The Pittsburgh Pirates have a clear mindset for the final month of the 2026 MLB season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t technically out of the playoff hunt in the National League, but they don’t have a clear path to get back to the postseason either. The team really is in an awkward spot heading into the final month of the season.
With the Pirates in the position that they’re in, it’s not uncommon to lose sight of what the team is playing for over the stretch of the regular season, but there still must be a common goal in place that the team can fall back on.
With that, manager Don Kelly shared the team’s mindset over the past few weeks of 2026 and how it will remain heading into Wednesday’s game.
“We talked about that a little while ago, maybe after the Miami series, of having that 1-0 mindset every single day,” explained Kelly on Wednesday.
“Just showing up to compete like that, trying to take care of that day, and I think that the guys have done a really good job of it. We can't get too far ahead, and we can't worry about what happened yesterday. We just have to tackle the day, and uh, I think that the guys have been doing a really good job.”
Aug 11, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly (12) leans on the dugout against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn ImagesEven though Kelly’s mindset for the team has been relatively basic, it’s actually reaped some pretty encouraging results over the last few weeks. Pittsburgh has an 8-7 record since August 15 and has won their last four series.
General Manager Ben Cherington still believes the team has a chance to go on a run, too.
The Pirates are still 5.0 games out of a Wild Card, but nothing is impossible if Pittsburgh keeps stacking up wins.
Looking at Kelly’s message on a larger scale, perhaps the mindset Kelly has tried to instill in the team has taken a little pressure off the still relatively young and inexperienced roster to try to do too much.
“I do think that the guys any player is going to put pressure on themselves, and it's learning how to handle that and how to navigate it and how to stay within yourself in those moments, much like we just talked about.”
If the Pirates stick to the 1-0 mindset for the rest of the season and keep finding success with it, it’ll be interesting to see where this team ends up once all 162 games have been played.
