By Rob Biertempfel
Bill Mazeroski, the Hall of Fame second baseman best remembered for his ninth-inning, Game 7 home run that secured the 1960 World Series title for the Pittsburgh Pirates, died Friday. He was 89.
The Pirates announced Mazeroski’s death in a statement on Saturday. The team did not cite a cause.
Mazeroski, a 10-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, always seemed amused and maybe even a bit baffled by the dichotomy of his prominence in baseball history. “It’s weird,” he once said. “I’m known for the home run and I’m in the Hall of Fame because of my defense.”
The homer was impossible to escape. In Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, Mazeroski led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a solo shot that lifted the Pirates over the Yankees. It was — and still is — the ultimate walk-off. Yet, Mazeroski — simply called “Maz” by the legions of Pirates fans who cheered him for 17 seasons — was not a slugger. What set him apart from other second basemen during his peak years in the 1950s and ’60s was steady, sublime defense.
Early one morning in February 2020, I found Maz sitting alone near the batting cages at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. Long after retiring as a player, he continued to volunteer as a special assistant in spring training camp. We chatted a bit, and I asked what he wanted to be his legacy — that lone long ball or his eight Gold Gloves?
Mazeroski didn’t need even a moment to think it over. “I’ll take the home run,” he said with a grin.
Mazeroski was born in Wheeling, W. Va., in 1936, the son of a coal miner. He was a multi-sport standout in high school and might have wound up in Pittsburgh as a basketball player if he hadn’t turned down a scholarship from Duquesne University to play pro baseball. There was no draft then, so Mazeroski chose to sign with the Pirates.
In a time before analytics and widespread shifts, Mazeroski excelled simply by being a working man’s infielder. “I busted my ass every day,” he said. “Go out and play and see what happens and, hopefully, the best side shows up.”
Mazeroski made his big-league debut on July 7, 1956, two months shy of his 20th birthday, and singled in his first at-bat. Two years later, he became an All-Star, won his first Gold Glove and finished eighth in the National League MVP voting. Pirates broadcaster Bob Prince began referring to him as “The Glove.”
Forbes Field’s rock-hard infield spawned wicked hops. The inning before Maz’s historic homer, Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek was felled when a ground ball hit a pebble and struck him in the throat. The play helped the Pirates overcome a three-run deficit.
Playing nearly half his career on Forbes Field’s unforgiving turf didn’t hamper Mazeroski. He led the National League in double plays turned every season from 1960 to 1967. His total of 1,706 double plays is a major-league record.
Mazeroski used a small glove, he explained to Pittsburgh sports historian Jim O’Brien, to keep the ball from getting “lost” in the webbing. His smooth, uncomplicated style in the field came naturally. Originally a shortstop, Mazeroski switched to second base after Pirates general manager Branch Rickey marveled at his quick pivot at the bag.
That pivot is what made Maz great. It began when he relayed the ball — not really catching it, but instead allowing it to ricochet — from his glove to his throwing hand. Then came a quick two-step at the bag.
“I talked to Maz a lot about that,” former Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier said. “He always preached that the feet are what make your hands click. So the quicker your feet are, the quicker your hands.”
Wanna hear a secret? Everyone was so entranced by Mazeroski’s fancy hands that they never watched his feet.
“I cheated every double play I made, being that much off the bag,” Mazeroski said, holding his hands a few inches apart. “That’s the truth. You couldn’t see it with plain eyes, but when they slowed it down (on film), I was about right there and gone on every play, just about. When I caught it, boom, it was gone. That’s why I was so quick. And I never caught the ball. It was just (ricochet). Everything worked together and, boom, I just made it click.”
In 1966, Mazeroski set a single-season MLB record by turning 161 double plays. The Pirates’ Dave Cash flirted with that mark in 1974 but stalled at 141. Robinson Cano’s best was 136 in 2007.
“I always took defense to heart, more so than offense,” said Mazeroski, who produced a .260/.299/.367 career line. “If I had worked at my offense, maybe I would have been a little better at it, but I didn’t. But I sure worked at my defense.”
Defensively, Game 7 of the 1960 World Series was a boring day at the office for Mazeroski. The Yankees had 13 hits, but the Pirates didn’t turn any double plays. New York tied the game with two runs in the ninth, and Mazeroski didn’t realize he was leading off the bottom of the inning until first-base coach Len Levy told him to grab a bat.
The first pitch from Ralph Terry was high. Catcher Johnny Blanchard motioned for Terry to get the ball down, as Mazeroski liked to swing at pitches up in the zone. The next one was lower … and right in Mazeroski’s wheelhouse. As the ball carried over the left field wall and into history, Mazeroski whooped his way around the bases.
“I just couldn’t believe that we beat them and I went kind of goofy,” Mazeroski told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on the Series’ 60th anniversary. “I was always a relaxed player and never showed off, no antics or nothing. I can’t believe that I was jumping around like I was. I am almost embarrassed when I look at the film, seeing me waving my hat. I didn’t do things like that. I just played the game and didn’t want to show anybody up. But it was just natural. Holy cow! It was amazing.”
After retiring as a player in 1972, Mazeroski was the third-base coach for the Pirates (1973) and Mariners (1979-80). There’s a street named for him in Pittsburgh, and the Pirates retired his No. 9 and erected a statute outside of PNC Park. Mazeroski is survived by his two sons — Darren, who is a Pirates scout, and Dave — and four grandchildren. His wife of nearly 65 years, Milene Mazeroski, died May 19, 2024.
Each year on Oct. 13, the anniversary of Game 7, dozens of Pirates fans gather in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood at the former site of Forbes Field. A portion of the left-field wall is still standing, and in its shadow, they listen to a recording of the game. Maz stopped by a couple of times to relive the moment.
“That doesn’t happen anywhere else,” Mazeroski said, smiling. “It was so crazy, so many people there. It’s a big deal.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated Bill Mazeroski’s age. He was 89, not 98.