Anthony Rizzo calls out Pirates fans but they should wear it proudly

Anthony Rizzo is probably not wrong. He recently said San Diego Padres fans can get after you, but when Pittsburgh was really rolling, Pirates fans were “the worst” — or, put another way, the most ruthless crowd he dealt with.

That clip from Throwbacks Show, hosted by Matt Leinart and Jerry Ferrara, made the rounds this week, and honestly, Pirates fans should take it as a compliment.

What exactly is the insult supposed to be? That Pittsburgh cared too much? Pirates fans were loud, hostile, relentless, and fully committed to making nine innings miserable for the other team when PNC Park actually had something real at stake. When the games matter, the atmosphere is supposed to have some edge to it. It’s supposed to feel uncomfortable for the opponent.

Nobody remembers the crowd that stayed tasteful and quiet in the biggest moments. They remember the ones that made the building feel alive.

Anthony Rizzo’s take on Pirates fans says more about Pittsburgh’s edge than anything else

And if anybody wants proof that Rizzo was not just tossing out some random line for the cameras, Pirates history already gave us the receipt. The 2013 Wild Card Game at PNC Park is still one of the clearest examples in modern baseball of a crowd fully hijacking the mood of a game. Pirates fans got on Johnny Cueto so hard he dropped the ball on the mound, and MLB still treats that blackout atmosphere as one of the defining moments in PNC Park history. 

If anything, the funny part is that Pirates fans have spent so many years being called frustrated, bitter, exhausted, cynical, or checked out that people forgot what this place sounds like when it has a pulse. Of course it gets brutal. This is a fanbase that knows baseball, has seen enough nonsense to last three lifetimes, and is not exactly interested in giving opposing stars a warm little welcome basket when the stakes rise.

When Rizzo says Pittsburgh was ruthless at its peak, Pirates fans should wear that the same way they wear the old blackout memories. Proudly. 

The bigger sting in Rizzo’s quote is not that Pirates fans were savage. It’s the phrase “when Pittsburgh was rocking.” That is the part that should hit. Because it is a reminder of what this fanbase sounds like when ownership gives it something real to believe in.

The crowd didn’t become legendary by accident. It became legendary because the city was starving for a winner, and when it finally got one, it turned PNC Park into a nightmare for the other side. 

Being called brutal by an opposing player is a badge of honor when your ballpark is alive. In a weird way, Rizzo may have said something a lot of Pirates fans probably needed to hear. The reputation is still there. The only thing missing is a team worthy of waking it back up.