PHOTO BY JOHN MATEY

It’s an uncharacteristically warm day for early March in Pittsburgh. About a dozen of us are gathered around the statue of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ legendary left-fielder, Willie Stargell, just outside PNC Park’s Left Field Gate. Among the group is a family from Montreal with a stroller and two older children wearing Pirates T-shirts and hats, one holding a baseball.

PHOTO BY JOHN MATEY

A few minutes before noon, we’re called inside to start our 90-minute, off-season tour of PNC Park. I look out over the baseball field. Tour guide Bob assures us that, yes, there is a field of Kentucky Bluegrass out there, but unfortunately it’s under a tarp to prepare for the coming season.

Bob, who is finishing up his first year as a tour guide at the park, takes us through a brief history of the Pirates’ stadiums. Despite black and gold being the official colors of every Pittsburgh sports team, the stadium’s blue-steel construction is a nod to Forbes Field, the stadium in Oakland where the Pirates played from 1909 to 1970.

PHOTO BY JOHN MATEY

The walls inside PNC Park, however, are covered in black and gold — logos, quotes and murals of famous players from the team’s past. A power drill can be heard somewhere in the distance; Bob says construction is common off-season. As we pass the Pirates’ clubhouse, Bob invites us to take a peek through an open doorway. Unfortunately, tours stopped going in when the pandemic hit, and the restriction had yet to be lifted.

The tour continues up an elevator to the press box, where we’re given an impressive view of both the stadium and the city. Someone asks about the Pirates’ dugout being on the third base line as opposed to the first. It’s uncommon for baseball fields to be built this way, Bob says, but the layout gave the Pirates easier access to their locker rooms.

This tour is one of six featured in our Visitors Guide. Explore the other tours here.

Next we’re shown the suites, each dedicated to a year the Pirates won the World Series. Bob stops at the one for 1971 because he likes the photo of former Pirates catcher Manny Sanguillen and former Pirates pitcher and TV sports broadcaster Steve Blass on the wall, both suspended in a state of sheer joy.

Bob takes us down to the outfield, where spectator seating overlooks the bullpens. Fans can watch pitchers warm up, though Bob notes the visiting team’s bullpen had to be moved farther from the stands to prevent drinks “accidentally” being spilled on the players.

Finally, we head toward the dugout. A few tour-goers cheer. Above the descending steps is a quote from the revered hall-of-famer Roberto Clemente: “When I put on my uniform, I feel I am the proudest man on earth.” Bob says players like to tap it on the way out to the field, and as we descend the kids from the Montreal family jump up to touch it.

PHOTO BY JOHN MATEY

Stepping outside, I’m once again greeted with a view of the city. The lower row of benches in the dugout are well-worn with scratches from cleats. Bob notes the three phones on the wall — one with a direct line to the bullpen, one for reviewing plays and one for the press, which Bob admits is just a regular phone. Legend has it a player once used it to order a pizza during a game.

On the way out, we pass a series of posters for each of the Pirates’ five World Series victories. Though it’s been 45 years since the Pirates’ last such win, one of the kids, still clutching the baseball, makes sure to touch each one as we walk by. I couldn’t help but smile.

Tickets for the off-season tour, which range from $12 to $15, can be purchased at mlb.com/pirates/ballpark/tours. Morning tours are also available during the baseball season. PNC Park also offers pregame tours — though Bob recommends going in the morning, as some areas are closed off for the players later in the day.