Cold temps, clear skies set stage for Pirates' home opener
Clear skies and bright sunshine greeted fans arriving at PNC Park on Monday morning for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ home season.
Yet, the temperature was 28 degrees at 8:30 a.m., with reports of it climbing no higher than 36 by first pitch at 1:05 p.m. Who didn’t scrape ice off their car windshields Monday morning as if it was any day in January?
The Pirates should be accustomed to the cold, however.
On Sunday in Cincinnati, the first-pitch temperature was 35 degrees for the 5-0 victory against the Reds. It was the second-coldest in Great American Ballpark history, falling short of the record 30-degree day that greeted the Pirates and Reds on April 7, 2007.
The cold didn’t stop Sean Flanagan of Bellaire, Ohio, from setting up his tailgate party across General Robinson Street from the ballpark. Flanagan, whose early-morning tailgate menu included mimosas and a veggie tray, said he stretched his streak of Opening Day games to 12 in a row.
Inside, the team was preparing to meet the St. Louis Cardinals for the third of 162 games.
Chris Archer is scheduled to start the game, his target date after undergoing surgery Nov. 27 to repair a bilateral hernia.
“I’ve been thinking about April 1 since Nov. 28. I’m ready to do this thing,” Archer told Pirates.com. “I’m ready to get out there in front of the fans and pour all my energy into it.”
The Pirates were determined to keep Archer as starter for their home opener, even after Saturday’s game in Cincinnati was rained out. They delayed Joe Musgrove’s scheduled Sunday start so Trevor Williams and Archer could remain in the proper sequence.
Meanwhile, with an email that arrived at 8:14 a.m., the Pirates said a limited number of tickets remain for Monday’s game.
Gates open at 11 a.m., with pregame ceremonies, including the organization honoring former Pirates Steve Blass and Dick Groat, set to begin at 12:30. Groat and Blass, who played in the 1960 and 1971 World Series victories, are retiring this year from broadcast duties, Blass with the Pirates at the end of the season (his 36th) and Groat after 40 years with Pitt basketball.
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Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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