It’s been a long time coming for the longest tenured broadcaster in Pittsburgh Pirates history.
Lanny Frattare retired from the MLB broadcast booth following the 2008 season. Frattare spent 33 years as the voice of the Pirates, calling over 5,000 games in his career.
Lanny worked for the Pirates from 1976-2008 and called memorable events including playoff series in 1979 and both division races and playoff games from 1990-1992.
On Wednesday, September 3, Frattare will be inducted into the Pirates Media
Wall of Fame.
After retiring, Frattare joined Waynesburg University as a teacher and advisor in the Department of Communications. He’s given back to hundreds of students throughout the years looking to follow their dreams like he did for over three decades.
Frattare was behind the mic for one of the most memorable moments in college basketball history. While calling an Indiana-Purdue game on Feb. 23, 1985, Indiana head coach Bobby Knight famously threw his chair across the court in protest of a referee’s call.
The voice of Pirates baseball for generations, Frattare’s legacy lives on. He was on the call for the famed August 27, 2001, Brian Giles walk-off grand slam off Hall of Famer Billy Wagner to erase a six-run deficit in the 9th and win.
Frattare also called the Pirates last no-hitter, a combined no-hit effort by Francisco Cordova and Ricardo Rincon in on July 12, 1997.
The Pirates host the Los Angeles Dodgers at 6:40 p.m. on Sept. 3, the team Frattare’s icon, Vin Scully, carved his career with as one of the most admired and talented broadcasters of all time.
