Pirates History: Recalling Sean Casey's journey from Upper St. Clair to The Show

The city of Pittsburgh has a rich history of baseball, with many all-time great players coming from the area, such as Josh Gibson, Stan Musial and Honus Wagner. Today, the region continues to produce All-Star players and top prospects, like Ian Happ and JJ Wetherholt. Some of these Pittsburgh natives have been lucky enough to play for their hometown team; David Bednar and Neil Walker come to mind. Another that you might have forgotten about is “The Mayor” Sean Casey.  

Casey was born in New Jersey, but grew up in Upper St. Clair, a suburb in the South Hills. In 1992, he won the Class 4A WPIAL title with the USC Panthers baseball team. Casey later attended the University of Richmond and was a standout in the Cape Cod League with the Brewster Whitecaps. He was selected by Cleveland in the second round, 53rd overall, in the 1995 June Amateur Draft.

It was a strong class that featured future Hall of Famers Roy Halladay and Todd Helton, as well as Bronson Arroyo, Carlos Beltrán, A.J. Burnett, Darin Erstad and Kerry Wood. It's worth mentioning that Casey was not the first player from Upper St. Clair to be drafted. Kevin Orie, a third baseman out of Indiana, was a first-round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 1993. They both made their major league debuts in 1997.  

Casey only played a few games for Cleveland in ‘97 as a September call-up. He was traded to the Reds the following March for Dave Burba, a solid starting pitcher. Casey struggled at times his first year in Cincinnati, but the 1999 season would be very different. It was a breakout campaign for him as the Reds' everyday first baseman, arguably the best of his career. He hit .332 with 25 home runs, 99 RBI, and an OPS+ of 132. Casey was an All-Star and Cincinnati won 96 games, but their run ended in the Wild Card tie-breaker against the Mets, a complete game shutout by Al Leiter.

During his time with the Reds, Casey also has a unique distinction in Pirates history. In the first official game at PNC Park, on April 9, 2001, he recorded the first hit, home run and RBI in the venue’s history off of Todd Richie. 

Pirates History: Sean Casey's Career in Pittsburgh Begins

After eight great years with the Reds, Casey was traded to the Pirates for pitcher David Williams on Dec. 8, 2005. With Cincinnati, he was a three-time All-Star and hit over .300 in five seasons. His 2004 campaign was his most valuable by bWAR (4.4), a year in which he hit .324 with 24 home runs and 99 RBI.

Casey was surprised by the trade, reacting negatively at first, and wanted to stay with the Reds. Ultimately, though, he would be the Pirates' Opening Day first baseman in 2006. Daryle Ward, who played the majority of games at first the previous season, had signed with the Washington Nationals. “Big Country” Brad Eldred got hurt in spring training and missed most of ‘06, only playing in 18 games for Triple-A Indianapolis. 

Casey landed on the DL after just nine games, hurting his lower back in a game at home versus the Cubs. To that point, he was hitting .313 with two home runs. Eventually, he began a rehab assignment with the Altoona Curve for a series in Erie against the SeaWolves. In his second game back, he hit a solo shot. Casey went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk in the next matchup. He returned to the Pirates lineup on May 29, and had three hits in their 14-3 victory over the Brewers. The team was still undeniably bad.  

By the All-Star break, the hosting team was 30 games under .500. At the trade deadline, Casey was dealt to the Tigers for relief pitching prospect Brian Rogers. Other moves at the time included Craig Wilson going to the Yankees for Shawn Chacón, acquiring Xavier Nady from the Mets for Roberto Hernández and Óliver Pérez, and receiving Jesse Chavez from the Rangers for Kip Wells.  

Going from the last place Pirates to the first place Tigers must have felt good. Detroit won the pennant, but came up short in the World Series against Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals. Casey did his part, hitting .529 with two home runs and five RBI. He remained with the Tigers as their regular first baseman for the 2007 season under manager Jim Leyland. Detroit finished second in the AL Central behind Cleveland and missed the postseason. Casey then signed with the Red Sox, who had just won the Fall Classic.  

After a thumb injury to Mike Lowell forced Kevin Youkilis to take over at third, he saw regular playing time and performed well. However, Casey was out of action for several weeks due to his own neck ailments, with multiple stints on the disabled list throughout the year. He was also suspended three games for his involvement in a benches-clearing brawl with the Rays on June 5, spurred by James Shields throwing at Coco Crisp.  

The Red Sox finished second behind the Rays in the AL East, and lost the ALCS against their division foe in seven games. Casey only got to pinch hit in Games 4 and 5 of that series, going 0-2, and did not appear in the ALDS against the Angels. He retired in the offseason, announcing the decision in January.

Casey has enjoyed a successful post-playing career, becoming a mainstay on MLB Network and hosting the popular podcast, “The Mayor’s Office”. Casey was also the Yankees hitting coach in 2023. He is a member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, Cape Cod League Hall of Fame and Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame. 

While his best years were with the Reds, his time with the Pirates still meant a lot to him. In a 2021 interview, Casey talked about the pride he felt wearing a Pirates uniform and what that meant to him as someone who grew up in Pittsburgh. Known as one of the friendliest players in the game during his career, he earned the nickname “The Mayor” from his character and impactful charity work. He still lives in Upper St. Clair and is actively involved in his Miracle League of the South Hills.