Pirates celebrate career of Josh Harrison, highlight what he meant to Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has always felt like home to Josh Harrison.

After what transpired Friday, PNC Park will officially represent the finish line for the Pirates fan favorite.

For a special press conference before the start of a three-game series against the Mets, Harrison sat between Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting and assistant general manager Kevan Graves to officially retire as a Pirate.

“It’s definitely a good feeling,” Harrison said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m just glad my family can experience it with me.”

The moment meant equally as much to the Pirates, Nutting explained.

There’s an ongoing push to reconnect with — and highlight — more recent alums.

Nutting said he couldn’t imagine a better starting point than Harrison, who played eight seasons (2011-18) with the Pirates, reaching the MLB All-Star Game in 2014 and 2017.

A Heart & Hustle Award winner, Harrison went all out all the time and played everywhere.

He also produced some impressive numbers, accumulating 5.9 wins above replacement (Baseball Reference) in 2014, when he hit .315 to finish second in the National League batting race.

Harrison was one of the tentpoles of those Pirates playoff teams, and he employed a hair-on-fire style that resonated with fans.

“I can’t imagine a better person to start with, someone who I watched play exciting games with my dad,” Nutting said. “To be able to watch (Josh) with my dad and my daughter … and to see your hustle, commitment, grit, energy … that’s exactly what the Pittsburgh Pirates are about. If we’re going to get started down that path, there’s no better person to get started with.”

The on-field stuff with Harrison was impressive — and the Pirates highlighted all of it, as longtime play-by-play broadcaster Greg Brown went through Harrison’s many achievements.

But part of what made Harrison special involved things you couldn’t quantify: taking the extra base, the energy with which he played, the excitement he generated and his reputation for being a terrific teammate.

“Whether it was the rundowns, the smile or the commitment when you came off the field,” Nutting said, “you were such an important part of those teams in 2013, ’14 and ’15 that were really important to me, to this organization and to Pittsburgh.

“Meant all the difference in the world, bringing postseason baseball back to Pittsburgh. We all remember what that atmosphere was like, and you certainly made that possible.”

In Harrison’s eyes, he was proud of how he played in Pittsburgh, evolving into an All-Star and earning a $27.3 million contract extension. But his favorite part of his bond with the city was also difficult to explain with numbers.

It was family and how fans treated his parents, wife and young daughters. It was the clubhouse culture created. It was the atmosphere that existed on the North Shore during those times. And how Harrison’s playing style served as an example for young kids to follow.

It’s why Harrison — while never explicitly thinking this would be a possibility — never gave it a second thought when Nutting approached him roughly six weeks ago with the idea of retiring a Pirate.

“It was easy for me to play for a city that welcomed me with open arms,” Harrison said. “I wasn’t drafted here. I was traded here (by the Cubs in July 2009). A lot of people might’ve been unfamiliar because I came up pretty quickly, but that didn’t change the fact that when I threw on that black and gold, it was from the minute I put those spikes on and hit the field, I could really feel the love.

“I didn’t really set out to retire as a Pirate because I wanted that to happen organically or naturally. Thankfully for me, I don’t believe in coincidences, and that meeting [with Nutting] a month and a half ago led to this moment here.”

During his press conference, Harrison recalled one of his eight walk-off winners — the first one, at home against the Astros. He also credited his brothers Sean and Vince with creating the toughness with which he played.

But most of all, Harrison described the tight bond between player and city, something that came naturally and will now frame his presence in post-retirement life.

In other words, this won’t be the last time we see or hear from Harrison.

“I was fortunate that when I was here, we had guys like Bill Virdon and (Bill) Mazeroski,” Harrison said. “These guys would be around. You don’t take that for granted.

“Those teams from 2013-15 had a lot of guys that have knowledge and still call Pittsburgh home. I’m sure those guys feel the same way I do and would love to bridge the gap and pour into these guys the way the former players poured into us because Pittsburgh is a special place.

“The tradition is very rich. Being able to pass that down and be a part of that is something I don’t take lightly and I’m very excited to be a part of.”