1954 Pittsburgh Pirates season

1954 Pittsburgh Pirates
Major League affiliations
National League (since 1887)
Location
Forbes Field (since 1909)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania[1] (since 1907)
Other information
Owner(s)	John W. Galbreath (majority shareholder); Bing Crosby, Thomas Johnson, Branch Rickey (minority shareholders)
General manager(s)	Branch Rickey
Manager(s)	Fred Haney
Local television	none
Local radio	WWSW Rosey Rowswell, Bob Prince
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The 1954 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 73rd season of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise; the 68th in the National League. The Pirates finished eighth and last in the league standings with a record of 53–101.

Offseason

• December 1, 1953: Sonny Senerchia was drafted from the Pirates by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1953 minor league draft.^[2]

Regular season

During the season, Curt Roberts became the first black player in the history of the Pirates.^[3]

Season standings

National League	W	L	GB	Pct.
New York Giants	97	57	--	.630
Brooklyn Dodgers	92	62	5	.597
Milwaukee Braves	89	65	8	.578
Philadelphia Phillies	75	79	22	.487
Cincinnati Redlegs	74	80	23	.481
St. Louis Cardinals	72	82	25	.468
Chicago Cubs	64	90	33	.416
Pittsburgh Pirates	53	101	44	.344

Record vs. opponents

1954 National League Records Sources:
Team	BR	CHC	CIN	MIL	NYG	PHI	PIT	STL
Brooklyn	—	15–7	16–6	10–12	9–13	13–9	15–7	14–8
Chicago	7–15	—	8–14	6–16	7–15	7–15	15–7	14–8
Cincinnati	6–16	14–8	—	10–12	7–15	14–8	15–7	8–14
Milwaukee	12–10	16–6	12–10	—	10–12	13–9	14–8	12–10
New York	13–9	15–7	15–7	12–10	—	16–6	14–8	12–10
Philadelphia	9–13	15–7	8–14	9–13	6–16	—	16–6	12–10
Pittsburgh	7–15	7–15	7–15	8–14	8–14	6–16	—	10–12
St. Louis	8–14	8–14	14–8	10–12	10–12	10–12	12–10	—

Notable transactions

• June 14, 1954: Hal Rice was traded by the Pirates to the Chicago Cubs for Luis Márquez.^[4]

Roster

1954 Pittsburgh Pirates
Roster
Pitchers 19 Bob Friend 29 Johnny Hetki 25 Cal Hogue 30 Nellie King 24 Paul LaPalme 32 Vern Law 27 Dick Littlefield 23 George O'Donnell 00 Joe Page 18 Laurin Pepper 34 Bob Purkey 35 Max Surkont 39 Jake Thies 38 Len Yochim		Catchers 11 Toby Atwell 23,28 Walker Cooper 46 Bill Hall  9 Nick Koback 20 Jim Mangan 10 Jack Shepard Infielders  8 Gair Allie 12 Dick Cole 31 Vic Janowicz 13 Eddie Pellagrini  7 Curt Roberts  3 Bob Skinner  6 Dick Smith  5 Preston Ward		Outfielders 18 Cal Abrams  4 Sid Gordon 17 Dick Hall 26 Gail Henley 20 Sam Jethroe 14 Jerry Lynch 44 Luis Márquez 44 Hal Rice 15 Frank Thomas		Manager  2 Fred Haney Coaches 40 John Fitzpatrick 43 Sam Narron 41 Clyde Sukeforth

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
2B	Roberts, CurtCurt Roberts	134	496	115	.232	1	36
3B	Cole, DickDick Cole	138	486	131	.270	1	40
CF	Thomas, FrankFrank Thomas	153	577	172	.298	23	94

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Shepard, JackJack Shepard	82	227	69	.304	3	22
Rice, HalHal Rice	28	81	14	.173	1	9
Smith, DickDick Smith	12	31	3	.097	0	0
Márquez, LuisLuis Márquez	14	9	1	.111	0	0
Hall, BillBill Hall	5	7	0	.000	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Friend, BobBob Friend	35	170.1	7	12	5.07	73
Pepper, LaurinLaurin Pepper	14	50.2	1	5	7.99	17
Hogue, CalCal Hogue	3	11	0	1	4.91	7

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Hetki, JohnnyJohnny Hetki	58	4	4	9	4.99	27

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
Open	Hollywood Stars	Pacific Coast League	Bobby Bragan
AA	New Orleans Pelicans	Southern Association	Danny Murtaugh
A	Williamsport Grays	Eastern League	Larry Shepard
A	Denver Bears	Western League	Andy Cohen
B	Waco Pirates	Big State League	Jack Paepke
B	Burlington-Graham Pirates	Carolina League	Stan Wentzel
C	Billings Mustangs	Pioneer League	Cliff Dapper
C	St. Jean Canadiens	Provincial League	George Detore and Steve Mizerak
C	Hutchinson Elks	Western Association	George Genovese and Larry Dorton
D	Dublin Irish	Georgia State League	George Kinnamon
D	Brunswick Pirates	Georgia–Florida League	Frank Oceak
D	Clinton Pirates	Mississippi–Ohio Valley League	Robert Clark

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Waco

Notes

1. From 1882–1906, the team played in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which became annexed by Pittsburgh as the North Shore in 1907.
2. Sonny Senerchia at Baseball Reference
3. Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p. 199, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0
4. Hal Rice at Baseball Reference

References

• 1954 Pittsburgh Pirates at Baseball Reference
• 1954 Pittsburgh Pirates at Baseball Almanac
• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.