At the start of the 2015 MLB season, the Pittsburgh Pirates had hopes of making the MLB playoffs for the third year in a row. Entering a huge July, they appear poised to do that — and more. Sitting in second place in the NL Central, a feisty Pirates squad is just eight games back from the best team in baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals, and at the worst, they’re still in the driver seat for an NL Wild Card berth, which is how they entered the postseason in the previous two years.
The Pirates have done most of their damage at home, while relying on star hitters Andrew McCutchen (nine homers, 45 RBI) and Starling Marte (12 home runs, 46 RBI) to fuel the lineup. The offense hasn’t been going to work on their own, either, as Gerrit Cole (11 wins), Francisco Liriano (108 strikeouts) and the ageless A.J. Burnett (2.01 ERA) have maintained an elite pitching rotation.
Fully equipped with the necessary balance to make a deep playoff run, the Pirates could be a highly successful July away from pushing themselves into the top portion of the league. In that same breath, Pittsburgh fans continue to get major value via Pirates tickets, which are barely over $78 on average for the year. That value continues into the new month, which has some major bargains on the schedule. To see what kind of value Pirates fans are in for in July, let’s take a look at Pittsburgh’s cheapest and priciest games in July, with information provided by SeatSmart:
Cheapest – 7/8/2015 VS. San Diego Padres at PNC Park | Avg: $30 | Get-in: $5
Pittsburgh’s cheapest game of July comes against the Padres at home, where fans pay just $30 on average, and the cheap seats are only a measly $5. San Diego has had a tough time on offense over the past month, while getting some inconsistent pitching, so the Pirates could be in a nice position to take this one. This is far more than half the price of a regular Pirates game, while Pittsburgh fans might enjoy a killer pitching performance and a big day from the Pirates offense.
Most Expensive – 7/31/2015 @ Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark | Avg: $139.77 | Get-in: $3
Pirates tickets climb up quite a bit for this road trip to take on the division rival Reds, and no one should be shocked. Ticket prices double up here, but the Reds can be a pretty potent offense thanks to the likes of Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier, while base-stealing fiend Billy Hamilton is always fun to watch. On top of the star power, Cincy has also been a problem for the Pirates so far in 2015 (up 7-2 in the season series). Pittsburgh will go into this game (and series) looking to get some revenge as a result, as they continue to try and chase down St. Louis. Fans will surely be banking on that, but even if it doesn’t go as planned, at least the cheap seats have some ridiculous value being just $3.
