Pittsburgh Sports’ Finals History

The city of Pittsburgh has enjoyed great success in major North American sports league finals since the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 4 game loss to the great 1927 New York Yankees.

Pittsburgh teams, the NFL Steelers, baseball Pirates and NHL Penguins have gone (12-3) in finals since 1927. That is quite impressive!

Sans even a real post season appearance for nearly 40 years, the Steelers (6-2) in Super Bowls have more such wins that any other NFL team.

While having many bad seasons, some in the 1950’s yielding a self-depracating remark from former New York Governor, Mario Cuomo, who downplayed his baseball acumen though being in the Pirates’ organization because it was the 1950’s Pirates, they (the Pirates) won the last 3 World Series in which they appeared, all as underdogs, beating a great New York Yankees’ team in 1960 and a great Baltimore Orioles’ squad in 1971. Their 1979 triumph was also vs the Orioles, a team not quite as good as the other two, but a truly fine team.

Meanwhile the Penguins are (3-1) in Stanley Cup finals play. They are about 7 to 5 faves in the upcoming series (starts tonight at Pittsburgh) vs the San Jose Sharks. I do not know who the favorite was in the 1903 World Series but I do know that other than that possibility, no Pittsburgh team has ever lost a final in which they were favored.

The Steelers won all six of the “Supes” in which they were favored, losing the two in which they were the underdog. The Pirates (3-0) in World Series after 1927 are (5-2) in World Series play and surely were underdogs in the 1927 World Series.

Meanwhile the Penguins, who won both Stanley Cup finals as favorites in 1991 and 1992, while splitting the two most recent ones as underdogs vs the Detroit Red Wings.

The team from the “Motor City” won in 2008 while the Pittsburgh/”Steel City” team won in 2009.