By Madalyn Jenkins - OPDC News Runner Intern, University of Pittsburgh Class of 2024
Once upon a time, there was a ballpark in Oakland. From 1909 until 1970, Forbes Field – which stood where Posvar Hall and Katz stand today – was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and their tens of thousands of fans. All that physically remains of Forbes Field now is the fragment of its outfield wall by Mazeroski Field, and home plate, preserved under glass in Posvar’s lobby; but the memories are still alive in the hearts of countless Pittsburghers, and those memories still draw them back to Oakland.
On October 13, 1985, a Squirrel Hill resident, Saul Finkelstein, decided to personally commemorate the 25th anniversary of the seventh game of the 1960 World Series, when the Pirates played the Yankees. Finklestein went to that remaining fragment of the outfield wall, sat down with several hot dogs and a tape recorder, and listened to a recording of the game until it concluded with the Pirates' second baseman Bill Mazeroski’s famous home run – Pittsburgh’s very own "shot heard around the world."
Since 1993, it has become an annual tradition for people of all ages to gather at the Forbes Field wall on October 13. When Finkelstein passed away, a group of Pirates fans, aka the "Game 7 gang," took over the tradition of organizing the yearly remembrance.
This year I had the pleasure of attending the commemoration of the 61st anniversary of the Pirates’ victory. I witnessed pure fan culture: people from all over gather at the wall with foldable chairs to listen to the game, catch up with their fellow Pirates fans, and cheer on the Bucs.
At this year's event, I met Rene Abel. She is an 85-year-old who told me about the game like she was there yesterday. Ms. Abel met her husband, Enos, that day and was engaged to him one year later.
Her daughter added, "My brother and I wouldn't be here if Bill Mazeroski hadn't hit that home run!"
The day the Pirates won, Ms. Abel told me, was a whirlwind of a day. She was in the office at Koppers Company in downtown Pittsburgh when her coworker brought in a TV set. Her boss allowed them to watch the big Game 7 and they had a wonderful time whooping it up. When Mazeroski hit the home run that won the series, she threw her typewriter on the ground. Across the city, you could see paper towels, toilet paper, confetti, and keypunch cards thrown through windows. She told me that the debris was up to her knees when she left the office to celebrate. She called her friend, Mary Eileen, and told her to come pick her up later because they were going to go party with the Pirates.
Mary Eileen was riding in the car of Renee's future husband, Enos. He kept telling Mary that he couldn't pick up Renee because he had a full car. Enos eventually gave in. Because he stopped being so stubborn, he met his wife.
Renee told me they hit every bar in Oakland and Downtown Pittsburgh that night. She even sat next to the pitcher, Tom Cheney. He gave Enos a wad of cash and said, "Buy everyone some drinks," which he did. She described this day as a simpler time full of fun, laughter, and new friends.
After attending this year's event and meeting people like the Abels, I think I may be a new Pirates fan. After hearing that story, how could I not be?
Opening remarks by the Game 7 Gang
Jim O’Brien, author of “Maz and the ‘60 Bucs”