Baseball story waits to be told
Markers will be Three Rivers map
When industrial designer and baseball park history guru Len Martin watches a game at PNC Park, he often fields questions from out-oftown fans about where Three Rivers Stadium was located.
His answer used to be vague: “Somewhere between Heinz Field and PNC Park.”
Now Martin is working on a project that will allow tourists and Pittsburghers alike to know exactly where some of the stadium’s biggest baseball moments took place. He’s teamed up with Tom Rooney, nephew of Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr. and president of The Rooney Sports and Entertainment Group, and Matthew Craig, executive director of the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh, to create commemorative plaques that will mark home plate, the pitcher’s mound and second base at the former field.
The second base marker will memorialize one of the most iconic moments in Three Rivers Stadium history: Roberto Clemente’s 3,000th and final hit. There already is a monument for Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception on West General Robinson Street on the North Shore, and Martin felt the stadium’s baseball history deserved the same treatment.
“It’s going to be really interesting for people to come to Pittsburgh and see those three spots as well as the
Immaculate Reception,” he said. “We always thought what happened in regards to football at Three Rivers [Stadium] was marked, and we felt that baseball should be honored just as well.”
The pitcher’s mound and second base plaques will be located on either side of West General Robinson Street, and home plate will be in an adjacent parking lot. The second base site coincidentally is next to the location of the Immaculate Reception.
“I find that so cool,” Martin said. “Until we plotted that out, nobody knew how close they were.”
The committee planned to unveil the plaques and hold a dedication ceremony Friday at PNC Park in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Three Rivers Stadium, which opened July 16, 1970. But when the COVID19 pandemic began in March, plans to secure funding from local businesses and permits from the City of Pittsburgh screeched to a halt.
Now that the project is no longer tied to the 50th anniversary, the committee isn’t sure whether it will be completed in 2021 or 2022. Martin said his team likely will need three to four months after the pandemic to obtain funding and permits and install the plaques. If it’s unveiled next year, the Pirates could promote the project in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of their 1971 World Series victory.
For now, Martin and his team are focusing on the educational aspect of the project.
The committee is considering developing an app that could take users on a tour of Pittsburgh’s historic ballparks, complete with informational YouTube videos about each location.
“Today’s 20-year-olds have never been to Three Rivers Stadium and may not know about its history,” Martin said. “We’d like to change that.”
‘‘ Today’s 20-year-olds have never been to Three Rivers Stadium and may not know about its history. We’d like to change that.” – Len Martin