On October 1, 2013, the greatest game in PNC Park history was played before a sold-out crowd. The Pirates had not seen a playoff series since 1992 when they lost, in heartbreaking fashion, to the Atlanta Braves in seven games. The city of Pittsburgh and the beleaguered fanbase needed hope to be restored; 20 losing seasons left many young fans not knowing what a winning season felt like. But before we get into the game itself, how did we get to that most magical night on the North Shore of Pittsburgh?

November 30, 2012, the Pirates signed Russell Martin to a two-year contract. They followed that up by signing a little-known player named Jason Grilli who, up to that point, had been a pitcher with mostly poor results to date. They followed that up with a move that angered the fan base, trading two-time All-Star Joel Hanrahan as well as infielder Brock Holt to the Red Sox for Mark Melancon and a trio of guys who never really played in Pittsburgh. The Pirates finished off their offseason acquisitions on February 8, 2013, signing Francisco Liriano to a multi-year contract (The last multi-year free agent contract to be handed out to date). The Pirates started out 1-5 over the first six games of the 2013 season; however, by the end of April, they were 15-12. By the All-Star break, they were 56-37 and one game off the pace in the NLC. The Pirates also had five All-Stars with Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Jeff Locke, Jason Grilli, and Mark Melancon. At the end of July, they were 65-42 and 2.5 games up in the division. The end of Augst saw them at 79-56 and holding a 1-game lead. A 15-12 finish to the season saw them finish at 94-68 3 games out of the division but as the host for the brand-new Wild Card play-in game.

The feeling outside of PNC Park on that mild October night was electric, to say the very least. It was a clear night with a game-time temperature of 69 degrees, but it felt much warmer with PNC packed to the bursting point. Officially, there were 40,487 folks in attendance that night, but the roar of the crowd made it sound ten times that number. Liriano got the start, pitching a perfect 1st and 2nd innings. The magic started in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Marlon Byrd took Johnny Cueto deep on a 2-1 pitch to take a 1-0 lead. PNC Park exploded! Even a line out by Pedro Alvarez could not dampen the euphoria that had overtaken the ballpark. Then this happened.

Pandemonium. There is no better word to describe the scene in PNC after Martin’s home run. The fans, to their credit, kept that new level of excitement through the rest of the game. The Pirates, to their much-deserved credit, did as well winning the game 6-2. Sadly, they would go on to lose to the Cardinals in 5 games in the NLDS. But the wick had already been lit, Baseball was back in Pittsburgh.
The Pirates would play in the next two Wild Card games both of which were held at PNC. Both years the Pirates would run into buzzsaws by the names of Madison Bumgarner and Jake Arrieta. Bumgarner would embarrass the Pirates with a 4-hit complete game as the San Fransisco Giants went on to win the World Series. Jake Arrieta would do the same thing the following year, though while giving up 5 hits to the Pirates. Arrieta would go on to win the Cy Young that year and finish 6th for the MVP. Fortunately, the Cubs would get swept by the New York Mets in the NLCS. Unfortunately for the Pirates, they wouldn’t make the playoffs again over the next eight years, managing only one winning season. Clint Hurdle who had overseen the Pirates resurgence was replaced with Derek Shelton and the Dark Days of baseball purgatory returned to Pittsburgh.

The 10-year anniversary of the Greatest Game at PNC came and went in 2023. There was no playoff game, there was no fanfare, there was nothing to mark that magical night. However, 2023 might be a turning point for the Pirates. They were the hottest team in baseball in April and played very well down the stretch including big months for Jared Triolo and Ke’Bryan Hayes. They ended up finishing 4th in the division but also managed to have their highest attendance total since 2017. The offseason had its ups and downs; they extended Mitch Keller and added Michael A. Taylor, Yasmani Grandal, Domingo German, Rowdy Tellez, Edward Olivares, Martin Perez, and Marco Gonzales. However, fans appear to be annoyed that they did not do more to address the starting pitcher position. They still could with pitchers like Michael Lorenzen and Jordan Montgomery remaining available, though they appear to be done with their free agent adds at the moment after Taylor and German. Regardless of whether they are done adding free agents or not, there is something in the air that has not been there for most of the last decade: optimism. Paul Skenes looks to be every bit as good as advertised, and the best homegrown pitcher since Gerrit Cole. Furthermore, Jared Jones has been dominant this spring and looks certain for a rotation spot to start the season. Add that to a top-rated farm system, as well as five prospects on the MLB top 100, there is much to be hopeful about. Also, while it doesn’t count for anything the Pirates lead ST teams in home runs, clobbering 46 through 25 games played. Oneil Cruz appears to be fully recovered from his surgery. Hayes appears ready to add offensive hardware to the defensive ones he has already earned. Henry Davis appears to be showing folks why he was taken 1st overall. Termarr Johnson showed fans what he is capable of doing, causing some to be borderline delusional about when he will be in Pittsburgh. To top it all off, we have Andrew McCutchen sitting on 299 home runs. The 2013 MVP is not only a fan favorite but also a five-time All-Star who appears to love the city of Pittsburgh as much as the Pirate fans love him.

Baseball season is back. Opening Day for the Pirates is 3/28/24 with the Home Opener on 4/5/24. It is time for excitement to return. It is time for fans to get over their hatred for the Pirates owner. The team believes in itself and it’s time for the fans to join them. Pack the park on opening day, pack the park the next day, and the day after that. Yell, scream, and cheer until your voice goes hoarse. Bring pandemonium back to PNC Park. Turn home games into scenes of bedlam. Make opposing teams afraid to come to the top-rated ballpark in all of the games. We made Cueto tremble back in 2013, it is time to make our rivals feel that fear once again. Pirate’s fans! Hoist the Colors! And prepare to Raise the Jolly Roger!