9/23 Through 1954: Murry #20, Mr Swat's 51st, Craws NNL Champs, '25 Crown, Clarke Day, On The Case, Game Days, HBD Dennis, Moe, Rook, Dino, Lino, John, Joe & Cy

1880 - LF Cecil “Cy” Neighbors was born in Fayetteville, Missouri. Cy’s MLB career consisted of one inning in the pasture without a fielding chance for the 1908 Pirates. He was a minor league mainstay, though, batting .302 in 15 seasons on the farm (1905-20). He was a player manager for Tacoma in 1921 before settling into a post-baseball gig as a carpenter. 

1886 - According to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology and Wikipedia, Alleghenys’ pitcher Pud Galvin walked the first three Brooklyn Bridegrooms he faced, and then picked them all off for a 1-2-3 inning! Pittsburgh won the game at Washington Park by an 8-2 score. The Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette made no mention of the feat, but did note that “Galvin...showed up well. To-day he not only twirled with great effect but showed remarkably good judgment when men were on base.”

1886 - OF Joe Kelly (not to be confused with Bucco “Handsome Joe” Kelly of earlier years) was born in Weir, Kansas. He played regularly during his rookie campaign as a Pirate in 1914, hitting .222, and spent parts of five seasons in the show. Joe had a long career in minor league ball that spanned 23 seasons (1908-30), spending  the last five years as a player/manager.

1895 - OF Johnny Mokan was born in Buffalo, New York. He started his seven-year career with the Bucs in 1921-22, hitting .262 off the bench, then spent the next five campaigns with Philadelphia where he blossomed. He spent the last two years of his playing days with the local farm clubs at Buffalo and Rochester and later worked as an equipment operator for NY State.

1904 - The Pirates downed the runaway NL leaders, the NY Giants, by a 7-0 score at the Polo Grounds. Charlie Case tossed a two-hitter, and didn’t give up a knock after the second frame. His opponent wasn’t quite up to snuff; the Pittsburgh Press said that “Leon Ames...was as wild as a March hare and issued six free passes. Besides, the Pirates stung his delivery at a lively rate and practically sewed up the game in the second inning, when three free passes turned into tallies.” The New York Herald was a little less kind - "Pittsburg Plays All By Itself" was its headline.

Charlie Case - 1905 photo via Baseball Prospectus

1907 - The Pirates dropped the NY Giants 2-1 at Exposition Park. Vic Willis tossed a six-hitter with six K to outgun Hooks Wiltse. Bill Hallman had three hits and a run scored for the Bucs, Honus Wagner added two knocks and a stolen base, and Ed Abbaticchio doubled and scored. The game had a little added spice when umpire Bill Klem and Giant manager John McGraw argued during the lineup exchange, priming the pump for McGraw’s ejection in the sixth inning.

1915 - It was “Fred Clarke Day” in Pittsburgh, and player/manager Cap suited up one last time in his only on-field appearance of his final season. He played four innings and went 1-for-2 against Dick Rudolph of the Boston Braves in an 8-4 win at Forbes Field with Wilbur Cooper on the hill. For farewell gifts, Clarke received an eight-day grandfather clock from his players and a leather binder containing the names of several thousand supporters as a keepsake.

1922 - LHP Lino Donoso was born in Havana. Donoso was a star in the Mexican League (and for a few seasons with the Negro League NY Cubans) although it didn’t quite translate in MLB. The Pirates brought him up on the strength of his 19-8/2.37 Pitcher of the Year performance in 1954 for Hollywood in the PCL; the only problem was that Lino came to Pittsburgh as a 33-year-old and was losing steam on his fastball. He worked 1955-56 as a Bucco, going 4-6/5.21 and then returned south of the border. He posted 100+ wins and was elected to the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.

1924 - OF Dino Restelli was born in St. Louis. He had just a two-year MLB career (1949, 1951) spent with the Pirates, but has a legit claim to fame: he hit a record seven home runs in his first ten games.  He, along with Jose Abreu (White Sox - 2014) and Mark Quinn (KC - 1999), are the only players since 1914 to have a pair of multi-HR outings in their first 10 career games. But his star dimmed quickly. In parts of two seasons (1949-50), he hit .242 with 13 HR and was nagged by a series of injuries. The theories as to why he fizzled seem to focus on two issues - one was fear of the Lord, instilled in him by the Reds’ Ewell Blackwell who drilled him high with a fastball as a rookie. The other was his eyesight - he wore glasses that fogged up and he would often back out of the box to wipe them clean with an ever-present red hankie (which precipitated his incident with Blackwell). After his baseball career ended in 1955, he became a San Francisco police officer briefly before another injury caused him to leave that job. But he found work in nearby San Carlos where his parents lived. There he became a civic mover and the local Mr. Baseball, coaching and working as a member of the local Parks Department.

Emil Yde - 1925 photo George Bain/Library Of Congress

1925 - The Pittsburgh Press wrote “The Phillies gave the Pirates a merry tussle in the game that clinched the pennant for the Smoky City…” as the Bucs turned six DPs and edged the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 at Forbes Field to claim the NL flag for the first time since 1909. It was the ninth straight victory for the Pirates and put the eventual World Series champs 10 games up on the second-place NY Giants. Emil Yde tossed a seven-hitter for victory #17 with late help from Tommy Sheehan who earned the save. Max Carey and Pie Traynor added a pair of knocks.

1935 - Behind the four-hit pitching of Jim Weaver and Pep Young’s three raps/seven RBI, the Bucs left the St. Louis Cardinals pennant hopes on life support, winning 12-0 over the Redbirds at Sportsman’s Park. The loss dropped the Redbirds four games behind the Cubs in the loss column with four games to go. Woody Jensen had four hits, including a pair of doubles, while Lloyd Waner and Arky Vaughan added three hits and runs apiece.

1935 - The Pittsburgh Crawfords beat the New York Cubans 3-0 to win the Negro NL Championship. Lefty curveballer Leroy Matlock, who went 18-0 during the regular season, tossed a three-hitter. He was backed by Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Judy Johnson and Oscar Charleston, all future Hall of Famers. Pittsburgh took the hard fought seven-game series after falling behind three-games-to-one to New York for its only undisputed Negro League title.

1942 - LHP Jim Rooker was born in Lakeview, Oregon. Rook pitched eight years (1973-80) for the Bucs with a line of 82-65-6/3.29, which he equaled in playoff time with a 3.20 ERA, including a strong start in Game #5 of the 1979 Series, a crucial match that the Pirates, down three-games-to-one, won. He was also a Pirate TV color analyst from 1981 through 1993, and worked for ESPN from 1994 to 1997. Rooker’s most memorable TV moment came when he said on air that he’d walk home from Philadelphia if the Pirates lost. They did, and he did. True to his word, he staged a cross-state charity walk after the season. Retired now, Rook Rook dipped into politics but had better luck as an author of children’s books.

Jim Rooker - 2004 Pitt-Ohio Express

1947 - Ralph Kiner hit his franchise record 51st homer (he would break that mark in 1949) against Jim Kearns of the Cards at Forbes Field in an 8-4 loss to the Redbirds. It was the only strike saw that night; he walked on four pitches in three other at-bats and was ahead 2-0 before his swat.

1951 - Murry Dickson tossed a five-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field to win his 20th game, 3-0. Gus Bell had a pair of hits and two RBI to back Dickson. Murry was the only Bucco pitcher to win more than eight games that season; the team only won 64 contests.

1952 - IF Jim Morrison was born in Pensacola, Florida. He spent half (1982-87) of his 12-year career as a Pirate, hitting .274 as a Bucco with a standout 1986 campaign, posting a line of .274/23/88 as Pittsburgh’s starting third baseman. He had his most memorable outing on June 1st, 1986, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when Jim chased home seven runs with a double, a triple and a grand slam, the only granny of his career. After he quit playing, he managed in the Phillies system for a couple of years and has been with Tampa Bay since 2006.

1952 - RHP Dennis Lamp was born in Los Angeles. He worked in Pittsburgh in 1992 as a 40-year-old, finishing out his 16-year MLB career going 1-1/5.14 in 21 appearances until his June release. At last look, Dennis works behind the seafood counter at Bristol Farms in Newport Beach. According to his store manager, "He talks sports. He sells fish. He works hard." Lamp, for his part, shrugs and says he doesn’t really need the money, but just likes to work and stay busy.

9/23 From 1955: '15 '14 & '13 Clinchers, B-2-B, Parade, Forbes Filled, Rook Roll, Al's 1st, Game Days, TSN Parker, Jim's Deal, Pud At Rest, ABS, HBD Chris & Jim

1956 - With the Dodgers leading the Pirates 8-3, 44,932 fans, the largest crowd in Forbes Field's history (with several thousand more turned away at the gates) who were lured by a prize day promotion, left early when a ninth-inning rain delay postponed the game with two outs, triggering the Sunday curfew with the Dodgers up 8-2. Brooklyn officially won the game the next day. Don Newcombe got the win in a match that saw seven Bucco hurlers take the bump.

1958 - Pittsburgh loves a  parade, and they threw one for their Buccos. Finishing in second place after being cellar-dwellers the year before was plenty enough reason, and a motorcade rode through town at lunchtime bearing various Pirates, coaches, suits and announcers. An estimated 75-100,000 people lined the streets, with others watching from their office windows, all the while cheering and showering their baseball heroes with roses and confetti. Lee McInerney of  the Post Gazette wrote ”Caesar, returning victorious from the Gallic Wars, couldn’t have had a sweeter reception than the one given at noon time to the Pirates.” The hour-long affair featured the players tossing baseballs to the crowd and some speechifying at the City-County building portico by team members and Mayor Dave Lawrence. The Bucs hadn't finished that high in the standings since 1944 and presaged the bedlam that would occur in town a couple of years later.

1959 - RHP Jim Winn was born in Stockton, California. A first round draft pick (14th overall) of Pittsburgh in 1981, the reliever never quite panned out, plagued by a series of injuries. He tossed from 1983-86 for the Bucs with a 7-11-4/4.47 line, then spent a couple of years in the AL to end his career, which was short-circuited by TJ surgery back in the day when it was a new and not always successful procedure. After his baseball days were done, he became a salesman.

1968 - In his Bucco debut, Al Oliver spanked his first MLB hit in the second game of a twilight doubleheader at Forbes Field, singling and scoring off Clay Carroll in the fourth inning of a 2-1, 10-inning win over the San Diego Padres. He started in right field and got into four games that season after a September call-up. Al spent a decade in Pittsburgh and collected 1,490 hits with a .296 BA here. In all, Scoops put together an 18-year, seven-team MLB run and piled up 2,743 hits, a lifetime .303 average, seven All-Star caps and a World Series ring (1971). 

Al Oliver - 1969 Pirates Picture Pack

1974 - Jim Rooker threw nine shutout frames as the Bucs beat the St. Louis Cards 1-0 in 10 innings at Busch Stadium, with Dave Giusti working the last frame for the save. The Bucs scored when pinch hitter Paul Popovich singled and was replaced by Miguel Dilone on the basepaths. He was bunted to second and came around on Richie Hebner’s single. The win moved the club to just 1/2 game behind the Cards in a see-saw pennant race that Pittsburgh eventually eked out.

1978 - Dave Parker was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Peerless Pirate.” He would win the MVP and his second batting crown (.334) despite playing with a football-like mask on his helmet after breaking his jaw in a plate collision with Mets C John Stearns in late June.

1986 - Barry Bonds hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Philadelphia’s Steve Bedrosian to give Pirates a 6-5 walkoff win at TRS. The slumping Bonds (he hit .223 in his rookie ‘86 campaign) had tried to lay one down to set up Bobby Bonilla (Jim Leyland told Bob Hertzel of the Pittsburgh Press that “I almost passed out when he tried to bunt.”) before he decided to swing away. The Bucs scored five times in the last two frames. Mike Diaz was the other hitting hero, with a two-out, two-run single in the eighth to give him three RBI on the night. Four Pirate relievers tossed 6-2/3 innings of shutout ball, with Barry Jones getting the win. To add a degree of difficulty to the contest, Leyland and pitching coach Ron Schueler were both tossed from the game in the sixth inning and in the clubhouse for the comeback as Bill Virdon took over the reins.

1986 - RHP Chris Volstad was born in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. A first-rounder of the Marlins in 2005, he worked seven MLB seasons with a 37-58/5.00 line as a starter. His Bucco career was two scoreless relief innings in 2015 after serving a 2014 stint in Korea. His last 100+ IP big league season was 2012, although he lasted into 2018 with the White Sox.

Chris Volstad - 2015 photo via Signatures 4 U

1988 - Manager Jim Leyland asked for a two-year contract (he had been working season-to-season from ‘86-88) with two requirements. He wanted $250 K/year (a bit under the average manager’s salary but double his ‘88 paycheck) and that all his coaches be rehired (Rich Donnelly, Gene Lamont, Milt May, Ray Miller & Tommy Sandt). GM Syd Thrift agreed to the terms. The Pirates would hit a bump in the first year of the new deal with just 74 wins, but followed with three straight division titles and Manager of the Year honors in 1990 & ‘92 for Leyland.

1996 - Josh Gibson had a Pennsylvania Historical marker memorializing him dedicated at Ammon Field. Some of those present were the Pirates Al Gordon and Nellie Briles, City Councilman Sala Udin and old teammates Willie Pope and Hooks Tinker. Ammon Field was selected because even though Gibson was a Northsider, he played at Ammon when it was Greenlee Field. In more Bucco news, Jay Bell was named the National League’s Co-Player of the Week along with the Dodgers Hideo Nomo. Bell was in the midst of a 14-game hitting streak and it was the first time he was recognized as POTW.

2013 - For the first time in 21 years (their last playoff squad was fielded in 1992 with Jim Leyland at the helm), the Pirates earned a playoff spot with a 2-1 win over Chicago at Wrigley Field. Charlie Morton tossed seven innings of three-hit ball and was up, 1-0, on Neil Walker’s first inning homer. The Cubs tied the contest in the eighth on a ball that scooted through a drawn up infield, but the Bucs retook the lead in the ninth on Starling Marte’s two-out, two-strike homer deep into the bleachers. The drama wasn’t quite over; with two outs and Nate Schierholtz on first, Ryan Sweeney blooped a ball into right that bounced off Marlon Byrd’s mitt. Schierholtz was waved around, but an Andrew McCutchen-to-Justin Morneau-to-Russ Martin relay and tag beat his dash to the dish. Mark Melancon earned the win while Jason Grilli was credited with the save and one of the great Bucco hug-fests between he and Russ after the game-saving tag. 

2014 - The Pirates guaranteed themselves a playoff berth with a 3-2 win over Atlanta at Turner Field, but it wasn’t easy. Down 2-0 after two innings, and saved from a bigger hole thanks only to bad Brave baserunning and a bases loaded, no-out DP, Gerrit Cole belatedly found his rhythm and retired 17 straight Bravos. Andrew McCutchen scored on a delayed steal of home when the catcher’s throw to second was high in the fourth, then Travis Snider tied it with a leadoff homer in the fifth. Doubles by Cutch and Starling Marte gave the Pirates their lead in the sixth. Cole worked seven innings and struck out eight for the win, with Jared Hughes picking up a hold and Tony Watson earning the save. To earn their playoff spot, the Pirates won 15-of-18 games after being written off following a deflating sweep by the St. Louis Cardinals in early September.

Cutch - 2014 Topps Pirates Patch

2015 - The Bucs defeated the Colorado Rockies 13-7 at Coors Field to clinch a postseason spot not only for the third straight year, but on the same 9/23 date, too. The Pirates jumped out to a 7-1 lead after a first inning bloop and third inning blast by Neil Walker, who ended up going 4-for-5 with career best six RBI. But Charlie Morton couldn’t stand prosperity and was yanked in the fifth after a homer cut the lead to 7-6. The Buc bullpen took over, putting up zeros until the bats put up a six spot in the ninth, keyed by Sean Rodriguez’s bases-loaded, bases-clearing double on an 0-2 pitch. Joe Blanton, one of five Buc twirlers, got the win. 

2016 - Pittsburgh rallied to defeat the Washington Nationals 6-5 in 11 innings at PNC Park on a pair of do-or-die knocks. With two gone in the ninth and down by a run, Sean Rodriguez doubled home Pedro Florimon to send the game into extras. The hit was off former Bucco closer Mark Melancon, making his first appearance versus Pittsburgh since a deadline trade, only to earn his first blown save as a Nat. With the sacks juiced and two away in the 11th, the Pirates sent up their last bench player, September call-up Jake Stallings. He fell behind 0-2, worked the count full and then singled home the winning run for his first MLB walkoff hit on just the second knock of his career. The game lasted 4:36 and featured 44 players, 17 of which pitched, leading Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle to quip "That's your snapshot of a September, expanded-roster game."

2017 - SABR held a memorial of the life of Hall of Famer Pud Galvin. The event was at Calvary Cemetery in Hazelwood (Greenfield Jimmy Smith and Crawford Bucky Williams are also interred there), where Pud’s flat stone marker was replaced by a headstone. Galvin’s resting spot was the third grave topped with a new tombstone by the SABR 19th Century Grave Baseball Marker Project. The dedication ceremony featured a remembrance of the life story of Galvin, prepared by his biographer Chip Martin, as well as a gathering of other baseball notables,  members of the Galvin family and local fans.

2020 - Adam Frazier and Ke’Bryan Hayes went long to open the game against the Cubs at PNC Park, the fifth time in franchise history that the Pirates have led off a game with back-to-back dingers. The last time the deed was done was in September of 2013 when Jose Tabata and Neil Walker lost balls to open a contest. The blasts were answered by Anthony Rizzo, who banged a ball over the fence in the Chicago first. It ended up those early shots were key; the 2-1 score held up, with Trevor Williams notching the win and Richard Rodriguez picking up the save. 

Alphonso Rivas - 2023 Pirates photo

2023 - MLB teams were 0-205 when trailing by nine runs this season and Pittsburgh has never won during its big league years starting in 1882 (0-819) when down by nine or more runs. So history was ready to dustbin the Pirates when they fell behind, 9-0, after three innings as the starter, Bailey Falter, gave up three homers and eight runs in the first two frames. Yet the Bucs, behind five RBI from Alfonso Rivas, keyed by a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double, a three-run homer off the bat of Bryan Reynolds, and four hits/three runs from Jared Triolo, came all the way back to take a 13-12 win over the Reds at GABP. The game came down to the last pitch; the Pirates almost blew a 13-9 edge over the last two innings before Carmen Mlodzinski, the sixth Buc pitcher, got the last out. He already yielded a score and had a runner on third with one down before  striking out Elly De La Cruz and coaxing a pop. It was his first MLB save and Jose Hernandez’s first MLB win. The Pirates won their fourth game in a row, plating 41 runs during that stretch.

2025 - The documentary “Clemente” made its television debut on The HISTORY Channel as part of its "Uninterrupted"series, featuring Roberto’s life story and interviews after it was released to theaters on September 12. Steve Blass, Micheal Keaton and Roberto Jr. appear in the film. 

2025 - MLB announced that the Robo-ump era was beginning next season. The ABS (Automated Balls/Strikes - the "Robo-ump") challenge system was approved for the 2026 season. It was a compromise between full ABS and human umpires. The umps will still call every pitch, but each team can appeal two calls per game to ABS, not getting charged with a challenge if the appeal is successful and losing it if overruled. There were some limitations put on timing and who can initiate a challenge (batter, pitcher, catcher, but not the manager) with teams getting one challenge per extra inning.

9/22 Through the 1950s: Danny Walkoff, Heinie's 19th, Cy's Last Dub, Red On OT, Bad Ball, Game Days, Ed Out, HBD Wally, Harry & Flaggy

1890 - The Pittsburgh Alleghenys moved their home game with the New York Giants to Wheeling, West Virginia, due to attendance issues at home (they couldn’t draw flies; they went 23-113). The game at Island Grounds, home of the Wheeling Nailers, drew 1,500 fans and it remains the only major league game ever played in the state of West Virginia. According to the Wheeling Daily Register, “The game was played under some slight disadvantages, as the outfield was unkempt and unshaven, the grass being so tall that the ball, and almost the players, frequently got lost. (The Giants Mike) Tiernan knocked one into the tall grass, and while some seven or eight players were still on the hunt, he modestly crossed the home plate...” for a ninth-inning inside-the-park homer. The Alleghenys lost 8-3 and the Pittsburgh Press wrote “to be sure, the local team lost to be in keeping with its record and (team owner) Mr. McNeill may rest assured that his team will establish a world record in time (for losing).” The paper was right; they were baseball’s worst until the Cleveland Spiders of 1899 finished 20-134, bumping the Alleghenys to runner-up. It would also be the last regularly scheduled Pittsburgh home game moved to a neutral site until 2017 when the Pirates played St. Louis in Williamsport to celebrate youth baseball.

1893 - OF Ira Flagstead was born in Montague, Michigan. Ira closed out his 13-year career in Pittsburgh from 1929-30, a journey that had begun with the Detroit Tigers and blossomed with the Boston Red Sox where he was a top shelf CF’er with a good stick and rifle arm. He signed with the Pirates on July 8th, 1929, fostered by both his acquaintance with Pittsburgh manager Donie Bush, whom Ira played with in Detroit, and the suspicion that Washington, which had signed him earlier, wanted to dump his contract. He hit .257 and was released in August, 1930. Ira closed out his pro ball in the Pacific Coast League in 1931. He retired to Olympia, where he grew up, and managed the local semi-pro Timber League nine. “Flaggy” (he was also known as “Pete” from his teen days) was elected to both the Red Sox and Washington State Halls of Fame. 

1894 - After tossing 12 innings in a tie contest, Phil “Red” Ehret threw a complete game four-hitter the next day to salvage a doubleheader split with the NY Giants by a 4-1 score at Exposition Park. His opponent was Les German, the same pitcher whom he had met in the draw in a redux matchup. Despite collecting nine hits, the Bucs and Tom Colcolough lost the twin bill’s opener 6-2.

1903 - Pittsburgh's 16-game winner Ed Doheny, suffering from bouts of paranoia, was escorted home by his brother. After the World Series, Doheny was committed to the Danvers Insane Asylum and at the age of 26, his major league career was over. Not only was this a tragic turn of events for Doheny, but it cost the Bucs dearly in their World Series loss to the Boston Americans as they were short of pitching for the series. He, Deacon Phillippe and Sam Leever formed the Pirate rotation, and with Leever nursing an injury, Phillippe was forced to start five of the seven games, eventually wearing down. Poor Doheny, whose mental issues were said to be triggered after he developed a dead arm during the season, never returned to normalcy. He had some violent episodes at home and was committed full-time to the Danver asylum. He was later transferred to another institution but never recovered and passed away at 43-years-old.

Ed Doheny - image via Vermont Historial Society

1908 - The Brooklyn Superbas cashed in a run in the ninth, scoring when no one covered first on a two-out grounder to the right side, but Pittsburgh and Nick Maddox prevailed 3-2 in 11 innings at Washington Park. Alan Storke tripled home Hans Wagner with the go ahead run and scored himself on a wild throw home. Maddox gave up a homer in Brooklyn’s half, but hung on for the win as the Pirates stayed alive in their late drive for the flag, which fell a game short.

1911 - Cy Young, pitching for the Boston Rustlers (no, they didn’t “rustle” players like the Pirates had “pirated” them; the moniker was a play on the name of team owner William Russell), earned his 511th and final career victory by defeating the Pirates, 1-0. Cy scattered nine hits and fanned three at Forbes Field to best Babe Adams. Although 20 games above .500 at the time, the Bucs were deep in third place, drawing just 1,208 fans. The Pirates feasted on Boston during the season: the Rustlers (they became the Braves in 1912) won only 3-of-22 against Pittsburgh, with two of the losses via shutouts thrown by the 44-year-old Cyclone.

1929 - Utilityman Harry Bright was born in Kansas City. He played for eight seasons, with the first three (1958-60) in Pittsburgh. Bright hit .237 and was traded to the expansion Washington Senators after the ‘60 season as part of the Bobby Shantz package. Harry had a long pro career, playing 20 years and in nearly 2,000 games between the show and the farm. Bright managed the PCL’s Sacramento club and in the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers & Atlanta Braves organizations, then scouted for the Expos. 

1931 - The Phillies overcame a 2-0 ninth-inning deficit to send the game to overtime, but the Pirates pushed home a run in the 13th to claim a 3-2 win at Forbes Field. Heinie Meine went the distance for the victory, tossing a four-hitter. It was his 19th win, which led all NL pitchers that season. The Bucs left 20 men on base as Philadelphia pitchers allowed 10 hits and 13 walks. Workhorse Meine logged 284 IP in 35 starts by season’s end, the top numbers in the NL.

Heinie Meine - 1933 Goudey

1932 - Rookie Hal Smith recorded a six-hit shutout in his first MLB start in a 7-0 win at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. The Bucs got all the runs they would need by scoring five times in the third inning. Arky Vaughan and Adam Comorosky led the way with two RBI apiece while Paul Waner banged out three hits and scored twice. Former (and future) Pirate pitcher Burleigh Grimes took the loss.

1938 - Pittsburgh swept a twinbill from the Brooklyn Robins by 6-0 and 11-6 scores at Ebbets Field to take a 3-1/2 game lead in the race for the pennant. Jim Tobin tossed a four-hitter in the opener. Arky Vaughan had four hits, with three doubles and three RBI to go with Pep Young’s four runs driven home to power the win in the nitecap. But the 1938 NL crown would go to Chicago, which won their last 10 games while the Bucs stumbled to a 3-7 finish in a September swoon.

1949 - Danny Murtaugh had the game-winning knock to hang a 1-0 walkoff defeat on Johnny Sain and the Boston Braves at Forbes Field. The Irishman’s two-out, ninth-inning rap brought home Wally Westlake, who had singled and then stole second. It was Murtaugh’s only at bat; he was subbed into the game after manager Billy Meyer burned through a pair of pinch hitters and a pinch runner trying to squeeze out a run in the seventh. Winner Murray Dickson labored but went the distance, giving up seven hits and six walks but stranding 11 Braves.

1958 - The Pirates set a pair of wrong way records during their 3-2 and 1-0 twinbill losses to the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium. Three Phil pitchers fanned a MLB record 21 Bucs in the opener, and Jack Sanford whiffed 10 in the nitecap for a big league record 31 Ks for the day.

1959 - Utilityman Wally Backman was born in Hillsboro, Oregon. He spent one season of his 14-year career in Pittsburgh in 1990, and it was more than solid as he got into 104 games and batted .297. He came to Pittsburgh as a free agent, inking a one-year/$400K deal, and left the same way, signing a two-year/$1.3M contract with the Phils. Thanks to some personal issues, Wally has had a bumpy road coaching/managing since retiring in 1993, finishing up as an indie league skipper after the 2023 season following bench stints with the White Sox, D-Backs, Mets and in Mexico.

9/22 From 1960: Pups Pop, One's Enough, Young Gun, 11 Straight, '75 & '71 Clinchers, Game Days, Cito Joins, Kevin Bids, HBD Hunter

1960 - Pittsburgh, finishing off a six-game winning streak, was an inch away from the flag as the Bucs swept a twin bill from the Cubs at Forbes Field by 3-2 and 6-1 scores. The victories, in front of 19,566 fans, extended their lead to 7-1/2 games with eight contests remaining, and they clinched later in the week. Gene Baker’s single plated Don Hoak in the 11th frame to walk off the opener, with ElRoy Face earning the win in relief of Vern Law. Wilmer “Vinegar Bend” Mizell went the distance in the nightcap. The Tiger pounced on the Cubs, swinging a hot stick during the two games. He banged out four hits, including a double and triple, touched home three times and chased home three runs.

1971 - Pittsburgh clinched the NL East with a 5-1 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium. Luke Walker and Dave Giusti teamed up to defeat ace Bob Gibson thanks to a big eighth inning. The floodgate opened when SS Ted Kubiak booted Vic Davalillo’s ball, and a walk, two hits and a sac fly later, the Bucs had turned a squeaky 2-1 lead over the Cards into a 5-1 edge. After the flag-raising victory, the Buccos eliminated the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS and dropped the Birds in seven games to claim the World Series crown.

1975 - The Pirates clocked the second place Philadelphia Phillies 11-3 at TRS in front of 13,176 on a Monday night to clinch the NL East title. Bruce Kison and Kent Tekulve did the pitching honors, while three Pirate hitters had three hits each to lead the attack - Willie Stargell (2B, two RBI, four runs, 2 walks), Dave Parker (HR, four RBI) and Richie Zisk (2B, four RBI). 

1978 - The Pirates purchased OF’er Cito Gaston from the Atlanta Braves. The 34-year-old went 1-for-2 in the last week of the season, his last MLB appearances in an 11-year MLB career before spending the next couple of campaigns in the Mexican League and later enjoying a long run as the Toronto Blue Jays manager that included a pair of World Series titles.

1991 - The Bucs won back-to-back NL East titles when they beat the Phillies 2–1 at TRS. Doug Drabek gave up seven hits and went the distance to outlast five Philadelphia pitchers. Orlando Merced walked twice and scored twice. Pittsburgh only had three hits, but seven free passes and a botched double play provided just enough gift wrapping to edge out Philadelphia. With the victory, the Pirates became the first NL team to repeat as divisional champs in 13 years.

Doug Drabek & Don Slaught celebrate - 9/22/1991 Press photo

1993 - 3B Stephen “Hunter” Owen was born in Evansville, Indiana. An Indiana State grad, he was drafted in the 25th round by the Pirates in 2016. He went through the minor league system as a guy who was versatile with a little pop, but in 2020 he didn’t land a spot on the alternate camp roster and worked at a golf course. Hunter was invited to spring training as a NRI, was assigned to Indy and got a callup in May when Gregory Polanco went down. He was DFA’ed back to Indy after going 0-for-4 in five games when Polanco returned to the lineup a week later. Owen became a Pro X tutor after serving as the head coach of Carmel HS.

1995 - Kevin McClatchy submitted his bid for the Bucs. He rounded up five investors (and kept five old ones) in a $40M deal to purchase the Pirates after his first bid had been rejected and John Rigas’ competing offer was considered too cash-poor. McClatchy had also put together a $50M credit line, and in February of 2006, the team was sold to him and remained here.

1996 - Pittsburgh beat the Cubs at TRS 11-3 for their 11th win in a row, posting the longest winning streak in the majors for the year. Jay Bell was the star with a homer and four RBI. Chicago stopped the streak the next day, eking out a 4-3 win. The Bucs still finished last with a 73-89 record, though the late season run did raise an unfulfilled “wait ‘til next year” hope among the faithful after Jim Leyland handed off the ‘97 club’s reins to Gene Lamont, the ex-White Sox skipper.

2004 - Two 23-year-old pitchers put on a show at PNC Park, with Chicago’s Carlos Zambrano edging Ollie Perez 1-0. It came down to a pair of bases loaded plays: in the fifth, with two away, Perez walked two guys around a single (and he was ahead 1-2 on both), then fell behind Zambrano 3-0. He came back to run the count full, but ultimately lost him. In the eighth, with two down, the Bucs had the bases loaded when Ty Wigginton hit a gapper off reliever Kent Merker, but Sammy Sosa, of all people, made a game-saving, diving catch in right center. Perez held the Cubbies to three hits over seven innings; Z was in more trouble during the night, but the Pirates let him off the hook by going 0-for-11 w/RISP.

Joe Randa - 2006 photo Rick Stewart/Getty

2006 - Chris Young carried a no-hitter into the ninth against the Bucs, but lost his bid to become the first San Diego Padre to toss a no-no when Joe Randa smacked a homer on a 3-1 pitch following a one-out walk to Jose Bautista. Young, who was drafted by the Pirates in 2000 before being traded for Matt Herges, still claimed an easy 6-2 win at Petco Park.

2014 - The Pirates won back-to-back 1-0 games for the first time since 1976 when Francisco Liriano, with help from Jared Hughes, John Holdzkom and Mark Melancon, made Andrew McCutchen’s sixth-inning homer off Aaron Harang stand at Atlanta’s Turner Field. The third straight 1-0 game for the Bucs (they lost 1-0 on 9/20 to the Brewers and old matey Zach Duke) was the first time that trifecta hit since 1917 when Pittsburgh lost three consecutive 1-0 games to the Cardinals.

2020 - Steven Brault put together his second straight strong September start, leaving after seven innings of two-hit work and a 2-0 lead at PNC Park v Chicago. Alas, with two away in the eighth and a Cubbie on first, Shelty brought in Sam Howard with Anthony Rizzo up to get a lefty-on-lefty matchup. The smart money lost this round as Rizzo tucked Howard’s delivery inside the RF pole to knot the score. But the Bucs had one last hurrah left; Jake Stallings took a ninth inning, 2-2 offering from Andrew Chafin and sent it into the left field bleachers for a walkoff homer and 3-2 Pirates win, one of just 19 dubs that Pittsburgh earned during the Covid-shortened campaign.

2023 - The young guns flexed as Endy Rodriguez, Henry Davis and Jared Triolo went deep to help the Pirates come back to beat the Reds 7-5 at Great American Ball Park. The vets also made some noise as Ke’Bryan Hayes cleared the fence and Bryan Reynolds extended his on-base streak to 21 games. All the homers were solo shots; seven different Pirates chased home runs and seven plated. Ryan Borucki improved to 4-0 while David Bednar recorded his 37th save.

Weekly Report: Hot Too Late, Three Amigos Mason+Oneil+Brandon, Brax Done, Ronny Simon IL Batting King, Last Week...Playoffs, Hot Stove Next Up

September song...

Pirates Stuff:

• Pittsburgh was eliminated from the postseason when the Padres defeated the Marlins on Friday night. The Bucs most recent playoff outing was in 2015 and they last won a Buctober game in 2013.
• Mason Montgomery has spun 24 straight scoreless outings (23-2/3 IP), a streak that started on July 26th, to top the previous Buc mark set by Mark Melancon in 2015.

Oneil Cruz - 9/2026 image/Sportsnet.Pgh 

• Oneil Cruz's homer on Wednesday vs. Milwaukee was the Pirates' 172nd homer of the year, setting a new single-season team record (since 1887) by topping the previous franchise mark posted in 1999. His Sunday dinger put him in the 20/20 club for the third consecutive year, joining Andrew McCutchen and Barry Bonds to become the third Pirate to post three straight 20/20 campaigns.
• Gregory Soto (15 saves) and Mason Montgomery (16 saves) are the first pair of Pittsburgh LHPs to each post at least 15 saves in a season (since saves became official in 1969). They became the first set of MLB lefty teammates to each earn at least 15 saves in a season.
• Ben Cherington said that Braxton Ashcraft's missed starts will be filled by bullpenning. That leaves a rotation of Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler plus two by-committee games every five days; the Bucs prefer a parade of bulk inning guys rather than rotation auditions. Brax, btw, had no structural issues after being evaluated, just a tired arm. He pushed to get in another start or two after his IL stint, but with Pittsburgh's playoff hopes gone pfft, he's being shut down.
• Brandon Lowe was selected as the Pirates Roberto Clemente Award nominee. Then on Clemente Day, he became the first Buc since 2019 (Josh Bell/37 HR) to bang 30 homers in a season. If you're wondering about his future, Connor Byrne of MLBTR has this update.

Brandon Lowe - Clemente Award 9/15/2026 photo/Pirates

• SABR has been running a series of various All-Time clubs and just released the Free Agency Era team; Barry Bonds is the only Bucco rep. TSN is also running a series of stars; currently up is the Pioneer all-timers. The Bucs had Hank Greenberg, who mentored Ralph Kiner here in 1947, on the squad.
• Ronny Simon won the International League batting title (.334 BA). 
• Greensboro came in second in the Sally League, losing the championship series 2-games-to-none to the White Sox Hi-A affiliate Winston-Salem. Consolation prize: 1B Jared Jones, C Axiel Plaz and SS Wyatt Sanford were named post-season South Atlantic League All-Stars.
• The eight guys the Pirates are sending to Glendale for Arizona Fall ball are C Easton Carmichael, SS Wyatt Sanford, 3B/OF Jhonny Severino, LHP Cristhian Tortosa and RHPs Brandon Cain, Cameron Keshock, Zander Mueth & Michael Walsh.

Game Stuff:

• Miz did his thing and the Brew Crew took a 5-1 decision from the Bucs on Clemente Day. Brandon Lowe homered to became the first Buc 2B to reach 30 HR, but it was too little & too late to overcome the Brewers four-run sixth inning posted against Gregory Soto and Wilber Dotel. The win clinched the NL Central for Milwaukee, their fourth straight crown.
• Brandow Lowe, Rafe Flores and Oneil Cruz homered while the team posted 12 hits, but Milwaukee still won, 5-4.
• Pittsburgh saved some face with a 7-4 dub in the series finale; Henry Davis roped a two-run homer while disruptors Konnor Griffin and Oneil Cruz chased home a pair of RBI apiece in the Bucs five-run second. 
• Paul Skenes was meh again, but Brandon Lowe homered while Griffin & Cruz combined for seven hits as the Bucs and Yohan Ramirez won the series opener from KC 8-5.

Ronny Simon - 1st homer 9/19/2026 photo/Pirates

• Ronny Simon (his MLB first) and Jake Mangum hit two-run homers to give the Bucs a lead that they lost in the seventh, but no prob - Brandon Lowe banged another two-run blast in the eighth. Mason Montgomery shut the door in the ninth to preserve Luke Weaver's dub as the Pirates popped above .500 again with a 6-5 victory.
• Using yesterday's playbook: The opener committee and a Cruz missile gave the Bucs a 2-1 lead going into the seventh. A two-run homer off of Carmen Mlodzinski took care of that, but it was covered by an answering two-spot blast by Rafe Flores before "it's a bird, it's a plane, no it's..." Mason Montgomery put it away and the Pittsburgh nine had a home sweep of the Royals with a 4-3 dub.
• The Cards are in for three on Tuesday, the Bucs head to Motown for the weekend and then it's hello, tee times.

MLB Stuff:

• RHP Jose Urquidy, who was let go by the Pirates in July and claimed by the White Sox, was DFA'ed after six outings (22-2/3 IP/4.37 ERA). He wasn't unemployed long before Philly signed him.
• RHP Peter Strzelecki, who the Bucs had stashed at Indy for awhile last year, has been with four different orgs since the Pirates released him in July of '25; he just got DFA'ed by the Cards, so he's looking for a fifth team after declaring for free agency.
• The Rockies have reinstated LHP Jose Quintana from the 60-day IL 

Gerrit Cole - 2012 Bowmans First

• Gerrit Cole hasn't let injuries or changes-of-address derail him; Cole Train earned his 162nd career victory Friday night, passing Mike Moore for the most wins ever by a pitcher selected first overall (Pirates/Cole - 2011) in the MLB Draft.
• Teams that have punched their postseason ticket: the Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers (won NL Central), Los Angeles Dodgers (won NL West), New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves.

9/21 Through 1974: '72 Clicher, Boss Baker, 10 For Kiki, Game Days, Connie Goes, HBD Ben, Jason, Rene, Danny, Sudden Sam, Del, Gil & Tom

1860 - OF Tom Brown was born in Liverpool, England. Brown played from 1885-87 for the Alleghenys, hitting .287 and posting a 0-0/4.30 line as an emergency pitcher (three games, eight IP) over that span. He came over to the North Side club when it purchased the entire Columbus team after the 1884 season and became the first English-born player for Pittsburgh. After a 17-year MLB career, Brown turned to the dark side and became an umpire.

1891 - SS Gil Britton was born in Parsons, Kansas. His MLB career was a three-game stand with Pittsburgh in 1913, with an 0-for-12 batting line and three errors. He spent from 1909-17 in the minors, mostly the Texas, Western and Central Kansas leagues. Gil hung ‘em up young at age 25 and returned to his hometown, where he remained until his death at age 91.

1896 - Manager Connie Mack (given name: Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy) announced that he was leaving Pittsburgh to guide the Milwaukee club of the Western League; the Pirates finished in sixth place with a 66-63 slate during his last campaign. Patsy Donovan took over the reins in 1897. Connie’s claim to fame was managing the Philadelphia Athletics for the club's first 50 seasons of play (1901-50, retiring at age 87) and he became a Hall-of-Famer in 1937.

1899 - RHP Del Lundgren was born in Lindsborg, Kansas. He started his brief three-year career (he pitched for Boston in 1926-27) with the Pirates in 1924, pitching eight games with an 0-1/6.48 line. Del tossed pro ball from 1922-30 before retiring with a sore arm. He got a job in a flour mill in Topeka and then retired to live the life of an outdoorsman in Lindsborg.

1910 - RHP Max Butcher was born in Holden, West Virginia. He went 67-60/3.34 for the Bucs in seven seasons (1939-45), and had an ERA over 3.43 just once as a Pirate. His best year was 1941, when he went 17-12 with a 3.03 ERA. Though he was a big guy at 6’2” and 220 pounds, he wasn’t an overpowering hurler, averaging only 2.5 K/nine in Pittsburgh.

Max Butcher - 1994 TSN/Conlon Collection

1925 - In a 9-7 win over the Phillies at Forbes Field, Kiki Cuyler singled off Roy Crumpler in the second inning to run his consecutive hit streak to 10, a team record that still stands today. Cuyler began his streak against Boston’s Skinny Graham, and the hits fell in conjunction with a nine-game winning string for Pittsburgh, which won 95 games, the NL pennant and the 1925 World Series against the Washington Senators. Kiki went 4-for-4 in the next day’s game with two homers, making him 14-of-16 during his streak, in a 14-4 Bucco victory in the second game of the series. Johnny Morrison won the first game and Ray Kremer took the honors the next day.

1940 - OF Deb Garms went 5-for-6 in the second game of a twin bill split against the Cincinnati Reds to push his batting average to .379. He doubled, scored three times and drove in a pair in the 8-7 win during the second game after going 0-for-4 in a 8-1 loss in the opener at Forbes Field. Though he wore an 0-for-23 collar over the remainder of the season, his .355 BA won the National League batting crown. He played just 103 games (100 games played was the accepted, although unwritten, standard then) with 385 PA and was awarded the title, causing some grumbling by those who believed that a full-time player should be the recognized awardee. His title eventually led to the adoption of minimum plate appearances to qualify for the batting championship.

1942 - LHP Sudden Sam McDowell was born in Pittsburgh. Though he pitched only briefly for the hometown Pirates in 1975 (2-1/2.86 in 14 games), he may be the most dominating hurler the area ever produced. Sam went directly to the majors out of Central Catholic HS, signing with Cleveland. He played from 1961-75 with the Indians, Giants, Yankees and Bucs. McDowell struck out 2,453 batters in that span with a blazing fastball. His career was infamously short circuited by booze, and he was said to be the inspiration for Cheers bartender Sam Malone. He beat his demons after retiring and became a MLB drug and alcohol counselor. His nickname was bestowed on him by Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Bob Dolgan during Sam’s first camp in 1961.

Sudden Sam - 1975 Topps

1947 - The Bucs were a part of Queen City broadcast history when their nightcap game against Cincinnati was broadcast on TV by W8XCT (WLWT), the first time a Reds game was shown on the tube. An estimated home audience of 10,000 viewers watched the Redlegs lose 11-7 at Crosley Field. Elbie Fletcher, Jimmy Bloodworth and Clyd Kluttz each had three RBI; Gene Woodling had the other pair. The opening game of the doubleheader wasn’t shown (we think). The Redlegs won 3-1 as Ewell Blackwell bested Kirby Higbe.

1959 - RHP Danny Cox was born in Northampton, England. The Brit hurler spent 11 years in the league and managed to squeeze in 16 games as a Bucco in 1992, going 3-1-3/3.33 as a starter converted to back-end bullpen work. He was picked up from the Phils off waivers in June and at the end of the year signed with the Blue Jays, spending the final three seasons of his career in Toronto.

1962 - Scout Rene Gayo was born in Miami of immigrant Cuban parents and raised in Chicago. In 1989, Cam Bonifay hired Gayo as a part-time scout for the Pirates, then he went off to work for the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians. In 2004, the Pirates hired Gayo to lead their Latin American scouting system, filling a position inexplicably left vacant for five years under Bonifay and Dave Littlefield. He reeled in players like Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and Elias Diaz along with moved-on prospects Alen Hanson, Dilson Herrera, Harold Ramirez and Joely Rodriguez. He was dismissed in 2017 after being caught in a messy financial deal while signing pitcher Luis Heredia.

1963 - In the top of the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium, the Bucs left the bases loaded after losing a bang-bang play at first that was close enough to get manager Danny Murtaugh and coach Frank Oceak ejected after questioning ump Doug Harvey’s eyesight. That set the stage for coach Gene Baker to take the reins, becoming MLB’s first black manager. It wasn’t an auspicious start, as Baker entrusted Tommy Sisk with a 3-2 ninth inning lead that evaporated four batters later after Willie Davis belted a three-run, walkoff homer. Still, it was just another day at the office for Gene. He was the first rostered black player for the Cubs in 1953, and in 1961 became the first black manager in pro baseball when the Pirates named him skipper of their Batavia farm club. Baker had four campaigns with the Bucs as a player and was part of the 1960 squad. After coaching and managing in the organization, he became a longtime Pirates scout. 

Gene Baker - photo via SABR

1969 - LHP Jason Christiansen was born in Omaha. The reliever worked six seasons (1995-2000) for the Pirates with a 14-20-10/4.13 line before being traded to the Cards at the 2000 deadline for SS Jack Wilson. He must have enjoyed working under the lights; after his 11-year MLB career ended in 2005, he became a co-owner and CEO of an LED company.

1969 - OF/1B Ben Shelton was born in Chicago. Shelton was drafted by the Pirates in the second round of the 1987 draft out of high school. He got his only shot at the majors in 1993 with the Bucs and hit .250 (6-for-24, including two homers and a double), but that showing wasn’t enough (his minor league BA was .233). His pro career ended in 1995 after playing on the Twins and Red Sox farms.

1972 - Fueled by a five-run third inning, Pittsburgh clinched the East Division crown with a 6-2 win over the Mets at Shea Stadium; the club eventually won the pennant by 11 games. The Pirates had seven straight batters reach base in the third, and the big frame provided plenty of cushion for Steve Blass, who tossed a seven-hit, seven-strikeout, complete game victory.

1974 - A year after it opened, New York Governor Malcolm Wilson renamed the 25-acre Harlem River State Park in the Bronx to the Roberto Clemente State Park. Vera attended the dedication ceremony, adding another plaque to the family collection of Roberto honors.