PITTSBURGH — It began as a sort of murmur Friday night somewhere in the upper-deck seats on the third-base side of PNC Park. Each time Connor Joe came to bat, a group of a dozen or so Pirates fans began chanting the outfielder’s name.

In his first at-bat, Joe singled and scored. The chants were a bit louder in the fourth inning when he doubled. When his name was announced in the seventh, fans all over the park were roaring, “Joe! Joe! Joe!” He lined a single to right.

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“So cool. It’s not anything I would expect,” Joe said.

Then again, maybe Joe shouldn’t be surprised by the serenades. He spent the past two seasons with the Rockies and the fans there, impressed by his hustle, often chanted Joe’s name at Coors Field.

“It’s nothing I take for granted. I appreciate it,” Joe said. “A lot of players say, ‘Aw, I don’t hear the fans.’ Nah. Everyone hears the fans. That’s the home-field advantage, when your fans get behind you. It’s really awesome.”

That’s a good place to begin this “Don’t kill my vibe” edition of Pirates Fast Five.

Speaking of fan interaction …

At the start of the season, Austin Hedges used “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston as his walk-up song. “I was thinking it might be fun, but it didn’t hit right,” Hedges said.

Hedges isn’t afraid to go old school and non-traditional for his walk-up music. A few years ago when he was with the Padres, Hedges strolled to the plate as Wham’s George Michael crooned “Careless Whisper.”

Searching for something fresh to use at PNC Park, Hedges zeroed in on his favorite band, Queen. While talking it over with his wife, Hedges thought of his brother-in-law’s favorite karaoke song.

“Funny thing is, it’s Chase De Jong’s karaoke song too,” Hedges said with a grin.

And that’s how “Fat Bottomed Girls” came to be Hedges’ ballpark tune.

“Freddie Mercury always kills it,” Hedges said. “That hook and that chorus are classic. I was pumped for that one and I’m really enjoying it, to be honest. I think it brings some good energy.”

Having the pitch clock in place this season has sped up the pace of games, but it’s been murder on walk-up songs. Saturday, Hedges had settled into the batter’s box as Mercury sang out, “Fat bottomed girls …”

The music abruptly cut out, as the pitcher came set. The crowd didn’t care, though, and finished the chorus — “… you make the rocking world go ’round!” — as the first pitch zipped over the plate.

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“I’ve been hearing it,” Hedges said. “You can feel the vibe. I had to tell Patrick (Kurish, director of communications) that Whitney’s gone. I’m sticking with Queen.”

You make the call

Hedges drew a batter’s interference call last Thursday when Jonathan India of the Reds stole second base on a swinging strikeout by TJ Friedl. India was ruled out, defusing what could have been a Reds rally in a 4-3 Pirates victory. Some folks on social media roasted Hedges.

there's flopping in soccer and flopping in basketball and yeah sometimes there's flopping in baseball

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 21, 2023

Gamesmanship? A savvy, veteran move? Happenstance? You decide. Here’s what Hedges said about it:

“There was nothing smart about it. Clear as day, that guy’s barrel hit me square on my left arm and it hurt. He stepped in front of me, I had no lane to throw and his barrel hit me on the arm on the backswing. So it was just a reaction to being smoked by a barrel of the bat. People can say whatever they want, but I got hit with the barrel of a bat.”

Presented without comment

Here’s what every well-dressed Pirate will be wearing as he’s swinging the home run sword in the dugout this summer, courtesy of first baseman/fashion designer Carlos Santana:

Carlos Santana had this custom made. Pretty sweet.

— RobBiertempfel (@RobBiertempfel) April 23, 2023

Minor matters: Martin lowers his K rate

Altoona is the only team in the Double-A Eastern League that has three players — Henry Davis (13 walks in 59 plate appearances), Mason Martin (11 walks in 42 PA) and Lolo Sanchez (11 walks in 51 PA) — who’ve each drawn 10 or more walks this season.

This figures to be a pivotal season for Martin, 23, who was bumped down a level after batting .210/.287/.410 with a 36 percent strikeout rate last year with Triple-A Indianapolis.

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“One of my main focuses is putting the ball in play more,” Martin said. “I think it has a lot to do with approach and with bat path.”

Martin is trying to keep his bat in the zone longer. He’s also trying to walk the fine line between patiently waiting for the right pitch and being aggressive.

“I’m not trying to have a defensive approach. I’m up there to hit,” he said. “Last year, I got caught up trying to get a base hit too often and not playing to my strength — putting a charge into the baseball and hitting it out of the ballpark. That’s what I do, and that’s not going to change. I’m not going to become a contact-over-power guy overnight but, for me, it’s a lot to do with approach.”

Through nine games this year, Martin has a career-best 26 percent walk rate and has tamed his strikeout rate to 26 percent. That’s been great for his on-base percentage (.405), although he’s batting only .167 with two home runs.

Hello, Newman

Shortstop Kevin Newman last week made his first trip to PNC Park since being traded to the Reds in November. Riding on the team bus from the airport to downtown, Newman felt a pang of nostalgia.

“The first thing I thought of was, wow, just how pretty the city was,” Newman said. “It’s beautiful. Coming through the tunnel and seeing it again … it’s been a while, so it was cool to come back in and see the grandness of the city.”

Newman was swapped to the Reds for reliever Dauri Moreta. The move was the final step in Oneil Cruz’s ascension to the starting shortstop job.

The trade was finalized an hour or so after Newman, who was second-time arbitration-eligible, was tendered a contract by the Pirates. Yet, with Cruz ready to be an everyday player, it seemed clear Newman’s time was up. Did the trade catch Newman by surprise?

“That’s a tricky one,” Newman said. “Being drafted here and knowing everybody, I would have loved to have stayed. That’s a little above my pay grade so I try not to think too much about that. I just come to the yard, work hard and try to contribute as best I can. That’s all I can control.”

(Top photo of Connor Joe: Jeff Dean / Associated Press)