"They traveled to the same destination for the 19th year in a row, but this season, the Pirates took the scenic route.

They spent some time in first place on the way and energized their fan base during an out-of-character June and July, and they did so with a batch of young players. But they eventually extended their record losing streak to 19 seasons, the longest in history among the four major North American sports, with a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.

"It's kind of hard to swallow," starter Jeff Karstens said. "Where we were sitting at after the All-Star break is where we wanted to be at."

The Pirates gave life to the daydream of what winning baseball could -- and once did -- bring to Pittsburgh. Fans packed PNC Park and stayed to the end of the games, watching meaningful at-bats in the late innings. As All-Star closer Joel Hanrahan's goatee grew, so did his streak of 26 consecutive saves, causing fans to scream in anticipation when the red-lining speedometers on the scoreboard signaled his entry into the game."