Huge crowd and high drama

(baseballpilgrimages.com)

Turns out there was a big crowd today - one of the biggest, in fact, as the Pirates lost 5-3 to the Blue Jays.
The Pirates put two on in the bottom of the ninth before Corey Wimberly flied out to center.
The paid attendance of 6,315 is the ballpark's second-largest crowd ever, topped only by last week's count of 6,602 that crammed McKechnie to watch the Pirates and Red Sox.
Here is a list of the top 10 biggest crowds in the tradition-rich history of McKechnie Field.
*- sellout

1. March 13, 2011 vs. Boston 6,602*
2. March 16, 2011 vs. Toronto 6,315
3. March 31, 1994 vs. Toronto 6,221*
4. March 26, 2008 vs. Detroit 6,106*
5. March 20, 2007 vs. Detroit 6,102*
6. March 10, 1999 vs. New York Yankees 6,096
7. March 24, 1994 vs. Detroit 6,089*
8. March 25, 2003 vs. Boston 6,085*
9. March 16, 2001 vs. Boston 6,075*
10 March 24, 2010 vs. Boston 6.053*

The moral of the story? When the Red Sox and Tigers are in town, get your tickets in advance.

This is John Lembo, signing off from McKechnie Field in downtown Bradenton.