After a few half measures over the opening months of the season, the Pirates have announced their plan to open PNC Park to full capacity beginning in July.
The plan has two phases and will begin June 3. Starting that Thursday, the series opener against the Miami Marlins, PNC Park will be at 55% capacity. This is up from the approximately 25% capacity at which they’ve been operating so far this season. This will include a reduction in social distancing protocols, with groups of fans seated three feet apart as opposed to the six feet required previously.
PNC Park will remain at about 55% capacity for all 12 home games in June. Then, beginning July 1, when the Pirates open a four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers, PNC Park will return to 100% capacity, with all seating restrictions lifted.
The two-phase approach is intended “to allow the Pirates to open the ballpark in the safest manner and extend time for more fans to become fully vaccinated.”
“We are incredibly excited to continue the process of opening PNC Park up to more fans and taking the next important steps toward operating PNC Park at full capacity,” Pirates president Travis Williams said in the announcement. “Summer in Pittsburgh is about enjoying time with friends and family at the ballpark. With the easing of restrictions, this is the perfect time to begin opening the ballpark without limitations and offer the perfect venue to come back together as a community.”
Tickets for the rest of the season will go on sale to the general public next Wednesday, May 26. Presale for season ticket holders will be available beginning May 24, and “Pirates partners, suite holders, group leaders, Pirates.com registered users, social media followers and more” will have “a special opportunity” to get tickets on May 25.
Additionally, season ticket holders will have access to their regular seats when PNC Park opens all the way in July. One facet of early-season rules that will remain unchanged is the method in which fans can buy tickets. The Pirates will continue to deliver tickets to fans digitally through the MLB Ballpark app.
The announcement comes less than a week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that masks were no longer required in public for vaccinated individuals. The Pirates responded by announcing that vaccinated fans would no longer be required to wear face masks, although non-vaccinated fans would.
It is also accompanied by encouragement from the Pirates for “everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”
Pirates deal Poppen, Austin Davis inches toward return
The Pirates also announced Tuesday that they had dealt right-handed reliever Sean Poppen to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations.
Poppen was acquired in October of last year, when the Pirates claimed him off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. He appeared in just three games with the Pirates, throwing two shutout innings in his first outing.
Poppen's last two appearances were a bit more rough, though. In a combined 2⅔ innings, he allowed nine hits, two walks and four earned runs, in addition to three more unearned runs.
Additionally, the Pirates announced that left-handed reliever Austin Davis, who is currently on a rehab assignment, has been transferred from Low-A Bradenton to Class AAA Indianapolis.
The Pirates acquired Davis in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies last season. Davis has appeared in just 3⅔ innings with the Pirates so far, all of them coming last season. He has been absent this year with a sprained left elbow that has held him out since February.
Mike Persak: mpersak@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDPersak
First Published: May 18, 2021, 6:59 p.m.