List of Pittsburgh Pirates managers

Fred Clarke, the winningest manager in Pirates history; he led the team to 1,422 victories along with a World Series title and four National League pennants.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the National League Central division. The team began play in 1882 as the Alleghenies (alternatively spelled "Alleghenys") in the American Association. The franchise moved to the National League after owner William Nimick became upset over a contract dispute, thus beginning the modern day franchise. The team currently plays home games at PNC Park which they moved into in 2001. Prior to PNC Park, the Pirates played games at Three Rivers Stadium and Forbes Field, among other stadiums.

There have been 46 managers for the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise. The Pirates' first manager upon joining the National League was Horace Phillips, who had coached the team before their move to the National League. In 1900, Fred Clarke began his tenure with the franchise. Clarke's 1422 victories and 969 losses lead all managers of the Pirates in their respective categories, Clarke also had the longest tenure as manager in his 16 years in the position. Clarke managed the franchise to its first World Series victory, a feat that would also be accomplished by Bill McKechnie, Danny Murtaugh, and Chuck Tanner. Thirteen Pirates managers have been player-managers—those who take on simultaneous roles as a player and manager. McKechnie, Connie Mack, and Ned Hanlon were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum as managers. Five Pirates managers were inducted into the Hall of Fame for their performance as players. Billy Meyer's number 1, Pie Traynor's number 20, Honus Wagner's number 33, and Murtaugh's number 40 have been retired by the franchise. Hired before the 2020 season, the Pirates' current manager is Derek Shelton.

Table key

Years
Seasons managed; each is linked to an article about that particular season
WPct
Winning percentage: number of wins divided by number of games managed
PA
Playoff appearances: number of years this manager has led the franchise to the playoffs
PW
Playoff wins: number of wins this manager has accrued in the playoffs
PL
Playoff losses: number of losses this manager has accrued in the playoffs
Div
Division titles: number of division titles won by the general manager
Pen
Pennants: number of pennants (league championships) won by the manager
WS
World Series: number of World Series victories achieved by the manager
or * Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum († denotes induction as manager)

American Association

# Manager Years Wins Losses WPct Ref
1 Al Pratt 18821883 51 59 .464
2 Ormond Butler 1883 17 36 .321
3 Joe Battin 1883, 1884 8 18 .308
4 Denny McKnight 1884 4 8 .333
5 Bob Ferguson 1884 11 31 .262
6 George Creamer 1884 0 8 .000
7 Horace Phillips 18851886 145 136 .516

National League

# Manager Years Wins Losses WPct PA PW PL Pen WS Ref
1 Horace Phillips 18871889 149 180 .453
2 Fred Dunlap 1889 7 10 .412
3 Ned Hanlon 1889, 1891 57 65 .467
4 Guy Hecker 1890 23 113 .169
5 Bill McGunnigle 1891 24 33 .421
6 Tom Burns 1892 27 32 .458
7 Al Buckenberger 18921894 187 144 .565
8 Connie Mack 18941896 149 134 .527
9 Patsy Donovan 1897, 1899 129 129 .500
10 Bill Watkins 18981899 79 91 .465
11 Fred Clarke* 19001915 1422 969 .595 4 7 8 4 1
12 Nixey Callahan 19161917 85 129 .397
13 Honus Wagner* 1917 1 4 .200
14 Hugo Bezdek 19171919 166 187 .470
15 George Gibson 19201922,
19321934
401 330 .549
16 Bill McKechnie 19221926 409 293 .583 1 4 3 1 1
17 Donie Bush 19271929 246 178 .580 1 0 4 1 0
18 Jewel Ens 19291931 176 167 .513
19 Pie Traynor* 19341939 457 406 .530
20 Frankie Frisch* 19401946 539 528 .505
21 Spud Davis 1946 1 2 .333
22 Billy Herman* 1947 61 92 .399
23 Bill Burwell 1947 1 0 1.000
24 Billy Meyer 19481952 317 452 .412
25 Fred Haney 19531955 163 299 .353
26 Bobby Bragan 19561957 102 155 .397
27 Danny Murtaugh 19571964,
1967,
19701971,
19731976
1115 950 .540 5 15 13 2 2
28 Harry Walker 19651967 224 184 .549
29 Larry Shepard 19681969 164 155 .514
30 Alex Grammas 1969 4 1 .800
31 Bill Virdon 19721973 163 128 .560 1 2 3 0 0
32 Chuck Tanner 19771985 711 685 .509 1 7 3 1 1
33 Jim Leyland 19861996 851 863 .496 3 8 12 0 0
34 Gene Lamont 19972000 295 352 .456
35 Lloyd McClendon 20012005 336 446 .430
36 Pete Mackanin 2005 12 14 .462
37 Jim Tracy 20062007 135 189 .417
38 John Russell 20082010 186 299 .384
39 Clint Hurdle 20112019 735 720 .505 3 3 5 0 0
40 Derek Shelton 2020–present 218 328 .399

Footnotes

  • a^ The Alleghenies began the 1889 season with a record of 28–43; manager Horace Phillips suffered a mental breakdown and was replaced by Fred Dunlap who coached the team to a 7–10 record over the next 17 games. Ned Hanlon, the team's center fielder, was brought in to finish the season as manager, leading the team to a winning record of 26–18.
  • b^ Hanlon left the team to join the Players' League in 1890, but returned after the League disbanded after one season. Upon his return Hanlon replaced Guy Hecker. After disagreements with management, however, Hanlon was demoted as manager with a 31–47 record in his second stint as manager. Bill McGunnigle finished the 1891 season as manager.
  • c^ Patsy Donovan managed the team to a 60–71 record in 1897, finishing in eighth place. He was replaced by Bill Watkins who managed the team for over one season, but after a 7–15 start to the 1899 campaign Donovan resumed his position as manager and finished his second stint with a 69–58 record.
  • d^ George Gibson coached 374 games from 1920–1922, winning 201 and losing 173. He coached 359 games from 1932–1934, winning 200 and losing 159.
  • e^ Bobby Bragan coached the Pirates to a 36–67 record in 1957, before being replaced by Danny Murtaugh. Murtaugh coached the team for eight seasons during his first stint, coaching 1154 games for 605 wins and 549 losses. Harry Walker took over for Murtaugh, until a 42–42 start in 1967 caused management to bring back Murtaugh to finish the season as manager. Murtaugh went 39–39 to conclude the 1967 campaign. Murtaugh's third stint as Pirates manager lasted two seasons, he was 186–138 overall, winning a World Series in the second season. Bill Virdon was the Pirates for one season, but after beginning his second 67–69, Murtaugh was brought in for his fourth term as manager. Murtaugh finished his final term with a 285–226 record.

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