The Many Homes of the Pittsburgh Pirates

If the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox home arenas are known as the game's oldest ballparks, the Pittsburgh Pirates' many homes must rank the team as having the most frequently exchanged ballpark. This is a team that has struggled to win and struggled to fill the seats in recent years. Either this is a sign that trading out nostalgia for fancy seating and a party cove actually repels fans, or it is a sign that the city itself is struggling, and baseball is no longer the escape it once used to be.

The former Pittsburgh parks were home to many firsts:

In 1887 at Recreation Park, Pittsburgh Alleghenies (named after the river that runs through downtown Pittsburgh) won their first game in the National League, defeating the Chicago White Stockings. This park also had the smallest paid crowd of 6 on April 23, 1890 (and so the trend begins for small attendance).

In 1891, the team returned to Exposition Park, very near the same location that PNC Park currently stands. This is the first park that the Pittsburgh Pirates played with that name. This Park was the National League host for the first World Series in 1903. This image of the park is astounding for 2 reasons: the ball park is full and the men actually dressed up to attend.

This person did a great job putting together a tribute to this old ball park:

If the painted bases are still in the parking lot next to the stadium, we will find them.

In 1995, the spot for Home Plate was found by 4 men (in January, burr). A Pennsylvania State Historical marker was placed at the site in September 1998. (Source) This marker was moved to a great stretch of river walk within a couple hundred yards of our hotel and PNC Park. It was most likely moved as a result of the Three Rivers Stadium implosion. The trail system it is on now showcases both PNC and Heinz, a couple of amazing bridges, an amphitheater with some interesting art, and a downtown view.

In 1909, Forbes Field was completed by Barney Dreyfuss. It was criticized for its location. It was originally coined "Dreyfuss' Folly". It moved baseball from the centralized downtown location (where all other ballparks were located in the city) to the then undeveloped area south of downtown in the current Oakland district of Pittsburgh, surrounded by the University of Pittsburgh campus. The home plate occupied the corner of Sennott and Bouquet Streets. A small baseball field, named Mazeroski field, and surrounded by a brick wall memorializing his home run to win the 1960 World Series, currently occupies the space near this intersection. At the time the Field was build, Andrew Carnegie's Technical Institute had already been built in the same area. Several other businessmen of the time soon started building in the area, such as Phipps, Heinz, Frick, and Mellon.

During its inaugural season, the Pittsburgh Pirates won the World Series after losing the first game in the ballpark on June 30, 1909 to the Chicago Cubs. In 1921, the first radio broadcast of an MLB game, the only way to truly enjoy baseball if you can't attend the game in person, took place from Forbes Field. And as a Cubs fan, I can appreciate the "All-Alou" outfield used by the San Francisco Giants at Forbes on September 15, 1963. As the Pirates played their final games in Forbes Field on June 28, 1970, they swept a double header against the Chicago Cubs (figures...). The remnants of the old park can be found at the University of Pittsburgh campus.

If it weren't for the frequent moves of the Pittsburgh Pirates, I could have finished this in one entry, but I'm tired, and am shutting down. I'll pick up the remaining field tomorrow.