Pittsburgh Pirates are a professional baseball team that plays in the National League (NL) Central division of Major League Baseball (MLB). The team plays its home games at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Pirates began as a team called the Pittsburgh Alleghenys (or simply Allegheny) in the American Association in 1882. The team joined the National League in 1887. In 1890, the Alleghenys suffered through one of the worst seasons in MLB history, finishing with a 23-113 record. The following year, the team name was changed to Pirates. The Pirates brought respectability back to Pittsburgh baseball, winning three straight National League pennants from 1901 to 1903. The 1903 Pirates played in the first World Series against the champions of the American League, the Boston Americans (now the Red Sox). Boston won, but Pittsburgh returned to the World Series in 1909, defeating the Detroit Tigers in seven games. Early Pirates stars included Hall of Famers Fred Clarke, Honus Wagner, and Vic Willis.
The Pirates did not win the National League again until 1925. That year, they beat the Washington Senators in the World Series. Pittsburgh returned to the World Series in 1927, but lost to the New York Yankees. Pirates stars of those teams included Hall of Famers Max Carey, Kiki Cuyler, Pie Traynor, Lloyd Waner, and Paul Waner. The Waners were brothers known as “Big Poison” (Paul) and “Little Poison” (Lloyd). The Pirates then went into a long period of mediocrity despite the play of Hall of Famers Arky Vaughan and Ralph Kiner.
Pittsburgh finally won the National League pennant again in 1960. That year, led by Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski, the Pirates defeated the Yankees in the World Series. The Pirates, now featuring Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, won their division five times from 1970 to 1975, and won the 1971 World Series over the Baltimore Orioles. The Pirates beat the Orioles again in the 1979 World Series.
Pittsburgh dropped off during the 1980’s but returned to a brief period of prominence in the early 1990’s. Stars of those teams included pitcher Doug Drabek and outfielders Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla. The Pirates did not have a winning record from 1993 through 2012. The team again made the playoffs for three straight years from 2013 to 2015. Recent Pirates stars have included pitcher Gerrit Cole and outfielders Starling Marté and Andrew McCutchen.
