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5 reasons the Pittsburgh Pirates will win the World Series in 2015

By Connor Muldowney

Aug 16, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Joakim Soria (38) and catcher Chris Stewart (19) celebrate after defeating the New York Mets at Citi Field. The Pirates defeated the Mets 8-1. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 16, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Joakim Soria (38) and catcher Chris Stewart (19) celebrate after defeating the New York Mets at Citi Field. The Pirates defeated the Mets 8-1. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 8, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Mark Melancon (35) reacts after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park. The Pirates won 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 8, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Mark Melancon (35) reacts after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park. The Pirates won 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Strong Bullpen

A good bullpen is crucial when trying to make a World Series run. The past four years have been a prime example of that, as the Detroit Tigers had been a tremendous offensive team with an elite pitching rotation, but the bullpen held them back from winning it all.

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    • Luckily for the Pirates, the bullpen is not an issue — and neither is the starting rotation. In fact, Pittsburgh has the second-best team ERA in all of baseball and that is due, in large part, to the success of the bullpen.

    A couple of players, in particular, have contributed greatly to the success of the pen this season for the Pirates.

    Guys like Tony Watson, Jared Hughes, Antonio Bastardo, Arquimedes Caminero and, when healthy, Rob Scahill have all been key pieces to holding this team’s late-inning leads.

    However, two more guys have and will continue to be crucial down the stretch for the Pirates: newly-acquired Joakim Soria and shut-down closer Mark Melancon. Both have been lights out for Pittsburgh, and you can bet that when the ball is in Soria’s hands in the eighth inning, the opposition knows that time is running out.

    Rarely do you see opponents regain leads while this bullpen is in charge of the game.

    Next: 4. Momentum

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