In order to characterize the transverse momentum spectra of positive pions measured in the ALICE experiment, two thermal approaches are utilized; one is based on degeneracy of non-perfect Bose-Einstein gas and the other imposes an {it ad-hoc} finite pion-chemical potential. The inclusion of missing haron states and the out-of-chemical equilibrium greatly contribute to the excellent characterization of pion production. The excellent reproduction of the experimental data can be understood as a manifestation of not-yet-regarded anomalous pion-production, which likely contribute to the long-standing debate on the {it anomalous} proton-to-pion ratios at top RHIC and LHC energies.