Pittsburgh Pirates

This article is about the baseball team. For other uses, see Pittsburgh Pirates (disambiguation).
Pittsburgh Pirates
2016 Pittsburgh Pirates season
Established in 1882
Team logoCap insignia
Major league affiliations
Current uniform
Retired numbers
Colors
  • Black, gold, white
              
Name
  • Pittsburgh Pirates (1912–present)
  • Pittsburg Pirates (1891–1911)
  • Pittsburgh Alleghenys (1887–1890)
  • Allegheny (1882–1886)
Other nicknames
  • The Bucs, The Buccos, The Black and Gold
Ballpark
Major league titles
World Series titles (5)
NL Pennants (9)
Central Division titles (0) None
East Division titles (9)
Wild card berths (3)
Front office
Owner(s) Robert Nutting
Manager Clint Hurdle
General Manager Neal Huntington
President of Baseball Operations Neal Huntington

The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pirates compete in in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member team of the National League (NL) Central division. The Pirates play their home games at PNC Park; the team previously played at Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium, the latter of which was named after its location near the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, the Ohio Rivers. Founded on October 15, 1881[1] as Allegheny, the franchise has won five World Series championships. The Pirates are also often referred to as the "Bucs" or the "Buccos" (derived from buccaneer, a synonym for pirate).

The franchise joined the NL in its eighth season in 1887 and was competitive from its early years, winning three NL titles from 1901 to 1903, playing in the very first World Series in 1903 and winning their first World Series in 1909 behind Honus Wagner. The Pirates have had many ups and downs during their long history, most famously winning the 1960 World Series against the New York Yankees on a game-winning home run by Bill Mazeroski, the only time that Game 7 of the World Series has ever ended with a home run, still to this day. They also won the 1971 World Series with Roberto Clemente and the 1979 World Series under the slogan "We Are Family", led by "Pops" Willie Stargell. Overall the Pirates have won five World Series and lost two. (The Pirates have won nine NL pennants which implies 9 World Series results. However, the first two NL pennants they won, as stated above, were in 1901 and 1902, before the advent of the World Series.)

After a run of regular-season success in the early 1990s (winning three straight East Division titles), the Pirates struggled over the following 20 years, with 20 consecutive losing seasons—the longest such streak in North American professional sports history—before posting a winning record in 2013 of 94–68 to qualify for the NL Wild Card before advancing to the NL Division Series round where they lost in 5 games to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Franchise history

Professional baseball has been played in the Pittsburgh area since 1876. The teams of the era were "independents", barnstorming throughout the region and not affiliated with any organized league, though they did have salaries and were run as business organizations.[2] On October 15, 1881, the strongest team in the area joined the American Association as a founding member to begin play in 1882.[1] Their various home fields in the 19th century were in a then-separate city called Allegheny City, across the Allegheny River from Pittsburgh. The team was listed as "Allegheny" in the standings, and was sometimes called the "Alleghenys" (not the "Alleghenies") in the same generic way that teams from Boston, New York, and Chicago were sometimes called the "Bostons", the "New Yorks", and the "Chicagos", in the sports writing style of that era. After five mediocre seasons in the A.A., Pittsburgh became the first A.A. team to switch to the older National League in 1887. At this time, the team renamed itself the Pittsburgh Alleghenys,[3] although Allegheny remained a separate city until it was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907. At that time, owner-manager Horace Phillips sold the team to Dennis McKnight; Phillips stayed on as manager.[4]

Before the 1890 season, nearly all of the Alleghenys' best players bolted to the Players' League's Pittsburgh Burghers. The Players' League collapsed after the season, and the players were allowed to go back to their old clubs. However, the Alleghenys also scooped up highly regarded second baseman Lou Bierbauer, who had previously played with the AA's Philadelphia Athletics. Although the Athletics had failed to include Bierbauer on their reserve list, they loudly protested the Alleghenys' move. In an official complaint, an AA official claimed the Alleghenys' signing of Bierbauer was "piratical".[5] This incident (which is discussed at some length in The Beer and Whisky League, by David Nemec, 1994) quickly accelerated into a schism between the leagues that contributed to the demise of the A.A. Although the Alleghenys were never found guilty of wrongdoing, they made sport of being denounced for being "piratical" by renaming themselves "the Pirates" for the 1891 season.[3] The nickname was first acknowledged on the team's uniforms in 1912. Around the time the team adopted the Pirates nickname, the United States Board on Geographic Names forced the city of Pittsburgh to undergo a controversial name change by having them drop the "h" at the end of the name, making the team's official name the "Pittsburg Pirates" from the adoption of the Pirates nickname until Pittsburgh was able to get the "h" restored to its name in 1911.

The Pirates were a strong team in the early 1900s, winning National League pennants from 1901–1903 and taking their first World Series title in 1909. They again won the NL in 1925 and 1927 and the World Series in 1925. After a slow period, they returned to dominance and won the 1960 World Series, 1971 World Series and 1979 World Series. They won Eastern Division titles from 1990–1992 but did not return to the post-season after that until 2013.

On Opening Day 2015 the Pirates' loss to the Cincinnati Reds represented its 10,000th franchise loss since moving to the NL and making it the fourth MLB team to achieve this distinction, after the Philadelphia Phillies, the Atlanta Braves, and the Chicago Cubs.[6] Their victory over the Colorado Rockies on September 24, 2015 made them the 7th team in MLB history to reach 10,000 wins.

Rivalries

Historical

Philadelphia Phillies

The rivalry between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pirates was considered by some to be one of the best rivalries in the National League.[7][8][9] The rivalry started when the Pittsburgh Pirates entered the NL in 1887, four years after the Phillies.[10]

The Phillies and the Pirates had remained together after the National League split into two divisions in 1969. During the period of two-division play (1969 to 1993), the two National League East division rivals won the two highest numbers of division championships, reigning almost exclusively as NL East champions in the 1970s and again in the early 1990s.[9][11][12] the Pirates nine, the Phillies six; together, the two teams' 15 championships accounted for more than half of the 25 NL East championships during that span.[11]

After the Pirates moved to the National League Central in 1994, the teams face each other only in two series each year and the rivalry has diminished.[8][9] However, many fans, especially older ones, retain their dislike for the other team and regional differences between Eastern and Western Pennsylvania still fuel the rivalry.[13]

Within the Central Division

The Pirates have had long standing if sometimes dormant rivalries with NL Central Division teams such as the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers (with the The Sausage incident and the 'You can steal first' game) and the Chicago Cubs (with the Homer in the Gloamin' and most recently, the 2015 NL Wild Card game).

Current roster

Pittsburgh Pirates 2016 spring training roster
40-man roster Non-roster invitees Coaches/Other

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

Coaches



40 active, 0 inactive, 18 non-roster invitees

7- or 15-day disabled list
* Not on active roster
Suspended list
Roster, coaches, and NRIs updated February 14, 2016
TransactionsDepth Chart
All MLB rosters

Players

Baseball Hall of Fame

Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famers
Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Pittsburgh Pirates

Jake Beckley*
Bert Blyleven
Jim Bunning
Max Carey
Jack Chesbro
Fred Clarke1
Roberto Clemente
Joe Cronin

Kiki Cuyler
Barney Dreyfuss
Frankie Frisch1
Pud Galvin
Goose Gossage
Hank Greenberg
Burleigh Grimes
Ned Hanlon2
Billy Herman1

Waite Hoyt
Joe Kelley
George Kelly
Ralph Kiner
Chuck Klein
Freddie Lindstrom
Al Lopez2
Connie Mack2
Heinie Manush

Rabbit Maranville
Bill Mazeroski
Bill McKechnie2
Hank O'Day3
Branch Rickey
Billy Southworth2
Willie Stargell
Casey Stengel2
Pie Traynor1

Dazzy Vance
Arky Vaughan
Rube Waddell
Honus Wagner*1
Lloyd Waner
Paul Waner*
Deacon White
Vic Willis

  • Players and managers listed in bold are depicted on their Hall of Fame plaques wearing a Pirates or Alleghenys cap insignia.
  • * – depicted on Hall of Fame plaque without a cap or cap insignia due to not wearing a cap or playing when caps had no insignia; Hall of Fame recognizes Pittsburgh as "Primary Team"
  • – inducted as Executives/Pioneers due in part to their contributions to baseball as executives with the Pirates; depicted on their plaques without a cap.
  • 1 – inducted as player; managed Pirates or was player-manager
  • 2 – inducted as manager; played for Pirates/Alleghenys or was player-manager
  • 3 – inducted as umpire; played for Pirates/Alleghenys or was player-manager

Ford C. Frick Award recipients

Pittsburgh Pirates Ford C. Frick Award recipients
Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Milo Hamilton

Bob Prince

  • Names in bold received the award based primarily on their work as broadcasters for the Pirates.

Team captains

Retired numbers

1
Billy
Meyer

Mgr
 
Retired
 1954
4
Ralph
Kiner

OF
 
Retired September 19, 1987
8
Willie
Stargell

OF, 1B
Coach
Retired September 6, 1982
9
Bill
Mazeroski

2B
Mgr
Retired August 7, 1987
11
Paul
Waner

OF
 
Retired July 21, 2007
20
Pie
Traynor

3B
Mgr
Retired April 18, 1972
21
Roberto
Clemente

OF
 
Retired
April 6, 1973
33
Honus
Wagner

SS
Mgr, Coach[lower-alpha 1]
Retired
 1956
40
Danny
Murtaugh

IF
Coach, Mgr
Retired
April 7, 1977
42
Jackie
Robinson
[lower-alpha 2]

All MLB
Honored April 15, 1997
  1. This was Wagner's uniform number only during his tenure as coach.
  2. Robinson's number is retired throughout all Major League Baseball

Franchise records

Won-loss records

First-in-MLB accomplishments

Minor league affiliations

Level Team League Location Years
AAA Indianapolis Indians International League Indianapolis 2005–
AA Altoona Curve Eastern League Altoona, Pennsylvania 1999–
Advanced A Bradenton Marauders Florida State League Bradenton, Florida 2010–
A West Virginia Power South Atlantic League Charleston, West Virginia 2009–
Short Season A West Virginia Black Bears New York–Penn League Morgantown, West Virginia 2015–
Rookie Bristol Pirates Appalachian League Bristol, Virginia 2014–
GCL Pirates Gulf Coast League Bradenton, Florida 1978–
DSL Pirates 1 Dominican Summer League Dominican Republic 1990–
DSL Pirates 2 Dominican Summer League Dominican Republic 2004–

Civil Rights advocacy

Throughout the 1940s Pirates owner William Benswanger was a leading advocate of integration of the Major Leagues, once planning a tryout for African American players to sign up for the club.[27]

The Pirates organization was the first in baseball to have both an African-American coach and manager, when Gene Baker broke the color line in 1961 and 1962 respectively. On September 21, 1963 the Pirates were the first MLB team to have an African-American manager in Gene Baker, as he filled in for Danny Murtaugh.[28]

On September 1, 1971, manager Murtaugh assembled a starting lineup that was completely composed of minorities for the first time in MLB history.[29]

Fanbase

Despite having some notable fans including former part-owner Bing Crosby, Michael Keaton and Regis Philbin,[30] the Pirates are considered by most to be a distant third in Pittsburgh behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Penguins in popularity among Pittsburgh's three major professional sports teams. Many surveys have backed up this finding as well.[31] However, due to their long history in Pittsburgh dating back to the 1882 season, the team has retained a strong loyal following in the Pittsburgh region.

While the team's recent struggles compared to Pittsburgh's other two teams can be partly to blame (since the Pirates last World Series championship in 1979, the Steelers have won the Super Bowl 3 times (XIV, XL, and XLIII) and the Penguins the Stanley Cup three times in 1991, 1992, and 2009, including both in 2009), distractions off the field have also caused the team's popularity to slip in the city. While the team was ranked first in Pittsburgh as recent as the late 1970s,[32] the Pittsburgh drug trials in 1985 and two relocation threats since are believed to have also seen the team's popularity dipped.[33] The team's standing among fans has, however, improved along with the team on the field and the opening of PNC Park in 2001.[34]

Community activities

Each year, the Pirates recognize six "Community Champions" during a special pregame ceremony.[35]

Piratefest is a yearly event that is held by the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball club in January. The event is a baseball carnival for the whole family. It features autograph sessions from current and former Pirates players, live events and games, carnival booths such as dart throwing, baseball clinics, "Ask Pirates Management", and much more. Piratefest is held yearly at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown. It includes bouncy castles for kids and the Pittsburgh Pirate also attends.[36]

Radio and television

In 2007, the Pirates chose to end the longest relationship between a team and a radio station in American professional sports. KDKA first broadcast the Pirates on August 5, 1921; with Westinghouse foreman Harold Arlin behind the mic. Broadcasts ended in 1924, but returned in 1936. Except for a few years on WWSW in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Pirates were on KDKA for 61 years. KDKA's 50,000-watt clear channel enabled Pirates fans across the eastern half of North America at night to hear the games.

That changed for the 2007 season, when the Pirates moved to FM talk radio station WPGB. The Pirates cited the desire to reach more people in the 25–54 age bracket coveted by advertisers. The acquisition of the rights means that Clear Channel Communications holds the rights to every major sports team in Pittsburgh. The Pirates have long had a radio network that has extended across four states. Stations for the 2007 season include Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Maryland radio broadcasters.[37]

On October 1, 2011, Clear Channel announced that they will not renew their deal with the Pirates. It was speculated that the club's radio broadcasting rights would likely be transferred back to CBS Radio via FM sports radio station KDKA-FM,[38] which became official on October 12.[39]

Games are televised on Root Sports Pittsburgh, the Pirates' cable television outlet since 1986, when it was known as KBL. There has been no over-the-air coverage of the Pirates since 2002, when some games were on WCWB. KDKA-TV aired Pirates games for 38 years (1957–1994). Games aired on WPXI (1995–1996) and on WPGH-TV and WCWB (1997–2002).

Announcers Greg Brown, Bob Walk, John Wehner, and Steve Blass shuttle between the radio and TV booths. Also, Tim Neverett began calling Pirates games in 2009 after Lanny Frattare, also known as the voice of the Pirates, retired after the 2008 season. He was the longest working announcer in Pirates history (33 seasons). Neverett, has called NHL, MLB, and Olympic Games. Former Pirates closer Kent Tekulve, a member of the team's 1979 World Series Championship team, serves as a post-game analyst for the team on Root Sports Pittsburgh.

On October 1, 2008, longtime play-by-play announcer Lanny Frattare retired after 33 seasons, having called Pirates' games since the 1976 season. He is the longest-tenured announcer in Pirates' history, surpassing the man he replaced, the late Bob Prince (28 seasons, 1948–1975).

On December 18, 2008, the Pirates hired former Colorado Rockies broadcaster Tim Neverett as the new play-by-play announcer. Neverett joined Greg Brown in calling Pirates games on radio and television.[40]

Figures with broadcasting resumés

Logos and uniforms

  1. ^ Cohen, Bob (February 11, 2013). "Pirates will commission new logo for 2014 season". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 

The Pirates have had many uniforms and logo changes over the years, with the only consistency being the "P" on the team's cap. It was adopted in 1948. Aside from style changes in the cap itself, the "P" logo has remained since.

The Pirates have long been innovators in baseball uniforms. In 1948, the team broke away from the patriotic "Red, White, & Blue" color scheme when they adopted the current black & gold color scheme, to match that of the colors of the Flag of Pittsburgh and, to a lesser extent at the time, the colors of the then-relatively unknown Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. While they were not the first baseball team to do this, they were one of the first to do this permanently. Along with the San Francisco Giants, the Pirates are one of two pre-expansion National League teams that completely changed their colors, although red returned as an "accent color" in 1997 and remained until 2009.

In the late 1950s, the team adopted sleeveless jerseys. While not an innovation by the team (that honor goes to the Cincinnati Reds), the Pirates did help to popularize the look. The team brought back the vested jerseys in 2001, a style they retained until 2009, although the away jerseys said "Pittsburgh" in script instead of "Pirates." In 2009, they introduced a new home, away and alternate black jersey all with sleeves. However, they kept the pinstriped sleeveless vest for Sunday home games.

To coincide with the move into Three Rivers Stadium in 1970, the team introduced pullover spandex uniforms, the first such team in baseball, and a look that would quickly be adopted by most other teams by the end of the decade. The Pirates ditched the pullover style in favor of the traditional button-down style in 1991, one of the last teams to switch.

The Pirates were also innovators in third jerseys. Even though it would be the Oakland A's that would beat them to having such jerseys, the Pirates, by 1977 had different uniform styles that included two different caps, two different undershirts, three different jerseys and three different pairs of trousers. They would actually rotate (and sometimes mix, with painful results) these styles daily until returning to the basic white and gray uniform ensemble in 1985.

In 1976, the National League celebrated its 100th anniversary. To coincide with it, certain NL teams wore old-style pillbox hats complete with horizontal pinstripes. After the season, the Pirates were the only team to adopt the hats permanently, (alternating between a black hat and a gold hat for several seasons until keeping the black hat in 1985) and kept the hat through the 1986 season, which would be Barry Bonds rookie season with the team. The hats, which recall the team's last World Series championship season (1979), remain popular items in the throwback market.

The 2013 season marked the last of one of the team's former logos, introduced in 1997 just after former owner Kevin McClatchy took over the team. The Pirates chose to use the "P" on their caps as the primary logo; however, the former logo will continue to be used as a secondary logo.[41]

On December 13, 2014, the Pirates unveiled a new camo alternate jersey which honors the soldiers in the Armed Forces, and will be worn on every home Thursday game.

See also

References

General
In-line citations
  1. 1 2 https://books.google.com/books/about/Denny_McKnight.html?id=6pAJywAACAAJ
  2. Pittsburgh Pirates | BaseballLibrary.com
  3. 1 2 "Pirates official team history, part 1". Pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  4. Purdy, Dennis (2006). The Team-by-Team Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball. New York City: Workman. ISBN 0-7611-3943-5.
  5. Why is our baseball team called the Pirates? Pittsburgh City Paper, August 14, 2003.
  6. 1 2 Wilmoth, Charlie (April 6, 2015). "Johnny Cueto, Todd Frazier help Reds beat Pirates 5–2 on Opening Day". Bucs Dugout. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  7. Woolsey, Matt (April 28, 2009). "In Depth: Baseball's Most Intense Rivalries". Forbes.
  8. 1 2 Collier, Gene (July 4, 2005). "Pirates—Phillies: A Rivalry Lost and Missed". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. D1.
  9. 1 2 3 Von Benko, George (July 7, 2005). "Notes: Phils–Pirates rivalry fading". Phillies.MLB.com. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  10. Stark, Jayson (September 10, 1993). "Baseball Owners Vote to Break Each League Into Three Divisions". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. A1.
  11. 1 2 Collier, Gene (September 27, 1993). "Pirates, Phillies Have Owned the Outgoing NL East Division". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. D1.
  12. "Pirates perform rare three-peat feat 4–2". USA Today. September 28, 1992. p. 5C.
  13. "It's Philly vs. the Burgh". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 11, 2008. p. B1.
  14. "World Series 1–3 Comebacks – MLB". ESPN. October 27, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  15. MLB.com (January 2, 2010). "LCS, World Series 3–1 comebacks | MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  16. "Oakland A's Fan Coalition – Athletics baseball enthusiasts dedicated to watching a winner". Oaklandfans.com. July 12, 1980. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  17. "Dressed to the Nines: A History of the Baseball Uniform". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  18. John Perrotto (August 14, 2006). "Baseball Plog". Beaver County Times.
  19. "Honoring First All-Minority Lineup". New York Times. September 17, 2006. p. Sports p. 2.
  20. Sporting News description and assertion of first combined extra-innings no hitter; Box score via Baseball Reference
  21. Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com (January 2, 2010). "Indian hurlers' inking opens new market | pirates.com: News". Pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  22. "Pirates find 2 pitchers from Indian reality show – Baseball- NBC Sports". Nbcsports.msnbc.com. November 25, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  23. Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com (January 2, 2010). "Bucs sign pair of Indian hurlers | pirates.com: News". Pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  24. Bruni, Frank (2012-02-22). "Coming Out in the World of Sports". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  25. Ex-Pittsburgh Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy comes out as gay – ESPN. Espn.go.com (2012-09-26). Retrieved on 2013-07-23.
  26. Abrotsky, Justin L.; Stone, Avery (May 9, 2015). "Pittsburgh Pirates pull off first 4–5–4 triple play in MLB history against Cardinals". USA Today. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  27. Negro League Baseball: The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution – Neil Lanctot – Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-23.
  28. Let us not forget about Gene Baker. Thesouthern.com (2013-02-19). Retrieved on 2013-07-23.
  29. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/24052540/. Retrieved 26 September 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. Regis Philbin Pulling For Pirates To End Pitiful Streak – Pittsburgh News Story – WTAE Pittsburgh
  31. Anderson, Shelly (November 7, 2007). "Penguins Notebook: In this case, No. 20 ranking is huge". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  32. America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions. The 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers
  33. Cook, Ron (September 29, 2000). "The Eighties: A terrible time of trial and error". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  34. Pittsburgh Pirates Fans Hopeful At Home Opener At PNC Park « CBS Pittsburgh
  35. "Annual African American Heritage Weekend Friday, August 20 and Saturday, August 21 to be Hosted by Pitsburg Pirates". Ask Blackie: African American Entertainment, Music, News and Anything Afro-American. Ask Blackie. Retrieved November 3, 2011. [People] all nominated by their fellow citizens for having positively contributed to the betterment of the diverse community in our region.
  36. Piratefest webpage
  37. "Pirates Radio Network | pirates.com: Schedule". Pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com. January 2, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  38. "Smizik on Sports – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  39. "Pirates, KDKA-FM agree to broadcasting deal". Pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com. October 12, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  40. "Tim Neverett hired as play-by-play announcer | pirates.com: Official Info". Pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
  41. "Pirates ditch Jolly Roger logo". ESPN. Associated Press. January 8, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  42. "The Team That Changed Baseball: Roberto Clemente and the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates". Westholme Publishing. April 3, 2006. Retrieved December 5, 2010.

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