Bill Mazeroski’s 1960 swing still shapes Pittsburgh rituals decades later
bill mazeroski’s one swing in October 1960 transformed a single moment into a long-running civic memory for Pittsburgh, with fans, monuments and archival honors keeping the event in public view more than six decades on. The persistence of those rituals matters because they show how a single play produced measurable commemorations—annual gatherings, a Library of Congress recognition and a public statue—that continue to anchor the city’s sports identity.
Bill Mazeroski's 1960 World Series swing
With one swing of his bat in October 1960, Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski became a legend. The hit came in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series and immediately lodged itself in Pittsburgh sports history as one of the most iconic moments the city has seen.
Career totals and honors
Over a 17-season major-league career—all with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1956-72—Mazeroski amassed more than 2, 000 hits, earned seven All-Star selections and was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He also won eight Gold Gloves during his time in the majors, a record of defensive acclaim that complemented his famous offensive moment.
Annual Oct. 13 gatherings at Forbes Field
More than 65 years after that iconic shot, fans still mark the event each year. Every Oct. 13, Pirates supporters gather at what remains of Forbes Field in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood to listen to a rebroadcast of Game 7, playing the game’s play-by-play to celebrate the home run. The name bill mazeroski still draws those ritual listeners and keeps the date on the local calendar.
Chuck Thompson’s radio call and the Library of Congress
The NBC Radio call by Chuck Thompson of that Game 7 has been permanently enshrined in the Library of Congress as part of the National Recording Registry, preserving the audio of the moment for public record. That archival action made the broadcast itself an institutional artifact, linking the play to a national repository and ensuring the call’s continued availability for commemoration.
PNC Park statue and public memory
In 2010, the Pirates erected a 14-foot bronze statue outside PNC Park as an explicit public recognition of the event and its lasting importance. The statue depicts Mazeroski rounding second base and waving his helmet after the famous home run—intentionally not showing him turning a double play or making any other fielding gem—fixing the image of that celebratory moment in three-dimensional form for fans arriving at the ballpark.
He put the moment in perspective himself: he told a reporter in 2000, "I just thought it was another home run to win a ballgame and would never last 40 years. " That humility has been part of how the play is remembered and has shaped the way public honors present him—emphasizing the moment’s spontaneity rather than cultivating a mythic persona.
What makes this notable is how a single action—a ninth-inning home run—produced a string of concrete outcomes that can be measured across time: annual gatherings on a specific date, archival placement in a national registry, a substantial public monument and a statistical career that included more than 2, 000 hits over 17 seasons.
Here’s a look at Bill Mazeroski through the years.
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