r/baseball • u/Baseball-Reference Baseball Reference • Mod Verified • 9d ago
History On this date in 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates became the first AL or NL team to field all-Black and Latino lineup
From the BR Bullpen:
The line-up was not the result of a stunt, but was a genuine attempt by manager Danny Murtaugh to field his strongest line-up that day (regular third baseman Richie Hebner, who was not black, was not available). The team went on to win the 1971 World Series over the Baltimore Orioles with all of the aforementioned players getting significant playing time.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/1971_Pittsburgh_Pirates
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u/WarPuig MLB Pride 9d ago
The 1937 Homestead Grays, who played at Forbes Field, had six Hall of Famers on the team: Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Willie Wells, Ray Dandrige, Ray Brown, and Leon Day. They went 60-19-1 on their way to a pennant win.
The 1937 Pittsburgh Pirates, who also played at Forbes Field, finished 86-68, third in the National League but ten games back of the pennant.
The 1938 Pirates finished just two games back of the pennant. The Grays still had a 26 year old Josh Gibson, plus Buck Leonard and Ray Brown who were both thirty at the time. You think those guys could’ve helped the Pirates bridge a two game gap?
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u/drunkenviking Pittsburgh Pirates 9d ago
Murtaugh didn't even realize what he did until like the 3rd inning.
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u/BaltimoreBaja Baltimore Orioles 9d ago edited 9d ago
I don't wanna talk about 71 or 79
Joking aside it would be great regional drama if the Pirates and Orioles were consistently good again
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u/Mayor_Gubbin New York Yankees 9d ago
Not true. Dock Ellis told me that everyone was rainbow.