Guide to Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club Collection, 1910 - 1950 (Bulk 1959 - 1979)
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club Collection,
- Creator
- Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club
- Collection Number
- MSS#242
- Extent
- .5 cubic feet
- Date
- 1910 - 1990
- Date
- 1959 - 1979
- Abstract
- This collection documents the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club from 1910 through 1990. It includes a random sampling of printed material, such as scorecards, yearbooks, post-season and All-Star programs, ticket stubs, schedules, picture cards, and various miscellaneous items.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
There have been professional baseball clubs playing in Pittsburgh since as early as 1876, but Pittsburgh did not have a nationally recognized professional club until the Pittsburgh Alleghenies, under President W.A. Nimmick, joined the National League in 1887. The Alleghenies played their first National League game on April 30, 1887 and defeated Chicago 6-2. The Alleghenies became known as the Pirates in 1891 when they signed a free agent named Lou Bierbauer who was supposedly under contract to play for the Philadelphia Athletics. The Athletics and other members of the National League's rival league, the American Association accused the Alleghenies of "pirating" players. The Alleghenies became commonly referred to as the "Pirates," and Pittsburgh's professional baseball club eventually adopted this as their official name. The Alleghenies played at Recreation Park in Allegheny city from 1887-1890, but in 1891, the newly named baseball club began playing its home games at Exhibition Park. The Pirates played at Exhibition Park until 1909, when they moved to Forbes Field, in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, where they played until 1970. Since 1970 the Pirates have played their games at Three Rivers Stadium.
In 1903 the Pirates participated in the first World Series, which was prompted by a challenge that Pittsburgh owner Barney Dreyfuss issued to the American League champion Boston Red Sox. The Pirates lost the best-of-nine series five games to three, but went on to win World Series titles in 1909, 1925, 1960, 1971, and 1979. Their only other World Series loss occurred in 1927 against the New York Yankees led by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. The Pirates have had eleven players inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, including Honus Wagner, who was one of the six original inductees.
Scope and Content Notes
This collection includes a random sampling of printed material and include a very random collection of scorecards, yearbooks, Post-Season and All-Star programs, ticket stubs, schedules, picture cards, and various miscellaneous items. The correspondence includes letters from Pirates' president, William E. Benswanger to the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania regarding a lecture he was to give at the Society in 1947. The yearbooks and programs provide historical and contemporary information about the Pittsburgh Pirates, player rosters, statistics, and biographical sketches of the players, coaches, executives. The scorecards list the player rosters for the Pirates and the visiting team as well as the starting lineups for that day's game. Some of the scorecards also include photographs and/or biographical sketches of the players. All of the yearbooks, programs and scorecards contain a wide assortment of local and national advertisements. The commemorative programs biographical and statistical information about former Pirate All-Stars including Ralph Kiner, Bill Mazeroski and Willie Stargell. The picture cards consist of a photograph of a player or coach and a listing of personal information on the back of the card which includes a physical description of the player or coach, statistics, and career history up to 1989.
Arrangement
The Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club Collection is housed in one archival box and arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These materials came in one accession in 1990.
Acc.# 90.157
Gift of Richard Cerone, Vice President of Public Relations for the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club, in 1990
Preferred Citation
Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club Collection, MSS#242, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Matt Diaddigo in July 1996.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Clay Redding on May 19, 1999.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Subjects
- Forbes Field (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Three Rivers Stadium (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Benswanger, William, 1892-
- Kiner, Ralph, 1922-
- Mazeroski, Bill, 1936-
- Stargell, Willie, 1941-
- Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- Recreation
- All Star Baseball Game -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
- Baseball cards.
- Baseball clubs -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
- Sports facilities -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
- World Series -- Baseball.