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Pirates of ’79 lament franchise’s World Series drought

When Matt Alexander thinks back to that October night in Baltimore when the Pirates beat the Orioles in Game 7 of the 1979 World Series, one thing stands out in his mind.

“The smiles,” Alexander said with, of course, with a smile. “A lot of things happened that season and in that World Series but the one thing I’ll always remember is all the smiles in the clubhouse that night. We had just won the World Series and there is no better feeling in the world than that.”

Alexander, the pinch-running specialist, and almost all of the remaining living players from the ’79 World Series team were honored in a pre-game ceremony Saturday night at PNC Park before the Pirates played the Phillies.