Pittsburgh Pirates

This is the most complete book ever written about the Pittsburgh Pirates, simply because it is the only one which includes every season and career record created by every player in Pirates history.

Typical record books eliminate old records when new ones are established but this book never eliminates a record. All new records are added to existing chronology lists and in this way, no players or their records will ever be forgotten and the history of Pirates records will forever be preserved.

All records in batting, pitching, and fielding are placed in chronological order starting in the first year of the franchise. The book consists of “Record Setters” and “Record Breakers.” The “Record Setters” are the players who played in the first year of the team’s history and at a time when no records stood before them. Once the original records were made, a year-by-year study has been made, listing every record breaker in the exact order in which the records were created. This format continues until we have today’s present record holder. This new method of record keeping is truly “Record Keeping.” Nothing could be more complete.

This book introduces four new features never seen before. First are the chronology lists, which start with the first record setter in each category and shows how long each record lasted before broken and all the subsequent record breakers.
Since records are listed in chronological order, they are easy to count, so now for the first time we learn which players have established the most records. This information appears at the end of each chapter on a “Record Holders List.”
This list not only includes the top record producers, but every player who has at least one record. This is total and complete record keeping.

The third new feature is the development of the individual player’s “Record Profile.” The team’s greatest players are honored at the end of each chapter by having their records profiled in total. Did you know that Honus Wagner has established 46 club records?

The fourth feature is the individual player’s “Claims to Fame Profile.” This is an extension of the Record Profile but also includes every feat which a player has accomplished which has made him famous. Did you know that Honus Wagner has 174 claims to fame? This book lists every one of them.

In addition to player records, managers’ records are also included, as are rookie records. The book also features a variety of biographies, quotes, and plenty of lore. This is the complete history of the Pittsburgh Pirates, traced through the evolution of their records.

EXPLANATION OF THE CHRONOLOGY LISTS
Perhaps the best way to understand the chronology lists is by the following example in which the season home run records are examined.

The above chronology list reveals that Ed Swartwood was the club’s first home run champion in 1882 with five home runs. Four years later, his record was tied by Fred Carroll. In the following year, Carroll broke his own record by hitting six home runs.

The first Hall of Famer to appear on this list is Jake Beckley, who became the new home run champion in 1889 when he reached the seats nine times. Beckley then broke his own mark in 1892 as he became the first on the team to hit 10 home runs. Beckley’s record would be eclipsed in 1894 by Jake Stenzel, who rapped out 13 four-baggers. Thirty-one years would pass before Joe DiMaggio’s brother, Vince, became famous when he tied Vaughn’s record and then went on to be alone at the top with 21 home runs in 1941.

In his rookie season of 1946, the great Ralph Kiner would pass DiMaggio in home runs with 23, then he became a phenom by blasting 51 home runs in 1947 and 54 in 1949. Kiner is the only three-time record breaker in home runs in the club’s history and remains the club leader to this day. Could anything be more simple and yet as complete as this?