1/4: Starling, Lance & Skates Signed, Shane Returns, Barkley Bounce, Buffalo Bucs; HBD Blake, John, Brian, Jay & The Cork

• 1869 - SS Tommy “The Cork” Corcoran was born in New Haven, Connecticut. The Cork started his 18-year big league career, spent mostly with the NY Bridegrooms and Cincinnati Reds, as a 21-year-old rookie starting for the Players League Pittsburgh Burghers in 1890, batting .233 while playing 123 games. Corcoran featured a sweet glove - he set a still-current MLB record for shortstops with 14 assists in a nine-inning game after starting out fielding barehanded and eventually adapting to a mitt later in his career. As a leadoff man, hit .256 with 387 stolen bases and 1,184 runs scored over his big league lifetime. He was famously involved in discovering one of the odder sign-stealing scenes of early baseball. While playing at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia as a Red, he noticed the Phils’ third base coach tapping his leg before every pitch. Adding two and two, he went to the coaches’ box and started digging with his spikes. He found a shallowly-buried electronic box that was signaling pitches stolen from an outfield perch to the coach through a gentle shock system and then sent from the coach to the batter. 
• 1886 - St. Louis owner Chris Von Der Ahe sold the contract rights of IF Sam Barkley to the Alleghenys despite the fact that the infielder had already signed a deal with the Orioles. Because the O’s were late in sending Von Der Ahe their check to buy Barkley’s rights, VDA unilaterally voided the contract and shipped him to Pittsburgh instead, triggering a brouhaha that wouldn’t be settled for weeks. The American Association eventually resolved the controversial case by allowing Barkley to play for the Alleghenys and sending 1B Milt Scott from Pittsburgh to Baltimore as compensation. Additionally, the Browns were allowed to keep the $1,000 they received from Pittsburgh for Barkley's reserve rights. For all the hubbub his musical chairs created, Barkley hit just .248 in his two years with the club, splitting time between first and second base. 
• 1962 - RHP Jay Tibbs was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Jay tossed for parts of seven seasons in the show and spent his last five big league games as a Pirate in 1990, going 1-0/2.57. The Buccos sent RHP Dorn Taylor to the Baltimore Orioles for him in late June, and on July 7th Tibbs, who was coming off shoulder surgery, threw his last MLB inning. Fun fact: Tibbs had a small role in the 1994 Tommy Lee Jones flick “Cobb,” playing one of Georgia Peach’s teammates. 
• 1977 - LHP Brian O’Connor was born in Cincinnati. Brian’s MLB career consisted of six relief outings for the Pirates in 2000 as a September call-up, picking up no decisions with a 5.11 ERA. Brian was an 11th round pick of the Pirates in the 1995 draft and pitched 12 pro seasons in the Pirates, Rays and Braves systems before retiring after being cut by his hometown Reds in 2007. 

John Raynor - 2010 Topps

• 1984 - OF John Raynor was born in Memphis, Tennessee. The Pirates plucked the outfielder from the Marlins in the Rule 5 draft for the 2010 campaign. He made it through the spring and got into 11 games as a PH/sub, going 2-for-10. When Jeff Karstens came off the DL in early May, Raynor was returned to the Fish after the two teams failed to reach an agreement for the Bucs to keep him. Florida stashed him away, then released him in 2011 as a late camp cut. The 27-year-old Raynor retired and returned to UNC-Wilmington, his alma mater, as a student/coach. 
• 1991 - Buffalo, the minor-league leader in attendance and on the short list of possible expansion cities at the time, signed on with the Pirates for two more years as the AAA affiliate despite misgivings caused by executive churn in Pittsburgh and the erratic movement of players between levels that affected their competitiveness. The Bisons, Pittsburgh’s top farm club since 1988, stayed in the fold until 1995 when it joined with Cleveland and the Pirates moved to Calgary; the Buffs are now part of the Toronto system. The Pirates later swapped out Calgary for Nashville, and the Pirates top talent has been sent to Indianapolis since 2005. Indianapolis had some prior experience in being the Bucs’ feeder system’s big dog - Indy had originally been the top Bucco farm from 1947-51.
• 1993 - The Pirates signed OF Lonnie “Skates” (due to his somewhat circuitous routes while playing the outfield) Smith to a one year/$1M deal. He put up a line of .286/6/24, with a .422 OBP and nine stolen bases before he was flipped to the Baltimore Orioles in September for two career minor leaguers, Terry Farrar and Stanton Cameron. The Pirates were Smith’s fifth team; he had reached the World Series with the first four, but his championship streak came to an end as a Bucco as they finished fifth in the NL’s Eastern Division. 
• 1996 - Pittsburgh signed free agent and eight-time All-Star catcher Lance Parrish after KC let him go. “Big Wheel” had caught for the Bucs in 1994, hitting .270 in a backup role before moving back into the American League. The catcher was entering his age 40 season in 1996 and didn’t make it out of camp with the Pirates, marking the end of his 19-year career. Since then, he’s been an announcer, minor league manager, and MLB coach. Lance was a local boy who was born in Clairton although raised in California and had a scholarship offer to play football at UCLA but made what proved to be a wise choice by focusing on baseball. 

Blake Cederlind - 2021 photo/Pirates

• 1996 - RHP Blake Cederlind was born in Turlock, California, where he was a HS teammate of Kevin Kramer. “Baby Thor” (he’s a big, long-haired blond guy) was originally drafted by Minnesota as a college freshman, but stayed in Merced College and was picked in the 5th round by the Pirates the next year, signing for $285K. The power pitcher (he’s touched 100 MPH) broke out in 2019, moving from Hi A to AAA Ball and then getting his feet wet in the Arizona Fall League. Cederlind had a bout of Covid in mid-2020, but recovered to become a September 15th callup and pitched a clean inning against the Reds on the same day. Blake worked five MLB outings, posting a 4.50 ERA and punching out a batter per inning, but 2021 ended up a washout after he underwent TJ surgery in March, and he lost 2022 to clean-out elbow surgery. He was outrighted at the end of ‘22, went unclaimed, and ended up on Indy’s IL to open the 2023 campaign. Blake was let go at the end of May after a poor rehab showing (nine runs in six innings). San Diego picked him up, but he didn’t fare much better for the Padres in a handful of outings and was released. He last tossed in 2023. 
• 2007 - Rene Gayo signed Dominican OF Starling Marte for $85,000 in one of the top Latin signings of Dave Littlefield’s watch. Marte was sought by several teams, and his stock took off after he switched from SS to CF. The deciding factor was said to be that Gayo had a good working relationship with Marte’s buscon (agent), tilting the field toward the Buccos. After eight years in Pittsburgh, he was traded to Arizona and has since been with the Marlins, the A’s and is now a Met. 
• 2018 - The Pirates claimed RHP Shane Carle from Colorado, where the Bucs had sent him in the 2014 off season in exchange for RHP Rob Scahill. The Bucs flipped him to Atlanta two weeks later for a PTBNL/cash after the team faced a 40-man roster jam following the Gerrit Cole trade, and Carle went 4-1-1/2.86 for the Bravos in 53 outings. He’ sat out ‘20 and has moved around since, playing for five clubs in 2021 before being released in mid-August of 2021, ending his pro career.

1/3: Jo Jo, Joker & Spanky Signed, Law Laid Low, Hornsby Radar, Bucs In The Black, Clemente Fund Formed; HBD Carlos, Michael, AJ, Luis, Mark, Dick, Harry, Eudie, Gus, Red & Sure Shot

• 1888 - 2B Fred “Sure Shot” Dunlap signed with the Alleghenys following the sale of his contract by the Detroit Wolverines. He agreed to a $5‚000 salary and a $2‚000 bonus‚ making him the highest-paid infielder of the time. The rangy defensive whiz played three years for the team, hitting just .240 (his lifetime BA was .292) at the backside of his career. Sure Shot is credited with earning his nickname from King Kelly, who was duly impressed with his fielding acrobatics and sure, strong arm. There is an alternate tale, per Wikipedia. In his book “The Complete History of the Home Run,” Mark Ribowsky claimed the nickname was won when Dunlap, then with the Cleveland Blues, hit a two-run, walk-off homer in the ninth to snap a 21-game Chicago White Stocking victory streak. One of the local papers called the blast the "...Shot Heard 'Round Cleveland," leading to the Sure Shot dub. Dunlap was also known as “The King of the Second Basemen.” Fun facts: Alfred Spink in “The National Game” wrote that Dunlap was ambidextrous and could catch/throw a baseball equally well with either hand. Moreover, Sure Shot reportedly never wore a glove. Continuing his dealing, club President William Nimick purchased RHP/1B/OF Albert Maul from Philly for $1,000 and immediately signed him to a $2,800 contract. Al played three years for the Pirates, batting .230 over that time while going 2-8/6.24 in 17 outings from the hill; he also spent 1890 with the Burghers of the short-lived Players League. 
• 1894 - RHP Kirby “Red” White was born in Hillsboro, Ohio. Kirby tossed parts of 1910-11 for the Bucs. He was traded to Pittsburgh by the Boston Doves early in 1910 and went 10–9/3.46 in 30 games. In 1911, he was used for just three innings, going 0-1/9.00, and was released, spending the next four seasons in the minors. We assume he was red-haired; Kirby also went by “Buck.” 
• 1906 - 1B Gus Suhr was born in San Francisco. He spent 9-1/2 seasons (1930-39) with the Pirates, hitting .279 with a .386 OPB and driving in 818 runs, earning an All-Star berth in 1936. Suhr started 1,389 games at first base for Pittsburgh, a team record, and once held the NL standard of 822 consecutive games played, which lasted until 1957. The game he missed wasn’t due to injury; he took off to attend his mother’s funeral. Gus retired after the 1940 season he spent with the Phils. 

Gus Suhr - 1933 Goudey

• 1913 - C Euthumm “Eudie” Napier was born in Milledgeville, Georgia. His family moved from the farm to Pittsburgh when Eudie was a kid and he graduated from Allegheny HS. He was athletic and played baseball for Pittsburgh’s sandlot Monarchs, where he caught the notice of the black pro clubs. A defensive whiz (although he did hit .279 over his career as a Gray per Seamheads), he was yo-yo’ed on the Homestead roster, playing sporadically from 1939 until 1948 before moving on to Canadian and Latin American ball. Napier continued playing in the local sandlot leagues after he retired and was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (Western Chapter) in 1978. He passed on in 1983 and is buried in North Side’s Union Dale Cemetery. 
• 1920 - Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press wrote “...it is generally believed that the Pirates have been casting longing eyes in the direction of Rogers Hornsby and Milton Stock of the St. Louis Cardinals...but (St Louis) President Branch Rickey is apparently determined to demand a ‘pound of flesh’ if he relinquishes his hold…” No wonder; 2B Hornsby went on a six-season batting title streak beginning during the 1920 campaign to go with a 13-year .300+ skein (including three .400+ years) on his way to the Hall of Fame. It would have been a sweet sight indeed to see Hornsby and Pirates SS Rabbit Maranville together in the middle for five years had the deal been consummated. The lesser-known 3B Stock started for the next six years while batting .299 for the St. Louis Cards and Brooklyn Dodgers, but the Pirates already had in-house replacements flowing through the pipeline. After a 1920 apprenticeship, Clyde Barnhart kept the hot corner warm for the Bucs in ‘21 before moving to the OF after Pie Traynor locked up third the following season. 
• 1926 - PH/RHP Harry Fisher was born in Waterloo, Ontario. He was a two-way guy and appeared in 18 MLB games with the 1951–52 Pirates, split between pinch hitter and pitcher. Harry hit .278 for the Bucs, and went 1-2/6.87 on the hill. His last appearance was in August, 1952, before his return to the minors, where he played through 1959, yo-yo’ing between the mound and the pasture. 

Dick Colpaert - 1971 Topps

• 1944 - RHP Dick Colpaert was born in Fraser, Michigan. Dick toiled in the minors for 13 years, 10 as a member of the Pirates system. He got his taste of the bigs in the late summer of 1970 after a hot start at AAA Columbus, getting into eight games and going 0-1/5.91, not as bad a line as it looks at first blush. He had seven effective outings (2.89 ERA), including his win over Atlanta when he blew through Hank Aaron, Orlando Cepeda and Clete Boyer, until the Mets beat him up in an August appearance. Unfortunately for Dick, that outing blew up his ERA and sent him packing back to the farm. He retired in 1974 at age 30 and did some scouting for the San Diego Padres and the MLB combine. 
• 1961 - The Pittsburgh Press reported that the Pirate owners collected their first dividend check (they got $4/share) since buying the club from the Dreyfuss family in 1946, citing the increased attendance attributed to the 1960 World Series championship season as the major contributor to the coffers. The Galbreath family held majority team ownership from 1946-85 and most years were lean financially. 
• 1962 - Vern Law, who had suffered for years with muscle tears in his shoulder, was given a clean bill of health by the team doctors in Pittsburgh whose opinions were seconded by a Columbus specialist a couple of days later. Law agreed that he felt no pain in his wing, but by August his record was 4-5/4.93 in just 12 starts. Danny Murtaugh suggested it was time for Law to retire and he did. But a cure did exist - in the off season, he was blessed by a High Priest (Law was a devout Mormon) while in Salt Lake City, and came back to post a 12-13/3.61 line in ‘64, followed by a 17-9/2.15 slash in ‘65, winning the Comeback Player of the Year award. 
• 1965 - RHP Mark Dewey was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mark went 3-3-8/3.23 for the Bucs out of the pen from 1993-94, with ‘93 being a particularly strong campaign as he converted seven saves with a 2.36 ERA. After six years in the show, he retired and since has coached for the Washington Wild Things and is now with the Milwaukee Brewers organization. 

Mark Dewey - 1995 Donruss

• 1965 - IF Luis Sojo was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He spent 13 years in the show, the last eight with the Yankees except for a 61-game spell in 2000 when he was a Bucco. He hit .284 here after signing as a FA, and in August the Yankees got him back by sending RHP Chris Spurling to the Pirates. He retired from the Pinstripe Mob in 2003 and has coached in their system since then except for a break as the manager of the Venezuelan national/WBC squad. 
• 1973 - President Nixon gave a $1,000 check in Roberto Clemente's memory to the Nicaraguan embassy. At the President's request, Dan Galbreath, owner of the Pirates, along with Dave Giusti and Steve Blass, met with him at the White House to discuss setting up a fund in Clemente's honor to aid the survivors of the earthquake. Thus was born the Roberto Clemente Memorial Fund to aid the earthquake victims with Tricky Dicky as the first donor. 
• 1977 - RHP AJ Burnett was born in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The veteran tossed for two years in Pittsburgh (2012-13) after being obtained from the New York Yankees in a Gotham salary dump, with a line of 26-21/3.41 ERA while averaging a whiff per frame. After a rough campaign in Philly, he returned to the Pirates for his final year in 2015. He went 9-7/3.18 in 26 starts, coming back in September after losing time to an elbow inflammation at All-Star break to close out his 17th season, collecting 164 wins and 2,513 whiffs for five teams over those years. AJ was credited with leading the charge to reverse the team’s decades-long losing culture through his mentoring and clubhouse presence. 
• 1979 - OF Michael Restovich was born in Rochester, Minnesota. He spent parts of six seasons in the bigs, with the second half of 2005 in a Bucco jersey. He hit .214 in 52 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter, and moved on to the Cubs in 2006. After playing for seven different organizations (five at the MLB level) and in Japan, Restovich retired after the 2011 season. 

Mark Restovich - 2005 Topps Update

• 1979 - C Carlos Maldonado was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. After playing in the Mariner and White Sox systems, he signed with the Pirates in 2004. He got into 21 games in two years, but was here long enough to make his MLB debut, swat his first big league homer (he banged three in his career) and stole his only base. Carlos was released after the 2005 campaign and played his final eight games in the show for the Washington Nats, taking his final at bat in 2012. He’s been a minor league coach and manager for Texas since 2015 after finishing his ball-playing days in the Venezuelan and Italian leagues. 
• 1992 - GM Larry Doughty inked C Mike Lavaliere to a three-year/$6.3M contract that included a $600K signing bonus. The move didn’t pan out as hoped; the Pirates released Spanky in April of 1993 after he played one game, eating over $4M worth of Lavaliere’s salary as Don Slaught took over behind the dish with Tom Prince in reserve. Lavalliere finished his MLB days in 1995 after a three-year run with the Chicago White Sox and is now an IMG Academy instructor in Bradenton. 
• 2006 - 3B Joe Randa was officially signed as a free agent for his second go-around with the Pirates. He inked a $4M deal, nearly double his 2005 salary at Cincinnati. The Joker hit .267 in 89 games in his last MLB season, losing his job to Freddy Sanchez and then retiring in November. He's since been a special advisor to KC and active in Royals Charities. 
• 2012 - LHP Jo Jo Reyes, who became a thing when he tied a MLB record for consecutive starts without a win (28) between 2008-2010, signed a minor league deal with the Bucs. The 27-year-old was coming off a 7-11/5.57 AL campaign, but was given a shot to land a back end/long man spot for Pittsburgh. It didn’t happen; he had a lousy spring, was sent to Indy and never took the hill for the Pirates. After his November release, he worked one game for the LA Angels of Anaheim in 2015 and another for the Miami Marlins in 2016, with most of his remaining time on the hill spread among Korean, Mexican, and AAA ball clubs.

1/2: Mike Williams Signs, Coleman Unretires, Rex Top Birddog; HBD Sup, Darren, Ed, Bill, Jesse, George, Jack & Sam

• 1854 - 2B Sam Crane was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Sam got around, playing for eight big league clubs in seven seasons over an 11-year span, with his last hurrah partially spent as an Allegheny in 1890 when he was 36-years-old. He hit just .195 in 22 games and closed out his career playing four games with the Giants. He signed with the Bucs after he was cleared in a trial that accused him of stealing another man's wife (and $1,500), though he shouldn’t be confused with the infamous Sam Crane who played 25 years later and was imprisoned for shooting his girlfriend and her companion. (It was apparently a pretty hot-blooded period in America, at least for Sam Cranes.) Our Sam umped a little afterwards, but found his retirement niche as a widely respected sports writer for the New York Evening Journal. Crane covered the Gotham hardball beat for 25 years, earning the sobriquet “the dean of baseball writers." 
• 1858 - RHP Jack Neagle was born in Syracuse, New York. Jack tossed for the Alleghenys between 1883-84, going 14-38/4.28 (the Allies were pretty poor during those seasons; they only won 61 games as a team). He also played a few games in the outfield but that was no better than his mound work as he hit just .165. His Pittsburgh tenure finished out the last two years of his career after he had previously worked for Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Baltimore. 
• 1888 - John Coleman, who had retired briefly, re-signed with the Alleghenys. He was recovering from a bad arm and an undisclosed illness, plus he was said to be under family pressure to stay retired for health reasons (this excuse was widely seen as a play to bump up his salary, undisclosed for ‘88 but $1,500 in 1887). He played RF/1B and was up-and-down in his performance, with his bad wing taking him out of contention as a swing pitcher. That led to his release in 1889 (Philly picked him up), though he did return to Pittsburgh for a brief three-game spell in 1890 that closed out his MLB career. Jack then played sporadically in the minors/semi-pro leagues through 1907. 

John Coleman - 1887 Goodwin/Old Judge

• 1892 - RHP George Boehler was born in Lawrenceville, Kansas. George spent bits and pieces of nine campaigns (he never appeared more than 18 times in any single season) in the majors over a 15-year period. He worked 10 games for the 1923 Pirates, going 1-3/6.04. He had a long, strong minor league career spanning 1911-30. George won 38 games one year, 27 in two others, and topped the 20-win mark seven times while compiling 248 farm victories (and his record is missing a couple of seasons), mostly hurling in the Western & Pacific Coast Leagues. 
• 1893 - OF Jesse Altenburg was born in Ashley, Michigan. His MLB career consisted of the 19 games he played as a Pirate from 1916-17, with a .290 BA. Jesse had a strong September in his rookie campaign, but faltered in the second go-round. He did have a long run in baseball, spending 10 years in the minors and hitting .300+ in at least five of those seasons. 
• 1894 - C/1B Bill Wagner was born in Jessup, Iowa. The light-hitting reserve was a Bucco from 1914-17, putting up a .205 BA in 80 Pittsburgh games. And while there were no family ties, he wasn't the only Wagner on the Pirates - he was a teammate of Honus Wagner, who was 20 years older. Bill was sold to the Boston Braves in 1918, and that was his last MLB season. He retired to Waterloo, Iowa, passing on a few days following his 57th birthday in 1951 after battling cancer. 
• 1929 - RHP Ed Wolfe was born in Los Angeles. Ed served for two years as an Army paratrooper after high school and following his discharge, he played at Fullerton JC before the Pirates' signed him. He spent eight years with the organization, pitching at Indianapolis, Modesto, Bartlesville, Charleston, New Orleans and finally in Hollywood. He got his moment in the sun when he was with the Pirates in April of 1952, going 0-1/7.36 in three outings. 

Ed Wolfe - photo from Find-A-Grave

• 1957 - The Pirates selected Rex Bowen as their new chief scout, replacing George Sisler who would continue to serve the Bucs as an organizational batting coach, instructional league manager and scout. Bowen’s main claims to fame were signing Dick Groat and Bill Mazeroski. Rex hung on to the spot until 1967, when he joined the Cincinnati Reds operations department. 
• 1962 - Bill and Milene Mazeroski’s first son, Darren, was born at West Penn Hospital. He wasn’t a Hall of Famer like his pop, but did play ball in college and the low minors in the Expo system, coached/managed the Gulf Coast CC nine while bird dogging for the Bucs, and became a full-time Pirates scout in 2006, inking Adam Frazier, Kyle McPherson, Clay Holmes, Phil Irwin, Alex Presley and Travis Swaggerty among others. He’s now an area supervisor based out of Florida. 
• 1975 - RHP Jeff Suppan was born in Oklahoma City. “Sup” spent 17 years in the majors and made 417 starts; 21 of those were for the Pirates in 2003, when he went 10-7/3.57 after signing as a free agent. That performance got him flipped in a package deal to the Red Sox at the deadline, netting the Pirates a gift-wrapped return of IF Freddy Sanchez and LHP Mike Gonzalez. 
• 2002 - The Pirates officially signed a two-year deal with RHP Mike Williams worth $7M, getting him back from the Astros after he was swapped at the ‘01 deadline for RHP Tony McKnight. Following an All-Star campaign in 2002 (46 saves/2.93 ERA), Williams faded the next season, collecting another 25 saves but with a 6.27 ERA. He was traded to the Phillies in July of 2003, and that was his last MLB season. His saving grace in Pittsburgh was his swing-and-miss stuff as Williams whiffed 250 batters in 222-2/3 IP as a Buc, helping to cover a multitude of sins.

1/1: HAPPY NEW YEARS - Jay, Willie & Maz POTY, Danny MOTY, Josh In Hospital, BA Battle Brawl, Expo Park New Years Game; RIP Specs, HBD Gary, Bob, Hammerin' Hank, Webster & Gunner

• 1855 - Manager Bill “Gunner” McGunnigle was born in Boston. After his playing career was ended by a beanball that fractured his skull, McGunnigle stayed in the game as a manager. When the 1891 Pittsburgh Pirates (the first to be known as the Pirates) got off to a 31–47 start on the heels of a 23–113 season, the club demoted captain/manager Ned Hanlon and hired McGunnigle, who had a prior stop at Brooklyn. He managed the club to a 24–33-2 record over the remainder of the year and was replaced by Tom Burns. The dapper Gunner managed and coached the bases wearing black patent-leather shoes, a cutaway suit coat, lavender trousers, a silk tie and a derby hat. He was street smart despite his foppish attire - he was the first to use signals from the bench and the first to steal opponent’s signs. He earned his nickname in the minors because of the strength of his arm, per McGunnigle's SABR bio written by Ronald Shafer. 
• 1892 - In a spur of the moment promotion featuring two top Pittsburgh semi-pro clubs, the Pittsburgh Keystones (regrouping after a five-year hiatus) and the South Side Standards, a New Year’s game at Exposition Park was slapped together. The game was scheduled on short notice during an uncharacteristic warm spell, and began with a fife-and-drum corp-led parade from town to the park with the players following in carriages. The contest drew 500 fans as the Standards won 8-3; the late afternoon game was called after 7-1/2 innings because of darkness. It had a touch of the big leagues as former Alleghenys’ pitcher turned Allegheny City bar owner Ed “Cannonball” Morris umpired the game. The Keystones warmed up with the weather and avenged the loss in an April rematch. 
• 1900 - RHP Webster McDonald was born in Wilmington, Delaware. McDonald was a submariner who played in the Negro Leagues from 1920 through 1940 and then managed for Washington and Philly. He tossed and won one game for the Homestead Grays in 1928 and would later join them on an All-Star barnstorming tour. Webster's nickname was "56 Varieties” due to his deep toolkit of pitches, with his bread-and-butter servings being a sinking fastball, curveball and changeup. 

Hank Greensberg - 2002 Topps American Pie

• 1911 - Hall of Fame OF Hank Greenberg was born in New York City. He played for the Bucs in 1947, teaming up with Ralph Kiner in the middle of the Pirate order. The original Hammerin’ Hank signed with Pittsburgh for a reported $90,000, the biggest MLB contract inked to date. Team minority owner Bing Crosby even recorded a song, "Goodbye, Mr. Ball, Goodbye," with Groucho Marx and Greenberg to celebrate Hank's arrival. The Pirates also brought in the left field fence at Forbes Field by 30’ for him, calling it "Greenberg Gardens" and then keeping it intact during the Kiner era as “Kiner’s Korner.” Though he hit just .249 in Pittsburgh, he had a .408 OBP (he walked 104 times), launched 25 homers and tutored Kiner while taking his major league bow. 
• 1919 - NL President John Heydler washed his hands of the entire NL 1918 batting championship brouhaha by not naming the league’s top hitter. Some writers felt the king should be the Pirates Billy Southworth, who hit .341 but played just 64 games w/275 at bats. A second school preferred Brooklyn’s Zack Wheat, who hit .335 in 105 games w/436 at bats, and who tops most lists as the champ, as 100 games/400 at bats were the unwritten rule-of-thumb qualifiers then. The Bucs’ Debs Garms got into the same kind of mud fight in 1940 when he won the title easily (he hit .355, 30 points higher than any other NL’er) while playing 103 games but with only 358 at bats, as he was hurt early in the year. In 1954, the league ended the debates and made 3.1 plate appearances per game over the season (currently 502 PA’s) the official gold standard. 
• 1943 - C Josh Gibson suffered from a brain tumor (not a nervous breakdown as often touted) and was admitted to St. Francis Hospital for rest and treatment. He was released 10 days later, in time to get to spring camp and play for the Homestead Grays. The Pirates, among other clubs, reportedly wanted to try out the future Hall of Famer, but the color line wouldn’t be crossed until 1945. Although he never got a MLB shot, Gibson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972. 

Josh Gibson - Helmar Oasis

• 1955 - LHP Bob Owchinko was born in Detroit. The vet made one outing for Pittsburgh in 1983 after signing as a free agent; he faced two batters against St. Louis, gave up two hits (Andy Van Slyke homered and Darrell Porter doubled) and blew the save in a 7-6 loss, forever maintaining a Pirates ERA of infinity. He spent most of the year as a starter in AAA Hawaii (10-6/4.25) and was sold to the Reds after the season. It was his second quick tour as a Bucco: the Pirates had originally gotten him as part of the Bert Blyleven trade with Cleveland in 1980, but sent him to Oakland for RHP Ernie Camacho early in April. His playing days ended in 1986, concluding a 10-year, six-team career split between starting and the pen. 
• 1961 - The Sporting News selected Bill Mazeroski as the Player of the Year and his boss, Danny Murtaugh, as the Manager of the Year. Maz was an All Star, Gold Glove, and hit the most memorable homer in World Series history while the Irishman guided the Bucs to the Promised Land (and presumably for penciling Maz’s name on the scorecard for all 159 games the Pirates played). The honors rolled in. The day before, Dick Groat was selected as the Lou Gehrig Award winner, adding that honor to his batting crown and National League MVP title. 
• 1970 - RHP Gary Wilson was born in Arcata, California. He was drafted by Pittsburgh in the 18th round of the 1992 draft from Cal State (Sacramento) and his MLB career consisted of 10 games tossed for the Bucs in 1995 with a line of 0-1/5.20. Following his playing days, Wilson briefly coached college ball, then became a scout for Colorado and later Kansas City, his current club. 
• 1980 - In the first year of fan voting, Willie Stargell ran away with the Dapper Dan Man of the Year award. It was Pop’s second Dapper Dan recognition, and he was presented with the prize the following month at the group’s annual dinner. Willie had already claimed the National League Playoff and World Series MVPs, then frustratingly tied with Keith Hernandez for the NL MVP and Terry Bradshaw for the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year honors. 

Carmen "Specs" Hill - TSN

• 1990 - RHP Carmen “Specs” Hill passed away in Indianapolis at the ripe ol’ age of 94. Hill tossed eight years for the Pirates (1915-16; 1918-19; 1926-29) and was a late bloomer; in his first five Bucco campaigns, he bounced back and forth between the big club and the farm. He was 47-31/3.26 for Pittsburgh, but his heyday was 1927-28 (he won 21 times at Indy in 1926 to earn a return trip to the majors at age 31) when he won 38 games and was a member of the ‘27 NL championship rotation. Oddly, those were the only seasons - he spent parts of 10 years in the majors - that he won more than three games, although the screwballer claimed 202 victories in the minors. While mostly a depth arm, he was a member of good staffs - he was with the Giants, which won the 1922 World Series; the Pirates, winners of the 1927 National League pennant and the Cards, which claimed the 1930 NL flag. Carmen picked up the “Specs” moniker in 1915; he and fellow righty Lee Meadows (he also went by “Specs,” go figure) were among the first pitchers to sport glasses, and they were Buc teammates from 1926-29. 
• 1994 - Jay Bell was announced as the Dapper Dan Athlete of the Year, becoming the third Pirate (Syd Thrift, Jim Leyland) in the past seven years to earn the honor. He hit .310, scored 102 runs and earned an All-Star berth after signing a $20M deal in April while also earning Golden Glove and Silver Slugger honors. Jay’s award soiree was held February 11th at the Hilton.

12/31: RIP Roberto, Walkie Signs, Arky All-Star, My Achin' Back, CBA Blues; RIP Al, HBD Liover, Jose, Esteban, Jim, Dottie & Bobby

• 1884 - 3B Bobby Byrne was born in St. Louis. The pint sized (5’-7”, 145 lbs.) scrapper played five seasons for the Pirates (1909-13) and hit .277 with 97 stolen bases in Pittsburgh. He was acquired late in 1909 and helped the Bucs to their World Series title against the Tigers. A leadoff hitter, Bobby had 176 swipes in his career and walked more often than he whiffed. Byrne was also a very good soccer player, making the All-St. Louis team as a youth and playing in the area until Barney Dreyfuss made him stick to one sport. 
• 1925 - Dorothy Kovalchick Roark was born in Sagamore, a coal-mining town in Armstrong County. For eight years she barnstormed with her dad’s team, the semi-pro Kovalchicks, and was the only girl on the squad. She stood 5’2” but played first base even though she wasn’t a typical cleanup slugger, but in fact the exact opposite, a skilled bunter. In 1945, Dottie took a trip with her father to Chicago, where he had, unbeknownst to her, signed her up for a tryout with the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. She impressed and spent a season in the OF and 3B as a member of the Fort Wayne Daisies. Playing for $75 a week, the team toured with the Grand Rapids Chicks before getting into the regular season. Dorothy played a year (no stats available) before returning home to once again play for the Kovalchicks, according to the Heinz History Center. 
• 1935 - Not only did fourth-year SS Arky Vaughan earn his first inclusion on the UPI MLB All-Star squad, but he was its leading vote-getter, outpolling runner-up Dizzy Dean 208-201. Arky didn’t finally breakout - it was his fourth straight season of batting over .300 and his second NL All-Star campaign (he made that team nine consecutive times) - but even by his standards, it was an exceptional year as he led the league with a .385 BA, easily his personal best in what would be a 14-year MLB/Hall of Fame career, with his opening decade (1932-41) spent as a Pirate. 

Arky Vaughan - 1935 TSN photo

• 1954 - The day that caused Roberto Clemente’s chronically achy back: While in Puerto Rico, Clemente suffered disc damage to his lower spine when he was broadsided by a drunk driver who ran a red light. The accident caused Clemente to suffer from sporadic back pain for the remainder of his life, sometimes leading to hypochondria snipes from some writers and teammates. 
• 1955 - Manager Jim Tracy was born in Hamilton, Ohio. Tracy was hired by the Pirates in 2005, taking the spot of interim skipper Pete Mackanin, who finished Lloyd McClendon’s term. Jim logged a 135–189 record in two Bucco campaigns and was let go after the 2007 season, replaced by John Russell. Clint Hurdle hired him as a bench coach at Colorado in 2008, where Tracy took over after Hurdle was fired in May. He did pretty well, too, being named Manager of the Year with the Rox in ’09. Clint also landed on his feet, taking JR’s place in 2010 in Pittsburgh and winning the MoY honor himself in 2013. 
• 1962 - RHP Al Mamaux passed away from a heart attack at the age of 68. Al was born in Dormont and had a dazzling sandlot career here, playing for semi pro Wilkinsburg and Duquesne U. Al signed with the Pirates late in 1912, saw no action and started 1913 in the minors, getting a September call up. He pitched well if not often in 1914 - the Bucs had him on reserve, and he only got into 13 games - before breaking out in 1915-16, going 42-23-2/2.31. But the workload caught up to him, even as a 22-year-old, as the 561-2/3 innings over the past two campaigns took its toll on his arm. He went 2-11 with a 5+ ERA and in 1918 was traded to Brooklyn, where he had a couple of solid years. By 1924, Al was done as a MLB hurler, but moved on and spent eight years in the International League with Trenton before bowing out in 1935 at Albany and taking on the manager’s job at Seton Hall College. Mamaux also had a night job - he had a fine voice as well as a solid violinist, and for decades fattened his purse by performing in nightclubs, vaudeville houses and various banquets under the tag “The Golden Voiced Tenor.” 

Esteban Loaiza - 1998 Pacific Invincible

• 1971 - RHP Esteban Loaiza was born in Tijuana. He began his 14-year career in Pittsburgh from 1995-98, where he showed exciting promise but yo-yo consistency, going 27-28/4.61 over that span. He did put it all together once, in 2003 for the White Sox, going 21-9/2.90 and earning his first of two All-Star berths. He was also considered for the Cy Young that year, finishing second behind Roy Halladay but ahead of Pedro Martínez and Tim Hudson. 
• 1972 - The day that baseball still mourns: Roberto Clemente, 38, was killed when his plane, on a humanitarian trip to Managua, crashed in the Atlantic while on a rescue mission. Clemente had quietly spent much of his time during his off-seasons involved in charity work. When Managua was affected by a massive earthquake, he put together relief flights to aid in its recovery and was aboard on the fourth trip he had personally organized, on an overloaded and mechanically cranky DC-7. In an eerie trivial bit, pitcher Tom Walker, Neil’s dad, helped The Great One load the plane and was going to take the flight with him, but Clemente insisted he stay in San Juan and enjoy New Year’s Eve. Roberto went because he thought the situation called for his presence as some supplies were being hijacked by government officials, but it wasn't to be. The plane crashed into the ocean, and Clemente's body was never recovered. In fact, Manny Sanguillen missed Roberto's memorial service; he was diving in a search for the body. Posthumously, Clemente was elected to the Hall of Fame as its first Latino player, and the second to have the five-year wait waived (Casey Stengel was granted a waiver in 1966). The Roberto Clemente Award was established to provide a charitable grant to the player who was the most committed to community service, his number was retired by the Pirates (an effort is ongoing to get it retired by MLB) and his statue is prominent near the Roberto Clemente bridge leading to PNC Park. 
• 1979 - The New Year wasn’t a happy one for baseball or its fans. The Collective Bargaining Agreement expired, and it wasn’t acceptably hammered out until May, after a threatened player’s strike date was set. It still didn’t address the 800 pound gorilla in the room, free agent compensation, and kicking that can down the road helped to trigger the 1981 strike. 

Bob Walk - 1991 Topps Stadium Club

• 1991 - RHP Bob Walk inked his final contract, signing up for $4.2M over the two campaigns, counting bonus money included in the package. He went 23-20-2/4.64 over the life of the deal with a solid 1992 (10-6/3.20) before hitting a rough patch (13-14/5.68) in 1993, his last MLB campaign. 
• 1997 - LHP Jose Hernandez was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. He was signed by the Dodgers in 2016, but had only had two full stateside seasons (2021-22), working his way from Lo-A through AA. The fastball specialist (his heater sits between 95-97 and he’s touched 99 several times) fanned 130 batters in 105 IP in that span and was selected by the Bucs as the #1 pick in the Rule 5 draft, despite questions about his control and secondary pitches. He got into 50 games in ‘23, slashing 1-3/4.97 with 11 K & four walks per nine innings while missing a month of the season on the IR with a calf sprain. Jose was sent to Indy out of camp in 2024, but was called up before the campaign started and posted his first MLB save in the Season Opener against the Miami Marlins. He pitched well though sparingly, and was traded back to Los Angeles in June. He played AAA ball for the Dodgers, was released in June, 2025 and finished the year in Mexico.
• 2000 - IF Liover Peguero was born in Higuey, Dominican Republic. Originally signed by Arizona in 2017, he came to the Bucs as part of the Starling Marte deal. “Peggy” was another of the Buc contingent of highly touted young infielders and made a brief stop in Pittsburgh in mid-June of 2022, just long enough to debut and go 1-for-3 with a walk before being returned to Altoona, where he spent the remainder of the season before playing winter ball in the Dominican. He returned to the Curve before moving up to Indy in June, 2023 and was called up in July. He hit .237 while splitting time between shortstop and second base. Liover spent most of 2024-25 at Indy, getting into just 36 games with the big club. He lost his 40-man spot and signed with Philly in the off season.

12/30: Babes Trade Teams, Solly & Frank Sign, Roberto's Mission Goes On; RIP Rex, HBD Tyler, Sean, Jim & Ovid

• 1888 - LF Ovid Nicholson was born in Salem, Indiana. Ovid had a six-game MLB career, and showed a nice stick as a 24-year-old rookie, going 5-for-11 with a walk during the last two weeks of September, 1912. He was a good contact hitter and speedster (he once stole 110 bases during a minor league season) but never got another shot at the show. He left baseball after the 1917 season to join the service, got married the following year and, except for one campaign in the 20s as a player/manager, lived out his life as a businessman. 
• 1890 - IF Jim Viox was born in Lockland, Ohio. Viox played from 1912-16, starting at second base from 1913-15. His five-year career was spent as a Bucco, and he put up a .272 lifetime BA. The Buc infielder had a good eye, drawing 100 more walks during his career than strikeouts. He left during the purge of 1916, when the Bucs, in a downward spiral since 1912, made major changes to the roster (it didn't help - the Pirates weren’t a contending club again until the 1920s). In a 506-game career, Viox had a .361 OBP, countered by *ouch* a minus-114 defensive runs rating per Total Baseball. He never played MLB ball again and became a minor league player/manager, including skippering the 21-year-old Pie Traynor at Portsmouth of the Class B Virginia League. 
• 1943 - The Phillies traded 1B Babe Dahlgren to the Pirates for C Babe Phelps and cash. Dahlgren hit .271 with 176 RBI in his two-year stay with the Bucs. “Well traveled” described Dahlgren to a tee as he played for eight teams in his 12-year career, and was the player who replaced Lou Gehrig in 1939. The deal was a win for Pittsburgh as Phelps, 34, never played again after the trade (he had gone on-and-off the voluntary retired list since 1941). He had logged a solid career, though, being named to the NL All-Star Team from 1938-40 while his .367 batting average in 1936 for Brooklyn remains the highest for any catcher of the modern era. Babe, btw, was a nickname given to oversized (or baby-faced) players. Dahlgren at 190 pounds was just large. But Phelps was a 6’ 2” jumbo who tipped the scales at 235 lbs. with a stance and swing, not to mention physique, that were similar to Babe Ruth’s. He also answered to a second, less kindly moniker later in his career: “Blimp.” The trigger for the Babe swap was Uncle Sam; the Pirates All-Star first sacker Elbie Fletcher was drafted, creating a hole at first until his return in ‘46. 

Frank Thomas - 1953 Topps

• 1953 - 3B Frank Thomas, 24, who bickered with Branch Rickey over his pay grade as a matter of habit, was surprisingly the initial Bucco to sign his contract for 1954. After batting .255 with 30 homers/102 RBI in his first full season, his new salary was undisclosed but guesstimated to have doubled from $6,000 to $12,500. He was worth the price; he was named to the All-Star team three times in the five years that he remained with his hometown Pirates, banging 131 long balls. 
• 1985 - RHP Sean Gallagher was born in Boston. He came to Pittsburgh in July of 2010 from San Diego and was given every chance to show his stuff during 31 outings, but the impression he left wasn’t the one he wanted as he finished with a 6.03 ERA, 1.748 WHIP, 5.8 walks per nine and the only two balks of his big-league career. He was sent to Indy in 2011, and though he later landed minor league deals with the Reds and Rox, 2010 was the last of his four MLB campaigns. 
• 1989 - LHP Tyler Anderson was born in Las Vegas Valley, Nevada and was a Rox first-rounder (#20 pick) in the 2011 draft. He signed with the Pirates in February, 2021 after working five seasons for the Rockies and Giants, posting a 22-27/4.65 line with the contradictory rep as a ground ball guy who was susceptible to the long ball. Anderson also came with an injury history (2018 was the only year he made 20+ starts until ‘21), but had a healthy spring. Tyler went 5-8/4.35 for the Pirates and was sent to Seattle for two minor league guys at the deadline, C Carter Bins & RHP Joaquin Tejada. Anderson then signed with the Dodgers in 2022 for $8M and was worth it, posting a line of 15-5/2.57. He moved crosstown, agreeing to a three-year/$39M deal with the Los Angeles Angels that carried him through the 2025 campaign; he’s now a free agent. 
• 2001 - The Pirates signed RHP 29-year-old Salomon Torres as a minor league free agent. He had retired after the 1997 campaign to coach, but came back after a successful year in Korea and the Dominican. Torres started a six-year run in Pittsburgh after spending most of the year in AAA Nashville, appearing in 358 games while posting a solid slash of 26-28-29/3.63 as a Buc, covering everything from starter to closer, before being flipped to the Brewers for the 2008 campaign, his last hurrah of his 12-year career. 

Salomon Torres - 2003 Topps Total

• 2004 - Pirate bird dog and later scouting director Rex Bowen passed away in New Smyrna, Florida, at age 94. After a minor league playing and managing career, Rex scouted for the Pirates from 1950-1967 (the last 12 years as director) after starting out with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He signed Bill Mazeroski, Maury Wills, Dick Groat, Bruce Dal Canton, Gene Freese and George Freese among others. He later joined the Reds as special assistant to the GM and consultant. In 2000, Baseball America named him one of the top 10 scouts of the 20th Century. 
• 2004 - Per BR Bullpen: Aid originally destined for Nicaragua to commemorate the anniversary of Roberto Clemente's tragic flight 32 years ago, was sent instead to the earthquake and tsunami victims of the Pacific Rim. Roberto Clemente Jr., who with the help of the Project Club Clemente, collected two tons of supplies and raised nearly $20,000 in efforts to reenact his father's unfinished mission, decided to postpone that symbolic flight and instead diverted the relief to help those in immediate need. Junior didn’t forget his original task - he raised another planeload of relief aid for Nicaragua that he delivered on 12/31 of 2005.

Weekly Report: HAVE A HEALTHY & HAPPY NEW YEAR - Bucs Ink Ryan O'Hearn, NRIs To Camp, Ex-Bucs On The Move

Have a healthy & healthy New Year...

Pirates Stuff:

• Free-agent 1B/DH/OF Ryan O’Hearn, 32, inked a two-year/$29M contract with the Bucs, including $500K in performance bonuses available each season, a bit over in his projected price range. Last year, the lefty hit .281 with 21 doubles, 17 homers and 63 RBI in 144 games for Baltimore & San Diego without much of a L/R split, and the Pirates are hoping he's outgrown his platoon rap and be an everyday player. His official  signing is still to occur as he just became a father, and family always comes first. It'll be interesting to see how they blend him, Brandon Lowe and Spencer Horwitz...
• The Pirates announced their first wave of camp NRIs - RHPs Beau Burrows/Noah Murdock, LHPs Joe LaSorsa/Oddanier Mosquedo, OFs Ronny Simon/Dominic Fletcher and IF Davis Wendzell.

MLB Stuff:

• OF Corey Dickerson, who was a Gold Glover with the Pirates in 2018, is now the 1B coach for the Rays. In 2018-19, his Pittsburgh line was .303/17/80 with a 123 OPS+. He last played for the Nats in 2023.
• C Christian Bethancourt, who the Bucs stashed at Indy in 2021 as insurance, signed a minor league deal with the Cubs.
• IF Michael Chavis, a Bucco from 2021-22 (.242/15/54 line) signed a minor league deal with Cincy. He played in Japan in'25.
• OF Alexander Canario signed with the Saitama Seibu Lions. The Bucs hoped he would add some muscle to the lineup last year, but he hit .218 w/six HR and 80 K in 234 PAs while getting into 87 games.

12/29: Hank Signs, Bat Huntin', Burghers To Bucs, City Streak Snapped; HBD Dustin, Chase, Kevin, Jack, Emil, Mike, George, Ump Frank, Pooch & OF Frank

• 1882 - OF Frank Delahanty was born in Cleveland. He played two years in Pittsburgh, not as a Pirate but for the Rebels of the Federal League. Frank hit .239 from 1914-15, and that was the end of his pro career. Baseball was a sport that coursed through his family’s blood - his older brothers Ed, Jim, Joe and Tom also played in the majors; Tom made a brief stop here in 1896. 
• 1890 - The Burghers of the Players League gave up the ghost and became the National League Pirates in a Machiavellian maneuver. Though the PL only lasted a year, it had crippled the NL’s 1890 Alleghenys, who had lost most of their top guns to the upstart league and went through a disastrous NL campaign, finishing 23-113. Alleghenys owner Denny McKnight moved the franchise (on paper) to the American Association, then became part of the Burghers ownership. Next, the Burghers group repurchased the Alleghenys under a new corporate name to regain control of the player contracts, returned to the NL, “pirated” Lou Bierbauer from the Philadelphia Athletics and became known unofficially as the Pirates among the fans and media thanks to that personnel ploy. 
• 1895 - OF Clyde “Pooch” Barnhart was born in Buck Valley, in Fulton County near the Maryland border. Clyde played his college ball at Cumberland Valley State Normal School, today known as Shippensburg University. He spent his entire career (1920-28) with the Pirates, starting as a third baseman and moving to the outfield (and never made more than $8,000 in a season). In 814 games, he hit .295, batting over .300 in five of his nine campaigns. Barnhart played on two World Series teams and hit .273 with nine RBI in 11 Fall Classic matches. His son Vic was a Buc infielder from 1944-46; the 74 games he played in Pittsburgh made up his entire MLB career. 

Clyde Barnhart - 1927 American Caramel

• 1930 - Umpire Frank Dezelan was born in Johnstown. After a decade in the minors, Frank was a National League substitute ump before becoming full-time in 1969. He only worked the ‘69-70 seasons due to a brain tumor, though he did survive the operation and went on to live 40 more years. Dezelan had the honor, shared by many, of ejecting Earl Weaver when both were in the Northern League, and in the show he worked Willie Mays' 600th home run game, the 1970 All-Star Game and the Three Rivers Stadium opener. He cited Roberto Clemente as one of his favorite players because he never griped (at least to Frank) about a call. 
• 1937 - RHP George Perez was born in San Fernando, California. He was signed as an undrafted prep prospect from Verdugo Hill HS in 1956 and made his debut in 1958 at the age of 20. In four games, he was 0-1/4.50 and spent most of the year with AAA Salt Lake City. After a strong campaign there in 1959, he dropped off the record book for a season with a chronic bad wing. In 1961, a brief comeback bid with Asheville in the Sally League was his last hurrah. 
• 1957 - C Hank Foiles' signed contract was received by the Bucs, and though the amount was undisclosed, Foiles told the Post-Gazette that he was pleased with the salary boost. He earned it; Hank was an All-Star for the only time in his 11-year career, batting .270 as the Pirates mainstay behind the dish. But he was banged up in ‘58, hitting just .205, and was replaced by Smoky Burgess in ‘59; at the end of the year, he was part of the swap that brought Hal Smith to Pittsburgh. 
• 1959 - Les Biederman of the Press wrote that the Bucs were close to a deal to land Roger Maris and Hal Smith from Kansas City, with irons in the fire with Detroit fishing for Al Kaline (a bid was made, but it didn’t seem the two sides were close) and Washington, which had a couple of guys, both sluggers & pitchers, available. None of the palaver led to a swap; some of the Pirates names sought in return were Dick Groat, Bill Virdon & Ronnie Kline, and Joe Brown backed off.

Mike Brown - 1987 Topps

• 1959 - OF Mike Brown was born in San Francisco. After three years with the Angels, he came to Pittsburgh in 1985 as part of the John Candelaria deal and was plugged into right field. He delivered with a .332 BA in his audition of 57 games, but fell back to earth with an Icarus-type thud the following season, hitting just .218. Mike was released and mounted a brief comeback with the Halos in 1988, but he lasted just 18 more games before his MLB career ended. 
• 1974 - OF Emil Brown was born in Chicago. Brown started his career as a Pirate, playing in Pittsburgh from 1997-2001, but could never hit his way into the lineup, with a .205 BA as a Buc. Brown did breakout with the Royals from 2005-07 with a slash of .279/38/229, but after a so-so season with Oakland, he went to NY and was released by the Mets in 2009 after just six PA. 
• 1977 - SS Jack Wilson was born in Westlake Village, California. He played SS for the Bucs from 2001-09, hitting .269, after coming over from the Cards for Jason Christiansen. He was named to the All-Star team and won a Silver Slugger in 2004. The slick fielder (he led MLB in PO, assists and DPs 2004-05) collected 201 hits that year, the franchise's first player since Dave Parker (1977) and the first Pirate shortstop since Honus Wagner (1908) to reach the 200-knock mark. After Pittsburgh, he played for Seattle (part of a big deal w/Ian Snell for Ronny Cedeno, Jeff Clement, Brett Lorin, Aaron Pribanic and Nathan Adcock) and Atlanta, but a steady stream of nagging injuries led to his retirement after the 2012 season. He now coaches high school ball and is an instructor for a sports management outfit, also spending some time coaching 2020 first rounder Nick Gonzales plus creating training vids while working as a hitting coach in a summer college league. 
• 1982 - RHP Kevin Hart was born in Cleveland. He came to Pittsburgh in 2009, along with Josh Harrison and Jose Ascanio, for Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow. The Pirates threw him into the rotation, where he went 1-8/6.92. That line was probably due to a bum wing; he had labrum surgery that cost him the 2010-11 seasons, and he never made it back to the show. 

Chase De Jong - 1983 Topps Update

• 1993 - RHP Chase De Jong was born in Long Beach, California. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2nd round of the 2012 draft from Woodrow Wilson HS and debuted in 2017 for Seattle, getting 16 starts for three clubs in four years. The Bucs signed him as a free agent in 2021 and after a solid AAA start, he was called up in late May. He went 1-4/5.77 in nine starts and was released in November. He re-signed, was converted to bullpen duty and in ‘22 went 6-3-1/2.64 in 42 games in his new role. Chase then hit rough seas in ‘23, was DFA’ed twice without being claimed, became a free agent after the season and went unsigned to bring his pro career to an end. 
• 1994 - OF Dustin Fowler was born in Cadwell, Georgia. He was drafted by the Yankees in 2013. By the start of the 2017 season, he had nudged into the Top 100 Prospect list before tearing his patella in his only New York game. He was traded to Oakland, hit .224 with six homers in 200 PAs in 2018 and then sat in the minors until being sold to the Buccos in February, 2021. He broke camp as the fourth outfielder, edging veteran NRI Brian Goodwin for the bench spot, but was returned to Indy after hitting .171. The Pirates released him in August and he was claimed by Miami. The Fish let him go at year’s end and that move ended his career. 
• 2013 - Black & Gold trivia: The Steelers missed playing in the postseason, marking the first year since 1991 that the Pirates made the playoffs but the Steelers didn't. The streak began anew in 2014 for two seasons, then reverted back to football-only (sometimes) playoffs as both clubs, especially the Bucs, floundered.

12/28: Klu-Fondy, Jarlin & Charlie Sign, Jimmy & Danny MOTY, Cannonball Blows, Doc Joins Staff, Minor Moves, Buc Bidders; HBD Enmanuel, Dario, Zane, Hammer & Harry

1888 - Responding to rumors he was called “nonessential” to the Alleghenys by skipper Horace Phillips after posting 29 wins the previous season, LHP Ed “Cannonball” Morris told the Pittsburgh Press “...They are not going to break my heart by giving me my release. My present relations with the club are not so cordial that I would long regret such a measure...let baseball rip.” The two sides patched things up enough to bring Cannonball, one of baseball’s elite early southpaws, back into the fold. But at the young age of 26, he was on the downslope in 1889 - his starts dropped from 55 to 21 and his win total nosedived to six while his ERA shot from 2.31 to 4.13. He tossed one more year for the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players League before retiring to run his North Side hotel. Cannonball - he had a great heater - was a supernova for much of his brief Pittsburgh career. In 1886, he claimed 41 victories and even earned a save for good measure. Ed threw 500 innings in 1884 (with Columbus) and again in 1886 (for Pittsburgh) with 300 strikeouts in both seasons. And despite the battle of barbs, he and the team stayed tight. Morris remained a fan who rarely missed a Pirates game, and in 1934 he pitched an inning of the Silver Anniversary of Forbes Field at the age of 72. 

1930 - The Pirates announced Otis “Doc” Crandall, who had pitched for six big league teams (primarily the Giants) and was a Pacific Coast League hurler for 13 seasons, earning a spot in the PCL Hall of Fame, was hired as Jewel Ens’ pitching coach. He kept the job through 1934 when he left to take the minor league manager gig at Des Moines, where his son played. 

1915 - 1B Harry Sweeney was born in Franklin, Tennessee. Harry was a one-day wonder. The 29-year-old played for the Pirates on the last day of the 1944 season against the Philadelphia Blue Jays (the unofficial Philly nickname during the mid-to-late 40s), going 0-for-2 and flawlessly handling 10 chances at first base in his only big-league outing. Harry deserved the shot; overall, he spent 10 campaigns in the minors with a couple of years off for military duty. He retired two years later and worked as a Monsanto foreman back home in Tennessee. 

1938 - The Bucs shuffled their minor league clubs, dropping Montreal (International League), Savannah (South Atlantic League) and Mt. Airy (Bi-State League) while picking up Gadsden (Southeastern League) and Valdosta (Georgia-Florida League). They renewed contracts with Knoxville, Hutchinson, McKeesport, and Carthage, leaving the organization with one club each at the A, B and C levels with three D teams for prospects. They also announced that 10 minor leaguers would be promoted to the next level, chief among them 3B Frankie Gustine and OF Bob Elliott who moved up to Class A Knoxville of the Southern Association. The pair got call-up auditions with the Pirates in 1939, became starters in ‘40 and they both ended up as multiple All-Star selections. 

John Milner - 1979 Topps

1949 - 1B/OF John Milner was born in Atlanta. “The Hammer” (he was a huge Henry Aaron fan growing up) was a platoon guy and pinch hitter for five years (1978-82) in Pittsburgh, hitting .263 over that span with a .333 BA in the 1979 World Series. He had perhaps his best season during that championship year, hitting .276 with 16 HR and 60 RBI. His low point came during the coke trials, when he admitted to cocaine and amphetamine use. 

1957 - The Pirates swapped first basemen with the Reds, as Pittsburgh acquired Ted Kluszewski, known for wearing cut-off sleeves to show off his pipes, and Cincy received seven-year vet Dee Fondy in return. Neither side got much; Klu’s power days were behind him, and Fondy spent just one more season in MLB. Klu did have a last hurrah, though. Buried behind Dick Stuart & Rocky Nelson in Pittsburgh, he was moved to the White Sox in ‘59. His presence provided some insurance for the Tribe’s middle-of-the-order, and he had a terrific WS (.391 BA, three HR, 10 RBI) though Chicago lost the set to the LA Dodgers. Factoid: Bill Veeck introduced player names on the back of Chi-town’s jerseys for the first time in MLB history in 1959 when Klu joined the Sox. Ted was the first player to appear in a game with his name misspelled (go figure), with a backwards "z" and "x" instead of the second "k." 

1960 - Danny Murtaugh was selected as Sports Magazine’s “Man of the Year” after guiding the Buccos to the World Series title. He was hired on August 4th, 1957, replacing Bobby Bragan, and went on to hold the job for all or parts of 15 seasons over four different health-limited tours of duty (1957–64, 1967, 1970–71, 1973–76) while winning two Series crowns. 

1960 - LHP Zane Smith was born in Madison, Wisconsin. Smith came to the Bucs in 1990 in the Moises Alou deal with Montreal. He pitched well down the stretch in ‘90 and won 16 games in ‘91. Zane tossed five years (1990-94, 1996) for the Buccos, with a 47-41/3.35 line. He almost landed a spot in the record books in a clutch September 1990 match against the second place New York Mets, giving up a leadoff single to Keith Miller, then holding NY hitless the rest of the way, claiming a 1-0 victory to stretch the Pirates NL East lead to three games. 

Zane Smith - 1993 Leaf (reverse)

1984 - Pirates Treasurer Doug McCormick told the Pittsburgh Press that he fielded 40-50 inquiries regarding the sale of the Bucs, with a dozen serious offers, and expressed surprise and disappointment that only four were local bidders (Jim Roddey’s Allegheny Media was the only caller identified as the others requested anonymity). He emphasized, especially to those groups trying to get the Pirates to relocate to their city, that the Buccos had a lease for Three Rivers Stadium that ran through 2011 and the owners planned to honor that agreement. 

1992 - Jim Leyland was chosen as MLB’s top manager in a reader’s poll conducted by Baseball America, winning 33% of the total vote. The Pirates won the NL East for the third straight year in 1992 with 96 wins, but once again stumbled in the postseason, losing a seven-game NLCS to the Atlanta Braves. It would be the Bucs last winning season until 2013. 

1994 - RHP Dario Agrazal was born in Aguadulce, Panama. Dario was signed as an international free agent in 2012, was promoted to the 40-man for 2018 and then dropped from it the following year. But he rebounded nicely, moving from Altoona to Indy, posting some nice numbers as a pitch-to-contact guy (4-2/3.10) and joined a revolving door cast of Pirates starters in June, making his first start in the 15th against the Miami Marlins. The first Pirates international signee of the Neal Huntington era to get a Bucco start, he slashed 4-5/4.91 in his only MLB stint and moved on to the Motown organization in 2020. He was part of the D-Back system in ‘21, and that was his last big league stop; Dario has spent the last two seasons tossing in Mexico and the Dominican. 

1995 - 30-year-old IF Charlie Hayes was signed as a FA by the Bucs to a deal worth $1.75M, hit .248 in '96 and then was flipped at the deadline to the New York Yankees for a minor leaguer, RHP Chris Corn. Hayes had a good September run with the Bronx Bombers, made the playoff roster and earned himself a World Series ring. His son Ke'Bryan, a third baseman, was selected 32nd overall out of high school by the Pirates in the 2015 draft and was a Top-100 prospect. Key put together a promising 2020 September rookie call-up campaign to claim the everyday job at the hot corner while earning an overdue Gold Glove award in 2023 although he’s been slowed down by a chronic back injury and was sent to the Reds in 2025. Corn lasted two seasons with Pittsburgh, topping out at Class AA. 

Enmanuel Valdez - April 2025 photo/Pirates

1998 - IF Enmanuel Valdez was born in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic. The Pirates sent a minor leaguer to the Red Sox in December 2025 for his services, and he was called up virtually at the season's start after Nick Gonzales broke his ankle. He started with the Houston Astros in 2016 and was traded to Boston, where he made his MLB debut in ‘23. He broke camp with the club, but a shoulder injury landed him on the 60-day IL in mid-May and eventual season-ending surgery. He’s still on the 40-man and should be ready for camp. 

2006 - The Pirates agreed to a 30-year lease with Bradenton after the City fathers voted to upgrade the ballyard facilities to the tune of $15M in time for the 2008 camp. The Bucs had called Bradenton their spring home since 1969, and the lease extended their stay until 2038. 

2022 - The Bucs got a lefty for the bullpen in former Giant Jarlin Garcia, 30. Garcia began his MLB career with the Miami Marlins in 2017 and had an overall line of 17-15-2/3.61. His ‘22 slash was 1-4-1/3.74 in 58 outings and he had been dependable over the past four years (13-10-2/2.89). The deal was for $2.5M with a club option in 2024 of $3.25M. It took awhile to dot the i’s and cross the t’s of his paperwork to make the contract official - his deal was first confirmed during the winter meetings on December 6th. It wasn’t time well spent; he suffered a nerve injury, sat out the entire season, and was let go after the campaign ended. After missing two years, he toed the rubber in the Dominican League in ‘25. RHP Bryse Wilson was DFA’ed and sold to Milwaukee to clear a roster spot. He was solid for the Brew Crew, slashing 11-4-3/3.47 in 87 calls (nine starts) over two years and signed a free agent deal with the White Sox for 2025. He was shaky there and is again a FA.

12/27: Rich & Ivan Sign, Debs Champ, Dapper Billy, Joe L Top Exec, Tiger Wed; HBD Brady, Jeff, Craig, Jim T, Bill, Jim D & Ducky

• 1862 - OF William “Ducky” Hemp was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Hemp played a game for Louisville in 1887 and had one more MLB visit in 1890, getting into 29 contests with Pittsburgh and Syracuse. He hit .235 for the National League Alleghenys before finishing out the campaign with the American Association Stars. He got his nickname as a 19-year-old playing for the Wichita Braves, where he was a fan favorite and presumably everything he did was just ducky. 
• 1864 - SS Jim Dee was born in Safe Harbor, a small Lancaster County community in Conestoga Township in the southeastern, Dutch Country part of the state. Not much is known about Jim other than he got a brief 12-game audition with the Alleghenys as a 19-year old in 1884, hitting .125 with more errors (6) than hits (5), and that showing ended his MLB stint. 
• 1864 (or maybe 1869) - RHP Bill Bishop was born in Adamsburg, located in neighboring Westmoreland County near Jeannette. He pitched two seasons (1886-87) for the Alleghenys, going 0-4 in five starts with a 9.21 ERA. There are two different years given for his birthday. We went with 1864 as his DOB; he would have been a peach-fuzzy 16-year-old rookie if he was actually born in 1869, although that age would provide some cover for his pedestrian pitching results. 
• 1912 - RHP Jim Tobin was born in Oakland, California. Tobin spent his first three seasons (1937-39) as a Pirate with a line of 29-24/3.71 before being traded to Boston, where he would spend the majority of his nine-year career. He was double trouble, wielding a strong stick, too; Tobin pinch-hit over 100 times in his major league career with a batting line of .230/.303/.345 in the majors. He totaled 35 doubles, 17 homers and 102 RBI in 796 at-bats in the show. Tobin is the only pitcher in the modern era to hit three home runs in the same game, against the Cubs when he pitched for the Braves in 1942. 
• 1940 - Deb Garms was named the NL’s batting champ after hitting .355, but not without some heavy blowback. There were, at the time, no official qualifiers, but it was generally accepted that 100 games/400 at bats were enough. Debs had 103 games played, but was shy with just 358 ABs. League prez Ford Frick put it to rest, saying the title was unofficial and 100 games were enough. 

Bill Meyer - 1948 Pirates Media Guide

• 1948 - Pirates skipper Billy Meyer was named the winner of the Dapper Dan Club Award, recognizing him as the outstanding local sports figure of the year. He made it a Bucco back-to-back honor, following 1947 winner Ralph Kiner, as he swamped runner-up Danny Murtaugh by a 56-3 tally. Billy was the second Pirate pilot to win the award, behind Frankie Frisch who took home the DD in 1944. He had earlier been named the NL Manager of the Year after steering the Corsairs to an 83-71 mark and a fourth place finish after going 62-92 the previous year. 
• 1952 - SS Craig Reynolds was born in Houston. The Bucs selected him in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1971 draft, signing the Houston HS Player-of-the-Year to a $2M bonus. He played sparingly for the Pirates, hitting .225 in 38 games over 1975-76 and was traded to Seattle for Grant Jackson after Craig was unable to oust Frankie Taveras from the SS job. Craig went on to have a pretty solid career, playing 15 seasons (11 with his hometown Astros) with a .256 BA and earning a pair of All-Star berths while a league-average gloveman at short. 
• 1958 - In his third year on the job, Buc GM Joe L Brown was named The Sporting News’ “Executive of the Year.” Under his hand, the Pirates finished second in the NL after a long run of second division play (the teams’ 84 wins were the most since the 90 victories of 1944) and drew 1,311,000 fans to Forbes Field in 1958, the first time the team cracked the million-fan mark since 1950. 
• 1961 - 3B Don Hoak married Avonmore’s Norma Jean Speranza, better known as pop singer and TV starlet Jill Corey, in a civil ceremony in Common Plea judge Frederick Weir’s chambers, with Mayor Joe Barr as a guest. The Tiger met the singer at a promotional event at Forbes Field and the pair hit it off from there, exchanging “I do’s” 16 months later. 
• 1975 - RHP Jeff D’Amico was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. D’Amico was a 1993 first rounder of the Brewers, but after 40 MLB starts missed 1998-99 following shoulder surgery. The Pirates plugged him into the rotation in 2003; he went 9-16/4.77, and his 16 defeats were the most in the majors. His career ended the next season when the Indians released him in June. 

Jeff D'Amico - 2003 Upper Deck 40-Man

• 1990 - LHP Brady Feigl was born in Severn, Maryland. He was an undrafted FA signed by Atlanta in 2013, then had TJ surgery, pitched in the Texas and San Diego systems before losing a couple of seasons to the Covid shutdown and injury. He spent 2022-23 in Mexico and the affiliated Atlantic League before signing with the Pirates in January, 2024. After a workmanlike job at Indy (7-2-2/3.84), he was called up as an injury replacement in late August. He returned to the Indians and declared for free agency after the season ended, signing with the Twins. Feigl was released by the organization in late August and currently is a free agent. He has the same name as another pitcher (a minor-league guy also with glasses, a red beard, 6’4” & TJ surgery - they‘re almost twins). They’re not related although their career paths have followed similar twists and turns. 
• 2016 - Ivan Nova, 29, officially re-upped with the Pirates. The deal was for three years/$26M (including a $2M signing bonus) with another $2M in performance bonus money available annually. Nova slashed 5-2/3.06 ERA in 11 starts as a Bucco while holding down a back end rotation spot after coming over at the deadline in exchange for minor league OF Tito Polo and LHP Stephen Tarpley, who were sent to the New York Yankees. He didn’t outlast his contract in Pittsburgh, being traded to the White Sox before the 2019 campaign. His last MLB gig was with Motown in 2020. 
• 2022 - LHP Rich Hill agreed to a one-year/$8M deal with the Bucs, pending his physical (he was officially added to the roster on January 5th; RHP Zach Thompson was DFA’ed). The 18-year vet, who turned 43 in March, posted an 8-7/4.27 slash with Boston in 2022, starting 26 times. He checked off the offseason box for an experienced (he was the oldest MLB player on Opening Day), preferably southpaw hurler to add to the staff, to both fill a hole in the rotation and provide a guy who could drop some knowledge on the youngsters on the current staff. He went 7-10/4.76 in 22 starts as a five-inning starter and was spun off to San Diego in a deadline deal, then was sent to Boston. Dubbed Dick Mountain, Hill is currently on the market as a free agent.