Behind the Scenes at Star Wars Night with the Pittsburgh Pirates

A drizzly Saturday afternoon on a recent May the 4th didn’t stop the Pittsburgh Pirates and their fans from celebrating Star Wars Night at PNC Park. The game itself pitted the home baseball club and visiting Colorado Rockies in a story that felt right out of the galaxy far, far away.

Eight-and-a-half scoreless innings came down to the last out in the bottom of the ninth when the Pirates loaded the bases. Not unlike Luke Skywalker joining the Rebel Alliance to make the trench run in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), pinch hitter Jack Suwinksi made a late entrance for the fateful moment, sneaking a base hit over the infield for the walk-off win. There wasn’t a medal ceremony like the rebels enjoyed back on Yavin 4, but it proved a much-needed victory for the Pirates.

Now an annual tradition for most clubs in Major League Baseball, this year’s Star Wars Night will welcome fans to over two-dozen themed games celebrating the galaxy far, far away with special themed giveaways, including a gaggle of Grogu bobbleheads. Find your favorite team and details on the local Star Wars Night below, then read on for more from the Pittsburgh Pirates Star Wars Day celebration from May the 4th 2024, a meaningful evening for fans and players alike.

Organizing a Star Wars Night

For decades, Major League Baseball clubs have hosted themed games in order to attract a diverse range of attendees. Popular culture franchises like Star Wars are more recent additions to the concept, but have already carved out a well-established niche. Practically every Major League ballpark, not to mention dozens of Minor League parks, host Star Wars Nights throughout the season.

Chris Vanderbeek is a former Director of Ballpark Entertainment for the Pirates (he’s also a big fan of Andor, The Mandalorian, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story). On that recent Star Wars Night, he acted as the show producer, collaborating with Director of Ballpark Productions Jon Cofer and Coordinator of Fan Engagement Briana Feldman to organize a complex run of show that involves everything from costumed-character appearances on the field to Star Wars sound effects being incorporated into the PA system.

“I love incorporating Star Wars elements into our show,” noted Cofer, another fan of the saga who spends the game doing everything from loading up a Star Wars crawl on the scoreboard to character overlays on the players’ headshots. “It combines two of my favorite things, and thinking of unique ways to mesh the two is rewarding.” And Vanderbeek enjoyed including visiting characters like Darth Vader (thanks to the fans in the 501st Legion) or Chewbacca into the storytelling. They may participate in opening festivities or other highlights throughout the game.

“Our games are built around being a family friendly atmosphere,” Vanderbeek continued, “and the entire Skywalker saga is really about family, so it just makes a lot of sense to interweave these two brands. We like to celebrate everything great about Pittsburgh as our fans have a strong affinity for the city and our colors. When you believe in something so much, you’re willing to start an entire rebellion to protect it, and that resonates with how much pride our fans have in the city of Pittsburgh and our sports teams.”

Another Star Wars fan behind the scenes is Grant Jones, Coordinator for Pro Player Strategy in the team’s Front Office. He recalled a quote from the late Carrie Fisher when the actress described the Star Wars saga as “about family, and that’s what’s so powerful about it.” Over the years, he’s spent a lot of time thinking about Fisher’s sentiment.

“The 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, who won the World Series, had ‘We Are Family’ as the theme song for their season,” Jones explained. “In much of Star Wars, and in baseball, the mythology and pastime of each is deeply embedded in the relationships that surround us whether by blood, or found family. More often than not in baseball operations, at the office and at the field we are spending more time with each other than we are with anyone else in our lives, and it is as we work toward something bigger than ourselves. While it isn’t quite the ‘monomyth,’ the journey we are all taking together as we work to build something special is something that stays with me.”

Fans on the Diamond

Pitcher Quinn Priester was a top draft pick for the home club, making his Major League debut in 2023. He’s also a passionate Star Wars fan. “My dad was an ex-science teacher, so when it first came out in the ‘70s, he loved it,” Priester, now with the Milwaukee Brewers, told StarWars.com. “He loved sci-fi and space stuff. And when I was a kid growing up, I remember watching the movies with him. When [The Force Awakens] came out, we went out and saw it together.”

Over the years, Priester also became a fan of the storylines created by Lucasfilm Animation. “I’ve seen all of The Clone Wars, all of Rebels,” he explained. “[My favorite character is] Anakin, like Clone Wars Anakin. I think he’s the man. When you see Darth Vader at the end [of Clone Wars] with all the helmets, you get really choked up because you’re so invested. That’s what made Ahsoka so good too, because I’ve watched her entire character arc going into the live action stuff, and bringing Rebels into it, it’s really cool.”

Another Star Wars fan is former Pirates pitcher Josh Fleming, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, who also grew up sharing the movies with his family. Like Priester, he has a soft spot for Darth Vader. “Darth Vader is definitely my favorite,” Fleming said. “You could throw Anakin in, too. Episode III Anakin is just a total badass. Back home, I have a Darth Vader Xbox controller and replica Vader lightsaber hung on the wall.”

In 2023, Fleming had the unusual opportunity to embrace his fandom thanks in part to his career as a ballplayer. “I was with the Rays and a hurricane destroyed our facility the year before,” he explained. “It wasn’t ready in time for spring training, so we went to Orlando. My wife and I went [to Disney World Resort], and I had to build my own lightsaber. It was my first time [visiting Galaxy’s Edge] and I was blown away.”

A Tradition of Family

Pirates fans are part of a distinctive culture in American sports, one defined by their close affiliation with their city and greater region. It's yet another mark of the universality of Star Wars that the stories find their way into the culture of something like baseball. The applicability of the saga truly knows no bounds, and Star Wars Nights at Major League ballparks are just one more example.

“Personally, I love [Star Wars Nights] because I’m a Star Wars nerd,” Fleming added. “I get excited. I’m fired up! I saw some fans in the stands with clone trooper helmets and they were acting like they’re playing along to the music. That was awesome. I’d be one of those fans for sure. I’d have a lightsaber with me.”

And as it turns out for Priester, Star Wars Nights have an even bigger appeal. “I actually pitched twice on Star Wars days in Triple-A one year,” he explained, “once for our home team and then the next week I pitched away at another Star Wars, and I had really good games. So I always joke around that I love Star Wars days because I pitch well!”