The Pittsburgh Pirates will hire Bill Murphy, who held the same position with the Houston Astros, as their pitching coach. Chandler Rome of The Athletic broke the news, based on several sources.
Report: Pirates Hire Pitching Coach Bill Murphy
Murphy, 36, had been the Astros’ pitching coach since their World Series championship season of 2022. From 2022-25, he reigned over a staff that posted the lowest ERA and the second-highest strikeouts per nine innings in the majors. He had been with the Astros organization in various roles since 2016 and ascended to the majors in 2021 as an assistant pitching coach. He would have known Pirates manager Don Kelly, who was also with Houston in 2019, although Kelly was the first base coach with the major league club while Murphy was in the minors. Murphy also has a history with former Pirates assistant pitching coach Brent Strom. Strom was the Astros’ pitching coach from 2014-21. Murphy has never pitched professionally, although he has experience playing Division I college baseball.
Longtime Astros pitching coach Bill Murphy is leaving the team for a job with the Pittsburgh Pirates, sources tell @TheAthletic. Full story – https://t.co/E7qvEMYguA
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) October 28, 2025
It strikes one as somewhat odd that Murphy would leave the perennial contender Astros for the perpetual cellar-dwelling Pirates. However, three coaches have already been fired from Astros manager Joe Espada’s staff since their season ended. Perhaps Murphy read the writing on the wall. So much for the popular narrative among Pirates fans that “nobody wants to work for the Pirates.”
Then again, it’s no more odd than the Pirates dismissing their former pitching coach Oscar Marin after their pitching excelled in 2025. The Pirates had one of the best pitching staffs in the majors in 2025. The staff recorded a 3.76 team ERA, 3.83 FIP, and 1.216 WHIP, while leading the majors with 19 shutouts. It later came to light that during their season exit interviews, numerous Pirates pitchers expressed their belief that they hadn’t progressed as much as they should have. Murphy’s new gig gives him an opportunity to work with likely National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.
The Last Word
Getting one of the most highly regarded young coaches in the game in Murphy is a feather in Kelly’s cap. Murphy marks Kelly’s first coaching hire for 2026. It’s not the first time Kelly has hired a coach, however, as he brought in former manager Gene Lamont last summer to serve as a special assistant. Kelly still needs to fill the assistant pitching and third base coach vacancies.
Main Photo Credit: © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
