The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Association in 1881 under the name Pittsburgh Allegheny, the club joined the National League in 1887 and was a member of the National League East from 1969 through 1993. Despite struggling in the 1880s and 1890s, the Pirates were among the best teams in baseball shortly after the turn of the 20th century. They won three consecutive NL titles from 1901 to 1903, played in the inaugural World Series in 1903 and won their first World Series in 1909. The Pirates also won the 1960, 1971 and 1979 World Series. After a run of regular-season success in the early 1990s, the Pirates struggled mightily over the following decades with 20 consecutive losing seasons from 1993 to 2012. The team qualified for the postseason again in 2014 and 2015. From 1882 to 2021, the Pirates have an overall record of 10,625 – 10,547. The Pirates are also often referred to as the “Bucs” or the “Buccos” (derived from buccaneer, a synonym for pirate). Since 2001 the team has played its home games at PNC Park. The Pirates previously played at Forbes Field from 1909 to 1970 and at Three Rivers Stadium from 1970 to 2000. Since 1948 the Pirates’ colors have been black, gold and white, matching the other major professional sports teams in Pittsburgh. These colors are derived from the flag of Pittsburgh.