Kirk Herbstreit And His Dog Take Over Pirates Field Before NFL Draft
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently away on their road trip during the NFL Draft, but they're making sure that they're pulling out all the stops for the massive event.
The Pirates hosted ESPN College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit and his dog Peter on the field at PNC Park on the first day of the NFL Draft on April 23.
They put a message of "Welcome Kirk & Peter Herbstreit" on the Jumbotron, gave them a Pirates jersey with "Peter" and the No. 8 on the back of it, plus a Pirates bandana to Peter, a golden retriever, plus a picture in left field with a ball in his mouth.
Kirk and Peter Herbstreit are inseparable, going everywhere together, and the Pirates made sure they made them feel welcome ahead of one of city hosting the NFL Draft
Peter at the park! 🐶🏟️ pic.twitter.com/7nHDAdUVXr
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 23, 2026
Herbstreit Has Fascination With Pirates
Herbstreit and Peter go all over the country for his work, especially wherever ESPN College GameDay is, with Herbstreit bringing Peter on set and showing him off to fans.
The college football analyst was recently in Pittsburgh back on Nov. 15, as No. 22 Pitt hosted No. 9 Notre Dame at Acrisure Stadium, with ESPN College GameDay stationed their for the big time matchup.
Herbstreit came in the day prior and walked around with Peter on the North Shore and went around PNC Park, praising his favorite ball park, the city of Pittsburgh and some Pirates legends as well.
“I got into Pittsburgh about 2:30 a.m. This is my favorite baseball stadium in America, PNC Park, here in Pittsburgh,” Herbstreit said. “’Pops’ Willie Stargell. How cool is this? I can’t remember when they built this, but it’s still holding up. It is a beauty. I love this place. The backdrop with the bridge back here. My man right here taking his morning walk.”
“There’s Pittsburgh. How sweet is this? Roberto Clemente. ‘The Great One.’ Awesome. Yeah, I think this is the best. There’s a lot of great baseball stadiums, but I think this one’s the best,” Herbstreit said.
The Pirates also featured on the ESPN College GameDay broadcast, as fans joined in "Sell the Team" chants during the broadcast, particularly when Pat McAfee, a Pirates fan himself and western Pennsylvania native of Plum, wanted to see the Pirates win more.
Pirates fans might have less animosity towards ownership at this point of the season, with a 14-10 record, important moves made in the offseason and signing star prospect Konnor Griffin to a nine-year, $140 million contract extension on April 8.
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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.