FanPost

A Weekend in Pittsburgh



The streets of Pittsburgh were not only occupied by a group of people, known as furries, dressed in animal suits with a passion in the idea of animals with human characteristics, in town for the annual Anthrocon convention, but also disappointed Phillies fans that made the 6 hour car trip to watch a poor performance all three days of their series in Pittsburgh.

The sounds of foghorns and the sights of Pirates fans waiving their jolly roger flags filled PNC Park. One sound and sight that was rare to see were the Phillies fans up and cheering. It was not because they lacked enthusiasm, but rather because there were rarely any opportunities to show off their Philadelphia spirit. After Jimmy Rollins threw out Starling Marte in the first inning of the first game, the series went nothing but downhill. Whether it was outfield collisions, Andrew McCutchen home runs, or Jordy Mercer domination, Phillies fans were stuck in their seats looking up to see a crowd of Pittsburgh fans yelling, cheering, and waving flags as if they had just won the World Series. I was one of the Phillies fans that made the trek to see the team try to change their luck and start winning again.

The short walk from downtown Pittsburgh to the stadium was filled with other Phillies fans hoping their team could salvage a win. There were high fives and smiles before the game from Phillies fans as they crossed Roberto Clemente Bridge to see their team perform on the road in front of a new, energetic Pirates fan base. After each of the games, there were few things a Phillies fan could smile about on their walk back across the bridge.

This series was filled with defensive miscues, runners left on base by the Phillies, and early runs by the Pirates the Phillies could not come back to overcome. Unfortunate double plays and strikeouts squandered any chance the Phillies had to take a lead in any of the games after the first inning. Opportunities such as bases loaded situations and runners on with no outs arose, but each time it resulted in little momentum for the team. Whether it was a bad jump on a ball by Domonic Brown or a Ben Revere and Tony Gwynn Jr. collision, it looked like the Phillies were completely outplayed everyday of this series.

Even with the team spiraling away from a playoff spot, Phillies fans still proudly wore their team apparel down to where the three rivers meet, listening to Pirates fans yell "Utley’s a bum", and "The Phillies suck" in hope they could walk back from PNC Park after the game proud to wear their teams colors after a Phillies win. The fans never got the chance. Phillies fans sat in disappointment as they listened to fireworks signaling a Pirates win. Those fireworks shot up for three straight days signaling a sweep of the team that was once famous for dominating PNC Park.

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