5/9 Through the 1960s: Klu & Kline, Mr Swat - 2HR+7RBI, You Again?, Plunkin' Pink, Game Days, Ken Goes; HBD Tony, Culley & Link

• 1857 - C Dan “Link” Sullivan was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He spent parts of five campaigns in the show, with his last round being five innings caught for the Alleghenys in 1886, with an 0-for-4 showing at bat and two errors/three passed balls behind the dish. He played in two minor league games afterward and ended his career at age 29. He did have a highlight week in 1882 as a rookie when he caught a pair of no-hitters for Louisville within eight days of one another. 
• 1896 - RHP Emerson "Pink" Hawley plunked three Washington batters in the seventh inning at Exposition Park, tying a mark he set two years earlier (in justice, Washington hurler Win Mercer bopped three Pirates in the same frame, so frontier justice prevailed). Eight batters were hit in the contest, with a NL-record five nicked by Hawley, during the Pirates 14-9 loss. The five Senator batters hit by pitches tied the mark that wasn’t matched again until 1969. Hawley retired in 1900 after nine seasons with a still-standing NL record of 201 hit batters; he also walked 933 hitters. For all of that, he was a capable hurler, winning 31 games in 1895 and claiming 167 victories over his career. 
• 1901 - The Pirates beat Chicago 8-1 behind Deacon Phillippe to end a marathon series. It was the eighth game in nine days between the two clubs, with the first four in Expo Park where the teams split a four-game set and the final four at West Side Park where the Bucs swept the Orphans. Pittsburgh’s Sam Leever beat Chicago’s Tom Hughes twice and Rube Waddell dropped a pair of contests to the Buccos. The Windy City nine finished 6-14 against the Pirates as Pittsburgh won the National League with 90 victories while the Orphans would claim just 53 wins. 

Deacon Phillippe - Helmar T206

• 1914 - OF Culley Rikard was born in Oxford, Mississippi. Rikard played for the Bucs from 1941-42 before taking a three-year break during the war (he served stateside and played for a unit team called “The Globetrotters”). He returned for the 1947 campaign, posting a .270 BA during his three years with the Buccos. In 1949, playing as a Pittsburgh farmhand, he was traded to the San Francisco Seals for Dino Restelli and ended his pro career after the 1952 season. 1
• 932 - Tony Bartirome was born in Pittsburgh. The slick fielding 1B played one year for the Bucs in 1952, hitting .220. The Hill District native did have a long career with the Bucs as their trainer, lasting from 1967-85, and is believed to be the only guy to be an MLB player, coach (w/the Braves from ‘86-88) and trainer. One Bartirome tale involves an RBI he earned, not as a player but as a sawbones. As related in John McCollister’s Tales From The Pirate Dugout, Bartirome went out to check on Bill Robinson, who had just been knocked down by a pitch in the seventh game of the 1979 World Series. The bases were loaded in the ninth with two down when he was brushed back. Robinson told Bartirome that he was OK; the pitcher (Dennis Martinez) didn’t hit him. “The hell he didn’t” replied Bartirome, who dug his nail into Robinson’s thumb until it bled. The ump, Jerry Neudecker, saw the trickle and waved him to first to bring home the Bucs’ final run in the 4-1 win. 
• 1932 - The Depression was tough times, but the Bucs tried to make it a little easier. They began a policy of allowing 25 unemployed fans per game in for free through passes distributed through the Welfare Fund. They had plenty of room; the average attendance that year was just 3,731. 
• 1947 - The Pirates sold lefty Ken Heintzelman‚ 33, to the Phillies. Heintzelman worked 7-1/2 years (1937-46) for the Bucs, interrupted by the war, and had a 37-43/4.14 slash. The swingman wasn’t done; he pitched 5-1/2 more seasons for the Phils, winning 40 games. His son, Tom went on to play major league baseball with the Cardinals and Giants as an infielder between 1973 and 1978. 

Ralph Kiner - 1948 Bowman

• 1948 - In the second game of a Sunday doubleheader at Forbes Field between the Pirates and the Dodgers, umpire Jocko Conlan let the game play through a 7PM curfew because he thought Pittsburgh manager Billy Meyer was stalling while sitting on a 5-4 lead (and he was right). Brooklyn foiled the scheme and went ahead 7-5, but Ralph Kiner hit a three-run HR to give Pittsburgh the 10-8 victory. The Bucs were fined $100 by the City for violating the curfew, but a win was well worth the wrist slap. Brooklyn romped in the opener 14-2 and all those first-game runs were the reason the nightcap ran past the curfew. 
• 1950 - Ralph Kiner hit a grand slam, the eighth of his career and second in three games, then added a three-run homer during a 3-for-4, seven-RBI outing as the Bucs beat Brooklyn 10-5 at Forbes Field. Ralph went on to lead the league with 47 dingers and his first blast was one of 13 grand salamis that he swatted. Bill Werle tossed 6-2/3 frames of scoreless relief for the win. 
• 1958 - Ted Kluszewski broke up a scoreless tie between starters Robin Roberts and Ron Kline - both hurlers went the distance - by belting a lead-off, first-pitch homer in the 12th to give the Bucs a 1-0 win over the Phils at Forbes Field. It was only the fourth Pirates hit off Roberts while Kline scattered eight knocks. The play of the game may have been Roberto Clemente’s laser beam that cut down Granny Hamner at home in the fourth inning, preserving the scoreless deadlock. 
• 1963- Worms beware: The Bucs beat Dick Ellsworth’s slider into the infield dirt all day as Ernie Banks became the first NL first baseman to post 22 putouts in a game (with an assist). The Cubs whipped Pittsburgh 3-1 at Wrigley Field as Ellsworth allowed Pittsburgh just two singles.

5/9 From 1970: Kelly Wins 1st, Pgh Kid Busy, Extra Sauce, JT Fiver, Bombs/Brawls, Game Days, '21 May Moves, HBD Buddy

• 1979 - Four bench-clearing brawls, four beaned batters and two grand slams were the highlights of a 17-9 Bucco victory over the Braves at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. Substitute umpires ejected five players‚ both managers and a coach. As for the game itself, the Pirates headed into the ninth inning with a slim 10-9 lead before exploding for seven runs. John Milner’s grand slam off Gene Garber highlighted the runaway frame. Earlier, Bill Robinson had banged two home runs off Phil Niekro to give the Pirates the lead while Tim Foli added four more RBI. 
• 1983 - Jason Thompson picked a fine time to break out of his 3-for-27 slump, smacking a career-best five hits at Jack Murphy Stadium to lead the Pirates to a 5-3, 14-inning win against the San Diego Padres to snap a five game losing string. The Pirates collected 18 hits, but had a tough time cashing in - in the 12th inning, they left runners at second & third with one out and in the 13th, they loaded the sacks with no outs and still couldn’t push a run home. With two gone in the 14th, Johnny Ray doubled and Richie Hebner was intentionally walked, then the Friars brought in lefty Gary Lucas to face JT. Thompson got ahead 2-0 and was hunting a heater; he got it and banged it off the left center wall for a game-winning two-run two-bagger. The Bucs fourth pitcher, Manny Sarmiento, pocketed the win while Ray collected four hits and Lee Mazzilli homered. 
• 1988 - LHP Buddy Boshers was born in Huntsville, Alabama. Boshers, who had pitched for the Angels and Twins, was claimed off waivers from the Astros by the Bucs in 2018. He was called up for eight games in August without making an appearance before being optioned back to Indy. He last pitched MLB for the Blue Jays in 2019 with on the hill in the Dominican and Mexican leagues. He retired before the 2021 season and is now a coach in a training facility. 
• 1993 - For the second consecutive time, the Pirates were down by a run with two outs in the ninth and the bases empty against Montreal with closer John Wetteland on the hill at TRS, and for the second consecutive time, they pulled a victory out of that hat. Today, it was Al Martin who went downtown to knot the score before AVS banged a two-out double in the 11th to give the Bucs and Blas Minor a 6-5 victory. In yesterday’s match, Andy Van Slyke homered, then Tom Foley’s single won it in 10 frames by a 10-9 count. Orlando Merced and Carlos Garcia also went long while Stan Belinda got the dub. The wins made the Pirates 5-1 in extra innings, but in the first year of their core deconstruction, they sputtered and finished the campaign with just 75 wins and in fifth place. 

Francisco Cordova - 1997 Topps Stadium Club

• 1997 - Prior to the game with Atlanta, Pirate players had an impromptu meet-and-greet inside the TRS gates to shake hands and pose for pictures with the fans. The up close and personal vibes worked as they proceeded to beat the Braves 9-0 behind Francisco Cordova, who struck out eight and lowered his ERA to 1.53. Jose Guillen homered and drove in three runs while Al Martin and Tony Womack added three knocks. The win put the Pirates, picked to finish last in the Central, in first place by themselves, and even though the Bravos took the next three games from Pittsburgh, the Bucs stayed in the race until late September. 
• 1999 - Two of Pittsburgh’s bigger disappointments flashed what coulda been. The Pirates almost blew a 10-5 lead, but hung on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 12-9 behind SS Pat Meares’ five hits and OF Brant Brown’s three-run, inside-the-park homer at Busch Stadium. Meares ended up on the DL for most of his Pittsburgh stay and never played after 2001, while Brown hit .232, with 2000 being his MLB swan song. Jose Silva was spanked as a starter, but Chris Peters, who got the win, Marc Wilkins, Jeff Wallace, Brad Clontz and Mike Williams, who earned a save, cleaned it up behind him. 
• 2011 - The Pirates beat the Dodgers 4-1 at PNC Park, to move their record to 18-17, the first time they were above .500 this late in the season since 2004. With the score tied in the eighth inning, Jose Tabata made a diving catch in left, then doubled a wandering Dodger off first. Jose Uribe and manager Don Mattingly were bounced for arguing that the ball was trapped (and TV replays seemed to agree with them), but the Bucs made it a moot point by putting up a three-spot in their half of the frame after banging back-to-back-to-back doubles by Neil Walker, Lyle Overbay and Ryan Doumit. Jose Veras got the win in relief of Jeff Karstens with Joel Hanrahan notching the save.
• 2015 - Neil Walker began and ended the first 4-5-4 triple play in MLB history. He went airborne to snag Yadier Molina’s bases-loaded liner and threw to third, doubling off the frozen lead runner. Jung Ho Kang at the hot corner apparently lost track of the outs; he started toward the dugout before a little prompting from his mates got him to toss the ball back to Neil, standing on second, to complete the trifecta. It was a game full of big innings; the Bucs scored three in the second inning, then the Cards answered with a five spot in the fourth frame before Pittsburgh put up another trio of runs in the sixth to take a 7-5 win at PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Kid added a homer while Jordy Mercer chased home three runs to earn Rob Scahill, the first of four Pirate relievers, the win. 

Neil Walker - 2015 Bowman Chrome

• 2018 - For the second straight game, the Bucs spotted the Chicago White Sox a four run lead at Guaranteed Rate Stadium and then roared back to claim the win. The Sox jumped on top 4-0 against Trevor Williams and held on to a 5-2 edge going into the ninth frame. Elias Diaz made it a one-run game when he chased home two runs with a double off Nate Jones and two pitches later, Colin Moran dropped a shot into the right center field stands to give the Bucs the lead and an improbable win. Rich Rodriguez earned his first MLB win and Felipe Vazquez picked up the save with Steven Brault adding two scoreless innings. Jordy Mercer and Gregory Polanco added solo shots. 
• 2021 - The Pirates made a slew of May moves. First, 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes (wrist), out since April 4th, was moved from the 10-day to the 60-day IL, 1B Colin Moran (groin) was placed on the 10-day IL and OF Bryan Reynolds (lower body) was listed as day-to-day. OF Gregory Polanco was already out of action due to the Covid protocol (he returned later in the week), so four of the eight Opening Day starters were on ice. The Pirates called up OF Troy Stokes Jr. and RHP Geoff Hartlieb from Indy, claimed OF Ben Gamel from the Indians, DFA’ed RHP Michael Feliz and (the next day) 1B/3B Todd Frazier. The team rode out the changes, though, and even with just a handful of starters, defeated the Cubs, 6-5, behind Wilmer Difo’s three-hit, three-RBI day and strong starting pitching by lefty Tyler Anderson. A ninth-inning bullpen meltdown allowed three runs to make the score close at Wrigley Field; it was the first time relievers Richard Rodriguez and Kyle Crick were scored upon in 2021. But the beat went on - two days later, Crick went on the IL with a strained triceps and LHP Shreven Chase was recalled. A couple of days after that, 1B Phil Evans went on the IL with a bad hammy and 1B Will Craig was called up, with RHP Sean Poppen DFA’ed to make it an unforgettable week for roster keepers. Reynolds is the only player still rostered by the Bucs. 
• 2022 - A couple of ugly streaks were on the line when the Bucs hosted the Dodgers at PNC Park. Los Angeles had won 16 straight from Pittsburgh, dating to 2018, and the Pirate starters had gone 27 consecutive games without earning a win to open the season, the longest such stretch in MLB history. Both strings came to an overdue end as the Bucs rolled to a 5-1 victory in front of 8,527 fans. Jose Quintana spun six scoreless frames to earn his first victory since 2019 while Michael Perez and Jack Suwinski homered; it was Suwinski’s first MLB bomb. Ke’Bryan Hayes added three knocks to lead a 15-hit attack as the 1-6 batters all had multi-hit nights. As an added bonus, the scoreboard vid showed action from the Penguins’ playoff game being played simultaneously across town at PPG Paints Arena. They won too, so all of the City’s sports fans went home happy. 
• 2025 - The Don Kelly era began on the right foot as he won his first game as skipper 3-2 v the Braves at PNC Park. Starting winner Bailey Falter gave up just two hits over six innings and while the Buc attack only managed five hits, Alexander Canaria, a late addition to the lineup, and Jared Triolo banged solo shots. Cutch brought in the third score with a double. Dennis Santana got the save and made it exciting, giving up a pair of runs in the ninth before finally shutting the door on Atlanta. The dub broke a seven-game Pirates losing streak that cost Derek Shekton his Bucco bench gig.

5/8 Through 1984: Rizzo-DiMaggio, Pops 1st & LA Launch, Allies Turn Three, Game Days, USL/FL Nine; HBD Big O, Bill & Eddie

• 1874 - C Eddie Boyle was born in Cincinnati. After getting into three games in 1896 for the Louisville Colonels, the 22-year-old was traded to Pittsburgh and got into two more contests, going 0-for-5, and that brief stay ended his MLB days. He finished the season in the minors, played one more season on the farm and got on with his life’s work at age 23. His brother, “Honest” Jack Boyle, was also a catcher and had a long career in the show, playing 13 seasons for six teams. 
• 1885 - RHP Bill Powell was born in Taylor County, West Virginia. He tossed for the Bucs in 1909-10, compiling a 4-8/2.87 slash. The rest of his MLB career consisted of one appearance for the Cubs in 1912 and another for the Reds in 1913. Bill also put in seven minor-league campaigns, retiring in 1916. 
• 1886 - The Pittsburgh Alleghenys turned the first and so far only 3-4-2 triple play in MLB history against Cincinnati at Recreation Park, with the trifecta going from 1B Fred Carroll to 2B Sam Barkley to C Doggie Miller. The Allies took the American Association clash by a 9-6 count behind Pud Galvin as the Alleghenys flashed its leather while the Reds coughed up six unearned runs. 
• 1912 - The Pittsburgh Filipinos of the newly formed United States League opened their home schedule at Exposition Park with a 3-2 loss to Cincinnati. The league folded in June but the team affiliated with the Federal League, an outlaw major league that operated from 1913-15 that formed from the ashes of the USL. The renegades were first called the Filipinos after their manager, Deacon Phillippe. They later became the Stogies (Pittsburgh was at one time a big-league cigar-making center) and then the Rebels, a nod to manager Rebel Oakes. 

Rebel Oakes - Helmar Oasis

• 1929 - 26-year-old hurler Carl Hubbell, in his second MLB season, became the first LHP in 13 seasons to throw a no-hitter when he beat the Pirates, 11-0, at the Polo Grounds. Sparky Adams drew a walk for the Bucs and NY committed three errors behind Hubbell to deny him a perfecto. 
• 1930 - New York’s Freddie Lindstrom had his second five-hit game of the season and went for the cycle as the Giants defeated the Pirates, 13-10, at Forbes Field. He took the spotlight from Adam Comorosky, who went 4-for-5 with four RBI, and George Grantham, who had three hits and plated four times in the losing cause. The Buc bosses took notice; they eventually traded for Lindstrom. 
• 1940 - The Pirates traded OF Johnny Rizzo to the Reds for OF Vince DiMaggio, Joe & Dom’s bro. Vince held down centerfield for the Bucs for five seasons and hit .255 with 79 homers and 367 RBIs in 670 games with All-Star years in 1943-44. The move brought an end to the Waner era in Pittsburgh; Paul was traded to Boston in 1941 and Lloyd followed the next year, bumped by DiMaggio and Maurice Van Robays. Rizzo joined the Navy in 1942 and had one strong season left after returning. 
• 1962 - 1B Orestes “Big O” Destrade was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Orestes played for the Bucs in 1988 as a bench bat, hitting .149. After a five-year career in Japan (he led the Nippon League in homers for three straight seasons), he became part of the first Florida Marlins club in 1993 (he hit 20 HR for them and also became the first strikeout victim of The Big Unit, Randy Johnson). He retired to work for ESPN and was an announcer for the Tampa Bay Rays for 11 years. 

Orestes Destrade - 1988 Score Rookie

• 1963 - Willie Stargell hit his first MLB homer, a three-run shot off Lindy McDaniel at Wrigley Field, during a 9-5 loss to the Cubbies. He had a lot more baseballs yet to lose; he ended his career with a franchise-best 475 long flies with record-setting blasts in stadiums around the league. He swatted them all as a Pirate, playing here from 1962-82 before moving into the Hall of Fame. 
• 1968 - Roberto Clemente’s sac fly in the 14th inning plated Maury Wills and gave the Bucs a 4-3 win against the Braves at Fulton County Stadium. The Great One was scheduled to go to Pittsburgh to get a sore shoulder evaluated, but decided to hang with the team in case he was needed. He came in as a defensive sub in the eighth, and sore wing and all, became the hero. Steve Blass started and allowed three unearned runs in the first inning thanks to a two-out throwaway by Wills, who made amends by scoring twice and swiping a sack. The Bucs tied it in the eighth on a Willie Stargell RBI single and game-knotting wild pitch, scoring Al McBean who ran for Pops. Ron Kline earned the win after twirling five scoreless innings of relief, with ElRoy Face nailing down the save. With Dave Wickersham, the Bucco hurlers held the Bravos to five hits over the last 13 frames. 
• 1973 - For the second time in his career, Willie Stargell drove a ball out of Dodger Stadium. His blast off Andy Messersmith carried over the 50-foot high right field roof, 470’ away, and was one of two four-baggers for Pops, who was the only player to ever launch a ball out of that park. It was impressive but wasn’t enough to stop Los Angeles, as Big Blue took a 7-4 decision. 
• 1980 - RHP Jason Davis was born in Chattanooga. Drafted out of Cleveland State CC (TN) by the Indians in the 21st round of the 1999 draft, he debuted for the Tribe in 2002. They converted him from starter to reliever and then traded him to the Seattle Mariners in 2007. He lasted there for a year, signed with and was released as a late cut by Texas Rangers and then caught on with the Bucs. Jason started at Indy and was called up in July, slashing 2-4/5.29 as a swingman. He spent 2009 at Indy and retired the next season after putting up an 0-8/6.06 line.

5/8 From 1985: Big Comebacks, AVS Hot, Doug Diamond, Game Days, A-Ram POTW, Shelty Gone, Capper Slapped, KD Signs

• 1988 - Doug Drabek took a no-hitter into the ninth before allowing a pinch-hit, infield single to Randy Ready and a home run to ex-Pirate Marvell Wynne, winning a 6-2 decision over the San Diego Padres at TRS. Bobby Bonilla had three hits to lead the Pirate offense. Whether by coincidence or not, shortstop Al Pedrique, the player who couldn’t convert Ready’s infield hit, was demoted to AAA Buffalo and replaced by up-and-coming SS prospect Felix Fermin. 
• 1992 - The wheels were turning in the eighth inning of a 3-3 contest between the Bucs and ‘Stros at TRS. Houston’s skipper Art Howe replaced LHP Al Osuna with righty Doug Jones to face Jeff King with the bases loaded and two away; Jim Leyland sat King down and sent up Orlando Merced to hit. Leyland won this battle when Merced cleared the bases with a double to give the Bucs a 6-3 win. Stan Belinda pitched two scoreless frames for the win in relief of Doug Drabek. 
• 1994 - Andy Van Slyke went 8-for-9 (one hit shy of the MLB twin-bill hit record) during the Pirates' 9-2 and 9-3 Mothers Day twin bill sweep of the Cubs at TRS with a homer, double, five runs scored and four RBI. He entered the day batting .227; after they turned out the stadium lights, his BA was up to .283 after banging out his eight consecutive knocks. It wasn’t just a one-man show by Slick; the Bucs took the first game behind Paul Wagner as Lance Parrish chased home three runs. The nightcap went to Zane Smith, backed by a four RBI outing by Brian Hunter. 
• 1997 - Jason Kendall's bases-loaded double was the big blow in a Bucco eight-run fourth frame as Pittsburgh outlasted Colorado 10-8. Mark Johnson had three hits while Al Martin and Kevin Elster added homers for the Bucs, which scored 24 runs on 31 hits in their two games at Coors Field. A Pirates natural milieu may be at sea level, but they loved that mountain air! 
• 2001 - 22-year-old 3B Aramis Ramirez was named the NL Player of the Week, batting .361 with three homers, three doubles (.952 slugging %) and eight RBIs. He told the Post Gazette “That’s what I work for. Everything’s about working hard.” Then A-Ram took his leave from the interview to call his mom back home in the Dominican Republic with the good news. 

Matt Capps - 2007 Topps

• 2007 - Matt Capps was suspended for four games for beaning Prince Fielder three days earlier when Fielder had the misfortune of following JJ Hardy after his three-run homer in a loss to Milwaukee. Capps’ 0-1 pitch was up and in; Fielder’s twist and turn saved his noodle as he took the pitch off his upper arm. Capps was immediately ejected and later suspended. He requested a hearing and his defense was that if he meant to hit him, it would have been with the first pitch, which didn’t sway MLB safety guy Bob Watson. As far as Fielder getting a message, well, not so much...he homered in his next at bat against the Bucs in the following game. 
• 2012 - In a see-saw game at PNC Park, Washington’s Adam LaRoche erased a 3-2 ninth inning Pirate lead by blasting a two-run homer off Joel Hanrahan. But the Bucs had an answer. With two down in their half, Rod Barajas took a 2-0 Henry Rodriguez heater deep to left, scoring Alex Presley ahead of him, to pull out a 5-4 walkoff Pittsburgh win over the Nats. Tony Watson earned the victory. 
• 2013 - “The Comeback Kid” ran out rebounds: After being DFA'ed on April 30th, LHP Jonathan Sanchez, who broke camp with the Pirates as a fifth starter after a rash of injuries felled the other back-end contenders, was released. He went 0-3/11.85 and gave up 25 hits, including seven home runs, in 13-2/3 innings of work during what would be his final MLB posting. 
• 2018 - The Chicago White Sox grabbed a quick 4-0 first-inning lead over Ivan Nova and the Bucs, but a couple of heartbeats later, Pittsburgh came back with four in the second frame and roared back to take a 10-6 victory at Guaranteed Rate Park. The Pirates had 16 hits on the night, with Corey Dickerson collecting four raps. Starling Marte chipped in with three knocks while Gregory Polanco, Josh Bell and Colin Moran added a pair of hits each. All nine of Pittsburgh starting batters reached base safely and either plated or chased home a run (six guys did both). Both teams used a half dozen pitchers (Tyler Glasnow was credited with the win) in a game that lasted almost four hours. 

Corey Dickerson - 2018 AT&T Network

• 2023 - The Pirates were on a roller coaster; they had reeled off 11 victories in 12 outings, a stretch that featured a seven-game winning streak, and then couldn’t do a thing right while losing seven in a row. Mitch Keller stepped into the breach and stopped the bleeding by tossing the Bucs first complete-game shutout since 2018, a 2-0 squeaker over the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park. It was a scoreless battle until the bottom of the seventh when Rodolfo Castro's fourth homer, banged to straight center with Connor Joe aboard, accounted for the game’s runs. It was all the cushion Kells needed, giving up four hits, fanning eight and walking just one as he ran his slate to 4-1 while earning his first career whitewash after 75 starts. And the righty wasted no time takin’ care of business; the game took an hour and 55 minutes, the Pirates quickest ‘23 outing to date. 
• 2024 - The Pirates games remained on Audacy Pittsburgh through the 2027 season, as the parties announced that they agreed to a broadcast contract extension to keep the games on 93.7 The Fan (KDKA-FM), the team’s flagship station since 2012. Audacy Pittsburgh also aired games on its sister stations 100.1 FM and 1020 AM; KDKA has carried Bucco games for over six decades. 
• 2025 - The Shelty era closed: Manager Derek Shelton was axed after seven straight losses that left the Bucs with a 12-26 slate. Overall, he posted a 306-440 record in five-plus seasons (.410 winning %). His replacement was bench coach Don Kelly, who has held that post since 2020. Kelly’s promotion was not interim but for the rest of the season, so he was given a long audition. Also dismissed was run prevention/game planning coach Radley Haddad. The move was expected, and the debate shifted to GM Ben Cherington’s shelf life. The rest of the staff was formalized a week later when former manager (1997-2000) Gene Lamont joined the Pirates as a special adviser to Kelly, while Indy skipper Chris Truby was added to the staff in an unspecified capacity. His AAA replacement was minor-league coordinator Shawn Bowman. 3B coach Mike Rabelo also took on some added game-planning duties.

5/7 Through the 1960s: Max-Luis, Lloyd Dealt, 5th Frame Trio, Split Bill, Gus Goes Off, 3-For-1, Clark Cycle, Game Days, HBD Dave

• 1883 - Henry Oberbeck made his debut with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the American Association. It was a brief visit as he went 2-for-9 with a double and a run scored in two games before he ended up with St. Louis, where he lasted until late June. But he did become one of the earliest guys to validate a player's contract. The Browns cut him loose, and he took them to court, seeking the full $785 owed him under his deal. The jury found in his favor (although he only got $431.12; they apparently pro-rated the amount due) and it withstood an appeal. And Chris was a player that could use the money - his 60-game career was over after 1884 and a .176 lifetime BA; he also pitched in a pinch with an 0-5/5.30 slash. He retired and worked for the Post Office until his death in 1921. 
• 1903 - For the second time in his career, Fred Clarke hit for the cycle and added a walk, sacrifice and stolen base, but the effort came up short as the Reds beat the Pirates 11-8 at the Palace of the Fans. Pittsburgh had rallied from an 8-1 deficit to tie the game in the eighth, but Cincinnati held on to take the match in 10 innings. The Pirates lost Honus Wagner to a temper tantrum after a collision at 2B with Reds IF Jack Morrissey. Hans threatened to punch an aggressive Morrissey and the pair then rolled around in the dirt for a bit before umpire Bug Holliday could restrain the combatants. The Flying Dutchman was ejected and suspended for three games for his ballyard wrasslin’. 
• 1905 - OF Dave Barbee was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. After a 1926 stop with the A’s, Barbee spent the next several years in the high minors. He smacked 41 homers in 1930 and in the following campaign hit .332 w/47 home runs. In 1932, Dave got the call to join Pittsburgh, selected by the Bucs in the Rule C draft for minor-league players (a precursor of the Rule 5 draft). He was the Pirates' starting left fielder by May but lost the job in August. In 97 Bucco games, he batted .257 with five home runs. Barbee went back to the minors and retired in 1938. 
• 1916 - Max Carey homered off Cubs rookie Jimmy Lavender in the fourth inning to give the Pirates a 1-0 win. The Cubs lost 10 decisions by a 1-0 score that year, tying the MLB record. Erv Kantlehner tossed a three-hitter to top Lavender’s five-hit effort at Weeghman (now Wrigley Field) Park. 
• 1922 - Buc rookie RF Walter Mueller hit a three-run, inside-the-park homer on the first pitch of his career off none other than the Cubs’ Hall-of-Famer Grover Alexander, the first major leaguer to homer off his first pitch. The Bucs won 11-5 at Wrigley Field with Mueller adding a double and collecting five RBI to help Hal Carlson to the win and launching the Buccos on a 12-of-14 game winning stretch. In four big league seasons, Mueller hit one more HR, another inside-the-park shot. His son Don, an OF’er for the NY Giants for a decade, had a solid MLB tenure, lasting 12 years (1948-59) with a pair of All-Star nods. 

Walter Mueller - 1924 photo United Newspictures/RMY

• 1925 - SS Glenn Wright snagged the Cards’ Jim Bottomley's ninth-inning line drive, doubled up Jimmy Cooney at second, and tagged Rogers Hornsby coming from first to complete the only unassisted triple play in franchise history. Unfortunately, it didn’t help; the Bucs lost to St. Louis 10-9 at Forbes Field after taking a 9-4 lead into the eighth inning and then allowing the Redbirds to score six times. Eddie Moore had three Bucco hits, as did Al Niehaus, but it wasn’t enough as Emil Yde, Babe Adams, and Johnny Morrison were battered during the doomsday eighth. 
• 1930 - Gus Suhr went 3-for-3 with a double, triple, two walks, three runs scored, and five RBI as the Bucs blasted the NY Giants 16-8 at Forbes Field. Steve Swetonic pitched 4-1/3 innings of shutout ball to earn the win in relief of Erv Brame. The first five Pirates in the day’s lineup took batting practice by collecting 12 hits, four walks, scoring 12 times and chasing home nine tallies. 
• 1932 - In an unusual twin bill at Forbes Field, the Pirates and Phillies played the opener and the Negro League Homestead Grays hosted the Cleveland Browns in the nightcap. The Bucs started the day off on the wrong foot, losing 5-3 despite rookie Dave Barbee’s pair of triples. The Grays made up for it; they walloped the Browns 21-3; eight of the nine Homestead starters had multiple hits. 
• 1941 - Lloyd “Little Poison” Waner was traded to the Boston Braves for pitcher Nick Strincevich, rejoining his brother Paul in Beantown, who had been released in the off-season. Afterward, he bumped around the National League, playing for four teams over four years before re-signing with Pittsburgh as an insurance policy in 1944. He retired after 1945, with 17 years and .319 BA as a Bucco in the books while on his way to the Hall of Fame, where he joined his bro again. 
• 1944 - The Bucs beat the Cubs at Wrigley 3-2‚ Chicago's 12th loss in a row‚ to spoil Charlie Grimm's return as Cubs manager. The Pirates scored twice in the ninth to tie it off Hank Wyse and won it in the 11th frame for Xavier Rescigno, who relieved Preacher Roe. Pittsburgh took the opener 6-5, and that one took 14 frames after the Cubs put up a pair to tie the game in the ninth. 

Tite Arroyo - 1957 Topps

• 1956 - RHP Max Surkont was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for RHP Luis “Tite” Arroyo. Max had come to Pittsburgh in the Danny O’Donnell deal and won 16 games in his 2+ seasons while Arroyo was a 29-year-old swingman beginning his second MLB campaign; his first earned him an All Star bid (11-8/4.19). The 34-year-old Surkont was at the end of his string and by May of the following year was finished in the big leagues while Luis pitched through 1963. His glory years were 1960-61, when he won another All-Star berth while winning 20 games and saving 36 more for the Yankees with a 2.37 ERA. He made an appearance against his old mates in the 1960 World Series.
• 1958 - Bob Skinner‚ Ted Kluszewski (who hit another in the seventh) and Frank Thomas all hit homers in the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Seals Stadium, but the show of muscle wasn’t enough as the G-Men won 8-6 scoring six runs against Bob Friend in three innings. 
• 1965 - The Pirates scored three times in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Reds 5-4 at Forbes Field. Manny Mota delivered a two-out, walk-off single that brought home Gene Freese to complete the comeback. Tommie Sisk picked up the win in relief of starter Bob Friend. 
• 1969 - Bob Veale took a shutout into the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres, a squad he was dominating with 13 whiffs. But he needed a strong finishing act from Chuck Hartenstine, who earned his fifth save under the gun by stranding Friars at second and third with an out to eke out a 2-1 win. Chuck fanned the first batter he faced and then watched Al Ferrara’s 400’ drive into center (fortunately, the game was at Forbes Field, not the bandbox at Wrigley) nestle safely into Matty Alou’s glove to save Big Bob’s third win of the campaign. The Buc runs came via a second-inning single by Veale that scored Al Oliver and a solo shot by Willie Stargell in the following frame.

5/7 From 1970: 1st Frame Fireworks, Cutch, 1st For Phil, X-Rated, Larceny, Bombers, Game Days, Rumors; HBD Alexander, Angel, Keon & Mark

• 1970 - OF/1B Mark Smith was born in Pasadena, California. He only played for the Bucs for two seasons (1997-98) with a .249 BA and 11 HR in 366 PA, but delivered one of the franchise’s memorable clutch blows when his pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the 10th won the combined no-hitter of Francisco Cordova and Ricardo Rincon of July 12th, 1997 at TRS against Houston. 
• 1973 - The Bucs scored five runs on five solo homers in a 5-4 Pirates win over LA at Dodger Stadium, tying a ballpark record. The long balls were launched by Willie Stargell, Dave Cash, Richie Hebner, Manny Sanguillen, and Al Oliver. It was just enough to give Bob Johnson the win in relief of Luke Walker; he and Jim Rooker tossed five innings of scoreless, two-hit ball after Walker was chased. 
• 1974 - The ‘Stros beat the Pirates 2-1 at the Astrodome in one hour, 48 minutes, as Tom Griffin pitched a one-hitter to outgun Dock Ellis, who struck out 10. Willie Stargell had the Buccos lone hit; the run scored in the fourth when Houston committed three consecutive two-out errors, allowing one Bucco to plate but cutting down another when Manny Sanguillen was tossed out at home. Milt May, a Pirate the year before, hit the game-winning triple against his old mateys. 
• 1977 - In a start-to-finish slugfest, the Pirates beat the Reds, 12-10, at TRS to improve their record to 16-7. Trailing 4-0 after a half-inning of play, Willie Stargell hit his first of two home runs in the bottom of the first, a three-run shot, while Dave Parker extended his hitting streak to 18 games and Al Oliver went 2-for-4 with a home run. The two clubs clubbed 26 hits, of which 14 went for extra-bases and half of which were homers. Terry Forster won with a Kent Tekulve save. 
• 1978 - The Pirates stole eight bases off Dodger lefty Tommy John, who was notorious for a slow delivery and disdain at holding runners, and raced their way to a 6-4 win against LA at TRS. Omar Moreno, Frank Taveras and Bill Robinson each swiped a pair of sacks, while Phil Garner and even Pirates hurler Jim Rooker (he swiped three during his career) joined the parade. The City of Angels made a late run at the Bucs, scoring in the eighth on four walks - Pittsburgh pitchers helped negate the running attack by issuing eight free passes - and tightening the gap by yielding three unearned runs in the ninth until Kent Tekulve closed the book. 

Willie Stargell - 1981 Donruss First Edition

• 1981 - Still gimpy with a balky knee, 41-year-old Willie Stargell made his first appearance of the season, playing 1B against the Reds at Riverfront Stadium in the second game of a twin bill that the Pirates swept by 3-1 & 7-1 tallies behind Rick Rhoden and Buddy Solomon. Pops became just the fourth player in MLB history to play 20 years for the same team he began with (the others were Cap Anson of the Cubs, Mel Ott of the Giants, and Stan Musial of the Cards), a journey that for Willie began in 1962. The bad wheel limited him to 38 games that season and 1982 would be his big league swan song. The game wasn’t all sweetness and love, though, as Dave Parker was once again the victim of fans throwing debris at him in the pasture. The umps cleared the field and held up play for 10 minutes until a half-dozen fans were removed, with one arrest made. 
• 1989 - The media reported that the Pirates efforts to land C Alan Ashby from the Astros for OF Glenn Wilson were for naught. The Bucs were looking for help with Mike Lavalliere expected to be on ice until at least the All-Star game with a bum knee (he returned on July 4th), but the 37-year-old Ashby had business interests in Houston and as a 5 & 10 year man wouldn’t agree to a deal w/o a considerable bump in his contract. Junior Ortiz saw most of the action behind the dish in Spanky’s absence, with Dann Billardo and Tom Prince serving as his caddies. As for Ashby, he was released by Houston on May 11 to end his playing career and save GM Larry Doughty from a bright red face. 
• 1990 - OF Keon Broxton was born in Lakeland, Florida. The Pirates purchased his contract from Arizona in 2013, and he was called up in September, 2016. He got into seven games and went 0-for-2, but scored three runs and stole a base as a pinch-runner. In December, Broxton was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers along with Trey Supak for 1B/3B Jason Rogers. Rogers became redundant when the Pirates signed David Freese while Broxton featured speed and elite leather but had issues reaching base, showing decent power but with a sky-high K rate. He played in the Mexican League in ‘23 and that stint ended his pro playing career. 
• 1991 - The Pirates beat the Reds 7-2 behind Randy Tomlin but the big show was on TV. In the seventh inning, manager Jim Leyland, who didn’t realize there was a live mic in the dugout, was caught by the home audience spewing a cuss word or two at the ump while debating a call. The best programming was in the third, though, when Jay Bell didn’t run out a two-out fly by Andy Van Slyke; AVS lit into Bell, who had a string of inattentiveness during the week, and they went nose-to-nose before the cameras until Chico Lind broke up their klatch. Neither player had much to say about the ado, but apparently it was quickly bygone as they were interviewed while playing cards together after the game. 

Angel Perdomo - 2023 Topps MLB The Show

• 1994 - LHP Angel Perdomo was born in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. Angel appeared in 22 games in 2020-21 for the Brewers, was DFA’ed and spent 2022 with Tampa Bay’s AAA club, was released before signing by the Bucs in 2023 as a free agent. He started out in Indy and was called up in June as the Bucs were thin on the left side in the bullpen. He’s now a free agent. 
• 1993 - The Pirates drew almost 31,000 to TRS, only to lose to Montreal, 1-0. It wasn’t as if the Bucs were shut down, stranding 11 runners while going 0-for-10 w/RISP on eight hits. Worse, they gifted Montreal its only run in the fourth frame thanks to a bopped-in-the-foot Moises Alou, who was then picked off but was granted a second life due to a screw-up on the rundown (no one covered second base), a bouncer to second and a sac fly. Randy Tomlin was the tough luck loser. 
• 2000 - OF Alexander Canario was born in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic. The NY Mets sold the contract of Canario, who they had DFA'ed, to the Pirates. The 24-year-old plays all three spots in the pasture (primarily the corners) and interestingly enough was getting some offseason work at first, a Bucco dark hole. He’s hit .286 in 45 MLB PAs and was a .252 hitter with some pop in AAA. Canario came up in the Giant and Cub systems and was out of options; Ji Hwan Bae was sent to Indy and Jared Jones flipped to the 60-day IL to clear roster space for him; he's now playing in Japan. 
• 2004 - OF Raul Mondesi returned to the Dominican Republic with the Pirates blessing to fight a lawsuit filed by former big leaguer Mario Guerrero. However, it turned into a smokescreen to wriggle out of his deal with the Bucs. The charade worked - he stayed away, and the Pirates, who could have iced him on the restricted list, instead decided it was better to cut him loose, which they did on the 19th by terminating his contract. On the 30th, he signed with Anaheim and finished his MLB career in Atlanta the following year. 

Phil Dumatrait - photo Mitchell Layton/Getty

• 2008 - The Pirates whipped the Giants 3-1 at PNC Park. Second-year man Phil Dumatrait won his first MLB decision while vet Barry Zito lost his seventh game in seven starts. The game’s big blow was a two-run homer in the fourth by Xavier Nady. Dumatrait was a promising 26-year-old who tossed 5-2/3 IP of two-hit, shutout ball on this day, but would be cut down by arm surgery later in the year. He came back late in 2009, was ineffective, and refused an assignment to the minors, tossing in Korea in 2010. He was with the Twins in 2011 and then retired. 
• 2013 - Andrew McCutchen recorded his second four-hit outing in six games to lead the Pirates to a 4-1 win against the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park. Garrett Jones swatted a two-run homer in the eighth inning to put it on ice for the Buccos. Starter Jeanmar Gomez got the win and Jason Grilli was credited with the save in a game that saw five Bucco pitchers cover the final four frames. 
• 2015 - The Pirates ended a five-game skid (part of a 7 games-of-8 losing streak) in a 7-2 win against Cincinnati at PNC Park. Pittsburgh had scored just five runs during their slide, dropping three walk-off losses to St. Louis and a shutout the day before. AJ Burnett got the win; the club had scored just five runs behind him in his first five starts. To add the cherry on top, AJ picked up strikeout #2,401, putting him among the top 40 whiff artists in baseball history. Andrew McCutchen broke out of a season-long slump with three hits to lead a balanced Bucco attack. 
• 2022 - The Bucs came out on fire in the second game of a twin bill as Bryan Reynolds, Yoshi Tsutsuto and Diego Castillo all homered in the first frame (it was the first time in franchise history that the Bucs banged three first-inning long balls) to give the Pirates a 4-0 lead over the Reds at GABP. The game see-sawed afterwards as Mitch Keller was hit hard, but a two-run dinger by Ben Gamel and shutdown pitching by winner Heath Humbree, Max Kranick, Chris Stratton & David Bednar closing sewed up an 8-5 win. The opener was 2-2 going into the eighth when the Pittsburgh wheels fell off. The Pirates loaded the bases with no outs for the middle of the order, but left them juiced after three straight swingin’ Ks. C Roberto Perez was then removed after a hammy pull (he was later placed on the 10-day IL), with backup Andrew Knapp already tossed for barking from the dugout,so infielder Josh VanMeter caught for the first time and the Reds took advantage, scoring seven times and winning, 9-2.

5/6 Through the 1960s: Duelin', Cliff No-No, Lennox Cycle, Game Days, 1st Tarp, Keystones; HBD Alberto, Dick, Earl, Bob, Lute & Loose

• 1883 - LHP Ed “Loose” Karger was born in San Angelo, Texas. Karger started his six-year MLB career with the Pirates in 1906, going 2-3/1.93 in six outings (two starts) before being flipped to the Cards for veteran Chappie McFarlane. Bad move by the Bucs; McFarlane was waived in August while Karger would toss a 1907 perfecto (off the books; it was only seven innings) and won 46 games as a hard-luck hurler with a career 2.79 ERA. There’s some debate over the origin of his moniker; some say it was a description of his demeanor while others claim it was because of his easy delivery on the mound. 
• 1887 - The League of Colored Baseball Clubs, a precursor to the Negro Leagues, opened its schedule with a game at Recreation Park. The NY Gorhams beat the Pittsburgh Keystones 11-8 and a pitcher named Grosa before a crowd of 1‚200. One of the Keystone stars was King Solomon "Sol" White, an infielder, manager, executive, sportswriter and one of the pioneers of the Negro leagues. He was named to the Hall of Fame in 2006. Game day was celebrated by a parade starting at Grant and Second in town that snaked to the North Side park, then considered part of Allegheny City, behind a band that performed a concert before the ballgame. Because of rainouts and small crowds, the poorly financed LCBC (formed in large part due to the efforts of Keystones owner Walter Brown) and recognized by the National Agreement as a legitimate minor league, folded quickly on May 23rd (the Keystones finished 3-4). Though the league failed, the Keystones formed again professionally in 1921-22 before disbanding in 1923. 
• 1890 - IF Lutellus "Lute" Boone was born in Hazelwood. After four years with the Yankees, the Pirates brought Lute back home in 1918 to help fill the hole left by the retired Hans Wagner. He couldn’t quite fill those shoes (he batted .198 for the Buccos) and that ended his big-league days. He continued to soldier on in the minors with 14 years in the American Association and played for four minor league pennant winners. He retired from baseball in 1936, took up residence in Brentwood and went to work for Mesta Machine Company in Homestead. 

Fred Clarke - Helmar Big League Brew

• 1906 - The Pirates became the first team to use a canvas tarp to cover the infield when it stormed after the game at North Side’s Exposition Park, a damp 5-1 loss to the Cubs. Bucco skipper Fred Clarke designed and held the patent for the tarp calling it a “diamond cover.” It worked as intended; despite the showers, the field held up and the two teams played the next day. 
• 1914 - OF Ed Lennox of the Pittsburgh Rebels recorded the only cycle ever hit during the Federal League’s existence against the Kansas City Packers in a 10-4 win at Gordon and Koppel Stadium, cracking two homers among his five knocks. A cycle with two long balls wouldn’t be duplicated again until 1937 when it was accomplished by The Yankee Clipper, Joe DiMaggio. 
• 1921 - RHP Bob Chesnes was born in Oakland, California. As a 27-year-old back from the service, he spent three years dazzling minor league hitters before the Pirates bought his contract from the San Francisco Seals for $100,000 and four players in 1947. He went 14-6 the next season with 15 complete games and a 3.57 ERA/.275 BA (he was a former SS). But he only won 10 games in the next two seasons, the victim of a burned out arm, and was done in the MLB by 1950. 
• 1923 - C Earl Turner was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. After serving in the Army and then the minors, Earl’s MLB days were spent sipping cups of coffee in Pittsburgh in 1948 and again in 1950, hitting .240 in his 42-game career. Turner spent most of 1950-52 in the upper minors before retiring from baseball. 
• 1926 - IF Dick Cole was born in Long Beach. Cole played for Pittsburgh in 1951 and again in 1953-56, batting .253 mostly as a bench player, although he was a regular playing shortstop and the hot corner in 1954, hitting .270. Later, after a stint with the Central Scouting Bureau, Cole became a scout for the Pirates from 1970 to 1974, eventually becoming the Scouting Supervisor. 

Cliff Chambers - 5/7/1951 Jack Berger/Pgh Press 

• 1951 - Cliff Chambers pitched the second no-hitter in Pirates' history (Nick Maddox tossed the first in 1907), a 3-0 victory in the nitecap of a doubleheader at Boston’s Braves Field. He wasn’t exactly on top of his game, walking eight and uncorking a wild pitch, but was untouchable when he was in the strike zone. Warren Spahn won the opener handily for the Braves by a 6-0 tally. It was Chambers’ last win as a Bucco; he was traded to the Cards a month later with a 3-6/5.58 line. There, he went 4-0/2.76 against Pittsburgh and 11-6/3.83 in his last campaign.
• 1956 - OF Alberto Lois was born in Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic. He played briefly for the Bucs in 1978-79. He was a big-time, five-tool prospect signed as a 17-year-old by super-scout Howie Haak, but a series of nagging injuries gave him a rep as a malingerer that dogged him in the minors. Still, he got a quick look in ‘78 and was called up during the ‘79 dog days. But one night during the offseason, he drove his pickup truck into a stalled train sitting at an unlit railroad crossing. The wreck killed several of his friends and badly injured his eye, ending his career. 
• 1968 - The Bucs’ Jim Bunning and the Bravos’ Pat Jarvis hooked up in a duel at Atlanta Stadium, with Pittsburgh coming out on top by a 2-1 score as Donn Clendenon’s two-run homer in the fourth frame held up. There was some drama in the eighth when Bunning sprained his ankle (it proved minor; he didn’t miss a start) and Ronnie Kline had to come in cold, but the vet finished up coolly, giving up two hits over the final two frames to save the win for Bunning and the Bucs.

5/6 From 1980: Ollie Slam, 1st Review Walkoff, Why They Play 9, Team Effort, OT Dub, Sid Shines, Game Days, Johnny POTM, HBD Yohan

• 1986 - 2B Johnny Ray was named the NL’s Player of the Month for April. He hit .380 during the month with 18 RBI and was leading the league with a .391 BA. Johnny was the first Pirate to be named POTM since Dave Parker in September, 1978 (John Candelaria was Pitcher of the Month in July, 1983). 
• 1988 - Sid Bream doubled his RBI count by chasing home four runs, crowned by a 12th-inning three-run homer, to propel the Buccos past the Padres 4-1 in front of 25,045 fans at TRS, many who came to be part of the Pirates pregame ceremony that honored Pittsburgh Mayor Richard S. Caliguiri, who had passed away earlier in the day; the Bucs wore RSC patches on their sleeves. With two gone in the 12th, Andy Van Slyke singled and Bobby Bonilla walked ahead of Bream, who took Mark Davis’ heater over the RF wall. He drove in the first run in the opening frame with a bad-hop single, then stranded five more runners until his homer ended the contest. But the Pirates pitchers were the evening’s heroes - Bob Walk, Jeff Robinson and winner Barry Jones limited the Friars to six hits. 
• 1992 - Jose Lind’s 16th-inning single over a drawn-in infield drove in Don Slaught, who had tripled ahead of him (actually, Ron Gant tried to make a diving catch of Slaught’s bloop, missed it, and Sluggo rumbled into third as the ball rolled to the wall while Chico’s hit was just as sketchy, dropping between a pair of Bravos who both could have hauled it in), with the winning run as the Pirates bested the Braves 4-3 at TRS in a five hour plus marathon. An inning earlier, Slaught was the goat when his throw to third on an attempted steal missed the mark, allowing the Braves to temporarily take the lead. Bob Patterson claimed the win, being the last in a chain of five relievers who worked 11-2/3 innings of near zippo ball, giving up just one unearned run. The Pirates stayed alive twice with two down, getting game-knotting hits from Cecil Espy in the ninth and Jay Bell in the 13th (his rap was an untouched pop that fell between Mark Lemke and David Justice). 
• 1994 - The Bucs proved to be a good luck charm to Chicago, ending a couple of Chi-Town losing streaks. The Cubs' 10-1 victory over the Pirates ended pitcher Anthony Young's personal 27-game losing streak and also snapped Chicago’s record 14-game winless string at Wrigley. 

Yohan Ramirez - 2026 photo Ross Franklin/AP

• 1995 - RHP Yohan Ramirez was born in Villa Mella, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He was signed by the Astros in 2016 and later taken by Seattle in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft. He debuted the next year. 2022 was his change-of-address campaign; going from Seattle to Cleveland, where he was quickly DFA’ed and sold to the Pirates in July. Yohan served as a yo-yo depth piece for all three teams, whiffing 10+ per game but with big home run and walk rates in his MLB outings. His Pittsburgh numbers for the year were solid (3-1-1/3.67 in 22 games) after he was brought up in August. Y-Ram started 2023 at Indy but after a hot start was recalled in mid-April when Rob Zastrynzy was hurt. He was released in early September and since his Pittsburgh stint, he’s worked for six teams & in the Dominican League before returning to the Bucs and Indy this year. Yohan signed a minor-league deal to return here in ‘25, opted out, re-signed and was called up in early July, sticking with the big club in 2026. 
• 1999 - The Pirates were the poster boys for a balanced attack in a 13-3 romp over the St. Louis Cards at Busch Stadium. All eight position starters had hits (six had multiple knocks, led by Carlos Garcia with three raps), all eight drove in runs (Garcia again led the parade with three), and seven of them scored (Brian Giles & Kevin Young plated three times to keep trips the vibe for the night). Todd Ritchie was the fortunate run recipient and went seven innings for the win. 
• 2000 - The Pirates put up six runs in the ninth inning to rally past the Cubs at Wrigley Field by an 11-9 count. With two away in the final frame and still down a run after plating three times, Wil Cordero tripled on a 1-2 pitch to knot the score, Pat Meares doubled in the go-ahead run and Mike Benjamin’s single added the insurance tally. Brian Giles and Luis Sojo homered earlier in the contest and had five RBI between them to help counter three Cub homers. 
• 2001 - Aramis Ramirez hit the second walkoff in PNC Park history (Jason Kendall’s homer was the first on 4/22) with a single in the 11th frame after Kendall’s leadoff triple was followed by two intentional walks as the Pirates defeated the Colorado Rockies, 4-3. Ramirez, Kendall (he also homered), Brian Giles and Pat Meares each banged out two hits. Kendall did the heavy lifting at the dish for the Bucs until A-Ram’s rap, posting three RBIs and two runs scored. Joe Beimel, the Buccos fifth moundsman, spun three scoreless innings to earn the overtime victory.

Jason Kendall - 2001 Donruss

• 2014 - The Pirates won the first-ever MLB walkoff victory that was determined by review against the SF Giants at PNC Park. After reliever Tony Watson, in for Charlie Morton, left G-Men on the corners in the ninth, Starling Marte batted against starter Tim Hudson with two gone and banged a ball high off the Clemente Wall. He raced to third and headed home when the throw skipped by the base. In a bang-bang play at the dish, ump Quinn Wolcott called Marte out. Clint Hurdle challenged the decision, and the replay showed that C Buster Posey had missed the tag, giving the Bucs a 2-1 win.
• 2016 - The Pirates held on to beat the St Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, 4-2. Frankie Liriano’s 10 strikeout workday and the return of Jung Ho Kang led the charge to victory. Liriano’s outing was marred only by a two-base wild pitch, which brought home the first run and set up the other. Kang had missed almost eight months to a gruesome leg/knee injury and was making his first MLB appearance since September. He started meekly, hitting into a DP and then popping out. But then he found his mojo, homering in back-to-back at bats and plating three runs. 
• 2018 - Chad Kuhl’s prior outing featured four homers surrendered in 4-2/3 frames, but today he was in command, tossing seven innings of one-hit, eight-whiff ball against the Brewers at Miller Park as the Pirates breezed to a 9-0 win. Richard Rodriguez mopped up; he gave up a single while striking out everyone else. Adam Frazier, Josh Bell and Jordy Mercer launched solo home runs mixed among the Bucs' 13 hits. Mercer and Corey Dickerson had three hits and Frazier two to lead the batsmen in a team effort; six Pirates drove in runs and seven touched home. 
• 2024 - The Bucs started April on fire, had the bottom drop out, then began to bounce back by winning two in-a-row from the Rox. Mitch Keller kept the ball rolling with a complete game, five-hit, one-walk, one-run decision over the LA Angels at PNC Park, taking a 4-1 decision. Mitch got all the support he needed when Eddie Olivares banged a third-inning grand slam, set up by a pair of walks around an Andrew McCutchen two-bagger. It was Kell’s second career complete game; his other wire-to-wire start was almost exactly a year before (5/8).

5/5 Through 1964: Big Finish, Hangin' On, Dodgers Swept, Bean-ballin', Pete's Pandora Box, Game Days; RIP Denny, HBD Tommy, Jose, Eude & Wattie

• 1858 - Pirates field general Bill “Wattie” Watkins was born in Brantford, Ontario. In 1898, Watkins was hired as the manager of the Buccos and finished eighth (out of twelve teams) with a 72–76 record. Watkins returned for the 1899 NL battles but resigned in May after the team began the season with a 7-15 record. He was known as a strict disciplinarian in an era of free spirits. Wattie wisdom: Bill was also among the first skippers to give signs to hitters from the bench. 
• 1883 - OF Gene “Eude” Curtis was born in Bethany, West Virginia. His MLB resume consists of a 1903 stop with the Pirates, and the Western League call-up tore it up for five games, going 8-for-19 (.421) with a walk, three RBI and two runs scored. The 6’3” speedster from WVU went on to a seven-year career in the minors, playing for 13 different teams and was a farm coach from 1911-12. 
• 1891 - Talk about your bad inning at Chicago’s West Side Grounds: LF Pete Browning bunted into a triple play in the top of the sixth frame and then booted a ball to allow the game’s only run to score in the bottom half as Pittsburgh lost to the Chicago Colts, 1-0. Ed Stein, who tossed a two-hitter, took the decision over Pud Galvin, who surrendered six knocks. As the Pittsburgh Press wryly noted of the Pirate hitters: “Sluggers who don’t slug...will rarely win victories.” 
• 1894 - Beanballs go back a long way. Per the Pittsburgh Press: “In the fifth (St. Louis P Pink) Hawley acted as though he were trying to hit (Pirates SS Jack) Glasscock with a pitched ball. Two (pitches) came dangerously close to Jack’s chin and when the third went under his head the shortstop said ‘I’ll throw my bat if you do that again.’ Hawley put the fourth in the same spot and to the surprise of everyone Glasscock sailed his stick toward the pitcher’s box. Hawley got out of the way but did not run when Glasscock rushed up. The men did not come together, however, as (Pirates Captain Patsy) Donovan promptly parted them and restored order. Glasscock was fined $10 for the act.” The article went on to add that “The governor was not asked to order out the militia, but Umpire McQuaid could not have preserved order at Exposition Park had it not been for the timely assistance of Captain Donovan.” The game was as exciting as the sideshow. It was tied 5-5 in the ninth when Donovan made a diving catch in right to close the frame and save a run, then the Pirates won it in their half when Glasscock’s two-out knock scored Patsy from second to cap Donovan’s busy day.

Jack Glasscock - 1895 Mayo Plug Chew

• 1900 - Executive Denny McKnight passed away in Pittsburgh at age 52 and was buried in Allegheny Cemetery. He owned the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, the predecessors of the Pirates, and helped form the American Association, a major league, serving as the AA’s president until 1886. He was ousted after a rhubarb regarding the contract of Sam Barkley; some say that incident played a role in the Alleghenys jumping to the National League in 1887 with McKnight retaining ownership interests until 1890 when he returned to the business world after William Kerr & Phil Auten became co-owners. 
• 1929 - The Boston Braves played their first Sunday home game in history. Apparently they still considered it a day of rest as they lost to Pirates 7-2 before 35,000 fans. Pittsburgh moundsman Burleigh Grimes aided his own cause by starting a third-inning triple play. Five Bucs had a pair of knocks each, and the Waner brothers, Paul and Lloyd, each tripled at Braves Field. 
• 1935 - Pirate infielder Jose Pagan was born in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico. After spending seven years with the San Francisco Giants, the infielder played in Pittsburgh for the next eight seasons (1965-72). He was used in every position but pitcher and center field during his time here and hit .263 as the Bucs general factotum. Pagan played four games in the 1971 World Series and doubled home Willie Stargell with the eventual winning run in the eighth inning of Game Seven. Pagán became a Pirates coach for five seasons, from 1974-78. 
• 1941 - IF Tommy Helms was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. Helms spent 1976 and a bit of 1977 in Pittsburgh (.242 BA as a utilityman) as part of his 14-year MLB resume. The Pirates got him from Houston for Art Howe, sold him to Oakland a year later, got him back four months after that in the Phil Garner mega deal, then released him in June. He finished the 1977 campaign with the Boston Red Sox to conclude his major league stay. He coached and managed for the Cincinnati Reds briefly, leaving the organization after bumping heads with owner Marge Schott. 

Tommy Helms - 1977 Topps

• 1946 - The Bucs took two from the first place Brooklyn Dodgers 5-4 in 11 innings and 4-3 in a six-inning game shortened by the Sunday curfew. The game drew an overflow crowd of 37,953 as the Pirates whittled da Bums lead to two games. The SRO folk were on the field behind ropes, and the teams combined for nine ground rule doubles that ended up in the sea of unseated fans at Forbes Field. Jack Hallett won the opener and Preacher Roe took the nightcap. Roe’s relief outing with runners on the corners and two down was as perfect as you could get - with the Buc 3B playing even with the runner, C Bill Salkeld suspected a squeeze bunt. He called for a pitchout, and guessed right - the runner was steaming home and was tagged out easily. Roe got a one-pitch win when Frankie Gustine’s two-out double in the Pirates half scored Frankie Zak. Billy Cox had the hot stick, with four hits, including a pair of two baggers, and three RBI during the afternoon. 
• 1958 - The Bucs were up by 10 runs entering the final frame, but barely hung on for an 11-10 win over the Giants when pinch hitter Don Taussig popped out with the bases loaded to end the game at San Francisco's Seals Stadium. The Giants sent a record six pinch hitters to the plate in the frame, and three scored. Don Gross, the fourth pitcher of the inning, got the save for Vern Law. RC Stevens and Frank Thomas both homered and together chased home five Buccos. 
• 1960 - Things looked bleak after six innings for the Bucs at Wrigley Field with the score 7-2 Cubbies. But the Buccos put up a five spot in the seventh (Roberto Clemente’s two-run homer was the big blow) to tie it and Bill Virdon won the game with a two-out, two-on triple in the ninth as the Pirates rallied for a 9-7 win over the Cubs. The workhorses were pitchers Jim Umbricht, Fred Green and ElRoy Face, who combined to hold Chicago to one run on four hits over the final seven frames. On the attack side, the first four batters - Bob Skinner, Dick Groat, Roberto Clemente and Dick Stuart - went 10-for-20 with a homer, triple, and two doubles, scored six runs and drove in five tallies.

5/5 From 1965: Duel Dinger, Cico de Mayo, Up The Stairs, Boppin', Roberto Honked, Game Days, Bo POTM, ID Plz, Rumors, HBD Beau

• 1965 - Roberto Clemente made the front page of the Post Gazette when he told the beat gang “I wouldn’t care if they traded me. I’m unhappy here...because the team is going badly (they were 7-13) and I seem to be getting blamed for it because I’m not hitting.” The trigger for the outburst was being held out of the lineup for a game at Chicago by manager Harry Walker. Clemente had a bout of malaria in the off season and lost 20 pounds, and The Hat decided a respite would help him, with the down time giving Roberto three straight rest days because of a break in the schedule. Clemente thought he was being benched. The pair got together the next day and cleared the air during a breakfast meeting, and the time off seemed to help. Clemente was hitting .264 at the time, but after a slow week or two, he regained his strength and was batting over .300 by the end of the month, finishing the campaign with a .329 BA, tops in the league. 
• 1968 - Thanks to a three-run eighth inning, the Pirates defeated the Phils 5-2 at Connie Mack Stadium behind Luke Walker, Dave Wickersham (the winner), and Bob Moose, backed by a 12-hit attack that saw every position player but one collect a hit. Jerry May led the offense with two hits and two RBI; Roberto Clemente, Maury Wills and Manny Mota also added a pair of knocks. The game ended an unusual losing streak - Pittsburgh had dropped its first six televised games of the campaign before finally winning a broadcast contest. 
• 1972 - Dock Ellis, Rennie Stennett and Willie Stargell missed the team bus to Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium. They arrived late and separate from the rest of the team, so the gate security guard asked for identification. None of the trio had any on them, but they all had their World Series rings engraved with their names and tried to use that as ID. When the guard refused to accept that as legit, Dock verbally abused the officer (“I gave him a thousand bleep-bleeps” he told the Pittsburgh Press), had a gun pulled on him (quickly holstered) to quiet him down and then was maced when the guard claimed Ellis cocked his fist at him. The guard also alleged that Ellis was drunk and had a bottle of wine with him; Dock denied that charge. They all eventually got into the clubhouse, though Dock was later hauled in front of Cincinnati Municipal Court for disturbing the peace (the charges were later dropped). GM Joe Brown said the players didn’t have team ID with them because the club had never issued any, not seeing a need for them. Needless to say, Pittsburgh quickly issued photo identification cards to all the players. To make it a perfect day, the Pirates lost the game to Cincy, 5-4, for their eighth defeat in the past 10 outings. 

Gene Clines - 1973 Topps

• 1973 - The Pittsburgh Press floated trade rumors with San Diego, who dangled C Pat Corrales and then P Steve Arlin for OF Gene Clines, but that balloon proved leaden. Corrales called it a career after hitting .208 while Arlin lasted until ‘74, posting to a 5.51 ERA while Gene hit .263 in 107 games. He remained a Buc through 1974 (he remained open to being traded as he was buried on the bench) before he was swapped to the Mets in the off season for C Duffy Dyer. 
• 1985 - The Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 at TRS by using their eyes more than their bats as Joe Orsulak and Johnny Ray drew bases-loaded walks off Tom Niedenfuer in the eighth inning to plate the tying and winning runs. Bill Madlock went 3-for-3 with a walk while Bill Almon and Orsulak had a pair of raps. Rick Rhoden got the win over Jerry Reuss after allowing two runs in eight innings with John Candelaria pitching a clean ninth for his fifth save.
• 1987 - Behind the long ball, the Bucs defeated the Padres 10-8 at Jack Murphy Stadium. The four-baggers were smacked by the usual suspects, Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke & RJ Reynolds, with the surprising addition of Rafael Belliard, who banged his first career big fly. Rafe had two hits and three RBI, and wouldn’t hit his second and final MLB home run until a decade later in 1997. 
• 1988 - 3B Bobby Bonilla was named the National League Player of the Month after batting .341 with seven long balls and 18 RBI as the Buccos went 16-6 during April. He was the first Pirate to take home the award in two years, since Johnny Ray in April of 1986. It was Bobby Bo’s breakout year, and he made his first All-Star team with a batting line of .274 BA/24 HR/100 RBI.

 

Beau Sulser - 2022 photo TSN/Getty

• 1994 - RHP Beau Sulser was born in Escondido, California. Beau was drafted by the Bucs in 2017 from Dartmouth in the 10th round. He got the call to the show in April, 2022, and made four appearances (0-0/3.72) before being DFA’ed and claimed by Baltimore. After six outings there, he went to Korea (1-7/5.62) in 2023, was released in mid-season and re-signed with the Pirates. He declared for free agency at the end of the year to toss for a team in China. After the 2025 season, Beau joined Tampa Bay and is working in player development. 
• 1998 - Feliz Cinco de Mayo! The Pirates defeated St. Louis 5-2 at Three Rivers Stadium as Francisco Cordova became the first Mexican-born Pirate pitcher to start a game on Cinco de Mayo for the Bucs since Vicente Padilla (who didn’t factor in the decision that day) in 1992. Francisco got the win and his Veracruz amigo Ricardo Rincón picked up a hold over the Cards. Jermaine Allensworth had a pair of hits and two RBI to go with Jose Guillen’s homer. 
• 2003 - Matt Stairs homered off Houston’s Wade Miller, launching a blast that was estimated to travel 461’ to become the longest ball hit in the history of Minute Maid Park. It was Pittsburgh’s only bright spot as the ‘Stros mauled Kris Benson on the way to an 8-1 victory. Miller carried a perfect game into the sixth until it was broken up and tossed an eight inning three-hitter for the win. 
• 2019 - Jordan Lyles and Oakland’s Frankie Montas hooked up in a great pitching duel at PNC Park. The Bucs scored in the second inning by manufacturing a run off a Josh Bell two-bagger, ground out, and Colin Moran sac fly. The Pirates missed a sixth-inning golden opportunity, blowing a first-and-third, no-out set up before the A’s then tied it in the seventh with two outs when the eight hitter doubled and former Bucco farmhand Robby Grossman singled him home. Each team’s bullpen kept the zeroes coming through the 12th inning without any major uprisings. Tyler Lyons, in the second inning of his Pittsburgh debut, walked the first two batters in the 13th; they both scored and he avoided more damage when a bases loaded, one-out shot up the middle deflected off him to Jung Ho Kang, who stepped on third and threw to first for an inning-ending DP. Fernando Rodney got the first out, then sandwiched a walk between two singles, making it 3-2 with Bucs on the corners. His next pitch was hammered by Starling Marte into the left-center field bullpen, and the Bucs walked off with a 5-3 win in a game that morphed from a pitcher’s delight to a slugfest in the blink of an eye. It was Starling’s fifth walkoff long ball, one shy of the franchise mark.