Last night I took the overnight bus to from Champaign, IL to Pittsburgh. I’m here for the weekend to see an old friend but that doesn’t mean I can stay away from baseball.
PNC Park greeted me as I woke up this morning. It was on the other side of the Allegheny River as our bus rode into town. In my opinion, it’s one of the best new baseball parks I’ve been to. I saw a Pirate-Reds game there some eight years ago. It’s like they did everything just right. Now, I haven’t been to Miller Park yet and I’ve heard the same about that stadium so maybe the jury’s out yet.
But that’s just their fancy new fangled stadium. Turns out my friend works at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh which is practically across the street from where old Forbes Field stood. While he worked, I went exploring…
There is a nice sign where Forbes Field’s outfield used to be, commemorating the old stadium and what it stood for.
People can still see the original centerfield and right field walls.
The 436 ft. mark of right field.
A University of Pittsburgh student building now stands where Forbes Field’s home plate is but thankfully, they have left preserved the home plate used in its last season in its exact location.
There’s Mazeroski, of course. Every Pirate fan and anyone who knows baseball is familiar with that story. But there’s also the story of Babe Ruth’s last three homeruns, 712, 713, and 714 which were hit at Forbes Field. There’s a bit of controversy surrounding this. Early reports of Ruth’s final homerun’s landing spot has it in foul territory.
From a 2006 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Original accounts from the Pittsburgh Press indicate that the ball scorched to earth, hitting a rooftop at 318 Bouquet St., in the city’s Oakland section, some 600 feet from home plate. Except that there’s a knot in that yarn: Bouquet Street was in foul territory. No one contests that the home run was legitimate, nor is their any argument that it was a titanic blast. But further research has indicated that No. 714 — the last of three Ruth hit that afternoon in an 11-7 Boston Braves loss to the Pirates — most likely touched down behind the right field fence on Joncaire Street and either ended up in a backyard on that street or bounced down the steep hill toward Panther Hollow and was chased down by a small group of boys.
An interesting story nonetheless.
[edit] I’ve added a few more photos from the Forbes Field area.
I’ve been up to Miller Park maybe a half dozen times and driven many hours three times to visit PNC Park. I like Miller Park and all, but I have to say that I have been to 16 MLB parks in my lifetime and PNC is my absolute favorite. Best part is going for the seats up behind the plate. They’re cheap and you get a great view of the field, the bridge, and the rivers beyond the outfield wall. Gorgeous park.
That’s so awesome that they kept some of the fence and built a park around it. Best. Idea. Ever.
I have been to about 30 major league fields, current and former, and agree that PNC Park is the best, with AT&T in San Francisco a close second. The problem with PNC, as a Pirtes season ticket holder for 30+ years, is that you can only say “Great park though” so many times.
Welcome to Pittsburgh. It is a great city.
Thanks Bob. I had a terrific time. Not only is it a great sports town but I found it a nice city in general. Wouldn’t mind coming back.
Thanks to fellow IAL manager Todd V who took me out to lunch Sunday (Primanti Bros) and showed me some of the sites including the new ballpark for physically challenged that Sean Casey had built (nice, Casey!)
Glad you had fun. Pittsburgh was very fortunate in that the late 19th century industrialists left a great legacy of cultural institutions. The dinosaur collection at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History is the best in the world. The main natural history museums in London and Berlin display casts of the original dinosaurs here.
I made the trip from Champaign to Pittsburgh in 1979 although I was fortunate in that my new employer paid for a plane ticket—faster than a bus. I graduated from the U of I and have many fond memories of Champaign. I have been back several times but not nearly as often as I wish.
Regarding the site of Forbes Field…every year at this location, on the anniversary of Bill Mazeroski’s 1960 world series winning home run against the Yankees, there is a large gathering of Pirate faithful who celebrate this historic event by listening to the radio rebroadcast of the 7th game. It is a remarkable afternoon, with people walking around reminiscing about the more successful Pirate days of old, and food and t-shirt vendors hawking their wares. And in the background, the play-by-play of Game 7 unfolds, with each Pirate tally evoking scattered cheers from the partisans. As the anticipated ninth inning finally arrives, most people stop and listen intently to the broadcast, as if it were happening for the first time. And when Maz hits that homer, spontaneous applause breaks out, high 5’s are given, and hugs exchanged. You have to be a Bucco fan to truly appreciate this, and it’s something that all Pirate followers should experience.
Rick,
my friend who worked across the street said he went to the 50th anniversary broadcast of the game.
Sounds like a great event!