1971 Pittsurgh Pirates vs 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates

The "Throwback" Jerseys Aren't The Only Things
That Draw a Line From '71 to 2013

The Pittsburgh Pirates are relevant once again in the world of Major League Baseball, but let me talk about something you DIDN'T already know before you chose to read this article.  The Pittsburgh Pirates currently stand at 51-30 and are 1st in the NL Central, and have the best overall record in the entire league.  Anyone that tells you they predicted the Pirates having 51 wins before the month July is a flat out liar.  I thought the Pirates could contend for a playoff spot this year, I thought this was the year they'd break the streak, but I NEVER thought they'd be the first team to 50 wins and doing that all before we celebrate our nation's birthday.  This is the best start the Pirates have seen since the famed 1971 team, and that team won their 50th game on July 1st....en route to a World Series championship. 

Last year around this time I compared the 2012 Buccos to the 2011 version that collapsed like a cheap lawn chair down the stretch.  Turns out, the 2012 version only lasted about 3 more weeks than the 2011 version.  So, instead of comparing the 2013 Pirates to the Titanic-esque 2012 Pirates, I am going way back and comparing the 2013 Pirates to the 1971 Pirates.  The basic and most important statistics will be used.  After all, I am a father of 3 kids and I don't have all day to stare at baseball statistics just to tell you that Roberto Clemente had a lower Batting Average during day games than Andrew McCutchen does during day games.  So, I'll let the numbers do the talking.  The tale of the tape between the 1971 Pirates and the 2013 Pirates (Please remember that these statistics are not complete for the 2013 Pirates.  I am using the season stats for the 1971 team.  All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com):

1971 Pittsburgh Pirates Offensive Statistics:
Home Runs: 154
Stolen Bases: 65
Walks: 469
Batting Average: .274
On Base Percentage: .330
Slugging: .416
Strikeouts: 919

2013 Pittsburgh Pirates Offensive Statistics:
Home Runs: 82
Stolen Bases: 53
Walks: 221
Batting Average: .241
On Base Percentage: .307
Slugging: .392
Strikeouts: 685

1971 Pittsburgh Pirates Pitching Statistics:
Complete Games: 43
Shutouts: 14
Strikeouts: 813
Walks: 470
ERA: 3.31
Home Runs Allowed: 108

2013 Pittsburgh Pirates Pitching Statistics:
Complete Games: 0
Shutouts: 0 (This was when a pitcher that threw a complete game shut out the opponent)
Strikeouts: 636
Walks: 270
ERA: 3.13
Home Runs Allowed: 64

Looking at these numbers give you a glimpse on a couple things.  The first is how the game of baseball is so different now (especially with pitching).  The 2013 pitching staff (to this point in the season) is superior to the '71 team, but the complete games and shut outs are deceiving.  In '71 it wasn't abnormal for a pitcher to pitch well into the 100+ in terms of pitch count.  In today's game, the pitch count is paramount as relievers and closers are more specialized than ever.  As the current team might have the better pitching staff, the '71 offense hit for better average, OBP, and slugging.  The current team does hit for power better as they are cranking out HRs better than the '71 team did.  The current Pirates team is also more aggressive on the base paths as they are on schedule to steal more bases than the 1971 Buccos did.

This was just something that I thought would be fun to do on a Pirates "off day", but to me, the numbers don't lie.  There are some great similarities between that great 1971 team and this 2013 version.  This 2013 Pirates team has a chance to do something that hasn't been done since 1992...and no it isn't just winning more games than they lose.  No, I am talking about CONTENDING.  Will this team collapse like the past 2 seasons?  Not even Nostradamus could answer that, but the nice thing is that we all get to sit back and watch this season unfold...hoping for the best!