Josh Harrison’s time in Pittsburgh is now officially being treated the way Pirates fans always felt it should be: as something that belongs to the city as much as to the player.
On Friday, before the Pirates opened a three-game series against the Mets, Harrison held a special press conference at PNC Park and retired as a Pirate. He was seated between Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting and assistant general manager Kevan Graves for the announcement, a fitting setup for a career that meant more than just the numbers on the back of the baseball card.
“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.”
For Nutting, the moment was about more than ceremony. The Pirates are trying to reconnect with and spotlight more recent alumni, and he said Harrison was the perfect place to begin. Harrison spent eight seasons with Pittsburgh from 2011-18, made the MLB All-Star Game in 2014 and 2017, and won a Heart & Hustle Award while becoming one of the most recognizable and energetic players of that era.
Nutting pointed to the baseball and the personality. Harrison’s 5.9 wins above replacement in 2014, when he hit .315 and finished second in the National League batting race, was part of the story. So was everything that came with it: the effort, the versatility, the edge, the spark.
“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 Pirates leaned into the full picture of Harrison’s career, with longtime broadcaster Greg Brown running through the accomplishments that made him such a fixture on those teams. But the franchise also made clear that the numbers only tell part of it.
Harrison’s value showed up in the little things that swing games and stick in memory: the extra base, the hard-nosed play, the smile, the way he lifted the dugout, the way teammates trusted him. Nutting said Harrison mattered to the teams of 2013, ’14 and ’15 in a way that reached well beyond the box score.
“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.”
Harrison’s own view of his Pittsburgh years matched that theme. He’s proud of how he developed into an All-Star and of the $27.3 million contract extension he earned, but what he kept returning to was the relationship with the city.
He talked about how fans treated his parents, wife and young daughters. He talked about the clubhouse.
He talked about the atmosphere on the North Shore. He talked about being the kind of player kids could watch and try to imitate.
When Nutting approached him about retiring as a Pirate roughly six weeks ago, Harrison didn’t hesitate.
“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.”
Harrison also looked back on one of his eight walk-off winners, the first one at home against the Astros, and credited his brothers Sean and Vince for helping shape the toughness that defined his game.
And if his remarks made one thing clear, it was that this relationship isn’t ending with Friday’s announcement. Harrison described a bond between player and city that runs both ways, and he made it sound like he expects to keep being part of that connection.
“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.
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