Bill Mazeroski Statue, PNC Park

Introduction

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This statue of Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski depicts the slugger celebrating the home run that won the 1960 World Series. Mazeroski came to the plate with the score tied in the bottom of the ninth inning of the seventh game of the 1960 World Series. The statue was based on an iconic photograph of Mazeroski celebrating his home run that was taken by James Klingensmith of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.


Images

  • Photograph by James Klingensmith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photographer, at Forbes Field, October 13, 1960. This photo was the model for the statue at PNC Park by Susan Wagner. Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Photograph by James Klingensmith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photographer, at Forbes Field, October 13, 1960. This photo was the model for the statue at PNC Park by Susan Wagner. Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
  • Statue of Bill Mazeroski at PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
    Statue of Bill Mazeroski at PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Backstory and Context

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William "Bill" Mazeroski spent his entire 17-year career with Pittsburgh and is best known for winning the 1960 World Series with a dramatic game-ending home run. He was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

The statue was made by Susan Wagner, who also created the statues of Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell that are also located at PNC Park. The Mazeroski statue was unveiled at its current location on May 9, 2010. It was modeled on a photograph taken by James Klingensmith of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as Mazeroski rounded the bases following his Game 7 home run.

Sources

1. Hurte, Bob. "Bill Mazeroski." Society for American Baseball Research. Revised September 12, 2014. Accessed October 14, 2016. http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/a5cc0d05 2. From Pitch to Plinth: The Sporting Statues Project. Accessed October 14, 2016. http://www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk/statues/STUS_Mazeroski_Bill.htm 3. "Pirates Unveil and Dedicate Mazeroski Statue Outside PNC Park." Pittsburgh Pirates site. September 5, 2010. Accessed October 14, 2016. http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20100905&content_id=14313348&vkey=pr_pit&fext=.jsp&c_id=pit

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