Seating capacity: 38,365
Cost to Build: $262 Million
First Game: April 9th, 2001
Dimensions: Left field foul pole: 325 feet - Left-center: 389 feet
Deep left-center field: 410 feet - Center field: 399 feet
RF power alley: 375 feet - Right field foul pole: 320
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It’s somewhat of a pity that the Pirates baseball club currently does not field a little better team to show off the beautiful ballpark they play in. PNC PARK is just about perfect. Despite the team’s lowly status, there is still plenty of baseball atmosphere here - and the breezes that swirl about off the Allegheny river on most summer nights really make for a warm and comfortable ballgame experience.
When walking over the Roberto Clemente Bridge to PNC Park (And back from it – after the game) you get a really sensational open concept view of the park.
And since the Pirates are not exactly lighting the world on fire these days – pretty good seats can be bought for nearly any game you’d like.
In fact - Steel Town would make for a fantastic destination for a spontaneous road trip, because even if you head to Pittsburgh with NO tickets in hand - many good tickets should be available for most games at the parks box offices for the day you decide to go.
The last time we visited PNC Park we took in a Pirates VS Nationals game. Okay - not exactly a Yankees VS Red Sox rivalry.
But because the tickets weren’t in high demand we bought 3 baseline box seats about 10 rows off the field for $26 bucks apiece. Nevermind the product on the field - just witnessing PNC Park was worth the twenty-six bucks to us.
Note: We got a real kick out of one consessions vendor who all night screeched out – LEMON- AAAAAAAAAAAADE!!!!!!! He sounded like he could have been Randy Macho Man Savages father. It’s these unexpected nuances that can sometimes make going to a ballgame all the more intriguing.
The food at PNC Park is really quite good as well, but here’s another viewpoint that mentions the grub.
Another View:
PNC Park is one of my favorite parks to visit. With the stadium located next to the Allegheny River , the view is spectacular. The atmosphere inside the stadium is decent, but the food is amazing.
Pittsburgh is home to the great Primanti’s sandwich - and the ones you get in the stadium are so delicious. How could anyone not like a sandwich stuffed with fries and coleslaw? The coolest thing to see at PNC is watching a guy hit a bomb into the river. I’ve only saw it once, but boy is it cool when you see someone launch a ball into the night sky, and even though you can’t actually see it land in the river, you know it did, so you envision it.
That is something that you just have to see first hand.
I also enjoy the food race the Pirates have in the middle of their games. It’s similar to the ones in Milwaukee , except the Pirates race 4 pirogues, not 4 sausages. It’s pretty amusing to watch them race around the stadium; especially for children.
I was also at a game where the Cardinals were in town, and the great Albert Pujols was about ten feet away from me signing autographs. I couldn’t get in close enough to get one, but I was in ah of the great beast. That’s pretty much it for my PNC Park experiences. I just hope there’s more to come in the future.
Ryan - Tecumseh , Ontario
Well there you have it. PNC PARK is a definite winner - and it should be noted that there are ALL kinds of promos throughout the year to try and drum up additional ticket sales.
If you want to check out when the Pirates Bobblehead promotions are - just click on over to the “Bobblehead Daze” 2009 SGA Schedule.
Sharks Parks Rating:
Atmosphere/Fans- 4
Concessions/Food- 5
Prices/Value- 5
Overall Rating- 4.5
Thanks for the memento Mr. Morris – Your simple gesture helped make a young boys summer that year even more magical!
The cab ride from our “Flamingo” hotel (Which is located in the heart of The Strip) was around $20 bucks, and we’d purchased tickets online for $13 bucks each - so comparatively - when you could head over to see the “brilliance” of Carrot Top at the Luxor - and pay a minimum of $49.95 a seat – to watch a some freak pull crap out of trunks while making bad puns - it’s not a bad deal!
In fact – and this is rare that we’d ever suggest this – you may want to consider purchasing tickets that are a little further back from the field, shaded from the blazing Sin City sun. You may even be lucky enough to land a spot that is near the overhead “misters” that are placed on the edges of the parks overhang.
