Ginger Beaumont — Outfielder
Born: 7/23/1876
Died: 4/10/1956
Played for Team: 1899 to 1906
The Pirates were the best team in baseball at the turn of the 20th century, and Ginger Beaumont was the club’s leadoff hitter and center fielder. Beaumont led the NL in hits three years in a row and was league batting champ in 1902.

Babe Adams — Pitcher
Born: 5/18/1882
Died: 7/27/1968
Played for Team: 1907 to 1926
Babe Adams stunned the baseball world when he pitched three complete games in the 1909 World Series as a rookie. Adams had spectacular control and pitched until he was 44. He was still a Pirate when the team returned to the World Series in 1925.

Max Carey — Outfielder
Born: 1/11/1890
Died: 5/30/1976
Played for Team: 1910 to 1926
Max Carey was a terror on the basepaths. He led the NL in stolen bases 10 times. In 1922, he stole 51 bases in 53 attempts. Carey specialized in stealing home. He did it 33 times in his career.

Wilbur Cooper — Pitcher
Born: 2/24/1892
Died: 8/7/1973
Played for Team: 1912 to 1924
Although he did not play for a pennant-winner, Wilbur Cooper ranks as Pittsburgh’s greatest left-handed pitcher. He fooled batters with his easy motion and rarely gave up more than a couple of runs a game. Cooper won 161 games from 1917 to 1924.

Lloyd Waner — Outfielder
Born: 3/16/1906
Died: 7/22/1982
Played for Team: 1927 to 1941 & 1944 to 1945
Lloyd Waner did not have the power of his brother, Paul, but he was a .300 hitter almost every year he played for the Pirates. Waner joined his brother in the Hall of Fame in 1967.

Bob Friend — Pitcher
Born: 11/24/1930
Played for Team: 1951 to 1965
Bob Friend pitched for the Pirates when they were bad and when they were good. Regardless of the team around him, he pitched his heart out. Friend was nicknamed the “Warrior” for his courage on the mound. He led the NL in ERA in 1955 and wins in 1958.

Dick Groat — Shortstop
Born: 11/4/1930
Played for Team: 1952 & 1955 to1962
Dick Groat also played pro basketball, but in the end baseball was his best game. He proved that in 1960 when he led the NL in batting and won the NL MVP award.

Bob Veale — Pitcher
Born: 10/28/1935
Played for Team: 1962 to 1972
Bob Veale was one of the most feared pitchers in baseball during the 1960s. He threw very hard but couldn’t always control his pitches. He led the league in strikeouts and also walks in 1964. In 1968, Veale had an ERA of 2.05—one of the lowest ever for a left-handed pitcher.

John Candelaria — Pitcher
Born: 11/6/1953
Played for Team: 1975 to 1985 & 1993
John Candelaria was tough to beat when he had a lead. In 1977, he won 20 games and led the NL with a 2.34 ERA. In the 1979 World Series, “Candy Man” beat the Baltimore Orioles 4–0 in Game 6 when the Pirates were facing elimination.

Bill Madlock — Third Baseman
Born: 1/12/1951
Played for Team: 1979 to 1985
Bill Madlock’s bad temper earned him the nickname “Mad Dog.” But his bat hurt more than his bite. He was the NL’s top hitter twice after joining Pittsburgh. The Pirates traded for Madlock during the 1979 season. He helped turn the team into a champion that year.

Doug Drabek — Pitcher
Born: 7/25/1962
Played for team: 1987 to 1992
Doug Drabek was one of baseball’s best pitchers when he played for the Pirates. He had a 3.02 ERA with the club in six seasons and was the NL Cy Young Award winner in 1990.

Brian Giles — Outfielder
Born: 1/20/1971
Played for Team: 1999 to 2003
Pittsburgh had plenty of winning players during its losing seasons, including Brian Giles. Giles did it all. He had power, speed, and a great batting eye. Giles had more than 100 runs and RBIs three times with the Pirates.

Ke’Bryan Hayes — Third Baseman
Born: 1/28/1997
First Season with Team: 2020
Ke’Bryan Hayes led the Pirates with a .376 average as a rookie in 2020. His father, Charlie, played third base for the Pirates in 1996.

BROOKLYN–ESE
For many years, the Waner brothers were known to baseball fans as “Big Poison” (Paul) and “Little Poison” (Lloyd). It wasn’t because they were toxic to enemy pitchers, however. They were nicknamed by Brooklyn fans, who pronounced the word “person” as “poison.” The best way to tell the lookalike Waners apart was from their size!

BREAKING BARRIERS
In 1971—24 years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color line—the Pirates fielded the first “all-black” lineup in major-league history. The batting order was: Rennie Stennett (2B), Gene Clines (CF), Roberto Clemente (RF), Willie Stargell (LF), Manny Sanguillen (C), Dave Cash (3B), Al Oliver (1B), Jackie Hernandez (SS), and Dock Ellis (P).

HITTING THE DIRT
In the days before big salaries, many players made money by taking jobs that also kept them in shape during the off-season. One of the most unusual winter jobs belonged to Richie Hebner of the Pirates. In the 1960s and 1970s he worked as a gravedigger in a cemetery that was owned by his family.

NOT QUITE DONE
Honus Wagner retired from the big leagues in 1917 at the age of 43. However, his fans could still watch him on local baseball diamonds. Wagner loved the game so much he continued to play for semipro teams around Pittsburgh past the age of 50.

ONE–HOUR HURLERS
Few pitchers worked faster than the Pirates’ Wilbur Cooper. Often he would be halfway through his windup before his catcher signaled which pitch he wanted. Another quick pitcher was Grover Cleveland Alexander of the Philadelphia Phillies. They once faced each other in a game that ended in less than an hour!

Home Runs
1902 — Tommy Leach — 6
1946 — Ralph Kiner — 23
1947 — Ralph Kiner — 51
1948 — Ralph Kiner — 40
1949 — Ralph Kiner — 54
1950 — Ralph Kiner — 47
1951 — Ralph Kiner — 42
1952 — Ralph Kiner — 37
1971 — Willie Stargell — 48
1973 — Willie Stargell — 44
2013 — Pedro Alvarez — 36*

• Tied with another player

Batting Average
1883 — Ed Swartwood — .357*
1900 — Honus Wagner — .381
1902 — Ginger Beaumont — .357
1903 — Honus Wagner — .355
1904 — Honus Wagner — .349
1906 — Honus Wagner — .339
1907 — Honus Wagner — .350
1908 — Honus Wagner — .354
1909 — Honus Wagner — .339
1911 — Honus Wagner — .334
1927 — Paul Waner — .373
1934 — Paul Waner — .362
1935 — Arky Vaughan — .385
1936 — Paul Waner — .373
1960 — Dick Groat — .325
1961 — Roberto Clemente — .351
1964 — Roberto Clemente — .339
1965 — Roberto Clemente — .329
1966 — Matty Alou — .342
1967 — Roberto Clemente — .357
1977 — Dave Parker — .338
1978 — Dave Parker — .334
1981 — Bill Madlock — .341
1983 — Bill Madlock — .323
2006 — Freddy Sanchez — .344

* Pittsburgh was a member of the American Association.

Runs Batted In
1901 — Honus Wagner — 126
1902 — Honus Wagner — 91
1906 — Joe Nealon — 83
1908 — Honus Wagner — 109
1909 — Honus Wagner — 100
1911 — Owen Wilson — 107
1912 — Honus Wagner — 102
1927 — Paul Waner — 131
1949 — Ralph Kiner — 127

Stolen Bases
1901 — Honus Wagner — 49
1902 — Honus Wagner — 42
1904 — Honus Wagner — 53
1907 — Honus Wagner — 61
1908 — Honus Wagner — 53
1913 — Max Carey — 61
1915 — Max Carey — 36
1916 — Max Carey — 63
1917 — Max Carey — 46
1918 — Max Carey — 58
1920 — Max Carey — 52
1922 — Max Carey — 51
1923 — Max Carey — 51
1924 — Max Carey — 49
1925 — Max Carey — 46
1926 — Kiki Cuyler — 35
1939 — Lee Handley — 17
1944 — Johnny Barrett — 28
1977 — Frank Taveras — 70
1978 — Omar Moreno — 71
1979 — Omar Moreno — 77
1997 — Tony Womack — 60
1998 — Tony Womack — 58

Wins
1886 — Ed Morris — 41*
1893 — Frank Killen — 36
1896 — Frank Killen — 30
1902 — Jack Chesbro — 28
1921 — Wilbur Cooper — 22
1925 — Ray Kremer & Lee Meadows — 20
1928 — Burleigh Grimes — 25
1930 — Ray Kremer — 20
1931 — Heinie Meine — 19
1943 — Rip Sewell — 21
1958 — Bob Friend — 22
1990 — Doug Drabek — 22

* Pittsburgh was a member of the American Association.

Strikeouts
1885 — Ed Morris — 298*
1945 — Preacher Roe — 148
1964 — Bob Veale — 250

* Pittsburgh was a member of the American Association.

Earned Run Average
1882 — Denny Driscoll — 1.21*
1895 — Pink Hawley — 3.18
1900 — Rube Waddell — 2.37
1901 — Jesse Tannehill — 2.18
1903 — Sam Leever — 2.06
1926 — Ray Kremer — 2.61
1927 — Ray Kremer — 2.47
1935 — Cy Blanton — 2.58
1955 — Bob Friend — 2.83
1987 — Rick Reuschel — 2.75**

* Pittsburgh was a member of the American Association.
** Reuschel also pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 1987.