Inside Pittsburgh Pirates' $237,000,000 PNC Park, a riverfront gem blending timeless charm and modern majesty
The Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the oldest teams in baseball, having been founded in 1881 as the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. Fast forward to now and Pittsburgh has won five World Series and is playing in its sixth stadium, PNC Park.
The Pirates' last World Series win came in 1979 and while it could be argued they have fallen away in recent times, there is room for optimism about the future. This is a franchise that has seen some change on its way to being valued by Forbes at $1.32 billion, so let's take a look at their stadium in more detail.
PNC Park offers a spectacular view for fans in attendance. Pittsburgh's skyline serves as a backdrop for a stadium built on the banks of the Allegheny River, and PNC Park is lauded for its perfect views of the field from every seat.
The stadium has an attendance of 38,747 and took 24 months to build between 1999 and 2001.
Pittsburgh is a city proud of its industrial history and its residents maintain a hard-working, us-against-them mentality that can be best seen in its sports teams. With franchises like the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates all seeing great success in their respective sports via a gritty, determined ethos, this mindset is important in Pittsburgh.
PNC Park was built slightly east of its predecessor, Three Rivers Stadium, and is unique in that it used limestone in its facade. The stadium is valued by Forbes at $237 million.
Expectations for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024
While the stadium is among the best in the MLB, the same can't be said for the team at the present. The Pittsburgh Pirates play in the NL Central and finished the 2023 season with a 76-86 record, which was good for fourth in the division. This, however, was an improvement over the 2022 campaign, when Pittsburgh finished last in the Central with a 62-100 record.
The Pirates have not made the postseason since 2015 when they lost in the Wild Card to the Chicago Cubs. Despite having the 10th-richest owner in the MLB (via Forbes), the team seems to be far from competing for a World Series, which has been a point of concern for fans.
As for 2024, Pittsburgh does not have the pressure of high expectations, which while telling, can be useful.
Rowdy Tellez signed for the Pirates in December 2023, and mentioned the team's tenacity to reporters, which he had experienced first-hand with the Milwaukee Brewers:
“We felt like we were the better team, but we could never close out the series and it was just a battle to the end. I’m excited to be on the Pittsburgh end now, the team that battles and p*sses people off.”
While not many are tipping the team for the postseason in 2024, it will be interesting to see if this historic, never-say-die ethic can push Pittsburgh a bit further next season.