The Pittsburgh Pirates joined professional baseball in 1887, under the name of the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. The original name was derived from Allegheny River which connects with the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River. The name changed to the "Pirates" in 1890 after the team snagged Phillies' 2nd baseman Louis Bierbauer. Despite this act of piracy, the team continued to struggle in the regular season, finishing in last place. The following two seasons showed significant improvement after the team finished within five games of the National League pennant. Led by Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner, the Pirates finally bring home a National League Championship in 1901 and end up winning three titles in a row from 1901-1903. In 1909, several years after the combination of the National and American Leagues, the Pittsburgh Pirates win their first World Championship with the help of, relatively unknown pitcher, Babe Adams' clutch performance in the World Series. The Pirates have battled for contention for the majority of the past century and have only had a few bad seasons, being lucky enough to utilize the abilities of 35 Hall-of-Famers including outfielder Roberto Clemente, first baseman Willie Stargell, and slugger Barry Bonds. The Pirates play in recently built PNC Park in Pittsburgh and have played there since 2001. The Pittsburgh Pirates' overall franchise accomplishments include five World Championships in seven World Series Appearances, nine National League pennants, and eight division titles.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have started this 2008 season with a 32-34 record, which puts them in fifth place in the National League Central division. With the loss of All-Star pitcher Matt Morris to retirement earlier this season, the Pirates have struggled to find a suitable replacement for his pitching talents. That hole has been filled admirably by Phil Dumatrait, but several adjustments have to be made by new manager John Russell for this team to make a turnaround and produce another winning season. They are currently led by Olympic Gold medal winner first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz who's entering his tenth season in the league. With this slow start, tickets sales are slow until this team learns to work together towards a turnaround for this season, hopefully leading into the playoffs.
