1952 Pittsburgh Pirates season

The 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the team's 71st season in Major League Baseball, and their 66th season in the National League. The Pirates posted a record of 42 wins and 112 losses, their worst record since 1890, and one of the worst in major league history.

1952 Pittsburgh Pirates
Major League affiliations
National League (since 1887)
Location
Forbes Field (since 1909) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania[1] (since 1907)
Other information
Owner(s)	John W. Galbreath (majority shareholder); Bing Crosby, Thomas P. Johnson, Branch Rickey (minority shareholders)
General manager(s)	Branch Rickey
Manager(s)	Billy Meyer
Local television	none
Local radio	WWSW Rosey Rowswell, Bob Prince
< Previous season     Next season >

Offseason

The Pirates were led in 1952 by 70-year-old general manager Branch Rickey and 60-year-old manager Billy Meyer. Meyer had led Pittsburgh to a last-place finish in the National League in 1950. After Rickey was installed as general manager, the Pirates were second-to-last in 1951. Tension was high as the two-year contract of their star slugger, Ralph Kiner, expired before the 1952 season. Kiner was the premier power hitter in baseball, having won the previous six National League home run titles.[2] Rickey voiced what he viewed as inconsistent levels of commitment by Kiner when talking to the media. Kiner received permission to instead negotiate directly with owner John W. Galbreath and agreed to a reported one-year, $90,000 contract, making him the highest-paid player in the National League. Kiner was signed, but the most famous Pirate of all, 78-year-old Hall of Fame member Honus Wagner, decided to retire from his part-time coaching duties with the team. His number was retired, and he was given a lifetime pass to Forbes Field.[3]

Rickey wanted to hold a tryout for dozens of kids from the low minor league levels, and his plan was largely supported by Bing Crosby and the rest of the team's ownership. Rickey hired his former scout and coach Clyde Sukeforth, who had scouted Jackie Robinson for Rickey in the 1940s. Several top young prospects, like Vern Law and Danny O'Connell, were called to military service for the Korean War, and the more experienced Danny Murtaugh retired to accept a minor league managing position. Expectations were high for 23-year-old outfielder Gus Bell to support Kiner in the lineup. Murry Dickson, who had won 21 games in 1951, nearly a third of the entire team's win total, was once again expected to be the anchor of the pitching rotation.[3]

Notable transactions

• Prior to 1952 season: Sonny Senerchia was signed as a free agent by the Pirates.[4]

Regular season

Season summary

A season to forget

The Pirates struggled throughout spring training in 1952.[5] Gus Bell missed training time due to family-related car problems and illness and was sent to the minor leagues.[3] Towards the end of spring training, pitcher Bill Werle was suspended indefinitely and fined $500, only the third player fined in over two decades of Billy Meyer's managing career.[6] Werle professed his innocence and was reinstated before Opening Day but he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals two weeks later.[7]

Thirteen rookies made the Pirates' Opening Day roster, including four teenagers: Bobby Del Greco, Tony Bartirome, Jim Waugh and Lee Walls.[3] After four games, Pittsburgh's record was 2–2 but they quickly tumbled to the bottom of the majors by losing 16 of their next 17 games.[8] The early two-game winning streak matched the longest they would see all year.[9] Their top three pitchers combined to win just one of their first nine games started.[10] Kiner's hitting was affected by the lack of support as well as back problems and his batting average was under .220 several weeks into the season. Kiner's difficulties and a club earned run average over five resulted in a 5–28 record in mid-May.[11] Gus Bell returned from the minors on May 12 and hit for some power but Kiner hit only .241 with 13 home runs and 31 RBIs in the first half which ended with Pittsburgh at 21–59.[11][12] 21-year-old Dick Groat was one of the Pirates' few bright spots in the first half with four hits in his first three games, but others went into long slumps like Jack Merson's 0-for-35, Clyde McCullough's 0-for-24 and Tony Bartirome's 0-for-29.[11]

The second half soon resembled the first with a 2–11 stretch in mid-July.[8] They were mathematically eliminated from pennant contention on August 6 with more than six weeks left to play.[9] In early August, Pittsburgh called up 20-year-old pitcher Ron Necciai from the minors. Necciai had pitched a legendary 27-strikeout game in the minors but gave up five runs in his first inning in the majors.[13] Necciai not only finished the season with poor numbers but also injured his arm and never again pitched in the majors.[11] Branch Rickey's youth movement, derided as "Operation Peach Fuzz", continued unabated.[10] On August 20, the average age of Pittsburgh's starting lineup was only 23 with Kiner and Garagiola being the only non-rookies.[13] On September 5, pitcher Bill Bell made his major league debut at age 18.[14] Including Bell, seven of the eight youngest players in the National League in 1952 were Pittsburgh Pirates.[15] "Rickey's Dinks", as they were sometimes called, were not only young but small. In one game, the entire infield was less than six feet tall.[10]

The Pirates difficulties reached off the field as well. Ralph Kiner, enduring his worst season to-date, received a death threat in an attempt to extort $6,200. Rather than pay, he contacted the authorities and was kept under guard for a time.[11] Financially, Pittsburgh's attendance was the lowest since World War II, falling more than 30% short of the one million budgeted.[9] Branch Rickey sometimes saved money by sending only 21 players on road trips.[11] The final losses for the franchise, including minor leagues and bonuses, were $800,000.[9]

Billy Meyer resigned as manager on September 27, the second-to-last day of the season.[11]

Final results

When the season mercifully ended, Pittsburgh's final record was 42–112. The winning percentage and number of losses were the worst for the franchise since the 1890 season (which was greatly affected by the inclusion of the Players' League) and the worst for any franchise since the 1935 Boston Braves.[16][17] Since 1952, the only non-expansion team to finish worse has been the 2003 Detroit Tigers.[17]

A few individuals came away with positive notes. A late-season home run surge by Ralph Kiner brought him his seventh consecutive home run championship (he finished tied with Hank Sauer with 37 on the year). It was also his last.[11] Dick Groat finished at .284 and was third in National League Rookie of the Year voting.[11][18] Joe Garagiola logged the most playing time of his career and hit .273 with a career-high 54 RBIs, third most on the team behind only Kiner and Gus Bell.[11]

On the flipside, teenagers Tony Bartirome and Bobby Del Greco were regulars but neither hit over .220. Seven other players had at least 40 at-bats but hit under .200.[11] Kiner's home run total (37) was more than the next four highest on the team combined (16, 8, 7, 5). As a team, Pittsburgh was last in the National League in runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, batting average, slugging percentage, complete games, ERA, walks allowed, home runs allowed, fielding percentage and errors committed.[9][11] Murry Dickson, who won 21 games in 1951, lost 20 games in 1952, going 14–20. Only three other pitchers won more than two games.[11] The pitching staff walked 615 opposing batters while striking out only 564, with 16 different players starting a game during the season.[19]

Among their young players, only Jim Waugh – the youngest – played in the majors again before 1955. Waugh played in 1953, his last year; Ron Necciai and Tony Bartirome never played in the majors after 1952; Bill Bell pitched one inning in 1955, his last; and Bobby Del Greco, Lee Walls and Ron Kline had longer careers but not until several years later. Dick Groat and pitcher Bob Friend were the only players to endure the 1952 season who also played with the 1960 World Series champion Pirates.

Anecdotes, etc.

The failure of the 1952 Pirates was the source of several anecdotes and side-stories. Pittsburgh Press writer Len Biederman recalled an earlier humorous practice by giving Dick Groat a dime while he was in an 0-for-19 slump. When Groat broke out of the slump with a 5-for-5 game, Biederman gave Kiner a quarter with similar positive results so Biederman continued giving coins to various Pirates.[11] Joe Garagiola, the regular catcher for the 1952 Pirates, frequently used the team's struggles in his later career as a baseball sportscaster with lines like, "They talk about Pearl Harbor being something; they should have seen the 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates" and "In an eight-team league, we should've finished ninth."[5][11]

Season standings

National League	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Brooklyn Dodgers	96	57	0.627	—	45–33	51–24
New York Giants	92	62	0.597	4½	50–27	42–35
St. Louis Cardinals	88	66	0.571	8½	48–29	40–37
Philadelphia Phillies	87	67	0.565	9½	47–29	40–38
Chicago Cubs	77	77	0.500	19½	42–35	35–42
Cincinnati Reds	69	85	0.448	27½	38–39	31–46
Boston Braves	64	89	0.418	32	31–45	33–44
Pittsburgh Pirates	42	112	0.273	54½	23–54	19–58

Record vs. opponents

1952 National League Records Sources:
Team	BOS	BR	CHC	CIN	NYG	PHI	PIT	STL
Boston	—	3–18–1	12–10	9–13	9–13	9–13	15–7–1	7–15
Brooklyn	18–3–1	—	13–9–1	17–5	8–14	10–12	19–3	11–11
Chicago	10–12	9–13–1	—	13–9	10–12	10–12	14–8	11–11
Cincinnati	13–9	5–17	9–13	—	6–16	10–12	16–6	10–12
New York	13–9	14–8	12–10	16–6	—	10–12	15–7	12–10
Philadelphia	13–9	12–10	12–10	12–10	12–10	—	16–6	10–12
Pittsburgh	7–15–1	3–19	8–14	6–16	7–15	6–16	—	5–17
St. Louis	15–7	11–11	11–11	12–10	10–12	12–10	17–5	—

Game log

1952 Game Log: 42–112 (Home: 23–54; Away: 19–58)
April: 3–12 (Home: 2–7; Away: 1–5) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 1 April 15 @ Cardinals 2–3 Staley Dickson (0–1) Brazle 15,850 0–1 2 April 16 @ Cardinals 5–6 Chambers Pollet (0–1) Brazle 4,324 0–2 3 April 17 @ Cardinals 5–3 Muir (1–0) Yuhas Wilks (1) 4,907 1–2 4 April 18 Reds 3–0 Friend (1–0) Blackwell — 29,874 2–2 5 April 19 Reds 3–9 Wehmeier Queen (0–1) — 10,271 2–3 6 April 20 Reds 6–8 Perkowski Dickson (0–2) Byerly 2–4 7 April 20 Reds 2–12 Hiller Pollet (0–2) — 23,732 2–5 8 April 21 Cubs 1–7 Minner Kline (0–1) — 12,378 2–6 9 April 22 Cubs 2–13 Rush Friend (1–1) — 9,321 2–7 10 April 25 Cardinals 4–6 Staley Muir (1–1) Brazle 1,945 2–8 11 April 26 @ Reds 2–9 Wehmeier Dickson (0–3) Smith 4,239 2–9 12 April 27 @ Reds 2–8 Raffensberger Friend (1–2) — 2–10 13 April 27 @ Reds 0–1 Hiller Pollet (0–3) — 16,427 2–11 14 April 29 Braves 1–5 Spahn Friend (1–3) — 10,008 2–12 15 April 30 Braves 11–5 Dickson (1–3) Cole Wilks (2) 2,861 3–12
May: 7–21 (Home: 6–11; Away: 1–10) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 16 May 1 Giants 5–13 Hearn Queen (0–2) — 4,801 3–13 17 May 2 Giants 3–5 (10) Wilhelm Wilks (0–1) Spencer 17,111 3–14 18 May 3 Giants 2–3 Maglie Kline (0–2) — 7,451 3–15 19 May 4 Dodgers 0–6 Erskine Dickson (1–4) — 19,322 3–16 20 May 5 Dodgers 1–5 (8) Branca Friend (1–4) — 3,652 3–17 21 May 6 Phillies 0–6 Roberts Carlsen (0–1) — 9,008 3–18 22 May 7 Phillies 5–1 Pollet (1–3) Meyer — 7,291 4–18 23 May 10 @ Cubs 1–3 Rush Dickson (1–5) — 7,438 4–19 24 May 11 @ Cubs 2–8 Minner Kline (0–3) — 4–20 25 May 11 @ Cubs 11–2 Friend (2–4) Klippstein — 14,845 5–20 26 May 13 @ Braves 1–3 Bickford Pollet (1–4) — 2,831 5–21 27 May 14 @ Braves 3–4 (10) Surkont Main (0–1) — 1,105 5–22 28 May 15 @ Dodgers 0–2 Loes Dickson (1–6) — 14,402 5–23 29 May 16 @ Dodgers 4–6 Labine Main (0–2) — 3,385 5–24 30 May 17 @ Dodgers 7–12 Wade Kline (0–4) — 11,067 5–25 31 May 19 @ Giants 0–4 Maglie Pollet (1–5) — 4,461 5–26 32 May 21 @ Phillies 3–7 Roberts Dickson (1–7) — 6,202 5–27 33 May 22 @ Phillies 0–6 Simmons Munger (0–1) — 3,065 5–28 34 May 23 Cubs 6–5 (13) Wilks (1–1) Hacker — 8,496 6–28 35 May 24 Cubs 5–7 Minner Pollet (1–6) Klippstein 3,118 6–29 36 May 25 Cubs 4–5 Hacker Wilks (1–2) Leonard 5,111 6–30 37 May 26 Reds 6–3 Friend (3–4) Hiller — 6,171 7–30 38 May 27 Reds 4–5 (14) Smith Main (0–3) — 2,150 7–31 39 May 28 Reds 2–5 Raffensberger Munger (0–2) — 6,186 7–32 40 May 29 Reds 4–2 Dickson (2–7) Perkowski — 1,070 8–32 41 May 30 Cardinals 2–3 Yuhas Friend (3–5) Brazle 8–33 42 May 30 Cardinals 4–3 LaPalme (1–0) Staley — 19,546 9–33 43 May 31 Phillies 5–3 Muir (2–1) Possehl Main (1) 6,425 10–33
June: 8–20 (Home: 5–10; Away: 3–10) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 44 June 1 Phillies 1–5 Simmons Dickson (2–8) — 10–34 45 June 1 Phillies 2–1 Wilks (2–2) Drews — 15,529 11–34 46 June 3 Dodgers 4–6 Branca Munger (0–3) Rutherford 19,452 11–35 47 June 4 Dodgers 4–7 Erskine Friend (3–6) Loes 14,421 11–36 48 June 5 Dodgers 0–2 Wade Main (0–4) — 6,328 11–37 49 June 6 Giants 8–1 Dickson (3–8) Maglie — 20,163 12–37 50 June 7 Giants 5–7 Spencer Main (0–5) Lanier 7,656 12–38 51 June 8 Giants 1–9 Jansen Pollet (1–7) — 13,942 12–39 52 June 9 Braves 2–3 Wilson Friend (3–7) — 6,973 12–40 53 June 10 Braves 7–5 Wilks (3–2) Spahn — 10,934 13–40 54 June 11 Braves 5–0 Dickson (4–8) Surkont — 9,415 14–40 55 June 12 Braves 2–11 Burdette Muir (2–2) — 3,223 14–41 56 June 14 @ Phillies 2–4 Meyer Friend (3–8) Konstanty 5,033 14–42 57 June 15 @ Phillies 6–0 Pollet (2–7) Drews — 15–42 58 June 15 @ Phillies 3–6 Fox Dickson (4–9) Konstanty 12,525 15–43 59 June 16 @ Phillies 4–5 Konstanty LaPalme (1–1) — 2,210 15–44 60 June 17 @ Giants 6–2 Main (1–5) Gregg — 11,317 16–44 61 June 18 @ Giants 2–5 Hearn Friend (3–9) — 3,346 16–45 62 June 19 @ Giants 8–1 Dickson (5–9) Jansen — 6,369 17–45 63 June 20 @ Dodgers 4–5 Labine Wilks (3–3) — 4,679 17–46 64 June 21 @ Dodgers 4–14 Loes Main (1–6) Erskine 13,335 17–47 65 June 23 @ Braves 3–9 Johnson Friend (3–10) — 2,654 17–48 66 June 24 @ Braves 3–4 Wilson Dickson (5–10) — 3,736 17–49 67 June 25 @ Braves 2–5 Surkont Pollet (2–8) — 1,414 17–50 68 June 27 Cardinals 4–6 Yuhas Muir (2–3) Brazle 16,133 17–51 69 June 28 Cardinals 3–4 Yuhas Dickson (5–11) — 5,417 17–52 70 June 29 Cardinals 2–1 (5) Pollet (3–8) Boyer — 14,870 18–52 71 June 30 @ Cubs 4–5 Klippstein Friend (3–11) — 5,983 18–53
July: 10–21 (Home: 4–8; Away: 6–13) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 72 July 1 @ Cubs 3–2 Main (2–6) Ramsdell Wilks (3) 9,935 19–53 73 July 2 @ Cubs 3–8 Minner Dickson (5–12) — 19–54 74 July 2 @ Cubs 0–3 (8) Hacker Kline (0–5) — 16,543 19–55 75 July 3 @ Reds 1–5 Church Pollet (3–9) — 1,807 19–56 76 July 4 @ Reds 4–2 Friend (4–11) Perkowski — 20–56 77 July 4 @ Reds 5–2 Fisher (1–0) Nuxhall Wilks (4) 8,253 21–56 78 July 5 @ Cardinals 0–5 Brazle Main (2–7) — 15,625 21–57 79 July 6 @ Cardinals 5–6 Yuhas Dickson (5–13) — 21–58 80 July 6 @ Cardinals 4–6 Brecheen Friend (4–12) — 17,048 21–59 81 July 10 Giants 6–4 (12) Wilks (4–3) Spencer — 15,226 22–59 82 July 11 Giants 6–2 Dickson (6–13) Maglie — 4,482 23–59 83 July 12 Braves 2–5 Bickford Friend (4–13) — 4,999 23–60 84 July 13 Braves 2–4 Surkont Fisher (1–1) — 23–61 85 July 13 Braves 1–2 Jester Wilks (4–4) — 12,373 23–62 86 July 15 Phillies 3–10 Simmons Pollet (3–10) — 10,244 23–63 87 July 16 Phillies 7–8 Roberts Dickson (6–14) Hansen 2,569 23–64 88 July 17 Phillies 2–1 Hogue (1–0) Meyer — 24–64 89 July 17 Phillies 4–2 Wilks (5–4) Drews — 5,304 25–64 90 July 18 Dodgers 2–6 Loes Friend (4–14) Black 19,681 25–65 91 July 19 Dodgers 1–9 Erskine Pollet (3–11) — 5,662 25–66 92 July 20 Dodgers 5–8 Wade Dickson (6–15) Black 14,490 25–67 93 July 22 @ Phillies 4–14 Meyer Hogue (1–1) — 25–68 94 July 22 @ Phillies 1–8 Drews Main (2–8) Hansen 11,213 25–69 95 July 23 @ Phillies 1–4 Ridzik Friend (4–15) Roberts 4,611 25–70 96 July 25 @ Braves 3–2 Dickson (7–15) Spahn — 4,126 26–70 97 July 26 @ Braves 6–4 Pollet (4–11) Jester — 2,006 27–70 98 July 27 @ Braves 2–5 Bickford Hogue (1–2) Burdette 27–71 99 July 27 @ Braves 3–3 (11) — 3,719 27–71 100 July 29 @ Dodgers 7–1 Dickson (8–15) Loes — 11,807 28–71 101 July 30 @ Dodgers 3–4 (10) Black Friend (4–16) — 5,110 28–72 102 July 31 @ Dodgers 6–7 (11) Black LaPalme (1–2) — 28–73 103 July 31 @ Dodgers 1–4 Landrum Main (2–9) — 28–74
August: 10–20 (Home: 5–15; Away: 5–5) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 104 August 1 @ Giants 3–7 Hearn Fisher (1–2) — 10,458 28–75 105 August 2 @ Giants 3–4 (6) Wilhelm Dickson (8–16) — 4,174 28–76 106 August 3 @ Giants 7–0 Dickson (9–16) Lanier — 29–76 107 August 3 @ Giants 10–8 (6) Pollet (5–11) Jansen Main (2) 17,965 30–76 108 August 5 Cardinals 3–4 (12) Presko Hogue (1–3) — 10,235 30–77 109 August 6 Cardinals 2–7 (10) Brazle Wilks (5–5) — 30–78 110 August 6 Cardinals 2–3 Boyer Main (2–10) Yuhas 11,999 30–79 111 August 8 Cubs 1–0 (10) Dickson (10–16) Rush — 8,503 31–79 112 August 9 Cubs 4–3 Waugh (1–0) Kelly — 4,196 32–79 113 August 10 Cubs 5–9 Hacker Necciai (0–1) Leonard 32–80 114 August 10 Cubs 3–4 Minner Pollet (5–12) Leonard 17,773 32–81 115 August 11 Reds 4–10 Wehmeier Hogue (1–4) Smith 9,304 32–82 116 August 14 @ Cardinals 5–3 (10) Dickson (11–16) Presko — 9,524 33–82 117 August 15 @ Cardinals 4–5 Brazle Main (2–11) — 6,115 33–83 118 August 16 @ Cubs 2–1 Pollet (6–12) Minner — 12,256 34–83 119 August 17 @ Cubs 2–5 Rush Waugh (1–1) — 34–84 120 August 17 @ Cubs 5–2 Friend (5–16) Kelly — 26,635 35–84 121 August 18 @ Cubs 3–4 Schultz Dickson (11–17) — 4,911 35–85 122 August 19 Phillies 5–10 Roberts Necciai (0–2) — 11,207 35–86 123 August 20 Phillies 1–3 Meyer Hogue (1–5) — 2,755 35–87 124 August 22 Dodgers 2–9 Black Pollet (6–13) — 35–88 125 August 22 Dodgers 3–2 Dickson (12–17) Landrum — 21,845 36–88 126 August 23 Dodgers 2–3 Labine Waugh (1–2) Black 8,844 36–89 127 August 24 Braves 4–3 Necciai (1–2) Jester Dickson (1) 37–89 128 August 24 Braves 3–5 (10) Burdette Kline (0–6) — 12,349 37–90 129 August 26 Giants 7–14 Wilhelm Dickson (12–18) Lanier 14,011 37–91 130 August 27 Giants 4–5 Connelly Pollet (6–14) Jansen 4,069 37–92 131 August 28 Giants 7–14 Koslo Waugh (1–3) — 3,561 37–93 132 August 30 Cardinals 2–12 Staley Necciai (1–3) — 10,500 37–94 133 August 31 Cardinals 4–2 Dickson (13–18) Miller — 7,871 38–94
September: 4–18 (Home: 1–3; Away: 3–15) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 134 September 1 Cubs 0–6 Klippstein Pollet (6–15) — 38–95 135 September 1 Cubs 5–4 (11) Dickson (14–18) Leonard — 13,031 39–95 136 September 3 @ Reds 0–1 Raffensberger Necciai (1–4) — 4,230 39–96 137 September 4 @ Reds 2–7 Wehmeier Waugh (1–4) — 1,519 39–97 138 September 5 @ Cardinals 0–4 Mizell Bell (0–1) — 4,327 39–98 139 September 6 @ Cardinals 4–7 (10) Brazle Dickson (14–19) — 7,329 39–99 140 September 7 @ Cardinals 3–4 Brazle Waugh (1–5) — 9,298 39–100 141 September 9 @ Giants 6–11 Connelly Hogue (1–6) Spencer 2,894 39–101 142 September 10 @ Giants 2–3 (13) Wilhelm Dickson (14–20) — 3,742 39–102 143 September 11 @ Giants 4–5 Maglie Pollet (6–16) Wilhelm 3,094 39–103 144 September 12 @ Braves 8–1 Friend (6–16) Jester — 40–103 145 September 12 @ Braves 0–16 Johnson Necciai (1–5) — 2,608 40–104 146 September 13 @ Braves 0–8 Spahn Kline (0–7) — 1,957 40–105 147 September 14 @ Phillies 2–5 Simmons Hogue (1–7) — 40–106 148 September 14 @ Phillies 1–2 Meyer Waugh (1–6) — 7,238 40–107 149 September 16 @ Dodgers 2–4 Hughes Dickson (14–21) Black 13,422 40–108 150 September 17 @ Dodgers 4–1 Pollet (7–16) Wade Dickson (2) 5,895 41–108 151 September 19 Reds 3–4 Wehmeier Friend (6–17) — 5,435 41–109 152 September 21 Reds 3–4 Podbielan Necciai (1–6) — 22,398 41–110 153 September 26 @ Reds 0–5 Podbielan Hogue (1–8) — 3,893 41–111 154 September 27 @ Reds 9–6 Friend (7–17) Perkowski — 2,084 42–111 155 September 28 @ Reds 2–3 Raffensberger Main (2–12) — 7,354 42–112
Legend:           = Win           = Loss           = Tie Bold = Pirates team member

Opening Day lineup

Opening Day Starters
April 15, 1952 @St. Louis
Position	Player
P	Murry Dickson
C	Clyde McCullough
1B	Catfish Metkovich
2B	Jack Merson
3B	Dick Hall
SS	Clem Koshorek
LF	Ralph Kiner
CF	Ted Beard
RF	Gus Bell

Notable transactions

• May 17, 1952: Bill Howerton was selected off waivers from the Pirates by the New York Giants.[20]
• June 16, 1952: Dick Groat was signed as an amateur free agent by the Pirates.[21]

Roster

1952 Pittsburgh Pirates
Roster
Pitchers 30 Bill Bell 24 Don Carlsen 22 Murry Dickson 29 Jim Dunn 19 Harry Fisher 25 Bob Friend 36 Cal Hogue 20 Ron Kline 32 Paul LaPalme 35 Woody Main 30 Joe Muir 19 Red Munger 21 Ron Necciai 11 Howie Pollet 36 Mel Queen 27 Jim Suchecki 23 Jim Waugh 19 Bill Werle 28 Ted Wilks 34 Ed Wolfe		Catchers  9 Ed Fitz Gerald  2 Joe Garagiola 29 Jim Mangan  3 Clyde McCullough Infielders  5 Tony Bartirome 12 Johnny Berardino 16 Pete Castiglione 24 Dick Groat 26 Clem Koshorek 10 Jack Merson 44 Catfish Metkovich  5 Jack Phillips 14 Sonny Senerchia 6,31 Dick Smith 14 George Strickland		Outfielders 21 Ted Beard  7 Gus Bell 17 Brandy Davis  8 Bobby Del Greco 15 Erv Dusak 18 Dick Hall  8 Bill Howerton  4 Ralph Kiner 15 Frank Thomas  6 Lee Walls		Manager  1 Billy Meyer Coaches 43 Sam Narron 42 Bill Posedel 40 Milt Stock 41 Clyde Sukeforth

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Joe Garagiola	118	344	94	.273	8	54
1B	Tony Bartirome	124	355	78	.220	0	16
2B	Jack Merson	111	398	98	.246	5	38
3B	Pete Castiglione	67	214	57	.266	4	18
SS	Dick Groat	95	384	109	.284	1	29
OF	Ralph Kiner	149	516	126	.244	37	87
OF	Gus Bell	131	468	117	.250	16	59
OF	Bobby Del Greco	99	341	74	.217	1	20

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Catfish Metkovich	125	373	101	.271	7	41
Clem Koshorek	98	322	84	.261	0	15
George Strickland	76	232	41	.177	5	22
Clyde McCullough	66	172	40	.233	1	15
Sonny Senerchia	29	100	22	.220	3	11
Brandy Davis	55	95	17	.179	0	1
Dick Hall	26	80	11	.138	0	2
Lee Walls	32	80	15	.188	2	5
Ed Fitz Gerald	51	73	17	.233	1	7
Dick Smith	29	66	7	.106	0	5
Johnny Berardino	19	56	8	.143	0	4
Ted Beard	15	44	8	.182	0	3
Erv Dusak	20	27	6	.222	1	3
Bill Howerton	13	25	8	.320	0	4
Frank Thomas	6	21	2	.095	0	0
Jim Mangan	11	13	2	.154	0	2
Jack Phillips	1	1	0	.000	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Murry Dickson	43	277.2	14	21	3.57	112
Howie Pollet	31	214	7	16	4.12	90
Ron Necciai	12	54.2	1	6	7.08	31
Red Munger	5	26.1	0	3	7.18	8
Mel Queen	2	3.1	0	2	29.70	3

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Bob Friend	35	185	7	17	4.18	75
Woody Main	48	153.1	2	12	4.46	79
Cal Hogue	19	83.2	1	8	4.84	34
Ron Kline	27	78.2	0	7	5.49	27
Jim Waugh	17	52.1	1	6	6.36	18
Joe Muir	12	35.2	2	3	6.31	17
Harry Fisher	8	18.1	1	2	6.87	5
Bill Bell	4	15.2	0	1	4.60	4
Don Carlsen	5	10	0	1	10.80	2

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Ted Wilks	44	5	5	4	3.61	24
Paul LaPalme	31	1	2	0	3.92	25
Jim Suchecki	5	0	0	0	5.40	6
Jim Dunn	3	0	0	0	3.38	2
Bill Werle	5	0	0	0	9.00	1
Ed Wolfe	3	0	0	0	7.36	1

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
Open	Hollywood Stars	Pacific Coast League	Fred Haney
AA	New Orleans Pelicans	Southern Association	Danny Murtaugh
A	Charleston Rebels	Sally League	Frank Oceak
A	Denver Bears	Western League	Andy Cohen
B	Waco Pirates	Big State League	Tedd Gullic
B	Burlington-Graham Pirates	Carolina League	Jerry Gardner
C	Modesto Reds	California League	Buck Elliott and Clint Cameron
C	Billings Mustangs	Pioneer League	Cliff Dapper
C	St. Jean Canadiens	Provincial League	Gordon Maltzberger
C	Hutchinson Elks	Western Association	Wes Griffin
D	Bristol Twins	Appalachian League	George Detore
D	Brunswick Pirates	Georgia–Florida League	Mickey O'Neil
D	Bartlesville/Pittsburg Pirates	Kansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League	Hersh Martin and Ed Hayes
D	Mayfield Clothiers	KITTY League	Frank Barrett
D	Batavia Clippers	PONY League	George Genovese

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Hollywood, Denver

Bartlesville franchise transferred to Pittsburg (Kansas), July 7, 1952

See also

• List of worst Major League Baseball season records

Notes

1. From 1882–1906, the team played in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which became annexed by Pittsburgh as the North Shore in 1907.
2. Finoli, p. 112.
3. Finoli, p. 113.
4. Sonny Senerchia at Baseball Reference
5. O'Toole, p. 66.
6. O'Toole, p. 64.
7. O'Toole, p. 64-65.
8. 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates Schedule, Box Scores and Splits from Retrosheet.
9. O'Toole, p. 77.
10. O'Toole, p. 67.
11. Finoli, p. 114.
12. O'Toole, p. 70.
13. O'Toole, p. 75.
14. Bill Bell from Baseball-Reference.com.com.
15. 1952 National League Expanded Leaderboards from Baseball-Reference.com.com.
16. Pittsburgh Pirates History & Encyclopedia from Baseball-Reference.com.com.
17. The (dis)honor roll from SI.com – by John Donovan.
18. 1952 National League Rookie of the Year Award from Baseball-Reference.com.com.
19. Hollingsworth, Harry (1994). The Best & Worst Baseball Teams of All Time: From the '16 A's to the '27 Yanks to the Present!. United States: SPI Books. p. 190. ISBN 1561713082.
20. Bill Howerton at Baseball Reference
21. Dick Groat at Baseball Reference

References

• Finoli, David; Bill Ranier (2003). The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 1-58261-416-4.
• O'Toole, Andrew (2000). "Rickey Dinks". Branch Rickey in Pittsburgh. McFarland & Company. p. 66. ISBN 0-7864-0839-1. 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates.
• 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates at Baseball Reference
• 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates at Baseball Almanac