PHOTO BY SEAN COLLIER

Slugger Ralph Kiner holds the single-season home-run mark for the Pittsburgh Pirates, belting 54 homers in 1949.

He also holds the second-place mark on the same list, for his 51 dingers in ’47 — plus the 4th, 6th and 7th spots. (Willie Stargell managed to sneak in a couple of times.) Naturally, then, the left fielder nicknamed “Mr. Home Run” is immortalized in bronze at PNC Park … or, at least, his hands are.

Unlike the full-body statues of Stargell and Roberto Clemente, the tribute to Kiner is a bronze casting of his hands holding a baseball bat. What the statue lacks in size it makes up for in details; the veins in Kiner’s hands are clearly rendered, as is the strength of his grip on the Louisville Slugger. The statue was first installed at Three Rivers Stadium and then moved to PNC Park along with statues of Clemente and Honus Wagner; now found beyond the bleachers in Kiner’s native left field, the statue is a frequent photo op for fans, who grab the bat alongside the hands of the late ballplayer.

Kiner, who spent many years as a broadcaster for the New York Mets, had his No. 4 retired by the Pirates in 1987. If younger fans don’t know Kiner’s exploits from firsthand experience, they can connect him to the modern team: Current Pirates infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa is Ralph Kiner’s second cousin, twice removed.

Find It!
PNC Park, Left Field Gate (behind escalators)