1997 Pittsburgh Pirates season

The 1997 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 116th season of the franchise; the 111th in the National League. This was their 28th season at Three Rivers Stadium. The Pirates finished second in the National League Central with a record of 79–83.

Offseason

 * November 14, 1996: Dan Plesac, Carlos García and Orlando Merced were traded by the Pirates to the Toronto Blue Jays for José Silva, Brandon Cromer (minors), Jose Pett (minors), and players to be named later. The Blue Jays completed the deal by sending Abraham Núñez, Craig Wilson, and Mike Halperin (minors) to the Pirates on December 11.
 * December 13, 1996: Jay Bell and Jeff King were traded by the Pirates to the Kansas City Royals for Jeff Granger, Joe Randa, Jeff Wallace, and Jeff Martin (minors).
 * December 20, 1996: Kevin Elster was signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

New stadium referendum
Perhaps the most interesting headline of the Pirates' 1997 season didn't occur on the field. In 1997 voters in Pittsburgh's Allegheny County and 10 surrounding counties were presented with a referendum, known as the Regional Renaissance Initiative, to raise their county sales tax by 1/2% for seven years to fund, among other things, new stadiums for the Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers. Both teams were playing in Three Rivers Stadium, which at the time was considered by many to be obsolete. The unexpected pennant drive provided a backdrop for the question as it was debated throughout the summer, given the concern that the Pirates might leave the city if a new stadium wasn't procured.

The referendum failed badly in all 11 counties. Only in Allegheny County was it close (58-42), while being rejected by 2-1 to 3-1 margins in other counties. The next year what became known as "Plan B" was pursued by local and state government officials which called again for two new stadiums as well as an expansion of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The new plan was eventually passed, this time without a referendum and despite polls showing the public was against this as well, resulting in the construction of PNC Park and Heinz Field, where both teams would start playing in 2001.

Regular season
The 1997 Pittsburgh Pirates were informally known as "The Freak Show," as the team of rookies and cheap veterans (the team only had a $9 million payroll) unexpectedly competed with the Houston Astros for the division title until the final week of the season.

Game log

 * Legend:      = Win       = Loss Bold = Pirates team member
 * Legend:      = Win       = Loss Bold = Pirates team member

Player stats
''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''
 * Batting

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
 * Pitching

Awards and honors
The Sporting News Executive of the Year Award
 * Cam Bonifay, GM

1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
 * Tony Womack, 2B, reserve

Notable transactions

 * July 8, 1997: Midre Cummings was selected off waivers from the Pirates by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Lynchburg