It was the National League's first modern steel-and-concrete ballpark, a shrine to the robust economy in Pittsburgh and America at the time. Forbes Field opened 100 years ago today, so a look back is in order.
It was the National League's first modern steel-and-concrete ballpark, a shrine to the robust economy in Pittsburgh and America at the time. Forbes Field opened 100 years ago today, so a look back is in order.
Forbes Field was built by Pirates owner and Hall of Famer Barney Dreyfuss for $2 million — about $48 million in today's dollars — and instantly became the sporting center of Pittsburgh. Located in the city's Oakland neighborhood, Forbes Field reflected Dreyfuss's personal preferences and desires. It was the first ballpark with an elevator and the first with a padded fence, and the outfield dimensions made it a pitchers' park: 457 to dead center, an area so vast the Pirates left the batting cage out there during games. (It ended up being reachable, but not until 1959, when a Dick Stuart shot hit it.)
Besides hosting the Pirates, Forbes Field was home to the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers from 1933 through its closing 1963, though the team did return occasionally for preseason exhibition games — one being a 1969 match featuring the first home game of coach Chuck Noll.
Besides the ornate architecture and spacious dimensions, Forbes Field was known for the memories created through the many players making a mark there. True, the Steelers never did much while playing there — Chuck Noll coached his first game there, but the team didn't win until a move to Three Rivers Stadium — but the Pirates did. It was the ballpark where Roberto Clemente first made his mark, the place where Bill Mazeroski's walk-off homer ended the 1960 World Series. It was a place where a visiting Babe Ruth loved to play: he was the first to hit a ball completely out of his ballpark, and during his final game as a Boston Brave he hit three homers.
Interesting bits of Forbes Field history are preserved in what is now the east side of the University of Pittsburgh campus. A small commemorative area that includes Forbes Field’s home plate embedded under glass is located in Posvar Hall at the corner of Roberto Clemente Drive and S. Bouquet Street (a right turn off of Forbes Avenue when heading east from downtown). Marking the former location of the left-center field wall, a plaque in the sidewalk indicates where the most-famous home run in Pirates history exited Forbes -– the 1960 World Series game-seven walk-off shot slugged by Mazeroski. Across the street in a park area is the main attraction –- a large intact portion of the red-brick center field wall including the 457-foot sign and the flagpole. (Left uncommemorated: Babe Ruth’s final home run, number 714.)
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