At age 7, Joe Klimchak attended his first Pittsburgh Pirates game, and, upon hearing the voice of the public address announcer Art McKennan, Joe knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. Today, Joe's dream has come true, as he welcomes fans to PNC Park at each Pirates game.

Joe was born in Aliquippa and graduated from Center High School in 1987. He began his journey in sports media at Grove City College, where he earned a communications degree and where he served as a public address announcer and on the radio staff in roles such as sports director, news director, and morning show host.

As Joe told the Our American Stories podcast, by this time, Art McKennan was in his 80s and was the Pirates' backup public address announcer. Undeterred, as a senior, Joe sent the Pirates a letter offering to serve as the backup to their backup public address announcer. The Pirates declined the offer, but Joe created an opportunity for himself after he heard that PNC Park would be hosting high school baseball games on Sundays after a Pirates game. He volunteered to announce the games, and, after hearing Joe's demo tape, the Pirates offered Joe the role of unpaid announcer for the games.

Later, the Pirates let Joe know that the backup public address announcer position was available, and, after his audition, Joe was offered the position. On May 26, 1994, Joe announced his first Pirates game, but over the next seven seasons, he had filled in as public address announcer for only seven games. Looking to help more, from 2001 to 2004, Joe served as one of the racing pierogies and operated the button that produced smoke from the Pepsi bottle after a Pirates home run.

Joe's next break came in 2005 when the club made him the In-Game Host at PNC Park, the role he continues to hold today. As ballpark host, Joe emcees pregame ceremonies from the field and a variety of features and contests shown on the videoboard between innings. He has interviewed dozens of all-stars and hall of famers, honored hundreds of dignitaries, and introduced numerous platinum award-winning bands at post-game concerts.

In addition, Joe hosts WPXI-TV's Take 5 show and spots for West Shore Home, and he has served as a motivational speaker for youth and a corporate keynote speaker. Joe has hosted Major League Baseball's Little League Classic, Arnold Palmer's 80th Birthday Celebration, Downtown Pittsburgh's Light Up Night, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's Annual Gala, the Chuck Tanner Awards Banquet, the Clint Hurdle Hot Stove Dinner, and the 2016 "Boxing on the Bridge" event between boxers from Pittsburgh and Cuba.

Joe and his wife, Jennifer, both Grove City College alums, live in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. They have two daughters.

− Photo courtesy of the Pittsburgh Pirates