8/6 Through the 1960s: Danny's 1st, Bats Bang, Bud Gifts Self, Fore, Game Days, Fred To Philly, TSN Woodie, HBD Stan, Steve, Clem, Bud H, Bud S, Brownie & Jim

1860 - Utilityman Jim McDonald was born in San Francisco. He spent most of his brief career with the Alleghenys in 1884, batting .159 while playing 2B, 3B and the outfield. Though he only got into 43 big league games for three teams between 1884-85, he did have a long minor league career on the coast, mostly playing in the California League from 1878-94. When he was done, he stayed in the game as an umpire, spending four years as an NL arbiter.

1875 - LHP John “Brownie” Foreman was born in Maryland. He tossed for two big league campaigns, spending 1895-96 with the Pirates before being released and finishing out his second year with the Reds where he joined his brother Frank, also a hurler. Brownie, who came up as a 19-year-old, went 11-9-2/4.25 with the Bucs. He played pro ball from 1893-1900, with nine different stops in the minors, and after his baseball days he became a policeman.

1881 - 1B Bayard “Bud” Sharpe was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Bud played in the majors in 1905, then again in 1910 for three teams, and one of the clubs was the Pirates. He opened 1910 with them and went 3-for-16 in four games before being traded to Boston as part of the Kirby White deal. The Penn Stater was also a noted soccer player, spending his off season as a booter. Sharpe was a player and manager in the minors along as a scout for Boston, but he was plagued by health problems and eventually succumbed to tuberculosis at age 34.

1902 - The Pirates shut out the Giants 2-0 to sweep a four-game set against New York at Exposition Park, as Jack Chesbro beat Dummy Taylor in five innings of a rain-shortened affair. Ginger Beaumont and Tommy Leach scored first-inning runs on a hit by Kitty Bransfield and a Giant error. Tempers did flare, although not between players. The Giants’ Jimmy Jones knocked the mask off umpire Bob Emslie while arguing a strike call and was suspended for the season. The Pirates beat a lot of teams that year; they won the NL pennant by 27-1/2 games with a record of 103-36.

Bud Hafey - 1979 Diamond Greats

1912 - OF Bud Hafey was born in Sacramento, California. He spent three years in the show, hitting .222 as a Pirate in 1935-36. His cousin, OF Chick Hafey of the Cards/Reds, apparently inherited the deep end of the Hafey baseball gene pool and was elected to the Hall of Fame. Bud only got one full season of major league ball, spending most of 1930-41 in the minors.

1913 - Christy Mathewson was tagged for nine runs on 10 hits in five innings at Forbes Field as the Pirates took a 9-1 victory from New York. One Giants player speculated that manager John McGraw left his ace in so long because Matty had gone golfing at Schenley Park before the game, a sport that Muggsy thought was bad for pitchers’ arms. Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press wrote “Whether golf or something else was responsible, it is certain that Mathewson took the drubbing of his long career.” George McQuillan went the distance for the win.

1926 - RHP Clem Labine was born in Lincoln, Rhode Island. The 13-year vet spent his last full-time days with the Bucs in 1960-61. The Pirates signed him in mid-August after the Tigers released him as a complement to ElRoy Face. In 15 games through the remainder of the season, he slashed 3-0-3/1.48, helping the Pirates to the pennant. After the ‘61 season (4-1-8/3.69), he finished out his MLB days, appearing in three games for the New York Mets in 1962 at the age of 35. One of the early closers who bloomed in the 50’s, his 96 career saves ranked fourth in major league history when he retired. Clem went on to work in the sporting goods business and died at the age of 80 in Florida, where he was still baseballin’ by taking part in a Dodger fantasy camp.

1930 - In a roundabout manner, the Bucs sent 23-year-old OF Fred Brickell to Philadelphia for 26-year-old OF Denny Sothern. The trade deadline had passed, so both centerfielders had to be waived past the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds as both sat beneath the Pennsylvania clubs in the standings. But Boston had a young CF’er waiting in the wings and the Reds weren’t looking to add any late season payroll, so the waiver gambit worked as hoped. It was much ado about nothing - Southern was a fizzle, hitting .176 for the rest of the year for Pittsburgh before being sent to the minors; he played 19 games for Brooklyn in 1931 to finish his MLB career. Brickell was given through 1931 to earn a starting spot in Philly, but hit just .250. He got into 53 more games over the next two years and was released; he retired from baseball in 1936.

Fred Brickell - 1927 Conlon Collection/Detroit Public Library

1935 - OF Bud Hafey became one of three Pirates to hit his first homer on his birthday (Howie Camnitz & Konnor Griffin are the others), but he was the only Bucco to cross the plate this day as Pittsburgh fell to the Chicago Cubs 2-1, posting eight hits but stranding nine runners at Wrigley Field.

1941 - The Bucs banged out 13 hits and drew nine walks to romp over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, 13-3. Every Bucco starter sent at least a run home and 8-of-9 scored. Maurice Van Robays smacked a pair of doubles and had three RBI; Bob Elliott had a day with three hits, three runs scored and a pair of runs chased home. Rip Sewell stole the show - he went the distance, posted two hits including a homer and scored three times. 

1954 - The Pirates took both games of a doubleheader against the Cardinals at Forbes Field behind an unexpected surge by OF Preston Ward. He homered and pushed across three runs in the opener, a 7-3 win. Frank Thomas also went deep. Then Ward added three knocks, including a triple, and three more RBI in the nightcap, a 6-5 victory. Dick Littlefield went tape-to-tape to win game one; Johnny Hetki took the game two victory after relieving starter Laurin Pepper.

1955 - C Steve Nicosia was born in Paterson, NJ. A platoon and reserve catcher, he was with Pittsburgh for six years (1978-83) after being selected in the first round of the 1973 draft. He wasn’t much of a lumberjack, hitting .248 as a Buc and getting just one knock in the 1979 World Series, though he did call and catch the seventh game victory. He also had an inexplicable knack for hitting against Steve Carlton (.339 as a Buc). Steve caddied for Ed Ott/Tony Pena and was traded to San Francisco for Milt May in 1983 before retiring in 1985.

Steve Nicosia - 1980 Topps

1957 - The third time was the charm as rookie manager Danny Murtaugh won his first MLB game when the Pirates snapped an eight-game losing streak by taking a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Forbes Field. Gene Freese belted a two-run homer and Bob Skinner chased home a pair of runs, providing Ronnie Kline enough support to go the distance for a five-hit victory while breaking his personal seven-game losing string. Murtaugh, who was hired on an interim basis after first base coach Clyde Sukeforth was offered the job but turned it down (Clyde recommended Danny), led the Bucs to a 26-25 record. The “Whistling Irishman” was named full-time manager for 1958, finished second and won the Associated Press Manager of the Year award.

1959 - The Pirates started off on fire, scoring three times in their opening frame, took a little snooze and then erupted for 14 more runs in the last two innings, including 10 tallies in the ninth on 10 hits, to roll over the Cards 18-2 at Busch Stadium. Smoky Burgess went 5-for-6 with a homer, two doubles and six RBI, Bill Virdon went deep and pushed five runs across the plate and Rocky Nelson doubled twice and scored four times. In all, the Bucs banged out 23 hits against five Redbird hurlers and made Harvey Haddix’s complete game, seven-hit win a breeze, at least for the final two frames.

1966 - RHP Stan Belinda was born in Huntingdon, PA. The sidewinder started his career as a Buc (1989-93) after being a 10th round draft pick in 1986, posting a slash of 19-15-61/3.52 in Pittsburgh. Stan went on to have a 12-year MLB stay, mainly pitching in a set-up role. His stay here is mainly remembered for him being the guy who gave up Francisco Cabrera’s single to score Sid Bream with the winning run in the 1992 NLCS loss to Atlanta. He was traded at the 1993 deadline to Kansas City and tossed for six different clubs through the 2000 campaign.

1966 - Woodie Fryman was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Pride of the Pirates.” It was Fryman’s rookie campaign, and he put up a 12-9/3.83 slash during a year the Bucs won 92 games to finish the year third behind the Los Angeles Dodgers by three games.

8/6 From 1970: Walkoffs, Jeff Gem, Zach Roll, Long Night, Game Days, Roberto HoF, No Work, PNC Named, Hechy & Arqy Deals

1972 - The Bucs swept a twin bill from the Montreal Expos by 8-0 and 7-2 tallies at Parc Jarry. Willie Stargell had two bombs and five RBI in the opener while Richie Hebner added three hits, easing the way for a complete game, seven-hit victory for Bob Moose. Pops and The Gravedigger were at it again in the nightcap as Willie homered and scored three times while Richie had three more hits, including a long ball, scored twice and chased home four runs. Bob Johnson got the dub with Ramon Hernandez taking over in the seventh inning to claim a save. The wins put the Pirates up by eight games over the New York Mets; they won the National League East by 11 games over the Cubs.

1973 - Roberto Clemente was inducted into the Hall of Fame after the mandatory five-year waiting period was waived, with the ceremony shown live on Pittsburgh TV. His wife Vera delivered the acceptance speech. The Great One finished his career with 3,000 hits, a career average of .317 and won the National League batting title four times. He was presented with the Gold Glove Award 12 times and made the All-Star team 15 times. Arriba played in 14 World Series games and had at least one hit in each of those games, was the first Latin-born player to enter the Hall, has an MLB day and a campaign to “Retire #21.” 

1974 - The Pirates were losing to the Mets 4-0 going into the seventh, then 7-3 going into the eighth, and were still down 8-5 going into the ninth, but overcame each deficit to rally for a 9-8 victory in 11 innings at TRS. Their three runs in the seventh were the result of Rennie Stennett’s homer; the two in the eighth were chased home via a Bob Robertson blast, and the three in the ninth came after two were out and the bases empty. The Pirates then ran off five straight hits, with Manny Sanguillen’s two-run single taking it into extra innings. There wasn’t much drama for the walkoff in the 11th as Gene Clines reached via an error and scored on another gaffe thanks to Mario Mendoza’s misplayed bunt to first. Daryl Patterson got the win for Pittsburgh after a pair of shutout frames; the Bucs chased Jerry Koosman and then hung the loss on Tug McGraw.

1985 - The players staged a two-day work stoppage over a couple of gnawing financial issues. The MLB quickly agreed to increase its pension contribution and the league’s minimum wage, making the players happy, and the boycotted games were made up later in the season.

Jeff King - 1990 Topps Rookies

1989 - Jeff King smoked an 18th-inning leadoff homer off the Cubs' Scott Sanderson, who had tossed eight innings of shutout relief, to give Pittsburgh a walkoff 5-4 win at Three Rivers Stadium. The game took five hours and 49 minutes to play, tying it for the longest game played in Pittsburgh (the Post Gazette sports page headline dubbed it a “Twi-Light Single Header.”). Doug Drabek worked the last two frames to earn the win in his only pen outing of the season to notch the only relief dub of his career. The Bucs scored three times in the first inning on an Andy Van Slyke homer and Mike LaValliere RBI knock. Chicago eventually went ahead 4-3 in the ninth frame on a two-out knock; the Bucs replied with a Barry Bonds sac fly. Each team burned through six pitchers.

1990 - Barry Bonds had three hits, falling a double short of the cycle, and five RBI to lead the Bucs to a 10-1 romp over the Philadelphia Phillies at the Vet in the opening game of a twilight twin bill. Randy Tomlin, just called up from Harrisburg, had a two-hit shutout going into the final frame and ended up with a five-hit, complete game victory in his MLB debut. The Pirates swept the doubleheader with a 10-inning 4-3 win in the second game, with the key blow being Mike LaValliere’s three-run homer in the sixth inning. The deadlock was broken when Sid Bream doubled home Bobby Bonilla with the deciding run, though RJ Reynolds was cut down trying to plate behind him. Bill Landrum, Pittsburgh’s fifth pitcher, earned the win with two scoreless frames (and some drama when he left the bases loaded in the ninth) to close out the night.

1998 - The Pirates and PNC Bank announced a 20-year marketing deal under which the new home of the Pirates would be named PNC Park when it opened in 2001. Per the agreement, PNC would pay approximately $1.5M a year through the 2020 season. As a side deal, the Sixth Street Bridge would be renamed the Clemente Bridge as a sop to the many who believed the ballyard itself should bear the name of The Great One. PNC signed a 10-year extension in 2021.

2000 - OF Bruce Aven was sent to the Dodgers for a PTBNL per the papers, although the Bucs never received anyone from LA. Baseball Reference categorized it as a conditional deal, so it’s more likely his contract was sold to the Dodgers, who stashed Aven in AAA until September, after all the paperwork was done. The move cleared a spot for Adrian Brown, who was returning from the DL to play center field between Brian Giles and Alex Ramirez/John Vander Wal.

Jared Jones - 2026 graphic/Sportsnet.Pgh

2001 - RHP Jared Jones was born in Whittier, California. He was the Bucs second round pick in 2020 out of La Mirada HS and zipped through four minor league levels in three years, holding off Quinn Priester for a rotation spot out of camp in 2024. He was considered by many to have the best overall stuff of any Pirates pitching prospect, and showed his promise when he made his MLB debut against the Marlins, striking out 10 Fish in 5-2/3 IP on his way to a 9-3 victory. JJ landed a regular rotation spot until falling out with a June lat sprain. In early 2025 at camp he was said to have elbow discomfort that required rest; he ended up having internal brace surgery and didn’t return to the bump until May 29, 2026.

2003 - San Diego GM Kevin Towers said that trade efforts for C Jason Kendall and OF Brian Giles of the Bucs were dead, at least until the offseason. The last place Padres were thought to be looking to make a splash before moving into their new digs at Petco Park. The Friar players involved weren’t named, but Post Gazette writer Robert Dvorchak said they were OF Xavier Nady, LHP Ollie Perez, RHP Kevin Jarvis, a probable minor-league add on, with cash from Pittsburgh to help ease Kendall’s contract load. Giles did go to San Diego in the offseason for Perez and Jason Bay. X-Man took longer to reel in, but the Bucs finally landed Nady from the New York Mets in 2006 for Perez and Roberto Hernandez. Kendall was eventually shipped to the west coast after the 2004 campaign, but the deal was with the Oakland A’s, not San Diego, netting pitchers Mark Redman and Arthur Rhodes, who was quickly flipped to Cleveland for OF Matt Lawton.

2005 - Zach Duke became the second rookie in Pirates history to win his first five decisions as a starter when the Pirates topped the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-4 at PNC Park. The 22-year-old was the first Bucco tyro since Whitey Glazner in 1921 to start 5-0 (Spoiler alert: Paul Skenes put the pair in the rear view mirror when he won his first six decisions in 2024 before dropping a 2-1 decision). Duke’s 0.87 ERA in July was the lowest among all MLB pitchers, and he was named the NL Rookie of the Month. Freddy Sanchez and Chris Duffy combined for seven hits and five runs at the top of the order with Jason Bay knocking in three scores.

2008 - Jeff Karstens tossed a gem against the Diamondbacks, a 2-0 two-hit complete game win at Chase Field. He got all the offensive support he needed from a Freddy Sanchez homer and an RBI double from Doug Mientkiewicz. In his second start for the Pirates, he retired the first 23 Arizona batters he faced before Chris Young doubled in the eighth frame while running his scoreless streak to 15 innings since being acquired from the New York Yankees. Karstens also banged out his first two career hits (welcome to the NL) off The Big Unit, Randy Johnson.

Jeff Karstens - 2010 Upper Deck

2012 - Eric Bedard, Jason Grilli and Chad Qualls combined for a two-hit 4-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park. Andrew McCutchen had a pair of hits and scored twice for the Pirates. Freddy Sanchez added a pair of knocks. The Bucs tallied three eighth inning runs to put the game away, lighting the scoreboard via four consecutive ground ball singles and a sac fly.

2013 - Josh Harrison led off the bottom of the ninth frame with a walkoff homer to right center off Mike Dunn to give the Pirates and Bryan Morris a 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins at PNC Park. Neil Walker had three hits and Andrew McCutchen added a pair of knocks, along with a late-inning highlight film diving catch, to carry the Buccos to victory over the Fish. The win put the Pirates two games ahead of the second-place Cardinals while raising the team’s record to 68-44.

2016 - The Pirates sent RHP Arquimedes Caminero to the Seattle Mariners for a PTBNL and a conditional PTBNL (the Bucs ended up with two low-level minor leaguers). Caminero could touch 100 and went 6-3-1/3.58 for the Pirates from 2015-16 but was inconsistent in ‘16, averaging five walks per/9 IP with a 1.659 WHIP. He went to Japan, retired, coached for a couple of years and then returned to the Dominican to run a business.

2017 - Jameson Taillon (who survived a rocky start) and Juan Nicasio were cruising along with a 4-2 lead over the San Diego Padres after eight frames. But Felipe Rivero blew his first save of the campaign by surrendering a pair of runs to send the game into overtime. The Friars had left the bases loaded in the ninth; the Pirates did the same in the 10th. A pair of unlikely heroes saved the day. Dovydas Neverauskas, a AAA call up, pitched two scoreless frames and Sean Rodriguez, who was reunited with the Buccos via trade the day before, smacked a walkoff homer in the 12th inning to give Dovy his first MLB win and sent the PNC Park crowd of 34,175 home happy. 

Hechy - August 2018 Pirates photo

2018 - The Pirates sent minor league RHP Matt Seelinger to Tampa Bay for good-glove rental SS Adeiny Hechavarria and cash to bolster the middle of the infield after Hechy had cleared August waivers. The move was a mild surprise, with 2015 first-rounder Kevin Newman and utility IF Max Moroff, who had seen time with the Bucs, both available for call up from AAA Indianapolis as middle infield reserves. They lost out to experience as the Pirates were still in the running for a wildcard spot and opted for a veteran (Hechy wasn’t a needle mover; he hit .233 in 15 games) and the Buccos fell short of the postseason.  

2020 - Kevin Newman cracked a pinch-hit, two-run single up the middle in the ninth inning to lift the Pirates to a 6-5 win against the Twins. The walkoff was the 125th for the Pirates in PNC Park history. Minny jumped off to a 3-0 first inning lead; Gregory Polanco whacked his first home run of the season, a 446-foot three-run shot that bounced into the Allegheny River in the second to knot the score. Newman’s clutch knock gave Sam Howard his first win as a Pirate.

8/5 Through the 1940s: Sibs Shove, Max's Last Swipe, NY Boo-Hoo, Gems, Game Days, Burleigh Deal, KDKA & Bucs, Smokey Joe Back, HBD Bernie, Nellie, Pepper & Sonny

1902 - The first-place Pirates defeated the New York Giants and Christy Mathewson 3-0 behind Jesse Tannehill, who retired the first 19 Giants to face him. Mathewson made a fight of it and struck out 11 Bucs, but he had no answer for Honus Wagner, who doubled and scored twice. He wasn’t alone - no one had an answer for Pittsburgh that year. They took the National League crown with 103 wins and finished 27-1/2 games ahead of the runner-up Brooklyn Superbas.

1915 - The Pirates beat the Phillies and ace Grover Cleveland Alexander 1-0 at Forbes Field when Quaker catcher Bill Killefer threw wildly past third base in the ninth inning; Bill Hinchman, who had tripled, scooted home with the game’s only tally. Babe Adams, who tossed a six-hitter, claimed the win over Old Pete, who had only surrendered five knocks himself.

1915 - OF Bill “Sonny” Randall was born in Hampton, Virginia. After a decade of playing for local Negro indie teams, Sonny was the Homestead Gray’s fourth outfielder from 1942-43 before entering the service, returning for the 1946 season. He also worked while a player and would rarely travel with the club (by then the team was the Washington-Homestead Grays), sticking to home games. Sonny turned down several offers with other teams because of travel and “...the hard times that the black ball players had trying to make it riding up and down the road in those buses” per Brent Kelley’s book “I Will Never Forget.”

1916 - The Pirates picked up RHP Burleigh Grimes from Birmingham of the Southern Association for 1B Doc Johnston, who spent five years in the junior circuit, RHP Larry Douglas, who appeared in two games for the Baltimore Terrapins, and IF BW Cleveland, a lifetime minor leaguer. Old Stubblebeard would work five years and notch 48 wins as a Pirate in three Steel City stops; overall he won 270 games and a place in the Hall of Fame over his 19-year career.

Burleigh Grimes - Helmar Oasis

1919 - C Lloyd “Pepper” Bassett was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Bassett played for the Homestead Grays in 1936 as a backup backstop. The next year, he started for the Pittsburgh Crawfords - he was actually part of a trade for Josh Gibson - and started at catcher in the East-West All-Star Game. He was back on the bench by 1938, jumped to Chicago the following season and then became a Negro/Latin League nomad until he retired in 1950. Bassett was credited by some with coming up with a more flexible “snapper” catcher's mitt; the pillowy gloves common in his era slowed his ball transfer during stolen base efforts, so he kept removing padding until he could quickly switch the ball from glove to hand. He was also known as the “Rocking Chair Catcher” after he caught a game in a small rocker as a Gus Greenlee publicity stunt to help stir up some extra fan interest; he would repeat the stunt occasionally during his career.

1921 - The Phils’ Jimmy Ring shut down the top of the Buc lineup as the first three hitters managed just a free pass in 12 PAs (and that was erased on a CS) but the rest of the Buccos collected 10 hits and three walks in an 8-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Forbes Field. Jimmy Zinn had a big day; not only did he spin six innings off one-run relief for the win, but added a pair of hits in a see-saw game that saw each team lose a lead twice before the Pirates put up three eighth-inning tallies. Possum Whitted and Tony Brottem also had two hits as Possum, who hit cleanup, started several fires and scored three times.

1921 - KDKA aired the first broadcast of a Major League game as Harold Arlin described the action during the Pirates' 8-5 win over the Phillies at Forbes Field. Jimmy Zinn worked six innings of one run relief for the win and added two hits. That broadcast started a list of firsts for Arlin and KD: he followed with another first when he took his equipment to the Allegheny Country Club for a live broadcast of the Davis Cup tennis match between Australia and Great Britain the next day. In October, he and KDKA became part of a three-station Westinghouse network that broadcast the Yankee-Giants World Series for the first time. Then, later in October, Arlin returned to Forbes Field for another first, a college football game between Pitt and West Virginia. He returned to the Oakland booth at Bob Prince’s invitation, to call a few innings of a 1972 game against San Diego at Three Rivers Stadium with his grandson, Steve Arlin, on the hill for the Friars.

1926 - OF Max Carey stole his last base as a Bucco against the Boston Braves during a 4-3 win at Braves Field. Carey is the all-time team leader in swipes with 688 swipes in 17 seasons. He also had two of the Pirates six hits, scoring a run and driving in another to help Ray Kremer earn his 11th win. 

Max Carey - 1980 Laughlin's Famous Feats

1905 - In front of a record crowd of 18,383 fans at Exposition Park, the NY Giants forfeited to the Pirates over a call at third. In a 5-5 game, Claude Ritchey opened the ninth with a double, his third hit of the day, and beat the throw to third on a bunt. At least that’s what ump George Bausewine called. The Giants disagreed and tried to get the first base ump to overrule the call; lotsa luck with that. The ensuing hubbub by the New York nine continued, and when they wouldn’t return to their positions after several warnings, Bausewine called the game. It was front page news in Pittsburgh, and manager Fred Clarke was incensed, telling Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press that “the New York players realized that only a miracle could prevent us from winning a clean and creditable victory, and rather than give us that satisfaction they allowed the game to break up...If we had disgraced ourselves in front of a record breaking crowd as the Giants did, we would have been mobbed.” The Giants protested the forfeiture to no avail.

1934 - The Pirates swept a twin bill from the St. Louis Cardinals at Sportsman’s Park by 6-4 & 7-2, tallies, led by the hot-hitting Waner brothers. From the top of the order, Big and Little Poison combined for 11 hits, eight runs scored and five more driven home to help send Daffy Dean and Bill Hallahan to defeat. They were helped by Earl Grace, who had three hits in the lidlifter, then by Freddie Lindstrom & Gus Suhr, each delivering a pair of knocks in the closing game. Larry French won the opener in relief of Bill Swift while Schoolboy Hoyt was the nitecap victor.

1934 - The Homestead Grays brought 49-year-old Smokey Joe Williams out of retirement for the season (he served as a combination player/coach) and held a day for him at Forbes Field. In front of 1,200 fans, Smokey struck out the leadoff batter and tossed the first two innings of a 5-1 victory over the Fort Wayne Berghoffs. The big blow of the game was Ray Brown’s triple that helped fuel a four-run sixth frame while Joe Strong finished up for the win.

1943 - RHP Nellie Briles was born in Dorris, California. He only tossed three years for the Bucs, from 1971-73 with a line of 36-28/2.98, but no 70’s Bucco fan will forget the two-hit shutout he spun in Game Five of the 1971 series. What isn’t as well known is that he called his own pitches for the last three innings, according to the SABR Biography Project. After disagreeing with Manny Sanguillen on whether to go hard or soft (the original game plan) against the Birds, the catcher refused to give him signs and just played toss-and-catch with Briles for the remainder of the game. After he retired, he went into broadcasting briefly, then joined the Pirate executive team, and founded the now-thriving Pirates Alumni Association. Nellie passed away in 2005 from a heart attack during an alumni golf outing.

Nellie Briles - 1971 Pirates Picture Pack

1947 - Earl Weaver would disapprove, but the Bucs eschewed the long ball for 10 singles (and a lone double), 10 walks and a Cincy error to run roughshod over the Reds at Forbes Field, 12-4. Five different Pirates reached base three times and Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg provided the muscle with three RBI while Culley Rickard did what a leadoff man is supposed to by scoring three times. Mel Queen got the win with Kirby Higbe closing out to pick up a 3-1/3 IP save.

1947 - OF Bernie Carbo was born in Detroit. He ended his 12-year career with the Bucs in 1980, going 2-for-6 at age 33 after signing on as a free agent in September. He later admitted to drug use during his playing days and said he threw his career away due to his addictions. Carbo sobered up after retiring, largely due to the efforts of Sam McDowell, and became a born-again Christian. In 1993, Bernie founded the evangelical Diamond Club Ministry and now spends his time ministering to families through speeches and baseball camps.

8/5 From 1960: Cobra Crunch, Willie Whack, Game Days, Maz Mark + HoF, Minor Moves, TSN Ty, S-Rod-Joe, HBD Ben, Eric & John

1960 - As posted by BR Bullpen: In a game described by Dick Groat as "the greatest I ever played in," the World Series-bound Bucs buttressed their first place margin over Milwaukee by pulling out a 1-0 win over the Giants. The game's only run came in the eighth inning, when Bill Virdon scored from first on an errant throw by pitcher Sam Jones on Groat’s bunt. But it's the fielding plays that were most spectacular: for the Giants, Willie Mays nipped a seventh inning Bucs uprising in the bud with a brilliant throw to cut down Don Hoak going first to third. But the Pirates' Vinegar Bend Mizell was the chief beneficiary of this game's defensive prowess: the "Say Hey Kid" was robbed of a sure extra-base hit by Roberto Clemente in a terrifying catch and crash that knocked the right fielder out of the lineup for a week as he smashed face first into the concrete base of the stands at the 395-foot mark, then collapsed on the warning track. Five stitches were required to close the cut on his chin, and his left knee was banged up. An inning before that, Virdon made a running grab of Felipe Alou's bomb to the left center light tower, and, in the eighth, Virdon made what Pittsburgh Press writer Les Biederman described as "the play of the season," just missing a leaping grab of Andre Rodgers' drive to the 406’ mark in left center, then recovering to cut down Rodgers try for a triple. The glovely game was viewed by 33,301 fans.

1964 - The Pirates scored once in the eighth and twice in the ninth innings to rally past Don Drysdale and the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 at Forbes Field. In the eighth inning, Bill Virdon scored after a Roberto Clemente double and a wild pitch by reliever Ron Perranoski to cut the lead to 3-2. Jim Pagliaroni led off the last frame with a homer, and with two out, Clemente lined a 2-2 pitch into center, his third hit of the game, to bring home pinch runner Gene Alley (he replaced Ducky Schofield) with the game winner. Reliever Al McBean earned the win.

1969 - Willie Stargell launched a bomb off Los Angeles’ Alan Foster that officially was measured at 507’, the longest - and first - home run ever hit out of Dodger Stadium (other estimates ranged from 480’-512’). The Bucs scored seven times in the ninth and won 11-3 with Manny Sanguillen, who had three knocks along with Matty Alou, and Bill Mazeroski, also going yard. Roberto Clemente collected a pair of hits during the contest, including his 2,500th rap. Steve Blass cruised to the complete game win, his 11th, over Don Drysdale in Big D’s last MLB ballgame.

1970 - 2B Bill Mazeroski set a modern-era NL record for putouts at his position with the 4,781st of his career in the Pirates 4-0 win over the Phillies at TRS, passing Billy Herman. Maz ended his career with 4,974 putouts, eventually surpassed on the leaderboard by Joe Morgan. Luke Walker spun a two-hitter and Al Oliver provided the muscle with a homer and three RBI.

Jose Pagan - 1971 Topps

1971 - The Pirates rolled over Montreal 7-2 at Parc Jarry behind homers by Willie Stargell, Al Oliver and Jose Pagan plus a pair of Gene Alley triples. The bad news was that the Bucs lost Pagan when his arm was broken by a pitch, but he returned to shine in the Fall Classic. Bruce Kison, who would also earn some World Series limelight, went the distance for the win.

1972 - RHP John Wasdin was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. John closed out his 12-year career in Pittsburgh, going 1-1/5.95 in 2007 in a dozen appearances from the pen. Wasdin then bumped around for a bit, tossing in AAA and Japan before taking a high school coaching gig. He joined the Athletics as a pitching coach in 2011 and in 2017, then jumped to the Orioles system and was let go in 2019. He’s now a coach for Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville. He had his moment in the sun in 2003 when he tossed a perfecto for AAA Nashville.

1977 - Utilityman Eric Hinske was born in Menasha, Wisconsin. The 2002 AL Rookie of the Year signed with the Pirates in 2009 as a free agent for $1.5M and hit .255 with one homer before being traded to the Yankees at the deadline. His 12-year career ended in 2013, and since then he’s been a Yankee scout and hitting coach for the Cubs, Angels and D-Backs, who let him go in 2021. His last job was as hitting coach for the Mets, who let him go after the 2023 campaign.

1977 - Cincinnati native Dave Parker became the first player to reach the red seats in right field at Riverfront Stadium when he homered off Fred Norman in a 12-1 win in the opener of a twin bill. Parker added another long ball and had five RBI to back Jerry Reuss’ four-hitter. The match featured a ninth inning fight between Frank Taveras and Joe Hoerner, who was honked that Taveras stole a base while up 7-1. Reds’ catcher Bill Plummer held Taveras while Hoerner slugged him after Frankie was buzzed, then beaned, and retaliated by tossing a bat (way off target) at Hoerner. Both benches emptied, with Parker and Bill Robinson trying to get to Hoerner (Robinson challenged him to a postgame runway meeting, but Joe didn’t keep the date) before order was restored. Reuss didn’t even brush anyone back in the Reds’ ninth frame because Sparky Anderson had taken out all his regulars. Following a jeremiad to the press following the contest by usually mild-mannered Chuck Tanner, the fired-up Pirates also took the nitecap, winning 10-6 for Grant Jackson. Taveras banged an inside-the-park grand slam (the first of two homers that he’d hit in the MLB), and Bill Robinson smacked a three-run shot in the win. The sweep gave the Buccos their ninth win against Cincy in 10 games and moved Pittsburgh just one game behind first place Philadelphia. It also cost them Taveras for five games; the shortstop was suspended a few days later, with Hoerner escaping with a fine. It was the 40-year-old Hoerner’s last MLB outing - it wasn’t the brawl that cost him his job but rather his 12.71 ERA.

John Milner - 1979 photo/Getty

1979 - Chuck Tanner threw out the book when he sent up lefty John Milner to hit for C Steve Nicosia, who was 4-for-4 on the day and RH, to face Phils’ southpaw Tug McGraw. And it worked as Milner banged a walkoff grand slam on the first pitch to win it, 12-8. Nicosia later said “I'm a .220 career hitter. What were my odds of going 5 for 5?" Steve “Lefty” Carlton had an 8-3 lead in that game and couldn’t hang on to it. Kent Tekulve got the win in a game started by Bert Blyleven. In the second match of a double dip at TRS, the Bucs prevailed 5-2, scoring four times in the fourth inning. Omar Moreno and Phil Garner each drove in a pair of runs during the frame. Don Robinson started and was chased; Enrique Romo came on to earn the victory with Teke closing it out. The twin wins moved them into first place ahead of the Expos by 1/2 game and gave the Bucs a five game sweep of their cross-state rivals. They would take 3-of-4 from them in Philly a few days later at the Vet on their road to the World Series title.

1980 - The Bucs traded minor league OF Rick Lancellotti and IF Luis Salazar to the Padres for IF Kurt Bevacqua and RHP Mark Lee. Bevacqua, who played for the Pirates in 1974, got in 51 games between 1980-81 for Pittsburgh w/.200 BA, then spent four more years with San Diego. Lee spent most of his time in AAA, working 16 times for the Bucs in 1980-81. Salazar, who had yet to play a MLB game, was the keeper of the deal, playing for five teams over the next 13 years, appearing at every position but pitcher and catcher with a .261 BA.

1988 - You could forgive OF Tommy Gregg if he didn’t know if he was coming or going. He was sent to AAA Buffalo to make room for RHP Rick Reed, but before he could say adios to the boys, he was back when the Pirates placed OF Glenn Wilson on the DL with a bum knee later that day. Tommy didn’t have a very long shelf life in Pittsburgh even with the reprieve; he was sent to Atlanta on September 1st as the PTBNL to complete the Ken Oberkfell deal. As for Reed, he was up and down with the Bucs through 1991 and became the classic late bloomer - in 1997, at age 32, he hit his groove with the NY Mets and earned two All-Star berths before ending his career with the Minnesota Twins in 2003. Rick won 83 of his 93 MLB victories during that seven-year span.

1991 - RHP Ben Heller was born in Milwaukee. The Olivet Nazarene U product was drafted by the Indians in the 22nd round, and ended up in the Yankee system, where he made 31 outings as a bubble player, going 2-0/2.59 in 31 games between 2016-20. He popped up again in ‘23 with the Braves, getting into 19 games with no decisions and a 3.86 ERA. The Pirates signed him as pen depth and he started the year at Indy; he was called up in June as he was ready to trigger an opt-out contract clause. Heller pitched two innings for the Bucs, gave up 11 earned runs and was DFA’ed. He cleared the wire and was returned to Indy.

Maz - HoF Hologram poster

2001 - Bill Mazeroski was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Dave Winfield, Kirby Puckett, and Negro League star Hilton Smith. After the disappointment of falling a vote shy in 2000, a teary Maz had a big speech written out, but instead said "I think you can flush these 12 pages down the drain," and delivered 2-1/2 minutes of thanks before leaving the podium.

2005 - Hard-nosed Ty Wigginton was featured on the cover of The Sporting News in a collision at the plate for the story (and issue theme) “How’s That Feel?” Ty was a rough-and-tumble infielder for the Bucs, but his down-and-dirty .237 BA earned him his release in the off season.

2016 - The Pirates had lost 4-of-5 and looked like they were going to let another game slip through their fingers until Sean Rodriguez's walkoff homer in the ninth off ex-Bucco Ross Ohlendorf gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 victory over Cincinnati at PNC Park. Righties Jameson Taillon and the Reds Anthony DeSclafani handed a 2-1 Bucco edge to the bullpens to decide. Cincy scored in the first on three singles; the Bucs tied it with John Jaso’s double (Billy Hamilton almost pulled it in and an Oscar performance earned an out call, but a review gave JJ the hit) the key blow. The Redlegs tied it in the ninth inning off Tony Watson with a leadoff walk, bunt, stolen base and a sac fly. But before the Bucs could mope, S-Rod sent a 2-0 heater into the left center seats to reclaim the win.

2017 - The Pirates brought back utilityman Sean Rodriguez by sending Connor Joe to the Atlanta Braves (Connor would return in 2023). S-Rod missed most of the year with a shoulder injury suffered in a pre-season car crash. It showed; he was hitting just .167 w/19 K in 47 PA. He was a Bucco glue man in 2015-16, playing everywhere competently, hitting .260 w/22 HR while a popular guy in the clubhouse & among fans before signing a two-year deal w/the Bravos as a FA ($5.75M in 2018). Connor Joe, 24, was a 2014 sandwich pick (39th overall) who was a man without a position (1B, 3B, OF). He was hitting .240 at Altoona. They also snapped up 32-year-old, seven-year vet RHP George Kontos from the Giants to bolster the pen, releasing RHP Jhan Marinez. Although Kontos was on revocable waivers, the Bay brass let the Pirates claim stand without compensation. The FO had their eye on Kontos, who they tried to pry from the Yankees in 2008 before settling on Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf and Daniel McCutchen.

8/4 Through the 1950s: Arriba Walkoff, Salkeld Cycle, Heinie Bookends, Game Days, Racers, Leever Leave, HBD Luke, Bill, Homer, Cliff, Hicks, Paddy & Jake

1867 - 1B Jake Beckley was born in Hannibal, Missouri. “Eagle Eye” played eight seasons (1888-96) for Pittsburgh, with a year off in 1890 when he suited up for the Pittsburgh Burghers of the outlaw Player’s League. He hit .300/123 OPS+ with 113 triples as a Buc and posted three 100+ RBI/four 100+ runs scored campaigns. Jake could glove it, too. He’s the all-time leader for putouts and top 20 in assists for MLB first basemen. After his 20-year MLB career was done, he was eventually selected in 1971 to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee with a lifetime .308 BA and 23,755 putouts at first base during his career, the all-time record. Jake got his nickname because of his batting eye; he was a contact hitter who finished his career with more walks than whiffs. 

1879 - C Patrick “Paddy” O’Connor was born in County Kerry, Ireland. A little used catcher for the Pirates from 1908-10, he hit .250. He played one more season in Pittsburgh in 1915, albeit with the Rebels of the Federal League, batting .228. Paddy got a lot of mileage out of baseball, with a playing career that spanned from 1901-21 counting his bush league years.

1883 - RHP Lew “Hicks” Moren was born in Pittsburgh and attended Duquesne University. He pitched exactly two games for the Pirates between 1903-04 (0-1/9.00), but was more successful with the Philadelphia Phillies, picking up 48 wins and 10 shutouts while compiling a 2.88 ERA from 1907-10 before arm problems ended his MLB career. He was one of the first twirlers to feature a knuckleball, closely following its original practitioner, Eddie Cicotte. Hicks (no clue as to how he got that moniker) lived to the age of 86, and is buried in Homewood Cemetery. 

1896 - Utilityman Cliff Lee was born in Lexington, Nebraska. Cliff began his eight-year run in the show at Pittsburgh in 1919-20 after being drafted from Portland and then putting in military time. He hit .213 before being claimed by the Phillies and put up three consecutive .300+ campaigns in Philadelphia, playing outfield, catcher and first base. His splits aren’t available, but it appears he never saw much time as a regular because he was a platoon guy that could maul southpaws but righties, not so much. He played in the minor leagues before retiring in 1930.

Cliff Lee - 1922 TSN

1897 - It was a bad day for Pittsburgh at League Park II in Cincinnati. Lefty Killen and the defense floundered in the opener of a twin bill, losing 14-3 and per the Pittsburgh Press “The Reds won the first one with ease as they found Killen at will and the Pirates made so many errors they simply couldn’t do anything else.” In the second game, ump Tim Hurst caught a beer bottle tossed at him from the stands and threw it back at his attacker. Hurst ended up the one arrested (he was fined $100 as the bottle gashed its victim; he had a good arm for an ump) and Red Bittman, who umped a handful of times and was a Cincinnati native, replaced Hurst and called the game a 4-4 tie after six innings due to darkness, wiping out a six-run seventh by the Bucs. Per the Press, the real reason was “...because he failed to check the run getting of the Pirates, he called the game. As the sun was shining, it was a clear case of a steal.” The Pirates won the rescheduled make-up game 8-1 and it was the last of 10 big league games Bittman umped.

1901 - Before Pittsburgh’s 6-3 win at Cincinnati’s League Park, Reds and Pirates players were clocked while running from home plate to 1B. The fastest time for the 90-foot sprint was three seconds flat, by Bucco OF Ginger Beaumont. Though Beaumont was a lefty and was known for his wheels, scouts today consider 3.9-4.0 to be elite speed. The SABR Biography Project says he was once timed at 4.4, which seems a little more like it. As for the game, the Buc attack was primed by the speedy Beaumont and Hans Wagner with three hits apiece and a Lefty Davis homer. Ed Poole, subbing for sore-armed starter Sam Leever, took the win.

1901 - The Bucs made a couple of moves. First, they brought in veteran C George Yeager from the Cleveland Blues on a try-out basis after Chief Zimmer, the Bucs starting catcher, was spiked and put out of action (he would then break a rib in a fall three weeks later). George passed the test and finished the year with the Bucs, hitting .264 in 26 games. On the same day, pitcher Sam Leever requested an unpaid leave of absence because of a sore arm, a problem he suffered from throughout his career. The Goshen Schoolmaster told club secretary Harry Pulliam, as reported by the Pittsburgh Press, that “I am not in a position to earn my salary and in justice to the Pittsburg club I think I should take a vacation at my own expense. Just lay off me, Harry, until I send you word that my arm is right.” The Bucs granted his leave, with Pulliam replying “You are one of the highest paid men in the league and the officials will be pleased when they hear of your offer (but) you will get your salary if you do not pitch another game this season.” He didn’t but came back strong the following year and tossed for the Pirates through 1910.

1902 - RHP Homer Blankenship was born in Bonham, Texas. Homer tossed for a couple of years with the Chicago White Sox (1922-23) and then became a long-time Texas League twirler; the Pirates gave him a shot in 1928 and he went 0-2/5.82 in two starts with one complete game. 

Homer Blankenship - 1928 photo via Find-A-Grave

1912 - IF Bill Schuster was born in Buffalo, New York. He started his five-year, 123-game big league stint in 1937 with the Pirates, going 3-for-6 in a three game audition. Schuster did have a long career spanning 16 years of pro ball, mainly in the Pacific Coast League, where he’s a member of its Hall of Fame. After retiring as a player, Schuster stayed to manage and coach in the west coast league, and later worked in the press room of the Los Angeles Times.

1915 - 1B Luke Easter was born in Jonestown, Mississippi. The slugger played for the Homestead Grays from 1947-48. He hit .363 and led the Grays to a win over the Birmingham Black Barons in the 1948 Negro League World Series, the last one NLWS held. The Grays sold him to Bill Veeck and he went on to play for the Cleveland Indians, but age (he was 34 when he made his MLB debut) and injury limited him to just a couple of productive MLB seasons.

1931 - Heinie Meine started it and ended it. Pirate pitchers put together a streak of 45 consecutive scoreless innings, starting with Meine’s outing on July 27th and ending with Meine’s 7-1 loss to the Cards at Forbes Field after adding five more frames to the zero column. In between, Buc pitchers Larry French, Ray Kremer, Glenn Spencer and Erv Brame all tossed shutouts.

1945 - C Bill Salkeld went 5-for-5 to become the first and only Pirates rookie to hit for the cycle. He drove in all five runs in the Bucs 6-5 loss to the Cardinals at Forbes Field, with the club stranding 12 runners against St. Louis. “Wallopin’ William” must have really been feeling his oats on this day; his triple was the first of just two that he would hit in 1,050 plate appearances during his six-year MLB career with the Bucs, Boston Braves and Chicago White Sox.

1958 - Roberto Clemente’s two-out homer in the ninth inning off future teammate Juan Pizarro gave the Pirates a 4-3 win over the first place Milwaukee Braves at County Stadium. Arriba had three hits and scored three times while Roy Face saved the game for winner Curt Raydon.