# 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates season

The 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 90th season for the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise; their 85th in the National League. It involved the Pirates finishing first in the National League East with a record of 97 wins and 65 losses. They defeated the San Francisco Giants three games to one in the NLCS and beat the Baltimore Orioles four games to three in the World Series. The Pirates were managed by Danny Murtaugh, and played their first full season at Three Rivers Stadium, which had opened in July the year before.

## Offseason

* October 15, 1970: Charlie Sands and 2 minor leaguers were traded to the Pirates by the New York Yankees for 3 minor leaguers.
* October 26, 1970: Joe Gibbon released by the Pirates.
* December 2, 1970: Freddie Patek, Bruce Dal Canton and Jerry May were traded by the Pirates to the Kansas City Royals for Bob Johnson, Jackie Hernández and Jim Campanis.
* January 29, 1971: Matty Alou and George Brunet were traded by the Pirates to the St. Louis Cardinals for Nelson Briles and Vic Davalillo.
* February 10, 1971: Danny Rivas (minors) was traded by the Pirates to the Mexico City Reds for Ramón Hernández.

## Regular season

In 1971, the Pirates became the first Major League Baseball team to field an all-black starting lineup. Taking the field, on September 1, was Rennie Stennett, Gene Clines, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Manny Sanguillén, Dave Cash, Al Oliver, Jackie Hernández, and Dock Ellis.

### Season standings

vteNL East :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 97 | 65 | .599 | — | 52‍–‍28 | 45‍–‍37 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 90 | 72 | .556 | 7 | 45‍–‍36 | 45‍–‍36 |
| Chicago Cubs | 83 | 79 | .512 | 14 | 44‍–‍37 | 39‍–‍42 |
| New York Mets | 83 | 79 | .512 | 14 | 44‍–‍37 | 39‍–‍42 |
| Montreal Expos | 71 | 90 | .441 | 25½ | 36‍–‍44 | 35‍–‍46 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 67 | 95 | .414 | 30 | 34‍–‍47 | 33‍–‍48 |

### Record vs. opponents

1971 National League recordvte Sources: :
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL |
| Atlanta | — | 5–7 | 9–9 | 9–9 | 9–9 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 11–7 | 7–11 | 6–6 |
| Chicago | 7–5 | — | 6–6 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 11–7 | 6–12 | 9–3 | 3–9 | 9–9 |
| Cincinnati | 9–9 | 6–6 | — | 5–13 | 7–11 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 8–4 |
| Houston | 9–9 | 7–5 | 13–5 | — | 8–10 | 4–8 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 2–10 |
| Los Angeles | 9–9 | 4–8 | 11–7 | 10–8 | — | 8–4 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 13–5 | 12–6 | 6–6 |
| Montreal | 5–7 | 10–8 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 4–8 | — | 9–9 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 6–5 | 7–5 | 4–14 |
| New York | 5–7 | 7–11 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 9–9 | — | 13–5 | 10–8 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 10–8 |
| Philadelphia | 4-8 | 7–11 | 2–10 | 3–9 | 5–7 | 6–10 | 5–13 | — | 6–12 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 7–11 |
| Pittsburgh | 8–4 | 12–6 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 11–7 | 8–10 | 12–6 | — | 9–3 | 3–9 | 11–7 |
| San Diego | 7–11 | 3–9 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 5–13 | 5–6 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 3–9 | — | 5–13 | 4–8 |
| San Francisco | 11–7 | 9–3 | 9–9 | 9–9 | 6–12 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 13–5 | — | 5–7 |
| St. Louis | 6–6 | 9–9 | 4–8 | 10–2 | 6–6 | 14–4 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 7–11 | 8–4 | 7–5 | — |

### Notable transactions

* June 8, 1971: Craig Reynolds chosen by the Pirates in the 1st round of the 1971 Major League Baseball draft.
* August 10, 1971: Bob Miller was traded to the Pirates by the San Diego Padres for Johnny Jeter and Ed Acosta.
* August 10, 1971: Mudcat Grant was sold by the Pirates to the Oakland Athletics.

## Roster
### Opening Day lineup

Opening Day Starters :
| # | Name | Position |
| 9 | Bill Mazeroski | 2B |
| 20 | Richie Hebner | 3B |
| 21 | Roberto Clemente | RF |
| 35 | Manny Sanguillén | C |
| 7 | Bob Robertson | 1B |
| 8 | Willie Stargell | LF |
| 16 | Al Oliver | CF |
| 2 | Jackie Hernández | SS |
| 17 | Dock Ellis | SP |

## Game log
### Regular season

1971 regular season game log: 97–65 (Home: 52–28; Away: 45–37) :
April: 12–10 (Home: 7–5; Away: 5–5)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
1April 61:35 p.m. ESTPhillies4–2Ellis (1–0)Short (0–1)—2:2139,7121–0W1
2April 88:05 p.m. ESTPhillies2–0Walker (1–0)Fryman (0–1)—1:4712,2892–0W2
3April 98:05 p.m. EST@ Braves8–2Moose (1–0)Jarvis (0–1)Giusti (1)2:2332,7343–0W3
4April 108:05 p.m. EST@ Braves4–5 (12)Upshaw (2–0)Briles (0–1)—2:4113,0793–1L1
5April 112:15 p.m. EST@ Braves1–3Nash (1–0)Ellis (1–1)—1:5210,2203–2L2
6April 127:35 p.m. EST@ Phillies4–3 (11)Giusti (1–0)Selma (0–1)—2:5519,4694–2W1
7April 137:35 p.m. EST@ Phillies9–3Briles (1–1)Short (0–2)—2:2814,9345–2W2
8April 147:35 p.m. EST@ Phillies5–6Hoerner (1–0)Grant (0–1)Selma (1)2:348,3795–3L1
9April 162:15 p.m. EST@ Mets0–1Seaver (2–0)Ellis (1–2)—2:0318,4915–4L2
10April 172:15 p.m. EST@ Mets2–0Blass (1–0)Koosman (0–1)—2:0123,3056–4W1
11April 18 (1)1:05 p.m. EST@ Mets2–5Gentry (1–2)Walker (1–1)—2:09—6–5L1
12April 18 (2)3:49 p.m. EST@ Mets2–1Johnson (1–0)McGraw (1–1)—2:4351,9057–5W1
13April 208:05 p.m. ESTBraves0–2Niekro (1–1)Moose (1–1)—1:588,7557–6L1
14April 218:05 p.m. ESTBraves10–2Ellis (2–2)Nash (1–1)—2:067,9928–6W1
15April 228:05 p.m. ESTBraves7–4Blass (2–0)Reed (2–2)Giusti (2)2:064,7089–6W2
16April 238:05 p.m. ESTGiants0–2Stone (1–0)Walker (1–2)—2:0812,3509–7L1
17April 242:15 p.m. ESTGiants0–2Bryant (2–0)Johnson (1–1)—2:218,3869–8L2
18April 251:35 p.m. EDTGiants6–2Briles (2–1)Marichal (3–2)Giusti (3)2:5116,55310–8W1
19April 278:05 p.m. EDTDodgers5–7VanceEllis (2–3)Mikkelsen2:466,51810–9L1
20April 288:05 p.m. EDTDodgers7–5Blass (3–0)O'BrienGiusti (4)2:166,19111–9W1
21April 298:05 p.m. EDTDodgers1–2MikkelsenGiusti (1–1)—2:045,03111–10L1
22April 308:05 p.m. EDTPadres5–3Nelson (1–0)KelleyGrant (1)2:065,94412–10W1 :
May: 17–9 (Home: 10–4; Away: 7–5)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
23May 12:15 p.m. EDTPadres5–4 (11)Grant (1–1)Laxton—2:556,06813–10W2
24May 21:35 p.m. EDTPadres5–1Ellis (3–3)ArlinGiusti (5)2:058,48214–10W3
25May 411:00 p.m. EDT@ Giants10–2Moose (2–1)Stone (2–1)Grant (2)2:538,26315–10W4
26May 54:00 p.m. EDT@ Giants1–2Marichal (4–2)Walker (1–3)—2:025,21215–11L1
27May 711:00 p.m. EDT@ Dodgers3–2Johnson (2–1)SuttonGrant (3)2:2544,27516–11W1
28May 810:00 p.m. EDT@ Dodgers5–3Briles (3–1)DowningGiusti (6)2:3926,73717–11W2
29May 94:00 p.m. EDT@ Dodgers11–5Veale (1–0)MikkelsenGrant (4)3:1626,34918–11W3
30May 1110:30 p.m. EDT@ Padres10–4Ellis (4–3)CoombsGiusti (7)2:334,44019–11W4
31May 1210:30 p.m. EDT@ Padres1–2RobertsWalker (1–4)—2:064,29219–12L1
32May 148:05 p.m. EDTMets2–8Koosman (3–1)Johnson (2–2)—2:2317,62219–13L2
33May 158:05 p.m. EDTMets5–9Sadecki (1–0)Blass (3–1)—2:2622,04219–14L3
34May 161:35 p.m. EDTMets4–2Ellis (5–3)Ryan (4–1)Giusti (8)2:1118,96820–14W1
35May 178:05 p.m. EDTExpos6–5Grant (2–1)Marshall—2:236,43121–14W2
36May 188:05 p.m. EDTExpos3–2Johnson (3–2)Marshall—2:4610,22622–14W3
37May 198:05 p.m. EDT@ Reds6–1Moose (3–1)NolanGiusti (9)2:2211,10923–14W4
38May 2012:35 p.m. EDT@ Reds4–5WilcoxBlass (3–2)Carroll2:259,53023–15L1
39May 218:05 p.m. EDT@ Expos6–2 (13)Grant (3–1)Reed—3:3117,37924–15W1
40May 228:05 p.m. EDT@ Expos2–5StonemanWalker (1–5)—2:2518,81424–16L1
41May 232:15 p.m. EDT@ Expos2–4McAnallyJohnson (3–3)Marshall2:3427,21624–17L2
42May 258:05 p.m. EDTReds4–7GrimsleyMoose (3–2)Gibbon2:158,60724–18L3
43May 268:05 p.m. EDTReds2–0Blass (4–2)Cloninger—2:097,36925–18W1
44May 278:05 p.m. EDTReds5–2Ellis (6–3)Merritt—2:007,40826–18W2
45May 288:05 p.m. EDTCubs2–4PappasWalker (1–6)—2:2412,77626–19L1
46May 292:15 p.m. EDTCubs9–4Johnson (4–3)HandsGiusti (10)2:2312,33627–19W1
47May 301:35 p.m. EDTCubs10–0Moose (4–2)Holtzman—2:2014,64328–19W2
48May 3111:05 a.m. EDTCubs6–0Blass (5–2)Jenkins—2:0919,58929–19W3 :
June: 20–10 (Home: 9–4; Away: 11–6)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
49June 18:05 p.m. EDTCardinals9–0Ellis (7–3)Zachary—2:0021,51630–19W4
50June 28:05 p.m. EDTCardinals10–1Walker (2–6)ClevelandVeale (1)2:339,61231–19W5
51June 38:05 p.m. EDTCardinals1–7CarltonJohnson (4–4)—2:2118,94731–20L1
52June 48:05 p.m. EDTAstros3–2Moose (5–2)BillinghamGiusti (11)2:1214,02532–20W1
53June 58:05 p.m. EDTAstros1–4DierkerBlass (5–3)Gladding2:5023,79332–21L1
54June 61:35 p.m. EDTAstros9–8Ellis (8–3)BlasingameVeale (2)2:5423,05133–21W1
55June 72:30 p.m. EDT@ Cubs11–6Veale (2–0)PappasGiusti (12)3:1616,47834–21W2
56June 82:30 p.m. EDT@ Cubs0–1 (12)HoltzmanGrant (3–2)—2:3514,87834–22L1
57June 92:30 p.m. EDT@ Cubs1–3JenkinsMoose (5–3)—2:0816,43834–23L2
58June 109:05 p.m. EDT@ Cardinals3–1Blass (6–3)Reuss—2:2018,95035–23W1
59June 119:05 p.m. EDT@ Cardinals11–4Ellis (9–3)ClevelandGiusti (13)2:3427,30836–23W2
60June 128:05 p.m. EDT@ Cardinals4–3Grant (4–2)Arroyo—2:5524,56537–23W3
61June 132:15 p.m. EDT@ Cardinals8–4Giusti (2–1)CarltonHernández (1)2:4721,20538–23W4
62June 148:30 p.m. EDT@ Astros4–5GladdingNelson (1–1)—2:3911,65538–24L1
63June 158:30 p.m. EDT@ Astros3–0Blass (7–3)Dierker—2:2716,30739–24W1
64June 168:30 p.m. EDT@ Astros6–4Ellis (10–3)Blasingame—2:2716,09840–24W2
65June 188:05 p.m. EDTExpos9–8 (11)Giusti (3–1)Raymond—3:1626,64441–24W3
66June 192:15 p.m. EDTExpos1–10MortonMoose (5–4)—2:3412,09141–25L1
67June 20 (1)1:05 p.m. EDTExpos7–1Blass (8–3)Stoneman—2:27—42–25W1
68June 20 (2)4:07 p.m. EDTExpos7–3Briles (4–1)BrittonGrant (5)2:1732,30143–25W2
69June 218:05 p.m. EDTMets6–0Ellis (11–3)Koosman (3–5)—2:0519,75144–25W3
70June 228:05 p.m. EDTMets2–3Williams (3–1)Nelson (1–2)Frisella (7)2:2927,57844–26L1
71June 238:05 p.m. EDTMets6–2Walker (3–6)Gentry (6–5)Grant (6)2:2831,22545–26W1
72June 257:35 p.m. EDT@ Phillies14–4Blass (9–3)Bunning (5–9)—2:2738,73646–26W2
73June 262:15 p.m. EDT@ Phillies11–9Ellis (12–3)Short (4–9)Giusti (14)2:3424,96547–26W3
74June 27 (1)1:05 p.m. EDT@ Phillies4–8Fryman (2–3)Johnson (4–5)Hoerner (4)2:2847–27L1
75June 27 (2)4:08 p.m. EDT@ Phillies10–9Veale (3–0)Hoerner (3–3)Giusti (15)2:5937,06248–27W1
76June 288:15 p.m. EDT@ Cardinals11–5Moose (6–4)ReussGrant (7)2:4415,02449–27W2
77June 299:05 p.m. EDT@ Cardinals3–8ClevelandWalker (3–7)—2:3014,58649–28L1
78June 308:05 p.m. EDT@ Mets0–4Ryan (8–4)Blass (9–4)Frisella (8)2:0850,39949–29L2 :
July: 18–10 (Home: 11–3; Away: 7–7)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
79July 12:05 p.m. EDT@ Mets3–0Ellis (13–3)Koosman (4–6)Giusti (16)3:0326,65050–29W1
80July 22:30 p.m. EDT@ Cubs5–1Moose (7–4)Jenkins—2:3128,91951–29W2
81July 32:15 p.m. EDT@ Cubs1–3PappasJohnson (4–6)—2:0631,42251–30L1
82July 42:15 p.m. EDT@ Cubs7–9ReganGiusti (3–2)Newman2:5630,40151–31L2
83July 52:30 p.m. EDT@ Cubs6–2Blass (10–4)Holtzman—2:3537,73452–31W1
84July 68:05 p.m. EDTReds5–2Ellis (14–3)McGlothlinGiusti (17)2:2123,32153–31W2
85July 78:05 p.m. EDTReds9–3Johnson (5–6)Nolan—2:0923,87354–31W3
86July 88:05 p.m. EDTReds7–1Kison (1–0)GullettGiusti (18)2:2522,53455–31W4
87July 98:05 p.m. EDTBraves11–2Briles (5–1)Nash (6–6)—2:2929,67856–31W5
88July 102:15 p.m. EDTBraves5–4Grant (5–2)Niekro (9–8)Giusti (19)2:1518,95557–31W6
—July 11BravesPostponed (Rain; Site change) (Makeup date: August 23)
42nd All-Star Game in Detroit, Michigan
89July 158:05 p.m. EDTPadres4–3 (17)Nelson (2–2)Coombs—4:1217,40558–31W7
90July 168:05 p.m. EDTPadres2–1Johnson (6–6)Arlin—2:0533,73659–31W8
91July 172:15 p.m. EDTPadres9–2Ellis (15–3)Norman—2:3914,27860–31W9
92July 18 (1)1:05 p.m. EDTDodgers3–2Giusti (4–2)Downing—2:18—61–31W10
93July 18 (2)3:58 p.m. EDTDodgers7–1Walker (4–7)Singer—2:0548,23062–31W11
94July 198:05 p.m. EDTDodgers4–10OsteenBriles (5–2)—2:4617,43762–32L1
95July 208:05 p.m. EDTGiants11–7Veale (4–0)Carrithers (1–1)Giusti (20)3:1329,86563–32W1
96July 218:05 p.m. EDTGiants4–8Johnson (10–4)Giusti (4–3)Hamilton (3)2:4635,14563–33L1
97July 2212:35 p.m. EDTGiants7–8 (10)Johnson (11–4)Moose (7–5)—3:1833,18563–34L2
98July 2310:30 p.m. EDT@ Padres4–0Kison (2–0)Kirby—1:5710,13364–34W1
99July 2410:30 p.m. EDT@ Padres4–3Blass (11–4)RobertsGiusti (21)2:023,11465–34W2
100July 25 (1)4:00 p.m. EDT@ Padres1–2NormanJohnson (6–7)—2:02—65–35L1
101July 25 (2)6:37 p.m. EDT@ Padres0–2ArlinMoose (7–6)—1:5310,34265–36L2
102July 2711:00 p.m. EDT@ Dodgers5–8AlexanderEllis (15–4)Mikkelsen2:1126,56465–37L3
103July 2811:00 p.m. EDT@ Dodgers4–0Walker (5–7)Singer—2;1130,79866–37W1
104July 2911:00 p.m. EDT@ Dodgers8–5Veale (5–0)OsteenGiusti (22)2:5423,59067–37W2
105July 3011:00 p.m. EDT@ Giants2–5Perry (10–8)Kison (2–1)—2:1310,08867–38L1
106July 314:00 p.m. EDT@ Giants11–15McMahon (9–3)Giusti (4–4)Hamilton (4)3:1518,83467–39L2 :
August: 14–17 (Home: 6–9; Away: 8–8)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
107August 1 (1)3:00 p.m. EDT@ Giants7–11Johnson (12–4)Kison (2–2)McMahon (4)2:28—67–40L3
108August 1 (2)6:03 p.m. EDT@ Giants3–8Reberger (3–0)Ellis (15–5)Carrithers (1)2:3133,30167–41L4
109August 38:05 p.m. EDT@ Expos10–6Veale (6–0)MortonGiusti (23)2:2118,13768–41W1
110August 48:05 p.m. EDT@ Expos3–4 (11)MarshallGrant (5–3)—3:0417,48168–42L1
111August 58:05 p.m. EDT@ Expos7–2Kison (3–2)Strohmayer—2:2021,23369–42W1
112August 68:05 p.m. EDTPhillies2–3Wilson (3–3)Ellis (15–6)—2:3421,32369–43L1
113August 72:15 p.m. EDTPhillies3–5Wise (11–9)Moose (7–7)Wilson (3)2:3629,56569–44L2
114August 8 (1)1:05 p.m. EDTPhillies2–3Fryman (8–4)Blass (11–5)Hoerner (8)2:2269–45L3
115August 8 (2)4:02 p.m. EDTPhillies4–0Johnson (7–7)Short (7–13)—2:1131,44870–45W1
116August 108:05 p.m. EDTCubs1–2PizarroKison (3–3)—2:2321,78970–46L1
117August 118:05 p.m. EDTCubs3–2Ellis (16–6)Regan—2:0924,14771–46W1
118August 128:05 p.m. EDTCardinals2–3CarltonWalker (5–8)—2:0921,80571–47L1
119August 138:05 p.m. EDTCardinals0–2ReussBlass (11–6)—2:0031,56371–48L2
120August 148:05 p.m. EDTCardinals0–11GibsonJohnson (7–8)—2:2230,67871–49L3
121August 151:35 p.m. EDTCardinals4–6LinzyMiller (0–1)Drabowsky2:3049,32971–50L4
122August 168:05 p.m. EDTAstros8–3Ellis (17–6)BillinghamGiusti (24)2:2212,66472–50W1
123August 178:05 p.m. EDTAstros5–6BlasingameMiller (0–2)Ray2:4016,69472–51L1
124August 188:05 p.m. EDTAstros3–2Miller (1–2)Lemaster—2:5029,67073–51W1
125August 198:05 p.m. EDT@ Reds5–1Johnson (8–8)McGlothlin—2:0220,61174–51W2
126August 208:05 p.m. EDT@ Reds0–6GrimsleyKison (3–4)—2;0426,45274–52L1
127August 212:15 p.m. EDT@ Reds3–6MerrittEllis (17–7)—2:1227,42774–53L2
128August 222:15 p.m. EDT@ Reds3–6NolanBriles (5–3)—2:3131,43174–54L3
129August 23 (1)6:05 p.m. EDT@ Braves4–3Blass (12–6)Niekro (12–11)Giusti (25)2:08—75–54W1
130August 23 (2)8:48 p.m. EDT@ Braves15–4Moose (8–7)Kelley (7–5)Briles (1)2:3416,16376–54W2
131August 248:05 p.m. EST@ Braves5–15McQueen (4–1)Johnson (8–9)Upshaw (16)2:248,47876–55L1
132August 258:05 p.m. EST@ Braves13–6Moose (9–7)Jarvis (5–12)Miller (1)2:418,36577–55W1
133August 278:30 p.m. EDT@ Astros7–3Ellis (18–7)BillinghamGiusti (26)2:4114,93378–55W2
134August 288:30 p.m. EDT@ Astros0–4WilsonBlass (12–7)—2:2025,61978–56L1
135August 293:00 p.m. EDT@ Astros5–2Johnson (9–9)BlasingameGiusti (27)2:4015,72379–56W1
136August 308:05 p.m. EDTPhillies6–4Walker (6–8)Wilson (3–5)Giusti (28)3:0413,39980–56W2
137August 318:05 p.m. EDTPhillies7–5Kison (4–4)Hoerner (4–4)Miller (2)2:3416,17981–56W3 :
September: 16–9 (Home: 9–3; Away: 7–6)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
138September 18:05 p.m. EDTPhillies10–7Walker (7–8)Brandon (6–6)—2:4411,27882–56W4
139September 38:05 p.m. EDTExpos4–6BrittonGiusti (4–5)Marshall2:2817,95182–57L1
140September 42:15 p.m. EDTExpos7–6 (11)Giusti (5–5)Marshall—3:2111,30283–57W1
141September 51:35 p.m. EDTExpos8–2Kison (5–4)StonemanHernández (2)2:2015,89784–57W2
142September 6 (1)10:35 a.m. EDTCubs4–1Briles (6–3)Pizarro—2:07—85–57W3
143September 6 (2)1:17 p.m. EDTCubs10–5Walker (8–8)HoltzmanMoose (1)2:2639,23686–57W4
144September 88:05 p.m. EDTCubs10–1Blass (13–7)Pappas—2:1915,93787–57W5
145September 108:05 p.m. EDT@ Expos2–3 (11)StrohmayerGiusti (5–6)—3:2421,52987–58L1
146September 112:15 p.m. EDT@ Expos1–4McAnallyKison (5–5)—2;1218,37687–59L2
147September 122:15 p.m. EDT@ Expos4–0Briles (7–3)Renko—2:1016,77088–59W1
148September 132:30 p.m. EDT@ Cubs5–1Blass (14–7)Pappas—2:186,47789–59W2
149September 142:30 p.m. EDT@ Cubs4–3Moose (10–7)Jenkins—2:259,70690–59W3
150September 158:05 p.m. EDTCardinals4–1Ellis (19–7)CarltonHernández (3)1:5721,75191–59W4
151September 168:05 p.m. EDTCardinals6–1Walker (9–8)ReussHernández (4)2:3518,12792–59W5
152September 178:05 p.m. EDTMets0–3Gentry (12–10)Briles (7–4)—1:5923,42192–60L1
153September 182:15 p.m. EDTMets4–0Blass (15–7)Sadecki (7–7)—1:4220,47093–60W1
154September 191:35 p.m. EDTMets2–5Williams (5–6)Johnson (9–10)Frisella (12)2:3440,33793–61L1
155September 219:05 p.m. EDT@ Cardinals4–6DrabowskyEllis (19–8)—2:2013,34893–62L2
156September 229:05 p.m. EDT@ Cardinals5–1Walker (10–8)GibsonGiusti (29)2:0714,84594–62W1
157September 239:05 p.m. EDT@ Cardinals5–0Briles (8–4)Cleveland—2:1910,91895–62W2
158September 248:05 p.m. EDT@ Mets3–2Kison (6–5)Koosman (6–11)Miller (3)1:5635,93696–62W3
159September 252:15 p.m. EDT@ Mets1–2 (15)Frisella (8–5)Hernández (0–1)—3:5029,29596–63L1
160September 262:05 p.m. EDT@ Mets1–3Seaver (19–10)Blass (15–8)—1:5330,51996–64L2
161September 287:35 p.m. EDT@ Phillies3–6Wise (17–14)Ellis (19–9)—2:1914,58296–65L3
162September 307:35 p.m. EDT@ Phillies4–3Moose (11–7)Champion (3–5)Giusti (30)2:1214,15797–65W1 :
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement Bold = Pirates team member :

### Postseason Game log

1971 Postseason game log: 7–4 (Home: 5–0; Away: 2–4) :
NL Championship Series: vs. San Francisco Giants 3–1 (Home: 2–0; Away: 1–1)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceSeriesBox/ Streak
1October 24:00 p.m. EDT@ Giants4–5Perry (1–0)Blass (0–1)—2:4440,977SF 1–0L1
2October 34:00 p.m. EDT@ Giants9–4Ellis (1–0)Cumberland (0–1)—3:2342,562Tied 1–1W1
3October 51:30 p.m. EDTGiants2–1Johnson (1–0)Marichal (0–1)—2:2638,222PIT 2–1W2
4October 61:30 p.m. EDTGiants9–5Kison (1–0)Perry (1–1)—3:0035,487PIT 3–1W3 :
World Series: vs. Baltimore Orioles 4–3 (Home: 3–0; Away: 1–3)
#DateTime (ET)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceSeriesBox/ Streak
1October 91:00 p.m. EDT@ Orioles3–5McNally (2–0)Ellis (1–1)—2:0653,229BAL 1–0L1
—October 10@ OriolesPostponed (Rain) (Makeup date: October 11)BAL 1–0
2October 111:00 p.m. EDT@ Orioles3–11Palmer (2–0)Johnson (1–1)Hall (1)2:5553,239BAL 2–0L2
3October 121:00 p.m. EDTOrioles5–1Blass (1–1)Cuellar (1–1)—2:2050,403BAL 2–1W1
4October 138:15 p.m. EDTOrioles4–3Kison (2–0)Watt (0–1)Giusti (1)2:4851,378Tied 2–2W2
5October 141:00 p.m. EDTOrioles4–0Briles (1–0)McNally (2–1)—2:1651,377PIT 3–2W3
6October 161:00 p.m. EDT@ Orioles2–3 (10)McNally (3–1)Miller (0–1)—2:5944,174Tied 3–3L1
7October 171:00 p.m. EDT@ Orioles2–1Blass (2–1)Cuellar (1–2)—2:1047,291PIT 4–3W1 :
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Postponement Bold = Pirates team member :

### Detailed records

National League :
| Opponent | W | L | WP | RS | RA |
| NL East |||||||
| Chicago Cubs | 12 | 6 | 0.667 | 95 | 48 |
| Montreal Expos | 11 | 7 | 0.611 | 89 | 73 |
| New York Mets | 8 | 10 | 0.444 | 45 | 50 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 12 | 6 | 0.667 | 104 | 80 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | | | | | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 11 | 7 | 0.611 | 90 | 64 |
| Total | 54 | 36 | 0.600 | 423 | 315 |
| NL West |||||||
| Atlanta Braves | 8 | 4 | 0.667 | 83 | 52 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 7 | 5 | 0.583 | 53 | 40 |
| Houston Astros | 8 | 4 | 0.667 | 54 | 43 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 8 | 4 | 0.667 | 63 | 50 |
| San Diego Padres | 9 | 3 | 0.750 | 50 | 27 |
| San Francisco Giants | 3 | 9 | 0.250 | 62 | 72 |
| Total | 43 | 29 | 0.597 | 365 | 284 |
| Season Total | 97 | 65 | 0.599 | 788 | 599 |
| Month | Games | Won | Lost | Win % | RS | RA |
| April | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0.545 | 84 | 62 |
| May | 26 | 17 | 9 | 0.654 | 129 | 85 |
| June | 30 | 20 | 10 | 0.667 | 175 | 127 |
| July | 28 | 18 | 10 | 0.643 | 149 | 109 |
| August | 31 | 14 | 17 | 0.452 | 140 | 144 |
| September | 25 | 16 | 9 | 0.640 | 111 | 72 |
| Total | 162 | 97 | 65 | 0.599 | 788 | 599 |
| | Games | Won | Lost | Win % | RS | RA |
| Home | 80 | 52 | 28 | 0.650 | 393 | 279 |
| Away | 82 | 45 | 37 | 0.549 | 395 | 320 |
| Total | 162 | 97 | 65 | 0.599 | 788 | 599 |

### Composite Box

1971 Pittsburgh Pirates Inning–by–Inning Boxscore :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | R | H | E |
| Opponents | 79 | 60 | 80 | 54 | 56 | 60 | 83 | 70 | 49 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 599 | 1,426 | 156 |
| Pirates | 105 | 66 | 88 | 93 | 84 | 94 | 101 | 86 | 60 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 788 | 1,555 | 133 |
Sources:

## Postseason
### National League Championship Series

The Pittsburgh Pirates won the series over the San Francisco Giants, 3–1
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
| 1 | Pittsburgh – 4, San Francisco – 5 | October 2 | Candlestick Park | 40,977 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh – 9, San Francisco – 4 | October 3 | Candlestick Park | 42,562 |
| 3 | San Francisco – 1, Pittsburgh – 2 | October 5 | Three Rivers Stadium | 38,322 |
| 4 | San Francisco – 5, Pittsburgh – 9 | October 6 | Three Rivers Stadium | 35,487 |

### World Series
#### Composite box

1971 World Series (4–3): Pittsburgh Pirates (N.L.) over Baltimore Orioles (A.L.)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 56 | 3 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 45 | 9 |
| Total attendance: 351,091  Average attendance: 50,156 Winning player's share: $18,165  Losing player's share: $13,906 ||||||||||||||

## Player stats

* = Indicates team leader

### Batting
#### Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
| Pos | Player | G | AB | R | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
| C | Manny Sanguillén | 138 | 533 | 61 | 170 | .319 | 7 | 81 | 6 |
| 1B | Bob Robertson | 131 | 469 | 65 | 127 | .271 | 26 | 72 | 1 |
| 2B | Dave Cash | 123 | 478 | 79 | 138 | .289 | 2 | 34 | 13 |
| 3B | Richie Hebner | 112 | 388 | 50 | 105 | .271 | 17 | 67 | 2 |
| SS | Gene Alley | 114 | 348 | 38 | 79 | .227 | 6 | 28 | 9 |
| CF | Al Oliver | 143 | 529 | 69 | 149 | .282 | 14 | 64 | 4 |
| LF | Willie Stargell | 141 | 511 | 104 | 151 | .295 | 48 | 125 | 0 |
| RF | Roberto Clemente | 132 | 522 | 82 | 178 | .341 | 13 | 86 | 1 |

#### Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
| Player | G | AB | R | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
| Vic Davalillo | 99 | 295 | 48 | 84 | .285 | 1 | 33 | 10 |
| Gene Clines | 97 | 273 | 52 | 84 | .308 | 1 | 24 | 15 |
| Jackie Hernández | 88 | 233 | 30 | 48 | .206 | 3 | 26 | 0 |
| Bill Mazeroski | 70 | 193 | 17 | 49 | .254 | 1 | 16 | 0 |
| José Pagán | 57 | 158 | 16 | 38 | .241 | 5 | 15 | 0 |
| Milt May | 49 | 126 | 15 | 35 | .278 | 6 | 25 | 0 |
| Rennie Stennett | 50 | 153 | 24 | 54 | .353 | 1 | 15 | 1 |
| Charlie Sands | 28 | 25 | 4 | 5 | .200 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Richie Zisk | 7 | 15 | 2 | 3 | .200 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Carl Taylor | 7 | 12 | 1 | 2 | .167 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rimp Lanier | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frank Taveras | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Pitching
#### Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | BB | SO |
| Steve Blass | 33 | 240.0 | 15 | 8 | 2.85 | 68 | 136 |
| Dock Ellis | 31 | 226.2 | 19 | 9 | 3.06 | 63 | 137 |
| Bob Johnson | 31 | 174.2 | 9 | 10 | 3.45 | 55 | 101 |
| Luke Walker | 28 | 159.2 | 10 | 8 | 3.55 | 53 | 86 |

#### Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | BB | SO |
| Bob Moose | 30 | 140.0 | 11 | 7 | 4.11 | 35 | 68 |
| Nelson Briles | 37 | 136.0 | 8 | 4 | 3.04 | 35 | 76 |
| Bruce Kison | 18 | 95.1 | 6 | 5 | 3.40 | 36 | 60 |

#### Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | BB | SO |
| Dave Giusti | 58 | 86.0 | 5 | 6 | 30 | 2.93 | 31 | 55 |
| Mudcat Grant | 42 | 75.0 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 3.60 | 28 | 22 |
| Bob Veale | 37 | 46.1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6.99 | 24 | 40 |
| Jim Nelson | 17 | 34.2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2.34 | 25 | 11 |
| Bob Miller | 16 | 28.0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1.29 | 13 | 13 |
| Ramón Hernández | 10 | 12.1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.73 | 2 | 7 |
| John Lamb | 2 | 4.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 1 |
| Frank Brosseau | 1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |

## Awards and honors

* Roberto Clemente, Babe Ruth Award
* Roberto Clemente, World Series Most Valuable Player Award
* Roberto Clemente, Gold Glove Award

### League leaders

* Willie Stargell, National League home run champion (48)
* Dave Giusti, Saves leader (30)

### All-Stars

1971 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
* Dock Ellis, pitcher, starter
* Willie Stargell, outfield, starter
* Roberto Clemente, reserve
* Vic Davalillo, reserve
* Manny Sanguillén, reserve

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Charleston Charlies | International League | Joe Morgan |
| AA | Waterbury Pirates | Eastern League | Red Davis |
| A | Salem Rebels | Carolina League | Tim Murtaugh |
| A | Monroe Pirates | Western Carolinas League | Tom Saffell |
| A-Short Season | Niagara Falls Pirates | New York–Penn League | Chuck Cottier and Dick Cole |
| Rookie | GCL Pirates | Gulf Coast League | Ed Napoleon |