Paul Rippon Net Worth, How To Pass Bearer Token In Webclient C#, Skimming Money From Register, Articles T

But the Steelers, benefitting from a generous NFL revenue sharing system badly lacking in MLB, played only 10 home games a year, not 81and so the stadium sat drowning in nearly $50 million in debt, while the Pirates were losing up to $10 million a year, borrowing more millions just to stay afloat and knocking heads with the stadium authority to sweeten the Three Rivers lease as they had been doing for years. . Contact us at This Great Game. [15][18], Ground was broken in 1968 on April 25,[15][19][20] and due to the Steelers' suggestions, the design was changed to enclose centerfield. Except, according to the Post-Gazettes Robert Dvorchak, for a gas station which closed in 1980, unable to make a profit. There was some old-timey substance to the proceedings, as 71-year-old Pirates legend Pie Traynor threw out the ceremonial first pitch; Hollywood crooner and long-time Bucs fan/part-owner Bing Crosby was among the notables in the VIP section. The stadium, set for use in late spring 1970, is the future home of the Pirates . [45] The venue also served as the premiere of the 1994 Disney film Angels in the Outfield which, despite being based around the California Angels, paid homage to the original 1951 film, which featured the Pirates in "heavenly" need.[46]. In a 1984 game, 18 fans at a Pirates game suffered burns of various degrees when a rocket from a fireworks display was accidentally fired into the crowd. [25], In their first game after the All-Star Break in 1970, the Pirates opened the stadium against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, July 16; who won, 32. (The story is disputed, but its a good one.). A jury awarded Jones $125,000, but it was reversed on appeal. (FlickrJoel Dinda). Roberto Clemente statue outside Three Rivers Stadium is shown on October 16, 1994 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Home plate is rocketed from Three Rivers Stadium to PNC Park after the final game. [26][27] The team donned new uniform designs for the first time that day, a similar plan was for new "mini-skirts" for female ushers. Costing $1.5 million, the board would be replaced after just 13 years by a Jumbotron placed higher up in the top deck. Built as a replacement for Forbes Field, which opened in 1909, the US$55 million ($406.4 million today) multi-purpose facility was designed to maximize . Pittsburgh Jazz Festival Aretha Franklin, the Staple Singers, Walt Harper, Roland Kirk, David Newman, and Herbie Mann. Stargell was a man of such power, nothing at Three Rivers seemed to be outside of his reach. Three Rivers Stadium is imploded as the first rounds of dynamite go off. The formal closing ceremony centers on home plate. [47][48] On October 1, 2000, the Pirates were defeated 109 by the Chicago Cubs in their final game at Three Rivers Stadium. It was also the site of the very first broadcast of ABCs Monday Night Footballexcept that it was a preseason game held on a Friday night between the Steelers and New York Giants. . Three Rivers Stadium implosion seen from Point State Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001. 7/13/1973. This historical marker was erected in 2006 by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Three Rivers Stadium, home to the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1970 through 2000, was located in the North Shore section of Pittsburgh. On August 9, 1970less than a month after Three Rivers openingStargell deposited his first of four home runs he would launch into the stadiums upper deck. It is in North Shore. The field was artificial turf. Youre in a bowl.. Driving directions. The Pittsburgh Steelers played their first game in Three Rivers Stadium on September 20, 1970a 19-7 loss to the Houston Oilers. An 8-by-12-foot area of the 406 marker section of the Forbes Field brick wall, 12 Romanesque window frames, and the Babe Ruth plaque showing where his 714th home run landed were in the Allegheny Club at Three Rivers. Ground was broken for the new stadiums in 1999. [72] In the 1995 AFC Championship game, the Steelers' Randy Fuller deflected a Hail Mary pass intended for Indianapolis Colts receiver Aaron Bailey as time expired, to send the franchise to their fifth Super Bowl. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). It's been 20 years since the home of the Pirates and Steelers was imploded before the new stadiums were opened. boundtree continuing education; can you be charged under ucmj after discharge. They are devoid of personality, emotionally indistinguishable even when one knows perfectly well their specific different characteristics, he wrote. This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 04:17. Initially mocked for looking like everything from a softball jersey to pajamas, the synthetic unis would start a trend that virtually every other major league team would catch on with during the 1970s and beyond. It was at this venue in 1998 where Sammy Sosa hit his Cub-franchise record 57th homer of the season, besting Hack Wilson, whose record stood for 68 years. Three Rivers has the educational foundation you need to transfer your credits or get specialized career training. Brett's All-Star win a big thrill", "Fun Facts About Pittsburgh's Ball Parks", "The house that the 'Immaculate Reception' built", "Steelers' former radio announcer Myron Cope dies at 79", Thirty Years of Stadium Rock Pittsburgh Music History, Baseball's Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories, Bill Mazeroski's 1960 World Series home run, District of Columbia Stadium/RFK Memorial Stadium, Frankford High School's Community Memorial Stadium, Municipal Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Three_Rivers_Stadium&oldid=1142567592, Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States, Defunct American football venues in the United States, Defunct baseball venues in the United States, Defunct multi-purpose stadiums in the United States, Buildings and structures demolished by controlled implosion, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, July 30, 1972: Three Dog Night (2nd tour), July 13, 1973: Pittsburgh Jazz Festival (featuring, July 14, 1973: Pittsburgh Jazz Festival (featuring, July 19, 1975: World Series of Rock (featuring, June 15, 1988: Monsters of Rock Tour featuring. The son of a saloon owner who ran a favored watering home for baseball fans in the Exposition Park era, Rooneyhimself not too bad a minor league ballplayerfirst named his team after the Pirates before changing it to the Steelers in 1940. When the dust settled, the remains were visible. You could sit in the stands and see Flagstaff Hill and Schenley Park. Three Rivers Stadium stood alone, literally, as another cookie cutter, or concrete donut, or bowl. [34] On December 23, 1972, Three Rivers Stadium was site to the Immaculate Reception, which became regarded as one of the greatest plays in NFL history. [51] The demolition cost $5.1million and used 4,800 pounds (2,180kg) of explosive. what was bolivar's ultimate goal? [12] An early design of the stadium included plans to situate the stadium atop a bridge across the Monongahela River. Free shipping for many products! Three Rivers Stadium and sports on the Northside of Pittsburgh Three Rivers Stadium Plaque. The perfect storm hit the Bucs after the 1992 season, facing an offseason in which free agents Bonds, ace pitcher Doug Drabek and Gold Glove second baseman Jose Lind all departed for richer teams in bigger markets because the Pirates simply lacked the capital to retain them. The rancor became so R-rated that, by 1985, the Pirates set up a G-rated family section at Three Rivers that forbade profanity and alcohol. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. Three Rivers Stadium Fun Facts: Opened in 1971 with a seating capacity of 59,000 for football. It was named in February 1969 for its location at the confluence of the Allegheny and . The reverse could be said for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers during the first of three decades they called Three Rivers Stadium home: Seemingly, everything the gold (and black) touched turned them into kings. Franco Harriss Immaculate Reception happened there on Dec. 23, 1972. Pittsburgh mayor David L. Lawrence first brought up the idea of a civic-owned sports building in 1947, but it would take eight years for joint city-county agencies to seriously begin pondering where, when and how. Steven Adams is a Tribune-Review manager/photography. July 3, 2022 In consider how sergei reacts when yoni comes to the door. [65] Game one of the 1970 NLCS, at Three Rivers Stadium, was the first postseason baseball game to be played on an artificial surface. After thirty years of being locked in at Three Rivers Stadium, who can blame them. Pittsburgh Pirates Team History A decade-by-decade history of the Pirates, the ballparks theyve played in, and the four people who are on the franchises Mount Rushmore. Graphics are awesome on this item. Opened on July 16, 1970. [15][17] Arguments were made by commissioner (and former Allegheny County Medical Examiner) Dr. William McCelland that the Pirates and Steelers should fund a higher percentage of the $33million project ($275.6 million today). Wehner went into detail as to just how he got that baseball back. Past skippers including Jim Leyland, Chuck Tanner and Bill Virdon joined manager Gene Lamont to deliver the Pirates lineup. [42] The stadium hosted various Jehovah's Witnesses conventions, including international conventions in 1973 and 1978, and a centennial conference in 1984. Skunks were said to live under the stadium. [35][36] It had a dirt skin infield on the basepaths for baseball through 1972,[26] until converted to "sliding pits" at the bases for 1973. The North Side, that industrial wasteland, was making a serious bid to become the place to see and be seen in Pittsburgh. Koch received most of the cocaine from a freelance photographer named Dale Shiffman, who in later grand jury testimony claimed that two-thirds of the Pirates roster were buyers. [18] [28] A parade was held before opening ceremonies. Deciding the where was the easy part; little debate was spent on the choice to place a new stadium across from downtown on the north side of the Allegheny, an ugly hodgepodge of industrial blight strewn with abandoned warehouses and neglected trainyards. Sister Sledge, the We Are Family authors from the Bucs fabled 1979 campaign, reunited to sing the National Anthem. The look of the stadium, meanwhile, would be the responsibility of Deeter Ritchey Sipple (DRS), which drew up the beautiful downtown plaza Mellon Square and the highly acclaimed Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, the first sports structure with a retractable roof. While the Pirates and the public powers couldnt tear down Three Rivers and copy Oriole Park at Camden Yards upon its footprintnot yet, anywaythey did try to give the stadium a more colorful and cozier vibe. PITTSBURGH STEELERS THREE RIVERS STADIUM TWO RED SEATS - 1 & 2 Pre-Owned $1,000.00 angelica1 (54,658) 99.6% Buy It Now Free local pickup 40 watchers Sponsored Franco Harris Signed Steelers Seat Bracket From Three Rivers Stadium W/COA $250.00 firstrounder1988 (420) 100% or Best Offer +$22.80 shipping Sponsored [66] In 1979, the Pirates again won a World Championship, yet again defeating the Baltimore Orioles in a seven-game World Series. 40 26.717 N, 80 0.833 W. Marker is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in Allegheny County. Thousands of souvenirs had already made their way into the hands of fans. The ballpark has a seating capacity of 41,500 with the main three tier grandstand stretching from the right field foul pole to home plate and down, and around the left field foul pole. [23][24] It would sometimes be called The House That Clemente Built after Pirates' right-fielder Roberto Clemente. Ballplayers initially embraced the Parrot as wellthough not for the same reason as the fans. Photographed By Unknown, September 30, 1972. Losing the view of downtown was a bitter bill for Ritchey to swallow; he would ultimately call Three Rivers Stadium his biggest disappointment as an architect. The longest game at the stadium was played on August 6, 1989, when Jeff King hit a walk-off home run 5hours and 42minutes into the 18-inning contest, as the Pirates once again beat the Cubs 54. It also featured a Pirates Hall of Fame which, at one stage, included wax figures of Honus Wagner, Pie Traynor and Roberto Clemente wearing the uniforms of their times. It is in North Shore in Pittsburgh in Allegheny County Pennsylvania, Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, August 20, 2012. Thirty years after feeling stuck and helpless at an aging Forbes Field, the Pirates began to get that sinking feeling all over again at Three Rivers. Players might have had a chance to enjoy the Allegheny Club after the game, but left fielders in particular didnt care for it during; the reflection of the stadiums lights off the clubs mass faade of windows made catching line drives in left an adventure. The implosion of Three Rivers Stadium with the Fort Duquesne Bridge over the Allegheny River. location, location, location. By this time, the Pirates publicly threw their hands up and declared that perhaps a move out of town wouldnt be such a bad idea. Dave Parker, who had the most hits at Three Rivers with 781, also had the longest hit streak in the stadiums history at 22 gameswhich he did twice, in 1977 and 1979. Phil Hundley, a Deeter Ritchey Sipple architect who was not intricately involved in the Three Rivers Stadium project but was around in 2020 to talk about it, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: It had retail. You or your group will be treated to an all-inclusive premium buffet while enjoying the game from one of the best vantage points in the ballpark. Open now. Homestead Grays (1939-1948) Vital statistics: Lifetime Capacity Outfield dimensions (feet) Behind home plate Fence height The Clem Criteria: Built Demo-lished LF LC CF RC RF Field asymm. Built as a replacement for Forbes Field, which opened in 1909, the US$55million ($406.4 million today) multi-purpose facility was designed to maximize efficiency. If the Pittsburgh Pirates sense that theyre being ignored by their faithful at PNC Park, they shouldnt take it personally; after all, the teams only competition isnt sitting in the visitors dugout. The idea came from Forbes Field, Ritchey told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2001 of his ballpark design. Marker is at the intersection of Art Rooney Avenue and North Shore Drive, on the left when traveling north on Art Rooney Avenue. The broadcast crew consisted of the original MNF trio of Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith. [49] Two months later on December 16, 2000, the Steelers concluded play at Three Rivers Stadium, with a 243 victory over the Washington Redskins.[50]. Besides the new stadium itself, there was synthetic Tartan Turf on the field, a cushier, more agreeable alternative to AstroTurf; and the Pirates broke out of the clubhouse as the first team to wear double-knit, buttonless jerseys. Yes, Three Rivers Stadium was another one of those venues people now love to hate: A perfectly circular hunk of concrete largely adorned with slightly angled spectator ramps perfectly spaced between four large welcoming gates. The particular spot for the new stadium was, in fact, once upon a time the same site as Exposition Park, the Pirates first home. [38][39] The field originally used "Gamesaver vacuum vehicles" to dry the surface, though they were later replaced by an underground drainage system. It was to call for a 70,000-seat stadium with hotels, marina, and a 100-lane bowling alley. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. Can you believe its been 20 years since Three Rivers Stadium came crashing down? Three Rivers Stadium was simply not a good place to take in a game. Never mind the possibility of the 100-year flood wreaking havoc on such a complex structure; the U.S. Department of Defense was more concerned with the potentially devastating impact from an act of terrorismbefore that word became a thingand nixed the idea. Tuesday 00:00 . We had some immaculate times at Three Rivers Stadium.#SteelersHistory #ImmaculateReception pic.twitter.com/F5xEbYOd3j, Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 12, 2018. Mary Ann Wellener, with the help of her son Paul, places a pair of seats from Three Rivers Stadium on the grave of her husband Paul Wellener III, in Mount Lebanon Cemetery where they hope to have them permanently mounted, Jan. 6, 2001. It had office buildings. (Historic Pittsburgh), On July 16, 1970, they finally played ball at Three Rivers Stadium. 7/30/1972. When Rooney passed away in 1988, his officealready drenched with reference books and memorabiliabecame a library. Three Rivers structural concrete was grounded down and recycled for nearby parking lots. They could even look to the outside and see downtown, the three rivers and the hills beyond. The dual-sport structure had been the epicenter of Pittsburgh sports for 30 years since opening on July 16, 1970. The charges detonated in rapid sequence, and the walls tumbled. 104 View Of Three Rivers Stadium Premium High Res Photos Browse 104 view of three rivers stadium stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Attendance, abetted by a full-blown depression in Pittsburgh with 23% unemployment at one point, dipped well below a million; in 1983, the Pirates drew their smallest-ever crowd at Three Rivers when a gathering of 1,970 showed up. Forty years earlier, Art Rooney had paid $2,500 he had floating around from winnings at the racetrack to purchase an expansion National Football League team in Pittsburgh. You can see the top of Fort Pittsburgh Bridge (I-279) at the bottom. In his heyday, everything King Midas touched turned to gold. The man got out, ran onto the field and began kicking footballs through the goalposts. When the United States Football League placed a franchise at Three Rivers Stadium in 1984, a name-the-team contest was won by a local man who came up with Maulers. His prize was a lifetime pass to the teams home games; the Maulers lasted only one year. Its spaciousness was evident from the outside; tall windows stretched upward and across, allowing patrons on cascading levels of table seating and barstools to enjoy the game while eating and/or imbibing. [71] A Steelers symbol recognized worldwide, The Terrible Towel debuted on December 27, 1975, at Three Rivers Stadium. Three Rivers Stadium presented itself as a fairer alternative to Forbes Field with its boilerplate field dimensions; no longer did Willie Stargell nor any other player have to drive a ball 400 feet and then hope that it cleared the fence. The outfield wall was a 10-foot wooden fence which eventually got covered with paddingand thank goodness for that when, in a 1998 game, the Pirates Turner Ward ran right through the right-field wall while (successfully) making a catch on a Mike Piazza fly ball. But topping all of the above has to be, by all accounts, the most bizarre incident in the history of Three Rivers Stadium. Fans embraced the Steelers in a way never felt by the Pirates; blue-collar fans somehow scraped up enough cash to fill the joint over and over againfrom 1972 on, the Steelers sold out every game at Three Riversand formed rabid fan groups celebrating players from Franco Harris to placekicker Roy Gerela. But not everything was hauled away for disposal. The initiative's defeat led to the development of "Plan B", an alternate funding proposal that used a combination of monies from the Allegheny Regional Asset District (an extra 1% sales tax levied on Allegheny County), state and federal monies and a number of other sources. Details Three Rivers Stadium Facts Cost to build: $55 million ($383.5 million today) Ground Broken:. By the mid-1990s, nobody was making money at Three Rivers, except the Steelerswho continued to sell out every game. A 16-year-old boy won a raffle to push the button that began the detonation. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, County of Allegheny Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, Southwestern Pennsylvania World War II Memorial. Three Rivers Stadium implosion seen from Point State Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001. But the debt needed to be paid and the crowds, as misbehaved as they often were, were massive. At the time, the stadium still had a debt of just less than . Bid History for Three Rivers Stadium Seats Auction Start Date: 01/17/17 8:35 AM ET Auction End Date: 01/24/17 8:54 PM ET . [15] Construction continued, though it became plagued with problems such as thieves stealing materials from the building site. The former home of the Pirates . [33][62] The first pitch was thrown by Dock Ellisa striketo Ty Cline. Jun 06, 1999. Following the season on New Years Eve, Clemente boarded a DC-7 in his native Puerto Rico on its way to Nicaragua to provide aid for victims of a recent earthquake; the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean moments after takeoff, killing Clemente and four others onboard. The concourse areas were dark and dingy. Three Rivers Stadium had a beverage contract with Coca-Cola throughout its history. It was a cold Sunday, Feb. 11 20 years ago that a demolition crew reduced Three Rivers Stadium to a heap of rubble and twisted steel. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Throngs of people gather at Point State Park to get a view of the implosion. Advertisement. Doug Harvey hands Roberto Clemente the ball after he doubled off the Mets' Jon Matlack for his 3,000th career hit on September 30, 1972. Even the pleasing evergreen views beyond the fences from inside Forbes Field were rapidly being overcome by industry and other inevitable forms of development. A look at Three Rivers Stadium from the top of the upper-deck bleacher seats. All good things come to an end. However, the ushers' union declined the uniform change for female workers. PNC Park grandly looks out toward downtown Pittsburgh and is constantly acknowledged as one of baseballs best ballparks. Three Rivers Stadium implosion as seen from Point State Park. Forbes Field wasnt getting any younger, the Pirates patience was thinning, and the university was standing by with the wrecking ball, fingers tapping on the lever. The Ballparks: PNC Park If the Pittsburgh Pirates sense that theyre being ignored by their faithful at PNC Park, they shouldnt take it personally; after all, the teams only competition isnt sitting in the visitors dugout. . Spectators are easily distracted by mesmerizing views of downtown Pittsburgh, the Allegheny River and the Sixth Street Bridge, now named after Pirates legend Roberto Clemente. [11] The stadium was located in a hard-to-access portion of downtown, making it hard in later years to get in before games and leave after games. After its closing, Three Rivers Stadium was imploded in 2001, and the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers moved into newly built dedicated stadiums: PNC Park and Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium), respectively. Many other witnesses agreed. It was also the first playoff victory in franchise history. The 1970s: A crowning decade . The Sporting News Leonard Koppett admitted that Three Rivers and its modern ilk were admirably practical buildings, containing creature comforts and working facilities undreamed of in the old days, but he well understood their flaws. Try restaurant style recipes at home. Baseballs acceleration of free agency dollars exposed the widening gulf between big and small markets, and the Pirates clearly represented the latter. [30][31] Due to their similar design these stadiums were nicknamed "cookie-cutter" or "concrete doughnut" ballparks. The Pirates were not using the pending eviction to leave town; the university would, in fact, be patiently gracious in letting Forbes Field remain standing and active as long as the Pirates needed it. In 1979, the Pirates introduced the Pirate Parrot, a mascot patterned after the successful debut of the Phillie Phanatic in Philadelphia a year earlier. [57], On September 30, 2012, members of the Society for American Baseball Research marked and painted the home plate and first base of the former stadium on the 40th Anniversary of Roberto Clemente's 3,000th hit.[58]. The expansive parking lot, both Pirates and Steelers team offices, the Allegheny Club (VIP Club) and the press boxes and facilities were not opened until weeks later due to extended labor union work stoppages. Adjacent Acrisure Stadium, clad with 68,000 yellow seats, retains the rabid enthusiasm of Steelers fans. The model of the stadium, revealed at the end of 1964, was eye candy on a prime level; a 54,000-seat venue with an overhang that protected 70% of the fans, thinning out and angling downward toward the river; private suites; and two restaurants, one open year-round. She sued the Pirates and their subsidiary that managed the stadium, arguing that the Baseball Rule, which usually prevents spectators at baseball games from holding teams liable for foul ball injuries, did not apply because she was away from the seating areas and not watching what was going on on the field. Downtown Pittsburgh peaks over the top of the other side. It contained a symmetrical monotony with all the personality of a breakfast buffet bowla bowl detached from the river in a wasteland of parking areas, wrote author Rob Lubove. The Pirates may have been overtaken by the Steelers as Pittsburghs most adored, but they still had Mojo; an aging but still dangerous Willie Stargell was joined by a colorful cast of characters that included burly MVP-level slugger Dave Parker, the tirelessly skinny and bespectacled reliever Kent Tekulve, and 67 starting pitcher John Candelaria, who threw the Bucs first no-hitter at Three Rivers in 1976. Dave Nightengale wrote of the stadium having all the life of a funeral parlor. The Pirates werent complaining either; they all but bookended the decade hoisting a pair of World Series trophies, while winning four other National League East Division titles. Three Rivers Stadium Three Rivers Stadium and sports on the Northside of Pittsburgh Operating as usual 10/01/2022 Remembering Roberto: Home plate memorial honoring his 3,000th hit to be placed in the North Shore https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/remembering-roberto-home-plate-memorial-honoring-his-3000th-hit-to-be-placed-in-the-north-shore/ Since 1909, Forbes Field was one of baseballs more elite ballparks, an ornate palace for the National Pastime that the team and its fans could feel proud of. Over 20,000 people viewed the implosion from Point State Park. Over 494 career at-bats at the stadium, he batted .337; no other player had a higher average in as many at-bats at Three Rivers. Explore Academic Pathways Upcoming Events See All Events Mar 03 Cinderella 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Tinnin Fine Arts Center View Event Mar 05 Everyone Is a Raider Day 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm View Event Mar 07 Join Choir Jam 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm In the aftermath of his death, fans and reporters alike lobbied to have Three Rivers renamed after Clemente, but the effort never gained enough traction. That decision was in turn reversed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which agreed with her argument about the Baseball Rule and also noted that the opening to the concourse through which the foul had passed was a purely architectural choice that was not necessary to the game of baseball. Roberto Clemente, aging like fine wine at 37, batted .341 and dominated the postseason to followhitting .387, shining on defense from the outfield, and earning World Series MVP honors as the Bucs came back from an early 2-0 series hole to defeat the Baltimore Orioles in seven games. Photographed By Harry S. Coughanour, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, circa 1970. Not even their rousing World Series season of 1960, capped by Bill Mazeroskis legendary walk-off homer in the seventh game against the New York Yankees, sped up the clock on any timetable. This is the greatest day of my life, he told reporters. A proposal for a new sports stadium in Pittsburgh was first made in 1948; however, plans did not attract much attention until the late 1950s. The National League won the game 72 and the Pirates' Ken Brett was the winning pitcher. They slapped tarps in the upper reaches of the top deck to reduce capacity by 10,000; placed ads on the outfield walls; opened a caf behind the left-field fence, which had slats cut out so patrons could view the game; replaced the original red-and-gold seats with new ones painted in blue; and opened a full-scale restaurant, featuring two bars serving microbrews, near the southeast entrance with glass windows looking out towards downtown Pittsburgh. Ritchey was vetoed on the twin-stadium concept but, for the moment, was able to retain his open-air design for the multi-purpose concept. Approximate Location of Three Rivers Stadium Left Field Corner Looking Toward Home Plate. But a return to the championship podium, reviving memories of Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell, remained elusive; they lost the 1990 NLCS to the Reds in six games, led the 1991 NLCS against Atlanta three games to two before being shut out twice at Three Rivers to bow out, then lost again to the Braves in 1992 when, with a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth in Game Seven, they gave up three runs to suffer a third straight pennant defeat. Though spacious Forbes Field was perfectly suited for Clementes brand of line-drive hitting, he found Three Rivers to be no problem. Despite the last-game loss, Three Rivers ended up being very, very good for the Piratesat least on the field, where they finished with a 1,324-1,081 record.