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Top 10 Pirates Postseason Moments: #6 - “Win it for Chuck Tanner’s mom”

“Win it for Chuck Tanner’s Mom”

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Baltimore Orioles, 1979 World Series Set Number: X23822

With October winding down and postseason baseball heating up, we figured that it would be fun to craft a list of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ top 10 postseason moments of all-time.

This is an opportunity to bring back some nostalgia and spread some positivity as we tune into the World Series.

Coming in at No. 6 on our list...

The Pirates lost three of the first four games of the 1979 World Series, but manager Chuck Tanner had a much greater loss, that of his mother, who died hours before Game 5.

The team rallied around their manager and hoped to play in her honor.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth, the Pirates were counting down the outs and lives they had.

Then, the Pirates scored two in the sixth inning thanks to RBIs from Willie Stargell and Bill Madlock. The Buccos added two more in the seventh and three in the eighth to take a 7-1 lead and stay alive in the series.

The team would go on to win Games 6 & 7 to capture the team’s fifth World Series championship.

This moment was the last time a World Series game was played in Pittsburgh. Hopefully we don’t have to wait another 42 years for the next one!