My first game there was in 1966. I got to go again in '67 and '68. Living 70 miles away limited how often Dad was willing to take me. One Sunday morning in 1970, my sister and I were grumbling about having to go to church, when it would be so much better to be in Pittsburgh for the final games at Forbes Field. When our uncle showed up at the house, and asked if we wanted to go to the ballgame, there was no hesitation what so ever in saying "YES!" We were in the right field grandstand, on the lower level, and to this day, it was one of the greatest days of our lives.
Growing up outside of Pittsburgh I spent many a day or evening at beautiful Forbes Field. This started in 1958 when I was 10 years old. I used to sit in the $1.00 bleacher seats with my Dad. They were along the left field outfield foul line and I remember seeing Willie Stargell in his rookie year. I also went on many Saturday afternoon Knothole Days from the McKeesport YMCA. We sat behind the screen in right field with a tremendous view of my all time favorite ball player, Roberto Clemente. Thanks a million for the memories.
David, when I was a youngster, I came to absolutely rue the NY Yankees and how their wealth permitted them to trash any semblance to an American League pennant race. The 1960 Pirate Team overcame drubbings to emerge victorious in an exciting fashion in the 1960 World Series. I became a Pirate fan forever. Even though the present ownership knows about fielding a contending team as I do being a NASA astronaut, I will remain a Pirate fan. I hope to someday attend a World Series game in Pittsburgh when another Championship trophy is won.
Thank you for sharing the actual sites. I know going there isn’t free, especially with gas prices so high, but someone like me living on the west coast and not being able to afford going to the Midwest or back east, I really appreciate what you’re doing. Love the stadium 🏟 history and all the little parts saved and remembered. Thank you again and please keep it up!
My dear Mother took me to see my first baseball game in April of 1961...the Pirates played the Cardinals that day...Stan 'the man' Musial hit an upper deck home run to right center and 3rd baseman Don Hoak hit a homer for the Bucs straight down the left field line. Thanks Mom!!!
Not forgotten to me....I was there in 1968, not yet 5 years old. My dad drove his first new car to the game, and took me and my Grandpa to see the Pirates and Roberto Clemente. I don't remember much of the game but I remember being there.
Thanks for coming to town, and taking video of a place which has become next- to holy to me. There is nothing like walking around down there, enjoying the quiet. Nowhere else on earth will you be able to find a spot of land, in basically the middle of a college campus, where, at any time of day, any time of the year, safely walk or even picnic in a place where some of the greatest players of all time played the best sport on earth. That's probably been the best continuous thing for me since i moved back to Pittsburgh after law school. The relatively short walks i took immediately after my open heart surgery inevitably ended up on this spot of land! I never knew her as a baseball park, being born in 1974, but she is still hallowed ground to those of us who grew up around the game!
I'm now retired, but for 31 years my office at the University of Pittsburgh was near here! In the summer, on my way to my car, I'd often run into baseball fans looking for Forbes Field. When they asked where it was, I'd tell them, "you're standing in the outfield!" And then I'd take them inside Posvar Hall to see home plate.
As Pitt freshmen living in the Tower Dormitories, we used to walk over just a few blocks to Forbes Field around 8:30 or 9:00 at night to see the last few innings of the Pittsburgh Pirates games. The stadium guys would let us in for free after the 5th or 6th inning. If we were lucky, we got to see Clemente bat or make a play in right field. 1966-1967.
That is cool how they kept some of the remains of Forbes and how they marked out where the ballpark used to be. I believe inside one of the buildings there is a plaque marking where home plate was.
Thank you for the great tour! Being from Minnesota (& the American League), I didn't previously know very much about Forbes Field. Good to see the history of all the stadiums Pittsburgh has had. Some remnants of old Metropolitan Stadium (The Met) where the Twins played after moving from DC, is now inside the Mall of America in Bloomington MN.
the first baseball game I ever went to was in Forbes field I was around 8 years old. I will never forget how green the grass was and how white the Pirates uniforms were. My jaw hit the ground.
Same here. The grass seemed to go on forever. I saw the Pirates play the Reds for my first game. The players, against the backdrop of the field, was bigger than life.
Thank you for sharing... I was inside the building where the homeplate of Forbes Field is a few times as a child in the 1990s... (I had speech therapy there...)
I find stuff like this fascinating to stand where the immaculate reception was. I’m glad they didn’t tear down the outfield wall of Forbes Fields. And I’m glad they showed the original location of the outfield wall after they moved it. It’s great you showed us the actually locations. You inspire me to do my own exploring.
Went to Forbes field a couple of times in the 60s, got to see Roberto play, what an arm, see Willie hit Homer's and play a pretty good left field. At least once was with boy scouts and the other time it was a reward for helping a family friend for putting in a in ground swimming pool. Cheap labor I guess. But mostly I remember it was fun.
I attended a game at Forbes Field when I was about 10 years old, 1968. It was "Bat Day", so I got a free regulation size bat signed by Willie Stargell. At the time we lived in Oakdale, PA, outside of Pittsburgh. I got several players to sign autographs. I remember it was a cold overcast day.
Thank you visit this Ballpark many times growing up in southwest Pa. This was a classic ball park many time watching the Great Roberto Clemente climb the vines in right field great memories Thank You
Excellent!! Forbes field fascinated me but I would HATE to be drafted by the Pirates as a right hand power hitter that I was! Unless Kiner’s Kornerwas there! I was a power alley hitter almost 85% of my extra base hits went directly to left center. Camden yards would suite me Perfectly!! Fenway is another park iLOVE and even have dirt from the mound and green monster warning track, a piece of wall signed by Dennis Eckersley and a piece of the homerun netting above the monster. I hate the seats up there!!
By the time my Dad started taking me to ball games in the early-mid 60's, Forbes was past its prime. The University of Pittsburgh had already purchased the park, and was merely waiting for the Pirates to have their new stadium built. Therefore, Pitt wasn't putting a whole lot into maintaining the ballpark. But it was still a pretty good place to watch a ballgame. There are not enough words in the English language to describe how badly Three Rivers Stadium sucked for baseball. Thankfully, that's been rectified, and PNC Park is a tremendous venue for Major League Baseball. Now, all we need is a Major League team to play there. There are not enough words in the English language to describe how badly the Pirates, and their owner, The Hillbilly Prince, Bob Nutting suck. What's really awesome is that every October 13th (covid years excepted) Pirates fans gather at the site of the wall in Schenley Park to listen the replay of Game 7 from 1960, and celebrate Maz's Series-winning walk off. You've even got people who parents weren't even born in '60 coming out.
You guys have a nice ballpark. At least your team still has its name. The Cleveland Indians changed there’s for pathetic losers. Whatever baseball is a dying sport because the MLB doesn’t care about the people that actually like baseball
I learned to love the Yankees from my grandfather, and one of my earliest baseball memories is that TV image of Maz’s fateful homer. I cried! PNC is a gem of a park though. Love the huge statues of Bucs greats and the post-game walk across the Clemente Bridge, which is closed to vehicular traffic on game days. Thanks for this wonderful walk-thru of Forbes Field!
Both my parents grew up a couple blocks away. My grandparents are still there. The night games would light up my dads room as a kid. Another thing they used to have is the circus. The elephants would drink right out of the Mary Schenley Fountain and spray the onlookers. The right field wall, which is gone, had an ornamental design. Balls would take crazy bounces. At one point they added padding to protect roberto clemente.
Thanks! I'm impressed you searched and found all those. Really enjoyed this. I too didnt know so much of the outfield wall was still standing there. Big ups!
My first visit was sometime in April 1960. The Pirates played the Milwaukee Braves and won 7-3. I think Harvey Haddix pitched for the Pirates. Smokey Burgess and Bob Skinner hit home runs. We sat in the bleachers down the left-field line. I could see the batter's box if I looked between the underside of the roof and a steel girder. My next visit was in September of that year. The Pirates had already clinched the NL Pennant. They played the Braves again and got blasted 13-2. Bob Buhl vs Vernon Law who got knocked out early. Some fans booed their star pitcher. Hank Aaron homered that night. Roberto Clemente and Dick Stuart both dropped high pop-ups. Pirates looked like they were recovering from the pennant celebration. We got there late. I'll never forget the sight of that bright green grass and white chalk lines under the lights. I was 12 years old. Life was good.
In 1969 my Mom, Sister, Best Friend and I went on a journey to visit Forbes Field before the wrecking ball came, We witnessed a twi-night double header (that's two evening games that were scheduled for one price for you Millennials). We saw history where the only time ever when both games had the identical score of 1-0 and the winning run was knocked in by the starting pitcher (Don Cardwell & Jerry Koosman of the Mets). All three of my travel companions have passed away. I miss them dearly. But I will always have the memories and how great the people of Pittsburgh were in that grand old ballpark.
We Hippies used to climb over The Wall and Pretend we were Pittsburgh Pirates and play a game or two in 1970 before they started demolition!! Also grew up going to Forbes Field to watch The Great One, Roberto Clemente!
I took my family on vacation to Pittsburgh back in August. We went to the Museum of Natural History, and that wall is just right around the corner. I had to check it out, and my wife took a picture of me looking at it. I couldn't get in to see home plate either, that was a bummer. It was way cool to see, and I recommend seeing it if anyone gets the opportunity.
The Forbes Quadrangle building used to be open all the time to walk through in pre-Covid days. Interesting fact...the plate was actually located in what is now the woman's restroom...so they had to "relocate" it slightly so that it is in the hallway of the bulding!
I went to Forbes Fields many times a kid, with the YMCA , and was in the right field stands, and admired Roberto Clemente. I saw the last game there as a teenage, when they played the Cubs. People took seats, and other things for mementos. Great times.
That was awesome! I would love to road trip to Pittsburgh sometime. It's about a 5 hour drive for me(basically would be coming straight across the state from Philly) but everyone tells me it's worth it.
I do Pittsburgh a couple of times over the spring/summer. I usually take the train from Philly but it's not a bad drive and there's a lot of great places to see on the way there
It sure is. Pittsburgh is one of my favorite cities. We visited all these Forbes Field & Three Rivers Stadium sites 3 years ago. You have to see PNC Park too. Great ballpark with an entrance that looks like Forbes Field.
If the fence was 430+ feet, it's highly doubtful that ANY player had to worry about running into the wall trying to make a catch. It was far enough out that they let fans sit at the base of it for years, even when the ball got livelier and was being hit further. That's the kind of ball fields that every team in the league should have. Ballfields with CHARACTER, and not Oakland Coliseum rings that are more boring than watching grass grow. Thanks for the video!!
Grew up in Pittsburgh. Remember sitting in right field bleachers late 50's early 60's behind some of the greats, Roberto Clemente, Stan the Man, Hank Aaron , Frank Robinson.
We lived in a Pittsburg suburb in the late 50s to around 1961. I went to a Pirates game somewhere around 1960ish, hard to remember exactly as I was born in '54. We sat on the first row of the second deck on the first base side, much closer to home plate. I remember watching and I remember eating peanuts and tossing the shells over the edge down to the first deck. I know my dad discouraged that.
Very cool to see the memorials to the old stadiums. You should do one in Philadelphia as well. They did similar things when the Vet was torn down. The Baker Bowl and Connie Mack stadium are long gone and in North Philly, not far from Temple University. I don’t exactly recommend walking around that neighborhood, but a quick drive by will show you the area. There’s a massive church where Connie Mack stood on Allegheny Ave. Keep up the good work, I enjoy your videos!
Excellent sports history tour of Pittsburgh, although I could have done without that last tidbit (Raiders fan here!). It's heartwarming to see a bit of history preserved for all to see. I really enjoy your videos!
Thank you. It's sad. I'm a lifelong New York Yankees fan and looking at historical ballparks and their sites. It's a shame that the Polo Grounds and Ebbets field had to be torn down for apartment buildings. It was before historical sites were preserved. The Polo Grounds was right across the river from Yankee Stadium. If you sat in the upper deck in the Polo Grounds behind home plate, you could see beyond the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium. For those of you not born yet, the New York baseball Giants team played at the Polo Grounds. The Brooklyn Dodgers played at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. They both moved out of New York City and headed west. The Dodgers settled in Los Angeles. The Giants settled in San Francisco. They went to cities that were smoggy and foggy. San Francisco of course is foggy. Dodger fans may argue with you but with so many wildfires in the past decade, the argument is now moot.
Well, I'm old enough (74) to remember some of the things you mention, Ralph. I actually remember watching a Dodgers-Pirates game from Ebbets Field on CBS's "Baseball Game of the Week" (with Dizzy Dean broadcasting). The sad fact, though, is that both Ebbets Field an the Polo Grounds were relics of the past, ust as my beloved Tiger Stadium was in Detroit. The seats were small, some behind posts, so you had to strain your neck to see the game. There were usually limited menus at the concession stands. The bathrooms were small with overflowing toilets. Parking (especially at Ebbets Field) was nearly non-existent. And, in the case, how could Ebbets' 28K capacity compare to LA's 50K+? O'Malley tried to get the borough ot create space for a bigger park, but the move out of Brooklyn was inevitable. This vid shows ForbesField, which was a jewel for its time, 1909. People for their time could drive their Ford Model-Ts and try to find parking. Now, Pittsburgh has the improvement of the beautiful PNC Park. All the Pirates need to do is put a good product on the field. Finally, I know Pirates fans will disagree, but the most beautiful of the new parks is in San Francisco. You talk of "fog," but there is rarely fog at Oracle Park. Just a view of The Bay with sailboats ans seagulls while home runs are hit over the brick wall into the Bay with guys swimming to get the balls. Times change.
A very good presentation. While I am Australian I really iike finding out the history behind the games. A piece of trivia...back in 2014 our beautiful historic Sydney Cricket Ground that dates from the 1850's (that's the old stands that are preserved by the National Trust) hosted a season opener between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. You can find video taken of the conversion done in time lapse on YT. A remarkable conversion and the ground was used for cricket the following September. Baseball had been played in the same precinct by visiting teams under Mr. Spalding a century earlier but the sport had existed in the region since the 1890's
that was great i was always a steelers and Pirates fan all my life, even though i lived in Mingo Jct Ohio. thank you posting this video. even though your a Browns fan,LOL
Didn't realize that Three Rivers Stadium was only 30 years old. I had many memories of going to Pirates games and a handful of Steelers games before it was taken down.
It's so good and so comforting that the city of Pittsburgh have saved part of Forbes Field. And all the other field for the Pirates have played. The San Diego Padres that started in 1936 as a minor league team in the Pacific coast League then as a major league team starting in 1969. it's Fields - Lane Field, Westfield Park, San Diego Stadium\ Jack Murphy Stadium \Qualcomm Stadium where the Padres baseball team resided all have been torn down. The Padres are now in petporte go park which was built in the middle of the city tore down some old buildings Incorporated some of old building walls are part of the park.. There's no memoriam or plaque were they existed for any of these locations.
Enjoyed your video...as a laddie I saw a lot of great baseball players at Forbes' Field....strange dimensions...365 down the left field line...300 down the right field line...457 mark was to the left of straight center...
I just recently came across your channel, but have loved all the videos I’ve watched. To eco other comments, obviously your travel and time isn’t free. It’s easy to tell you genuinely love the history and what you do. Props to you and can’t wait to watch your channel grow
The old ball parks were so much better than anything we have going today. Forbes Field, Shibe Park, Sportsman's Park, Ebbets Field, just to name a few. I could go right down the list of each team and name the stadiums they played in, and each one was uniquely different, which made for a much more interesting game. Somehow today's baseball games seems to be completely different than the baseball games played pre-1960.
Here it is 2022. So it has been 50 years since Forbes Field was demolished. I saw a number of games there. It was in a great setting with Schenley Park beyond left field. I had the unique experience of attending a high school championship game there. Afterward we walked on the field and out through a gate in left field. I can recall thinking about Billy Virdon playing center field out there in that huge expanse of green grass. At the end of its life, people didn't like Forbes Field very much. It was old, the seats were uncomfortable, there were columns obstructing the view, the restrooms literally stunk, the screen in right field blocked the view, and it had a small capacity. But it had character. And when it was gone, people missed it.
I’m disappointed that you didn’t get a shot of the very famous gothic Univ. of Pitt ‘Cathedral Of Learning’ building that would quite literally tower over left field. Tsk tsk.
The 457-foot sign was to the left of dead center field. Not only was the flagpole in play, so was the batting cage. They kept it in deep center field, figuring not too many balls would be hit that far..
I love the quirky, and staggering dimensions of parks built during the Dead Ball Era. They didn't think in terms of home runs back then. I LOVE how you gave a nod to Exposition Park. That was another BIG outfield. 450ft to dead center, and 400ft to both corners...flooded a lo though, lol
The tarps at Forbes Field were stored underground. The field dimensions at Forbes Field were oblong. In addition to a centerfield of 457', the left field line measured 365' and the right field line measured 309'.
My first game there was in 1966. I got to go again in '67 and '68. Living 70 miles away limited how often Dad was willing to take me. One Sunday morning in 1970, my sister and I were grumbling about having to go to church, when it would be so much better to be in Pittsburgh for the final games at Forbes Field. When our uncle showed up at the house, and asked if we wanted to go to the ballgame, there was no hesitation what so ever in saying "YES!" We were in the right field grandstand, on the lower level, and to this day, it was one of the greatest days of our lives.
It’s actually impressive that Pittsburgh took the time and effort to preserve the outline of the stadium
Growing up outside of Pittsburgh I spent many a day or evening at beautiful Forbes Field. This started in 1958 when I was 10 years old. I used to sit in the $1.00 bleacher seats with my Dad. They were along the left field outfield foul line and I remember seeing Willie Stargell in his rookie year. I also went on many Saturday afternoon Knothole Days from the McKeesport YMCA. We sat behind the screen in right field with a tremendous view of my all time favorite ball player, Roberto Clemente.
Thanks a million for the memories.
Clemente's death led all the national news. It was very sad and I was in junior high school. We wrote about his death in our school newspaper
David, when I was a youngster, I came to absolutely rue the NY Yankees and how their wealth permitted them to trash any semblance to an American League pennant race. The 1960 Pirate Team overcame drubbings to emerge victorious in an exciting fashion in the 1960 World Series. I became a Pirate fan forever. Even though the present ownership knows about fielding a contending team as I do being a NASA astronaut, I will remain a Pirate fan. I hope to someday attend a World Series game in Pittsburgh when another Championship trophy is won.
Thank you for sharing the actual sites. I know going there isn’t free, especially with gas prices so high, but someone like me living on the west coast and not being able to afford going to the Midwest or back east, I really appreciate what you’re doing. Love the stadium 🏟 history and all the little parts saved and remembered. Thank you again and please keep it up!
You were taking a real chance going to Pittsburgh while wearing Cleveland Browns attire. Nice video.
I thought the same thing. Great to see those sites. Thanks for sharing.
Of what? Of being laughed out of town?
My first thought.
browns got laughed out of town.
My dear Mother took me to see my first baseball game in April of 1961...the Pirates played the Cardinals that day...Stan 'the man' Musial hit an upper deck home run to right center and 3rd baseman Don Hoak hit a homer for the Bucs straight down the left field line. Thanks Mom!!!
Don (Tiger) Hoak.
I saw Roberto Clemente play in Forbs Field .
One of the biggest stadiums in baseball.
Not forgotten to me....I was there in 1968, not yet 5 years old. My dad drove his first new car to the game, and took me and my Grandpa to see the Pirates and Roberto Clemente. I don't remember much of the game but I remember being there.
Thanks for coming to town, and taking video of a place which has become next- to holy to me. There is nothing like walking around down there, enjoying the quiet. Nowhere else on earth will you be able to find a spot of land, in basically the middle of a college campus, where, at any time of day, any time of the year, safely walk or even picnic in a place where some of the greatest players of all time played the best sport on earth. That's probably been the best continuous thing for me since i moved back to Pittsburgh after law school. The relatively short walks i took immediately after my open heart surgery inevitably ended up on this spot of land! I never knew her as a baseball park, being born in 1974, but she is still hallowed ground to those of us who grew up around the game!
You betcha !!
That’s cool that the city kept some remains of Forbes Field and how it’s integrated into Pitt’s campus.
I'm now retired, but for 31 years my office at the University of Pittsburgh was near here! In the summer, on my way to my car, I'd often run into baseball fans looking for Forbes Field. When they asked where it was, I'd tell them, "you're standing in the outfield!" And then I'd take them inside Posvar Hall to see home plate.
As Pitt freshmen living in the Tower Dormitories, we used to walk over just a few blocks to Forbes Field around 8:30 or 9:00 at night to see the last few innings of the Pittsburgh Pirates games.
The stadium guys would let us in for free after the 5th or 6th inning. If we were lucky, we got to see Clemente bat or make a play in right field. 1966-1967.
That is cool how they kept some of the remains of Forbes and how they marked out where the ballpark used to be. I believe inside one of the buildings there is a plaque marking where home plate was.
There is for sure!
Yup... inside the university of Pittsburgh's business school!
Posvar Hall
@@emr6153 They had to fudge the location a bit. I believe the actual spot where home plate was is inside a women's restroom.
Russ...no, it's not in a rest room.
I had the pleasure to have been to all three ball parks, Forbes Field, Three Rivers Stadium and PNC Park .
Thank you for the great tour!
Being from Minnesota (& the American League), I didn't previously know very much about Forbes Field. Good to see the history of all the stadiums Pittsburgh has had.
Some remnants of old Metropolitan Stadium (The Met) where the Twins played after moving from DC, is now inside the Mall of America in Bloomington MN.
Cannot believe you did an episode about Forbes Field wearing a Cleveland Brown jacket
the first baseball game I ever went to was in Forbes field I was around 8 years old. I will never forget how green the grass was and how white the Pirates uniforms were. My jaw hit the ground.
Same here. The grass seemed to go on forever. I saw the Pirates play the Reds for my first game. The players, against the backdrop of the field, was bigger than life.
What a great old stadium so was three rivers Pittsburg is such an underated city
Thank you for sharing...
I was inside the building where the homeplate of Forbes Field is a few times as a child in the 1990s... (I had speech therapy there...)
I find stuff like this fascinating to stand where the immaculate reception was. I’m glad they didn’t tear down the outfield wall of Forbes Fields. And I’m glad they showed the original location of the outfield wall after they moved it. It’s great you showed us the actually locations. You inspire me to do my own exploring.
As far as those fences were, I don't think they had to worry about crashing into the wall very often. Love the video!
The outfielders would climb the ivy to make a catch .
Went to Forbes field a couple of times in the 60s, got to see Roberto play, what an arm, see Willie hit Homer's and play a pretty good left field. At least once was with boy scouts and the other time it was a reward for helping a family friend for putting in a in ground swimming pool. Cheap labor I guess. But mostly I remember it was fun.
Pittsburgh still has the best Ball park too
PNC is miles better than most stadiums
Heard rivals say they love it
Thank You. RIP Forbes Field******
Great tour. TY PNC Park is my fav park by far (been to approx 30 ballparks/many defunct).
I attended a game at Forbes Field when I was about 10 years old, 1968. It was "Bat Day", so I got a free regulation size bat signed by Willie Stargell. At the time we lived in Oakdale, PA, outside of Pittsburgh. I got several players to sign autographs. I remember it was a cold overcast day.
loved the road trip video, good job mixing it up!!! pittsburgh looks beautiful.
Thank you visit this Ballpark many times growing up in southwest Pa. This was a classic ball park many time watching the Great Roberto Clemente climb the vines in right field great memories Thank You
I'm an L.A. guy -- Dodgers, Rams, Lakers -- but I've always loved the Pirates.
I was at the last game at Forbes Field, June 28, 1970. I turned 16 the next day.
Excellent!! Forbes field fascinated me but I would HATE to be drafted by the Pirates as a right hand power hitter that I was! Unless Kiner’s Kornerwas there! I was a power alley hitter almost 85% of my extra base hits went directly to left center. Camden yards would suite me Perfectly!! Fenway is another park iLOVE and even have dirt from the mound and green monster warning track, a piece of wall signed by Dennis Eckersley and a piece of the homerun netting above the monster. I hate the seats up there!!
By the time my Dad started taking me to ball games in the early-mid 60's, Forbes was past its prime. The University of Pittsburgh had already purchased the park, and was merely waiting for the Pirates to have their new stadium built. Therefore, Pitt wasn't putting a whole lot into maintaining the ballpark. But it was still a pretty good place to watch a ballgame.
There are not enough words in the English language to describe how badly Three Rivers Stadium sucked for baseball. Thankfully, that's been rectified, and PNC Park is a tremendous venue for Major League Baseball.
Now, all we need is a Major League team to play there. There are not enough words in the English language to describe how badly the Pirates, and their owner, The Hillbilly Prince, Bob Nutting suck.
What's really awesome is that every October 13th (covid years excepted) Pirates fans gather at the site of the wall in Schenley Park to listen the replay of Game 7 from 1960, and celebrate Maz's Series-winning walk off. You've even got people who parents weren't even born in '60 coming out.
You guys have a nice ballpark. At least your team still has its name. The Cleveland Indians changed there’s for pathetic losers. Whatever baseball is a dying sport because the MLB doesn’t care about the people that actually like baseball
Bill Mazeroski: 1960 World Series, 7th game, bottom of the ninth, game winning HR over the 406 sign in left center, 10-9.
Spent many a days in old Forbes Field watching the Buccos. Thanks for this!
I learned to love the Yankees from my grandfather, and one of my earliest baseball memories is that TV image of Maz’s fateful homer. I cried!
PNC is a gem of a park though. Love the huge statues of Bucs greats and the post-game walk across the Clemente Bridge, which is closed to vehicular traffic on game days.
Thanks for this wonderful walk-thru of Forbes Field!
Both my parents grew up a couple blocks away. My grandparents are still there. The night games would light up my dads room as a kid. Another thing they used to have is the circus. The elephants would drink right out of the Mary Schenley Fountain and spray the onlookers. The right field wall, which is gone, had an ornamental design. Balls would take crazy bounces. At one point they added padding to protect roberto clemente.
I like how the brick continues up the benches. Super cool.
Thanks! I'm impressed you searched and found all those. Really enjoyed this. I too didnt know so much of the outfield wall was still standing there. Big ups!
Pretty nice that they retained the wall. Too bad it's gone. It was a pretty distinctive looking stadium.
My first visit was sometime in April 1960. The Pirates played the Milwaukee Braves and won 7-3. I think Harvey Haddix pitched for the Pirates. Smokey Burgess and Bob Skinner hit home runs. We sat in the bleachers down the left-field line. I could see the batter's box if I looked between the underside of the roof and a steel girder. My next visit was in September of that year. The Pirates had already clinched the NL Pennant. They played the Braves again and got blasted 13-2. Bob Buhl vs Vernon Law who got knocked out early. Some fans booed their star pitcher. Hank Aaron homered that night. Roberto Clemente and Dick Stuart both dropped high pop-ups. Pirates looked like they were recovering from the pennant celebration. We got there late. I'll never forget the sight of that bright green grass and white chalk lines under the lights. I was 12 years old. Life was good.
Good memories
In 1969 my Mom, Sister, Best Friend and I went on a journey to visit Forbes Field before the wrecking ball came, We witnessed a twi-night double header (that's two evening games that were scheduled for one price for you Millennials). We saw history where the only time ever when both games had the identical score of 1-0 and the winning run was knocked in by the starting pitcher (Don Cardwell & Jerry Koosman of the Mets). All three of my travel companions have passed away. I miss them dearly. But I will always have the memories and how great the people of Pittsburgh were in that grand old ballpark.
Awesome! Thanks for this....love the city, its history, its people...
My dad was from Pittsburgh
He told me when he was a boy his dad and him would go to Forbes Field to see the Pirates play
We Hippies used to climb over The Wall and Pretend we were Pittsburgh Pirates and play a game or two in 1970 before they started demolition!! Also grew up going to Forbes Field to watch The Great One, Roberto Clemente!
What's really amazing is a Browns Fan putting the video together......well done
I took my family on vacation to Pittsburgh back in August. We went to the Museum of Natural History, and that wall is just right around the corner. I had to check it out, and my wife took a picture of me looking at it. I couldn't get in to see home plate either, that was a bummer. It was way cool to see, and I recommend seeing it if anyone gets the opportunity.
The Forbes Quadrangle building used to be open all the time to walk through in pre-Covid days. Interesting fact...the plate was actually located in what is now the woman's restroom...so they had to "relocate" it slightly so that it is in the hallway of the bulding!
Awesome video, thank you for posting
I went to Forbes Fields many times a kid, with the YMCA , and was in the right field stands, and admired Roberto Clemente. I saw the last game there as a teenage, when they played the Cubs. People took seats, and other things for mementos. Great times.
Let's keep blowing up this channel and send Forgotten Places around the world.
I think you could have talked your way into the University building to see home plate 'IF' you weren't draped in Browns gear.
Haha I thought that was a Browns jacket he was wearing. Thank you for the confirmation.
Thank you for this Pittsburgh history.
awesome. love that they kept markers and wall. The new park in Pittsburgh has such a great setting. love watching the Reds there.
That was awesome! I would love to road trip to Pittsburgh sometime. It's about a 5 hour drive for me(basically would be coming straight across the state from Philly) but everyone tells me it's worth it.
I do Pittsburgh a couple of times over the spring/summer. I usually take the train from Philly but it's not a bad drive and there's a lot of great places to see on the way there
@@loocpoc Thanks! Definitely may have to do that trip.
It sure is. Pittsburgh is one of my favorite cities. We visited all these Forbes Field & Three Rivers Stadium sites 3 years ago.
You have to see PNC Park too. Great ballpark with an entrance that looks like Forbes Field.
@@wmw3629 the best on the planet!
This was awesome coming from a Pirates n Browns Fan. Only games I got attend were at 3 rivers. Fab memories.
If the fence was 430+ feet, it's highly doubtful that ANY player had to worry about running into the wall trying to make a catch. It was far enough out that they let fans sit at the base of it for years, even when the ball got livelier and was being hit further.
That's the kind of ball fields that every team in the league should have.
Ballfields with CHARACTER, and not Oakland Coliseum rings that are more boring than watching grass grow.
Thanks for the video!!
Grew up in Pittsburgh. Remember sitting in right field bleachers late 50's early 60's behind some of the greats, Roberto Clemente, Stan the Man, Hank Aaron , Frank Robinson.
We lived in a Pittsburg suburb in the late 50s to around 1961. I went to a Pirates game somewhere around 1960ish, hard to remember exactly as I was born in '54. We sat on the first row of the second deck on the first base side, much closer to home plate. I remember watching and I remember eating peanuts and tossing the shells over the edge down to the first deck. I know my dad discouraged that.
That was awesome! Thanks so much for doing these presentations.
Nice recap of a very historic ballpark. I like your lowkey delivery style. Thanks.
Very cool to see the memorials to the old stadiums. You should do one in Philadelphia as well. They did similar things when the Vet was torn down. The Baker Bowl and Connie Mack stadium are long gone and in North Philly, not far from Temple University. I don’t exactly recommend walking around that neighborhood, but a quick drive by will show you the area. There’s a massive church where Connie Mack stood on Allegheny Ave. Keep up the good work, I enjoy your videos!
Excellent sports history tour of Pittsburgh, although I could have done without that last tidbit (Raiders fan here!). It's heartwarming to see a bit of history preserved for all to see. I really enjoy your videos!
Thank you. It's sad. I'm a lifelong New York Yankees fan and looking at historical ballparks and their sites. It's a shame that the Polo Grounds and Ebbets field had to be torn down for apartment buildings. It was before historical sites were preserved. The Polo Grounds was right across the river from Yankee Stadium. If you sat in the upper deck in the Polo Grounds behind home plate, you could see beyond the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium. For those of you not born yet, the New York baseball Giants team played at the Polo Grounds. The Brooklyn Dodgers played at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. They both moved out of New York City and headed west. The Dodgers settled in Los Angeles. The Giants settled in San Francisco. They went to cities that were smoggy and foggy. San Francisco of course is foggy. Dodger fans may argue with you but with so many wildfires in the past decade, the argument is now moot.
Well, I'm old enough (74) to remember some of the things you mention, Ralph. I actually remember watching a Dodgers-Pirates game from Ebbets Field on CBS's "Baseball Game of the Week" (with Dizzy Dean broadcasting). The sad fact, though, is that both Ebbets Field an the Polo Grounds were relics of the past, ust as my beloved Tiger Stadium was in Detroit. The seats were small, some behind posts, so you had to strain your neck to see the game. There were usually limited menus at the concession stands. The bathrooms were small with overflowing toilets. Parking (especially at Ebbets Field) was nearly non-existent. And, in the case, how could Ebbets' 28K capacity compare to LA's 50K+? O'Malley tried to get the borough ot create space for a bigger park, but the move out of Brooklyn was inevitable. This vid shows ForbesField, which was a jewel for its time, 1909. People for their time could drive their Ford Model-Ts and try to find parking. Now, Pittsburgh has the improvement of the beautiful PNC Park. All the Pirates need to do is put a good product on the field. Finally, I know Pirates fans will disagree, but the most beautiful of the new parks is in San Francisco. You talk of "fog," but there is rarely fog at Oracle Park. Just a view of The Bay with sailboats ans seagulls while home runs are hit over the brick wall into the Bay with guys swimming to get the balls. Times change.
A very good presentation. While I am Australian I really iike finding out the history behind the games.
A piece of trivia...back in 2014 our beautiful historic Sydney Cricket Ground that dates from the 1850's (that's the old stands that are preserved by the National Trust) hosted a season opener between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. You can find video taken of the conversion done in time lapse on YT. A remarkable conversion and the ground was used for cricket the following September.
Baseball had been played in the same precinct by visiting teams under Mr. Spalding a century earlier but the sport had existed in the region since the 1890's
Thank you for your comments.
that was great i was always a steelers and Pirates fan all my life, even though i lived in Mingo Jct Ohio. thank you posting this video. even though your a Browns fan,LOL
Didn't realize that Three Rivers Stadium was only 30 years old. I had many memories of going to Pirates games and a handful of Steelers games before it was taken down.
Amazing that they preserved the deep OF fence. I used to go to Shea Stadium as a kid when Roberto (#21) came to town. Sat along the RF line too.
There is also an old gate marker from 3 Rivers that's still standing somewhere on Heinz Field property.
Gate d
It's so good and so comforting that the city of Pittsburgh have saved part of Forbes Field. And all the other field for the Pirates have played. The San Diego Padres that started in 1936 as a minor league team in the Pacific coast League then as a major league team starting in 1969. it's Fields - Lane Field, Westfield Park, San Diego Stadium\ Jack Murphy Stadium \Qualcomm Stadium where the Padres baseball team resided all have been torn down. The Padres are now in petporte go park which was built in the middle of the city tore down some old buildings Incorporated some of old building walls are part of the park.. There's no memoriam or plaque were they existed for any of these locations.
Enjoyed your video...as a laddie I saw a lot of great baseball players at Forbes' Field....strange dimensions...365 down the left field line...300 down the right field line...457 mark was to the left of straight center...
Thank you for posting this wonderful video.
I just recently came across your channel, but have loved all the videos I’ve watched. To eco other comments, obviously your travel and time isn’t free. It’s easy to tell you genuinely love the history and what you do. Props to you and can’t wait to watch your channel grow
Thank You!
I went to Pitt, and studied urban planning.
Home plate should technically be in the one bathroom, not on display in the foyer. 😅
Amazing content. Keep up the good work! 🙏🏽
The old ball parks were so much better than anything we have going today. Forbes Field, Shibe Park, Sportsman's Park, Ebbets Field, just to name a few. I could go right down the list of each team and name the stadiums they played in, and each one was uniquely different, which made for a much more interesting game. Somehow today's baseball games seems to be completely different than the baseball games played pre-1960.
Here it is 2022. So it has been 50 years since Forbes Field was demolished. I saw a number of games there. It was in a great setting with Schenley Park beyond left field. I had the unique experience of attending a high school championship game there. Afterward we walked on the field and out through a gate in left field. I can recall thinking about Billy Virdon playing center field out there in that huge expanse of green grass. At the end of its life, people didn't like Forbes Field very much. It was old, the seats were uncomfortable, there were columns obstructing the view, the restrooms literally stunk, the screen in right field blocked the view, and it had a small capacity. But it had character. And when it was gone, people missed it.
I’m disappointed that you didn’t get a shot of the very famous gothic Univ. of Pitt ‘Cathedral Of Learning’ building that would quite literally tower over left field. Tsk tsk.
Sucks that I didn't see the past couple videos when they were posted. At least it gives me more to listen to while I work.
Dude. In a Browns jacket? For shame.
(Great video!)
One of the greatest ballparks in history of the game.
One thing too. Down at heinz field gate D. Is the same gate D pillar from, three rivers stadium.
The 457-foot sign was to the left of dead center field. Not only was the flagpole in play, so was the batting cage. They kept it in deep center field, figuring not too many balls would be hit that far..
Theres also the Gate D pillar from Three Rivers Stadium not far from tne immaculate reception monument.
Forbes Field. The only Major League park where a no hitter was never thrown.
You do a great job with your videos.
I've been to the wall and inside that building to see home plate. Hard to imagine that was once a legendary stadium.
So cool
Well done. If only that wall could talk ... three World Series wins there!
Very Good Video.
BTW. Like the Cleveland Browns jacket your wearing.
Near the Three Rivers maker, closer to Heinz Field, the old Gate D marker still stands as well.
Awesome video brotha ❤️
Saw my first baseball game there as a little kid in 1964.
When you were there, you should have went to the Pitt Stadium site.
I love the quirky, and staggering dimensions of parks built during the Dead Ball Era. They didn't think in terms of home runs back then. I LOVE how you gave a nod to Exposition Park. That was another BIG outfield. 450ft to dead center, and 400ft to both corners...flooded a lo though, lol
Sweet video!
If you go to the right of the wall there is an old set of stairs that I'm guessing used to be an old entrance
Great video!
Thanks for the video. By the way, it's pronounced Măzaerosky, not Māzerosky. I guess that's the best you can expect from a Brown's fan
I am a Yankee Hater so I made sure I took a photo in front of the wall where Mazerowski’s home run went over the wall!
The tarps at Forbes Field were stored underground. The field dimensions at Forbes Field were oblong. In addition to a centerfield of 457', the left field line measured 365' and the right field line measured 309'.
God the Pirates need to start winning again