Low Pirates' attendance offers one massive benefit with Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani in town

In the recent years when the Pittsburgh Pirates didn't field a good baseball team — I'm talking pre-Paul Skenes, but post-2010's playoff run — there were a couple of monthly phone calls I could always count on.

One was from the Pirates' ticket office, advertising not their own players but those of the opposing team. Whether it be Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuña Jr., you name it, the Pirates marketing department knew they didn't have a chance at persuading the typical fan out of their loveseat to cheer on Ke'Bryan Hayes.

The second call I could count on was also from the ticket office, offering a cheaper price. That, it would seem, is happening even now at PNC Park despite the Pirates boasting a record over .500.

The Pirates rank 26th in attendance this season, ahead of only the Royals, Rays, Marlins and Athletics. Even the most optimistic of Pirates fans know Pittsburgh isn't a baseball town, but Skenes, Konnor Griffin and a host of would-be fan favorites ought to change that.

For now, there is only one benefit for baseball fans in or around Pittsburgh who want to watch a once-in-a-generation talent, and those are the cheap ticket prices mentioned above. For example, tickets on the secondary market (TickPick, StubHub and Seat Geek) are going for $42, $38 and $40 (including fees) respectively as of this writing.

Given what it would cost to watch Ohtani at Dodger Stadium, or god forbid an NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden, the Pirates and the subsequent fans willing to sell are offering a bargain.

Pirates fans made their presence known to Shohei Ohtani in Dodgers series opener

While Pirates fans didn't necessarily flock to PNC Park for Skenes Day against the Dodgers on Tuesday, they did make themselves known. In what eventually became a rough 12-3 loss to the back-to-back World Series champs, Pirates fans tried to get in Ohtani's head at the plate.

The end result, of course, was unfortunate to say the least. Pittsburgh surrendered 10 runs in the inning and wore out their bullpen, which was already considered their greatest weakness heading into a critical homestand.

The Pirates took two of three on the road in Houston but have since quickly come back down to earth thanks to a sweep at the hands of Atlanta — the No. 1 team in FanSided's MLB Power Rankings — and a demoralizing loss to Ohtani and Co. in a game the reigning NL Cy Young winner pitched. The vibes aren't great.

And those vibes tell a story most Pirates fans can relate to. As fun as a packed PNC Park would be this summer, that only happens if the on-field product can keep up. For now, we'll believe it when we see it.

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