Pittsburgh Pirates Black History Month Tribute: The First All-Minority Lineup in MLB History

By Noah Wright | Feb 10, 2020

PITTSBURGH - JUNE 21: Manny Sanguillen #35 of the World Series Champion 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates salutes the crowd after being introduced before the game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 21, 2011 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) /

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How the game went

This team of nine players won the game over the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 10 to 7. The game got off to an interesting start for the Pirates, as they went through three different pitchers through the first 3 innings of a game. Only a game Dock Ellis would start, against the hated Phillies to boot, would end up being that way. Luke Walker would pitch the final 6 innings of the game, and gave up only 2 hits and one earned run.

The Pirates scored their runs on a Manny Sanguillen home run, and RBI contributions from Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Dave Cash, Al Oliver, Rennie Stennet, and. the forgotten man, Jackie Hernandez. Not only is this line-up significant, but many would go on to help the Pirates win the 1971 World Series

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Today, two of the players in this line-up are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Not only is this a significant mark in Pirates history, but also one in baseball history, and one that should go down as a groundbreaking mark in Black History throughout all of sports.

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