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Kirk Herbstreit Praises Pirates' PNC Park
Analyst Kirk Herbstreit speaks during the ESPN College GameDay live broadcast on the Texas Tech University campus on Nov. 8, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas. Mateo Rosiles/ Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kirk Herbstreit Praises Pirates' PNC Park

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell  |  Last updated Nov 18, 2025 2:00 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates might not always put out the best product on the field, but PNC Park has earned considerable recognition from baseball fans across the world, including prominent sports analysts that don't even cover baseball.

ESPN College Gameday analyst Kirk Herbstreit came to Pittsburgh for the rivalry between No. 22 Pitt and No. 9 Notre Dame, a Week 12 matchup down the street at Acrisure Stadium.

Kirk Herbstreit Praises PNC Park

Herbstreit arrived the day prior to the game on Nov. 14 and went around the North Shore, including to PNC Park, where he had nothing but great things to say.

“I got into Pittsburgh about 2:30 a.m. This is my favorite baseball stadium in America, PNC Park, here in Pittsburgh,” Herbstreit said. “’Pops’ Willie Stargell. How cool is this? I can’t remember when they built this, but it’s still holding up. It is a beauty. I love this place. The backdrop with the bridge back here. My man right here taking his morning walk.”

Herbstreit took out his dog, Peter, on a morning walk and also praised the Downtown Pittsburgh skyline, before also looking at the Roberto Clemente statue.

“There’s Pittsburgh. How sweet is this? Roberto Clemente. ‘The Great One.’ Awesome. Yeah, I think this is the best. There’s a lot of great baseball stadiums, but I think this one’s the best,” Herbstreit said.

What Makes PNC Park One of the Best Ball Parks in Baseball

The Pirates may not have brought much winning to PNC Park since they started play there in 2001, but the past 25 seasons have at least been in a ball park where fans across baseball come and watch the sport they love.

PNC Park provides the baseball fan, if they sit facing from behind home plate and back, a great view of the downtown skyline, with the Roberto Clemente bridge (Seventh St. Bridge), connecting the North Shore from downtown, Allegheny River underneath.

Even if you're sitting in the bleachers or the outfield seats, every place in PNC Park gives the attendee a great view of the game and the city it's in.

Pirates Feature on College GameDay Broadcast

Herbstreit joined his co-hosts on College GameDay ahead of the important battle between the two rivals, along with Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Desmond Howard, plus host Rece Davis.

McAfee, who hails just 20 miles east of Pittsburgh from Plum, Pa., brought up the Pirates and how he wanted them to win and immediately, fans in attendance chanted, "Sell the Team", to which McAfee shared his thoughts on that.

"Well, what’s going on with the Pirates is that they don’t spend any money so they never actually win you see and we’ve got Paul Skenes so we would like to go on an historic run at PNC Park, the most beautiful ball park in the MLB," McAfee said. 

A plane flew above the broadcast in the morning, which had a message reading, "Set Pittsburgh Free, Bob! Sell The Team! H2P!!". 

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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