Pittsburgh Pirates fans don’t get to watch their team in October this year, but they’re still finding other ways to scratch their baseball itch.
On Monday, Pirates fans gathered at the Forbes Field outfield wall in Pittsburgh to commemorate the 65th anniversary of Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series.
Every year, scores of fans gather at the monument on Oct. 13 and listen to a radio broadcast of the legendary game, which many consider the greatest game in baseball history. This year marked the 40th anniversary of the celebration.
While Forbes Field, located in the city’s Oakland neighborhood, hosted its final game in 1970 and was demolished the following year, a piece of the famous brick outfield wall still remains, marking the site of one of the most famous home runs in baseball history.
Despite getting outscored 55-27 in the series, the pesky Pirates took the heavily favored New York Yankees down to the wire. With Game 7 knotted at 9-9, Mazeroski led off the bottom of the ninth against Ralph Terry.
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After taking the first pitch for a ball, the 24-year-old second baseman launched the next one over the left field wall, giving Pittsburgh a stunning 10-9 victory and its first World Series title since 1925.
Of the 120 World Series in MLB history, it’s still the only one to end with a walk-off homer in Game 7. Mazeroski, who spent his entire 17-year career with the Bucs, was later inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001 largely because of his iconic blast.
The Pirates haven’t been to the Fall Classic since 1979, but hopefully they give their fans some new World Series memories to celebrate soon.
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Featured image via Isaiah J. Downing/Imagn Images