When the Pirates hosted their annual “What’s New at PNC Park” open house on Tuesday, the most noticeable change at the North Shore venue, entering its 23rd season, was the massive new scoreboard in left field. It features state-of-the-art technology and twice as much display space as the previous version, which had been in use since 2006
“Not only is it larger than life, but the crispness and the clarity of the picture is remarkable and will really enhance the overall in-game experience for our fans,” Pirates president Travis Williams said. “With the larger board, we’re going to be able to display more information, including Statcast-oriented information, that fans can enjoy.”
In every direction you looked were new video boards and video rings, plus a new audio system that will evenly distribute sound throughout the ballpark. Due to key Major League Baseball rule changes this year, pitch clocks were also installed -- one near each dugout and one on either side of the batter’s eye in straightaway center field. What’s more, after a one-year hiatus, the out-of-town scoreboard has returned to again adorn the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field.
Feedback the Pirates proactively gathered from their fans, combined with technological advances, led to additional enhancements at PNC Park.
For instance, Evolv screening technology that features artificial intelligence, will be used at the gates to make it faster and easier for fans to enter the ballpark.
“Evolv allows people to walk through the entry points without stopping,” Williams said. “It allows people to go through as fast as one person per second, which is pretty speedy. But what’s also really important is that it doesn’t sacrifice any safety features. It picks up on any threats that could be out there.”
Less time waiting in line isn’t just something fans will notice at the gates. They will also experience it at concession stands once they’re inside PNC Park, especially the ones that feature Mashgin technology -- a touchless self-checkout system. At those locations, fans will be able to scan their food and beverage items, pay and be on their way.
“It’s about speed of service,” said Brian Hediger, general manager for Aramark at PNC Park. “Our data suggests the Mashgin units are two to two-and-a-half times faster than a traditional point of sale. It’s worked well in the locations where we’ve had it in PNC Park previously, so we’re expanding on that this year.”
Feedback the Pirates received also indicated that while fans certainly enjoy the offerings at stands from area eating establishments such as Coop de Ville, Quaker Steak & Lube, and Primanti Brothers, they also still love traditional ballpark food such as burgers, hot dogs and chicken fingers -- and wanted higher quality with those items.
“We improved the speed of service with self-checkout, and we’re now able to provide those fan favorites as quickly as possible and with an elevated level of quality,” Williams said. “We created what we’re calling Fav’s on Third Express where fans can come off the concourse and walk through the space, grab beverages, nachos, soft pretzels, hot dogs and then go to self-checkout and be on the way back to their seats as quickly as possible.
“We listened to our fans and we’re making sure we’re producing the foods they want with higher quality and at a faster speed.”
Additional enhancements at PNC Park include:
• A new stand from popular Pittsburgh-area restaurant, Caliente Pizza & Draft House. Plus, other new concession areas such as the Chicken Pitt, Ballpark Burgers and Walk Thru Brew.
• A new satellite Fanatics merchandise shop inside the ballpark that will eliminate kiosks and help to improve traffic flow on the main concourse.
• Additional drink rails in various locations, new condiment carts (back for the first time since pre-COVID), and digital signage and lighting at concessions locations throughout the ballpark.
• Additional displays and artwork that will pay tribute to the history of baseball in Pittsburgh -- including the Pirates as well as the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays of the Negro leagues.
Janet Marie Smith consulted with the Pirates on enhancements to PNC Park over the winter as she did the previous offseason. As one of the leading experts in the industry, she has also worked on renovations and improvements for other high-profile ballparks -- including Fenway Park in Boston, Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
“When I was called to come and look at this ballpark, I saw what an amazing opportunity it was,” Smith said. “Any ranking of ballparks, I don’t care what the source is, has PNC Park in the top five. That’s a real testament to the City of Pittsburgh, the Sports & Exhibition Authority, (chairman) Bob Nutting and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The fact that they’ve maintained that even as the ballpark has moved into its third decade is huge. That’s rare for a ballpark to always be thought of that highly throughout the nation.”
“When I took this job, what excited me the most about it was the opportunity to work with Bob Nutting, and his vision for what PNC Park 2.0 looks like,” Williams said “We did a lot of work. Last offseason in the outfield from foul pole to foul pole with the Riverwalk Experience, opening that up -- better sight lines, more social gathering spaces, and a lot of different food options.
“We really focused on the fan experience, and that same thread -- the fan experience -- was the focus of what we’ve done to enhance the ballpark this offseason too.”