Last Sept. 1 marked the 50th anniversary of when Al Oliver took his position at first base for the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium in 1971. It was just one of 22 games that Oliver, an outfielder by trade, started at first that season. Oliver went 2-for-4 against the Phillies that night, including a first-inning RBI double that put Pittsburgh up, 3-2. The Pirates won, 10-7.
Yet despite having turned in a solid performance that night, five decades later, Oliver still questions why he was in the lineup.
On the mound for Philadelphia that night was Woodie Fryman, a left-hander. In that situation, Pittsburgh manager Danny Murtaugh would have normally followed conventional wisdom and played the matchup, penciling in Oliver’s platoon partner, the right-handed hitting Bob Robertson, at first base. Instead, it was Oliver, a left-handed hitter, who got the start, batting seventh in a lineup that looked like this:
The Game that Changed Baseball
Aug 31, 2021 · 6:15
The Game that Changed Baseball
Rennie Stennett 2B
Gene Clines CF
Roberto Clemente RF
Willie Stargell LF
Manny Sanguillén C
Dave Cash 3B
Al Oliver 1B
Jackie Hernández SS
Dock Ellis P
