- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Pittsburgh
- Team: Pirates
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Jacob Peter Beckley (1867-1918) was a durable first-baseman over a 20-year career. Though he never played for a pennant winner, Beckley hit .309 lifetime and held the games-played-at-first record until Eddie Murray surpassed him in 1994. Hit .300+ in 13 seasons (three different Pittsburgh clubs, Giants, Reds and Cards.) Upon his retirement, Beckley’s 2930 career hits made him second only to Cap Anson.
- Not above subterfuge, worked a hidden-ball trick on Honus Wagner using two balls
- Known for cheating on the base paths, was called out by the ump for “getting there too fast!” after racing from 2nd directly home while Blue wasn’t looking
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1971
- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Pittsburgh
- Team: Pirates
- League: National League
Marcus Elmore Baldwin (1863-1929) had a career that mirrored the stormy times in which he pitched. In his seven years with five clubs, Baldwin managed to get on the good and bad sides of some of the most notable figures in early baseball. He warred with Chris von der Ahe, including time in the slammer and charges of kidnapping. He practically put the “pirate” in the Pittsburgh Pirates by poaching inter-league players. He was the mound mainstay for Al Spalding’s world tour, only to return to lawsuits and acrimony as Spalding accused him of rowdiness beyond the bounds of a dissolute era. His debut was aborted as Cap Anson tried to insert him into the series with the Browns only to be expelled by the officials. Such was the checkered path that proved preparation for a long medical career in Pittsburgh.
- Baldwin was regarded as the flamethrower of his era. Catcher Jack O’Connor, who also caught Cy Young, said Baldwin was “the fastest pitcher I ever caught.”
- His fastball was all the more intimidating given Baldwin’s wildness, often walking as many as he fanned.
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Pittsburgh
- Team: Pirates
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Fred Clifford Clarke (1872-1960) broke into MLB in a big way, going 5 for 5 in his 1st game (never bettered.) This Hall-of-Famer starred with the Pirates along with Honus Wagner and Vic Willis, winning 4 of the 9 titles held by the Pittsburgh franchise. Was player-mgr most of his career.
- Hit over .300 eleven times, his .390 in ’97 was bested only by Wee Willie Keeler
- Honored at Cooperstown as the “first of the successful ‘boy managers’” at age 24
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1945
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Fred Clarke
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Pittsburgh
- Team: Pirates
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Max George Carey (1890-1976) was “harder to stop than a run in a silk stocking” per Joe Williams. A superb center fielder with a fine lifetime BA of .285, it was on the base paths that he made his mark with the Pirates and Robins. Saving his best for (nearly) the last, Carey led Pittsburgh to the pennant with a .343 BA, and to the title with a .458 Series average in 1925.
- In 1922 was successful in steals 51 of 53 attempts and led the NL ten times
- Stole home 33 times, second only to Ty Cobb’s 50
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1961
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Thomas Downie
- Series: Pilgrims
- City: Pittsburgh
- Team: Pirates
- League: National League
Charles Benjamin Adams (1882-1968) was one of the most remarkable control pitchers in baseball history. The superlatives just keep coming: only rookie to win 3 WS games (and, until Lackey in ’02, only rookie to win game 7); lowest rookie ERA ever at 1.11; fewest walks in a season of over 250 innings (18 in 1920 AFTER recovering from sore arm.) Still ranks at or near top of Pirate pitching records, the team for which he played virtually his whole career. Only pitcher with a better walk ratio in 20th Century was his Pittsburgh teammate Deacon Phillippe. Held Ty Cobb to 1 for 11 in the ’09 Series during his 3 complete games. Held Marquard’s Giants without a walk for 21 innings on 7/17/14, never equaled. Lifetime 2995 innings & ERA of 2.76, pitching shut-outs in his 40s. Were it not for intermittent arm troubles throughout his career, this Babe might have a place in Cooperstown.
- The Depression forced Adams to work into old age. He entered journalism and covered WWII and Korea as a war correspondent
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T201 Mecca Canvas: Bobby Byrne
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