Pittsburgh Pirates: The Iceberg of Facts, Stories, & Trivia

Level One

1960 World Series Hero

Bill Mazeroski made the 1960 World Series immortalized in Pittsburgh Pirates and baseball history. Mazeroski walked off Game 7 of the World Series with a home run to left field. His Game 7 walk-off is currently one of only two walk-off home runs in G7 history. The other is Joe Carter’s 1993 walk-off.

Retired Numbers

Every major league franchise has a retired number. The Pittsburgh Pirates have ten retired numbers. This includes 1, 4, 8, 9, 11, 20, 21, 33, and 42. 42 is retired by all teams for Jackie Robinson, and 21 arguably should be for Roberto Clemente’s humanitarian efforts that eventually caused his untimely death. 1 is retired for manager Bill Meyer. 4 was Ralph Kiner’s number. 8 belonged to Willie “Pops” Stargell, 1960 World Series hero Bill Mazeroski wore 9. 11 was for Paul “Big Poison” Waner, and finally, 20 was worn by Pie Traynor.

Former Stadiums

The Pittsburgh Pirates first park or stadium ever was Exposition Park I and II, between 1882 and 1883. Then came Recreation Park from 1884 to 1890. Exposition Park III was their next home, which lasted from 1891 to 1901. One of the most famous parks in history, Forbes Field, was next. The Pirates called this home from 1909 all the way through 1970. After Forbes came Three Rivers Stadium, which the Pirates shared with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Three Rivers was home to the Pirates for the 1970s through 2000. Today, we have PNC Park, which opened in 2001.

Former Names

Before the Pittsburgh Pirates were called the Pittsburgh Pirates, they were known as the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. This lasted three years, from 1887 through 1890. However, even before that, they were known as just the Alleghenys, from 1882 to 1886. This was even before they were part of Major League Baseball.

The First World Series Ever

1903 marked the first-ever Major League Baseball World Series. The Pirates had put up a 91-47 record, which outdid the New York Giants by 6.5 games. Over in the American League, the Boston Americans won their portion with a 91-47 record. While the Pirates lost five games to 3, it marked the first-ever World Series in the sport’s history.

Division Rivals Open And End An Era

When the Pirates played their last game at Forbes Field, they faced off against the Chicago Cubs and went out with a bang. They swept the series vs the Cubs on June 27th and 28th (double header on the 28th). Nearly thirty years later on October 1st, 2000, the Pirates played the Cubs again, this time in the final series at Three Rivers Stadium. While they didn’t sweep their division rival, they still went out on a high-note winning 2 of three games.

Stealing First Base

Lloyd McClendon managed the Pirates’ inaugural season at PNC Park. Known for some of the most entertaining ejections in recent history, McClendon didn’t disappoint on the night of June 26th, 2001, against the Milwaukee Brewers. After hitting a soft-chopper up the middle, catcher Jason Kendall was called out on a very close play at first base. McClendon was ejected for arguing the call, but that was far from the end. After throwing his cap off to the side, McClendon ripped first base out of its spot and threw it into the dugout tunnel.