The Bucs ’25 Title Reaches the Century Mark

In the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates the team has reached the World Series seven times and has taken home the title five times. In fact, the Bucs were in the very first World Series losing to the Boston Americans which at that time was a best of nine series and Boston won five of the eight games played to become the first World Series champion.

Pittsburgh would go on to make the World Series in 1909, 1925, 1927, 1960, 1971, and 1979. Every one of these championship and pennant winning teams won at least 90 games with the 1909 team posting the best record at 110-42. The 1979 team was next with 98 victories and 64 losses. But this year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1925 championship team.

The manager of that 1925 World Series winning team was Bill McKechnie, famous for having the Pirates’ spring training playing field bearing his name. McKechnie was the manager for four straight seasons after taking over for George Gibson in the early part of the 1922 season. From 1923 to 1926, McKechnie and the Pirates posted winning seasons never losing more than 84 games.

As for that 100 year old Pirates championship team, that season came at a time when there were no divisions and just the National and American Leagues. The New York Giants would finish 8 ½ games behind Pittsburgh and the Cincinnati Reds were 15 games back in third place. Finishing in last were the Chicago Cubs 27 ½ games behind the Pirates. 

In the World Series Pittsburgh faced off against the American League champion Washington Senators. The two teams finished the 1925 season with nearly identical records as the Pirates finished 95-58 and Washington 96-55. The series went all seven games played between Pittsburgh’s home park at Forbes Field and the Nationals home that was Griffith Stadium.

Between these two teams nine players would land in the Baseball Hall of Fame one day. From the Pirates those great players were Bill McKechnnie, Max Carey, Kiki Cuyler, and Pie Traynor. Across the diamond, Stan Coveleski, Goose Goslin, Bucky Harris (who played second base and managed the team), Walter Johnson, and Sam Rice all ended up in Cooperstown. Like the Pirates, the Nationals also finished in first and also 8 ½ games ahead of the second place Philadelphia Athletics. 

Finishing in last place in the American league in 1925 were the Boston Red Sox who with just 47 wins finished 49 ½ games behind Washington. In the World Series, it is difficult to win a seven games series when a team is down three games to one, but the Pittsburgh Pirates became the first team to do so in 1925. Having lost three of the first four games the Bucs stormed back with three straight victories.



In the deciding game seven, the great Walter Johnson was on the mound and holding a 6-4 lead through the seventh inning, but shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh committed two errors in the seventh and eighth inning that allowed Pittsburgh to scored four unearned runs and the Pirates would go on to win the game and the title 9-7. The victory came at Forbes Field in front of 42,856 fans with the game taking two hours and 31 minutes to complete.

For Roger Peckinpaugh, his regular season performance earned him the American League Most Valuable Player award for that season, but he fell apart in the World Series committing an incredible eight errors. For Pittsburgh Max Carey hit for the highest average in the series with a .458 average. That included three stolen bases. Earl Smith was next hitting .350 followed by the best third baseman in Pittsburgh history, Pie Traynor who it .346 in the seven games.

On the season, Kiki Cuyler batted .357 and Carey .343. Cuyler added 18 home runs matching Glenn Wright’s 18. Four Pirates players knocked in over 100 runs, Cuyler (102), Clyde Barnhart (114), Traynor (106), and Wright (121). On the mound for the Bucs, four payers won 15 games or more. Vic Aldridge (15-7), Ray Kremer (17-8), Lee Meadows (19-10), and Johnny Morrison (17-14). For the Washington Nationals, Joe Harris hit .440 in the World Series and Sam Rice .364. Goose Goslin smacked three homeruns. 

As great a pitcher Walter Johnson was, he was also a fine hitter. In 1925 he hit .433 in 97 at-bats with two home runs, 20 RBIs and 12 runs scored. Sam Rice was the leading hitter, batting .350. Only one batter knocked in 100 runs or more and that was Goose Goslin with 113. The pitching staff for Washington was superb. Stan Coveleski won 20 games in 1925 and lost just five. Walter Johnson also won 20 games, losing seven. Dutch Ruether won 18 and also lost only seven. 

Each of the 1925 World Series games played in Pittsburgh at Forbes Field drew a capacity crowd. So much so it was standing room only for the four games played at the old ballpark. The stadium was located at 230 South Bouquet Street across from Schenley Park and in 1925 the seating capacity was 41,000. In the series opener, 41,723 fans crammed into Forbes to watch the Pirates lose the first game 4-1.

The next day on October 8, 43,364 fans showed up. This time Pittsburgh prevailed 3-2. After the Pirates lost the next two in a row, they came back to take one on the road in game five 6-3. In the return to Forbes Field on October 13 43,810 fans were there to witness the Pirates’ 3-2 victory. Down to one game to decide Major League Baseball’s champions, just like it would be in 1960 the Pirates won the title on their turf. By a score of 9-7, 42,856 fans joined in the celebration of Pittsburgh’s second World Series title. 

On that 1925 roster of the Pirates, the youngest player was Mule Haas, just 21 years of age. Fresco Thompson was 23. Pitcher Babe Adams was 43 that year, eight years older than Max Carey and Jewel Ens. The great Pie Traynor was just 26. Manager Bill McKechnie was just 38 and had only two coaches on his staff, Fred Clarke (52 years old), and Jack Onslow (36).

Two years later the Pirates made the World Series again but had the unfortunate experience of having to play the “Murderer’s Row,” the 1927 New York Yankees considered by most experts to be the greatest baseball team ever. That team included Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, two of the greatest players in history. It was four games up four games down for the World Series champion Yankees. The Pirates got sweet revenge though 33 years later when in 1960 Bill Mazeroski became an instant hero by smashing a walk-off homerun in the seventh game of that series for the Bucs third championship in their history defeating the heavily favored pinstripes.