Pirates Facing Fan Backlash Over Dumping Bricks and Clemente

The Pirates are facing their second backlash from fans this week after commemorative “Bucco Bricks” were found at a recycling facility.

The local news outlet KDKA first reported the news.

Fans purchased about 10,000 bricks that have lined the sidewalks outside the home gate entrance to PNC Park. The team introduced the “Bucco Bricks” in 1999 before opening the park in 2001, and says they have now removed them three times over the years. But instead of replacing the bricks again during recent renovations ahead of the ballpark’s 25th season, the team decided to seek a different solution.

“This cycle of deterioration prompted our organization to look for a better way to preserve these cherished messages over the long term,” a Pirates spokesperson said in a statement. “We have been actively planning to develop and unveil a more permanent display for these special messages to honor the enduring support that our fans shared then and continue to share in our future.”

Proceeds from the initial purchase of the bricks went to the Roberto Clemente Foundation. The team’s Hall of Fame right fielder was the subject of another controversy this week, when the Pirates replaced a ballpark tribute to Clemente with an advertisement for an alcohol company.

Clemente’s name and No. 21 logo have been displayed on the 21-foot right field wall—another tribute to the Pirates legend—since 2022. Clemente’s son, Roberto Clemente Jr., said Sunday that the “change was made without any communication or consultation with our family.” Later that day, the team said it would be adding back the logo.

“When we added the advertisement to the pad, it was an oversight not to keep the No. 21 logo,” Pirates president Travis Williams said in a statement. “This is ultimately on me, not anyone else in the organization. It was an honest mistake.”