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Despite struggling in the 1880s and 1890s, the Pirates were among the best teams in baseball shortly after the turn of the 20th century. They won three consecutive NL titles from 1901 to 1903, played in the inaugural World Series in 1903 and won their first World Series in 1909 behind Honus Wagner. The 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. They also won the 1971 World Series, led by the talent of Roberto Clemente, and the 1979 World Series under the slogan "We Are Family", led by "Pops" Willie Stargell. After a run of regular-season success in the early 1990s, the Pirates struggled mightily over the following decades with 20 consecutive losing seasons from 1993 to 2012—the longest such streak in American professional sports history. From 1882 to 2021, the Pirates have an overall record of 10,625–10,547 (.502 winning 'percentage').
Since 1969, the Pirates have held Spring Training at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida, which is also used for the Pirates' minor league team, the Bradenton Marauders. Constructed in 1923, LECOM Park is the oldest stadium still in use for Spring Training and the second-oldest minor league park, behind only Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, which dates to 1914. It is also the third oldest stadium currently used by a major league team after Fenway Park, built in 1912, and Wrigley Field, built in 1914. Built in a Florida Spanish Mission style, LECOM Park underwent two major renovations in 1993 and 2008, the latter of which added lights. Pirate City, the site of the Pirates' Spring Training complex, is located a few miles east of LECOM Park.
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On May 9, 2015, the Pirates became the first MLB team to turn a 4–5–4 triple play. The play occurred when the Cardinals' Yadier Molina lined out to Pittsburgh second baseman Neil Walker. Walker then threw to third baseman Jung Ho Kang to double off the Cardinals' Jhonny Peralta for the second out. Kang then threw the ball back to Walker, who was standing on second base for the final out after St. Louis's Jason Heyward froze between second and third.
The first all-minority lineup in MLB history took the field on September 1, 1971. The lineup was Rennie Stennett, Gene Clines, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Manny Sanguillén, Dave Cash, Al Oliver, Jackie Hernández, and Dock Ellis. The only other team to accomplish this feat is the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993, though theirs came in Game 6. Chief Wilson set the MLB all-time record for triples in a single season in 1912 with 36. Honus Wagner is considered to be one of the greatest shortstops of all time and was a member of the MLB Hall of Fame's Inaugural Class in 1936.
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The Pirates' first home was Exposition Park, located a couple blocks west of the PNC Park. The Pirates split their early years between that ballpark and Recreation Park, which was located further inland from the flood-prone Allegheny River. The Pirates moved back to Exposition Park for good in 1891, and remained there until the 1909 season. The park hosted the first modern World Series ever played in 1903 but by the end of the decade the wooden structure was too small for the Pirates' growing fanbase. Exposition Park hosted several minor league teams before being razed prior to 1920. The site is currently occupied by a parking lot and several restaurants, although a historical marker near the intersection of West Gen. Robinson Street and Tony Dorsett Drive notes it was the location of the first World Series.
His .326 wOBA was the third lowest of his career, and his 1.6 fWAR was his lowest since 2013 and his third worst overall. First ever Major League Baseball game broadcast on the radio, a game between the Pirates and the host Philadelphia Phillies aired August 5, 1921, on KDKA Pittsburgh. The 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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Once again, every Sunday home game of the 2017 season will be designated as "Kids Day" at PNC Park. There will be fun and games located outside PNC Park on Federal Street prior to each Sunday afternoon home game and all days will feature a kids 14 and younger special giveaway with paid admission to the game. Some of the promotional highlights include kids batting gloves on April 9; kids baseball glove on May 21; kids beach towel on May 28; kids replica alternate Starling Marte jersey on July 2. Depending on how this offseason shakes out, third base could be a huge weak spot for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018.
Since the 2015 season, the Pirates have worn an alternate camo jersey for select home games. The camouflage alternates were updated for the 2018 season, now white with camo green wordmarks, numbers, piping, and patches. Would they revert to form as the team that made the playoffs each year from 2013 to 2015, or would they come closer to their sub-.500 performance from 2016?
April 9 – Starling Marte hit a walk-off home run in the tenth inning to propel the Pirates to a 5–4 win and series sweep over the Braves. The Pittsburgh Pirates 2017 spring training schedule has been released, as the team prepares for another exhibition season at Pirate City and McKechnie Field. 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. The Pittsburgh Pirates farm system consists of seven minor league affiliates.
Several of the team's best players, including Bonds and Drabek, left as free agents after that season. August 23 – Josh Harrison became the first player in MLB history to break up a no-hitter in extra innings with a walk-off home run. The home run was hit in the tenth inning, off of pitcher Rich Hill, to give the Pirates a 1–0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Pirates drew a total of 103,762 fans to 15 spring training home dates at McKechnie Field in 2016, the second-highest season attendance figure behind the club-record 106,038 posted in 2015. Looking around the Pirate clubhouse, Adam Frazier, Max Moroff, and Sean Rodriguez are all capable of manning the hot corner as well. However, like Freese, none of these players are big enough offensive threats to play every day. This also contributed to the offensive woes the Pirates had at third base in 2017. Prior to the start of the 2017 season it appeared that third base would be a position of strength for the Pittsburgh Pirates. This was due to the Bucs having one of the National League’s best emerging power hitters in Jung Ho Kang as the team’s everyday third base, with longtime starter and former World Series MVP David Freese as his primary backup.
The team's name would not appear on the club's uniforms again until they were added to the road uniforms in 1933, this time written horizontally in a more ornate style. An image of a pirate's head appeared on the home and road jerseys for the 1940 and 1941 seasons (this image would be reused for the team's logo in the 1980s and 1990s), and "Pittsburgh" first appeared on the road uniforms in 1942. There is no denying that the 2017 season was a disappointing one for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Off the field issues for Jung Ho Kang and Starling Marte, injury issues for Francisco Cervelli and Gregory Polanco, and an inconsistent bullpen all played a large role in the Pirates winning just 75 games this season.
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