The outfield wall was a 10-foot wooden fence which eventually got covered with paddingand thank goodness for that when, in a 1998 game, the Pirates Turner Ward ran right through the right-field wall while (successfully) making a catch on a Mike Piazza fly ball. Alas, bureaucracy won the day over beauty and urban community. The stadium was . The Pirates may have been overtaken by the Steelers as Pittsburghs most adored, but they still had Mojo; an aging but still dangerous Willie Stargell was joined by a colorful cast of characters that included burly MVP-level slugger Dave Parker, the tirelessly skinny and bespectacled reliever Kent Tekulve, and 67 starting pitcher John Candelaria, who threw the Bucs first no-hitter at Three Rivers in 1976. Away from the North Side, one wild thought was to build a massive land bridge over the Monongahela River that would hold a stadium sitting on top of a multiple-story parking garage accompanied by twin skyscrapers. The concourse areas were dark and dingy. The park was not configured for baseball, so sightlines were not good. The dual-sport structure had been the epicenter of Pittsburgh sports for 30 years since opening on July 16, 1970. When Heinz Field opened, Coca-Cola also assumed the beverage contract for that stadium (the Pirates signed a deal with Pepsi for PNC Park before signing with Coke again in 2014), and also became the primary sponsor for the Steelers' team Hall of Fame, the Coca-Cola Great Hall. . 7/13/1973. April 7, 1970: Mets win their first opener at Forbes Field's final There was much initial praise for Three Rivers as a civic stadium meant to pull the Pirates and Steelers out of far more rustic times, but the compromised tedium many would ultimately slam it and other so-called cookie-cutter stadiums for was still hardly lost on some even as it doors opened for the first time. Photographed By Unknown, September 30, 1972. Yes, Three Rivers Stadium was another one of those venues people now love to hate: A perfectly circular hunk of concrete largely adorned with slightly angled spectator ramps perfectly spaced between four large welcoming gates. The first three years of the Pirates final decade at Three Rivers Stadium witnessed the fruits of their labor, winning the NL East each season from 1990-92. [37] Renovations for the start of the 1983 baseball season included replacing the Tartan Turf with AstroTurf, the center field Stewart-Warner scoreboard being removed and replaced with new seatingwhile a new Diamond Vision scoreboard with a White Way messageboard was installed at the top of the center field upper deckand the outfield fence being painted blue from the previous aqua. Without a hitch, a 1985 Bruce Springsteen gig at Three Rivers drew 65,000, the largest gathering for any event at the stadium. Home to 14 AFC Central Division champion teams. They were located behind home plate. = Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used the stadium when their permanent stadium was unable to be used as a result of damage. Even the pleasing evergreen views beyond the fences from inside Forbes Field were rapidly being overcome by industry and other inevitable forms of development. [13] Plans of the "Stadium over the Monongahela" were eventually not pursued. It was a winneruntil the construction bids all came in at $10 million above the projected $26 million cost. The family paid about $800 for the seats at auction. 'A cloud of dust went up and Three Rivers Stadium came - pennlive Three Rivers Stadium Historical Marker - hmdb.org The field was artificial turf. The Sports & Exhibition Authority said proceeds from the auction, minus costs and the auctioneers' cut, will be used to pay the $5.2 million demolition cost of Three Rivers Stadium, and to. Official fundraiser page for Pittsburgh Baseball HISTORY TRAIL, THREE RIVERS STADIUM HOME PLATE and Informational Marker As the development of the land. The home of the Steelers and Pirates had been rendered obsolete by the pair of stadiums now flanking the aging concrete cylinder. It was also the first playoff victory in franchise history. Among visiting players at Three Rivers, the Phillies Mike Schmidt hit the most home runs with 25including his 500th career round-tripper in 1987. Three Rivers Stadium hosted the first MLB postseason game ever played on artificial turf (1970), the first World Series night game (1971), and the first League Championship Series night contest (1972). three rivers stadium home plate location - howfenalcooksthat.com three rivers stadium home plate location. Breaking up the symmetry in the middle deck at left is the Allegheny Club, an expansive restaurant and lounge seating up to 700. Rivers Stadium Club Features Enjoy Chicago Dogs baseball from the comforts of the Rivers Stadium Club. Over 494 career at-bats at the stadium, he batted .337; no other player had a higher average in as many at-bats at Three Rivers. Home to the Pirates, who won two World Series, and the Steelers, who won four Super Bowl Championships, creating Pittsburgh's "City of Champions" identity. 2023 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved. Locals mocked it as the Bridge to Nowhere.. Downtown Pittsburgh peaks over the top of the other side. The final Pittsburgh Pirates home game was on October 1st, 2000 vs. the Chicago Cubs. In 1972, the Steelers made the postseasonwhich itself was big newsbut the franchises coming-of-age moment occurred in their first playoff game with, arguably, the most memorable play in NFL history. After its closing, Three Rivers Stadium was imploded in 2001, and the Pirates and Steelers each moved into newly built stadiums. Built as a replacement to Forbes Field, which opened in 1909, the US$55 million multi-purpose facility was designed . (FlickrJoel Dinda). So the idea was to open it up and see the city.. Truist Park - pictures, information and more of the Atlanta Braves ballpark Three Rivers last concert featured NSync in July 2000, drawing 47,000. Free shipping for many products! Rivers Stadium Club - The Chicago Dogs This section was taken to Three Rivers Stadium for decoration in the Allegheny Club. It is in North Shore. Spectators are easily distracted by mesmerizing views of downtown Pittsburgh, the Allegheny River and the Sixth Street Bridge, now named after Pirates legend Roberto Clemente. [29], Three Rivers Stadium was similar in design to other stadiums built in the 1960s and 1970s, such as RFK Stadium in Washington, Shea Stadium in New York, Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, the Houston Astrodome, Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, and Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis, which were designed as multi-purpose facilities to maximize efficiency. Removed from downtown Pittsburghs choking smoke and untamed rivers, elegant Forbes Field was built in a vernal, cultural paradise on the outskirts of town, where three was the magic numberfrom three Pirates world titles to Babe Ruths last three homers to the last tripleheader to all those triples. (It would take 10 years for that person, Kevin McClatchy, to fully purchase the Bucs.). It was during the Steelers' stay in Three Rivers that the now famous "Mean Joe" Greene Coke commercial aired, leading to a longstanding relationship between the two. Now, Wagner stands guard in front of the home-plate entrance at PNC Park on the corner of General Robinson Street and Mazeroski Way. It was also the site of the very first broadcast of ABCs Monday Night Footballexcept that it was a preseason game held on a Friday night between the Steelers and New York Giants. It had office buildings. In the 1990s, the Pirates reduced capacity at Three Rivers Stadium by 10,000 simply by tarping seats in the upper deck, where very few were likely to sit as the team descended into an historic long period of losing. Asset Location: 7500 Thomas Blvd Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208-2577 . The pentagon will be lifted out of its resting . Due to lack of support, however, the arguments faded. But the Steelers, benefitting from a generous NFL revenue sharing system badly lacking in MLB, played only 10 home games a year, not 81and so the stadium sat drowning in nearly $50 million in debt, while the Pirates were losing up to $10 million a year, borrowing more millions just to stay afloat and knocking heads with the stadium authority to sweeten the Three Rivers lease as they had been doing for years. TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. He was forced to go back to the drawing board when construction bids to realize his design were $10 million over budget. [16] The stadium was located in a portion of downtown difficult to access;[11] political debate continued over the North Side Sports Stadium and the project was often behind schedule and over-budget. Essentially, Ritchey envisioned PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) four decades before they were built. Three Rivers Stadium - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia Though spacious Forbes Field was perfectly suited for Clementes brand of line-drive hitting, he found Three Rivers to be no problem. Wagner, Kiner and Clemente could all agree that excitement was never in short supply at the Old Lady of Schenley Park. The Steelers, surprisingly, were not immune to the fans bully ethic. [40], Due to Three Rivers Stadium's multi-purpose design, bands including Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, and The Who hosted concerts at the venue. Roberto Clemente statue outside Three Rivers Stadium is shown on October 16, 1994 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The North Side, that industrial wasteland, was making a serious bid to become the place to see and be seen in Pittsburgh. The Jumbotron scoreboard, which replaced the original board that extended below the upper deck behind center field, received a high bid of $475,000 from a Massachusetts company that carted it about for various events. three rivers stadium home plate location - bagtical.com [33][62] The first pitch was thrown by Dock Ellisa striketo Ty Cline. Hardware included. names for church food ministry three rivers stadium home plate location. [14] The following season, the Pirates advanced to the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. [72] In the 1995 AFC Championship game, the Steelers' Randy Fuller deflected a Hail Mary pass intended for Indianapolis Colts receiver Aaron Bailey as time expired, to send the franchise to their fifth Super Bowl. However, an archive of the original site still exists, albeit at a different domain name. Wehner went into detail as to just how he got that baseball back. The idea came from Forbes Field, Ritchey told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2001 of his ballpark design. The stadium opened in 1970 and was home to the Pittsburgh Steelers football team and the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. Contents Three rivers stadium implosion february 11 2001 at 8 00 am Costing $1.5 million, the board would be replaced after just 13 years by a Jumbotron placed higher up in the top deck. Numerous strikes in a city heavily represented by unions pushed back the scheduled first game from Opening Day 1970 to midseason; Every day they delay making the move is taking money out of my pocket, complained Pirates star slugger Willie Stargell, who had enough of Forbes Field and its endless outfield dimensions. [49] Two months later on December 16, 2000, the Steelers concluded play at Three Rivers Stadium, with a 243 victory over the Washington Redskins.[50]. This is the greatest day of my life, he told reporters. [65] Game one of the 1970 NLCS, at Three Rivers Stadium, was the first postseason baseball game to be played on an artificial surface. Three Rivers Stadium Home Venues Rock Doo Wop Radio Jazz Pop Blues Thirty Years of Stadium Rock Three Rivers Stadium during its short 30 year existence from 1970 to 2000 hosted almost 50. Not even their rousing World Series season of 1960, capped by Bill Mazeroskis legendary walk-off homer in the seventh game against the New York Yankees, sped up the clock on any timetable. No perfect game was ever thrown at Three Rivers, but in 1981 the Pirates Jim Bibby retired 27 Atlanta batters in a row after allowing a leadoff single in the first inning. Stargell would share one last honor at years endbeing given Sports Illustrateds prestigious Sportsman of the Year award along with Steelers quarterback Terry BradshawTwo champs from the City of Champions, the magazine boasted. Three Rivers Stadium Concert Schedule - Pittsburgh Music History Aerial view of the Golden Triangle and Three Rivers Stadium, with parking areas still under construction. Homestead Grays (1939-1948) Vital statistics: Lifetime Capacity Outfield dimensions (feet) Behind home plate Fence height The Clem Criteria: Built Demo-lished LF LC CF RC RF Field asymm. Although the Pirates, in the midst of a two-decade stretch of losing unparalleled in pro sports, were awful over Three Rivers final two years, they managed to never draw a crowd under 10,000. [44] And in 1992, the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrated their second Stanley Cup victory at the Stadium. Stadium officials notated the spot where they landed by later painting numbers on it. Details Three Rivers Stadium Facts Cost to build: $55 million ($383.5 million today) Ground Broken:.