5/28 Through the 1970s: Dale Goes Long For 8th Straight, Crazy Hop, Protest Win, Game Days; HBD Alex, Kirk, Sarge, Steve, Reddy & King

• 1881 - RHP James “King” Brady was born in Elmer, New Jersey. King worked two of his five MLB seasons with the Bucs in 1906-07, and didn’t get much work, going 1-1/2.16 in four starts while giving up an average of 11.5 hits every nine innings before he was shipped to the minors early in 1907 after taking a liner off the bean. He spent eight years on the farm, winning 85 games. It’s thought that a Pittsburgh writer gave him his moniker after a good outing. 
• 1903 - OF Romer “Reddy” Grey, brother of author Zane Grey (they were both originally Grays; their dad allegedly changed the spelling to dodge some bills), made his MLB bow as a Buc. He went 1-for-3 in his only big league game as the Pirates beat Boston, 7-6. Grey scored a run, knocked in another, drew a walk, and caught the only ball hit his way in the OF. He played on loan from the nearby Worcester minor league club as the Pirates, due to some injuries and personal issues, found themselves short handed for the game against the Beaneaters at the South End Grounds. Grey was an early AAAA ballplayer; he never found a home in MLB but had a career .311 minor league batting average. His author brother was also a ballplayer in his younger days; he even played at Pitt briefly. They were teammates on both the Jaxons and Findlay Sluggers of the Interstate League in 1895, and Zane went on to pen several baseball themed stories. 
• 1919 - LHP Steve Nagy was born in Franklin, New Jersey. Steve was teammates with a couple of famous folk, TV star Chuck “The Rifleman” Connors (who played for the Dodgers and the Cubs before going on to Hollywood) at Seton Hall University and Jackie Robinson as a Montreal Royal. He pitched briefly in the majors for two years, spending 1947 as a Pirates reliever and going 1-3/5.79. Steve missed time during WW2 while in the navy, but still managed to play 14 minor-league campaigns before he retired from the game after the 1958 season. 

Steve Nagy - 1947 photo Baseball Hall of Fame

• 1921 - Pittsburgh protested their 10-inning 4-3 loss to the Reds and won. After Reds P Dolf Luque misfired the ball into the Cincinnati dugout, Clyde Barnhart was called out going to third when the ball was tossed back into the field. The Pirates said no way; it was a dead ball, and NL president Heydler agreed. The game was later replayed from that point (it was 3-3), and the Bucs took full advantage of their second chance, turning the tables to win 4-3 on June 30. 
• 1923 - LHP Bob “Sarge” Kuzava was born in Wyandotte, Michigan. Bob spent 10 years in MLB, stopping in Pittsburgh for four appearances lasting two innings in 1957. It was the last big league season for the 34-year-old; he was sold to the Cards and got three final outings. He began his career as a starter and finished it as a reliever/spot starter, with his highlights in 1952 when he went 2-2/3 no-hit innings for the Yankees to save the seventh game of the World Series against Brooklyn after closing out the clinching sixth game the year before with a perfect ninth inning to defeat the Giants, 4-3. Kuzava was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He got his nickname of Sarge after spending three years during WW2 in Burma. 
• 1956 - 30-year-old first baseman Dale Long added to his major league mark by hitting a home run in his eighth consecutive game, a 3-2 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers at Forbes Field. The liner was hit off of Carl Erskine in front of 32,221 Forbes Field fans, the largest crowd for a night game in Pittsburgh in almost six years, who didn’t settle down after the record blast until the lefty slugger took a curtain call, said to be the first in Pirates history. Bob Friend also stood out, tossing a complete game two-hitter. Long was lauded in the US Senate by Carnegie Senator James Duff for his feat. The record was later tied by Don Mattingly (1987) and Ken Griffey, Jr. (1993). Brooklyn’s Don Newcombe closed out the book the next day as Long went 0-for-4. Dale finished the season with a career-high 27 long balls, the first of four 20+ HR seasons in five years, not a bad mark for a guy who didn’t get a chance to play every day until he was 29 years old. Long’s streak carried the Pirates, who won seven-of-eight during his run but still finished in seventh place (66-88 record). 

Kirk Gibson - 1992 Pinnacle

• 1957 - OF Kirk Gibson was born in Pontiac, Michigan. He spent 1992 as a Pirate toward the end of his 17-year MLB run, coming over from Kansas City in a swap for LHP Neal Heaton, and the 35-year-old was released in May after hitting .196. He closed out the final three years of his career with the Detroit Tigers after Sparky Anderson talked him out of retirement. The 1988 World Series hero has since worked as a coach, manager and announcer. 
• 1960 - Roberto Clemente was on third and Hal Smith on first with two outs in the eighth inning with Maz up at Forbes Field. He fanned, waving at a Rube Goldberg pitch that hit in the front of the plate, ricocheted off umpire Al Barlick and back to Phillies pitcher Jim Owens. Maz froze, Smith jogged to second and Clemente went halfway down the line. Owens chased Roberto as his bench called for him to throw to first, which he either didn’t hear or ignored. Caught in a run-down, Clemente knocked the ball out of C Jim Coker's glove to tie the score at 2-2, and the Pirates went on to win 4-2 in the 13th inning on Don Hoak's two-run dinger. 
• 1963 - Called out at first on a bang-bang play for the second time in the game, Roberto Clemente twice jostled umpire Bill Jackowski while arguing the decision. Clemente was ejected, and skipper Danny Murtaugh got his Irish up, challenging the man in blue to duke it out until the Irishman was pulled away. The Great One was fined $250 and suspended for five days by the league. To top the day off, the Pirates lost 5-1 to the Phils at Forbes Field. 
• 1977 - OF/1B Alex Hernandez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Alex was taken by Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 1995 draft and spent two campaigns with the Pirates from 2001-02, getting into 27 games and hitting .183. After time in the Reds and Rays systems, he spent his last couple of pro seasons playing indie ball and in the Puerto Rican Winter League before retiring in 2006.

5/28 From 1980: Key Crank, Duelin', Jay's 6-Gamer, Mack Daddy, Big Innings, On-Base Bonds, Game Days, Candy Shopped

• 1985 - Bob Hertzel of the Pittsburgh Press wrote that the Pirates recently deposed GM, Pete Peterson, was talking trade with the Detroit Tigers by dangling lefty John Candelaria, who was approaching his 5-and-10 year veteran trade status. While the return package was just speculation, it was thought that Pirates were interested in OF Larry Herndon, RHP Juan Berenguer and 3B/C Marty Castillo in some combination. The deal had some legs; scouts for both sides were visiting one another’s farms and the brass said they’d continue to talk even with Pete gone. Candy Man was being shopped hard and eventually ended up with the Angels as part of a six-man deal on August 2nd. 
• 1988 - The Pirates whipped the Reds 5-2 at Riverfront Stadium behind an unstoppable leadoff man Barry Bonds. BB went 2-for-2 and walked three times, scoring three runs with an RBI to rev the Bucco engine. Bobby Bonilla and Darnell Coles both added a single and double to help Bob Walk to earn the win following a Bob Kipper hold & Jeff Robinson save. 
• 1990 - Memorial Day seemed like it was going to be more memorable for Dodger pitcher Tim Belcher, who was working on a one-hitter through eight innings at TRS, than anything the Bucs would do. But in the end, the Pirates provided the holiday fireworks, scoring five times in the ninth off two Dodger relievers to take an improbable 6-5 win from LA. The Bucs trimmed the lead to 5-3 and loaded the bases with two down in the final frame. With the runners going, Chico Lind spanked a full count liner through the right side. Bobby Bo scored and RF’er Hubie Brooks tried to cut down the tying run, Gary Redus, at the plate. The throw was up the line and C Mike Scioscia tried to snatch the ball and swipe the runner while still blocking the dish. His ballet by the plate didn’t pan out; he whiffed on the throw entirely and it rolled to the back wall, allowing Don Slaught to lumber in from first to score the game winner for Bill Landrum, who had worked the ninth frame for Pittsburgh. The game did have a hot sidebar; a continuation of a beanball war, although denied by the several pitchers involved, led to a couple of loud confrontations and the ejection of the Pirates Randy Kramer. 

Chico Lind - 1990 Topps Sticker

• 2001 - The Pirates put up a seven-spot in the eighth to erase a 5-1 deficit against the Marlins at PNC Park and send the fans home happy with an 8-5 victory on Memorial Day. The big frame featured a little of everything, from two Fish errors to a three-run bomb by Pat Meares, before Mike Williams sealed the deal with a scoreless ninth to save Jose Mesa’s win. Pirates starter Omar Oliveras was long gone while the Miami loss was absorbed by former Bucco reliever Dan Miceli. 
• 2004 - In the lidlifter of a twin bill, utilityman Rob Mackowiak smacked a two-out, walk-off grand slam for a 9-5 Pirates victory barely nine hours after his wife, Jennifer, gave birth to their first child, Garrett Matthew. Chicago’s Matt Clement had a tough outing with a wild pitch and plunks of Bobby Hill, Jason Kendall and Craig Wilson in the fifth frame of the opener (the three HBP in an inning tied the modern era MLB record), opening the gates to a four-run frame. In the second game, Mack drilled a two-run shot in the ninth, the 500th homer at PNC Park, into the same right center field seats as the one he hit three hours earlier to send the nitecap into extra innings, later won by Craig Wilson’s 10th inning homer, for a 5-4 sweep of the Cubs. It was the first time since 1967 that a team won both ends of a doubleheader via walk-off homers. 
• 2006 - The Pirates lost to the Astros 5-4 at PNC Park. Houston scored four times in the ninth inning off three different Pirate pitchers to tie the game, then won it in the 10th on a Preston Wilson knock off Salomon Torres. The game did have a bright side. Jason Bay homered off Fernando Nieve in the fourth frame to run his consecutive game HR streak to six contests, the second longest in Pirate history after Dale Long’s 1956 eight-game streak, that started on the 22nd against Arizona’s Orlando Hernandez. Bay had a pair of bombs on the 20th, too, giving him nine home runs in nine games. 
• 2011 - Four Pirates (Andrew McCutchen, Lyle Overbay, Chris Snyder and Ronnie Cedeno) went long off three different Chicago pitchers as Pittsburgh whipped the Cubs, 10-1, at Wrigley Field. Paul Maholm dominated the Bruins, tossing a three-hitter for the complete game victory. 

Neil Walker - 2013 Topps

• 2013 - The Bucs rode strong pitching and an 11th-inning home run by Neil Walker off Jose Ortega to edge the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park 1-0 despite striking out 14 times. Jeanmar Gomez and Rick Porcello started the game while Jason Grilli finished it in style with swinging strikeouts of Motown’s Torii Hunter, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. It was “Grilled Cheese” Grilli’s 21st save and preserved Mark “The Shark” Melancon’s first win as a Pirate. 
• 2022 - With a fireworks crowd of 38,000+ on hand at Petco Park, the Padres carried a 2-1 lead into the ninth against the Bucs with Taylor Rogers on the hill. Diego Castillo opened with a double and Tucupita Marcano walked. An out later, Ke’Bryan Hayes came up looking for his first homer of the season - he had gone 173 PAs/151 ABs without a long ball - and he ended both his streak and Rogers’, who hadn’t given up a dinger all year, when he sent a slider over the wall in straightaway center for an unlikely 4-2 comeback win. Hayes joined good company - the last player to go 150 or more at bats without a homer to begin a season and then hit a go-ahead homer in the ninth frame or later for his first was Tony Gwynn on June 5, 1996, per Stats by Stats. Key had three of the Pirates eight hits after sitting out the series opener with a sore back. JT Brubaker started, Anthony Banda was credited with the win, and Dave Bednar got the save; The Friars stranded 16 runners against bend-but-don’t-break Bucco pitching. Closer Bednar was part of the Joe Musgrove deal, and Big Joe was the night’s San Diego starter. 
• 2025 - For the fifth time in seven games, the bats continued to boom for the Bucs, again putting up five+ runs. Paul Skenes finally got some support (his mates had averaged fewer than two runs per outing for him: today was his first win in six May starts, despite a 1.91 ERA for the month), leaving in the seventh frame (four hits, seven Ks in 6-2/3 IP) with an 8-0 bulge at Arizona on the way to an eventual 10-1 dub. Oneil Cruz homered w/three RBI, Isiah Kiner-Falefa had three hits/three runs scored/two RBI and Henry Davis & Jared Triolo added a pair of knocks.

5/27: Mizell-Javier, 2-Out Lightning, Bay 5-Gamer, DD 1-Hitter, King Ken, Comeback Kids, Coop Run, Game Days, HYPO; HBD Nick, Tanner, Jacob, Ross, Terry & George

• 1921 - Wilbur Cooper won his eighth straight game 5-4 at Forbes Field when the Pirates pushed across a ninth inning run against Cincinnati; all eight of Coop’s victories during the streak were complete games. Rabbit Maranville’s sac fly brought in Walter Schmidt with the winning tally in the home half of the ninth. Maranville also tripled and scored twice for the Pirates. Between June and July, Cooper would catch fire again and went on an 8-of-10 win spree, and his two hot spells carried him to a 22-win season for the Pirates despite a late swoon. 
• 1927 - The Pirates overcame a 7-1 deficit by scoring six times in the sixth and seventh innings to defeat the St. Louis Cards by an 8-7 count in 10 innings at Forbes Field. They ran their victory streak to nine games; it reached 11 before being snapped. Kiki Cuyler had three hits to spark the Bucs. Guy Bush pitched three innings of one-hit ball for the win. 
• 1929 - RHP George O’Donnell was born in Winchester, Illinois. The epitome of a AAAA player, the knuckleballer was signed out of high school by St. Louis in 1948 but only got one MLB shot, pitching for the Pirates in 1954 when he slashed 3-9/4.53, amazingly good numbers considering he only struck out eight batters in 87-1/3 IP. O'Donnell tossed in the minors through 1961 as part of the Browns, Pirates, LA Dodgers and Senators systems. George appeared in 530 MiLB games w/1,948 IP and a career 127-93/3.44 line with two 20-win campaigns. He also played in Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. 
• 1949 - Terry Collins was born in Midland, Michigan. He started as an infielder in the Pirates system from 1971-74, and eventually the former manager of the Houston Astros, Anaheim Angels and New York Mets ended up the skipper of Pittsburgh’s AAA Buffalo squad from 1989-91 (he won 246 games with the Bisons and was inducted into the Buffalo Sports HoF). Collins then replaced Gene Lamont on Jim Leyland’s staff in 1992, serving for two seasons before landing the ‘Stros head job in 1994. He’s served as a broadcast analyst since 2019. 
• 1955 - LHP Ross Baumgarten was born in Highland Park, Illinois. Ross tossed the last of his five big league campaigns with Pittsburgh in 1982, coming to town as the key piece of the Vance Law deal that was struck during camp, and went 0-5/6.75. Ross, who finished fourth in the Rookie-of-the-Year voting in 1979, hurt his arm as a Pirate, though the source of the injury remains a mystery to even him. He told Ed Sherman of Spotlight Stories “I went to see seven of the top doctors in the country, and I got like seven different diagnoses. In those days it was totally different than now. You know, there was no MRIs.” But he landed on his feet, using his U of Florida training to land a job in finance in 1984 and has been building portfolios ever since along with coaching high school ball. 

Ross Baumgarten - 1983 Topps

• 1956 - On the way home from a Philadelphia rainout, 1B Dale Long took a detour and stopped in NYC as a guest of Ed Sullivan on his show “Toast of the Town” after hitting homers in seven straight games to set the record. Following that appearance, he hurried back to Pittsburgh and banged one more long ball in his eighth consecutive contest against Brooklyn the next night, capping his streak. 
• 1960 - Pittsburgh acquired 29-year-old LHP Wilmer "Vinegar Bend" Mizell from the Cardinals, along with UT Dick Gray, for minor leaguers IF Julian Javier and RHP Ed Bauta. Javier held down 2B for the Redbirds for a dozen seasons, batting .258, and made two All Star teams, but he was blocked in Pittsburgh by a guy named Bill Mazeroski. Vinegar Bend went 13-5 for the Bucs with a 3.15 ERA, solidifying their staff during their Championship run. 
• 1963 - The Pirates and Indians held an interleague exhibition game at Forbes Field to help the Pirates Youth Organization program HYPO - “Help Young Players Organize” - that began with a special pregame ceremony for the Tribes’ Sam McDowell and Tito Francona, both local guys. The Pirates returned the favor in August, playing in Cleveland to help support its youth baseball programs. The Bucs won the contest 10-9 in what the paper described as a “sandlot game,” which seems appropriate, considering that it featured six errors between the clubs. 
• 1965 - OF Jacob Brumfield was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Jacob spent the middle part of his seven year career as a Pirate from 1995-96, traded here for Danny Clyburn. He hit .268 in Pittsburgh before being dealt to Toronto for a minor league player. He’s best remembered for his head-on collision with fellow outfielder Dave Clark. The two met full speed ahead and Clark broke his collarbone while Brumfield had 15 stitches worth of cuts on his face. 1999 was his final MLB year, followed by a season in the minors and one more season playing indie ball. 
• 1974 - It was a big day for Ken Brett in a DH sweep against the San Diego Padres at TRS. In the opener, he carried a perfect game into the ninth, settling for a two-hit 6-0 win in a game that wasn’t decided until the Bucs put up a five spot in the eighth. With that, it took all of 1:38 to play. In the nitecap, his two-run pinch hit triple primed a five-run seventh that keyed the Bucs 8-7 victory (the match was eventually won in the ninth on a two-run, two-out homer by Richie Hebner). Brett ended the day going 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored and three RBI to go along with his two-hitter in one of the Bucs’ top “do it all” performances. 

Kenny Brett - 1974 Topps

• 1991 - Doug Drabek beat the heat (it was 94 out) and the second-place Cards at Busch Stadium in front of 40,667 fans, throwing a 91-pitch, one-hit shutout as the Bucs won 8-0. Bernard Gilkey's two-out single was the only knock against Doug, who issued no walks but served up a lot of routine outs, striking out just a pair. He had plenty of offensive help as the Pirates banged out 15 hits, with Jay Bell going yard and doubling while Mitch Webster spanked a pair of triples. The top of the order - Orlando Merced, Bell & Andy Van Slyke - scored six runs and drove in four. 
• 1993 - RHP Tanner Anderson was born in Boynton Beach, Florida. The Bucs drafted him in the 20th round of the 2015 draft as a senior from Harvard. Tanner worked his way through the system as both a starter and reliever; from the pen, he was 1-1-1/2.86 for AAA Indianapolis and got a call to the big club in late June of 2018. He was rocked in his first outing against the LA Dodgers, and sent down. He won his first MLB game against the Brewers after being recalled in July. Tanner was sent to Oakland in an off-season minor-league deal (the Pirates got 19-year-old RHP Wilkin Ramos). He then became a baseball nomad, tossing ball in the indie, Chinese, Dominican Winter and Mexican leagues, last twirling for Monterrey in 2025 before hangin’ up the spikes. 
• 1999 - IF Nick Gonzales was born in Vail, Arizona. The Pirates first round pick in 2020 (#7 overall) from New Mexico State, Nick went from college walk-on to the Pirates top pick, signing for a slot value bonus of $5,432,400. He’s played 2B (his likeliest position), SS and 3B in the minors, but a season lost to Covid followed by a broken finger and an unseemly strikeout rate kept him on the back burner. In 2023, he started the year at Indy, put up a good month after an adjustment period (it was his first AAA exposure) and was called up to the big team in June. Gonzales again started the campaign at Indy in ‘24, raked there and returned to the majors in May, batting his way into a starting role. He hit .270 and entered the 2025 campaign as the starter at second base. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle injury after homering on Opening Day ‘25 and missed two months. In 2026, the pick up of Brandow Lowe and an injury to Jared Triolo flipped Nick to the hot corner. 
• 2006 - The Pirates won an 18-inning match at PNC Park 8-7 against the Astros when Jason Bay flattened Houston catcher Eric Munson at the plate to score on Jose Bautista’s shallow sac fly. The game time of five hours, 49 minutes tied it as the longest contest ever played in Pittsburgh. Bay also hit a homer in his fifth consecutive game, the first Pirate player to do so since Dale Long in 1956, and with that blow he became the first player in club history to hit nine home runs in a nine-game span for the team. 

Jason Bay - 2006 Upper Deck First Pitch

• 2015 - The Pirates scored five times in the seventh against the Miami Marlins after the bases were empty with two outs to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 5-2 win at PNC Park for their sixth victory in a row. The Bucs stayed alive as Chris Stewart, Jose Tabata and Josh Harrison singled, scoring a run. Pedro Alvarez dribbled one through the SS hole against the shift to bring home the tying tally, then Andrew McCutchen walked to load the bases. Starling Marte took a 3-2 pitch down and away for a run-producing free pass and the lead. Jung-Ho Kang drilled a final two-run insurance single, and that was the ballgame. Gerrit Cole got his seventh win while Mark Melancon earned his 12th save. 
• 2016 - The Pirates banged out four homers, swatted by Starling Marte, Jung Ho Kang, Gregory Polanco and Andrew McCutchen, to defeat the Texas Rangers easily at Globe Life Park, 9-1. Jon Niese went six innings for the win, with help from Wilfredo Boscan and Rob Scahill. They defeated former National League nemesis Cole Hamels, who had a 19-start streak of Texas victories (he personally went 12-0 during that span) snapped by the Buccos. 
• 2017 - The Pirates saved the best for last, scoring in the ninth frame to send the game into overtime and winning it 5-4 in the 10th inning with a two-out, two-strike, walkoff knock. The victim in front of 31,658 fans at PNC Park was the New York Mets. The Metropolitans scored four runs in five innings off Gerrit Cole but missed golden opportunities galore, leaving runners on second and third four times in that span. Andrew McCutchen kept the Bucs hangin’ around with a two-run blast and doubled home another run in the sixth. Pinch hitter John Jaso tied the game with an RBI knock in the ninth and delivered the game-winner an inning later, fouling off four 3-2 pitches before dropping a bases-loaded single into right. The Pirates bullpen worked five innings of two-hit ball, retiring 12 straight batters at one point, to earn Tony Watson a true team win. 
• 2025 - The Pirates had just recently tied a MLB record in offensive futility (four or less runs scored in 26 straight games) that cost Derek Shelton his job, but were shaking off the doldrums under new skipper Donnie Kelly. Today they looked like the old Lumber Company, overcoming a 6-0 deficit to come back and defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, 9-6. Mike Burrows had a rough start, but Joey Wentz, Dennis Santana and David Bednar picked up the slack. It was rewarded when Henry Davis entered the game in the fifth after Joey Bart was dinged and smacked a two-run bomb to go with a double while Isiah Kiner-Falefa drilled a bases-clearing double with the sacks jammed in the eighth to plate three runs. The icing was added when Bryan Reyolds banged a three-run, game-winning homer to cap a four-hits with a walk night. Wentz went 3-1/3 IP for the win, with Santana getting a hold and Bednar the save. Per OptaSTATS, it was the first time an MLB team averaging less than three runs per game entering the contest (min. 50 games played) came back from a six+ run deficit to win since July 31, 1968, when the White Sox trailed 8-1 at Minnesota before rallying for a 12-8 victory.

5/26 Through the 1950s: Harvey Makes History, Dale Keeps On, Josh Jet, Brown Cycle, Max Larceny, Game Days, Fan Fracas; HBD Dann, Chuck & Jack

• 1874 - RHP Jack Cronin was born in West New Brighton, New York. He tossed four games for the Pirates as a 24-year-old, slashing 2-2/3.54 after being purchased from Fall River of the New England League in July of 1898. He was released and ended up with the Reds the following year. Jack had a long pro career lasting from 1895 until he tossed his last inning for Reading of the United States Baseball League in 1912, including seven years in MLB, although he was only part of a regular big-league rotation twice in that span and appeared a dozen or fewer times in the other five campaigns. 
• 1890 - Rumors regarding the sale of the Pirates (or in this case, the Alleghenys) are as old as the franchise. The Press published an article regarding the possible sale of the franchise, or at least William Nimick’s 25% share, to an unnamed New York interest. Nimick was noncommittal regarding the report, but hung on until the end of the 1891 season, when he sold his share to William Chase Temple, who remained an owner until 1894. The ownership didn’t stabilize until 1899 when Barney Dreyfuss maneuvered himself into a controlling interest of the club. 
• 1894 - The Pirates were thumping Cleveland 12-3 in the top of the ninth inning when the crowd of 6,200 at League Park began to run amok after being taunted by the 500 rooters who had made the trip from Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Press wrote “A more disgraceful affair never occurred upon a ball field...when the disappointed Forest City fans, unable to endure the disgrace of defeat, attacked the Pittsburg club, the rivalry at white heat...In a second, cushions and pop bottles were flying in all directions...the crowd swarmed out of the stands...” and the frustrated hometown fans rushed the field. The two teams had traded accusations of dirty play the day before and after today’s donnybrook, 50 ready-to-rumble ‘Burghers escorted the Pittsburgh club to its train as some added Steel City muscle. Red Ehret got the win, backed by an 18-hit Bucco attack. 
• 1908 - The Pirates beat the Boston Doves 8-1 at Forbes Field behind Vic Willis, who scattered seven hits, and a balanced 10-hit attack. But all was not well in Pittsburgh; the Bucs were sputtering at 15-12, and 34-year-old team rock Hans Wagner, who had held out and missed all of spring training, was hitting just .268. Fortunately, the Dutchman was about to turn it around and carried the club with him. Honus batted .369 over the remaining 127 games of the season with 10 homers, 89 runs, 83 RBI and 47 swiped sacks; the Pirates piled up an 83-44 mark with Wagner back in the swing. The Buccos finished a game out of first, but Honus ended up on top once again - after the smoke had cleared, he won his third straight batting crown with a .354 BA. 

Max Carey - 1925 photo Bain/Library of Congress

• 1925 - Max Carey walked and then swiped second, third, and home (he had 46 swipes for the campaign and led the league in steals 10 times; Max stole home 33 times in his career) during the Bucs 7-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. Kiki Cuyler added a two-run homer and Al Neihaus drove in two more scores as Ray Kremer coasted to the win at Forbes Field. 
• 1933 - The Homestead Grays right fielder Ray Brown hit for the cycle vs. House of David in a 19-4 win. Brown had five hits on the day while Homestead posted 24 knocks (eight of the nine Grays had multiple hits against HoD) in a barnstorming match played in Clarion. They met again two days later at Greenlee Field and that match was a barnburner, with Homestead squeaking by, 2-1, with the game-winner being Terrible Ted Page’s eighth-inning solo homer. 
• 1942 - RHP Chuck Hartenstein was born in Seguin, Texas. After three years with the Cubs, he came to Pittsburgh in a minor deal and worked from the pen in 1969, slashing 5-4-10/3.95. He got off to a rough start in 1970 and was released, playing for the Cards and later the Red Sox during the campaign. Chuck spent from 1971-76 in AAA before making a brief comeback in 1977 with the expansion Blue Jays. He coached and scouted afterward, finally leaving the game in 1995. The 5’ 11”, 150 lb. Hartenstein went by the nickname “Twiggy” for fairly obvious reasons, with the moniker bestowed on him by the Cubs’ Billy Williams. 
• 1946 - Josh Gibson launched another long blast, this one 440’ into the Yankee Stadium bleachers, as the Homestead Grays whipped the NY Black Yankees, 11-8. It was the Grays’ fourth straight win and propelled them into first place in the Negro National League. It was familiar territory as the Grays won the league title nine times, although this season the Newark Eagles took the crown. 

Josh Gibson - Helmars Big League Brew

• 1952 - The Pirates were a pretty poor excuse for a baseball team this season, but they were feisty. Bucco pitcher Ron Kline whizzed one over Cincy catcher Andy Seminick’s noodle in the second inning of the game at Forbes Field, which led to words between the backstop and Pirates coach Bill Posedel. They were close to blows and a crowd gathered, but peace was restored. Kline batted in the second and escaped without wearing a baseball, but Seminick and Posedel kept at it, started brawling, and both gangs joined the dance. George “Catfish” Metkovich was exchanging love taps with various Reds when he was wrestled to the ground by Cincinnati trainer Dr. Wayne Anderson (it ends up they were old buds and the doc was trying to keep his friend out of harm’s way, per Catfish). The doc, Metkovich, Seminick and Posedel were all shown to the door. The Bucs won 6-3 with the win going to Bob Friend in relief of Kline. Ralph Kiner paid a price, getting ticked by pitches twice after the melee, but he had the last laugh with a homer. 
• 1956 - Dale Long became the first player to go deep in seven straight games when he took the Phillies' Ben Flowers deep in the eighth inning during his final at-bat as the Bucs dropped Philadelphia 6-2 at Connie Mack Stadium. Frank Thomas and Hank Foiles also homered to give Vern Law the complete game win. Dale also doubled, and still wasn’t quite done with his historic home run streak. 
• 1959 - In baseball's ultimate pitching performance, Harvey Haddix threw 12 perfect innings against the Braves in Milwaukee’s County Stadium, only to lose the game 1-0 in the 13th on a Dick Hoak error, sacrifice bunt, intentional walk and double that was a homer. (NL prez Warren Giles ruled that the final score should be 1-0, as runners Henry Aaron and Joe Adcock were ruled out, Aaron for leaving the field‚ and Adcock for passing him on the basepath. Adcock was credited with a double and not a HR.) In 1993‚ Bob Buhl admitted that the Braves pitchers were stealing the signs from C Smoky Burgess‚ who could not crouch down all the way because of his achy knees, and signaled the coming pitch, making Haddix's effort even more remarkable. The only player who wasn’t impressed was Haddix, who told the Post Gazette afterward "My main aim all night long was to win. The perfect game would have meant something to me then. It's just another loss.” Lew Burdette went the distance for the win, giving up twelve singles. The Pirates hit into three double plays with only two runners advancing past first, both after two outs. 
• 1959 - C Dann Bilardello was born in Santa Cruz, California. He spent most of his Pirates time at AAA Buffalo, hitting just .171 for Pittsburgh in 52 games between 1989-90. Dann got some more MLB time at San Diego in 1991-92 and played out his time in pro ball at indie Winnipeg in 1994.

5/26 From 1970: 7 Bombs, Ward Cycle, 9-Run Frame, Francisco & Steve Gems, A-Ram Debut, Fireworks, Game Days, HBD Endy

• 1971 - Steve Blass carried the Pirates to 2-0 victory over Cincinnati at Three Rivers Stadium, recording a career-high 11 strikeouts while tossing a five-hitter for his second shutout of the season. Willie Stargell hit a two-run homer off Reds starter Tony Cloninger in the sixth inning that proved to be the game winner. Blass went on to post a 15-8/2.85 line for the year, matching his career high with 12 complete games and spinning five shutouts in 240 frames. 
• 1978 - Montreal’s Steve Rogers spun a four-hitter at TRS, but two of them were back-to-back in the seventh frame when Rennie Stennett’s single was followed by Manny Sanguillen’s homer off a hung curve, and that was enough to carry John Candelaria and the Buccos to a 2-1 victory. Candy Man dodged plenty of raindrops, stranding 11, with the only blemish being Larry Parrish’s solo shot. Sangy, who was playing off the bench, manned first base (he got into 40 games at the spot in ‘78), replacing Willie Stargell, who had a sore back. 
• 1980 - There were lots of baseball fireworks as the Phils rallied to beat the Bucs at Veterans Stadium, 7-6. Bert Blyleven brushed back a couple of Phillies early on; Philadelphia reliever Kevin Saucier later plunked Pops to even the score. Then he went one better, bopping Blyleven, who charged the mound, bat in hand. A donnybrook ensued, and as it was breaking up, Phil’s coach Mike Ryan reignited things to start round two. Philly had the last laugh, scoring twice in the ninth off Kent Tekulve, who gave up four straight hits, to claim the victory. 
• 1997 - For the first time in twenty years, two inside-the-park home runs were hit in the same inning when Sammy Sosa of the Cubs and Tony Womack both circled the bases five minutes apart in the sixth frame of Chicago’s 2-1 victory at Three Rivers Stadium. Womack’s homer was a legit gapper with a copacetic bounce; Sosa made his circuit after Jose Guillen crashed into Adrian Brown, who had briefly gloved the ball. After the collision, it rolled away into right field and by the time the horsehide was chased down, Sosa won a bang-bang call at the plate. Francisco Cordova took the loss. 

A-Ram - 1998 Bowman Scouts Choice

• 1998 - Aramis Ramirez made his MLB debut at the age of 19 – he was the last teen to play for the Pirates until Konnor Griffin in 2026 – and went hitless v Milwaukee during a 3-2 loss at County Stadium, but that line wasn’t indicative of A-Ram’s 18-year stay in the show. He started with the Bucs, went to the Chicago Cubs in a contract dump, and nine years later returned to end his career as a Bucco in 2015, with a seven-year Pittsburgh line of .261/82 HR. Aramis hit .283 with 386 HR/1,407 RBI during his major league run, earning three All-Star outings and a Silver Slugger award. 
• 2000 - C Endy Rodriguez was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic. He came to Pittsburgh in 2021 from the Mets as part of the three-way Joe Musgrove deal and zoomed through the system with a .296 minor league average and the versatility to also play 1B and OF. Endy has shuffled through the Top 50 MLB Prospects lists, and after a slow start at Indy, his stick caught fire and he was called up to the Pirates in July, 2023 as part of a long-time-coming youth movement. He hit .220 and was in the mix for serious PT next season, but he hurt his elbow in winter ball and required surgery, missing the entire year. Endy was back in ‘25, playing C and some 1B before a deep hand laceration knocked him out of action through mid-April and deep into May. He was back and then gone again in early June, lost to elbow surgery this time, rejoining the big club in mid-May, 2026. 
• 2000 - Behind Francisco Cordova’s four-hitter and a double steal gone awry, the Pirates bested the Colorado Rockies at Coors Stadium 2-1 in the second lowest scoring game played to date at the mile high field. In a 1-1 game, the Rox tried a double steal; the lead runner, Tom Goodwin, stopped between second and third, and the back runner, Mike Lansing, turned and retreated to first as catcher Jason Kendall ran the ball toward him. The nimble backstop tagged Lansing and then threw to third to catch the slow-reacting Goodwin. Cordova celebrated by singling home Mike Benjamin with the game winner in the seventh. He was supposed to bunt, but the third baseman crept in too close, and Francisco took advantage by swinging away. Luis Sojo made a nice pair of plays at third in the final two frames to seal the deal as the Pirates ended a five-game losing streak. 

Josh Fogg - 2003 Upper Deck Pirates MVP

• 2003 - The Bucs scored nine times in the eighth inning after Kerry Wood handed the ball off to the Cubbie bullpen, breaking open a 1-0 duel and romping to a 10-0 win at Wrigley Field. Kenny Lofton’s hitting streak reached 24 games while Jeff Reboulet and Brian Giles banged out two hits apiece. Josh Fogg, just activated from the DL, held the Cubs to three hits over seven innings without allowing a runner past first base before Julian Tavares mopped up. The nine-run frame was Pittsburgh’s biggest inning since June 12, 2001 v Detroit at Comerica Park. 
• 2004 - Daryle Ward hit for the cycle with a career single-game high of six RBI against St. Louis at Busch Stadium as the Bucs won, 11-8. Ward and his dad Gary (1980) became the first MLB father-son duo to hit for the cycle, with Craig (2002) and Cavan Biggio (2019) later joining the club. The Pirates burned six pitchers, with the win going to starter Kris Benson. 
• 2012 - The Cubs lost their 11th straight game to the Pirates 3-2, Chi-town’s longest losing streak since opening the 1997 season with 14 consecutive losses. The teams were tied in the bottom of the ninth at PNC Park when Jose Tabata led off with a single off Rafael Dolis. Two walks and two outs later, the aptly named “Hit Man” Matt Hague took a pitch in the ribs for a walkoff plunk. Joel Hanrahan earned the win in a game started by Kevin Correia.
• 2023 - Andrew McCutchen led off the game against Seattle at T-Mobile Park with a homer, and the Bucs followed his lead, tying the franchise mark with seven long taters (the other record swatfests were in 1894, 1947 and 2003) on the way to an 11-6 win. The team had hit a total of nine dingers during the first 25 days of the month, so go figure. The Pirates bombers were Jack Suwinski (2), Cutch, Carlos Santana, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Tucupita Marcano and Bryan Reynolds. Suwinski and Reynolds each had three hits and combined for seven RBI/four runs scored It was an unexpected outburst as Mariners’ hurler George Kirby and Corsair moundsman Mitch Keller were the early aces of their respective staffs, with 10 wins between them entering the game.

Weekly Report: Another 50/50 Week; Password, the Magician & Dotel Called Up, Jared Almost Ready, Notes & Moves

Homeward bound for Memorial Day...

Pirates Stuff

• The Password, OF Jhostynxon Garcia, was called up by the Bucs to fill recently optioned Nick Yorke's spot. He joins Jake Mangum & Billy Cook looking for some PT with Ryan O'Hearn out. Password has some pop and is strong against lefties, suggesting a platoon, but hasn't made much of a mark at the MLB level in a small sample size, so this is an opp for him to buff up his big league resume. 
• A couple of days later, they called up 1B/OF Esmerlyn "The Magician" Valdez, hitting .253 w/10 HR, and optioned Billy Cook to Indy. Valdez was mostly used as an OF'er in AAA, but with the Password preceding him, the speculation is that he will primarily platoon with Spencer Horwitz at first base. And with two young guns on the roster now who can swing it, Marcell Ozuna should be on notice now...
• The Pirates had to address their pitching; they made a start on Wednesday when they recalled RHP Wilber Dotel and optioned RHP Isaac Mattson. We don't suppose it'll be the only move, just the first...

Wilber Dotel gets the call - April 27, 2026 Pirates/Los Piratas

• Speaking of...Jared Jones will be in Pittsburgh Tuesday (he can come off of the IL then); he'll work a bullpen and the brass will then decide if he's ready to return or if they want him to rehab a bit longer. 
• OF Bryan Reynolds played in his 1,000th MLB game on Saturday, all as a Pirate; B-Rey has been here since 2019.
• When Konnor Griffin took the field at Busch Stadium, he became the first player to appear there who was younger than the park itself. The new Busch Stadium opened on April 4, 2006. Griffin was born a few weeks later on April 24, 2006, as noted by St. Louis sideline reporter Tamar Sher.  
• The Pirates promoted Bradenton's 22-year-old 3B Murf Gray to Hi-A Greenboro. Last year's second rounder out of Fresno State was tearing up the Florida State League, posting a line of .359/8/34 in 38 games.
• OF Lonnie White, a second-round pick in the 2021 draft who hit a speed bump in Hi A Greensboro the past couple of seasons, has honed his stroke this year (.298/7/19 in 23 games) and was bumped up to AA Altoona. 

Game Stuff:

• The Pirates fell behind 3-0 to the Cards Tuesday, but after 22 scoreless innings, they put up a four-spot in the fifth. Yeah, but the Buc bullpen & the lead...Pittsburgh was down a pair by the ninth, but Spencer Horwitz kept the game alive with a two-out knock to tie it 6-6. It only prolonged the agony an inning; Mason Montgomery was tagged for a three-run shot in the 10th as the Redbirds took the opener, 9-6.
• Carmen Mlodzinski didn't go deep, but went well, tossing five scoreless frames and leaving up 2-0. For a welcome change, the Bucs added on and the bullpen held as the Bucs got a much needed dub, enjoying a 7-0 breather at Busch. Konnor Griffin had four hits and scored three times to lead the batsmen.

Braxton Ashcraft - May 21, 2026 Sportsnet Pgh.

• Braxton Ashcraft gave the Bucs seven innings of one-run ball and Brandon Lowe & Henry Davis homered while the bats kept grinding away to earn the Bucs a series win against the St. Louis Cards by a 6-2 count.
• Bubba Chandler was brilliant at Rogers Center Friday night, fanning a career-high 11 Jays in five frames. But the D was not on top of its game, and he left down to Toronto 3-1 with two scores unearned. The Bucs made it 3-2 in the eighth, but Dennis Santana was whacked to make the final count 6-2.
• Again no O v LHP and Paul Skenes had another bumpy outing as the Jays took the middle game by a 5-2 tally.
• Mitch Keller gave the Bucs six strong innings backed by HRs by Spencer Horwitz (on the first pitch of the game), Oneil Cruz  and Esmerlyn Valdez (his first MLB hit & first traditional MLB dugout silent treatment) as the Pirates salvaged the third game of the Blue Jay set by a 4-1 score.
• The Pirates entertain the Cubs for a four-game set and Twins for three matches at PNC this week.

MLB Stuff:

• Gerrit Cole, who missed all of the 2025 campaign due to elbow surgery, is back for the NYY and started Friday. Guess he's feelin' better - he tossed six scoreless frames for the Bronx Bombers
• The Reds placed 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day IL with a bulging lumbar disc; he's suffered from  back issues for most of his career. The move was triggered by the return of DH/3B Eugenio Suárez from an oblique injury.
• The White Sox have released RHP Osvaldo Bido so that he can pursue an opportunity to pitch in Japan for Yokohama.
• RHP Cody Bolton, who began his MLB days with the Bucs in 2023, was outrighted to AAA by the Houston Astros.

5/25 Through the 1950s: Cal-Dick, Dale Six Pack, Ralph's #300, Arky On, Babe's Bow, Call the Cops, In The Pink, Game Days, Brawlin'; HBD Jim, Jimmie, Chet, Martin & John

• 1863 - RHP John Hofford was born in Philadelphia. His MLB career consisted of two short stays with the Alleghenys in 1885-86, posting a 3-9/4.16 line in 12 starts. Though he didn’t play the field, John was pretty handy with a stick, hitting .262 with five runs, five RBI, four extra-base hits and even stealing a couple of sacks in his dozen outings. Hofford was a touted minor league hotshot; the Alleghenys got him from the Southern League’s title team, Augusta, after the season ended in 1885 where he had slashed 38-13/0.59 with 389 strikeouts, and he tossed for several more seasons after leaving Pittsburgh for a smorgasbord of minor league clubs. 
• 1877 - The International Association Pittsburgh Allegheny hosted the League Alliance Athletics of Philadelphia in a minor league match at Union (later Recreation) Park in Allegheny City. It was an exciting, back-and-forth contest for the 700 fans, with the local nine scoring twice in the final frame to claim a 9-8 win, but a thing of beauty it wasn’t. Banging out 24 hits wasn’t enough action; the two teams combined to commit 29 errors (13 by the Alleghenys), and as the Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette wrote “The spectators at Union Park certainly got a very strong dose of poor playing yesterday afternoon...It was an exhibition of miserable muffing by both sides.” 
• 1895 - The fans carried pitcher Pink Hawley off the field on their shoulders after the Pirates defeated the Boston Beaneaters and their ace, Kid Nichols, by a 1-0 tally in a contest witnessed by 6,000 rooters at Exposition Park. Hawley spun a four-hitter (he didn’t give up a hit until the seventh) with seven strikeouts in outdueling Nichols, who only surrendered five knocks to the Pirates. The Bucco run came in the sixth when Jake Stenzel walked, stole second, and came around on Lou Bierbauer’s single to center. Boston made a game of it in the ninth, putting runners at second and third before a grounder to short closed the book. The two twirlers were among the league’s top guns - Pink won 31 games that season while Hall-of-Famer Nichols claimed 27 victories. 
• 1897 - The City gendarmes had to safeguard umpire Tim Hurst on his postgame return to his hotel after a missed call cost the Alleghenys a 6-2 loss at Recreation Park to the Baltimore Orioles. Mugsy McGraw, the Birds third baseman, was clearly thrown out at second, but in the days of one ump, Hurst missed the call and the O’s went on to score five two-out runs off Lefty Killen to claim the game. 500 fans waited for Hurst to come out of the locker room (tempers were high as the Baltimore and Pittsburgh clubs were the top two teams in the standings) and a melee ensued when he did; his bacon was saved when the Allegheny players managed to escort him into the dugout, safe from the outraged rooters. It took a 10-man police posse to hustle Hurst back to his hotel in one piece.

Martin Dihigo - photo National Pastime Museum

• 1906 - Martin Dihigo was born in Matanzas, Cuba. Best known for his play in the Mexican League, he spent time in the Negro Leagues and in 1927-28, he played third and pitched for the Homestead Grays. Dihigo was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1977. The multi-talented Dihigo played all nine positions as a pro, usually as a pitcher or second baseman. He’s the only player ever to be inducted to the American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican and Venezuelan Halls of Fame. 
• 1906 - IF Chester “Chet” Williams was born in Beaumont, Texas. Chester’s beginnings are misty; he also has Lake Charles, New Orleans and rural Mississippi cited as birthplaces. But his Negro League career is certain when the infielder played from 1931-39 for the Pittsburgh Crawfords. It was tough at first to make a name for himself (and that was literally true - when he joined the team, other infielders on the roster were Bobby Williams, Harry Williams and Bucky Williams! He, Harry and Buck stayed together throughout his Crawford years.) He overcame that, earning several All-Star spots with the Crawfords and was a starter for the 1935 championship club, considered by many to be the best Negro League team ever assembled. Chet turned down an offer to skip to the Dominican in 1937 (though many of his teammates did take the money), but he jumped ship in 1940 to play in the Cuban League. He returned locally in 1941-42 to play for the Homestead Grays and retired after the 1943 campaign. Known as a free spirit, he opened a Lake Charles night spot, where tragically, on Christmas Day, 1952, he was shot to death in the club. 
• 1910 - OF Jimmie Crutchfield was born in Ardmore, Missouri. He played for the Pittsburgh Crawfords from 1931-36 (with a brief stop with the Homestead Grays in 1932), jumping when the Crawfords offered him $150 per month, after he was pulling down just $90 per month with the Indianapolis ABCs. The lil’ guy (he was 5’7”) combined speed, defense and clubhouse leadership, and according to the StateMaster Encyclopedia “Teamed with Ted Strong and Cool Papa Bell, they formed what is considered the best outfield in the Negro Leagues. During this time, his performance earned him three appearances in the East-West All-Star game.” He played until he was 45 years old before taking a job with the Post Office. 
• 1919 - Casey Stengel, who had been traded to Pittsburgh by the Brooklyn Dodgers, returned to Ebbets Field and his old fans gave him the raspberries for sporting a different uniform. Bowing to the grandstand in a seventh-inning at bat, he doffed his cap to the crowd, and out flew a sparrow (described as "irate but much relieved") that he had somehow corralled. That prank delighted the crowd, and was the highlight of Stengel’s day as he went 0-for-4 in a 5-0 loss. 

Casey Stengel - 1919 Strip Card

• 1931 - 1B Jim Marshall was born in Danville, Illinois. Jim spent five years in MLB as a bench 1B/OF, closing out his career in 1962 as a Pirate with a .220 BA. He played in Japan for three years before returning stateside to manage farm clubs for the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos, Oakland A’s, New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. He also grabbed the brass ring by earning a couple of big league managing gigs with the Cubs (1974-76) and Oakland (1979) in between the minor league jobs. He’s now a senior advisor for the Arizona Diamondbacks. 
• 1935 - Babe Ruth hit his 714th and final home run off Guy Bush at Forbes Field in an 11-7 Boston Braves loss to the Pirates, a career record that would stand for almost 40 years before Hammerin' Hank claimed the crown. The Bambino went 4-for-4, hitting three home runs (the first off Red Lucas, the next pair off Bush) and driving in six runs. The final drive, launched in the seventh inning, cleared the right field roof, the first time that feat was ever done. Per local lore, the Babe’s ball landed on Joncaire Street and from there, its fate is debated although it did eventually make its way to the Hall of Fame for display. But the one-man swatfest by the Bambino couldn’t outpace Tommy Thevenow and Pep Young, who combined to chase eight runs home. 
• 1940 - The Bucs broke an 18-for-21 losing spell with a 12-7 win over the Chicago Cubs at Forbes Field. Arky Vaughan had a homer, triple, four runs scored and three RBI to lead the Pirate charge, and although he was roughed up, Joe Bowman lasted for all nine frames to take the win. Despite that early dismal streak, the Pirates ended up with a 79-74 record at season’s end. 
• 1947 - Pittsburgh got two very different pitching performances in splitting a twin bill against St Louis at Sportsman Park. Hank Behrman, who the Bucs had recently obtained from Brooklyn, gave up two homers in a 10-5 loss, making for a total of five gopher balls yielded in the 12-1/3 IP he tossed as a Pirate. He gave up one more in his next 12-1/3 frames before he was sold back to Brooklyn in June with a 0-2/9.12 line (he was 5-3-8/5.30 for da Bums). The Pirates then snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 win in the nightcap as 39-year-old lefty Fritz Ostermueller fired a three-hitter against the Redbirds, backed by an Eddie Basinski homer and Frankie Gustine RBI knock. 

Fritz Ostermueleer - 1947 Tip Top

• 1953 - Ralph Kiner became the 12th MLB player to hit 300 homers with a three-run, fifth-inning blast off the New York Giants Al Corwin in a 6-3 loss at Forbes Field. The Hall of Famer would swat one more long ball for the Bucs before being traded to the Cubs in early June. 
• 1954 - Pittsburgh traded 30-year-old outfielder Cal Abrams to the Baltimore Orioles for LHP Dick Littlefield. Abrams was a good-hitting ball chaser, batting .273 for Pittsburgh in a year and some change; he hit .272 in his two-season stay with the Birds before hanging up the spikes a year later. In two years with Pittsburgh, Littlefield went 15-23/4.26 before becoming part of the Bill Virdon deal in 1956. 
• 1956 - Dale Long tied the longest HR streak in MLB history at six games by homering, going 3-for-5 and driving in three runs in an 8-5 win over the Phils at Connie Mack Stadium. His fourth-inning blast helped make a winner of Nellie King, with George Munger closing it out. He wasn’t done; he would go on to set the record at eight straight games. 
• 1958 - One of the largest bench clearing brawls in Bucco history erupted when manager Danny Murtaugh charged after Giants hurler Ruben Gomez, who was the flash point of a 15-minute brawl after he beaned Maz earlier. Gomez grabbed a bat, but coach Herman Franks stepped in. Then Orlando Cepeda, the Baby Bull, joined the melee, also waving a bat, before he was tackled by teammate Willie Mays, helping to quiet the war drums. Murtaugh was ejected and Mays got an ovation. The bad blood started the year before when Gomez drilled Vern Law, rupturing his eardrum, and the animosity carried over, most recently during a Candlestick Park up-and-in duel between pitchers Curt Raydon and Marv Grissom. It apparently fired up the G-Men more than Pirates as they swept the doubleheader at Forbes Field, 5-2 and 6-1. It also began the discussion that eventually gave umpires the power to eject pitchers they believe are headhunting.

5/25 From 1960: Bombs Away, Freddy Ready, Kenny's 23-Gamer, KY Grannie, Better Late.., Rick #100, Bunning #200, Game Days; HBD Brad, Randall & Will

• 1966 - Roberto Clemente got a blow for a game, and though he was at the start of an MVP season, his replacement for the day, Manny Mota, proved more than capable as he went three for four with the game-winning homer (albeit in the third inning) in a 3-2 win against San Francisco at Candlestick Park. With Matty Alou’s two-run big bop (he and Manny together hit seven HRs all season), it was enough to net Don Schwall the win, with ElRoy Face retiring the final five G-Men. It was a home run-or-no-count kinda day; all three Bucco runs were the result of long balls and Willie McCovey banged two solo shots for San Fran. 
• 1968 - OF Will Pennyfeather was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Pennyfeather turned down a football scholarship with Syracuse to play baseball for the Orangemen, and after his sophomore year signed with the Pirates in 1988. Will played for short stints with the Bucs in 1992-94, getting into 40 games and batting .196. Afterward he played in the minors, in Taiwan & Mexico, and notably in the indie leagues, where he carved out a long local career before retiring after the 2006 season. He runs the Sweet Spot in his native New Jersey. 
• 1969 - Jim Bunning won his 200th game, scattering five hits and striking out eight in a 2-1 victory over Gaylord Perry and the Giants at Candlestick Park. It was a good day for the Bucs as they also took the twin bill's nightcap by a 6-2 score behind Bob Moose. Matty Alou was the catalyst in both games. He scored the winning run in the eighth inning of the opener, chased home by a Willie Stargell double, and had three hits, including a double and triple, while scoring twice in the nightcap. Carl Taylor added a two-run long fly and Bill Mazeroski poked a solo shot in the second game to give Moose breathing room. 
• 1975 - 1B Randall Simon was born in Willemstad, Curaçao. He played for six teams in eight big league seasons, including stops in Pittsburgh in 2003 and 2004. He hit .245 as a Bucco and received more acclaim for his sausage-swatting episode in Milwaukee than he did on the field. He played briefly for the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies after his Pirates days, finishing his career with stops in the minors, Mexico, Japan and the indie leagues. 

Randall Simon - 2004 Topps

• 1979 - Due to fog, the Buc-Met match ended in a 3-3 tie after 11 innings and a 73-minute delay. The umps gave up when Bill Robinson lost a routine fly ball in the Shea Stadium mist. The runner ended up on third, Robinson chewed out second base umpire Billy Williams over the playing conditions, and the boys in blue called everyone in. After trying to outlast the mist unsuccessfully, the arbiters declared the game a tie (the player stats counted) that was to be replayed in its entirety. 
• 1983 - In the third inning of an eventual 6-0 loss to the Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Pirates' starter Jim Bibby (4) and reliever Jim Winn (3) combined to walk seven consecutive batters to tie a major league mark set back in 1909 by Washington’s William Gray and establish the NL high water mark. The free passes all came after two were out and accounted for four of the Bravos’ six tallies, all chased home by bases-loaded free passes. 
• 1985 - Rick Rhoden won his 100th career game and SS Bill Almon hit his first grand slam while driving in five runs as the Pirates thumped the Braves, 8-2, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Rick tossed a seven-hitter with three whiffs, earning his fourth victory of the year and lowering his ERA to 3.12. As for the Pirates eighth hitter’s big day, Almon was probably due for a breakout match: Bill had entered the game with no homers and seven RBI in 108 bats. 
• 1985 - RHP Brad Lincoln was born in Lake Arthur, Texas. A first round (fourth overall - $2.75M bonus) draft pick of the Bucs in 2006 with Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum and Max Sherzer selected behind him, his career was detoured by TJ surgery in 2007. He came back to toss for the Pirates from 2010-12, slashing 7-9-1/4.62 for Pittsburgh in 51 outings before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Travis Snider, both highly rated but underachieving prospects (he was also a 2006 #1 pick) in need of a change of scenery. It didn’t help Brad much, and in the next three years he made 48 appearances before his MLB career ended in 2014. He tried to come back with the Bucs and spent 2015 at Indy where he posted so-so numbers, ending his pro career with the club he started out with. 
• 1993 - Steve Cooke threw the first shutout of his big league career, giving up just four hits, in the Pirates 2-0 victory over the Florida Marlins at TRS. It was truly Cooke’s day as he also hit a two-run double, his first hit since August of ‘92, to provide his own victory margin. 

Steve Cooke - 1993 Leaf

• 1993 - A bronze bust in memory of Carl Barger was unveiled at TRS’ Allegheny Club during Florida’s visit to the ‘Burgh. Barger helped keep the Pirates in Pittsburgh as John Galbreath’s attorney and served as Bucco prez from 1987-91, when he left to join long-time friend and Marlin owner Wayne Huizenga as their first president. Barger died of an aneurysm at the GM meetings in December. 
• 1997 - The Pirates used a five-run eighth inning to rally past the Montreal Expos 8-6 at Olympic Stadium. The frame’s big blast was Kevin Young’s first career grand slam, and it gave Ricardo Rincon enough pad to survive giving two runs back to the Expos in their half. Marc Wilkins earned his fourth win on the season after tossing a scoreless inning of work and Salomon Torres earned the save with a 1-2-3 ninth. Dale Sveum added a homer and three RBI to keep Pittsburgh in it until KY’s launch. Fun fact: As Young’s grand slam left the yard, announcer Greg Brown coined the call “It’s a freak show!” and that moniker became the team catchphrase as they overachieved in 1997, staying alive into September and finishing second to the ‘Stros in the Central Division with a 79-83 record. 
• 2003 - Aramis Ramirez drove in three runs and St. Louis committed a bases-loaded error which led to a four-run sixth inning and an 8-7 comeback win for Pittsburgh in front of nearly 26,000 at PNC Park. Jason Kendall appeared in the 1,000th game of his career and banged out a pair of hits. Kenny Lofton’s double in the seventh inning plated the game winner while extending his hitting streak to 23 games. Birthday boy Randall Simon had three hits, including two doubles, to help Brian Boehringer earn the win, saved by Mike Williams. 
• 2007 - The Pirates, mired in a hitting slump and losers of five straight games, used some small ball, soft raps and Cincy gifts to score eight runs in the 10th inning as they collected six hits and took advantage of a hit batter, walk and error to send twelve players to the plate in a 10-4 victory over the Reds at Great American Ballpark. Ronny Paulino and Xavier Nady each had a pair of RBI in the extra frame, while Nady and Jay Bay added regulation homers. Jonah Bayliss, the fourth of five Pirates pitchers, picked up the win after facing two batters in the ninth. 

Nate McLouth - 2008 Upper Deck X

• 2008 - The Bucs came from behind to take a 6-5 win from the Cubs at PNC Park, scoring with two outs in the ninth to knot the score when Nate McLouth’s two-bagger plated Brian Bixler, and then again in the 11th on Jason Bay’s two-out knock scoring Chris Gomez with the winner. To add insult to injury, the Cubs intentionally walked McLouth to get to Bay for a righty matchup. There were lots of hitting heroes - McLouth had three hits, Bay two, Luis Rivas homered twice, Adam LaRoche had two doubles, Jose Bautista added two more raps and Xavier Nady went deep, although with 11 stranded, the Pirates left a lot of ducks on the pond. Damaso Marte got the win; Frankie Osorio and Paul Maholm worked ahead of him. It was the Bucs second straight walk-off win against the Cubs; both times the Baby Bears were done in by Bay after a McLouth intentional walk. 
• 2009 - The Pirates beat the Cubs 10-8 at Wrigley Field. Freddy Sanchez went 6-for-6 with four runs, three RBI, a double and a homer to become the first Pirate in 19 years, since Wally Backman in 1990, to have six hits in a game. The Bucs had just finished an interleague set against the White Sox, and became the first team in major league history to play back-to-back series against the Cubs and White Sox in Chicago (they lost 2-of-3 to both clubs). 
• 2013 - The Bucs hit four homers, two by Pedro Alvarez, and Jeff Locke ran his scoreless streak to 14 frames in a 5-2 win at Milwaukee’s Miller Field. For Locke, it was his sixth start out of the last seven giving up three or fewer hits. The 25-year-old finished the first half of the campaign with a slash of 8-2/2.15, an opponent BA of .202 and earned his only All-Star appearance. 
• 2016 - David Freese’s two-run homer capped a four-run fifth inning and proved the game-winner as the Pirates squeaked past the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 at PNC Park, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit in front of 20,696 fans. Clint Hurdle earned his 475th win as manager of the Pirates, tying him with skipper (and Hall of Fame 3B) Pie Traynor for the sixth-most victories in franchise history. Gregory Polanco had three hits and Sean Rodriguez also homered for the Pirates, while Mark Melancon earned his 16th save to ice Jeff Locke’s win. 
• 2017 - The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame unveiled a statue of the 1955 National League Rookie of the Year, 1960 World Series Champion and West Plains native CF’er Bill Virdon on its Legends Walkway. The Springfield HoF statue was created by St. Louis artist Harry Weber, depicting Virdon as a Bucco making a catch of a Yogi Berra drive during the 1960 Fall Classic.

5/24 Through the 1960s: Roberto Rocks, Walkoff Sweep, #21 Debut, Shoo Fly, Kuehne's Korner, Game Days, TSN Gravedigger; HBD Jeff, Giant Killer & Sam

• 1859 - 2B Sam Barkley was born in Wheeling. After a contract kerfuffle (he signed with Baltimore, but had been sold by his club, the St. Louis Browns, to the Alleghenys), he was awarded to Pittsburgh and in 1886, he hit .266 with 31 doubles and stole 22 bases while playing in 122 games. His performance slipped in ‘87, playing in 89 games and hitting .224. After the season, Pittsburgh sold him to the Kansas City Cowboys of the American Association. Sam retired back home after the 1889 campaign to become a cigar maker. 
• 1878 - LHP Jack “The Giant Killer” Pfiester was born in Cincinnati. Jack spent eight years in the show with his first two seasons (1903-04) as a seldom-used Bucco arm. In six games, he slashed 1-4/6.69 and then spent 1905 in Omaha before he took off as a Cub from 1906-09, winning 63 games in four years before arm woes ended his career two seasons later; the curve-baller ended his days with a 2.02 ERA. He got his nickname for his success against the NY Giants, going 11-5 against them (he was only 1-5 against his old mates in Pittsburgh). 
• 1884 – Al Atkinson of the Philadelphia Athletics retired the final 27 batters in pitching a no-hitter v the Pittsburgh Alleghenys at the Jefferson Street Grounds. Atkinson hit leadoff batter Ed Swartwood, who stole second, moved to third on a grounder and scored on a wild pitch, providing the only fly in the ointment of the Athletics’ 10–1 victory over the Allies. 
• 1889 - Bill Kuehne converted 13 chances at the hot corner, handling three putouts and 10 assists without an error (“...a remarkable game” per the Pittsburgh Press) for a MLB record to help Harry Staley and the Alleghenys to a 9-7 win over Washington at Swampoodle Grounds. It was an outlier; Kuehne committed 34 errors that season and finished with a .908 fielding average, making his feat doubly remarkable. Jake Beckley drilled three knocks, including a pair of doubles, while Billy Sunday and Pop Smith, who homered, collected a pair of hits each. 

Bill Kuehne - 1889 Goodwin/Old Judge

• 1893 - Before the days of the infield fly rule, C Connie Mack intentionally allowed a popup in front of home plate to fall and then started a triple play against the Browns. The play was one of several around the league that eventually led to an infield fly rule in 1895, with the current version adopted in 1901. He later drove in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth to lead Pittsburgh to an 8-7 win over St. Louis at Expo Park. Mack was a backup catcher who hit .286 for the Pirates that year, and later entered the Hall of Fame as a manager, notably of the Philadelphia Athletics, although his first player/manager gig was with the Bucs. 
• 1894 - The Pirates rallied to beat the Cleveland Spiders and Cy Young 6-5 at League Park. Down 4-0 early and 5-2 late, the Bucs scored twice in the seventh and twice more in the eighth for the win. Red Ehret (“Ehret never pitched better ball in all his life” gushed the Pittsburgh Press) went eight innings for the victory in relief of Lefty Killen, who was rocked for four first-inning runs. Jake Stenzel had two hits and scored three runs while Jake Beckley added three knocks. 
• 1918 - Ol’ vet Jimmy Archer set a record with seven assists from the catcher’s spot against the Boston Braves, but it didn’t help as the Pirates went down 6-3 at Forbes Field. Boston hit the ball on the ground all day; the Pirates ended up with 27 assists as a team, with 1B Fritz Mollwitz registering 17 putouts. 
• 1955 - The Bucs broke an 11-game losing streak in style by pounding the Brooklyn Dodgers 15-1 at Forbes Field. Jack Shepard had four hits, Preston Ward had a single, triple and homer while Gene Freese added three raps to lead the attack. Ward, Freese and Roberto Clemente each had three RBI with Bob Friend getting the win in relief of Vern Law after tossing 4-1/3 innings of no-hit ball. One of the Dodger relievers the Corsairs tortured was future manager Tommy Lasorda, who gave up five runs in two innings of work. The Pirates had 19 hits and batted around three times. However, the good times were fleeting; the club lost six of its next seven games. The game also had a noteworthy debut: it was the first time Roberto Clemente wore #21; he had been sporting #13 but claimed OF Earl Smith’s old number after Smith was sent down. 

Jack Shepard - 1970 TCMA (Players of the Fifties)

• 1959 - The Bucs swept a pair of white-knucklers from the Reds at Forbes Field by 2-1 and 5-4 scores; both games were won by walkoff, pinch hit doubles. Danny Kravitz drove home Don Hoak to give Ron Kline, who went the distance, the win in the opener. Pittsburgh had tied the game a batter before when Bill Mazeroski beat Johnny Temple’s throw home to knot the score. The Pirates were losing 4-2 in the nightcap and down to their last out when Rocky Nelson tied the game with a two-run homer. Pittsburgh won it in the 10th when Smoky Burgess doubled home Roman Mejias to give Ron Blackburn the dub. The Bucs took the four game series from Cincinnati, winning each game by a run. 
• 1961 - Roberto Clemente homered in back-to-back at bats against Dick Ellsworth and drove in four runs to lead the Pirates to a 7-3 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Dick Stuart also went long and added a triple to help Vinegar Bend Mizell to the victory, closed by a Clem Labine save. The Bucs needed Clemente’s big day; they were their own worst enemy as they hit into three twin killings and committed a pair of errors during the afternoon. 
• 1966 - Coach Jeff Livesey was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Livesey was a catcher in the Yankees system for eight years, retiring in 1995 and spending two years with Montreal as a minor league coach. He joined the Pirates as an organizational hitting coach, becoming the skipper of the GCL club in 2005. After that, he went to Japan for five years as a bench coach, returning to the Pirates in 2011. After three seasons as the Minor League Hitting Coordinator, he was called up to the big team as an assistant hitting coach in 2013 until he was replaced after the 2018 campaign. He’s coaching for Miami now. 
• 1969 - Richie Hebner was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Pirates Pin-Up Prize.” In his first full season as a Pirate, he hit .301 after inheriting the hot corner from Maury Wills. The Gravedigger would play through 1976 for Pittsburgh, then return again in 1982-83 during an 18-year career that ended after the 1985 campaign with the Chicago Cubs.