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Pitt's Historic Impact

Baseball History Preserved at Pitt

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People crossing the first-floor lobby of Pitt’s Wesley W. Posvar Hall may not realize that an inconspicuous glass block in the floor holds a significant piece of American baseball memorabilia.

Beneath the glass block lies the home plate of Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field. The plate is near the spot where the likes of Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron once batted, and where Babe Ruth launched the final three home runs of his career.

After Forbes Field was demolished, Pitt built Posvar Hall and the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business on the site. All that remains of the ballpark is the glass-ensconced home plate and a section of the left-field wall over which Pittsburgh Pirate Bill Mazeroski hit his World Series-winning home run in the ninth inning of Game 7 on Oct. 13, 1960.

Every October 13, Pirates fans gather there and listen to a recorded broadcast of that game. A subtle line of bricks in the pavement around Posvar Hall marks most of the outline of the old ball field.

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