Pirates delay general public ticket sales until allowable capacity at PNC Park is determined

In hopes of opening up more seating at PNC Park for fans after Gov. Tom Wolf eased covid-19 restrictions at venues, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they are delaying their general public ticket sale planned for Wednesday.

The Pirates had planned to sell all remaining tickets for the first 12 games of the season, which would be assigned in pods, but don’t want to risk having to relocate fans after tickets have been sold.

Wolf announced Monday that outdoor venues could hold up to 50% capacity for events after April 4, which would allow for a maximum of about 19,000 fans to attend games. But the Pirates were trying to determine the capacity under 6-foot safe distancing measures. The home opener against the Chicago Cubs is April 8.

“The recent announcement by Governor Tom Wolf regarding the updated capacity limits is an encouraging step in bringing even more fans back to PNC Park,” Travis Williams, president of the Pirates, said in a statement. “We are continuing our capacity planning discussions with Governor Wolf, state and local officials, as well as our medical expert partners at Highmark and AHN. We expect to announce those plans in the coming days. We appreciate the support and patience of our fans as we work through this together.”