Pirates Opening Day sights and sounds
Warm temperatures. A touch of sun. Tailgates. Baseball.
Opening Day has arrived in Pittsburgh.
Fans made their way down to the North Shore Tuesday afternoon hours before the 4:12 p.m. scheduled first pitch against the Chicago Cubs. Some were hopeful. Some were realistic. Others hoped for a .500 record.
Pitcher’s parents
Sue and Andy Bednar had set up a massive tailgate outside of PNC Park by 12:30 p.m. to prepare for the home opener.
The proud parents of pitcher David Bednar said they hope to be at all of the games this year to support their son and his teammates.
“It’s amazing to just be able to drive 20 minutes and see him at work,” Sue Bednar said.
She was thrilled to see fans congregating in droves after covid-19 had disrupted traditions like tailgating, she said, calling the atmosphere around the ballfield this year “more normal.”
Sue and Andy Bednar, parents of pitcher David Bednar, said they’re excited to see the fans coming out to support the team today.
“This would be wonderful, to get this fan support all year. It’s always fun,” Sue Bednar said. pic.twitter.com/tXmnCDQ5vi
— Julia Felton (@JuliaFelton16) April 12, 2022
Bednar said she’s grateful for the fans who support her son and the rest of the team, and she said she’s hoping to see the fans continue showing enthusiasm and support all season.
“This would be wonderful, to get this fan support all year,” she said.
While Bednar jerseys were prevalent at their tailgate, Ke’Bryan Hayes seemed to be generating plenty of excitement among other fans.
Maddox Bush, of Latrobe, was at the game with several friends who like to watch the games together. It’s their first time at a home opener.
They all said Hayes is who they’re most excited to see. Bush was donning an autographed jersey.
Southern Tier Brewing Co. on the North Shore is happening on Pirates Opening Day ⚾️???? pic.twitter.com/Gy6lRPhCtT
— JoAnne Harrop (@joannescoop) April 12, 2022
That’s also who Zach Haigis of North Huntington was most excited to see, as he tailgated ahead of his 12th home opener.
As a Pirates fan, he said, there have been some rough seasons, but he always roots for the home team.
“We’re always hopeful as Pirate fans. Every season, that’s why opening day is special – because there’s hope,” he said.
Aaron Suter, 24, of Ruffs Dale, sported a “412” shirt. He entered the ballpark hoping for a good game and a good season.
“I am here because it’s about supporting our team,” he said. “I hope they win a World Series in my lifetime.”
1st home opener
Jennifer McClintock, who made the trip from Oberlin, Ohio, said she’ll never give up hope for the Pirates.
“I’m a fan through and through,” she said. “I’ll root for them no matter what.”
Her great-grandmother sparked her love for the Pirates when she was a young child, McClintock said, and that passion never faded.
She’s traveled to see the Pirates at nearly every Major League Baseball stadium, she said, and she’s even gone to All-Star games.
But today is her first home opener.
“I’ve never been to an opening day, but the weather is perfect,” she said.
Her hope for the season is to see the team reach a .500 record.
It was the first game for Harper 8, of Brookline. She was with her mom Jennifer Baker, of Brookline, and Baker’s nephew Seamus Flanagan of Mt. Lebanon who is an 8th grader. They were hanging out in the newly refurbished outfield section at PNC Park.
The Pirates removed some seats and created more open space and added tables and drink rails.
“We love it out here,” Baker said. “You can see everything out here. There is plenty of space to meet friends and get something to eat and just enjoy a baseball game.”
Made a new friend
Lance McFadden, of the North Side, and his friend Kurt McConnell, from Penn Hills, invited a homeless man named Pat to the Pirates home opener on Tuesday at PNC Park on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
“That’s what Pittsburghers do,” said McFadden. “There is such a great vibe on Opening Day. It’s magical. We know we don’t have the best team, but it’s about being here all together and it’s about hope for a new season.”
Not only did the two get Pat into the game they bought him a beer from the new market area near the bullpen in the outfield.
“We didn’t want the ticket to go to waste so we invited Pat,” said McConnell. “This part of the ballpark is amazing. It’s so much fun out here. And we wanted Pat to enjoy it too.”
Tailgating loyalists
Roommates Justice Seeker, 27, and Steven Murcko, 25, both of Slippery Rock, said they are two of the most loyal Pirates fans. They tailgated outside the D.L. Clark Building.
“This is our year to be National League champions,” said Seeker, who was wearing a Bryan Reynolds shirt. “We come here all the time even when the Pirates are 20-40. This is our team.”
They agreed the signing of third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes is the start of something good for the Pirates.
First pitch on Pirates Opening Day in the 412 at 4:12 on 4/12 pic.twitter.com/vakWz1ejSx
— JoAnne Harrop (@joannescoop) April 12, 2022
“He is just the beginning and next we will sign Reynolds,” said Murcko. “We heard Bob Nutting said on the radio that signing Hayes was the first step.”
Festive atmosphere
The atmosphere certainly was festive at Shorty’s Pins x Pints, which opened at 11 a.m.
“It’s been crowded ever since,” bar manager John Dynia Jr. said. “It’s been exciting to see all the people dressed in black and gold.”
The North Shore Drive venue offers duckpin bowling and arcade-style games in addition to food and beverages.
“We’ve had people from strollers to wheelchairs,” Dynia said. “It’s an overall great community day, and there’s no other feeling like Opening Day.”
Another Opening Day took place yesterday. Gus & Yiayia’s ice ball stand on the North Side is back for an 88th season. Owner Gus Kalaris said his business does well after the baseball game is over.
“When people are heading to the game they are usually running late so they have no time to stop and get an ice ball,” he said. “They have more time after the game.”
‘Always a good time’
Nate Wright of Bethel Park said being a lifelong Pirates fan makes him a “glutton for punishment.”
“This year is going to be a retooling year,” he said.
Young players like Hayes, however, give him some hope for the Pirates’ future.
“Seeing all the young guys, hopefully they’ll be able to grow and develop,” Wright said.
Though he doesn’t have championship aspirations for this season, Wright predicted the team would win the home opener in extra innings.
Wright, a season ticket holder, said he’s been a Pirates fan his whole life and went to the past 10 openers, sans a year interrupted by the pandemic. He jumped from tailgate to tailgate before the game, making new friends who share his love of the game.
Destiny Cambio and Rick Fec, of Oakland, said they enjoy home openers because of the atmosphere and the extra crowds. This is the third year in a row they’ve been at the home opener.
“We were born in Pittsburgh, so we always root for the black and gold,” Fec said. “It’s always a good time.”
Cambio said she’s hopeful that this season goes better than recent seasons.
All in the family
Rev. Nick Vaskov, director of the Shrines of Pittsburgh for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, was attending his first Opening Day. He was with his dad Gene Vaskov, his sister Tia Sheridan and her husband Tom and their children Mac, 6, and Anna, 4.
“I am always hopeful,” said Nick Vaskov. “And extra hopeful because it’s Easter week. Plus, it’s always good to be at this beautiful ballpark.”
The Renegades
The Renegades of the Rotunda were back in their usual spot – the top of the rotunda. Captain of the group, Chris Miller, said it is great to be back to a normal Opening Day. They’ve added more members this season.
“Opening Day is like wearing an old shoe,” said Miller of Brackenridge. “It just feels right.”
Taking in the view
Pittsburgh musician Joe Grushecky sang the national anthem.
Actor Joe Manganiello, a Mt. Lebanon native and Carnegie Mellon graduate, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
“It’s beautiful,” Eric Perkin said from his seat behind home plate.
Perkin and his friend Vincent Napolitano are from New Jersey. They scored tickets to the Pirates game while working in the region.
“The view’s great,” Perkin said.
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