Throughout the many ups and downs he’s experienced in his career, one constant for Mitch Keller has always been PNC Park.
Keller loves pitching there. Those feelings are backed by a 4.08 career ERA on the North Shore compared to 4.91 in road games. The fans, the aesthetic, the dimensions … there’s just something about it that agrees with Keller.
“The stadium and vibe, especially when it’s packed, it’s something special,” Keller said. “Fortunate to get to pitch there again.”
Keller, the second-longest-tenured Pirate behind Bryan Reynolds, will start the home opener on Friday against the Orioles at 4:12 p.m.
It’s a day he admittedly worried might not come, when his name was bandied about as a trade possibility this offseason.
Keller, of course, never wanted to leave. He loves it in Pittsburgh. But he’s aware baseball is a business, and sometimes things happen.
In this case, Keller is glad that they did not.
“It feels good to know I’m gonna be somewhere I’ve been, somewhere I’m comfortable,” Keller said. “I love pitching there. To hopefully make 15-plus starts there would be awesome.”
After shining in his first start of the season Saturday in New York — six shutout innings, no walks, three strikeouts — Keller has been thinking about what the atmosphere might be like on Friday.
He knows it will be packed. He knows fans will be loud. The challenge this season will be doing something with that excitement, giving everyone a reason to stay engaged and keep coming to the ballpark into the summer months.
Keller and his teammates have talked plenty about how raucous the atmosphere will be at PNC Park should the Pirates win. It’ll carry all the intensity of the home opener and then some, especially as the stakes are raised.
“We want that to be every single night,” Keller said. “The thought is to play well enough and put a good enough product on the field where everybody wants to come watch and support us.
“Not just because it’s their favorite team but because it’s a team that’s playing its heart out and wants it for them. We want their support.”
It’ll be a decidedly different atmosphere than last year, too.
When the Pirates opened the doors to PNC Park in 2025, there was plenty of tension. Fans worried whether the team did enough in the offseason. Meanwhile, the team had lost five of seven at the time and staggered to a 12-26 start before firing manager Derek Shelton and replacing him with Don Kelly.
This winter, though, the Pirates added proven bats in Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna, while holdovers such as Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds found their stroke in Cincinnati.
There’s no shortage of optimism, much of it justified.
Entering Thursday’s games, the Pirates were tied for the MLB lead in home runs (10) and tied for ninth in runs (29). Coupled with a strong pitching staff (tied for 10th in ERA, 3.67), especially the starters, the Pirates hope to strike a different tone when taking the field for the home opener in 2026.
“I’m pumped about it, and I hope fans are, too,” Kelly said. “Really looking forward to getting back there and for our fans to see the new additions … but also the guys coming back as well.”
After Keller, Carmen Mlodzinski will get the ball on Saturday before Braxton Ashcraft concludes the Orioles series on Sunday. Paul Skenes’ first start figures to be Tuesday against the Padres following Bubba Chandler on Monday.
Whoever takes the ball, they’ll be looking to continue a stretch where Pirates starters have produced a 1.75 ERA over the past five games.
It’s why this team isn’t worried much about how previous home openers have gone.
“We have a different group than we had last year and the year before that,” Skenes said. “I’m really excited to go back to Pittsburgh. Fans showed up for the home opener [in 2025], then we weren’t playing well enough after that for them to keep showing up the rest of the year. We just have to keep playing well, and hopefully they’ll show up.”
The new guys are just as excited as the returning Pirates.
Jake Mangum has never played a game at PNC Park. It’s one of six such National League parks for him. He loved seeing it during PiratesFest and can’t wait to stand in the outfield and look out to the city skyline and Clemente Bridge.
Opening on the road isn’t easy, Mangum added. But he believes the six-game road trip to start the season brought the team closer together: the Pirates moving past a few tough losses, employing an orange traffic cone and taking two of three from a division rival.
“I like the way we’ve been playing,” Mangum said. “I know we’re all looking forward to getting in front of the home crowd and playing for them.”
Ryan O’Hearn agreed. When he signed his two-year, $29 million contract, he enjoyed a personal tour of PNC Park. He always loved it as a visiting player but now can’t wait to call it home.
As someone who has already emerged as a leader inside the Pirates clubhouse, O’Hearn said it’s something this team is taking very seriously — to give Pirates fans something they can be proud of and starting the 2026 season far better than the last one.
“It’ll be nice to hear the crowd cheer when we do something good, not the opposite,” O’Hearn said. “I’ve always enjoyed playing at PNC Park because it’s such a great place to play. Just looking forward to that and getting out in front of our fans and putting on a show for them.”
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.