50 Years Later, the Pirates’ Lineup of Color Still Resonates

Such brotherly ribbing was a hallmark of the Pirates in the 1970s, even as they transitioned to other stars of color like Dave Parker, Bill Madlock, Jim Bibby and Omar Moreno. The visual on Sept. 1, 1971, was unremarkable, like the game itself: a Wednesday night affair at Three Rivers Stadium against the overmatched Philadelphia Phillies before 11,278 fans.

Standing in the on-deck circle at first pitch, Phillies shortstop Larry Bowa had the same reaction as Oliver: same old Pirates, the class of the league. Baseball had been integrated since 1947, so a diverse lineup, in general, was nothing new. Twelve different players of color had won the league’s Most Valuable Player Award, including Clemente in 1966.

“You look at every one of those guys that night, and they were great players,” Bowa said. “It didn’t even enter my mind that, ‘Oh, wow, that’s different.’ I just looked at the talent out there and went, ‘Wow — pretty good baseball team.’”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/29/sports/pittsburgh-pirates-anniversary.html