Paul Waner

Class of: 1964

Sport: MLB

Team: Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Glee Waner (April 16, 1903 – August 29, 1965) was a professional baseball player who, along with his brother Lloyd, starred in the Pittsburgh Pirates outfield in the 1920s and 1930s. Born in Oklahoma and nicknamed “Big Poison,” he led the National League (NL) in batting on three occasions and accumulated over 3,000 hits in his career from 1926 to 1945. He collected 200 or more hits on eight occasions, was voted the NL’s Most Valuable Player in 1927, and compiled a lifetime batting average of .333.

He (3,152) and his younger brother, Lloyd (2,459), hold the career record for hits by brothers (5,611), outpacing the three Alou brothers (5,094): Felipe, Matty and Jesus, and the three DiMaggio brothers (4,853): Joe, Dom and Vince, among others. For most of the period from 1927 to 1940, Paul patrolled right field at Forbes Field while Lloyd covered the ground next to him in center field.

Waner was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952. Paul died in Sarasota, FL at the age of 62. In 1999, he ranked Number 62 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball’s All-Century Team. The Pirates retired Waner’s No. 11 in a ceremony before their game vs. the Astros on July 21, 2007, the anniversary of Paul’s 1952 Hall of Fame induction. A plaque has been placed in the interior of PNC Park to commemorate the retiring of Paul Waner’s jersey.