by Don Laible

Twenty-five years after PNC Park swung open its gates for the first time, Pittsburgh still has the most beautiful MLB ballpark.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2025 season is in the books. As management works to improve the roster during the off-season, there is no doubt that there will be some touch-ups in and around the ballpark. But, what a beauty.

I’m a latecomer to PNC Park. Being a native New Yorker, before making my first visit to Pittsburgh during the 2024 season, all I had to go on were images of just what a jewel sat on the North Shore. Pictures in publications and watching Pirates’ home games on TV gave me many reasons to appreciate from afar just what a pleasant place PNC Park is.

Prior to settling in Bradenton, Cooperstown was my haunt. I lived in the area of “The Home of Baseball” for 45 years. If you want a rundown on Doubleday Field, just one block off Main Street, and one block from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, I’m your guy.

After making my inaugural visit to PNC Park, I knew that I would return. Everything about being at a Pirates’ home game is comforting. Lots of space, so there’s no pedestrian blockage from getting to my seat or to the concession stands. It’s clean, has ample staff to offer easy directions for rookie visitors, and the scenery is gorgeous.

During a recent conversation with former Pirate and native Yinzer, John Wehner, it was so refreshing to hear his appreciation for PNC Park.

“It’s absolutely amazing. Before it (PNC Park), I was so used to the cookie-cutter ballparks,” Wehner told The Bradenton Times during a phone conversation on Monday. “When I first stepped inside PNC Park, for the first time in my entire life, I was stunned. I knew it would be nice, but the city never looked better.”

During parts of nine seasons that Wehner played for the Pirates, he had perhaps a better appreciation of the beautiful ballpark on Federal Street than most, due to time spent with the team when they called Three Rivers Stadium home.

Three Rivers, just like Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia and Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, all opened between 1970 and 1971. Artificial turf was the craze back then. So, when the Pirates played their final game at Three Rivers on October 1, 2000, it was goodbye to the carpet and hello to natural grass.

“There were advantages of playing on Astro Turf. But natural grass is much better on the body. If there was one negative about the field when (PNC Park) opened, it was the grass. I didn’t like how long the grass was, and how thick it was. That hurt us offensively,” says Wehner, who hit the final home run at Three Rivers Stadium and grounded into the final out at the former Pirates’ home.

When I visited PNC Park in June 2024, I arrived on a Sunday when the Pirates were on the road in Colorado. With few people on the streets that afternoon, I took a slow walk around the ballpark. The statues of Stargell, Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente, and Bill Mazeroski look fabulous and effectively represent the history of the franchise.

So, when listening to Wehner brag about his hometown ballpark, it is refreshing to hear the fan in him come out.

“(PNC Park) has a backdrop second to none. And when the Pirates moved out of Three Rivers, I was happy to go to a more comfortable clubhouse,” recalls Wehner, who just completed his 21st season as a member of the Pirates’ broadcast team.

Wehner easily offers many happy baseball and football memories of the Pirates and Steelers from the 1970s, while attending games at Three Rivers.

“I grew up there. I took the bus to the stadium. Willie Stargell’s last game and John Milner hitting a walk-off grand slam against the Phillies bring back happy memories. I remember where I sat for so many games.”

Getting opportunities to play for the Pirates at Three Rivers and PNC Park is something that brings out incredible pride in Wehner. Along with the local sports teams, Wehner roots for the City of Pittsburgh. He is proud to point out that so much of the North Shore’s revitalization is a result of PNC Park being built.

“The city looks like something I didn’t think was possible.”

San Francisco’s Oracle Park has McCovey Cove, but PNC Park’s Clemente Bridge, the view of Downtown Pittsburgh, and the Allegheny River to aim for when hitting home runs towards right field is second to none. The fan experience at PNC Park will make first-timers make plans for a repeat visit. Count me in for a second trip to Pittsburgh in 2026.