The Pirates fan base has been re-energized due to the team's on-field moves made this past offseason and its successful effort in bringing the 2006 All-Star Game to PNC Park, according to Kevin McClatchy, Pirates CEO and Managing General Partner.

"Due to the strength of our offseason improvements and our success in bringing the 2006 All-Star Game to PNC Park, we have witnessed a re-energized fan base. We believe our fans recognize that we are turning the corner as an organization and committed to fielding an improving team," McClatchy said. "In addition, our marketing and sales staff has done an outstanding job of marketing our players and reaching out to our fans."

Last year the Pirates sold a total of 9,251 full-season ticket equivalents, or any combination of season-ticket plans equivalent to a full season-ticket. This milestone marks the highest season-ticket equivalents total since PNC Park's inaugural season in 2001.

One major area of improvement is in the Pirates aggressive marketing approach and fan offering, according to Tim Schuldt, Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Broadcasting.

"We have some of the best people in the business on our sales and marketing staff. The result of their efforts is a targeted and aggressive marketing approach," said Schuldt. "We have spent a lot of time listening to our fans and improved our ticket package offerings, in-game promotions and fan experience, all while continuing to keep our ticket prices flat for four years running."

The Pirates have witnessed a strong growth in all ticket plans, including full-season, 20-game partial and 8-pack plans. The 8-pack plan allows fans to purchase tickets for seven games and get an eighth game free. The growth of the team's partial plans is due to the increased commitment to the Pirates by those fans who purchased single game tickets in the past.

In addition to the various season ticket packages, individual game and group sales tickets are now on sale. Fans should call 1-800-BUY-BUCS for more information on all the Pirates ticket programs.

The Pirates are one of the only teams in all of Major League Baseball to have not raised ticket prices in the past four seasons. With the average ticket price at PNC Park remaining at $17.08, the Pirates now rank 25th out of 30 Major League Baseball teams in that category, according to Team Marketing Report.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.