On Sports: 'Blackout' momentum grows for Pirates’ home opener; Fleury could play spoiler vs. Penguins

Hey, if Andrew McCutchen and A.J. Burnett are back at PNC Park, why not just go all the way in making it feel like 2013 all over again?

A movement is afoot for a “blackout” for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ home opener Friday. The most prominent baseball game played in the city over the past 30 years was the 2013 National League wild card game won by the Pirates against the Cincinnati Reds. Fans almost unanimously wore black to PNC Park that day.

And with McCutchen back with the team after a five-year tour of four other organizations and Burnett back in town to throw out the first pitch Friday for his first public appearance at PNC Park since his retirement after the 2015 season, momentum is growing to turning back to the clock to the Prates’ “glory days” (it’s all relative) of about a decade ago.

The “blackout” idea (online, anyway) appeared to start with a post from the verified Twitter account of former Pirates catcher and current AT&T SportsNet analyst Michael McKenry, albeit McKenry appeared to allude to a reference from Pirates’ play-by-play broadcaster Greg Brown about the idea.

The legend @gbrowniepoints was highlighting how nice it would be to see a blackout on opening day. It’s the cities day 412 & We could give @TheCUTCH22 @wudeydo34 & @russellmartin55 the welcome home they deserve. @robkinger91 get ready to look like Johnny Cash! #PNCBlackout412 pic.twitter.com/yce1c91lXi

— Michael McKenry (@theFortMcKenry) April 6, 2023

Brown, in turn, re-tweeted the message not long after McKenry tweeted it Wednesday night, hours after the Pirates finished off a sweep of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Burnett did his part in fostering a viral social-media movement by adding a hashtag: #blackoutPNC.

#blackoutPNC

— AJ Burnett (@wudeydo34) April 6, 2023

McCutchen soon thereafter on Wednesday night added fuel, using said hashtag while writing, “Not gonna lie a #PNCBlackout412 would go craaazy! 1 of the many reasons I love this city!”

Not gonna lie a #PNCBlackout412 would go craaazy! 1 of the many reasons I love this city! https://t.co/rZFYu5U9ib

— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) April 6, 2023

By Thursday morning, a search for the hashtag revealed a few dozen results.

Pirates radio network pre- and postgame host Dan Zangrilli gave his endorsement.

A movement is underway. Tell your Ma, tell your Pa. https://t.co/qrs9nuMCk3

— Dan Zangrilli (@DanZangrilli) April 6, 2023

At 4-2, the Pirates enter the second week of the regular season tied for the third-best record in the NL. The Chicago White Sox are the opponent for Friday’s 4:12 p.m. first pitch — a time selected to match Pittsburgh’s area code.

Popular former catcher Russell Martin will catch Burnett’s ceremonial first pitch. Martin homered in the 2013 wild-card game, famously after Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto dropped the ball amidst chants of his name from the blacked-out sellout crowd.

Flower power

In another sign that this city has turned back its clocks a decade, Marc-Andre Fleury is in town, signing autographs for adoring Penguins fans and ready to take the net at Consol Ener– er, uh … PPG Paints Arena.

Fleury, of course, now plays for the Minnesota Wild. They’re tied for first place in their division and play at 7 p.m. Thursday against the Penguins, who are in a desperate scramble for one of two available wild-cards spots in the Eastern Conference.

Fleury was captured among a horde of people — many of whom wearing Penguins caps or shirts — on Fifth Avenue early Wednesday evening. A post to the Twitter account for Bally Sports North shared the photo of Fleury outside the Fairmont hotel where the Wild are apparently staying.

Tomorrow night Marc-Andre Fleury will be in net for the #mnwild

Tonight he is signing memorabilia for a large group of Penguins ???? fans outside our hotel. pic.twitter.com/F5Zi9c6hNW

— Kevin Gorg (@Gorgamatic21) April 5, 2023

With four games to play for all teams involved, the Penguins have 86 points, one behind both the Florida Panthers and New York Islanders in the wild-card race. The Penguins, who have lost eight of their past 12, will lose tiebreakers to both teams.

Minnesota is coming off a home-and-home sweep at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights but had won five of six prior to that.

Fleury, 38, has been splitting time with Filip Gustavsson (another former Penguins draft pick) but reportedly will start Thursday against the Penguins, who have had their goaltending issues. Fleury, who of course the Penguins gave a second-round pick to the Golden Knights to compel them to take him in the 2017 expansion draft, is 24-14-4 with a 2.82 goals-against average and .910 save percentage this season.

The Penguins rank 20th in the NHL with a 3.24 GAA and 14th with a .906 save percentage.

Fleury has faced the Penguins seven times since parting ways with the team, including three starts in Pittsburgh: losses Feb. 6, 2018 (with Vegas) and Oct. 16, 2021 (with the Chicago Blackhawks) and a Golden Knights win Oct. 19, 2019.

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No Kaprizov

At least the Penguins won’t have to deal with Wild star Kirill Kaprizov. Although he will return to action soon, it won’t be Thursday.

An 108-point scorer last season, Kaprizov has 39 goals and 35 assists in 69 games this season but has not played since March 8 because of a lower-body injury.

Also, for those who are scoreboard-watching Thursday: The Panthers host the Ottawa Senators, and the Islanders host the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Clemente card

Meanwhile, if you’re a big enough fan of the Pirates — and you have an extra million dollars or two — a collectible from the team’s prior and more prominent glory days is available at auction.

On the block is a rare 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente rookie card via the spring auction from Robert Edward Auctions that opened Thursday. According to the company, this particular Clemente card is one of only 12 to have been graded as “MINT 9” by the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) service.

Previous versions of the card graded this well have sold for $1.05 million and $1.07 million, so this auction is expected to fetch an even higher price.

The Clemente rookie card is the headliner, but there are several other Pittsburgh sports items up for bid, including a Clemente 1957 card, a Terry Bradshaw rookie card, a Honus Wagner signed baseball and other team-signed Pirates balls from decades ago.