Today the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-0, their third straight victory against St. Louis. After 25 games, the Pirates are now leading the National League Central Division. The last time the Pirates were in first place was July 18, 2012, when Mitt Romney was leading Barack Obama by one point in the polls.*
In case any of you have forgotten (we die-hard fans cannot): from that point, Pittsburgh won only 28 of their remaining 71 games and finished the 2012 season with a record of 79-83, their 2oth consecutive losing season and a record for futility in major-league sports. Those 79 wins are the most any Pirates team has mustered since the Heartbreak of 1992.
I know, as all Pirates fans are obliged to remind themselves, it’s only April.
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