1962 Pittsburgh Pirates

1962 Pittsburgh Pirates / Franchise: Pittsburgh Pirates / BR Team Page

Record: 93-68, Finished 4th in National League (1962 NL)

Managed by Danny Murtaugh

Coaches: Bill Burwell, Len Levy, Sam Narron, Ron Northey and Frank Oceak

Ballpark: Forbes Field

History, Comments, Contributions

The 1962 Pittsburgh Pirates represented the last gasp of the team that won the 1960 World Series. The starting lineup was exactly the same, and the main pitchers were virtually the same, with the exception of starters Earl Francis and Al McBean. The team was still pretty good - the 93 wins were only two less than the pennant-winning squad of 1960. But the record was somewhat deceptive. The '62 Bucs were 29-7 against the two expansion teams, the New York Mets and Houston Colt '45s. Against the rest of the National League they were 64-61.

Pirates management sensed the magic was gone and executed a series of trades in November after the season that sent shortstop Dick Groat to the St. Louis Cardinals, first baseman Dick Stuart to the Boston Red Sox, and third baseman Don Hoak to the Philadelphia Phillies. Outfielder Bob Skinner was shipped out as well soon after the start of the 1963 season. The moves mostly backfired, as the Pirates fell to a distant 8th place. The one positive result was that Skinner's trade opened space for a young, future Hall of Famer named Willie Stargell.

The '62 Bucs might have been in better shape if not for a rare off-season by Roberto Clemente, whose .312 batting average with 10 HRs was decent but far below his 1961 production. The best performance on the team came from relief pitcher Elroy Face (8-7, 28 saves, 1.88 ERA).

Awards and Honors

• All-Stars: Roberto Clemente, Dick Groat and Bill Mazeroski
• NL Reliever of the Year Award: Roy Face
• NL Gold Glove: Roberto Clemente (OF) and Bill Virdon (OF)