The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the National League Central division. The team began play in 1882 as the Alleghenies (alternatively spelled "Alleghenys") in the American Association. The franchise moved to the National League after owner William Nimick became upset over a contract dispute, thus beginning the modern day franchise. The team currently plays home games at PNC Park which they moved into in 2001. Prior to PNC Park, the Pirates played games at Three Rivers Stadium and Forbes Field, among other stadiums.
There have been 47 managers for the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise. The Pirates' first manager upon joining the National League was Horace Phillips, who had coached the team before their move to the National League. In 1900, Fred Clarke began his tenure with the franchise. Clarke's 1422 victories and 969 losses lead all managers of the Pirates in their respective categories, Clarke also had the longest tenure as manager in his 16 years in the position. Clarke managed the franchise to its first World Series victory, a feat that would also be accomplished by Bill McKechnie, Danny Murtaugh, and Chuck Tanner. Thirteen Pirates managers have been player-managers—those who take on simultaneous roles as a player and manager. McKechnie, Connie Mack, and Ned Hanlon were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum as managers. Five Pirates managers were inducted into the Hall of Fame for their performance as players. Billy Meyer's number 1, Pie Traynor's number 20, Honus Wagner's number 33, and Murtaugh's number 40 have been retired by the franchise. The Pirates' current manager is Don Kelly, who replaced Derek Shelton.
Table key Seasons managed; each is linked to an article about that particular seasonWinning percentage: number of wins divided by number of games managedPlayoff appearances: number of years this manager has led the franchise to the playoffsPlayoff wins: number of wins this manager has accrued in the playoffsPlayoff losses: number of losses this manager has accrued in the playoffsDivision titles: number of division titles won by the general managerPennants: number of pennants (league championships) won by the managerWorld Series: number of World Series victories achieved by the manager† or *Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum († denotes induction as manager)
American Association # Manager Years Wins Losses WPct Ref 1 – 51 59 .464 2 17 36 .321 3 , 8 18 .308 4 4 8 .333 5 11 31 .262 6 0 8 .000 7 – 145 136 .516
National League # Manager Years Wins Losses WPct PA PW PL Pen WS Ref 1 – 149 180 .453 2 7 10 .412 3 , 57 65 .467 4 23 113 .169 5 24 33 .421 6 27 32 .458 7 – 187 144 .565 8 – 149 134 .527 9 , 129 129 .500 10 – 79 91 .465 11 – 1422 969 .595 12 – 85 129 .397 13 1 4 .200 14 – 166 187 .470 15 –,– 401 330 .549 16 – 409 293 .583 17 – 246 178 .580 0 0 18 – 176 167 .513 19 – 457 406 .530 20 – 539 528 .505 21 1 2 .333 22 61 92 .399 23 1 0 1.000 24 – 317 452 .412 25 – 163 299 .353 26 – 102 155 .397 27 –,,–,– 1115 950 .540 15 13 28 – 224 184 .549 29 – 164 155 .514 30 4 1 .800 31 – 163 128 .560 0 0 32 – 711 685 .509 33 – 851 863 .496 12 0 0 34 – 295 352 .456 35 – 336 446 .430 36 12 14 .462 37 – 135 189 .417 38 – 186 299 .384 39 – 735 720 .505 3 5 40 – 306 440 .410 — — 41 –present .000 — —
Footnotes a The Alleghenies began the 1889 season with a record of 28–43; manager Horace Phillips suffered a mental breakdown and was replaced by Fred Dunlap who coached the team to a 7–10 record over the next 17 games. Ned Hanlon, the team's center fielder, was brought in to finish the season as manager, leading the team to a winning record of 26–18. b Hanlon left the team to join the Players' League in 1890, but returned after the League disbanded after one season. Upon his return Hanlon replaced Guy Hecker. After disagreements with management, however, Hanlon was demoted as manager with a 31–47 record in his second stint as manager. Bill McGunnigle finished the 1891 season as manager. c Patsy Donovan managed the team to a 60–71 record in 1897, finishing in eighth place. He was replaced by Bill Watkins who managed the team for over one season, but after a 7–15 start to the 1899 campaign Donovan resumed his position as manager and finished his second stint with a 69–58 record. d George Gibson coached 374 games from 1920 to 1922, winning 201 and losing 173. He coached 359 games from 1932 to 1934, winning 200 and losing 159. e Bobby Bragan coached the Pirates to a 36–67 record in 1957, before being replaced by Danny Murtaugh. Murtaugh coached the team for eight seasons during his first stint, coaching 1154 games for 605 wins and 549 losses. Harry Walker took over for Murtaugh, until a 42–42 start in 1967 caused management to bring back Murtaugh to finish the season as manager. Murtaugh went 39–39 to conclude the 1967 campaign. Murtaugh's third stint as Pirates manager lasted two seasons, he was 186–138 overall, winning a World Series in the second season. Bill Virdon was the Pirates for one season, but after beginning his second 67–69, Murtaugh was brought in for his fourth term as manager. Murtaugh finished his final term with a 285–226 record.
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