Great Pierogy Race

[1] The pierogi usually race in between the fifth and sixth innings and are often introduced to the opening tune to "Run Like Hell" from the Pink Floyd album The Wall and, since 2019, "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys.

Not being a Pittsburgh-area native, Wolff struggled with knowing or creating something original for the city, stating, “The only thing here are old steel mills, beer, and too many fireworks.” While at a local friend’s family home for dinner on Easter Sunday, the traditional homemade potato and cheese stuffed pierogi were served with butter and sautéed onion.

The animated sequence was dropped completely at the beginning of the 2009 season, and the "Yinzer" announcer was replaced in 2013 by PNC Park in-game host Joe Klimchak.

In 2010, the Pirates fired one of the pierogi racers after he made critical comments of the team on Facebook, a story that received national headlines.

[3] Andrew Kurtz, 24, of New Brighton, Pennsylvania, had criticized the team's decision to give then-manager John Russell and Pirates GM Neal Huntington contract extensions in the midst of a 12-game losing streak.

[6] The Pirates later rehired Kurtz after the team discovered that his boss in charge of the race didn't follow proper disciplinary action within the organization.

The Pirates posted on their Twitter account a picture of Cheese Chester with crutches and confirmed it was indeed a broken foot, and he would miss six to eight weeks.

[9] During Potato Pete's return, he won 16 races in a row to tie the other pierogi, while Cheese Chester made a "rehab start" during the Panera Bread Great American Bagel Race during the August 28, 2014, game between the Altoona Curve (the Pirates' Double-A affiliate) and the Richmond Flying Squirrels, competing against the bagels Blueberry Bob, Asiago Allie, and Cinnamon Crunch Cindy.

Bacon Burt would win in his debut race April 19, 2015, coincidentally while the Pirates were hosting the Brewers, taking Potato Pete's spot.

As of 2023, the current Great Pierogi Race lineup consists of six contestants: Potato Pete, Jalapeño Hanna, Cheese Chester, Sauerkraut Saul, Oliver Onion, and Bacon Burt.