Pittsburgh Pirates’ Seasons Ending in 9

by Sam Reich

Recently I was talking to some people about some of my baseball memories, and I noticed something I had never considered about Pirates history. I became a Pirates fan in 1945. Except for1979, almost every season ending in 9 has been disappointing to say the least. Maybe every season. 

I particularly recall 1949, 1959, 1969, 1989 when there were reasons based on the results of the previous season for the team and fans to have pennant aspirations or expectations of strong contention. 1979 was one of our greatest seasons, but I cannot recall anything very favorable about the other post-1945 seasons ending in 9. (Before 1945, 1909 the best.) By the same reasoning, during my seasons of fandom, many seasons ending in 8 very promising for the future. 

Not profound observations, but the kinds of trivia sports fans often share.

Sam Reich is a former prosecutor, defense attorney and pioneer sports agent. Sam is the author of “Waiting for Cooperstown,” about baseball greats who deserve enshrinement. This post was reprised from his Facebook page, dated January 9, 2020, by permission.