The 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the franchise's 127th season as a member of the National League, 132nd season overall, and 13th season at PNC Park. The regular season began at home with a loss against the Chicago Cubs on April 1 and ended with a win at Great American Ball Park against the Cincinnati Reds on September 29. In their first winning season since 1992, the Pirates finished in second place in the National League Central with 94 wins and 68 losses. They advanced to the NLDS before losing to the eventual NL champion St. Louis Cardinals.
Background The Pirates earned their 82nd win of the season on September 9, ensuring the team's first winning season since 1992 and ending the longest stretch of losing seasons—20—in North American professional sports history. Although the St. Louis Cardinals won the NL Central Division, the Pirates clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 1992 in one of two NL Wild Card spots on September 23. In the NLWC Game, the Pirates secured their first postseason win since Game 6 of the 1992 NLCS by defeating the Cincinnati Reds. In doing so, the team advanced to the NLDS, where they were defeated in five games by the eventual National League champion Cardinals, eliminating them from the 2013 postseason.
Five members of the 2013 Pirates were selected to represent the National League in the All-Star Game. In addition, team manager Clint Hurdle won the 2013 NL Manager of the Year Award in his third year with the Pirates, center fielder Andrew McCutchen was named NL Most Valuable Player, pitcher Francisco Liriano was named NL Comeback Player of the Year, and third baseman Pedro Álvarez tied for first place in home runs hit in the National League at 36.
Season standings
National League Central
National League playoff standings
Record vs. opponents
Detailed records
National League Opponent W L WP NL East Atlanta Braves 3 4 23 26 Miami Marlins 4 2 22 18 New York Mets 5 2 32 18 Philadelphia Phillies 4 3 26 24 Washington Nationals 4 3 31 29 Total 20 14 134 115 NL Central Chicago Cubs 12 7 59 44 Cincinnati Reds 11 8 73 71 Milwaukee Brewers 12 7 83 75 Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals 10 9 85 87 Total 45 31 300 277 NL West Arizona Diamondbacks 3 3 26 39 Colorado Rockies 2 4 19 26 Los Angeles Dodgers 2 4 14 18 San Diego Padres 3 4 26 15 San Francisco Giants 4 3 36 36 Total 14 18 121 134 American League Detroit Tigers 3 1 12 9 Houston Astros 2 1 8 8 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3 0 21 12 Oakland Athletics 1 2 7 4 Seattle Mariners 3 1 18 9 Texas Rangers 3 0 13 9 Total 15 5 79 51 Season Total 94 68 634 577
Month Games Won Lost Win % April 27 15 12 110 110 May 28 19 9 99 76 June 26 17 9 111 89 July 26 14 12 100 81 August 28 14 14 111 113 September 27 15 12 103 108 Total 162 94 68 634 577 Games Won Lost Win % Home 81 50 31 309 267 Away 81 44 37 325 310 Total 162 94 68 634 577
Regular season
April April 4 – The Pirates take one out of three games against the Chicago Cubs in the season-opening series. April 17 – Pitcher A. J. Burnett records his 2,000th career strikeout in a 5–0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. April 29 – Russell Martin is named NL Player of the Week for the week ending April 28. Jason Grilli wins the Delivery Man of the Month Award for April. The Pirates finish the month with a win–loss record of 15–12, third in the NL Central and 0.5 games out of first.
May
May 11 – Pitcher Francisco Liriano makes his Pirates debut, striking out nine and allowing one run over 5.2 innings in an 11–2 road victory against the New York Mets. This was Liriano's first appearance of his NL Comeback Player of the Year season. Jason Grilli wins the Delivery Man Award for May, his second of the season. The Pirates finish the month with a win–loss record of 34–21, tied for second in the NL Central with the Cincinnati Reds and 2.0 games out of first.
June June 11 – Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole makes his awaited MLB debut, in which he strikes out the first batter he faces on three pitches, records a two-run single, and pitches 6.1 innings to earn the win in an 8–2 home victory over the San Francisco Giants. June 24 – Pedro Alvarez is named NL Player of the Week for the week ending June 23. June 29 – The Pirates, with the best record in MLB, become the first team to reach 50 wins in the 2013 season. The Pirates finish the month on a nine-game winning streak with a win–loss record of 51–30, first place in the NL Central with the best record in the majors.
July July 7 – Pedro Alvarez (3B), Jason Grilli (P), Jeff Locke (P), Andrew McCutchen (OF), and Mark Melancon (P) are named to the National League All-Star team. The Pirates had not sent five players to the All-Star game since 1972. July 14 – The Pirates enter the All-Star break with a win–loss record of 56–37, second in the NL Central and one game behind the St. Louis Cardinals. The Pirates finish the month with a win–loss record of 65–42, first place in the NL Central with the best record in the majors.
August August 1 – The Pirates win four games out of a five-game homestand, including a double-header sweep, against the St. Louis Cardinals to hold onto first place in the NL Central. August 5 – Francisco Liriano is named NL Player of the Week for the week ending August 4. August 28 – Recently acquired outfielder Marlon Byrd hits a three-run home run in his first game as a Pirate, contributing to a 7–1 home victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates finish the penultimate month of the regular season with a win–loss record of 79–56, one game ahead of the Cardinals for first place in the NL Central.
September September 9 – After a four-game losing streak, the Pirates defeat the Texas Rangers on the road to secure their 82nd win of the season and ensure their first winning season since 1992. September 20 – Pitcher Francisco Liriano records the 1,000th strikeout of his career in a 6–5 extra-inning home loss to the Cincinnati Reds. September 23 – The Pirates defeat the Chicago Cubs on the road to secure their first playoff berth since 1992 as an NL Wild Card. September 28 – The Pirates combine to hit six home runs against the Cincinnati Reds, five off of starter Bronson Arroyo, two of which were hit by Neil Walker in an 8–3 victory. September 29 – The Pirates finish the regular season with a three-game away sweep of the Reds to earn home-field advantage in the NL Wild Card game. Gerrit Cole is named NL Rookie of the Month for September, having earned a win in each of his four starts in September, improving his rookie season win–loss record to 10–7. At the conclusion of the season, the Pirates had a win–loss record of 94–68, finishing second in the NL Central behind the St. Louis Cardinals.
Game log
|- style="background:#fbb;" | 1 || April 1 || Cubs || 1–3 || Samardzija (1–0) || Burnett (0–1) || Fujikawa (1) || 39,078 || 0–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 || April 3 || Cubs || 3–0 || Rodríguez (1–0) || Jackson (0–1) || Grilli (1) || 27,667 || 1–1 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 3 || April 4 || Cubs || 2–3 || Wood (1–0) || McDonald (0–1) || Mármol (1) || 11,634 || 1–2 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 4 || April 5 || @ Dodgers || 0–3 || Greinke (1–0) || Sánchez (0–1) || League (1) || 40,607 || 1–3 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 5 || April 6 || @ Dodgers || 0–1 || Kershaw (2–0) || Burnett (0–2) || League (2) || 39,446 || 1–4 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 6 || April 7 || @ Dodgers || 2–6 || Ryu (1–1) || Locke (0–1) || — || 52,503 || 1–5 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 7 || April 8 || @ Diamondbacks || 5–3 || Gómez (1–0) || Cahill (0–2) || Grilli (2) || 21,392 || 2–5 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 8 || April 9 || @ Diamondbacks || 6–5 || McDonald (1–1) || McCarthy (0–1) || Grilli (3) || 19,872 || 3–5 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 9 || April 10 || @ Diamondbacks || 2–10 || Miley (2–0) || Sánchez (0–2) || — || 17,769 || 3–6 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 10 || April 12 || Reds || 6–5 || Watson (1–0) || Hoover (0–3) || Grilli (4) || 24,366 || 4–6 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 11 || April 13 || Reds || 3–1 || Locke (1–1) || Simón (0–1) || Grilli (5) || 25,118 || 5–6 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 12 || April 14 || Reds || 10–7 || Hughes (1–0) || Broxton (0–1) || — || 19,239 || 6–6 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 13 || April 15 || Cardinals || 6–10 || Lynn (2–0) || McDonald (1–2) || — || 10,539 || 6–7 |- style="background:#bbbbbb;" | — || April 16 || Cardinals || colspan=6| Postponed (rain) Makeup: July 30 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 14 || April 17 || Cardinals || 5–0 || Burnett (1–2) || Miller (2–1) || — || 9,570 || 7–7 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 15 || April 18 || Braves || 4–6 || Varvaro (1–0) || Hughes (0–1) || Kimbrel (7) || 11,288 || 7–8 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 16 || April 19 || Braves || 6–0 || Rodríguez (2–0) || Hudson (2–1) || — || 18,705 || 8–8 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 17 || April 20 || Braves || 3–1 || McDonald (2–2) || Maholm (3–1) || Grilli (6) || 29,313 || 9–8 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 18 || April 21 || Braves || 4–2 || Wilson (1–0) || Medlen (1–2) || Grilli (7) || 20,873 || 10–8 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 19 || April 22 || @ Phillies || 2–3 || Valdés (1–0) || Hughes (1–2) || Papelbon (4) || 35,385 || 10–9 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 20 || April 23 || @ Phillies || 2–0 || Locke (2–1) || Hamels (0–3) || Grilli (8) || 31,002 || 11–9 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 21 || April 24 || @ Phillies || 5–3 || Mazzaro (1–0) || Adams (1–2) || Grilli (9) || 32,158 || 12–9 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 22 || April 25 || @ Phillies || 6–4 || Wilson (2–0) || Aumont (1–3) || Watson (1) || 33,443 || 13–9 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 23 || April 26 || @ Cardinals || 1–9 || Lynn (4–0) || Sánchez (0–3) || — || 44,090 || 13–10 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 24 || April 27 || @ Cardinals || 5–3 || Burnett (2–2) || Kelly (0–1) || Grilli (10) || 40,909 || 14–10 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 25 || April 28 || @ Cardinals || 9–0 || Locke (3–1) || Miller (3–2) || — || 41,470 || 15–10 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 26 || April 29 || @ Brewers || 4–10 || Gallardo (3–1) || Rodríguez (2–1) || — || 21,255 || 15–11 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 27 || April 30 || @ Brewers || 8–12 || Gorzelanny (1–0) || Morris (0–1) || — || 24,154 || 15–12
|- style="background:#cfc;" | 28 || May 1 || @ Brewers || 6–4 || Morris (1–1) || Axford (0–3) || Grilli (11) || 26,079 || 16–12 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 29 || May 3 || Nationals || 3–1 || Burnett (3–2) || Detwiler (1–3) || Grilli (12) || 26,404 || 17–12 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 30 || May 4 || Nationals || 4–5 || Clippard (2–1) || Watson (1–1) || Soriano (10) || 29,975 || 17–13 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 31 || May 5 || Nationals || 2–6 || Gonzalez (3–2) || Rodríguez (2–2) || — || 24,186 || 17–14 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 32 || May 7 || Mariners || 4–1 || Gómez (2–0) || Harang (1–4) || Grilli (13) || 12,973 || 18–14 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 33 || May 8 || Mariners || 1–2 || Hernández (5–2) || Burnett (3–3) || Wilhelmsen (9) || 18,877 || 18–15 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 34 || May 9 || @ Mets || 2–3 || Parnell (4–0) || Grilli (0–1) || — || 20,147 || 18–16 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 35 || May 10 || @ Mets || 7–3 || Rodríguez (3–2) || Marcum (0–3) || Grilli (14) || 25,123 || 19–16 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 36 || May 11 || @ Mets || 11–2 || Liriano (1–0) || Niese (2–4) || — || 31,160 || 20–16 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 37 || May 12 || @ Mets || 3–2 || Wilson (3–0) || Rice (1–2) || Grilli (15) || 28,404 || 21–16 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 38 || May 13 || Brewers || 1–5 || Estrada (3–2) || Burnett (3–4) || — || 11,872 || 21–17 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 39 || May 14 || Brewers || 4–3 (12) || Mazzaro (2–0) || Fiers (0–2) || — || 11,556 || 22–17 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 40 || May 15 || Brewers || 3–1 || Rodríguez (4–2) || Gallardo (3–3) || Grilli (16) || 13,554 || 23–17 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 41 || May 16 || Brewers || 7–1 || Liriano (2–0) || Burgos (1–2) || — || 16,434 || 24–17 |- style="background:#cfc;"