How The Pittsburgh Pirates Got Their Name | Pastball Podcast #60

08/10/23 • 1 min

6 Listeners

There was professional baseball in the area as long ago as April 15, 1876, when the Pittsburgh Alleghenys first played at Union Park. That club was named for Allegheny City, the former municipality across the Allegheny River from downtown Pittsburgh that’s now known as the city’s North Side.

Star second baseman Lou Bierbauer, who played for the Philadelphia Athletics in the American Association before spending a year with the Brooklyn Ward’s Wonders in the Players League, never signed a contract to return to Philadelphia. That effectively made him a free agent, and the Alleghenys pounced to sign him to a contract with Pittsburgh for the next season. The outcry among the lead was crazy and everyone said they were pirating this guy from the Philadelphia Athletics. Pittsburgh officially nicknamed itself the Pirates for the 1891 season and it stuck. It was actually a later influx of players, though, that turned the Pirates from a struggling team into a club that made two World Series appearances in the first decade of the 1900s.

The Past Ball Podcast is a podcast that gives you a quick story on some of the craziest, wildest, funnies, or just plain informative on America's Past Time. Unlike a catcher in a passed ball, we will not drop the ball on give you the past.

Do you have a topic or story you want us to cover? Feel free to email us at [email protected].

Shoutout to Collin Wood at Artota Records for the tunes you hear in this episode. If you are looking for custom tunnage email him at [email protected]

Check out everything Past Ball Podcast at https://beacons.ai/pastball

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you have a topic or story you want us to cover? Feel free to email us at [email protected].

Shoutout to Collin Wood at Artota Records for the tunes you hear in this episode. If you are looking for custom tunnage email him at [email protected]

Check out everything Past Ball Podcast at https://beacons.ai/pastball

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

First overhand throw in MLB | Pastball Podcast #59

3 Recommendations

The MLB known as The National League at the time was looking to improve the game as it still is always looking to improve. On November 20, 1884 — The National League agrees to allow overhand pitching, but rules that pitchers must keep both feet on the ground throughout their pitching motion in order to reduce the velocity of their pitches. They still must throw the ball at the height requested by the batter. In addition, teams are now required to supply a separate bench for each club at their park to limit inter-team fraternization.

So The National League went from slow-pitch softball style rules to parents pitch in little league because they still had to throw it where the batter was requesting.

Thankfully the game and pitching have evolved to what it is today imagine how many home runs would be hit if the batter could pick where it had to be thrown like a home run derby?

Do you have a topic or story you want us to cover? Feel free to email us at [email protected].

Shoutout to Collin Wood at Artota Records for the tunes you hear in this episode. If you are looking for custom tunnage email him at [email protected]

Check out everything Past Ball Podcast at https://beacons.ai/pastball

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

The Best Game Ever Pitched? | Pastball Podcast #61

5 Recommendations

Harvey Haddix and the Pirates were taking on Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and the Milwaukee Braves, the team that represented the National League in the previous two World Series.

Haddix ripped through the Braves lineup with such efficient control that Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski said it was the easiest game in which he ever played. Haddix retired all 27 Braves he faced through nine innings.

However, Braves ace Lew Burdette had kept the Pirates off the scoreboard as well, so the game stood at 0-0 through nine.

Haddix returned to the mound for the next three innings and retired all nine Braves he faced over that time, making it 36 up and 36 down.

Do you have a topic or story you want us to cover? Feel free to email us at [email protected].

Shoutout to Collin Wood at Artota Records for the tunes you hear in this episode. If you are looking for custom tunnage email him at [email protected]

Check out everything Past Ball Podcast at https://beacons.ai/pastball

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.