The Pittsburgh Pirates will be wearing a different kind of black and gold when they travel to Milwaukee and Detroit this weekend -- they'll don Pittsburgh Penguins jerseys to show their support.
"There's a large contingency that have their fingers on the pulse of Penguins hockey," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle told MLB.com. "And they pull the other ones in regardless of whether they want to be pulled in or not."
Hurdle got his own custom Penguins jersey, with his No. 13 and name on the back, delivered to his office at PNC Park on Wednesday afternoon.
“It's a special time of year,” he said. “It's hard to beat playoff hockey. The last few nights, I've stayed up later than I anticipated, watching games. It's a wonderful time of the year, and our team's in.”
Infielder Brandon Inge, who played 11 seasons for the Detroit Tigers, first became interested in hockey during his time in Hockeytown. He said he's happy to support the Penguins because of the positive effects they could have on the city.
"Other athletes understand what you're going through, the everyday stress, and what it takes to become a good team," said Inge, who's undecided about which jersey he'll wear. "It's good for the city. It's something about community."
First baseman Gaby Sanchez, who will wear a Chris Kunitz No. 14 jersey, said he realizes the importance of supporting other teams in the city. Sanchez played for the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs in 2010, when the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl.
"We're motivated on our own to go out and do something special," Sanchez said. "But on the other hand, if they go out and they win, we're going to want to do the same thing, because we'll see how the city reacts. So of course we're going to want that same feeling."