BACKGROUND: The 1960 Pirates earned a well-deserved legacy as one of the iconic teams in Pittsburgh's sports history. Breaking a 35-year championship drought, defeating the era's dominant franchise, and capping the triumph with one of the most famous feats in baseball history, Danny Murtaugh's Bucs gifted their fans and city the stuff of books, statues, and quinquennial celebrations well into the next century.
What those Pirates did not accomplish, however, was an enduring presence among the National League's elite. Over the next four seasons, the Pirates finished with losing records three times.