Sunday, January 18, 2015

1/18: Hank Greenberg, Wandy Rodriguez...

Hank Greenberg, Wandy Rodriguez...
  • 1947 - The Pirates purchased Hank Greenberg from the Tigers for $75,000 after a contract dispute. The Bucs signed him to a reported $90,000 deal, the biggest in history at that time. In his one season with Pittsburgh, he hit .249 with 25 homers and 74 RBI. He became the first player with a 25 homer season in both leagues, walked a league high 104 times and served as a mentor to a young Ralph Kiner. He inspired “Greenberg Gardens” when the Bucs shortened Forbes Field’s left field for him. When he retired after the season, his garden was renamed Kiner’s Korner. 
  • 1979 - LHP Wandy Rodriguez was born in Santiago Rodriguez, Dominican Republic. Wandy joined the Bucs in 2012, when he was acquired in a deadline deal from the Astros. He didn’t become a major contributor as hoped, as his 2013 season derailed after just a dozen starts with arthritis in his pitching arm, and contributed just 11 wins in 25 outings, with a 3.66 ERA, as a Pirate before being released in late May of 2014.
Wandy Rodriguez - 2012 Al Behrman/Associated Press

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