PNC Park: The History, the Dimensions and How the Park Plays
A guide to the Pittsburgh Pirates' home on the Allegheny River: the parks that came before, the dimensions, what park factors say about how it plays, and general advice for planning a visit.
PNC Park has been the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates since the 2001 season, the first year the historical record lists the club there, and it is one of the most admired ballparks in the sport. It sits on the north bank of the Allegheny River, facing the downtown skyline across the water, and it was built for baseball alone after three decades in a concrete multipurpose bowl. The setting is the first thing visitors mention. The second is that the ball does not always travel the way they expect.
The numbers back up that second impression. The historical record shows a park factor for the club every season, with 100 as neutral, and the Pirates' figure at PNC Park has averaged a little under 98 across the park's first 25 seasons. The park has tended to suppress offense. The site's reference data does not make it an obviously large park, with 399 feet to center and 383 to left-center, so the dimensions alone do not explain the figure.
This guide covers the ballparks the club has used, the dimensions, the park factors, the three October trips the Pirates made from this address and what to think about before a first visit. Prices, concessions and transit details change constantly and are left to the club's own pages.
Five homes before the river view
The Pirates' list of homes is long, because the franchise dates to 1882, when it was the Pittsburg Alleghenys (historical spells the city without its final "h" for 1882 to 1890). Exposition Park, in its first version, hosted the club in 1882 and 1883. Recreation Park was the home from 1884 to 1890, with a best season attendance of 16,064 recorded in the historical record. A second Exposition Park served from 1891 to 1908, drawing 394,877 in its best season.
The big change came in 1909, when the club moved into Forbes Field in midseason; the historical record lists a split year, with 1909 shared between Exposition Park and the new park. Forbes Field was the club's home through 1969, a stay of sixty seasons, and it was where the club won the World Series of 1909, 1925 and 1960. Its best season attendance was 1,705,828. In 1970 the club split the season between Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium, which then served from 1971 through 2000. The club's best season at Three Rivers was 2,065,302.
PNC Park followed in 2001. The historical record lists the highest attendance for any season in club history, 2,498,596, as coming in 2015 at PNC Park, and the second-highest number in the park's own record is the 2,464,870 of the 2001 opening year.
| Park | Seasons in the historical record | Best season attendance |
|---|---|---|
| Exposition Park I | 1882 to 1883 | not recorded |
| Recreation Park | 1884 to 1890 | 16,064 |
| Exposition Park | 1891 to 1908 | 394,877 |
| Forbes Field | 1909 to 1969 (split in 1909 and 1970) | 1,705,828 |
| Three Rivers Stadium | 1971 to 2000 (split in 1970) | 2,065,302 |
| PNC Park | 2001 to 2025 | 2,498,596 |
Why a baseball-only park mattered
Three Rivers Stadium was a multipurpose design shared with a football team, which is how most cities built in that generation, and it produced a round bowl with an artificial surface that was designed for two sports at once. PNC Park was part of the wave of baseball-only parks that followed, built to use the city's setting rather than ignore it. The idea was to put the field on the river's edge, turn the seats toward the skyline and give the outfield a shape of its own.
The name comes from a naming-rights agreement with PNC Financial Services, a Pittsburgh-based bank. Naming deals now cover most major league parks, and the naming rights article describes how they are structured and why they sometimes outlast the way a park is used or loved. The Pirates' park has kept the same name for all 25 of its seasons in the database, which is itself unusual.
For the club's broader story, including the stretch of Forbes Field titles and the long reign of Honus Wagner, see the Pirates franchise history.
The dimensions and the shape of the fence
The site's reference data lists these distances from home plate to the outfield fence, in feet.
| Position on the fence | Distance (ft) |
|---|---|
| Left field line | 325 |
| Left-center | 383 |
| Center field | 399 |
| Right-center | 375 |
| Right field line | 320 |
The reference data also records a seating capacity of 38,747, an open roof, a natural grass surface, an elevation of 780 feet and an azimuth of 116 degrees. That azimuth is the compass direction from home plate to center field, which is a bit south of east, the common orientation that keeps the evening sun out of a batter's eyes more often than not.
What stands out is the contrast between the lines and the middle. Down the right-field line the fence is only 320 feet away, the shortest listed distance, but the wall there is famously tall. The wall in right stands 21 feet high, a deliberate tribute to Roberto Clemente, who wore the number 21. A tall wall at a short distance takes away some of what the short distance gives, since a ball that would clear a lower fence on a line drive can hit the wall instead.
The gaps and the middle are the opposite case. Center field at 399 feet is the deepest point on the fence, and left-center, at 383 feet, is eight feet deeper than right-center at 375. A right-handed hitter who drives a ball to the gap in left-center needs more carry than a left-handed hitter who drives one to right-center, though the difference is modest. That shape, a short and high right field, a middle that is deep by the standards of the five listed points and a left-center gap somewhat longer than its right-side twin, might reward gap hitters with extra bases and give pitchers who keep the ball in the park some comfort. The figures are as listed on the site, and clubs adjust walls over time, so treat a difference of a few feet as a rough guide. The park factors below test the idea.
What the park factors say
The historical Teams table records a park factor for batters (BPF) and for pitchers (PPF) for every club season, with 100 as neutral. A figure under 100 means fewer runs scored in the club's home games than in its road games, adjusted for the league. Think of the values as the database's own calculation and as a guide to direction, not a precise measurement for any single year. The batter figures for the Pirates at PNC Park, in selected seasons, look like this.
| Season | BPF | Season | BPF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 103 | 2013 | 94 |
| 2003 | 102 | 2015 | 99 |
| 2006 | 98 | 2016 | 100 |
| 2008 | 96 | 2018 | 96 |
| 2011 | 96 | 2019 | 96 |
| 2012 | 93 | 2025 | 101 |
The average of all 25 seasons is about 98. The first two seasons, 2001 and 2002, read above 100, at 103 and 102, so the pitcher-friendly reputation did not appear on day one. The lowest figure in the run is 93, in 2012, with 94 in 2013. The most recent seasons of 2024 and 2025 both show 101, which is a reminder that these figures swing from year to year with the quality of the two teams and a bit of luck.
There is also a very useful lesson about how to read them. A 98 does not mean the park removes 2 percent of every hitter's output. It means that, across a season, the home games had roughly 2 percent fewer runs than the road games, after adjusting. The effect is real but small in any one game; it adds up across a year and shows in the standings of fantasy leagues. The fantasy baseball pages on this site pull park context into player values for that reason.
Home runs and the staff
The Teams table also records home runs for and against, which combine home and road games. In 2011 the Pirates hit only 107 home runs, the lowest total in the park's era, in a season when the batter factor was 96. In 2012, with a factor of 93, the club hit 170, so one season does not decide the matter. On the pitching side, the 2013 staff allowed only 101 home runs and 577 runs in a 94-68 season, and the 2015 staff allowed 110 home runs and 596 runs in a 98-64 season, with batter factors of 94 and 99. Those two staffs were good enough to win in a park that was neutral to slightly pitcher-friendly.
The reverse also holds. In 2019, with a 96 factor, the club allowed 241 home runs and 911 runs, and finished 69-93. In 2021 the staff allowed 213 home runs and 833 runs in a 61-101 season. A kind park cannot fix a bad staff. The park factor is a modest tilt, not a safety net, and the standings show it in both directions.
The October trips of 2013, 2014 and 2015
The Pirates' three wild-card seasons were the first trips to October from PNC Park, and all three came in the middle of a turnaround. The club had finished below .500 for 20 straight seasons from 1993 to 2012, with the 2010 team going 57-105 and the 2001 team, in the park's opening year, 62-100. Then came 94-68 in 2013, 88-74 in 2014 and 98-64 in 2015.
In 2013 the Pirates beat the Reds 1-0 in the one-game wild-card and then lost the Division Series to the Cardinals, 2-3. In 2014 they lost the wild-card game to the Giants 0-1. In 2015 they lost the wild-card game to the Cubs 0-1 despite a 98-64 record that was one of the better regular-season marks in the league. The 2015 team's record is the best the club has had in the park's history through 2025.
Andrew McCutchen, the franchise's third-leading home run hitter with 248, was the National League's Most Valuable Player for 2013. The club's later award winners included Paul Skenes, who was the Rookie of the Year in 2024 and won the Cy Young Award in 2025. For the full list of the club's postseason series and seasons, see the best seasons and every October run.
What attendance shows about the park
The park's first year drew 2,464,870 in 2001. Attendance then fell to 1,580,031 in 2004 and 1,577,853 in 2009, in the dark years of losing. The peak of 2,498,596 came in 2015, the third straight October. Later numbers show 1,465,316 in 2018, a pandemic-shortened 859,498 in 2021 and 1,525,025 in 2025.
The historical figure for 2020 is zero, since the season was played without fans. A park's attendance follows the team's fortunes more than the building's charms, and the table is a mirror of the club's results more than a verdict on the park.
The details that surprise first-time visitors
The first surprise is how the park sits. The skyline backdrop is real, and from many seats the downtown towers and the river are the picture, and they are close. A pedestrian bridge crossing at the foot of the park has long been the way many fans walk in from downtown on game days; check the club's page for the current arrangements because road and bridge closures can change.
Statues of Pirates greats stand outside the park, honoring players such as Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski and Honus Wagner. Clemente collected exactly 3,000 hits in a Pirates uniform, a figure that is confirmed by the historical franchise totals, and Stargell hit 475 home runs for the club, the franchise record. Wagner's 2,967 hits and Paul Waner's 2,868 are the other two club marks above 2,800. The all-time greats article builds a lineup around them.
The second surprise is the right-field wall. A 21-foot wall next to a 320-foot foul line is an unusual pairing, and it is worth arriving early enough to study it during batting practice. A line drive that would leave many parks can hit the wall here and stay in play as a double.
Planning a visit
Keep your planning general, because specifics change each season. Check the Pirates team page for the next home game and the schedule for your travel dates. Buy tickets only through the club or its authorized channels, and read the bag and prohibited-item policies before you leave your hotel.
For comfort, think about the sun and the weather. The park is open to the sky, and the field points a little south of east, so the sun moves across different parts of the seating bowl through an afternoon; the club's seating map and your start time will tell you more than a rule of thumb can. Pack for weather accordingly. Allow time to walk around the concourse before first pitch and to see the statues.
Parking and public transit options change, so rely on the club's current guidance for your date. The site's own ballpark page lists the reference data used here.
Common questions
Is PNC Park a pitcher's park? The historical batter park factor has averaged about 98, a mild lean toward pitchers, with the lowest values of 93 and 94 in 2012 and 2013. Some seasons, such as 2001, read above 100, so it is not a fixed rule.
When did the Pirates move in? The historical record lists 2001 as the first season at the park, after 30 years at Three Rivers Stadium.
How tall is the right-field wall? 21 feet, chosen to honor Roberto Clemente's uniform number.
How far is it to center field? The reference data lists 399 feet to center, 383 feet to left-center and 375 to right-center.
Where did the Pirates play before? Three Rivers Stadium from 1971 to 2000, and Forbes Field from 1909 to 1969.
Where to go next
To see the numbers behind this guide, open the PNC Park page and the Pirates team page, and follow Pirates coverage on the topic page. The park's division neighbors have their own stories: read the histories of the Reds, the Cubs and the Brewers, and for the trophy the Pirates have won five times, see the history of the World Series.