{"id":114812,"date":"2026-02-26T21:09:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T02:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=114812"},"modified":"2026-02-26T21:09:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T02:09:15","slug":"pirates-all-minority-lineup-1971","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/02\/26\/pirates-all-minority-lineup-1971\/","title":{"rendered":"The Day the Pirates Fielded an All-Minority Lineup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On September 1, 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates fielded an all-minority lineup for the first time in Major League Baseball history. It only took 24 years and some change after <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=robinja02,robins010jac&amp;search=Jackie+Robinson&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jackie Robinson<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/04\/15\/jackie-robinson-day-anniversary\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">broke MLB\u2019s color barrier<\/a> when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. During this Black History Month, let\u2019s look back on that day.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Pirates Fielded an All-Minority Lineup in 1971<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Pirates were playing host to the Philadelphia Phillies at Pittsburgh\u2019s Three Rivers Stadium on an otherwise ordinary Wednesday evening that drew 11,278 fans to the concrete monstrosity. Against Phillies left-hander and erstwhile Pirate <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/f\/frymawo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Woodie Fryman<\/a>, Pirates manager <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murtada01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Danny Murtaugh<\/a> posted this lineup card:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/stennre01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rennie Stennett<\/a>, 2B<\/li>\n<li><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/clinege01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gene Clines<\/a>, CF<\/li>\n<li><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/clemero01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Roberto Clemente<\/a>, RF<\/li>\n<li><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/stargwi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Willie Stargell<\/a>, LF<\/li>\n<li><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sanguma01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Manny Sanguill\u00e9n<\/a>, C<\/li>\n<li><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/cashda01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dave Cash<\/a>, 3B<\/li>\n<li><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/o\/oliveal01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Al Oliver<\/a>, 1B<\/li>\n<li><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hernaja01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jackie Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a>, SS<\/li>\n<li><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/e\/ellisdo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dock Ellis<\/a>, P<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The matter wasn\u2019t given much attention at the time. Pittsburgh was in the throes of a long newspaper strike. During those pre-Internet times, fans had opportunities to get their sports news only during short TV and radio reports. Furthermore, the players who participated didn\u2019t notice anything unique about the lineup when it was posted. They noticed only once the game was underway.<\/p>\n<h3>\u201cYou Guys Don\u2019t Have a Chance!\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>The game itself was unremarkable. The eventual <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/10\/21\/ohtani-judge-world-series-clemente-robinson\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">World Series champion Pirates<\/a> won, 10-7, extending their first-place lead in the National League East Division to 5-1\/2 games over the St. Louis Cardinals, who lost to the New York Mets, 7-1. Sanguill\u00e9n hit a two-run home run for the Pirates. <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/stonero02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ron Stone<\/a> and <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnsde01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Deron Johnson<\/a> hit two-run homers for the Phillies.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s been largely forgotten in retellings of this tale is that the all-minority lineup of the Pirates didn\u2019t last long on this evening. Ellis was knocked out of the box after tossing 1-1\/3 innings. He was then followed on the mound by <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/moosebo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bob Moose<\/a>, <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vealebo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bob Veale<\/a>, and <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/walkelu01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luke Walker<\/a>. Of the trio, only Veale was black, and he pitched just one-third of an inning. (In September of that season, the Pirates also had pitcher <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lambjo01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Lamb<\/a> on their active roster. With Moose, Veale, and Lamb, they accomplished a different \u201cfirst\u201d that season by having three pitchers named for meats.)<\/p>\n<p>That didn\u2019t stop the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/06\/12\/dock-ellis-lsd-no-hitter\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">controversial<\/a> Ellis from mouthing off. In <em>The Whistling Irishman<\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edpost.com\/stories\/author\/colleen-hroncich\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Colleen Hroncich<\/a>\u2019s Murtaugh biography, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/08\/23\/pirates-manny-sanguillen-hall-of-fame\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Sanguill\u00e9n<\/a> recalled Ellis screaming at the Phillies, \u201cYou guys don\u2019t have a chance!\u201d Even after Philadelphia scored two runs in the first inning off Ellis, he was still barking at them. The Pirates scored five runs in the bottom of the first, knocking out Fryman.<\/p>\n<h3>\u201cNot a Lot Got Past Him\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>Murtaugh was unaware that he was making history that night. Or was he? Philadelphia\u2019s <em>Evening Bulletin<\/em> quoted Murtaugh as saying, \u201cWhen it comes to making out the lineup, I\u2019m colorblind, and my athletes know it.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/08\/21\/ode-to-al-oliver-pirates\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Oliver<\/a> agreed, telling Hroncich, \u201cI don\u2019t think he was back in his office making out the lineup card and saying, \u2018I\u2019m going to send nine brothers out there tonight.\u2019 He was just looking at which nine players could win that night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, future Pirates Hall-of-Famer <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mazerbi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bill Mazeroski<\/a>, who was on the 1971 team, had his doubts. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/02\/21\/pirates-bill-mazeroski-passes-away\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Mazeroski<\/a> contributed an editorial to the December 4, 2021, <em>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/em> advocating for Murtaugh\u2019s induction into the Hall. Wrote \u201cMaz,\u201d \u201cMurtaugh professed that he was unaware of the significance, but a lot of us suspected that he knew what he was doing because not a whole lot ever got past him.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Missing in Action<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s interesting to think about. The 1971 Pirates regularly fielded lineups with five, six, or seven minorities. Most of the players in that September 1 all-minority lineup were regulars for the Pirates. Oliver and Clines platooned in center field most of the season. Hern\u00e1ndez saw a lot of action at shortstop with <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/a\/alleyge01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gene Alley<\/a> constantly battling injuries. <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hebneri01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Richie Hebner<\/a>, a white left-handed-hitting third baseman, was platooned by Murtaugh and wouldn\u2019t have started against Fryman.<\/p>\n<p>Conspicuous in his absence was slugging right-handed-hitting <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/roberbo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bob Robertson<\/a>, who was white. Robertson was 2-for-14 in his last four games. Even so, facing a left-hander may have cured whatever ailed the slugging redhead. In 2006, Oliver told author Bruce Markusen for his book, <em>The Team That Changed Baseball<\/em>, \u201cBob Robertson normally would have played that day, but Dave Cash told me. . . that Murtaugh was kind of disappointed with Bob for whatever reason. I don\u2019t know what the exact reason was, but he was disappointed in Bob, so he sat him down.\u201d Indeed, Robertson didn\u2019t return to the starting lineup until September 6.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Last Word<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In 2025, a permanent marker was installed near the former location of Three Rivers Stadium, commemorating September 1, 1971. Present were former Pirates <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/blassst01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-26_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steve Blass<\/a>, Cash, Oliver, and Sanguill\u00e9n. Also attending were Roberto Clemente, Jr., Hroncich, who is Murtaugh\u2019s granddaughter, and the usual assortment of politicians jockeying for attention. An occasion that got scant attention at the time will be forever remembered.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">54 years ago, history was made at Three Rivers Stadium as the Pirates fielded the first all-minority lineup in MLB history.<\/p>\n<p>Today, we joined the Heinz History Center and local leaders in honoring those players with a permanent historical marker on West General Robinson St. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GEcTeRP3W2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/GEcTeRP3W2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Pirates\/status\/1962964877347082473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\nMandatory Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On September 1, 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates fielded an all-minority lineup for the first time in Major League Baseball history. It only took 24 years and some change after Jackie Robinson broke MLB\u2019s color barrier when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. During this Black History Month, let\u2019s look back on that day. Pirates Fielded an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5010,"featured_media":73496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,4454,1071],"tags":[5116,28324,2103,856,28715,2272,5452],"class_list":["post-114812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pirates","category-baseball-history","category-mlb","tag-bill-mazeroski","tag-danny-murtaugh","tag-dave-cash","tag-jackie-robinson","tag-manny-sanguillen","tag-roberto-clemente","tag-willie-stargell"],"modified_by":"Joe Landolina","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5010"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114812"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114825,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114812\/revisions\/114825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}