RETIRED NUMBERS
1 - BILLY MEYER
MANAGER • NUMBER RETIRED 1954
Born January 14, 1892 in Knoxville, TN, died March 31, 1957 in Knoxville. Threw and batted righthanded. A catcher with the White Sox and Athletics (1913, 1916-17), Meyer won eight pennants as a manager of minor league clubs from 1926 through 1947 before becoming Pirates manager in 1948. Known for his rapport with players, fans and the press, Meyer managed in Pittsburgh for five seasons, compiling a record of 317-452. He was The Sporting News Manager-of-the-Year in 1948 when the Bucs compiled a record of 83-71. Following his five-year tenure as Pirates manager, Meyer was a Pittsburgh scout for three years.
4 - RALPH KINER
OUTFIELDER • NUMBER RETIRED 1987
Born October 27, 1922 in Santa Rita, NM, died February 6, 2014 in Rancho Mirage, CA. Threw and batted righthanded. A Hall of Famer (inducted in 1975), Kiner ranks second on club's all-time home run list (301). Won or shared N.L. home run title in each of his seven full seasons with Pittsburgh (1946-1952), a streak unmatched in either league. Hit a club-record 54 homers in 1949 and had a club-record .567 slugging pct. in Pirates career. Was the key player in 10-man deal with the Cubs on June 4, 1953. Played with Cubs (1953-54) and Cleveland (1955) before back ailment ended his career prematurely. Hit 369 home runs in 10-year career, averaging 7.1 per 100 at-bats, which ranks among the best in major league history.
8 - WILLIE STARGELL
FIRST BASE • NUMBER RETIRED 1982
Born March 6, 1941 in Earlsboro, OK, died April 9, 2001 in Wilmington, NC. Threw and batted lefthanded. ''Pops'' compiled a remarkable career in a 21-year span from 1962 through 1982 with the Pirates. In 2,360 games he batted .282 with 475 home runs, seven home runs in post-season play, and 1,540 RBI. The Bucs' all-time home run, RBI and extra base hits king, Willie also ranks in the Pirates' top 10 in games, at bats, runs, hits, singles, doubles and total bases. Willie was a seven-time All-Star pick. In 1979 he was the N.L.'s co-MVP and the MVP in the LCS and World Series. Stargell became the 17th player elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility (inducted in 1988).
9 - BILL MAZEROSKI
SECOND BASE • NUMBER RETIRED 1987
Born September 5, 1936 in Wheeling, WV. Threw and batted righthanded. His well-chronicled home run against the Yankees gave Pittsburgh the 1960 World Championship. During his 17-year career with Pittsburgh (1956-1972), the Hall-of-Famer won eight Gold Glove awards and earned a reputation as one of the finest fielding second basemen in the history of the game. Among the major league records for second basemen "Maz" holds are: most seasons leading league in assists (nine), most seasons leading league in double plays (eight), most double plays in a single season (161 in 1966) and most career double plays (1,707). A seven-time N.L. All-Star, he compiled a .260 lifetime average with 138 home runs and 853 runs batted in. Mazeroski was inducted into Hall of Fame in 2001.
11 - PAUL WANER
OUTFIELDER • NUMBER RETIRED 2007
Born April 16, 1903 in Harrah, OK, died August 29, 1965 in Sarasota, FL. Threw and batted lefthanded. One of the most dominating players in baseball during his 15 years with the Pirates (1926-1939), Waner led all major league players in hits (1,959) during the decade of the '30's. He batted .336 in his rookie campaign of 1926 and became the first player in team history to capture the N.L. Most Valuable Player award a year later. A four-time All-Star and three-time batting champion, "Big Poison" ended his career with 3,152 hits. His .340 average with Pittsburgh ranks first in club history and he ranks among the top 10 in 11 other offensive categories. Waner was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1952.
20 - PIE TRAYNOR
THIRD BASE • NUMBER RETIRED 1972
Born November 11, 1899 in Framingham, MA, died March 16, 1972 in Pittsburgh. Threw and batted righthanded. Harold (Pie) Traynor was one of the finest third basemen in major league history, earning that reputation in a 17-year playing career spent entirely with the Pirates (1920-1935, 1937). Regarded as an outstanding defensive player, Traynor was also adept with the bat, compiling a lifetime .320 average. While he hit just 58 home runs, he managed to drive in 1,273 runs. Pie ranks in the Pirates' top 10 in games, at bats, runs, hits, singles, doubles, triples, total bases, RBI, extrabase hits, batting average and stolen bases. The Hall of Famer (inducted in 1948) also managed the Pirates from 1934 through 1939.
21 - ROBERTO CLEMENTE
OUTFIELDER • NUMBER RETIRED 1973
Born August 18, 1934 in Carolina, P.R., died December 31, 1972 in San Juan, P.R. Threw and batted righthanded. A Hall of Famer (inducted in 1973), Roberto Clemente was selected by the Pirates in the player draft when the Brooklyn Dodgers left him unprotected after the 1954 season, his first as a professional. For the next 18 years Clemente starred in the Pirates outfield. He won four N.L. batting crowns and batted .317 in his career, with 240 home runs and 1,305 RBI. He also won 12 Gold Glove Awards. He hit safely in all seven games in both the 1960 and 1971 World Series, winning the Series MVP Award in 1971 when he batted .414 with two homers against Baltimore. Clemente was a 12-time All-Star and the N.L. MVP in 1966. He ranks in the Pirates' top 10 in 12 offensive categories. He died with four others when a plane carrying supplies to earthquake-stricken Nicaragua crashed.
33 - HONUS WAGNER
SHORTSTOP • NUMBER RETIRED 1952
Born February 24, 1874 in Carnegie, PA, died December 6, 1955 in Carnegie. Threw and batted righthanded. One of five players originally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, Honus Wagner is widely regarded as the best shortstop to ever play the game. ''The Flying Dutchman'' won eight N.L. batting crowns - second only to Ty Cobb's 12 titles - during a 17-year stretch in which he batted over .300 in each season. Wagner came to Pittsburgh in 1900 after three seasons with Louisville, a franchise that had disbanded. He played with the Bucs until 1917 and ended his career with a .329 average and 101 homers. Wagner was a coach with the Pirates between 1933 and 1951. He ranks among the Pirates' top 10 in 11 offensive categories.
40 - DANNY MURTAUGH
MANAGER • NUMBER RETIRED 1977
Born, October 8, 1917 in Chester, PA, died December 2, 1976 in Chester. Threw and batted righthanded. A second baseman with the Phillies, Braves and Pirates (1941-43, 46-51), Danny Murtaugh was one of the most successful managers in Pirates history. He managed the Bucs in four different stints during 15 seasons between 1957 and 1976. During that time he became one of only 36 managers to win 1,000 games, compiling a record of 1,115-950, his win total ranking second on the Pirates all-time list to Fred Clarke's 1,422. He led the Pirates to five Eastern Division crowns and two World Series Championships (1960 and 1971). He was named The Sporting News Manager-of-the-Year in 1960 and 1970.
42- JACKIE ROBINSON
OUTFIELDER • NUMBER RETIRED 1997
Born January 31, 1919 in Cairo, GA, died October 24, 1972 in Stamford, CT. Threw and batted righthanded. Known forever as the first black player in the major leagues, Jack Roosevelt Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1956, helping them to six pennants in a 10-year span and to their only World Championship in 1955. He was named the N.L. Rookie-of-the-Year in 1947 and the league's MVP in 1949. A six-time All-Star, Robinson also became the first man to integrate the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1997, as a tribute to the legacy he created, Major League Baseball retired his number 42 league-wide on the 50th Anniversary of his breaking the game's color barrier. The Pirates officially retired his number in a pre-game ceremony on July 12, 1997.