Forbes was the National League's first modern concrete-and-steel park built in the Oakland neighborhood in 1909. The field was cozy and certainly quirky. The outfield walls in left, center, and right field were 360 feet, 462 feet and 376 feet respectively when the park was completed. The field also feature ivy-covered walls and the infield sported a "rock-hard" surface that earned the stadium the nickname the "House of Thrills."
Baseball history happened at Forbes from Roberto Clemete's first hit to the Babe's parting blast. But what memorializes Forbes Field forever is Bill Mazeroski's 1960 Game 7 World Series winning home run that propelled the underdog Bucs past the NY Yankees. The magical moment lives on in baseball lore to this day.
The treasures of Forbes lives on today too, in nearly every one of the 21 retro-ear ballparks built since 1992, from Camden Yards to SAFECO Field to Nationals Park. I've visited the hallowed grounds for Pittsburgh fans where the two-tiered Forbes once stood. I've starred at the home plate used in the stadium's final game (preserved inside Pitt's Posvar Hall). I'm thankful for the Forbes legacy.
The Pirates christened the park on June 30, 1909 taking on the Chicago Cubs, 100-years later the Cubs are back, a fitting tribute in itself.
AP PHOTO/Gene Puskar: Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski sits in front of a replica of the left field wall at Forbes Field, at PNC Park before the Pirates' baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh.
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