The 1952

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

season was the team's 71st season in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

, and their 66th season in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

. The Pirates posted a record of 42 wins and 112 losses, their worst record since

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

, and one of the worst in major league history.

Offseason

The Pirates were led in 1952 by 70-year-old

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

Branch Rickey Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an American baseball player and sports executive. Rickey was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also creat ...

and 60-year-old

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Billy Meyer William Adam Meyer (January 14, 1893 – March 31, 1957) was an American baseball player and manager. He holds the dubious distinction of having played with, then managed, two of the worst teams in the history of Major League Baseball. A catch ...

. Meyer had led Pittsburgh to a last-place finish in the

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

. After Rickey was installed as general manager, the Pirates were second-to-last in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

. Tension was high as the two-year contract of their star slugger,

Ralph Kiner Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955. Follow ...

, expired before the 1952 season. Kiner was the premier power hitter in baseball, having won the previous six National League home run titles.Finoli, p. 112. Rickey voiced what he viewed as inconsistent levels of commitment by Kiner when talking to the media. Kiner received permission to instead negotiate directly with owner

John W. Galbreath John Wilmer Galbreath (August 10, 1897 – July 20, 1988) was an American building contractor and sportsman. Born in Derby, Ohio, he grew up in Mount Sterling, Ohio, where he graduated from high school. He then graduated from Ohio University in ...

and agreed to a reported one-year, $90,000 contract, making him the highest-paid player in the National League. Kiner was signed, but the most famous Pirate of all, 78-year-old

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

member

Honus Wagner Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (; February 24, 1874 – December 6, 1955), sometimes referred to as "Hans" Wagner, was an American baseball shortstop who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1917, almost entirely for the Pitts ...

, decided to retire from his part-time coaching duties with the team. His number was retired, and he was given a lifetime pass to

Forbes Field Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland (Pittsburgh), Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to June 28, 1970. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and the first home of t ...

.Finoli, p. 113. Rickey wanted to hold a tryout for dozens of kids from the low

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

levels, and his plan was largely supported by

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and the rest of the team's ownership. Rickey hired his former scout and coach

Clyde Sukeforth Clyde Leroy Sukeforth (November 30, 1901 – September 3, 2000), nicknamed "Sukey", was an American professional baseball catcher, coach, scout and manager. He was best known for signing the first black player in the modern era of Major League Ba ...

, who had scouted

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...

for Rickey in the 1940s. Several top young prospects, like

Vern Law Vernon Sanders Law (born March 12, 1930) is an American former baseball pitcher who played sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in 1950–51 and 1954–67. He batted and threw right-handed and was li ...

and

Danny O'Connell Daniel Francis O'Connell (January 21, 1929 – October 2, 1969) was an American infielder in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates (; ), Milwaukee Braves (– 57), New York/San Francisco Giants (– 59) and Washington Senators (– 62 ...

, were called to

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...

for the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, and the more experienced

Danny Murtaugh Daniel Edward Murtaugh (October 8, 1917 – December 2, 1976) was an American second baseman, manager, front-office executive, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). Murtaugh is best known for his 29-year association with the Pittsburgh Pirat ...

retired to accept a minor league managing position. Expectations were high for 23-year-old outfielder

Gus Bell David Russell "Gus" Bell Jr. (November 15, 1928 – May 7, 1995) was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1950 through 1964, who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and Milwaukee Braves. He batted ...

to support Kiner in the lineup.

Murry Dickson Murry Monroe Dickson (August 21, 1916 – September 21, 1989) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1940s and 1950s. He was known for his vast array of pitches and delive ...

, who had won 21 games in 1951, nearly a third of the entire team's win total, was once again expected to be the anchor of the pitching rotation.

Notable transactions

* Prior to 1952 season:

Sonny Senerchia Emanuel Robert "Sonny" Senerchia (April 6, 1931 – November 1, 2003) was an American professional baseball player who appeared in 29 games of Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates and later became a professional musician as well as ...

was signed as a free agent by the Pirates.

Regular season

Season summary

A season to forget

The Pirates struggled throughout

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

in 1952.O'Toole, p. 66. Gus Bell missed training time due to family-related car problems and illness and was sent to the minor leagues. Towards the end of spring training, pitcher

Bill Werle William George Werle (December 21, 1920 – November 27, 2010) was a left-handed major league baseball pitcher from Oakland, California. He pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox from 1949 to 1954. His nicknam ...

was suspended indefinitely and fined $500, only the third player fined in over two decades of Billy Meyer's managing career.O'Toole, p. 64. Werle professed his innocence and was reinstated before

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

but he was traded to the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

two weeks later.O'Toole, p. 64-65. Thirteen

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

s made the Pirates' Opening Day roster, including four teenagers:

Bobby Del Greco Robert George Del Greco (April 7, 1933 – October 13, 2019) was an American professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six teams during the 1950s and 1960s, including the Pittsburgh Pirates (1952 and 1956), ...

, Tony Bartirome, Jim Waugh and

Lee Walls Raymond Lee Walls Jr. (January 6, 1933 – October 11, 1993) was an American professional baseball player, an outfielder who appeared in Major League Baseball (MLB) between and as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds ...

. After four games, Pittsburgh's record was 2–2 but they quickly tumbled to the bottom of the majors by losing 16 of their next 17 games.1952 Pittsburgh Pirates Schedule, Box Scores and Splits
from

Retrosheet Retrosheet is a nonprofit organization whose website features box scores of Major League Baseball (MLB) games from 1906 to the present, and play-by-play narratives for almost every contest since the 1930s. It also includes scores from every major ...

. The early two-game winning streak matched the longest they would see all year.O'Toole, p. 77. Their top three pitchers combined to win just one of their first nine

games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opposing batter. If a player is lis ...

.O'Toole, p. 67. Kiner's hitting was affected by the lack of support as well as back problems and his

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

was under .220 several weeks into the season. Kiner's difficulties and a club

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

over five resulted in a 5–28 record in mid-May.Finoli, p. 114. Gus Bell returned from the minors on May 12 and hit for some power but Kiner hit only .241 with 13 home runs and 31 RBIs in the first half which ended with Pittsburgh at 21–59.O'Toole, p. 70. 21-year-old

Dick Groat Richard Morrow Groat (born November 4, 1930) is a former professional baseball and basketball player who was an eight-time All-Star shortstop and two-time World Series champion in Major League Baseball. He rates as one of the most accomplished t ...

was one of the Pirates' few bright spots in the first half with four hits in his first three games, but others went into long slumps like

Jack Merson John Warren Merson (January 17, 1922 – April 28, 2000) was an American professional baseball player. The second baseman and third baseman appeared in 125 games in the Major Leagues for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox—124 of t ...

's 0-for-35,

Clyde McCullough Clyde Edward McCullough (March 4, 1917 – September 18, 1982) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball. After his playing career ended, he also managed in the minor leagues and was a major-league coach. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, McCu ...

's 0-for-24 and Tony Bartirome's 0-for-29. The second half soon resembled the first with a 2–11 stretch in mid-July. They were mathematically eliminated from pennant contention on August 6 with more than six weeks left to play. In early August, Pittsburgh called up 20-year-old pitcher

Ron Necciai Ronald Andrew Necciai eh-chai (born June 18, 1932 in Gallatin, Pennsylvania), is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1952 season. He batted and threw right-handed. Necciai is best reme ...

from the minors. Necciai had pitched a legendary 27-strikeout game in the minors but gave up five runs in his first inning in the majors.O'Toole, p. 75. Necciai not only finished the season with poor numbers but also injured his arm and never again pitched in the majors. Branch Rickey's youth movement, derided as "Operation Peach Fuzz", continued unabated. On August 20, the average age of Pittsburgh's starting lineup was only 23 with Kiner and Garagiola being the only non-rookies. On September 5, pitcher Bill Bell made his major league debut at age 18.Bill Bell
from

Baseball-Reference.com Baseball-Reference is a website providing baseball statistics for every player in Major League Baseball history. The site is often used by major media organizations and baseball broadcasters as a source for statistics. It offers a variety of advan ...

.com. Including Bell, seven of the eight youngest players in the National League in 1952 were Pittsburgh Pirates.1952 National League Expanded Leaderboards
from

.com. The "Rickey Dinks", as they were sometimes called, were not only young but small. In one game, the entire

infield Infield is a sports term whose definition depends on the sport in whose context it is used. Baseball In baseball, the diamond, as well as the area immediately beyond it, has both grass and dirt, in contrast to the more distant, usually grass-c ...

was less than six feet tall. The Pirates difficulties reached off the field as well. Ralph Kiner, enduring his worst season to-date, received a death threat in an attempt to extort $6,200. Rather than pay, he contacted the authorities and was kept under guard for a time. Financially, Pittsburgh's attendance was the lowest since World War II, falling more than 30% short of the one million budgeted. Branch Rickey sometimes saved money by sending only 21 players on road trips. The final losses for the franchise, including minor leagues and bonuses, were $800,000. Billy Meyer resigned as manager on September 27, the second-to-last day of the season.

Final results

When the season mercifully ended, Pittsburgh's final record was 42–112. The winning percentage and number of losses were the worst for the franchise since the 1890 season (which was greatly affected by the inclusion of the

Players' League The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League (PL), was a short-lived but star-studded professional American baseball league of the 19th century. The PL was formed by the Brotherhood of Prof ...

) and the worst for any franchise since the 1935 Boston Braves.Pittsburgh Pirates History & Encyclopedia
from

.com.The (dis)honor roll
from

SI.com ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...

– by John Donovan. Since 1952, the only non-

expansion team An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...

to finish worse has been the 2003 Detroit Tigers. A few individuals came away with positive notes. A late-season home run surge by Ralph Kiner brought him his seventh consecutive home run championship (he finished tied with

Hank Sauer Henry John Sauer (March 17, 1917 – August 24, 2001) was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He appeared in 1,399 games, primarily as a left fielder, in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds (1941–1942, 1945 ...

with 37 on the year). It was also his last. Dick Groat finished at .284 and was third in National League Rookie of the Year voting.1952 National League Rookie of the Year Award
from

.com.

Joe Garagiola Joseph Henry Garagiola Sr. (February 12, 1926 – March 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball catcher, later an announcer and television host, popular for his colorful personality. Garagiola played nine seasons in Major League Basebal ...

logged the most playing time of his career and hit .273 with a career-high 54 RBIs, third most on the team behind only Kiner and Gus Bell. On the flipside, teenagers Tony Bartirome and Bobby Del Greco were regulars but neither hit over .220. Seven other players had at least 40 at-bats but hit under .200. Kiner's home run total (37) was more than the next four highest on the team combined (16, 8, 7, 5). As a team, Pittsburgh was last in the National League in runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, batting average, slugging percentage, complete games, ERA, walks allowed, home runs allowed, fielding percentage and errors committed. Murry Dickson, who won 21 games in 1951, lost 20 games in 1952, going 14–20. Only three other pitchers won more than two games. The pitching staff walked 615 opposing batters while striking out only 564, with 16 different players starting a game during the season. Among their young players, only Jim Waugh – the youngest – played in the majors again before 1955. Waugh played in 1953, his last year; Ron Necciai and Tony Bartirome never played in the majors after 1952; Bill Bell pitched one inning in 1955, his last; and Bobby Del Greco, Lee Walls and

Ron Kline Ronald Lee Kline (March 9, 1932 – June 22, 2002) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher over parts of seventeen seasons (1952, 1955–1970) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Lou ...

had longer careers but not until several years later. Dick Groat and pitcher

Bob Friend Robert Bartmess Friend (November 24, 1930 – February 3, 2019) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher between and , most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. A fou ...

were the only players to endure the 1952 season who also played with the

1960 World Series The 1960 World Series was played between the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League (NL) and the 1960 New York Yankees season, New York Yankees of the American League (AL) from October 5–13, 1960. In Game 7, ...

champion Pirates.

Anecdotes, etc.

The failure of the 1952 Pirates was the source of several anecdotes and side-stories. ''

Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'' (formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'') was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1884 to 1992. At one time, the ''Press'' was the second larg ...

'' writer

Les Biederman Lester John Biederman "Verna Hocker Becomes Bride"
''The Harrisburg Telegraph''. Wednesday, ...

recalled an earlier humorous practice by giving Dick Groat a dime while he was in an 0-for-19 slump. When Groat broke out of the slump with a 5-for-5 game, Biederman gave Kiner a

quarter A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25. Quarter or quarters may refer to: Places * Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town Placenames * Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland * Le Quartier, a settlement ...

with similar positive results so Biederman continued giving coins to various Pirates.

, the regular catcher for the 1952 Pirates, frequently used the team's struggles in his later career as a baseball sportscaster with lines like, "They talk about

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

being something; they should have seen the 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates" and "In an eight-team league, we should've finished ninth."

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

, - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 1 , , April 15 , , @

Cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

, , 2–3 , , Staley , , Dickson (0–1) , , Brazle , , 15,850 , , 0–1 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 2 , , April 16 , , @

, , 5–6 , , Chambers , , Pollet (0–1) , , Brazle , , 4,324 , , 0–2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 3 , , April 17 , , @

, , 5–3 , , Muir (1–0) , , Yuhas , , Wilks (1) , , 4,907 , , 1–2 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 4 , , April 18 , ,

Reds Reds may refer to: General * Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism * Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists during the January Uprising in 1863 * USSR (or, to a lesser extent, China) during th ...

, , 3–0 , , Friend (1–0) , , Blackwell , , — , , 29,874 , , 2–2 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 5 , , April 19 , ,

, , 3–9 , , Wehmeier , , Queen (0–1) , , — , , 10,271 , , 2–3 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 6 , , April 20 , ,

, , 6–8 , , Perkowski , , Dickson (0–2) , , Byerly , , , , 2–4 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 7 , , April 20 , ,

, , 2–12 , , Hiller , , Pollet (0–2) , , — , , 23,732 , , 2–5 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 8 , , April 21 , , Cubs , , 1–7 , , Minner , , Kline (0–1) , , — , , 12,378 , , 2–6 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 9 , , April 22 , , Cubs , , 2–13 , , Rush , , Friend (1–1) , , — , , 9,321 , , 2–7 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 10 , , April 25 , ,

, , 4–6 , , Staley , , Muir (1–1) , , Brazle , , 1,945 , , 2–8 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 11 , , April 26 , , @

, , 2–9 , , Wehmeier , , Dickson (0–3) , , Smith , , 4,239 , , 2–9 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 12 , , April 27 , , @

, , 2–8 , , Raffensberger , , Friend (1–2) , , — , , , , 2–10 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 13 , , April 27 , , @

, , 0–1 , , Hiller , , Pollet (0–3) , , — , , 16,427 , , 2–11 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 14 , , April 29 , ,

Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

, , 1–5 , , Spahn , , Friend (1–3) , , — , , 10,008 , , 2–12 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 15 , , April 30 , ,

, , 11–5 , , Dickson (1–3) , , Cole , , Wilks (2) , , 2,861 , , 3–12 , - , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 16 , , May 1 , ,

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) *Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...

, , 5–13 , , Hearn , , Queen (0–2) , , — , , 4,801 , , 3–13 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 17 , , May 2 , ,

, , 3–5 (10) , , Wilhelm , , Wilks (0–1) , , Spencer , , 17,111 , , 3–14 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 18 , , May 3 , ,

, , 2–3 , , Maglie , , Kline (0–2) , , — , , 7,451 , , 3–15 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 19 , , May 4 , ,

Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

, , 0–6 , , Erskine , , Dickson (1–4) , , — , , 19,322 , , 3–16 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 20 , , May 5 , ,

, , 1–5 (8) , , Branca , , Friend (1–4) , , — , , 3,652 , , 3–17 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 21 , , May 6 , ,

Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citizen ...

, , 0–6 , , Roberts , , Carlsen (0–1) , , — , , 9,008 , , 3–18 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 22 , , May 7 , ,

, , 5–1 , , Pollet (1–3) , , Meyer , , — , , 7,291 , , 4–18 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 23 , , May 10 , , @ Cubs , , 1–3 , , Rush , , Dickson (1–5) , , — , , 7,438 , , 4–19 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 24 , , May 11 , , @ Cubs , , 2–8 , , Minner , , Kline (0–3) , , — , , , , 4–20 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 25 , , May 11 , , @ Cubs , , 11–2 , , Friend (2–4) , , Klippstein , , — , , 14,845 , , 5–20 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 26 , , May 13 , , @

, , 1–3 , , Bickford , , Pollet (1–4) , , — , , 2,831 , , 5–21 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 27 , , May 14 , , @

, , 3–4 (10) , , Surkont , , Main (0–1) , , — , , 1,105 , , 5–22 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 28 , , May 15 , , @

, , 0–2 , , Loes , , Dickson (1–6) , , — , , 14,402 , , 5–23 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 29 , , May 16 , , @

, , 4–6 , , Labine , , Main (0–2) , , — , , 3,385 , , 5–24 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 30 , , May 17 , , @

, , 7–12 , , Wade , , Kline (0–4) , , — , , 11,067 , , 5–25 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 31 , , May 19 , , @

, , 0–4 , , Maglie , , Pollet (1–5) , , — , , 4,461 , , 5–26 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 32 , , May 21 , , @

, , 3–7 , , Roberts , , Dickson (1–7) , , — , , 6,202 , , 5–27 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 33 , , May 22 , , @

, , 0–6 , , Simmons , , Munger (0–1) , , — , , 3,065 , , 5–28 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 34 , , May 23 , , Cubs , , 6–5 (13) , , Wilks (1–1) , , Hacker , , — , , 8,496 , , 6–28 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 35 , , May 24 , , Cubs , , 5–7 , , Minner , , Pollet (1–6) , , Klippstein , , 3,118 , , 6–29 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 36 , , May 25 , , Cubs , , 4–5 , , Hacker , , Wilks (1–2) , , Leonard , , 5,111 , , 6–30 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 37 , , May 26 , ,

, , 6–3 , , Friend (3–4) , , Hiller , , — , , 6,171 , , 7–30 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 38 , , May 27 , ,

, , 4–5 (14) , , Smith , , Main (0–3) , , — , , 2,150 , , 7–31 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 39 , , May 28 , ,

, , 2–5 , , Raffensberger , , Munger (0–2) , , — , , 6,186 , , 7–32 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 40 , , May 29 , ,

, , 4–2 , , Dickson (2–7) , , Perkowski , , — , , 1,070 , , 8–32 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 41 , , May 30 , ,

, , 2–3 , , Yuhas , , Friend (3–5) , , Brazle , , , , 8–33 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 42 , , May 30 , ,

, , 4–3 , , LaPalme (1–0) , , Staley , , — , , 19,546 , , 9–33 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 43 , , May 31 , ,

, , 5–3 , , Muir (2–1) , , Possehl , , Main (1) , , 6,425 , , 10–33 , - , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 44 , , June 1 , ,

, , 1–5 , , Simmons , , Dickson (2–8) , , — , , , , 10–34 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 45 , , June 1 , ,

, , 2–1 , , Wilks (2–2) , , Drews , , — , , 15,529 , , 11–34 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 46 , , June 3 , ,

, , 4–6 , , Branca , , Munger (0–3) , , Rutherford , , 19,452 , , 11–35 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 47 , , June 4 , ,

, , 4–7 , , Erskine , , Friend (3–6) , , Loes , , 14,421 , , 11–36 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 48 , , June 5 , ,

, , 0–2 , , Wade , , Main (0–4) , , — , , 6,328 , , 11–37 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 49 , , June 6 , ,

, , 8–1 , , Dickson (3–8) , , Maglie , , — , , 20,163 , , 12–37 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 50 , , June 7 , ,

, , 5–7 , , Spencer , , Main (0–5) , , Lanier , , 7,656 , , 12–38 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 51 , , June 8 , ,

, , 1–9 , , Jansen , , Pollet (1–7) , , — , , 13,942 , , 12–39 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 52 , , June 9 , ,

, , 2–3 , , Wilson , , Friend (3–7) , , — , , 6,973 , , 12–40 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 53 , , June 10 , ,

, , 7–5 , , Wilks (3–2) , , Spahn , , — , , 10,934 , , 13–40 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 54 , , June 11 , ,

, , 5–0 , , Dickson (4–8) , , Surkont , , — , , 9,415 , , 14–40 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 55 , , June 12 , ,

, , 2–11 , , Burdette , , Muir (2–2) , , — , , 3,223 , , 14–41 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 56 , , June 14 , , @

, , 2–4 , , Meyer , , Friend (3–8) , , Konstanty , , 5,033 , , 14–42 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 57 , , June 15 , , @

, , 6–0 , , Pollet (2–7) , , Drews , , — , , , , 15–42 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 58 , , June 15 , , @

, , 3–6 , , Fox , , Dickson (4–9) , , Konstanty , , 12,525 , , 15–43 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 59 , , June 16 , , @

, , 4–5 , , Konstanty , , LaPalme (1–1) , , — , , 2,210 , , 15–44 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 60 , , June 17 , , @

, , 6–2 , , Main (1–5) , , Gregg , , — , , 11,317 , , 16–44 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 61 , , June 18 , , @

, , 2–5 , , Hearn , , Friend (3–9) , , — , , 3,346 , , 16–45 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 62 , , June 19 , , @

, , 8–1 , , Dickson (5–9) , , Jansen , , — , , 6,369 , , 17–45 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 63 , , June 20 , , @

, , 4–5 , , Labine , , Wilks (3–3) , , — , , 4,679 , , 17–46 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 64 , , June 21 , , @

, , 4–14 , , Loes , , Main (1–6) , , Erskine , , 13,335 , , 17–47 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 65 , , June 23 , , @

, , 3–9 , , Johnson , , Friend (3–10) , , — , , 2,654 , , 17–48 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 66 , , June 24 , , @

, , 3–4 , , Wilson , , Dickson (5–10) , , — , , 3,736 , , 17–49 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 67 , , June 25 , , @

, , 2–5 , , Surkont , , Pollet (2–8) , , — , , 1,414 , , 17–50 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 68 , , June 27 , ,

, , 4–6 , , Yuhas , , Muir (2–3) , , Brazle , , 16,133 , , 17–51 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 69 , , June 28 , ,

, , 3–4 , , Yuhas , , Dickson (5–11) , , — , , 5,417 , , 17–52 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 70 , , June 29 , ,

, , 2–1 (5) , , Pollet (3–8) , , Boyer , , — , , 14,870 , , 18–52 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 71 , , June 30 , , @ Cubs , , 4–5 , , Klippstein , , Friend (3–11) , , — , , 5,983 , , 18–53 , - , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 72 , , July 1 , , @ Cubs , , 3–2 , , Main (2–6) , , Ramsdell , , Wilks (3) , , 9,935 , , 19–53 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 73 , , July 2 , , @ Cubs , , 3–8 , , Minner , , Dickson (5–12) , , — , , , , 19–54 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 74 , , July 2 , , @ Cubs , , 0–3 (8) , , Hacker , , Kline (0–5) , , — , , 16,543 , , 19–55 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 75 , , July 3 , , @

, , 1–5 , , Church , , Pollet (3–9) , , — , , 1,807 , , 19–56 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 76 , , July 4 , , @

, , 4–2 , , Friend (4–11) , , Perkowski , , — , , , , 20–56 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 77 , , July 4 , , @

, , 5–2 , , Fisher (1–0) , , Nuxhall , , Wilks (4) , , 8,253 , , 21–56 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 78 , , July 5 , , @

, , 0–5 , , Brazle , , Main (2–7) , , — , , 15,625 , , 21–57 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 79 , , July 6 , , @

, , 5–6 , , Yuhas , , Dickson (5–13) , , — , , , , 21–58 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 80 , , July 6 , , @

, , 4–6 , , Brecheen , , Friend (4–12) , , — , , 17,048 , , 21–59 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 81 , , July 10 , ,

, , 6–4 (12) , , Wilks (4–3) , , Spencer , , — , , 15,226 , , 22–59 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 82 , , July 11 , ,

, , 6–2 , , Dickson (6–13) , , Maglie , , — , , 4,482 , , 23–59 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 83 , , July 12 , ,

, , 2–5 , , Bickford , , Friend (4–13) , , — , , 4,999 , , 23–60 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 84 , , July 13 , ,

, , 2–4 , , Surkont , , Fisher (1–1) , , — , , , , 23–61 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 85 , , July 13 , ,

, , 1–2 , , Jester , , Wilks (4–4) , , — , , 12,373 , , 23–62 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 86 , , July 15 , ,

, , 3–10 , , Simmons , , Pollet (3–10) , , — , , 10,244 , , 23–63 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 87 , , July 16 , ,

, , 7–8 , , Roberts , , Dickson (6–14) , , Hansen , , 2,569 , , 23–64 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 88 , , July 17 , ,

, , 2–1 , , Hogue (1–0) , , Meyer , , — , , , , 24–64 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 89 , , July 17 , ,

, , 4–2 , , Wilks (5–4) , , Drews , , — , , 5,304 , , 25–64 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 90 , , July 18 , ,

, , 2–6 , , Loes , , Friend (4–14) , , Black , , 19,681 , , 25–65 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 91 , , July 19 , ,

, , 1–9 , , Erskine , , Pollet (3–11) , , — , , 5,662 , , 25–66 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 92 , , July 20 , ,

, , 5–8 , , Wade , , Dickson (6–15) , , Black , , 14,490 , , 25–67 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 93 , , July 22 , , @

, , 4–14 , , Meyer , , Hogue (1–1) , , — , , , , 25–68 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 94 , , July 22 , , @

, , 1–8 , , Drews , , Main (2–8) , , Hansen , , 11,213 , , 25–69 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 95 , , July 23 , , @

, , 1–4 , , Ridzik , , Friend (4–15) , , Roberts , , 4,611 , , 25–70 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 96 , , July 25 , , @

, , 3–2 , , Dickson (7–15) , , Spahn , , — , , 4,126 , , 26–70 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 97 , , July 26 , , @

, , 6–4 , , Pollet (4–11) , , Jester , , — , , 2,006 , , 27–70 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 98 , , July 27 , , @

, , 2–5 , , Bickford , , Hogue (1–2) , , Burdette , , , , 27–71 , - bgcolor="ffffff" , 99 , , July 27 , , @

, , 3–3 (11) , , , , , , — , , 3,719 , , 27–71 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 100 , , July 29 , , @

, , 7–1 , , Dickson (8–15) , , Loes , , — , , 11,807 , , 28–71 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 101 , , July 30 , , @

, , 3–4 (10) , , Black , , Friend (4–16) , , — , , 5,110 , , 28–72 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 102 , , July 31 , , @

, , 6–7 (11) , , Black , , LaPalme (1–2) , , — , , , , 28–73 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 103 , , July 31 , , @

, , 1–4 , , Landrum , , Main (2–9) , , — , , , , 28–74 , - , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 104 , , August 1 , , @

, , 3–7 , , Hearn , , Fisher (1–2) , , — , , 10,458 , , 28–75 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 105 , , August 2 , , @

, , 3–4 (6) , , Wilhelm , , Dickson (8–16) , , — , , 4,174 , , 28–76 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 106 , , August 3 , , @

, , 7–0 , , Dickson (9–16) , , Lanier , , — , , , , 29–76 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 107 , , August 3 , , @

, , 10–8 (6) , , Pollet (5–11) , , Jansen , , Main (2) , , 17,965 , , 30–76 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 108 , , August 5 , ,

, , 3–4 (12) , , Presko , , Hogue (1–3) , , — , , 10,235 , , 30–77 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 109 , , August 6 , ,

, , 2–7 (10) , , Brazle , , Wilks (5–5) , , — , , , , 30–78 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 110 , , August 6 , ,

, , 2–3 , , Boyer , , Main (2–10) , , Yuhas , , 11,999 , , 30–79 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 111 , , August 8 , , Cubs , , 1–0 (10) , , Dickson (10–16) , , Rush , , — , , 8,503 , , 31–79 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 112 , , August 9 , , Cubs , , 4–3 , , Waugh (1–0) , , Kelly , , — , , 4,196 , , 32–79 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 113 , , August 10 , , Cubs , , 5–9 , , Hacker , , Necciai (0–1) , , Leonard , , , , 32–80 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 114 , , August 10 , , Cubs , , 3–4 , , Minner , , Pollet (5–12) , , Leonard , , 17,773 , , 32–81 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 115 , , August 11 , ,

, , 4–10 , , Wehmeier , , Hogue (1–4) , , Smith , , 9,304 , , 32–82 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 116 , , August 14 , , @

, , 5–3 (10) , , Dickson (11–16) , , Presko , , — , , 9,524 , , 33–82 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 117 , , August 15 , , @

, , 4–5 , , Brazle , , Main (2–11) , , — , , 6,115 , , 33–83 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 118 , , August 16 , , @ Cubs , , 2–1 , , Pollet (6–12) , , Minner , , — , , 12,256 , , 34–83 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 119 , , August 17 , , @ Cubs , , 2–5 , , Rush , , Waugh (1–1) , , — , , , , 34–84 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 120 , , August 17 , , @ Cubs , , 5–2 , , Friend (5–16) , , Kelly , , — , , 26,635 , , 35–84 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 121 , , August 18 , , @ Cubs , , 3–4 , , Schultz , , Dickson (11–17) , , — , , 4,911 , , 35–85 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 122 , , August 19 , ,

, , 5–10 , , Roberts , , Necciai (0–2) , , — , , 11,207 , , 35–86 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 123 , , August 20 , ,

, , 1–3 , , Meyer , , Hogue (1–5) , , — , , 2,755 , , 35–87 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 124 , , August 22 , ,

, , 2–9 , , Black , , Pollet (6–13) , , — , , , , 35–88 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 125 , , August 22 , ,

, , 3–2 , , Dickson (12–17) , , Landrum , , — , , 21,845 , , 36–88 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 126 , , August 23 , ,

, , 2–3 , , Labine , , Waugh (1–2) , , Black , , 8,844 , , 36–89 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 127 , , August 24 , ,

, , 4–3 , , Necciai (1–2) , , Jester , , Dickson (1) , , , , 37–89 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 128 , , August 24 , ,

, , 3–5 (10) , , Burdette , , Kline (0–6) , , — , , 12,349 , , 37–90 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 129 , , August 26 , ,

, , 7–14 , , Wilhelm , , Dickson (12–18) , , Lanier , , 14,011 , , 37–91 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 130 , , August 27 , ,

, , 4–5 , , Connelly , , Pollet (6–14) , , Jansen , , 4,069 , , 37–92 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 131 , , August 28 , ,

, , 7–14 , , Koslo , , Waugh (1–3) , , — , , 3,561 , , 37–93 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 132 , , August 30 , ,

, , 2–12 , , Staley , , Necciai (1–3) , , — , , 10,500 , , 37–94 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 133 , , August 31 , ,

, , 4–2 , , Dickson (13–18) , , Miller , , — , , 7,871 , , 38–94 , - , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 134 , , September 1 , , Cubs , , 0–6 , , Klippstein , , Pollet (6–15) , , — , , , , 38–95 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 135 , , September 1 , , Cubs , , 5–4 (11) , , Dickson (14–18) , , Leonard , , — , , 13,031 , , 39–95 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 136 , , September 3 , , @

, , 0–1 , , Raffensberger , , Necciai (1–4) , , — , , 4,230 , , 39–96 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 137 , , September 4 , , @

, , 2–7 , , Wehmeier , , Waugh (1–4) , , — , , 1,519 , , 39–97 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 138 , , September 5 , , @

, , 0–4 , , Mizell , , Bell (0–1) , , — , , 4,327 , , 39–98 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 139 , , September 6 , , @

, , 4–7 (10) , , Brazle , , Dickson (14–19) , , — , , 7,329 , , 39–99 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 140 , , September 7 , , @

, , 3–4 , , Brazle , , Waugh (1–5) , , — , , 9,298 , , 39–100 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 141 , , September 9 , , @

, , 6–11 , , Connelly , , Hogue (1–6) , , Spencer , , 2,894 , , 39–101 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 142 , , September 10 , , @

, , 2–3 (13) , , Wilhelm , , Dickson (14–20) , , — , , 3,742 , , 39–102 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 143 , , September 11 , , @

, , 4–5 , , Maglie , , Pollet (6–16) , , Wilhelm , , 3,094 , , 39–103 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 144 , , September 12 , , @

, , 8–1 , , Friend (6–16) , , Jester , , — , , , , 40–103 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 145 , , September 12 , , @

, , 0–16 , , Johnson , , Necciai (1–5) , , — , , 2,608 , , 40–104 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 146 , , September 13 , , @

, , 0–8 , , Spahn , , Kline (0–7) , , — , , 1,957 , , 40–105 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 147 , , September 14 , , @

, , 2–5 , , Simmons , , Hogue (1–7) , , — , , , , 40–106 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 148 , , September 14 , , @

, , 1–2 , , Meyer , , Waugh (1–6) , , — , , 7,238 , , 40–107 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 149 , , September 16 , , @

, , 2–4 , , Hughes , , Dickson (14–21) , , Black , , 13,422 , , 40–108 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 150 , , September 17 , , @

, , 4–1 , , Pollet (7–16) , , Wade , , Dickson (2) , , 5,895 , , 41–108 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 151 , , September 19 , ,

, , 3–4 , , Wehmeier , , Friend (6–17) , , — , , 5,435 , , 41–109 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 152 , , September 21 , ,

, , 3–4 , , Podbielan , , Necciai (1–6) , , — , , 22,398 , , 41–110 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 153 , , September 26 , , @

, , 0–5 , , Podbielan , , Hogue (1–8) , , — , , 3,893 , , 41–111 , - bgcolor="ccffcc" , 154 , , September 27 , , @

, , 9–6 , , Friend (7–17) , , Perkowski , , — , , 2,084 , , 42–111 , - bgcolor="ffbbbb" , 155 , , September 28 , , @

, , 2–3 , , Raffensberger , , Main (2–12) , , — , , 7,354 , , 42–112 , - , - , ''Legend: = Win = Loss = Tie
Bold = Pirates team member''

Opening Day lineup

Notable transactions

* May 17, 1952:

Bill Howerton William Ray Howerton (December 12, 1921 – December 18, 2001) was an American professional baseball player. An outfielder, he appeared in Major League Baseball in 247 games played during all or part of four seasons (–), for the St. Louis Cardin ...

was selected off waivers from the Pirates by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. * June 16, 1952:

was signed as an amateur free agent by the Pirates.Dick Groat
at ''Baseball Reference''

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Other pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Farm system

Notes

References

* *
1952 Pittsburgh Pirates
at ''Baseball Reference''
1952 Pittsburgh Pirates
at ''Baseball Almanac'' {{Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh Pirates seasons Pittsburgh Pirates season Pittsburg Pir

Offseason

Notable transactions

Regular season

Season summary

A season to forget

Final results

Anecdotes, etc.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Opening Day lineup

Notable transactions

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Other batters

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Other pitchers

Relief pitchers

Farm system

See also

Notes

References