John Candelaria, Wilbur Cooper and Jack Wilson walked into their Pirates Hall of Fame induction Thursday night knowing they were joining something bigger than themselves.
That was the common thread in their comments after the ceremony and dinner: pride, yes, but also a real sense of awe at the company they’re keeping.
“It’s a wonderful honor,” Candelaria said. “I think of all the great Pirates players who've been here, just to be mentioned with them would've been good enough. But to make the Pirates Hall of Fame is truly an honor."
Wilson sounded much the same, calling the moment hard to fully absorb.
“It’s definitely surreal," Wilson said. "Since I got the call two or three months ago, it still hasn’t really set in, and I don’t think it ever will.
"This is something I never envisioned happening. I hold [the others in the Hall of Fame] to such a high standard. It feels weird being included with them.
"But it’s definitely an extreme honor."
For DeRenne, the news carried a family promise fulfilled. He said he had told his parents he would one day get grandpa into the Hall of Fame, and the announcement hit with real force.
"When you look at the greats - and the Pirates have had some of the greatest players in the game - it’s a legacy that I think this city and organization should be very, very proud of," DeRenne said. "To have grandpa among them, it's something my family will cherish the rest of our lives."
The class itself has plenty to stand on. Cooper sits first in Pirates history in wins with 202 and complete games with 263. From 1918-22, no one in the National League won more than Cooper’s 107 games.
He was a four-time 20-game winner, the first NL lefty to reach 200 wins, and he led the league in complete games (137), innings pitched (1,508 2/3) and strikeouts (600) from 1918-22.
Candelaria’s résumé is just as packed. He threw the fifth no-hitter in team history on Aug. 9, 1976, and ranks ninth in Pirates history in wins (124), sixth in games started (271) and ninth in innings pitched (1,873 2/3).
His 1977 season brought an All-Star selection, 20 wins, a National League-leading 2.34 ERA and 7.4 wins above replacement, per Baseball Reference.
Wilson made his mark in a different way. He ranks second behind Andrew McCutchen in games at PNC Park with 583 and in hits there with 612, but defense defined his Pirates run. At PNC Park, he led NL shortstops in double plays (782) and assists (3,665).
His best offensive year came in 2004, when he hit .308, led the NL in triples with 12, made the All-Star team and set the Pirates’ single-season record for double plays turned by a shortstop with 129.
"It makes it even more special the Pirates are acknowledging a glove-first guy because it doesn’t happen," Wilson said. "There are guys with All-Star Games, batting titles and Cy Young Awards ... and then there's me.
"It’s a little difficult to deal with at first because I just don’t see myself like those guys. But it’s cool that the defense does get a little love today.”
The evening also stirred up memories that stretched well beyond the plaques and speeches.
DeRenne remembered his grandfather talking about his debut and about Wagner fielding his first ground ball. Wagner told Cooper that if he kept it up, he’d have a long career.
"He thought that was a nice introduction," DeRenne said, smiling.
He also mentioned hearing about a game Cooper pitched that supposedly lasted 59 minutes. He said he’s searched for the newspaper clipping but still hasn’t found it.
Then came the story about the New York Giants wanting to purchased Cooper for $75,000 the year before the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth for $150,000.
"Thank God the Pirates didn't do it," DeRenne said. "Thankful for the legacy he left to my father, me and now my son."
Candelaria, who said he hates talking about himself in any setting, lit up while talking about the 1979 World Series-winning team. He described a close group that genuinely liked each other, with the pranks still making him laugh.
He also imagined what it would have been like to pitch at PNC Park, especially with the North Side Notch helping against right-handed hitters.
"If I had a center fielder, go get it, baby," Candelaria said. "That's a big alley out there.
I would've loved to have pitched here. Beautiful park as well."
Wilson’s connection to Pittsburgh goes beyond baseball. He described getting traded to the Pirates from the Cardinals on July 29, 2000, while on an off-day in Arkansas. He found out through the ESPN ticker, was stunned at first, and then settled into a place that felt right.
He pointed to the fans, the city’s blue-collar feel and the appreciation for effort and defense as reasons the fit worked.
Wilson grew up in Pittsburgh, started a family there and said he’ll always call it home. He closed by tying that identity to the way the Pirates have always played.
"We saw life the same," Wilson said. "You come out here, you work your butt off, you grind, and no matter what the scoreboard is or the record is, you’re always playing hard.
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