7/15 Through the 1970s: HoF Game, Elliott Cycle + Six, Ray & Waite Gems, 8 For Jake, Game Days, Manny TSN, Jerry, Scoops & ASGs, HBD Enrique, Don, Donn & Red

1893 - Jake Stenzel banged a homer and a triple, both with the bases loaded, collecting five hits and eight RBI as Pittsburgh crushed the Washington Senators, 19-0, at Exposition Park. The Bucs banged out a double, four triples and four homers in routing the DC squad. Sealing the deal at both ends, Frank Killen tossed a six-hitter, leading the Pittsburgh Press to write that the Sens were “...completely at the mercy of the clever left-hander.” 

1893 - LHP John “Red” Oldham was born in Zion, Maryland. Red tossed for Detroit for five years, dropped out of sight for a couple of seasons, dedicating himself to business and some indie league play, then resurfaced in 1925 at the age of 32 with the Pirates. His first season was solid enough at 3-2-1/3.91, but his big moment came in the World Series. Red pitched the final inning of Game 7 before 42,856 fans at Forbes Field. The Pirates took a 9-7 lead in the eighth and called on Oldham to put it away against the heart of the Washington Senators lineup that featured three future Hall of Famers. He caught Sam Rice looking, got Bucky Harris on a liner and then rung up Goose Goslin. His performance went downhill in 1926 (2-2-2/5.62) and was released in July.

1905 - In a showdown twin bill between the first place New York Giants and the second place Bucs at the Polo Grounds, Pittsburgh overcame a 6-0 deficit against Iron Joe McGinnity to take a 7-6 lead in the seventh, but lost 8-7 on a ninth inning homer as Christy Mathewson shut them down over the last 2-2/3 innings. The Pirates took the nitecap 3-0 behind Deacon Phillippe's four-hitter. Honus Wagner clinched the victory with a two-run homer that hit the el tracks in the eighth inning. The powerhouse Giants eventually won the pennant with 105 victories (Pgh. had 96 wins) and then swept the Philly A's in the World Series.

1908 - The Pirates tied the Boston Doves in the ninth inning thanks to a George Gibson triple and won 3-2 in the 10th when Fred Clarke was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for a walkoff plunk. Sam Leever went the distance for the victory at Exposition Park. The win put the Bucs back in the top spot, 1/2 game ahead of the NY Giants and a game up on Chicago. The pennant chase remained tight all year; the Cubs held off Pittsburgh and New York by one game.

Ray Kremer - 1932 TSN Collection

1932 - The Pirates got plenty of pitching from Ray Kremer, who tossed a three-hitter and needed it to take a 1-0 victory over the Boston Braves at Forbes Field as part of a four-game sweep of Boston. LF Dave Barbee doubled home Arky Vaughan in the fourth inning with the only score; the Buccos only had five hits off tough-luck loser Hub Pruett. Neither slabster was particularly overpowering as each posted just one whiff during their complete game outings.

1934 - Waite Hoyt tossed a one-hitter against Boston, surrendering a single to Tommy Thompson in a 5-0 win in the opener of a twin bill at Braves Field. The offense was a team effort; five Bucs had two hits and all eight position players scored and/or drove home runs. Beantown’s Ed Brandt returned the favor in the nitecap, limiting the Bucs to three hits in a 4-0 Brave victory.

1935 - 1B Donn Clendenon was born in Neosho, Missouri. An all around athlete at Morehouse College, he turned down offers from the Cleveland Browns and Harlem Globetrotters to sign with the Bucs. He spent eight years (1961-68) as a Pirate with a line of .280/106/488. Clendenon hit .302 as a rookie in 1962 (he didn’t play enough in ‘61 to qualify) and was runner up to Chicago’s Ken Hubbs in the Rookie of the Year voting. He spent a couple of off-seasons (1962-64) as an Allegheny County detective and eventually earned a law degree from Duquesne in 1978 that carried him into his post-baseball career. Family Act: Clendenon's stepfather was Nish Williams, a noted Negro League player and manager. Donn was a three-sport star as a youth, and is said to have selected baseball as his primary focus because of the respect he held for Nish.

1942 - CF Don Bosch was born in San Francisco. He started his four-year run in the show with two hitless at bats for the Pirates in 1966 after signing with the club in 1960. He went to the New York Mets in the ‘66 off season with pitcher Don Cardwell as part of the Dennis Ribant/Gary Kolb deal. At the time, Bosch was a highly regarded prospect and AAA All-Star, but fizzled in the majors, batting just .164 during his career. His last MLB season was 1969 with the Montreal Expos, and he retired from pro ball after the 1970 campaign at age 27.

Pete Coscarart - 1945 Play Ball

1945 - The Pirates bombed the visiting Brooklyn Dodgers in a Forbes Field doubleheader, slamming them by 9-1 and 15-3 tallies. In the opener, Rip Sewell cruised to victory as Frank Gustine drove home three runs. Bob Elliott hit for the cycle, chased home six runs and plated three times in the nitecap while Pete Coscarart scored five times. The Bucs launched a 19-hit onslaught to back Ken Gables, who went the distance for the win. Despite the blowouts, the teams had a spirited competition during the year with da Bums holding a 12-10 season edge.

1947 - Enrique Romo was born in Santa Rosalia, Mexico. The righty pitched for the Pirates for four seasons (1979-82), going 25-16-26/3.56 after coming over from Seattle. Before that, he had spent 11 seasons pitching in Mexico, mainly as a starter (he was converted to the pen in the majors) and was a 20-game winner for Mexico City in 1976. Romo appeared in 84 games for the World Series champs in ‘79 and was an integral part of the Buc bullpen his first two years, but went noticeably downhill in his last two campaigns, ending his six-year MLB career.

1963 - In the first game of a Forbes Field twi-light doubleheader, Alvin Dark and Danny Murtaugh sent seven future Hall-of-Famers out for battle - the G-Men had Juan Marichal, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda while the Bucs countered with Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Bill Mazeroski. In the ninth, the Dominican Dandy was cruising along with a 1-0 lead. Bill Virdon singled, Roberto doubled and Maz was walked intentionally. That made Willie - then a 23-year-old rookie who was more Pup than Pops - the hero when his single to right plated the Quail and Arriba. Marichal went on to win 25 games that year, but couldn’t overcome three HoF guys in row, with Clemente topping both teams lineups with three hits. The Pirates also took the nightcap 4-1 as Joe Gibbon bested Billy O’Dell. The pair eventually switched loyalties: three years later, Gibbon ended up with SF and Digger with the Bucs.

1967 - In the fourth inning of a game at Busch Stadium, Bob Gibson suffered a broken fibula on a line drive off the bat of Roberto Clemente. He pitched to three more batters, issuing two walks around a flyball before the leg literally snapped (and Roberto’s liner was the only hit Gibson gave up). It was a kind of karmic payback; in his book “Stranger to the Game,” Gibson said of Clemente, “I always threw at him. He swung way too hard against me...” It usually worked as Clemente hit just .208 off Gibby, but not today. The Great One collected three raps (two off relievers) to lead the Bucs and Juan Pizarro to a 6-4 win over the eventual World Champion Cards.

Roberto Clemente - 2002 Donruss Diamond Kings

1968 - The Chicago Cubs swept the Bucs at Forbes Field to send the struggling Pirates to their tenth straight defeat as Fergie Jenkins tossed a 10-inning six-hitter and singled home the winning run against Luke Walker. Pittsburgh equaled the franchise’s longest post-1900 losing streak with the 2-1 loss, but finally stopped the spin the next day by rallying for a 3-2 win over the Mets. Jerry May’s two-out, two-run double in the seventh brought home the bacon to cut the string and earn a dub for Ronnie Kline.

1971 - The Pirates beat the San Diego Padres 4-3 at TRS by never saying die. Pittsburgh rallied to tie the game in the bottoms of the ninth, 13th and 16th innings before winning it on Roberto Clemente’s homer in the 17th. San Diego’s Danny Coombs was hit with a double whammy, credited with a blown save in the 16th and then the loss in the 17th. It was the first time in franchise history that the Bucs had overcome a pair of extra-inning deficits to win, a feat that wouldn’t be repeated again by the club until 2015 at PNC Park against the Cardinals.

1972 - Manny Sanguillen was featured as the cover story of The Sporting News in an article titled “Durable Mitt Star.” For seven of his first eight years with Pittsburgh, he caught at least 113 games (with 151 games behind the dish in 1974). The only year he didn’t was in 1973, when he auditioned unsuccessfully as a right fielder after Roberto Clemente’s death and caught just 89 games.

1975 - The National League whipped the American League 6-3 in the All-Star game held at County Stadium. Jerry Reuss pitched the first three frames, putting up zeroes on three hits with two strikeouts. Al Oliver doubled and came around to score in his lone at bat while Manny Sanguillen was planted on the bench. The contest was Hank Aaron's 25th and final All-Star affair, and the former home of the Milwaukee Braves was a fitting venue for his farewell bow.

7/15 From 1980: Cutch Streak, King V, Gems, Cobra, Rallies, Game Days, Skenes & ASGs, Hans T206, HBD Kevin & Anthony

1982 - Dave Parker came through early and late to carry the Pirates and John Candelaria to a 5-1 win over Houston in the Astrodome. His first-inning single chased home two Buccos (one aboard on an error) and his three-run, 430’ blast to center in the ninth inning off reliever Frank LaCorte iced the game. In between, the Candy Man and Don Sutton were hooked up in a dandy little duel, with Rod Scurry covering the final 2-2/3 frames without allowing a hit for the save.

1984 - RHP Anthony Claggett was born in Hemet, California. 2009 was his only MLB season, starting with the Yankees and ending with the Pirates after he was DFA’ed in late September, getting into one game and giving up a run on two hits in his inning. During the off season, Claggett was cut by Pittsburgh when Octavio Dotel was signed. He played indie ball in Australia and Japan from 2012-14. Claggett has since been a coach for College of the Desert, Riverside, San Jose State and New Mexico State. He’s now the pitching coach at Washington State.

1986 - The Junior Circuit squeezed out a 3-2 win over the National League in the Midsummer Classic held at the Houston Astrodome. C Tony Pena came on as a ninth inning pinch runner; P Rick Rhoden was also selected, but didn’t get to climb the bump. This was the last All-Star Game to be played indoors until 2011 when Chase Field hosted the match.

1991 - The 2-3-4 hitters for the Bucs were on fire against the Astros at TRS. Jay Bell, Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla went a combined 8-for-12 with eight runs chased home and scoring six times, putting together a trifecta cycle to generate an easy 8-0 romp. Randy Tomlin was sharp, too, tossing a five-hit complete game victory; if the bats don’t get ya, the pitchin’ will.

Carlos Garcia - 1994 Donruss

1994 - The Pirates erased an eight-run deficit and came back to beat Houston 11-8 at TRS after the Astros had scored seven times in the first inning. Carlos Garcia homered and plated four RBI while John Wehner and pitcher Ravelo Manzanillo both delivered two-run hits. Relievers Rich Robertson, Manzanillo (win) and Mike Dyer (save) tossed seven innings of shutout ball.

1995 - Jeff King hit two home runs with five RBI to power the Pirates past the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-2, at TRS. The Pirates jumped ahead early by a 6-0 count after two, fueled by long balls from King, Mark Parent and Jay Bell. Denny Neagle went the distance, pitching his third of five complete games during his 1995 All-Star season, his first of two (1997 with Atlanta).

1996 - IF Kevin Padlo was born in Murrieta, California, and was a 2014 draft prep selection of Colorado. In 2021-22, Padlo got to suit up with Tampa Bay, Seattle, San Francisco, Seattle again and then three games with the Pirates in 2022 after they claimed him from the Mariners. All that travel may have earned frequent flier miles but the corner infielder got just 49 plate appearances in 23 games, thanks to a .109 BA. The Pirates assigned him back to Indy after three weeks on the big league roster and released him at year’s end. He’s now in the KC Royals system.

1998 - Rookie sensation Kerry Wood helped draw 28,655 fans to TRS (half-price day helped, too) but Francisco Cordova, who last won on May 31st, stole the show by spinning a four-hit shutout with eight K in a 3-0 Bucco win over the Cubs. Cordova got all the help he needed from Kevin Young, who bombed a two-run homer and Ricardo Rincon, who nailed down the save.

2000 - A 1909 Honus Wagner T-206 baseball card was auctioned on eBay for a record $1.265M on this day; the same card was resold for $2.8M in 2007. Another version, the “Jumbo” (a miscut that was 1/16” longer than the usual size) went for $3.12M in 2016. It’s still among the top five baseball cards in value. On August 3rd, 2022, a T206 Wagner card sold for $7.25M.

Honus - 1909 T 206

2003 - The American League scored three times in the eighth inning at US Cellular Field to claim a 7-6 All-Star win over the National League in the 70th Anniversary matchup. Reliever Mike Williams was the Pirates only selection for the second straight year, and he didn’t get into either game. This contest was the first to award home-field advantage for the World Series to the winning league, a rule that stemmed from a 7–7 tie the previous year that led fans to question whether the game had any meaning. That hot-potato rule remained through 2016.

2008 - The AL continued its domination over the NL with a 4-3 All-Star squeaker at Yankee Stadium that took 15 innings to complete. It was a final tribute to the storied “House That Ruth Built” that would close its gates after the season. OF Nate McLouth was the Pirate rep, and he went 1-for-4 during the contest. It was the longest MLB All-Star Game in time (4 hours and 50 minutes) and the 15 innings played tied the mark for the most frames with the 1967 contest.

2011 - Jeff Karstens and Andrew McCutchen took care of business, leading the Bucs to a 4-0 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park. Jeff was in control, spinning an 83-pitch five-hitter while facing just 30 batters (no walks and two DPs); one Houston runner reached third and one more touched second. Cutch provided enough O when he belted a two-run blast in the third inning.

 
2012 - Andrew McCutchen homered in his fourth straight game among his three hits, but it went for naught as the Bucs and AJ Burnett were dropped 4-1 by the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Field.

2014 - The Americans whipped the Nationals 5-3 in the Midsummer Classic at Target Field in Minnesota. It was Derek Jeter’s 14th and final ASG appearance. All the Bucco All-Stars played: Andrew McCutchen went 1-for-3 as the starting center fielder, Josh Harrison was a sub in left and went 0-for-2, while LHP Tony Watson came in to face one batter, Jose Abreu, and got him to fly out to Josh. Manager Clint Hurdle was there too, as a coach for the NL squad.

Josh Bell - 2018 Topps Opening Day

2018 - The Pirates completed a five-game brooming of the Milwaukee Brewers in dramatic fashion, twice rallying in their final at bats to pull out a 7-6 win. They were down 5-2 going into the eighth when a two-out single by Starling Marte scored Corey Dickerson to cut the lead to 5-3. The Bucs were cooking in the ninth, loading the bases with no outs, but a DP, though bringing home a run, left them on the brink of defeat before David Freese tied it with a two-strike triple to right to provide the fans with some bonus baseball. In the 10th, a couple of walks by Tanner Anderson, just called up from Indy, led to a run. The Pirates were down to their last out with a runner on first when Colin Moran singled to keep the pulse pumping. Then, in the midst of a sudden summer storm, Josh Bell banged a ball over Lorenzo Cain’s head in center; the double scored Polanco while Moran, chugging around the circuit, scored the winner as a throw that would have easily beat him skipped off the mound and through the catcher's wickets. It gave the Pirates six straight wins and 8-of-9 going into the All-Star break; it was the Brew Crew’s sixth straight loss and the series sweep dropped them out of first place in the division. It was a big day for Tanner; it was Anderson’s first MLB win.

2025 - Paul Skenes started the All-Star game by tossing 14 pitches, fanning a pair, and was up 2-0 when Ketel Marte doubled home a pair in the NL's half. But much like his Pirates outings, he didn't get the decision - after nine frames the Midsummer Classic at Atlanta's Truist Park, it was 6-6, and decided for the first time by an extra-inning "swing off", a sort of home run derby. Each squad picked three players, each of whom got three “homer or no count” swings. The Phils Kyle Schwarber went three-for-three, winning both the ASG MVP and the game (7-6 was the official final). Another first was the The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system — allowing batters, pitchers and catchers to question called balls and strikes. It's been used in the minors and tried out on the big stage on Tuesday. It seemed to work out pretty well as four calls were overturned by review without much delay.

7/14 Through the 1970s: Reds Bite, Roberto Slam, Hot Streak, Playin' All 9, Game Days, Pie Rumors, Murry & ASGs, HBD Ben, Earl, Bob, Jack, Joe & Tanny

1874 - LHP Jesse “Tanny” Tannehill was born in Dayton, Kentucky. He played six seasons (1897-1902) for Pittsburgh, with a line of 116-58/2.75. Tanny won 20 games or more four times for the Pirates and led the NL in ERA in 1901 (2.18). He was also pretty handy when not hurling, batting .277 and making 71 OF appearances for the Bucs. After six years with the Pirates, he and owner Barney Dreyfuss got into a contract squabble. Tannehill then jumped to the AL New York Highlanders and spent the next seven years of his career in the junior circuit before a last hurrah with Cincinnati. Tanny went on to coach, manage and even ump to stay in baseball after his playing days ended.

1889 - RHP Joe Conzelman was born in Bristol, Connecticut, unfortunately for him long before ESPN could tout a hometown jock. He spent his three-year MLB career (1913-15) with the Bucs mostly as a reliever, slashing 6-8-2/2.92 in 54 outings. He was a Columbia and Brown graduate and left baseball to pursue his university-trained calling as an engineer.

1892 - Utilityman Floyd “Jack” Farmer was born in Granville, Tennessee. Farmer played 2B, SS, 3B, LF & RF for the 1916 Bucs, getting into 55 games and batting .271. He would play big league ball again in 1918 briefly for the Cleveland Indians, then took off the twenties and made a last hurrah stop in the Class D Cotton League from 1929-31 before ending his playing days.

1910 - The Bucs were down, 3-0, going into the ninth inning against Christy Mathewson and the New York Giants at Forbes Field, but roared back in their last go-round to take home the win. A walk, error and two singles set the table. Matty turned wild child, tying the contest with back-to-back walks, and after throwing two balls to Tommy Leach was relieved by Red Ames. Ames lost Leach, forcing home the winning run and giving Deacon Phillippe the victory.

Pie Traynor - SSPC Baseball Immortals

1922 - The Pirates denied that they were about to swing a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Robins involving 3B Pie Traynor, UT Clyde Barnhart and C Walter Schmidt for OF Zach “Buck” Wheat and SS Jimmy Johnston. Pie was only 23-years-old and in his first season as a starter; he would have a 17-year Pirates career that ended with a .320 lifetime BA and induction into the Hall of Fame. Barnhart was 26 and would serve a nine-year MLB tour of duty, all with the Bucs, and hit .295 over that span. Schmidt was a 35-year-old reserve who would last through 1924 with Pittsburgh, with a final campaign as a Card the following year. Wheat was 34 and had 14 years under his belt, but would play through 1927, hitting .346 over those final six seasons. Like Pie, Buck also entered the HoF. Johnston was 32 and would be a solid stick man through 1925 (.313 BA from 1922-25), playing one more year afterward before ending his MLB stay. 

1929 - RHP Bob Purkey was born in Pittsburgh and was signed by the Bucs after he graduated from South Hills HS. The knuckleballer spent his first four years and then his final season with the Pirates (1954-57, 1966), slashing 16-30-3/4.13. His heyday was with the Reds, where he won 100+ games, appearing in a World Series and three All-Star contests. The Pirates dealt Purkey to Cincinnati in 1957 for relief pitcher Don Gross. Pirates GM Joe Brown often called the transaction "the worst trade I ever made.'' After his retirement, Purkey lived in Bethel Park, and he ran an insurance agency before passing on in 2008 at age 78.

1935 - Earl Francis was born in Slab Fork, West Virginia. The hard throwing righty tossed five seasons (1960-64) for the Bucs, going 16-23/3.77 with his time split between starting and as a long man from the bullpen. Francis became the Pirates first African American Opening Day pitcher in 1963 when he started against the Cincinnati Reds and was the first pitcher that rookie Pete Rose ever batted against (Charlie Hustle went hitless). His short spell in the show was cut short by a bad wing as Francis battled a sore arm throughout his career. He retired in 1966 and put that achy but still powerful arm to good use - he became a butcher. Earl passed away in 2002 at age 66 and is buried in Homewood Cemetery.

1940 - The Pirates won their sixth game of seven by whipping Brooklyn, 6-2, at Forbes Field. Rip Sewell got the win and also cracked a homer. The Corsairs dropped the nitecap of the twin bill, 2-0, as the Dodgers’ Freddie Fitzsimmons got the better of Ken Heintzelman. The ‘40 Bucs basically sputtered along as Frankie Frisch’s charges finished 78-76-2 and finished the season in fifth place, 22-1/2 games behind the eventual World Series champs, the Cincinnati Reds.

Rip Sewell - undated photo via Sports Memorabilia

1946 - Hall of Famer Warren Spahn beat the Bucs at Forbes Field by a 4-1 tally for his first MLB win; he would earn 363 of them in his 21-year career, with 49 of his victories coming against Pittsburgh. His only blemish was a solo shot by Frankie Gustine. The lefty reached 400 wins despite losing three years to WW2 and was popularized by the rhyme “Spahn, Sain and pray for rain...”.

1953 - RHP Murry Dickson was the Bucco rep at the All-Star Game, a 5-1 Senior Circuit victory at Crosley Field. He tossed the final two innings, giving up a run on three hits and earning a save for Warren Spahn. The relief appearance of St. Louis Brown’s 46-year-old Satchel Paige in the eighth inning set an All-Star record for the oldest pitcher to toss in the contest.

1955 - The Pirates suffered the worst defeat in their history when Cincinnati mashed them, 19-1, at Forbes Field. Reds Johnny Temple, Wally Post and Smoky Burgess combined for 13 hits. Five Pirate pitchers gave up 21 hits (including three homers), 12 walks and a hit batter while the fielders chipped in with three errors for a total team meltdown. That visit behind the woodshed stayed in the record books until 2010 when the Brewers laid a 20-0 beatdown on the Bucs.

1961 - A two-out grand slam in the bottom of the eighth by Roberto Clemente, a rising liner to dead center, erased a 4-1 deficit and led the Bucs to a 6-4 win over the SF Giants at Candlestick Park. Clem Labine got the win and ElRoy Face was credited with the save; Joe Gibbon started the game.

1969 - IF Jose Hernandez was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. Jose played for 15 years in the show, making stops in Pittsburgh in 2003 as part of the A-Ram/Kenny Lofton deal with the Chicago Cubs and again in 2006 as a free agent add, playing six positions while hitting .240. He signed a minor league deal with the Bucs for 2007 (he was one of Jim Tracy’s favorites) but the 37-year-old’s tank was running on fumes and he didn’t make the final roster cut. He’s been a coach in the Baltimore Orioles system since 2010, moving up to the big club in 2022.

Roberto Clemente - 2002 Donruss Studio

1970 - Roberto Clemente was booed by the All-Star crowd at Riverfront Stadium (then all of two weeks old) after earlier saying he would only play if the game was held in Pittsburgh instead of Cincinnati. He changed his tune after GM Joe Brown provided a bit of arm twisting to convince his achy star to give up his rest break, and despite a chronically sore neck, the Great One was used late in the game. Clemente, the only Buc rep on the roster, hit a sac fly to tie the contest and held Willie Horton to a 375’ single off the wall in right as the Nationals won, 5-4. The game’s most remembered moment was the train wreck between Pete Rose and Ray Fosse at the plate, with Rose jarring the ball loose to score the winning run while Fosse suffered a broken shoulder.

1974 - The nitecap of a twin bill against the rival Reds at TRS erupted into a donnybrook. The action started after a fourth inning beanball of Bruce Kison by Jack Billingham, causing both teams to rush the field. When Sparky Anderson stepped on Ed Kirkpatrick's foot, the Buc catcher shoved the Reds skipper and was rewarded with a sock from Andy Kosko. The most memorable bit of mayhem was when Cincy’s Pedro Borbon bit Daryl Patterson after a little hair-tugging episode. Patterson got a tetanus shot after the chomp (Borbon told the media afterward for Patterson not to worry about tetanus, but rabies; Patterson countered by saying Borbon "fights like a woman." Welcome to the playground. The Pirates won the spirited contest, 2-1, after dropping the opener, 3-2. The victory ignited an eight-game Bucco winning streak and the Pirates stormed through the dog days to take the NL East title, only to lose the NLCS to the LA Dodgers.

1974 - Pirates GM Ben Cherington was born in Meriden, New Hampshire. He replaced Neal Huntington (they were teammates on Amherst’s baseball team) after the 2019 season. He began as a scout for Cleveland in 1999, moved on to Boston the following year and rose through the ranks to become GM in 2011. He held that spot until 2015, took a year off to teach, and then spent three years as Toronto’s VP of Baseball Operations before taking the Pittsburgh rebuild job.

7/14 From 1980: Sweep, Top Guns, Slugfest, Game Days, Oneil, Cutch & ASGs, Konnor Drafted, HBD Isaac & Jack

1980 - Vets Stadium in Philadelphia was the scene of a smokin’ shootout between the Bucs and Phils, with Pittsburgh finally taking the slugfest by a 13-11 tally after Dave Parker's two-run homer in the ninth. The two teams combined for 36 hits (21 by the Pirates) and there were no 1-2-3 innings for either side during the contest. The game was bitterly fought to the end. The Phillies left a runner on third in the eighth and the tag team of Lee Lacy-to-Tim Foli-to-Phil Garner cut down Lonnie Smith at second in the ninth; Smith’s attempted stretch of his rap would have put Philadelphians at second and third with one out. The Cobra had three hits, including two dingers, four RBI and three runs scored; Foli and Bill Robinson each banged out four hits. The Bucs’ fifth pitcher, Grant Jackson earned the win after posting two scoreless but rambunctious frames.

1987 - The National League outdueled the Americans to take home a 2-0 victory in the Midsummer Classic held at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. It took 13 innings before a run was scored when Tim Raines hit a two-run, two-out triple to win the game and the MVP. Rick Reuschel repped the Bucs and tossed 1-1/3 frames, giving up a hit and fanning one batter.

1988 - Though 37,453 fans packed TRS, the Bucs got off to a slow start. The Giants jumped out to a 2-0 lead after an inning and starter John Smiley was done, suffering from an inflammation of his hand. More bad news: Rick Reuschel, an All-Star for the Pirates the year before and an 11-game winner so far for San Francisco, was on the bump. But all’s well that ends well, and this one ended up well with a 9-2 win. Andy Van Slyke tripled twice and chased home four runs, Darnell Coles plated four more runners, and Brian Fisher stepped in and went 5-1/3 IP for the victory. Dave Rucker and Jeff Robinson carried it into the ninth when an hour and 22 minute rain delay gave the fans an excuse for an early exit before Barry Jones mopped up at the finish.

1990 - LHP Jack Leathersich was born in Beverly, Massachusetts. After seeing some time with the Mets and Cubs, Leathersich was claimed by the Bucs from Chicago in September 2017, after recovering from TJ surgery. He tossed well albeit with a small sample size (4-1/3 IP, no runs on three hits with six whiffs in six appearances) but was DFA’d the following spring. Jack last pitched for the Texas Rangers organization in 2019 and now is retired from baseball.

Barry Bonds - 1992 Topps All-Star

1992 - A lotta lumber was being swung at the Midsummer Classic as the American League took a 13-6 victory from the Nationals at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium. The Junior Circuit banged out 19 hits with two swats leaving the yard. Outfielders Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke started; Bonds went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored while AVS went 0-for-2 and hit into a DP. Barry also took part in the home run derby, hitting two dingers in the first round.

1995 - RHP Isaac Mattson was born in Erie. He pitched for Pitt and was drafted by the LA Angels in 2017 in the 19th round. From there he played for the Angels, Orioles, where he got into four MLB games in 2021, and Twins, also making stops in the Frontier League, including a year with the Washington Wild Things. The Pirates signed him in 2024, and he was solid at Altoona/Indy (7-2-4/3.17) as a long man who could start in a pinch. Matty was called up in late September and got into three games. He started ‘25 in Indy but was called up in late May, pitched solidly in a mid-inning role, and found a home in the Bucco pen.

1997 - The Bucs came from behind three times, rallying from 1-0, 2-1, and 4-3 deficits, to finally beat the Mets, 5-4, at Three Rivers Stadium to take their 10th win in 12 games. Steve Cooke left after seven with a 3-2 lead, but New York scored twice off Clint Sadowsky in the eighth to leapfrog ahead. The Pirates tallied twice in the eighth for the victory on four straight hits: doubles by Al Martin, Kevin Young and Jason Kendall sandwiched around a knock by Dale Sveum. Rich Loiselle picked up his 12th save to tie the club rookie record set by Francisco Cordova one year earlier and finished the year with 29 saves. Ricardo Rincon got the win. Cordova, now converted to a starting pitcher, was earlier named the NL Player of the Week following his shared no-hitter with Rincon.  

2006 - The top four of the Bucco order (Nate McLouth, Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez & Jay Bay) collected nine hits, including four doubles and a walk, scored four times and drove in four runs to lead Pittsburgh to a 7-4 win over Washington at PNC Park. Wilson and Jose Bautista each had three hits, including Jose’s 11th homer, as the Bucs banged out 15 knocks. Zach Duke was credited with the win and Mike Gonzalez earned the save, with five Pirates hurlers toeing the slab.

Jose Bautista - 2006 Bazooka Rookie

2009 - The American League continued its avalanche over the Nationals in All-Star competition, taking a 4-3 victory at Busch Stadium. Pitcher Zach Duke and 2B Freddy Sanchez made the team but didn’t get into the game. President Barack Obama, wearing a White Sox jacket, threw out the first pitch and later joined Joe Buck and Tim McCarver in the booth.

2015 - Andrew McCutchen started and batted leadoff for the Senior Circuit in the ASG played at Great American Ballpark. Cutch contributed a home run while going 1-for-3 (Cutch was the first Buccaneer to homer in an ASG since Dave Parker went deep in 1981 and the seventh Pirates player to go long in the Midsummer Classic), but the Americans won their third straight summer shindig by a 6-3 count. Gerrit Cole tossed a scoreless frame while Mark Melancon struck out a pair in his inning of work but was touched up for a two-out, two-strike homer by the Minny Twins’ Brian Dozier. AJ Burnett, in his first All-Star game after 17 years in the show, didn’t get into the fray. Commissioner Bud Selig allowed Pete Rose to be recognized during the pre-game festivities along with former Cincy Red teammates Johnny Bench, Barry Larkin, and Joe Morgan.

2017 - The Bucs spotted the Cards a 2-0 first-inning lead at PNC Park but ground their way to a 5-2 win that was nowhere as easy as the score would indicate. Gerrit Cole recovered nicely after the rough opening while Tony Watson, Juan Nicasio and Felipe Rivero held the fort to allow the Pirates to tie the game at two going into the ninth. With Adam Frazier on second and an out, Andrew McCutchen was given an intentional pass so that Seung Hwan Oh could face rookie Josh Bell. He got ahead 1-2, then J-Bell went the opposite way for a walkoff blast and a 5-2 win. Bell’s homer would be the jump-off point for three walk-off wins in a six-day span for the livin’ on the edge Bucs.

2018 - The Pirates swept a doubleheader from the Milwaukee Brewers by 2-1 and 6-2 scores at PNC Park in front of 24,474 rooters. Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco hit back-to-back homers in the first inning of the opener, and five Pirate pitchers, beginning with Ivan Nova and finishing with Felipe Vazquez, kept the Brew Crew at bay. The nightcap featured stellar work by some young Pirates: Clay Holmes tossed six shutout innings, Jordan Luplow homered twice & Max Moroff went deep once while Marte & Polanco become the second Pirate duo to hit back-to-back homers in both ends of a twin bill (Frank Thomas and Dick Groat were the first in 1957; only one other MLB pair, Oakland's Sal Bando & Reggie Jackson in 1988, has matched the twin bill B-2-B feat). Vazquez got the final out of the second game, earning a pair of saves on the day.

Jordan Luplow - 2018 Topps

2020 - The 2020 All-Star Game was originally scheduled on this date, to be hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the match was canceled due to the corona virus-shortened 2020 season, the first bypassed Midsummer Classic since wartime travel restrictions scrubbed the 1945 game. Dodger Stadium went to the head of the line for the All-Star Game for 2022, the next available date as Atlanta was already set for the 2021 showcase, though it was later flipped to Denver.

2024 - The three day draft began. The Pirates Top Five selections were SS/CF Konnor Griffin (First Round #9, $6,216,600 slot - Jackson Prep, MS), a LSU commit. He was considered the top prep prospect, with the big question being if he can develop more consistent contact. He aced that question, zooming to Hi A Greensboro, in his second season hitting for both average and power and becoming MLB’s #2 Prospect per Baseball America. Next was RHP Levi Sterling (Competitive Balance, #37, $2,511,400 slot - Notre Dame HS, CA), a Texas commit who features a heater (90-92), curve and splitter. SS Wyatt Sanford (2nd Round #47, $1,984,800 - Independence HS, TX), a Texas A&M commit, was the third choice. He’s noted for his good glove but profiled as a potential utility guy because of his uncertain stick. LHP Josh Hartle (3rd Round #83, $920,800 - Wake Forest) was the only college pick among the first five. He was hot in '23 (11-2/2.81 & an All-American), but stumbled in '24 (6-3/5.79). SS Eddie Rynders (4th Round #112, $649,700 - Milwaukee Wisconsin Lutheran HS) closed out the early picks. He showed power and was switched to 3B.

2025 - Well, Oneil Cruz seems to like the limelight...he banged 21 homers in the first round of the ASG HR Derby, one a 513' foot launch (A Truist Park record and the longest HRD blast outside of Coors Field), to move on to the semis. He was the first Bucco in the Derby to advance past the first round. It ended for Cruz in the next round as Oneil bopped 13 more dingers (and 9 of the ten longest homers of the night through the first two rounds) but Cal Raleigh, who squeaked through the first round, smacked 19 bombs and went on to take the title home, out-swatting Junior Caminero.

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

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

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

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

Honus Wagner - Texas Tommy Type 1

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

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

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

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

Vern Law - 1958 Hires Root Beer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Casey Sadler - 2015 photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates

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

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

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

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

Starling Marte - 2019 Topps

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

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

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

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