Monday, December 2, 2013

12/1-2: Cookie, Matty, Maury Wills, The Baron of the Bullpen, The Cricket, Danny Murtaugh, Bobby Bo...

Cookie, Matty, Maury Wills, The Baron of the Bullpen, The Cricket, Danny Murtaugh, Bobby Bo...

  • December 1, 1912 - IF Cookie Lavagetto was born in Oakland, California. He started his MLB career as a Bucco bench player, batting .249 between 1934-36. He was then traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he blossomed into a four time All-Star before losing four years to WW2. 
  • December 1, 1965 - The Bucs traded for Giants’ CF Matty Alou‚ who was coming off a .231 season‚ sending LHP Joe Gibbon and IF Ozzie Virgil to the Bay. Alou played five seasons in Pittsburgh, winning a batting crown in 1966 and putting up four straight .330+ years after manager Harry "The Hat" Walker retooled his batting approach.

 1967 Topps Poster Series

  • December 1, 1966 - The Pirates sent 3B Bob Bailey and SS Gene Michael to the Dodgers for SS/3B Maury Wills. Wills hit .290 and stole 81 bases for the Bucs in his two seasons with the club. 
  • December 2, 1952 - The Pirates drafted ElRoy Face from the Montreal Royals, the top minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers. During a 15-year career with the Pirates, Face led the NL in saves three times, collecting 100 wins and 188 saves as a Bucco. 
  • December 2, 1970 - The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Kansas City Royals completed a six player trade with P Bruce Dal Canton, C Jerry May and SS Freddie Patek going to the Royals and C Jim Campanis, SS Jackie Hernandez and P Bob Johnson sent to the Bucs. Patek and Dal Canton were everyday players for KC, with Patek playing nine years for the KC and winning three All-Star berths. Johnson was 17-16-7/3.34 with the Bucs and Hernandez was a reserve infielder, both lasting three years for the Pirates.
  •  December 2, 1976 - Danny Murtaugh‚ who had retired two months earlier as Pirate manager‚ died of a heart attack at age 59 in his Chester home. 
  • December 2, 1991 - After six years as a Pirate, Bobby Bonilla signed as a free agent with the New York Mets. His five-year, $29M deal made him the game's highest-paid player at the time.

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