Weekly Report: Bucs Win At Home & Sweep Shelty, Jared Back & Carmen Bumped, Konnor On IL, Cutch DFA'ed By Texas

And it's June...

Pirates Stuff:

• After the Cub series, it was announced Jared Jones was back with the team (he started the next day v Minnesota), Carmen Mlodzinski will go to the pen and somehow Bubba Chandler will remain in the rotation. To clear a spot for Jones, reliever Justin Lawrence (0-2/5.32) was DFA'ed. We expect that Mlodzinski's move had more to do with the ineptitude of the long relievers than a rap on Carmen, who didn't buy into the bulk innings eater role. To make the story murkier, on Sunday Mlodzinski was placed on the restricted list and RHP Cam Sanders was recalled (for one day, then optioned back), so... Ben Cherington told the media that Mlodzinski said he wasn't ready to pitch physically or mentally yet, didn't request a trade, is part of the Pirates' future and is expected back for the upcoming road trip, which explains the Sanders moves.

Carmen's working through some things...2026 photo/Pirates

• In an out-of-the-blue move, the Pirates have recalled INF/OF Tyler Callihan from Indy and optioned OF Esmerlyn Valdez back to AAA. Valdez was the fourth Pirate since 1900 to have two or more of his first MLB hits be home runs, along with Dick Stuart (1958, two), Craig Wilson (2001, two) and Rodolfo Castro (2021, five). But those were his only two hits in 16 at bats, to go with nine Ks.
• Konnor Griffin sat out Thursday's Cub finale with a sore arm (flexor strain). Hopefully, it's just a rest day; he was available off the bench, though the Callahan move looks like insurance just in case....and sure enough, Nick Gonzales left the game with a sore knee that he banged on Wednesday; Tyler took his place. Konnor won't be able to throw for a few days, but can swing; Kelly used him to DH, but on Sunday he went on the 10-day IL when Ryan O'Hearn returned to action.
• Other banged up Bucs: Nick Gonzales (leg contusion) is at 90% and was available to play. O'Hearn (right quad strain) ran the bases on Friday and returned Sunday. Joey Bart (left foot infection) is still weeks away and Chris Devenski (illness) may resume throwing next week.
• Brandow Lowe has been in the bigs for nine years; Saturday was the first time he was ejected.

Brandon gets his first heave-ho - 2026 photo/Pirates

• Former Mountaineer Carlson Reed threw seven perfect innings for A+ Greensboro on Friday and bullpen guys Inmer Lobo & Kyle Larsen completed the no-no although they walked three to lose the perfecto in a 4-0 victory over Hub City.
• RHP Jack Anker, 22, was the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week; he went six scoreless, two-hit innings with four K against Lakeland last week. He's 3-1/3.38 on the season for Bradenton.

Game Stuff: 

• The Cubs came to town riding an eight-game losing streak as the Pirates were hosting a Memorial Day game for the first time since May 28, 2018 (spoiler alert: they lost that one to the Cubs, 7-0). It promised to be entertaining with two of the NLs top attacks, but thanks to Carmen Mlodzinski, Wilber Dotel (the winner, his first MLB dub) and Gregory Soto (the save), it turned into a slab duel, with the Bucs prevailing 2-1. The game winning-blow was a two-out, seventh-inning solo shot by Hank Davis, who is still under the Mendoza line. Spencer Horwitz opened the scoring, coming across on Brandon Lowe's double.
• The Bucs put on an unscheduled fireworks display in the first frame by scoring five times, capped by Esmerlyn "The Magician" Valdez's blast in front of his fam. Spencer Horwitz joined him with a later long ball, Oneil Cruz went 3-for-3 and Valdez had 3 RBI. As for the twirlers, Braxton Ashcraft wiggled out of a couple of jams to get into the seventh inning and the bullpen took it home from there. When the smoke cleared, the Pirates had laid a big-league 12-1 whuppin' on the Cubs.
• Bubba Chandler, who should be looking over his shoulder with Jared Jones in town, fell behind 3-0 early. Not for long. though, as Brandow Lowe bopped a two-out, three-run homer to tie it in the third. Bubba gave the lead up in the next inning. The Bucs tied it again on a Konnor Griffin blast; then the bullpen took over *sigh*. That spelled the end of the Cubs futility streak as they ran away with a 10-4 decision.

Bubba made the cut - 2026 Topps

• Paul Skenes couldn't turn the tide - bad D, bad O, soft hits and another bullpen blowup gave the Cubs a 7-2 win and a series split.
• Friday began the Twins set, with a Zambelli Drone night and Jared Jones on tap for the series opener. He didn't exactly sparkle, going 4-1/3 IP while giving up seven hits and five runs to squander an early 3-1 lead, although he did hit 101 with his heater. Oneil Cruz splashed a ball into the Allegheny and Wilber Dotel tossed three zeroes, and it was barely enough. The Bucs blew a great eighth inning chance, but Bryan Reynolds made it moot by walking it off with a two-run, ninth-inning bomb to pull it out 6-5 and spoil Shelty's return to his old stomping grounds.
• Not a day for pitchers; Mitch Keller left after four and it was already 8-7 good guys. Lots goin' on - Oneil Cruz, Spencer Horwitz and Jake Mangum homered in that span; Brandow Lowe got ejected, too. It settled down some after that, with the final aping a Steeler-Ravens score with the Buccos on top 10-9 thanks to late-inning web gems by Mangum and Tyler Callahan. Gregory Soto closed it out, earning back-to-back saves while Yohan Ramirez got the win. 
• Well, welcome back Ryan O'Hearn, who homered during his first at bat. Nick Gonzales added another an inng later to give Braxton Ashcraft a third-inning 4-0 pad. The Bucs added five more runs in the fifth and swept the Twinkies, 9-3. Ashcraft went six frames for the win with a career-high 11 Ks without a walk.

Ryan returns to action - 2026 Pirates promo

• The Bucs visit the Astros and Braves beginning Tuesday, a formidable duo for the MASH-unit Pirates.

MLB Stuff

• Houston hurlers Tatsuyu Imai, Steven Okert and Alimber Santa cobined to toss a no-hitter against Texas in a 9-0 win at Globe Life Field that made Memorial Day memorable. The no-no was the first tossed in MLB since the Chicago Cubs shut down the Pirates 12-0 on Sept. 4, 2024 at Wrigley Field. 
• A Pirate prospect does good: IF Charles McAdoo, who was a 13th round draft pick in 2023 and traded the following year to Toronto for Isiah Kiner Falefa, made his MLB debut on Friday. He homered for his first hit.
• News we'd rather not hear: Cutch was placed on release waivers by Texas. He was batting .192 with one homer, so...

Cutch gets cut - 2025 Topps Greatest Hits

• The Royals DFA'ed LHP Bailey Falter, who they got from the Bucs last season for LHP Evan Sisk, now part of the pen, and prospect 1B Callan Moss.
• The Nats moved RHP Max Kranick to the 60-day IL. He appeared with the Bucs in 2021-22 and moved to the NY Mets in 2024-25. He was settling in there, but had July elbow surgery and became an FA, moving to Washington.
• LHP Jose Quintana was placed on the 60-day IL by Colorado with an elbow sprain.

6/1 Through 1974: Flyin' Foiles, Big Bob K's 16, Hit & Pitch Wins, Walkoff Steal, Roberto Spied, Games Days, Ump Shows; HBD Hal, Lou, Al, Harry & Bad Bill

1869 - 2B “Bad Bill” Eagan was born in Camden, New Jersey. Per David Nemec of SABR, “He got the nickname ‘Bad Bill’ the hard way: He earned it through regular, rowdy behavior.” Eagan was like many old-timey players - a heavy drinker, gambler, and general thorn in the side of umpires & management. He was also a ball magnet, even practicing getting hit by pitches in BP by crowding the plate, leading umps to often allow him to get brushed a couple of times before yielding to the inevitable and awarding him a base. Though he was briefly the Bucs starting second baseman and hit .328 in 1898, he was sent down to the minors after a drinking bout. It was a familiar pattern; in his 13-year pro career he wore out his welcome often and only got three years and 107 games in the majors. Bad Bill died of consumption (tuberculosis) in 1905. 

1887 - RHP Harry Gardner was born in Quincy, Michigan. His MLB career consisted of 14 outings with the Pirates from 1911-12 with a 1-1/4.46 line. Harry did have a long baseball stint, pitching 16 minor league seasons and winning 206 games. He spent his last nine years working in the Pacific Coast League before retiring at age 37 after the 1924 season. 

1897 - The Pirates were cruising along with a 7-0 lead in the sixth at the Polo Grounds when the NY Giants put up four runs and were still going when an ump show broke up the game. A Giant runner was tagged on the way to second on a grounder. Umpire McDermott, with whom the Pirates had a run-in with the previous game and had a history of controversy, didn’t make a call. The runner, Lucky Holmes, held second, the ump eventually ruled him safe and according to the Pittsburgh Press “...he (Lucky) laughed uproariously and danced a jig.” The resulting discussion over the call led to the ejection of four players. One of the Pirates bench subs was injured, and that left Pittsburgh one player shy of a full nine. McDermott then forfeited the game to the Giants. The Pirates protested to no avail, and the Press headline the following day read “An Immense Steal - Umpire McDermott Robbed The Pirates Of Yesterday’s Game. His Work Was The Worst Exhibition Ever Seen On Any Ballfield.” 

Al Niehaus - 1925 NEA photo

1899 - 1B Al Niehaus was born in Cincinnati. He started 15 games for the 1925 Pirates, batting .219, before he was traded to his hometown Reds. Niehaus hit .299 there but was replaced by a vet and sold to St. Paul after the season. He was in the minors from 1921-29 and had several .300+ campaigns, but his glovework - he made 11 errors between the Pirates and Reds in 1925 - held him back. The DH arrived a few decades too late to help him.

1901 - The Bucs lost to the Reds 4-3 following a disputed call by rookie umpire Bert Cunningham, a former pitcher whom the Pirates got in an off-season trade and later released to end his playing career. Cunningham ruled Kitty Bransfield out at first on a questionable bang-bang call, costing the Pirates the tying run and also ending the game. 2,000 fans stormed the field at Exposition Park after the decision, suspecting a bit of payback figured in the ump’s call, and Cunningham had to be chaperoned to the locker room by Fred Clarke and Honus Wagner to escape mob justice. It made the front page of the Pittsburgh Press which described the scene: “...an angry crowd followed umpire Cunningham and the Cincinnati players and despite the efforts of the Pittsburg players to protect the official and their visitors managed to land a few blows...The disgraceful scene occurred under the very eyes of President NE Young of the National League, who came here yesterday to investigate the reports about the poor umpiring of Nash (Cunningham’s partner in blue) and Cunningham, two recent additions.”

1911 - LHP Lou Tost was born in Cumberland, Washington. Lou had tossed for the Braves in 1942 (he also tossed in three games in ‘43 before becoming a sailor) and got a final appearance for the Bucs in 1947, giving up a run on three hits in his last MLB outing. He was another wartime guy who lost 1943-45 to the service; the Bucs purchased him from the Braves’ Sacramento club in the PCL after the 1946 season. In all, he played pro ball from 1934-49 except for his service years.

1936 - C Hal Smith (not the Bucs World Series Smith but a Redbird namesake) was born in Barling, Arkansas. Smith was a Cardinals catcher from 1956-61 before he was forced to retire and enter the coaching ranks with a heart condition. Smith appeared in four games in July, 1965 for the Pirates as a player-coach after Jim Pagliaroni, Del Crandall and Ozzie Virgil were injured, catching 12 frames and going 0-for-3 before returning to Harry Walker's staff. He left to join the Milwaukee Brewers in 1968 and finished as a scout for the Cardinals.

Rip Sewell - photo Walter Stein/AP

1939 - Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia in the Phillies’ first night game at Shibe Park 5-2 as Rip Sewell earned the under-the-lights win. The Bucs only had seven hits, but eight walks and a beaned batter gave them plenty of baserunning opportunities. Bill Brubaker homered while Paul Waner & Arky Vaughan scored the other four runs from the top of the order.

1943 - Huck Geary ended a 14-inning marathon at Forbes Field by stealing home to top the Boston Braves, 5-4. The bases were loaded with an out, probably not the textbook time for a mad dash, but skipper Frankie Frisch sent Geary and Huck slid in under the tag for the walkoff win. Sharing in the glory was Vince DiMaggio, who smoked a three-run homer, and Johnny Lanning, who tossed three scoreless frames for the win following Jack Hallett and Hank Gornicki.

1954 - Montreal Royals OF’er Roberto Clemente, then a Dodger farmhand who was playing in Montreal, was nevertheless found out (Roberto was on several radar screens) by Pirate scout Clyde Sukeforth. Sukeforth, ironically, wasn’t even a scout but a Pittsburgh pitching coach on special assignment in Richmond, where the Royals were playing, to check out pitcher Joe Black. Sukeforth strongly recommended that the Bucs take Clemente in the upcoming minor league draft, based more on his pre-game eyeball scouting of Roberto throwing and running than his actual game performance, and the rest is Pittsburgh baseball history.

1960 - Poor Hank Foiles didn’t know if he was coming or going. After the Pirates sent him to Kansas City in December to complete the Hal Smith deal, they got him back OTD with cash in exchange for C Danny Kravitz. The next day, he was shipped to the Indians for OF/PH John Powers, a lefty stick off the bench who had been with Pittsburgh from 1955-58. It was much ado over nothing; It was Kravitz’s final campaign in the big leagues, Powers was used as an insurance policy who spent the rest of the year stashed with the AAA Columbus Jets, and Foiles kept on frequent flying, going to the Tigers in July for Rocky Bridges and Red Wilson.

Smoky Burgess - 1961 Topps

1961 - The Bucs entertained 19,128 Forbes Field faithful by thumping the Milwaukee Braves by an 8-2 score. Smoky Burgess with two homers and Dick Groat with another got the crowd on their feet; both had three RBI on the day. Roberto Clemente got them out of the seats with his fielding. He ran down a Joe Adcock shot and taught rookie Joe Torre a lesson in baserunning as described by the Pittsburgh Press beatman Les Biederman: “Torre singled to right...rounded first and Dick Stuart cut off Clemente's throw home and politely tagged out Torre.” Harvey Haddix got the win; he tossed shutout ball after the first inning.

1963 - The Pirates had the best of both worlds, banging out four homers and getting a two-hitter from Bob Friend in a 10-1 runaway against the New York Mets at the Polo Grounds. The dingers were launched by Bill Virdon, Willie Stargell, Jerry Lynch and Bill Mazeroski. The Bucs collected 16 hits, with four from Donn Clendenon and three each from Lynch and Ducky Schofield. Friend struck out eight during his complete game victory.

1965 - Bob Veale set the Pirate nine-inning strikeout mark when he K'ed 16 Phillies at Forbes Field in a 4-0 victory, even though he sat through two rain delays that added two hours to the game. The big lefty also struck out 16 Reds in 12 innings on September 30th, 1964. Back before the gun, the 6’6” lefty was estimated to throw a heater in the 97-98 MPH range. The five-hitter was the Bucs 12th consecutive win; it came right on the heels of an eight-game losing streak. The Bucs lost the next day but still took eight of the next 10 games. The early hole they dug eventually did them in - they won 90 games but finished third behind the Dodgers, never coming closer than four games from first after April.

1971 - Dock Ellis tossed a three-hitter as the Bucs bombed the Cardinals 9-0 at TRS. It was a team effort - every Buc had a hit, all but Ellis scored, and six had RBI. Richie Hebner and Dave Cash had three hits while Manny Sanguillen and Vic Davalillo added a pair. It was the third straight shutout spun by the Bucs as Steve Blass and Bob Moose blanked the Cubs to close out the prior series.

6/1 From 1975: Morris-Joe, Sweep, Mack Attack, Mitch, Jason & Denny Streaks, 7 For Mo, Berra Bops, Game Days, Drafts

1978 - The Pirates released reserve infielder Jim Fregosi at the behest of California Angels’ owner Gene Autry. It was a good faith request to free up an old vet for bigger and better things - Fregosi, 36, was named as the replacement for Dave Garcia as Angels manager the next day.

1979 - The Pirates scored four times in the ninth inning to rally past the San Diego Padres 9-8 at TRS. Dave Parker cranked a one-out, three-run homer off John D'Acquisto to tie it, and Lee Lacy drew a bases-loaded free pass with two away off Rollie Fingers for the win after Ed Ott had been intentionally walked before him. Phil Garner went 4-for-5 and scored twice. Teke gave up four runs in three innings of work, but it was good enough for the win. After the game, Willie Stargell blasted out a tune he thought exemplified the club - “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge - and it caught on, not only among Pirates Nation but the public at large, selling a million copies each of the LP and single after it had originally sputtered (although Kim Sledge, who along with her sisters were from Philadelphia, said “The Phillies...should have used our song.”)

1980 - The Bucs had a big day, banging the Mets 13-3 at TRS in front of a cap day crowd of 49,626 at TRS. No one had a bigger day than Dale Berra, who had three hits, including a grand slam, and chased home five runs to atone for a pair of boots in the field, bettered by ex-Pirate and current Met Frankie Taveras’ three errors (it wasn’t a very good glove day for shortstops). Vance Law doubled for his first MLB hit while three other Buccos had a pair of knocks each, and the attack allowed Jim Bibby to cruise to a complete game win.

Dale Berra - 1980 Topps

1986 - Jim Morrison showed the way in a 12-3 win over the LA Dodgers at TRS, hitting a grand slam that he almost lost when when he passed Tony Pena for a heartbeat during his trot around the bases (Tony was standing on first and ready to tag if the big fly was caught, but the umps didn’t see the brief fly-by, although Tommy LaSorda did), a double and triple with seven runs chased home. How often does a big galoot bang a three-bagger but fall a single short of the cycle? RJ Reynolds also had three knocks and Rick Rhoden went the distance for the win.

1988 - The Pirates selected prep SS Austin Manahan first in the draft (his bonus wasn’t released; Manahan said in an interview that it was “six figures”). Manahan never made it past AA, and in fact Pittsburgh’s first five picks never made the show. They did find some players with a couple of later selections, selecting Tim Wakefield, Randy Tomlin, John Wehner and Blas Minor.

1992 - Prep catcher Jason Kendall was selected in the first round (#23) of the draft and signed for a $336K bonus two weeks later in one of Pittsburgh’s more enlightened picks. He spent nine of his 15 MLB seasons with the Pirates, hitting .306 and earning spots on three All-Star teams. After him came a group of fringy reserves - outfielders Adrian Brown & Trey Beamon, pitcher Marc Wilkins, and infielders Lou Collier and Kevin Polcovich.

1995 - Denny Neagle won his fifth straight decision, stopping the Reds and their nine-game winning streak by a 5-3 tally at Three Rivers Stadium. He got all the help he needed from Orlando Merced, who had the first two-homer game of his career and drove in four runs, and four relievers, with Dan Miceli nailing it down for his seventh save of the campaign. Denny made his only Bucco All-Star outing that year.

Paul Wagner - 1996 Collectors Choice

1996 - Paul Wagner tossed a one-hitter with ten strikeouts in seven innings of work at TRS, but still lost to Colorado, 2-0. He couldn’t find the plate in the third; two walks followed by a wild pitch cost him dearly after Dante Bichette hit a ball through the shortstop hole to score the pair. The Bucs had nine hits during the match, but stranded 10 runners. It was both the first time the Pirates were kept off the board and the first shutout tossed by the Rox during the season.

1998 - Jason Schmidt won his seventh straight game 4-3 beating the Mets at TRS, breaking a nine-game string of victories by New York. The righty scattered six hits and fanned eight, with ninth inning help from Ricardo Rincon, who earned a save.  The Bucs were led at the plate by Tony Womack, who had two hits and a homer; Al Martin and Mark Smith also had a pair of knocks. Schmidt was 8-1/3.59 at this point but would go on to drop his next eight decisions. He wouldn’t win another game until August 12th and finished the season 11-14/4.07.

2005 - Florida lost its ninth straight game at PNC Park‚ 9-1. Rob Mackowiak hit his second career grand slam and Jack Wilson went 4-for-4 to pace the attack behind Josh Fogg and Salomon Torres’ pitching. The last Marlin win in Pittsburgh was September 8th, 2002; the Fish snapped the streak the next day by a 6-3 count.

2006 - The Pirates swept the Milwaukee Brewers in a four-game set by scoring twice in the ninth to take a 4-3 decision at PNC Park. With two away, Jose Castillo doubled home Jeromy Burnitz, followed by the game-winning knock by Ryan Doumit, both off Derrick Turnbow. John Grabow, the Bucs fourth pitcher, earned the win. The Pirates outscored the Brew Crew 34-8 in the series. 

Neil Walker - 2010 Upper Deck Rookie

2010 - Neil Walker hit his first big league home run and it was a game-winner; his two-run blast in the eighth inning gave the Pirates a 3-2 win over the Cubs at PNC Park. Walker went on to hit 93 long balls as a Bucco, second among second-sackers in franchise history to Bill Mazeroski. His blow gave Joel Hanrahan the victory with an Octavio Dotel save. Garrett Jones also homered.

2013 - Francisco Liriano tied the franchise record by striking out seven consecutive Reds, but Mike Leake won the duel at PNC Park by a 2-0 count. Liriano went six innings, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, punching out 11. Not a ball left the infield in the inning he surrendered the run, and only a disputed two-out call at first allowed Cincy to score at all.

2014 - Miami got righty reliever Bryan Morris for a competitive balance selection (#39) that turned into first baseman Connor Joe, who was flipped to the Braves in 2017 for Sean Rodriguez. Morris retired in 2017, S-Rod hung them up for a Phillies coaching gig in 2022, and Joe returned to the Buccos fold in 2023 via the trade route, playing regularly in an OF/1B role before moving on to the Reds. He's now with Seattle.

2024 - Mitch Keller showed that last year’s early performance was no fluke - Kells won his fifth straight start, improving to 7-3/3.42 after being 7-1/3.25 on June 1, 2023. According to OptaStats, Keller is the fifth MLB pitcher since 2013 to reach seven-plus wins by June 1 in back-to-back seasons; the others being Justin Verlander (2018-19) Clayton Kershaw (2016-17), Felix Hernandez (2014-15) and Adam Wainwright (2013-14). Kells is also the first Pirate to have seven-plus wins through June 1 in consecutive years since Howie Camnitz from 1908-1909. It was his 43rd straight start of five or more innings, the longest active streak in MLB. The Bucs won the game at Rogers Centre easily, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 8-1 behind two-run homers by Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds, along with a three-hit performance by Jared Triolo.

5/31 Through 1964: Rain Day, Twin Bill Twirlin', Waner's 20th, Harris Hot, Two-Sport Vic, 9-2Bs, Roberto Rocket, Game Day; HBD Joe & Russ

1888 - The Alleghenys forfeited a game to the New York Giants when they failed to show up at the Polo Grounds while it was raining, staying high and dry in their hotel. The Pittsburgh Press wrote “Manager Phillips claimed that he had word that there would be no game and that it rained from 3:30 to 4 (the game’s starting time). President Nimick will protest the game.” He did but the league didn’t buy the alibi and Pittsburgh forfeited the match. 

1905 - The Pirates and Cardinals proved that no lead is insurmountable in baseball. The Bucs entered the eighth frame seemingly up safely 6-1 at Exposition Park before Patsy Flaherty faded badly on the hill. The Redbirds made it 6-5 after eight and kept pushing. By the time reliever Deacon Phillippe put out a second fire in the ninth, the home nine were on the wrong end of a 9-6 count. But they had a rally left in them, too - two singles and a walk came in via an error, bunt single and sac fly to knot the score, then Fred Clarke became the hero with a two-out triple to cap the Pirates wild 10-9 win. 2B Claude Richey had four hits and RF Otis Clymer added three more. Wee Tommy Leach hit the first homer of the season in Expo Park when his drive got past the Cards CF’er and rolled almost to the flagpole 450’ away in center. In an era of rare long balls, local rooters gifted him a gold watch and other sundries the next day for his feat. Somehow, Flaherty, who was charged with eight of the runs, was awarded the win while Phillippe was credited with a save (took awhile, tho - the save wasn’t recognized until 1952 and didn’t become an official MLB stat until 1969). 

1909 - Babe Adams won both ends of a doubleheader at Exposition Park against the St. Louis Cardinals. He worked the final two frames of a 5-4 triumph in the opener, then tossed a complete game 4-2 victory in the second match. Dots Miller had five hits during the twin bill with Hans Wagner adding three more knocks. The two games drew 20,633 rooters to the North Side. 

1915 - The Pirates swept the first place Cubs by identical 1-0 scores at Forbes Field in front of 15,000 fans as Wilbur Cooper (three hits, eight K) and Al Mamaux (five hits, five K) hurled complete game whitewashes. The Pirates won the first game when RF Bill Hinchman was plunked with the bases loaded to force home C George Gibson (they wouldn’t win another 1-0 game via HBP again until 2017) and the second on a wild pitch that allowed Hinchman to plate from third. As Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press noted, “This was getting the breaks...it was the luck of the Buccaneers to profit twice from slips made by Chicago twirlers.” 

Joe Harris 1927 photo George Rinhart/Detroit Public Library 

1927 - The Pirates overcame a 6-1 sixth-inning deficit by scoring nine times in the final four frames to nip the Cubs 10-9 at Forbes Field. 1B Joe Harris was on fire, going 5-for-5 with two triples, a double, four RBI and two runs scored. Carmen Hill, Pittsburgh’s fourth pitcher, got the win after fanning a pair while posting a quiet ninth to close the game out. 

1930 - Umpire Russ Goetz was born in McKeesport. After 13 seasons of honing his craft in the minors, he worked as an AL umpire from 1968 to 1983. Goetz was part of the blue crew for two All Star Games, four AL playoff series, and two World Series, including the Bucs 1979 battle against the Baltimore Orioles. Russ went into umpiring after serving in the Navy during the Korean War with deployments in Korea and China. He started his sporting days as a basketball player for the McKeesport Tigers and remained in Tube City after he retired. 

1932 - Paul “Big Poison” Waner banged out his 20th double of the month at Forbes Field in the fifth inning against Cincinnati’s Red Lucas to set the MLB record. The Pirates won the game 4-1 as Waner went 3-for-4 with a run, two RBI and a stolen sack to back Larry French’s mound work. Big Poison collected 43 hits in May - 21 singles, 20 doubles and two triples. 

1937 - The Reds beat the Pirates 8-3 in the opener of a doubleheader at Crosley Field. It was the only game Cincinnati won against the Pirates that season. Starting with a 7-5 loss in the nightcap - Pep Young’s three-run homer was the big blow - Cincy lost the next 17 straight to the Buccos, and dropped 21 of 22 games‚ tying the MLB record set by the Cubs over the Braves in 1909 and the Yankees over the Browns in 1927. The Reds would drop the first three to open 1938 for a 20-game losing streak against Pittsburgh, another MLB record. 

1942 - Satchel Paige rejoined his old Crawfords teammates when they played against the Dizzy Dean All-Stars in an exhibition game at Washington’s Griffith Park. The match drew 22,000 fans (the major league Senators averaged just 5-6,000 per game) and the Satchels beat the Dizzys, 8-1. Clark Griffith, the Sens’ owner, told Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard after the game that he was going to “break up your league” and sign black ball players, but like several other owners who made similar vows to integrate, he never made good on the promise. 

Danny Murtaugh - 1948 Leaf

1948 - At Wrigley Field, the Cubs set a paid attendance record when 46‚965 fans passed through the turnstiles during a doubleheader split with the Pirates on Memorial Day. The Bucs lost the opener 4-3 after Chicago scored in the ninth off Kirby Higbe. Pittsburgh rallied in the nightcap behind Elmer Riddle to win, 4-2. Danny Murtaugh chased home a pair of runs and scored once to provide Riddle with some working room to break even on the day. 

1953 - Vic Janowicz became the first Heisman Trophy winner to play MLB when he appeared as a pinch runner for the Pirates in the opening game of a doubleheader v the Dodgers. He was a better gridder than ballplayer; he hit .214 in his 1953-54 MLB stint with the Buccos. He went on to play a little NFL ball, but a car accident in 1956 ended his pro sports days. 

1961 - Pittsburgh bashed out nine doubles (two by Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski, with one each from Joe Gibbon, Dick Groat, Hal Smith, Gino Cimoli and Dick Stuart) in a 9-1 laugher at Forbes Field against the Milwaukee Braves. Joe Gibbon tossed a six-hitter with 10 strikeouts and cruised to the win. 

1962 - Joe Orsulak was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. A sixth round pick of the Pirates in the 1980 draft, he was seen as the Bucs’ future lead-off man and center fielder. In his time with Pittsburgh (1983-86), he couldn’t beat out Marvel Wynne before Barry Bonds came along, though he did hit .272. He lasted 14 years in the show, hitting .273 lifetime mainly as a bench/platoon outfielder while playing with the Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, NY Mets, Florida Marlins, and Montreal Expos. 

1964 - Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pirates 6-4 at Forbes Field, but had to survive a towering blast by Roberto Clemente to do it. The Great One hit a ball halfway up the light tower 450’ away in center field. Post Gazette writer Jack Hernon estimated the ball would have traveled 500’ if the light standard hadn’t been in its way; the Dodgers beat man Frank Finch of the Los Angeles Times was also covering the game and agreed with Hernon.

5/31 From 1965: Bailey, Mitch Hot, Rivas Rocks, Jose the Hammer, Bond's 1st, Pops Pop, Game Days, Roberto Day, J-Hay Retires, HBD Kenny

1967 - OF Kenny Lofton was born in East Chicago, Indiana. The Bucs signed him as a free agent for $1.025M and he had a nice year in 2003, hitting .277 with 18 swiped sacks while posting a 26-game hitting streak. He was lost in an epic Bucco salary dump when he was traded to the Cubs at the deadline with Aramis Ramirez for Bobby Hill, Jose Hernandez and Matt Bruback; Lofton and A-Ram helped Chicago to the 2003 National League Central title. Kenny played until he was 40-years-old, retiring after the 2007 campaign with 17 seasons, 11 playoff years and six All-Star berths on his resume. After Lofton left baseball, he remained an entertainer, moving from stadia to studios by getting into film and television, his major at the U of Arizona, as both a producer and actor. 

1973 - The Bucs topped the Atlanta Braves 3-1, backing up Nellie Briles three-hitter with Willie Stargell’s three-run blast in the eighth at TRS. Stargell’s ball went 468’ and landed in the upper deck. Of the 12 shots that carried into the cheap seats in Three Rivers Stadium history, Pops launched the most; this was his fourth and final second-tier homer. It broke up a gem by Gary Gentry; he had a shutout going into the eighth when a one-out infield single and 3-2 walk that raised the hackles of Bravo manager Eddie Matthews was followed by Willie’s blast. Briles went the distance for the win, sending Atlanta to their seventh straight loss. 

1985 - A Federal grand jury indicted seven for cocaine distribution and sales in baseball, none of which were Pirates (the players that testified were granted immunity). GM Joe Brown hoped the indictments would “...remove the shadow that has existed over the Pirates…” but his hope was in vain. The coke trials tainted the team’s freewheeling clubhouse culture and several Bucs, notably Dave Parker and Rod Scurry, in the eyes of the fans. 

1986 - Barry Bonds collected his first MLB hit, a first-inning double off Rick Honeycutt, as the Bucs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 at PNC Park. Bonds must have been excited; he was picked off second base a batter later. Bonds had debuted a day earlier, posting an 0-fer. Bill Almon’s two-run homer and Bob Kipper’s seven shutout innings keyed the win. Kip earned the victory and Pat Clements picked up the save by getting the final five outs. 

Barry Bonds 1986 Fleer

1988 - Not only did the Braves turn off the lights on the Pirates in an 11-1 thumping at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, but the Bucs were further left in the dark in the bottom of the eighth when the ballyard lights went out for 15 minutes. The game was already decided well before the blackout as the Bravos jumped ahead 8-0 after two frames, and as Barry Bonds noted of the blown fuse: “It just prolonged the agony.” It also once again proved that baseball is a funny game; Pittsburgh was the thumper the night before, winning the match by a 14-2 count. 

1992 - The Pirates and Giants had a true throwback game - the Bucs wore their 1939 uniforms with red lettering and blue piping while the Giants wore their 1939 pinstripes with “New York” emblazoned across their chests. The old-timey G-Men beat the Bucs 5-3, scoring three unearned runs off Zane Smith. It marked the first month since April, 1990, that the Pirates didn’t lead the division. Jimmy Leyland made no excuses: “We’re not in first place because we haven’t played like a first place team...” the skipper said of his 11-17 charges. That changed in a hurry - a sizzling finish put the Pirates comfortably atop the division by the time the smoke cleared, with 96 victories and a nine-game pad over the Nats. 

1994 - It wasn’t a good day to be a Pirate pitcher. San Diego scored 13 runs in the second inning on the way to a 15-5 whipping of the Bucs at Jack Murphy Stadium. Steve Cooke and John Hope were the hapless hurlers in that unlucky frame. The Bucs showed some spunk as Jay Bell spanked a grand slam and Brian Hunter added a solo shot, but too little, too late. 

2006 - Jose Castillo homered in his fifth straight game as the Pirates defeated Milwaukee 6-2 at PNC Park. Castillo hit a two-run shot off Chris Capuano in the second inning to continue a streak that began on the 26th against Houston’s Taylor Bucholtz, the third longest in franchise history behind Dale Long’s eight game streak and Jason Bay’s six-gamer (which had ended the day before). Ian Snell and three relievers combined on a three-hitter against the Brew Crew. 

2008 - SS Luis Rivas had four RBI, two runs scored, a homer and double as the Bucs pounded St. Louis 14-4 at Busch Stadium to ruin Tony LaRussa’s 2,000th game as St. Louis skipper. Ronny Paulino added three RBI with three hits and a homer of his own while Jose Bautista chipped in with four raps. Xavier Nady and Freddie Sanchez chipped in three hits. 

Luis Rivas - 2008 photo John Grieshop/Getty

2016 - Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that this date would be Roberto Clemente Day throughout MLB. The highlight of the celebration was to be a game between the Pirates and Miami Marlins at San Juan’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Unfortunately, the game was moved to Miami after a Zika outbreak on the island, and his special day was pushed back. His day of remembrance began in 2002, and starting in 2009 was marked by pre-game ceremonies around MLB with the teams presenting their Roberto Clemente Award to its nominee, with the overall winner announced after the World Series. In 2020, MLB made the date September 15th permanently to align with Hispanic Heritage Month. 

2023 - The Pirates whipped the Giants 9-4 at Oracle Park. Andrew McCutchen, Connor Joe and Ji Hwan Bae combined for eight hits, two walks and seven runs while Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes chased home five teammates. Mitch Keller ran his record to 7-1, with four relievers working the final three frames to shut the gate. For the Bucs, it was a big sigh of relief; it was the first series they had won in May. For Kell, it was another red letter day in his breakout start. He became the first pitcher in franchise history to put up 90+ whiffs before June 1st when he fanned eight to run his season total to 93, topping AJ Burnett’s mark of 89 Ks in 2013. He also added to his record skein of striking out 8+ batters, running it up to seven consecutive contests after passing up Ollie Perez's 2004 five-game streak, the previous high water mark, in his prior outing. 

2025 - Exactly 14 years after he made his Pittsburgh/MLB debut, IF Josh Harrison announced his retirement. J-Hay spent the first eight of his 13 big league seasons with the Pirates (2011-2018; .277) and was named to the National League All-Star squad twice (2014, 2017). He made his last appearance in the show in 2023 with Philadelphia, fittingly against the Bucs at PNC Park. 

2025 - With his 5-0 victory over the San Diego Padres, Bailey Falter’s 0.76 ERA in May became the third-lowest by any Pirate pitcher with six starts in a single month of the Live-Ball Era (since 1920), behind Zane Smith (0.66, September ‘90) & Paul Skenes (0.75, September ‘24) per the Pirates. Pittsburgh switched managers, going from Derek Shelton to Don Kelly, tied a MLB offensive ineptitude record and finished May with a 10-18 record, but Bailey posted a 3-0 slate and the Bucs were 4-2 during his six starts to help keep the leakin’ Buc brigantine afloat in choppy seas. His personal seas proved rougher - he was traded to KC in a deadline deal, lost his stroke and was DFA’ed on May 27, 2026.

5/30 Through the 1960s: Al-Tom, Leach-Solly, 3 For Scoops, Roberto Rally Rockets, Rizzo' 9 RBIs, 8 Trips, Game Days; HBP Al, Fido & Turkey

• 1878 - OF Mike “Turkey” Donlin was born in Peoria, Illinois. Mike played one of his 12 big league campaigns in Pittsburgh, hitting .316 as a 34-year-old in 1912. Known as "Turkey Mike" because of his strut, Donlin’s baseball career was held back by his bid for stage stardom. While a player, he spent three off seasons touring in a play called “Stealing Home” and after his retirement moved to Hollywood, where he appeared in 50+ films as a bit player. 
• 1892 - Mark “Fido” Baldwin, a native Pittsburgher alleged to have the best fastball in the league, tossed both ends of a Pirates doubleheader sweep of the Baltimore Orioles at Exposition Park, winning 11-1 and 4-3. Baldwin was a workhorse; he went 26-27/3.47 with 45 complete games and 440 IP in ’92. A more fitting nickname for Baldwin would have been “Doc.” After he left baseball, he earned his medical degree and practiced at Passavant Hospital. 
• 1893 - From Baseball Chronology: "Jake Beckley successfully pulls the 'ancient’ hidden-ball trick on Baltimore Oriole Joe Kelley as Pittsburgh wins 9-1.” The Bucs swept a doubleheader from the Birds (they were managed by former Pittsburgh field general Ned Hanlon, who in a three-year span skippered the Alleghenys, Burghers and Pirates) at Exposition Park, also claiming a 10-3 victory. It was a pretty good Pirates club; the team finished 81-48, five games behind the National League champs, the Boston Beaneaters. 
• 1894 - RHP Al Mamaux was born in Dormont, a kissin’ cousin suburb of Pittsburgh. He went to Duquesne University and pitched for the Pirates from 1913-17. Mamaux was 49-36/2.61 during that time, and had strong seasons in 1915-16, going 42-23 with back-to-back 21 win campaigns. He spent the off-season as a crowd pleaser of another sort, touring for two decades as a vaudeville singer touted as "The Golden Voice Tenor.” 
• 1912 - In a not-so-big deal, the Pirates sent veteran 3B/OF Tommy Leach and LHP Lefty Leifield to Chicago for UT Solly Hofman and RHP King Cole. Leach, 34, started the next two years for the Cubs and came back to retire as a Pirate in 1918. Lefty pitched five more seasons, with a four year stint in the PCL (1914-17), going 57-25. Cole lasted one year in Pittsburgh, going 2-2/6.43 while Hoffman played two years for the Pirates, playing 45 games and hitting .246. 

Possum Whitted - 1921 Exhibits

• 1921 - There were four NL doubleheaders on this date, and all four resulted in a sweep. The Pirates did their part by taking two from the Chicago Cubs at Forbes Field, 13-0 and 6-3. Jimmy Zinn tossed a five-hitter in the opener, backed by four RBI from George Cutshaw and Possum Whitted, with Max Carey scoring four times. The nitecap was led by Whitted and Walter Schmidt who both went 3-for-4, with Possum scoring three times and Schmidt driving in a pair. Chief Yellow Horse, the third Pirate pitcher, went 7-2/3 shutout innings for the win and recorded the only strikeout of the day by Pittsburgh’s moundsmen. 
• 1925 - The Pirates traded 26-year-old rookie 1B Al Niehaus, who became expendable after the signing of Stuffy McGinnis (and by batting .219), to the Cincinnati Reds for RHP Tom Sheehan. Niehaus finished the year with the Reds, batting .299 before being assigned to the minors, where he played another four years before retiring. Sheehan pitched until early 1926, then was sent back to the farm in June with a Bucco slash of 1-3-2/4.08 in 32 outings. He played another nine seasons before retiring as a player, picking 259 minor league wins without getting a callback to the show. Tom went on to coach for the Reds (1935–37), Dodgers (1938) and Braves (1944), later becoming a long-time minor league manager and scout for the Giants. 
• 1925 - The Pirates set a MLB record by hitting eight triples against the St. Louis Cardinals in spacious Forbes Field during the nitecap of a twinbill. Max Carey and Clyde Barnhart each banged out a pair of three-baggers while Kiki Cuyler, Pie Traynor (who added two doubles), Glenn Wright and Eddie Moore each had one. Barnhart had four hits, four runs and five RBI in the game as the Bucs ran their win streak to seven with a 15-5 romp. The Bucs took the opener 4-1 behind Emil Yde and four DPs. Max Carey had a pair of RBI and George Grantham had three hits, including two doubles, in that match. Every Pirates starter reached base safely; the club stranded 12 runners and had two more tossed out on the base paths. The Pirates collected 32 hits during the day. 

Emil Yde - 1925 photo Bain/Library of Congress

• 1927 - The Bucs lost the opener of a Forbes Field Memorial Day doubleheader to the Cubs, 7-6, in 10 innings, ending the Pirates 11-game win streak. The big play was made by Cubs’ SS Jimmy Cooney, who snared Paul Waner's liner, stepped on second to double up Little Poison, and then tagged Clyde Barnhart coming from first for an unassisted triple play. Pittsburgh came back to win the nitecap‚ 6-5‚ also in 10 innings. Lloyd Waner collected seven hits during the twin bill and Glenn Wright added five more knocks. 
• 1932 - The Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays played a Memorial Day weekend tripleheader. Pittsburgh captured the first two games by 4-1 and 10-0 scores at Greenlee Field in the Hill (the Crawfords home yard, named after owner Gus Greenlee), but fell to Cum Posey's Grays 9-2 in the evening finale played at Forbes Field, which had already hosted a Pirates-Reds doubleheader earlier in the day. Homestead pitcher George Britt won the closing match; he had caught the first two contests at Greenlee. 
• 1939 - Johnny Rizzo set a club record that still hasn’t been matched by driving in nine runs against the St. Louis Browns in a 14-8 win at Sportsman's Park, gaining a doubleheader split for the Pirates. He banged out five hits, including a pair of homers and two doubles. 
• 1947 - The Pirates walked off their second straight victory over Chicago when Billy Cox homered with two gone in the 10th inning to give Preacher Roe, who went the distance, a 2-1 win at Forbes Field in the opening game of a twin bill before 37,451 fans before losing the nightcap, 5-2. They had dropped the Cubbies the night before by a 7-6 count when they scored three times in the ninth, stringing together four hits and a walk to steal the dub from the Cubs. Clyde Kluttz’s single brought home pinch-runner Gene Mauch for Art Herring’s first (and only) win as a Pirate. 

Joe's walkoff - 5/31/1952 David Evans/Sun Telegraph

• 1952 - The 19,546 fans on hand at Forbes Field for a Friday twin bill between the Bucs and Cards were not being very well amused by their team. Pittsburgh lost the opener, 3-2, and Ronnie Kline gave up three runs in the ninth of the scoreless nightcap to put the Pirates in line for a Redbird brooming. But pinch hitter Joe Garagiola got the rooters into a proper weekend mood by swatting a two-out, three-run walkoff homer in the bottom half to give the home town a 4-3 victory, Joe’s first long ball of the campaign. The drive was a rare bright spot in this season; the win left the Bucs with a 9-33 mark and they finished the year in eighth place at 42-114, 54-1/2 games back. 
• 1958 - The Milwaukee Braves beat the Bucs and ElRoy Face, 7-4, at Forbes Field, scoring four times in the ninth to rally for victory. The Baron of the Bullpen came back strong; he wouldn’t lose again until September of 1959, claiming 22 straight wins. The second game went the Bucs way, 12-6; Pittsburgh banged out 18 hits w/five doubles and two three-baggers to overcome four solo homers by Milwaukee. Dick Groat and Bill Mazeroski each had four Pirate knocks, together scoring seven times and chasing four runs home. Howie Goss got the win, following Curt Rayburn and Ron Blackburn on the bump. The holiday bill drew 32,428 fans. 
• 1966 - Roberto Clemente went deep in both games of Pittsburgh’s doubleheader sweep of the Cubs at Forbes Field. Roberto tied the score with a solo shot in the first game, leading to a 3-2 victory in game one. Arriba then led Pittsburgh’s comeback in the second game with a two-run blast in the seventh inning that put the Bucs ahead for good, 4-3, (they won 5-3) to complete the brooming. Relievers Pete Mikkelson and Al McBean were credited with the victories. 
• 1969 - Al Oliver started a triple play that saw him get two putouts and two assists during the action against Houston at Forbes Field. With Jesus Alou at first and Doug Rader at second, Johnny Edwards grounded to Scoops, who took the out and then relayed the ball to Gene Alley at second. Alley chased Alou back and flipped to Oliver for the tag. Meanwhile Rader, who had stayed on second thinking Edwards had hit a line drive, broke for third late when the light went on but Oliver gunned him down with Richie Hebner slapping the tag. The Bucs won the twinbill opener, 9-3. Al had two of the Bucs 17 hits as Jim Bunning cruised to victory. The nightcap didn’t go so well as Bob Moose and Chuck Hartenstine got roughed up in a 9-6 defeat. Matty Alou and Billy Maz each had three hits but the Pirates couldn’t keep up with the ‘Stros.

5/30 From 1970: El Coffe Slam, Tiger Duels, Hammering Jose, Lofton's 26-Gamer, AVS in CF, Top Tier, Game Days; RIP Max, HBD Luis & Tony

• 1971 - Willie Stargell launched a Ken Holtzman pitch into the upper deck in right field, the third of four that he’d ship to the top tier at TRS in his career, to cap a 10-0 win over the Cubs. Roberto Clemente and Bob Robertson also went long. Bob Moose didn’t need much help; he fired a three-hitter and fanned seven. 
• 1974 - Bob Moose had surgery to remove a blood clot from his arm after it had swollen to double its size. The clot wasn’t thought to be baseball related, but it cost Moose the rest of the season as one of his ribs also had to be removed. He was having an outlier year anyway, with a 1-5 record and 7.57 ERA, easily the worst numbers of his career and related to his arm woes. Moose never again reached the 100 IP mark after averaging 213 IP and 30 starts in 1972-73 before meeting a tragic end in a car wreck after the 1976 campaign. 
• 1976 - OF Max Carey passed away in Miami. In 17 Pirates seasons, he hit .287 (a strong average for the deadball era; his OPS+ was 111) with 688 stolen bases and a reputation as the best center fielder in the game who was nicknamed “Scoop” for his ability to catch balls hit in front of him. Max won a NL-record 10 stolen base titles and ranks among the top ten all-time in outfield chances per game (6,937 total), seventh in assists (339), and third in double plays (87). After he retired following the 1929 campaign, Carey went on to be a Pirates coach in 1930, then was the skipper of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932-33. After baseball, he was involved in Florida real estate, wrote a book & several sporting articles, was a horse racing commissioner, and dabbled in politics. Carey was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1961 by the Veterans Committee. 
• 1977 - Dave Parker was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the story “Battle Royale In the East.” The Buccos finished second in the National League East race with 96 wins, five games behind the Phils. The Cobra was an All-Star, played in a team-high 159 games w/21 HR and led the NL with a .338 BA. 

• 1985 - LHP Tony Watson was born in Sioux City, Iowa. The ninth round pick of the 2007 draft was a converted starter that moved to the pen, and made his debut with the Bucs in 2010, evolving into a solid bridge man for the Pirates and then taking over the eighth inning role in spectacular fashion, posting a 1.63 ERA with a couple of saves, 34 holds and 9.4 K per nine innings to earn a spot on the 2014 All-Star team. The media coined the phrase "It's elementary, Watson" to describe his consistent excellence. Tony took over the closer’s role in the summer of 2016 and held it until he was traded to the Dodgers at the deadline in 2017 (he notched 30 saves as a Bucco) and was replaced by Felipe Rivero (Vazquez). He then spent three years with the Giants before returning to LA and closed out the year once again with San Francisco, retiring in 2022. 
• 1987 - The Pirates lost, 6-2, to the Cincinnati Reds at TRS, powered by red-hot Eric Davis’ third-inning grand slam off Dorn Taylor. But one notable move was made by Jimmy Leyland that would pay dividends over the upcoming years: it was the first time he played Andy Van Slyke in centerfield, bumping Barry Bonds to left. AVS had started the ‘87 season, his first as a Bucco, as the right fielder, but after today spent the remainder of his Pirates career as the outfield keystone (Baltimore played him in right for one game in 1995). 
• 1988 - Bucco bats banged at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium as the Pirates ran roughshod over the Braves and Pete Smith, 14-2. Pittsburgh drilled 18 hits - all 11 players that batted had at least a hit - and the top of the order (Barry Bonds, Jose Lind, Andy Van Slyke) scored seven times. Bobby Bonilla had three hits, including a homer, and Bonds also went deep to allow Doug Drabek (who tripled in two runs and scored) to coast to victory. But the Bravos paid the Bucs back in spades by winning the final pair of games by 11-1 and, holy deja vu, 14-2. 
• 1996 - RHP Luis Escobar was born in Cartagena, Columbia. He signed with the Pirates as an international free agent, and despite having played just 20 or so games combined at the AA & AAA levels, was briefly called to Pittsburgh in 2019. Luis, 23, threw goose eggs in his first three outings while dodging raindrops (he posted a 2.471 WHIP) before the Cards roughed him up, and after that he was returned to Indy. He’s now tossing in the Mexican League. 
• 1998 - Jason Kendall hit a walkoff, bases-loaded single to cap a three-run ninth and give the Pirates an 8-7 win over the Montreal Expos at TRS. It was Kendall’s third hit of the day and his second RBI. Manny Martinez homered and Kevin Young banged out four hits. Three Pirate relievers tossed four goose eggs, with Jason Christiansen earning the victory. 

Jason Kendall - Topps Tek 52

• 2003 - Kenny Lofton homered against the Cards in a 7-3 win by Jeff Suppan to keep his 26-game hitting streak alive, tying Danny O’Connell’s modern-day mark set in 1953. He would go 0-fer the next day against the Cards during a 4-3 Pirates victory, falling short of tying the club record set by Jimmy Williams in 1899. Brian Giles picked up the slack with a homer and three RBI to carry Kip Wells to victory. 
• 2004 - The Raul Mondesi saga officially ended when the outfielder signed a $1.75M deal with the Anaheim Angels. He left the Pirates on May 7th after signing as a free agent ($1.15M) to return home to deal with a lawsuit and family safety issues. He never came back; it was all a ploy to get out of the Pirates agreement and head for greener pastures. Pittsburgh could have opted to keep him on the restricted list until the cows came home (and in hindsight, should have; that way they might have gotten some compensation for his flip) but instead washed their hands of him when he failed to report on the team-mandated “drop dead” date of May 18th, terminating his contract the next day. 
• 2006 - The Bucs walloped the Milwaukee Brewers, 12-1, at PNC Park behind a pair of Jose Castillo homers. Jose added a single and double to chase home six runs while scoring three times. Freddy Sanchez also had four knocks and Jack Wilson added three more hits as the Pirates collected 17 raps, seven for extra bases, to help Victor Santos to victory. 
• 2013 - For the second time in three days, the Pirates defeated the Detroit Tigers, 1-0, in 11 innings. The Bucs used four pitchers - Mark Melancon got the win - and a Neil Walker homer to squeak by at Comerica Park on the 28th, then came home to PNC Park and won with Bryan Morris and five other pitchers, clinched by a Russell Martin walk-off single. This one was a stolen victory as the Tigers stranded 11 runners during the game. The victory was the club’s fourth 1-0 win in an 11-game span and their 16th win in the past 20 contests. 
• 2016 - The Pirates rolled over Miami at Marlins Park, 10-0. Gregory Polanco hit his first MLB grand slam, Sean Rodriguez added a two-run blast, and David Freese went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored. The big story was lefty Jeff Locke, who pitched a complete game shutout, the first time he had gone the distance in 101 career starts. It was the Bucs first CG since 2014, when Vance Worley went wire-to-wire. Locke gave up three hits without a walk, and thanks to two DPs, faced the minimum number of batters until two were gone in the ninth when he was touched for a bloop single. It was a textbook example of pitching to contact; the Pirate southpaw had just one whiff.

5/29 Through 1964: Earl-Rollie, Stuffy Signs, Tip Top, 8-Straight, Trip Trips, Game Days, Big Bill Visits, MLB Sport Not Biz, HBD Hitch & Jim

• 1884 - The Alleghenys were no-hit by Columbus Buckeyes hurler Ed “Cannonball” Morris at Recreation Park during a 5-0 whitewash. Morris walked just one in a near perfect performance. The Allies had been no-hit just five days earlier by Al Atkinson of the Philadelphia Athletics, who hit the first batter and was perfect the rest of the way. Cannonball joined the Alleghenys the following year and won 129 games over the next five seasons. He played a final year with the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players League in 1890 before retiring to run his Northside bar.
• 1895 - Jake Beckley blasted a three-run homer in the ninth to give the Pirates an 8-6 win over the Washington Senators at Boundary Park. The 1B ended the year with five homers, second on the team to Jake Stenzel’s seven, with a club-leading 111 RBI. The win left the Pirates in first with a 22-8 slate, but it wouldn’t last. They last held a piece of the top spot on July 18th, then finished the rest of the year at 30-34 and in seventh place, 17 games behind the Baltimore Orioles (the NL version of the O’s were contracted out in 1899 when the league cut teams and was then reorganized and resurrected in 1901 as an AL franchise). 
• 1901 - 3B Jim Stroner was born in Chicago. Jim hit .367 w/42 HR for Wichita in 1928 and the Pirates brought him to camp the following season to take Pie Traynor’s place at third; manager Donie Bush wanted to move Pie to shortstop to replace the traded Glenn Wright. Despite the bona fides and the tutelage of Traynor, Stroner only lasted six games (he was 3-for-8 hitting, but made three errors in seven chances at the hot corner) before he was sent to the minors. He had a convergence of tough luck - he wasn’t nearly at 100% physically, having undergone an appendectomy in the off season, and he wasn’t quite there mentally either, still recovering from the loss of his mother and wife, both who had passed away in the past year. Stroner never got another shot at the ring; he played in the minors through 1939 before retiring. As for Pie, the SS thing didn’t work out; he hurt his back and moved back to third while Dick Bartell took over at short. 
• 1905 - Dave Brain tied a modern-day MLB record with three triples in the same game when the Pirates lost a 6-3 decision to the St. Louis Cardinals at Exposition Park. Brain would repeat the feat in a game against Boston later during the season, becoming the first player to accomplish the triple-triple twice in one season. It was feast or famine in regards to three-baggers for the infielder; they were the only six triples he hit during his sole campaign with Pittsburgh. 

Dave Brain - 1909 American Tobacco

• 1909 - President William “Big Bill” Taft visited Exposition Park (Forbes Field would open a month later) to catch a Bucs-Cubs match, and made himself at home in the cheap seats, delighting the 14,091 fans. The Pirates weren’t so delighted, though, as they went down to Three Finger Brown in 11 innings, 8-3, with Lefty Leifield taking the loss. The Prez must have made the Buccos nervous as the loss was the only time the team was defeated in a 19 game stretch. 
• 1921 - At Redland Field, Clyde Barnhart hit a ninth inning inside-the-park homer to tie the game with the Reds, 2-2. He circled the sacks after his ball was swallowed up by the right field tarp, considered in-play by the ground rules. It didn’t help as Pittsburgh lost 4-3 in 13 frames. But the freaky dinger did spoil what would have been the longest no-homer streak of the modern era - it was the only four-bagger that Cincy twirler Eppa Rixey allowed in 301 innings of work. 
• 1922 - In a decision that was pretty big for the Pirates and all MLB, the US Supreme Court ruled that organized baseball was a sport, not a business, and exempted it from antitrust and interstate commerce laws. The suit was brought on by the Federal League’s Baltimore Terrapins, who sued both the American and National Leagues for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. 
• 1925 - 1B Jack “Stuffy” McInnis was signed as a free agent after being cut loose in late April by the Boston Braves. The vet was inked as Bucco depth, getting into 106 games over two seasons while starting 64 of his appearances. His bat still held up; in 1925-26, he hit .337 for Pittsburgh. McInnis hit .286 during the 1925 World Series championship against the Washington Senators. He replaced George Grantham at first midway through the set and provided a steady bat and been-there, done-that clubhouse leadership as it was his fifth October Classic. He played one more game after leaving Pittsburgh for his original club, Philadelphia, in 1927 before hanging ‘em up after 19 seasons with a lifetime .307 BA to become the Phils’ manager. In 1928, Stuffy moved on as player-manager of the Salem Witches in the New England League, then went on to coach baseball at Norwich University, Cornell and Harvard into the 1950s. 
• 1928 - 2B Norma “Hitch” Dearfield Whitney was born in McKeesport. She played fast-pitch softball as a youth and after tryouts at the hometown Renziehausen Park, Hitch got to play with the All American Girls Professional Baseball League’s Chicago Colleens in 1949 and the South Bend Blue Sox in 1950 (no stats available). An injury while with South Bend in 1950 forced her to retire. She returned home, coached girls softball and was a member of the board of directors of the McKeesport Softball League. 

Pie Traynor - 1961 Golden Press

• 1929 - The Pirates leapfrogged the Cubs into a first place tie with the Cards after a 7-2 win at Forbes Field, their eighth victory in a row. Paul Waner had a triple, two runs scored, and two RBI. Pie Traynor added a pair of knocks with a three-bagger and three runs chased home; Dick Bartell also had two hits. Rookie Steve Swetonic held the Cubs scoreless for seven frames before fading and notched the win with help from Carmen Hill. Though the Bucs would jockey for first throughout July, they finished the campaign with 88 wins, 10-1/2 games behind the Cubs, never recovering from a blah August (13-16) that dropped them out of contention. 
• 1931 - C Earl Grace, 24, was traded by the Cubs with cash to the Pirates for C Rollie Hemsley, also 24. Grace caught five years for the Bucs, starting from 1932-34, and hit .275 over that span, retiring after 1937 with the Phils. Hemsley ended up playing 15 more seasons for five different teams after leaving Pittsburgh, hitting .262 and playing on five All-Star teams. 
• 1955 - At the age of 20 years and 284 days, Roberto Clemente became the second youngest player to hit three doubles in a game in MLB history, behind the Braves’ Eddie Mathews (ironically against the Pirates in 1952). The Bucs beat the Phillies 11-5 at Forbes Field in the nightcap of a twin bill. The young Clemente was the leadoff hitter, and banged his two-baggers off three different pitchers while going 5-for-5. Every Pirate starter had a hit. Dick Groat had four knocks, Frank Thomas went long and Max Surkont got the win after relieving in the first match. The Buccos dropped the opener 5-2; Thomas had a homer in that contest, too. 
• 1960 - Vern Law and Robin Roberts had uncharacteristically meh days at Forbes Field as the Bucs jumped off to a 6-0 lead after two frames and held off the Phils, 8-5. The top of the Pirates order - Don Hoak, Dick Groat, Bob Skinner & Rocky Nelson - went 9-for-17 with five RBI/five runs to lead the attack, with Bill Mazeroski and reliever Fred Green (who also earned the save of The Deacon’s victory) adding solo blasts. The win moved the Bucs into a tie for first with the Giants, and they stayed in the top spot for the remainder of the campaign, taking the flag by seven games over the Milwaukee Braves.