Pirates Win Against Phillies Sets Season High Attendance
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates set a season high for attendance in their game against the Philadelphia Phillies Friday night at PNC Park.
The Pirates announced a sell-out crowd of 39,530 fans, which is the biggest regular season crowd in 2024, but also the first since April 13, 2015. That game was the home opener against the Detroit Tigers, with 39,333 fans, resulting in a 5-4 win.
Paid attendance for tonight's game is 39,530. That's the biggest regular season crowd since April 13, 2015.
— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) July 20, 2024
There are many reasons for the sellout, which saw a fantastic crowd that got to watch a fantastic game.
The Phillies are the best team in baseball with a 62-35 record and many of their fans live in the area, plus, it's the closest non-rival National League team they face.
The Pirates have played some of their best baseball of the season recently, too. They have won five straight games and seven out of the past eight, putting them at 49-48, the first time they are a game over .500 since they were 13-12 on April 24.
It was also a Zambelli Fireworks night for the fans, so even if there was a poor performance from the Pirates, there would still be something to look forward too
The Pirates went down numerous times, including 3-0, 4-3 and 7-4, but a combination of great bullpen pitching, clutch hitting and base-running led to the comeback.
First baseman Rowdy Tellez set a new Pirates record with three sacrifice flies in the game. Shortstop Oneil Cruz and left fielder Bryan Reynolds both had three hits each, while designated hitter Andrew McCutchen had two hits and walked twice.
Shortstop Nick Gonzales had some crucial groundouts, but his single into left field won the game, putting the Pirates higher up the National League Wild Card Standings.
The Pirates face the Phillies twice more this weekend, on Saturday at 6:40 p.m. and then Sunday at 1:35 p.m.
Pirates right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz faces goes against Phillies All-Star pitcher in southpaw Cristopher Sánchez on Saturday, while Pirates left-hander Marco Gonzales takes on Phillies right-hander Tyler Phillips in the series finale.
DOMINIC CAMPBELL