Demilio: All the Obscure Pirates Jerseys I Saw at PNC Park This Year
One of the things I started doing while covering games at PNC Park the last few years is keeping track of all the random and obscure jerseys I see fans wearing.
During the national anthem, the seventh inning stretch or while walking the concourses during some down time, I always look around to see if any jerseys catch my eye.
Pirate fans did not disappoint this season.
From a former base coach, to a player who never actually suited up for the Pirates in the regular season, to someone I truthfully was unfamiliar with, here is the final list I compiled for the 2025 season.
Manny Bañuelos
Bañuelos pitched in 31 games out of the bullpen for the Pirates in 2022 and went 2-1 with a 4.96 ERA. At the end of the season, he was the only left-handed pitcher on the 40-man roster. Bañuelos made 58 appearances across three seasons between the Pirates, Braves, White Sox and Yankees.
Phillip Evans
Evans made his Pirates debut in 2020 and hit .359 with a .932 OPS and nine RBI in 11 games that season. He totaled 76 games with Pittsburgh the following season but a scary collision with outfielder Gregory Polanco halted his season.
Luke Maile
Maile signed as a free agent in the 2019-20 offseason but never actually suited up for the Pirates during the 2020 season, but someone in a game at PNC Park this year had his spring training jersey on. Talk about dedication! The 34-year-old has played in 25 games for the Kansas City Royals this season.
Lastings Milledge
Milledge, a first-round pick of the New York Mets in 2003, was acquired by the Pirates along with Joel Hanrahan in 2009 and played 171 games with Pittsburgh from 2009-10. He hit .282 with a .718 OPS while part of the black and gold.
Nick Leyva
Coach alert! Leyva served as both first base and third base coach during his tenure with the Pirates under former manager Clint Hurdle.
Mike Morse
Morse played a total of 51 games with the Pirates — 45 of which came during the 2015 season. His lone Pirate home run was a pinch-hit grand slam against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park
Gift Ngoepe
Ngoepe became the first person from Africa to ever play in a Major League Baseball game when he made his debut with the Pirates in 2017. He hit .222 and posted a 0.4 bWAR in 22 games that season.
Ryan Doumit
Some of my earliest memories watching the Pirates as a kid involve the teams Doumit was a player on early in his career. Doumit played seven years with Pittsburgh in his 10-year career and hit .271 with a .777 OPS, 67 home runs and 266 RBI. A pretty solid career, but I can’t say I’ve seen too many of his jerseys before.
Vance Worley
The Vanimal! Worley was on the Pirates’ teams that went to the postseason two years in a row from 2014-15. He went 12-10 with a 3.31 ERA in 41 appearances/25 starts during his career with Pittsburgh. He was spotted in a game at PNC Park this season, but I promise he was not the one wearing his jersey.
Michael Pérez
Pérez played parts of two seasons in Pittsburgh and hit .145 with a .516 in 109 games. While he didn’t show much offensively, he did for one night at least. On June 30, 2022, Pérez belted three home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park. Three different Pirates had three-homer games that month (Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski).
Rich Aude
Hand up. When I saw a No. 48 Aude jersey in the 300-level behind home plate this season, I had to look up who it was. Apologies to Mr. Aude. But the 1989 second-round draft pick played 62 games across three seasons with the Pirates (1993, 95-96). His brother, Dave, is a DJ and has produced for Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and others.
Chad Hermansen
Hermansen was the Pirates’ first-round pick (10th overall) in 1995. His big-league career spanned six seasons, four of which came with Pittsburgh. He was once described as someone who could “walk on water” by one of his minor league managers.
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