9/30 Through the 1970s: Roberto - 3,000, '79 Clincher, Candy's 20, Ralph's #54/100+ RBI, Mo' Bros, Game Days, Herman Trade, Temple Cup, Frankie Hired, TSN Scoops, HBD Leo

1886 - The American Association Alleghenys defeated the Brooklyn Grays 12-0 at Recreation Park, leading the Commercial Gazette to write that Brooklyn “...had been used as mops to wipe up the diamond.”  Cannonball Morris tossed a five hitter with six whiffs (the hard-throwing Morris had a monster campaign with a slash of 41-20-1/2.45) and added some salt to the wound with three hits; his batterymate Fred Carroll and Sam Barkley also added three raps. The Allies came in second place with an 80-57-3 slate and won their last five games, but they couldn’t catch the St. Louis Browns, winners of the NL and World Series.

1891 - RHP Leo “Pat” Bohen was born in Oakland, Iowa. He got into two major league games; one was with the Bucs in 1914, when he gave up two runs on two hits with two walks in an inning of work. Bohen retired at age 24 after the 1915 campaign and became a machinist.

1893 - The Pirates ended their season with an eight-game winning streak by topping the NY Giants by an 8-6 score to finish the year 81-48, five games behind the Boston Beaneaters. Pittsburgh’s partial owner William Chase Temple thought there should be a series between the top two teams (as his club was second) for the title, so he donated the Temple Cup to the league for a best of seven postseason championship series, to start in 1894. It lasted for four years, never being terribly popular among the players or fans, and didn’t help Temple’s Bucs at all - they never finished higher than sixth during the Cup’s existence. The winner was supposed to take 2/3 of the gate, but the first teams to play agreed beforehand on a 50-50 split, which the winning club then reneged on, causing Temple to sell his Pirate share in disgust with overall baseball ownership.

1908 - The Pirates beat the Cards 7-5 at Forbes Field behind Sam Leever, who relieved starter Vic Willis, and “Wee Tommy” Leach’s home run. Pittsburgh fell behind 5-0 in the home finale before tying the game in the seventh and pushing the winning runs across in the eighth. The victory put the Bucs in a virtual tie for first with the NY Giants and 1/2-game ahead of Chicago. In a shoot-out NL finish, the Cubs took the pennant by a game over both the Pirates and Giants.

Wee Tommy - 1908 Real Photo Post Card

1921 - RHP Phil Morrison got his only big league outing, tossing 2/3 of an inning against St. Louis in a 12-4 defeat, giving up a hit and getting a K. He’s noteworthy as one of the Pirates’ early brother acts, as he joined sib “Jughandle Johnny” Morrison on the roster that season. 

1939 - Buc President Bill Benswanger announced that Frankie Frisch would take the place of Pie Traynor at the Pirates helm, signing a two-year deal. Frankie managed the club through 1946, finishing second once before he was replaced by Billy Herman. Frankie had six years as field boss (five as player/manager) under his belt after leading the St. Louis Cardinals from 1933-38, winning it all in 1934, and spent ‘39 as a Boston Bees radio announcer.

1946 - 2B Billy Herman, who the Bucs wanted as a manager, was traded to Pittsburgh by Boston with OF Stan Wentzel, RHP Elmer Singleton and IF Whitey Wietelmann for three-time All Star 3B Bob Elliott and C Hank Camelli. Even Herman realized a lopsided deal when he saw one, saying "Why, they've gone and traded the whole team on me.” Elliott won the 1947 National League MVP award and led the Beaneaters to the 1948 NL pennant. Herman was announced as Bucco skipper after the deal and was inked to a two-year contract.

1946 - The Bob Feller Major League All-Stars and the Satchel Paige Colored Stars opened the post-season touring circuit in Forbes Field before 4,592 fans, with the Colored All-Stars taking a 3-1 win. The big draw was a three-inning duel between Paige and Feller. Paige gave up a hit and fanned four; Feller gave up two hits and whiffed three, the aces leaving the game with the score 1-1. Ray Brown, long-time Grays’ twirler, was the real star, pitching six innings of one-hit, shutout ball to top Cleveland’s Bob Lemon, who gave up the final two Colored Stars’ runs.

Ralph Kiner - 1949 Pirates Post Card

1949 - Ralph Kiner hit his 54th homer and 16th of September over the LF scoreboard at Forbes Field as the Pirates beat Herm Wehmeier and the Reds, 3-2, behind Bob Chesnes’ four-hitter. The monthly total eclipsed Cy Williams' 1923 NL mark (broken in 1965 by Willie Mays with 17), and 54 homers is still the Pirate standard for long balls in a season.

1951 - Ralph Kiner hit a two-out, 425’ walkoff grand slam in the 11th inning to give the Pirates an 8-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Forbes Field; his dramatic game ender was the final play of MLB’s regular season. The four RBI gave him 109 on the year, his fifth straight season with 100+ runs plated, tying the franchise record set by Pie Traynor. Mr. Swat also led the league in HR’s (42), runs (124) and walks (137). Bill Werle, the Pirates third pitcher, got the win in a match that Howie Pollet started.

1964 - The Pirates were struck out 19 times in 16 innings, but the Bucs still beat the Reds 1-0 on Jerry Mays’ suicide squeeze, knocking Cincy out of the NL’s top spot. Bob Veale struck out a club-record 16 in 12-1/3 innings while Cincinnati's Jim Maloney K’ed 11 in eleven frames at Crosley Field. Al McBean worked the final 3-2/3 IP for the bonus baseball victory.

1972 - Roberto Clemente hit a fourth-inning double off Jon Matlack’s 0-1 curve to become the 11th player in major league history (there are now 33; Miguel Cabrera is the most recent, joining in 2022) to reach the 3,000 hit plateau. As an added bonus, Clemente scored and his run was the game winner when Manny Sanguillen chased him home with the Pirates’ first tally. Take it with a grain of salt if someone told you they were there for the big occasion. Only 13,117 people showed up at TRS to watch the 5-0 win over the Mets on a raw Saturday afternoon. Dock Ellis took home the win and Bob Johnson worked three innings for the save as the pair combined on a two-hitter to stymie New York.

Roberto's 3,000 - 2013 Panini Historic Tickets

1972 - Al Oliver was highlighted on the cover of The Sporting News for the featured story “Swat Artist.” And that he was; the 25-year-old Bucco center fielder slashed .312/18/89 and scored 88 times on the way to his first of seven All-Star selections and three Top 10 MVP finishes.

1977 - John Candelaria became the first Bucco since Vern Law in 1960 to win 20 games (and it would take until 1990 for Doug Drabek to become the Pirates next) when he downed the Cubs 3-1 at TRS. Al Oliver, Kenny Macha and Frank Taveras chased home the Pittsburgh runs. Candy Man scattered seven hits to go with seven whiffs, and his only mistake was a 3-0 meatball that Steve Swisher smacked into the seats. Candelaria went all the way to become the first Puerto Rican pitcher to notch a 20-win season (The Yankees’ Ed Figueroa became the first native-born Puerto Rican to win 20 games the following year). He finished the year 20-5/2.34, both top marks in the league. Jim Rooker didn’t have such a good day; he broke his arm and leg in a car accident. Rook returned next season, but never had another double-digit win year and retired after the ‘80 campaign.

1978 - The Phillies clinched their third consecutive NL East title by eliminating the Pirates 10-8 at TRS. The victory, fueled by Phil pitcher Randy Lerch’s two home runs, snapped Pittsburgh’s 24-game home winning streak. The Bucs went down fighting. They scored four times in the ninth and got the tying run to the plate twice, but Willie Stargell, who had earlier swatted a grand slam, whiffed and Phil Garner bounced out to end the rally. But just wait ‘til next year...

1979 - The Pirates clinched the NL East crown with 5-3 win over the Cubs on the last day of the season in front of 42,176 jubilant fans at TRS. Bruce Kison and Kent Tekulve got the win and save, Dave Parker had three hits, Phil Garner added an RBI, and Bill Robinson’s two-run single in the seventh was the key blow as the Bucs finished the season two games ahead of the Montreal Expos, who dropped a 2-0 decision to Steve Carlton and the Phils. Willie Stargell became the Pirates all-time RBI leader when he bombed a solo homer in the fifth to overtake Honus Wagner. Pops’ pair of RBI were numbers 1,475 and 1,476; he would finish his career with 1,540 runners driven home.

9/30 From 1980: 82 Wins, Ryan Roars, '90 Clincher, Game Days, Kramer Deal, Clemente Day, Skenes ROTY, '26 Staff, HBD Shawn & Bryan

1980 - RHP Bryan Bullington was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Ball State junior was the Bucs top pick and first selection overall in the 2002 draft. He made his debut in 2005 for the Bucs, then returned to toss some in 2007 after labrum surgery, going 0-3/5.89 in six games (three starts) as a Pirate. BB never made much headway in the show, winning just one game. After pitching for KC in 2010, he went to Japan where he tossed until a shoulder injury in 2015.

1986 - In a minor league deal, the Pirates traded RHP Jeff Zaske to the Texas Rangers for RHP Randy Kramer. After a five-game trial in ‘88, Kramer had a workmanlike 1989 campaign as a swingman, posting a line of 5-9-2/3.96 in 35 outings (15 starts). He split 1990 between the big team and AAA Buffalo, and after struggling with the Pirates was traded to the Chicago Cubs in September. Afterwards, he got into four more games with the Seattle Mariners in 1992 before ending his MLB career. Zaske had a three-game cup of coffee with the Bucs in 1984 in his only MLB action, retiring from pro ball in 1988.

1987 - The Bucs played a rain-out twilight twin bill at TRS against the Cubs. The Pirates won the opener 5-3 as Brian Fisher not only went eight innings for the win, but 2-for-2 at the dish with a run scored and an RBI. The nightcap went Chicago’s way 10-8, but don’t fault Darnell Cole. He went 4-for-4 with three homers, six runs chased home and he plated three times. John Cangelosi helped him out with two hits, including a triple, and two RBI. But the dynamic duo couldn’t overcome a Cubbie attack that banged out eight extra-base hits during the match. 

1988 - The Pirates hired Terry Collins to manage Class AAA Buffalo after he had won the Minor League Manager of the year award for the Dodgers Albuquerque club. Collins, who started out as a Bucco draftee in 1971, managed three years for the Bison, winning 246 games. He was promoted to bullpen coach for the Pirates in 1992, where he coached through the 1993 season before taking the Houston managing job and later skippering for Anaheim and the Mets.

1988 - President Ronald Reagan tossed out two ceremonial first pitches (and was greeted by Jim Leyland as Dutch left the hill for a handshake and quick chat) before the Cubs lost 10-9 to the Pirates at Wrigley. The prez, a former play-by-play announcer, joined Harry Caray for an inning and a half in the WGN booth. Jose Lind and Andy Van Slyke combined for seven hits in the win, spoiling the Prez’s day. It was a wild finish; Pittsburgh and Chicago each scored five times in the eighth and ninth innings to end up with a 9-9 regulation stalemate before Andy Van Slyke drove in Rafael Belliard with the winner in the 10th. Scott Medvin, the fourth of five Bucco hurlers (the Cubs used six twirlers), claimed the victory with Brian Fisher earning his only save of the campaign. The Bucs finished the season with 85 wins, their highest victory total since 1979.

Doug Drabek - 1990 Donruss

1990 - Pittsburgh beat St. Louis 2-0 at Busch Stadium behind Doug Drabek's three-hitter to clinch its first NL East title since 1979. Gary Redus and Andy Van Slyke had the RBIs as the Pirates finished up a seven-game winning streak and a stretch of 10 wins-in-11 games to pull away from the Mets (the Bucs finished four games ahead of NY; they were up by a game before the hot run). It took Drabek just 80 pitches to go the distance to set up a Pirates-Reds NLCS. Ironically, the old rivals were the only two NL teams not to win a division title in the 80s.

1991 - In a pre-game ceremony, the Pirates officially named their TRS clubhouse for equipment manager John “Hully” Hallahan, who passed away three weeks prior at the age of 64 due to surgical complications. Hallahan spent 50 years in the organization, starting in 1941 as a bat boy for the visiting teams at Forbes Field and as the Pirates clubhouse manager since 1956. Then the Bucs went out and claimed a 6-5 win from Montreal, keyed by Jay Bell’s grand slam.

1993 - Tim Wakefield shut out the Phillies on four hits (although he did walk six) in a 5-0 whitewashing at TRS. It was the first time Philadelphia had been shut out since September 19th, 1992 (that was also at TRS, spun by Doug Drabek), a National League record-setting stretch of 174 games between blankings. Pittsburgh’s home finale victory over Philadelphia was led by Dave Clark, who homered & tripled, and Tom Foley, who had three hits including a two-bagger.

1999 - C Shawn Ross was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Shawn was an NAIA player and went undrafted in 2022; the Pirates inked him as a free agent. He advanced through the ranks although his bat never came around, but a mash-up of injured Buc C’s got him a call up in July of 2026. He made his debut and then started the next day, hitting a two-run homer in his first at bat of that match. The feel-goods didn’t last long; Endy Rodriguez returned from the IL and Shawn was DFA’ed after a three-day stay in the show. The Mets claimed him, released him from his minor league deal in early September and Toronto picked him up.

2009 - Ryan Doumit went 4-for-4 with a home run, three runs scored and four RBIs in the second game of a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs, an 8-3 Pittsburgh win behind Jeff Karstens. Dewey became the second Pirate catcher in the last 40 years to have at least four hits and four RBIs in the same game; Jason Kendall collected four knocks and five RBIs in a 13–1 Pirates victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on May 19th, 2000. The Bucs took the opener, too, by a 4-0 count. Charlie Morton spun a four-hitter with eight whiffs and Jason Jaramillo doubled in two runs to lead the attack.

Charlie Morton - 2010 Topps Diamond Anniversary

2012 - The Pirates were dropped by Cincinnati 4-3 for their 82nd loss, finishing below .500 for the 20th straight season to extend their sad little record. The Bucs were 16 games over .500 on August 6th, but just as last year, a dog day’s collapse did them in. This one at PNC Park hurt, as the Reds scored twice in the ninth off Joel Hanrahan to steal the win in front of 32,814 fans.

2015 - The Pirates stayed alive in the NL Central race by winning the lid lifter of a twin bill at PNC Park against St. Louis 8-2 for Gerrit Cole's 19th win. The offense was generated via a grand slam by Francisco Cervelli, Neil Walker’s homer and Gregory Polanco chasing home two runs. But the Cardinals clinched the flag and a 100-win season when they won the back end 11-1 chasing Charlie Morton in the third with a Jason Heyward grand slam of their own off Bobby LaFromboise. The Pirates hosted the Wild Card walk-in game for the third straight season.

2017 - The Pirates had been held to one hit over eight innings by Max Scherzer, AJ Cole and Enny Romero and were down 1-0 going into the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Washington sent Brandon Kintzler to close it out, and he got within a strike of doing it. With runners at first and second, Sean Rodriguez slapped a two-out, 3-2 sinker into left to tie the game. A walk loaded the bases and Max Moroff cleared them with a triple to weave a wide three-run safety net. Felipe Rivero mopped up to save George Kontos’ win. Starter Jameson Taillon tossed seven innings of four-hit ball as the Bucs won, 4-1.

2018 - The Pirates finished an 82-79, roller-coaster campaign with a 10-inning 6-5 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park. The teams used 13 pitchers in a showcase of the young guys that featured four home runs, three errors and everything in between. Pablo Reyes scored on a wild pitch to win it for Michael Feliz, and Jose Osuna added a pair of doubles. The vets had a hand in it, too, as Josh Bell homered, Starling Marte went long & doubled, and Felipe Vazquez notched his 37th save. Some notable achievements: Marte became the third Pirate to have a 20 HR/30 SB season, joining Barry Bonds (four times) & Andy Van Slyke (1987-88). It was also the first time that the Bucs had two relief pitchers with at least 80 strikeouts in the same season as Vazquez punched out 89 and Richard Rodriguez, 88. And finally, Clint Hurdle got his 1,200th career victory, finishing with 1,269 MLB dubs. He joined Bruce Bochy, Mike Scioscia, Buck Showalter and Terry Francona as active skippers in the 1,200 win club.

Rich Rod - 2018 photo/Pirates

2022 - Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey declared it “Roberto Clemente Day.” The event included the playing of the 3,000th hit call by Bob Prince and the unveiling of the TRS home plate and second base markers, now part of a parking lot, with future plans calling for markers of all of the former stadium’s bases and the pitcher’s mound. The Pirates were repped by Steve Blass and president Travis Williams (the team was in St. Louis, where the Cards held a pregame ceremony to honor the 50th anniversary of Roberto’s 3,000th hit), a bevy of local politicians were on hand and Roberto Jr. called from St. Louis. Prior to the ceremony, Senator Bob Casey and Governor Tom Wolf had honored Clemente by proclamation. 

2024 - Baseball America named 22-year-old RHP Paul Skenes as its 2024 Rookie of the Year. Skenes was only the second Pirate to win BA/ROTY award, following Andrew McCutchen, who took the honor in 2009. Skenes, who was the National League’s starting pitcher in this year’s All-Star game,  was 11-3/1.96 in 133 IP (23 starts) with an 0.95 WHIP, 170 strikeouts and a .198 oppo BA. Paul was the #1 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft. After a brief tune-up in the minors, he debuted for the Bucs on 5/11/2024 with a no-decision against the Cubs and didn’t miss a turn during the year. And as the cherry on top, he was named the NL Rookie of the Month the following day.

2025 -  The day after he was hired, Don Kelly began to put together his own staff. The Pirates didn’t renew the contracts of pitching coach Oscar Marin (a surprise, but it was reported he had lost the faith of the staff despite how well the young Pirates pitching performed. He caught on next month with the Reds as their bullpen coach) and 3B coach Mike Rabelo (he joined Derek Shelton at his new landing spot, Minnesota, as an ass’t bench coach) while ass't pitching coach Brent Strom retired after a year on the job; he was 76. A month later, the Pirates brought in Bill Murphy, 36, who had been the Houston Astros’ pitching coach since 2022, to replace Marin. A week later, the staff was filled with the hires of Kristopher Negron as bench coach and Tony Beasley as third base coach. Negron spent the past four years on the Mariners MLB staff while Beasley is coming home. Tony managed in the Pittsburgh farm system from 2001-05 and was the 3B coach from 2007-10. He had been on the Rangers' staff since 2015, the last several seasons coaching third base.

9/29 Through the 1960s: Polo Finale, Bro Act, Kiki Debut, Ouch, Game Days, Rosey Day, RIP Wee Tommy, HBD Ken, Paul, Gus & Cannonball

1862 - LHP Ed “Cannonball” Morris was born in Brooklyn. Morris was considered by many to be the first great lefty to pitch in the majors. In 1884, Cannonball tossed a no-hitter against Pittsburgh for Columbus, and was purchased by the impressed Alleghenys five months later. The lefty pitched for the Allies from 1885-89 with a 171-122/2.84 line, winning 80 games from 1885-86. He struck out over 300 batters twice with 298 another year, and threw over 550 innings in two different seasons. He also worked a year with the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players League in 1890, his last season in the majors. Afterward, he ran a hotel/saloon on Pittsburgh’s North Side and was a deputy warden at Western Penitentiary. He remained a fan, rarely missing a Pirates game, and in 1934 he was tapped by the team to pitch an inning during the Silver Anniversary of Forbes Field. As you may have guessed, he was nicknamed "Cannonball" for his velocity.

1866 - RHP “Rubber-Winged Gus” Weyhing was born in Louisville, Kentucky. In a 14-year career spanning over 500 appearances, he tossed one game for the Pirates in 1895. He won it before joining his hometown Louisville Colonels, his third team of the season (he tossed for nine clubs). Gus was a strong pitcher, winning 25+ games six straight seasons, but he was one of the old-timey pitchers that didn’t cope very well when the mound was moved back ten feet to 60’6” in 1893, though he did manage to hang around until 1901. He was also a colorful character - he jumped leagues twice and was an early wild child; he still leads the majors with 277 hit batsmen during his career.

1884 - 3B/OF Royal “Hunky” Shaw was born in Yakima, Washington. The Washington U alum was claimed as a Rule 5 player from St. Paul of the American Association and posted one MLB at-bat (he whiffed) in 1908 as a Pirate. He played pro ball until 1924, mostly in the Northwest and Nebraska Leagues. Shaw retired and opened a sporting goods store, then became a club exec for the minor league Yakima Pippins; those gigs sure beat his former offseason job as an undertaker.

1900 - Busted! Per the Pittsburgh Press after a 4-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds “...the disgrace of being beaten...was not the most humiliating experience the Pirates had at Exposition Park, and until they clear themselves of the charge of attempting the dishonorable Philadelphia trick of tipping off the signals (ie, stealing signs) of opposing clubs, they will get little sympathy from Pittsburg’s patrons of the national game.” Reds’ shortstop Tommy Corcoran pointed out to the ump an advertising sign in center field that could potentially be a roost for a hidden Bucco with binoculars to steal the catcher’s signals. Corcoran had a nose for opposing tricksters; he also uncovered the ploy in Philadelphia that involved a vibrating electronic gizmo buried in the third base box. The Reds filed cheating charges, and though we never found a formal resolution of the matter, it appears the Pirates defense of “how could we have cheated if we lost” carried the day.

Howie Camnitz - Helmar Cigar

1908 - Pittsburgh blanked the Cardinals 7-0 at Forbes Field behind Howie Camnitz in the first game of a doubleheader sweep. Camnitz had a no-hitter until the ninth when Claude Osteen singled as the last-place Redbirds were blanked for a record 33rd time. The Cards broke out the lumber in the nitecap, but still lost 6-5 when Roy Thomas’ grounder brought home George Gibson in the ninth to give Vic Willis the win. The Bucs remained 1/2 game up with the brooming and were in the midst of a 13-of-15 streak to close the year, but still fell short to the Cubs by a game, losing the winner-take-all showdown at the West Side Grounds. 

1909 - RHP Harry Camnitz mopped up in the Pirates 6-1 loss to the New York Giants at Forbes Field. It was his only outing of the year (he had been purchased from the minor league McKeesport Tubers in July), but it made him part of the first brother act for the Pittsburgh Pirates to appear during the same season; he was the little bro of the team’s ace, Howie Camnitz. The Bucs added him to the roster after he picked up 27 wins with the Tube City nine.

1921 - Hall of Fame OF Kiki Cuyler spent 18 years in the show; his first seven seasons (1921-27) were as a Pirate, posting a .336 BA here with 130 swiped sacks. He made his debut on this date, going 0-for-3 in his sole outing of the campaign after being a late call-up from Class B Bay City. In fact, Kiki didn’t get his first MLB hit until 1923; he only got to the plate once in ‘22, spending most of the season in Class B Charleston and didn’t become a Buc regular until 1924.

1932 - RHP Paul Giel was born in Winona, Minnesota. Paul was a two-sport star at the U of Minnesota and picked baseball over football (he was a highly touted QB) when he graduated. He spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues and made 20 appearances with the Pirates in 1959-60, going 2-0/7.30. He retired from baseball in 1961 and embarked on a journey through the Minnesota sports scene. Giel went to work for the Vikings briefly, spent a longer stretch with local sports broadcasting and then became the Athletic Director at his alma mater.

Paul Giel - 1960 Topps

1935 - In his only major league game, C Aubrey Epps went 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBI in the Bucs' 9-6 loss at Cincinnati, giving the Pirates a doubleheader split on the season’s last day. The touted 23-year old catcher ended up with identical career batting and fielding averages (.750) as he committed two errors in eight chances; we’d guess that’s why it was his only game. Aubrey caught pneumonia after the season, and although he did recover in time to report to 1936 camp, he couldn’t win a roster spot and spent six seasons in the minors. He was nicknamed “YoYo” for his love of the toy, per Diamonds in the Dusk.

1942 - Satchel Paige of the KC Monarchs tossed 5-2/3 innings of hitless relief against the Homestead Grays (although by that time, they split dates between Pittsburgh & Washington), winning, 9-5, at Shibe Park in Philadelphia to cap a four-game sweep of the 1942 Negro League World Series. The series featured seven future members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, three from the Monarchs (Satchel Paige, Hilton Smith, and Willard Brown) and four from the Grays (Josh Gibson, Jud Wilson, Ray Brown, and Buck Leonard). Paige had actually been slated to start but showed up late at the ballpark, claiming he was tardy because of a speeding ticket he picked up on the way to the park. 

1950 - IF Ken Macha was born in Monroeville. The Gateway HS & Pitt grad, a sixth round draft pick in 1972, played briefly for the Bucs (1974, 1977-78), hitting .263 as a corner utilityman. He made his name as a MLB coach/manager of the Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers. Ken is retired and now lives in Latrobe after a stint as a pre-game analyst for Root Sports.

1957 - The New York Giants played their final game at the Polo Grounds before pulling up their stakes and heading west, losing to the Pirates 9-1. Bob Friend got the farewell victory; Johnny Antonelli took the loss. Roberto Clemente, Johnny Powers and Friend each had three hits; rookie Powers hit the last homer and tallied the final RBI ever at the yard. After the game, 11‚606 fans swarmed for ballyard keepsakes as both teams retreated to the center field clubhouses for safety. Pittsburgh was the final home opponent of both Brooklyn and New York before the Big Apple nines jumped to the coast.

John Powers - 1958 Topps

1960 - Mayor Joe Barr declared it “Rosey Rowswell Day” at his memorial dinner at the Penn Sheraton Hotel. Governor Davey Lawrence was the main speaker, and the newly-crowned National League champs, the Pirates, led by Danny Murtaugh, Bob Friend, Roy Face, Bob Skinner and others, were in attendance. Though Rosey had passed on in 1955, the dinner tradition was continued as a fundraiser for his favorite charity, the Ward Home for Children in Mt. Lebanon.

1968 - Ahead of Matty Alou by a razor’s edge on the season’s last day, Pete Rose went 1-for-3 to keep his average at .335 while the Pirates outfielder wore an 0-for-4 collar in a 5-4 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, finishing the year with a BA of .332. The day before, the batting crown rivals were en fuego, combining to go 9-for-9 to set up the final day showdown.

1969 - CF/3B Tommy Leach passed away in Florida at age 91. Leach spent 14 of his 19 MLB seasons with the Pirates (1900-12, 1918), batting .269 and playing all three outfield positions along with every infield spot but first base. The Pirates won the National League pennant four times and were World Series champions once during Leach’s tenure. He was known as “Wee Tommy” due to his 5’6” height, but was among the swiftest runners of his era, with 361 stolen bases, 1,355 runs scored, and 172 triples while finishing in the top ten six times each in triples, home runs and total bases. After he retired, he managed and scouted until 1941 along with running his Florida citrus grove.

9/29 From 1970: Cutch #31, 2 For Teke, Walk Way, Brown Bros, Oh Nellie, Game Days, Quail & Joe Retire, Jims Last Game, Clint Goes, Don & BC Back, HBP Hatch

1972 - The Mets defeated the Bucs 1-0 and you could excuse Nellie Briles if he seemed a little frustrated. It was his third start of the year against New York, and all three matches ended up 1-0 Met victories, with their only runs coming during their last at-bat. All three were duels left to the starters - Briles went wire-to-wire, as did the guys he lost to, Jon Matlock (twice) and Tom Seaver. The Pirates still won the East easily, only to drop the NLCS to the Cincinnati Reds three-games-to-two, though the Pirates won Nellie’s one start of that set 3-2.

1976 - Joe Brown announced his retirement as GM, a post he held since the end of the 1955 campaign as Branch Rickey’s replacement. Under his rein, the Bucs won a pair of World Series championships and five Divisional titles. He and his wife moved to Southern California, where he served as a special assignment scout for the Bucs. It took two men to fill his shoes, Joe O’Toole and Harding Peterson, until Pete was awarded the position as his own in 1979.

1978 - Kent Tekulve won both ends of a double header against the Phils at TRS in relief, 5-4 and 2-1. He pitched two innings in the opener and 1-1/3 frames in the nitecap, winning in the 10th. Both victories were gift wrapped; the Bucs won the opener when the relay to third on Ed Ott’s leadoff ninth-inning triple (generously ruled; it was a skied fly that fell between a pair of Philly outfielders) got away, and the Phils balked in the walk-off run in the ninth inning of the nitecap. Bruce Kison made the pitcher trivia rounds in the second game when he homered off Steve Carlton. That gave him a natural batting cycle of a single, double, triple and homer in that order over the season. Of course, for a hitter, a natural cycle consists of a game; with pitcher Kison, it started with a single on July 20th, with quite a few outs sprinkled in between then and his long ball two months later. The twilighter drew 45,134 fans as a September run by the Bucs cut the Phils lead to 1-1/2 games after their 24th straight win at TRS. Pittsburgh ran out of time and finished two games back, but the stretch run kickstarted the Bucs into 1979.

1990 - Bob Walk threw a four-hit complete game, winning an 8-0 decision over St. Louis at Busch Stadium in a match between the top dog Pirates and cellar-dwelling Cards. The 6-7-8 bottom of the order batters (Sid Bream, Mike LaValliere & Chico Lind) had two hits each and scored six runs, with Walk even contributing with an RBI double from the nine-hole. The win almost put Pittsburgh over the top; they would clinch the East flag by eliminating the NY Mets the next day, claiming the division after suffering through a title drought through the 1980s.

1992 - The Pirates won their sixth straight game by a 3-0 score over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field as Zane Smith, Paul Wagner (the winner), Steve Cooke and Stan Belinda (the save) combined on a two-hitter, and with only two whiffs, to put the Bucs nine games up in the Eastern Division standings. Andy Van Slyke homered and drove in a pair of runs to spark the Pirate attack. The Buccos' other run came on a Carlos Garcia sac fly that scored Gary Varsho.

Bob Walk - 1993 Pacific (reverse)

1993 - In the final appearance of his career, Bob Walk went five innings of five-hit, one-run ball to defeat the Phils at TRS 9-1 behind four Bucco blasts (Jeff King, Dave Clark, Al Martin and Jerry Goff). The Whirlybird spent 10 of his 14 MLB years with Pittsburgh, putting together an 82-61-5/3.83 line in 278 games (196 starts). He also made seven outings (three starts) in the postseason for the Pirates, going 2-1-1/3.71. Walkie remained a Buccaneer fixture even after he left the mound, with 32 years and counting spent entertaining fans from the broadcast booth.

1994 - RHP Thomas Hatch was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A third-round draft pick from Oklahoma State by the Cubs in 2016, he was traded to Toronto and from 2020-23, he slashed 3-3/5.40 in 27 outings. Waived in August, 2023, the Pirates claimed him. He was optioned to Indy in September, though his line of 2-3/4.03 in 12 outings was about league average. The Corsairs released him in November to pitch in Japan and in ‘25 he tossed for KC and the Twins. He started ‘26 in the D-Backs minors, was released and went to Korea.

1996 - It was the end of an era as Jim Leyland managed his last Pirates game, an 8-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Dale Sveum had a homer and double, Keith Osik went long, and Jay Bell doubled; all three players chased home a pair of runs while Sveum and Mark Johnson scored twice to back winner Esteban Loiaza. The depleted Pirates finished 73-89 and finished in last place, 15 games behind the new Central Division champs, the Cards. In 11 seasons with the Bucs (1986-96), Leyland’s slate was 851-863 with three Division titles (1990-92). He moved along to Florida, where he would take the Marlins to a pennant and World Series crown the following campaign. He ended his skipper days with an eight-year run (2006-13) in Detroit.

1999 - In a name game noted by BR Bullpen, the Bucs 1-2-3 hitters against the Milwaukee Brewers at County Stadium were Adrian Brown, Emil Brown and Brant Brown. Adrian had two hits and Brant drove in a run, but the Brownie troop couldn’t carry the day as the Pirates fell 5-2.

2002 - Bill Virdon retired from baseball at age 71 after serving as Lloyd McClendon’s bench coach during the season. After 52 years as a player, coach and manager, the Quail said “I’ve just had all the travel I could handle.” But he didn’t completely burn his bridges - for the next two decades or so, he returned as a Bucco instructor and torch-bearer during spring training. He passed on at the age of 90 in 2021 in Springfield, Missouri, his home base for several decades.

Cutch - 2012 Topps Allen & Ginter

2012 - Andrew McCutchen hit a walkoff homer off Jonathan Broxton with one down in the ninth inning for his 31st long ball of the season, a career high, to give the Pirates a 2-1 win over the Reds  at PNC Park in front of a Saturday night crowd of 38,623. Alex Presley doubled home Chase d'Arnaud in the seventh for the Bucs first run. Kyle McPherson started and Joel Hanrahan finished for the win. Cutch hit 20+ homers for eight straight campaigns (2011-18) and has hit double-digit dingers in the first 17 of his MLB seasons while playing for five different ball clubs, the streak finally ending in 2026 when he only got into 37 games. 

2013 - Jordy Mercer had a huge day and the Bucs held off Cincinnati by a 4-2 tally at Great American Ball Park. Jordy flared an inside-the-park homer, a soft sinking liner that eluded Reds outfielder Jay Bruce, and a triple among his three hits while Garrett Jones added a late bomb. The bottom four, consisting of Mercer and Jones, along with John Buck and John Harrison, had a hand in producing all four runs by collecting eight hits to earn Brandon Cumpton the win with a Kyle Farnsworth save. It was a preview of the upcoming wildcard match, won by the Bucs at PNC Park in the Johnny Cueto game.

2019 - 62-year-old skipper Clint Hurdle was let go just before the final game of the year, one that the Pirates lost to the Reds, 3-1, at PNC Park to finish 69-93 and last in the NL Central. Hurdle was hired as manager in 2011 and led the Pirates to winning seasons in four of his nine years, breaking a record string of 20 non-winning campaigns. They made the playoffs three times, the last ending in a 2015 NL wild-card loss to the Cubs. The 2019 Pirates had an injury list that was a mile long, locker room fights, their closer arrested, and went on a 25-48 tailspin after the All-Star game, but overall Clint finished with a 735-720-1 record during his Pirates tenure, winning the 2013 NL Manager of the Year award. Derek Shelton, bench coach of the Twins, was named as his replacement and Hurdle caught on as a special assistant for the Colorado Rockies. He also became the author of “Hurdle-isms: Wit and Wisdom from a Lifetime in Baseball,” a collection of MLB stories and observations.

2025 - Not 24 hours after ending their season, the Pirates announced they had extended Don Kelly as the manager into ‘26. President Travis Williams also noted GM Ben Cherington was coming back, too (he was under contract through 2027). Neither was assured of an invite back after a 71-win season, particularly BC, who had been rebuilding since 2020 with a record of 365-505 and whose efforts at developing a winning team were wearing thin among the Pirates faithful.

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

Say goodnight, Gracie...

Pirates Stuff:

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

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

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

Bryan Reynolds - 2026 image/SportsNet Pittsburgh

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

Game Stuff:

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

Paul Skenes - 2026 Pirates

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

MLB Stuff:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grant Jackson - 1981 Topps

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

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

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

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