Will The Weather Help The Pittsburgh Pirates Win It's Home Opener?
Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter
PITTSBURGH (KDKA)-- As the Pirates prepare for the home opener at PNC Park, KDKA decided to take a look and see if there is any correlation between weather and Pittsburgh's success in the first home game.
The stats for this data will date back to 2001 when the team first started playing at PNC Park.
Statistics say the Pirates are a bit easier to beat when temperatures are above average, and they have won more home openers when it is cooler. This year's home opener will likely come with below average temperatures, hopefully giving the Bucs a boost.
The warmest home opener on record at PNC Park was 80 degrees on April 9, 2001. The coldest home opener was in 2015, when it was only 38 degrees.
Rainy days help Pittsburgh win home openers according to the data. Since 2001, the Bucs are 6-3 when it is wet, but have a losing record in drier conditions. This year, the home will most likely be dry.
The 2018 home opener was the wettest on record at PNC Park, with 0.17 inches of rain on the ground.
Winds ironically help the Bucs in home openers. They statistically have a better record when it is windy. This year's home opener does not look to be too windy, meaning most of the weather categories are not beneficial, at least statistically, to the Pirates this year.
The Pirates have won the last 5 straight home openers, and have gone 7-3 in the last 10! Will the streak continue this season?
