That headline isn't a joke or a play on words. The Pirates have a sword in the dugout now, one that was broken out often in their 7-4 win over the Astros at PNC Park Tuesday.
Ok, so it's a fake sword, but we got plenty of action shots from the Pirates' dugout of the team playing with the new toy, including after when Ji-Man Choi homered in the sixth inning:
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 12, 2023
“I saw it the other day when Cutch [Andrew McCutchen] brought it out," Derek Shelton jokingly said, "so I don’t even know what the hell it is.”
Actually, it was Mitch Keller who got the sword into the dugout. It was a gift from a group of fans who regularly dress up as Pirates, sword and all. The Pirates had been doing a sword celebration after their hits this year, pantomiming drawing it from their side while on first or second base. But a real sword? Keller admitted to the fans that would be cool.
@Pirates @ATTSportsNetPIT We were the ones who gave my husband’s cutlass to Keller. We are not a part of the Renegades. We do not stand in the rotunda. pic.twitter.com/Z7EkwtT6Wv
— 𝒫𝒾𝓇𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝐵𝒶𝓃𝓈𝒽𝑒𝑒☠️👑💛⚾️ (@PGHPirateQueen) April 11, 2023
Long story short, the Pirates have a cutlass now.
"Hopefully they see it every time now and feel like they’re a part of the team more than they already are," Keller said. "We really rally around the fans that are here. We really rally around them and they help us a lot, so it’s cool."
Jack Suwinski also got to swing the home run sword in the second inning Tuesday after he cleared the right field wall.
"Everyone's caught on," Suwinski said. "We had to get everyone on board, but now, I think it's going to be a thing."
Again, it's just a toy. But could the Pirates dare to bring in something more authentic one day?
"Yeah," Ji-Man Choi said through interpretter Daniel Park. "As long as you guys don’t report it."
