Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives. As such, it is news to us that the Pittsburgh Pirates have FINALLY announced the creation of a franchise Hall of Fame and announced 19 members to the inaugural class.
The franchise, which is well over 100 years old, boasts five World Series Championships, but this Hall also recognizes the contributions from the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawford of the Negro Leagues.
The Hall of Fame will be unveiled on September 3, and will be honored before their home game against the Toronto Blue Jays:
The inaugural class comprises:
Jake Beckley: Beckley played for the Pirates in the late 1880s and 1890s where he batted an even .300 for the team. The First Baseman entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.
Steve Blass: Blass pitched ten years for Pittsburgh, going 103-76, and picked up a World Series Ring in 1971. He would later serve 34 years as a broadcaster for the team.
Ray Brown: Brown led the Grays to eight Pennants and was a six-time league leader in Wins with two ERA Titles.
Max Carey: Carey holds the team record with 690 Stolen Bases and was an 11-time league leader. Collecting 2,416 Hits for the club, Carey aided the Pirates in their 1925 World Series win, and was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1961.
Oscar Charleston: Charleston joined the Crawfords in 1933 as a Player/Manager, where he was a three-time All-Star. He was selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.
Fred Clarke: Clarke played 15 seasons with Pittsburgh, compiling 1,638 Hits with a .299 Batting Average, but he was also their Manager, leading Pittsburgh to their first World Series win in 1909. He entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.
Roberto Clemente: Clemente is one of the most important figures in sports, and was one the most complete baseball players ever. The Puerto Rican helped Pittsburgh win the 1960 and 1971 World Series, while individual winning the 1966 MVP, four Batting Titles and 12 Gold Gloves. He is still the all-time leader in Hits with 3,000, and would have had more had he not died tragically in a plane clash while delivery humanitarian aid. After his death, he was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.
Josh Gibson: Gibson was one of the most prolific sluggers in Baseball, and he led the Negro Leagues in Home Runs 11 times, all either while playing for the Crawfords or Grays. Gibson entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
Ralph Kiner: Kiner made history as the first (and only) player in MLB history to win the Home Run Title in his first seven seasons, and he blasted 301 total for Pittsburgh, which is second all-time for the club. A three-time Slugging and OPS Champion, Kiner entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.
Buck Leonard: Leonard played 15 years with Homestead, where he went to 13 All-Star Games, won three Negro League World Series, and was a two-time Batting and five-time OBP Champion. He was chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
Bill Mazeroski: Mazeroski was a seven-time All-Star who hit the game and series-ending Home Run that won the 1960 World Series. The eight-time Gold Glove recipient went into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.
Danny Murtaugh: Murtaugh managed the Prates for 12 seasons and was at the helm when they won the World Series in 1960 and 1971.
Dave Parker: The “Cobra” played 11 years in Pittsburgh where he helped them win the 1979 World Series. Individually, he went to four All-Star Games as a Pirate, won two Batting Titles and won the 1978 MVP.
Willie Stargell: Stargell played all 21 of his seasons with Pittsburgh where he led them to two World Series Titles (1971 & 1979), with the latter year seeing him win the MVP, NLCS MVP and World Series MVP. His 475 Home Runs are a franchise record, and he was selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
Pie Traynor: Traynor played at Third Base for 17 years in Pittsburgh, amassing 2,416 Hits while batting .320. Part of the 1925 World Series Champions, Traynor was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1948.
Arky Vaughan: In 1935, Vaughan won the Batting Title with what is still a franchise record .385, and he would also be a three-time league leader in On Base Percentage. An eight-time All-Star, Vaughan entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.
Honus Wagner: Wagner is one of the best players in Baseball history, and any discussion of the game’s top Shortstops has to include him. Winning eight Batting Titles, Wagner also stole 723 Bases, a franchise record. A member of the 1909 World Series Championship Team, he also still holds franchise marls for Runs (1,521) and Triples (231), and his 2,970 Hits are second behind only Clemente. Wagner was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as part of their first class in 1936.
Lloyd Waner: Accumulating 2,317 Hits for Pittsburgh, Waner batted .319 for the team, while also leading the NL in At Bats three times. Waner was selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967.
Paul Waner: Waner won three Batting Titles with Pittsburgh, while batting .340 with 2,868 Hits for the team. Named the MVP in 1927, Waner entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the new members of the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame.
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