On September 1, 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates fielded an all-minority lineup for the first time in Major League Baseball history. It only took 24 years and some change after Jackie Robinson broke MLB’s color barrier when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. During this Black History Month, let’s look back on that day.

Pirates Fielded an All-Minority Lineup in 1971

The Pirates were playing host to the Philadelphia Phillies at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium on an otherwise ordinary Wednesday evening that drew 11,278 fans to the concrete monstrosity. Against Phillies left-hander and erstwhile Pirate Woodie Fryman, Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh posted this lineup card:

The matter wasn’t given much attention at the time. Pittsburgh was in the throes of a long newspaper strike. During those pre-Internet times, fans had opportunities to get their sports news only during short TV and radio reports. Furthermore, the players who participated didn’t notice anything unique about the lineup when it was posted. They noticed only once the game was underway.

“You Guys Don’t Have a Chance!”

The game itself was unremarkable. The eventual World Series champion Pirates won, 10-7, extending their first-place lead in the National League East Division to 5-1/2 games over the St. Louis Cardinals, who lost to the New York Mets, 7-1. Sanguillén hit a two-run home run for the Pirates. Ron Stone and Deron Johnson hit two-run homers for the Phillies.

What’s been largely forgotten in retellings of this tale is that the all-minority lineup of the Pirates didn’t last long on this evening. Ellis was knocked out of the box after tossing 1-1/3 innings. He was then followed on the mound by Bob Moose, Bob Veale, and Luke Walker. Of the trio, only Veale was black, and he pitched just one-third of an inning. (In September of that season, the Pirates also had pitcher John Lamb on their active roster. With Moose, Veale, and Lamb, they accomplished a different “first” that season by having three pitchers named for meats.)

That didn’t stop the controversial Ellis from mouthing off. In The Whistling Irishman, Colleen Hroncich’s Murtaugh biography, Sanguillén recalled Ellis screaming at the Phillies, “You guys don’t have a chance!” Even after Philadelphia scored two runs in the first inning off Ellis, he was still barking at them. The Pirates scored five runs in the bottom of the first, knocking out Fryman.

“Not a Lot Got Past Him”

Murtaugh was unaware that he was making history that night. Or was he? Philadelphia’s Evening Bulletin quoted Murtaugh as saying, “When it comes to making out the lineup, I’m colorblind, and my athletes know it.” Oliver agreed, telling Hroncich, “I don’t think he was back in his office making out the lineup card and saying, ‘I’m going to send nine brothers out there tonight.’ He was just looking at which nine players could win that night.”

However, future Pirates Hall-of-Famer Bill Mazeroski, who was on the 1971 team, had his doubts. Mazeroski contributed an editorial to the December 4, 2021, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette advocating for Murtaugh’s induction into the Hall. Wrote “Maz,” “Murtaugh professed that he was unaware of the significance, but a lot of us suspected that he knew what he was doing because not a whole lot ever got past him.”

Missing in Action

It’s interesting to think about. The 1971 Pirates regularly fielded lineups with five, six, or seven minorities. Most of the players in that September 1 all-minority lineup were regulars for the Pirates. Oliver and Clines platooned in center field most of the season. Hernández saw a lot of action at shortstop with Gene Alley constantly battling injuries. Richie Hebner, a white left-handed-hitting third baseman, was platooned by Murtaugh and wouldn’t have started against Fryman.

Conspicuous in his absence was slugging right-handed-hitting Bob Robertson, who was white. Robertson was 2-for-14 in his last four games. Even so, facing a left-hander may have cured whatever ailed the slugging redhead. In 2006, Oliver told author Bruce Markusen for his book, The Team That Changed Baseball, “Bob Robertson normally would have played that day, but Dave Cash told me. . . that Murtaugh was kind of disappointed with Bob for whatever reason. I don’t know what the exact reason was, but he was disappointed in Bob, so he sat him down.” Indeed, Robertson didn’t return to the starting lineup until September 6.

The Last Word

In 2025, a permanent marker was installed near the former location of Three Rivers Stadium, commemorating September 1, 1971. Present were former Pirates Steve Blass, Cash, Oliver, and Sanguillén. Also attending were Roberto Clemente, Jr., Hroncich, who is Murtaugh’s granddaughter, and the usual assortment of politicians jockeying for attention. An occasion that got scant attention at the time will be forever remembered.

54 years ago, history was made at Three Rivers Stadium as the Pirates fielded the first all-minority lineup in MLB history.

Today, we joined the Heinz History Center and local leaders in honoring those players with a permanent historical marker on West General Robinson St. pic.twitter.com/GEcTeRP3W2

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 2, 2025

Mandatory Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports