1952 Pittsburgh Pirates season

Last updated

1952  Pittsburgh Pirates
League National League
Ballpark Forbes Field
City Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania [1]
Owners John W. Galbreath (majority shareholder); Bing Crosby, Thomas P. Johnson, Branch Rickey (minority shareholders)
General managers Branch Rickey
Managers Billy Meyer
Radio WWSW
Rosey Rowswell, Bob Prince
←  1951 Seasons 1953  →

The 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the team's 71st season in Major League Baseball, and their 66th season in the National League. The Pirates posted a record of 42 wins and 112 losses, their worst record since 1890, and one of the worst in major league history.

Contents

Offseason

The Pirates were led in 1952 by 70-year-old general manager Branch Rickey and 60-year-old manager Billy Meyer. Meyer had led Pittsburgh to a last-place finish in the National League in 1950. After Rickey was installed as general manager, the Pirates were second-to-last in 1951. Tension was high as the two-year contract of their star slugger, Ralph Kiner, expired before the 1952 season. Kiner was the premier power hitter in baseball, having won the previous six National League home run titles. [2] Rickey voiced what he viewed as inconsistent levels of commitment by Kiner when talking to the media. Kiner received permission to instead negotiate directly with owner John W. Galbreath and agreed to a reported one-year, $90,000 contract, making him the highest-paid player in the National League. Kiner was signed, but the most famous Pirate of all, 78-year-old Hall of Fame member Honus Wagner, decided to retire from his part-time coaching duties with the team. His number was retired, and he was given a lifetime pass to Forbes Field. [3]

Rickey wanted to hold a tryout for dozens of kids from the low minor league levels, and his plan was largely supported by Bing Crosby and the rest of the team's ownership. Rickey hired his former scout and coach Clyde Sukeforth, who had scouted Jackie Robinson for Rickey in the 1940s. Several top young prospects, like Vern Law and Danny O'Connell, were called to military service for the Korean War, and the more experienced Danny Murtaugh retired to accept a minor league managing position. Expectations were high for 23-year-old outfielder Gus Bell to support Kiner in the lineup. Murry Dickson, who had won 21 games in 1951, nearly a third of the entire team's win total, was once again expected to be the anchor of the pitching rotation. [3]

Notable transactions

Regular season

Season summary

A season to forget

The Pirates struggled throughout spring training in 1952. [5] Gus Bell missed training time due to family-related car problems and illness and was sent to the minor leagues. [3] Towards the end of spring training, pitcher Bill Werle was suspended indefinitely and fined $500, only the third player fined in over two decades of Billy Meyer's managing career. [6] Werle professed his innocence and was reinstated before Opening Day but he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals two weeks later. [7]

Thirteen rookies made the Pirates' Opening Day roster, including four teenagers: Bobby Del Greco, Tony Bartirome, Jim Waugh and Lee Walls. [3] After four games, Pittsburgh's record was 2–2 but they quickly tumbled to the bottom of the majors by losing 16 of their next 17 games. [8] The early two-game winning streak matched the longest they would see all year. [9] Their top three pitchers combined to win just one of their first nine games started. [10] Kiner's hitting was affected by the lack of support as well as back problems and his batting average was under .220 several weeks into the season. Kiner's difficulties and a club-earned run average over five resulted in a 5–28 record in mid-May. [11] Gus Bell returned from the minors on May 12 and hit for some power but Kiner hit only .241 with 13 home runs and 31 RBIs in the first half which ended with Pittsburgh at 21–59. [11] [12] 21-year-old Dick Groat was one of the Pirates' few bright spots in the first half with four hits in his first three games, but others went into long slumps like Jack Merson's 0-for-35, Clyde McCullough's 0-for-24 and Tony Bartirome's 0-for-29. [11]

The second half soon resembled the first with a 2–11 stretch in mid-July. [8] They were mathematically eliminated from pennant contention on August 6 with more than six weeks left to play. [9] In early August, Pittsburgh called up 20-year-old pitcher Ron Necciai from the minors. Necciai had pitched a legendary 27-strikeout game in the minors but gave up five runs in his first inning in the majors. [13] Necciai not only finished the season with poor numbers but also injured his arm and never again pitched in the majors. [11] Branch Rickey's youth movement, derided as "Operation Peach Fuzz", continued unabated. [10] On August 20, the average age of Pittsburgh's starting lineup was only 23 with Kiner and Garagiola being the only non-rookies. [13] On September 5, pitcher Bill Bell made his major league debut at age 18. [14] Including Bell, seven of the eight youngest players in the National League in 1952 were Pittsburgh Pirates. [15] The "Rickey Dinks", as they were sometimes called, were not only young but small. In one game, the entire infield was less than six feet tall. [10]

The Pirate's difficulties reached off the field as well. Ralph Kiner, enduring his worst season to date, received a death threat in an attempt to extort $6,200. Rather than pay, he contacted the authorities and was kept under guard for a time. [11] Financially, Pittsburgh's attendance was the lowest since World War II, falling more than 30% short of the one million budgeted. [9] Branch Rickey sometimes saved money by sending only 21 players on road trips. [11] The final losses for the franchise, including minor leagues and bonuses, were $800,000. [9]

Billy Meyer resigned as manager on September 27, the second-to-last day of the season. [11]

Final results

When the season mercifully ended, Pittsburgh's final record was 42–112. The winning percentage and number of losses were the worst for the franchise since the 1890 season (which was greatly affected by the inclusion of the Players' League) and the worst for any franchise since the 1935 Boston Braves. [16] [17] Since 1952, the only non-expansion team to finish worse has been the 2003 Detroit Tigers. [17]

A few individuals came away with positive notes. A late-season home run surge by Ralph Kiner brought him his seventh consecutive home run championship (he finished tied with Hank Sauer with 37 on the year). It was also his last. [11] Dick Groat finished at .284 and was third in National League Rookie of the Year voting. [11] [18] Joe Garagiola logged the most playing time of his career and hit .273 with a career-high 54 RBIs, third most on the team behind only Kiner and Gus Bell. [11]

On the flip side, teenagers Tony Bartirome and Bobby Del Greco were regulars but neither hit over .220. Seven other players had at least 40 at-bats but hit under .200. [11] Kiner's home run total (37) was more than the next four highest on the team combined (16, 8, 7, 5). As a team, Pittsburgh was last in the National League in runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, batting average, slugging percentage, complete games, ERA, walks allowed, home runs allowed, fielding percentage and errors committed. [9] [11] Murry Dickson, who won 21 games in 1951, lost 20 games in 1952, going 14–20. Only three other pitchers won more than two games. [11] The pitching staff walked 615 opposing batters while striking out only 564, with 16 different players starting a game during the season. [19]

Among their young players, only Jim Waugh – the youngest – played in the majors again before 1955. Waugh played in 1953, his last year; Ron Necciai and Tony Bartirome never played in the majors after 1952; Bill Bell pitched one inning in 1955, his last; and Bobby Del Greco, Lee Walls and Ron Kline had longer careers but not until several years later. Dick Groat and pitcher Bob Friend were the only players to endure the 1952 season who also played with the 1960 World Series champion Pirates.

Anecdotes, etc.

The failure of the 1952 Pirates was the source of several anecdotes and side stories. Pittsburgh Press writer Les Biederman recalled an earlier humorous practice by giving Dick Groat a dime while he was in an 0-for-19 slump. When Groat broke out of the slump with a 5-for-5 game, Biederman gave Kiner a quarter with similar positive results so Biederman continued giving coins to various Pirates. [11] Joe Garagiola, the regular catcher for the 1952 Pirates, frequently used the team's struggles in his later career as a baseball sportscaster with lines like, "They talk about Pearl Harbor being something; they should have seen the 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates" and "In an eight-team league, we should've finished ninth." [5] [11]

Season standings

National League 		W L Pct. GB Home Road
Brooklyn Dodgers 96570.627—45–3351–24
New York Giants 92620.5974½50–2742–35
St. Louis Cardinals 88660.5718½48–2940–37
Philadelphia Phillies 87670.5659½47–2940–38
Chicago Cubs 77770.50019½42–3535–42
Cincinnati Reds 69850.44827½38–3931–46
Boston Braves 64890.4183231–4533–44
Pittsburgh Pirates 421120.27354½23–5419–58

Record vs. opponents

1952 National League record

Sources:

TeamBOSBRCHCCINNYGPHIPITSTL
Boston —3–18–112–109–139–139–1315–7–17–15
Brooklyn 18–3–1—13–9–117–58–1410–1219–311–11
Chicago 10–129–13–1—13–910–1210–1214–811–11
Cincinnati 13–95–179–13—6–1610–1216–610–12
New York 13–914–812–1016–6—10–1215–712–10
Philadelphia 13–912–1012–1012–1012–10—16–610–12
Pittsburgh 7–15–13–198–146–167–156–16—5–17
St. Louis 15–711–1111–1112–1010–1212–1017–5—

Game log

1952 Game Log: 42–112 (Home: 23–54; Away: 19–58)
April: 3–12 (Home: 2–7; Away: 1–5)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
1April 15@ Cardinals 2–3StaleyDickson (0–1)Brazle15,8500–1
2April 16@ Cardinals 5–6ChambersPollet (0–1)Brazle4,3240–2
3April 17@ Cardinals 5–3Muir (1–0)YuhasWilks (1)4,9071–2
4April 18 Reds 3–0Friend (1–0)Blackwell—29,8742–2
5April 19 Reds 3–9WehmeierQueen (0–1)—10,2712–3
6April 20 Reds 6–8PerkowskiDickson (0–2)Byerly2–4
7April 20 Reds 2–12HillerPollet (0–2)—23,7322–5
8April 21 Cubs 1–7MinnerKline (0–1)—12,3782–6
9April 22 Cubs 2–13RushFriend (1–1)—9,3212–7
10April 25 Cardinals 4–6StaleyMuir (1–1)Brazle1,9452–8
11April 26@ Reds 2–9WehmeierDickson (0–3)Smith4,2392–9
12April 27@ Reds 2–8RaffensbergerFriend (1–2)—2–10
13April 27@ Reds 0–1HillerPollet (0–3)—16,4272–11
14April 29 Braves 1–5SpahnFriend (1–3)—10,0082–12
15April 30 Braves 11–5Dickson (1–3)ColeWilks (2)2,8613–12
May: 7–21 (Home: 6–11; Away: 1–10)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
16May 1 Giants 5–13HearnQueen (0–2)—4,8013–13
17May 2 Giants 3–5 (10)WilhelmWilks (0–1)Spencer17,1113–14
18May 3 Giants 2–3MaglieKline (0–2)—7,4513–15
19May 4 Dodgers 0–6ErskineDickson (1–4)—19,3223–16
20May 5 Dodgers 1–5 (8)BrancaFriend (1–4)—3,6523–17
21May 6 Phillies 0–6RobertsCarlsen (0–1)—9,0083–18
22May 7 Phillies 5–1Pollet (1–3)Meyer—7,2914–18
23May 10@ Cubs 1–3RushDickson (1–5)—7,4384–19
24May 11@ Cubs 2–8MinnerKline (0–3)—4–20
25May 11@ Cubs 11–2Friend (2–4)Klippstein—14,8455–20
26May 13@ Braves 1–3BickfordPollet (1–4)—2,8315–21
27May 14@ Braves 3–4 (10)SurkontMain (0–1)—1,1055–22
28May 15@ Dodgers 0–2LoesDickson (1–6)—14,4025–23
29May 16@ Dodgers 4–6LabineMain (0–2)—3,3855–24
30May 17@ Dodgers 7–12WadeKline (0–4)—11,0675–25
31May 19@ Giants 0–4MagliePollet (1–5)—4,4615–26
32May 21@ Phillies 3–7RobertsDickson (1–7)—6,2025–27
33May 22@ Phillies 0–6SimmonsMunger (0–1)—3,0655–28
34May 23 Cubs 6–5 (13)Wilks (1–1)Hacker—8,4966–28
35May 24 Cubs 5–7MinnerPollet (1–6)Klippstein3,1186–29
36May 25 Cubs 4–5HackerWilks (1–2)Leonard5,1116–30
37May 26 Reds 6–3Friend (3–4)Hiller—6,1717–30
38May 27 Reds 4–5 (14)SmithMain (0–3)—2,1507–31
39May 28 Reds 2–5RaffensbergerMunger (0–2)—6,1867–32
40May 29 Reds 4–2Dickson (2–7)Perkowski—1,0708–32
41May 30 Cardinals 2–3YuhasFriend (3–5)Brazle8–33
42May 30 Cardinals 4–3LaPalme (1–0)Staley—19,5469–33
43May 31 Phillies 5–3Muir (2–1)PossehlMain (1)6,42510–33
June: 8–20 (Home: 5–10; Away: 3–10)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
44June 1 Phillies 1–5SimmonsDickson (2–8)—10–34
45June 1 Phillies 2–1Wilks (2–2)Drews—15,52911–34
46June 3 Dodgers 4–6BrancaMunger (0–3)Rutherford19,45211–35
47June 4 Dodgers 4–7ErskineFriend (3–6)Loes14,42111–36
48June 5 Dodgers 0–2WadeMain (0–4)—6,32811–37
49June 6 Giants 8–1Dickson (3–8)Maglie—20,16312–37
50June 7 Giants 5–7SpencerMain (0–5)Lanier7,65612–38
51June 8 Giants 1–9JansenPollet (1–7)—13,94212–39
52June 9 Braves 2–3WilsonFriend (3–7)—6,97312–40
53June 10 Braves 7–5Wilks (3–2)Spahn—10,93413–40
54June 11 Braves 5–0Dickson (4–8)Surkont—9,41514–40
55June 12 Braves 2–11BurdetteMuir (2–2)—3,22314–41
56June 14@ Phillies 2–4MeyerFriend (3–8)Konstanty5,03314–42
57June 15@ Phillies 6–0Pollet (2–7)Drews—15–42
58June 15@ Phillies 3–6FoxDickson (4–9)Konstanty12,52515–43
59June 16@ Phillies 4–5KonstantyLaPalme (1–1)—2,21015–44
60June 17@ Giants 6–2Main (1–5)Gregg—11,31716–44
61June 18@ Giants 2–5HearnFriend (3–9)—3,34616–45
62June 19@ Giants 8–1Dickson (5–9)Jansen—6,36917–45
63June 20@ Dodgers 4–5LabineWilks (3–3)—4,67917–46
64June 21@ Dodgers 4–14LoesMain (1–6)Erskine13,33517–47
65June 23@ Braves 3–9JohnsonFriend (3–10)—2,65417–48
66June 24@ Braves 3–4WilsonDickson (5–10)—3,73617–49
67June 25@ Braves 2–5SurkontPollet (2–8)—1,41417–50
68June 27 Cardinals 4–6YuhasMuir (2–3)Brazle16,13317–51
69June 28 Cardinals 3–4YuhasDickson (5–11)—5,41717–52
70June 29 Cardinals 2–1 (5)Pollet (3–8)Boyer—14,87018–52
71June 30@ Cubs 4–5KlippsteinFriend (3–11)—5,98318–53
July: 10–21 (Home: 4–8; Away: 6–13)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
72July 1@ Cubs 3–2Main (2–6)RamsdellWilks (3)9,93519–53
73July 2@ Cubs 3–8MinnerDickson (5–12)—19–54
74July 2@ Cubs 0–3 (8)HackerKline (0–5)—16,54319–55
75July 3@ Reds 1–5ChurchPollet (3–9)—1,80719–56
76July 4@ Reds 4–2Friend (4–11)Perkowski—20–56
77July 4@ Reds 5–2Fisher (1–0)NuxhallWilks (4)8,25321–56
78July 5@ Cardinals 0–5BrazleMain (2–7)—15,62521–57
79July 6@ Cardinals 5–6YuhasDickson (5–13)—21–58
80July 6@ Cardinals 4–6BrecheenFriend (4–12)—17,04821–59
81July 10 Giants 6–4 (12)Wilks (4–3)Spencer—15,22622–59
82July 11 Giants 6–2Dickson (6–13)Maglie—4,48223–59
83July 12 Braves 2–5BickfordFriend (4–13)—4,99923–60
84July 13 Braves 2–4SurkontFisher (1–1)—23–61
85July 13 Braves 1–2JesterWilks (4–4)—12,37323–62
86July 15 Phillies 3–10SimmonsPollet (3–10)—10,24423–63
87July 16 Phillies 7–8RobertsDickson (6–14)Hansen2,56923–64
88July 17 Phillies 2–1Hogue (1–0)Meyer—24–64
89July 17 Phillies 4–2Wilks (5–4)Drews—5,30425–64
90July 18 Dodgers 2–6LoesFriend (4–14)Black19,68125–65
91July 19 Dodgers 1–9ErskinePollet (3–11)—5,66225–66
92July 20 Dodgers 5–8WadeDickson (6–15)Black14,49025–67
93July 22@ Phillies 4–14MeyerHogue (1–1)—25–68
94July 22@ Phillies 1–8DrewsMain (2–8)Hansen11,21325–69
95July 23@ Phillies 1–4RidzikFriend (4–15)Roberts4,61125–70
96July 25@ Braves 3–2Dickson (7–15)Spahn—4,12626–70
97July 26@ Braves 6–4Pollet (4–11)Jester—2,00627–70
98July 27@ Braves 2–5BickfordHogue (1–2)Burdette27–71
99July 27@ Braves 3–3 (11)—3,71927–71
100July 29@ Dodgers 7–1Dickson (8–15)Loes—11,80728–71
101July 30@ Dodgers 3–4 (10)BlackFriend (4–16)—5,11028–72
102July 31@ Dodgers 6–7 (11)BlackLaPalme (1–2)—28–73
103July 31@ Dodgers 1–4LandrumMain (2–9)—28–74
August: 10–20 (Home: 5–15; Away: 5–5)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
104August 1@ Giants 3–7HearnFisher (1–2)—10,45828–75
105August 2@ Giants 3–4 (6)WilhelmDickson (8–16)—4,17428–76
106August 3@ Giants 7–0Dickson (9–16)Lanier—29–76
107August 3@ Giants 10–8 (6)Pollet (5–11)JansenMain (2)17,96530–76
108August 5 Cardinals 3–4 (12)PreskoHogue (1–3)—10,23530–77
109August 6 Cardinals 2–7 (10)BrazleWilks (5–5)—30–78
110August 6 Cardinals 2–3BoyerMain (2–10)Yuhas11,99930–79
111August 8 Cubs 1–0 (10)Dickson (10–16)Rush—8,50331–79
112August 9 Cubs 4–3Waugh (1–0)Kelly—4,19632–79
113August 10 Cubs 5–9HackerNecciai (0–1)Leonard32–80
114August 10 Cubs 3–4MinnerPollet (5–12)Leonard17,77332–81
115August 11 Reds 4–10WehmeierHogue (1–4)Smith9,30432–82
116August 14@ Cardinals 5–3 (10)Dickson (11–16)Presko—9,52433–82
117August 15@ Cardinals 4–5BrazleMain (2–11)—6,11533–83
118August 16@ Cubs 2–1Pollet (6–12)Minner—12,25634–83
119August 17@ Cubs 2–5RushWaugh (1–1)—34–84
120August 17@ Cubs 5–2Friend (5–16)Kelly—26,63535–84
121August 18@ Cubs 3–4SchultzDickson (11–17)—4,91135–85
122August 19 Phillies 5–10RobertsNecciai (0–2)—11,20735–86
123August 20 Phillies 1–3MeyerHogue (1–5)—2,75535–87
124August 22 Dodgers 2–9BlackPollet (6–13)—35–88
125August 22 Dodgers 3–2Dickson (12–17)Landrum—21,84536–88
126August 23 Dodgers 2–3LabineWaugh (1–2)Black8,84436–89
127August 24 Braves 4–3Necciai (1–2)JesterDickson (1)37–89
128August 24 Braves 3–5 (10)BurdetteKline (0–6)—12,34937–90
129August 26 Giants 7–14WilhelmDickson (12–18)Lanier14,01137–91
130August 27 Giants 4–5ConnellyPollet (6–14)Jansen4,06937–92
131August 28 Giants 7–14KosloWaugh (1–3)—3,56137–93
132August 30 Cardinals 2–12StaleyNecciai (1–3)—10,50037–94
133August 31 Cardinals 4–2Dickson (13–18)Miller—7,87138–94
September: 4–18 (Home: 1–3; Away: 3–15)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
134September 1 Cubs 0–6KlippsteinPollet (6–15)—38–95
135September 1 Cubs 5–4 (11)Dickson (14–18)Leonard—13,03139–95
136September 3@ Reds 0–1RaffensbergerNecciai (1–4)—4,23039–96
137September 4@ Reds 2–7WehmeierWaugh (1–4)—1,51939–97
138September 5@ Cardinals 0–4MizellBell (0–1)—4,32739–98
139September 6@ Cardinals 4–7 (10)BrazleDickson (14–19)—7,32939–99
140September 7@ Cardinals 3–4BrazleWaugh (1–5)—9,29839–100
141September 9@ Giants 6–11ConnellyHogue (1–6)Spencer2,89439–101
142September 10@ Giants 2–3 (13)WilhelmDickson (14–20)—3,74239–102
143September 11@ Giants 4–5MagliePollet (6–16)Wilhelm3,09439–103
144September 12@ Braves 8–1Friend (6–16)Jester—40–103
145September 12@ Braves 0–16JohnsonNecciai (1–5)—2,60840–104
146September 13@ Braves 0–8SpahnKline (0–7)—1,95740–105
147September 14@ Phillies 2–5SimmonsHogue (1–7)—40–106
148September 14@ Phillies 1–2MeyerWaugh (1–6)—7,23840–107
149September 16@ Dodgers 2–4HughesDickson (14–21)Black13,42240–108
150September 17@ Dodgers 4–1Pollet (7–16)WadeDickson (2)5,89541–108
151September 19 Reds 3–4WehmeierFriend (6–17)—5,43541–109
152September 21 Reds 3–4PodbielanNecciai (1–6)—22,39841–110
153September 26@ Reds 0–5PodbielanHogue (1–8)—3,89341–111
154September 27@ Reds 9–6Friend (7–17)Perkowski—2,08442–111
155September 28@ Reds 2–3RaffensbergerMain (2–12)—7,35442–112
Legend:       = Win       = Loss       = Tie
Bold = Pirates team member

Opening Day lineup

Opening Day Starters
April 15, 1952 @St. Louis
PositionPlayer
P Murry Dickson
C Clyde McCullough
1B Catfish Metkovich
2B Jack Merson
3B Dick Hall
SS Clem Koshorek
LF Ralph Kiner
CF Ted Beard
RF Gus Bell

Notable transactions

Roster

1952 Pittsburgh Pirates
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

OutfieldersManager

Coaches

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
C Joe Garagiola 11834494.273854
1B Tony Bartirome 12435578.220016
2B Jack Merson 11139898.246538
3B Pete Castiglione 6721457.266418
SS Dick Groat 95384109.284129
OF Ralph Kiner 149516126.2443787
OF Gus Bell 131468117.2501659
OF Bobby Del Greco 9934174.217120

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Catfish Metkovich 125373101.271741
Clem Koshorek 9832284.261015
George Strickland 7623241.177522
Clyde McCullough 6617240.233115
Sonny Senerchia 2910022.220311
Brandy Davis 559517.17901
Dick Hall 268011.13802
Lee Walls 328015.18825
Ed Fitz Gerald 517317.23317
Dick Smith 29667.10605
Johnny Berardino 19568.14304
Ted Beard 15448.18203
Erv Dusak 20276.22213
Bill Howerton 13258.32004
Frank Thomas 6212.09500
Jim Mangan 11132.15402
Jack Phillips 110.00000

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Murry Dickson 43277.214213.57112
Howie Pollet 31214.07164.1290
Ron Necciai 1254.2167.0831
Red Munger 526.1037.188
Mel Queen 23.10229.703

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Bob Friend 35185.07174.1875
Woody Main 48153.12124.4679
Cal Hogue 1983.2184.8434
Ron Kline 2778.2075.4927
Jim Waugh 1752.1166.3618
Joe Muir 1235.2236.3117
Harry Fisher 818.1126.875
Bill Bell 415.2014.604
Don Carlsen 510.00110.802

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGWLSVERASO
Ted Wilks 445543.6124
Paul LaPalme 311203.9225
Jim Suchecki 50005.406
Jim Dunn 30003.382
Bill Werle 50009.001
Ed Wolfe 30007.361

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
Open Hollywood Stars Pacific Coast League Fred Haney
AA New Orleans Pelicans Southern Association Danny Murtaugh
A Charleston Rebels Sally League Frank Oceak
A Denver Bears Western League Andy Cohen
B Waco Pirates Big State League Tedd Gullic
B Burlington-Graham Pirates Carolina League Jerry Gardner
C Modesto Reds California League Buck Elliott and Clint Cameron
C Billings Mustangs Pioneer League Cliff Dapper
C St. Jean Canadiens Provincial League Gordon Maltzberger
C Hutchinson Elks Western Association Wes Griffin
D Bristol Twins Appalachian League George Detore
D Brunswick Pirates Georgia–Florida League Mickey O'Neil
D Bartlesville/Pittsburg Pirates Kansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League Hersh Martin and Ed Hayes
D Mayfield Clothiers KITTY League Frank Barrett
D Batavia Clippers PONY League George Genovese
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Hollywood, Denver
Bartlesville franchise transferred to Pittsburg (Kansas), on July 7, 1952

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ From 1882–1906, the team played in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which became annexed by Pittsburgh as the North Side in 1907.
  2. ↑ Finoli, p. 112.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Finoli, p. 113.
  4. ↑ Sonny Senerchia at Baseball Reference
  5. 1 2 O'Toole, p. 66.
  6. ↑ O'Toole, p. 64.
  7. ↑ O'Toole, p. 64-65.
  8. 1 2 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates Schedule, Box Scores and Splits from Retrosheet.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 O'Toole, p. 77.
  10. 1 2 3 O'Toole, p. 67.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Finoli, p. 114.
  12. ↑ O'Toole, p. 70.
  13. 1 2 O'Toole, p. 75.
  14. ↑ Bill Bell from Baseball-Reference.com.com.
  15. ↑ 1952 National League Expanded Leaderboards from Baseball-Reference.com.com.
  16. ↑ Pittsburgh Pirates History & Encyclopedia from Baseball-Reference.com.com.
  17. 1 2 The (dis)honor roll from SI.com – by John Donovan.
  18. ↑ 1952 National League Rookie of the Year Award from Baseball-Reference.com.com.
  19. ↑ Hollingsworth, Harry (1994). The Best & Worst Baseball Teams of All Time: From the '16 A's to the '27 Yanks to the Present!. United States: SPI Books. p. 190. ISBN   1561713082.
  20. ↑ Bill Howerton at Baseball Reference
  21. ↑ Dick Groat at Baseball Reference

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Kiner</span> American baseball player and broadcaster (1922–2014)

Ralph McPherran Kiner was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vic Aldridge</span> American baseball player

Victor Aldridge, nicknamed "the Hoosier Schoolmaster", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants, and was known to be an excellent curveball pitcher. Before his playing career he was a schoolmaster, hence his nickname. His most significant actions as a player occurred during the 1925 World Series, where Aldridge completed and won games two and five, only to have the most disastrous first inning in the seventh game of the World Series ever. After his retirement from baseball, he served as a state senator in the Indiana General Assembly. Aldridge is a member of the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame, inducted in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Groat</span> American baseball player (1930–2023)

Richard Morrow Groat was an American professional baseball and basketball player who was an eight-time All-Star shortstop and two-time World Series champion in Major League Baseball. He rates as one of the most accomplished two-sport athletes in American sports history, a college All-America in baseball and basketball as well as one of only 13 to play both at the professional level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1963 St. Louis Cardinals season</span> Major League Baseball season

The 1963 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 82nd season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 72nd season in the National League. The Cardinals went 93–69 (.574) during the season, and finished second in the National League, six games behind the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The season was Stan Musial's 22nd and final season with the team, and in MLB. This is also the first season that the players' last names appeared on the back of the uniforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Lynch</span> American baseball player

Gerald Thomas Lynch, nicknamed "The Hat", "Lynch The Pinch" and "The Allison Park Sweeper", was an American professional baseball outfielder who ranked among the most prolific pinch hitters in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. He played 13 seasons (1954-1966) with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Chambers</span> American baseball pitcher (1922–2012)

Clifford Day Chambers was an American professional baseball pitcher who appeared in 189 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1948 to 1953 for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. He threw and batted left-handed, stood 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighed 208 pounds (94 kg).

The 1961 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. It consisted of the Reds winning the National League pennant with a 93–61 record, four games ahead of the runner-up Los Angeles Dodgers, but losing the World Series in five games to the New York Yankees. The Reds were managed by Fred Hutchinson, and played their home games at Crosley Field. The Reds were also the last team to win the National League in the 154-game schedule era, before going to a 162-game schedule a year later.

The 1933 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The team finished eighth and last in the National League with a record of 58–94, 33 games behind the New York Giants.

On April 15, Jackie Robinson was the opening day first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first black player in Major League Baseball. Robinson went on to bat .297, score 125 runs, steal 29 bases and win Major League Baseball's inaugural Rookie of the Year award. The Dodgers won the National League title and went on to lose to the New York Yankees in the World Series. This season was dramatized in the movie 42.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Rizzo</span> American baseball player

John Costa Rizzo was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1942. Rizzo set the Pittsburgh Pirates record for most home runs in a season, with 23 in his rookie year of 1938. As of 2008, Rizzo still holds the Pirates record for most RBIs in a game, with nine.

The 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the team's 79th season. The team finished with a record of 95–59, seven games in front of the second-place Milwaukee Braves to win their first National League championship in 33 seasons. The team went on to play the heavily favored New York Yankees, whom they defeated 4 games to 3 in one of the most storied World Series ever.

The 1962 Houston Colt .45s were an expansion team in American Major League Baseball's National League, and 1962 was the first season in franchise history. Harry Craft was Houston's first manager. The .45s finished eighth among the National League's ten teams with a record of 64–96, 36½ games behind the league champion San Francisco Giants.

The 1946 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 65th in the history of the Major League Baseball franchise and its jubilee of diamonds in the National League. The Pirates finished seventh in the league standings with a record of 63–91, and attracted 749,962 fans to Forbes Field.

The 1951 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 70th season of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise; the 65th in the National League. The Pirates finished seventh in the league standings with a record of 64–90.

The 1953 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 72nd in franchise history. In April 1953, the New York Yankees visited Forbes Field and played two preseason games against the Pirates. Mickey Mantle hit a 500-foot home run that landed on the roof.

The 1959 Major League Baseball season saw the Pittsburgh Pirates finish in fourth place in the National League at 78–76, nine games behind the NL and World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Pirates set the record for most extra innings victories in a season, winning 19 of their 21 extra inning games.

The 1963 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 82nd season of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise; the 77th in the National League. The Pirates finished eighth in the league standings with a record of 74–88.

The 1960 Major League Baseball season was played from April 12 to October 13, 1960. It was the final season contested by 16 clubs and the final season that a 154-game schedule was played in both the American League and the National League. The AL began using the 162-game schedule the following season, with the NL following suit in 1962.

Anthony Joseph Bartirome was an American baseball player, coach and athletic trainer. He played first base for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1952 baseball season, after just one minor league season. He never appeared in another major league game following 1952, even though his professional career lasted through 1963. Prior to playing professionally, Bartirome was the star first baseman for a sandlot baseball team in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. He also went on to serve as a coach for the Atlanta Braves from 1986 to 1988. He was the team trainer for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1967 to 1985.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.