With their Brackenridge captain, these flag-waving pirates are a PNC Park fixture

Apr. 11—They are usually easy to spot high atop PNC Park — waving large skull-and-crossbones flags and sporting tricorn hats, bandanas and patches over their eyes. Some carry fake swords in waist holsters.

Their captain hails from Brackenridge.

These pirates aren't after buried treasure. They're seeking victories from a struggling baseball team.

The Renegades of the Rotunda are a group of Pittsburgh Pirates baseball fans who dress like pirates for home games at PNC Park. They normally congregate on the top of the rotunda near the outfield. They definitely have a following.

"I consider this my part-time job," said Chris Miller of Brackenridge, a bartender who calls himself the group's captain. "I collect people who want to be pirates. Dressing as a pirate was the best bad idea I ever had."

At Thursday's home opener, the group's routine was disrupted. Major League Baseball and the state of Pennsylvania pandemic safety protocols prevented their congregation on the ballpark's rotunda, where they generally stand.

To accommodate the latest restrictions, they gathered there briefly, walked around the park as a group and settled in on the Club Level.

"Security told us not to gather on the rotunda," Miller said.

He wasn't angry.

"We understand," Miller said. "We want to make sure everyone is safe. The reason we like the rotunda is because we all have flags, and we don't want to hit anyone in the face when we wave them."

Miller is a season-ticket holder who usually attends 30 to 40 games a year. He couldn't remember the last time he sat in an actual seat.

As an alternative, the group posed between innings for photos and chatted with fans. They tried recruiting new members to join the group.

During the seventh-inning stretch, while the song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" played, they waved their flags.

Fellow pirate Shawn Ergler of Whitehall met Miller on opening day in 2016.

"I love being a part of this group because, for the next three hours, I forget who I am and I can be this new person," Ergler said. "We support the Pirates no matter what. When I saw them, I thought 'I can be one of these guys.' "

On a walk around the park in 2015, Rob North of Shadyside spotted Miller and the crew on the rotunda. North said they find apparel and accessories at costume shops, Etsy, Amazon, thrift shops, renaissance festivals and even their own closets.

"The next game I came to, I cobbled together a pirate costume and showed up," North said.

They attend "as many games as they can." The Renegades are not associated with the baseball team. But the Pirates appreciate the group's loyalty.

According to a Pirates spokesman, the Renegades are an incredible group that the organization looks forward to seeing around the ballpark every game throughout the season.

"They have been a unique part of the game day experience for years, and their continued support as team ambassadors means a great deal to the entire organization," the spokesman said. "This year, we worked with the group to create a content piece leading up to Opening Day at PNC Park because, for us, they represent the return of our most loyal and passionate fans."

The idea came to Miller during the 2014 season. He decided to come to a game dressed as a pirate. He said people were receptive, so he continued to attend games in costume. He said he asks people, "Do you like baseball? Do you like to dress like a pirate? If you answered yes to both, then you are in," Miller said.

The group is made up of true friends, North said.

"We spend a lot of time laughing," North said. "For us, it has become about more than baseball. It's an extended friendship. Our commonality is a love of baseball."

Michael Ernette of Ruffs Dale, known as "The Padre," said the Renegades "saved my life."

"I was feeling down, sitting in my house watching the game, and I saw them and thought, 'I could do that,' " Ernette said. "We've all become friends. We have such a great group of people from veterans to people from all walks of life. We really bonded."

Miller said he has always loved baseball. He said he wasn't the best player but is definitely a super fan.

Miller said they aspire to one day do events to help raise money for charity.

Last year, on what was supposed to be opening day in April, Miller sat outside PNC Park on the Roberto Clemente Bridge and listened to the 2013 Pirates-Reds playoff game.

On the real 2020 opening day in July — when no fans were allowed in the park — he got together with some of the other Renegades and season-ticket holders to listen to the action.

"It was like gathering for Thanksgiving, but there was no food prepared," North said. "It was sad to be so close to the action but not be allowed in the park."

On that day, JoJo Vinay of Jefferson Hills sat with the Renegades. He often stands with the group waving his flag, which reads "Ban the DH," signifying the people who want to ban the designated hitter from the National League.

"Opening day looked a lot different this year," Vinay said Thursday. "It looked different inside the park, but at least we were able to have some fans in the stands. Last year just wasn't the same as being there."

There are others who like to dress like pirates who are thought to be part of the Renegades, but who aren't. Lonnie and Forrest Phillips of Murrysville said it just feels right to dress as pirates for a baseball game. The couple calls themselves "Mr. and Mrs. Pirate," a name they said former Pirates pitcher and broadcaster Steve Blass called them.

They couldn't wait for the first pitch of the 2021 season.

Neither could Miller.

"I am very lucky and very fortunate to live here and to have a professional baseball team," Miller said. "This is my team. I will always root for them. And that is my rotunda. I tell people, 'You can bury me with my boots on.' "

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .