Bill Mazeroski: Remembering bill mazeroski, Pirates legend and Pittsburgh hero

With one swing of his bat in October 1960, Pirates second baseman bill mazeroski became a legend. That moment is still treated as one of the most iconic in Pittsburgh sports history, and Mazeroski himself tempered its myth with a remark in 2000: “I just thought it was another home run to win a ballgame and would never last 40 years, ” he told a reporter in 2000.

Bill Mazeroski's 1960 moment

One swing in October 1960 vaulted Bill Mazeroski into sports lore. The hit decided Game 7 of the 1960 World Series and has remained a central memory for Pirates fans and the city of Pittsburgh. More than 65 years after his iconic shot, fans still gather each year to mark the moment.

Career and honors

The seven-time All-Star and Baseball Hall of Famer amassed over 2, 000 hits in his 17 big-league seasons — all with the Pirates, from 1956-72. He also won eight Gold Gloves over the course of that career, a record of defensive excellence that complemented the lasting fame of his October 1960 home run.

Fans' annual remembrance

Pirates fans continue to honor that 1960 moment more than 65 years later. Every Oct. 13, supporters gather at what remains of Forbes Field in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood to listen to a rebroadcast of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series — play by play — and to celebrate Mazeroski’s home run.

Broadcast and memorials

Chuck Thompson’s NBC Radio call of the game has been preserved permanently; that radio call is enshrined in the Library of Congress as part of the National Recording Registry. Mazeroski’s humility was again on display in 2010, when the Pirates erected a 14-foot bronze statue outside PNC Park. The statue depicts Mazeroski not turning a double play or making any other fielding gem, but rounding second base and waving his helmet after his famous home run.

Looking back through the years

Photographs and remembrances have followed Bill Mazeroski through the years, chronicling both the single October 1960 swing that defined a moment and the steady accomplishments of a 17-season career. Here’s a look at Bill Mazeroski through the years.

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