Pittsburgh Pirates Make History With Lackluster Slash Line to Open Season

Whatever momentum the Pittsburgh Pirates' lineup gained by beating the Washington Nationals 10-3 on Monday was nowhere to be found on Tuesday.

The Pirates got shut out 3-0, going 4-for-31 at the plate with one walk and zero extra-base hits. Outfielders Jack Suwinski and Tommy Pham, plus catcher Henry Davis, were the only Pittsburgh batters to reach base safely in the loss.

Now sitting at 6-12 on the season, the Pirates are batting .195 with a .280 on-base percentage and .293 slugging percentage as a team.

According to Codify Baseball, the Pirates became just the second MLB team in the last 28 years to have a batting average below .195, an on-base percentage below .300 and a slugging percentage below .300 through the first 18 games of a season. The 2003 Detroit Tigers, who proceeded to go 43-119, are the only other team to post a comparable slash line.

If the Chicago White Sox's batting average drops five points over their next two games, they could join the exclusive list as well.