How did the Pittsburgh Pirates get their name?

On April 6, 2015, the Pirates' loss to the Cincinnati Reds earned the team its 10,000 franchise loss and making the Pirates the first MLB team to reach their 10,000th loss on an Opening Day. On May 9, 2015, the Pirates became the first MLB team to turn a 4–5–4 triple play. read more

Around the time the team adopted the Pirates nickname, theUnited States Board on Geographic Names forced the city of Pittsburgh to undergo a controversial name changeby having them drop the "h" at the end of the name, making the team's official name the "Pittsburg Pirates" from the adoption of the Pirates nickname until Pittsburgh was able to get the "h" restored to its name in 1911. read more

The Pirates got their name from their early practice of picking up players from defunct teams in the 1900's and 1910's, most famous being Honus Wagner from Louisville. Hence, they "pirated" players. read more