Pittsburgh set a franchise record Wednesday against St. Louis when opener Lake Bachar struck out Alec Burleson in the first inning for its 1,444th strikeout of 2026, surpassing the mark set in 2019. The Pirates will miss the postseason.
Paul Skenes led the staff with 192 strikeouts, followed by Braxton Ashcraft with 173 and Bubba Chandler with 138. Jared Jones recorded 118 in 97.2 innings after returning to the mound in May 2026, about a year after surgery; relievers and other starters, including Mitch Keller, also contributed.
