In
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
sports lore history, many extraordinary events have contributed to the city's sports franchises winning — and almost winning — titles. Other events in the city's sports history have been iconic for other reasons.
Pirates wins
Mazeroski's Home Run
![Forbes flagpole](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Forbes_flagpole.JPG)
Mazeroski's Home Run was the
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
hit by
Pirates second baseman,
Bill Mazeroski
William Stanley Mazeroski (born September 5, 1936), nicknamed "Maz" and "The Glove", is an American former second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1956 to 1972. A 7-time All-St ...
, in Game 7 of the
1960 World Series
The 1960 World Series was played between the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League (NL) and the New York Yankees of the American League (AL) from October 5–13, 1960. In Game 7, Bill Mazeroski hit the series winning ninth-inning home run, ...
against the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
, played on October 13, 1960. It gave the Pirates a 10–9 victory, their first
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
title in 35 years, was the first home run to end a World Series, and remains the only one to decide it in the climactic seventh game. Mazeroski has remarked that he was so focused on the play on the field that he had to be reminded he was the lead-off batter in the bottom of the ninth. Coincidentally, Mazeroski, who wore #9 for the Pirates, came to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning with the score tied 9-9.
The play
In the seventh game of the 1960 World Series, the Pirates and Yankees were locked in a "teeter-totter battle" that had settled into a 9–9 tie going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Yankees pitcher
Ralph Terry
Ralph Willard Terry (January 9, 1936 – March 16, 2022) was an American baseball player who played as a right-handed starting pitcher for twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics ...
faced the Pirates' lead-off batter for the inning, Bill Mazeroski. With the count one ball, zero strikes, Mazeroski hit a
line drive
In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...
toward deep left field that cleared the wall for a solo home run.
Announcer reactions
Notes
* Pirates' catcher
Hal Smith had helped to set the stage for Mazeroski's dramatic home run one inning earlier when he capped off a Pirates rally with a pivotal three-run home run of his own. Smith's home run put the Pirates ahead 9–7, but its true value was realized when the Yankees scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to tie the score. Thus, instead of Mazeroski coming to bat in the bottom of the ninth with the score 9–6 in favor of the Yankees, the game was tied with the winning run (in the form of Mazeroski) at the plate. Based on a review of
Championship Win probability added (cWPA), it can be argued that Smith's home run was the most important hit in MLB history to secure a championship — more important than even Mazeroski's
walk-off!
* Since Mazeroski's home run in 1960, only
Joe Carter
Joseph Chris Carter (born March 7, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays ...
has repeated the feat of ending the World Series with a home run, hitting one for the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
in the
1993 World Series
The 1993 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) season. The 90th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the defending World Series champion and American League (AL) champio ...
. However, Mazeroski's remains the only
walk-off Series-winning home run to come in the deciding Game 7.
* The home run capped an improbable World Series victory for Pittsburgh, whose three losses to New York were by scores of 16–3, 10–0 and 12–0. In total, the Pirates were outscored 55–27 in the series, and their biggest margin of victory was three runs: a 5–2 victory in Game 5.
* The city of Pittsburgh had suffered its longest pro-sports championship drought by 1960, having waited 35 years since the Pirates won the
1925 World Series
The 1925 World Series was the championship series of the 1925 Major League Baseball season. A best-of-seven playoff, it was played between the National League (NL) pennant winner Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Senators. The Pirates defe ...
; meanwhile at the time, the Steelers were mediocre at best, the city had long ago lost its
NHL Pirates, and had seen only spotty success during the intervening period from their minor-league hockey team, the
Hornets. Many local sports fans felt bittersweet going into the Series, since the Pirates had been swept by the mighty "Murder's Row" Yankees during their last Series appearance in
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General.
* January 7
...
; and by Game 7 in 1960, it was clear—through even a cursory examination of a stat sheet—that the Yankees were clearly outplaying the Pirates, reminiscent of 1927. Furthermore, the surprising but nail-biting wins that the Pirates had managed to collect in order to force a Game 7 had done little to buoy the hopes of the region's fans.
* Hall of Famer
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...
admitted that out of all the losses he experienced both as an amateur and a professional, the Game 7 loss to the Pirates in 1960 is the only one that was so emotionally disheartening that it brought him to tears.
* Hall of Famer (and former Pittsburgh Pirates player)
Casey Stengel
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (; July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and manager, best known as the manager of the championship New York Yankees of the 1950s and later, the expansion New Y ...
was fired, ostensibly as a
fall guy
Fall guy is a colloquial phrase that refers to a person to whom blame is deliberately and falsely attributed in order to deflect blame from another party.
Origin
The origin of the term "fall guy" is unknown and contentious. Many sources place ...
for the Series defeat, shortly afterward. The reason given for his dismissal was that he was too old to properly focus on the game, to which he famously quipped, "I'll never make the mistake of being 70 again!"
* Mazeroski and
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his early death, he was pos ...
were the last two players from the 1960 Pirates World Series team that were part of the Pirates' next World Series team in
1971. And
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 Pira ...
was the Pirates' manager for both of those victorious World Series teams.
* Mazeroski had also hit a home run in the fourth inning of Game 1 of the Series. The run he scored on his home run proved to be the deciding run of the game, meaning that Mazeroski holds the distinction of both scoring ''and'' driving in the winning runs in the opening ''and'' concluding games of the same World Series.
* This World Series victory marked only the second time the Pirates claimed a title at home. As with the first occurrence (
1925
Events January
* January 1
** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria.
* January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Itali ...
), Game 7 was played in
Forbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the 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 the Pittsburgh Steelers ...
.
The Comeback I
Facing elimination against the defending World Series champions (the
Washington Senators), the Pirates become the first MLB team to recover from a 3-games-to-1 deficit in a best-of-seven World Series contest to claim their second overall World Series title.
Notes
* This World Series victory marks the first time the Pirates claimed the title at home, winning Game 7 in
Forbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the 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 the Pittsburgh Steelers ...
.
* Game 7 was played in miserable weather conditions, described as "probably the worst conditions ever for a World Series game."
The Comeback II
Once again facing elimination in the "Fall Classic" and led by the
1978 NL Comeback Player of the Year recipient,
Willie Stargell
Wilver Dornell Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" later in his career, was an American professional baseball left fielder and first baseman who spent all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1962–1982) ...
, the Pirates rallied from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to claim their fifth overall World Series title and second within the decade of the 1970s.
Notes
* Both of the Pirates' World Series victories in the 1970s came against the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
. In a curious string of coincidences surrounding those Series victories:
** Both deciding Game 7 matches were played in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
's
Memorial Stadium on October 17, exactly eight years apart.
** Stargell (who wore #8) scored the winning run in both Game 7 matches, making him the first (and to date, only) player in MLB history to score the winning tallies in two World Series Game 7 matches. Stargell's winning run in
Game 7 of the 1971 World Series came in the eighth inning.
* This World Series victory marked the second time a Pirates team had won a title when facing elimination going into Game 5. To date, only the Pirates have accomplished this feat more than once.
* The team became known as the "
We Are Family Pirates" after adopting the
Sister Sledge hit as their theme song.
* The 1979 Pirates were also the last team to win Game 7 on the road until the 2014 San Francisco Giants.
You can steal first
With the Pirates on their way to another losing season, manager
Lloyd McClendon
Lloyd Glenn McClendon (born January 11, 1959) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1987 to 1994 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners and the ...
rallied the team during a June 26, 2001 rivalry game against Milwaukee. He was ejected after arguing a call with the home plate umpire in the 7th inning, and defiantly picked up first base and walked off the field with it, sparking the Pirates go on to win 7–6.
The Relay, or "The Curse Reverser"
On September 23, 2013, the Pirates'
magic number to secure a playoff spot, their first since 1992, was 2. The Pirates needed a win that night against the
Chicago Cubs at
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago ...
, plus a loss by the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
, in order to clinch a playoff berth.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Pirates were leading 2–1 with two outs and a Chicago runner,
Nate Schierholtz
Nathan John "Nate" Schierholtz (born February 15, 1984) is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants (2007–2012), Philadelphia Phillies (2012), Chicago Cubs ...
, on first. Closer
Jason Grilli
Jason Michael Grilli (born November 11, 1976) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los A ...
was on the mound for Pittsburgh.
Ryan Sweeney, one of the Cubs' outfielders, singled into right field. Pirates' right fielder
Marlon Byrd
Marlon Jerrard Byrd (born August 30, 1977) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, New Yo ...
bobbled the ball as Schierholtz, the tying run, neared third. Center fielder
Andrew McCutchen
Andrew Stefan McCutchen (born October 10, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia ...
, who had been backing Byrd up on the play, quickly scooped up the ball and launched it towards home plate. As Schierholtz broke for home, McCutchen's throw, which was clearly off-line, was cut off by first baseman
Justin Morneau
Justin Ernest George Morneau (born May 15, 1981) is a Canadian former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago White Sox. At and , ...
, who was positioned near the pitcher's mound as the play unfolded. Morneau caught McCutchen's throw, then quickly relayed to catcher
Russell Martin. Just as the catch was made, Schierholtz collided with Martin and both tumbled to the ground. Martin rose dramatically with ball in hand, the umpire signaled "out", and the Pirates won. Martin, still kneeling and holding the ball aloft, was embraced by a jubilant Grilli.
Later that night, a loss by the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
ensured the Pirates' first playoff berth since 1992, when they lost the deciding game of the NL Championship Series to the
Atlanta 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) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
on an eerily similar play.
Announcer reactions
Notes
* The Pirates had led the Cubs 1-0 throughout the majority of the game, until their usually reliable set-up man
Mark Melancon
Mark David Melancon ( ; born March 28, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pira ...
failed to hold in the 8th, allowing the game to be tied at one. In the top of the ninth with two outs,
Starling Marte, who had been a defensive replacement in the seventh and was just coming off a stint on the
disabled list, launched a solo home run in his first at-bat to allow the Pirates to retake the lead.
The Drop Seen 'Round the World: The Cueto Chant
During the bottom of the second inning in the
2013 NL Wild Card Game against the
Cincinnati Reds, Pirates' catcher
Russell Martin stepped up to the plate to face Reds' ace pitcher
Johnny Cueto
Johnny Cueto Ortiz (; born February 15, 1986) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox ...
. The crowd at the park was incredibly intense, having not seen playoff baseball in 20 years, many fans experiencing their first ever playoff game in their lifetimes. A rhythmic chant of "CUE-TO, CUE-TO" began to rise through the cheers, mocking Cueto, who had given up a solo home run to
Marlon Byrd
Marlon Jerrard Byrd (born August 30, 1977) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, New Yo ...
earlier in the inning. The chant grew in volume until the pitcher's name echoed loudly through the entire park. Cueto, visibly rattled, set himself on the mound and began wiping the ball with his hands. Seconds later, he fumbled it and it fell to the ground, rolling a few feet away. The crowd roared with a mixture of laughter and applause, and their chants grew even louder as he quickly recovered the baseball and returned to the mound. Cueto attempted to gather himself, but the next pitch he threw, a fastball over the heart of the plate, would be launched into the left-field bleachers by Martin, giving the Pirates a 2–0 lead and the momentum they would need to secure the win.
The TBS television broadcasting crew of
Ernie Johnson Jr.,
Ron Darling
Ronald Maurice Darling Jr. (born August 19, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher from to , most notably as a m ...
, and
Cal Ripken Jr.
Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed " The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his posit ...
were impressed by the Pittsburgh fans, saying they had never heard baseball fans chant at that magnitude since
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
fans infamously taunted
Darryl Strawberry during Game 5 of the
1986 World Series; Darling called it the sound of "21 years of frustration, dressed in black" (Pirates fans had been encouraged by
Andrew McCutchen
Andrew Stefan McCutchen (born October 10, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia ...
to dress in black for the game).
The Back-To-Back Comebacks
Just prior to the
2015 All-Star Game, the Pirates played a four-game weekend series at home against their division rivals, 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 ha ...
, whom they trailed by 4.5 games for the lead in the
NL Central
The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West (the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros) and three teams from the National League ...
. After splitting the first two games, the teams prepared to play two nationally televised games on Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12. In the second inning of Saturday's game,
A. J. Burnett
Allan James Burnett (born January 3, 1977), is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia ...
appeared to strikeout Cardinals' first baseman
Mark Reynolds, who swung at a 1–2 pitch in the dirt; however, home plate umpire
Vic Carapazza
Victor Joseph Carapazza (born July 6, 1979) is an American Major League Baseball umpire. He wears uniform number 19, and previously wore uniform number 85.
Personal life
Carapazza was born in Port Jefferson, New York. In 1998 he graduated from ...
said Reynolds foul tipped the ball (though several replays clearly showed that he didn't), keeping his at-bat alive. On the very next pitch, Reynolds hit a solo home run to left field, giving the Cardinals a 1–0 lead. Pirates' catcher
Francisco Cervelli
Francisco Cervelli (born March 6, 1986) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball catcher and former catching coach for the San Diego Padres. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Brav ...
and manager
Clint Hurdle
Clinton Merrick Hurdle (born July 30, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and manager. Hurdle played for the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals, and managed the Colorado Rock ...
were subsequently ejected for arguing the call. The Cardinals opened up a 3–0 lead before Burnett homered in the 6th to cut the lead to 3–1. The Pirates tied the game in the eighth after consecutive RBI base hits by
Jung-ho Kang
Jung-ho Kang ( ko, 강정호; ; born April 5, 1987) is a South Korean professional baseball third baseman for the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO League. He previously played in the KBO League for the Hyundai Unicorns and Nexen Heroes. He also playe ...
and
Pedro Alvarez; the score remained tied heading into extra innings. In the tenth, the Cardinals took 4–3 lead on Reynolds' second solo home run of the game, only to see the Pirates score in the bottom of the inning and tie the game again. After the Cardinals took a 5–4 lead in the 14th,
Neil Walker
Neil Martin Andrew Walker (born September 10, 1985) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (2009–2015), New York Mets (2016–17), Milwaukee Brewers ( ...
led off the bottom of the inning with a base hit and the next batter,
Andrew McCutchen
Andrew Stefan McCutchen (born October 10, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia ...
, hit a home run to straight away center off reliever
Nick Greenwood, giving the Pirates a 6–5 walk-off victory.
The next night, the game was once again tied at 3 heading into extra innings. In the top of the tenth, Cardinals outfielder
Randal Grichuk
Randal Alexander Grichuk (born August 13, 1991) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays.
Grichuk ...
doubled home
Pete Kozma
Peter Michael Kozma (born April 11, 1988) is an American professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, and the Oaklan ...
and
Yadier Molina
Yadier Benjamín Molina (; born July 13, 1982), nicknamed "Yadi", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely considered one of the grea ...
to give the Cards a 5–3 lead.
Jordy Mercer
Jordy Joe Mercer (born August 27, 1986) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, and Washington Nationals. Prior to beginning his ...
led off the bottom of the 10th with a base hit, before Neil Walker and Andrew McCutchen were retired by Cardinals closer
Trevor Rosenthal. With two outs,
Starling Marte hit a line drive to right field, scoring Mercer. Jung-ho Kang followed with a base hit, as did Francisco Cervelli, allowing Marte to score from 2nd and tie the game at 5. After
Travis Ishikawa
Travis Takashi Ishikawa (born September 24, 1983) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates. Ishikawa has also ...
walked on 4 pitches,
Gregory Polanco
Gregory Polanco (born September 14, 1991), nicknamed "El Coffee", is a Dominican professional baseball right fielder for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2014 for the ...
lined the first pitch he saw into right field, scoring Kang from 3rd, giving the Pirates their second 6–5 extra innings win in as many nights. By taking 3 of 4 games in the series, the Pirates were able to cut the Cardinals' division lead to 2.5 games heading into the All-Star break. Given the high stakes of the series, combined with an incredibly emotional, postseason-like atmosphere and a national audience, many fans consider this to be the best weekend series in the history of
PNC Park
PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 MLB season, after the controlled implosion of the Pira ...
.
Announcer reactions
Pirates losses
Homer in the Gloamin'
For most of the 1938 season, the Pirates had led the National League and seemed on their way to a pennant. But in the final month of the season, they started to falter, losing a 6.5 game lead in the beginning of September and by the time they played the Chicago Cubs in a three-game series at
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago ...
late in the month, they were only up by 2. The Cubs won the first game, narrowing the lead to 0.5. The next game on September 28, 1938, was tied at 5–5 in the bottom of the ninth inning. With an 0–2 count,
Gabby Hartnett
Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett (December 20, 1900 – December 20, 1972), nicknamed "Old Tomato Face", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played almost his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher with the Chic ...
hit a
Mace Brown
Mace Stanley Brown (May 21, 1909 – March 24, 2002) was an American professional baseball player, scout and coach. He appeared in Major League Baseball, largely as a relief pitcher, over ten seasons (1935–43; 1946) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, ...
pitch for a
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
to win the game for the Cubs. The Pirates lost four of the next five games to close out the season while the Cubs went on to clinch the pennant.
The Heartbreaker I
The
Cincinnati Reds had overcome a 2-games-to-1 deficit in the
1972 National League Championship Series
The 1972 National League Championship Series was played between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates from October 7 to 11. It was the fourth NLCS. Cincinnati won the series three games to two to advance to the World Series against the O ...
to force a deciding Game 5 in Cincinnati. The Pirates claimed an early 2–0 lead in the game, then traded runs in the middle innings with the Reds to take a 3–2 advantage into the bottom of the ninth inning. Three outs from returning to the World Series as the defending champs, normally dependable Pirates closer
Dave Giusti
David John Giusti, Jr. (born November 27, 1939) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1962 to 1977, most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won f ...
surrendered a home run to
Johnny Bench, tying the game. After allowing two base hits to
Tony Pérez
Atanasio "Tony" Pérez Rigal (born May 14, 1942) is a Cuban-American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and third baseman from through , most notably as a member of the ...
and
Denis Menke
Denis John Menke (July 21, 1940 – December 1, 2020) was a professional baseball infielder and coach. He played all or parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1974. He played for the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1962–67), Hou ...
, Giusti was replaced on the mound by
Bob Moose
Robert Ralph Moose Jr. (October 9, 1947 – October 9, 1976) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates from through . Moose was a me ...
. After coaxing the next two Reds batters to fly out, Moose unleashed a wild pitch with runners on second and third, allowing the winning run to score.
For Pirates fans, it seemed that the heartbreaks surrounding this game would continue for almost four years: only two short months later, star right fielder
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his early death, he was pos ...
was tragically killed in an airplane crash off of the Puerto Rican coast; and four years later, pitcher Bob Moose was tragically killed in an automobile crash en route to a celebrity golf tournament.
Announcer reactions
The Heartbreaker II/The 20-Year Curse
Twenty years later, history seemingly repeated itself for the Pirates. In the
1992 National League Championship Series
The 1992 National League Championship Series was played between the Atlanta Braves (98–64) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (96–66) from October 6 to 14. A rematch of the 1991 NLCS, Atlanta won the 1992 NLCS in seven games to advance to their seco ...
(NLCS), the Pirates (who had "three-peated" as division champs) faced the
Atlanta 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) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
in a rematch of the
previous year's NLCS. The Game 7 series decider, held on Wednesday October 14, was its most memorable contest. The Pirates'
Doug Drabek
Douglas Dean Drabek (born July 25, 1962) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and current Pitching Coach for the Reno Aces, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played for the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, ...
pitched masterfully for the first eight innings, holding the Braves scoreless. His only real scare came in the sixth, when the Braves loaded the bases with none out. But
Jeff Blauser
Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey.
Music
* DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes
* ...
lined into a double-play and
Terry Pendleton
Terry Lee Pendleton (born July 16, 1960) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas C ...
flew out to end the inning. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh wasn't doing much with Atlanta starter
John Smoltz
John Andrew Smoltz (born May 15, 1967), nicknamed "Smoltzie" and "Marmaduke", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 2009, all but the last year with the Atlanta Braves. An eight-time A ...
, but they did manage single tallies in the first on an
Orlando Merced
Orlando Luis Merced Villanueva (born November 2, 1966) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played all or parts of 13 seasons in the majors for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1990–1996), Toronto Blue Jays (1997), Minnesota ...
sacrifice fly and in the sixth on an RBI single by
Andy Van Slyke
Andrew James Van Slyke (born December 21, 1960) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder.
Career
Van Slyke earned All-American honors in baseball as a senior at New Hartford Central High school in New Hartford, New York. ...
.
The play
The Pirates took their 2–0 lead into the bottom of the ninth, when their season imploded. Drabek allowed an inning-opening double to Pendleton. In what would prove to be a crucial play, normally sure-handed second baseman
José Lind
José Lind Salgado, nicknamed "Chico", (Born May 1, 1964) is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball (MLB) second baseman, and former manager of the Atlantic League's Bridgeport Bluefish. He is the cousin of Onix Concepción (another forme ...
then booted
David Justice's easy grounder. A walk to
Sid Bream
Sidney Eugene Bream (born August 3, 1960) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. From 1983 through 1994, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1983–85), Pittsburgh Pirates (1985–90), Atlanta ...
loaded the bases, and
Stan Belinda
Stanley Peter Belinda (born August 6, 1966) is a former Major League Baseball player. A right-handed relief pitcher who also batted right-handed, Belinda is tall and weighs 187 pounds. He pitched from a three-quarters arm slot (sometimes categor ...
replaced Drabek.
Ron Gant
Ronald Edwin Gant (born March 2, 1965) is an American television news anchor and former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves (1987–1993), Cincinnati Reds (1995), St. Louis Cardinals ...
then plated one run with a sacrifice fly to make it 2–1, and
Damon Berryhill walked to reload the bases. Pinch-hitter
Brian Hunter popped up to second base with nobody scoring, and it looked like Pittsburgh might escape. But pinch-hitter
Francisco Cabrera singled to left to score Justice and — just ahead of
Barry Bonds' throw — Bream. The Braves piled onto Bream at the plate, the stadium erupted, and Atlanta went back to the World Series. Meanwhile, it took the Pirates twenty-one seasons to return to post-season play — and compile a winning record for a season.
Announcer reactions
Notes
* Sid Bream played for Pittsburgh from 1985 to 1990 and has long made his home north of the city.
* The Pirates had found themselves in a familiar situation during the 1992 NLCS: down 3-games-to-1 and facing elimination going into Game 5. In fact, they had come within one out of re-accomplishing the feats of the 1925 and 1979 Pirates in overcoming such a deficit in post-season play (albeit this time in the NLCS rather than the World Series).
The Sausage incident
At Milwaukee on July 9, 2003,
Randall Simon
Randall Carlito Simon (born May 25, 1975) is a Curaçaoan former professional baseball first baseman. He has played all or parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), LVBP and one in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) between 1997 a ...
, who played first base for Pittsburgh at the time, was arrested, suspended and fined for swinging a baseball bat from the dugout at the head of a Milwaukee stadium Sausage runner's costume. The tap didn't hit the actual head of Mandy Block, who was wearing the Italian sausage costume, but did knock her over causing a chain reaction that took the "hot dog" costumed runner down with her. The Polish sausage helped the Italian sausage up and all sausages finished the race. The Pirates lost the game 2–1.
Simon later apologized and Block asked only that the offending bat be autographed and given to her. Simon obliged. Later that year, Mandy Block received a complimentary trip to Curaçao, Simon's home island, from the Curaçao Tourism Board. Since the incident, T-shirts and other memorabilia have been sold with the slogan "Don't whack our wiener!" Later that season, Simon was traded to the Chicago Cubs, and when they visited Milwaukee later that season, during the sausage race, his teammates playfully held him back, while manager Dusty Baker guarded the bat rack. At that same game, Simon had also bought a pack of Italian sausages to a random section of fans at the ballpark.
Worst Call Ever
At 2:00 am on July 26, 2011, in the bottom of the 19th inning (the fourth-longest game in franchise history), the Pirates were ironically handed another disheartening loss against the Atlanta Braves, this time in the form of a blown call by home plate umpire
Jerry Meals
Gerald William Meals (born October 20, 1961) is an American retired Major League Baseball umpire. After serving as an NL reserve umpire from 1992 to 1997, he became a full-time umpire in 1998. Meals was promoted to crew chief in 2015, and worked ...
.
Posting their best regular-season record in 19 years and on pace for a wild-card playoff spot, a night game tied at 3–3 in Atlanta dragged on into extra innings. In the bottom of the 19th inning, Atlanta placed runners on first and third with one out. Atlanta's
Scott Proctor
Scott Christopher Proctor (born January 2, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 2004 and 2011 for the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Atlanta Braves. In 2012, he p ...
hit a ground ball to third base which was fielded cleanly by
Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez threw home to Pirates' catcher
Michael McKenry
Michael Charles McKenry (born March 4, 1985), nicknamed "The Fort", is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals.
High schoo ...
, who appeared to apply the tag to the Atlanta base runner,
Julio Lugo
Julio Cesar Lugo (November 16, 1975 – November 15, 2021) was a Dominican professional baseball shortstop. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, St ...
, in plenty of time. To the shock of everyone watching, home plate umpire Jerry Meals indicated that Lugo had somehow avoided the tag by signalling "safe." Pirates manager
Clint Hurdle
Clinton Merrick Hurdle (born July 30, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and manager. Hurdle played for the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals, and managed the Colorado Rock ...
came out to argue the call, but the argument fell on deaf ears, and the Braves won the game 4–3. Meals came under severe criticism from the media and Pirates fans.
While this was only one loss in what was otherwise a winning season to that point, the play seemingly resurrected too many "ghosts of '92", and put the Pirates into a season-breaking tailspin from which they could not recover. After this game, the Pirates lost 10 games in a row, and in no time, fell out of the playoff race while securing their 19th straight losing season.
Steelers wins
Immaculate Reception
In the
1972 AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the
Oakland Raiders, The
Steelers found themselves trailing in the score, "4th and long", 60 yards from the
end zone
The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field. ...
, and down to their last play. A desperation pass, actually intended for the Steelers' other running back, John "Frenchy" Fuqua, ricocheted to rookie running back
Franco Harris
Franco Harris (March 7, 1950 – December 20, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection ...
, who made an incredible, "shoe-string" catch and ran the ball in for the winning touchdown. The play, soon dubbed the Immaculate Reception, became one of the most famous and controversial plays in the history of sports.
The Immaculate Deflection
January 14, 1996: Trailing by four points (20–16) and with five seconds remaining in the
AFC Championship Game, the
Indianapolis Colts needed to score a touchdown to defeat the Steelers, with the winner advancing to
Super Bowl XXX. With the ball at the Steelers' 29-yard line, Colts QB
Jim Harbaugh lofted a pass into the corner of the end zone. The pass seemingly hung in the air forever, and was batted down by Steelers defensive back
Myron Bell
Myron Corey "Boo" Bell (born September 15, 1971) is a former Safety in the NFL. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals. He started in Super Bowl XXX. He is a member of the City of Toledo, Ohio Hall of Fame. As a teenager ...
. However, the ball was knocked straight down onto the stomach of fallen Colts WR
Aaron Bailey. On the television camera feed, the view of the ball was lost for a split second, after which Bailey had possession of the ball. The Colts immediately began signalling touchdown, and the Steelers defensive backs vehemently signaled incomplete. The back judge, however, ruled that the ball hit the ground, and after a lengthy discussion, the referee declared the pass to be incomplete – which other camera angles would show was correct.
The Comeback I
: ''(January 5, 2003,
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, AFC Wild Card Playoff Game)''
Trailing by 17 points, a 24–7 disadvantage with 19 minutes left to play, the
NFL Comeback Player of the Year Quarterback
Tommy Maddox
Thomas Alfred Maddox (born September 2, 1971) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played one season each for the New J ...
rallied the Steelers, scoring three passing touchdowns in four offensive drives. The Browns managed to score 9 points in the 4th quarter keeping them in the lead (33–28) until a 61-yard drive, culminating in a 3-yard rushing touchdown and a successful two-point conversion by the Steelers. At 36–33, with 54 seconds left in regulation, it was the first time in the game that the Steelers had been leading on the scoreboard. The Browns failed to answer back in their final drive, ending the game in one of the greatest comebacks in NFL playoff history.
The Tackle/Immaculate Redemption
The Tackle or The Immaculate Redemption refers to an event that occurred on January 15, 2006, during the
AFC Divisional Round between the Steelers and the heavily favored Indianapolis Colts. Clinging to a 3-point lead, Steelers quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football ...
made a game-saving tackle against Colts cornerback
Nick Harper
Nick Harper (born 22 June 1965) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the son of English folk musician Roy Harper.
Early life
Harper was born in London, England, to the folk singer-songwriter Roy Harper. Nick tells of how he ...
, who nearly returned a fumble by running back
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram Bettis Sr. (born February 16, 1972) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "the Bus" for his large size and runn ...
for the go-ahead touchdown.
The play
With 1:20 remaining in the game, Pittsburgh's
Joey Porter
Joseph Eugene Porter (born March 22, 1977) is an American former football outside linebacker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), and is a former outside linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After playing coll ...
sacked Colts quarterback
Peyton Manning on fourth down at Indianapolis's 2-yard line. The Steelers, leading 21–18, appeared to have clinched victory as the Colts turned the ball over to them on downs. Since the Colts had all three of their timeouts, the Steelers were forced to try for a two-yard touchdown; they would be unable to run the clock out by simply kneeling on the ball.
On first and goal, Pittsburgh veteran running back Jerome Bettis (who hadn't fumbled throughout the
2005 NFL season) spun to his left near the goal line with the ball cradled in his left arm. Colts
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
Gary Brackett put his helmet squarely on the ball, and it popped out of Bettis's arm, back behind the line of scrimmage. Immediately, Colts cornerback
Nick Harper
Nick Harper (born 22 June 1965) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the son of English folk musician Roy Harper.
Early life
Harper was born in London, England, to the folk singer-songwriter Roy Harper. Nick tells of how he ...
picked up the ball and headed for the Steelers' end zone with several blockers around him. It very much appeared as if Harper would take the football all of the way for a go-ahead, possible game-winning touchdown, with precious little time left. As Harper was running down the field, Roethlisberger, who had been turned completely around several times desperately trying to stay in front of the speedy Harper, managed to get a hold of Harper's right shin by diving in a backwards twisting motion, and make a shoestring tackle to bring him down at the Colts' 42-yard line.
The tackle would later prove to be the play of the season, as afterward, the Colts, while denied a touchdown return, tried to drive down the field in an attempt to score a touchdown. On 2nd & 3rd and 2, the Colts took deep shots down the left sideline to
Reggie Wayne
Reginald Wayne (born November 17, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami, and was drafted ...
. Both passes were blocked by rookie
Bryant McFadden
Bryant McFadden (born November 21, 1981) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. McFadden was also a member of ...
. This playcalling was questioned as a simple running play could have extended the drive. But the Colts were eventually forced into a potential game-tying 46-yard field goal attempt. However, kicker
Mike Vanderjagt
Michael John Vanderjagt ( ; born March 24, 1970) is a Canadian former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily with the Indianapolis Colts. He served as the Colts' placekicker from 1998 to ...
(the most accurate kicker in NFL history) missed it terribly wide-right and the Steelers held on to win 21–18. Vanderjagt's miss was his last attempt in a Colts uniform. He would sign with Dallas after the season ended.
Vanderjagt was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after the kick because he removed his helmet and slammed it to the
RCA Dome turf.
Fueled by this play, the Steelers traveled to Denver and dominated the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
in a 34–17 upset a week later in the
AFC Championship Game, then defeated the
Seattle Seahawks 21–10 on February 5, 2006, in
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion f ...
to claim their first NFL title in
twenty-six years.
Views
* If Harper had scored and ended Pittsburgh's season, it would have created a bitter ending to the career of
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram Bettis Sr. (born February 16, 1972) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "the Bus" for his large size and runn ...
, who would have been blamed with costing Pittsburgh the win with his fumble. Instead, Pittsburgh won and Bettis got to later return to his hometown,
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, and win his lone championship ring before retiring. Bettis did, however, state that if Pittsburgh lost the Super Bowl or did not reach it that he may have returned for one last season.
* After Roethlisberger's tackle, the game was saved a second time by cornerback
Bryant McFadden
Bryant McFadden (born November 21, 1981) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. McFadden was also a member of ...
. On 2nd and 2 from the Pittsburgh 29, Colts QB
Peyton Manning fired to the corner of the endzone, looking for star receiver
Reggie Wayne
Reginald Wayne (born November 17, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami, and was drafted ...
. McFadden matched Wayne stride for stride into the endzone and just as Wayne appeared to make the catch, McFadden got an arm between Wayne's arms and knocked the ball free. As it hovered in the air, both Wayne and McFadden dove for the ball, as McFadden foiled two subsequent attempts by Wayne to catch the tipped ball as they went to the ground.
Note
* Harper's wife, Daniell, had been arrested the night before the game after slicing his knee during an argument. The injury required three
stitches but did not prevent him from playing the next day.
The Interception/Immaculate Interception
With 18 seconds left in the first half of
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...
, the
Arizona Cardinals were on the Steelers' 2-yard line and threatened to take a 14–10 lead into halftime. The Cardinals sent receiver
Anquan Boldin on a quick slant route and
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald Jr. (born August 31, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver. Fitzgerald played in the National Football League for 17 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at University of Pittsburg ...
on a quick post route, hoping to shake a defender and allow a quick scoring pass. Arizona quarterback
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His career, which saw him ascend f ...
's pre-snap read was an all-out blitz by its linebackers and defensive line. In order to avoid the impending pass rush, Warner threw the ball to Boldin. However,
outside linebacker James Harrison had in fact faked the blitz and dropped back into coverage, right in the passing lane to Boldin. Harrison intercepted the ball on the goal line and started to return the pick. After almost running into fellow Steeler
Deshea Townsend
Trevor Deshea Townsend (born September 8, 1975) is an American football coach and former cornerback who is the passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He previously serv ...
, Harrison darted down the sidelines, following his blockers and hurdling Cardinals players down to the goal line. Fitzgerald, after bumping into teammate
Antrel Rolle
Antrel Rocelious Rolle (born December 16, 1982) is a former American football defensive back of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami, where he was recognized as a unanimous All-American, an ...
who had wandered from the sidelines onto the field of play, still caught up to Harrison on the Cardinals' 5-yard line. He and fellow Cardinal
Steve Breaston grabbed Harrison but were unable to bring him down before he scored on the longest play in Super Bowl history—a 100-yard interception return as the clock ticked down to zero. Harrison, exhausted, lay on the ground for a while before getting up. The play ultimately was a 14-point swing, allowing the Steelers to go to the locker room up 17–7.
The Catch (The Tampa Toe-chdown)
In the fourth quarter of
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...
, the Arizona Cardinals stormed back from a 20–7 deficit to take a 23–20 lead on two touchdowns by All-Pro wideout
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald Jr. (born August 31, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver. Fitzgerald played in the National Football League for 17 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at University of Pittsburg ...
as well as a
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly dif ...
caused by a holding penalty against the Steelers in their own endzone. Trailing for the first time in the game, Pittsburgh then marched down the field in impressive fashion to set up a potential go-ahead touchdown with less than one minute remaining. On second-and-goal from the Arizona 6-yard line, quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football ...
threw high to the right corner of the endzone where receiver
Santonio Holmes
Santonio Holmes Jr. (born March 3, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State University. In 2009, Holmes w ...
made an incredible diving catch on his toes and miraculously kept both feet in bounds while maintaining control of the ball. The Steelers went ahead 27-23 and proceeded to win their
record sixth Super Bowl title.
The Meltdown at Paul Brown
In a rain-soaked vicious battle between
two AFC North rivals at
Paul Brown Stadium
Paycor Stadium, previously known as Paul Brown Stadium, is an outdoor football stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League and opened on August 19, 2000. Originally named after the B ...
on January 9, 2016, filled with injuries and personal fouls on both sides, the Steelers held a 15–0 lead entering the fourth quarter before the
Cincinnati Bengals scored three times to take a 16–15 lead. After briefly leaving the game due to injury and with the ball on his own 11-yard line with 1:23 left, Ben Roethlisberger returned to lead his team 74 yards in nine plays for the game-winning score. After several short completions moved the ball to the 37-yard line, Pittsburgh faced a 4th-and-3, but overcame it on
Antonio Brown
Antonio Tavaris Brown Sr. (born July 10, 1988), nicknamed "AB", is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent, and an American rapper. Raised in Liberty City, Miami, Brown attended Miami Norland High School. He played college ...
's 12-yard reception. On the next play, with just 22 seconds left, Roethlisberger threw a pass intended for Brown. The pass was incomplete, but Bengals linebacker
Vontaze Burfict
Vontaze DeLeon Burfict Jr. ( ; born September 24, 1990) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals. A first-team All-American at Arizona St ...
was flagged for a personal foul for contact with Brown's helmet. Brown was injured on the play, and as he was being attended and officials were dealing with both teams,
Adam "Pacman" Jones was flagged for a personal foul after an altercation with Steelers linebackers coach
Joey Porter
Joseph Eugene Porter (born March 22, 1977) is an American former football outside linebacker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), and is a former outside linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After playing coll ...
, giving the Steelers another 15 yards and moving the ball to the Bengals' 17-yard line. On the next play,
Chris Boswell
Christopher Lynn Boswell (born March 16, 1991) is an American football placekicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rice and was signed by the Houston Texans in 2014 as an undra ...
kicked a 35-yard field goal with 18 seconds left to win the game.
Burfict received a three-game suspension for his hit on Brown (including the Week 2 matchup between the two teams the following season), while four players and two assistant coaches also received fines. Jones received the most severe fine at $28,000, while Steelers lineman
Ramon Foster was fined $17,000. Bengals defensive linemen
Wallace Gilberry and
Domata Peko each received an $8,600 fine, while Porter and fellow Steelers assistant coach
Mike Munchak
Michael Anthony Munchak (born March 5, 1960) is an American professional football coach and former player. A graduate of Penn State, Munchak played left guard for the Houston Oilers from 1982 until 1993 and was a nine-time selection to the Pro B ...
were fined $10,000 each. In the offseason, the league passed a rule banning any coaches except for the head coach from entering the field of play, and then only to check on an injured player, directly in response to the incident.
Immaculate Extension
On
December 25, 2016, the 9–5
Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the 8–6
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
in a crucial Week 16 matchup of the
2016 NFL season
The 2016 NFL season was the 97th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL) and the 51st of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 8, 2016, with defending Super Bowl 50 champion Denver defeating Carolina in the NF ...
. With a win, the Steelers would clinch the AFC North and eliminate the Ravens from playoff contention. Trailing 10–20 early in the fourth quarter, the Steelers quickly came back to take a 24–20 lead midway through the fourth quarter. However the Ravens went on a long 75-yard that lasted almost 6 minutes. The drive ended with a 10-yard touchdown run by running back
Kyle Juszczyk, giving the Ravens a 27–24 lead with only 1:18 remaining. Starting from their own 25-yard line with two timeouts to work with, the Steelers quickly drove down the field with quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football ...
completing seven straight passes (excluding spikes), although the Steelers had to use both their timeouts during the drive. With just 14 seconds to go, the Steelers had a 2nd down and Goal from the four-yard line. Although the were well within field goal range to tie the score, the Steelers were attempting to take the lead with a touchdown. Roethlisberger took the snap from the shotgun and threw a quick pass to his left to wide receiver
Antonio Brown
Antonio Tavaris Brown Sr. (born July 10, 1988), nicknamed "AB", is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent, and an American rapper. Raised in Liberty City, Miami, Brown attended Miami Norland High School. He played college ...
who caught at the Baltimore 1-yard line. Brown was immediately hit by safety
Eric Weddle
Eric Steven Weddle (born January 4, 1985) is an American former American football, football Safety (gridiron football position), safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football at University of ...
and linebacker
C. J. Mosley. Brown's forward progress was stopped, but he remained upright and was eventually able to reach the ball over the goal line with his left hand for the touchdown. The score, along with the extra point, gave the Steelers a 31–27 lead with only nine seconds left. The Ravens were unable to overcome the deficit with time running so short, allowing the Steelers to win the game and the AFC North.
Steelers losses
The Act (Nedney's Flop)
: ''(January 11, 2003, Pittsburgh Steelers vs.
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
, AFC Divisional Game)''
One week after an unforgettable victory over the division rival, Cleveland Browns, the Steelers traveled down to Tennessee to face the second seeded Titans. The Titans were coming off of an 11–5 record, and were heavily favored in the match-up. Early on, it looked as if that were the case. The Titans took an early 14–0 lead over the Steelers. But Titans running back Eddie George fumbled, mid-second quarter, giving the ball to the Steelers in their own territory. Quarterback Tommy Maddox connected with
Hines Ward
Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American football coach and former wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Georgia and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ...
for an eight-yard strike on the second play of the drive. It was a dog fight from then on. The game saw three lead changes during the remainder of regulation. After a failed Steelers drive, Titans quarterback
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),[Steve McNair Found Dead](_blank)
...
was given the ball on his own 20 with 1:43 to go, and the game tied at 31. He took his team right down the field and set up kicker Joe Nedney with a 48-yard field goal attempt with just three seconds remaining. Nedney, however, missed the kick, and the game went to overtime. The Titans won the toss and McNair was given another shot. After two long pass plays, the Titans offense had set up Nedney with another field goal attempt from 31 yards out. Nedney's initial attempt was good, but was nullified by a Steelers' timeout before the snap. Nedney missed the second attempt wide right. However, it was ruled that Steelers cornerback Dwayne Washington had run into the kicker. A five-yard penalty was enforced, and Nedney went on to make the 26-yard attempt, giving the Titans a 34–31 victory. Subsequent replays of the missed OT kick attempt appeared to show that Nedney had barely been touched.
3:16 Game
On January 8, 2012, in the Wild Card round of the
NFL playoffs, the Steelers played the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
at
Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Empower Field at Mile High (previously known as Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Invesco Field at Mile High and Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, New Mile High or Mile High Stadium) is an American football stadiu ...
as
defending AFC Champions. However, Broncos quarterback
Tim Tebow outplayed the team and eventually scored the game-winning touchdown on a pass to
Demaryius Thomas in overtime, in the first NFL game with the modified overtime rules with a final score of 29-23 Broncos. The Steelers would miss the playoffs entirely the next two years and wouldn't win a playoff game until the aforementioned
infamous Bengals game four years later.
Same Old Browns
Having clinched the division the previous week, the
Steelers rested their starters in Week 17 of the
2020 NFL season against the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
. The Browns won the game 24–22 to clinch a playoff birth for the first time in
17 years. With the Steelers clinching the third seed and the Browns clinching the sixth seed, the two teams would play again just one week later in the
2020 Wild Card Playoffs. Over the subsequent days, the Browns had a small, but impactful
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
outbreak that caused the team to be missing four players and five coaches – including head coach
Kevin Stefanski – for the game. That coupled with the Browns previous failures caused some of the Steelers players and coaches to overlook the Browns and assume they would easily win the playoff game and move.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
John Sherman "JuJu" Smith-Schuster ( Smith; born November 22, 1996) is an American football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh ...
famously said in the week leading to the game, "I think they’re still the same Browns teams I play every year. I think they’re nameless gray faces. They have a couple good players on their team, but at the end of the day, I don’t know. The Browns is the Browns." However, on the first offensive play of the game, center
Maurkice Pouncey
LaShawn Maurkice Pouncey (born July 24, 1989) is a former American football center who played 11 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida, where he was a member of a BCS Nat ...
snapped the ball over
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football ...
's head and the Browns'
Karl Joseph
Karl Myrthell Joseph (born September 8, 1993) is an American football strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at West Virginia and was drafted by the Raiders in the first rou ...
recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. The game quickly turned into a disaster as their next three drives ended in two interceptions and a punt; the Browns scored touchdowns on all of their drives and led 28–0 by the end of the first quarter. Despite attempting to make a comeback over the subsequent three quarters, which included Roethlisberger setting several passing records, the Steelers were always playing catch-up and the Browns held them off for a 48–37 win. The win gave the Browns their first playoff win in
26 Years and moved on to play the
Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round. The Steelers finished the game with five turnovers, including four Roethlisberger interceptions.
Penguins wins
Five goals, five different ways
On December 31, 1988, in a game against the
New Jersey Devils at the
Civic Arena,
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
superstar and future owner
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux (; ; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played parts of 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984 and 2006, and he assumed ownership of the f ...
scored eight points and became the only player in NHL history to score a goal in all five possible game situations in the same game:
even-strength,
shorthanded
Short-handed is a term used in ice hockey and several related sports, including water polo, and refers to having fewer skaters (players) on the ice during play, as a result of a penalty. The player removed from play serves the penalty in the pe ...
,
power-play,
penalty shot
A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
, and
empty-net, leaving him one goal short of a double
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
. It was later voted by
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
fans as the greatest moment in the NHL's first 100 years.
The Save I
On April 13, 1991, Penguins backup goalie
Frank Pietrangelo
Frank Pietrangelo (born December 17, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender.
Born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Pietrangelo started his National Hockey League career with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1988, winning the Stanley C ...
made an incredible diving glove save against
Peter Šťastný, who was shooting toward an open net, in the first period of Game 6 of a first-round playoff series at New Jersey during the
1991 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs for the National Hockey League (NHL) championship began on April 3, 1991, following the 1990–91 regular season. The 16 teams that qualified, from the top four teams of the four divisions, played best-of-seven se ...
. Pietrangelo's stop helped the Penguins to a 4–3 win and forced a seventh game, where he proceeded to shut out the Devils 4–0. Although shortly thereafter Pietrangelo relinquished the starting goalie job to
Tom Barrasso
Thomas Patrick Barrasso (born March 31, 1965) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 18 seasons. He began his time in the NHL with the Buffalo ...
, the Penguins went on to win the
Stanley Cup.
The Shush Game
In a bitter Game 6 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the hated
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...
, down three games to two, had jumped out to a 3–0 lead in the second period, and looked poised to force a Game 7 in Pittsburgh. However, after a chippy hit, a fight broke out between
Daniel Carcillo
Daniel Carcillo (born January 28, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He most recently played under contract to the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). His on-ice reputation as an enforcer has led ...
and
Max Talbot. Although the larger Carcillo manhandled the smaller Talbot, which energized the Philadelphia crowd, as he was being led away to the penalty box, Talbot put his index finger to his lips, facing up at the crowd, making a "shushing" motion. This defiance seemed to energize the Penguins, who scored five-straight unanswered goals, including two from
Sidney Crosby
Sidney Patrick Crosby (born August 7, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Sid the Kid" and dubbed " The Next One", he was selected first o ...
to win the series. Talbot was later to be the hero in the Stanley Cup Finals that year, scoring the only two goals in the Game 7 that is mentioned below.
The Save II
In Game 7 of the
2009 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2009 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2008–09 season, and the culmination of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguin ...
against the Detroit Red Wings, the Penguins had the puck frozen in their own zone leading 2–1 with 6.5 seconds remaining. The Red Wings won the ensuing faceoff, and the puck came to
Henrik Zetterberg
Henrik Zetterberg (; born 9 October 1980) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He played his entire National Hockey League career with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL), for whom he would serve as capt ...
, who shot it at the goal. Goalie
Marc-André Fleury
Marc-André Fleury (born November 28, 1984) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) first overall by the Pittsbur ...
made the pad save, and the rebound came to
Nicklas Lidström
Erik Nicklas Lidström (; born 28 April 1970) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman and current vice president of hockey operations for the Detroit Red Wings. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the De ...
at the opposite faceoff circle, and he shot at the open net. In a play similar to the Pietrangelo save, Fleury dove across the net to knock the puck away as the clock ran out, giving the Penguins their third
Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The Double OT Thriller
In Game 7 of the
2017 Eastern Conference Final, the Penguins faced the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
with an opportunity to return to the Stanley Cup Finals for a second consecutive year. After a scoreless first period,
Chris Kunitz
Christopher Kunitz (born September 26, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Anaheim Ducks (where he won his first Stanley Cup in 2007), Atlanta Thrashers, the ...
broke the ice with his first goal of the playoffs at 9:55 of the second; the lead was surrendered on a
Mark Stone goal just 20 seconds later. A
Justin Schultz
Justin Schultz (born July 6, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schultz was born in Kelowna, British Columbia, and grew up in the nearby City of West Kelowna. He ha ...
powerplay goal at 11:44 of the third briefly put the Penguins up 2–1, until
Ryan Dzingel scored less than three minutes later to tie the game once again. A tense overtime period, mostly dominated by the Pens, yielded no results as the game drifted into a second overtime period. At 5:09 of the second overtime, Kunitz one-timed a Sidney Crosby pass from the high slot, which fluttered through a
Jean-Gabriel Pageau screen, over the right shoulder of Senator's goalie
Craig Anderson. With his second goal of the game, Kunitz sent
PPG Paints Arena
PPG Paints Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Pittsburgh, that serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). It previously was the home of the Pittsburgh Power of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2 ...
into a frenzy and the Penguins into the
Stanley Cup Finals for a second straight year. They would go on beat the
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
in six games, becoming the first team to win back to back championships in the salary cap era.
Spicy Pork and Broccoli
In Game 1 of the
Eastern Conference First Round, the Penguins faced the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
to open the 2022 playoffs. The Penguins started
Casey DeSmith
Casey DeSmith (born August 13, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He holds the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins record for most saves in a playoff game. DeSmith ...
in goal. The Rangers
Adam Fox scored the first goal of the game at 9:19 of the first period. The Rangers forward
Andrew Copp
Andrew Copp (born July 8, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the fourth round, 104th overall, by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
...
proceeded to score early into the second period giving the Rangers a 2–0 lead. Penguins forward
Jake Guentzel finally put one behind Rangers goaltender
Igor Shesterkin
Igor Olegovich Shestyorkin (russian: Игорь Олегович Шестёркин, commonly spelled as Shesterkin; born 30 December 1995) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (N ...
at 4:32 of the second period, and scored again at 11:47 of the same period.
Chris Kreider of the Rangers quickly scored after to put the Rangers up one goal.
Bryan Rust
Bryan Peter Rust (born May 11, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey right winger for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Rust was born in Pontiac, Michigan, but grew up in Troy, Michigan. He won back-to-back Sta ...
of the Penguins scored late in second period on the powerplay to tie the game up at 3. After a goaltender interference call that negated a presumed game-winning goal for the Rangers and no scoring in the third period the game went into overtime.
Casey DeSmith
Casey DeSmith (born August 13, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He holds the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins record for most saves in a playoff game. DeSmith ...
had to leave the game in the second overtime due to an apparent injury. Desmith stopped 48 of the 51 Rangers shots on goal.
Louis Domingue had to come in for relief. Shortly after this game became the longest game in
Madison Square Garden history Penguins forward
Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni Vladimirovich Malkin ( rus, Евге́ний Влади́мирович Ма́лкин, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ˈmaɫkʲɪn; born 31 July 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of ...
scored the game-winning goal at 5:58 of the third overtime period. Louis Domingue was the winning goalie on record after stopping all 17 shots in relief. In the postgame interview Domingue was quoted saying "I ate spicy pork and broccoli during the intermission".
Penguins losses
The Nosedive of '75
Flying high after a two-game sweep of the
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
in the preliminary round of the playoffs, the Penguins built up a commanding ''3–0'' lead in their best-of-seven conference semi-final against the
New York Islanders, setting up the expectation of an all-Pennsylvania finale in the
Prince of Wales Conference
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...
against their cross-state rivals, the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...
(who had also swept their semi-final series against the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
). Unfortunately, the Penguins utterly stalled and proceeded to lose four straight games, giving the Islanders the first ''0–3'' comeback in the NHL since the 1940s.
The Penguins continued to sputter for the next 16 years, not advancing past this stage in the playoffs until winning the
Stanley Cup for the
1990-91 season.
Three-Peat Denied I
Coming off of back to back Stanley Cup victories, the
1992-93 Pens team dominated the league: they recorded 56 wins and 119 points, posted an NHL record
17 game winning streak, and captured the
Presidents' Trophy
The Presidents' Trophy (french: Trophée des présidents) is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team that finishes with the most points (i.e. best record) during the NHL regular season. If two teams are tied for the mo ...
for the first time in franchise history, all despite missing
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux (; ; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played parts of 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984 and 2006, and he assumed ownership of the f ...
for 2 months while he underwent treatment for
Hodgkin's lymphoma
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma, in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the patient's lymph nodes. The condition w ...
. Lemieux, despite his medical setback, had one of the best seasons of his career, finishing the regular season with 69 goals and 160 points in 60 games. His abbreviated campaign earned him the
Art Ross,
Hart
Hart often refers to:
* Hart (deer)
Hart may also refer to:
Organizations
* Hart Racing Engines, a former Formula One engine manufacturer
* Hart Skis, US ski manufacturer
* Hart Stores, a Canadian chain of department stores
* Hart's Reptile Wo ...
, and
Masterton trophies, as well as the
Lester B. Pearson Award Pearson may refer to:
Organizations Education
*Lester B. Pearson College, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
*Pearson College (UK), London, owned by Pearson PLC
*Lester B. Pearson High School (disambiguation)
Companies
*Pearson PLC, a UK-based int ...
.
Entering the
1993 playoffs, the top seeded Penguins were heavily favored to win a third straight championship. They easily blew past the
New Jersey Devils in five games, setting up a second round matchup with the NY Islanders. The Pens jumped out to a ''3–2'' series lead, but saw the Isles force Game 7. In the deciding game, the Isles clung to a 3–1 lead late in the 3rd, until
Ron Francis scored with just under four minutes remaining to cut the deficit to 3–2. With one minute left in regulation,
Rick Tocchet
Richard Tocchet (; born April 9, 1964) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Playing as a right winger, he played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angel ...
deflected a shot from
Larry Murphy past Isles goaltender
Glenn Healy
Glenn Healy (born August 23, 1962) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender who played for 15 years in the National Hockey League. Prior to that, he was a member of the Western Michigan University hockey team, and 1985 graduate of the school. H ...
, sending the game into overtime. At 5:16 of overtime, a
David Volek shot off the rush, found its way past
Tom Barrasso
Thomas Patrick Barrasso (born March 31, 1965) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 18 seasons. He began his time in the NHL with the Buffalo ...
; the goal, Volek's second, stunned the
Civic Arena crowd. Hopes for a three-peat came to a sudden and shocking end, as the Islanders advanced to the Wales Conference Final, where they lost to the eventual Cup champions,
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
, in five games.
Three-Peat Denied II
The Penguins began the
2018 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL). The playoffs began on April 11, 2018, after the 2017–18 regular season and concluded on June 7, 2018, with the Washington Capitals winning their fir ...
as reigning, back to back Stanley Cup champions, the first team to win back to back Cups since the
start of the salary cap era. They hoped to become the first team to three-peat since the Islanders did so in
1982. In a high scoring first round matchup with the rival Flyers,
Sidney Crosby
Sidney Patrick Crosby (born August 7, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Sid the Kid" and dubbed " The Next One", he was selected first o ...
and
Jake Guentzel powered the Pens with six goals each, as they dispatched Philly in 6 games. For a third straight year, the road to the Cup would include a second round matchup against
Alex Ovechkin
Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin ( rus, Александр Михайлович Овечкин, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɐˈvʲetɕkʲɪn; born 17 September 1985) is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capital ...
and the
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...
. Entering the series, the Pens had beaten their rivals in the playoffs nine of their previous ten meetings, including victories during all five of their Cup runs. The Capitals and Ovechkin, in particular, were looking to silence critics and finally overcome their second round struggles.
The teams split the first two games at
Capital One Arena
Capital One Arena is an indoor arena in Washington, D.C. Located in the Penn Quarter neighborhood, the arena sits atop the Gallery Place rapid transit station of the Washington Metro. It has been largely considered to be a commercial success ...
, as the series shifted back to Pittsburgh for Games 3 and 4. Controversy erupted in Game 3, when Caps forward
Tom Wilson delivered a high hit on Pens forward
Zach Aston-Reese with 9:47 left in the second period. Aston-Reese left the game with a broken jaw and a concussion; Wilson was not penalized, but was subsequently suspended for three games by the league. The Caps took Game 3, 4–3, on a late Ovechkin goal; the Pens responded with a 3–1 victory in Game 4. During a pivotal game five in Washington, the Pens held a 3–2 lead entering the third period, before the Caps exploded with four goals to take the game 6–3. Back at
PPG Paints Arena
PPG Paints Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Pittsburgh, that serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). It previously was the home of the Pittsburgh Power of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2 ...
for Game 6, a goaltending duel broke out between Pittsburgh's
Matt Murray and Washington's
Braden Holtby
Braden Holtby (born September 16, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He previously played for the Washington Capitals, Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars of the National Hockey Lea ...
, with each netminder surrendering only a single goal during regulation. All hopes of a three-peat ended at 5:27 of overtime, when Caps forward
Evgeny Kuznetsov
Yevgeny Yevgenyevich Kuznetsov (russian: Евгений Евгеньевич Кузнецов; born 19 May 1992) is a Russian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He ...
scored on a breakaway and silenced the sellout crowd. The Caps won the game 2–1, the series ''4–2'', and advanced to their first conference final since
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
. The victory propelled the Caps past the
Lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...
in seven games and eventually the
Golden Knights in five games, en route to the franchise's first
Stanley Cup. The Penguins have struggled in the playoffs ever since, losing
f o u r consecutive first-round series.
Pittsburgh Panthers
"Send it in, Jerome!"
Another famous event in Pittsburgh sports history came in a January 25, 1988 college men's basketball game between
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
and
Providence. During the first half, Pitt went on a fast break off a steal, led by point guard (and current
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
head coach)
Sean Miller
Sean Edward Miller (born November 17, 1968) is an American college basketball coach who currently serves as head coach of the Xavier Musketeers. He previously was in that position from 2004 to 2009, after which he took the head coach position f ...
. He then found forward
Jerome Lane
Jerome Lane Sr. (born December 4, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lane played college basketball for the University of Pittsburgh, where he was an All ...
on the wing, who went in for a
dunk that
shattered the backboard at
Fitzgerald Field House
Fitzgerald Field House is a 4,122-seat multi-purpose athletic venue on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Fitzgerald Field House is named for Rufus Fitzgerald, a past chancellor (1945–195 ...
, causing a delay of over 30 minutes until a replacement could be found. The incident, nationally televised on
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
, is also remembered for
Bill Raftery
William Joseph Raftery (born April 19, 1943) is an American basketball analyst and former college basketball coach.
High school and college years
Raftery attended Saint Cecilia High School in Kearny, New Jersey, where he starred in basketball an ...
's call of "Send it in, Jerome!" shortly after the dunk.
13-9
In football, the
2007 edition of the
Backyard Brawl was also the 100th anniversary of the famed rivalry game. A rowdy
Morgantown crowd of over 60,000 were on hand to cheer on the #2 ranked
Mountaineers
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbin ...
, who needed one more win to secure their first appearance in a
National Championship Game. The final obstacle standing in their way: an unranked, 4-7
Pitt team, who entered the game as 28.5 point underdogs. WVU's high-powered offense never found much cohesion, turning the ball over three times, while kicker
Pat McAfee missed two crucial field goals, allowing the Panthers to remain within a single score at halftime. Trailing 7-3, Pitt took the lead in the third quarter on a 1 yard run by QB Pat Bostick and widened their lead in the fourth quarter on Conor Lee's 18 yard field goal. The 13-7 deficit put pressure on the Mountaineers, who saw a pair of late drives into Pitt territory end on failed fourth down conversions. With seconds left, Pitt punter Dave Brytus ran the ball through the end zone for an intentional
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly dif ...
, securing a 13-9 victory for the Panthers. West Virginia was knocked out of championship contention and settled for a bid in the
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been pla ...
(where they beat
Oklahoma 48-28). The upset was one of the biggest in the history of either school's program and was voted "Game of the Year" by
ESPNU.
Rivalry Reignited
On September 1, 2022, the
Backyard Brawl returned after an 11 year hiatus due to the
NCAA's conference realignment. A standing room only crowd of 70,622 fans packed
Acrisure Stadium
Acrisure Stadium is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Pan ...
, the most for a sporting event in Pittsburgh history. The reigning
ACC Champion Panthers entered the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...
opener ranked #17 in the preseason AP poll, while the
Mountaineers
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbin ...
looked to shake off a disappointing 6-7 campaign the previous
year
A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hou ...
. The nationally televised game lived up to the hype, as both teams traded scoring drives in the first half, entering halftime tied 10-10. The second half featured more dueling offensive outbursts from each team, though the Mountaineers claimed the momentum after scoring on consecutive drives to start the fourth quarter. Trailing 31-24 late, Pitt QB
Kedon Slovis connected with RB
Israel Abanikanda on a 24 yard touchdown pass to tie the game. On the ensuing series, West Virginia QB
JT Daniels
JT may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Jakobstads Tidning'', a Finland-Swedish newspaper
* Jimma Times, owner of the Ethiopian newspaper ''Yeroo''
* ''Jornal da Tarde'', a Brazilian newspaper from São Paulo
* ''JT'' (album), 1977 album by James T ...
threw a 56 yard
pick-six to Panthers defensive back M.J. Devonshire, giving Pitt a 38-31 lead with 2:58 remaining in the game. The Mountaineers mounted one last drive into Pitt territory trying to even the score, but fell short on an incomplete fourth down pass at the goal line with 22 seconds left. The Panthers entered
victory formation to cap off the emotional comeback win. The game, which featured 7 lead changes, marked a triumphant return for one of college football's most storied rivalries.
US Firsts
* Minor League: 1877 with the formation of the
International League.
* Two sport players: 1903
Fred Crolius
Frederick Joseph Crolius (April 19, 1876 – August 25, 1960) was an American football and baseball player and coach. He was the first player from Tufts University to play Major League Baseball. He was at Tufts in 1894, and at Dartmouth College, ...
and
Christy Mathewson
Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six", "the Christian Gentleman", "Matty", and "the Gentleman's Hurler", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher, who played 17 seasons with the New York Gia ...
for the
Pittsburgh Stars
The Pittsburgh Stars or Pittsburg Stars were a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that were only in existence for one season in 1902. The team was a member of what was referred to as the first National Football ...
and
Pittsburgh Pirates.
* Standing ovation: May 28, 1956 Pirate slugger
Dale Long
Richard Dale Long (February 6, 1926 – January 27, 1991) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Browns, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Washington Senators between ...
gets a five-minute standing ovation at Forbes Field after hitting his 8th home run in 8 games against the Brooklyn Dodgers, the first curtain call in American sports history.
* African-American manager: June 21, 1961
Gene Baker
Eugene Walter Baker (June 15, 1925 – December 1, 1999) was an American Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates during eight seasons between 1953 and 1961, and was selected for the National League t ...
became the first
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
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 ...
in
Organized Baseball
The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commiss ...
when the Pirates named him skipper of their
Batavia Pirates farm club
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
in the
New York–Penn League
The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...
.
* Family in the Hall of Fame: July 24, 1967 Pirates' great
Lloyd Waner
Lloyd James Waner (March 16, 1906 – July 22, 1982), nicknamed "Little Poison", was a Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. His small stature at and 132 lb (68 kg) joins his brother, and fellow Pirate,
Paul Waner
Paul Glee Waner (April 16, 1903 – August 29, 1965), nicknamed "Big Poison", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams between 1926 and 1945, most notably playing his first 15 se ...
in the Hall of Fame becoming the first brothers in any sports hall of fames.
["Lloyd Waner"](_blank)
. ''psu.edu''. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
* Hall of Fame waiver: March 20, 1973 Roberto Clemente became the first player to enter a major sports hall of fame, waiving the mandatory five-year waiting period.
* Back-to-back Hall of Fame broadcasters: April 10, 1976
Milo Hamilton
Leland Milo Hamilton (September 2, 1927 – September 17, 2015) was an American sportscaster, best known for calling play-by-play for seven different Major League Baseball teams from 1953 to 2015. He received the Ford C. Frick Award from t ...
announced his first Pirates game taking over for fellow hall-of-famer
Bob Prince
Robert Ferris Prince (July 1, 1916 – June 10, 1985) was an American radio and television sportscaster and commentator, best known for his 28-year stint as the voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball club, with whom he earned the ...
, making the Pirates the first major league team to have back-to-back hall of fame broadcasters.
During this same season both hall of famers
Myron Cope
Myron Sidney Kopelman (January 23, 1929 – February 27, 2008), known professionally as Myron Cope, was an American sports journalist, radio personality, and sportscaster. He is best known for being " the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers".
Cope ...
and
Mike Lange
Mike Lange (born March 3, 1948) is a retired American sportscaster, best known for his long career as a play-by-play announcer for Pittsburgh Penguins hockey. In 2001, he received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his outstanding work as an N ...
also announced for the Steelers and Penguins respectively.
* Million Dollar Contract: January 26, 1979
Dave Parker
David Gene Parker (born June 9, 1951), nicknamed "The Cobra," is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right fielder from 1973 to 1991. A seven-time All-Star, Parker won two National League bat ...
of the Pirates became the first $1 million/year player in sports.
* Uniform uniforms: January 30, 1980 Pittsburgh became the first, and still only city, to have all its major professional teams don the same colors, when the Penguins completed the process.
* White House Double visit: February 22, 1980 President
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
hosted both the Steelers and Pirates in a single ceremony to celebrate their respective championship wins in
Super Bowl XIV and the
1979 World Series
The 1979 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1979 season. The 76th edition of the World Series was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Pittsburgh Pirates (98–64) and ...
.
* Drug trials: 1985 The
Pittsburgh drug trials
The Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985 were the catalyst for a Major League Baseball-related cocaine scandal. Several current and former members of the Pittsburgh Pirates – Dale Berra, Lee Lacy, Lee Mazzilli, John Milner, Dave Parker, Rod Scur ...
took place and were the first investigation in sports doping and drug use.
Baseball Firsts
* Most Hits July 5, 1886:
Pittsburgh Alleghenys
The following is a history of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.
Franchise beginnings (1870s-1899) Early baseball in Pittsburgh and the American Association
The earliest mention of "base ball" in the region was found in the journal ...
' slugger
Fred Carroll
Frederick Herbert Carroll (July 2, 1864 – November 7, 1904) was a catcher and outfielder in Major League Baseball. From 1884 through 1891, he played with the Columbus Buckeyes (1884) and for the Pittsburgh teams Alleghenys (1885–89), Burghe ...
gets 9 hits against the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
in a doubleheader.
* Monkey burial at home plate: 1887 Pittsburgh Alleghenys's Fred Carroll buried his pet monkey, which earlier served as an unofficial team mascot for the team, beneath the home plate at
Recreation Park in a
pre-game ceremony
A pre-game ceremony or pre-match ceremony is an on-field ceremony occurring before a sporting event. Such ceremonies may celebrate a past event, honour a retiring athlete, commemorate a deceased athlete, or promote a cause.
Celebrating past event ...
.
* 21 runs in consecutive innings: June 6, 1894 The Pirates beat the
Boston Beaneaters with 21 runs scored in just the 3rd and 4th innings, along with 4 home runs in a single inning, major league records.
* Rain Tarps: May 6, 1906 Rain tarps were first used in game at
Exposition Park during a game between the Pirates and
Chicago Cubs.
* 3000th off a 20-game winner: June 9, 1914 Pirates' Hall of Famer
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 ...
became the first player with a documented 3,000th hit and the only one to get it on a 20-game winner.
* Modern Glove: April 14, 1920 Pittsburgh-native
Bill Doak introduced the modern glove to baseball as his
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 ha ...
played the Pirates.
* First-pitch homer: May 7, 1922 Pirates' rookie
Walter Mueller
Walter John Mueller (December 6, 1894 – August 16, 1971) was a professional baseball player who played outfield in the Major Leagues, for the Pittsburgh Pirates, from 1922 to 1926. He is best known for becoming the first player to hit a ...
becomes the first in baseball to hit a home run on the first major league pitch he sees.
* Eight modern-era triples: May 30, 1925 The Pirates hit eight triples against the St. Louis Cardinals at
Forbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the 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 the Pittsburgh Steelers ...
, the most in the World Series era.
* Recover from 3–1 deficit to win World Series: October 15, 1925 The Pirates become the first MLB team to recover from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven World Series.
* Most Consecutive Hits allowed: June 23, 1930 The Pirates pitcher
Heinie Meine sets the dubious baseball record for most consecutive hits allowed against the
Brooklyn Dodgers.
* Hall of Famer: June 12, 1939 Honus Wagner becomes one of the four first players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving the second most votes.
* All Star Game multiple homers:July 8, 1941 Pirates' slugger
Arky Vaughan becomes the first to hit multiple home runs in baseball's All Star Game.
* Back-to-back homers to start a game: July 6, 1945 and July 5, 1980, The Pirates become the only team to start two games with them against the
Boston Braves and
Houston Astros respectively.
* Night-game Season Opener: April 18, 1950 the Pirates and Cardinals become the first teams to open a season under the lights.
* Batting helmets: April 15, 1952 The Pirates became the first baseball team to don batting helmets for protection.
* Batting helmets for defense: 1953 The Pirates became the first, and last, team to use batting helmets on defense.
* Heisman Trophy winner to the baseball diamond: May 31, 1953
Vic Janowicz
Victor Felix Janowicz (February 26, 1930 – February 27, 1996) was an American football halfback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Ohio State University and was drafted in the seve ...
became the first
Heisman Trophy winner to play major league baseball, when he played
third base
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
for the Pirates.
* Walk-off inside-the-park grand slam: July 25, 1956 Against the Chicago Cubs,
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his early death, he was pos ...
becomes the first and only MLB player to hit a walk-off inside-the-park grand slam. The hit occurred at Forbes Field.
* 12 inning Perfect Game: May 26, 1959 Pirates ace
Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix, Jr. (September 18, 1925 – January 8, 1994) was an American professional baseball left-handed pitcher and pitching coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1952–1956), Philadelphia Phillies ...
at Milwaukee.
* World Series walk-off home run: October 13, 1960 Bill Mazeroski becomes the first MLB player to hit a walk-off home run to win a World Series.
* African-American Manager: June 21, 1961
Gene Baker
Eugene Walter Baker (June 15, 1925 – December 1, 1999) was an American Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates during eight seasons between 1953 and 1961, and was selected for the National League t ...
for the Pirates.
* Mets win: April 23, 1962 Riding a 10-game win streak the Pirates lose to the expansion Mets at Forbes Field, the very first franchise win for the Mets.
* Southern game: April 12, 1966 the Pirates play Atlanta's very first baseball game, a 3–2 win.
* NL 14 inning opening day game: April 15, 1958 vs. the Braves and April 8, 1969, vs. St. Louis.
* NL 2nd baseman to play 392 straight: May 15, 1968 with
Bill Mazeroski
William Stanley Mazeroski (born September 5, 1936), nicknamed "Maz" and "The Glove", is an American former second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1956 to 1972. A 7-time All-St ...
.
* LSD No hitter: June 12, 1970 Pirates pitcher
Dock Ellis
Dock Phillip Ellis Jr. (March 11, 1945 – December 19, 2008) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through , most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams ...
pitches the franchise's fourth no-hitter, with the Pirates winning the game on two
Willie Stargell
Wilver Dornell Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" later in his career, was an American professional baseball left fielder and first baseman who spent all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1962–1982) ...
single shot homers against the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
. Years later, Ellis would admit he was high on LSD the entire game, a first for baseball.
* All-Minority starting lineup On September 1, 1971, Pirates manager
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 Pira ...
fielded the first all-minority starting lineup in MLB history. In the game against the
Philadelphia Phillies, the lineup consisted of Dock Ellis on the mound,
Manny Sanguillén
Manuel De Jesus Sanguillén Magan, better known as Manny Sanguillén or "Sangy" (born March 21, 1944), is a Panamanian former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher in and from through , most notably as a ...
behind the plate,
Al Oliver
Albert Oliver Jr. (born October 14, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and first baseman from through , most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won f ...
at first,
Rennie Stennett
Reinaldo Antonio Stennett Porte (April 5, 1949 – May 18, 2021) was a Panamanian professional baseball second baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1971–79) and San Francisco Giants (1980–81). He b ...
at second,
Dave Cash at third,
Jackie Hernández
Jacinto Hernández Zulueta (September 11, 1940 – October 12, 2019)Dipaola, Jerry.Ex-Pirates SS Jackie Hernandez, member of 1971 World Series champs, dies, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, October 16, 2019. was a Cuban professional baseball play ...
at short stop, Roberto Clemente in right field,
Gene Clines
Eugene Anthony Clines (October 6, 1946 – January 27, 2022) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1970 to 1979, most prominently as a member of the Pittsburgh Pir ...
in center, and Willie Stargell in left. All were African American or Latino players.
* World Series night game: October 13, 1971 The Pirates host the first night game in World Series history at
Three Rivers Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).
Buil ...
, winning Game 4 by a score of 4–3.
* Home Run only game: May 7, 1973 The Pirates record only five hits, all homers, in a 5–0 win against the
Los Angeles 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 ...
, the first such game in baseball history.
* NL Grand Slam Single: July 4, 1976 at Three Rivers Stadium the Pirates pitch the first
Grand Slam Single
The Grand Slam Single was a baseball play that ended Game 5 of the 1999 National League Championship Series, contested between the rival New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, on October 17, 1999, at Shea Stadium in New York City. Mets player Robin Ven ...
to the rival Philadelphia Phillies, the first in the National League and just the second ever in Major League Baseball history.
* MVP clean sweep: 1979 The Pirates become the first team to sweep all of the available MVP awards in a single season.
Dave Parker
David Gene Parker (born June 9, 1951), nicknamed "The Cobra," is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right fielder from 1973 to 1991. A seven-time All-Star, Parker won two National League bat ...
is named MVP of the All-Star Game; and Willie Stargell claims the MVP awards for the NLCS, World Series, and National League (shared with
Keith Hernandez
Keith Hernandez (born October 20, 1953) is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman who played the majority of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. Hernandez was a five-time All-Star who shared the 1979 NL MVP ...
).
* World Series Manager & MVP to be booed: May 20, 1988 at Three Rivers with former skipper Chuck Tanner and MVP Willie Stargell are booed for coaching rival Atlanta.
* #1 pick to win his first game: April 9, 1999
Kris Benson
Kristin James Benson (born November 7, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher who played for several teams between 1999 and 2010.
A highly touted prospect, Benson was drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1996. ...
of the Pirates became the first #1 draft pick in National League history (second overall) to win his first game.
* Stealing First Base: June 26, 2001 Pirates manager
Lloyd McClendon
Lloyd Glenn McClendon (born January 11, 1959) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1987 to 1994 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners and the ...
walks off the field with first base.
* Sausage assault arrest: July 9, 2003 Pirates slugger
Randall Simon
Randall Carlito Simon (born May 25, 1975) is a Curaçaoan former professional baseball first baseman. He has played all or parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), LVBP and one in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) between 1997 a ...
is arrested after jokingly "batting" away a
Milwaukee Brewers sausage racer.
* Perogi firing: June 19, 2010 The Pirates become the first sports team in world history to
fire a "perogi", dubiously during a series with the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
.
* 4-5-4 triple play: May 9, 2015, the Pirates became the first MLB team to turn a 4-5-4 triple play during a 7–5 win over 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 ha ...
. The play occurred when the Cardinals'
Yadier Molina
Yadier Benjamín Molina (; born July 13, 1982), nicknamed "Yadi", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely considered one of the grea ...
lined out to Pittsburgh second baseman
Neil Walker
Neil Martin Andrew Walker (born September 10, 1985) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (2009–2015), New York Mets (2016–17), Milwaukee Brewers ( ...
. Walker then threw to third baseman
Jung-ho Kang
Jung-ho Kang ( ko, 강정호; ; born April 5, 1987) is a South Korean professional baseball third baseman for the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO League. He previously played in the KBO League for the Hyundai Unicorns and Nexen Heroes. He also playe ...
to double off the Cardinals'
Jhonny Peralta
Jhonny Antonio Peralta (born May 28, 1982) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). The Cleveland Indians signed him as an amateur free agent in his native D ...
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
Jason Alias Heyward (born August 9, 1989), nicknamed "J-Hey" is an American professional baseball right fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals ...
froze between second and third.
Football Firsts
* Pro football player: November 12, 1892
William "Pudge" Heffelfinger is hired by the
Allegheny Athletic Association
The Allegheny Athletic Association was an athletic club that fielded the first ever professional American football player and later the first fully professional football team. The organization was founded in 1890 as a regional athletic club in A ...
for $500, becoming the first known professional football player.
* Pro football coach: 1893
Sport Donnelly
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...
of the Allegheny Athletic Association became the first known professional football coach.
* Pro football contract: 1893 A player, assumed to be
Grant Dibert
Grant Dibert was an early professional football player with the Pittsburgh Athletic Club and the Allegheny Athletic Association. As a fullback, his primary team was the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, whom he played for from the team's founding in 18 ...
of the
Pittsburgh Athletic Club
The Pittsburgh Athletic Club (PAC) was one of the earliest professional ice hockey teams. It was based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from around 1895 until 1904 and again from 1907 to 1909. The team was a member of the Western Pennsylvania Hockey Le ...
, signed the first known pro football contract, which covered all of the club's games for the 1893 season.
* Pro football team owner: circa 1898
William Chase Temple
William Chase Temple (December 28, 1862 – January 9, 1917) was a coal, citrus, and lumber baron during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was also a part owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from baseball's N ...
bought up the player contracts for the
Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club was a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1895 until 1900. The team was considered one of the best, if not the best, professional football teams in the country from 1898 until 1 ...
, becoming the first individual owner of a professional football team.
* Pro football all-star game: December 3, 1898 The first ever professional football all-star game held between the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club and players from
Western Pennsylvania All-Stars.
* "National" Football League title: November 29, 1902
Pittsburgh Stars
The Pittsburgh Stars or Pittsburg Stars were a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that were only in existence for one season in 1902. The team was a member of what was referred to as the first National Football ...
defeated the
Philadelphia Athletics, 11–0, at the
Pittsburgh Coliseum.
* Mic’d Up NFL Player: December 10, 1967, Steelers linebacker
Bill Saul became the first NFL player to wear a microphone, during a game against the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
.
* Super Bowl titles: First NFL franchise to win four Super Bowls; first NFL franchise to win six Super Bowls.
Hockey Firsts
* Professional ice hockey league: 1902
Western Pennsylvania Hockey League
The Western Pennsylvania Hockey League (WPHL) was an originally amateur and later professional ice hockey league founded in 1896 and existing through 1909. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the league became the pre-eminent ice hockey league in ...
becomes the first ice hockey league to openly hires and trades players.
* Hockey trade:January 28, 1908: The first trade in professional ice hockey took place between the two city teams the
Pittsburgh Bankers
The Pittsburgh Bankers were one of the earliest professional ice hockey clubs. The club was based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and was a member of the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League, the first league to openly hire hockey players, from 1899–1 ...
and
Pittsburgh Pirates.
* Changing players on the fly
This articlefrom the December 21, 1925 ''Pittsburgh Press'' describes how
Pittsburgh Pirates' coach
Odie Cleghorn
James Albert Ogilvie "Odie" Cleghorn (September 19, 1891 – July 13, 1956) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, linesman and referee. His brother Sprague Cleghorn also played professional ice hockey and the two played several sea ...
would change the forward line halfway through each period with another set of attackers, who would play for "six or eight minutes". The first line would then come back on to finish the period. The defencemen were not changed.
* Three lines: The Pirates were also the first team to use three set forward lines, which was a huge change from the standard, which was to simply leave the best players out for as long as possible.
* "Miracle" coach suspended: January 16, 2000 Penguins coach
Herb Brooks
Herbert Paul Brooks Jr. (August 5, 1937 – August 11, 2003) was an American ice hockey player and coach. His most notable achievement came in 1980 as head coach of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team at Lake Placid. At the Games, Brooks' ...
, made famous as the coach of the
1980 US Hockey Olympic Team, was suspended by the NHL on after confronting a
Denver broadcasterafter a game with the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
.
* Winter Classic win: January 1, 2008 The Penguins won the first ever
NHL Winter Classic defeating the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
at
Ralph Wilson Stadium
Highmark Stadium is a stadium in Orchard Park, New York, in the Southtowns of the Buffalo metropolitan area. The stadium opened in 1973 as Rich Stadium and is the home venue of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). It was kn ...
.
Sidney Crosby
Sidney Patrick Crosby (born August 7, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Sid the Kid" and dubbed " The Next One", he was selected first o ...
scored the first Classic game winner.
* Prime-time Winter Classic: January 1, 2011 The Penguins hosted
the first prime time Winter Classic, first to be held in
an NCAA football stadium and first to use a cable-cam, as well as the first Winter Classic alumni game.
Basketball Firsts
* African-American drafted In 1955 the Duquesne Dukes boasted of the NBA's first African American player chosen in a sports draft.
* College to produce back-to-back NBA #1 Draft picks: In both 1955 and 1956 the
Duquesne Dukes
The Duquesne Dukes are the athletic teams of Duquesne University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Dukes compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Football and bowling, however ...
produced the #1 NBA Draft pick, to date the only college basketball program to accomplish such a feat.
* National High School Tournament in 1965 the
Roundball Classic The Roundball Classic, originally known as The Dapper Dan Roundball Classic (also known as ''Magic Johnson's Roundball'', ''Sonny Vaccaro's Roundball Classic'', ''EA Sports Roundball Classic'', '' Asics Roundball Classic'') is well known in the spor ...
was first held at the
Civic Arena as the first nationwide pre-college basketball tournament, the classic was held in the city every year until 1993.
* Championship with the dunk and 3-point shot: The
Pittsburgh Pipers
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
won the ABA Title in 1968, the first league to allow the dunk and 3-point shot in professional basketball and the Pipers the first to win such a championship.
World Lasts
Hockey Lasts
* Baker's last game: March 24, 1917
Hobey Baker
Hobart Amory Hare "Hobey" Baker (January 15, 1892 – December 21, 1918) was an American amateur athlete of the early twentieth century. Considered the first American star in ice hockey by the Hockey Hall of Fame, he was also an accomplished Am ...
, considered the first American star in ice hockey by the
Hockey Hall of Fame, played the last game of his career at the
Pittsburgh Winter Garden.
* Vezina's last game: November 28, 1925 The
Pittsburgh Pirates upset the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
, 1–0, in the final game for legendary Habs goaltender,
Georges Vezina Georges may refer to:
Places
* Georges River, New South Wales, Australia
* Georges Quay (Dublin)
*Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Other uses
*Georges (name)
* ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas
* "Georges" (song), a 19 ...
.
* No Mask Goalie: April 7, 1974 Penguins goaltender
Andy Brown is the last of the "ironmen netminders", the last NHL player not to wear a mask.
Baseball Lasts
* Ruthian Home Runs:
Babe Ruth
George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...
hit his last 3 home run game and last career home run at
Forbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the 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 the Pittsburgh Steelers ...
on May 25, 1935, only days before retiring. Ruth's final career home run cleared the right field upper-deck pavilion at Forbes Field — the first fair ball ever hit out of the stadium.
References
External links
The 4 Most Dramatic Moments in Pittsburgh Sports HistoryThe 10 Worst Moments in Pittsburgh Sports
{{Portalbar, Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Panthers
Lore
Lore may refer to:
* Folklore, acquired knowledge or traditional beliefs
* Oral lore or oral tradition, orally conveyed cultural knowledge and traditions
Places
* Loré, former French commune
* Loré (East Timor), a city and subdistrict in La ...