8/5 Through the 1940s: Sibs Shove, Max's Last Swipe, NY Boo-Hoo, Gems, Game Days, Burleigh Deal, KDKA & Bucs, Smokey Joe Back, HBD Bernie, Nellie, Pepper & Sonny

1902 - The first-place Pirates defeated the New York Giants and Christy Mathewson 3-0 behind Jesse Tannehill, who retired the first 19 Giants to face him. Mathewson made a fight of it and struck out 11 Bucs, but he had no answer for Honus Wagner, who doubled and scored twice. He wasn’t alone - no one had an answer for Pittsburgh that year. They took the National League crown with 103 wins and finished 27-1/2 games ahead of the runner-up Brooklyn Superbas.

1915 - The Pirates beat the Phillies and ace Grover Cleveland Alexander 1-0 at Forbes Field when Quaker catcher Bill Killefer threw wildly past third base in the ninth inning; Bill Hinchman, who had tripled, scooted home with the game’s only tally. Babe Adams, who tossed a six-hitter, claimed the win over Old Pete, who had only surrendered five knocks himself.

1915 - OF Bill “Sonny” Randall was born in Hampton, Virginia. After a decade of playing for local Negro indie teams, Sonny was the Homestead Gray’s fourth outfielder from 1942-43 before entering the service, returning for the 1946 season. He also worked while a player and would rarely travel with the club (by then the team was the Washington-Homestead Grays), sticking to home games. Sonny turned down several offers with other teams because of travel and “...the hard times that the black ball players had trying to make it riding up and down the road in those buses” per Brent Kelley’s book “I Will Never Forget.”

1916 - The Pirates picked up RHP Burleigh Grimes from Birmingham of the Southern Association for 1B Doc Johnston, who spent five years in the junior circuit, RHP Larry Douglas, who appeared in two games for the Baltimore Terrapins, and IF BW Cleveland, a lifetime minor leaguer. Old Stubblebeard would work five years and notch 48 wins as a Pirate in three Steel City stops; overall he won 270 games and a place in the Hall of Fame over his 19-year career.

Burleigh Grimes - Helmar Oasis

1919 - C Lloyd “Pepper” Bassett was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Bassett played for the Homestead Grays in 1936 as a backup backstop. The next year, he started for the Pittsburgh Crawfords - he was actually part of a trade for Josh Gibson - and started at catcher in the East-West All-Star Game. He was back on the bench by 1938, jumped to Chicago the following season and then became a Negro/Latin League nomad until he retired in 1950. Bassett was credited by some with coming up with a more flexible “snapper” catcher's mitt; the pillowy gloves common in his era slowed his ball transfer during stolen base efforts, so he kept removing padding until he could quickly switch the ball from glove to hand. He was also known as the “Rocking Chair Catcher” after he caught a game in a small rocker as a Gus Greenlee publicity stunt to help stir up some extra fan interest; he would repeat the stunt occasionally during his career.

1921 - The Phils’ Jimmy Ring shut down the top of the Buc lineup as the first three hitters managed just a free pass in 12 PAs (and that was erased on a CS) but the rest of the Buccos collected 10 hits and three walks in an 8-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Forbes Field. Jimmy Zinn had a big day; not only did he spin six innings off one-run relief for the win, but added a pair of hits in a see-saw game that saw each team lose a lead twice before the Pirates put up three eighth-inning tallies. Possum Whitted and Tony Brottem also had two hits as Possum, who hit cleanup, started several fires and scored three times.

1921 - KDKA aired the first broadcast of a Major League game as Harold Arlin described the action during the Pirates' 8-5 win over the Phillies at Forbes Field. Jimmy Zinn worked six innings of one run relief for the win and added two hits. That broadcast started a list of firsts for Arlin and KD: he followed with another first when he took his equipment to the Allegheny Country Club for a live broadcast of the Davis Cup tennis match between Australia and Great Britain the next day. In October, he and KDKA became part of a three-station Westinghouse network that broadcast the Yankee-Giants World Series for the first time. Then, later in October, Arlin returned to Forbes Field for another first, a college football game between Pitt and West Virginia. He returned to the Oakland booth at Bob Prince’s invitation, to call a few innings of a 1972 game against San Diego at Three Rivers Stadium with his grandson, Steve Arlin, on the hill for the Friars.

1926 - OF Max Carey stole his last base as a Bucco against the Boston Braves during a 4-3 win at Braves Field. Carey is the all-time team leader in swipes with 688 swipes in 17 seasons. He also had two of the Pirates six hits, scoring a run and driving in another to help Ray Kremer earn his 11th win. 

Max Carey - 1980 Laughlin's Famous Feats

1905 - In front of a record crowd of 18,383 fans at Exposition Park, the NY Giants forfeited to the Pirates over a call at third. In a 5-5 game, Claude Ritchey opened the ninth with a double, his third hit of the day, and beat the throw to third on a bunt. At least that’s what ump George Bausewine called. The Giants disagreed and tried to get the first base ump to overrule the call; lotsa luck with that. The ensuing hubbub by the New York nine continued, and when they wouldn’t return to their positions after several warnings, Bausewine called the game. It was front page news in Pittsburgh, and manager Fred Clarke was incensed, telling Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press that “the New York players realized that only a miracle could prevent us from winning a clean and creditable victory, and rather than give us that satisfaction they allowed the game to break up...If we had disgraced ourselves in front of a record breaking crowd as the Giants did, we would have been mobbed.” The Giants protested the forfeiture to no avail.

1934 - The Pirates swept a twin bill from the St. Louis Cardinals at Sportsman’s Park by 6-4 & 7-2, tallies, led by the hot-hitting Waner brothers. From the top of the order, Big and Little Poison combined for 11 hits, eight runs scored and five more driven home to help send Daffy Dean and Bill Hallahan to defeat. They were helped by Earl Grace, who had three hits in the lidlifter, then by Freddie Lindstrom & Gus Suhr, each delivering a pair of knocks in the closing game. Larry French won the opener in relief of Bill Swift while Schoolboy Hoyt was the nitecap victor.

1934 - The Homestead Grays brought 49-year-old Smokey Joe Williams out of retirement for the season (he served as a combination player/coach) and held a day for him at Forbes Field. In front of 1,200 fans, Smokey struck out the leadoff batter and tossed the first two innings of a 5-1 victory over the Fort Wayne Berghoffs. The big blow of the game was Ray Brown’s triple that helped fuel a four-run sixth frame while Joe Strong finished up for the win.

1943 - RHP Nellie Briles was born in Dorris, California. He only tossed three years for the Bucs, from 1971-73 with a line of 36-28/2.98, but no 70’s Bucco fan will forget the two-hit shutout he spun in Game Five of the 1971 series. What isn’t as well known is that he called his own pitches for the last three innings, according to the SABR Biography Project. After disagreeing with Manny Sanguillen on whether to go hard or soft (the original game plan) against the Birds, the catcher refused to give him signs and just played toss-and-catch with Briles for the remainder of the game. After he retired, he went into broadcasting briefly, then joined the Pirate executive team, and founded the now-thriving Pirates Alumni Association. Nellie passed away in 2005 from a heart attack during an alumni golf outing.

Nellie Briles - 1971 Pirates Picture Pack

1947 - Earl Weaver would disapprove, but the Bucs eschewed the long ball for 10 singles (and a lone double), 10 walks and a Cincy error to run roughshod over the Reds at Forbes Field, 12-4. Five different Pirates reached base three times and Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg provided the muscle with three RBI while Culley Rickard did what a leadoff man is supposed to by scoring three times. Mel Queen got the win with Kirby Higbe closing out to pick up a 3-1/3 IP save.

1947 - OF Bernie Carbo was born in Detroit. He ended his 12-year career with the Bucs in 1980, going 2-for-6 at age 33 after signing on as a free agent in September. He later admitted to drug use during his playing days and said he threw his career away due to his addictions. Carbo sobered up after retiring, largely due to the efforts of Sam McDowell, and became a born-again Christian. In 1993, Bernie founded the evangelical Diamond Club Ministry and now spends his time ministering to families through speeches and baseball camps.

8/5 From 1960: Cobra Crunch, Willie Whack, Game Days, Maz Mark + HoF, Minor Moves, TSN Ty, S-Rod-Joe, HBD Ben, Eric & John

1960 - As posted by BR Bullpen: In a game described by Dick Groat as "the greatest I ever played in," the World Series-bound Bucs buttressed their first place margin over Milwaukee by pulling out a 1-0 win over the Giants. The game's only run came in the eighth inning, when Bill Virdon scored from first on an errant throw by pitcher Sam Jones on Groat’s bunt. But it's the fielding plays that were most spectacular: for the Giants, Willie Mays nipped a seventh inning Bucs uprising in the bud with a brilliant throw to cut down Don Hoak going first to third. But the Pirates' Vinegar Bend Mizell was the chief beneficiary of this game's defensive prowess: the "Say Hey Kid" was robbed of a sure extra-base hit by Roberto Clemente in a terrifying catch and crash that knocked the right fielder out of the lineup for a week as he smashed face first into the concrete base of the stands at the 395-foot mark, then collapsed on the warning track. Five stitches were required to close the cut on his chin, and his left knee was banged up. An inning before that, Virdon made a running grab of Felipe Alou's bomb to the left center light tower, and, in the eighth, Virdon made what Pittsburgh Press writer Les Biederman described as "the play of the season," just missing a leaping grab of Andre Rodgers' drive to the 406’ mark in left center, then recovering to cut down Rodgers try for a triple. The glovely game was viewed by 33,301 fans.

1964 - The Pirates scored once in the eighth and twice in the ninth innings to rally past Don Drysdale and the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 at Forbes Field. In the eighth inning, Bill Virdon scored after a Roberto Clemente double and a wild pitch by reliever Ron Perranoski to cut the lead to 3-2. Jim Pagliaroni led off the last frame with a homer, and with two out, Clemente lined a 2-2 pitch into center, his third hit of the game, to bring home pinch runner Gene Alley (he replaced Ducky Schofield) with the game winner. Reliever Al McBean earned the win.

1969 - Willie Stargell launched a bomb off Los Angeles’ Alan Foster that officially was measured at 507’, the longest - and first - home run ever hit out of Dodger Stadium (other estimates ranged from 480’-512’). The Bucs scored seven times in the ninth and won 11-3 with Manny Sanguillen, who had three knocks along with Matty Alou, and Bill Mazeroski, also going yard. Roberto Clemente collected a pair of hits during the contest, including his 2,500th rap. Steve Blass cruised to the complete game win, his 11th, over Don Drysdale in Big D’s last MLB ballgame.

1970 - 2B Bill Mazeroski set a modern-era NL record for putouts at his position with the 4,781st of his career in the Pirates 4-0 win over the Phillies at TRS, passing Billy Herman. Maz ended his career with 4,974 putouts, eventually surpassed on the leaderboard by Joe Morgan. Luke Walker spun a two-hitter and Al Oliver provided the muscle with a homer and three RBI.

Jose Pagan - 1971 Topps

1971 - The Pirates rolled over Montreal 7-2 at Parc Jarry behind homers by Willie Stargell, Al Oliver and Jose Pagan plus a pair of Gene Alley triples. The bad news was that the Bucs lost Pagan when his arm was broken by a pitch, but he returned to shine in the Fall Classic. Bruce Kison, who would also earn some World Series limelight, went the distance for the win.

1972 - RHP John Wasdin was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. John closed out his 12-year career in Pittsburgh, going 1-1/5.95 in 2007 in a dozen appearances from the pen. Wasdin then bumped around for a bit, tossing in AAA and Japan before taking a high school coaching gig. He joined the Athletics as a pitching coach in 2011 and in 2017, then jumped to the Orioles system and was let go in 2019. He’s now a coach for Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville. He had his moment in the sun in 2003 when he tossed a perfecto for AAA Nashville.

1977 - Utilityman Eric Hinske was born in Menasha, Wisconsin. The 2002 AL Rookie of the Year signed with the Pirates in 2009 as a free agent for $1.5M and hit .255 with one homer before being traded to the Yankees at the deadline. His 12-year career ended in 2013, and since then he’s been a Yankee scout and hitting coach for the Cubs, Angels and D-Backs, who let him go in 2021. His last job was as hitting coach for the Mets, who let him go after the 2023 campaign.

1977 - Cincinnati native Dave Parker became the first player to reach the red seats in right field at Riverfront Stadium when he homered off Fred Norman in a 12-1 win in the opener of a twin bill. Parker added another long ball and had five RBI to back Jerry Reuss’ four-hitter. The match featured a ninth inning fight between Frank Taveras and Joe Hoerner, who was honked that Taveras stole a base while up 7-1. Reds’ catcher Bill Plummer held Taveras while Hoerner slugged him after Frankie was buzzed, then beaned, and retaliated by tossing a bat (way off target) at Hoerner. Both benches emptied, with Parker and Bill Robinson trying to get to Hoerner (Robinson challenged him to a postgame runway meeting, but Joe didn’t keep the date) before order was restored. Reuss didn’t even brush anyone back in the Reds’ ninth frame because Sparky Anderson had taken out all his regulars. Following a jeremiad to the press following the contest by usually mild-mannered Chuck Tanner, the fired-up Pirates also took the nitecap, winning 10-6 for Grant Jackson. Taveras banged an inside-the-park grand slam (the first of two homers that he’d hit in the MLB), and Bill Robinson smacked a three-run shot in the win. The sweep gave the Buccos their ninth win against Cincy in 10 games and moved Pittsburgh just one game behind first place Philadelphia. It also cost them Taveras for five games; the shortstop was suspended a few days later, with Hoerner escaping with a fine. It was the 40-year-old Hoerner’s last MLB outing - it wasn’t the brawl that cost him his job but rather his 12.71 ERA.

John Milner - 1979 photo/Getty

1979 - Chuck Tanner threw out the book when he sent up lefty John Milner to hit for C Steve Nicosia, who was 4-for-4 on the day and RH, to face Phils’ southpaw Tug McGraw. And it worked as Milner banged a walkoff grand slam on the first pitch to win it, 12-8. Nicosia later said “I'm a .220 career hitter. What were my odds of going 5 for 5?" Steve “Lefty” Carlton had an 8-3 lead in that game and couldn’t hang on to it. Kent Tekulve got the win in a game started by Bert Blyleven. In the second match of a double dip at TRS, the Bucs prevailed 5-2, scoring four times in the fourth inning. Omar Moreno and Phil Garner each drove in a pair of runs during the frame. Don Robinson started and was chased; Enrique Romo came on to earn the victory with Teke closing it out. The twin wins moved them into first place ahead of the Expos by 1/2 game and gave the Bucs a five game sweep of their cross-state rivals. They would take 3-of-4 from them in Philly a few days later at the Vet on their road to the World Series title.

1980 - The Bucs traded minor league OF Rick Lancellotti and IF Luis Salazar to the Padres for IF Kurt Bevacqua and RHP Mark Lee. Bevacqua, who played for the Pirates in 1974, got in 51 games between 1980-81 for Pittsburgh w/.200 BA, then spent four more years with San Diego. Lee spent most of his time in AAA, working 16 times for the Bucs in 1980-81. Salazar, who had yet to play a MLB game, was the keeper of the deal, playing for five teams over the next 13 years, appearing at every position but pitcher and catcher with a .261 BA.

1988 - You could forgive OF Tommy Gregg if he didn’t know if he was coming or going. He was sent to AAA Buffalo to make room for RHP Rick Reed, but before he could say adios to the boys, he was back when the Pirates placed OF Glenn Wilson on the DL with a bum knee later that day. Tommy didn’t have a very long shelf life in Pittsburgh even with the reprieve; he was sent to Atlanta on September 1st as the PTBNL to complete the Ken Oberkfell deal. As for Reed, he was up and down with the Bucs through 1991 and became the classic late bloomer - in 1997, at age 32, he hit his groove with the NY Mets and earned two All-Star berths before ending his career with the Minnesota Twins in 2003. Rick won 83 of his 93 MLB victories during that seven-year span.

1991 - RHP Ben Heller was born in Milwaukee. The Olivet Nazarene U product was drafted by the Indians in the 22nd round, and ended up in the Yankee system, where he made 31 outings as a bubble player, going 2-0/2.59 in 31 games between 2016-20. He popped up again in ‘23 with the Braves, getting into 19 games with no decisions and a 3.86 ERA. The Pirates signed him as pen depth and he started the year at Indy; he was called up in June as he was ready to trigger an opt-out contract clause. Heller pitched two innings for the Bucs, gave up 11 earned runs and was DFA’ed. He cleared the wire and was returned to Indy.

Maz - HoF Hologram poster

2001 - Bill Mazeroski was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Dave Winfield, Kirby Puckett, and Negro League star Hilton Smith. After the disappointment of falling a vote shy in 2000, a teary Maz had a big speech written out, but instead said "I think you can flush these 12 pages down the drain," and delivered 2-1/2 minutes of thanks before leaving the podium.

2005 - Hard-nosed Ty Wigginton was featured on the cover of The Sporting News in a collision at the plate for the story (and issue theme) “How’s That Feel?” Ty was a rough-and-tumble infielder for the Bucs, but his down-and-dirty .237 BA earned him his release in the off season.

2016 - The Pirates had lost 4-of-5 and looked like they were going to let another game slip through their fingers until Sean Rodriguez's walkoff homer in the ninth off ex-Bucco Ross Ohlendorf gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 victory over Cincinnati at PNC Park. Righties Jameson Taillon and the Reds Anthony DeSclafani handed a 2-1 Bucco edge to the bullpens to decide. Cincy scored in the first on three singles; the Bucs tied it with John Jaso’s double (Billy Hamilton almost pulled it in and an Oscar performance earned an out call, but a review gave JJ the hit) the key blow. The Redlegs tied it in the ninth inning off Tony Watson with a leadoff walk, bunt, stolen base and a sac fly. But before the Bucs could mope, S-Rod sent a 2-0 heater into the left center seats to reclaim the win.

2017 - The Pirates brought back utilityman Sean Rodriguez by sending Connor Joe to the Atlanta Braves (Connor would return in 2023). S-Rod missed most of the year with a shoulder injury suffered in a pre-season car crash. It showed; he was hitting just .167 w/19 K in 47 PA. He was a Bucco glue man in 2015-16, playing everywhere competently, hitting .260 w/22 HR while a popular guy in the clubhouse & among fans before signing a two-year deal w/the Bravos as a FA ($5.75M in 2018). Connor Joe, 24, was a 2014 sandwich pick (39th overall) who was a man without a position (1B, 3B, OF). He was hitting .240 at Altoona. They also snapped up 32-year-old, seven-year vet RHP George Kontos from the Giants to bolster the pen, releasing RHP Jhan Marinez. Although Kontos was on revocable waivers, the Bay brass let the Pirates claim stand without compensation. The FO had their eye on Kontos, who they tried to pry from the Yankees in 2008 before settling on Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf and Daniel McCutchen.

8/4 Through the 1950s: Arriba Walkoff, Salkeld Cycle, Heinie Bookends, Game Days, Racers, Leever Leave, HBD Luke, Bill, Homer, Cliff, Hicks, Paddy & Jake

1867 - 1B Jake Beckley was born in Hannibal, Missouri. “Eagle Eye” played eight seasons (1888-96) for Pittsburgh, with a year off in 1890 when he suited up for the Pittsburgh Burghers of the outlaw Player’s League. He hit .300/123 OPS+ with 113 triples as a Buc and posted three 100+ RBI/four 100+ runs scored campaigns. Jake could glove it, too. He’s the all-time leader for putouts and top 20 in assists for MLB first basemen. After his 20-year MLB career was done, he was eventually selected in 1971 to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee with a lifetime .308 BA and 23,755 putouts at first base during his career, the all-time record. Jake got his nickname because of his batting eye; he was a contact hitter who finished his career with more walks than whiffs. 

1879 - C Patrick “Paddy” O’Connor was born in County Kerry, Ireland. A little used catcher for the Pirates from 1908-10, he hit .250. He played one more season in Pittsburgh in 1915, albeit with the Rebels of the Federal League, batting .228. Paddy got a lot of mileage out of baseball, with a playing career that spanned from 1901-21 counting his bush league years.

1883 - RHP Lew “Hicks” Moren was born in Pittsburgh and attended Duquesne University. He pitched exactly two games for the Pirates between 1903-04 (0-1/9.00), but was more successful with the Philadelphia Phillies, picking up 48 wins and 10 shutouts while compiling a 2.88 ERA from 1907-10 before arm problems ended his MLB career. He was one of the first twirlers to feature a knuckleball, closely following its original practitioner, Eddie Cicotte. Hicks (no clue as to how he got that moniker) lived to the age of 86, and is buried in Homewood Cemetery. 

1896 - Utilityman Cliff Lee was born in Lexington, Nebraska. Cliff began his eight-year run in the show at Pittsburgh in 1919-20 after being drafted from Portland and then putting in military time. He hit .213 before being claimed by the Phillies and put up three consecutive .300+ campaigns in Philadelphia, playing outfield, catcher and first base. His splits aren’t available, but it appears he never saw much time as a regular because he was a platoon guy that could maul southpaws but righties, not so much. He played in the minor leagues before retiring in 1930.

Cliff Lee - 1922 TSN

1897 - It was a bad day for Pittsburgh at League Park II in Cincinnati. Lefty Killen and the defense floundered in the opener of a twin bill, losing 14-3 and per the Pittsburgh Press “The Reds won the first one with ease as they found Killen at will and the Pirates made so many errors they simply couldn’t do anything else.” In the second game, ump Tim Hurst caught a beer bottle tossed at him from the stands and threw it back at his attacker. Hurst ended up the one arrested (he was fined $100 as the bottle gashed its victim; he had a good arm for an ump) and Red Bittman, who umped a handful of times and was a Cincinnati native, replaced Hurst and called the game a 4-4 tie after six innings due to darkness, wiping out a six-run seventh by the Bucs. Per the Press, the real reason was “...because he failed to check the run getting of the Pirates, he called the game. As the sun was shining, it was a clear case of a steal.” The Pirates won the rescheduled make-up game 8-1 and it was the last of 10 big league games Bittman umped.

1901 - Before Pittsburgh’s 6-3 win at Cincinnati’s League Park, Reds and Pirates players were clocked while running from home plate to 1B. The fastest time for the 90-foot sprint was three seconds flat, by Bucco OF Ginger Beaumont. Though Beaumont was a lefty and was known for his wheels, scouts today consider 3.9-4.0 to be elite speed. The SABR Biography Project says he was once timed at 4.4, which seems a little more like it. As for the game, the Buc attack was primed by the speedy Beaumont and Hans Wagner with three hits apiece and a Lefty Davis homer. Ed Poole, subbing for sore-armed starter Sam Leever, took the win.

1901 - The Bucs made a couple of moves. First, they brought in veteran C George Yeager from the Cleveland Blues on a try-out basis after Chief Zimmer, the Bucs starting catcher, was spiked and put out of action (he would then break a rib in a fall three weeks later). George passed the test and finished the year with the Bucs, hitting .264 in 26 games. On the same day, pitcher Sam Leever requested an unpaid leave of absence because of a sore arm, a problem he suffered from throughout his career. The Goshen Schoolmaster told club secretary Harry Pulliam, as reported by the Pittsburgh Press, that “I am not in a position to earn my salary and in justice to the Pittsburg club I think I should take a vacation at my own expense. Just lay off me, Harry, until I send you word that my arm is right.” The Bucs granted his leave, with Pulliam replying “You are one of the highest paid men in the league and the officials will be pleased when they hear of your offer (but) you will get your salary if you do not pitch another game this season.” He didn’t but came back strong the following year and tossed for the Pirates through 1910.

1902 - RHP Homer Blankenship was born in Bonham, Texas. Homer tossed for a couple of years with the Chicago White Sox (1922-23) and then became a long-time Texas League twirler; the Pirates gave him a shot in 1928 and he went 0-2/5.82 in two starts with one complete game. 

Homer Blankenship - 1928 photo via Find-A-Grave

1912 - IF Bill Schuster was born in Buffalo, New York. He started his five-year, 123-game big league stint in 1937 with the Pirates, going 3-for-6 in a three game audition. Schuster did have a long career spanning 16 years of pro ball, mainly in the Pacific Coast League, where he’s a member of its Hall of Fame. After retiring as a player, Schuster stayed to manage and coach in the west coast league, and later worked in the press room of the Los Angeles Times.

1915 - 1B Luke Easter was born in Jonestown, Mississippi. The slugger played for the Homestead Grays from 1947-48. He hit .363 and led the Grays to a win over the Birmingham Black Barons in the 1948 Negro League World Series, the last one NLWS held. The Grays sold him to Bill Veeck and he went on to play for the Cleveland Indians, but age (he was 34 when he made his MLB debut) and injury limited him to just a couple of productive MLB seasons.

1931 - Heinie Meine started it and ended it. Pirate pitchers put together a streak of 45 consecutive scoreless innings, starting with Meine’s outing on July 27th and ending with Meine’s 7-1 loss to the Cards at Forbes Field after adding five more frames to the zero column. In between, Buc pitchers Larry French, Ray Kremer, Glenn Spencer and Erv Brame all tossed shutouts.

1945 - C Bill Salkeld went 5-for-5 to become the first and only Pirates rookie to hit for the cycle. He drove in all five runs in the Bucs 6-5 loss to the Cardinals at Forbes Field, with the club stranding 12 runners against St. Louis. “Wallopin’ William” must have really been feeling his oats on this day; his triple was the first of just two that he would hit in 1,050 plate appearances during his six-year MLB career with the Bucs, Boston Braves and Chicago White Sox.

1958 - Roberto Clemente’s two-out homer in the ninth inning off future teammate Juan Pizarro gave the Pirates a 4-3 win over the first place Milwaukee Braves at County Stadium. Arriba had three hits and scored three times while Roy Face saved the game for winner Curt Raydon.

8/4 From 1960: Jack Pot, Gorzo Gem, KYx4, Game Days, Sluggo Signs, Josh's Park, Paul POTM, HBD Kevin, Domingo, Steve & Ruben

1964 - C Ruben Rodriguez was born in Cabrera, Dominican Republic. His big league stay consisted of four games, two in 1986 and two more in 1988, for the Bucs. He went 1-for-8 with a triple. The Pirates signed him as a 17-year-old and he played minor league ball from 1982-94, closing out in 1995 in Mexico. He became the bullpen coach for KC and is now a youth instructor.

1967 - OF Steve Bieser was born in Perryville, Missouri. Steve played for the New York Mets in 1987 and got into 13 games as a Pirate in 1988, going 3-for-11 with a double (his MLB BA was .250). Bieser spent 13 years in pro ball with five organizations, then retired to become a high school coach and later the manager at Southeast Missouri State University, his alma mater.

1971 - OK, this is a bit of local lore more than Pirates stuff, but... Tom Walker of Dallas-Fort Worth in the Texas League pitched a 15-inning no-hitter in a 1-0 win over Albuquerque. Tom is Neil Walker’s dad, and after six seasons in the show, his last pro season was with the Bucs AAA Columbus club in 1978. He retired, moved to the City, and you know the rest of the tale.

1992 - Alex Cole delivered a walkoff single in the 12th inning to push the Pirates to a 3-2 win over the Mets at TRS. Don Slaught was the man of the hour; Sluggo drove in both runs during regulation and scored the winning run on Cole’s knock. Bob Walk, the Bucs fifth hurler, pitched three scoreless innings in relief to pick up the win. Walkie was on a roll. Pittsburgh had beaten the Cards the night before via the walkoff route, 2-1, and Walk worked the ninth to win that game, too.

1992 - RHP Domingo German was born in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. In six years with the Yankees, he posted a 31-28/4.41 slash and authored a perfect game in 2023. He was also suspended in 2019 for domestic violence, so he was quite a mixed bag. Nevertheless, the Bucs inked the FA to a minor league contract in 2024 after the Yankees waived him. He was released in July, re-signed, and as his opt-out date arrived, he was called up as a pen arm.

Don Slaught - 1993 Donruss

1993 - C Don Slaught and the Pirates agreed on a two-year/$3.5M contract extension. In his four years as a Pirate, Sluggo had hit .314 in a platoon role. The extension carried him through his age 36 campaign. He played for two more years after the contract for three other clubs, retiring during the 1997 season. Sluggo has since been an amateur baseball instructor and UCLA softball coach.

1993 - SS Kevin Newman was born in Poway, California. A first round pick (19th overall) of the Pirates in 2015 from the U of Arizona, he was called up as a utility infielder in 2018. He hit only .209, but made the club in 2019. When SS Erik Gonzalez went down early during that season, Newman took over the starting spot and has held it ever since. With Oneil Cruz knocking on the door, K-Man saw some duty at second. He struggled at the dish before having a bounce-back year in '22, batting .274, was dealt to the Cincy Reds, moved on to the D-Backs, then the Angels and was just released by the Royals in July ‘26.  

1998 - Fours were wild as 1B Kevin Young went 4-for-5 with four runs scored and four RBI during a 13-5 win over the Rockies at TRS. None of the Bucs went yard, but they did bang out nine doubles off four Colorado pitchers, with Young cranking out three of them while Jason Kendall and Jose Guillen smacked a pair apiece. Jason Christiansen, the fourth of five Pirates hurlers, got the win.

2006 - 23-year-old lefty Tom Gorzelanny went eight innings of two-hit ball and struck out seven as the Bucs beat the Cubs at Wrigley Field, 6-0. Xavier Nady went 4-for-5 with three doubles, two RBI and two runs. Jose Castillo and Ronny Paulino each homered, had two knocks and chased home a pair of runs. The Bucs made it easy, not only scoring freely but making a handful of glovely plays in the field, led by Nady at 1B and Chris Duffy in center field. For the cherry on top, Gorzo preened in front of his homies - he was born in nearby Evergreen Park.

2017 - The Pirates, who had dropped the series at San Diego the week before and were in the throes of losing eight-of-10, fell behind Travis Wood and the Padres, 3-0. They rallied with back-to-back two-run frames to tie the game before a bullpen implosion put them behind the eight ball again by a 6-4 count in the seventh (each team twice surrendered leads). But they had one more hurrah left, and behind a three-run pinch-hit homer by Gregory Polanco and a two-out, two-run knock by Josh Harrison, rallied one more time to defeat the Friars, 10-6, at PNC Park. 32,243 were at the game, which was delayed for two hours by a passing storm, and they hung around to listen to the group Chicago and “Saturday in the Park” (the game began Friday night but the band didn’t get on stage until 1AM Saturday morning, a case of art imitating life). David Freese added a homer while AJ Schugel got credit for the win despite facing just two batters and walking in a run. 

Gregory Polanco - 2017 Museum Collection

2022 - For the third straight game, the Pirates overcame a multi-run deficit to rally for victory against the Brew Crew, winning 5-4 in a wild finish at PNC Park. Pittsburgh tied the game in the seventh inning on RBI knocks by Tucupita Marcano and Ben Gamel, carrying the contest into extra frames. In the 10th inning, Duane Underwood gave Milwaukee the lead without a hit. The free runner and two walks jammed the sacks and then Kolten Wong was plunked with two away to force home the go-ahead run. The Bucs answered when Bryan Reynolds chased the ghost runner home with a leadoff double. A sac fly sandwiched around two intentional walks loaded the bases before a wild pitch plated B-Rey, giving Underwood the victory. The Bucs 9-through-3 hitters (Jason Delay, Marcano, Reynolds and Gamel) each banged a pair of hits to cap the sweep.

2022 - A new park celebrating Hall of Famer Josh Gibson’s legacy and Pittsburgh’s storied Negro League history was dedicated in Station Square. The Josh Gibson Heritage Park featured bronze murals of Gibson and other Negro League stars: James “Cool Papa” Bell, Leroy “Satchel” Paige and Cum Posey, with plans to add more murals of Negro League greats to the outdoor exhibit in the future. The bronzes were based on drawings by Pittsburgh sports artist Dino Guarino and will remain on display along West Station Square Drive near Highmark Stadium.

2025 - Paul Skenes was picked as the National League Pitcher of the Month, the first time he won the award. He posted a 2-1/0.67 line with 36 strikeouts in 27 innings of work and started the All-Star Game for the NL. 

2025 - Two guys returned from injury for their first MLB work since 2023, RHP Johan Oviedo and RH reliever Dauri Moreta. And the results couldn’t have been more different between the pair. Oviedo was still rusty; he lasted an inning, threw 42 pitches and gave up two runs with three walks, earning himself a return ticket to Indy to continue the rust removal. Moreta came on in the ninth, pitched a 1-2-3 final frame with a K and got the win. As for the game, the Bucs started in the hole, down 4-1 at PNC after six innings. But a two-run shot by Jack Suwinski and ninth-inning small ball pulled out a 5-4 win over the G-Men. A walk and a bopped batter set the Bucs up; Joey Bart's single knotted the score and put a runner on third. Isiah Kiner-Falefa then rolled a swinging bunt bouncer along the right side and Suwinski's slide beat the rap for the win.

Weekly Report: Sad Week On the Field, Players Shaken, Not Stirred Before Deadline, O'Hearn Out Til September, Spence-Endy-Rafe Back

How 'bout that deadline shufflin'...?

Pirates Stuff: 

• The Pirates picked up vet RH reliever Camilo Doval, 29, from the NYY (3-1-1/4.54 in 44 appearances). Doval has a $6.1M contract for this season (the Yankees also included $1M+ cash in the transaction) and a another year of control. He’s posted 109 career saves with a 3.53 ERA, but New York flipped him from a back-ender to a middle-innings guy earlier in the season, so he's at a crossroads of his MLB journey. The return pieces were C Omar Alfonzo and OF Luis Cruz from the Pirates’ Dominican Summer League roster. RHP Hunter Stratton was DFA'ed to clear roster room.
• 1B Spencer Horwitz (hammy/concussion) has been activated from rehab, RHP Camilo Doval is with the team and RHP Isaac Mattson & OF Billy Cook were optioned to Indy.
• Ryan O'Hearn injured his quad in the ninth inning of Friday's game. The next day, he was placed on the IL with a quad strain and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, pretty much ending his campaign.

Ryan O'Hearn - quad sprain, out 6-8 weeks photo SportsNet.Pgh

• The shuffle never ends: LHP Hunter Barco, RHP Noah Murdock & OF Jhostynxon Garcia were called up from Indy while LHP Brandon Eisert, RHP Isaac Mattson & UT Tyler Callihan were optioned to AAA. Barco got right into action and threw 73 pitches; the Bucs had a bunch of games without a break coming up, so they swapped him out via option for RHP Antwone Kelly. Kelly worked a game, was optioned back and Mattson was recalled, only to be optioned back in a flash. 
• C Endy Rodriguez had a short rehab stint; he was recalled on Monday for the D-Back series. Shawn Ross was DFA'ed and claimed by the Mets. C Rafael Flores reurned from the concussion IL on Saturday; he and Endy may see time at first now that O'Hearn is out.
• RHP Evan Sisk (elbow inflammation) began his rehab stint at Indy on Thursday; by Sunday he was with the team but not yet rostered.
• Uh-oh: Esmerlyn Valdez had to leave Monday's game after getting plunked in the hand/wrist area. He dodged a bullet; next-day tests found no fracture, just a contusion that he played through. The news wasn't so swell regarding Spencer Horwitz, who suffered a concussion over the weekend after being beaned while rehabbing at Bradenton. There's no timeline yet for his return to game action.
• RHP Jose Urquidy was traded to the White Sox while DFA'ed for Rookie League RH reliever Felix Doroteo, a 21-year-old hi K, hi walk guy.

Seth may be done for the year, too - 2026 photo MLB

• RHP Seth Hernandez reported left oblique discomfort that popped up during his last outing on July 24. It was diagnosed as a sprain and he was placed on the 10-day IL; guesstimates have him out for 6-8 weeks. 
• The Pirates bought the contract of DFA'ed Norfolk (Baltimore's AAA team) OF Jonathan Rodriguez (.276/4 HR) who debuted in 2024 and has hit .177 in 51 career games. He had a strong AAA campaign in '25 (.312/16/101), the Bucs are looking for RH bats and OF is a strong prospect position, so a trade out of that pool of players is possible.
• J-Hey Day: Friday, August 7 is the date Josh Harrison officially retires as a member of the Pirates. The following day, the Pirates will honor Harrison with a T-shirt giveaway and then an on-field ceremony followed by Josh tossing out the first pitch v the Mets. 
• TSN is running a series on the greatest 140 players, with the first release being 10 players designated "The Immortals." The Pirates are repped by Roberto Clemente & Honus Wagner, the Crawfords by Satch Paige and Mon Valley's Donora by Stan Musial & Ken Griffey Jr.

Game Stuff:

• The pitching was good (props to the cavalry who spun 4-2/3 shutout frames), Brandon Lowe scored once and drove in a pair (B-Rey had the other RBI) and the Bucs took a 10-inning thrilla from the Arizona D-Backs at PNC Park, 3-2. 
• The D-Backs were cruisin' with a 6-0 lead after seven - Bubba was the victim of some soft hits and meh Bucco D - when bang, the Bucs put up three in the eighth and three more in the ninth to send it into overtime. A two-out error by Jared Triolo gave Arizona the lead back in the 10th at 7-6; he atoned by bringing home the tying tally. But the Snakes pulled it out in the 12th 8-7, despite Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds HRs.
• It was a blah finish; the Pirates dropped a 3-0 decision and the series to Arizona on Wednesday.
• The Bucs opened a four-gamer at Cincy's GABP; the bats remained under wraps as the Reds walked off a ninth-inning 3-2 win. The good: Brandon Lowe homered; the bad: Mason Montgomery worked the 8th, using just seven pitches, but was pulled for Gregory Soto in the 9th.
• Paul Skenes was battered again and lasted just four frames. Still, Buc bats were slapping this night, and they carried the club to a 7-5 lead going into the eighth. But Wilber Dotel allowed the Reds to tie it, then Nick Gonzalez &  Brandon Lowe let Cincy win it when an inning-ending throw ended up in the OF and allowed the lead run to score. 8-7 was how it finished as the bad bullpen/bad defense combo lost another. Oh, and Ryan O'Hearn left the game on crutches...

Braxton Ashcraft - 2026 Pirates graphic

• Braxton Ashcraft was back and unfortunately so was some rain, but the game started on time and Bucs, thanks muchly to Red gifts (and drip-dry umps), were up 4-1 when a delay was called in the bottom of the sixth. The bats went silent, but Carmen Mlodzinski took over and put up three zeroes, handing it off in the ninth to Gregory Soto.
• Mitch Keller's post-AGS mojo ran out - he traded six outs for seven runs, making for a long, rainy day in Cincy on Sunday as the Bucs lost the game 10-2 and the series.

MLB Stuff:

• After getting beat up here on Sunday, the Cubs DFA'ed RHP Jameson Taillon (2026 line: 2-6/5.92). Toronto picked Jamo up.
• The A's DFA'ed ol' Bucco reliever RHP Geoff Hartlieb.
• RHP Dennis Santana cleared waivers. He rejected an assignment to Indy and chose to become a free agent.
• LHP Ryan Borucki, who was released by the Giants in June, signed a minor league with Cleveland.
• LHP Bailey Falter, who the Bucs sent to KC at the '25 deadline, was traded back to the NL as part of a Royals-Atlanta Braves deal.

8/3 Through the 1960s: 19-0, Two For Ken, Reb Gems, Wild Crowd, Game Days, Danny Replaces Bobby, ASG & Pgh Date Set, HBD Kevin, Mackey, Sid, Jim, Rich & Gee-Gee

1889 - IF Gus “Gee-Gee” Getz was born in Pittsburgh. He closed out his seven-year MLB stay with seven games for the home team in 1918, going 2-for-10 and playing some hot corner. Gus started his career back in 1908 as an 18-year-old with McKeesport and closed it out in 1927.

1895 - Pittsburgh took over first place with a rousing 5-4 win over the Cleveland Spiders at Exposition Park in front of 6,000 fans. The Pirates were down 4-2 in the eighth inning when Elmer “Mike” Smith banged a two-strike, two-run triple off the wall in right to tie the score. The Bucs took it in the ninth frame on Jake Starzel’s double, a bunt, and Monte Cross’ walk off single. Pink Hawley, making his third start of the week, got the win. Alas, it would be the last day that Pittsburgh was in first place; the Pirates finished the year in the middle of the pack at 71-61.

1905 - Pittsburgh ended the New York Giants 13-game winning streak with a 10-4 victory at a rockin’ Exposition Park. The Pittsburgh Press reported that “...after little rooting in the first five innings,” the Pirates ignited their rooters by taking the lead in the sixth and “the crowd went wild with delight (and) was on its feet for five minutes cheering with might and main and waving hats, canes and handkerchiefs.” In fact, one fan had a fatal heart attack during the action, and a Giant supporter had to be removed by the police after assaulting Pirate owner Barney Dreyfuss in his private box; of all things, the bossman’s attacker was a seminary student decked out in his clerical garb. 3B Dave Brain had three hits and four other Buccos had a pair of knocks apiece. Sam Leever, with help from Pat Flaherty, got the win over Iron Man McGinnity and reliever Sam Wiltse.

1914 - The Pittsburgh Rebels of the Federation League took their second straight 1-0 win from first-place Chicago at Exposition Park. The Pittsburgh Press noted that “The winning...was due to the great pitching and timely hit of Walter Dickson.” Dickson wasn’t much of a hitter, but the paper reported that “He was twirling such fine ball that (manager Rebel) Oakes didn’t want to take a chance on a pinch hitter.” Walt rewarded the skipper by banging the game winning hit. No box score was available, but Dickson faced just 33 batters in 10 innings and none of the Chi-town nine reached third base. The Rebels had to lend the Chi-Feds a catcher, Skipper Roberts, so that they could continue their road trip, as the two Windy City receivers were laid up, one with appendicitis and the other with a broken finger. Roberts played four games for them before returning.

Walter Dickson (Giants) - 1911 Broadleaf Gold Border

1917 (some sources have 1925 as his birth date, but 1917 is the consensus) - OF/P Dave Hoskins was born in Greenwood, Mississippi. A RHP and LH batter, Hoskins spent his early career with the Homestead Grays from 1942-44, batting .289 as a right fielder and posting a line of 7-6/4.81 as a pitcher in a dozen starts. Hoskins went on to become the first black player in the Texas League at Dallas before spending a couple of years with the Indians, mostly as a pitcher, slashing 9-4-1/3.81 and hitting .227. In 1953, he and Satchel Paige made the history books when they matched up in the first MLB game that featured black pitchers opposing one another. He played pro ball until he was 41, spending 11 years in the minors before closing out in Mexico in 1960. Dave then retired to his 18-acre Flint, Michigan, farm and worked at GM as his day job.

1930 - The Pirates won their seventh game in eight outings when they whipped the Chicago Cubs 12-8 at Wrigley Field, riding an eight-run, 12-batter eighth inning to victory. On the day, Gus Suhr & Adam Comorosky each had three RBI, Al Bool homered and Dick Bartell scored three times as all nine Pirates in the lineup recorded hits for the second contest in a row. Erv Brame went the distance for the win despite surrendering 14 hits to the Chi-town nine.

1938 - C Josh Gibson banged out five hits, with two homers and a double, in the Homestead Grays 20-8 romp against the Newark Eagles at Offermann Stadium.

1941 - Ken Heintzelman started both ends of a doubleheader against the New York Giants at Forbes Field in front of 25,688 fans, with the Bucs taking both games by 5-4 and 10-4 tallies. Heintzelman didn’t get the decision in either contest though; he lasted for just two innings total and gave up seven runs. The victories went to relievers Dutch Dietz and Bob Klinger. Deitz was especially strong on the slab; he whitewashed the G-Men, yielding two hits over 8-1/3 innings while the nitecap lasted six innings, long enough for the Pirates to bang five triples in their spacious Oakland playground.

Ken Heintzelman - 1947 Bowman

1946 - Jim Leyland’s right-hand man, coach Rich Donnelly, was born in Steubenville. After four years as a minor league catcher and a decade in the Texas minor league system as a skipper (he ended his days as a Mets minor league coach), he was promoted to the big leagues and later served with Leyland for 14 seasons, including 11 years in Pittsburgh (1986-96), as the bullpen and then third base coach. Rich spent 28 years in all as a MLB coach, working for seven different clubs. He was also featured with daughter Amy in an inspirational book, Tom Friend’s “The Chicken Runs At Midnight.” 

1950 - RHP Hank Borowy was sold to the Tigers, moving from a last-place Pittsburgh club to the AL frontrunners. The 34-year-old started the season with the Phillies, was sold to the Bucs in June and so was on his way to his third team. Of course, he’s probably lucky that three teams wanted him - he went 1-3/6.25 during the year. However, he was a solid get for the Tigers down the stretch, going 1-1/3.31 from the pen in 13 outings, but even with 95 wins, Motown finished behind the Yankees. Detroit released him after the 1951 season.

1952 - The last-place Pirates knocked the New York Giants 6-1/2 games behind the Brooklyn Dodgers by sweeping a doubleheader at the Polo Grounds, 7-0 and 10-8. The two wins matched the hapless Buccos’ longest win streak of the year. Murry Dickson came in for Paul La Palme in the third inning with the bases loaded and an out. He got a double play bouncer from Bobby Thompson cruising through his 6-2/3 innings, giving up three hits and no runs. Gus Bell was a homer shy of the cycle and drove in two runs. The Pirates jumped out to a 10-1 lead in the closer, scoring four times in the sixth frame before the Giants answered with seven scores before the game was called because of darkness.

1954 - At Forbes Field, Reds manager Birdie Tebbetts started RHP Bud Podbielan and Bucco skipper Fred Haney countered with an all-lefty Pirate lineup. Birdie then lifted Podbielan after one batter and brought in southpaw Joe Nuxhall. The ploy worked to perfection and Cincinnati won, 7-2, as the portsiders were baffled. Haney was duped by an old gambit first pulled by manager Bucky Harris in Game 7 of the 1924 World Series. (S/O to John Thorn’s “Old News in Baseball”).

Dick Groat - 1956 Topps

1956 - Dick Groat’s single up the middle chased home a pair of Buccos to claim a 4-3 walkoff win against the Milwaukee Braves at Forbes Field. The Pirates had lost eight straight games, but manager Bobby Bragan said before the game that the streak would end tonight. The first eight innings were a duel between Vern Law and Warren Spahn with Pittsburgh holding a 2-1 edge. With two gone in the ninth inning, the Braves got back-to-back singles and took the lead when Del Crandall doubled them home. Groat, who scored the Bucs first run, canceled the Brew City party with his base-loaded knock, plating Bill Virdon and Dick Cole while making a prophet of Bragan. Most of the 17,479 fans went home happy; a group of about 100 Brave fans who had spent the afternoon snake-dancing through the ballyard presumably went to their hotel to cry in their beer.

1956 - During the NL meetings, the Pirates were awarded the 1959 All-Star game as they and the Giants switched Midsummer Classic host dates. The Bucs original 1961 All-Star slot was swapped out to the G-Men, who were scheduled to host the ASG at the Polo Grounds in New York, but the Giants left that yard after the 1957 campaign for the Bay and eventually Candlestick Park, which didn’t open until 1960. The flipped date was quite copacetic for Pittsburgh, falling during the City’s bicentennial celebration. The Pirates had last hosted an ASG in 1944.

1957 - The news that Danny Murtaugh replaced Bobby Bragan as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates leaked to the press ahead of time, and Bragan heard it on the radio before GM Joe L. Brown could reach him. It wasn’t a surprise; the quirky Bragan had greased his own skids with an outre incident in Milwaukee when he strolled onto the field sipping a drink through a straw and offered it to the umps a couple of days earlier, and he took it as well as could be expected.

1958 - The Cards finally scored against Pittsburgh in a 2-1 loss in the second game of a twin bill at Forbes Field as George “Red” Witt beat Vinegar Bend Mizell. Bob Skinner had both RBI. The Bucs took the lidlifter 2-0 as Bob Friend outdueled Sal Maglie, supported by a Bill Virdon homer and run-scoring knock from Frank Thomas. St. Louis had nine hits in each game, but found home plate off limits. The day before, Vern Law beat Sam Jones 1-0, tossing a three-hitter and making a lone first-inning run stand. In the lidlifter, Ronnie Kline beat Bob Mabe 2-0, spinning a four-hitter in a game that was scoreless until Pittsburgh plated in the eighth. The Bucs served goose eggs to the Cards for 33 straight innings in the four-game set, giving up one run on 25 hits.

1959 - The second All-Star Game of the year was held at LA Memorial Stadium with P Roy Face, C Smoky Burgess, SS Dick Groat and 2B Bill Mazeroski representing Pittsburgh. The AL won 5-3. Face went two innings, striking out two but was touched up by a solo shot off Rocky Colavito’s bat. Burgess and Groat both went 0-for-1 and Maz was planted on the bench.

Jim Gott - 1989 Score

1959 - RHP Jim Gott was born in Hollywood. Obtained from the Giants off waivers in mid-1987, the Bucs used him as a closer, and he saved 13 games with a 1.45 ERA. In 1988, he broke Teke’s franchise record with 34 saves. But he only appeared once the next year after an elbow injury, and signed with the Dodgers as a FA for 1990. Gott came back to Pittsburgh for his final season in 1995.

1960 - 1B Sid Bream, the harbinger of the Bucco dark ages, was born in Carlisle, PA. Sid played first from 1985-90 for the Pirates with a .269 average, having three pretty solid years from 1986-88. He signed with the Braves in 1990, and in 1992...let’s not talk about it. Sid played into 1994, retiring during the player’s strike. Despite that soul-crushing slide, he sank roots in the area and lives in the northern suburbs. Always a solid citizen, he’s now a Christian speaker. 

1961 - The Pirates ran away with a 19-0 victory over the St. Louis Cards at Busch Stadium for the largest shutout score in a National League night game. The Bucs banged out 24 hits while Harvey Haddix twirled a four-hitter for Pittsburgh. It was the most lopsided shutout in modern NL history at the time, tying a record set in 1906. Smoky Burgess had six RBI with a pair of homers and Dick Stuart drove in five more tallies, adding a grand slam. Bob Skinner and Roberto Clemente scored four times, with Roberto collecting five hits and Bill Mazeroski banging out four as the Bucco quartet overwhelmed the Redbirds.

1962 - C Mackey Sasser was born in Fort Gaines, Georgia. He joined the Pirates in 1987 from the Giants for Don Robinson, got into a dozen games (.217 BA), and was moved in the offseason as a piece of the Randy Milligan swap with the Mets. There he developed a case of the yips, known as Sasser Syndrome, when returning the ball to the pitcher (although oddly enough not on steal attempts) and it stayed with him through the rest of his career. Sasser re-signed with the Pirates for the 1995 season but played in only fourteen games before being released in mid-May. He retired and became a college coach.

1964 - IF Kevin Elster was born in San Pedro, California. The 13-year vet spent 1997 with the Bucs, hitting .225. He had just won the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award as a Texas Ranger in 1996 and signed a $1.65M contract with the Pirates as a free agent, but he broke his left wrist in a collision at first base with and missed all but 39 games of the season. Kevin returned to the Rangers the following year as a FA and played through 2000.