Pittsburgh Pirates

Team information

• Inaugural season: 1882
• Home ballpark: PNC Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Owner: Robert Nutting
• Team colors: Black, gold, and white

Overview

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team playing in the National League Central division. Formed in 1882 as the Alleghenys, the team received its more well-known name in 1891 after raiding a star player from another team’s roster. In the early years of the twentieth century, the Pirates were among the National League’s (NL) best teams and featured one of the game’s all-time great hitters. After struggling for much of the 1940s and 1950s, Pittsburgh bounced back in 1960 with one of the most dramatic World Series championships in MLB history. The Pirates experienced their most successful decade in the 1970s, making six playoff appearances and winning two World Series titles. However, the next four decades were mostly forgettable for Pittsburgh. Except for a brief period in the early 1990s, the team struggled to field a competitive roster and win games on the field. At one point, the Pirates set an MLB record for futility by going twenty seasons without a winning record.

History

In 1882, a professional baseball league known as the American Association (AA) was formed in six cities stretching from Philadelphia to St. Louis. A franchise known as the Alleghenys was established in Allegheny City, which was later incorporated into neighboring Pittsburgh. The AA was intended to be a rival to the National League, but soon began to fall apart as many of its teams started leaving for the NL. In 1887, the Alleghenys not only jumped over to the NL but also relocated to Pittsburgh, changing their name to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys.

In 1890, many of the Alleghenys best players were signed away by a short-lived professional league known as the Players League. With their roster gutted, the Alleghenys lost a franchise-worst 113 games. The following season, Pittsburgh decided to play the same game and offered deals to several players from AA teams. One of those players was star second baseman Lou Bierbauer who had been a member of the Philadelphia Athletics. Philadelphia filed an official complaint with the NL, referring to the move as “piratical.” Pittsburgh was exonerated by the league, but local newspapers began playing up the comment, leading the team to adopt the name Pirates for the 1891 season.

In 1900, the Pirates acquired shortstop Honus Wagner after his former team, the Louisville Colonels, folded. Wagner became one of the best hitters in baseball history and helped lead the Pirates to the NL pennant from 1901 to 1903. In 1903, the NL and American League (AL) played in the inaugural World Series; and while Pittsburgh won the first ever World Series game, it lost the series to the Boston Americans. The Pirates made the World Series again in 1909, this time winning the championship 4–3 over the Detroit Tigers. Pittsburgh won its second championship in 1925, defeating the Washington Senators 4–3. In 1927, the Pirates took on the New York Yankees in the World Series but were swept in four games.

Over the next thirty-three seasons, the Pirates came close to an NL pennant on occasion but were never able to get back to the World Series. Then in 1960, Pittsburgh won ninety-five games led by NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Dick Groat. The Pirates captured the NL pennant to face the powerhouse New York Yankees in the World Series. With the series tied 3–3 in the decisive Game Seven, the Pirates led 9–7 in the ninth inning when New York rallied to tie. In the bottom of the ninth, second baseman Bill Mazeroski hit a game-winning home run to clinch the World Series for Pittsburgh. It was the first time in history that a World Series had been won on a home run in a team’s last at bat.

Aided by a format change that split both the American and National Leagues into two divisions in 1969, the Pirates won their division in 1970 but lost in the National League Championship Series (NLCS). In 1971, Pittsburgh defeated the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS to face the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series. Led by hot-hitting outfielder Roberto Clemente, Pittsburgh outlasted Baltimore in seven games to win the championship. Clemente, who had established himself as baseball’s first star player of Latin American descent, had played in Pittsburgh since 1955. He was beloved in the city not only for his hitting ability but also for his humanitarian work off the field. On New Year’s Eve 1972, Clemente was helping deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua when the plane he was on crashed, killing him and all on board. A year later, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Pittsburgh had made the playoffs in 1972 and again in 1974 and 1975, but each time lost in the NLCS. The team fell short of the playoffs from 1976 to 1978 but bounced back in 1979 to win the NL pennant and a rematch with the Orioles in the World Series. That team was known for the close-knit relationship that developed among its players, leading the Pirates to adopt a popular 1979 song, “We Are Family,” as their slogan. Pittsburgh fell behind 3–1 to Baltimore in the series before rallying to win in seven games. At the time, only three other teams had ever come back from such a deficit to win a championship. One of those teams was the 1925 Pirates. Pittsburgh’s title was its fifth World Series championship—all five of which had been won in the deciding seventh game.

After several lean years in the 1980s, Pittsburgh slowly built a contender that won three straight division titles from 1990 to 1992. However, each time, the Pirates lost in the NLCS. As baseball’s economics changed in the 1980s and 1990s, the small-market Pirates had trouble keeping their best players. By 1993, much of Pittsburgh’s talent had signed elsewhere, and the Pirates finished with a 75–87 record. Pittsburgh would not have a winning season until 2013, an MLB-record twenty consecutive seasons. From 2013 to 2015, the Pirates finished above .500 and advanced to the postseason as a wild card but did not last long in the playoffs. From 2016 to 2023, Pittsburgh posted just one winning season.

Notable players

More than forty former players, managers, and team officials associated with the Pittsburgh Pirates have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Arguably, the greatest Pirate in franchise history was also the team’s first superstar—Honus Wagner. Wagner won eight NL batting titles in Pittsburgh from 1900 to 1917. He is second in franchise history with 2,967 hits and the Pirates’ all-time leader in runs scored with 1,521. Wagner’s career mark of 3,420 hits is eighth-most in MLB history as of 2020. Outfielder Paul Waner won three batting titles with the Pirates from 1926 to 1940. The 1927 NL MVP, Waner finished his MLB career with 3,152 hits—2,868 of those with Pittsburgh.

During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Pirates were led by slugging outfielder Ralph Kiner, who led the NL in home runs for seven straight seasons from 1946 to 1952. Kiner’s 301 home runs with Pittsburgh are second in franchise history. Shortstop Dick Groat played with the Pirates from 1952 to 1962, missing two seasons to serve in the military during the Korean War. He made three of his five career All-Star teams with Pittsburgh and won the 1960 battle title. In addition to hitting the World Series-winning home run in 1960, Bill Mazeroski was a ten-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove winner for defensive excellence. One of the team’s best pitchers from the same era was Bob Friend, a three-time All-Star who played in Pittsburgh from 1951 to 1965. Friend is the all-time franchise leader in strikeouts with 1,682 and fourth in wins with 191. Wilbur Cooper, a Pirate from 1912 to 1924, is the franchise leader with 202 wins.

Roberto Clemente played his entire career in Pittsburgh from 1955 to 1972. He is the franchise leader in hits with 3,000 and third in home runs with 240 and runs scored with 1,416. Clemente was a fifteen-time All-Star and a twelve-time Gold Glove winner. He won four batting titles and was named the 1966 NL MVP and MVP of the 1971 World Series. In 1973, MLB established the Roberto Clemente Award to recognize the player who best represents his team through sportsmanship and community involvement.

A key member of the “We Are Family” Pirates was outfielder/first baseman Willie Stargell who won the NL MVP Award during the championship season of 1979. Affectionately known as “Pops,” Stargell played his entire career in Pittsburgh from 1962 to 1982. He was a seven-time All-Star who finished his career as the Pirates’ all-time leader in home runs with 475 and runs batted in (RBIs) with 1,540. Stargell’s teammate on the 1979 squad was outfielder Dave Parker who played with Pittsburgh from 1973 to 1983. Parker won the NL MVP Award in 1978 and made four of his seven All-Star teams with the Pirates.

Outfielder Barry Bonds won two MVP awards with Pittsburgh from 1986 to 1992 before signing as a free agent with the San Francisco Giants. Bonds would go on to win five more MVPs with San Francisco and set the MLB record for home runs with 762. Outfielder Andrew McCutchen was part of Pittsburgh’s brief resurgence in the mid-2010s, making five All-Star games and winning the MVP award in 2013. McCutchen played with the Pirates from 2009 until 2017 and returned to the team in 2023. He was fourth on the franchise home run list with 215 as of the 2024 season.

Bibliography

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