Weekly Report: Bucs Win 82, Shufflin' Arms To The End, K Records Met & Set, Oneil 20/30, B-Rey - 162 Gamer, Jared Big Finish, Kirby Retires

Say goodnight, Gracie...

Pirates Stuff:

• The Pirates reinstated RHP Kirby Yates off the 15-day IL; RHP Camilo Doval was DFA'ed (0-1/3.79). Doval had the tools, striking out 10.9/nine innings but also walking 6.6 per game. He was expected to be non-tendered with a $7M+ arb salary due next year. It worked out for him; he was claimed by the Giants, a former team of his that he closed for (107 saves/2021-25) and had an All-Star season for in 2023. A couple of days later, the Bucs called LHP Evan Sisk up after the Indy year was done and optioned RHP Khristian Curtis to the FCL Rookie club (the minor-league season is done). RHP Wilber Dotel met the same fate; he was optioned to Florida on Saturday (he pitched Friday) and was replaced by LHP Hunter Barco. Sisk was returned to the minors on Sunday after pitching and RHP Noah Murdock was called up.
• In Ben Cherington's weekend presser, he seemed confident of returning, noting that his discussions with Bob Nutting all focused on 2027 moves, and he gave Don Kelly a pretty strong vote of confidence.

His full first year is in the books - photo 2026/Pirates

• The local BBWAA chapter picked their 2026 Pirates award winners: Brandon Lowe won the Roberto Clemente Award (Team MVP), Braxton Ashcraft won the Steve Blass Award (Team Cy Young) and Jake Mangum won the Chuck Tanner Award (Media Good Guy).
• When Lake Bachar fanned the Card's Alec Burleson in the first inning of Wednesday's game, the 2026 Pirates set a franchise season record of 1,444 strikeouts, breaking the 2019 mark. 
• Speaking of Ks, Paul Skenes became the first Pirates pitcher to post consecutive 200+ K seasons since Bob Veale did it three times, from 1964-1966. Out of the pen, Yohan Ramírez (66 appearances/102 strikeouts) and Mason Montgomery (70/105) joined Rich "Goose" Gossage (72/151-1977), Enrique Romo (84/106-1979) & Joel Hanrahan (72/100-2010) as the only Pirates relievers since 1901 with 65 outings/100 strikeouts in a year.
• Oneil Cruz repeated as a member of the 20/30 club with a swipe against the Tigers on Friday. He joins Andy Van Slyke in going 20/30 in consecutive years and trails Barry Bonds, who went 20/30 from 1990-92. In a little worse news, he left Saturday's game after banging his knee after taking a divot in the outfield turf in Detroit. The Bucs checked it out, called it a contusion and sat him down Sunday for safety's sake to end his season.

Bryan Reynolds - 2026 image/SportsNet Pittsburgh

• Bryan Reynolds became the first Bucco to have a 40-double season since Nate McLouth back in 2008. B-Rey is also the first switch-hitter since Bobby Bonilla in 1991 to have a 40-double season. Oh, and the first Bucco to appear in all 162 games (his previous high was 159 outings in 2021) since Jason Bay in 2005.
• Another wait til next year post: Will Leitch of MLB.com picked six teams that could make some noise next year; the Buccos are one of them.
• Indy 1B/DH Nick Cimillo and LHP Connor Wietgrefe were named the International League Player and Pitcher of the Week, a day after Ronny Simon won the IL batting crown and RHP Beau Burrows posted the most saves. Last week, Nick hit .381 with four doubles, two home runs, 13 RBI & seven runs while Connor spun six hitless shutout frames w/seven K, Ronny hit .334 over the campaign and Beau's line was 7-4-14/3.55 w/62 K in 66 IP.
• 3B Murf Gray was named as the Pirates 2026 Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. Murf, 22, went from Bradenton to Greensboro to Altoona this year and slashed .305 BA /32 HR /97 RBI /100 runs.

Game Stuff:

• Man, Jared Jones - seven frames, no runs, one hit (a bloop), no walks, nine K... He left two innings and a 2-0 lead to the pen (the Bucs scored on a Ryan O'Hearn rap and a wild pitch), and that's how it ended.
• Brandon Lowe's bomb put the Bucs up early, but the bats stopped there and the Pirates lost the bullpen game 5-1. 
• Paul Skenes got the home finale on Thursday afternoon. He went into the seventh with a three-hit, eight K (200 Ks back-to-back, congrats) and one run effort - and yah, it was 1-1, the usual Skenes support. But the pen & Ronny Simon/Spence Horowitz came through and the Pirates took PNC's '26 closer 2-1. Mason Montgomery struck out the side for the save to post whiff #100 on the year. The Pirates won their 81st game, snapping a streak of seven consecutive losing seasons.

Paul Skenes - 2026 Pirates

• The Pirates reverted to their Klown Kar act by misplaying balls all night with seven walks added in, and Motown said "thank you kindly" as they held off the late-charging Bucs by an 8-7 count. Rafe Flores led the not-quite-enough comeback with a three-run dinger.
• A couple of contrasting vets: Kirby Yates got his first MLB start after 715 relief appearances against Justin Verlander, who is making his 556th (and final) outing, all as a starter in the last contest for both twirlers as Kirby announced his retirement after the game and JV's retirement ceremony was held pre-game (he's still not 100% committed to a pension). Yates left a scoreless game in the second to the crowd's applause; good on the Tiger fans. The Pirates took a 3-1 lead into the ninth behind Brandon Lowe and Jacob Gonzalez homers and were a strike away from a dub, but it wasn't to be. Mason Montgomery, who hadn't given up an earned run since 7/26, was touched up for a three-spot and walkoff dinger to lose 4-3.
• Good start to the finale; Konnor Griffin led off with a homer. Jared Jones kept on keepin' on, going four frames of scoreless, one-hit, five-K ball and leaving with a 4-0 lead. The Tigers cut it to 4-2, but Lake Bachar and Mason Montgomery shut it down after that to salvage a winning campaign for the Bucs, the first since 2018.

MLB Stuff:

And the playoffs are set; Milwaukee and Tampa Bay are the #1 seeds.

9/28 Through the 1960s: Tiny Wins One For Bill, Homer In The Gloamin', Game Days, Fred Fete, HBD Buck, Cy, Everett, Pete, Cy, Lou & Bill

1863 - RHP Bill Nelson was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. He tossed three games for the Alleghenys in September of 1884, going 1-2/4.50. His peripherals were a little bit rougher - in 26 IP, he gave up 21 runs (13 were earned), hit four batters and tossed five wild pitches. He was released at the end of the season; the Alleghenys were about to buy the Columbus roster, leaving no room for a pitching project. Little is known what happened to Bill afterward; it appears he got on with his life at home as he ended his days in 1941 back in Terre Haute.

1865 - 2B Lou Bierbauer was born in Erie (some sources claim he was born in Philly, que sera, sera). The Pirates signed him in 1891, as he wasn’t on the reserved roster of his American Association club, the Philadelphia Athletics (he had skipped to the outlaw Players League Brooklyn Ward’s Wonders in 1890). His signing rights were decided by an arbitrator, and though the AA thought the Steel City’s act was “piratical,” Pittsburgh was awarded the unprotected Bierbauer and a new nickname, the Pirates. From 1891-96, Bierbauer was a defensive master and hit .260 for the Pirates.

1883 - RHP Harlan “Cy the Third” Young was born in Portland, Indiana. The Pirates purchased Harlan’s contract from Wichita of the Western Association in 1908 and he did OK in a limited time, going 0-2/2.23 in three starts. Then it gets interesting. In Cy Young’s era, every pitcher named Young became a Cy of one stripe or another. Cy the Third, Harlan, was traded to Boston for Cy the Second (aka Young Cy), Irv Young. The association by name didn’t help Cy Two much nor Three at all. Irv did go 4-3/2.15 for Pittsburgh and lasted two more seasons with the White Sox, winning 63 games in six years. Harlan remained winless with Boston, and then bumped around in minor league ball until 1920. He retired to Florida, where he passed on at the ripe old age of 91.

1889 - OF Anna Sebastian “Pete” Compton was born in San Marcos, Texas. Compton had a six-year run in MLB, playing for five clubs, with a brief stop in Pittsburgh in 1916, going 1-for-16 in five games. Though old Pete was just a .241 hitter in the show, he was handy with the wood in the minors - he played through the 1928 season, leaving pro ball after eight straight .300+ seasons, over 2,500 hits, and a career .307 minor league BA. And no, we don’t know how Anna morphed into Pete; we’d guess Ma and Pa Compton were hoping for a girl.

1891 - OF Everett Booe was born in Mocksville, North Carolina. His MLB days were from 1913-14; he spent his rookie campaign as a Bucco, batting .200 in 29 games before jumping to the Federal League. Booe was a speedster and did have a long playing career in the minors, stretching from 1910-30 with the last handful of seasons spent as a player/manager. After he was done, he retired with his wife to Kennedy, Texas, where he ran a lumber supply company, was active in community affairs, both civic and baseball and where he died in 1969 at age 77. 

Cy Rheam - 1914-15 via Find-A-Grave

1893 - 1B/OF Cy Rheam was born in Pittsburgh. Cy went to Indiana Normal School (now IUP) and the utilityman rostered for a couple of seasons with the Pittsburgh Rebels in 1914-15, batting .201 while playing six different positions. That was the sum of Cy’s MLB career, and he apparently stayed local after his playing days. He died in the City in 1947 and was buried in Allegheny Cemetery.

1902 - RHP Leon Chagnon was born in Pittsfield, New Hampshire. He worked for the Bucs from 1929-30, then again from 1932-34 after spending 1931 in the minors. Mostly called to action from the bullpen, he went 19-14-2 with a 4.61 ERA during his Pirate career. He closed out his big league stay with the Giants in 1935, then spent two years in the minors before hangin' up the spikes.

1909 - Player/manager Fred Clarke was honored at Forbes Field before the game, when, according to Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press, “...Mayor WA (William) Magee presented him with a bag of gold coin ($600). Just as the money was being handed to Clarke, James Geary placed a wreath of evergreen on his brow and showered dozens of rosebuds all over him while the fans shouted themselves hoarse at the scene.” After all that, the Pirates went out and lost to the New York Giants 13-9 but all’s well that ends well. The Pirates clinched the pennant when the Chicago Cubs lost to the Phillies 3-2 and then went on to beat Ty Cobb’s Detroit Tigers in the World Series.

1938 - The Bucs lost the “Homer in the Gloaming” game to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, considered a highlight of one of the greatest pennant race finishes in baseball. The teams were tied for first and tied in the bottom of the ninth. The umpires ruled that the ninth inning would be the last to be played because of darkness; if it was still tied, it would become a no-contest and would be replayed the next day in its entirety. Chicago player/manager Gabby Hartnett came to bat with two out, fell behind 0-2, and then connected off Mace Brown, launching the ball into the left-center field bleachers for the walk off win and sending 34‚465 fans home in ecstasy, many of whom circled the bases with him. The Cubs won the next day (their 10th straight), the Pirates faded, and Chicago became the NL champs. The loss was so painful for manager Pie Traynor that it’s said to have been a major factor in his retirement after the 1939 season.

Grant Jackson - 1981 Topps

1942 - LHP Grant Jackson was born in Fostoria, Ohio. Buck tossed for the Pirates from 1977-81 and made his last MLB outing as a Buc in 1982. His line here was 29-19-36/3.23, and he tossed scoreless ball in his six appearances during the 1971 NLCS/World Series campaign. After he retired, Jackson was hired as Pittsburgh's pitching coach in 1983. He held similar positions with four other organizations (Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, and Baltimore Orioles) before he retired for good after the 2002 season. He got his nickname while in the minors; one of his teammates thought he walked like a cowboy buckaroo and so dubbed him “Buck.”

1947 - Tiny Bonham tossed a two-hit whitewash as the Bucs defeated the Reds 7-0 at Forbes Field to end a doleful season in Bill Burwell’s only game as a manager (he replaced Billy Herman, who resigned) on a high note. Pittsburgh finished 62-92, 32 games out of first. Dixie Howell and Frank Gustine homered in front of 33,794 fans. The Bucs took just 64 games the year before, but won 83 contests the following season under new skipper Billy Meyer. Herman wasn’t left in the cold; he still had a year left on his contract and pocketed $28K for 1948.

1952 - The Post-Gazette lede told the story: “The Pittsburgh Pirates wound up the clubs losingest (sic) season in modern baseball history by doing just that - losing.” The Bucs at least put up a fight at Crosley Field as Gus Bell dinged a two-run homer in the ninth to tie the game briefly before the Cincinnati Reds stormed back in the ninth to claim a 3-2 win from Forrest Main. The Pirates finished the year with a 48-106 slate. Still, it was a profitable day for a couple of Bucs - in contests held before the game, Brandy Davis won $100 as the fastest player while Joe Garagiola ($50) and Frank Thomas ($25) came in 1-2 in distance-hitting.

1966 - Pittsburgh swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies by 2-1 and 4-2 scores at Connie Mack Stadium. The strong mound work of Steve Blass and Bob Veale pulled the club within 1-1/2 games of first place Los Angeles. In the first game, Donn Clendenon homered and Manny Mota chased Matty Alou home for the Bucco offense. The big blows in the nightcap were a triple by Bill Mazeroski that plated a run and led to a second tally when Maz came home on a bad relay, followed by a two-out Roberto Clemente double that scored Matty Alou, who tallied after a single and error. But it was the last hurrah for Pittsburgh; the San Francisco Giants swept the final three-game set at Forbes Field and the Bucs finished in third place, three games off the pace.

9/28 From 1970: Burgh Bombers, Home Field HRs, JJ Jamboree, Andy Dandy, Duelin', Game Days, SI Danny, Mics Manned, Blass Day

1970 - Danny Murtaugh was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the story “The Desperate Race.” It actually wasn’t that desperate; the Bucs’ lead had grown from two games into five by the time the issue was published after winning 6-of-7 down the stretch. That was the final margin over the Cubs before the Bucs dropped the NLCS to Cincinnati’s 102-win Big Red Machine.

1978 - KDKA rehired Milo Hamilton and Lanny Frattare, both rumored to be on thin ice, to one-year contracts. Milo, who had a hard time filling the Gunner’s shoes, moved along after the 1979 season, jumping to the Cubs booth. He left there, too, and found a long-term gig in Houston. That job led Hamilton to the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award, the National Radio Hall of Fame and the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. Lanny became a lead announcer in 1980 after Hamilton left and broadcast 5,000+ Bucco games before retiring after the 2008 campaign to become a professor at Waynesburg College.

1986 - The Pirates Bob Patterson and the Mets Bob Ojeda were involved in a dandy duel at TRS in front of 30,606 fans. The Bucs Jim Morrison added some drama with a two-out homer off Ojeda in the ninth to tie it 1-1 before Darryl Strawberry launched an 11th inning, three-run bomb off Bob Walk to give NY the win. There was even a little more drama after the game. The Four Tops & Chuck Berry were scheduled to perform after the home season finale. Berry was scheduled to start at 5 PM but when the game ran long, he refused to take the stage as showtime was pushed back 45 minutes and walked out, despite having already been paid $10K up front. The Four Tops, a pro act, played a longer set to make up for Berry’s snit. The Pirates went on to sue him for $20,000 and ended up recouping the deposit and some of the damages.

1997 - The Freak Show ended its run with the club’s 79th victory, a 5-4 win over Houston in 11 innings at the Astrodome. Jose Guillen swung the hot bat with a homer, two runs scored and three RBI to give Jason Christiansen the win, saved by Rich Loiselle, who were the fourth and fifth Buc pitchers following starter Jose Silva. The club wouldn’t match that victory total again until 2012.

2000 - Pittsburgh scored twice in the ninth for a 3-2 victory over Houston to claim the last Bucco walkoff win in TRS history. The ‘Stros had taken a 2-1 ninth-inning lead with a two-out single, but the Pirates had an answer. With two away and two aboard via walks, Jason Kendall knotted the score with a rap that plated Mike Benjamin. The next batter, Warren Morris, put it away with a walkoff knock that brought home John Vander Wal for the rally capper. Jose Silva, although dented for 10 hits, stranded nine Astros runners and went the distance.

Andy LaRoche - 2009 Topps

2009 - The Pirates won their home and season finale 11-1 against the Dodgers, with Andy LaRoche hitting two homers and driving in six runs. John Russell drew the ire of the 16,696 fans in attendance at PNC Park when he inexplicably pulled starter Zach Duke, who was at 103 pitches, with two outs in the ninth after a sacrifice fly spoiled his shutout bid.

2012 - The Bucs drew 34,796 fans to PNC Park, but the star of the show was Reds pitcher Homer Bailey, who tossed a no-hitter to outduel AJ Burnett and earn a hard-fought 1-0 complete game win. Bailey walked one and fanned 10 as the Pirates were no-hit for the first time since 1971. It was the year of the no-hitter; Bailey’s was the seventh of the season, tying a modern-day MLB record that was matched in 2015 and broken in 2021 when nine no-nos were posted.

2013 - Behind a six homer barrage (Neil Walker popped a pair while Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Marlon Byrd and Andrew Lambo each added one), the Pirates won home field advantage for their wild card game against the Reds by defeating Cincinnati, 8-3, at GABP. It was the first time since August, 2007, versus the Rockies at Coors Field, that Pittsburgh banged out that many long balls in a game. It was his first career multi-homer game for Walker and the first career MLB home run for Lambo. Alvarez became the first Pirate third baseman to drive in 100 runs since Aramis Ramirez chased home 110 tallies in 2001, and El Toro’s 36 homers were a club record for a third baseman. Vin Mazzaro came on in the fifth inning and was credited with the win. 

2016 - Although eliminated from playoff contention the day before, the Pirates still had some spunk left in them and whipped the 100-win Cubs and Jake Arrieta at PNC Park 8-4. John Jaso led the attack by hitting for the first cycle in PNC Park history (it was the first Bucco cycle since Daryle Ward’s in 2004 and the first at home since Jason Kendall’s in 2000 at TRS) while chasing home five runs and scoring twice. Rookie Jameson Taillon spun a one-hitter through six innings and survived some occasionally shaky bullpen work to earn the win. Josh Bell, Sean Rodriguez and Eric Fryer each added a pair of knocks with S-Rod touching home three times for the Buccaneers.

Steve & the Mayor have a day - 9/28/2019 City of Pgh photo

2019 - The Pirates and Mayor Bill Peduto declared it “Steve Blass Day,” and the Bucs helped celebrate it by announcing during a pregame ceremony that Steve would be part of the initial franchise Hall of Fame class, as selected by the fans and located in PNC Park in 2020. Blass retired the following day, after announcing the Pirates final home broadcast of the season. The Pittsburgh HoF was placed on hold because of Covid, and the first induction ceremony was delayed until 2022.

2020 - It was a dismal campaign for the Bucs, and beset by injuries and underperformance, they finished the year at 19-41, the worst record in MLB. But there was one shining Steel City star; 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes, who was promoted to the big team on September 1st, hit .376 w/5 HR, 17 runs scored, 11 RBI and an OPS+ of 202 in 24 games per Baseball Reference to go with some dazzling glove work at the hot corner (+4 DRS). Although he was promoted too late in the year for serious consideration as Rookie of the Year, he was named the National League’s Rookie of the Month for September.

2021 - The Pirates were playing out the string during their last home stand of the year but continued to give nine innings worth of effort in an 8-6 win over the Cubs at PNC Park. They jumped ahead 3-0 on Colin Moran’s first inning homer, but were down 6-3 after Mitch Keller failed to record an out in the fifth frame. No sweat; the Pirates kept comin’ and put up a four-spot in the sixth, keyed by Hoy Park’s two-run, two-out triple and a following rap by Michael Chavis. An error led to a later insurance run while five Buccaneer relievers tossed five frames of scoreless, three-hit ball with Enyel De Los Santos credited with the victory and Chris Stratton with the save. Captain Redbeard ended up with four RBI and Bryan Reynolds banged out three hits and scored three times. It was the 10th time the Bucs had rallied back from a three-run deficit during the year.

2024 - In the next-to-last game of a treading-water sort of season, the Pirates muscled up on New York in Yankee Stadium by becoming the ‘Burgh Bombers, swatting five long balls (Yasmani Grandal, Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo, Nick Yorke and Billy Cook) the day after Bryan Reynolds popped a pair and Nicky G added another in the opener. The game was started by Paul Skenes, who was shut down for the year following two shutout frames with three Ks. His rookie line ended at 23 starts/11-3/1.96/133 IP/94 hits/170 K. The bullpen covered adequately and the Bucs took a 9-4 win. Mike Burrows made his first MLB appearance and earned his first big league dub.

9/27 Through 1934: Josh Jack, Waner Streak, 15 Winners In A Row, 16 Straight, '01 Clincher, Game Days, Honus Out, HBD Dick H, Johnny, Dick L, Marty, Doug, Willie, Alan & Joe

1859 - 1B/OF Joe Visner was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Joe, part of the league’s first wave of Native American players, had a good year in 1889 for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and in 1890 jumped to the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players' League where he was the starting right fielder. He batted .267, scored 110 runs and hit 22 triples. Joe played one more big league season after that and got on with his life after three more minor league campaigns. His post-baseball life was a story in itself; he inherited 400 acres of land and moved his family there. He tired of the farm life periodically and disappeared for long stretches to satisfy his wanderlust; he’d ride his bike across Canada, making his way augmenting his fur-trapping income by performing handyman chores.

1884 - 1B Alan Storke was born in Auburn, New York. He was a Bucco from 1906-09 and while primarily a first baseman, he played every infield position with a .255 BA while a Pirate. He attended Harvard Law School in the off season, joining the Pirates in early June after classes ended per his understanding with Barney Dreyfuss. Despite all his efforts, the 25 year-old Amherst grad sadly never got to earn his Juris Doctor degree; he died in 1910 of a lung infection stemming from the flu (or "grippe" as it was then known) during his final term at school.

1890 - RHP Jim “Willie” Adams was born in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. Willie worked two seasons for the St. Louis Browns before joining the Pittsburgh Rebels of the Federal League in 1914, slashing 1-1-2/3.74 in 15 outings (two starts). He yo-yo’ed back-and-forth between the bigs and the farm until 1922, when he suffered a heart attack that ended his baseball career.

1891 - Utilityman Doug Baird was born in St. Charles, Missouri. He played for five teams in six years, starting his career in 1915-17 (in part) with Pittsburgh where he saw a lot of action (2B, 3B, LF, RF, CF) and hit .223 in 316 games. After his last MLB gig in 1920, Baird played for seven more years in the minors through the 1927 campaign, retiring at age 35.

1901 - Deacon Phillippe tossed the Pirates past the Brooklyn Superbas 5-4 at Exposition Park to clinch the National League pennant, the first of three straight Senior Circuit titles for the Bucs. Pittsburgh scored three times in the bottom of the eighth to rally past Brooklyn, which had taken the lead in the top half of the inning. Kitty Bransfield’s single to left chased home Honus Wagner, who had doubled home a pair, with the pennant-clinching run. From August 31st forward to this date, the Pirates had won 26-of-30 games. It was Pittsburgh’s first NL flag and the franchise’s first title since the Alleghenys began playing major league ball in the American Association back in 1882.

Deacon Phillippe - Pirates Heroes Deck

1905 - LHP Marty Lang was born in Hooper, Nebraska. He had a brief MLB stay with the 1930 Pirates, getting into two games covering 1-2/3 IP and being rattled for 10 runs. Lang spent a decade in the minors, mostly in the Western league, before last toeing the slab in 1938.

1907 - In a game that ended in a 5-5 draw, the Bucs lost Honus Wagner for the last dozen games of the season when he was hit in the hand in the first inning by the Boston Doves’ Rube Dessau and broke a bone. The contest went 11 innings at Exposition Park before darkness stopped it. The injury was moot so far as affecting the pennant chase. Although the Bucs won 91 games that season, they still finished second, 17 games behind the Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance Chicago Cubs, the winners of the 1907 World Series.

1909 - The Bucs won their 16th straight game, the longest winning streak a Pirate club has ever put together, when they beat the Giants 6-1 behind Babe Adams in the first game of a twin bill at Exposition Park. The streak finally came to an end when they dropped the nitecap 8-7 despite four hits from Bill Abstein and George “Mooney” Gibson’s three knocks and three RBI. That powerhouse club took the National League pennant by 6-1/2 games over the Cubs with 110 wins and defeated the Detroit Tigers in the World Series in a seven-game battle.

1911 - LHP Dick Lanahan was born in Washington, DC. After a previous pit stop with the Washington Senators, Dick got into 47 games for the 1940-41 Pirates, compiling a line of 6-9-2/4.35. He appeared in 40 outings in 1940, ninth-most in the NL, during his most productive MLB year. He toiled in the minors, with a military break, after his Pirates gig through 1948.

1913 - The 20-year Bucco losing streak is seared in our memories, but today was the other side of the pillow as Pittsburgh won for the 78th time to cap their 15th straight winning campaign (1899-1913), the longest in franchise history. The Pirates won 4-3 over the Cards at Robison Field behind Marty O’Toole and an attack that had almost as many stolen bases (6) as hits (8). They had actually guaranteed themselves a winning season earlier in the month; as they weren’t a factor in the pennant race, the Bucs didn’t make up several washouts. The club fell below .500 in 1914 at 69-85 to end the good times and wouldn’t finish with a winning slate again until the 1919 campaign.

Johnny Pesky - 1967 Topps Sticker

1919 - IF Johnny Pesky was born in Portland, Oregon. Johnny made his name as a Red Sox player, coach, manager and announcer but in between served some time with the Bucs.  From 1965-67, he was Harry “The Hat” Walker’s first-base coach. After Walker's firing in 1967, Pesky managed the Bucs' AAA Columbus Jets squad of the International League to a second-place finish and moved to the Boston booth before returning to his familiar role of Red Sox coach and instructor.

1930 - P/OF Dick Hall was born in St. Louis. Hall came up in 1952 as a light hitting outfielder; in 1955, he was converted to the mound and pitched until 1971. In his Bucco years (1952-59) he hit .218, and was 6-13-2/4.57 on the hill. He got better; Baltimore flipped him from starter to reliever, and he tossed for nine years in two stints as a Bird with a 2.98 ERA; he even threw a scoreless frame to earn a save against Pittsburgh in the 1971 World Series during his last campaign at age 41. He retired and later became a member of the Orioles Hall of Fame.

1930 - Paul Waner kept an 11-game hitting streak alive when he smacked a homer and single in an 11-8 win over St. Louis at Sportsman’s Park. That gave Big Poison 217 knocks during the year and 1,057 hits over his first five seasons, making him one of four players - Kirby Puckett, Earle Combs and Ducky Medwick are the others - to have 1,000+ hits after their first five campaigns. Waner had staying power; he finished his career with 3,151 hits and was voted a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1930 - 18-year-old rookie Josh Gibson was credited with drilling what at the time was the longest home run ever hit in Yankee Stadium, a blast that was estimated to be anywhere from 460-505’, off the back wall of the left field bullpen (he was said to have landed another ball there in 1946). The Lincoln Giant’s “Broadway Connie” Rector gave up the three-run smash in the first inning of the Homestead Grays 7-3 playoff victory. A week earlier, Gibson was credited with being the first hitter to clear the 457’ mark at Forbes Field during the same series.

1932 - The Pittsburgh Crawfords defeated the Casey Stengel National League All-Stars by an 11-2 count at York (PA) in front of 2,500 fans. The Pirates Bill Swift started for the All Stars and he gave up nine runs in three frames before another Bucco, Larry French, bailed him out. William Bell tossed for the Crawfords in a game that was part of the York County Fair schedule. They returned to the Hill and Greenlee Field the next day as the NL paid the Grays back in spades, romping to a 20-8 victory. The New York Giants Roy Parmalee easily bested the Crawfords Joe Williams, with Hack Wilson homering once and Pittsburgh’s Oscar Charleston twice during the barnstorming rematch.

9/27 From 1935: 5 For K-Man, Great Giles, Doug Duel, '92 & '70 Clinchers, Steppin' Stone, Kiner Krown, Game Days, HBD Vin, Pedro & Dave

1935 - RHP Dave Wickersham was born in Erie. The Ohio U grad had eight solid years in the AL when he came over to the Bucs from Detroit for Dennis Ribant in 1968, but he only got into 11 games for the Pirates with a respectable line of 1-0-1/3.48, and then was sold to his original MLB squad, Kansas City, in the off season. He tossed for them for one more campaign before retiring, long enough to enter the record books as one of four players to be members of both KC franchises, as he pitched from 1960-63 for the A’s.

1952 - In the next-to-last game of the season, a 9-6 win over the Reds at Crosley Field, Ralph Kiner homered to finish the season with 37 long balls to tie Hank Sauer for the crown. It was Kiner’s record seventh consecutive National League home run title before Eddie Matthews bested him in 1953. Mr. Swat’s three-run shot triggered a back-to-back-to-back homer string as Joe Garagiola and Gus Bell followed with long balls to overcome a 6-1 deficit and tie it in the seventh. The Bucs tacked on three more tallies in the final two frames to complete the comeback victory. 21-year-old Bob Friend tossed three innings of shutout ball for his seventh conquest of the campaign.

1970 - The Pirates clinched the NL East title with a 2-1 victory over the Mets at TRS, thus eliminating the Cubs, in front of a record 50,469 fans. Dave Cash had two hits, a run scored and the game-winning RBI while Roberto Clemente banged out a pair of doubles to lead the offense. Dock Ellis got the win and Dave Giusti earned the save as the Pirates swept the three-game series from New York. The Pirates were broomed in the NLCS by Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine.

1985 - IF Pedro Ciriaco was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Ciriaco got his first taste of MLB in 2010-11, batting .333 for the Pirates in 31 games after coming over in a deadline deal with Arizona. He popped in and out of the majors through 2015 and then finished his baseball days by playing in the Mexican and Dominican Leagues through 2018.

1986 - RHP Vin Mazzaro was born in Hackensack, New Jersey. After working 2009-12 in the AL, Vinnie spent a couple of years in Pittsburgh with a line of 8-2-1/2.89 in 62 outings. Mazzaro was last in the show with the Giants in 2015 and pitched out of the indie leagues from 2017-19.

Vin Mazzaro - 2013 photo Otto Greule Jr/Getty

1988 - In a contest that manager Jim Leyland called “...a stepping stone to the winner’s circle,” the Bucs won their 84th game (they finished with 85 victories, the most since the 1979 World Series club) to clinch second place with a 3-2 win over the Cardinals at TRS. The Pirates jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead on a Mike LaValliere grounder and Bobby Bonilla’s two-run, two-out single, then John Smiley and Jim Gott made it hold up. The outcome was in doubt until the end, when with one away, Luis Alicea softly lined Gott’s delivery to medium center with Jose Oquendo on third; he tagged and Andy Van Slyke’s strike cut him down at home.

1989 - Doug Drabek spun a four-hit shutout as the Bucs edged the Cubs and Joe Magrane at TRS, 1-0. The Pirate run came in the fourth when Pittsburgh strung together three straight singles, with Dan Bilardello bringing home Jeff King with the contest’s only run. Doug finished the year with a 2.80 ERA, the first of three sub-three ERA seasons he posted as a Pirate.

1992 - Pittsburgh won their third consecutive division crown by defeating the New York Mets in front of 31,217 fans at Three Rivers Stadium, 4-2. Danny Jackson went seven innings for the win, with Stan Belinda closing it out to earn the save. Gary Redus and Jay Bell each had a pair of hits; Redus scored twice and Bell chased home two runs. The club lost the NLCS to Atlanta, four games to three, when the Braves scored three times in the ninth inning of the seventh contest to erase a 2-0 deficit, taking the crown in the Sid Bream game. 

1998 - The Pirates ended a dismal season with a 4-1 loss to Cincinnati at Cinergy Field. They finished 69-93 thanks to a 5-25 finish to the campaign, 10 games worse than the ‘97 Freak Show squad. The loss was their eighth in a row and 11th in the final 12 games, with the last time the club had been at .500 being June 14th when they were 34-34. The club finished the campaign 33 games behind the defending champs, the Houston Astros, in the Central Division.

Brian Giles - 2002 Fleer Box Score

2002 - The Bucs beat the Cubs 13-3 as Brian Giles scored five runs and drove home six with a double & a pair of long balls, home runs #36 & 37. It was his fourth consecutive year with 35+ homers, joining Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, and Rafael Palmeiro in that select club. Salomon Torres went all the way for the win at Wrigley Field with a lot of help - every Pirate starter, including Torres, had a hit as the Bucs banged out 19 knocks against six Cubbie hurlers.

2009 - It ain’t over until it’s over: Pittsburgh scored four times in the ninth inning off Jonathan Braxton at PNC Park after the Dodgers took a 5-2 lead in the top of the frame by scoring three times off Matt Capps. Lastings Milledge delivered the game-winning hit, a two-run single to right-center, to plate Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones. Capps was credited with the win.

2013 - The ol’ triple team: A.J. Burnett ceded one run on five hits over eight frames  while Marlon Byrd and Pedro Alvarez posted five of Pittsburgh’s six hits as the Bucs beat the Reds 4-1 at Great American Ball Park. Byrd delivered a two-run bases-loaded single in the third inning while Alvarez added insurance in the sixth with a two-run homer off Reds starter Homer Bailey. The Bucs went on to sweep the three-game set, and then the two teams met again two days later in Pittsburgh as wildcards, with the Pirates advancing to the NLDS against St. Louis.

2019 - After going through a miserable post-All Star stretch, the Pirates, without injured starters Josh Bell, Starling Marte, Bryan Reynolds and Colin Moran, fought back to win their fourth in a row when Kevin Newman banged a two-out walkoff homer (his second HR of the game) with Jake Elmore aboard to lead Pittsburgh to a 6-5 victory over the Reds at PNC Park. Newman had five RBI and scored twice to earn Yacksel Rios his first win as a Bucco. It was the 11th straight home win against Cincinnati, and came at an opportune time - it was retiring announcer Steve Blass’ final TV game, making the contest a memorable conclusion to Steverino’s six decades with the Pirates organization.

9/26 Through 1974: Al Flexes, Steve's #19, Dock+Cricket, Earl The Pearl, Game Days, Larry Axed, HBD Brian, Steve, Bobby, Al, Joe, Bob

1890 - C Bob Coleman was born in Huntingburg, Indiana. The back-up catcher played for Pittsburgh from 1913-14, hitting .245 in 200 ABs. He got one more taste of the majors in 1916 with the Cleveland Indians but would spend most of his innings on various farm clubs. He played until 1927 when he retired after the season at the age of 36 and continued on the road of a minor-league lifer. He skippered for 35 seasons (20 at Evansville), and Coleman's teams won 2,496 games. Bob also coached for the Tigers and managed the Boston Braves.

1901 - The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 4-3 at Exposition Park, guaranteeing at least a tie for the 1901 NL pennant with Philadelphia. Jack Chesbro got the win and added an RBI. The other scores were driven in by Honus Wagner, Kitty Bransfield and Lefty Davis as the Pirates put together a four-run sixth inning for the win. They clinched the next day to take their first NL flag.

1906 - Lefty Leifield hurled a six-inning no-hitter, the first in franchise history, although the no-no isn’t considered official as it didn’t go nine frames. He walked two and fanned six as the Bucs defeated Philadelphia at the Baker Bowl 8-0 (per the Pgh Press, the Pirates were in “a swatting mood”) in the back end of a doubleheader that was shortened because of darkness. Pittsburgh won the opener by a shutout, too, taking a 5-0 win behind Vic Willis. The day’s hitting hero was OF Bob Ganley, who collected five hits and swiped a pair of sacks during the day.

1910 - LHP Joe Sullivan was born in Mason City, Illinois. Joe closed out his five-year major league career with Pittsburgh in 1941, going 4-1-1/2.97 in 16 games (four starts). Though manager Frankie Frisch was said to like him as a guy he could use in any situation, Joe had control problems, and in camp the following spring, he came down with an untimely case of tonsillitis. He was sent to the farm and never made it back to the majors. Joe retired to the Pacific Northwest (he spent several years in the Pacific Coast/Western Leagues after his MLB career) and worked in the Naval Shipyard.

Joe Sullivan (w/Boston) - photo via SABR

1911 - Announcer Al Helfer was born in Elrama, in Washington County. Al played football and basketball at W & J College, taking his first job as a sports reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette while also calling football games for the Pittsburgh Pirates, back in the days before they were known as the Steelers (1940), and Pitt Panthers for WWSW. He started broadcasting Pirates games off ticker updates in 1933, launching a career as “Mr. Radio Baseball.” Helfer also called the action for the Reds, Dodgers, Phils, Colt 45s, A’s, Mutual Broadcasting and the gridiron Broncos during his career. He was awarded the Ford C. Frick Award for Excellence in Baseball Broadcasting from the Hall of Fame posthumously in 2018 after passing away in 1975 at age 65.

1920 - Babe Adams was pummeled 8-0 by the Reds in the season finale, but it was a nice season for the 38-year-old who finished 17-13/2.16 and tossed 263 innings (he’d pitch through 1926). Babe set a MLB record by walking just 18 batters in his 35 games, averaging 0.6 walks per nine innings or just one free pass for every 14-2/3 IP. That set a single-season control record that stood until 2005 when Jose Silva walked 0.43 per nine frames in 188 IP for the Twins.  

1925 - LHP Bobby Shantz was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Bobby worked 16 years in the show for seven clubs, stopping in Pittsburgh for the 1961 season. He went 6-3-2/3.32, making 43 appearances (six starts) as a Buccaneer. The little lefty was a three-time All-Star and won eight Gold Gloves before he retired to run a restaurant and bowling alley back home.

1937 - The Pirates scored in just three innings (in a row) of a twin bill, but it was enough to win two games: The Bucs rallied to take the first game against Cincinnati 5-4 after the Reds led 4-0 in the eighth. The Pirates answered three times that frame and twice more in the ninth for the victory. Jim Tobin not only went the distance, but had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run. Then Pittsburgh scored twice in the first frame of the nitecap and held on to claim a 2-1 win and sweep at Crosley Field. Gus Suhr doubled home Woody Jensen and Lloyd Waner to earn Bill Swift, who tossed a complete game eight-hitter, the win.

Jim Tobin - 1937 Original News Photo

1948 - The Homestead Grays won the opening game of the Negro World Series 3-2 over the Birmingham Black Barons at Blues Stadium in Kansas City. The Grays did all the scoring in the second inning, with Willie Pope banging a two-run triple and coming home after Luis Marquez’s two-out single. Ted Alexander scattered eight hits for the Homestead/Washington victory.

1961 - IF Steve Buechele was born in Lancaster, California. He spent parts of 1991-92 with the Bucs, coming as part of one deadline deal and leaving as part of another, playing 3B and hitting .248. After 11 years in MLB, Steve now works in the front office of the Texas Rangers.

1962 - Earl Francis surrendered two hits in 10 frames to beat the Reds and Jim Maloney 1-0. Bob Friend pitched the 11th frame to earn his only save of the year (he came in from the pen three times during the season), after Bill Mazeroski and Willie Stargell doubles produced the game’s only run.

1968 - LHP Brian Shouse was born in Effingham, Illinois. A 13th-round, 1990 draft pick of the Pirates from Bradley, the sidewinder got the call in 1993 for six games and four innings. He was sent to the farm, popping up again in 1998 with Boston before another stint in the minors. That one lasted until 2002, when KC gave him the ball. But he finally broke through after that; he joined the bullpen full-time in Texas in 2003 at the age of 34 and worked through 2009. His last MLB gig was as a pitching coach in the Rangers system, which lasted through 2019.

Brian Shouse (w/Augusta) - 1991 Classic Best

1969 - Dock Ellis spun a complete game five-hitter to tame the Cubs and 21-game winner Fergie Jenkins at Forbes Field by a 2-0 score. The runs were the result of a two-run homer by the least likely of suspects, Freddie Patek, who banged his fifth long ball in the third inning with Jose Pagan aboard. The Docktor took care of the rest as Chicago never got a runner past second base.

1969 - Larry Shepard was fired as manager even though Pittsburgh had an 84-73 record. Coach Alex Grammas took over the club for the remaining week of the season before the Bucs returned to old faithful, Danny Murtaugh, for his third go-around as Pirates field boss. It was a good choice; the Whistlin’ Irishman won 89 games in 1970 and the World Series in 1971.

1972 - Steve Blass scattered eight hits to defeat the Phils and win his 19th game by a 5-1 score at Veterans Stadium. Al Oliver and Manny Sanguillen had a pair of RBI, and Blass added a hit and drove in the other run. He missed his only chance for 20 victories in his final start against the Mets when he couldn’t get through the first inning after taking a line drive off the elbow.

1974 - Al Oliver smacked five hits, including two homers and a double, during the Pirates’ 11-5 win at New York’s Shea Stadium. Scoops scored four times and had five RBI. Willie Stargell added four RBI with a long ball of his own as 37-year-old Juan Pizzaro, making just his second start of the year, won. It was his only dub of the season and was the 131st & final victory of Juan’s 18-year career. That win moved the Pirates into a first place tie with St. Louis, a race that the Pirates would take by 1-1/2 games by winning 6-of-7 contests in the season’s final days.

9/26 From 1975: Kell Ks, McCrush-en, 40 For Hanny, Key's 5, Broomin', Boppin', What's Up Doc, Game Days, Spinnin' Stiles, Booth Filled, HBD Jordan, Chris, Daniel & Yurendell

1979 - IF Yurendell deCaster was born in Brievengat, Curacao. deCaster became Bucco property in 2000 when he was taken from the Twins in the minor league draft. He made it to AAA Indianapolis, spending most of 2005-07 with the Indians. He got his MLB cup of coffee in 2006, getting into three Pirates games and going 0-for-2, fanning twice. Yurendell was part of the Nats and Yankees farm system before moving on to the indie, Nicaraguan, Mexican and Netherland Leagues. He also played for three WBC Netherland teams, repping Curacao.

1982 - RHP Daniel McCutchen was born in McKinney, Texas. He came to Pittsburgh in 2008 as part of the Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte deal with the NYY. Daniel worked from 2009-12 for the Pirates, seeing most of his action in 2011 with 73 of his 108 Bucco appearances and going 8-11/4.77 overall. He got a cup of coffee with Texas in 2014 and his last pro campaign was in 2016.

1987 - The Pirates banged out perhaps their most satisfying win of the season when they defeated the Mets 8-2 in front of 48,695 rooters at Shea Stadium the day after Doc Gooden said of the Bucs “They’re too cocky. I saw a lot of Little League stuff...” to the NY Post. Gooden had won seven straight against Pittsburgh, but today snapped that streak decisively when the Buccos scored five runs on seven hits in his three innings on the hill. The “Little Leaguers” kept it going by posting 14 hits against Doc - three each by Bobby Bonilla and Spanky LaValliere, with a pair apiece chipped in by Barry Bonds (who homered), Andy Van Slyke and winning pitcher Doug Drabek.

1988 - RHP Chris Archer was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. The two-time All-Star for Tampa was the Pirates big addition at the 2018 deadline, coming over for a prize prospect package of OF Austin Meadows, RHP Tyler Glasnow and a PTBNL (RHP Shane Baz). He was a risk; in seven years, he’d only won more than 10 games once, but the Bucs hoped to tap into his potential and wipe-out slider. Arch was pretty much a bust in the ‘Burg, with two visits to the IL in 2019 and then thoracic outlet surgery in 2020, costing him his final contract season. Archie got into just 33 games as a Pirate with a line of 6-12/4.92. He returned to Tampa Bay as a free agent in 2021 where injuries continued to plague him and then signed with Minnesota in 2022. The Twinkies released him at the end of the year and he couldn’t find any takers to pitch for in 2023, instead taking some business course at Harvard before landing a job with the LA Dodgers as an assistant in their baseball ops department. 

Archie - 2019 Panini Prizm

1991 - The Pirates took their 10th win in 12 games, defeating the Mets in the opener of a twin bill at Shea Stadium by a 4-3 count in 15 innings. Bill Landrum, the fifth Buc pitcher, gave up a tying run in the 14th but worked a scoreless 15th frame for a blown save/win daily double. Lloyd McClendon singled in the 14th for the lead; pinch hitter Todd Hundley homered in the Met half to knot the score. Don Slaught doubled home Barry Bonds in the next set of at-bats, and the Mets ran out of responses. The Bucs had plenty of opportunities to run away and hide, but went 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position. They dropped the nitecap 2-1 again wasting a boatload of runners by going 1-for-12 w/RISP. Roger Mason, the third Pirates pitcher, took the loss.

1992 - The Bucs laid a 19-2 hurtin’ on the NY Mets at TRS. Andy Van Slyke went 3-for-5 with a homer, triple, four runs and two RBI. Barry Bonds doubled and went long, scoring three times and chasing home three more tallies. Lloyd McClendon added a grand slam in the first frame to trigger the 20-hit onslaught, featuring five 2Bs, two 3Bs and three HRs. Bob Walk got the win, with Steve Cooke and Paul Wagner mopping up after him. The Mets used a position player to pitch for the first time in their history when IF Bill Pecota tossed the ninth.

1993 - OF Jordan Luplow was born in Visalia, California. He was drafted by the Pirates in the third round of the 2014 draft out of Fresno State, and made his Bucco debut in 2017. Luplow yo-yo’ed between Indy and the big club again in 2018 before finally being given a chance to show his stuff regularly in September after Gregory Polanco was injured. He was sent to Cleveland as part of the Erik Gonzalez deal during the ‘18 offseason, bounced around with Tampa Bay, Arizona, Toronto  and Minnesota. He’s now playing in Mexico.

1993 - It was a good day to end some bad mojo. For the first time since September of 1990, the Pirates swept a twin bill, winning by 5-1 and 1-0 tallies against the Chicago Cubs at TRS. Paul Wagner won the opener by tossing five-hit ball with eight punchouts over eight innings before Mark Dewey finished up for him. The contest’s deciding blow was Jeff King’s eighth-inning bases-loaded, bases-clearing double. The daylight lidlifter saw another long streak come to an end when Jerry Goff homered for the Bucs, the first long ball he swatted since August of 1990. The second game was a night contest and was all Tim Wakefield, who made a first inning run hold up by going the distance with another five-hitter. It also ended a long, dark stretch for him, too - it was the first start he won since April 27th; he had gone 13 starts without a victory. 

Tim Wakefield - 1993 Bowman

2001 - During an 8-4 loss to the Cubs in their final home game of the season, the Pirates drew 25,564 to PNC Park, its first-year ballyard, and set a franchise attendance record of 2,464,870, an average of 30,430 fans per contest. It took until 2012 to reach the 2M mark again, and the attendance record stood until 2015 when 2,498,596 rooters spun the turnstiles. 

2003 - The Pirates announced that they had renewed the contracts of their broadcast team - Lanny Frattare, Greg Brown, Bob Walk and Steve Blass - who had already been together for the past decade. The extensions were for three years, with Lanny being the senior member with 28 years behind the mic. Steverino had 21 years in the booth, with Brownie and Walkie being the pups with 10 years under their belts and still going strong on the airwaves.

2011 - It took seven Bucco hurlers, but the Pirates held off the Brewers 9-8 at Miller Park, with Daniel McCutchen getting the win and Joel Hanrahan earning the save, his 40th on the year and Pirates fourth-highest all-time total. The big men with the bats were Alex Presley with a homer, double and single, generating three RBI, and Pedro Alvarez, who drove in three runs.

2015 - The Bucs defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-0 at Wrigley Field. The big blow was delivered by Jordy Mercer, who banged a three-run homer in the fifth inning, his first long ball since early June (he only hit three dingers during the season). For the Pirates, it capped an eight-game road winning streak, their first since 1938. Frankie Liriano claimed the victory while picking up strikeout #200, joining Gerrit Cole (who got his 200th whiff the night before) to become the first pair of Pirate pitchers to punch out 200 batters in the same season.

Jordy Mercer - 2015 First Edition Platinum

2017 - The Pirates and Orioles were counting the days until the season ended (both finished with 75-87 records), but Andrew McCutchen wasn’t booking tee times yet. He went 4-for-4 with two homers, including the first grand slam of his career, a double, eight RBI and four runs scored to complement Trevor Williams and Steven Brault’s pitching as the Bucs prevailed 10-1 at PNC Park. Cutch was the first Pirate with at least four runs and eight RBI in a game since Ralph Kiner in 1950, with the deed first done by Johnny Rizzo in 1939. Andrew’s eight runs chased home was a Buc feat last done by Jason Bay in 2004 (Rizzo had nine, Bay drove in eight twice and Kiner & Dave Robertson each did it once). Cutch also hopped over Al "Scoops" Oliver and Max Carey for 11th in all-time Bucco RBIs w/724. Dave "The Cobra" Parker was 10th w/758 but Andrew didn’t catch up for awhile, being traded to the Giants in the off season. He returned and climbed up the list to 6th all-time with 875 RBI. Trevor struck out six, making the 2017 staff one of four in Pirates history (and the first since 1984) with five pitchers with 115+ K (Gerrit Cole-196, Chad Kuhl-142, Ivan Nova-131, Jameson Taillon-125 and Williams-117.)

2020 - With a game left in an otherwise dismal season, Ke’Bryan Hayes banged out five hits, including three doubles and three runs scored, in an 8-0 walloping of the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Hayes became the first Pirates rookie to have five hits in five plate appearances since Neil Walker in 2010. Colin Moran homered and had four RBI while Bryan Reynolds and Jose Osuna also went deep against the Tribe. Joe Musgrove started the whitewash, giving up three hits in seven innings before Dovy Neverauskas and Nick Tropeano finished up. 

2023 - Mitch Keller became the Pirates top single-season righty strikeout artist when he picked up whiff #210 to bypass AJ Burnett (AJ and Gerrit Cole were the only prior RHPs to post 200+ K in a season; Paul Skenes topped him in 2025 with 216 K’s). That was the good news; the bad was the Phils won 3-2 in 10 innings at Citizens Bank Park, overcoming solo homers by Bryan Reynolds and Henry Davis. David Bednar took the loss when a ground ball single up the middle scored the Philly ghost runner. The walkoff victory clinched a Philadelphia playoff spot in the upcoming October championship tussle.