Every baseball fan has a favorite team, a favorite player, a favorite trip to the ballpark. But above all else, there is a favorite moment.
Maybe it was a historic win or a franchise icon being great. The Pirates are one of the most storied franchises in the sport, and they have more than their fair share of incredible moments. Today, we’re going to look at the top 10 moments in franchise history.
To be clear, we’re looking at moments, not individual games like Harvey Haddix throwing 12 perfect innings or Rennie Stennett going 7-for-7. This is a look at plays, and in some cases what those moments represent.
10. Mark Smith’s walk-off home run clinches no-hitter, July 12, 1997
The “Freak Show” Pirates are one of the best underdog stories in franchise history, and this was their crowning achievement. After 10 hitless innings between Bucs pitchers Francisco Córdova and Ricardo Rincón, pinch-hitter Mark Smith launched a three-run home off John Hudek to clinch the combined no-hitter. While the Freak Show fell just short of the playoffs, this was one of the last great games at Three Rivers Stadium, as well as the most recent Pirates no-hitter.
9. The relay to return to the postseason, Sept. 23, 2013
The Pirates had a chance to clinch their first postseason berth in 21 years that chilly September evening in Wrigley Field. They just had to pull off a perfect relay. Marlon Byrd flubbed a base hit with two outs in the ninth, but Andrew McCutchen hit Justin Morneau with a quality throw, and the first baseman got the relay to Russell Martin in time to cut down Nate Schierholtz at the plate. The Pirates would officially clinch their spot in the postseason later that night.
8. “CUE-TO”, Oct. 1, 2013
Fast forward eight days for the next moment. Over two decades removed from their last home postseason game, PNC Park was looking for a reason to erupt. They got one in the second inning, when Reds starter Johnny Cueto dropped the ball on the mound while the crowd was crooning “CUE-TO.” Martin then homered on the next pitch to extend the Pirates’ lead and give them the momentum to advance.
7. Hal Smith’s forgotten home run, Oct. 13, 1960
Spoiler alert: Bill Mazeroski’s home run is on the list. Going by win probability, Mazeroski’s walk-off wasn’t the biggest swing of the game.
That honor would go to Smith, who drove a three-run shot in the eighth to put the Pirates ahead, 9-7. The Pirates surrendered the lead in the ninth before Mazeroski played the hero, so Smith’s shot is not as widely remembered. But without that home run, the Pirates would not have won their third World Series.
6. Kiki Cuyler’s double brings a championship to Pittsburgh, Oct. 15, 1925
The Pirates went into the bottom of eighth in Game 7 of the 1925 World Series down, 7-6, staring down one of the game’s greatest pitchers ever, Walter Johnson. A late rally got one run across, and with two outs, Cuyler launched a ground-rule double to right field to give the Pirates a 9-7 lead. That would hold, and the Pirates won the second of their five World Series.
5. Roberto Clemente puts the Pirates ahead in Game 7, Oct. 17, 1971
The Orioles had one of the most vaunted rotations of all-time, featuring four 20-game winners, but Clemente still recorded at least one hit in every game of the series. None was more important than his fourth-inning blast off Mike Cuellar to open the scoring. Clemente batted .414 in the series and his 12 hits were tops among both teams, earning him World Series MVP honors.
4. Steve Blass closes out the 1971 World Series, Oct. 17, 1971
In this reporter’s opinion, there are two real contenders for the greatest photo in franchise history. Blass leaping in the air with Manny Sanguillén ready to give him a bear hug is one.
The 1971 team is perhaps the greatest gathering of franchise icons. Clemente, Willie Stargell, Blass, Mazeroski, Al Oliver, Sanguillén, the list goes on. This was their crowning achievement as a group, and it is expressed in pure jubilation.
3. The Great One reaches 3,000, Sept. 30, 1972
Here’s the other contender for the greatest photo in franchise history, captured beautifully in the thumbnail for the video below. Clemente’s 3,000th hit was a clean double into the left-center gap, and he got to stand at the center of Three Rivers Stadium to receive his ovation.
Clemente is the rare Hall of Fame athlete whose legacy transcends the sport. A champion, humanitarian and one of the greatest men in Pittsburgh’s history, this was Clemente’s moment.
2. Pops puts the Bucs up in Game 7, Oct. 17, 1979
The 1979 team was a Fam-A-Lee, and when they needed a moment, they could always turn to Pops. Trailing in the sixth inning, Stargell launched a two-run homer to right-center to give the Pirates the lead for good in Game 7 against the Orioles. The National League’s co-MVP also won the NLCS and World Series MVP in 1979, being the heartbeat of the team’s most recent championship club.
1. Maz hits the ultimate home run, Oct. 13, 1960
It always had to be Maz. Tied in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7 of the World Series, Mazeroski hit the home run every Little League player dreams of hitting. This is still the only walk-off home run in Game 7 in World Series history, and it’s hard to argue there has ever been a bigger homer than this one. It is the greatest moment in franchise history.