5 Pirates Games To Watch This Spring

Planning to head out to the ballpark this spring to watch some major league action? Here are our picks for five Pittsburgh Pirates games to watch at McKechnie Field this season:

1. Pirates vs. Yankees, March 1: The Bronx Bombers always draw a big crowd, and this Tuesday afternoon tilt will be no exception. The Yanks have brought down some big stars to Bradenton the past few years, including Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

2. Pirates vs. Rays, Feb. 27: The Pirates' first home game of the spring, against hometown Tampa Bay. James Shields is scheduled to start for the Rays in this one on Sunday, and you might also get your first glimpse of Johnny Damon or Manny Ramirez in a Rays uniform, either here or in the teams' McKechnie rematch on March 27.

3. Pirates vs. Phillies, March 4 and 12: OK, so we lied — we couldn't really just narrow this list down to five games, so we're counting both games against the Phils as one. With Philly putting together its Big Four rotation of Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels this offseason, there's a chance you might get to see one (or more) of them in Bradenton this March. If not, you'll still get to see a battle for Pennsylvania bragging rights.

4. Pirates vs. Red Sox, March 13 and 19: Same deal here, with the BoSox visiting twice this season. Area Rays fans could get a chance to cheer (or boo) Carl Crawford, signed away from Tampa Bay by Boston over the winter.

5. Pirates vs. Orioles, March 10: This is the only night game at McKechnie Field this spring, and its scheduled to air live on the MLB Network at 7 p.m. The Pirates will return the favor when they visit the O's on March 24 for a 7:05 p.m. game under the lights at the newly renovated Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota.

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