45 Facts About Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Pirates compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the National League Central division.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have won five World Series championships, nine National League pennants, nine National League East division titles and made three appearances in the Wild Card Game.

The Pittsburgh Pirates took part in arguably the most famous World Series ending, winning the 1960 World Series against the New York Yankees on a walk-off home run by Bill Mazeroski, the only time that Game 7 of the World Series has ever ended with a home run.

The Pittsburgh Pirates returned to the postseason in 2013 and advanced to the NLDS.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates currently have the sixth-longest World Series championship drought, second-longest World Series appearance drought in Major League Baseball, the longest pennant drought in the National League the longest League Championship Series appearance drought in either league and are tied for the longest MLB division championship drought with the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins .

The Pittsburgh Pirates previously played at Forbes Field from 1909 to 1970 and at Three Rivers Stadium from 1970 to 2000.

Professional baseball in the Pittsburgh Pirates area began in 1876 with the organization of the Allegheny Base Ball Club, an independent club based in a then-separate city called Allegheny City, across the Allegheny River from Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates acquired several star players from the Louisville Colonels, who were slated for elimination when the N L contracted from 12 to 8 teams.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were among the best teams in baseball in the early 1900s, winning three consecutive National League pennants from 1901 to 1903 and participating in the first modern World Series ever played, which they lost to Boston.

The Pittsburgh Pirates returned to the World Series in 1909, defeating the Detroit Tigers for their first-ever world title.

That year, the Pittsburgh Pirates moved from Exposition Park to one of the first steel and concrete ballparks, Forbes Field.

The Pittsburgh Pirates returned to the World Series in 1927 but were swept by the Murderer's Row Yankees.

The Pittsburgh Pirates remained a competitive team through the 1930s but failed to win the pennant, coming closest in 1938 when they were passed by the Chicago Cubs in the final week of the season.

Pittsburgh Pirates sank back into mediocrity in the 1980s and returned to post-season play in the early 1990s behind young players like Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, and Doug Drabek.

The Pittsburgh Pirates won three straight division titles from 1990 to 1992 but lost in the National League Championship Series each time, notably coming within one out of advancing to the World Series in 1992.

The Pittsburgh Pirates finally returned to the postseason in 2013 behind National League MVP Andrew McCutchen, defeating the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card Game.

The Pittsburgh Pirates returned to the postseason in 2014 and 2015 and lost the Wild Card game both times and have not qualified for the playoffs since then.

Since 2001, the Pirates have played their home games at PNC Park, located on the banks of the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh's North Side neighborhood.

The Pittsburgh Pirates moved back to Exposition Park for good in 1891, and remained there until the 1909 season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates left the ballpark midway through the 1970 season and the stadium was demolished the following year.

Pittsburgh Pirates moved into the multipurpose Three Rivers Stadium in 1970, which they shared with the Steelers.

Three Rivers ended up being much better suited for the former than the latter, and the Pittsburgh Pirates struggled to draw fans despite their on-field success in the 1970s.

Since 1969, the Pittsburgh Pirates have held Spring Training at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida, which is used for the Pittsburgh Pirates' minor league team, the Bradenton Marauders.

Pittsburgh Pirates have had many uniforms and logo changes over the years, with the only consistency being the "P" on the team's cap.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates had made a similar change to black and gold in 1924, but the change did not last beyond that season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates became the first team in baseball to sport such a look, but it quickly became popular throughout the league, and the pullover style would become the prominent look of 1970s and 1980s baseball.

The Pittsburgh Pirates ditched the pullover style in favor of the traditional button-down style in 1991, one of the last teams to switch.

The Pittsburgh Pirates switched back to a brighter shade of gold for the 1977 season, and became one of the first teams to wear third jerseys, following the Oakland Athletics.

The pants, tops and caps could all be worn interchangeably for different looks; the Pittsburgh Pirates wore four different uniform combinations in the 1979 World Series.

In 2009, the Pittsburgh Pirates began wearing an alternate black jersey with a gold "P" at both home and on the road.

Since the 2015 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates have worn an alternate camo jersey for select home games.

Rivalry between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates was considered by some to be one of the best rivalries in the National League until 1994.

Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates remained together after the National League split into two divisions in 1969.

From 2013 to 2015, the Pittsburgh Pirates battled with the St Louis Cardinals for the Central Division title, with the Cardinals narrowly winning the division each year.

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a contentious battle with the Milwaukee Brewers for a Wild Card spot in 2014 and faced off against the Chicago Cubs in the 2015 National League Wild Card Game.

The Tigers' AA Minor League affiliate, the Erie SeaWolves, located near Pittsburgh, is a former affiliate of the Pirates and has retained the logo of a wolf wearing a pirate bandanna and eye patch.

Pittsburgh 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.

However, due to their long history in Pittsburgh Pirates dating back to the 1882 season, the team has retained a strong loyal following in the Pittsburgh Pirates region, especially among older residents.

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

In 2007, the Pittsburgh Pirates chose to end the longest relationship between a team and a radio station in American professional sports and moved to FM talk radio station WPGB.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have long had a radio network that has extended across four states.

Apart from any Pittsburgh Pirates games aired nationally on Fox, there has been no over-the-air coverage of the Pittsburgh Pirates since 2002.

Pittsburgh Pirates have no set broadcast team for radio or TV; instead, all announcers and analysts take turns working in both mediums over the course of a season.

Pittsburgh Pirates called the Pirates' championships in 1960 and 1971 as part of the national broadcast for NBC.

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