In this series I will review baseball stadiums that I have attended games at. Some will be minor league, while others will be major league stadiums. One of my hobbies is going to different ballparks around the country, so I figured I may as well review them on here and share my experiences. For each review, I will cover the stadium, scenery, location, and the atmosphere. The very first one I have chosen to review is the beautiful PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

PNC Park

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Home of the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Stadium

The stadium is relatively new, opening in 2001, and because of this, is very modern-looking and beautiful. The outside of the stadium is made of very light brown limestone, which is different from just about every other ballpark in a nice way. Just outside the home plate entrance to the stadium is a statue of the greatest shortstop of all time, Honus Wagner, which is very cool to see and get pictures with. They also have statues of the greats Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Bill Mazeroski outside the stadium. Once you walk inside you are overcome with beauty in almost every way possible. One of those ways is the view, but we’ll get to that. With just over 38,000 seats, the ballpark has a very intimate feel where you’re close to the action. There’s also not a bad seat in the house, with the upper deck being one of the lowest sitting upper decks in the major leagues. The stadium is very open, which is nice for all fans, allowing for those spectacular views of the surrounding area.

Score: 5/5

The Scenery

When it comes to scenery, it doesn’t get any better than PNC Park. I’ve never been to AT&T Park in San Francisco, and imagine it could rival PNC, but have a tough time believing it could get any better. And don’t just take my word for it. Read ballpark reviews from anybody, or listen to major television network baseball announcers every time they cover a game in Pittsburgh: it is absolutely beautiful. The ballpark sits right on the Alleghany River, providing views of the river, the “famous yellow bridges” that cross the river, and the beautiful downtown views on the other side. You can watch boats go by during the game and walk to and from downtown across one of those yellow bridges, the Roberto Clemente bridge. Off into the distance beyond left field you can take in the view of the Alleghany Mountains with houses nestled on the hillsides. When it comes to scenery, this ballpark has it all: water, downtown views, and mountains. It’s one of those ballparks that when the game is over, you hate to get up and leave because the scenery is that special.

Score: 5/5

Location

The location for PNC Park is ideal for several reasons. First, it lends to the excellent views from inside the stadium that I’ve already covered. You’ve got the ultimate backdrop with mountains, a major river, and a picturesque downtown. Next, there are plenty of restaurants and bars right by the ballpark for fans who are looking to get a bite to eat, or a drink, before and after games. There are also plenty of hotels right by the ballpark, perfect for fans who want to walk to and from the games. Lastly, PNC Park shares a huge parking lot with neighboring Heinz Field (home of the Pittsburgh Steelers) where fans flock to tailgate. The long line of tailgaters leading up to the ballpark creates a perfect pre-game atmosphere. If you have time to kill before the game, you can walk along the street that connects PNC Park and Heinz Field to visit fan shops and even check out the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers fan shop just inside the stadium is usually open for anyone to go check out.

Score: 5/5

Atmosphere

After a perfect score so far, this is where I have to dock PNC Park a few points. Through no fault of the ballpark itself, the baseball fans in Pittsburgh are very casual (with the exception of when they occasionally make it into the playoffs). Though the Pirates have five World Series championships in franchise history, they haven’t won one since 1979, and that plays a major factor into fan casualness. The last division title they’ve won was in 1992, so Pirates fans seem to have accepted the team’s failures and you can tell that while attending a game. That isn’t to say there aren’t fans there who are really involved in the game, but as a whole, going to a Pirates game is like going to a Triple-A game with more fans. The atmosphere is very laid back where fans come out just to enjoy a nice summer night at the park, and winning and losing doesn’t weigh too heavily. It’s the total opposite down the street at Heinz Field when football is in town. While the atmosphere is not great, it certainly isn’t bad. The stadium gets fairly close to filling up, with plenty of Pirate supporters who actually know plenty about baseball.

Score: 2/5

Final Words

I would definitely recommend a trip to PNC Park to anyone, even if they aren’t a baseball fan. With the laid-back atmosphere, it’s actually a perfect place for non-baseball fans to go if they want to check out a game. The stunning views are worth the price of admission, and you can claim you’ve attended the most scenic ballpark in the major leagues. Make sure to bring your camera and take plenty of photos and videos to share. My advice would be to get seats in the upper deck right behind home plate. Not only are they pretty cheap tickets, but they provide the best seats in the stadium because of their elevation. Everything that makes the scenery so beautiful is enhanced from there, and you are still close enough to the action to where you feel like you’re part of the game.

Final Score: 17/20

Garett

Ballpark Review: PNC Park