Pirates Fans Line Up Early for Mac Miller Bobblehead
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates fans showed up early for the club's next game, not because of their excitement for baseball, but because of a special giveaway.
The Pirates are commemorating the life of local rapper Mac Miller with a bobblehead for the first 20,000 fans at PNC Park for their game vs. the Chicago White Sox on July 19.
Fans started lining up early for the bobblehead outside of the left field gate on Federal Street right off the Roberto Clemente Bridge, with some in lawn chairs, with the first 10-20 people in line around 10:00 a.m., according to Joseph Andrew in the Pittsburgh Pirates Fans FaceBook group.
First pitch between the Pirates and the White Sox isn't until 6:40 p.m., which means gates won't open until 5:00 p.m.
The bobblehead shows Miller with a black hat with the "yin and yang" symbol in black and gold and a white Pirates jersey, with the number 412, the area code for Pittsburgh, plus the words "Most Dope" tattooed on his fingers."
It also has a button that plays his famous single, "Knock Knock", near his feet on the bobblehead.
Miller loved the Pirates and had the Pirates "P" tattooed on his right hand. He also came out and threw the first pitch on Sept. 16, 2015.
.@MacMiller in the house to throw a first pitch tonight. #BurghProud pic.twitter.com/Hq8hzvpEFP
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 16, 2015
The Pirates also announced a a limited edition Mac Miller x Pirates shirt that they made available fans at the Pirates clubhouse store for the same game during Yinzerpalooza weekend, where they honor the best of Pittsburgh.
A portion of the proceeds from the shirt purchase will benefit the Mac Miller Fund, which supports music and aritisic endeavors of those from underserved neighborhoods, plus helps those 27 and under in the music industry with substance-abuse issues.
The t-shirt is black, with a yellow Pirates 'P' logo in front and then a yin-and-yang symbol in black and yellow above in the left chest area.
There is an even bigger yin-and-yang in black and yellow on the back of the t-shirt, with the lyrics, "Let me show the world just where my city at," which surround the symbol, along with 'Mac Miller x Pirates', as well.
Those lyrics come from his song, "Smile Back" off the album "Blue Slide Park", named after the Blue Slide Playground, which is a part of Frick Park, located in the Squirrel Hill South neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh.
Let me show the world just where my city at 🎵
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 18, 2025
This limited edition Mac Miller x Pirates shirt will be available exclusively at the Pirates Clubhouse Store on Saturday, July 19, during Yinzerpalooza Weekend.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Mac Miller Fund. pic.twitter.com/XXrichniYZ
Joseph Andrew also reported that those shirts sold out after a minute, but My Sox Summer Twitter said that they only had 50 of the shirts and that they'll release more shirts for the game.
Malcolm James McCormick was born on Jan. 19, 1992 and became one of the most successful musicians to come out of Pittsburgh.
He would sign a deal with Rostrum Records, the label famous Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa was on, and released two critically acclaimed and popular mixtapes with "K.I.D.S" in 2010 and "Best Day Ever" in 2011, before going on to release "Blue Slide Park" in 2011 and "Watching Movies with the Sound Off" in 2013.
Miller released three more albums after singing with Warner Bros. Records, including "GO:OD AM" in 2015, "The Divine Feminine" in 2016 and "Circles" in 2018.
He died on Sept. 7, 2018 in Los Angeles at just 26 years old due to an accidental overdose, with cocaine, alcohol and fentanyl. Police investigation found that Cameron James Petit allegedly sold Miller counterfeit oxycodone pills, which contained fentanyl, just two days prior before he died.
Miller has had two posthumous albums release, including "Circles" in 2020 and "Ballonerism" In 2025.
Pirates fans also lined up hours early for the Paul Skenes bobblehead on April 19 vs. the Cleveland Guardians at PNC Park, which got scooped up instantly, even with the same 20,000 total giveaway.
The organization later announced that everyone who scanned their ticket into the ballpark for the game would get an electronic voucher and receive the bobblehead at a later time.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.