# 2008 Pittsburgh Pirates season

The 2008 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 127th season of the franchise; the 122nd in the National League. This was their eighth season at PNC Park. It was the first under new president Frank Coonelly, general manager Neal Huntington, and manager John Russell. Unable to improve on their 68–94, last place finish during the 2007 season, the Pirates had not had a winning record or made it to the playoffs since 1992, and finished 67–95 for their 16th straight losing season. The season was the final of play-by-play announcer Lanny Frattare, whose 33-year tenure as Pirates' broadcaster was the longest in franchise history.

## Regular season

On November 5, 2007, John Russell was introduced as the Pirates manager, replacing Jim Tracy. Team management cited three areas that the franchise hoped to improve: "refocused emphasis on fundamentals", holding players to a higher standard, and signing younger players. The Pirates won their season opener against the Atlanta Braves, by the score of 12–11, in 12 innings. The Pirates played their home opener against the division-rival Chicago Cubs on April 7, losing 10–8, also in 12 innings. The Pirates started out the season with a 7–7 record after the first half-month; however, after a five-game losing streak they began to struggle, finishing out April with an 11–16 record. The Pirates losing continued as they dropped three of four to the Washington Nationals to begin May. The team fought back, winning six straight games—the most consecutive since 2004, to bring their record within one victory of a .500 record. Throughout the remainder of May the team struggled, but never fell more than four games under .500. Throughout the early months of the season closer Matt Capps was perfect, getting saves in 15 consecutive opportunities. However, on June 10, Capps gave up a two-run home run to the Nationals, losing his first decision of the season. In addition, Capps would blow saves in two of his next three appearances; however, he achieved his first win of the season after an extra-inning victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Pittsburgh went 6–9 in interleague play, including two wins against the New York Yankees who returned to Pittsburgh for the first time since the 1960 World Series. On July 12, in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pirates came back to win a game that they trailed by six runs in the seventh inning. It was only the second time in the past 25 years that the Pirates won at home after scoring runs in the seventh, eighth, ninth, and extra innings. The Pirates finished out the remainder of July with a 6–9 record—50–58 overall. On the final day of July, the Pirates made a deal with the Yankees to send outfielder Xavier Nady and pitcher Dámaso Marte in return for Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen, Ross Ohlendorf and José Tábata. Later in the day the team became involved in a three-team deal in which the Pirates sent Jason Bay to the Boston Red Sox in return for four players from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Pirates won seven of the first 18 games in August before dropping ten consecutive games to close out the month. Pittsburgh entered the final month of the season 21 games below the .500 mark. On September 7, the Pirates lost their 82nd game of the season, tying them with the Philadelphia Phillies as the only two franchises in professional sports history to have losing records in 16 consecutive seasons. The Pirates concluded their season on September 28 with a victory against the San Diego Padres. The team became the second in the Pirates' 122-year history to have no pitchers to win 10 games. The performance of the pitchers lead the team to fire pitching coach Jeff Andrews after the season.

### Standings

vteNL Central :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Chicago Cubs | 97 | 64 | .602 | — | 55‍–‍26 | 42‍–‍38 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 90 | 72 | .556 | 7½ | 49‍–‍32 | 41‍–‍40 |
| Houston Astros | 86 | 75 | .534 | 11 | 47‍–‍33 | 39‍–‍42 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 86 | 76 | .531 | 11½ | 46‍–‍35 | 40‍–‍41 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 74 | 88 | .457 | 23½ | 43‍–‍38 | 31‍–‍50 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 67 | 95 | .414 | 30½ | 39‍–‍42 | 28‍–‍53 |

### Game log

2008 Game Log (67–95) :
March (1–0)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
1March 31@ Braves12–11 (12)Osoria (1–0)Boyer (0–1)—45,2691–0 :
April (10–16)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
2April 2@ Braves2–10Jurrjens (1–0)Gorzelanny (0–1)—17,8931–1
3April 3@ Braves4–3 (10)Yates (1–0)Resop (0–1)Capps (1)19,2402–1
4April 4@ Marlins4–5Gregg (1–0)Osoria (1–1)—10,0892–2
5April 5@ Marlins3–7Hendrickson (1–1)Maholm (0–1)—15,7522–3
6April 6@ Marlins9–2Snell (1–0)VandenHurk (0–1)—10,4313–3
7April 7Cubs8–10 (12)Lieber (1–1)Meek (0–1)Mármol (1)37,4913–4
8April 9Cubs4–6 (15)Hart (2–0)Dumatrait (0–1)Marshall (1)9,7353–5
9April 10Cubs3–7Lieber (2–1)Morris (0–1)—9,7983–6
10April 11Reds1–0Grabow (1–0)Burton (0–1)Capps (2)13,6034–6
11April 12Reds4–3Snell (2–0)Lincoln (0–1)Capps (3)18,0965–6
12April 13Reds9–1Gorzelanny (1–1)Cueto (1–1)—11,2016–6
13April 14@ Dodgers6–4Yates (2–0)Saito (1–1)Capps (4)37,3347–6
14April 15@ Dodgers2–11Loaiza (1–2)Morris (0–2)—37,8967–7
15April 16@ Dodgers1–8Penny (2–2)Maholm (0–2)—53,6297–8
16April 18@ Cubs2–3Hill (1–0)Snell (2–1)Wood (4)39,1187–9
17April 19@ Cubs1–13Marquis (1–0)Gorzelanny (1–2)—40,2987–10
18April 20@ Cubs6–13Dempster (3–0)Duke (0–1)—41,4057–11
19April 21Marlins4–10Hendrickson (4–1)Morris (0–3)—8,4447–12
20April 22Marlins3–2Maholm (1–2)Nolasco (1–2)Capps (5)10,1858–12
21April 23Cardinals7–4Marte (1–0)Reyes (1–1)Capps (6)10,4879–12
22April 24Cardinals2–6Piñeiro (1–2)Gorzelanny (1–3)Isringhausen (7)9,5449–13
23April 25Phillies5–6Gordon (2–2)Duke (0–2)Lidge (6)23,9309–14
24April 26Phillies4–8Kendrick (2–2)Morris (0–4)—24,7919–15
25April 27Phillies5–1Maholm (2–2)Myers (2–2)—17,58810–15
—April 28@ MetsPostponed rain (Rescheduled for August 11)
26April 29@ Mets4–5 (11)Sosa (3–1)Van Benschoten (0–1)—46,98210–16
27April 30@ Mets13–1Gorzelanny (2–3)Pérez (2–2)—46,78811–16 :
May (15–13)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
28May 1@ Nationals2–3Ayala (1–1)Grabow (1–1)Rauch (6)24,72311–17
29May 2@ Nationals11–4Marte (2–0)Lannan (2–3)—26,00112–17
30May 3@ Nationals8–9Colomé (1–1)Maholm (2–3)Rauch (7)34,12812–18
31May 4@ Nationals2–5Redding (4–2)Snell (2–2)—30,56412–19
32May 6Giants12–6Duke (1–2)Sánchez (2–2)—12,03013–19
33May 7Giants3–1Dumatrait (1–1)Zito (0–7)Capps (7)9,78814–19
34May 8Giants5–4Osoria (2–1)Cain (1–3)Capps (8)16,81615–19
35May 9Braves3–2Grabow (2–1)Bennett (0–2)—21,05016–19
36May 10Braves5–2Gorzelanny (3–3)James (2–2)Capps (9)28,14117–19
—May 11BravesPostponed rain (Rescheduled for May 12)
37May 12Braves5–0Duke (2–2)Jurrjens (4–3)—18–19
38May 12Braves1–8Hudson (6–2)Van Benschoten (0–1)—16,66918–20
39May 13@ Cardinals8–4 (10)Salas (1–0)Villone (1–1)—38,80019–20
40May 14@ Cardinals1–5Wellemeyer (4–1)Maholm (2–4)—38,72019–21
41May 15@ Cardinals11–5Grabow (3–1)Isringhausen (1–5)—41,24420–21
42May 16@ Cubs4–7Gallagher (1–0)Gorzelanny (3–4)Wood (9)40,53720–22
43May 17@ Cubs7–6Marte (3–0)Mármol (1–1)Capps (10)41,68621–22
44May 18@ Cubs3–4Marquis (2–3)Dumatrait (1–2)Wood (10)41,32121–23
45May 20Brewers2–7Parra (2–2)Maholm (2–5)—11,76121–24
46May 21Brewers4Sheets (5–1)Snell (2–3)—8,80521–25
47May 22Brewers8–4Gorzelanny (4–4)Bush (1–5)—12,88722–25
48May 23Cubs3–12Zambrano (7–1)Duke (2–3)—32,65622–26
49May 24Cubs5–4 (14)Grabow (4–1)Wuertz (0–1)—29,92923–26
50May 25Cubs6–5 (11)Marte (4–0)Lieber (2–3)—29,41524–26
51May 27@ Reds6–9Cueto (3–5)Snell (2–4)Cordero (11)17,96424–27
52May 28@ Reds1–9Arroyo (4–4)Gorzelanny (4–5)—15,79724–28
53May 29@ Reds7–2Dumatrait (2–2)Harang (2–7)—18,14225–28
54May 30@ Cardinals4–5Wellemeyer (6–1)Duke (2–4)Franklin (5)42,79125–29
55May 31@ Cardinals14–4Maholm (3–5)Parisi (0–2)—44,30226–29 :
June (12–15)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
56June 1@ Cardinals4–7Looper (7–4)Snell (2–5)Franklin (6)43,46226–30
57June 2@ Cardinals5–4Osoria (3–1)Osoria (5–3)Capps (11)42,12927–30
58June 3Astros0–2Rodríguez (2–1)Dumatrait (2–3)Valverde (16)13,18327–31
59June 4Astros5–2Duke (3–4)Oswalt (4–6)Capps (12)9,39228–31
60June 5Astros4–3Maholm (4–5)Backe (4–7)Capps (13)10,72829–31
61June 6D-backs1–3Webb (11–2)Snell (2–6)Lyon (13)19,43729–32
62June 7D-backs3–4Cruz (2–0)Grabow (4–2)Lyon (14)20,96729–33
63June 8D-backs6–4Dumatrait (3–3)Davis (2–3)Capps (14)22,22230–33
64June 9D-backs5–3Duke (4–4)Johnson (4–3)Capps (15)10,71731–33
65June 10Nationals6–7Hanrahan (2–2)Capps (0–1)Rauch (13)12,95731–34
66June 11Nationals3–1Snell (3–6)Lannan (4–7)Capps (16)15,43932–34
67June 12Nationals7–5Gorzelanny (5–5)Bergmann (1–4)Marte (1)16,30633–34
68June 13@ Orioles6–9Burres (5–5)Osoria (3–2)Sherrill (22)47,30533–35
69June 14@ Orioles7–8Sherrill (2–1)Capps (0–2)—32,43233–36
70June 15@ Orioles5–4Capps (1–2)Sherrill (2–2)—31,10734–36
71June 17@ White Sox5–16Vázquez (7–5)Snell (3–7)—28,01234–37
72June 18@ White Sox2–8Buehrle (4–6)Gorzelanny (5–6)—28,57034–38
73June 19@ White Sox8–13Floyd (8–3)Dumatrait (3–4)—26,68534–39
74June 20Blue Jays1–0 (12)Yates (3–0)Carlson (1–1)—28,96235–39
75June 21Blue Jays6–3Maholm (5–5)Litsch (7–4)Capps (17)27,01436–39
76June 22Blue Jays5–8McGowan (6–5)Beam (0–1)Ryan (15)22,98336–40
77June 24Yankees12–5Gorzelanny (6–6)Rasner (4–5)38,86737–40
78June 25Yankees0–10Chamberlain (2–2)Duke (4–5)—38,95437–41
–June 26YankeesPostponed (rain) Rescheduled for July 10
79June 27Rays5–10Kazmir (7–3)Barthmaier (0–1)—19,97037–42
80June 28Rays4–3 (13)Van Benschoten (1–2)Hammel (3–3)—17,97038–42
81June 29Rays3–4Sonnanstine (9–3)Yates (3–1)Percival (19)15,82838–43
82June 30@ Reds3–4Cordero (3–1)Capps (1–3)—20,74538–44 :
July (12–14)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
83July 1@ Reds6–5 (11)Capps (2–3)Weathers (2–4)Sánchez (1)19,34539–44
84July 2@ Reds9–5Bautista (1–1)Thompson (0–2)—16,89040–44
85July 4@ Brewers1–9Sheets (10–2)Gorzelanny (6–7)Villanueva (1)41,46340–45
86July 5@ Brewers1–2Gagné (2–2)Yates (3–2)—39,17640–46
87July 6@ Brewers6–11Stetter (2–1)Bautista (1–2)—42,16340–47
88July 7Astros10–7Bautista (2–2)Hernández (0–3)Marte (2)13,32341–47
89July 8Astros4–3Grabow (5–2)Brocail (4–4)Marte (3)17,86742–47
90July 9Astros4–6Moehler (5–4)Burnett (0–1)Valverde (23)13,88442–48
91July 10Yankees4–2Maholm (6–1)Veras (2–1)Marte (4)39,08143–48
92July 11Cardinals0–6Lohse (11–2)Duke (4–6)—37,11343–49
93July 12Cardinals12–11 (10)Bautista (3–2)Perez (2–1)—29,38744–49
94July 13Cardinals6–11Springer (2–0)Osoria (3–3)—21,05244–50
95July 17@ Rockies3–5Jiménez (5–9)Maholm (6–6)Fuentes (15)30,58444–51
96July 18@ Rockies2–5Rusch (3–3)Snell (3–8)Fuentes (16)37,11444–52
97July 19@ Rockies1–7de la Rosa (4–5)Herrera (0–1)—44,56544–53
98July 20@ Rockies3–11Cook (12–6)Duke (4–7)—30,48844–54
99July 21@ Astros9–3Yates (4–2)Valverde (4–3)—34,62445–54
100July 22@ Astros8–2Maholm (7–6)Cassel (1–1)—33,99646–54
101July 23@ Astros8–7Osoria (4–3)Geary (2–2)Marte (5)36,09147–54
102July 24Padres9–1Herrera (1–1)Hensley (1–1)—17,91648–54
103July 25Padres5–6Baek (3–5)Duke (4–8)Hoffman (19)25,72748–55
104July 26Padres6–9Banks (3–4)Van Benschoten (1–3)Hoffman (20)27,79448–56
105July 27Padres1–3Peavy (8–6)Grabow (5–3)Hoffman (21)21,72148–57
106July 28Rockies8–4Snell (4–8)Grilli (2–2)—15,30349–57
107July 29Rockies6–4Davis (1–0)Herges (3–4)Yates (1)17,50750–57
108July 30Rockies4–7Cook (14–6)Duke (4–9)Fuentes (18)16,58750–58 :
August (7–21)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
109August 1@ Cubs3–0Karstens (1–0)Marquis (6–7)Grabow (1)41,34051–58
110August 2@ Cubs1–5Lilly (11–6)Maholm (7–7)41,42651–59
111August 3@ Cubs5–8Gaudin (8–4)Hansen (1–4)Mármol (6)41,20051–60
112August 4@ D-backs7–13Haren (12–5)Davis (1–1)—21,82651–61
113August 5@ D-backs1–3Webb (16–4)Duke (4–10)—25,10951–62
114August 6@ D-backs2–0Karstens (2–0)Johnson (9–8)—28,55652–62
115August 8@ Phillies2–0 (12)Beam (1–1)Walrond (0–1)Hansen (3)43,89153–62
116August 9@ Phillies2–4Myers (5–9)Snell (4–9)Durbin (1)45,06053–63
117August 10@ Phillies3–6Eyre (3–0)Yates (4–3)Madson (1)45,26253–64
118August 11@ Mets7–5Bautista (4–2)Heilman (2–7)Grabow (2)53,53454–64
119August 12Reds1–5Vólquez (14–5)Karstens (2–1)—23,68654–65
120August 13Reds5–2Maholm (8–7)Fogg (2–5)Grabow (3)15,78755–65
121August 14Reds1–3Cueto (8–11)Snell (4–10)Cordero (23)35,43955–66
122August 15Mets1–2Pelfrey (11–8)Davis (1–2)Heilman (3)36,41855–67
123August 16Mets4–7Martínez (4–3)Duke (4–11)Feliciano (2)37,50655–68
124August 17Mets0–4Santana (11–7)Karstens (2–2)—36,48355–69
125August 18Mets5–2Burnett (1–1)Feliciano (2–3)Grabow (4)19,06656–69
126August 19@ Cardinals4–1Snell (5–10)Looper (11–10)Beam (1)39,50257–69
127August 20@ Cardinals2–11Wellemeyer (11–4)Davis (1–3)—37,26957–70
128August 22@ Brewers4–10Bush (8–9)Duke (4–12)—41,63757–71
129August 23@ Brewers3–6Suppan (9–7)Gorzelanny (6–8)Torres (25)43,29357–72
130August 24@ Brewers3–4 (12)Mota (4–5)Davis (1–4)—45,16357–73
131August 25Cubs3–12Lilly (13–7)Karstens (2–3)—14,45457–74
132August 26Cubs9–14Marshall (3–3)Hansen (1–5)—17,92957–75
133August 27Cubs0–2Marquis (9–7)Duke (4–13)Wood (27)15,26057–76
134August 29Brewers1–3Bush (9–9)Gorzelanny (6–9)Torres (26)18,08657–77
135August 30Brewers3–11Suppan (9–7)Maholm (8–8)—21,93157–78
136August 31Brewers0–7Sabathia (15–8)Karstens (2–4)—21,29357–79 :
September (10–16)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
137September 2@ Reds3–2Snell (6–10)Harang (4–15)Capps (18)18,02458–79
138September 3@ Reds6–5Yates (5–3)Affeldt (1–1)Capps (19)18,56159–79
139September 4@ Reds6–8Masset (1–0)Hansen (0–3)Cordero (27)20,62659–80
140September 5@ Giants7–0Duke (5–13)Correia (3–8)—31,13360–80
141September 6@ Giants6–7Espineli (2–0)Bautista (4–2)Wilson (37)38,09460–81
142September 7@ Giants6–11Matos (1–2)Karstens (2–5)—34,12260–82
143September 8@ Astros2–3Arias (1–0)Snell (6–11)Valverde (41)26,52660–83
144September 9@ Astros3–9Wolf (10–11)Ohlendorf (1–2)30,03460–84
145September 10@ Astros4–7Moehler (11–6)Bautista (4–4)Valverde (42)26,85960–85
146September 11@ Astros0–6Oswalt (15–9)Zach Duke (5–14)31,10160–86
147September 12Cardinals10–2Maholm (9–8)Piñeiro (6–6)14,90361–86
148September 13Cardinals7–6 (12)Hansen (2–6)Perez (3–3)17,13262–86
149September 14Cardinals7–2Beam (2–1)Thompson (5–3)18,99463–86
150September 15Dodgers2–8Kuroda (9–10)Ohlendorf (1–3)13,14763–87
151September 16Dodgers2–6Lowe (14–11)Karstens (2–6)12,74163–88
152September 17Dodgers15–8Grabow (6–3)Elbert (0–1)11,88364–88
153September 18Dodgers3–4 (12)Proctor (2–0)Hansen (2–7)Broxton (14)12,70964–89
154September 19Astros1–5Wolf (11–12)Snell (6–12)26,30164–90
155September 20Astros6–4Davis (2–4)Moehler (11–8)Capps (20)36,62165–90
156September 21Astros2–6Oswalt (16–10)Ohlendorf (1–4)20,31165–91
157September 23@ Brewers5–7Torres (7–5)Beam (2–2)36,61265–92
158September 24@ Brewers2–4Sabathia (16–10)Maholm (9–9)Torres (28)31,16465–93
159September 25@ Brewers1–5 (10)Stetter (3–1)Chavez (0–1)40,10265–94
160September 26@ Padres6–3Snell (7–12)Ekstrom (0–2)Capps (21)27,22766–94
161September 27@ Padres2–3Young (7–6)Barthmaier (0–2)Hoffman (30)29,82566–95
162September 28@ Padres6–1Yates (6–3)LeBlanc (1–3)29,19167–95 :
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement Bold = Pirates team member :

### Record vs. opponents

2008 National League recordvte Source: :
| Team | AZ | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MIL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | WSH | AL |
| Arizona | – | 3–5 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 15–3 | 2–7 | 4–2 | 8–10 | 2–5 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 10–8 | 11–7 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 6–9 |
| Atlanta | 5–3 | – | 0–6 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 10–8 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 3–6 | 11–7 | 4–14 | 2–5 | 5–1 | 2–5 | 2–5 | 6–12 | 8–7 |
| Chicago | 4–2 | 6–0 | – | 8–7 | 5–1 | 4–3 | 8–9 | 5–2 | 9–7 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 14–4 | 5–2 | 4–3 | 9–6 | 3–3 | 6–9 |
| Cincinnati | 4–2 | 3–3 | 7–8 | – | 1–5 | 6–2 | 3–12 | 1–7 | 10–8 | 3–4 | 3–5 | 6–9 | 4–3 | 5–1 | 5–10 | 4–3 | 9–6 |
| Colorado | 3–15 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 5–1 | – | 5–3 | 3–3 | 8–10 | 4–3 | 3–6 | 0–5 | 5–2 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 7–8 |
| Florida | 7–2 | 8–10 | 3–4 | 2–6 | 3–5 | – | 4–2 | 3–4 | 5–1 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 3–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 14–3 | 5–10 |
| Houston | 2–4 | 3–3 | 9–8 | 12–3 | 3–3 | 2–4 | – | 4–3 | 7–8 | 5–2 | 3–4 | 8–8 | 3–3 | 7–1 | 7–8 | 4–2 | 7–11 |
| Los Angeles | 10–8 | 2–4 | 2–5 | 7–1 | 10–8 | 4–3 | 3–4 | – | 4–2 | 3–4 | 4–4 | 5–2 | 11–7 | 9–9 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 5–10 |
| Milwaukee | 5–2 | 6–3 | 7–9 | 8–10 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 8–7 | 2–4 | – | 2–4 | 1–5 | 14–1 | 4–3 | 6–0 | 10–5 | 6–2 | 7–8 |
| New York | 3–3 | 7–11 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 6–3 | 10–8 | 2–5 | 4–3 | 4–2 | – | 11–7 | 4–3 | 2–5 | 5–1 | 4–3 | 12–6 | 9–6 |
| Philadelphia | 4–3 | 14–4 | 4–3 | 5–3 | 5–0 | 8–10 | 4–3 | 4–4 | 5–1 | 7–11 | – | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 5–4 | 12–6 | 4–11 |
| Pittsburgh | 3–4 | 5–2 | 4–14 | 9–6 | 2–5 | 2–3 | 8–8 | 2–5 | 1–14 | 3–4 | 2–4 | – | 3–4 | 4–2 | 10–7 | 3–4 | 6–9 |
| San Diego | 8–10 | 1–5 | 2–5 | 3–4 | 9–9 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 7–11 | 3–4 | 5–2 | 2–4 | 4–3 | – | 5–13 | 1–6 | 5–1 | 3–15 |
| San Francisco | 7–11 | 5–2 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 7–11 | 3–3 | 1–7 | 9–9 | 0–6 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 13–5 | – | 4–3 | 7–0 | 6–12 |
| St. Louis | 4–3 | 5–2 | 6–9 | 10–5 | 4–3 | 5–2 | 8–7 | 4–2 | 5–10 | 3–4 | 4–5 | 7–10 | 6–1 | 3–4 | – | 5–1 | 7–8 |
| Washington | 2–4 | 12–6 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 3–4 | 3–14 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 2–6 | 6–12 | 6–12 | 4–3 | 1–5 | 0–7 | 1–5 | – | 8–10 |

### Detailed records

National League :
| Opponent | W | L | WP | RS | RA |
| NL East |||||||
| Atlanta Braves | 5 | 2 | 0.714 | 32 | 36 |
| Florida Marlins | 2 | 3 | 0.400 | 23 | 26 |
| New York Mets | 3 | 4 | 0.429 | 34 | 26 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 2 | 4 | 0.333 | 21 | 25 |
| Washington Nationals | 3 | 4 | 0.429 | 39 | 34 |
| Total | 15 | 17 | 0.469 | 149 | 147 |
| NL Central |||||||
| Chicago Cubs | 4 | 14 | 0.222 | 73 | 131 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 9 | 6 | 0.600 | 68 | 63 |
| Houston Astros | 8 | 8 | 0.500 | 70 | 75 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 1 | 14 | 0.067 | 41 | 90 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 10 | 7 | 0.588 | 104 | 94 |
| Total | 32 | 49 | 0.395 | 356 | 453 |
| NL West |||||||
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 3 | 4 | 0.429 | 25 | 30 |
| Colorado Rockies | 2 | 5 | 0.286 | 27 | 43 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 2 | 5 | 0.286 | 31 | 49 |
| San Diego Padres | 3 | 4 | 0.429 | 35 | 26 |
| San Francisco Giants | 4 | 2 | 0.667 | 39 | 29 |
| Total | 14 | 20 | 0.412 | 157 | 177 |
| American League |||||||
| Baltimore Orioles | 1 | 2 | 0.333 | 18 | 21 |
| Chicago White Sox | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 15 | 37 |
| New York Yankees | 2 | 1 | 0.667 | 16 | 17 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 1 | 2 | 0.333 | 12 | 17 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 2 | 1 | 0.667 | 12 | 11 |
| Total | 6 | 9 | 0.400 | 73 | 103 |
| Season Total | 67 | 95 | 0.414 | 735 | 880 |
| Month | Games | Won | Lost | Win % | RS | RA |
| March | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 12 | 11 |
| April | 26 | 10 | 16 | 0.385 | 116 | 149 |
| May | 28 | 15 | 13 | 0.536 | 148 | 136 |
| June | 27 | 12 | 15 | 0.444 | 121 | 150 |
| July | 26 | 12 | 14 | 0.462 | 136 | 152 |
| August | 28 | 7 | 21 | 0.250 | 82 | 150 |
| September | 26 | 10 | 16 | 0.385 | 120 | 132 |
| Total | 162 | 67 | 95 | 0.414 | 735 | 880 |
| | Games | Won | Lost | Win % | RS | RA |
| Home | 81 | 39 | 42 | 0.481 | 361 | 401 |
| Away | 81 | 28 | 53 | 0.346 | 374 | 479 |
| Total | 162 | 67 | 95 | 0.414 | 735 | 880 |

## Roster
### Opening Day lineup

Opening Day Starters :
| Name | Position |
| Nate McLouth | CF |
| Freddy Sanchez | 2B |
| Jason Bay | LF |
| Adam LaRoche | 1B |
| Xavier Nady | RF |
| Ryan Doumit | C |
| José Bautista | 3B |
| Jack Wilson | SS |
| Ian Snell | SP |

## Statistics
### Hitting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Regular Season :
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| R. Díaz | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0.500 | 0 | 1 |
| T. Taubenheim | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0.500 | 0 | 1 |
| S. Burnett | 55 | 3 | 1 | 0.333 | 0 | 0 |
| F. Osoria | 41 | 6 | 2 | 0.333 | 0 | 1 |
| X. Nady | 89 | 327 | 108 | 0.330 | 13 | 57 |
| R. Doumit | 116 | 431 | 137 | 0.318 | 15 | 69 |
| N. Morgan | 58 | 160 | 47 | 0.294 | 0 | 7 |
| M. Morris | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0.286 | 0 | 1 |
| J. Bay | 106 | 393 | 111 | 0.282 | 22 | 64 |
| D. Mientkiewicz | 125 | 285 | 79 | 0.277 | 2 | 30 |
| N. McLouth | 152 | 597 | 165 | 0.276 | 26 | 94 |
| C. Gomez | 90 | 183 | 50 | 0.273 | 1 | 20 |
| J. Wilson | 87 | 305 | 83 | 0.272 | 1 | 22 |
| F. Sanchez | 145 | 569 | 154 | 0.271 | 9 | 52 |
| A. LaRoche | 136 | 492 | 133 | 0.270 | 25 | 85 |
| R. Chávez | 42 | 116 | 30 | 0.259 | 1 | 10 |
| S. Pearce | 37 | 109 | 27 | 0.248 | 4 | 15 |
| J. Bautista | 107 | 314 | 76 | 0.242 | 12 | 44 |
| J. Michaels | 102 | 228 | 52 | 0.228 | 8 | 44 |
| L. Cruz | 22 | 67 | 15 | 0.224 | 0 | 3 |
| B. Moss | 45 | 158 | 35 | 0.222 | 6 | 23 |
| L. Rivas | 79 | 206 | 45 | 0.218 | 3 | 20 |
| R. Paulino | 40 | 118 | 25 | 0.212 | 2 | 18 |
| D. Bautista | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0.200 | 0 | 1 |
| Z. Duke | 31 | 57 | 9 | 0.158 | 0 | 1 |
| B. Bixler | 50 | 108 | 17 | 0.157 | 0 | 2 |
| A. LaRoche | 49 | 164 | 25 | 0.152 | 3 | 12 |
| Y. Herrera | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0.143 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Karstens | 9 | 14 | 2 | 0.143 | 0 | 0 |
| I. Snell | 31 | 48 | 6 | 0.125 | 0 | 1 |
| P. Maholm | 30 | 65 | 8 | 0.123 | 0 | 3 |
| T. Gorzelanny | 20 | 28 | 3 | 0.107 | 0 | 3 |
| P. Dumatrait | 19 | 21 | 1 | 0.048 | 0 | 1 |
| J. Barthmaier | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Beam | 32 | 4 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Capps | 48 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Davis | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Grabow | 71 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| R. Ohlendorf | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Van Benschoten | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Chavez | 15 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| C. Hansen | 16 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| D. Marte | 44 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| E. Meek | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| M. Salas | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| R. Sánchez | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| T. Yates | 70 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 162 | 5,628 | 1,454 | 0.258 | 153 | 705 |

### Pitching

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Regular Season :
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| Y. Herrera | 5 | 181⁄3 | 1 | 1 | 9.82 | 10 |
| M. Morris | 5 | 221⁄3 | 0 | 4 | 9.67 | 9 |
| J. Van Benschoten | 9 | 221⁄3 | 1 | 3 | 10.48 | 21 |
| J. Barthmaier | 3 | 101⁄3 | 0 | 2 | 10.45 | 6 |
| R. Ohlendorf | 5 | 222⁄3 | 0 | 3 | 6.35 | 13 |
| M. Salas | 13 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 8.47 | 9 |
| F. Osoria | 43 | 602⁄3 | 4 | 3 | 6.08 | 31 |
| J. Chavez | 15 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 6.60 | 16 |
| T. Taubenheim | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | 4 |
| Z. Duke | 31 | 185 | 5 | 14 | 4.82 | 87 |
| I. Snell | 31 | 1641⁄3 | 7 | 12 | 5.42 | 135 |
| J. Davis | 14 | 34 | 2 | 4 | 5.29 | 13 |
| D. Bautista | 35 | 411⁄3 | 4 | 3 | 6.10 | 34 |
| T. Gorzelanny | 21 | 1051⁄3 | 6 | 9 | 6.66 | 67 |
| R. Sánchez | 10 | 131⁄3 | 0 | 0 | 4.05 | 3 |
| J. Karstens | 9 | 511⁄3 | 2 | 6 | 4.03 | 23 |
| S. Burnett | 58 | 562⁄3 | 1 | 1 | 4.76 | 42 |
| P. Dumatrait | 21 | 782⁄3 | 3 | 4 | 5.26 | 52 |
| P. Maholm | 31 | 2061⁄3 | 9 | 9 | 3.71 | 139 |
| T. Yates | 72 | 731⁄3 | 6 | 3 | 4.66 | 63 |
| T. Beam | 32 | 452⁄3 | 2 | 2 | 4.14 | 24 |
| E. Meek | 9 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 6.92 | 7 |
| M. Capps | 49 | 532⁄3 | 2 | 3 | 3.02 | 39 |
| D. Marte | 47 | 462⁄3 | 4 | 0 | 3.47 | 47 |
| J. Grabow | 74 | 76 | 6 | 3 | 2.84 | 62 |
| C. Hansen | 16 | 152⁄3 | 1 | 4 | 7.47 | 7 |
| Team Totals | 162 | 1,455 | 67 | 95 | 5.08 | 963 |

## Awards and honors

* Xavier Nady named National League Player of the Week for the opening week of the 2008 regular season.
* Ryan Doumit was named the co-National League Player of the Week, along with Ricky Nolasco, for the week of June 9.
* Nate McLouth was elected to the 2008 National League all-star team. He batted 1–4, and threw a runner out at home plate from center field in the 11th inning, stopping the game-winning run.
* Jason Bay was selected as the winner of the Chuck Tanner Award for "professionalism, cooperation and availability to and with Major League writers best assists them in carrying out daily responsibilities."
* Nate McLouth received the Roberto Clemente as "the Pirates player who best exemplifies the standard of excellence achieved by Clemente."

## Transactions
### Pre-season

(October 29, 2007 – March 24, 2008)
* On November 5, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates hired John Russell as manager.
* On November 7, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates promoted Bryan Minniti to director of baseball operations, hired Greg Smith as director of scouting and hired Kyle Stark as director of player development.
* On November 9, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates named Chuck Tanner as a senior advisor to the baseball operations department.
* On November 16, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates declined contract option for César Izturis.
* On November 20, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates hired Tony Beasley as third-base coach, Gary Varsho as bench coach and Luis Dorante as bullpen coach.
* On November 21, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates hired Jeff Andrews as pitching coach.
* On November 27, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates hired Don Long as hitting coach.
* On November 28, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost Shane Youman off of waivers to the Philadelphia Phillies.
* On December 3, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Josh Wilson from the Tampa Bay Rays and Ty Taubenheim from the Toronto Blue Jays off of waivers.
* On December 6, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Evan Meek from the Texas Rangers due to the Rule 5 draft.
* On December 7, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Salomón Torres to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Marino Salas and Kevin Roberts.
* On December 12, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed free agent Chris Gomez to a 1-year contract.
* On December 21, 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Jorge Velandia, Michel Hernandez, Miguel Perez and Mike Thompson to Minor League contracts.
* On January 7, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Adam Bernero and Elmer Dessens to Minor League contracts.
* On January 11, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed T. J. Beam, Raul Chavez and José Macías to Minor League contracts.
* On January 14, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates re-signed Adam LaRoche to a 1-year/$5 million contract.
* On January 17, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates re-signed José Bautista to a 1-year/$1.8 million contract.
* On January 18, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates re-signed Xavier Nady to a 1-year/$3.35 million contract and John Grabow to a 1-year/$1.135 million contract.
* On January 23, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Jaret Wright to a Minor League contract.
* On January 24, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Hector Carrasco and Casey Fossum to Minor League contracts.
* On February 1, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Ray Olmedo off of waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays.
* On February 5, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates re-signed Freddy Sanchez to a 2-year/$11 million contract.
* On February 11, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed New York Yankees free agent Doug Mientkiewicz to a Minor League contract.
* On February 24, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed free agent Byung-hyun Kim to a 1-year/$850K contract.
* On February 26, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost Ray Olmedo to the Philadelphia Phillies off of waivers.
* On March 16, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates resigned Ian Snell to a 3-year contract.

### In-season

(March 25, 2008 – October 29, 2008)
* On March 26, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced the retirement of Masumi Kuwata, released Byung-hyun Kim, Hector Carrasco and Juan Perez and acquired Tyler Yates from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Todd Redmond.
* On March 31, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed free agent Jason Davis and Matt Kata to Minor League contracts and released Josh Sharpless.
* On April 4, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Matt Capps to a 2-year/$3.05 million contract.
* On May 1, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates released Olivo Astacio.
* On May 8, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Jason Michaels from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for a player to be named.
* On June 4, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Franklyn Germán to a Minor League contract.
* On June 25, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Denny Bautista from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Kyle Pearson and released Kevin Thompson.
* On July 10, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Craig Wilson to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for a player to be named, acquired Dan Reichert and Ryan Mulhern from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for cash considerations and lost Bryan Bullington to the Cleveland Indians off of waivers.
* On July 26, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired José Tábata, Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens and Daniel McCutchen from the New York Yankees in exchange for Xavier Nady and Dámaso Marte.
* On July 31, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Jason Bay to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen from the Boston Red Sox as well as Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
* On August 21, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded José Bautista to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for a player to be named. (Robinzon Diaz converted on August 25, 2008)
* On August 27, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost free agent Elmer Dessens to the Atlanta Braves.
* On September 2, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates released Ty Taubenheim.
* On September 24, 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Pedro Alvarez to a Major League contract.

## Draft picks

2008 Top 10 Rounds Draft Picks :
| Rd | # | Player | Pos | DOB and Age | School |
| 1 | 2 | Pedro Álvarez | 3B | (1987-02-06)February 6, 1987 (aged 21) | Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tennessee) |
| 2 | 48 | Tanner Scheppers | RHP | (1987-01-17)January 17, 1987 (aged 21) | California State University, Fresno (Fresno, California) |
| 3 | 79 | Jordy Mercer | SS | (1986-08-27)August 27, 1986 (aged 21) | Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, Oklahoma) |
| 4 | 114 | Chase d'Arnaud | SS | (1987-01-21)January 21, 1987 (aged 21) | Pepperdine University (Malibu, California) |
| 5 | 144 | Justin Wilson | LHP | (1987-08-18)August 18, 1987 (aged 20) | California State University, Fresno (Fresno, California) |
| 6 | 174 | Robbie Grossman | OF | (1989-09-16)September 16, 1989 (aged 18) | Cy-Fair High School (Cypress, Texas) |
| 7 | 204 | Benji Gonzalez | SS | (1990-01-16)January 16, 1990 (aged 18) | Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School (Gurabo, PR) |
| 8 | 234 | Jeremy Farrell | 3B | (1986-11-11)November 11, 1986 (aged 21) | University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia) |
| 9 | 264 | Matt Hague | 3B | (1985-08-20)August 20, 1985 (aged 22) | Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, Oklahoma) |
| 10 | 294 | Drew Gagnon | RHP | (1990-06-26)June 26, 1990 (aged 17) | Liberty High School (Brentwood, California) |

### Note

* Age at time of draft.

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Indianapolis Indians | International League | Trent Jewett |
| AA | Altoona Curve | Eastern League | Tim Leiper |
| A | Lynchburg Hillcats | Carolina League | Jeff Branson |
| A | Hickory Crawdads | South Atlantic League | Gary Green |
| A-Short Season | State College Spikes | New York–Penn League | Brad Fischer |
| Rookie | GCL Pirates | Gulf Coast League | Tom Prince |
| Rookie | DSL Pirates | Dominican Summer League | N/A |
| Rookie | VSL Pirates | Venezuelan Summer League | N/A |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: VSL Pirates