Pirates Unveil 2025 Schedule

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

July 19, 2024

On Thursday, Major League Baseball unveiled the full 162 game schedule for the 2025 season, including the upcoming schedule for the Pittsburgh Pirates. It includes several notable matchups from classic rivals and league powers alike.

Opening Day

The Pirates will open the season on March 27 in Florida for a four game series against the Miami Marlins. After what has been, for all intents and purposes, a nightmare season for the Marlins in 2024, it is unlikely they will be projected as one of the league’s best in 2025. The Pirates could also see a Marlins team without several notable names. All-Stars Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Tanner Scott have seen their names pop up in trade rumors. Depending on what both the Marlins and Pirates do at the deadline and in Free Agency, these rosters could look very different next season.

Home Opener

The Pirates will open at PNC Park on April 4 in a home series with the AL juggernaut New York Yankees which will continue through April 6. A massive question mark that lingers over this game is the impending Free Agency of Yankees’ superstar outfielder Juan Soto. The Yankees could look very different at the time this game is played if Soto opts to leave. However, regardless of what Soto eventually chooses to do, this game will still be notable.

A series against the Yankees will always put several eyes on the team. And with superstars such as Aaron Judge and former Pirates’ fan favorite Gerrit Cole still in town, the Yankees will likely still be a hyped up team heading into next season. An early series victory against the Yankees could be a massive statement for a young, hungry team like the Pirates.

Interleague Play

The game against the Yankees is a direct result of scheduling changes made by Major League Baseball. In addition to the changes made by the new collective bargaining agreement in 2022, which led to all 30 teams playing one another at least once a season, a new change will be implemented in 2025. Certain “prime” interleague rivals will now be playing each other six times instead of the usual four. For the Pirates, this means two three game series’ with the Detroit Tigers. The Pirates will play the Tigers on June 17-19 in Detroit, and again on July 21-23 in Pittsburgh.

Other Notable Matchups

The always stacked Los Angeles Dodgers appear six times on the Pirates’ schedule. On April 25-27, the Pirates will visit Los Angeles in a chance for another huge early season statement victory. Additionally, the Dodgers will come to Pittsburgh for a three game series on September 2-4.

The Pirates will also enjoy two nine-game home stands this season. The first will extend from June 3-11 in series’ with the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, and Marlins. The second will kick off immediately after the All-Star break on July 18 and extend through July 27. It will feature games against the Chicago White Sox, the aforementioned series against the Tigers, and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Pirates will be particularly thankful for this home stretch because it comes following a nine-game road trip prior to the All-Star break.