The Pirates' pathway to getting better in 2023 became bumpier Sunday afternoon after Oneil Cruz fractured his ankle, but that doesn't erase that they still are off to a very strong 6-3 start. And so far, they've been buoyed by their bullpen, a group that had plenty of question marks coming into the year.
Through nine games, the Pirates lead the league in reliever fWAR (1.1) and win probability added (1.64). At the time of publication, no other team has at least 1 WAR or 1.00 WPA from their bullpen. For reference, last year's Pirates bullpen combined for 1.