By Tim Benz
April 2, 2018
Pittsburgh Pirates' Colin Moran follows through on a grand slam off Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Lance Lynn in the first inning of the Pirates' home opener baseball game in Pittsburgh, Monday, April 2, 2018.(Gene J. Puskar/AP)
Could we pretend it was just a midseason game?
Decent crowd. Playoff opponent. No errors. Jameson Taillon pitched shutout ball through five innings, matching a career high with nine strikeouts. The new guy at third base even hit a grand slam!
A solid 5-4 win over Minnesota. A good day at the park for the Buccos, n'at.
We can't do that though, can we?
It was opening day at home for the Pirates. Opening day is always supposed to be better than just "solid."
PNC Park is still the crown jewel of new stadiums. And it shouldn't have been a "decent crowd." There should have been a sellout to celebrate its 18th anniversary. Not the lowest opening-day total since 1982.
The attendance for the #Pirates home opener (30,186) is their lowest ever at PNC Park and lowest since April 16, 1982, when they drew 28,985 for a 7-6 win over the Cubs in 12 innings (Enrique Romo was the WP). Previous low was 34,114 on April 17, 1984, a 4-1 loss to Phillies.
On Monday, the announced attendance was 30,186.
If that was "tickets sold," it looked to be much less than that in the seats. Maybe former Pitt AD Steve Pederson has returned to town.
Regardless of the Pirates' ineptitude for the better part of three decades, opening day is always one of the biggest party days of the year in this city.
This year the tone was more like, "It's opening day. Should we go? Do you think?"
The opener always should be sun-splashed and warm. Not gray and cold. Scalpers weren't supposed to be pleading to give up tickets, and fans weren't supposed be handing out anti-Nutting bags for people to wear on their heads.
That was the unavoidable backdrop for home game No. 1 of the 2018 season on the North Shore, however. The die was cast by an offseason fire sale of star players and a failure to address any of the holes with top-flight prospects or recognizable free agents.
Regardless of how well the Pirates played, this day was never going to be a celebration. It was always going to be an obligation.
An obligation of those remaining fans to adhere to a sense of tradition or unwavering loyalty to the logo and the sport — even if they now resent those individuals who are in charge of those things in their city.
In a normal year, a 4-0 start for the Pirates would be reason for some to act like the World Series was forthcoming.
Indeed, this spring the Pirates are going to need to do a little bit more heavy lifting before the actual baseball interest catches up.
Much like the calendar failing to kickstart optimism and annual pangs of baseball nostalgia on its own, more than a token quick burst in April will be needed to see an uptick regarding on-field enthusiasm.
I will say this for Monday's win and the Pirates' unbeaten start, though: Keep in mind the opponents were the Twins.
For all the perceived manure shoveling done by the front office this year to soften fan outrage, one thing that made sense was Neal Huntington's comparison to Minnesota.
It was his belief that if things coalesced the right way, these Pirates could be like the Twins of last year.
I didn't believe it at the time . And pardon me if after four games I'm still skeptical that such a surge in the standings could happen.
Yet, Huntington's premise is understandable. If the Pirates are to be competitive, they are going to have to do it like Minnesota in 2017: have a payroll well below league average where a lot goes right for you and a lot goes wrong for other teams in your division, if not your whole league.
Then maybe you can be on the bubble of .500 and sneak into the playoffs like Minnesota did as an 85-win wild card.
"They are an exciting team. Good line up," Taillon said after his win. "Some home-grown players that are stepping up and doing their thing. Just like them, it falls on us young guys. We need to do our jobs."
Since coming north, the Pirates have won in a variety of ways. Blowing a lead then coming back to win on opening day in Detroit. Clinging to a lead for the home-opening victory. Winning 1-0 sandwiched between 13-10 and 8-6 scores versus the Tigers.
"Whatever it takes. Just come together," first baseman Josh Bell said. "Whether it's pitching or a big at-bat. Like today. Have a big at-bat (Colin Moran's grand slam). Then our pitching shuts the door."
Before we take this comparison too far, I do question who the Brian Doziers, Miguel Sanoses, and Joe Mauers of this Pirates team might be.
If those guys don't emerge like they did in Minnesota, winning so many close games in erratic ways will be a life short lived for the 2018 Pirates. It's awfully ambitious to assume that existence will be sustainable for six months.
And let's be honest: No Pirates fan will be willing to assume that. But they might be willing to be convinced.
Over time. Lots of time.
Which at this point only makes sense.
Tim Benz hosts the Steelers pregame show on WDVE and ESPN Pittsburgh. He is a regular host/contributor on KDKA-TV and 105.9 FM.
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