Pittsburgh is plenty of issues, and “sports activities city” is close to the highest of the checklist. Yinzers bleed black and gold, however some take it a step additional and be part of their hometown groups.
These seven Pirates from Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania have made a number of the best impacts in membership historical past.
Honus Wagner (born Feb. 24, 1874, in Chartiers, Pa.)Earlier than turning into a part of the inaugural Corridor of Fame class, profitable the 1909 World Collection or being the face of the holy grail of baseball playing cards, Wagner was a Pittsburgh-area child.
An eight-time batting champion, Wagner is arguably the best Pirate in franchise historical past. Though he began his profession with the Louisville Colonels, the Chartiers child spent the ultimate 18 years of his 21-season profession along with his hometown workforce.
Wagner stayed in Western Pennsylvania after hanging it up as a participant, serving as a coach with the Pirates and even operating for Allegheny County sheriff in 1925. He died in Carnegie, Pa., in 1955 on the age of 81.
Dick Groat (born Nov. 4, 1930, in Wilkinsburg, Pa.)Groat simply may be the best athlete in Pittsburgh-area historical past. A star on the hardwood, Groat was the primary participant to have his quantity retired by the Duke College males’s basketball program. He briefly performed within the NBA, however his actual influence was in baseball with the Pirates, the place he performed 9 of his 14 Main League seasons.
Groat was the Nationwide League MVP in 1960, serving to propel the Pirates to the World Collection title. Six of his eight All-Star nods got here with Pittsburgh, and he gained the batting title in 1960 with a .325 common.
Groat stayed on the town after retiring as a participant and spent 40 years calling Pitt basketball video games. He handed away on April 27, 2023, shortly after being advised he was being inducted into the Pirates Corridor of Fame.
Invoice Mazeroski (born Sept. 5, 1936, in Wheeling, W. Va.)OK, we’re technically crossing state traces right here, however Wheeling is barely a one-hour drive from PNC Park. We are able to prolong the boundaries by a bit.
Mazeroski is greatest recognized for hitting the one Sport 7 walk-off house run in World Collection historical past, however there’s a lot extra to the Corridor of Famer’s profession than simply that one swing, as he is broadly thought-about among the finest second basemen of all-time. A ten-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove winner, Mazeroski accrued 2,016 hits over his 17-year Main League profession, all of which was spent with the Pirates. His 2,163 video games performed rank fifth all-time in franchise historical past, and his No. 9 was retired by the membership in 1987.
Neil Walker (born Sept. 10, 1985, in Pittsburgh)Nicknamed “The Pittsburgh Child,” Walker was a part of the core that helped snap 20 seasons of sub-.500 baseball and introduced the Pirates again to the postseason. The Pine-Richland Excessive Faculty (Gibsonia, Pa.) graduate gained a Silver Slugger at second base in 2014, and 93 of his 149 profession house runs got here in black and gold.
Walker stayed in Pittsburgh after his 12-year profession ended and is now a part of the rotation of colour commentators on Pirates broadcasts.
David Bednar (born Oct. 10, 1994, in Pittsburgh)The nearer from Mars, Pa., was a fan favourite throughout his five-year run within the Pirates’ bullpen, incomes a pair of All-Star nods and saving 101 video games along with his hometown workforce. Bednar was additionally very concerned in the neighborhood, chosen because the Pirates’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award three years in a row.
Bednar wanted to go to the opposite facet of the commonwealth to discover a scholarship with Lafayette School, however the Thirty fifth-round Draft choose (San Diego, 2016) turned one of many sport’s elite closers in his time with the Pirates.
Isaac Mattson (born July 14, 1995, in Erie, Pa.)Mattson is aware of Western Pennsylvania baseball. After graduating from Harbor Creek Excessive Faculty, he pitched on the College of Pittsburgh and was drafted in 2017 by the Angels, ultimately reaching the large leagues in ’21 with the Orioles. After a 2024 stint with the Pirates’ Double-A affiliate in Altoona, Pa., Mattson returned to the Majors with Pittsburgh.
He pitched his approach again on to the Pirates’ roster in 2025, turning into one of many workforce’s most useful relievers. For somebody who spent three years between Main League outings, he turned an enormous a part of the workforce’s bullpen.
Don Kelly (born Feb. 15, 1980, in Butler, Pa.)Kelly was greatest often called a participant for the Tigers, however he began his nine-year Main League profession with the Pirates in 2007. His tenure along with his hometown workforce lasted solely 25 video games, however the Mount Lebanon Excessive Faculty and Level Park College product ultimately turned the membership’s supervisor in 2025.
New Fort, Pa., native Chuck Tanner by no means performed for the Pirates, however he additionally managed his hometown workforce, main the Bucs to the 1979 World Collection title.
