PNC Park

Pittsburgh Pirates, National League
9/10

 

The Facade was not actually redbrick, but was not easy to get a good picture of....

The ballpark is pointing AT downtown! Makes for an unbelievable view. Possibly the best I've seen so far.

PNC looks surprisingly normal from the outside in however.....

Bonus shot: The park sits on the shore of the Allegheny River, just across the Roberto Clemente bridge.

I came through Pittsburgh for the first time as part of my May 2017 loop that saw me go basically from Calgary toWashington DC and back. I had come in from Nashville after seeing a game there the previous night. I ended up getting a hotwire hotel about 3 or 4 blocks from the ballpark, dropped the car and walked over.

PNC Park is located right next to the Allegheny river, a few blocks from the NFL’s Steelers at Heinz Field. A boardwalk goes by the outside it’s possible for homerun balls to make it into the river, especially on a bounce. The park is very open looking out from home plate and has an unbeleivable view of the downtown skyline, which is VERY close. This is easily one of the top 3 backdrops in the majors, which only St. Louis and San Francisco can compare to in my opinion (and only from the upper deck at both of them). The stadium has a lot of concourse that the game can be viewed from, including a series of ramps from to the third deck on the left field side.


Concession was good but a slight bit pricier than I might have liked. I ended up with a gyro or something if I remember correctly. It seemed pretty good overall, with lots of offerings.

Atmosphere was a big positive of this place. It was a Friday night home game against the Mets, with Jacob Degrom starting for them. The local fans(and a good crowd for the Mets) were into the game, but avoided going totally crazy. I ended up speaking with length to a retired middle manager for US Air, who filled me in on all things sporting and Pittsburgh.There was a younger crowd, because of a post-game concert, I'm pretty sure it was Flo-Rida.

Overall, a really good night. I was expecting good things, after seeing what others had to say, but experiencing for myself, I was still surprised. A good facility in a great location, with a good fanbase and some above average food means this place would be a solid 9 in my book, bordering on 10. The only downside is that I’m not sure when I’ll be able to make it back.

Linescore:

2017-05-26
                              123   456  789  R H E
New York (NL)          012  023  000  8 12 0
Pittsburgh                000  100  000  1 6 0
Temp: 69F Time: 2:57 Att: 29,408