This Week in Pittsburgh History: The Pirates Find a New Home
Three Rivers Stadium opened on July 16, 1970, and the Pirates would play there for the next 30 years.
Three Rivers Stadium by Joel Dinda/Flickr is licensed under CC BY 2.0
On July 16, 1970, the Pittsburgh Pirates played their first game at their new home: Three Rivers Stadium.
The Pirates lost the game 3-2 to the Cincinnati Reds, the same team they’d lose to in the National League Championship Series. They ended the season with a 89-73 record, giving them their first National League East title.
HBD (in heaven) Three Rivers Stadium , 7/16/1970!
Home of many #Pittsburgh memories.
“Those crazy nights, I do remember
in my youth
I do recall, those were the best times, most of all
Those summer nights are calling” #Pirates #LetsGoBucs— 1986-92 Pittsburgh Pirates (@1992Pirates) July 16, 2024
In June that year, they played their final game at Forbes Field, which had been their home since 1909.
According to Historic Pittsburgh, “At the time of the opening game, the construction work on Three Rivers was still incomplete inside and outside, forcing some fans to cross wooden planks over muddy parking lots to reach their seats.”
The Pirates played at Three Rivers until its demolition in 2001, when they moved to their new home base of PNC Park.
