Opening Day 2023: Our First Major League Opening Day!

BY: MATTHEW PRESLAR

​Yet another example of how the stars align for us…

Due to local minor league ties, the Chicago White Sox are the Major League team we follow the most. Confirmed by our August 2022 visit, PNC Park in Pittsburgh has to be the most beautiful ballpark in the country. Combine all that with school spring break... And that's how we ended up at the Pirates 2023 home opener, with the Pittsburgh Pirates hosting the Chicago White Sox!

And here we go…

To make this visit extra special, we were joined by my sister (Dodgers fan 👎) and our kids who didn’t make our previous trips to the Steel City. It’s always a joy to share our special places with them. It’s also the first major league games I’ve attended with my baby sister. All this made for an extra fun trip!

This year also marks a special return to Pittsburgh. 2013 National League MVP (for the Pirates) Andrew McCutchen re-signed with the team. While any Opening Day is filled with hope, it was quite the experience to see the return of somebody so adored. Cutch was greeted with loud cheers, applause, and MVP chants for his accomplishment of ten years ago. He is somebody that just looks more comfortable in BLACK AND YELLOW and the city is proud to have him home. 

Mixed in with the baseball, we explored the surrounding city. We saw the rivers. We saw the mountains. We saw the downtown. We saw the football stadium. We (mostly I) tried to eat ALL THE FOOD. We tried to do everything Pittsburgh, and all of our group enjoyed.

At the ballpark, the first two games featured explosive offense, both teams capturing a win. Many home runs were hit including one in a losing effort by Andrew McCutchen. The series came down to Sunday. In typical fashion, when we sit close in the outfield the game is always low scoring. The Pirates pulled out the game and series with a 1-0 victory. The home crowd left happy. We packed it up and headed back to NORTH CAROLINA even bigger fans of the Pirates and Pittsburgh. 

And we are already dreaming of when we can go back!