Pirates Past & Present Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pittsburgh Allegenys

The Pirates were founded as Allegheny in 1882 and played in the American Association. They joined the National League in 1887, shortly after it was founded, as the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates name came as a result of the Alleghenys having been accused of using "piratical" tactics to steal talented players from opposing teams.

Answer: Boston Americans

The Boston baseball club had no official nickname in 1903. Their uniforms simply said "Boston". They were sometimes called the "Boston Americans" because they played in the American League. After being ahead 3 games to 1, Pittsburgh lost 4 in a row to lose the series 5 games to 3.
Honus Wagner, Pittsburgh's shortstop and the National League batting champion hit only .222 in the series.

Answer: Detroit Tigers

Pittsburgh and Detroit were tied at 3 games apiece when Pittsburg won the 7th game 8-0. The Pirates would not appear in the series again until 1925. In this series Honus Wagner hit .333, while Detroit's star Ty Cobb, hit only .231.

Answer: Pi Traynor

The Yankees won the best of seven series 4-0. Harold "Pi" Traynor was regarded as the premier third baseman of his era. In 1948 he became the first third baseman elected to the Hall of Fame.

Answer: Puerto Rico

Roberto Clemente Walker was one of the first Latin players in the Major Leagues. He played 18 seasons for Pittsburgh during which time he won 12 gold gloves and compiled a .317 lifetime batting average. He headed relief efforts in Puerto Rico after a massive earthquake hit Nicaragua in late December 1972.

When he received reports that the Nicaraguan army had stolen relief supplies meant for the people, he decided to accompany the next supply plane. Shortly after takeoff from the San Juan airport on December 31, 1972, the plane crashed and Clemente was killed.

Answer: Ralph Terry

Ralph Terry went on to win the Most Valuable Player award in the 1962 World Series. The Pirates were leading 4-0 after 2 innings; and had to come from behind to win 10-9. Mazeroski was the first batter in the bottom of the ninth.

Answer: Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles were managed on both occasions by the irascible Earl Weaver. The Pirates won in 1971 by a 4-3 margin and won again in 1979 by the same margin.

Answer: Forbes Field

Forbes Field was named after British General John Forbes, who named the city of Pittsburgh in 1758. Forbes Field was known for its rock-hard infield and massive outfield. During the dead-ball era only 6 homeruns were hit there. Triples were the order of the day and in 1956 Roberto Clemente hit a walk-off inside the park grand slam home run, which was the first-ever in major league baseball history.

Answer: Willie Stargell

Willie Stargell spent 21 years with the Pirates from 1962-1982. He was nicknamed "Pops" by Dave Parker because he was a mentor and father figure to many players. The team retired his number 8 in 1982 and he was a first-ballot hall-of-famer in 1988.

Answer: True

PNC Park, which opened in 2001, was the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates since joining the National League in 1887. PNC Park is located along the shore of the Allegheny River.