General
Information
Address: 600
Stadium Circle Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Tenants: Pittsburgh
Pirates (NL); Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL)
Opened: July 16, 1970
Last game: October 1, 2000
Demolished: February 11, 2001
Surface: Tartanturf, 1970 to 1982; Astroturf, 1983 to 2000
Capacity: 47,971 (baseball); 59,000 (football)
Architect: Deeter
Ritchy Sipple, Michael Baker, Jr. and Osborn Engineering
Builder: n/a
Owner: City of Pittsburgh
Cost: $55 million

Click
to purchase stadium replica from the Danbury Mint Collection
History
Three Rivers Stadium got its name because it is situated where the
Allegheny and Monongahela rivers merge to form the Ohio. It may be
the quintessential "cookie-cutter stadium" - it was symmetrical
in shape, used artificial surface, and was a multipurpose sports facility
designed so that the Pittsburgh Steelers could play there as well.
Construction of the stadium
was begun on April 25, 1968, and took much longer than its predecessor,
Forbes Field, which was built in four months. The stadium was
scheduled to open for the start of the 1970 season, but wasn’t ready on
Opening Day; nor was it ready for its revised target date of May 29,
because the lights had yet to be put in place. Finally, on July 16, the
new stadium was ready.
The old stadium saw many
classic moments - chief among them was
the play known as "The Immaculate Reception," the fluky bounce
into Franco Harris' arms, from
a busted 66 Option with 22 seconds to go, that started the Steelers
dynasty of the 1970s. It was also the
site of the first night World Series game on October 13, 1971; Roberto
Clemente's 3,000th and final hit on September 30, 1972; the 1974 and 1994
All-Star Games; John Candelaria's no-hitter in 1976 (the first by a Pirate
since 1907); the Steelers' 1976, 1979 and 1980 AFC title clinchers; and
the first extra-inning, combined no-hitter in major league baseball
history (Francisco Cordova and Ricardo Rincon shut down the Houston Astros
in a 3-0, 10th inning win on July 12, 1997).
The stadium sat on a
Delaware Indian burial ground, and the location was the site of many
battles fought by General George Washington over possession of nearby Fort
Duquesne. It also sat almost precisely on the site of Exposition
Park, which housed the Pirates for 19 years from 1891-1909.
The stadium was shared with the Pittsburgh Steelers ever since the Pirates moved
from Forbes Field in 1970. It was demolished on February 11, 2001.
The Pirates moved into their new
ballpark (PNC Park) in 2001.
Playing Field: A new
Astroturf surface was installed in 1996.
Three Rivers Stadium
Firsts Game - July 16, 1970, vs. Reds Pitch - Dock Ellis Hit
- Richie Hebner Home run - Tony Perez RBI - Al Oliver Stolen Base
- Lee May Double Play - Gene Ally to Bill Mazeroski to Al
Oliver
Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:
The address was 600 Stadium Circle, which is the road that encircles
the stadium. Left field, to the east, abuts Interstate 279 and the Fort
Duquesne Bridge approach ramp; the third base side (N) borders on
Reedsdale Street. First base (W) sits on Allegheny Avenue, on the Ohio
River, and the original point where the Monongahela River joins the
Allegheny River to form the Ohio River; the right field side (S) borders
on North Shore Avenue, Roberto Clemente Memorial Park, and the Allegheny
River.
Analysis
Three
Rivers was basically a neutral park with symmetrical dimensions. Doubles,
triples and home runs generally are boosted slightly, because the ball carries
well into the gaps (especially during the summer months) and the quick turf gave
the ball some high hops and allowed a few hard grounders to eat up the men at
the corners. Artificial turf puts a premium on infielder's range;
unfortunately, the Pirates' infield in 1999 didn't excel here, with guys of
limited range like Warren Morris (2B), a post-knee surgery Kevin Young (1B) and
Pat Meares (SS) patrolling the infield.
The outfield walls had a few
quirks, especially near the bullpens down the line, so corner outfielders had to
be sharp. In addition, left field here was perhaps the most difficult to
play in the National League because the sun glinting off the windows of the
Allegheny Club, on the third level over the first base stands, created a vicious
glare. During night games, lights would shine off the windows and create havoc
for the left fielder.
But
aside from that, it was a pretty easy park to play in.
|
1998-2000 |
2000 |
Error Index: |
104 |
119 |
Infield-error Index: |
106 |
121 |
Park
Factors
|
Run |
HR |
Avg |
L-Avg |
R-Avg |
L-HR |
R-HR |
H |
2B |
3B |
1992 |
99 |
75 |
104 |
108 |
102 |
74 |
76 |
103 |
114 |
111 |
1993 |
101 |
98 |
96 |
94 |
98 |
132 |
81 |
97 |
102 |
112 |
1994 |
101 |
99 |
102 |
98 |
104 |
124 |
87 |
104 |
103 |
79 |
1995 |
113 |
113 |
102 |
102 |
102 |
104 |
119 |
103 |
124 |
87 |
1996 |
105 |
96 |
101 |
104 |
100 |
94 |
98 |
101 |
114 |
115 |
1997 |
107 |
112 |
100 |
98 |
103 |
156 |
90 |
99 |
108 |
147 |
1998 |
106 |
106 |
102 |
94 |
107 |
78 |
122 |
102 |
121 |
118 |
1999 |
99 |
111 |
99 |
99 |
98 |
115 |
107 |
96 |
109 |
89 |
2000 |
97 |
109 |
95 |
95 |
95 |
114 |
106 |
95 |
107 |
108 |
|
1998-2000 |
2000 |
Walks: |
97 |
96 |
Strikeouts: |
108 |
112 |
Seating
Chart

Dimensions
Foul lines: 340 (1970), 335 ft.
(1975)
Power alleys: 385 ft. (1970), 375
ft. (1975)
Center field: 410 ft. (1970), 400
ft. (1975)
Backstop: 60 ft.
Foul territory: large.
Fun
Facts
-
Second highest strikeout factor in the NL in 2000
-
Third highest infield error factor in the NL in 2000
- Statues of Roberto Clemente, Honus Wagner
and Willie Stargell dot the park.
- Numbers painted on seats in right-field
upper deck where Willie Stargell’s homers landed. The
Honus Wagner statue, which used to stand outside of Forbes Field, stood
outside of Three Rivers Stadium.
- An 8-by-12-foot area of the 406 marker
section of the Forbes Field brick wall, 12 Romanesque window frames, and the
Babe Ruth plaque showing where his 714th home run landed were in the
Allegheny Club at Three Rivers.
- After 61 years without a no-hitter at Forbes
Field, a no-hitter was pitched at Three Rivers Stadium less than a year
after it opened by the St. Louis Cardinals’ Bob Gibson, on August 14,
1971.
- Without the inner fence, the outfield would
have been 342 feet down the lines and 434 feet to center.
|