By Rick Grantham
Ever since 1876, baseball has been part of the Pittsburgh past time. The Pittsburgh Alleghenies was among the independent teams that have been playing across the nation. The team played with a minor league. However, the team as well as the league did not last. They broke up in 1877.
The Alleghenies reunited in 1882 and signed up for the newly established league the American Association. They moved to the National League in 1887. They had average standings during the ensuing years.
However, their most difficult times arrived in 1890. Most of their star players transferred to the Players' League. In an attempt to salvage the team, they signed Louis Bierbauer. He is a former second baseman of the Athletics. After the move, they adopted the nickname Pittsburgh Pirates because of accusation of pirating Bierbauer.
Bierbauer did not turn the team around in 1890. In fact, it is still the lowest point in the franchise history as of the moment.
Their struggles continued in the years after that. They improved significantly in 1992 and in 1993; they were up for the National League Pennant. However, they failed to take it home. This was short-lived. In 1894, the team struggled again.
By the end of 1984, Connie Mack took over the team. Although he made a strong team out the Pirates, it was enough to improve their team standing. Patsy Donovan replaced him in 1897. However, there was no significant improvement. The team even continued to encounter difficulties and finished at the eighth spot in 1897 and 1898.
This soon changed when Louisville owner Barney Dreyfuss came in. He traded most of his best players to the Pirates when he gained partial ownership of the Pittsburgh team. After a while, he gained full control of the pirates. He kept his power over the team until 1932, the year of his death.
The move of Dreyfuss was beneficial for the franchise. With the new breed of Pirates, the team dominated the National League in the early 1900s. They won three consecutive National League Pennants in 1901, 1902, and 1903. They became the first contender of the National League to the modern World Series in 1903. They lost particularly because of their injured pitchers.
It did not take long before they won their first World Series. This took place in 1909 when they beat the Detroit Tigers. It would take a long time before they win their next World Series, which happened in 1925.
Although the Pittsburgh Pirates won the NL pennant in 1927, they lost the World Series to the strong New York Yankees. It was a long wait before they could race for the NL pennant and the World Series again. Although they had future Hall of Famers on their team, it was not enough. They won their next NL pennant in 1960. During the same year, they had the World Series as well. The same thing happened in 1971 and 1979. The wait was long; however, the rewards were great.
The Pirates had a humble beginning. They had their lowest low. However, they also dominated the league at some point.
Rick Grantham is an expert on sports equipment, specially on Pittsburgh Pirates Merchandise for more information on Major League Baseball Team Stores, visit BooYah Village.
Source:www.isnare.com |
