| Clint Hurdle's bunch was improved, but not good enough to break the streak. (US Presswire) |
After blowing a ninth-inning lead on Sunday to the Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost their 82nd game of the 2012 season. That means they cannot get to .500 and will finish with a losing record. And that means the Pirates have now had a losing record for 20 consecutive seasons, the longest such drought in major American sports history.
R.I.P. 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates
Remember 1992? The top grossing movie was Aladdin. George H.W. Bush was the president. "Cheers" was still on the air. Andrew McCutchen was 5 years old.
That year was the most recent year that the Pirates had a winning record, when they won the NL East with a 96-66 record. Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke patrolled the outfield. Doug Drabek was the ace of the pitching staff and a young Tim Wakefield went 8-1 with a 2.15 ERA as a rookie. Jim Leyland was only in his seventh season as a manager.
Since then, the Pirates have gone through six managers, five general managers, a new stadium and many players. They've lost at least 90 games 10 times, too.
This season appeared different for a while, as the Pirates were 63-47. But they have fallen apart down the stretch. After Sunday's loss, the Pirates finished 7-21 in September. Since Aug. 8, they are 14-35.
And for the 20th consecutive season, the Pirates will post a losing record.
For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnBaseball on Twitter, subscribe to the RSS feed and "like" us on Facebook.