Cole Tucker and Nick Burdi had already begun their at-bat Tuesday when it finally happened. To this point, the Pirates had played in silence for their intrasquad games, with the only noises being the crack of the bat or the mitt and some occasional banter.
But then it started to get louder. Artificial crowd noise was being pumped in through PNC Park's speakers.
This has been a concern for players and Derek Shelton. Without fans in the stands, games are going to be silent. That could lead to teams eavesdropping on their opponent's conversations from the other dugout, not to mention every word potentially being picked up on television broadcasts.
“I don’t really want to hear the other teams’ conversations from their dugout, and I don’t want them hearing ours,” Jacob Stallings said in a Zoom call last week.
The Pirates had considered adding crowd noise to mask their voices during games, so this could be a sample of what is to come in 2020.
Shelton likes to watch the intrasquad games from the stands to get a different vantage point for the pitchers, and while out there decided to have the noise dialed down a bit.
"It was different," Shelton said about the experience. "I went out in the outfield and had a conversation with [special assistant to baseball operations] David Eckstein and [special assistant to baseball operations] Jamey [Carroll] and then the base coaches and [bench coach] Donnie [Kelly] just about how loud it should be and how loud it was... It was really loud in the stands, in my opinion, so I went out on the field to see, and we were able to adjust it.
"So once we get our guys out there, I think we'll have a better idea of how loud it should be and make sure our communication’s fine."
How loud is loud? Here is where it sounded from the pressbox, which is around section 317 and 318, for Burdi and Tucker's at-bat:
Pirates are playing their intrasquad game with crowd noise for the first time in camp. #DKPS #Pirates pic.twitter.com/wqOwMAVNBt
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) July 14, 2020
And here it is towards the end of the game:
It was constant, static noise, so it's not like a normal game where there would be cheers and boos and other sounds from the ballpark depending on what's happening. Not that Shelton would be opposed to that.
"I wish they could pipe in some beer vendors or water vendors," Shelton said. "That would be kind of fun."
More from Day 12 of Pirates summer camp:
• It was a light day in camp, with group activities wrapping up before 5 p.m.. The intrasquad game was only three innings long following their first nine inning game Monday night, which itself ran longer than expected.
“Very nice to have a light day, a little recovery day for some boys," Shelton said. "So that was good. Maybe for me, too. I’m getting old.”
• During a Zoom call Tuesday, new center fielder Jarrod Dyson talked about the benefit of playing that game Monday night, especially playing the stadium's shadows as the sun goes down.
"It’s something you still want to get used to," Dyson said. "I think that’s the most important part for me is seeing when the sun’s getting ready to go down how the ball’s going to be looking. That’s tough, I’m not going to lie. We had a 7 o’clock scrimmage, and it was tough in the first couple innings."
Shelton said the coaching staff is aware of some of the tricks PNC Park has up its sleeve and how to make the most of their home ballpark.
“In terms of conversations, some of those I won’t talk about because, hopefully, they’ll end up being a home-field advantage for us because we’re aware of them and other people won’t be aware of them," Shelton said. "I think the shadows is a big one, especially for some of the guys who haven’t been in our ballpark."
• Joe Musgrove will start the Pirates' first simulated game Saturday against the Indians. He is scheduled to pitch six innings.
Shelton again brushed off naming him the opening day starter, though Musgrove's schedule lines up with starting in St. Louis on July 24.
The Pirates will play three intrasquad games against the Indians, playing at home on July 18 and 22 and on the road July 20. Shelton said he and pitching coach Oscar Marin still have to work out who will pitch in the other two games and the days between those contests.
• Keone Kela, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Blake Cederlind still have not joined the Pirates on the field yet. There is no timetable for their return.
Losing Kela would create a hole in the bullpen since he is the closer. Bullpen coach Justin Meccage did not commit to anyone taking that spot if Kela is not ready for opening day, though Kyle Crick, Richard Rodriguez and Nick Burdi could be options.
• We may also see some of those late-inning options earlier than the eighth or ninth innings. Every game is going to be more important because of the shorter schedule, so if the highest-leverage situation happens in the fifth or sixth inning, the Pirates could go to one of their best arms then, Meccage said.
"I like the mix that we have in our bullpen to be able to do some creative things," Meccage said.
MORE CAMP COVERAGE
• Dyson using work ethic, humor to be leader
• Moran set to start season at third base
