| 2001 Pittsburgh Pirates |
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| 2001 information | ||
| Owner(s) | Kevin McClatchy | |
| General manager(s) | Cam Bonifay Roy Smith Dave Littlefield |
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| Manager(s) | Lloyd McClendon | |
| Local television | WCWB-TV Steve Blass Lanny Frattare Greg Brown Bob Walk Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh Steve Blass Lanny Frattare Greg Brown Bob Walk |
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| Local radio | KDKA Steve Blass Lanny Frattare Greg Brown Bob Walk |
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The 2001 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 120th in franchise history. A new era in Pirates history began as the club moved into PNC Park. Longtime Pirate Bill Mazeroski was inducted into the Hall of Fame.[1]
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Contents
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| Central Division | W | L | GB | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 93 | 69 | -- | .574 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 93 | 69 | -- | .574 |
| Chicago Cubs | 88 | 74 | 5 | .543 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 68 | 94 | 25 | .420 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 66 | 96 | 27 | .407 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 62 | 100 | 31 | .346 |
The Pirates opened the park with two pre-season games against the New York Mets, the first was played on March 31, 2001.[7] The first official baseball game played in PNC Park was between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates, on April 9, 2001. The Reds won the game by the final score of 8–2. The first pitch was thrown by Todd Ritchie, a ball to Barry Larkin. In the top of the first inning, Sean Casey's two-run home run was the first hit in the park. The first Pirates' batter, Adrian Brown, struck out; however, later in the inning Jason Kendall singled, the first hit by a Pirate. Two days later, John Vander Wal became the first Pirate to hit a home run in the park.[8]
Upon opening in 2001, PNC Park was praised by fans and media alike. Jim Caple, of ESPN.com, ranked PNC Park as the best stadium in Major League Baseball, with a score of 95 out of 100.[9] He compared the park to Fallingwater, calling the stadium itself "perfect", and citing the high ticket prices as the only negative aspect of visiting the park.[10] Pirates' vice-president Steve Greenberg said, "We said when construction began that we would build the best ballpark in baseball, and we believe we've done that."[8] Major League Baseball executive Paul Beeston has said the park was the best he's seen so far in baseball.[8] Many of the workers who built the park said that it was the nicest that they have seen.[11] In 2008, Men's Fitness named the park one of "10 big league parks worth seeing this summer".[12][13]
| = Indicates team leader |
Note: Pos = position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
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| 3B | Aramis Ramirez | 158 | 603 | 181 | .300 | 34 | 112 |
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
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| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
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| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
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| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
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2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
LEAGUE CO-CHAMPIONS: Williamsport
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