Baseball Celebration Honors Steelworkers

USW members who have watched the Pittsburgh Pirates this spring might have noticed a unique celebration the players have initiated when one of their teammates hits a home run. 

As a tribute to the workers for which their hometown is known, players decided this season that they would dress as Steelworkers in the team dugout after each long ball.

“It’s a good representation of who we want to be as a team and the kind of people who live in Pittsburgh: tough and gritty,” said first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, one of the masterminds behind the idea, who also hit two home runs in the team’s first six games.  

“We know our fan base includes a lot of blue-collar workers,” second baseman Brandon Lowe told MLB.com. “We wanted to represent them.” 

The team had one rule – the celebratory gear had to be authentic. So Pirates officials contacted District 10 Director Bernie Hall, who provided the players with some of his own equipment, along with a welding mask that belonged to USW member Dave Stephenson, who has worked for 22 years at U.S. Steel’s Irvin Works in West Mifflin. 

“Steelworkers, in Western Pennsylvania and across the country, have always been synonymous with a blue-collar work ethic, teamwork and a never-quit attitude,” Hall said. “Seeing the Pirates honor Steelworkers this way really brings home the connection between the team and the people of this region.”