As Pittsburgh celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1908, Hall of Famer and former Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss bought land to build Forbes Field, the world's first triple-tiered steel and concrete baseball stadium.

When the ballpark opened the following year, Dreyfuss named it for General John Forbes, who established Pittsburgh with George Washington's help in 1758.

Located in the center of Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood near Schenley Park, Forbes Field's innovative construction came with a price tag of more than $1 million. Critics dubbed the park "Dreyfuss' Folly" because of its long distance from Downtown.

However, the two-mile distance -- or 10-minute trolley ride -- to Oakland didn't prevent fans from getting through the ticket gates, as 35,000 people packed the stands for opening day at Forbes Field.

The Pirates won 110 games during their inaugural season at Forbes Field -- tops in baseball -- and earned a trip to the 1909 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, who made their third consecutive trip to the Fall Classic.

The series featured a much-anticipated matchup between the two greatest players in the world, Pittsburgh's Honus Wagner and Detroit's Ty Cobb.

But the star of the back-and-forth series was a rookie reserve pitcher named Babe Adams.

Adams started for Pittsburgh in Game 1, beating the Tigers 4-1. In Game 5, Adams allowed four runs, but still earned the win for the Pirates.

With the series tied, and the championship on the line, Pirates player/manager Fred Clarke called upon Adams once more in Game 7. Despite having just one day of rest since his last start, Adams responded, tossing a six-hit, complete-game shutout to clinch the Pirates' first World Series title.

After their World Series victory in 1909 the Pirates went on to play in five more World Series, winning four.

Fans can see an original ticket and invitations from the first game at Forbes Field in 1909, and learn more about the early years of one of baseball's iconic parks as part of a new exhibition, "Forbes Field: A Century of Memories," at the Heinz History Center.

Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.