The Pittsburgh Pirates are holding onto hope.
The playoffs are trying to run away from them, but there’s still time. They can still catch up.
And some Pirates fans on social media are currently getting inspiration from an unlikely place: the Colorado Rockies.
No, not this season’s lowly Rockies, but the Rockies who once stood in a similar spot.
Pirates’ Playoff Update
The Pirates enter action on Friday, Sept. 11 sitting 4.5 games behind the San Diego Padres for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Pittsburgh has 15 games left to play.
In 2007, the Rockies were 4.5 games behind the Padres for the final Wild Card spot with 14 games to play.
That season, the Rockies made it to the World Series.
The 2007 Rockies were 4.5 GB of SD for the Wild Card with 14 games to play – and went to the World Series
The 2026 Pirates are 4.5 GB of SD for the final Wild Card with 15 games to play –
— Joe Block (@joe_block) September 11, 2026
The 2007 Rockies actually needed the incredibly rare ‘Game 163,’ a tiebreaker between them and the Padres to decide who would advance to the postseason.
The Pirates’ fanbase probably wouldn’t like that much drama, but they’d also like making the playoffs, so they’ll deal with whatever it takes.
And for those who don’t recall it, that Game 163 was a wild one that the Rockies won 9-8 in 13 innings. The Padres scored two runs in the top of the 13th, back when there was no bonus baserunner, to seemingly put the game away. And then against future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman, the Rockies scored three in the bottom of the 13th — on a Troy Tulowitzki RBI double, a Matt Holliday RBI triple and a Jamey Carroll sacrifice fly that brought Holliday sliding home with the winning run.
Yeah, if that’s what it took for the Pirates to get in the playoffs, they’d take that.
NL Wild Card Standings
Entering play on Sept. 11, these are the three teams currently holding NL Wild Card spots:
- Philadelphia Phillies 82-65
- Chicago Cubs 81-66
- San Diego Padres 78-68
The Arizona Diamondbacks sit a half-game behind the Padres at 78-69.
The Pirates are next up in the pecking order at 74-73, 4.5 games back.
The good news for Pittsburgh is that things have cleared out a bit. It was more crowded close to the Padres a few weeks ago as teams jockeyed for position.
Now, for the Pirates to make the playoffs, they’ll have to outplay the Padres down the stretch as well as the Diamondbacks.
It wouldn’t be easy, but it’s not impossible.
The Pirates have a three-game series with the Cubs, a three-game series with the Brewers, a three-game series with the Royals, a three-game series with the Cardinals and a three-game series with the Tigers to close out the regular season.
Pirates’ Playoff Hopes Come From Unlikely Place