Philadelphia Phillies

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Lore & Background

The rivalry was low-key before 1970 because the two teams were seldom equally good at the same time. In 1901, the Pirates and the Phillies finished first and second in the standings for the first time respectively, with the Pirates finishing 7+1⁄2 games ahead of the Phillies. The Phillies would not win their first National League pennant until 1915, thanks to the pitching of Grover Cleveland Alexander and the batting prowess of Gavvy Cravath, who set the major-league single-season record for home runs with 24. During that time, the Pirates dominated the National League, winning three more pennants, in 1902, 1903, and 1909, when they won their first World Series. The Phillies were in the midst of a period of futility from 1918 to 1948 when the Pirates won the 1925 World Series and the 1927 National League pennant. From 1933 to 1948, the Phillies posted 16 consecutive losing seasons, a major league record that stood until 2009 (ironically broken by the Pirates). After World War II, the Pirates had limited success, despite the presence of Ralph Kiner, who led the National League in home runs for seven consecutive seasons (1946–1952). In 1960, the Phillies were in last place when the Pirates won the World Series.

In Their Own Story

It was during the 1970s that the rivalry became intense. The Phillies and the Pirates made up 10 of the possible 11 National League Championship Series appearances from 1970 to 1980. From 1970 to 1980, the two teams reigned exclusively as National League East champions, except in 1973, when the New York Mets won the National League pennant. In 1978, the Pirates came from fourth place and 11+1⁄2 games behind in mid-August to challenge the Phillies for the division title and the teams met in the last regular-season series of the season to decide the division title. The Phillies arrived in Pittsburgh for a four-game series ahead of the Pirates by 3+1⁄2 on September 29. The Pirates swept a double-header to extend their winning streak of home wins to 24 and to trim the gap to 1+1⁄2 games. In the third game of the series, Willie Stargell hit a grand slam home run and it looked like the lead would be cut to half a game. Instead, Phillies pitcher Randy Lerch hit two home runs to help the Phillies come from behind to win the game, 10–8, to win their third straight division title on the next-to-last day of the season. This was the first time that visiting teams won a division title at Three Rivers Stadium.

Reader's Guide

The rivalry started when the Pittsburgh Pirates entered NL play in their fifth season of 1887, four years after the Phillies. The Phillies and Pirates had remained together after the NL split into two divisions in 1969. During the period of two-division play (1969–1993), the two NL East division rivals won the two highest numbers of division championships, reigning almost exclusively as NL East champions in the 1970s and again in the early 1990s, the Pirates 9, the Phillies 6; together, the two teams' 15 championships accounted for more than half of the 25 NL East championships during that span. After the Pirates moved to the NL Central in 1994, the teams face each other only in two series each year and the rivalry has diminished. However, many fans, especially older ones, retain their dislike for the other team and regional differences between Eastern and Western Pennsylvania still fuel the rivalry. The rivalry is mirrored in the National Hockey League's so-called "Battle of Pennsylvania".

Did You Know?

• The rivalry is also known as the Keystone Series.
• From 1933 to 1948, the Phillies posted 16 consecutive losing seasons, a major league record that stood until 2009, when it was ironically broken by the Pirates.
• On June 25, 1971, Willie Stargell of the Pirates hit the longest home run in the history of Veterans Stadium in a 14–4 Pirates win; the spot was marked with a yellow star until the stadium's 2004 demolition.
• In 1978, the Phillies became the first visiting team to win a division title at Three Rivers Stadium.
• After the Phillies won the 1980 World Series, Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh, himself from Pittsburgh, signed a proclamation declaring the next day 'World Championship Philadelphia Phillies Day' in the state.