17-Years and Counting
Year W/L Attendance Rank
1993: 75-87 1,650,593 (12 of 14)
1994: 53-61 1,222,520 (13 of 14)
1995: 58-86 905,517 (14 of 14)
1996: 73-89 1,332,150 (14 of 14)
1997: 79-83 1,654,022 (12 of 16)
1998: 69-93 1,560,950 (15 of 16)
1999: 78-83 1,638,023 (14 of 16)
2000: 69-93 1,748,908 (12 of 16)
2001: 62-100 2,464,870 (11 of 16)
2002: 72-89 1,784,988 (13 of 16)
2003: 75-87 1,636,751 (14 of 16)
2004: 72-89 1,580,031 (15 of 16)
2005: 67-95 1,817,245 (16 of 16)
2006: 67-95 1,861,549 (15 of 16)
2007: 68-94 1,749,142 (15 of 16)
2008: 67-95 1,609,076 (15 of 16)
2009: 62-99 1,577,853 (15 of 16)
In Joe DiMaggio’s day the streak meant his fabled hitting streak, but nowadays, when people think of the streak, they think of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Over the past 17 years, the Pirates have built the most impressive streak in Professional American sports history. That streak however is not nearly as positive as Joe D’s. The Pirates have not had a winning season since 1992 when they last won the National League Eastern Division title. In that time a lot has changed. There are more teams in Major League Baseball and the Pirates even switched divisions. One thing has remained constant in the MLB since 1993, the Pirates finishing under .500.
How did it get this bad?
Once upon a time, the Pirates were one of the elite teams in Major League Baseball. They had the best young outfield in the National League; featuring All Stars, Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla. People around baseball knew it as the outfield of dreams. After a down period in the 1980s, the Pirates drafted well and won three consecutive NL East titles in 1990, 1991 and 1992. Each other those seasons, however, ended in heartbreak and disappointment. All three years, the Pirates lost in very dramatic fashion, especially in 1992.
The Heartbreak
“The two-one. Swung, line drive left field! One run is in! Here comes Bream! Here's the throw to the plate! He is...SAFE! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN!”
That’s probably the most heartbreaking call in the history of Pro Sports in Pittsburgh. With that famous call by Skip Caray came not only an end of the 1992 National League Championship Series, but also the Pirates winning. Since October 14, 1992, the Pirates haven’t even flirted with post-season baseball, much less played in it. It wasn’t just that the Pirates lost the series, in that offseason, they also lost Barry Bonds and plenty of other talented players. The Pirates run was over and since then, it’s been rebuilding time for the Bucs. 17 years of a “5-year-plan.” Not only have the Pirates been losing, they have been losing a lot.
Einstein’s Theory of Insanity
The Pirates have continually tried basically the same thing to find their winning ways again. Draft and hope the young players develop into all-stars. However, baseball players are expensive, and often the prime young players are traded away, because the Pirates cannot afford them. It’s the life and times of the modern MLB. The Pirates have put plenty of players on the field since 1992, but the results have been the same by October; the Pirates are under .500 and have been out of the playoff race since about July.
Glimmers of Hope
As the final out was recorded to end the 2009 Professional baseball season, the Pirates once again found themselves under .500. It was also their 17th consecutive losing season; the most ever in the history of North American professional sports. The Pirates could call themselves the worst ever. Yet in that losing season there was hope. Hope’s name was Andrew McCutchen. Not since Barry Bonds have the Pirates had such a dynamic outfielder. He was amazing in his rookie year, and many fans hope that he continues to improve to give the Pirates hope.
For the thousands in attendance
If a team stinks in an empty stadium do they make a sound? Judging by the attendance numbers, year in, year out, not too many people are coming to watch the Pirates. Since 1993, the Pirates have finished on average, 14th in the National League in attendance. They have finished dead last 3 times, and have finished second to last 6 times. They have ranked no higher than 11th out of 16 teams and that was in the opening season of PNC Park.
Record Attendance
Why is it that a team with one of the newest and most beautiful ballparks in America cannot draw a crowd? The Pirates losing is the most likely culprit. Since 1993, the Pirates have lost 1518 games; an average of 89 losses per season. “The streak” has not only prevented the Pirates from being relevant in pennant races, but also from being relevant in their own city. It doesn’t help that since 1993, the Pens have won a Stanley Cup and the Steelers have won two Super Bowls. Quite simply, not many in Pittsburgh want to support the losing team. Charles Evans, 23, Pittsburgh says, “Baseball has never really mattered to me, I’ve never really seen the Pirates win anything. My dad used to be really big into it, but now I only go to games when other people have tickets. It’s not that I find baseball boring, but I don’t feel the need to support a team that loses all the time.”
Dawn is coming
With the current core of players, many insides the Pirates’ organization feel that the dark days are gone and the winning will return soon. Whether, Andrew McCutchen, Ross Ohlendorf, Lastings Milledge and Garrett Jones can lead the Pirates back to prominence has yet to be seen, but one thing is for sure. As long as the Pirates continue losing, not a lot of people will be watching.
What happened in 2001 for that spike in Attendance? New Stadium?
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