PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates will be inducting three more franchise icons into their Hall of Fame this August, all three champions on three different Pirates teams that won the World Series.
The class of 2025 consists of Kiki Cuyler, Vern Law and Al Oliver. The trio will be honored during a ceremony on the field prior to the game against the Rockies on August 22 following their official induction the day before.
“The 2025 class of inductees all have made significant historical contributions to the organization and are very deserving of this prestigious recognition,” Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a released statement. “Kiki was the hero of the 1925 World Series championship for the Pirates. Vernon was the club’s first Cy Young Award winner and a member of our world champion 1960 team. Al was a key contributor on our 1971 World Series winning team and a part of Major League Baseball’s first all-minority starting lineup in September of that season.
“Their induction into the Pirates Hall of Fame will ensure that their legacy and contributions to the Pirates will live on for generations to come.”
Cuyler played the first seven seasons of his 18-year career with the Pirates, ranging from 1921-27. He was part of two pennant-winning teams with the Pirates, including being one of their best players on their 1925 championship team. Cuyler finished second in National League MVP voting that season, leading the league in games played, runs scored, plate appearances and triples.
Cuyler was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968. His 144 runs scored in 1925 are the most for any Pirate in the Modern Era (since 1900). He recorded a .336 batting average with 680 hits and 415 runs scored in his 525 games played with the Pirates.
Law spent all 16 seasons of his Major League career with the Pirates, ranging from 1950-1967 (he missed the 1952-53 seasons serving in the Korean War). He is one of two pitchers in franchise history to win a Cy Young Award, the other being Doug Drabek.
During that Cy Young campaign in 1960, Law led the Majors with 18 complete games and won 20 in the regular season, and then went 2-0 with a 3.44 ERA in his three games pitched in the World Series, helping the Pirates upset the Yankees.
Law was also an All-Star twice in 1960 and received MVP votes in 1955, 1959, 1960 and 1965. His 162 career wins rank sixth all-time in franchise history, and his 364 starts rank third. He went 162-147 in his career with a 3.77 ERA and 119 complete games.
Oliver spent the first 10 seasons of his 18-year career with the Pirates, ranging from 1968-77, earning three of his seven All-Star nods in Black and Gold. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1969 and then hit 14 home runs with 64 RBIs for the Pirates’ World Series-winning team in 1971.
Oliver ranked fifth among National League players in hits (1,490), doubles (276) and RBIs (717) during his time with the Pirates, all while recording a .296 batting average and 135 home runs with the team. He drove in seven runs and had seven hits during the Pirates’ playoff run in 1971.
This will be the fourth group of Hall of Famers the Pirates have inducted and the second straight year it has been a class of three. After a 19-person inaugural class in 2022, they added four more in 2023 and an additional three in 2024.