Two of the biggest reasons the Pirates returned to the postseason 10 years ago will be in Pittsburgh to participate in the first pitch of the home opener.
Former Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett confirmed on twitter that he will be throwing out the first pitch.
Not only that, but the pitch will be caught by former Pirates catcher Russell Martin.
You may also remember Martin as the guy who took Johnny Cueto deep in the 2013 Wild Card game right after the Reds pitcher dropped the ball.
Burnett told the PM Team a couple weeks ago that he would love to come back to Pittsburgh for Andrew McCutchen’s first game back in Pittsburgh and now it’s confirmed.
Burnett only spent three of his 17 seasons in the MLB in Pittsburgh but was embraced by the fans for his leadership and attitude.
Burnett went 35-28 with a 3.34 ERA during his time with Pittsburgh in 2012-13 and again in 2015.