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Pittsburgh Pirates Spring TrainingThe Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training Headquarters in Bradenton, Florida is known as "Pirate City." And there's no better place to spend a sunny Florida day in February or March!
Pirate City is a great place to watch baseball spring training Florida style. The Pittsburgh Pirate practice sessions are free and open to the public.
Pirate City is a unique place because of the close proximity to the work-out fields and it’s a place in which you can “feel” baseball history while you watch the beginnings of another new year of baseball.
While “Pirate City” is the site of the Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training workouts, McKechnie Field is the site of the games during spring training season.
McKechnie Field and Pirate City have been the spring training home to the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1969. The field was built in 1923 and holds more than 6,500 fans; the grandstand of today was built as part of a renovation in 1993.
There is an $18 million renovation planned for this spring training Mecca that will include lights! Up until the renovations are completed night games have never been played at McKechnie Field. Renovations are expected to be ready for the 2008 spring training season.
Great Pirate names of the past that have played at McKechnie Field and practiced at “Pirate City” include “Hall of Famers:” Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Bill Mazeroski. With the Pittsburgh Pirates in his rookie year, 1986, home run king Barry Bonds also trained at Pirates City. And coincidently, the player to hold the title of home run king just prior to Barry Bonds, the great Hank Aaron, arrived in Bradenton for spring training with the Milwaukee Braves in 1956. How's all that for Florida spring training history!
Baseball spring training workouts take place at Pirate City and start around 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. and are free and open to the public. Friday, February 15, 2008 is the date of the first scheduled work outs for Pittsburgh Pirate pitchers and catchers - 12:00 noon Wednesday, February 20, 2008 -- First full squad workout - 9 a.m. (Dates and times are deemed to be correct, however they were provided by the Pirate's office and are subject to change without notice, according to the Pirates.)
Click here for the Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training Game Schedule.
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