Exposition Park ( Pittsburgh ) Exposition Park ( sometimes called Exposition Park III ) was a baseball park in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania from 1890 to circa 1915 . It was located on the north side of the Allegheny River across from Pittsburgh ' s downtown area . Prior to the construction of this version of Exposition Park , two previous ballparks of the same name were similarly situated along the Allegheny . Due to flooding from the nearby river , the three stadiums ' exact locations varied somewhat . The final version of the ballpark was between the eventual sites of Three Rivers Stadium and PNC Park , somewhat closer to the Three Rivers site . Built for use of the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players ' League , the third incarnation of Exposition Park was the second home of the Pittsburg Pirates ( during those years the team and the city were known as Pittsburg , with no " H " ) , the city ' s Major League Baseball ( MLB ) franchise . The Pirates played home games at the stadium from 1891 to 1909 , when they moved to Forbes Field . In 1903 , Exposition Park was the first National League ballpark to host a World Series game . The Western University of Pennsylvania ( WUP ) — known today as the University of Pittsburgh — played home football games at Exposition Park , and also used the park as a home field for the university ' s baseball team . Exposition Park I and II . The first stadium known as Exposition Park was built in Allegheny , Pennsylvania — which was annexed by the city of Pittsburgh and later became known as the North Side — along the Allegheny River . Named for other " expositions " that would be shown there , including horse racing and circus es , it was the first venue in Pittsburgh that hosted baseball . In 1882 , the Pittsburgh Pirates — then known simply as Allegheny , or informally as " the Alleghenys " — began play at Exposition Park ; however , after one season a fire and flooding of the field from the nearby River forced a second park to be built . Despite its reason for construction Exposition Park II was built closer to the River . The Alleghenys played at the second incarnation of the park until they moved to Recreation Park in 1884 , which was several blocks north and out of the flood plain . History . While the Pittsburgh Pirates were playing home games at Recreation Park , owners John Beemer and M . B . Lennon of the Pittsburgh Burghers constructed a baseball park near the former site of Exposition Park I and II — approximately two blocks west of the current PNC Park . The stadium included a roofed wooden grandstand around the infield , and open bleacher sections extending to the right and left field corners . Total capacity was about 10 , 000 spectators . The seats faced the Allegheny River and the Point . The Burghers played at the stadium during the 1890 Players ' League season — the team and league ' s only season in existence . The Pirates moved to Exposition Park the following season . In 1906 , the Pirates were the first baseball team to cover their field with a tarp during inclement weather , and though the field was kept dry from the rain , the Allegheny River still caused problems . Flooding sometimes covered the entire outfield with inches of standing water , causing ground rules that gave any ground ball hit into the outfield an automatic single . During a July 4 , 1902 doubleheader against Brooklyn , an Allegheny flood caused water to rise to thigh level in center and right fields , and about head level in deep center . Players occasionally caught a ball and dove under the water . The Pirates won both games of the doubleheader . Exposition Park was to the center field fence and in left and right field . Ham Hyatt is believed to be the only person to hit a ball over the right field fence . Monument Hill , which overlooked the field , allowed spectators a free view of the game . In 1908 , due to the large amounts of people that attended Pirates games , team owner Barney Dreyfuss began looking for a location to construct a new Pirates stadium . The Pirates ' final game at the stadium was played in 1909 , the Pirates defeated the Cubs who they played the following day to open up Forbes Field . The Pittsburgh Filipinos called Exposition Park their home in 1912 . The Filipinos lasted just over a month after folding with the United States Baseball League . In 1914 , the Pittsburgh Rebels began play at Exposition Park . In 1915 , the Rebels — despite improving from the previous season — disbanded due to financial loss ( as did the entire Federal League ) . Exposition Park continued to host Semi - professional baseball games , as well as other events , but " was eventually razed " . After parts of 62 seasons in the Oakland district , baseball and football returned to the north side of the Allegheny River when Three Rivers Stadium opened . The site of the final incarnation of Exposition Park , relative to Three Rivers and the later PNC Park , was in between the two venues . Exposition Park had been on the southwest corner of South Avenue ( later Robinson ) to the north ( first base ) and School Street ( later Scotland ) to the east ( third base ) . To the south ( left field ) was some open space and railroad tracks and the Allegheny . To the west ( right field ) was some open space and then Grant Street ( later Galveston ) . That open space would eventually be the site of Three Rivers . To put it another way , the site of Exposition Park was the northeast corner of the parking lot east of Three Rivers . In 1995 , members of the Society for American Baseball Research placed a plaque where home plate is believed to have been located , in honor of one of the two sites of the first World Series ( the other being in Boston ) . In 1998 , a Pennsylvania Historical marker was placed at the site of the park . Interstate 279 currently runs over portions of the site of Exposition Park just before crossing the Allegheny River along the Fort Duquesne Bridge . Events . Baseball . On June 10 , 1890 , Jocko Fields of the Pittsburgh Burghers hit the first home run at Exposition Park . On April 24 , 1891 , Fred Carroll hit the first home run by a Pirate in the stadium . Under the management of Fred Clarke the Pirates won the National League pennant in 1901 , 1902 , and 1903 . After the 1903 season , Dreyfuss and Boston Pilgrims ' s owner Henry Killilea organized a best of nine game series to match the two pennant winners against each other . The first World Series held three games in Boston before moving to Exposition Park with the Pirates leading the series 2 – 1 . On October 6 , 1903 , 7 , 600 people attended the first World Series game in a National League stadium — the Pirates won by one run . The following day 12 , 000 people attended the game , forcing some spectators to stand behind a rope in the outfield . The Pirates lost three of four games at Exposition Park and eventually the Series . In 1907 , Pittsburg ' s pitcher Nick Maddox threw a no - hitter at Exposition Park . The final Pirates game at Exposition Park was played against the Chicago Cubs on June 24 , 1909 . The Pirates won the game 8 – 1 in front of 5 , 545 people , with George Gibson achieving the final National League hit in the ballpark . Football . The Western University of Pennsylvania ( WUP ) , which would later be known as the University of Pittsburgh , played its first official game at Exposition Park on October 11 , 1890 when Shadyside Academy failed to show up for their game with the Allegheny Athletic Association . The Allegheny A . A . made a call to WUP team founder Bert Smyers to bring the WUP team to the park as a replacement . The WUP team was subsequently defeated 38 - 0 . The WUP football team began playing games more regularly at Exposition Park around 1900 , occasionally playing in other local venues . Prior to the 1903 season , Arthur Mosse was recruited from the University of Kansas to become the team ' s new coach . In addition to players that Mosse brought with him , WUP also recruited players from Geneva College to play on the team . Mosse ' s first season was a disappointment as the WUP football team went 0 – 8 – 1 and supporters of the team disbanded leaving the team $ 500 in debt . George Hubbard Clapp then organized a voluntary $ 5 " athletic fee " to be paid by students in order to allow the debt to be repaid and the school ' s football team to play home games at Exposition Park during the next season in order to give the WUP team a more permanent and stable home . Mosse and university officials then obtained a lease to play at Exposition Park during the fall from Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss for 20 % of the admission fee . The 1904 WUP team , the first full season in which WUP played at Exposition Park , saw WUP achieve a remarkable turnaround that included a 10 – 0 record in which they outscored opponents 407 to 5 and finished second in the state behind the University of Pennsylvania . Prior to home games at Exposition Park , WUP students would organize parades through downtown streets prior to marching across a bridge to the game . A gong , used to announce the beginning of Pirates games , was also sounded prior to the opening kickoff of WUP football contests .