This Day In Baseball
History: July 16, 1970
It was on this date in 1970 that
Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh hosted its first baseball game as the
hometown Pirates took on the Cincinnati Reds. It was the first game after the
1970 All-Star break and the Pirates had played the first half of the season in
Forbes Field, which had been their home since 1909.
Three Rivers Stadium was one of
the cookie-cutter stadiums that professional sports in American seemed to love
in the seventies, that could host both the city’s baseball and National
Football League team. Other multipurpose stadium in the Three Rivers mould were
Fulton-County Stadium (Atlanta), Riverfront Stadium (Cincinnati), Busch Stadium
(St. Louis) and Veterans Stadium (Philadelphia). There was nothing charming
about any of those stadiums, but at least Atlanta’s playing surface was grass
while the other four were hard, unforgiving artificial turf.
But of all five stadiums, it was
Three Rivers that gave the hometown fans the most memories, particularly in the
70s. The Pirates would win the World Series in 1971 and 1979 and while those
titles were clinched on the road (Baltimore on both occasions) the fans got
their share of thrills throughout the season. Also, the NFL’s Steelers won four
Super Bowls in the 1970s and the “Immaculate Reception” also took place in
Three Rivers in 1979.
But after the seventies, Three
Rivers saw no more championships. The Pirates would win the N.L East in 1990,
1991 and 1992 but failed to reach the World Series. The Steelers would host the
AFC Championship three times in the 90s, but managed to win only one of those
games (1995) and lost the Super Bowl following that victory.
Both the Pirates and Steelers
would play at Three Rivers until 2000. In 2001, the Pirates would move into
their new home (PNC Park) and the Steelers would be neighbours in their brand
new facility (Heinz Field). Three Rivers Stadium was demolished on February 11,
2001.
For the record, the Cincinnati
Reds won the first game at the stadium, beating the Pirates by a score of 3-2.
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