DETROIT — Doc Emrick is most famous for his work as a Hall of Fame hockey broadcaster, but he’s always been a baseball fan at heart, especially when it comes to his beloved Pirates.
In fact, Emrick can pinpoint the exact day his Pirates fandom was solidified, which would surprise absolutely no one who’s ever listened to him call a hockey game.
The day was Aug. 9, 1959. The Pirates beat the Cubs at Wrigley Field in 10 innings, and Elroy Face earned the win. Emrick, who grew up in Fontaine, Ind., was there to witness it.
Initially intrigued by hearing Bob Prince call Pirates games on the radio, Emrick passed the point of no return when he saw the team win in person.
“I was hooked,” Emrick said Friday before the Pirates played the Tigers at Comerica Park. Emrick lives in St. Clair, Mich., about an hour north.
“I got to see three World Series championships, and the last guy who was on the mound when they won a World Series was Kent Tekulve. I’m proud to know him and have been around him down at fantasy camp.”
Emrick said it’s been about five years since he attended a Major League game but was thrilled to be around it live again. He watches every Pirates game back home and will join the SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast alongside Greg Brown and John Wehner.
Predictably, Emrick was all smiles pregame while meeting with manager Don Kelly and saying hello to a few players, including noted hockey fan Spencer Horwitz.
“This is a special treat for me,” Emrick said. “The fact that I can see the Rock and Brownie and actually sit in with them [Friday], that’s special to me.”
Emrick participated in Pirates fantasy camp back in 2012 and encouraged anyone on the fence about doing it to take the plunge.
Starting with their Opening Day homers, Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn have been two of Emrick’s favorite players to watch this season, for how they seem to come through at important times.
On the pitching side, Emrick obviously enjoys watching Paul Skenes. But Mason Montgomery’s ascent this season has also been a pleasant surprise, leading Emrick to drop an obscure Ryne Duren (Google it) reference that’s very uniquely him.
“I like to see pitches thrown 100 or 101 miles per hour, because I could only imagine that when I was watching back in an earlier era,” Emrick said. “There was a pitcher for the New York Yankees that had Coke bottle glasses named Ryne Duren, and Yogi Berra felt that he probably pitched 90 miles an hour.
“Nobody wanted to bat against him, especially on a cold day. That was 90 [mph] and considered to be off the charts back then. The standard now is so much different.
“But to have confidence in a closer that comes out of the bullpen and you realize he’s probably got this thing, that’s really, really good. … I wish he could pitch every game. But you can’t expect that with that kind of velocity, for somebody to pitch every game.”
As for Skenes, Emrick enjoys how much attention he generates around MLB, basically as a point of pride for Pittsburgh. Emrick also isn’t upset that Skenes’ 2026 performance failed to meet previous standards set. In Emrick’s mind, that would’ve been darn near impossible.
“The first couple of years, the standard was so high,” Emrick said. “How is a human being going to rise above that for a third year in a row? Some of these recent outings that he’s had have been spectacular. It’s something to look forward to for the future.”
Emrick retired in October 2020 after 47 years of broadcasting hockey, which included the Stanley Cup Finals 22 times. Given the Penguins’ success, Emrick was a regular presence in Pittsburgh and typically tried to work Pirates references into his hockey broadcasts.
There are also Pittsburgh ties with Emrick having taught speech and broadcasting at Geneva College, which basically makes him an honorary Yinzer.
Emrick said he appreciates Pittsburgh being so welcoming, along with the athletic success the city has enjoyed over the years.
“I’m just glad to be around you folks and travel into Pittsburgh now and then,” Emrick said. “I was thinking the other day, the city of Pittsburgh has had so many wonderful athletes in football, baseball and hockey. It’s easy to get spoiled. Not every city has that many that have been that prominent. And they tend to stay around there, don’t they?
“There’s not an edge to people in Pittsburgh. There’s just a general feeling that’s good.”
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.