Pirates catch a long overdue schedule break that MLB lockout could destroy

The Pittsburgh Pirates finally received the kind of scheduling break their fans have been waiting more than a decade to see, but Major League Baseball’s looming labor battle threatens to take it away.

The Pirates are scheduled to open the 2027 season against the Athletics at PNC Park, with a three-game series running from March 25-27. Opening Day falling on March 25 means Pittsburgh will begin a season at home for the first time since 2016.

That is an absurdly long drought for a franchise whose ballpark remains one of baseball’s best settings, particularly when it is filled with an energized crowd that has a reason to believe.

The Pirates last opened a season at home on April 3, 2016, when they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 in front of a sellout crowd of 39,500. Pittsburgh was coming off three consecutive postseason appearances at the time, and PNC Park carried the atmosphere of a city expecting another meaningful summer.

The Pirates haven't recreated that feeling consistently in the years since. But if the 2026 season ends with Pittsburgh reaching the postseason — or even making a serious run deep into September — the 2027 opener could provide the perfect continuation of the momentum the organization has worked so hard to build.

The Athletics are also an intriguing Opening Day opponent, continuing a recent trend of the Pirates beginning their home schedule against an American League club. Pittsburgh hosted the Chicago White Sox for its 2023 home opener, the Baltimore Orioles in 2024 and 2026 and the New York Yankees in 2025.

But none of those series represented the official beginning of the Pirates’ season. This one is supposed to. The problem is that “supposed to” is doing significant work.

Pirates' 2027 schedule release comes with the threat of a cancelled season

MLB’s current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, and the possibility of another lockout will hover over the sport throughout the offseason. If MLB and the MLB Players Association can't reach a new agreement, spring training could be delayed and regular-season games could eventually be lost.

That would put Pittsburgh’s long-awaited home Opening Day in danger before fans ever reach the ballpark.

The Pirates haven't begun a season at PNC Park in more than a decade. They finally have a chance to do so with a team that could be coming off its most exciting season in years, only for another labor stoppage to potentially erase the occasion.

After years of losing, rebuilding and asking supporters to remain patient, Pittsburgh fans should be able to enjoy the simple reward of welcoming their team home on Opening Day. The 2027 schedule has finally given them that opportunity, but baseball’s power brokers are threatening to take it away.

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