The Detroit Tigers ended the 2026 MLB season with a whimper in the finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Pirates right-hander Jared Jones shut down the Tigers offense with four scoreless innings to start, and Detroit hitters did not have many more answers for Pittsburgh's relievers in a 4-2 loss.
The Pirates jumped ahead immediately with a lead-off home run from rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin, who turned on an inside fastball for a solo homer off right-handed starter River Ryan.
Ryan, making his second start with the Tigers since being acquired in August's Tarik Skubal trade, gave up two runs on three hits across 1⅓ innings. He struck
out three batters, but also walked three. The Pirates added two more runs off reliever Beau Brieske in the fourth inning.
Detroit cut the lead in half with solo home runs from rookies Kevin McGonigle and Eduardo Valencia in the seventh inning, but a quiet offensive performance in the other eight innings kept Detroit trailing the entire game.
The Tigers finish 2026 season with at 76-86, their fewest wins since the 2022 season (66-96). They are outside of the MLB playoff bracket for the first time since 2023, finishing nine games behind American League Central winner Cleveland.
On the mound: A River stopped up
Ryan threw 39 pitches in his second start at the big-league level with Detroit, with just 21 going for strikes.
Ryan struck out the next two hitters he faced after Griffin's leadoff homer. In the second inning, the first four Pirates batters reached safely with a single, double and two walks, leading to a second run. Brieske escaped the bases-loaded jam with a double play.
Brieske gave up two more runs on three hits in the fourth inning. He gave way to right-hander Jack Flaherty, who pitched for the first time in two months in his return from right flexor tendon inflammation. Flaherty, a free agent after this season, threw two scoreless innings, allowing one hit with one strikeout on 19 pitches.
Right-hander Ty Madden came in and gave up no runs or hits with three strikeouts over the final three innings.
At the plate: A slow start
The Tigers had their first baserunner in the third inning, when Spencer Torkelson reached on a hit-by-pitch.
Detroit's first hit came with two outs in the fourth inning on a two-out single by McGonigle. Jones did not allow any other Tigers hitters to reach in the first four innings.
The bats did not heat up much against the Pirates' relievers until McGonigle broke up the shutout with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh. McGonigle, the likely AL Rookie of the Year winner, finished his season with 18 home runs. Two batters later, Valencia hit a solo home run 443 feet into right-center field, cutting Pittsburgh's lead to two runs.
The Tigers finished with three hits, including the two solo homers, one walk and 13 strikeouts.
Next up: Vacations (but not for everyone)
After coming into the season with playoff hopes, the Tigers are on the outside looking in, finishing well outside of the Central and wild-card races. They will need to retool during an offseason with lots of uncertainty expected. A lockout is expected once the current collective bargaining agreement between the MLB Players Association and owners expires on Dec. 1. President of baseball operations Scott Harris and manager A.J. Hinch meet with the media on Monday, and then get to work on their offseason moves.
ContactJared Ramsey at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Solo homers not enough for Detroit Tigers in 2026-ending loss to Bucs
