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Over the years the Pirates have had four great ballparks to play in. Here they are.... |
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Exposition Park |
| The first stadium the Pirates occupied was Exposition Park. Exposition Park opened in 1890. The first game held there was April 22, 1891. A night game was never played there. The field had a grass surface and a capacity of 16,000 people. |  |
It was located on the North Shore close to where the current Heinz Field is. The right field line was located on what today is Grant Street. The last Pirate game played at Exposition Park was June 29, 1909. That same year the stadium was torn down. The stadium was often flooded due to the river. |
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Forbes Field |
| After Exposition Park came Forbes Field. Forbes Field opened June 30, 1909. The first night game played there was June 4, 1940. The field was named after General John Forbes. The stadium had a grass field and held a seating capacity of 35,000 people. |  |
The park was located in Oakland. Baseball historians consider it to be one of the greatest ballparks of all time. Many people remember the 14 ft. Longines Clock located in the outfield. The last game played at Forbes Field was June 28, 1970. The stadium was demolished exactly one year later. PNC Park is based on the design of Forbes Field. |
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Three Rivers Stadium |
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When Forbes Field closed Three Rivers Stadium opened. The stadium opened July 16, 1970. Three Rivers was home to the Pirates and the Steelers. From 1970 - 1982 the field was tartan turf and from 1983 - 2000 it was astro turf. The baseball capacity was 47, 971 people. |
| The stadium included an exclusive dining area and bar called the Allegheny Club. The field was located in Stadium Circle next to where the current Heinz Field is. In 1994 a Roberto Clemente statue was dedicated at the stadium. The Honus Wagner statue located at Forbes Field was moved there as well. Today where Three Rivers Stadium used to stand is a parking lot and the beautiful Riverwalk Park. |  |
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The stadium was imploded on February 11, 2001. |
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PNC Park |
| PNC Park is truly the pride and a great symbol of Pittsburgh. ESPN and Reader's Digest have both rated it as the nicest ballpark in America. Construction began on PNC Park on April 8, 1999. The stadium cost $262 million to build. The construction of the stadium took just under 2 years. The spot where the field sits was chosen out of 11 potential sites in 1995. |  |
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The park has a grass field and a seating capacity of 38,365 people. The park is the second smallest in the major leagues next to Fenway Park in Boston. The highest seat is only 88 feet from the field. The distance from home plate to center field is 399 feet. |
| The stadium includes features such as the Shops on Federal Street, rotunda entryways, business suites and the beautiful Riverwalk. A statue of Pirate's great Willie Stargell was dedicated at the park the day before he died. Statues of Roberto Clemente and Honus Wagner also stand at PNC Park. The park also is the home to many fun restaurants including Manny's BBQ, where you can meet Pirate great Manny Sanguillen, and Pop's Plaza named after Willie Stargell. On a nice day come out to the Park! |  |