Phillies–Pirates rivalry
The Phillies–Pirates rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) rivalry between the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates. Both clubs are members of MLB's National League (NL); the Phillies are members of the NL East division, while the Pirates are members of the NL Central division. The rivalry was considered by some to be one of the best in the NL.[3][4][5] The rivalry started when the Pittsburgh Pirates entered NL play in their fifth season of 1887, four years after the Phillies.[6]
Location
May 30, 1887[1]
Recreation Park, Philadelphia
Quakers 2, Alleghenys 1
April 14, 2024[1]
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
Pirates 9, Phillies 2
July 19, 2024
PNC Park, Pittsburgh
2,321[1]
Pirates, 1,228–1,084–9 (.531)[1]
Pirates, 1[1]
The Phillies and Pirates had remained together after the NL split into two divisions in 1969. During the period of two-division play (1969–1993), the two NL East division rivals won the two highest numbers of division championships, reigning almost exclusively as NL East champions in the 1970s and again in the early 1990s,[6][7] the Pirates 9, the Phillies 6; together, the two teams' 15 championships accounted for more than half of the 25 NL East championships during that span.[8]
After the Pirates moved to the NL Central in 1994, the teams face each other only in two series each year and the rivalry has diminished.[5] However, many fans, especially older ones, retain their dislike for the other team and regional differences between Eastern and Western Pennsylvania still fuel the rivalry.[9] The rivalry is mirrored in the National Hockey League's so-called "Battle of Pennsylvania".[9][10]
Early history to before 1970[edit]
Before 1970, the rivalry seemed to be low-key, because the two teams were seldom equally good at the same time.[5] However, in 1901, the Pirates and the Phillies finished first and second in the standings for the first time respectively,[11] with the Pirates finishing 7+1⁄2 games ahead of the Phillies.[11]
However, afterward, the Phillies would not win their first National League pennant until 1915,[12] thanks to the pitching of Grover Cleveland Alexander and the batting prowess of Gavvy Cravath, who set the major-league single-season record for home runs with 24. During that time, the Pirates dominated the National League, winning three more pennants, in 1902, 1903, when they lost the inaugural World Series, and when they won their first World Series, in 1909,[13][14][15] becoming the first team to open a new stadium with a World Series championship, having played their first season at Forbes Field that year.[16]
The Phillies were in the midst of a period of futility from 1918 to 1948 when the Pirates won the 1925 World Series and the 1927 National League pennant.[17][18] During that time, the Phillies had only one winning season, in 1932.[19] From 1933 to 1948, the Phillies posted 16 consecutive losing seasons, a major league record that stood until 2009 (ironically broken by the Pirates).[20]
After World War II, the Pirates had limited success, despite the presence of a genuine star in Ralph Kiner, who led the National League in home runs for seven consecutive seasons (1946-1952). During that time, the Phillies would have their first winning season in 17 years in 1949,[21] and the following year, the Whiz Kids of the Phillies would win their second National League pennant, though they lost to the New York Yankees in the 1950 World Series.[22][23] In 1960, the Phillies were in last place when the Pirates won the World Series.[24]