Pirates Gifted Another Chance to Make Good Impression But Familiar Jeers Take Over

PITTSBURGH — For the first time all season, there was a noticeable buzz at PNC Park to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Fans lined up hours in advance of first pitch to receive a Paul Skenes bobblehead. The first 20,000 fans in attendance were scheduled to get one, but the Pirates announced those who did not receive one would get an electronic voucher to get one at a later time.

Not only was there a Skenes bobblehead giveaway, but the Pirates’ ace was on the mound, adding to the appeal that drew 37,713 fans to the North Shore of Pittsburgh on a beautiful Saturday.

It’s rare for the Pirates to get a crowd anywhere near that size of late.

As expected, the Pirates drew a sellout crowd for their home opener against the Yankees earlier in the month. But between poor play, bad weather and a disgruntled fanbase, the Pirates had the worst attendance in the National League entering play. 183,251 fans entered the gates of PNC Park on the season, an average of 16,659 per game.

With everything aligned to fill the stadium, the Pirates had the rare opportunity to provide fans with at least a heightened level of enthusiasm.

But the excitement that was apparent pregame quickly turned sour and became clear frustration by the end of the game.

Skenes, as he has done so often, delivered a strong start, but the offense couldn’t get anything going as the Pirates were defeated 3-0 by the Cleveland Guardians, falling to 8-14 on the season.

“Our goal is to win games. Losing sucks,” third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes explained. “So just wanting to win games, win series. That’s what it’s going to take to get where we need to be at. It sucks whenever you lose.”

As its done for much of the season, the Pirates were searching for answers at the plate but couldn’t come away with anything. They had their chances but to no avail.

“When you go (0 for 8) with runners in scoring position, it’s extremely frustrating,” said manager Derek Shelton.

There were reasons for fans to cheer early. A 4-6-3 double play ended a Guardians’ threat in the top of the first. Skenes recorded his first strikeout in the second, and the fans reacted accordingly.

After Skenes walked off the mound in the sixth inning, those in attendance made clear their appreciation for his efforts.

But in the bottom of the sixth inning, the mood flipped faster than a light switch.

The Pirates loaded the bases on an Oneil Cruz leadoff walk, which preceded a Bryan Reynolds single and an Enmanuel Valdez walk with one out.

The expectation was the Pirates would AT LEAST tie the game.

Instead, Tommy Pham, who hit fifth despite a .136 batting average entering play, bounced into an inning-ending double play.

Boos rained down like a familiar Pittsburgh shower so often seen in spring.

To make matters worse, Guardians designated hitter Kyle Manzardo ambushed Skenes’ first pitch in the top of the seventh inning and disposed of it in the Allegheny River for a home run. A familiar jeer ensued.

Chants of “sell the team” rang out. Those chants continued again in the eighth and ninth innings when it was clear the two-run, and eventually three-run advantage for the Guardians was insurmountable.

When the final out was recorded in the ninth, there were more boos.

This felt like the Pirates’ last chance to make a good impression in front of their home crowd this year.

Everything aligned. A bobblehead of a superstar, who just so happened to be that day’s starting pitcher and delivered a performance more than worthy of a win.

Instead, the biggest takeaway was how loud “sell the team” chants get with a full house.

“Yeah, I mean, they care,” Paul Skenes said of the frustrated fans. “We’ve gotta play better.”