It’s still very early in the Pirates season, but 2023 feels different.
The team is winning and even when they lose, they’re in competitive games.
Andrew McCutchen’s return bring an injection of excitement, leadership and calm among his teammates and you can see it in their celebrations.
Back during the 2013-2015 Wild Card runs, the Pirates had things like the Zoltan signal they’d throw up after a big hit.
This year the Bucs are celebrating like Pirates with their own sword, a foam one that is.
After a home run, when the player returns to the dugout they are given the sword to swashbuckle around with.
The sword is compliments of a big Pirates fan who calls herself Pirates Queen Banshee.
She recently told Cook & Joe she was talking to pitcher Mitch Keller at a locally brewery during an event and they kept in contact with Keller via social media and were able to get the sword to Keller before a game, dubbing it the “home run sword.”
Keller says when the team hits a double or big base hit, they unsheathe a fake sword.
The “queen” says it takes her a little over two hours to get ready and that they are season ticket holders.