With two outs and two strikes on the batter, more than 20,000 fans stood and cheered in full throat.

When the final out was recorded, they cheered again, chanted their team’s name and filed out of PNC Park as happy campers.

Sounds great, huh — a nearly sold-out crowd in Pittsburgh for a Sunday day baseball game against an in-state rival?

The only problem was all those fans who stood and cheered were wearing Philadelphia Phillies red and not Pittsburgh Pirates black and gold.

The Pirates took 2 of 3 from the Phillies last weekend, but the enduring memory will be all the red hats and shirts that filled PNC Park.

There wasn’t much of a home-park advantage for the Pirates.

It was, well, embarrassing. No one wants their home invaded and that’s just what Phillie fans did last weekend.

Hopefully, as the Pirates play better and win more games, that will change.

But for now, Pittsburgh is a perfect destination for opposing fans who either can’t afford a ticket or can’t find one in their home cities.

Philadelphia fans came cross-state in droves last weekend because tickets there are hard to come by. The Phillies-Cubs series this weekend is sold out.

Tickets can be had in Philly for weekday games, but at a price.

Standing room only tickets are $17. If you want a ticket in the nose-bleed section in the upper deck down the left field line, you’d have to shell out $30.

A comparable seat at PNC Park will run you 11 bucks.

Just wait until the Red Sox come to town later this month.

PNC Park concession stands may want to stock up on Fenway Franks and clam chawdah.

Boston has sold out more than 750 straight games.

If you live in Boston, you may be able to get a ticket to a Sox game on the black market in exchange for an organ.

Otherwise, you’d have to hit the road to see them play, like, say Pittsburgh.

It’s not a bad thing for the Burgh. I’m sure all those Phillies fans spent some serious scratch this weekend around the city.

Image what the Red Sox fans will shell out.

And then there are the local Red Sox fans. There’s more than a few in Western Pennsylvania and I’m sure they are going to flock to Pittsburgh like Terrelle Pryor to a car dealership.

PNC Park is going to be Fenway West.

Still, I was kind of jazzed up to be in nearly full PNC Park Sunday afternoon, even if I was surrounded by Phillies fans.

It was a preview of sorts, a kind of sneak preview of what it would be like to catch a game at PNC Park when the Pirates are relevant again.

And that day may not be far away.

Then maybe Pirate fans will flock to another city and sell out their park.

The Steelers do that now. Why not the Buccos?

Someday.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.