Pittsburgh — Strange night.
PNC Park was nearly empty Tuesday night, as if COVID-19 capacity restrictions were still in place. The crowd was announced at 8,329, but that seemed exaggerated. And so quiet. At one point, music from a nearby outdoor concert was louder than the stadium noise. There wasn’t much energy being generated on the field, either.
The Pirates and Tigers, two teams operating far from the glare of the playoff chase, slogged through a game that featured 18 hits, 12 walks, 16 strikeouts, 22 runners left on base — and only five runs.