List of Pittsburgh Pirates seasons

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The Pirates won the National League in 1901 and 1902, before participating in the first World Series in 1903.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have completed 132 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) since joining the National League (NL) in 1887. Through 2018, they have played 20,256 regular season games, winning 10,240 and losing 10,016, for a winning percentage of .506. The Pirates are also a combined total of 43—53 (.448) in post-season play. Prior to joining the National League in 1887 the franchise compiled a record of 236—296 (.444) in five seasons of the American Association.[1]

This list documents the season-by-season records of the Pirates’ franchise including their years as the “Alleghenies”[l] (alternately spelled Alleghenys[1]). The Pirates moved from the American Association to the National League after owner William Nimick became upset over a contract dispute, thus establishing the extant franchise.[2] The team currently plays home games at PNC Park which they moved into in 2001. Prior to PNC Park, the Pirates played home games at Three Rivers Stadium and Forbes Field, among other stadiums.[3]

In 1903, the Pirates were defeated by the Boston Americans in the first World Series. The Pirates returned to and won the World Series in 1909, over the Detroit Tigers. Since then the Pirates have won World Series in 1925, 1960, 1971, and 1979. In addition to these five World Series victories the Pirates have won nine National League pennants and qualified for the playoffs fifteen times,[1] six of which were during a run of twelve winning seasons between 1969 and 1980.

The franchise's original colors were red and blue, which were switched to black and gold—colors that all professional Pittsburgh sports franchises now share[4][5]—for the 1948 season.[6]

Season by season[]

World Series Champions
(1903–present) † 		National League Champions
(1883–present)
* 		Division Champions
(1969–present) ^ 		Wild card Berth
(1994–present) ¤
MLB
season 		Team
season 		League Division Finish[a] Wins[b] Losses Win% GB[c] Post-season Awards[7]
Pittsburgh Alleghenys
1882[6] 1882 AA 4th 39 39 .500 15
1883 1883 AA 7th 31 67 .316 35
1884 1884 AA 11th 30 78 .278 45½
1885 1885 AA 3rd 56 55 .505 22½
1886 1886 AA 2nd 80 57 .584 12
1887 1887[m] NL 6th 55 69 .444 24
1888 1888 NL 6th 66 68 .493 19½
1889 1889 NL 5th 61 71 .462 25
1890 1890[n] NL 8th 23 113 .169 66½
Pittsburgh Pirates
1891 1891[o] NL 8th 55 80 .407 30½
1892 1892 NL 6th 80 73 .523 23½
1893 1893 NL 2nd 81 48 .628 5
1894 1894 NL 7th 65 65 .500 25
1895 1895 NL 7th 71 61 .538 17
1896 1896 NL 6th 66 63 .512 24
1897 1897 NL 8th 60 71 .458 32½
1898 1898 NL 8th 72 76 .486 29½
1899 1899 NL 7th 76 73 .510 25½
1900 1900 NL 2nd 79 60 .568 4½ Lost Chronicle-Telegraph Cup (Superbas) 3-1
1901 1901 NL * 1st 90 49 .647 – Pre-World Series Era NL Champions *
1902 1902 NL * 1st 103 36 .741 – Pre-World Series Era NL Champions *
1903 1903 NL * 1st 91 49 .647 – Lost World Series (Americans) 5–3 *
1904 1904 NL 4th 87 66 .569 19
1905 1905 NL 2nd 96 57 .627 9
1906 1906 NL 3rd 93 60 .608 23½
1907 1907 NL 2nd 91 63 .591 17
1908 1908 NL 2nd 98 56 .636 1
1909 † 1909[p] NL * 1st 110 42 .724 – Won World Series (Tigers) 4–3 †
1910 1910 NL 3rd 86 67 .562 17½
1911 1911 NL 3rd 85 69 .552 14½
1912 1912 NL 2nd 93 58 .616 10
1913 1913 NL 4th 78 71 .523 21½
1914 1914 NL 7th 69 85 .448 25½
1915 1915 NL 5th 73 81 .474 18
1916 1916 NL 6th 65 89 .422 29
1917 1917 NL 8th 51 103 .331 47
1918 1918 NL 4th 65 60 .520 17
1919 1919 NL 4th 71 68 .511 24½
1920 1920 NL 4th 79 75 .513 14
1921 1921 NL 2nd 90 63 .588 4
1922 1922 NL 3rd 85 69 .552 8
1923 1923 NL 3rd 87 67 .565 8½
1924 1924 NL 3rd 90 63 .588 3
1925 † 1925 NL * 1st 95 68 .621 – Won World Series (Senators) 4–3 †
1926 1926 NL 3rd 84 69 .549 4½
1927 1927 NL * 1st 94 60 .610 – Lost World Series (Yankees) 4–0 * Paul Waner (MVP)[e]
1928 1928 NL 4th 85 67 .559 9
1929 1929 NL 2nd 88 65 .575 10½
1930 1930 NL 5th 80 74 .519 12
1931 1931 NL 5th 75 79 .487 26
1932 1932 NL 2nd 86 68 .558 4
1933 1933 NL 2nd 87 67 .565 5
1934 1934 NL 5th 74 76 .493 19½
1935 1935 NL 4th 86 67 .562 13½
1936 1936 NL 4th 84 70 .545 8
1937 1937 NL 3rd 86 68 .558 10
1938 1938 NL 2nd 86 64 .573 2
1939 1939 NL 6th 68 85 .444 28½
1940 1940 NL 4th 78 76 .506 22½
1941 1941 NL 4th 81 73 .526 19
1942 1942 NL 5th 66 81 .449 36½
1943 1943 NL 4th 80 74 .519 25
1944 1944 NL 2nd 90 63 .588 14½
1945 1945 NL 4th 82 72 .532 16
1946 1946 NL 7th 63 91 .409 34
1947 1947 NL 7th 62 92 .403 32
1948 1948 NL 4th 83 71 .539 8½
1949 1949 NL 6th 71 83 .461 26
1950 1950 NL 8th 57 96 .373 33½
1951 1951 NL 7th 64 90 .416 32½
1952 1952 NL 8th 42 112 .273 54½
1953 1953 NL 8th 50 104 .325 55
1954 1954 NL 8th 53 101 .344 44
1955 1955 NL 8th 60 94 .390 38½
1956 1956 NL 7th 66 88 .429 27
1957 1957 NL 7th 62 92 .403 33
1958 1958 NL 2nd 84 70 .545 8
1959 1959 NL 4th 78 76 .506 9
1960 † 1960 NL * 1st 95 59 .617 – Won World Series (Yankees) 4–3 † Dick Groat (MVP)
Vern Law (CYA)[f]
1961 1961 NL 6th 75 79 .487 18
1962 1962 NL 4th 93 68 .578 8
1963 1963 NL 8th 74 88 .457 25
1964 1964 NL 6th 80 82 .494 13
1965 1965 NL 3rd 90 72 .556 7
1966 1966 NL 3rd 92 70 .568 3 Roberto Clemente (MVP)
1967 1967 NL 6th 81 81 .500 20½
1968 1968 NL 6th 80 82 .494 17
1969 1969 NL East 3rd 88 74 .543 12
1970 1970[q] NL East ^ 1st 89 73 .549 – Lost NLCS[d] (Reds) 3–0
1971 † 1971 NL * East ^ 1st 97 65 .599 – Won NLCS (Giants) 3–1
Won World Series (Orioles) 4–3 † 		Roberto Clemente (WSMVP)
1972i 1972 NL East ^ 1st 96 59 .619 – Lost NLCS (Reds) 3–2
1973 1973 NL East 3rd 80 82 .494 2½
1974 1974 NL East ^ 1st 88 74 .543 – Lost NLCS (Dodgers) 3–1
1975 1975 NL East ^ 1st 92 69 .571 – Lost NLCS (Reds) 3–0
1976 1976 NL East 2nd 92 70 .568 9
1977 1977 NL East 2nd 96 66 .593 5
1978 1978 NL East 2nd 88 73 .547 1½ Dave Parker (MVP)
1979 † 1979 NL * East ^ 1st 98 64 .605 – Won NLCS (Reds) 3–0
Won World Series (Orioles) 4–3 † 		Willie Stargell (MVP, WSMVP)
1980 1980 NL East 3rd 83 79 .512 8
1981[j] 1981 NL East 4th 25 23 .521 5½
6th 21 33 .389 9½
1982 1982 NL East 4th 84 78 .519 8
1983 1983 NL East 2nd 84 78 .519 6
1984 1984 NL East 6th 75 87 .463 21½
1985 1985 NL East 6th 57 104 .354 43½
1986 1986 NL East 6th 64 98 .395 44
1987 1987 NL East 4th 80 82 .464 15
1988 1988 NL East 2nd 85 75 .531 15
1989 1989 NL East 5th 74 88 .457 19
1990 1990 NL East ^ 1st 95 67 .586 – Lost NLCS (Reds) 4–2 Barry Bonds (MVP)
Doug Drabek (CYA)
Jim Leyland (MOY)[g]
1991 1991 NL East ^ 1st 98 64 .605 – Lost NLCS (Braves) 4–3
1992 1992 NL East ^ 1st 96 66 .593 – Lost NLCS (Braves) 4–3 Barry Bonds (MVP)
Jim Leyland (MOY)
1993 1993 NL East 5th 75 87 .463 22
1994[k] 1994 NL Central 4th 53 61 .465 13 Playoffs cancelled
1995 1995 NL Central 5th 58 86 .403 27
1996 1996 NL Central 5th 73 89 .451 15
1997 1997 NL Central 2nd 79 83 .488 5
1998 1998 NL Central 6th 69 93 .426 33
1999 1999 NL Central 3rd 78 84 .484 18½
2000 2000[r] NL Central 5th 69 93 .426 26
2001 2001[s] NL Central 6th 62 100 .383 31
2002 2002 NL Central 4th 72 89 .447 24½
2003 2003 NL Central 4th 75 87 .463 13
2004 2004 NL Central 5th 72 89 .447 32½ Jason Bay (ROY)[h]
2005 2005 NL Central 6th 67 95 .414 33
2006 2006 NL Central 5th 67 95 .414 16½
2007 2007 NL Central 6th 68 94 .420 17
2008 2008 NL Central 6th 67 95 .414 30½
2009 2009 NL Central 6th 62 99 .385 28½
2010 2010 NL Central 6th 57 105 .352 34
2011 2011 NL Central 4th 72 90 .444 24
2012 2012 NL Central 4th 79 83 .488 18
2013 2013 NL Central 2nd ¤ 94 68 .580 3 Won NLWC (Reds)
Lost NLDS (Cardinals) 3–2 		Andrew McCutchen (MVP)
Clint Hurdle (MOY)
Francisco Liriano (CBPOY)
2014 2014 NL Central 2nd ¤ 88 74 .543 2 Lost NLWC (Giants)
2015 2015 NL Central 2nd ¤ 98 64 .605 2 Lost NLWC (Cubs)
2016 2016 NL Central 3rd 78 83 .484 25
2017 2017 NL Central 4th 75 87 .463 17
2018 2018 NL Central 4th 82 79 .509 12½
2019 2019 NL Central 5th 69 93 .426 22
2020 2020[t] NL Central 5th 19 41 .317 15
Totals[1][8] W L Win%
236 296 .444 Pittsburgh Alleghenys (AA) regular season record (1882–86)
10240 10016 .506 Pittsburgh Alleghenys/Pirates (NL) regular season record (1887–2018)
10476 10312 .504 All-time regular season record (1882–2018)
43 53 .448 All-time postseason record
10521 10365 .504 All-time regular and postseason record

These statistics are current as of Sep 30, 2020.

Record by decade[]

The following table describes the Pirates' MLB win–loss record by decade.

Decade Wins Losses Pct
1880s 418 504 .453
1890s 649 723 .473
1900s 938 538 .636
1910s 736 751 .495
1920s 877 656 .572
1930s 812 718 .531
1940s 756 776 .493
1950s 616 923 .400
1960s 848 755 .529
1970s 916 695 .569
1980s 732 825 .470
1990s 774 779 .498
2000s 681 936 .421
2010s 792 826 .489
2020s 39 75 .342
All-time 10476 10312 .504

These statistics are from Baseball-Reference.com's Pittsburgh Pirates History & Encyclopedia,[1] and are current as of January 16, 2018.

Footnotes[]

  • a The Finish column lists regular season results and excludes postseason play.
  • b The Wins and Losses columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play. Regular and postseason records are combined only at the bottom of the list.
  • c The GB column lists "Games Back" from the team that finished in first place that season. It is determined by finding the difference in wins plus the difference in losses divided by two. In seasons that the Pirates finished in first place, the figure represents the number of games they finished ahead of the second place team.
  • d NLCS stands for National League Championship Series.
  • e MVP stands for Most Valuable Player.
  • f CYA stands for Cy Young Award.
  • g MOY stands for Manager of the Year.
  • h ROY stands for National League Rookie of the Year.
  • i The 1972 Major League Baseball strike forced the cancellation of the first seven games (thirteen game-days) of the season.[9]
  • j The 1981 Major League Baseball strike caused the season to split into two halves. This caused Major League Baseball to hold the Divisional Series so that the first- and second-half champions could play each other to determine playoff spots for the NLCS and World Series.[10]
  • k The 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike ended the season on August 11, as well as cancelling the entire postseason.[11]
  • l The official Pirates website uses the spelling of "Alleghenies" rather than "Alleghenys".[6]
  • m The Pirates first season at Recreation Park.[12]
  • n The Pirates final season at Recreation Park.[12]
  • o The Pirates first season at Exposition Park.[12]
  • p On June 29, 1909, the Pirates played their final game at Exposition Park. The two teams opened Forbes Field the following day, June 30, 1909.[13]
  • q The Pirates played their final game at Forbes Field on June 28, 1970.[14] Three Rivers Stadium hosted its first Pirates' game on July 16, 1970.[15]
  • r The Pirates' final season at Three Rivers Stadium.[12]
  • s The Pirates first season at PNC Park.[12]
  • t The 2020 Major League Baseball season was shortened to 60 games due to the COVID-19 global pandemic..[16]

References[]

General
  • "Pittsburgh Pirates year-by-year results". PittsburghPirates.com. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  • "Pittsburgh Pirates Team History & Encyclopedia". Teams. BaseballReference.com. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  • Finoli, David; Ranier, Bill (2003). The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia (Illustrated ed.). Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing L.L.C. p. 626. ISBN 1-58261-416-4. OCLC 52480758.
  • McCollister, John (1998). The Bucs! The Story of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Foreword by Ralph Kiner, Welcome by Kevin McClatchy (Illustrated ed.). Lenexa, Kansas: Addax Publishing Group, Inc. p. 240. ISBN 1-886110-40-9. OCLC 44810958.
Notes
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Pittsburgh Pirates History & Encyclopedia". Teams. BaseballReference.com. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  2. ^ Finoli, Ranier 2003, pp. 2–3
  3. ^ Finoli, Ranier 2003, pp. 485–96
  4. ^ Dvorchak, Robert (10 November 2008). "Vintage Penguins jerseys selling up a blue streak". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
  5. ^ Potter, Chris (3 June 2004). "Why are our colors always black and gold for our sports teams?". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Pirates Timeline". 1887–1900. PittsburghPirates.com. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  7. ^ "Pirates Awards". PittsburghPirates.com. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  8. ^ "Baseball-Reference Postseason Index". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  9. ^ "Strike is no longer necessary". ESPN.com. 2002-08-21. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  10. ^ "Let The Games Begin". Sports Illustrated. 1981-08-10. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  11. ^ "1994: 'Fall Classic' falls victim to baseball strike". Playing Hardball: Sports Labour Disputes. CBC. 1994-09-14. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Pirates Ballparks". PittsburghPirates.com. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  13. ^ McCollister p. 17
  14. ^ McCollister 1998, pp. 175
  15. ^ Koppett, Leonard (1970-07-17). "Pirates Open Their New Park, But Reds Celebrate 3-2 Victory". The New York Times. p. 38, Sports. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  16. ^ "Coronavirus (COVID-19)". cdc.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
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