Pittsburgh Pirates receive rare air time during ESPN College GameDay segment

Major League Baseball is over for the season, and one of the most irrelevant teams in baseball surprisingly received a lot of air time Saturday during ESPN College GameDay when Pat McAfee delivered an unhinged monologue talking about the franchise the missed the playoffs for the 10th straight season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates may not be one of the elite franchises in MLB over the past decade-plus, but McAfee’s allegiance to his hometown prompted him to show some respect to the team Saturday during his ESPN college football show.

This Pat McAfee monologue is the most the Pittsburgh Pirates have ever been talked about on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/5wRoSb1MXN

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 15, 2025

McAfee earned a huge pop from the crowd when he discussed Paul Skenes being named the NL Cy Young after a dominant season for the Pirates where he posted a 1.97 ERA and managed to strike out 216 batters.

“We even have baseball history,” McAfee said to rile up the Pittsburgh crowd during ESPN College GameDay. “Paul Skenes just won the Cy Young. He’s the best player in baseball. That’s sick.”

Sep 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) sprints to the mound to pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The ESPN personality proceeds to destroy the Pirates organization for failing to “spend money” and that being the root cause of their troubles as teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and others continue to bring in top names by outspending their opponents.

Perhaps Pirates fans should enjoy Skenes and his talent though while he’s playing at such an elite level because rumors have circulated recently that the former LSU Tigers standout could end up leaving Pittsburgh in the near future to join the New York Yankees.

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