#PITTSBURG PIRATES SERIES#

Tanner’s public demeanor was that of a happy, easygoing guy. Like all good families, they had a pretty strict but loving father figure in manager Chuck Tanner. “And the song ‘We Are Family’ helped,” added Garner. We were boisterous in the clubhouse, but when we crossed the lines, the guys played. “There were some teams that I won’t name that I can’t believe how quiet it was in their clubhouse, as opposed to the lunatics I dealt with here. “This team was much different than any team I played for,” Candelaria continued. Great team.” Stargell died in April 2001. “Willie was the silent leader of the team. “It wouldn’t surprise me that Willie would say something like that,” said John Candelaria, a left-handed starting pitcher who combined with Tekulve to shut out Baltimore, 4-0, in Game 6.

#PITTSBURG PIRATES SERIES#

Like the time he reportedly told a struggling closer Kent Tekulve in one of the World Series games, “If you want to go play first base, I’ll pitch if that’s the way you’re going to throw to this guy.” And he gave virtual kicks in the butt to guys who needed them. He gave out “Stargell Stars,” gold stars that attached to a baseball cap, to players who made great contributions. Stargell, who played first base, was the MVP of the World Series and the National League that season. I think Willie Stargell’s presence and leadership held all that together.” “We had guys from Panama, black players from the ’hood, white players from the ’hood, we had all kinds of socioeconomic backgrounds. “He was so well-loved and respected by everybody,” Garner said. 500 in the World Series, said Stargell - or “Pops,” as he was affectionately called - was the man who made the Pirates a family. Second baseman Phil Garner, who batted an incredible. “All of us got along and if you didn’t get along with somebody, Willie (Stargell) made sure you got along with everybody.” “We just treated each other like we were brothers,” said bench player Mike Easler, who was nicknamed “The Hit Man” for his batting prowess. It became the Pirates’ theme song.Īnd the Pirates players say it really was like a family. The Pirates clinched that World Series exactly 40 years ago Thursday.ĭuring that championship season, the Pirates had a motto: “We Are Family.” It was borrowed from a song of the same name by a recording group called Sister Sledge, their breakthrough hit during those disco-crazed days of the late ’70s. Now that the Washington Nationals have clinched the pennant, the Pirates are the National League team with the longest wait since their last World Series appearance.īut if Pirates fans are forced to live off a memory of the team’s last appearance, Pittsburgh’s thrilling come-from-behind-victory over the Baltimore Orioles in 1979 is a pretty good one.

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