The Slide: Leyland, Bonds, and the Star-Crossed Pittsburgh Pirates

by Richard Peterson, Stephen Peterson

Overview

In the deciding game of the 1992 National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves, the Pittsburgh Pirates suffered the most dramatic and devastating loss in team history when former Pirate Sid Bream slid home with the winning run. Bream’s infamous slide ended the last game played by Barry Bonds in a Pirates uniform and sent the franchise reeling into a record twenty-season losing streak. The Slide tells the story of the myriad events, beginning with the aftermath of the 1979 World Series, which led to the fated 1992 championship game and beyond. It describes the city’s near loss of the team in 1985 and the major influence of Syd Thrift and Jim Leyland in developing a dysfunctional team into a division champion. The book gives detailed accounts of the 1990, 1991, and 1992 division championship seasons, the critical role played by Kevin McClatchy in saving the franchise in 1996, and summarizes the twenty losing seasons before the Pirates finally broke the curse of “the slide” in 2013, with their first playoff appearance since 1992.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780822966180
Publisher:	University of Pittsburgh Press
Publication date:	03/10/2020
Series:	The Library of Pittsburgh Sports History
Edition description:	1
Pages:	200
Sales rank:	489,733
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Richard “Pete” Peterson is the author and editor of several baseball books, including The Pirates Reader, Growing Up With Clemente, Pops: The Willie Stargell Story,  and Extra Innings: Writing on Baseball. He is coeditor (with David Shribman) of 50 Great Moments in Pittsburgh Sports. A Pittsburgh native, Peterson is professor emeritus of English at Southern Illinois University.
 
Stephen Peterson has worked as a teacher and screenwriter for the last ten years. He resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xv

Chapter 1 The Decline and Fall of the Pirates Family: The 1980-1985 Seasons 3

Chapter 2 The Unknowns Syd Thrift and Jim Leyland: The 1986-1989 Seasons 18

Chapter 3 Leyland and Barry Bonds Lead the Way: The 1990 Season 38

Chapter 4 The Pirates Take on the Nasty Boys: The 1990 National League Championship Series 59

Chapter 5 Winning the Division, after Losing Sid Bream: The 1991 Season 69

Chapter 6 Too Much Steve Avery: The 1991 National League Championship Series 88

Chapter 7 Barry Bonds's Last Hurrah: The 1992 Season 124

Chapter 8 Sid Bream's Slide into History: The 1992 National League Championship Series 142

Chapter 9 The Pirates Slide into History: The 1993-2010 Seasons 159

Chapter 10 Hurdle, McCutchen, and the End of the Slide: The 2011-2013 Seasons 178

Notes 189

Selected Bibliography 201

Index 213

Editorial Reviews

Vividly recreates the circumstances that eroded what should have been an extended run of success. Fine reading for any baseball fan.”
—Booklist

“For baseball fans curious to understand how players felt in the wake of those early '90's playoff shortcomings, there's much to like. If they want the scoop on how the team almost left town, only to be saved by a group headed by Kevin McLatchy, or how PNC Park came to be built, The Slide touches all the necessary bases.”

—Pittsburgh Quarterly Magazine

“The Peterson's presentation is simply outstanding as the book reads like a play by play announcer and contains all the drama that is baseball and of course all the drama that are the players.”
—North of Oxford


“The time I spent in Pittsburgh was special for me and my family. A great atmosphere that included teammates, neighbors, employees, and fans. I’m happy to relive some of those memories with this book.”
—Doug Drabek, former Pirate
 


“Coverage of recent Pirates history may be somewhat lacking on today’s bookshelves. I found the Petersons’ account refreshing and compelling. This volume follows well alongside the Pirates’ efforts to celebrate a renewed hope.”
—Craig Britcher, Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at the Heinz History Center


“This book chronicles a seismic shift in Pirates history, from the beloved ‘We Are Family’ Pirates, through the lean and troubled ’80s, to the rise of Jim Leyland, Barry Bonds, and the star-crossed early -’90s Pirates.  No one can tell that story like the Petersons.”
—Rob King, Pirates broadcaster

From the Publisher