6/2 Draft Picks: Jeff King, Paul Maholm, Tom Gorzelanny, Ryan Doumit, Stan Belinda

1986 - The Pirates selected University of Arkansas's Jeff King, The Sporting News college player of the year, as the first overall pick in the June draft, giving him an $185K bonus. He spent eight of his 11 big league years as a Pirate, hitting .258 with 99 HR (Matt Williams and Bo Jackson were taken after him). The Bucs selected other MLB talent in OF Tom Goodwin (.268 over 14 years), SS Mike Mordecai (.244 over 12 years) and pitchers Stan Belinda (who spent his first four plus seasons as a Pirate) & Rick Reed, who started as a Pirate but blossomed as a Met and Twin in a draft that didn’t particularly stock the home club very well.

Jeff King - Panini 2013 First Overall Picks (1986)

1987 - HS outfielder Mark Merchant was the Bucs top pick and second overall in the draft, right after Ken Griffey Jr. (who was almost available to Pittsburgh; Seattle owner George Argyros was said to favor drafting a pitcher, but his evaluators talked him out of it). The Pirates signed Merchant for $165,000 three hours after drafting him, but he never played an inning in the majors after a 10-year minor league career. He was a highly touted player (he and Griffey were everyone’s 1-2 selections) but Merchant separated his shoulder during his second minor-league season and broke his ankle in the next campaign, losing both his gun and his speed. Pittsburgh’s seventh round pick, Kittanning SS Mickey Morandini, spent 11 years in MLB, mostly with Philadelphia where he was an All-Star in 1995, and OF Wes Chamberlain and SS Brian Williams also spent a few years in the majors. The Pirates actually had a worse record than the Mariners did in 1986, but the AL and NL alternated the top pick during that era and so the Pirates lost their chance to land the Donora-born Griffey, a future 13-time All-Star, MVP and Hall of Famer. 

1994 - High school QB & SS Mark Farris was the Pirates first selection (#11; $820K signing bonus); he hurt his knee and left the Bucs after hitting .273 in AA to attend Texas A&M as a football player in 1999. It was a sparse draft for the Pirates; only LHP Jimmy Anderson and last round pick UT Brandon Larsen played in the majors. Farris was a pretty big big miss; another SS, 6-time All Star Nomar Garciaparra, went to the Boston Red Sox as the second pick.

1995 - 17-year-old SS Chad Hermansen of Nevada’s Green Valley HS was the Buc’s first selection in the draft, taken at the #10 spot. The Bucs wasted little time in signing him - he agreed to a $1.15M bonus with a $75K kitty to pay for college if the baseball thing didn’t work out. The Pirates started him out in Bradenton with the GCL rookie club, and after a couple of campaigns, he was converted to the outfield. But it didn’t help his bat - in six in-and-out MLB seasons, he hit just .195. 

1998 - The Pirates picked LHP Clint Johnston of Vanderbilt first (#15; $1M signing bonus); he ended his career playing indie ball, never advancing past AA. Johnston was an OF’er/closer who the Bucs wanted to convert to full-time pitching, noting that he threw 90-94 and that “big strong left handers were hard to find” per scouting director Leland Maddux. But he ended up with elbow surgery and then suffered from ulnar nerve issues. Clint eventually went to Toronto and was converted back to the outfield, but never climbed the ladder and closed his career with three indie seasons. None of the Bucs’ first 14 picks ever played a MLB game. Later Pirates pitching picks Joe Beimel, Jeff Bennett, Dave Williams and Jon Switzer were the hometown highlights of that draft day.

Dewey - 2002 Topps Prospects

1999 - The Bucs selected RHP Bobby Bradley as their first pick (#8; $2.3M signing bonus) in the draft; he topped out with a cup of coffee in AAA after undergoing three surgeries. They had more success in the second round, choosing C Ryan Doumit (#59, $500K). They also chose LHP Brian Tallet in the middle rounds; he didn’t pitch for the Bucs but did end up with nine seasons in the show. Multi-sport all-star and catcher JR House was signed in the fifth round and got into 32 MLB games. Pittsburgh even went over the slot then; they signed 39th-round pick Patrick O'Brien, a big high school RHP, for $500‚000, but he never got past AA.

2003 - Lefties Paul Maholm (#8; $2.2M signing bonus) and Tom Gorzelanny (#45; $750K signing bonus) were the first two Pirate picks of the 2003 draft. Later selections Matt Downs, Jeremy Horst and Josh Sharpless also saw time as major league pitchers. Maholm became a rotation mainstay for several years while Gorzelanny was in and out as part of the regular staff.

6/2 Through the 1960s: Starg Twin Bombs, 150 For The Deacon, Long Five Pack, Turnin' Two, Start Of Six Shutouts, Game Days; HBD Darnell, Jeff, Gene, Tom & Rowdy Jack

1866 - C John “Peach Pie”/“Rowdy Jack” O’Connor was born in St. Louis. He served as a backstop for the Bucs from 1900-02, hitting .239 as a Bucco, but could plug in anywhere, spending considerable time in the OF and 1B during his 21-year career. He skipped to the AL’s NY Highlanders after the ‘02 season. He may be best known as the St. Louis Brown manager in 1910 who tried to steer the batting title to Nap Lajoie through a couple of different underhanded ploys, and was blackballed from MLB for his efforts. According to Charles Faber’s “Baseball Prodigies,” Jack became Peach Pie because as a teen, he played for a local semi-pro club called the Peach Pies. The “Rowdy” nickname was thanks to his aggressive, spikes-up style of play.

1869 - C/IF Tom Leahy was born in New Haven, Connecticut. Tom spent four part-time years in the show, starting with a dozen games for the Pirates in 1897, where he hit .269 splitting time between catching and third base. He caught at Holy Cross in his college days, but David Nemac, compiler of the book “Major League Ballplayers Profiles 1871-1900,” suggested that because of his average arm, he may have had more longevity if he came up as a second baseman, a better fit for his skill set. His last MLB game was in 1905 after he had gone through five teams, and he then caught on at Yale, serving as their athletic trainer for 32 years. 

1890 - The Pittsburgh Alleghenys committed 14 errors in a 14-1 loss to Chicago Colts at home. The Pittsburgh Press wrote of the match that “The people who witnessed the National League game at Recreation Park...left disgusted and many of them promising not to return...Indeed, there are several amateur clubs about the city that may be relied on to play better ball…”  That Pittsburgh ball club finished 28-113, 66-1/2 games behind the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and 23 games behind the Cleveland Spiders, the team closest to them in the standings.

 

1903 - The Pirates tossed their first of an MLB record six straight shutouts as Deacon Phillippe blanked the NY Giants, 7-0. Per the Pittsburgh Press “Phillippe had speed, curves and control and he made eight of the Husky McGrawites fan the elusive atmosphere...”  Hans Wagner had three hits; four other Buccos added a pair. The Buc staff threw 51 straight scoreless innings during the six-game streak, a record that still stands today. The win launched Pittsburgh on a 15-game winning streak; the Pirates won the National League with 91 victories.

Gene Michael - 1966 East Hills SC Promo

1938 - IF Gene Michael was born in Kent, Ohio. Signed by the Bucs as an amateur, ”Stick” (he was 6’2” and on the underfed side) played his 1966 rookie campaign in Pittsburgh, hitting .152 in 30 games. The Pirates sent him to the Dodgers as part of the Maury Wills deal after the season, then LA sold him to the Yankees, where he spent seven of his 10 MLB seasons, five as NY’s starting shortstop. After his playing days, he coached, managed and was an exec for the Bronx Bombers except for a two-year interlude (1986-87) when he was the Cubs skipper. He was still a member of NY’s front office when he passed away in 2017.

1943 - Pittsburgh scored three times in the ninth to send the Boston Braves to a 3-2 loss at Forbes Field. A walk, an Elbie Fletcher homer and Al Lopez triple set the stage for Frank Coleman’s flare single to become the game-winner. Wally Hebert pitched seven strong innings, giving up his two runs in the second when a pair of bunts were misplayed and a bases-loaded free pass resulted in two Brave runs. Xavier Rescigno picked up the win in relief.

1945 - The Pirates hung on to defeat the Phils 6-5 at Forbes Field; the main storyline was that the Bucs turned five DPs while Philly committed five errors. Pittsburgh scored four times in the first - only one run was earned - but quickly fell behind; they took the lead for good in the fourth, scoring twice with two outs thanks to a pair of Philadelphia boots. The bullpens took command and put up zeroes after that, with Max Butcher notching the win. 

1948 - The Bucs pulled off the first triple play of the season when 1B Ed Stevens caught a shoe-top liner, stepped on first base for the second out and flipped the ball to second to trap a third Boston runner at Forbes Field. Alas, it was in vain as the Braves won handily 5-1 behind Johnny Sain’s three-hitter. Ralph Kiner’s homer was the only rain on Sain’s parade.

Dale Long - 1955 Topps

1955 - The Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 12-3 at Forbes Field. Dale Long went 3-for-5 and had five RBI with a home run, a two-run shot during a five-run third inning. Frank Thomas also went deep while the Buccos banged out a season-high 17 hits. Roberto Clemente chipped in three knocks while five other Bucs posted a pair of raps in support of Max Surkont, who went the distance to best future Pirate Harvey Haddix.

1961 - OF Jeff Schulz was born in Evansville, Indiana. The Pirates picked him up for the 1992 campaign after he had been released by the KC Royals. He spent most of the year at AA Buffalo with a brief midsummer call up by the Bucs; he went 0-for-3 with two whiffs as a pinch hitter. His last hurrah was in 1995 when he won the right field job at KC as a replacement player, but the strike ended before the season started and so did his MLB career. The then-33-year-old returned to his day job as a real estate agent. Trivia: In 1990, Schulz ended Cal Ripken Jr.'s 95-game errorless streak at shortstop for the O’s when Cal bobbled his grounder.

1962 - Roberto Clemente just missed becoming the first right handed batter to hit a ball on Forbes Field’s right field roof, bouncing a shot off the facing a foot shy of the top. The blast was off Houston’s Turk Farrell during a 9-2 Bucco laugher over the Colt .45s. Roberto had three RBI, Dick Stuart homered, driving home a pair, and Don Hoak scored twice after hitting two triples to support the Deacon, Vern Law. For Pittsburgh, it was their seventh straight victory and 10th win in 11 games, but after the contest, they entered a tailspin. losing 7-of-8.

1962 - OF Darnell Coles was born in San Bernardino, California. He arrived here in August, 1987, as part of the Jim Morrison deal with the Tigers and left in late July of the next season, traded to the Seattle Mariners for Glenn Wilson. Darnell played outfield and some corner infield for the Bucs and hit .230 during his stay, with a highlight three-homer day against the Cubs in 1987. He carved out a 14-year MLB career with eight different clubs. Coles played in Japan for a couple of seasons and since has been the hitting coach for the Nats, Tigers, Brewers and now is on Atlanta's staff.

Vern Law - 1966 Topps

1966 - Vern Law tossed a complete game, three-hit shutout over the Mets at Shea Stadium in a 5-0 victory. It was The Deacon’s 150th Pirates win (he would finish his career with 162, sixth-most in franchise history) and he became the last Buc hurler to reach that landmark. It was also the fourth straight shutout he spun v NY. The Deac helped himself; he had two hits, including a solo homer (it was his 11th and last long ball, the franchise record for pitchers. Law also hit 35 two-baggers, another club mark for hurlers), and scored twice. Donn Clendenon also went long for the Bucs.

1967 - Maury Wills paid his first visit to Dodger Stadium since being dealt to the Pirates and made himself at home, collecting two hits, scoring twice and driving in the go-ahead run in the Bucs 5-3 victory. Roberto Clemente also had a pair of knocks and two RBI to give Steve Blass, who worked an inning in relief of Tommie Sisk, the win. The heavy lifting was done by ElRoy Face, who worked the final three frames scorelessly while fanning four.

1968 - Willie Stargell homered in both ends of a doubleheader, collecting six hits and driving in six runs in the two contests. He pushed his batting average to .300 for the first time in his career and capped a four-game home run streak. The one-man show wasn’t quite enough, though, as the Pirates split the twinbill with the Atlanta Braves at Forbes Field, winning the opener 8-4 but losing the nightcap, 10-5. Matty Alou collected two hits in each game; Ronnie Kline won the opener while Bob Moose dropped the nightcap.

6/2 From 1970: Steph-Alika, Anti-Duel, 'Pen Pals, Rally Caps, Twister, Randy & Rick Roll, Game Days, Archie Out; RIP Buster, HBD Chance

1972 - IF Chance Sanford was born in Houston, Texas and was a 27th round pick of the Buccos in the 1992 draft from San Jacinto College. Chance got into 14 Pirates games in 1998 and went 4-for-28 (.143) as a 26-year-old rookie and was released after the year. He got into five games with the Dodgers the following season and then closed out his career playing indie ball. His Pirates legacy continues, though - his son Wyatt was drafted in the second round of the ‘24 draft by the Buccos.

1987 - Rick Reuschel fired a two-hitter against the Atlanta Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, ending a six-game Pirate losing streak. Andy Van Slyke homered and made a great catch in the ninth to help secure the 4-0 victory. Rafe Belliard scored twice. Big Daddy apparently had the Bravos number: the victory was Reuschel’s ninth straight win over Atlanta.

1989 - Some dates are special; for Jeff King, June 2 was that day. He was drafted #1 overall by the Pirates OTD in 1986 and today marked his MLB debut. He pinch hit in the 11th frame at Shea Stadium against the New York Mets in a 1-1 game and doubled up the line on an 0-2 pitch from Rick Aguilera for his first hit. He scored two batters later on Glenn Wilson’s single to give the Bucs the lead. The celebration was brief as Randy Kramer couldn’t hold the lead, giving up a two-run homer to Dave Magadan in the Mets’ half to lose 3-2 and take the sheen off Jeff’s first outing.

1991  - The Pirates scored twice in the ninth inning to win their ninth straight game 5-3 over the Phils at Veterans Stadium. Barry Bonds doubled home Andy Van Slyke, who had reached on an infield knock, with two away for the lead and Mitch Webster singled BB home with the insurance tally. Barry was the Bucs hitting hero; he had three raps, including a two-run homer to give Bob Patterson, the Pirates fourth pitcher in a match Doug Drabek had started, the victory. The streak ended two days later when the Giants took a 5-3 win from the Bucs at TRS.

1992 - Randy Tomlin won his sixth game by getting the LA Dodgers to beat the ball into the dirt for a 1-0 win at TRS. The lefty got 15 of his 21 outs via the grounder, and more importantly, coaxed three Blue DP balls to allow his six-hitter to stand. The Bucs weren’t exactly lighting it up against Tom Candiotti, but with two outs in the seventh, he walked three straight Pirates (one intentionally), finally losing Dave Clark on a 3-1 pitch, to force home the game’s only run. Roger Mason cleaned it up over the final two frames to save Tomlin’s win. For Randy, it was his second victory of a six-game winning streak. He claimed 14 triumphs during the campaign, the only time in his career he reached double-digit wins for a season.

Kevin Young - 1998 Circa Thunder

1998 - The Pirates beat the Mets 5-2  at TRS behind Chris Peter’s pitching and a bases-loaded triple by Kevin Young for their fourth straight victory, but the big story was that they earned the win in the midst of a tornado. The game was delayed nearly an hour by the gale, but Peters came back after the break in the third frame to work five innings. The Post Gazette noted that a couple of Pirates gathered up hailstones from the dugout before play resumed. The tornado touched down on nearby Mt. Washington, damaging 1,000+ structures and triggered the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s banner headline that screamed “Torn Asunder.”

2011 - Pittsburgh blew a 7-0 advantage to the Mets and lost 9-8 at Citi Field as Paul Maholm couldn’t hold the lead and left with the game tied. Jose Veras then self-destructed in the eighth, giving up a hit, four walks and a wild pitch. The Bucs wasted a homer and four RBI from Neil Walker and a four-hit day with a triple, two stolen bases and three runs scored from Xavier Nady.

2013 - The Cincinnati Reds raced to a 4-0 first inning lead against Jeanmar Gomez and the righty was yanked after the frame with forearm tightness. But the Pirate bullpen put up 10 scoreless frames, allowing just five hits, while Pedro Alvarez and Garrett Jones homered - Jones became the first Pirate to reach the Allegheny on the fly with his 463’ blast - to send the game into extra innings at PNC Park. The Pirates took it in the 11th on Travis Snider’s soft two-out liner that scored Russ Martin from second base for a walkoff 5-4 win.

2014 - The Pirates romped at Petco Park, winning 10-3 as the San Diego Padres ran through seven pitchers and 249 pitches during the longest nine-inning game in SD history at 4:04. Of the 53 men Pittsburgh sent to the plate, 26 reached base. They went 9-for-20 with RISP and still stranded 16 men, loading the bases seven different times. San Diego left 11 runners of their own on the pond, but went 1-for-10 with RISP. Jordy Mercer went 4-for-5 with a homer, four RBI and two runs scored, while Josh Harrison and Neil Walker each added three hits. Charlie Morton got the win, but the Pirates had to call on three relievers of their own to close out the contest. There were six bopped batters without a warning being issued and twelve walks combined during the game. It was only the second time during a National League game of the modern (post-1914) era that each team hit three batters in the same game. The other time it happened was on August 15, 2007, when the New York Mets played, natch, the Bucs.

2017 - You wouldn’t expect this kind of game from a Gerrit Cole - Matt Harvey match, but the Bucs and Mets exchanged big innings with the Pirates coming out on top at Citi Field, 12-7. The Pirates put up a three spot in the fourth to take the lead on Elias Diaz’s bases-loaded, three-run  double. The New York nine answered in the fifth with five runs off Cole to take a 7-4 advantage. The Corsairs then responded with a seven-spot in the sixth off Harvey and reliever Paul Sewald, keyed by Diaz’s three-run homer, his first as a major leaguer, to jump ahead 11-7. Then the storm abated; the only other run to score was on Josh Harrison’s solo shot in the eighth. Josh Bell also went long in the victory, and even with the sketchy start, Cole got the win, making up for some early-season hard-luck losses. Diaz ended up with six RBI, the first six-pack by a Pirates rookie since Andrew McCutchen chased home a half-dozen teammates in 2009. 

Buster - 1975 SSPC

2018 - Bruce Kison passed away of cancer at the age of 68. Kison was selected by Pittsburgh in the 14th round of the 1968 amateur draft and made his big league debut on July 4th, 1971. “Buster” was best known for winning Game 4 of the 1971 World Series, the first night game in World Series history, by tossing 6-1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit relief against Baltimore. Kison made more news when he hopped in a helicopter after the Game 7 win at Baltimore to zip home for his wedding, along with best man Bob Moose; a police escort took him from the airport to the church. He was a combative and competitive guy on the mound, once brawling with Mike Schmidt. Bruce spent nine of his 15 MLB years with the Bucs (1971-79; 81-63-6/3.49) and when he retired, he became a minor league pitching instructor for Pittsburgh in 1986, bullpen coach for Kansas City from 1992-93, the Royals pitching coach from 1994-98 and Baltimore's pitching coach in 1999. He then worked as a scout for Baltimore until a few months before his demise.

2020 - The year continued spinning on its crazy trajectory when the Bucs announced that 31-year-old RHP Chris Archer underwent surgery to relieve symptoms of neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. He was done for the season (it was an abbreviated 60-game year) and with major surgery and an $11M team option in 2021, he was done as a Bucco after Neal Huntington had sent Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasnow and Shane Baz to Tampa for him in 2018. Archie got 33 Pittsburgh starts, winning six games while posting a 4.92 ERA. He returned to Tampa Bay for two injury ridden seasons, moved to the Twins where he was released and is now a member of the LA Dodgers baseball ops department.

2023 - The Pirates overcame a 5-0 sixth-inning deficit against the Cards at PNC Park to rally for a 7-5 win before 24,388 rooters. Roansy Contreras gave up the five spot and a pair of third inning bombs, but five relievers put a halt to any further damage. That allowed Ke'bryan Hayes to deliver a two-out, three-run blast in the seventh inning to put the Bucs ahead after Carlos Santana’s two-run double had closed the gap. Josh Palacios then smacked his first MLB homer to go back-to-back and add an insurance marker. Yohan Ramirez faced one batter in the seventh and was credited with the win; David Bednar earned the save.

2023 - The Pirates traded righty reliever Robert Stephenson (0-3/5.54 in 17 outings), sending him to the Tampa Bay Rays for Class AA-Montgomery SS Alika Williams. Stephenson, 30, an eight-year MLB vet, joined the Pirates in August, 2022 after being waived by Colorado and is now with the LA Angels. Williams, 24, was a competitive-balance pick (37th overall) of the Rays in 2020 as a golden glove but a project at the plate. He was assigned to AAA Indy and was called up to the big team in late July. Alika started as a reserve IF for Pittsburgh this year and is now with the Athletics.

Weekly Report: Bucs Win At Home & Sweep Shelty, Jared Back & Carmen Bumped, Konnor On IL, Cutch DFA'ed By Texas

And it's June...

Pirates Stuff:

• After the Cub series, it was announced Jared Jones was back with the team (he started the next day v Minnesota), Carmen Mlodzinski will go to the pen and somehow Bubba Chandler will remain in the rotation. To clear a spot for Jones, reliever Justin Lawrence (0-2/5.32) was DFA'ed. We expect that Mlodzinski's move had more to do with the ineptitude of the long relievers than a rap on Carmen, who didn't buy into the bulk innings eater role. To make the story murkier, on Sunday Mlodzinski was placed on the restricted list and RHP Cam Sanders was recalled (for one day, then optioned back), so... Ben Cherington told the media that Mlodzinski said he wasn't ready to pitch physically or mentally yet, didn't request a trade, is part of the Pirates' future and is expected back for the upcoming road trip, which explains the Sanders moves.

Carmen's working through some things...2026 photo/Pirates

• In an out-of-the-blue move, the Pirates have recalled INF/OF Tyler Callihan from Indy and optioned OF Esmerlyn Valdez back to AAA. Valdez was the fourth Pirate since 1900 to have two or more of his first MLB hits be home runs, along with Dick Stuart (1958, two), Craig Wilson (2001, two) and Rodolfo Castro (2021, five). But those were his only two hits in 16 at bats, to go with nine Ks.
• Konnor Griffin sat out Thursday's Cub finale with a sore arm (flexor strain). Hopefully, it's just a rest day; he was available off the bench, though the Callahan move looks like insurance just in case....and sure enough, Nick Gonzales left the game with a sore knee that he banged on Wednesday; Tyler took his place. Konnor won't be able to throw for a few days, but can swing; Kelly used him to DH, but on Sunday he went on the 10-day IL when Ryan O'Hearn returned to action.
• Other banged up Bucs: Nick Gonzales (leg contusion) is at 90% and was available to play. O'Hearn (right quad strain) ran the bases on Friday and returned Sunday. Joey Bart (left foot infection) is still weeks away and Chris Devenski (illness) may resume throwing next week.
• Brandow Lowe has been in the bigs for nine years; Saturday was the first time he was ejected.

Brandon gets his first heave-ho - 2026 photo/Pirates

• Former Mountaineer Carlson Reed threw seven perfect innings for A+ Greensboro on Friday and bullpen guys Inmer Lobo & Kyle Larsen completed the no-no although they walked three to lose the perfecto in a 4-0 victory over Hub City.
• RHP Jack Anker, 22, was the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week; he went six scoreless, two-hit innings with four K against Lakeland last week. He's 3-1/3.38 on the season for Bradenton.

Game Stuff: 

• The Cubs came to town riding an eight-game losing streak as the Pirates were hosting a Memorial Day game for the first time since May 28, 2018 (spoiler alert: they lost that one to the Cubs, 7-0). It promised to be entertaining with two of the NLs top attacks, but thanks to Carmen Mlodzinski, Wilber Dotel (the winner, his first MLB dub) and Gregory Soto (the save), it turned into a slab duel, with the Bucs prevailing 2-1. The game winning-blow was a two-out, seventh-inning solo shot by Hank Davis, who is still under the Mendoza line. Spencer Horwitz opened the scoring, coming across on Brandon Lowe's double.
• The Bucs put on an unscheduled fireworks display in the first frame by scoring five times, capped by Esmerlyn "The Magician" Valdez's blast in front of his fam. Spencer Horwitz joined him with a later long ball, Oneil Cruz went 3-for-3 and Valdez had 3 RBI. As for the twirlers, Braxton Ashcraft wiggled out of a couple of jams to get into the seventh inning and the bullpen took it home from there. When the smoke cleared, the Pirates had laid a big-league 12-1 whuppin' on the Cubs.
• Bubba Chandler, who should be looking over his shoulder with Jared Jones in town, fell behind 3-0 early. Not for long. though, as Brandow Lowe bopped a two-out, three-run homer to tie it in the third. Bubba gave the lead up in the next inning. The Bucs tied it again on a Konnor Griffin blast; then the bullpen took over *sigh*. That spelled the end of the Cubs futility streak as they ran away with a 10-4 decision.

Bubba made the cut - 2026 Topps

• Paul Skenes couldn't turn the tide - bad D, bad O, soft hits and another bullpen blowup gave the Cubs a 7-2 win and a series split.
• Friday began the Twins set, with a Zambelli Drone night and Jared Jones on tap for the series opener. He didn't exactly sparkle, going 4-1/3 IP while giving up seven hits and five runs to squander an early 3-1 lead, although he did hit 101 with his heater. Oneil Cruz splashed a ball into the Allegheny and Wilber Dotel tossed three zeroes, and it was barely enough. The Bucs blew a great eighth inning chance, but Bryan Reynolds made it moot by walking it off with a two-run, ninth-inning bomb to pull it out 6-5 and spoil Shelty's return to his old stomping grounds.
• Not a day for pitchers; Mitch Keller left after four and it was already 8-7 good guys. Lots goin' on - Oneil Cruz, Spencer Horwitz and Jake Mangum homered in that span; Brandow Lowe got ejected, too. It settled down some after that, with the final aping a Steeler-Ravens score with the Buccos on top 10-9 thanks to late-inning web gems by Mangum and Tyler Callahan. Gregory Soto closed it out, earning back-to-back saves while Yohan Ramirez got the win. 
• Well, welcome back Ryan O'Hearn, who homered during his first at bat. Nick Gonzales added another an inng later to give Braxton Ashcraft a third-inning 4-0 pad. The Bucs added five more runs in the fifth and swept the Twinkies, 9-3. Ashcraft went six frames for the win with a career-high 11 Ks without a walk.

Ryan returns to action - 2026 Pirates promo

• The Bucs visit the Astros and Braves beginning Tuesday, a formidable duo for the MASH-unit Pirates.

MLB Stuff

• Houston hurlers Tatsuyu Imai, Steven Okert and Alimber Santa cobined to toss a no-hitter against Texas in a 9-0 win at Globe Life Field that made Memorial Day memorable. The no-no was the first tossed in MLB since the Chicago Cubs shut down the Pirates 12-0 on Sept. 4, 2024 at Wrigley Field. 
• A Pirate prospect does good: IF Charles McAdoo, who was a 13th round draft pick in 2023 and traded the following year to Toronto for Isiah Kiner Falefa, made his MLB debut on Friday. He homered for his first hit.
• News we'd rather not hear: Cutch was placed on release waivers by Texas. He was batting .192 with one homer, so...

Cutch gets cut - 2025 Topps Greatest Hits

• The Royals DFA'ed LHP Bailey Falter, who they got from the Bucs last season for LHP Evan Sisk, now part of the pen, and prospect 1B Callan Moss.
• The Nats moved RHP Max Kranick to the 60-day IL. He appeared with the Bucs in 2021-22 and moved to the NY Mets in 2024-25. He was settling in there, but had July elbow surgery and became an FA, moving to Washington.
• LHP Jose Quintana was placed on the 60-day IL by Colorado with an elbow sprain.

6/1 Through 1974: Flyin' Foiles, Big Bob K's 16, Hit & Pitch Wins, Walkoff Steal, Roberto Spied, Games Days, Ump Shows; HBD Hal, Lou, Al, Harry & Bad Bill

1869 - 2B “Bad Bill” Eagan was born in Camden, New Jersey. Per David Nemec of SABR, “He got the nickname ‘Bad Bill’ the hard way: He earned it through regular, rowdy behavior.” Eagan was like many old-timey players - a heavy drinker, gambler, and general thorn in the side of umpires & management. He was also a ball magnet, even practicing getting hit by pitches in BP by crowding the plate, leading umps to often allow him to get brushed a couple of times before yielding to the inevitable and awarding him a base. Though he was briefly the Bucs starting second baseman and hit .328 in 1898, he was sent down to the minors after a drinking bout. It was a familiar pattern; in his 13-year pro career he wore out his welcome often and only got three years and 107 games in the majors. Bad Bill died of consumption (tuberculosis) in 1905. 

1887 - RHP Harry Gardner was born in Quincy, Michigan. His MLB career consisted of 14 outings with the Pirates from 1911-12 with a 1-1/4.46 line. Harry did have a long baseball stint, pitching 16 minor league seasons and winning 206 games. He spent his last nine years working in the Pacific Coast League before retiring at age 37 after the 1924 season. 

1897 - The Pirates were cruising along with a 7-0 lead in the sixth at the Polo Grounds when the NY Giants put up four runs and were still going when an ump show broke up the game. A Giant runner was tagged on the way to second on a grounder. Umpire McDermott, with whom the Pirates had a run-in with the previous game and had a history of controversy, didn’t make a call. The runner, Lucky Holmes, held second, the ump eventually ruled him safe and according to the Pittsburgh Press “...he (Lucky) laughed uproariously and danced a jig.” The resulting discussion over the call led to the ejection of four players. One of the Pirates bench subs was injured, and that left Pittsburgh one player shy of a full nine. McDermott then forfeited the game to the Giants. The Pirates protested to no avail, and the Press headline the following day read “An Immense Steal - Umpire McDermott Robbed The Pirates Of Yesterday’s Game. His Work Was The Worst Exhibition Ever Seen On Any Ballfield.” 

Al Niehaus - 1925 NEA photo

1899 - 1B Al Niehaus was born in Cincinnati. He started 15 games for the 1925 Pirates, batting .219, before he was traded to his hometown Reds. Niehaus hit .299 there but was replaced by a vet and sold to St. Paul after the season. He was in the minors from 1921-29 and had several .300+ campaigns, but his glovework - he made 11 errors between the Pirates and Reds in 1925 - held him back. The DH arrived a few decades too late to help him.

1901 - The Bucs lost to the Reds 4-3 following a disputed call by rookie umpire Bert Cunningham, a former pitcher whom the Pirates got in an off-season trade and later released to end his playing career. Cunningham ruled Kitty Bransfield out at first on a questionable bang-bang call, costing the Pirates the tying run and also ending the game. 2,000 fans stormed the field at Exposition Park after the decision, suspecting a bit of payback figured in the ump’s call, and Cunningham had to be chaperoned to the locker room by Fred Clarke and Honus Wagner to escape mob justice. It made the front page of the Pittsburgh Press which described the scene: “...an angry crowd followed umpire Cunningham and the Cincinnati players and despite the efforts of the Pittsburg players to protect the official and their visitors managed to land a few blows...The disgraceful scene occurred under the very eyes of President NE Young of the National League, who came here yesterday to investigate the reports about the poor umpiring of Nash (Cunningham’s partner in blue) and Cunningham, two recent additions.”

1911 - LHP Lou Tost was born in Cumberland, Washington. Lou had tossed for the Braves in 1942 (he also tossed in three games in ‘43 before becoming a sailor) and got a final appearance for the Bucs in 1947, giving up a run on three hits in his last MLB outing. He was another wartime guy who lost 1943-45 to the service; the Bucs purchased him from the Braves’ Sacramento club in the PCL after the 1946 season. In all, he played pro ball from 1934-49 except for his service years.

1936 - C Hal Smith (not the Bucs World Series Smith but a Redbird namesake) was born in Barling, Arkansas. Smith was a Cardinals catcher from 1956-61 before he was forced to retire and enter the coaching ranks with a heart condition. Smith appeared in four games in July, 1965 for the Pirates as a player-coach after Jim Pagliaroni, Del Crandall and Ozzie Virgil were injured, catching 12 frames and going 0-for-3 before returning to Harry Walker's staff. He left to join the Milwaukee Brewers in 1968 and finished as a scout for the Cardinals.

Rip Sewell - photo Walter Stein/AP

1939 - Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia in the Phillies’ first night game at Shibe Park 5-2 as Rip Sewell earned the under-the-lights win. The Bucs only had seven hits, but eight walks and a beaned batter gave them plenty of baserunning opportunities. Bill Brubaker homered while Paul Waner & Arky Vaughan scored the other four runs from the top of the order.

1943 - Huck Geary ended a 14-inning marathon at Forbes Field by stealing home to top the Boston Braves, 5-4. The bases were loaded with an out, probably not the textbook time for a mad dash, but skipper Frankie Frisch sent Geary and Huck slid in under the tag for the walkoff win. Sharing in the glory was Vince DiMaggio, who smoked a three-run homer, and Johnny Lanning, who tossed three scoreless frames for the win following Jack Hallett and Hank Gornicki.

1954 - Montreal Royals OF’er Roberto Clemente, then a Dodger farmhand who was playing in Montreal, was nevertheless found out (Roberto was on several radar screens) by Pirate scout Clyde Sukeforth. Sukeforth, ironically, wasn’t even a scout but a Pittsburgh pitching coach on special assignment in Richmond, where the Royals were playing, to check out pitcher Joe Black. Sukeforth strongly recommended that the Bucs take Clemente in the upcoming minor league draft, based more on his pre-game eyeball scouting of Roberto throwing and running than his actual game performance, and the rest is Pittsburgh baseball history.

1960 - Poor Hank Foiles didn’t know if he was coming or going. After the Pirates sent him to Kansas City in December to complete the Hal Smith deal, they got him back OTD with cash in exchange for C Danny Kravitz. The next day, he was shipped to the Indians for OF/PH John Powers, a lefty stick off the bench who had been with Pittsburgh from 1955-58. It was much ado over nothing; It was Kravitz’s final campaign in the big leagues, Powers was used as an insurance policy who spent the rest of the year stashed with the AAA Columbus Jets, and Foiles kept on frequent flying, going to the Tigers in July for Rocky Bridges and Red Wilson.

Smoky Burgess - 1961 Topps

1961 - The Bucs entertained 19,128 Forbes Field faithful by thumping the Milwaukee Braves by an 8-2 score. Smoky Burgess with two homers and Dick Groat with another got the crowd on their feet; both had three RBI on the day. Roberto Clemente got them out of the seats with his fielding. He ran down a Joe Adcock shot and taught rookie Joe Torre a lesson in baserunning as described by the Pittsburgh Press beatman Les Biederman: “Torre singled to right...rounded first and Dick Stuart cut off Clemente's throw home and politely tagged out Torre.” Harvey Haddix got the win; he tossed shutout ball after the first inning.

1963 - The Pirates had the best of both worlds, banging out four homers and getting a two-hitter from Bob Friend in a 10-1 runaway against the New York Mets at the Polo Grounds. The dingers were launched by Bill Virdon, Willie Stargell, Jerry Lynch and Bill Mazeroski. The Bucs collected 16 hits, with four from Donn Clendenon and three each from Lynch and Ducky Schofield. Friend struck out eight during his complete game victory.

1965 - Bob Veale set the Pirate nine-inning strikeout mark when he K'ed 16 Phillies at Forbes Field in a 4-0 victory, even though he sat through two rain delays that added two hours to the game. The big lefty also struck out 16 Reds in 12 innings on September 30th, 1964. Back before the gun, the 6’6” lefty was estimated to throw a heater in the 97-98 MPH range. The five-hitter was the Bucs 12th consecutive win; it came right on the heels of an eight-game losing streak. The Bucs lost the next day but still took eight of the next 10 games. The early hole they dug eventually did them in - they won 90 games but finished third behind the Dodgers, never coming closer than four games from first after April.

1971 - Dock Ellis tossed a three-hitter as the Bucs bombed the Cardinals 9-0 at TRS. It was a team effort - every Buc had a hit, all but Ellis scored, and six had RBI. Richie Hebner and Dave Cash had three hits while Manny Sanguillen and Vic Davalillo added a pair. It was the third straight shutout spun by the Bucs as Steve Blass and Bob Moose blanked the Cubs to close out the prior series.

6/1 From 1975: Morris-Joe, Sweep, Mack Attack, Mitch, Jason & Denny Streaks, 7 For Mo, Berra Bops, Game Days, Drafts

1978 - The Pirates released reserve infielder Jim Fregosi at the behest of California Angels’ owner Gene Autry. It was a good faith request to free up an old vet for bigger and better things - Fregosi, 36, was named as the replacement for Dave Garcia as Angels manager the next day.

1979 - The Pirates scored four times in the ninth inning to rally past the San Diego Padres 9-8 at TRS. Dave Parker cranked a one-out, three-run homer off John D'Acquisto to tie it, and Lee Lacy drew a bases-loaded free pass with two away off Rollie Fingers for the win after Ed Ott had been intentionally walked before him. Phil Garner went 4-for-5 and scored twice. Teke gave up four runs in three innings of work, but it was good enough for the win. After the game, Willie Stargell blasted out a tune he thought exemplified the club - “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge - and it caught on, not only among Pirates Nation but the public at large, selling a million copies each of the LP and single after it had originally sputtered (although Kim Sledge, who along with her sisters were from Philadelphia, said “The Phillies...should have used our song.”)

1980 - The Bucs had a big day, banging the Mets 13-3 at TRS in front of a cap day crowd of 49,626 at TRS. No one had a bigger day than Dale Berra, who had three hits, including a grand slam, and chased home five runs to atone for a pair of boots in the field, bettered by ex-Pirate and current Met Frankie Taveras’ three errors (it wasn’t a very good glove day for shortstops). Vance Law doubled for his first MLB hit while three other Buccos had a pair of knocks each, and the attack allowed Jim Bibby to cruise to a complete game win.

Dale Berra - 1980 Topps

1986 - Jim Morrison showed the way in a 12-3 win over the LA Dodgers at TRS, hitting a grand slam that he almost lost when when he passed Tony Pena for a heartbeat during his trot around the bases (Tony was standing on first and ready to tag if the big fly was caught, but the umps didn’t see the brief fly-by, although Tommy LaSorda did), a double and triple with seven runs chased home. How often does a big galoot bang a three-bagger but fall a single short of the cycle? RJ Reynolds also had three knocks and Rick Rhoden went the distance for the win.

1988 - The Pirates selected prep SS Austin Manahan first in the draft (his bonus wasn’t released; Manahan said in an interview that it was “six figures”). Manahan never made it past AA, and in fact Pittsburgh’s first five picks never made the show. They did find some players with a couple of later selections, selecting Tim Wakefield, Randy Tomlin, John Wehner and Blas Minor.

1992 - Prep catcher Jason Kendall was selected in the first round (#23) of the draft and signed for a $336K bonus two weeks later in one of Pittsburgh’s more enlightened picks. He spent nine of his 15 MLB seasons with the Pirates, hitting .306 and earning spots on three All-Star teams. After him came a group of fringy reserves - outfielders Adrian Brown & Trey Beamon, pitcher Marc Wilkins, and infielders Lou Collier and Kevin Polcovich.

1995 - Denny Neagle won his fifth straight decision, stopping the Reds and their nine-game winning streak by a 5-3 tally at Three Rivers Stadium. He got all the help he needed from Orlando Merced, who had the first two-homer game of his career and drove in four runs, and four relievers, with Dan Miceli nailing it down for his seventh save of the campaign. Denny made his only Bucco All-Star outing that year.

Paul Wagner - 1996 Collectors Choice

1996 - Paul Wagner tossed a one-hitter with ten strikeouts in seven innings of work at TRS, but still lost to Colorado, 2-0. He couldn’t find the plate in the third; two walks followed by a wild pitch cost him dearly after Dante Bichette hit a ball through the shortstop hole to score the pair. The Bucs had nine hits during the match, but stranded 10 runners. It was both the first time the Pirates were kept off the board and the first shutout tossed by the Rox during the season.

1998 - Jason Schmidt won his seventh straight game 4-3 beating the Mets at TRS, breaking a nine-game string of victories by New York. The righty scattered six hits and fanned eight, with ninth inning help from Ricardo Rincon, who earned a save.  The Bucs were led at the plate by Tony Womack, who had two hits and a homer; Al Martin and Mark Smith also had a pair of knocks. Schmidt was 8-1/3.59 at this point but would go on to drop his next eight decisions. He wouldn’t win another game until August 12th and finished the season 11-14/4.07.

2005 - Florida lost its ninth straight game at PNC Park‚ 9-1. Rob Mackowiak hit his second career grand slam and Jack Wilson went 4-for-4 to pace the attack behind Josh Fogg and Salomon Torres’ pitching. The last Marlin win in Pittsburgh was September 8th, 2002; the Fish snapped the streak the next day by a 6-3 count.

2006 - The Pirates swept the Milwaukee Brewers in a four-game set by scoring twice in the ninth to take a 4-3 decision at PNC Park. With two away, Jose Castillo doubled home Jeromy Burnitz, followed by the game-winning knock by Ryan Doumit, both off Derrick Turnbow. John Grabow, the Bucs fourth pitcher, earned the win. The Pirates outscored the Brew Crew 34-8 in the series. 

Neil Walker - 2010 Upper Deck Rookie

2010 - Neil Walker hit his first big league home run and it was a game-winner; his two-run blast in the eighth inning gave the Pirates a 3-2 win over the Cubs at PNC Park. Walker went on to hit 93 long balls as a Bucco, second among second-sackers in franchise history to Bill Mazeroski. His blow gave Joel Hanrahan the victory with an Octavio Dotel save. Garrett Jones also homered.

2013 - Francisco Liriano tied the franchise record by striking out seven consecutive Reds, but Mike Leake won the duel at PNC Park by a 2-0 count. Liriano went six innings, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, punching out 11. Not a ball left the infield in the inning he surrendered the run, and only a disputed two-out call at first allowed Cincy to score at all.

2014 - Miami got righty reliever Bryan Morris for a competitive balance selection (#39) that turned into first baseman Connor Joe, who was flipped to the Braves in 2017 for Sean Rodriguez. Morris retired in 2017, S-Rod hung them up for a Phillies coaching gig in 2022, and Joe returned to the Buccos fold in 2023 via the trade route, playing regularly in an OF/1B role before moving on to the Reds. He's now with Seattle.

2024 - Mitch Keller showed that last year’s early performance was no fluke - Kells won his fifth straight start, improving to 7-3/3.42 after being 7-1/3.25 on June 1, 2023. According to OptaStats, Keller is the fifth MLB pitcher since 2013 to reach seven-plus wins by June 1 in back-to-back seasons; the others being Justin Verlander (2018-19) Clayton Kershaw (2016-17), Felix Hernandez (2014-15) and Adam Wainwright (2013-14). Kells is also the first Pirate to have seven-plus wins through June 1 in consecutive years since Howie Camnitz from 1908-1909. It was his 43rd straight start of five or more innings, the longest active streak in MLB. The Bucs won the game at Rogers Centre easily, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 8-1 behind two-run homers by Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds, along with a three-hit performance by Jared Triolo.

5/31 Through 1964: Rain Day, Twin Bill Twirlin', Waner's 20th, Harris Hot, Two-Sport Vic, 9-2Bs, Roberto Rocket, Game Day; HBD Joe & Russ

1888 - The Alleghenys forfeited a game to the New York Giants when they failed to show up at the Polo Grounds while it was raining, staying high and dry in their hotel. The Pittsburgh Press wrote “Manager Phillips claimed that he had word that there would be no game and that it rained from 3:30 to 4 (the game’s starting time). President Nimick will protest the game.” He did but the league didn’t buy the alibi and Pittsburgh forfeited the match. 

1905 - The Pirates and Cardinals proved that no lead is insurmountable in baseball. The Bucs entered the eighth frame seemingly up safely 6-1 at Exposition Park before Patsy Flaherty faded badly on the hill. The Redbirds made it 6-5 after eight and kept pushing. By the time reliever Deacon Phillippe put out a second fire in the ninth, the home nine were on the wrong end of a 9-6 count. But they had a rally left in them, too - two singles and a walk came in via an error, bunt single and sac fly to knot the score, then Fred Clarke became the hero with a two-out triple to cap the Pirates wild 10-9 win. 2B Claude Richey had four hits and RF Otis Clymer added three more. Wee Tommy Leach hit the first homer of the season in Expo Park when his drive got past the Cards CF’er and rolled almost to the flagpole 450’ away in center. In an era of rare long balls, local rooters gifted him a gold watch and other sundries the next day for his feat. Somehow, Flaherty, who was charged with eight of the runs, was awarded the win while Phillippe was credited with a save (took awhile, tho - the save wasn’t recognized until 1952 and didn’t become an official MLB stat until 1969). 

1909 - Babe Adams won both ends of a doubleheader at Exposition Park against the St. Louis Cardinals. He worked the final two frames of a 5-4 triumph in the opener, then tossed a complete game 4-2 victory in the second match. Dots Miller had five hits during the twin bill with Hans Wagner adding three more knocks. The two games drew 20,633 rooters to the North Side. 

1915 - The Pirates swept the first place Cubs by identical 1-0 scores at Forbes Field in front of 15,000 fans as Wilbur Cooper (three hits, eight K) and Al Mamaux (five hits, five K) hurled complete game whitewashes. The Pirates won the first game when RF Bill Hinchman was plunked with the bases loaded to force home C George Gibson (they wouldn’t win another 1-0 game via HBP again until 2017) and the second on a wild pitch that allowed Hinchman to plate from third. As Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press noted, “This was getting the breaks...it was the luck of the Buccaneers to profit twice from slips made by Chicago twirlers.” 

Joe Harris 1927 photo George Rinhart/Detroit Public Library 

1927 - The Pirates overcame a 6-1 sixth-inning deficit by scoring nine times in the final four frames to nip the Cubs 10-9 at Forbes Field. 1B Joe Harris was on fire, going 5-for-5 with two triples, a double, four RBI and two runs scored. Carmen Hill, Pittsburgh’s fourth pitcher, got the win after fanning a pair while posting a quiet ninth to close the game out. 

1930 - Umpire Russ Goetz was born in McKeesport. After 13 seasons of honing his craft in the minors, he worked as an AL umpire from 1968 to 1983. Goetz was part of the blue crew for two All Star Games, four AL playoff series, and two World Series, including the Bucs 1979 battle against the Baltimore Orioles. Russ went into umpiring after serving in the Navy during the Korean War with deployments in Korea and China. He started his sporting days as a basketball player for the McKeesport Tigers and remained in Tube City after he retired. 

1932 - Paul “Big Poison” Waner banged out his 20th double of the month at Forbes Field in the fifth inning against Cincinnati’s Red Lucas to set the MLB record. The Pirates won the game 4-1 as Waner went 3-for-4 with a run, two RBI and a stolen sack to back Larry French’s mound work. Big Poison collected 43 hits in May - 21 singles, 20 doubles and two triples. 

1937 - The Reds beat the Pirates 8-3 in the opener of a doubleheader at Crosley Field. It was the only game Cincinnati won against the Pirates that season. Starting with a 7-5 loss in the nightcap - Pep Young’s three-run homer was the big blow - Cincy lost the next 17 straight to the Buccos, and dropped 21 of 22 games‚ tying the MLB record set by the Cubs over the Braves in 1909 and the Yankees over the Browns in 1927. The Reds would drop the first three to open 1938 for a 20-game losing streak against Pittsburgh, another MLB record. 

1942 - Satchel Paige rejoined his old Crawfords teammates when they played against the Dizzy Dean All-Stars in an exhibition game at Washington’s Griffith Park. The match drew 22,000 fans (the major league Senators averaged just 5-6,000 per game) and the Satchels beat the Dizzys, 8-1. Clark Griffith, the Sens’ owner, told Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard after the game that he was going to “break up your league” and sign black ball players, but like several other owners who made similar vows to integrate, he never made good on the promise. 

Danny Murtaugh - 1948 Leaf

1948 - At Wrigley Field, the Cubs set a paid attendance record when 46‚965 fans passed through the turnstiles during a doubleheader split with the Pirates on Memorial Day. The Bucs lost the opener 4-3 after Chicago scored in the ninth off Kirby Higbe. Pittsburgh rallied in the nightcap behind Elmer Riddle to win, 4-2. Danny Murtaugh chased home a pair of runs and scored once to provide Riddle with some working room to break even on the day. 

1953 - Vic Janowicz became the first Heisman Trophy winner to play MLB when he appeared as a pinch runner for the Pirates in the opening game of a doubleheader v the Dodgers. He was a better gridder than ballplayer; he hit .214 in his 1953-54 MLB stint with the Buccos. He went on to play a little NFL ball, but a car accident in 1956 ended his pro sports days. 

1961 - Pittsburgh bashed out nine doubles (two by Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski, with one each from Joe Gibbon, Dick Groat, Hal Smith, Gino Cimoli and Dick Stuart) in a 9-1 laugher at Forbes Field against the Milwaukee Braves. Joe Gibbon tossed a six-hitter with 10 strikeouts and cruised to the win. 

1962 - Joe Orsulak was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. A sixth round pick of the Pirates in the 1980 draft, he was seen as the Bucs’ future lead-off man and center fielder. In his time with Pittsburgh (1983-86), he couldn’t beat out Marvel Wynne before Barry Bonds came along, though he did hit .272. He lasted 14 years in the show, hitting .273 lifetime mainly as a bench/platoon outfielder while playing with the Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, NY Mets, Florida Marlins, and Montreal Expos. 

1964 - Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pirates 6-4 at Forbes Field, but had to survive a towering blast by Roberto Clemente to do it. The Great One hit a ball halfway up the light tower 450’ away in center field. Post Gazette writer Jack Hernon estimated the ball would have traveled 500’ if the light standard hadn’t been in its way; the Dodgers beat man Frank Finch of the Los Angeles Times was also covering the game and agreed with Hernon.

5/31 From 1965: Bailey, Mitch Hot, Rivas Rocks, Jose the Hammer, Bond's 1st, Pops Pop, Game Days, Roberto Day, J-Hay Retires, HBD Kenny

1967 - OF Kenny Lofton was born in East Chicago, Indiana. The Bucs signed him as a free agent for $1.025M and he had a nice year in 2003, hitting .277 with 18 swiped sacks while posting a 26-game hitting streak. He was lost in an epic Bucco salary dump when he was traded to the Cubs at the deadline with Aramis Ramirez for Bobby Hill, Jose Hernandez and Matt Bruback; Lofton and A-Ram helped Chicago to the 2003 National League Central title. Kenny played until he was 40-years-old, retiring after the 2007 campaign with 17 seasons, 11 playoff years and six All-Star berths on his resume. After Lofton left baseball, he remained an entertainer, moving from stadia to studios by getting into film and television, his major at the U of Arizona, as both a producer and actor. 

1973 - The Bucs topped the Atlanta Braves 3-1, backing up Nellie Briles three-hitter with Willie Stargell’s three-run blast in the eighth at TRS. Stargell’s ball went 468’ and landed in the upper deck. Of the 12 shots that carried into the cheap seats in Three Rivers Stadium history, Pops launched the most; this was his fourth and final second-tier homer. It broke up a gem by Gary Gentry; he had a shutout going into the eighth when a one-out infield single and 3-2 walk that raised the hackles of Bravo manager Eddie Matthews was followed by Willie’s blast. Briles went the distance for the win, sending Atlanta to their seventh straight loss. 

1985 - A Federal grand jury indicted seven for cocaine distribution and sales in baseball, none of which were Pirates (the players that testified were granted immunity). GM Joe Brown hoped the indictments would “...remove the shadow that has existed over the Pirates…” but his hope was in vain. The coke trials tainted the team’s freewheeling clubhouse culture and several Bucs, notably Dave Parker and Rod Scurry, in the eyes of the fans. 

1986 - Barry Bonds collected his first MLB hit, a first-inning double off Rick Honeycutt, as the Bucs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 at PNC Park. Bonds must have been excited; he was picked off second base a batter later. Bonds had debuted a day earlier, posting an 0-fer. Bill Almon’s two-run homer and Bob Kipper’s seven shutout innings keyed the win. Kip earned the victory and Pat Clements picked up the save by getting the final five outs. 

Barry Bonds 1986 Fleer

1988 - Not only did the Braves turn off the lights on the Pirates in an 11-1 thumping at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, but the Bucs were further left in the dark in the bottom of the eighth when the ballyard lights went out for 15 minutes. The game was already decided well before the blackout as the Bravos jumped ahead 8-0 after two frames, and as Barry Bonds noted of the blown fuse: “It just prolonged the agony.” It also once again proved that baseball is a funny game; Pittsburgh was the thumper the night before, winning the match by a 14-2 count. 

1992 - The Pirates and Giants had a true throwback game - the Bucs wore their 1939 uniforms with red lettering and blue piping while the Giants wore their 1939 pinstripes with “New York” emblazoned across their chests. The old-timey G-Men beat the Bucs 5-3, scoring three unearned runs off Zane Smith. It marked the first month since April, 1990, that the Pirates didn’t lead the division. Jimmy Leyland made no excuses: “We’re not in first place because we haven’t played like a first place team...” the skipper said of his 11-17 charges. That changed in a hurry - a sizzling finish put the Pirates comfortably atop the division by the time the smoke cleared, with 96 victories and a nine-game pad over the Nats. 

1994 - It wasn’t a good day to be a Pirate pitcher. San Diego scored 13 runs in the second inning on the way to a 15-5 whipping of the Bucs at Jack Murphy Stadium. Steve Cooke and John Hope were the hapless hurlers in that unlucky frame. The Bucs showed some spunk as Jay Bell spanked a grand slam and Brian Hunter added a solo shot, but too little, too late. 

2006 - Jose Castillo homered in his fifth straight game as the Pirates defeated Milwaukee 6-2 at PNC Park. Castillo hit a two-run shot off Chris Capuano in the second inning to continue a streak that began on the 26th against Houston’s Taylor Bucholtz, the third longest in franchise history behind Dale Long’s eight game streak and Jason Bay’s six-gamer (which had ended the day before). Ian Snell and three relievers combined on a three-hitter against the Brew Crew. 

2008 - SS Luis Rivas had four RBI, two runs scored, a homer and double as the Bucs pounded St. Louis 14-4 at Busch Stadium to ruin Tony LaRussa’s 2,000th game as St. Louis skipper. Ronny Paulino added three RBI with three hits and a homer of his own while Jose Bautista chipped in with four raps. Xavier Nady and Freddie Sanchez chipped in three hits. 

Luis Rivas - 2008 photo John Grieshop/Getty

2016 - Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that this date would be Roberto Clemente Day throughout MLB. The highlight of the celebration was to be a game between the Pirates and Miami Marlins at San Juan’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Unfortunately, the game was moved to Miami after a Zika outbreak on the island, and his special day was pushed back. His day of remembrance began in 2002, and starting in 2009 was marked by pre-game ceremonies around MLB with the teams presenting their Roberto Clemente Award to its nominee, with the overall winner announced after the World Series. In 2020, MLB made the date September 15th permanently to align with Hispanic Heritage Month. 

2023 - The Pirates whipped the Giants 9-4 at Oracle Park. Andrew McCutchen, Connor Joe and Ji Hwan Bae combined for eight hits, two walks and seven runs while Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes chased home five teammates. Mitch Keller ran his record to 7-1, with four relievers working the final three frames to shut the gate. For the Bucs, it was a big sigh of relief; it was the first series they had won in May. For Kell, it was another red letter day in his breakout start. He became the first pitcher in franchise history to put up 90+ whiffs before June 1st when he fanned eight to run his season total to 93, topping AJ Burnett’s mark of 89 Ks in 2013. He also added to his record skein of striking out 8+ batters, running it up to seven consecutive contests after passing up Ollie Perez's 2004 five-game streak, the previous high water mark, in his prior outing. 

2025 - Exactly 14 years after he made his Pittsburgh/MLB debut, IF Josh Harrison announced his retirement. J-Hay spent the first eight of his 13 big league seasons with the Pirates (2011-2018; .277) and was named to the National League All-Star squad twice (2014, 2017). He made his last appearance in the show in 2023 with Philadelphia, fittingly against the Bucs at PNC Park. 

2025 - With his 5-0 victory over the San Diego Padres, Bailey Falter’s 0.76 ERA in May became the third-lowest by any Pirate pitcher with six starts in a single month of the Live-Ball Era (since 1920), behind Zane Smith (0.66, September ‘90) & Paul Skenes (0.75, September ‘24) per the Pirates. Pittsburgh switched managers, going from Derek Shelton to Don Kelly, tied a MLB offensive ineptitude record and finished May with a 10-18 record, but Bailey posted a 3-0 slate and the Bucs were 4-2 during his six starts to help keep the leakin’ Buc brigantine afloat in choppy seas. His personal seas proved rougher - he was traded to KC in a deadline deal, lost his stroke and was DFA’ed on May 27, 2026.