Congratulations, Pittsburgh. It’s been a long time coming.

The Pirates earned the stubbornly elusive win No. 81 on Tuesday night, a milestone of mediocrity which managed to avoid Steel City baseball for two agonizing decades.

It seems win No. 81 held different meaning to different people. Many reveled in the clinching moment of a non-losing season, while some are waiting for one more victory to celebrate a winning campaign. Others shrugged it off and consider postseason glory to be a true barometer of success.

The latter is an understandable approach. After all, the Pirates are in the thick of a pennant race. Tuesday night was special, though.

Think about the countless draft-pick busts, free-agent flops and maddening trades. Think about the two 100-loss seasons, the tease of 1997 and the sudden meltdown of just one season ago.

Soak it in, Pittsburgh.

There is still more to achieve, but win No. 81 was 20 years in the making.

Five people in particular are most responsible for making it happen.

• Neal Huntington

The Pittsburgh general manager started from scratch and built a formidable team with limited resources and very little room for error.

This was his message after being hired in September of 2007.

“We’re going to change the culture,” said Huntington. “We’re going to change how we do things. Every one of our decisions will be a progressive process in bringing a winner back to Pittsburgh.”

Many fans likely thought it was an empty promise, but Huntington delivered.

• Pedro Alvarez

In 2008, Huntington made Alvarez the first draft pick of his tenure and although there have been ups and downs, “El Toro” is now hitting cleanup for a team leading its division and has posted back-to-back 30-homer seasons.

• Clint Hurdle

The Pirates manager was hired in 2010 and never backed away from the challenge at hand.

“I’m well aware of the history, the road traveled,” he said during his initial press conference. “But I know where I want to go.”

His positive attitude has helped steer the ship in the right direction.

• A.J. Burnett

Since his arrival in the spring of 2011, Burnett has been brilliant on the mound. His effect in the clubhouse is undeniable, as well. The light-hearted leader with competitive fire has helped alter the aforementioned “culture” Huntington eluded to.

• Andrew McCutchen

Cutch has been there every step of the way. He’s a five-tool player, the face of the franchise and was loyal enough to see the rebuilding process come to fruition.

McCutchen is everything a team could want in a superstar.

Now, this superstar has everything he could want in a team.