Maz’s Game 7 homer to win it all. Clemente building bridges on and off the diamond. Stargell popping off to the sounds of “We Are Family.”
Long before Paul Skenes had batters chasing splinkers, these were the legendary Pirates making their mark on the Alleghany.
Manager: Fred Clarke
Clarke was a high-level hitter for the Pirates from 1900-11, but he was also the team’s manager from 1900-15. Under — and with — Clarke, the Pirates won four NL pennants, highlighted by winning the 1909 World Series, a season which saw them go 110-42 in what was the franchise’s first championship. In 1902, the Pirates finished 103-36, with their 74.1% winning percentage second in a single season in MLB history. Clarke is first in Pirates history with 1,422 managerial wins and a 59.5% winning percentage among full-time managers.
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Starting pitcher: Wilbur Cooper
Cooper spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Pirates (1912-24), with whom he was one of the best starting pitchers of his generation. The left-handed Cooper led the NL in complete games twice and wins once, while consistently pitching deep into games and effectively inducing weak contact. Cooper, who posted a career 2.74 ERA in Pittsburgh, is first in Pirates history with both 202 wins and 263 complete games, second among pitchers with both a 47.9 WAR and 3,199.0 innings pitched, third with 1,191 strikeouts and fourth with 33 shutouts.
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Reliever/closer: Roy Face
Face, who spent the majority of his career with the Pirates (1953 and 1955-68), was a key ingredient in Pittsburgh’s 1960 championship team. The right-hander was a stabilizing presence in Pittsburgh’s bullpen, leading the NL in saves three times and providing length (Face pitched 1,314.2 innings across 802 appearances). Face, a six-time All-Star, is first in Pirates history with 186 career saves and posted a combined 3.46 ERA with the franchise.
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Catcher: Jason Kendall
Kendall spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Pirates (1996-2004), with whom he was one of the best all-around catchers of his era. Earning each of his three All-Star honors in Pittsburgh, Kendall was consistently a contact hitter who got on base at a high level and also stole bases at an impressive clip for a catcher (19 stolen bases per season from 1997-2002). Kendall posted a career .306/.387/.418 slash for the Pirates. Fun fact, Kendall is far and away first in Pirates history with 177 hit by pitches, 66 more than Starling Marte‘s 111 hit by pitches, which ranks second.
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1B: Willie Stargell
Stargell spent his entire 21-year career with the Pirates (1962-82), being a featured part of Pittsburgh’s 1971 and 1979 championship teams and winning MVP honors for the 1979 World Series. Time and time again, Stargell was one of the most dangerous hitters in the game, swinging an impact bat from the left side and driving in runs at a high level. He led the NL in home runs twice and earned seven All-Star nods. Stargell, who won the 1979 NL MVP Award and played both left field and first base, is first in Pirates history with 475 home runs, 1,540 RBIs and 937 walks, third with a .529 slugging percentage, fourth with 423 doubles, fifth with both 1,194 runs scored and a 57.6 WAR and seventh with 2,232 hits.
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2B: Bill Mazeroski
Mazeroski is part of the Pirates’ identity. Part of the franchise’s 1960 and 1971 World Series championships, Mazeroski, who spent his entire 17-year career in Pittsburgh (1956-72), was a stable force at the middle-infield position and a reliable contact hitter on a perennial contender. An eight-time Gold Glover and 10-time All-Star, Mazeroski shined in the 1960 World Series, totaling two home runs and five RBIs, while posting a .320/.320/.640 slash line. Mazeroski is first in Pirates history with a 24.0 defensive WAR, sixth with 853 RBIs, eighth with 2,016 hits, ninth with 294 doubles and 10th with 138 home runs.
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3B: Pie Traynor
Traynor was a tough out. The third baseman was one of the best at getting on base and consistently hitting runners across the basepaths. Traynor, a two-time All-Star, starred on the Pirates’ 1925 World Series title team, which saw him post a .346/.414/.615 slash line. He totaled a double-digit number of triples in 11 seasons and 100-plus RBIs in seven seasons. Traynor is fourth in Pirates history with 1,273 RBIs, tied for fourth with 2,416 hits, is fifth with 3,289 total bases, sixth with 1,183 runs scored and ninth with both a .320 batting average and a 42.6 offensive WAR. Furthermore, the career-long Pirate (1920-35 and 1937) managed the team from 1934-39.
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SS: Honus Wagner
Honus Wagner was really good at baseball. After spending the first three seasons of his career with the Louisville Colonels, Wagner landed in Pittsburgh for the 1900 season and became one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Over the next 18 seasons, Wagner won eight batting titles, led the NL in WAR seven times, doubles seven times, RBIs four times and hits twice. Hitting the ball to all fields, producing extra-base hit after extra-base hit and slugging at a high level, Wagner was in an exclusive class among hitters. While a primary shortstop, he started at all four infield positions and posted a .333/.467/.500 slash line in the Pirates’ 1909 World Series triumph. Wagner is first in Pirates history with 232 triples, 1,521 runs scored and a 120.3 WAR, second with 1,474 RBIs, 2,967 hits and 639 stolen bases and fourth with a .328 batting average. Moreover, he’s eighth in MLB history with 3,420 career hits.
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OF: Ralph Kiner
Kiner only played 10 MLB seasons, seven-plus of them spent with the Pirates from 1946-53, but he made the most of each one of them. A six-time All-Star, Kiner flat-out raked. He had imposing power from the right side, was as dangerous as any hitter of his time and led the NL in home runs in each of his first seven seasons, including two 50-plus home run seasons. Kiner, who’s in the Hall of Fame, is second in Pirates history with both 301 home runs and a .567 slugging percentage, sixth with 795 walks, eighth with both 801 RBIs and a .405 on-base percentage and 10th with a 43.3 WAR.
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The Pirates had one of the best players in the sport with McCutchen, who began his career with the franchise from 2009-17. Primarily playing center field, McCutchen was among the best outfielders of the early 2010s, rewarded with a Gold Glove in 2012. At the plate, McCutchen had a crisp, contact swing that generated slug, and he made some noise on the basepaths. McCutchen led the NL with 194 hits in 2012 and won the 2013 NL MVP Award, with him also leading the NL with a 7.8 WAR in said year. The star outfielder returned to the Pirates in 2023, with him presently in his second stint with the franchise. McCutchen, whose four Silver Slugger awards and five All-Star nods all came in Pittsburgh, is third in Pirates history with 243 home runs, seventh with both 849 RBIs and 343 doubles, ninth with 1,740 hits and 10th with both 963 runs scored and a 43.3 WAR.
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OF: Roberto Clemente
Clemente is one of the best players to step on a baseball field. A 12-time Gold Glover and 15-time All-Star, Clemente spent his entire career in Pittsburgh (1955-72), with whom he helped win the 1960 and 1971 World Series championships and won the 1971 World Series MVP Award. The superstar outfielder posted a career .318/.354/.449 postseason slash line and served as Pittsburgh’s primary right fielder, with Clemente being one of the best all-around hitters of any generation. A four-time NL batting champion, Clemente led the NL in hits twice and posted four 200-plus hit seasons. Clemente is first in Pirates history with 3,000 hits and 4,492 total bases, second with a 94.9 WAR, third with both 1,305 RBIs and 1,416 runs scored and fourth with 240 home runs.
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DH: Barry Bonds
It all started in Pittsburgh for the all-time MLB home run leader (Bonds hit an MLB-best 762 career home runs). From the jump, Bonds caused issues on the basepaths for pitching staffs, had elite power and was one of the best outfielders in the sport. Across his last three seasons with the Pirates (1990-92), Bonds averaged 31 home runs, 101 RBIs and 45 stolen bases per season, while posting a .301/.424/.566 slash line. He also earned a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award in each of those three seasons and an All-Star honor in two of them. Despite playing just seven seasons with the franchise (1986-92), Bonds is fifth in Pirates history with 176 home runs, seventh with both 251 stolen bases and a 50.3 WAR and eighth with a .503 slugging percentage.
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Honorable Mentions:
- Danny Murtaugh (manager)
- John Candelaria (starting pitcher)
- Bob Veale (starting pitcher)
- Babe Adams (starting pitcher)
- Bob Friend (starting pitcher)
- Kent Tekulve (reliever/closer)
- Claude Ritchey (2B)
- Johnny Ray (2B)
- Tommy Leach (3B)
- Richie Hebner (3B)
- Fred Clarke (OF)
- Max Carey (OF)
- Paul Waner (OF) – fixed this one
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