BASEBALL

Written by Earl Bugaile | Photography by David Pinchot

Former Pirates spokesman Bill Guilfoile. | Photo courtesy of Earl Bugaile

“I hadn’t met any of the players, much less Clemente,” Guilfoile said, “but I told the reporter I would see what I could do.”

He entered the clubhouse and, in a room full of unfamiliar faces, saw Clemente’s number 21 jersey.

“I introduced myself, and he gave me a warm welcome,” Guilfoile remembers. “Then I asked him if he would do an interview with this reporter. Roberto’s demeanor changed 180 degrees. He started ranting and raving. Unbeknownst to me, he had problems with this reporter for years. I really thought Roberto was going to have a heart attack by how upset he got. Now I understood why this reporter asked me to set up the interview.”

Clemente eventually composed himself, took a deep breath, looked at Guilfoile, and asked, “Would it help you if I did this interview?”

“Well,” he replied, “This is my first day on the job, and I’m trying to get off on the right foot with the players and the media.”

“For you I will do it,” Clemente said, and went outside to meet with the reporter.

“He was so considerate of my situation, and I never got over that,” Guilfoile says. “I’m happy to say that Clemente and I got to be very good friends from that day on.”

That friendship may have helped Clemente break Honus Wagner’s record for most games played in a Pirate uniform. Contrary to popular belief, Clemente’s 3,000th and final hit did not come in the last game of the 1972 season. There were still three game remaining. The game in which Clemente reached the 3,000 mark also put him in a tie for the games-played record.

Clemente was not expected to play in the season’s final games, but Guilfoile, knowing the new record was at hand, approached Clemente and pleaded his case. Clemente demurred. “I’ve got a stiff neck and I’m just not feeling too good,” he said. “Next year on opening day, I’ll pass Wagner and have the record. I don’t mind waiting.”

Guilfoile told Pirates manager Bill Virdon about the situation. Virdon said not to worry, “I’ll get him in a game.”

Sure enough, in the eighth inning of the season’s final game Clemente trots out to right field as a defensive replacement and received a huge standing ovation.

Clemente died three months later when his plane crashed while bringing supplies to earthquake-stricken Nicaragua.

Though Three Rivers Stadium didn’t get much respect in its final years, and has since been replaced by one of the most beautiful ballparks in America, moments like Clemente’s final game mean that it still holds an important place in Pittsburgh sports lore.

Sally O’Leary, who began working for the Pirates in 1964, remembers the move from Forbes Field. “There was a great family atmosphere,” she said. “You got to know the players and all of their families. You could also walk around from the clubhouse to the offices, and no one would stop you. There were a lot of great baseball memories, with two World Series and two All-Star games.”

The high point of the stadium’s early years came the following season, as the Pirates won their first World Series since 1960. Three Rivers was also the host for the first World Series night game in history, which the Pirates won by a score of 4-3.

Another historic moment occurred in September, 1971, when the Pirates became the first Major League team to field a starting line-up of all black players. Manager Danny Murtaugh, who would hold court with the media seated in a rocking chair in his office in the clubhouse, was asked about the situation after the game. “All I knew is that I had nine Pirates out there on the field,” Murtaugh said.

Some players also hold fond memories of their days at Three Rivers. Former relief pitcher Dave Giusti recalls special games such as the no-hitters pitched by the Cardinals’ Bob Gibson, and the Pirates’ Dock Ellis and John Candalaria, along with upper deck home runs by Willie Stargell and Bob Robertson. •