Pirates fans rip Reds for weak attendance in Cincinnati amid playoff race

Pittsburgh Pirates fans are taking wins wherever they can find them these days, mostly because the Pirates themselves keep coming up empty in that regard. When Pittsburgh entered a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark on Tuesday, the Pirates had lost 12 of their last 15, although they were riding a hot two-game winning streak.

Nonetheless, Pirates fans haven’t had much to smile about in 2025, as Pittsburgh extended its playoff drought to ten seasons and counting. Maybe that’s why a notable Pirates fan account on X decided to pick on the Reds and their fan base on Tuesday.

Pirates fans find weird solace in attendance-shaming Reds fans

The X account @PiratesStrong shared a photo of Great American Ballpark from Tuesday’s game, which made it look like there were very few people in attendance to watch the Reds battle for a playoff spot. Above the photo, the post included a caption mocking the Reds franchise.

And while GABP wasn’t close to capacity (45,814), the reality of the situation is that 29,847 fans showed up on Tuesday, a number which exceeded the Reds’ average attendance this season (26,954 per game through 78 games, ranked 20th in MLB).

That number also, by the way, exceeded the Pirates’ average draw to PNC Park in 2025, which was 18,827 per game in 81 games (capacity: 38,747), good for 26th in MLB.

As such, it suggests that @PiratesStrong and any Pittsburgh fans who reveled in mocking the Reds may have been doing a bit of projecting. If not, the next best bet is that Pirates fans felt like they were looking into a mirror when they stared at the thousands of empty seats at GABP.

On the other hand, and in defense of the mockery, it is sad that Cincinnati couldn’t draw out a better crowd for a team on the verge of a playoff berth! The Pirates may have had attendance issues of their own in 2025, but they haven’t been in postseason contention at virtually any point this season, and history has shown that Pirates fans do show up in great numbers when playoffs are on the menu.

There’s a logical explanation for the low attendance figures in 2025 for Pittsburgh. Paul Skenes does his part to attract fans, but ultimately, losing teams aren’t expected to draw crowds. The same excuse can't be made for the Reds right now.

Meanwhile, @PiratesStrong is probably still laughing, as the Pirates not only won Tuesday’s game, but also emerged victorious from an extra-innings battle on Wednesday night, pushing their winning streak to four and helping to sabotage Cincinnati’s playoff hopes.

With the Mets losing on Wednesday night to the Chicago Cubs, the Reds missed a key opportunity to be tied with New York for the third Wild Card position. What’s even more frustrating is that the Reds could have outright and emphatic possession of that third spot if they’d gone 2-0 over the Pirates in the last two games, rather than 0-2. As it stands, all they have to do is draw even to make the postseason, as they earn the tiebreaker.

Maybe Cincinnati could have used more fans in the stands on Tuesday and Wednesday to help the cause, after all.