7/13 Through 1974: Roberto Sixer, Hans Hurls, Shutout Sweep, Game Days, HBD Clint, Rich, Frank, Jeep, Jiggs & John

1866 - 2B John O’Brien (and no, he’s not one of the O’Brien twins who played in the ‘50s) was born in St. John, New Brunswick. He finished his six-year big league run with the Pirates in 1899, batting .226 after being bought from the Orioles in mid-June. His pro career stretched from 1889-1904 when he played his last campaign for Lawrence in the New England League.

1879 - 1B/C John “Jiggs” Donahue was born in Springfield, Ohio. He started his nine-year MLB career with Pittsburgh as a LH catcher from 1900-01, going 2-for-10 before being released and moving on to the Milwaukee Brewers.  Donahue had his best years from 1904 to 1908 after switching to first base for the Chicago White Sox. His glove work was a key to the Sox 1906 World Series championship team (aka the “Hitless Wonders”) as he led AL-1B in fielding %, assists, and putouts from 1905-07; he was by consensus as the best fielder at first of his era and among the best at the spot all-time. He wasn’t lost at the plate, either, batting .267 during that span. Per Mark Miller of SABR, here’s how his moniker came about: As a teen, John worked at a cigar store and when the store wasn’t busy, he stepped outside and did dance steps. Customers started calling him Jiggers, after the sand flea known as a jigger (apparently because of the hopping around he did while dancing). The nickname was later shortened to Jiggs. Donahue died at age 34, the victim of syphilis he had contracted while living in Chicago’s fast lane.

1888 - Harry Staley and Pud Galvin of the Alleghenys became the first pitchers to toss a doubleheader shutout by blanking the Boston Beaneaters 4-0 and 6-0 at Recreation Park in front of 3,000 fans. It was the fifth shutout in six games for the Alleghenys as Staley fired a three-hitter and Galvin gave up just an eighth-inning knock. The Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette wrote that “If the Hubbys came up on a goose egg hunt, they were eminently successful.” The paper carried a pair of sidebar stories - before the matches began, the Boston mascot/bat boy was found outside the park by Galvin and Mike Donlin, who tossed him over the fence into the field, no reason given. The paper added that “The only mishap was reported by umpire Daniels who says some gentleman, or something else, stole his mask, thus leaving him exposed to the cold charity of the pitchers.”

Honus Wagner - Texas Tommy Type 1

1900 - The Philadelphia Athletics took BP against Sam Leever and Jack Chesbro at Exposition Park and pounded their way to a 20-4 lead after five innings. Fred Clarke then sent his right fielder to the mound, Hans Wagner, to save some Bucco arms. Wagner, who wouldn’t claim the shortstop spot until the following season, had pitched a bit as a semi-pro and did OK for his first MLB outing. He tossed two shutout frames before giving up three runs in the eighth inning (all unearned) and the game was called with the scoreboard reading 23-8. The Flying Dutchman would make one more appearance on the hill in 1902, spinning 5-1/3 IP and giving up two unearned runs. His line wasn’t bad at all for a mop-up guy: 8-1/3 IP, seven hits, six walks and six K. The five unearned scores left him with a 0.00 ERA; he’s the only Hall of Famer with a career zero ERA. 

1913 - IF Lee “Jeep” Handley was born in Clarion, Iowa. He was signed to a $20,000 bonus contract by the Pirates and played eight years (1937-46, with 1942-43 off for war duty) for the team. A slick fielder, he played third and some middle infield, hitting .269 for Pittsburgh. A tough guy, Jeep survived a serious beaning, injury, illness and a car accident during his career. As for his nickname, the Uniontown Morning Herald in 1938 noted that “Lee (Jeep) Handley came to the National League in 1936, the year of (Eugene the) Jeep's appearance in Thimble Theatre (the original name of the Popeye cartoon strip).” Just a coincidence? 

1930 - Brooklyn’s Jumbo Elliot tossed a four-hitter against the Bucs, but Larry French scattered nine knocks to earn a 1-0 win over the Robins at Ebbets Field. Charlie Engel opened the seventh with a single, went to third on a hit-and-run and scored on Paul Waner’s bouncer to second for the game’s only run. Brooklyn stranded 12 runners and had two more thrown out on the bases.

1940 - LHP Frank Bork was born in Buffalo. He spent his one MLB campaign in Pittsburgh in 1964, getting into 33 games with a slash of 2-2-2/4.07. Bork had been signed by the Bucs in 1960 and remained in the Pirate organization throughout his pro career, last pitching in AA Macon in 1967. He was just 26 but had torn a muscle in his back and opted not to have surgery, effectively ending his career. He retired to Dublin, Ohio and became a sales rep.

Vern Law - 1958 Hires Root Beer

1958 - There was some heavy hitting as the Bucs swept the St. Louis Cardinals 10-8 and 8-6 in a Busch Stadium twinbill. The first game featured 10 pitchers and 24 hits, with Pittsburgh surviving a ninth-inning rally by the Redbirds when Vern Law got Curt Flood, who represented the winning run, to bounce out to second to save the win for Ron Blackburn. Bob Skinner had three hits, including a homer, and three RBI while C Bill Hall added two knocks, one a long ball. Maz also had a pair of hits. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 5-0 first inning lead in the nitecap but by the fourth St. Louis had taken the lead at 6-5. Once again it was the Deacon to the rescue, coming on to spin five shutout frames to earn the win. Dick Groat, Mazeroski and Skinner were the batting stars, going 9-for-12 as a group; Maz homered while Groat & The Dog smacked doubles. The trio chased home six runs and touched the dish six times to power the Pirates game #2 attack. 

1968 - Roberto Clemente banged out five hits and drew a walk, but it was to no avail as the Pirates lost 3-2 to the Phils at Forbes Field. The Bucs went bust when given a chance; they were 1-for-15 w/RISP and stranded 17 runners. The Great One wasn’t involved in any of the runs as Matty Alou/Maury Wills went 3-for-16 ahead of him and Manny Mota/Gene Alley were 1-for-13 behind him in the order. Dock Ellis took the loss in relief; the run posted against him was unearned thanks to an Alley error. It wasn’t a good month for Pittsburgh; the loss was their eighth straight and the string eventually built to 10 consecutive defeats.

1971 - 1B/OF Rich Aude was born in Van Nuys, California. Aude began his pro career as a second-round pick of the Pirates out of Chatsworth (CA) Charter HS in 1989, signing for $80K. A big kid at 6’5”, Rich flashed some power in the minors, but during his stints with the Bucs (1993, 1995-96) he hit just two homers in 151 AB, with a .225 BA. He remained in the minors until 1999 and then became a scout for Tampa Bay, with Delmon Young among his discoveries.

1972 - RHP Clint Sodowsky was born in Ponca City, Oklahoma. He tossed for the Bucs in the middle of a five-year MLB career, going 2-2/3.63 in 45 appearances in 1997. It was his best big league season, and after struggling with the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals, he soldiered on in the minors and indie ball through 2006 but never tossed in the show again.

7/13 From 1975: Todd Tuff, Long Sweep, Game Days, Team Talk, Hans All-Century, Littlefield Era, Seth Drafted, HBD Casey & Ryan

1978 - OF Ryan Ludwick was born in Satellite Beach, Florida. The 32-year-old vet was purchased from San Diego at the 2011 deadline and hit .232 with two homers in his brief Bucco stay. He left after the season to join the Reds, where he ended his playing days after the 2014 campaign. Ludwick is now a roving hitting instructor for St. Louis’ minor league teams.

1983 - The Bucs raced ahead of the Giants 5-0 but frittered away the lead by the ninth to fall behind 6-5 at Candlestick Park. With two down and Greg Minton on the hill, Johnny Ray bombed a tying homer to right, then the baseball gods smiled. Mike Easler hit a drive the opposite way that would have hit off the wall, but as LF Jeffrey Leonard tried for a leaping catch, the ball ticked off his glove and cleared the fence to give The Hit Man a game-winning four-bagger. Kent Tekulve pitched a clean ninth to save the game for Manny Sarmiento. The victory gave the Pirates a three-game sweep of San Francisco during a 9-1 West Coast swing.

1984 - The Pirates swept the Giants in a Three Rivers Stadium twilight (it started at 5:05) double-dipper by 8-2 and 4-3 scores. The first game featured four RBI from Lee Lacy and three hits from Lee Mazzilli as John Candelaria got the win with help from Kent Tekulve. For Candyman, it was his 12th consecutive July win. The second one, well, that victory was a little tougher to come by - it went 18 innings and five hours, 11 minutes before Jason Thompson’s knock chased Mazzilli home with the game winner. It was Thompson’s second RBI; Jim Morrison also had two RBI while Tony Pena collected three hits and scored twice. The two teams used nine pitchers; Teke gave up runs in the eighth and ninth to let the G-Men knot the score. The bullpens ruled; San Francisco’s pen tossed 10 shutout innings; the Bucco relief corps put up nine zippos, seven by Don Robinson. The game ended at 1:32 AM; the Zambelli fireworks were still shot off, much to the dismay of sleeping ‘Burgers, but per the Pittsburgh Press, most of the 22,176 at the yard happily stayed to the end for the show.

1990 - RHP Casey Sadler was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Drafted in the 25th round of the 2010 draft, he worked seven games (one start) for the Pirates in 2014-15, slashing 1-1/6.46. Sadler missed the 2016 season due to TJ surgery and after some bouncing around with five MLB stops through six seasons, he retired in 2024 after posting a 6-4-1/2.86 career slash for five clubs.

Casey Sadler - 2015 photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates

1998 - After dropping a twin bill for their sixth loss in a row and 13th defeat in 16 games, Kevin Young asked manager Gene Lamont for the OK to hold a players-only team meeting for the struggling Bucs. Permission was granted and he, Al Martin, Jason Kendall & Jose Guillen spoke, touching on the teams’ inexperienced but talented roster and the need to grow and progress. Martin said it was “It was more of a family talk...We wanted to get everything out in the open.” It worked that night as the Bucs beat the Cubs, 6-2, behind Jon Lieber and an inside-the-park homer by Tony Womack, the 500th in franchise history. It launched the club on an 8-of-11 victory run, but it was just a temporary fix as the Pirates still finished last in the division with 69 wins, 33 games back.

1999 - Honus Wagner was named to the All-Century team selected by fan vote and honored at the All-Star game. Locals included on the ballot of the were Negro League standouts Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell and Josh Gibson, along with Buccos Wagner, Hank Greenberg, Pie Traynor, Barry Bonds, Roberto Clemente, Ralph Kiner, Willie Stargell and Paul Waner.

2001 - Lotta pitching goin’ on: Todd Ritchie lost a no hitter against the Royals when Luis Alicea bounced a one-out, ninth-inning single through the infield. Todd shook it off and served up a DP ball to cruise out. He got his well earned dub in the bottom half of the frame when Aramis Ramirez singled through a drawn-in infield to score Brian Giles - it was A-Ram’s third walk-off hit of the campaign - for a 1-0 win at PNC Park and the Pirates second consecutive shutout win. It was a well-pitched series: Jimmy Anderson and Mike Williams had combined for a 2-0 whitewash against Kansas City the day before, with Kevin Young’s two-run homer being the only offense du jour. 

2001 - Dave Littlefield began his term as GM, replacing Cam Bonifay. Hampered by ongoing financial restraints, he was noted for a stretch of losing seasons, yo-yo rental players and the erosion of both the farm system and the Latino player market, although he did have some successes. He drafted Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker and hired Rene Gayo to scout Latin America. Littlefield was fired in 2007 and eventually replaced by Neal Huntington.

Starling Marte - 2019 Topps

2019 - The Chicago Cubs spanked the Buccos at Wrigley Field 10-4 but Starling Marte showed up, banging two homers. That pair of long balls made him the second speed/power (100 HR, 200 SB) club member of the Bucs franchise, joining 1991 founder Barry Bonds.

2024 The Pirates finally broke a 50+ game stretch where they were the epitome of a .500 team, never winning or losing more than two straight games, when they claimed their third straight win, a 6-2 victory over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. The decision was the first three-gamer they had cobbled together since May 4-6th, primed by a strong start by Luis Ortiz, with the win going to Kyle Nicolas, his first in the bigs. The game was tight until Bryan Reynolds went clutch with seventh and ninth inning two-run raps as part of the All-Star’s 4-for-5 day.

2025 - Rounds 1-3 of the MLB Draft were held, with the remaining picks (4-20) made on the following day. The Pirates had the sixth overall selection and picked RHP Seth Hernandez, a 19-year-old out of Corona HS, CA. He was thought to be the draft’s top prep arm, and the Bucs have some cred developing pitchers, so Seth fit the bill. The second round/#50 selection was 17-year-old RHP Angel Cervantes, Warren HS. CA. Less toolsy and more of a project than Hernandez, he was still a Top 50 Draft Prospect. The Competitive Balance/73rd pick was 3B Murf Gray, a 21-year-old out of Fresno State who was a two-time MVP in the Mountain West. In the third round/#82, they selected C Easton Carmichael, a 21-year-old out of Oklahoma, an athletic backstop with a good stick and gap-to-gap power.

2025 - Greensboro did it again - another combo perfecto, just nine days after pulling off the first one on the 4th of July. Hung-Leng Chang started the ball rolling for five innings, then Joshua Loeschorn, Jake Shirk and Jarod Bayless brought it home as the Grasshoppers beat Bowling Green, 4-0. Shirk appeared in both zippos while Geovanny Planchart was behind the dish for the two games.

7/13 ASGs: Vince DiMag 3-Hits '43, Deacon Law Wins In '60, Willie HR '65, Dock Start '70, Roberto HR '71, Fraze Starter '21

1943 - The American League defeated the Nationals 5-3 in the first night All-Star game, which was broadcast to GIs via shortwave radio from Shibe Park. Pirates' OF Vince DiMaggio starred for the Senior Circuit with a single, triple and home run while scoring twice and driving in a run. P Rip Sewell and 1B Elbie Fletcher were also on the squad; Sewell pitched a perfect sixth inning and Fletcher went 0-for-2. A couple of other Pirates repped the City: manager Frankie Frisch was a coach while Spud Davis was the bullpen catcher.

1948 - The Bucs sent 3B Frank Gustine, LF Ralph Kiner and RHP Elmer Riddle to Sportsman’s Park for the All-Star Game. The American League jumped ahead of the Nationals quickly and won 5-2 as Gustine and Kiner each went 0-for-1 and Riddle never got in the game.

1954 - OF Frank Thomas was the sole Buc representative in the All-Star Game at Cleveland Stadium, an 11-9 Junior Circuit victory, and struck out in his only at bat for the National League side. The teams combined for an ASG record of 20 runs on 31 hits, which included six home runs. 

1960 - Vern Law became the second Pirate to win a 1960 All-Star Game, working two scoreless, one-hit innings in a 6-0 National League victory at Yankee Stadium. He matched Bob Friend, who won the first game two days earlier at Municipal Stadium and then sat this game out. OF Bob Skinner went 1-for-3, OF Roberto Clemente drew a walk in his only at bat, SS Dick Groat went 0-for-1 and C Smoky Burgess & 2B Bill Mazeroski both went 0-for-2 against the Americans.

1965 - The NL beat the AL 6-5 at Minnesota’s Metropolitan Stadium in the 36th All-Star game. OF Willie Stargell, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, homered in the second, and recalled it as one of his most memorable long balls, not because of distance or the game situation, but because of its landing spot. He hit the ball into the bullpen area, where the band was seated, and it dropped over the fence and right into a tuba bell. OF Roberto Clemente went 0-for-2 and LHP Bob Veale didn’t get a call to work.

Willie Stargell - 1965 Jay Publishing

1971 - The American League jumped on top early, scoring four times off Dock Ellis in the third inning (Reggie Jackson hit a 520’ HR off the Docktor) and then held on to take a 6-4 win from the Nationals in the All-Star game held at Tiger Stadium. It was the first AL win since the second All-Star Game of 1962, and their last until the 54th All-Star Game in 1983. The AL went 1-19 during that span but came back with a vengeance afterward. OF Roberto Clemente went 1-for-2 with a solo homer (he hit the long ball in what would be his final AS at bat; he didn’t play in the 1972 ASG because of injury), 1B Willie Stargell 0-for-2 with a run scored after a HBP and C Manny Sanguillen didn’t get into the game. It’s thought that Dock talked his way into the start. At a presser the day before the game, Ellis told the media that NL manager Sparky Anderson wouldn't start two "brothers" (Vida Blue was the AL starter), verbally backing the skipper into a corner.

1976 - The National League nine put a hurtin’ on the American League squad by a 7-1 count in the All-Star game at Veterans Stadium after President Gerald Ford tossed out the first ceremonial pitch. OF Al Oliver was the only Bucco All Star and went 0-for-1 off the bench. 

1982 - The AL fell 4-1 to the NL in the All-Star game at Stade Olympique (Olympic Stadium) in Montreal in the first All-Star Game ever played outside the United States. C Tony Pena stole a base as a pinch runner and went 0-for-1 at the dish, as did 1B Jason Thompson. Former Bucco Al Oliver, now an Expo, went 2-for-2 with a run scored and double in his sixth ASG. 

1993 - The American League nine banged the ball all around the Camden Yards lot in a 9-3 win over the National League club. Bucco rep 2B Jay Bell went 0-for-1 while Andy Van Slyke, slated to be the NL's starting center fielder, sat out the game with a broken collarbone suffered when he crashed into a wall at Busch Stadium. AL manager Cito Gaston didn’t make any friends in Baltimore. The fans got fired up when the hometown Birds’ Mike Mussina warmed up in the bullpen in the ninth and roared "We Want Mike!", but Gaston never made a call for him. The Camden Yard crowd littered the field after the final out until Moose quieted them down. He said afterward that he warmed up on his own because it was his day to throw (he did pitch on July 16th), but most believe he was trying to catch Cito’s attention so he could make a hometown appearance.

AVS missed the '93 ASG with a broken wing.

1999 - The AL took a 4-1 win from the NL in the All-Star Game at Fenway Park. 3B Ed Sprague was the Pirate rep and went 0-for-1. Pedro Martínez added to his legend when he became the first twirler to begin the ASG by striking out the side. He fanned out five of the six batters he faced and was named MVP. The game began 15 minutes late after Ted Williams came out in a golf cart for the pre-game ceremonies and was mobbed by the players who wanted to honor the all-timer. Two days earlier, Pirates pups Nashville 3B Aramis Ramirez and Lynchburg C Yamid Haad played for the World team in the Futures game; Buc coach Trent Jewell participated as a USA coach.

2004 - The junior circuit pounded out a 9-4 win over the National League All-Stars at Houston’s Minute Maid Park. SS Jack Wilson was the lone Bucco representative and went 0-for-2 at the plate. At age 73, Jack McKeon, the MLB poster boy for graybeards, became the oldest All-Star manager after becoming the oldest World Series skipper in 2003 with the Florida Marlins.

2010 - The Senior Circuit finally solved the American League in the All-Star Game, taking a 3-1 win at Angels Stadium at Anaheim and snapping a 13-year losing streak. Pitcher Evan Meek was the Pirates rep and didn’t get in the game. Matt Capps, an ex-Bucco who was then with Washington, got the win. It was the first game where the DH was made a permanent lineup fixture (before it only was used in AL parks) and took effect in 2011 at Chase Field.  

2021 - The All-Star game was held at Coors Field in Denver after being moved by MLB from its original site, Atlanta’s Truist Field, to protest Georgia's passage of a controversial voting bill. The two Pirate reps, 2B Adam Frazier and CF Bryan Reynolds, who was a  replacement for the injured Ron Acuna, started. Fraze went 1-for-2 with the NL’s first hit and a couple of glovely plays while Reynolds went 0-for-2 with a loud fly out to the RF fence. The AL won its eighth straight match by a 5-2 score. Shohei Ohtani started and won, pitching and batting leadoff.

Weekly Report: Brew Crew Broomed, Bucs Deal, Konnor & Endy Out, Brax All-Star...Not, Bullpen Blues, Draft - Curiel #1, Minor & MLB News

All-Star week just over the horizon w/no bullpen reinforcements...

Pirates Stuff:

• The first deal: the White Sox White Sox sent IF Jacob Gonzalez, 24, and middle-man reliever Brandon Eisert, 28, to the Pirates for LHP Jaden Woods, 24, and the #34 comp pick in the draft. Gonzalez is a lefty 1B, batting .244 w/two HR in 86 at bats in his rookie campaign and has seen some minor league time at SS, where the Pirates expect to try him. LHP Eisert's line is 2-1/5.93 w/32 K in 27 IP; he had a 2024 cup of coffee with Toronto and has been with the Sox full-time since. Woods is a 24-year-old upper level lefty with big strikeout numbers and a 3-2-1/4.84 slash w/51 K in 35 IP. Spoiler alert: Gonzalez seems to be the bigger get in this deal, so the bullpen is the same 'ol. To open 40-man space, Cam Sanders was DFA'ed and Konnor Griffin was transferred to the 60-day IL.
• Yah, when it rains...Konnor Griffin tore a tendon in his hand during Sunday's game. Faced with the choice of playing through it & risking further damage or taking several weeks to rehab the injury non-surgically while on the IL, they opted for the IL, so he'll be splinted for six weeks, with an expected return time of 8-10 weeks. See ya in September... IF Jack Brannigan was called up; by week's end, he was optioned back to Indy, bumped out of a spot when Jacob Gonzalez joined the team.

Konnor - ya see him , then ya don't - he's back on the IL image/Sportsnet.Pgh

• And Part 2 - C/1B Endy Rodríguez (left glute strain) was placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to July 6, and C/1B Rafael Flores Jr. was brought back. Endy tried to play through it, but the injury proved too stubborn.
• RHPs Thomas Harrington and Antwone Kelly were added to the active roster and Cam Sanders & Hunter Stratton were optioned to Indy. Neither callup has exactly set AAA on fire - Kelly's line is 4-5/4.85 with seven K per game; Harrington's is 1-5-1/6.52; he averages a fan per frame. Kelly came up, got in one game and was optioned back; Harrington didn't even get an outing before he was returned to Indy.
• OF Joshua Palacios has signed a minor league contract with the Pirates (he played here 2023-24 & hit .236) and was assigned to Indy. He was with the White Sox last year (.203) and was playing indie ball this year.
• It took a couple of days longer than it should have, but Braxton Ashcraft got the call to his first All-Star game on Tuesday. It didn't up Pirates rep count, though - he replaced Paul Skenes, who started on Sunday and so is on ice for the Tuesday ASG. And when a rain delay pushed his start to Saturdya, he was ruled ineligible for the ASG and replaced. He and Skenes plan to attend the game even if they can't pitch.
• Brandon Lowe (21 HRs/64 RBI) and Ryan O'Hearn (16 HRs/61 RBI) are the third pair of Pirates to have at least 15 homers and 60 RBI prior to the All-Star break (from 1933), joining Willie Stargell (30 HRs/75 RBI) & Al Oliver (15 HRs/61 RBI) in 1973 along with Bobby Bonilla (19 HRs/61 RBI) & Barry Bonds (15 HRs/62 RBI) in 1990.

Brandon Lowe - 2026 Topps 75th Anniversary

• The last time the Pirates had the first nine batters of an inning reach base, as they did Sunday, was in 1986 v the Expos.
• LHP Connor Wietgrefe (Eastern League/Altoona in June) was named the EL's Pitcher of the Month. Wietgrefe went 3-0/0.39 in four appearances (three starts), giving up 10 hits, five walks and fanning 29 in 23 IP. He was, not too surprisingly, promoted to Indy at the end of June.
• 3B Murf Gray (Greensboro/South Atlantic League) took home the Sally League's Player of the Month award, batting .333/7/15. He also entered MLB Pipeline's Top 10 3B Prospects list.
• 3B Enmanuel Valdez (International League/Indy) and SS/2B Sammy Stafura (South Florida League/Greensboro) have been named their league's Player of the Week. Valdez hit .400 with three HRs/11 RBI while Stafura posted a line of .542/4/11. Sammy also made MLB's All-Prospect Team of the Week as the shortstop.
• In the Futures game, RHP Seth Hernandez tossed a 1-2-3 inning with two punchouts and OF Edward Florentino was HBP (in the butt, so he'll be fine), stole second and scored.

Game Stuff:

• Paul Skenes had a rugged start and was down 1-0 in the first v Atlanta at PNC, but Ryan O'Hearn provided a pick-me-up with a grannie in the Bucco half, then added a pair of three-run bombs to plate a club single-game record of 10 RBIs as the Pirates romped 12-4.
• Jared Jones went six perfect innings with eight K; Donnie pulled him after 77 pitches with the score 0-0. Two innings later, recent Bucco Joey Bart sent a Dennis Santana serving over the fence to make it 2-0, with the final count 3-0 Atlanta; gotta score to win. Too bad we don't get to face our own bullpen.
• If worryin' about pitchers is your bag, Mitch Keller is your boy. He lasted three innings giving up three runs, and his relief, Cam Sanders, walked three guys in 2/3 of an inning & let in three more scores. But homers by Bryan Reynolds, Esmerlyn Valdez and Jake Mangum cut it to a 6-5 lead in the ninth. Then Kelly inexplicably brought in Dennis Santana, who was beat up yesterday, and he got beat up again today, giving up a grannie, as the Pirates dropped a 10-5 decision & the set to Atlanta.

Esmerlyn Valdez - 2026 HR trot photo/Pirates

• The first Brewer game was rained out and rescheduled as a split twin bill for Saturday. In the opener, Braxton Ashcraft was human, giving up five runs in five frames, but Esmerlyn Valdez refused to say die and homered twice with a slam (a seventh-inning game winner) and six RBI with Carmen Mlodzinski & Gregory Sota dodging stingers to take the day opener 7-6. Valdez put the Bucs up 2-0 in the nightcap with his third! homer of the day. Milwaukee tied it in the fifth while chasing Bubba Chandler, and the Pirates went back up 3-2 in the sixth when B-Rey chased Brandon Lowe home. And that's how it ended; five guys came out of the pen and put it away. It was a good day for the cavalry.
• Paul Skenes didn't face Jacob Misiorowski as originally booked; the Brewers held Miz back due to fatigue and Robert Gasser got the call. So much for the anticipated top gun duel - Paul went into the sixth (two runs, three hits, seven K) and left the game with a 14-2 lead. All nine starters had hits by the fourth inning when they erupted for 10 runs and the game went on cruise control after that, with the Bucs sweeping the set 14-5 after the twinbill brooming of the Brew Crew the day before. The bottom four in the order (Nick Gonzales, Marcell Ozuna, Jared Triolo & Hank Davis) went 9-for-19 with two homers (Davis & Ozuna), two doubles, seven runs scored and nine runs chased home.

Draft Stuff: 

• The Player Draft was held on Saturday (1st - 4th rounds) & Sunday (5th - 20th rounds). The Pirates top picks (bios/Kevin Gorman of the Trib) were at No. 5 (first round) & No. 34 (Competitive Balance-A round/traded to White Sox for Jacob Gonzalez) selections. In the first round, Pittsburgh selected LF (the Bucs will likely start him in center) Derek Curiel, 21, a lefty stick from LSU who posted a two-year line of .349/13/46/.431 OBP in 597 PAs. Other Top 100 picks: Aiden Ruiz, SS, Stony Brook HS (R2 - #44); Chris Rembert, 2B, Auburn (R2 - #51) and Jason DeCaro, RHP, N. Carolina (R3 - #80). On Sunday, the Pirates had 16 picks; they chose 13 pitchers to go with two OF's and a 3B. MLB Pirates Draft Tracker

MLB Stuff:

• Rowdy Tellez cleared waivers and re-signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta, where he'll join Cutch in AAA Gwinnett.
• RHP Bryse Wilson, recently set free by the Cubs, returned to one of his past playgrounds by signing with the Milwaukee Brewers.
• IF Pablo Reyes, released by San Diego last week, signed a minor league deal with the LA Angels.
• RHP Vince Velasquez, who tossed here in 2023 before elbow surgery in '24, signed a minor league deal with KC.
• RHP Mike Burrows (4-9/5.99) was optioned to AAA by the Astros; he was part of the multi-team deal that landed Brandon Lowe.

7/12 Through 1984: Cobra Debut, Lucky 13, Soap Game, Happy Jack Tops Matty, Game Days, Pud Joins Allies, ASGs, HBD Gorzo, Phil, Big Country, Cobra, Johnny & Lee

1885 – The Buffalo Bisons sold RHP Pud Galvin to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys for $5,000. Galvin won 138 games pitching for the Alleghenys, Burghers and Pirates. From the HOF (he was inducted in 1965): “Jim ‘Pud’ Galvin was baseball's first 300-game winner. Short and stocky, The Little Steam Engine was a tireless worker with a deceptive pick-off move. Galvin pitched for 14 Major League seasons, earning 20 or more victories 10 times and twice topping the 40-win mark. When he retired in 1892, he was the all-time Major League leader in wins, innings pitched, games started, games completed and shutouts. He was nicknamed Pud because his pitching process supposedly turned opposing batters into pudding.” Galvin also went by "Gentleman Jeems” for his demeanor, and "The Little Steam Engine" because of his small but powerful build.

1894 - Lee Meadows was born in Oxford, NC. The righty spent the last seven campaigns (1923-29) of his 15-year career with the Pirates, going 88-52/3.50. He was hardly used his last two seasons (he made five appearances), but was a workhorse in his first five years, leading the NL with 20 wins in 1926 and winning 19 games twice. Meadows was part of two World Series teams, the winning 1925 club and the losing 1927 squad. He wore glasses and was dubbed “Specs.”

1902 - Jack Chesbro pitched a five-hit shutout (he led the league with eight whitewashes) and struck out 11 Giants to beat Christy Mathewson 4-0 at Exposition Park despite the Buccos losing five straight runners via basepath errors. With two outs in the third, Ginger Beaumont was on second base and was tossed out trying to advance to third on a grounder to short. In the fourth, Honus Wagner led off with a triple, but was thrown out at the plate on Kitty Bransfield's grounder to first; Bransfield was then caught trying to steal second. Claude Ritchey drew a walk and got picked off first. Jimmy Burke led off the fifth with a double and tried to stretch it into a triple, but was tagged out by Matty, covering the bag. Happy Jack’s performance made it all moot.

1919 - OF Johnny Wyrostek was born in Fairmont City, Illinois. The Bucs bought him from the St. Louis Cardinals and he spent 1942-43 as a bench player in Pittsburgh, hitting just .140 in 60 games. After a two-year break for the service, he returned to baseball and played another nine campaigns for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds, ending his career with a solid .271 BA and two All-Star outings. After he retired, he returned home to become a deputy sheriff, tradesman, and the long-time mayor of his birthplace, Fairmont City.

Larry French - 1933 Conlon/TSN

1933 - The Pirates blew an 8-0 lead in the ninth inning as the Boston Braves rallied to tie the score at Forbes Field, leading to Larry French’s “Soap Game.” Per Bob Fulton’s 1999 Pittsburgh Pirates History: “French figured he could duck out of the bullpen and hit the showers early. Little did he know as he was getting clean that the Braves had rallied to make the score 8-7. When the call came for French to pitch, he didn't even have time to rinse off. He put on his uniform and hustled out to the mound with soap trickling down his neck.” French tossed 1-2/3 IP perfectly and earned the win as the Bucs came back to take a 9-8 decision.  Arky Vaughan helped, too - he doubled, banged two triples and drove in five runs.

1935 - Dave Ricketts was born in Pottstown. He was a two-way star at Duquesne University, playing on a pair of Dukes NIT basketball teams. He spent most of his MLB career as a back-up catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, joining the Bucs in 1970. Ricketts retired after that season and coached in Pittsburgh from 1971-74 as part of the World Series team.

1938 - The Pirates won their 13th straight game over the Chicago Cubs 14-6 at Wrigley Field, led by C Al Todd, who homered and drove home five runs. With their 40th victory in their last 54 games, the Bucs were in the NL lead for the first time that season. Ed Brandt got the win and Rip Sewell notched a save. That club was in first place by two games on September 25th, then fell apart, losing six of their last seven games to finish two games off the pace.

1949 - Pittsburgh sent OF Ralph Kiner to Ebbets Field for the All-Star Game, won 11-7 by the Junior Circuit. Ralph went 1-for-5 and his one swat left the park for a two-run homer, but a Kiner fly out generated bigger news - Ted Williams fractured his elbow after crashing into the fence while grabbing one of Ralph’s screamers. Although he finished the game, the Splendid Splinter was operated on the next day and was out of action until mid-September. This All-Star Game was the first to have black ballplayers in the lineup, with Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson starting at 2B while teammates C Roy Campanella and P Don Newcombe also appeared for the Nationals. Indians' OF’er Larry Doby played four innings for the AL’ers.

Frank Thomas - 1955 Bowman

1955 - OF Frank Thomas was the only Pirates player in the All-Star Game at Milwaukee’s County Stadium. He went 0-for-1 in a 6-5 National League overtime win. It was one of the Senior Circuit’s great rallies as they overcame a 5-0 deficit in the seventh and eighth innings, winning in the 12th frame on the Cards' (and Donora’s) Stan “The Man” Musial’s first-pitch walk-off homer.

1956 - The Bucs swept a doubleheader at Wrigley Field by 2-1 and 5-4 counts. In the opener, Ronnie Kline kept the Cubbies under control by spinning a six-hitter and was backed by Bill Virdon’s three hits. The nitecap hero was Dale Long, who chased home four runs against Chicago with a bases-loaded triple and a game-winning solo shot in the eighth, the slugger’s first long ball in over a month. It gave ElRoy Face a well-deserved win after he tossed seven innings of scoreless, five-hit ball in relief of Cholly Naranjo, who was making his first major league start.

1959 - Roberto Clemente kept ElRoy Face’s 19-game win streak alive when he cracked a bases-loaded single off the right field wall in the 10th inning to rally the Bucs to a 6-5 win over the Cards at Forbes Field. Face had blown the save in the ninth frame, but settled down and was on the hill for the win. Dick Groat and Danny Kravitz carried the Pittsburgh attack with three hits.

1966 - The Nationals edged the Americans 2-1 in the All-Star game at Busch Stadium on soon-to-be Bucco Maury Will’s 10th-inning rap. OF Roberto Clemente batted 2-for-4 with a double, OF Willie Stargell went 0-for-1 and P Bob Veale sat. The game not only went into extras, but hello, St. Looie summer - it was a muggy 105 degree day with the field reaching a toasty 113 degrees.

Dave Parker - 1973 Pirates Photo Card

1973 - Dave Parker, 22, made his Bucco debut in right field, replacing Gene Clines, who had suffered torn ankle ligaments, on the roster. in a 4-0 Pirates win against the Padres at San Diego Stadium. The Cobra went 0-for-4, but Willie Stargell homered and had three RBI while Bob Robertson added a solo shot. Luke Walker went the distance for the win, spinning a five hitter.

1980 - OF/1B Brad “Big Country” (6-5, 280 lbs) Eldred was born in Fort Lauderdale. The big banger (he hit 30+ dingers four times in the minors) was drafted by the Pirates in the sixth round of the 2002 draft. He made his MLB debut in 2005, batting just .221 but with 12 homers in 190 at-bats. That was offset by 77 whiffs, and he made it back to Pirates for just a brief 2007 showing, hitting .140 in 47 PAs after missing most of 2006 due to injury. The K-rate haunted him and he got two cups-of-coffee with Colorado in 2010 and Detroit in 2012 before continuing his career in Japan where he played for Hiroshima through 2018. 

1981 - LHP Phil Dumatrait was born in Bakersfield, California. The Pirates claimed him from the Cincinnati Reds, and he worked the bump from 2008-09 here, making 11 appearances and six starts with a line of 3-6/5.50. He became a starter when Matt Morris was released, but underwent bursitis surgery (his second procedure after TJ surgery in 2004) and his shoulder never fully recovered. Phil retired in 2012 after a couple of come-back tries fell short.

1982 - LHP Tom Gorzelanny was born in Evergreen Park, Illinois. The lefty was a second round draft pick of the Pirates in 2003, and spent the first 4-1/2 years (2005-09) of his career in Pittsburgh with a 25-26/4.79 line before being traded to the Cubs. Gorzo has tossed for six teams in his career, last with the Indians in 2016. He’s now a D-Back minor league pitching coach.

7/12 From 1985: Combo No-No, Bay Day, Bonds #100, Bo Bomb, Game Days, '94 TRS, Skenes Rookie Starter & ASGs, HBD Tom & Chasen

1987 - The Bucs defeated the San Diego Padres 4-2 at Three Rivers Stadium with a combination of muscle and finesse. The muscle was provided by Bobby Bonilla’s bomb into the upper deck of TRS, the first ball launched upstairs since 1979. The blast landed in yellow-seat territory previously reached only by Willie Stargell (four times), Bob Robertson and Greg Luzinski. The moon shot off Eric Show tucked itself inside the RF foul pole and if the seats hadn’t gotten in the way would have traveled an estimated 475-500’. The finesse was provided by four DPs turned by the Pirates (offsetting three errors) and three caught stealings by Spanky LaValliere. Bobby Bo was the offensive spark plug with two hits, two runs scored and two RBI while Felix Fermin & Johnny Ray took part in three twin killings to help carry Mike Dunne to the victory.

1988 - The American League pitchers outdid their Senior Circuit counterparts to claim a 2-1 victory in the All-Star game at Riverfront Stadium. 3B Bobby Bonilla went 0-for-4 at the plate and OF Andy Van Slyke was 0-for-2. Bob Walk pitched to one batter, Carney Lansford, with two outs in the seventh inning and a runner on second, getting him to ground out.

1990 - Barry Bonds hit his 100th career home run off Andy Benes in the opening frame of a 15-inning 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres. Jeff King drilled a two-out single to right to score Dan Bilardello for the walkoff win at Three Rivers Stadium after the Friars bullpen had tossed 9-2/3 innings without giving up a run to the Pirates. Bob Patterson earned the victory after working three scoreless frames; the Bucco relief corps put up 7-1/3 zippo IP during the bullpen battle.

1990 - LHP Chasen Shreve was born in Las Vegas. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2011 in the 11th round from the College of Southern Nevada. Chase made his MLB debut in 2014 as Atlanta Brave, and since has worked for four other clubs (career 17-8-2/3.74, FIP 4.17, 10.5 K per nine IP). He inked a deal with the Pirates as an NRI in 2021 and was a late cut in camp, but was recalled from Indy in May and became a dependable middle-inning guy. Shreve signed with the NY Mets in 2022 and has bounced around the league since; he’s looking for work in 2026 after the Yankees let him go in late April.

1992 - The Reds had an early 5-0 lead at Riverfront Stadium and carried a 5-2 edge into the ninth inning. Norm Charlton was a strike away ending it, but Barry Bonds tore into a 2-2 pitch with the bases juiced, not stopping until he was perched on third base and the game was knotted. The Bucs took command in their half of the 10th after Gary Redus swatted a two-run long fly off Tim Belcher, but there was more drama to come. With an out and runners on second and third, Stan Belinda gave up a deep sac fly, scoring one run and putting the tying score on third. But he came through for his 13th save with a swinging strikeout, saving the win for Bob Patterson in a total team pitching effort. The bullpen, reinforced by Denny Neagle, served goose eggs to Cincy for 6-1/3 frames. That allowed the bats time to do their thing and take home the 7-6 win to enter the All-Star break in first place, 4-1/2 games up on the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL East. 

Carlos Garcia - 1994 Select

1994 - The largest crowd in Pittsburgh baseball history, 59,568, turned out as Three Rivers Stadium played host to baseball's 65th All-Star Game. It was one of the most exciting Midsummer Classics ever held. Fred McGriff’s two-run homer tied the contest in the ninth inning, then Tony Gwynn led off the 10th frame with a single and came around to score the game-winning run on a double by Moises Alou as the NL posted an 8-7 victory to snap a six-game losing streak. 2B Carlos Garcia was the Pirates lone representative, and went 1-for-2 with a single; Jim Leyland coached third base and Rich Donnelly was the sacrificial Home Run Derby server. There were a handful of ex-Bucs on the NL roster: Barry Bonds, Doug Drabek, Danny Jackson and Moises Alou. The pre-game chores were handled by Meat Loaf, who sang the National Anthem, and Bucco legend Willie Stargell, who tossed out the ceremonial first ball to kick off the Midsummer Classic. In a nod to the home team, the Upper Deck Heroes of Baseball Game that was played the day before as an ASG adjunct featured former Pirates all over the lineup for the NL: Omar Moreno, Al Oliver, Bill Madlock, Frank Thomas, Manny Sanguillen, Rennie Stennett, Gene Alley, Jose Pagan and Dock Ellis.

1997 - Mark Smith's pinch-hit, two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th off John Hudek capped a no-hitter by Francisco Cordova (nine innings) and Ricardo Rincon (one inning) against the Houston Astros. (Lanny Frattare’s call: "Home run! No hitter! You've got it all!") It was the first combined extra-inning no-hitter in MLB history, and the first time that Three Rivers Stadium was sold out for a regular season game other than a home opener since 1977, drawing 44,119 fans for Jackie Robinson/fireworks night. It was the first Pirates no-hit­ter since John Can­de­laria beat the Dodgers 2-0 in 1976, and kept the Bucs in a first-place tie with Houston in the NL Central.

2001 - RHP Thomas Harrington was born in Sanford, North Carolina. Drafted #36 in the 2022 draft by the Bucs out of Campbell U, he was a Top 100 (#78) MLB Pipeline Prospect and the third-rated rook in the Pirates org when called up in ‘25. His stuff isn’t considered overwhelming but efficient with a four-pitch mix and good control. Harrington was a late bubble cut in camp after showing well and he was brought up in April to make his debut and get a two-game taste of the show. His performance was mixed and he was sent back to Indy. He returned briefly before going on the IL with a groin injury in early August, and it basically cost him the rest of the campaign. Tom started 2026 at Indy with a couple of calls up.

2005 - The American League whipped the Nationals at Comerica Park 7-5 in the All-Star Game. The Pirates Jason Bay was selected as their rep, and he didn’t do much to enhance his resume. J-Bay was the only position player for either side not to get into the game, though he did get some swings in as a participant of the home run derby. He used up his 10 outs in that contest without swatting a long ball, the only player not to homer during the competition.

Jay Bay - 2008 Upper Deck

2008 - Going into the eighth inning at PNC Park, things looked dismal for the Pirates; they were down 10-4 to St. Louis. Jay Bay picked them up with a two-run dinger in the Bucco half, and in the ninth, they exploded for four runs to tie the game, generated by a three-run blast by Nate McLouth and the game-knotting run plated by Bay, who had five RBI on the night. The Cards shrugged it off and reclaimed the lead in the 10th, but Pittsburgh kept coming (they banged five homers during the match) and walked it off on pinch-hitter Jason Michael’s two-run shot. Denny Bautista, the Bucs seventh pitcher, got the win even though he gave up the fall-behind homer.

2011 - The Nationals took a 5-1 decision from the American League All-Stars at Chase Field. OF Andrew McCutchen with pitchers Joel Hanrahan and Kevin Correia were the Bucco members of the team. Cutch went 0-for-1, Hanny pitched to two batters with a strikeout and single, and KC didn’t get in the game. It was the first ASG in a National League yard to use a DH.

2013 - Pittsburgh scored twice in the first on Pedro Alvarez’s homer (he had been selected to play in the All-Star Home Run Derby as an injury replacement just days before) and then went nine more frames before posting another run, but it all worked out as the Bucs took a 3-2, 11-inning win from the New York Mets. Jordy Mercer singled home Andrew McCutchen after two outs with the winning run to give the Pirates’ sixth pitcher, Vin Mazzaro, the victory.

2014 - The Bucs blew a 4-0 lead to the Reds at GABP after Charlie Morton was touched up for a five-spot in the sixth inning, but bounced back to tie the game in the ninth on Andrew McCutchen’s solo homer before winning it in the 11th when the clutch Cutch homered again to post a 6-5 victory. Andrew had three hits, as did Jordy Mercer and Travis Snider. Six Pirates relievers shut down Cincy, with Justin Wilson the winner and Jeanmar Gomez earning his first MLB save. 

Andrew McCutchen - 2014 Topps Patch

2015 - In a see-saw game that was tied 3-3 after nine innings, the Bucs prevailed in dramatic fashion to drop the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-5, in 10 innings at PNC Park on ESPN for their second straight walkoff, extra-inning victory over the Redbirds. Frankie Liriano, a .057 hitter, drove home a pair of runs, and Gregory Polanco sent home one more, countered by a Jhonny Peralta homer and a pair of manufactured scores. In the 10th frame, things turned gloomy when Randal Grichuk banged a bases-loaded double off Arquimedes Caminero, scoring two Redbirds although a third was nailed at the plate, and that Cutch-to-Jordy-to-Cervy relay & tag would prove huge. Trevor Rosenthal, who had thrown 27 pitches the day before, came on. He got two outs after Mercer’s leadoff blooper, and then the Pirates started coming on. A Starling Marte single brought in Jordy, Jung-Ho Kang followed with a knock, and Marte sprinted home on Fran Cervelli’s two-strike roller inside the first base line to even it up. A walk brought El Coffee to the dish, and he dropped the first pitch into right for both the game winner and the Pirates second walk-off win in consecutive nights over St. Louis. Caminero earned his first MLB win.

2016 - Both Bucco reps got in the Midsummer Classic, a 4-2 American League victory at Petco Field in San Diego. Mark “The Shark” Melancon, in his third ASG, gave up a walk and then closed out his inning with a grounder while Starling Marte went 1-for-1 with a two-out pinch-hit single to right and then played an inning in center field. In an oddity, the Senior Circuit was the visiting team because three straight games had gone to NL fields. This was also the last game that would decide home field advantage for the World Series, a rule which had been in effect since 2003. Future home field advantage would be earned by the team with the best regular season record, as it had been before the All-Star sweetener.

2024 - Paul Skenes joined a select group when he was selected to the All-Star game as a rookie. The air got rarer when NL manager Torey Lovullo selected him OTD as the Senior Circuit’s starting pitcher at Globe Life. Paul joined just five other MLB rookie ASG starters - Hideo Nomo (1995), Fernando Valenzuela (1981), Mark “The Bird” Fidrych (1976), Dave Stenhouse (1962) and later, Bucco bro Paul Skenes (2024). He did pretty well, too, walking one and getting three infield outs while working a scoreless frame. Bryan Reynolds joined him on the squad.

July 12, 2025 - Paul Skenes was named the NL's starter for the ASG. He hooked up against the Tigers Tarik Skubal. Paul was the first pitcher to start the Midsummer Classic in his first two MLB campaigns; the other players in that club are Joe DiMaggio, Ichiro Suzuki, Rod Carew, and Frank Robinson. Skenes put up a 1-2-3 frame with a pair of K.

7/11 Through the 1970s: Starg HR King, Stu Slam, Lefty Hurt, Game Days, Forbes Field '44, Friend Win, Roberto Roars & ASGs, HBD Javier, Otter, Skeets, Harry & Pop

1865 - C William “Pop” Shriver was born in Brooklyn. He was a part-time catcher for the 1898-1900 Bucs, hitting .265 toward the end of a 16-year career. He played one more year for St. Louis, then hung them up after 1901. He’s part of early baseball’s folklore when in 1894 he was alleged to have caught a ball tossed from the top of the Washington Monument, over 500’ high, by Clark Griffith, who at the time was a pitcher and Pop’s teammate on the Chicago Colts. The usual tale is that he missed the first ball Clark dropped from the memorial, but snagged the second arc, although some say that the ornery ball popped out of his mitt.

1884 - OF Harry Wolter was born in Monterey, California. The seven-year MLB vet started out in 1907 and played for four teams, including Pittsburgh. The Bucs bought his contract from the Cincinnati Reds and he got one outing for the Bucs as a pitcher (he was converted to an outfielder and sometimes 1B in 1910) and worked two innings, giving up a run before being sold to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Santa Clara alum played pro ball from 1905-20, taking his final bow as a player/manager in 1927. Following his playing career, he coached baseball at Stanford University for 26 years (1916, from 1923-1943, and one more time from 1946-49) and also coached the 1936 US Olympic team.

1902 - “Pittsburg won from New York yesterday but at a terrible price. Lefty Davis caught his foot in second base and fell with a fractured leg,” was the lead. Davis had stolen the bag and bounced up to head to third when the throw got away, but stumbled over the sack, breaking his ankle, passing out in pain and then being carried to the clubhouse. The 27-year-old outfielder never quite recovered; Davis was a .287 hitter with 45 steals in 171 big league games up to that point, but missed the rest of the campaign and finished his remaining 177 games batting .234 with 20 thefts. The Pirates won the ballgame at the Polo Grounds, 6-3, as five Bucs banged out a pair of hits in support of Deacon Phillippe, who went the distance for the victory.

1908 - Per the Pittsburgh Press Ralph Davis: "In a game filled with pretty fielding plays and delightful batting rallies..." Vic Willis tossed a complete-game one-hitter in a 6-2 win over the Giants at Exposition Park. Mike Donlin's triple was the only New York knock. Roy Thomas had three hits for the Bucs (two were triples) and Hans Wagner added a pair of knocks.

Vic Willis - Helmar T3

1921 - RHP Hal “Skeets” Gregg was born in Anaheim, California. He worked for three years (1948-50) for the Bucs after a five-year run in Brooklyn. Skeets tossed mostly from the pen and went 3-6-1/4.85 as a Pirate when he was on the downside of his career, suffering arm and back woes. Quick factoid: Gregg was noted for his fastball, which he honed as a child by rifling oranges at various targets on his parent's grove. While it strengthened his arm, it didn’t do much for his accuracy - his final MLB line showed five walks/nine innings to just four whiffs.

1925 - The Bucs jumped ahead early but managed to blow a five-run lead to the Brooklyn Robins at Ebbets Field by giving up a six-spot in the eighth inning. Back-to-back triples by Clyde Barnhart and Pie Traynor in the top of the ninth regained the momentum and pushed the Pirates to a 7-6 victory, a nailbiter that was finally sealed by a running grab of a shot to deep center by Max Carey with the tying run on base. Lee Meadows went the distance for the win.

1938 - The Pirates were in a feisty mood as they visited Wrigley Field. First, coach Jewel Ens got tossed in the top of the seventh inning, then C Al Todd joined him in the shower during the Chicago half of the frame. Ens was upset over an out call at home on Johnny Rizzo while Todd continued chatting to the man in blue about the same decision when he went behind the dish. Al didn’t go quietly; he had to be separated from the ump, George Barr, and fired some bats from the dugout as he departed. Both Ens and Todd were fined $50 for yapping. But the Bucs battled back in the ninth, scoring three times to rally for their 12th straight win (the streak reached 13 games before it was snapped) by a 5-3 tally over the Cubs, with the big blow being a two-run knock by pitcher Jim Tobin. He got the win in relief of Bill Swift, while Mace Brown earned the save. 

1939 - The Pirates sent SS Arky Vaughan to the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, but the AL took the game, 3-1. To keep things honest, the umpires swapped spots in the middle of the fifth inning – Cal Hubbard of the AL left home, replaced by the NL’s George Magerkurth, and the other two men in blue also traded bases.

Hans and Rip at the 1944 ASG - 7/11/1944 AP/photo<

1944 - The Pirates hosted their first All-Star Game at Forbes Field, the 12th Midsummer Classic, the first night ASG hosted by the NL. The NL won, 7-1, as Phil Cavarretta of the Cubs set an ASG record by reaching base five straight times on a triple, single, and three walks. Rip Sewell worked three innings, giving up a walk and whiffing a pair. 3B Bob Elliott went 0-for-3, while OF Vince DiMaggio played in the field but didn’t bat. SS Frank Zak, an emergency replacement who didn’t get named to the squad in time to make the program, didn’t get into the game at all.

1950 - It was back-and-forth baseball at Chicago’s Comiskey Park during the All-Star Game. The National League tied the match, 3-3, in the ninth dramatically on lone Pirates rep Ralph Kiner’s homer (he also had a double, going 2-for-6) before Red Schoendienst's long ball in the 14th inning won it for the Nationals. As noted by BR Bullpen, it was a game of firsts - the first extra-inning All-Star Game, the first time the NL won at an AL park, and the first All-Star Game ever shown on national television (Jack Brickhouse announced the game on NBC).

1951 - C Ed Ott was born in Muncy, PA, near Williamsport. He caught righty but hit lefty, putting him in a platoon role for Pittsburgh for seven seasons (1974-80), batting .259. He was effective in the 1979 World Series; in three starts, he hit .333 with three RBI in a dozen at-bats. “Otter” managed Pirates farm teams in 1985-86, was a skipper in the indie leagues for three seasons, and then coached for the Houston Astros under former Pirates teammate Art Howe from 1989-93. He later returned to coaching at the indie level, finally retiring in 2014.

1958 - 25-year-old Dick Stuart belted a grand slam in his second MLB game to lead the Bucs to a 7-2 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, giving Ron Kline, who tossed a six-hitter, all the runs he needed. Frank Thomas also went deep for the Bucs. Big Stu had made his MLB bow the day before; he belted a two-run long fly in the ninth inning of his debut in a losing cause.

Bob Friend - Helmar: This Great Game

1960 - One-hit shutout pitching by Bob Friend over three innings led the Nationals to a 5-3 win over the Americans at Kansas City's Municipal Stadium in the first of two All-Star Games. Friend was credited with the victory, making him the winner of two of the NL's last three All-Star contests (he also earned a dub in 1956). This dub was saved by teammate Vern Law, who got the last two outs following a scoreless stint by ElRoy Face. OF Bob Skinner went 1-for-4 with a run scored, RBI and stolen base while 2B Bill Mazeroski went 1-for-2 with an RBI and HBP. OF Roberto Clemente and C Smoky Burgess both were 0-for-1, and SS Dick Groat got in as a defensive sub. For Clemente, it was his AS debut, and his out was a loud one that Jim Lemon ran down at the wall.

1961 - In the All-Star game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, OF Roberto Clemente had a coming out party. The Great One tripled and scored the game's first run, drove in another with a sac fly, chased Mickey Mantle to the centerfield fence to corral his next blast, and capped the day when he delivered a walk-off single off knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm in a 5-4, 10-inning NL win. Danny Murtaugh was the skipper of the Nationals; 1B Dick Stuart belted a pinch-hit double, C Smoky Burgess went 1-for-4 and reliever Roy Face was a spectator who never got the call from the bullpen. The game cemented Candlestick’s rep as a wind tunnel; Stu Miller was blown off the mound and charged with a balk when a sea breeze sent him sailing in mid-delivery.

1963 - In a 3-0 win over the Colt .45s at Forbes Field, Roberto Clemente’s bullet chased Jim Wynn from the infield to a career in the pasture. As the 21-year-old Toy Cannon, who was a rookie playing SS (it was his second MLB game), told Baseball Digest “Clemente hit a screaming line drive, and I got my glove up just as the ball hit the left field wall. After that, I told the coaches and manager to get me out of the infield.” Wynn was eventually granted his wish and played 1,810 games in the OF after 21 appearances auditioning at short during his rookie campaign. Roberto’s wicked double was cashed in by Donn Clendenon in the eighth inning and was the game’s winning run; Don Cardwell went all the way for the win, giving up just two singles to the ‘Stros.

1967 - The National League won another All-Star pitching battle against the Junior Circuit, taking a 2-1 decision at Anaheim Stadium in 15 innings with Tony Perez’s homer the difference. OF Roberto Clemente went 1-for-6, and the starting middle infield of 2B Bill Mazeroski and SS Gene Alley went a combined 0-for-9 at the plate, although Maz did lay down a successful bunt. The rosters were loaded for this match; 22 players and coaches on the Midsummer Classic rosters ended up in the Hall of Fame. The 15 innings was the longest Midsummer Classic match played, later tied by the 2008 contest. 

Willie Stargell - 1973 Topps Pin-Ups

1973 - Willie Stargell cracked the 302nd home run of his career to pass Ralph Kiner as the all-time Pirate HR leader in a 10-2 victory over the Padres at San Diego Stadium. Bob Robertson, Al Oliver and Dal Maxvill each had three hits while Nellie Briles went the distance, tossing a solid seven-hitter with seven punchouts. Willie would pile on to his franchise-leading number of dingers, retiring after the 1982 campaign with 475 bombs to leave Mr. Swat in the rear view mirror.

1977 - LHP Javier Lopez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Lopez signed as a free agent with the Pirates in 2010 for $775K after having a horrible year with the Bosox. The 32-year-old LOOGY rebounded nicely with a slash of 2-2/2.79 and was moved at the deadline to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Joe Martinez and OF John Bowker. Javy spent seven seasons with the G-Men, working off the bump during four playoff runs and two World Series, before retiring in 2017.

1978 - The Senior Circuit took a 7-3 win from the AL in the All-Star game held at San Diego Stadium. 1B Willie Stargell was the only Pirate and went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter. Three ex-Bucco hands were on the American’s starting lineup card - 3B Don Money, SS Freddie Patek and OF Richie Zisk, with SS Craig Reynolds on the bench and RHP Goose Gossage in the pen.