Moving out … eventually

The Pittsburgh Pirates announce 67 years ago today the franchise will consider relocating unless a new, municipally-funded stadium is built to replace aging Forbes Field.

Two years later, the Pirates sell Forbes Field to the University of Pittsburgh for $2 million.

The Pirates then lease back the 35,000-seat ballpark from the university before eventually leaving their 61-year-old playground midway through the 1970 season to move into Three Rivers Stadium, a 59,000-seat, multi-purpose facility that lacks Forbes Field’s intimacy and charm.

“Leaving Forbes, they took the players away from the fans,” says longtime Pirates broadcaster Bob Prince. “It was unique. So what if girders needed replacing? You could do it, add bleacher seats. They had a way – just not a will.”

The multi-purpose, but charmless, Three Rivers Stadium