{"id":22233,"date":"2021-09-01T18:24:13","date_gmt":"2021-09-01T23:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=22233"},"modified":"2021-09-01T18:24:13","modified_gmt":"2021-09-01T23:24:13","slug":"50yrs-ago-the-pittsburgh-pirates-fielded-the-greatest-baseball-team-to-ever-start-a-mlb-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=22233","title":{"rendered":"50YRS AGO, THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES FIELDED THE GREATEST BASEBALL TEAM TO EVER START A MLB GAME"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fifty years ago, the Pirates fielded first all-Black lineup, a milestone for diversity<\/h1>\n

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On a late summer evening in 1971, Manny Sanguillen heard his Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> teammate Dave Cash mention that something unusual was happening inside Three Rivers Stadium. No, not unusual. Unprecedented.Sanguillen, the ebullient catcher and a native of Panama, stood at home plate and scanned the field. All of the Pirates on the artificial turf had something in common. Something other than their double-knit white uniforms with black and gold trim.\u201cWe have nine brown people on the field,\u201d Sanguillen said to himself, his amazement and delight still evident as he tells the story.Sanguillen found his close friend Roberto Clemente<\/a>, the Pirates\u2019 right fielder from Puerto Rico, and pointed out the makeup of the lineup to take on the Philadelphia Phillies.\u201cWe have to win this game,\u201d Clemente said earnestly. \u201cCan you imagine what they\u2019ll say if we don\u2019t win with all of us on the field?\u201d \"Roberto<\/span>(Pittsburgh Pirates)<\/span> Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente was a member of the 1971 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates. (Pittsburgh Pirates) <\/span> <\/span>Twenty-four years after Jackie Robinson\u2019s major league debut, a team had fielded a lineup consisting entirely of Black and Black Latino players. The Civil Rights Act had become law only seven years earlier and battles over school desegregation still raged.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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And now, on Sept. 1, 1971, a baseball team was quietly making a statement about diversity and what it means to be an American. The Pirates were not at all surprised that they were the team to take such a significant step.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pittsburgh\u2019s lineup 50 years ago Wednesday included two future Hall of Fame players, Clemente and left fielder Willie Stargell, and four other players who were current or future All-Stars: Sanguillen, first baseman Al Oliver, third baseman Cash and a Southern California native and a Gardena High School grad, pitcher Dock Ellis.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rounding out the starters were shortstop Jackie Hernandez, second baseman Rennie Stennett and center fielder Gene Clines.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Back in 1971, free agency in baseball was still a few years away and general managers built teams through trades and drafting young prospects. That\u2019s how the Pirates of the early \u201870s were constructed, but the organization had forged its own path within that framework.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The Pirates had probably signed more Black and Latin players in the ’60s than anybody in baseball,\u201d Clines recalled. \u201cThey were the dominant force in Latin America.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I can think of times before that night where we had seven or eight Black and Latin players on the field and it didn’t make a difference to us. Being with the Pirates, that was just the norm. We were there for one reason and that was to win.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pittsburgh was leading the National League East Division, but the landmark game did not begin auspiciously for the Pirates. In the top of the first inning, an error on a ground ball by Hernandez allowed the Phillies to score the first run and by the end of the half-inning, the Pirates trailed, 2-0.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Roberto <\/span> \u00a0Roberto Clemente, left, talks with manager Danny Murtaugh as the team takes the field for a World Series workout in Baltimore on Oct. 15, 1971. (Associated Press) <\/span> <\/span>The man who made history filling out the Pirates\u2019 lineup card that night was their manager, Danny Murtaugh. The even-keeled Irishman was in his third stint as Pittsburgh\u2019s manager, having led the team to a World Series title in 1960, a seven-game triumph over the mighty New York Yankees.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Murtaugh had reached the major leagues playing for the Phillies in 1941. Like many major leaguers, though, his career would be interrupted by World War II.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Murtaugh hoped to serve in the Army Air Corps but was turned down, said his granddaughter Colleen Hroncich, who wrote a biography of him. The man who later would be praised by his players for being \u201ccolorblind\u201d when it came to race could not fly airplanes because he was in fact colorblind.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe had a chance to stay stateside and play baseball in the military, but he didn\u2019t think he\u2019d be helping very much if he did that, so he volunteered to join the infantry,\u201d Hroncich said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While serving in Europe, Murtaugh experienced intense combat. \u201cOnce his unit was pinned down by a sniper, and he later … told my uncle, \u2018I decided that if I got out of there alive, I wasn\u2019t going to worry about anything anymore.\u2019 \u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

That philosophy served Murtaugh well in 1971, when he guided a collection of players from diverse backgrounds through the heat of a pennant race during one of the most turbulent periods in modern U.S history.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The players said that because of all the unrest in the country at the time with race relations and the [Vietnam] War, his calming presence was well-suited to that team,\u201d Hroncich said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cash confirmed that at a 50th anniversary reunion for the team in July.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Race wasn’t a big deal to us. We had probably the closest-knit group of guys on any team that I played on,\u201d Cash said. \u201cWe sacrificed for each other, and everybody loved each other.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

::<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forty years before that Sept. 1 game, having nine Black players on a baseball field at the same time in Pittsburgh was an everyday occurrence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After all, the city was home to two of the most successful teams in the Negro Leagues, the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords. Some of the best Black ballplayers spent at least part of their career there, including National Baseball Hall of Fame members Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“From a cultural and entertainment perspective, it was the major industry in Black Pittsburgh,\u201d said Samuel W. Black, director of the African American program at the Sen. John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. “The major leaguers and the Negro Leagues players knew each other well from exhibition games. Only the conditions in this country at the time kept the Black and white players separated on the field.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

After Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, the Pirates were slow to integrate at first, Black said. However, that changed when they acquired Clemente in 1954; the Dodgers owned the rights to the highly regarded prospect but allowed the Pirates to select him and thus deprived Brooklyn, and later Los Angeles, of having one of baseball\u2019s top outfielders for a generation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“When the Pirates signed Clemente, it opened the door for them to sign more Latin players,\u201d Black said. \u201cIn Pittsburgh, Roberto lived in the Black community. He embraced the Black community and they embraced him.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1971, Black was 10 years old and growing up in Cincinnati, and even though he and his friends were Reds fans, they developed a keen interest in the Pirates that season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI read about the Pirates in Jet magazine,\u201d Black recalled. \u201cThey became part of my consciousness, and when we would play ball at the park, we would imitate some of their players. … One guy who was left-handed and played first base imitated the hitch in Willie Stargell’s swing and another guy would imitate Clemente’s gait as he ran around the bases.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It was a fact that … African Americans across the country became fans of the Pirates. We just saw players who looked like us.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"a <\/span> \u00a0Boxing Greatest ever, Muhammad Ali, clowns with Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Willie Stargell during batting practice before a Pirates-Chicago Cubs game Sept. 9, 1971, in Pittsburgh. The contest was declared a draw when Stargell headed for the bat rack. <\/span><\/span>Although the Pirates were the first franchise to field an all-Black lineup, Black players were making a significant impact on other teams too.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The ’70s were really a high point in terms of Blacks in Major League Baseball,\u201d said Todd Boyd, a professor at USC and an author and commentator on race and popular culture. \u201cWe were accustomed to seeing Black players, and some of the biggest stars in the sport were Black: You had Hank Aaron; Willie Mays, who was near the end of his career; Reggie Jackson was an up-and-coming star, Vida Blue.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Still, having one of the older franchises in the majors start a game with an all-Black lineup elevated the topic of diversity in baseball.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“In the early 1970s, baseball was a very popular sport and many people would have readily identified it as the national pastime,\u201d Boyd said. “If you look at the impact of baseball in American culture at the time, to have the Pirates field an all-Black lineup, it’s noteworthy. It spoke to a change in the culture and way people viewed race.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The sports landscape, and baseball’s standing, has changed dramatically since then. The NFL and NBA, for example, are much more prominent than they were in 1971. And although the total Major League Baseball attendance for 2019 was 68.5 million, that was a 14% drop from its high in 2007.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, in recent years American-born Black players have made up only 7% to 8% of major league rosters (Latino players surpassed Black players as the second-most dominant race\/ethnicity in baseball in the 1990s).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Looking back at that Pirates-Phillies game, Boyd said, “Ordinarily, you would look at this moment and say this is when everything changed, but in this case, it didn\u2019t. There has been a culture shift since then. Baseball looks old and conservative, and it embraces being old and conservative.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"a <\/span> \u00a0Pitcher Dock Ellis expresses his sentiments after the Pirates’ loss to the San Francisco Giants in Game 1 of the 1971 National League Championship Series. (Associated Press) <\/span> <\/span>On that historic night in 1971, the Pirates\u2019 all-Black lineup was a topic of conversation in their dugout, but thoughts quickly turned to bouncing back from that early deficit to the Phillies.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We knew we had put ourselves in a hole, but with that offense, we knew we were never really out of a game,\u201d Cash said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Indeed, the Pirates answered with five runs in the bottom of the first and three runs in the second, and went on to win 10-7. Seven players drove in runs, including Sanguillen, who hit a two-run homer that brought in Clemente.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pittsburgh\u2019s two daily newspapers did not cover the game because their labor unions had been on strike for nearly four months, but a few of the reporters who were present realized that Murtaugh had made history.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The writers ran in after the game and said to Danny, ‘Do you know what you did? You started an all-Black lineup,\u2019 \u201c said Steve Blass, a veteran starting pitcher. \u201cAnd Danny said, ‘I didn’t know that. I thought I was putting the best nine Pirates out on the field tonight.’ It was the perfect statement.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Philadelphia newspapers had varying reactions to the milestone. The Evening Bulletin published a headline that read, \u201cPirates\u2019 Lineup All Black.\u201d The Daily News made one reference to Pittsburgh\u2019s \u201call-soul\u201d lineup without elaboration. The Inquirer did not mention the racial makeup of the Pirates\u2019 starters.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A United Press International wire story focused on the all-Black lineup and quoted Murtaugh: \u201cWhen it comes to making out the lineup, I\u2019m colorblind and my athletes know it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the next several seasons, Black players continued to play key roles in the Pirates’ success. Sanguillen, Stargell, Stennett and Oliver led the team to more division titles, even after Clemente’s death in a plane crash in 1972. The Pirates’ diversity became less noteworthy in time, though, and injuries and adjustments to pitching rotations made an all-Black lineup less likely.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"a <\/span> \u00a0Roberto Clemente is congratulated by third base coach Frank Oceak after homering in the fourth inning to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead against the Orioles in Game 7 of the World Series in Baltimore on Oct. 17, 1971. Pittsburgh won the game 2-1. (Associated Press) <\/span> <\/span>The 1971 Pirates went on to the World Series, where they faced the defending champs \u2014 and heavily favored \u2014 Baltimore Orioles.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the decisive Game 7, Blass pitched nine stellar innings and Clemente hit a home run. Hernandez handled a bouncer flawlessly and threw to first base for the final out. The Pirates won 2-1.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The underlying legacy is that this turned out to be the best team in baseball that season,\u201d Boyd said. \u201cThey proved that it was the right decision to play those guys by winning the World Series. That’s the ultimate endorsement.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t all they accomplished, Black said: “That ’71 Pirates team fulfilled the promise of Negro Leagues baseball.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even in a year in which his team won the World Series, the night of Sept. 1 stands out for Sanguillen, who played in 29 postseason games in his 13 big league seasons.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It means everything,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was the most beautiful game I ever caught in my life.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

1971 Pittsburgh Pirates season<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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1971<\/a> Pittsburgh Pirates<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
1971 NL East Champions<\/strong>
\n1971 NL Champions<\/strong>
\n1971 World Series<\/a> Champions<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Major League affiliations<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
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Location<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
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Results<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Record<\/strong><\/th>\n97\u201365 (.599)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Divisional place<\/strong><\/th>\n1st<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Other information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Owner(s)<\/strong><\/th>\nJohn W. Galbreath<\/a> (majority shareholder)<\/small>; Bing Crosby<\/a>, Thomas P. Johnson<\/a> (minority shareholders)<\/small><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
General manager(s)<\/strong><\/th>\nJoe L. Brown<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Manager(s)<\/strong><\/th>\nDanny Murtaugh<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Local television<\/strong><\/th>\nKDKA-TV<\/a> 2<\/strong>
\nBob Prince<\/a>, Nellie King<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Local radio<\/strong><\/th>\nKDKA<\/a>\u2013AM 1020<\/strong>
\nBob Prince<\/a>, Nellie King<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stats<\/strong><\/th>\nESPN.com<\/a><\/strong>
\nBB-reference<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\u00a0Previous season<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Next season\u00a0><\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> season was the 90th season for the Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> franchise; their 85th in the National League<\/a>. It involved the Pirates finishing first in the National League East<\/a> with a record of 97 wins and 65 losses. They defeated the San Francisco Giants<\/a> three games to one in the National League Championship Series<\/a> and beat the Baltimore Orioles<\/a> four games to three in the World Series<\/a>. The Pirates were managed by Danny Murtaugh<\/a>, and played their first full season at Three Rivers Stadium<\/a>, which had opened in July the year before.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Roberto Clemente<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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Roberto Clemente<\/span><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Roberto<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
Clemente in 1965<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Right fielder<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Born: August 18, 1934<\/strong>
\nBarrio San Ant\u00f3n, Carolina, Puerto Rico<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Died: December 31, 1972 (aged\u00a038)<\/strong>
\nIsla Verde<\/a>, Carolina, Puerto Rico<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Batted: Right<\/strong><\/td>\nThrew: Right<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MLB debut<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
April 17,\u00a01955,\u00a0for the\u00a0Pittsburgh Pirates<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Last MLB appearance<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
October 3,\u00a01972,\u00a0for the\u00a0Pittsburgh Pirates<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MLB statistics<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Batting average<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n.317<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hits<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n3,000<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Home runs<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n240<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Runs batted in<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n1,305<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Teams<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
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Career highlights and awards<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
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Member of the National<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Empty \"Empty \"Empty Baseball Hall of Fame<\/a> \"Empty \"Empty \"Empty<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Induction<\/strong><\/th>\n1973<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vote<\/strong><\/th>\n92.7% (first ballot)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker<\/sup>[ro\u02c8\u03b2e\u027eto en\u02c8rike kle\u02c8mente (\u0263)wal\u02c8ke\u027e]<\/a><\/span>; August 18, 1934 \u2013 December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball<\/a> right fielder<\/a> who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball<\/a> (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a>. After his early death, he was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame<\/a> in 1973, becoming both the first Caribbean and the first Latino-American player to be enshrined. Because he died at a young age and had such a stellar career, the Hall of Fame changed its rules of eligibility. As an alternative to a player having to be retired for five years before eligibility, a player who has been deceased for at least six months is eligible for entry.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Clemente was an All-Star<\/a> for 13 seasons, playing in 15 All-Star Games.<\/sup> He was the National League<\/a> (NL) Most Valuable Player<\/a> (MVP) in 1966, the NL batting leader<\/a> in 1961, 1964, 1965, and 1967, and a Gold Glove Award<\/a> winner for 12 consecutive seasons from 1961 through 1972. His batting average<\/a> was over .300 for 13 seasons and he had 3,000 hits<\/a> during his major league career. He also was a two-time World Series champion<\/a>. Clemente was the first player from the Caribbean and Latin America to win a World Series as a starting position player (1960), to receive an NL MVP Award (1966), and to receive a World Series MVP Award<\/a> (1971).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Clemente was involved in charity work in Latin American and Caribbean countries during the off-seasons. He often delivered baseball equipment and food to those in need. On December 31, 1972, he died in a plane crash<\/a> at the age of 38 while en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua<\/a>. The following season, the Pirates retired his uniform number<\/a> 21, and MLB renamed its annual Commissioner’s Award in his honor. Now known as the Roberto Clemente Award<\/a>, it is given to the player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

honors and awards<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Awards<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n