Pirates Make it Up to Fans for Sitting Through Rain Delay
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates dealt with unlikeable weather conditions in their latest game and wanted to make sure they compensated the paying fans.
The Pirates hosted the Milwaukee Brewers for their series opener on May 22 at PNC Park and got through the first five innings with relative ease, before rain started coming down heavily in the bottom of the sixth inning, forcing the game into a rain delay.
This delay lasted almost two hours before play resumed, with many fans choosing to go home instead of stick it out late on a weeknight.
The Pirates announced that fans that purchased tickets will receive two complimentary tickets for a Monday-Thursday game of their choice this season. Fans will receive an email from the Pirates to redeem the extra tickets.
Some good news in response to some bad weather...
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) May 23, 2025
Fans who attended tonight's game will receive 2 complimentary tickets to a Monday-Thursday game of their choice 🤩 pic.twitter.com/5qYEUsp9PG
The Pirates would end up losing to the Brewers, 8-5, but fans did see the team score more than four runs for the first time in over a month. The Pirates tied an MLB record of 26 games with four runs or less scored and avoided breaking that record.
Fans also got to see first baseman Spencer Horwitz hit his first home run for the franchise, after they traded with the Cleveland Guardians for him this offseason. Horwitz has dealt with a right wrist injury that kept him out of Spring Training and from the Pirates until last weekend.
The Pirates have dealt with five rain delays this season, but this served as the first one that occurred during the game. They haven't had any cancellations in 2025 due to weather.
Pittsburgh had back-to-back rain delays against the San Diego Padres at PNC Park on May 2 and May 3.
The first rain delay moved the start from 6:40 to 7:50, a 70 minute delay, and the second game got moved from 4:05 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., an hour and 40 minute delay.
The Pirates also had two rain delays on their recent east coach road trip. They had a 15 minute delay vs. the New York Mets at Citi Park on May 14, moving first pitch from 7:10 p.m. to 7:25 p.m., and an hour and 45 minute delay vs. the Philadelphia Phillies on May 16, which moved first pitch from 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
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.