The Pittsburgh Pirates have a long history, peppered with moments significant both to Pirates fans and Major League Baseball. While the Pirates are recognized as fielding the first all-black lineup in 1971, the 66 games in this book include one of the first matchups in the majors to involve two non-white opening hurlers (Native American and Cuban) in June 1921. We relive no-hitters, World Series-winning homers, and encounter the story of the last tripleheader ever played in major-league baseball. Some of the games are wins; some are losses. All of these essays provide readers with a sense of the totality of the Pirates’ experiences: the joy, the heartbreak, and other aspects of baseball (and life) in between. This book is the work of 37 members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), including JEFF BARTO, JOHN BAUER, ROBERT E. BIONAZ, THOMAS J. BROWN JR., FREDERICK C. (RICK) BUSH, ALAN COHEN, PAUL E. DOUTRICH, DOUG FELDMANN, JEFF FINDLEY, T.S. FLYNN, GORDON J. GATTIE, TOM HAWTHORN, ROCK HOFFMAN, PAUL HOFMANN, MIKE HUBER, JORGE IBER, FRANK ITTNER, MATT KEELEAN, RUSS LAKE, BOB LEMOINE, LEN LEVIN, MARK MILLER, SETH MOLAND-KOVASH, BILL NOWLIN, RICHARD PETE PETERSON, STEPHEN PETERSON, RICHARD J. PUERZER, ELIZA RICHARDSON, C. PAUL ROGERS III, HARRY SCHOGER, BLAKE W. SHERRY, WAYNE STRUMPFER, JOSEPH WANCHO, BOB WEBSTER, STEVEN C. WEINER, GREGORY H. WOLF, JACK ZERBY. Contents:
MAY 10, 1882: First Major-League Game in Pittsburgh APRIL 22, 1891: Opening Day 1891 OCTOBER 4, 1892: Pirates Set Wins Record OCTOBER 13, 1903: First World Series SEPT 20, 1907: Maddox First Bucs No-Hitter JUNE 29, 1909: Farewell to the Old Yard JUNE 30, 1909: Forbes Field Opening Day JULY 3, 1910: Chief Hits for the Cycle AUGUST 22, 1912: Wagner Wields Willow, Hits for the Cycle OCTOBER 2, 1920: Only Major-League Tripleheader JUNE 30, 1921: Chief Yellow Horse Defeats Luque JUNE 20, 1925: Cuyler, Carey, and Co. Steamroll Brooklyn OCTOBER 15, 1925: Game 7 1925 World Series JUNE 24, 1933: Arky Vaughan Hits for the Cycle JUNE 19, 1934: Traynor as Pirates Manager APRIL 27, 1938: Vaughan Slams Cubs MAY 4, 1938: Lloyd Waner’s Big Game MAY 30, 1939: Rizzo’s Nine RBIs AUGUST 27, 1949: Tiny Bonham’s Last Game JUNE 25, 1950: Kiner Hits for the Cycle SEPT 23, 1951: Dickson’s 20th Win JUNE 6, 1952: Bucs Shave The Barber APRIL 13, 1954: Law Return from Military MAY 16, 1954: Rookie Roberts Collects 3 Hits SEPT 24, 1955: Friend Clinches ERA Title JULY 25, 1956: Clemente Grand Slams JULY 18, 1957: Arroyo’s Final Victory MAY 1, 1958: Frank Has A Big Day MAY 26, 1959: Haddix Pitches 12 Perfect Innings AUGUST 6, 1960: We Had ‘em All the Way OCTOBER 13, 1960: Mazeroski’s Homer APRIL 15, 1961: Friend Bests Drysdale SEPT 21, 1963: Gene Baker: First African American Manager JULY 22, 1964: Mazeroski, Lynch, and Stargell Rout Cardinals JUNE 1, 1965: Veale’s 16 Strikeouts OCTOBER 2, 1966: Matty Alou Batting Title MAY 15, 1967: Clemente Blasts 3 Homers SEPT 20, 1969: A Trophy No-Hitter: Bob Moose JUNE 12, 1970: Dock Ellis No-Hitter JUNE 28, 1970: Human Locusts Day AUGUST 14, 1971: Gib No-Hitter AUGUST 23, 1971: Best Game for Al Oliver SEPT 1, 1971: First All-Black Lineup OCTOBER 17, 1971: World Series Game 7 SEPT 30, 1972: Clemente Collects Number 3,000 in Last At-Bat APRIL 6, 1973: No Clemente in Right JUNE 13, 1973: Blass Loses Control SEPT 16, 1975: Stennett Leads Rout SEPT 25, 1976: The Tragic Death of Bob Moose OCTOBER 3, 1976: Murtaugh’s Final Games OCTOBER 17, 1979: Pirates Win the Series MAY 19, 1981: Bibby’s Near No-Hitter SEPT 25, 1985: Reuschel Inspires Bucs OCTOBER 13, 1992: Pirates Back Wakefield in NLCS JULY 12, 1997: Cordova, Rincon, & Smith Fireworks JULY 28, 2001: Pirates’ Comeback JULY 2, 2010: Ohlendorf Wins JULY 26, 2011: A Really Bad Call SEPT 9, 2013: Pirates End the Streak OCTOBER 1, 2013: NL Wild Card Game JUNE 20, 2015: Scherzer No-Hitter OCTOBER 7, 2015: NL Wild Card Game APRIL 26, 2016: McCutchen 3 Home Runs