Why I’m a fan of the Pirates

Welcome to the refreshed Bucs Dugout! To celebrate the new look and feel of SBN’s sports communities, we’re sharing stories of how and why we became fans of our favorite teams. If you’d like to share your story, head over to the FanPosts to write your own post. Each FanPost will be entered into a drawing to win a $500 Fanatics gift card. We’re collecting all of the stories here and featuring the best ones across our network as well. Come Fan With Us!

For me, I at least know precisely when this transformation happened. It was August 22, 1965. My dad took me to Forbes Field to see the Pirates play the Milwaukee Braves. I don’t know if I can really explain why.

I was too young to understand the game all that well and didn’t know much about the Pirates, but they got permanently imprinted on me that very day. Maybe it was Forbes, maybe it was the fact that the Pirates won, 5-4, in 11 innings (on a bases-loaded walk). Willie Stargell had three hits, Donn Clendenon had a two-run, pinch-hit triple and Don Schwall was the winning pitcher.

I was happy the Pirates won but also a little sad that the game ended. And it’s never even occurred to me not to be a Pirates fan ever since.

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