For the first time in a long, long while, the Pittsburgh Pirates finally had a pitcher go the full route in a game for them. That's after Mitch Keller went nine innings long in a 2-0 home win against the Colorado Rockies Monday night.
That start by Mitch Keller broke a Pirates streak of 370 outings without having a starting pitcher toss a complete game, as pointed out by Talkin' Baseball.
Mitch Keller, who improved to 4-1 with a 2.72 ERA so far in the 2023 MLB regular season, allowed zero earned runs on four hits with eight punchouts across nine full innings versus Colorado. The Rockies couldn't figure out Keller, who needed just 103 pitches to finish his starting gig.
Keller avoided arbitration in the offseason by signing a one-year deal worth $2.4374 million deal with the Pirates back in January. He won't be a free agent until at least the end of the 2025 MLB season with still two more seasons of team control on him. But with the way he's been dealing on the mound this season, he could ask for a bigger contract the next time he negotiates with the Pirates.
Pittsburgh is among the early surprises of the season even though it just ended a seven-game losing streak. The Pirates are still on top of the National League Central division with a 21-15 record, thanks in part to Mitch Keller and the team's pitching staff. So far this year, the Pirates are ninth in the big leagues overall with a 3.78 ERA to go with a 1.34 WHIP.