Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park
Located on the North Shore of Pittsburgh just east of the Allegheny River, PNC Park has been home to the Pirates since 2001. It's known for its retro look and its gorgeous views of the Pittsburgh skyline, not to mention its intimate dimensions. With a capacity of 38,362, PNC Park is one of the smallest ballparks in baseball. There are two food courts in the stadium and shops along General Robinson Street that can be accessed from inside PNC Park. After the game, you can take a stroll on the Riverfront promenade just outside the stadium.
Pittsburgh Pirates History
Since their founding in 1881, the Pirates have won five World Series and appeared in seven in all, including the inaugural World Series in 1903. They've been around long enough to amass 10,000 wins and 10,000 losses; only a select few other teams in baseball share that distinction with the Pirates.
Honus Wagner was their first star. In 1909 the shortstop led the league with a .339 batting average and 100 RBIs, powering the Buccos to a seven-game World Series victory over Ty Cobb's Detroit Tigers. Wagner hit .333 in the series, with seven RBIs and six stolen bases, and rookie pitcher Babe Adams recorded three complete-game victories.
But there have been many other baseball greats in Pittsburgh, including Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski, a wizard with the glove who is most famous for slamming a walk-off home run against the Yankees in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. There was legendary outfielder Roberto Clemente, the first Spanish-speaking ballplayer to win World Series MVP honors after the Pirates dispatched the Orioles in seven games in 1971 (he would die in a plane crash the following year). And there was slugger Willie Stargell of the "We Are Family" Pirates, winners of the 1979 World Series.
While their contributions to the integration of baseball have been overshadowed by the more critical work done by Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Pirates were certainly allies in the fight against baseball's color line. Owner William Benswanger was a strong advocate of integration, and in 1961 Gene Baker became the first African American skipper in organized baseball when the Pirates named him manager of their Batavia, N.Y., farm team. In 1971, Pittsburgh fielded the first all-minority lineup in MLB history: Rennie Stennett, Gene Clines, Clemente, Stargell, Manny Sanguillén, Dave Cash, Al Oliver, Jackie Hernández and Dock Ellis.
