Sep 7, 2013 1 min read

At the absolute, rock-bottom depth of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ excruciatingly long run of losing, it seemed like it would take decades before they would field a winning team again, if ever.

Think back to 2001, for instance, when PNC Park opened. The stadium won accolades as one of the best in Major League Baseball, but the team that called it home was one of the worst. That year, the Pirates lost an even 100 games.

Last Tuesday night, however, the moment arrived at the end of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers that legions of fans had long daydreamed about – the Pirates managed a season in which they won 81 games. That meant if they lost every game from that point until the regular season’s end on Sept. 29, they would have at least a .500 record, a goal the organization has not accomplished since 1992.

Playoff dreams are dancing in the heads of the long-suffering Bucco faithful right now, but a greater hope is that the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates don’t turn out to be a fluke and the winning continues in 2014 and beyond.