Monday, September 9, 2013

9/9: Dots, The Fordham Flash, Schoolboy, Waner Bros, Satchel, Ed Brandt, Dan Miceli, Walk Backfires, Cutch...

Dots, The Fordham Flash, Schoolboy, Waner Bros, Satchel, Ed Brandt, Dan Miceli, Walk Backfires, Cutch...

  • 1886 - IF Jack “Dots” Miller was born in Kearny, New Jersey. He played with Pittsburgh for five seasons, from 1909-13. He drove in 87 runs for the 1909 Series champs and had a .263 career average with the Pirates. According to Bucco legend (and the SABR Biography Project), he got the nickname "Dots" after a reporter asked Honus Wagner about the new kid. Wagner, who was best buds with Miller, pointed to him and replied in his German accent, "Dots (That's) Miller." 
  • 1898 - Bucco skipper Frankie Frisch was born in the Bronx. He spent his Hall of Fame playing days with the NY Giants and St. Louis’ Gas House Gang. The Fordham Flash managed the Pirates from 1940-46, leading the club to five winning seasons and a second place finish in 1944, ending up with a 539-528 slate in Pittsburgh. 
  • 1899 - RHP and Hall of Famer Waite “Schoolboy” Hoyt was born in Brooklyn. Best known for his NY Yankee years, he tossed for the Bucs from 1933-37 as a multi-role arm, compiling a record of 35-31-18/3.08 as a Pirate, winning 15 games in 1934. 
  • 1928 - The Pirates rallied with five runs in the eighth to overcame a 7-3 Cardinal lead and take an 8-7 victory home from Sportsman’s Park. Paul Waner went 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run while brother Lloyd chipped in with three knocks, including a double, triple, RBI and two runs scored. Joe Dawson worked two perfect innings for the win. 
  • 1934 - The Pittsburgh Crawfords' Satchel Paige and the Philadelphia Stars' one year wonder, lefty Slim Jones, traded fastballs through nine memorable innings at Yankee Stadium in a 1-1 draw, called after regulation due to darkness. Paige struck out 12, giving up six hits, and Jones fanned nine while allowing just three knocks, pitching perfect ball over the first six frames and carrying a shutout until the eighth before 30,000+ fans. According to Forgotten In Time, they faced one another a month later. Before that game, the owner of the New York Black Yankees, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, presented them with travel bags (a fitting gift for the well-traveled Satchel) in honor of their efforts in the "greatest game ever played." Paige bested Jones 3-1 in the rematch. 
  • 1937 - Ed Brandt outdueled the Reds Gene Schott 1-0 at Forbes Field, handing the Reds their 30th one-run loss of the year. Arky Vaughan's triple and Bill Brubaker’s single to lead off the ninth provided the dramatic finale to back Brandt’s four-hitter. 
  • 1970 - RHP Dan Miceli was born in Newark. The reliever spent the first four years (1993-96) of his 14 season career in Pittsburgh, going 8-15-24/5.41 during that span. He was known for a power arm and shaky control throughout his MLB journey. 
  • 1992 - With the score tied in the bottom of the sixth with two on, one out and first base open, the Cubs intentionally walked Barry Bonds. It was his 28th IBB of the year, breaking the Bucs' single season record, set in 1968 by Roberto Clemente (Bonds ended up with 32 by year’s end). The stratagem backfired, though, when Jeff King hit the first pitch he saw from Chicago's Ken Patterson over the left field wall for his second career grand slam. Gary Varsho and Jay Bell also went long as Pittsburgh prevailed 13-8 at TRS, with Danny Cox getting the blown save/win combo. 
  • 2013 - Andrew McCutchen was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated as part of Lee Jenkin’s story “The Bucs Start Here.”

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