Brian Giles and Jason Kendall talk PNC Park return, time with Pirates and more

CINCINNATI -- Brian Giles remembers seeing PNC Park for the first time prior to an exhibition series against the Mets, amazed by its beauty. Jason Kendall recalls the emotion he felt early in the morning on April 9, 2001, upon learning that Willie Stargell had died.

Both couldn’t believe it had been 25 years since the most beautiful ballpark in Major League Baseball first opened its doors.

Giles and Kendall will be back on Friday for the Pirates’ home opener, teaming up for a ceremonial first pitch before the Pirates host the Orioles at 4:12 p.m.

“It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” Giles said.

“It’ll definitely be something special,” Kendall added.

Neither has been to Pittsburgh since retiring as players but both follow the Pirates quite a bit. One of Kendall’s sons (Kuyper) pitches for Washburn University, an NCAA Division II school in Topeka, Kan., and the former catcher said he watched Sunday’s game against the Mets on his phone while sitting in the stands.

“This team is so good,” Kendall said. “I was fortunate to see [Paul] Skenes when I was in Houston and Miami. He’s just fun to watch. More than anything, his routine. I could sit there and watch his routine all day. That’s what makes pitchers good.

“Their whole staff is amazing. I think Henry Davis has become one of the best catchers in the game. I can’t wait. It’ll be fun to come back to where it all started.”

The Pirates drafted Kendall in the first round (23rd overall) in 1992 out of Torrance High School in California. He debuted at age 22 in 1996 and played nine seasons with the Pirates, hitting .306 and accumulating 30.7 wins above replacement, per Baseball Reference.

Six times in Pittsburgh, Kendall hit .300 or better. He was an All-Star in 1996, ’98 and 2000. More than numbers, though, Pittsburgh was hugely impactful on Kendall’s growth as a person. It helped him navigate plenty of ups and downs with the Pirates.

“Pittsburgh is a tough city,” Kendall said. “A lot of people say, ‘If you can play in Boston or New York ... .' No, if you can play in Pennsylvania, you can play anywhere.

“Pirates fans watched me grow up. I probably said some things I shouldn’t have said sometimes, but I had great times there. Pittsburgh has always been my second home.”

Giles, meanwhile, was acquired in a trade with Cleveland for Ricardo Rincon on Nov. 18, 1998. He was a 17th-round pick in 1989 and was pushing for Major League time. But Giles was blocked by Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton and Manny Ramirez.

In Pittsburgh, Giles flourished. He hit 74 homers his first two seasons, the most in back-to-back seasons since Stargell had 77 in 1972-73. Over a four-year stretch from 1999-2003, Giles accumulated 25.4 WAR, per FanGraphs.

The year PNC Park opened was especially dominant for Giles, a two-time All-Star who slashed .309/.404/.590 and had 37 doubles, 37 home runs and 95 RBIs in 160 games.

“Pittsburgh transformed my career,” Giles said. “When I was traded from Cleveland to Pittsburgh, I’ll never forget [former manager] Gene Lamont calling me into the office. He said, ‘You’re gonna play every day.’ I said, ‘Even against lefties?’ He said, ‘You’re playing every day.’ That’s what really kicked off my career.”

The 2001 season was a tough one for the Pirates, who lost 100 games. It still eats at Giles and Kendall that they didn’t win more in Pittsburgh. But there was one really memorable game both cited as perhaps their favorite PNC Park moment outside of the opener.

That was the Pirates’ incredible comeback against the Houston Astros on July 28, 2001, in the first game of a day-night doubleheader (the first such game in franchise history).

The Pirates erased a six-run deficit with two outs in the ninth and nobody on to cap a 9-8 win. Kendall remembers getting hit by Wagner and then catching the second games. Giles, of course, blasted a 1-0 pitch over the Clemente Wall for a walkoff homer.

“Such a fun game,” Kendall said.

In PNC Park’s opener, the drama wasn’t nearly as high. Todd Ritchie started and allowed three runs over 5 1/3 innings. Upper St. Clair’s Sean Casey hit the ballpark’s first homer. The Reds pulled away with a four-run ninth.

But more than any individual result, Giles and Kendall thought fondly back to their time at PNC Park, how much they loved playing there and how much they can’t wait to see it again.

Especially given the excitement that surrounds this season.

“It’s the best ballpark in all of baseball,” Kendall said. “I also have a ton of great memories from that place.”

“I haven’t seen Jason in a long time,” Giles added. “It’ll be a lot of fun.

“We were kind of the building blocks for that team to try to win. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. But it was still a privilege to play in Pittsburgh, especially at PNC Park. I think we’re both really excited to come back.”

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.