Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Bailey Falter (6) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on July 9. Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh Pirates Make History Not Seen in Last 45 Years with Latest Win

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 3:35 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 6-1 on Wednesday afternoon at PNC Park, completing the three-game sweep of the World Series contenders.

It was a stark turnaround for Pittsburgh from the weekend, when they were swept by the Chicago White Sox, one of the worst teams in baseball.

In fact, the Pirates' recent performances have made history not seen in the last 45 years, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

The Pirates are the first team to be swept by a team with the worst record in a league & sweep a team with the best record in a league in consecutive series of 3+ games, in either order, min 80g into a season, since:

1980 SD: swept top NL team LA (7/12-14), swept by worst NL team STL (7/15-17)

h/t @EliasSports

The Pirates are the first team to be swept by a team with the worst record in a league & sweep a team with the best record in a league in consecutive series of 3+ games, in either order, min 80g into a season, since:

1980 SD: swept top NL team LA (7/12-14), swept by worst NL…
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 23, 2025

Left-hander Bailey Falter earned the win for Pittsburgh, tossing seven solid innings. He allowed just one run on four hits, walking none and striking out eight. He's now 7-5 on the season with a 3.82 ERA.

Offensively, Andrew McCutchen hit his eighth home run of the season. Spencer Horwitz connected for his third. Tigers top prospect Troy Melton took the loss in his debut, giving up six earned runs over five innings.

Spencer Homeritz pic.twitter.com/CuMhuiMOUh
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 23, 2025

Pittsburgh is now 42-61 on the season and they remain in last place in the National League Central.

They will be off on Thursday before beginning a new series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET as Mike Burrows pitches against Ryne Nelson.

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

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