<P> The following is a history of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball . </P> <P> Professional baseball in the Pittsburgh area began in 1876 with the organization of an independent (non-league) club based in a then - separate city called Allegheny City, across the Allegheny River from Pittsburgh . The team joined the minor league International Association in 1877, only to fold the following season . In 1882, a new Allegheny team began play as a founding member of the American Association . Chartered as the Allegheny Base Ball Club of Pittsburgh, the team was listed as "Allegheny" in the standings, and was sometimes called the "Alleghenys" (rarely the "Alleghenies") in that era's custom of referring to a team by its pluralized city or club name . After five mediocre seasons in the A.A., Pittsburgh became the first A.A. team to switch to the older National League in 1887 . At the time, William A. Nimick was club president and Horace Phillips manager . </P>

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