Open House: Pirates, Red Sox Show Off Ballpark Renovations

PNC Park Renovations Include Left-Field Hall Of Fame Club, All-You-Can-Eat Section

The price of most 16-ounce bottled beers at the Pirates’ PNC Park will increase $0.75 to $6.75, while a 16-ounce domestic draft beer will increase $0.50 to $4.75, according to Mark Belko of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. The Pirates “attributed the increases to Allegheny County’s new 10[%] drink tax.” However, the price increases actually range from 11.8-13%. The team said that it has “tried to offset the increases by keeping the prices of many ballpark foods the same.” Meanwhile, the media toured PNC Park Thursday, and among the renovations highlighted was the new left-field restaurant called the Hall of Fame Club and the new all-you-can-eat section. The Hall of Fame Club, which replaces the Outback Steakhouse, can accommodate 395 people inside and more than 100 on an outdoor patio. Inside is a full-service bar and 20 flat-screen HD TVs. Pirates President Frank Coonelly said that of the changes made to the ballpark, the restaurant “probably will provide the greatest benefit to fans.” Other changes include “cushier seats for fans in the high-priced sections” and a remodeled Pirates team store, where fans can buy “authentic game-used equipment, including jerseys and bats” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 4/4). In Pittsburgh, Karen Price notes any fan with a ticket can enter the Hall of Fame Club during the game and “stay as long as they like,” as the bar “will continue to serve past the seventh inning, when alcohol shuts down in the rest of the park.” Also, new for this year will be the “ability to use debit and/or credit cards at any concession stand in the park” (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 4/4).

FENWAY PARK: The Red Sox Thursday hosted a media tour of their latest renovations to Fenway Park. The changes include the addition of about 875 seats, new standing room areas, restrooms, scoreboards and more handicapped-accessible seating. The State Street Pavilion has been extended on both the left- and right-field sides and additional club and box seats have been added. Eight new suites in the section have replaced six temporary suites, and 12 private suites on the EMC Level have been renovated. The team also has added four LED scoreboards, two in left field and two in right. Additionally, the 412-seat Coca-Cola Corner, which was unveiled in February, will debut this season (Red Sox). In Boston, Tania deLuzuriaga notes Red Sox players will “enjoy a renovated locker room this season, additional restrooms and a new kitchen.” However, fans are "not likely to be blown away by many” of the changes. Red Sox Senior VP/Planning & Development Janet Marie Smith: “Our goal is for fans to come in here and breathe a sigh of relief that it doesn’t look different.” Construction is “still underway on the Bleacher Bar, a year-round restaurant slated to open in May.” And next year, the team is planning the “renovation of the right field upper deck and replacement of the center field scoreboard” (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/4).