History today at McKechnie. More to come?

Today's crowd at McKechnie Field is 8,566, the largest in the history of the venerable ballpark, which opened its doors in 1923. It also pushes the total attendance this spring to 75,952 in 10 games.
Despite losing two games to rainouts, including one against the New York Yankees on St. Patrick's Day, the Pirates have a chance of shattering last year's total of 93,433, which established a McKechnie Field record.
It's a record that is well within reach.
The Pirates have to draw 17,482 fans and have three more home games, which averages out to 5,827 fans per game.
The average crowd at McKechnie this spring is 7,595. (The per game record is 6,229, also set last season.)
Bettering the chance is the opponents. The Pirates host the Detroit Tigers on Monday in a game broadcast live on ESPN. The Tigers didn't come to Bradenton last spring and always draw well, and should this season, especially since fans have a chance of seeing high-voltage stars such as Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander.
The Toronto Blue Jays will be here Tuesday. They drew over 8,000 during a trip last year.
And things wrap Thursday against the Yankees, who lured 6,870 McKechnie on Feb. 26. It was the largest crowd to ever attend a Grapefruit League opener at McKechnie Field.
So if you have some time and a little bit of cash, head out to McKechnie next week. You could make history by just walking through the gate.