outlaws in 1884, who scored 42 runs.

The Pirates then followed that up with eight losses out of nine games on the ensuing road trip before the All-Star Game. This included back-to-back sweeps to the Seattle Mariners, July 4-6 at T-Mobile Park, and the Kansas City Royals, July 7-9 at Kauffman Stadium, plus two losses to the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, July 11-12.

Pittsburgh currently sits 42-61 overall,19.5 games behind the first place Chicago Cubs in the National League Central Division, 13.5 games out of a Wild Card spot and the fifth worst record in the MLB.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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