Why do Pirates have welding helmet? Explaining home run celebration
The Pirates have added an unconventional prop to their home run celebrations.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are tapping into their city's roots with a new home run celebration. Early in Thursday's Opening Day game against the New York Mets, Brandon Lowe smashed a two-run home run for the first MLB points of the season. After rounding the bases and entering the dugout, he donned a unique prop: a welding helmet.
The welding helmet is the Pirates' new home run celebration, and it's a nod to Pittsburgh's history in the steel industry. Thanks primarily to the industriousness of Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick, who formed Carnegie Steel Co. in 1901, Pittsburgh became the nation's leading steel producer early in the 20th century.
The city managed to provide nearly half the nation's steel output through the 1950s, though it faded dramatically through the 1970s and '80s. Steel remains an integral part of Pittsburgh's DNA. The Pittsburgh Steelers' name is the most prominent evidence.
Lowe would end up wearing the welding helmet twice during Thursday's game, as he went yard again in the third inning. With a look this cool, you can't blame him for swinging for the fences. The Pirates are using a steel mill worker's welding helmet as their home run celebration for this season pic.