[5] However, many fans, especially older ones, retain their dislike for the other team and regional differences between Eastern and Western Pennsylvania still fuel the rivalry.

[11] However, afterward, the Phillies would not win their first National League pennant until 1915,[12] thanks to the pitching of Grover Cleveland Alexander and the batting prowess of Gavvy Cravath, who set the major-league single-season record for home runs with 24.

[16] The Phillies were in the midst of a period of futility from 1918 to 1948 when the Pirates won the 1925 World Series and the 1927 National League pennant.

[19] From 1933 to 1948, the Phillies posted 16 consecutive losing seasons, a major league record that stood until 2009 (ironically broken by the Pirates).

[20] After World War II, the Pirates had limited success, despite the presence of a genuine star in Ralph Kiner, who led the National League in home runs for seven consecutive seasons (1946-1952).

[5][7] The Phillies' success under manager Danny Ozark was attributed to a well-rounded lineup with Greg Luzinski and Mike Schmidt leading the team in homers, Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw leading the pitching, and Larry Bowa and Garry Maddox being the secretaries of Philadelphia's defense.

The Pirates, under managers Danny Murtaugh and Chuck Tanner, also had tremendous offense led by Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, and Rennie Stennett, catcher Manny Sanguillén, infielders Bill Madlock and Phil Garner being the defensive specialists, and Dock Ellis, John Candelaria, Steve Blass and Bob Moose leading the pitching.

[40] However, in August and September, the Phillies suffered a minor collapse, going 25–32 and it was "No They Couldn't,"[40] giving the Pirates the division title.

[45] However, like the Pirates the year before, the Phillies were swept in the National League Championship Series by the eventual champion Reds.

In 1979, the Phillies acquired infielders Manny Trillo and Pete Rose, but the Pirates were too dominant as Stargell shared MVP honors with Keith Hernandez and won their most recent one that year.

Moments after Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson of the Kansas City Royals with the bases loaded to preserve the win for Steve Carlton and the Phillies,[55] leaping from the mound to embrace catcher Bob Boone on the field at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia,[56] Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh, himself from Pittsburgh, signed a proclamation declaring the next day "World Championship Philadelphia Phillies Day" in the state.

[57][58] During the team's post-parade celebration that day at John F. Kennedy Stadium, the governor said that the rivalry was at peace because "nobody competes with the Phillies today.

[72][73] As the Phillies came to bat in the bottom of the first, Pirates broadcaster (and former pitcher) Jim Rooker said on the air, "If we lose this game, I'll walk home.

[75] The Phillies, trailing now only 11–10 in the eighth inning, scored the tying run on a wild pitch, then took the lead on Darren Daulton's two-run single and went on to win 15–11.

The Pirates, with sluggers Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla and pitcher Doug Drabek, and managed by Jim Leyland, won three straight, from 1990 to 1992 (Bonilla wasn't with the Pirates in 1992),[7] while the Phillies, led by stars such as Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra, and Curt Schilling, won the 1993 NL pennant.

[83] The Pirates became the first NL East team to win consecutive division titles since the Phillies in 1978,[84] but lost to the Atlanta Braves in the 1991 National League Championship Series.

"[97][98] Many Phillies fans had made the cross-state trip to Pittsburgh to see their team clinch and after the game, manager Jim Fregosi threw his cap to them as he walked off the field.

[100] Although Fregosi won the American League West title as manager of the California Angels in 1979, he said that 1993 was "the most gratifying year I have ever spent in baseball.

He watched the celebration, unlike Fregosi two years before, and said: "To me, the real grind is the 162-game schedule...On behalf of the entire Pirates organization, I congratulate the Phillies.

[102] However, they beat the Braves,[103][104][105] but lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series on the famous walk-off home run by Joe Carter.

[5][77] The rivalry came to an end when MLB realigned for 1994 in the form of three divisions in each league, and the addition of an expanded playoff format.

[108] When agreeing on the realignment, the Pirates switched to the newly created Central Division and gave up their spot in the NL East to the Atlanta Braves.

[113] After their loss to the Atlanta Braves in the 1992 NLCS, the Pirates lost Bonds and Doug Drabek to free agency,[114] and had a long and protracted recovery following that: they had 20 straight losing seasons between 1993 and 2012, and did not reach the playoffs again until 2013.

The proposed realignment had the Pirates return to a four-team NL East with the Phillies, Mets, and Montreal Expos.

"[5] Phillies General Manager Ed Wade said that he could "certainly feel it, having been on both ends", having started his career with the Pirates in their public relations department in the late 1970s.

"[66] Pirates President Frank Coonelly, himself born and raised in Philadelphia, said that he wanted to see more of both the Phillies and the New York Mets at PNC Park.

"[122] Manager John Russell and first baseman Adam LaRoche agreed, saying that the Phillies, Pirates, and Mets should be in the same division, as all three "were interchangeable for a while, with the great matchups...But now, we're the ones separated.

"[121] After becoming manager of the Mets for the 2011 season, Terry Collins raised the issue further when he chose to wear 10 to honor Jim Leyland, having served on his coaching staff when with the Pirates in 1992 and 1993.

On October 16, 2017, it was reported that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and the owners were seriously considering a radical realignment if MLB decided to pursue adding two expansion teams by eliminating the American and National League designations altogether and realigning teams to four eight-team divisions based on geography to cut travel costs down.

[130] Conversely, the Pirates' fanbase generally draws from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, which includes Western Pennsylvania, most of the state of West Virginia, and parts of both Southeastern Ohio and the Maryland Panhandle.