4/19 Through the 1960s: Arky Clutch, Cy One-Hitter, Openers, Game Days, Boot-Ball, Brawling In Cincy, Showtime, In the Cards, HBD RJ

• 1890 - Pittsburgh, which had lost a boatload of players to the upstart Players League, still had enough to win their Opener at Recreation Park by a 3-2 tally over the Cleveland Spiders in front of 1,000 fans. The North Side nine jumped ahead in the first frame when Billy Sunday advanced three bases on a misthrow by the Cleve catcher to score and the Allies added in the next inning when Sam LaRocque tripled and came home on Henry Youngman’s single. The Spiders tied the game in the fifth against Pete Daniels, but Pittsburgh took home the win in the ninth when Daniel’s bases-loaded rap proved the game-winner. Daniels tossed an eight-hitter with two K and a walk; it would be his only victory of the year. He was released after four games, and the team itself finished with a 23-113 mark. The Player League nine also had its Opener at Exposition Park and the Burghers were thumped 10-2 despite a crowd of 9,000 who came to see James "Pud" Galvin pitch. Both local clubs opened with a parade to their respective ballparks, but they avoided one another and any rooter ‘tudes. 
• 1900 - Pittsburgh lost their opener to St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 at Robison Field as Cy Young pitched a five-hitter and K’ed nine. The game was auspicious because it marked the Pirates debut of 26-year-old Honus Wagner (in right field), who had played with Louisville for the past three seasons. He didn’t disappoint, getting two of the Bucs hits, though he did manage to get picked off once. Hans went on to hit a league-leading .381 with 22 triples and 176 OPS+, the second of fifteen consecutive seasons that The Flying Dutchman would bat .300 or better. 
• 1902 - The Cardinals booted 11 balls in a 10-4 loss to the Bucs at Sportsman Park, setting an NL record. The Pirates mishandled four more plays to help set a single game NL record for errors. The Pittsburgh Gazette aptly described the affair as a “game that would make amateurs blush.” 
• 1903 - The Pirates, NL pennant winners in 1901-02, let the rest of the league know they weren’t resting on their laurels by sweeping the Reds at Cincinnati’s Palace of the Fans (and there was a huge crowd of 12,000 fans) in a season-opening four-game set, taking the series finale by a 6-4 score. The top three in the Buc lineup - Ginger Beaumont, Fred Clarke and Tommy Leach - scored all six runs to back up Sam Leever’s pitching. The club finished the season as Senior Circuit champions with 91 wins, and then met Boston in what’s considered the first World Series. 

Sam Leever - Helmar T205

• 1912 - The Pirates and Cardinals spent the evening at the Lyceum Theater on Penn Avenue taking in “George Evans’ Honey Boy Minstrels” show per the Pittsburgh Press. Evans was born in Wales, became a popular entertainer in America, and like many young immigrants, developed a jones for baseball. He awarded a loving cup to the "World's Championship Batsman" from 1908-12, with Hans Wagner earning the first and Ty Cobb then running the table. 
• 1935 - Cy Blanton threw a complete game, one-hit, one-walk, shutout against the St Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field, only giving up a second-inning single to Spud Davis (who would end his career as a Bucco). The Bucs won 3-0, scoring all their runs in the third inning against Wild Bill Hallahan; Blanton chipped in with an RBI. Arky Vaughan and Tom Padden backed up Cy’s gem with three hits apiece. Beat man Edward Ballinger of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote “Blanton’s fireball worked so beautifully and his curves worked so artistically that the Redbirds expressed disgust by throwing down their bats after missing strikes.” Posing, it seems, is not a modern phenomenon. 
• 1938 - Trailing 3-2 entering the ninth inning, SS Arky Vaughan hit a two-run homer to give the Pirates a 4-3 season-opening victory at St. Louis’ Sportsman Park. Paul Waner went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and two runs scored. The win marked the beginning of a seven-game winning streak to open the season. Alas, they needed that winning touch at the end of the year. Instead, they dropped 6-of-7 in the closing days of the campaign to finish two games behind the Cubs. 
• 1948 - The Reds opened the season with a 4-1 win over the Pirates at Crosley Field in a game delayed by a shower of bottles in the eighth frame. The Bucs went down fighting when Cincy’s Babe Young doubled after Hank Sauer’s homer and got tangled with Buc SS Stan Rojek. Young went after Rojek, failing to note that the ball was back in play, and was tagged out. The players jostled and a fan jumped the railing to go after ump Jocko Conlin, who had rung Young up. First base ump Beans Reardon came over to help get things in order, but instead got into a fight with the riled rooter. Police restored peace while the Queen City faithful pitched a few bottles the Buccos’ way. The fighting fan, btw, was thrown out but escorted back to his seat. The game was noteworthy in a couple of other ways - it marked the Pirates switch to black & gold trim from the traditional red and blue piping along with cleaner lettering instead of cursive, and it marked Billy Meyer’s debut as manager. Despite the bumpy baptism, he would become 1948’s The Sporting News Manager of the Year. 

Rip Sewell - 1949 Eureka Sports Stamp

• 1949 - Rip Sewell whipped Dutch Leonard 1-0 in front of Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson and Chicago Mayor Martin Kennelly at Wrigley Field, marking the third time Sewell blanked the Cubbies on Opening Day. The Pirates scored in the ninth when pinch-hitter Les Fleming’s grounder scored pinch runner Jack Cassini for an unearned run; the bases were loaded with one away and the Cubby infield tried to turn an inning-ending DP instead of taking a sure out at home. SABR’s John Fredland added some game trivia - Sewell, 41, and Leonard, 40, were the first pair of 40-somethings to go head-to-head on Opening Day. The only other Opening Day matchup of starters in their 40s didn’t happen until 4/3/2005 when New York’s 41-year-old Randy Johnson met 41-year-old David Wells of the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium (NY won, 9-2). Also, future Bucco catcher Smoky Burgess made his first MLB appearance, pinch-hitting with a deep fly out. 
• 1959 - Robert James “RJ” Reynolds was born in Sacramento. The switch-hitter spent six seasons with the Pirates, hitting .269 as a platoon outfielder and pinch hitter from 1985-90. He often played with Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke, but age and Bobby Bo’s emergence marked the beginning of the end for RJ, who finished his pro career playing in Japan and Mexico. 
• 1960 - The newspapers sniffed out a proposed deal with the Phils; the Pirates were looking for pitching (specifically Don Cardwell) and Philly needed help behind the plate and in the outfield, where the Pirates were deep. The rumors didn’t pan out (the Phils liked Bill Virdon, which was a deal-breaker), and swapped Cardwell to the Cubs three weeks later. But the Pirates FO’s interest didn’t fade; they got the righty in the 1962 offseason as part of the Dick Groat deal with the Cards.

4/19 From 1970: Foli-Taveras, Wandy-ful, Reynolds Rap, Game Days, Bonds POTW, Big Hurt; HBD Zach, Denny & Joe

• 1977 - Joe Beimel was born in St. Mary’s in Elk County. The lefty from Duquesne University started his career in Pittsburgh (2001-03) and made another stop in 2012. He was 11-20 in his four campaigns with the Bucs, pitching to a 5.03 ERA. The Bucs released him after he had TJ surgery in 2012. Joe last pitched in the majors in 2015 and retired in 2017 after 13 MLB campaigns; he made an unsuccessful 2021 comeback with San Diego. And he pitched without a safety net - Beimel never had a contract that was for longer than one year. 
• 1977 - LHP Denny “Big Sweat” Reyes was born in Higuera de Zaragoza, Mexico. Denny spent 15 years in the majors with 12 very forgettable outings as a Pirate in 2003, when he gave up a dozen runs in 10+ innings. The Bucs waived him in May and he bounced around until catching a second wind in 2006 with the Twins; he put up five solid seasons with them and the Cards before tossing his last outing in 2011 for the Red Sox. As for his nickname - at 6’3” and 250 pounds, Denny worked up plenty of big sweats while tending to his job on the hill. 
• 1979 - The Mets traded Tim Foli and minor league prospect Greg Field to the Pirates in exchange for SS Frank Taveras. Foli solidified the infield for the eventual World Champs, batting .291 and appearing in 133 games. He stayed with the Bucs through 1981, went to the AL for three seasons and spent his last year as a Pirate in 1985. Frank was solid offensively through 1980, and in three years with the Mets hit .253 with 90 swipes before closing it out in 1982 with the Expos. 
• 1983 - LHP Zach Duke was born in Clifton, Texas. He spent the first six years of his career in Pittsburgh and put up a line of 49-75/4.99. Called up in July of 2005 after being named the Bucco Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2004, he went 8-2/1.81, but never posted an ERA south of four afterwards as a Pirate, leaving the club after the 2010 season. Zachster had TJ surgery in 2017, coming back in late July to work for the Cards. He last pitched in 2019 and became a co-founder of Framework Athletics, a baseball/softball training academy located in Nashville.

RJ Reynolds - 1986 Fleer

• 1986 - Happy birthday to me! Leadoff hitter RJ Reynolds celebrated his 27th birthday with a grand slam off Chicago’s Scott Sanderson in the fourth inning at Wrigley Field during a 14-8 Pirates win. The game featured six home runs (three by each team) and 28 hits (14 by each team). 
• 1988 - The Pirates announced that OF Barry Bonds won the NL Player of the Week award. BB batted 7-of-23, and four of those hits left the yard. He was tied for the league lead in homers, triples and home runs while holding down the fifth spot in batting average race with a .354 BA. 
• 1991 - The Pirates took a 3-0 lead into the ninth against Chicago at TRS behind one-hit pitching by Vincente Palacios, Bob Patterson & Stan Belinda and a two-run Andy Van Slyke bomb and a sac fly, but it went by the wayside in a hurry. Belinda went an inning too long, giving up a hit, walk and beaning before allowing a pinch-hit grand salami to Andre Dawson. But Pittsburgh had a rally left in them; old Cubbie Curtis Wilkerson and Gary Redus opened with back-to-back singles. A wild pitch tied it and a couple of batters later, Jeff King dumped a single off the end of his bat into center to walk it off, 5-4. King and Don Slaught had a pair of hits and Belinda, despite having his cage rattled in the ninth, got the victory to snap a six-game win streak by the Cubs. 
• 1999 - Leadoff batter Jason Kendall had two singles, stole three bases and scored twice as the Bucs blanked San Diego 3-0 at Qualcomm Stadium. Five Pirates pitchers spun a five-hit shutout as starter Pete Schourek picked up his first win of the season while Jason Christiansen recorded his first save of the year. People sometimes forget how good a runner Kendall was, even as a catcher. He was injured on July 4th and lost for the rest of the campaign, but up to that point he had swiped 22 sacks in 25 tries in 78 games and batted leadoff in 15 of the outings. 

Wandy Rodriguez - 2013 Topps

• 2013 - Wandy Rodriguez tossed seven innings of one-hit ball as the Bucs beat the NL-leading Atlanta Braves 6-0 at PNC Park in front of 18,705 Friday night fans. The Bravos ended up with two hits, with both runners erased on DP balls. There were no walks or errors, allowing the three Pirate hurlers (Wandy, Mark Melancon and Vin Mazzaro) to face the minimum 27 batters. 
• 2017 - The Pirates were swept by the St Louis Cardinals in a three-game set at Busch Stadium by identical 2-1 scores. It was the first time since 1888 that the Pirates (then the Alleghenys) had given up six or fewer runs in a three-game series and lost all three times (1-0, 1-0, 2-0, v the Philadelphia Quakers). The hard-luck losers were Ivan Nova, Chad Kuhl and Gerrit Cole. It also continued an odd pattern of sweeps in April - the Pirates were swept by Boston, took three from Atlanta, then blanked by Cincinnati, won a three-gamer against the Cubs and were broomed by the Redbirds. Bucco historian John Dreker of Pirates Prospects noted that the 1890 Pirates/Alleghenys were involved in six straight sweeps from Aug 13th-Sept 2nd. Technically, that streak reached eight sweeps if you count a series that was just one game due to bad weather. 
• 2019 - Ouch: SS Erik Gonzalez and CF Starling Marte crashed into one another chasing down a Texas Leaguer during the Pirates 4-1 win over the Giants at PNC Park. Gonzo broke his collarbone, went on the 60-day IL and was out until August; Starling bruised his abdominal wall and went on the 10-day list. That meant the Pirates top two SS’s (Gonzalez and Kevin Newman) were on the IL and their top four outfielders (Marte joined Gregory Polanco, Corey Dickerson & Lonnie Chisenhall) were out of action. To boot, starting second baseman Adam Frazier was out with back spasms. Despite being battered and bloody, the Pirates were on a four-game winning streak and at 11-6 were off to the best start of anyone in the NL as the “next man up” process was working just fine. But the club quickly lost energy and finished the campaign with a 69-93 mark.

4/18 Through 1954: Ralph's 1st, Forbes Field Named, Openers & Game Days, HBD Steverino, Ron, Larry, Bob, Jack S, Jack R & Fred

• 1864 - RHP Fred Doe was born in Rockport, Massachusetts. Fred was a long-time minor league player (1886-1902) who got to twirl two MLB games, both in 1890 in the Players League. The first was with Buffalo and the second in Pittsburgh, where he tossed four mop-up innings and gave up two runs. Doe was a player, manager, and owner over several decades in the New England League and was known as the “Father of Sunday Baseball” due to his efforts to repeal state blue laws. 
• 1872 - 1B Jack Rothfuss was born in Newark. Rothfuss tore it up for the Atlantic League’s Newark Colts, was bought late-season by the Bucs for $2,000 and made his MLB debut on August 2nd, 1897. Jack hit .313 and was the frontrunner to become Pittsburgh’s next starting first baseman. Alas, Rothfuss never played in the majors again after contracting dysentery late in the season. (He blamed it on the city’s water, telling The Sporting Life “...the water in Pittsburgh is atrocious." And during that era, he was probably right.) He was loaned to minor-league Kansas City, recovered and bolted back home to play for Newark. Jack returned to KC the next year, but jumped back-and-forth among minor league/indie clubs until he finally hung up the spikes in 1907. 
• 1886 - The Alleghenys played the only Opening Day doubleheader in Pittsburgh baseball history at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis, with the twinbill scheduled because of a rainout the day before. (it was actually two separate games with separate gates on the same day rather than a two-fer). The North Siders dropped both ends to the eventual American Association champion St. Louis Browns. They lost the opener 8-4 with Ed “Cannonball” Morris on the bump and went down 10-5 in the second game with Hall of Fame pitcher James “Pud” Galvin toeing the rubber. The Alleghenys team was pretty strong; they went 80-52 on the year, but still ended up 12 games behind the Browns. It was the last season the team played in the AA, moving on to the NL in 1887. 

Pud Galvin - Helmar Oasis

• 1892 · RHP Jack Scott was born in Ridgeway, North Carolina. Scott was a knuckleballer who got his start in Pittsburgh in 1916, where he got into one game for five innings, giving up six runs. But he got better and became a workhorse for four different teams over a dozen campaigns, leading the league in starts three times while slashing 103-109-11/3.85 (Scott was also a 20-game loser twice). He helped himself with the stick, banging out a .275 lifetime BA, and was known as “Lonesome Jack” because of two weeks he spent isolated in a hospital as a teen. 
• 1902 - C Bob Linton was born in Emerson, Arkansas. Bob’s MLB career consisted of 17 games with the 1929 Pirates, half of them behind the dish and half as a pinch hitter (not that his .111 BA got him many at bats). Bob did have a long career in pro ball, beginning in 1927 and ending in 1942, with a brief comeback in ‘45 and a spell of minor league managing in the forties. 
• 1909 - Howie Camnitz spun an eight-hit shutout (he was, as the Press noted, “a trifle wild” with six walks and a bopped batter) as the Bucs whipped the Cubs 1-0 in 12 innings, besting Three Finger Brown at the West Side Grounds. The run scored when “(George) Gibson hit to (Chicago SS Joe) Tinker, who bungled and (Bill) Abstein scored…” but the Pirates wouldn’t need much help that season - they won 110 games and the World Series from the Ty Cobb-led Detroit Tigers. 
• 1909 - The Pirates announced that their new Oakland ballyard, opening in a few weeks, would be called Forbes Field. The team and the Pittsburgh Press held a contest for the naming rights, and out of 100,000 entries, seven chose Forbes Field, winning season tickets. Owner Barney Dreyfuss’ name seemed to be the top vote-getter, but he passed on the honor, saying that his decision was reached after “I considered it from a historical, euphonious and appropriate viewpoint.” 

Larrys Foss - 1961 Custom One Year Wonders

• 1936 - RHP Larry Foss was born in Castleton, Kansas. After bouncing around the minors, he was called up as a 25-year-old by the Bucs in September of 1961. Danny Murtaugh threw him right into the fire, telling him that he was starting against Bob Gibson at Forbes Field that night. And while not exactly a classic duel, Foss outlasted him to earn an 8-6 win. He pitched a couple of more games (1-1/5.87), and was sent back to the bushes. In September of ‘62, he was waived after the minor league season and the Mets claimed him. He finished the last two weeks of the season with them, and after another year on the farm retired with arm woes. He went on to earn his daily bread in the oil and gas industry, saving enough to open a sporting goods store later. 
• 1942 - Ex-RHP & AT&T SportsNet talking head Steve Blass was born in Canaan, Connecticut. The Bucco announcer was an All-Star and World-Series-clinching pitcher for the Pirates from 1964-74. The righty won 103 games for Pittsburgh during his career to go with two Series victories against Earl Weaver’s Orioles in 1971, and has been associated with the Pittsburgh Pirates in one way or another for over 50 years, not retiring from the booth as a color commentator until after the 2019 campaign. Steverino was announced as a member of the first class of the Pirates Hall Of Fame in 2022. 
• 1946 - Rookie Ralph Kiner smacked his first big league homer off Howie Pollet in the eighth inning of a 4-2 loss to St. Louis at Sportsman Park. He would end his career with seven home run titles by banging 369 long balls, with 301 blasts while a Bucco. That was good for second place all-time in the Pirates record books, behind only Willie Stargell’s 475 bombs. 
• 1947 - The Pirates took the Home Opener from the Reds, 12-11. The Bucs had added Hank Greenberg to their roster and shortened LF at Forbes Field for him. Greenberg himself (and for that matter, Ralph Kiner) didn’t go long, though the other Bucs apparently took a liking to the short porch. Pittsburgh blasted five homers - rookie Wally Westlake had a pair while Billy Cox, Roy Jarvis & Jim Russell went yard too - and three of the balls landed in the new Greenberg Gardens plot. Cox became the first Pirate in history to lead off a Home Opener with a dinger when he took Joe Beggs deep. The season lidlifter at Forbes Field drew a record crowd of 38,216. The Gardens cut the distance to the fence by 30’ (365’ to 335’) for dead pull hitter Greenberg. It also moved the bullpens from the playing field (previously located in foul territory up the lines) to behind the new fencing. 

Wally Westlake - 1947 Exhibits

• 1948 - RHP/coach Ron Schueler was born in Catharine, Kansas. Schueler was selected in the 12th round of the 1966 draft by the Pirates, but never signed and was eventually taken by Atlanta the next season. He spent eight years in the show with four teams, and 20 years after he was drafted, he did join the Buccos in 1986 as Jim Leyland’s first pitching coach after stints with the White Sox and A’s. He lasted a year here; his wife was ill and he returned to his California home, hooking up with Oakland again. He became Chicago White Sox GM in 1991 (He had lobbied for the Bucco spot in 1988 when Syd Thrift was dismissed, but Larry Doughty got the job). After a decade, he became a special advisor to the owner and then bounced around with the Cubs, Cards, and Giants. 
• 1950 - Pittsburgh played the first MLB season opener under the lights at St. Louis' Sportsman Park. The Cards won 4-2 as Bob Chesnes gave up homers to Stan Musial and Red Schoendienst in the loss to Gerry Staley, who went the distance. Johnny Hopp had both Bucco RBIs. 
• 1952 - In their Home Opener at Forbes Field before 29,874, Bob Friend shut out the Reds 3-0 on five hits, with the help of three Bobby Del Greco knocks. It was the second win in a row for the Pirates, and at 2-2, it was the only time they reached .500. The sad sack “Rickey-Dinks” wouldn't put together a winning streak longer than two games all season (they finished 42-112), a 20th century MLB record for futility. They didn’t win consecutive contests again until May 30th-31st.

4/18 From 1955: Davis Deal, Pie's #20 Retired, B-2-B, Monster Monroe, Game Days, Marte Banged, Tony Retires, Awards, HBD Angelo

• 1955 - In his first major league appearance, 25-year-old reliever Al Grunwald got just one batter out. He gave up a single to Don Mueller‚ a double to Monte Irvin‚ a triple to Willie Mays‚ and a homer to Whitey Lockman. The NY Giants “cycle” led to an eight-run fourth frame and eventual 12-3 victory over the Pirates. But there was a bright spot. Rookie Roberto Clemente hit his first home run, an inside-the-park 445’ shot that the weirdly configured Polo Grounds kept in the yard. The Great One also gunned his first outfield assist; he threw out 266 runners during his career. As for Grunwald, he got two more outings with the Bucs, tossing seven-plus shutout innings, but was sent down in May. 
• 1957 - The Bucs lost to the Brooklyn Dodgers 6-1 at Ebbets Field. The game marked the last time a Pirates pitcher batted eighth (Luis Arroyo, with Bill Mazeroski behind him) for over 50 years, until June 30, 2008 when Paul Maholm batted ahead of Jack Wilson via a John Russell scorecard. Bobby Bragan sometimes batted pitchers eighth back in the fifties before Russell again adopted the concept briefly. The universal DH has put the double leadoff tactic to bed. 
• 1969 - C Angelo Encarnacion was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Angelo was a back-up/insurance policy catcher for the Bucs from 1995-96, batting .238 over that span. He’s best known for a 1995 blooper when he scooped up a short blocked pitch with his mask with a runner on third in extra innings. That’s a no-no by the rule book and the nonchalant play allowed the winning run to score on the technical foul. He played for the Angels in 1997 and then went the minor league/indie route, shedding the tools of ignorance after the 2003 campaign. 

Angelo Encarnacion - 1996 Collectors Choice

• 1972 - Pie Traynor’s number 20 was retired at TRS posthumously on Opening Day in front of 47,489, with his widow Eva getting his jersey from manager Bill Virdon and former #20 Richie Hebner. The Bucs could have used Pie, losing 6-4 to the Chicago Cubs despite Hebner’s homer and Manny Sanguillen’s double and triple. It was a packed pregame - Roberto Clemente received his 11th Golden Glove, Willie Stargell was presented with the Mel Ott Award for winning the 1971 HR title and Josh Gibson Jr. tossed out the opening pitch. There were also protesters who unfurled a giant “Stop the War” sign. The day ended tragically when a 17-year-old died trying to leap over 4’ rails between ramps (a stunt pulled off by several other youths during the game) and missed, falling to his death in the parking lot 80’ below, the second TRS fatality due to the low railing. Management finally added a high chain-link fence between the ramp ways to correct the deadly flaw. 
• 1980 - It was a day of baseball feats at TRS: before the game, Willie Stargell was presented with his 1979 Man of the Year Award by TSN, prompting Bucco owner Dan Galbreath to name one of his ponies Captain Willie, then both Bill Robinson and Bill Madlock collected their 1,000th hit during the game. The Bucs took home a 12-10 win, making it exciting by almost blowing a six-run first inning lead and then surviving a two-run, ninth-inning Redbird rally. Mad Dog and Robinson had three hits on their red-letter day, as did Dave Parker and Tim Foli. Grant Jackson got the win and Teke made the save after Jim Bibby. 
• 1987 - Mike Schmidt hit his 500th career home run, a three-run shot off Don Robinson in the top of the 9th inning, to give the Phillies an 8-6 win at TRS. Schmidt became the 15th MLB player to reach the 500-HR mark. And though the Pittsburgh-Philly rivalry was fierce during that era, the Steeltown fans gave Schmitty a warm ovation for his record-book bomb. 

Orlando Merced - 1996 Select

• 1996 - Al Martin and Orlando Merced homered in back-to-back at bats as part of a three-run fourth inning in Pittsburgh’s 6-2 win at Busch Stadium against the St. Louis Cards. Leadoff batter Nelson Liriano went 4-for-5 with two runs scored to set the Pirates table while starter Paul Wagner upped his record to 3-0 after allowing two runs in seven innings of work. 
• 2004 - Kris Benson tied a MLB record with four sacrifice bunts as the Bucs topped the Mets, 8-1. He became the seventh player to accomplish the feat, and only the second since 1920. For all of that effort, none of the four runners Benson advanced scored. Craig Wilson did the heavy lifting for the Pirates attack, going 3-for-5 with a homer, two runs and two RBI. 
• 2009 - In the first Saturday afternoon game in Pittsburgh since 2005, Craig Monroe hit three-run home runs in consecutive innings to give the Pirates their first back-to-back victories of the season, this one by a 10-0 count over the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. Ian Snell went seven innings and gave up three hits for the win. Monroe only hit one more homer and was released in July to end his MLB career. 
• 2014 - The Brewer’s Martin Maldonado drilled a sixth-inning bullet to 3B Pedro Alvarez, hitting it so hard that the cover came undone. He beat El Toro’s flapping knuckleball to first, and the play eventually led to a two-out run in a 5-3 Pirates loss to Milwaukee at PNC Park. It kept a couple of bits of bad mojo alive - the Pirates dismal luck against the Brew Crew once again held true to form and it added yet another item in the long list of freak things that always seemed to happen when pitcher Charlie Morton was on the bump. 

Ike Davis - 2014 Topps Update

• 2014 - 1B Ike Davis was traded by the Mets to the Pirates for a PTBNL (LHP Blake Taylor) and RHP Zack Thornton. He hit .235 and was released at the end of the season, signing a deal with the Oakland Athletics and joining the Yankees for a brief MLB stop in 2016. Ike then joined the Dodger system and pitched some before retiring in 2018. Zach has bounced around in AAA, Latin baseball & the indie league, also playing for the 2017 Israeli nine in the WBC where he joined Ike as a teammate. He’s now UC-Davis’ pitching coach. Taylor has bounced around in the minors (13 teams so far) and is now a free agent; his last pro gig was in the Rangers organization in 2024. 
• 2017 - It was announced that CF Starling Marte was given an 80-game PED suspension after testing positive for Nandrolone, an old-school steroid used to treat anemia but with a history of sports abuse dating back to the sixties. With Marte out until July 18th and Jung-Ho Kang in South Korea due to legal entanglements resulting from his offseason DUI arrest, the Pirates were minus the planned middle of their 2017 lineup for much of the year (Marte returned; Kang didn’t until 2018) because of bad personal decision-making. Neither guy long remained with the club; JHK was released in 2018 (he re-signed) and Starling was Ben Cherington’s first big trade in 2020. 
• 2022 - Although his Pirate years were in the rear view mirror, Pittsburgh fans tipped their caps to 36-year-old LHP Tony Watson when he announced his retirement, finally conceding to an achy shoulder. The 11-year vet was drafted by the Bucs in 2007 and spent his first seven seasons here, moving on later to the Dodgers, Giants, Angels and finally back to San Fran. He posted a 47-29-32/2.90 line over his career with an MLB record 246 holds, and was Mark Melancon/Jason Grilli's setup man during the Pittsburgh playoff years (222 outings/17-4-5 record/97 holds/1.97 ERA/188 ERA+ from 2013-15), earning a 2014 All Star nod. And as a parting gift, his 2017 deadline trade to the Dodgers netted SS Oneil Cruz.

4/17 Through 1964: Joe, Hank & Arriba 1st's, Russ Signs, Eddie Joins, Roberto Bid, Wrigley Redo, Zippos, Openers & Game Days, HBD Bode

• 1902 - Tommy Leach scored the game’s only run in the third inning as Deacon Phillippe won a 1-0 duel against the Cards Stan Yerkes on Opening Day at Robison Field in front of 6,000 fans. Leach singled, went to third after a Redbirds boot and scored when St. Louis tried a tag ‘em out, throw ‘em out DP that was frustrated by the heady baserunning of Jack O’Connor, whose stop-and-go dance between bases eluded the tag. The Bucs were 103-36 that year and took the National League pennant, but there wasn’t a World Series until the following season because of bad blood between the leagues. For Phillippe, it was the first of three consecutive Season Opening wins. 
• 1903 - RHP Bob (his first name was John, but he was called by his middle name of Bode) Osborn was born in San Diego, Texas. Osborn was sold by the Cubs to the Pirates after a hot start in late April of 1931 when the Bucs were short on the hill with pitchers Ervin Brame, Remy Kremer and Steve Swetonic out of action. Osborn was a swingman, and the Bucs used him mainly out of the pen. He appeared in 27 games (64-2/3 IP), starting twice and slashing 6-1/5.01. During the off season, Osborn was traded and never played in the majors again. 
• 1908 - Sam Leever tossed a three-hit 3-0 shutout over the Cardinals at Robison Field to lead the Bucs to a series sweep. More importantly in the long run, though, was the signing of 34-year-old Honus Wagner, who had retired in March. Barney Dreyfuss made him the highest paid player in baseball (and the first to earn five figures) with a $10,000 deal after an initial $6K offer went nowhere, and The Flying Dutchman proved worth every penny. Bill James cited Wagner's 1908 campaign as the greatest single season ever for any player; the Dutchman hit .354 with 109 RBI in an era when half as many runs were scored as today. James wondered in his 2001 book Historical Baseball Abstract "if you had a Gold Glove shortstop like Wagner, who drove in 218 runs (109 x 2), what would he be worth?” Hans’ salary, btw, remained at $10K per year for nine of his final 10 seasons (Hans made $6K again for his last campaign in 1917 when he was a 43-year-old). 
• 1920 - The Bucs’ Elmer Ponder and the Cards’ Jesse Haines carried a scoreless ballgame into the 13th inning at St. Louis’ Robison Park. The Pirates finally broke the ice with three runs in what proved to be a lucky 13th, driven in by Max Carey/Billy Southworth, and Ponder finished up with an eight-hit goose egg. It was his first full big league season as Ponder was an airman in WW1 who became an aerial ace; Elmer was wounded in action and received the French Croix de la Valeur Militaire (Cross of Military Valor). He’s thought to be the first ballplayer to be awarded with a combat medal in the war. 

Charlie Grimm - 1923 photo Bain/Library of Congress

• 1923 - The Cubs opened newly remodeled Wrigley Field in front of 33,000 faithful, but the Bucs took the honors 3-2 on Charlie Grimm’s three-run, bases-loaded double in the fourth. The Pirates only had three hits, but Johnny Morrison made them stand up, working a complete game and giving up just one earned run; all three runs off his mound opponent, Tiny Osborne, were unearned. 
• 1934 - The Pirates opened the season at Sportsman Park against the Cards, and their lineup was pretty loaded: Lloyd Waner, Freddie Lindstrom, Paul Waner, Pie Traynor and Arky Vaughan, all eventual Hall of Famers, hit 1-through-5 with dependable Gus Suhr behind them. It didn’t help as Dizzy Dean tamed them, 7-1. The club finished in fifth place with a disappointing 74-76 slate. 
• 1939 - The Pirates trailed 5-2 on Opening Day before scoring four times in the eighth inning and eventually taking a 7-5 decision from the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field. Gus Suhr led the way for the Pirates by collecting three RBI while Cy Blanton started and hung around long enough to earn the win, with the save by Mace Brown. Suhr and Pep Young each collected three hits. 
• 1940 - RHP Russ Bauers signed his contract on Opening Day for an undisclosed amount, with the papers guessing it was more than Pittsburgh’s original offer but less than his ‘39 salary. Even though he had turned down the Pirates opening bid, Russ was invited to camp, allowing the Pirates to see how he looked and pegging his value on how he performed after coming back from arm woes in 1939 and a winter car accident. His arm appeared OK and he got his deal, but Russ may have come back from his bout with injuries too soon. Bauers only worked 68 innings over the next two years with a 6.49 ERA and 43 walks, was sent to the minors in 1942 and then spent three years in the service. He pitched in the show just two more seasons, posting 43 innings of work in 1946 with the Cubs and a single two-inning outing for the Browns in 1950. 

Russ Bauers - 1940 Play Ball

• 1945 - The Bucs came out on the short end of the stick, losing 7-6 in 11 innings on Opening Day to the Reds in a game filled with improbabilities. With the Bucs up 2-0 in the fifth and two runners aboard, baserunner Frankie Zak called time to tie his shoe, and got it from the ump. But Reds pitcher Bucky Walters had his back to the play and delivered a pitch to Jim Russell. He knocked out of the park, but it didn’t count. (He followed with an RBI knock and later scored, so no harm done). Next, Cincy’s Dain Clay drilled a grand slam that was his only HR of the year in 700 plate appearances. Finally, the win went to forty-six-year old Hod Lisenbee, who had been out of the majors for the past nine years, after he worked two innings of hitless relief to earn the last W of his career. The next day, Pittsburgh manager Frankie Frisch presented Zak with a pair of spikes that buckled rather than laced up to commemorate his ill-timed time out. The game featured three future Hall of Fame managers - Frisch for Pittsburgh, Bill McKechnie for Cincy and Pirates C Al Lopez, who went on to a 17-year career as skipper for Cleveland and the White Sox after his playing days ended. 
• 1947 - Hank Greenberg connected on his first Pirate homer as the Bucs whupped the Cubs 7-1 at Wrigley Field. Pirate starter Preacher Roe was on cruise control and didn't allow a hit until the seventh inning. Chicago starter Hank Wyse was victimized by back-to-back boots by SS Lennie Merullo in the seventh inning, allowing the Pirates to plate six unearned runs; the Bucs only had seven hits. 
• 1951 - 25,894 hardy souls braved the snow to watch the Bucs win their Home Opener 5-4 over the Cards at Forbes Field. Murry Dickson pitched six innings and homered in the win. Wally Westlake also went long while Bill Werle tossed three shutout innings for the save. It featured the first shooting of live footage for a movie tentatively titled “Angels And The Pirates” (it hit the theaters as “Angels In the Outfield”), starring Paul Douglas and Janet Leigh and was released in October. 
• 1953 - The Pirates claimed 35-year-old infielder Eddie Pellagrini off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. For a giveaway, Eddie gave the Bucs a solid 1953, batting .253 in 78 games, but faded the following season when he hit .216 in his ninth and final MLB campaign. Pellagrini went on to become the baseball coach at Boston College from 1958 to 1990 and took the Eagles to three College World Series. 

Eddie Pellagrini - photo via Baseball Birthdays

• 1955 - Roberto Clemente, a 20-year-old rookie from Carolina, Puerto Rico, made his MLB debut in right field at Forbes Field during a double header (he patrolled center in the nightcap). In his first at bat, Clemente legged out an infield single off the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Johnny Podres, the first step on his journey to 3,000 career hits. Roberto collected two more knocks in the second game, including a double, but the Bucs lost both ends of the twinbill, 10-3 and 3-2. It was phase one of the Bucco rebuild, with guys like Roberto, Dick Groat, Bob Friend, Vern Law and ElRoy Face manning the roster, to be joined the following season by Bill Mazeroski, Bill Virdon and Bob Skinner. Roberto was wearing #13 to start the season; he didn’t get to claim his now-retired #21 until May after OF Earl Smith, who was originally issued the number, was sent to the minors. 
• 1958 - Les Biederman, the Pirates beat guy for the Pittsburgh Press, wrote that the Braves were renewing their push to pry Roberto Clemente away from the Pirates. They made an offer in the spring that GM Joe L. Brown thought was lowball, and the new lure of RHP Bob Buhl (an 18-game winner in 1957 who had several good seasons left), a reliever and a bench piece didn’t change Brown’s mind. As Biederman prophetically noted, “He’s (Clemente) on the doorstep of greatness now and there’s no telling how high he can go.” The Bucs did try the old switch-and-bait ruse by dangling Roman Mejias to Milwaukee instead of Roberto, but the Bravos wisely didn't bite. 
• 1960 - LHP Joe Gibbon made his MLB debut in the second game of a twinbill against the Reds at Forbes Field in front of 16,196 fans, coming in to mop up with the Pirates down 5-0 in the eighth. He tossed a pair of scoreless innings and the rambunctious Bucs scored six times in the ninth to give him the 6-5 win, his first big league victory. Bill Mazeroski had an RBI knock, Hal Smith banged a three-run pinch hit homer and Bob Skinner walked it off with a two-run, two-out blast off Ted Wieand after Dick Groat kept it alive with a single through the box. The Hound was mobbed at the plate by the fans (he told Les Biederman of the Press “They seemed to come from all directions and converged on home plate. They just about carried Dick Groat and me into the dugout. Or maybe I was just walking on air.”) while Reds skipper Fred Hutchinson broke several chairs after he stomped into the visitors' locker room. The Bucs won the opener, 5-0, behind Bob Friend's four-hitter; he K’ed six. Skinner, Groat, Roberto Clemente (HR & 3B) and Dick Hoak each had two hits; Dick Stuart tripled and chased home three runs. 
• 1964 - The Pirates defeated the Mets 4-3 before 48‚736 fans in the first game played at Shea Stadium, with Bob Friend going the distance to earn the win over Cuban righty Ed Bauta. In the second inning, Willie Stargell smacked the first home run ever hit at the ballyard off starter Jack Fisher for the first of Pops' four hits - he was a triple shy of the cycle - on the day. Roberto Clemente and Donn Clendenon added three raps apiece as the Bucs banged out 16 hits, but kept it interesting by stranding 13 runners.

4/17 From 1965: AJ, Smiley, RJ & Game Days, Barbato Joins, SI Wills, TRS Markers; HBD Ronny, Deolis & Andy

• 1967 - Maury Wills was the cover boy for Sports Illustrated’s “Baseball 1967” issue. In his first year as a Buc, he hit .302 with 92 runs and 29 swiped sacks after coming to town from LA in exchange for Bob Bailey and Gene Michael. 
• 1968 - The Pirates ran wild on the Houston Astros, taking a 13-4 win at Forbes Field in front of 30,799 fans. The Bucs banged out 17 hits (Maury Wills and Milt May had three, while Gene Alley, Donn Clendenon, Billy Maz and Pops had a pair; everyone in the lineup had at least one rap and either scored or drove home a run, with six doing both) and stole five bases, with Clendenon swiping home while Wills took second and third in one trip. Manny Mota even got into the act, scoring from first on a single that dropped 30’ behind third base, running through coach Alex Grammas’ “whoa” and catching ‘Stro OF’er Jim Wynn napping. Al McBean was the recipient of the runfest, going the distance despite giving up 10 hits. 
• 1973 - Coach Andy Barkett was born in Miami, Florida. The former OF/1B had a major league career of one month, spent in Pittsburgh (he did hit .305) in 2001. After a long tour of duty in the minors, Andy started coaching in the Marlins system in 2010, moved on to Detroit and then became the minor league hitting coach for the Pirates in 2016. He got the manager’s job at Indy when Dean Treanor left to become the Marlins bullpen coach in 2017, then worked with Boston for three years. He’s now a minor league hitting instructor for the Chicago White Sox. 
• 1988 - R.J. Reynolds posted the first four-hit game of his career to lead the Pirates to a 12-7 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He had lots of help: Andy Van Slyke homered twice while Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla also went deep (a 30-MPH wind blowing out helped the cause); that trio collected three hits each. AVS, Bo and RJ had three RBI apiece while Bonds, Bonilla and Van Slyke scored three times. Jeff Robinson’s win in relief of Vincente Palacios left Pittsburgh with an 8-3 mark. 

Deolis Guerra - 2015 photo Ronald Modra/Getty

• 1989 - RHP Deolis Guerra was born in San Felix, Venezuela. The Pirates signed him as a minor league free agent in the 2014 off season and he made his MLB debut with the Bucs as a 26-year-old in June of the following year. He won two games in 10 outings, averaging a K per nine but also posting a 6.48 ERA. Pittsburgh re-signed him to a minor league deal, but he was lost to the Angels via the Rule 5 draft. Guerra has tossed for five teams in his six-year career and is now pitching in Mexico after undergoing TJ surgery in ‘22. 
• 1991 - LHP John Smiley retired the last 23 Mets he faced in front of 14,792 fans at TRS while spinning a one-hit 4-0 shutout. Smiley fanned four with no walks on 111 pitches with the only hit a fly-ball single that LF Gary Varsho misread. The Pirates finally broke away from Ron Darling thanks to Jeff King’s two-run shot (he also had seven assists from 3B, several of which were hot shots); the match was a 1-0 seventh inning duel before Jeff’s bomb. The first and last runs were unearned gifts from New York as the Bucs could only muster five hits themselves. 
• 1999 - The Pirates jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first at Cinergy Field, but it took them 10 frames to finally secure a 7-6 win over the Reds. The Pirates opening frame outburst was primed by a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double by Brant Brown. Cincy chipped away at four Bucco pitchers to tie it in the seventh only to see the Bucs reclaim the game when Warren Morris’ ground ball single to right scored Abraham Nunez. Brown led Pittsburgh with three hits; the Pirates had 11 knocks and were helped by 10 Redleg walks (Pirates pitchers issued seven free passes). Jason Christiansen tossed the last two innings for the win. 
• 2000 - OF Ronny Simon was born in La Romana, Dominican Republic. The versatile player (he can also play middle IF) was signed by the Cubs in 2018, then bounced around in the Arizona, Tampa Bay and Miami systems before debuting in 2025 with the Marlins. He hit .234 in 17 games and was DFA’ed; the Pirates claimed him in June of ‘25 and called him up in mid-August after Oneil Cruz suffered a concussion. He lost time to show his stuff when in late August, he slid home to squeak out a squeeze, dislocated his shoulder and landed on the IL instead of the field. An FA after the season, he re-signed with the Bucs, made it back for a taste of camp and is now playing at Indy. 

Dave Williams - 2002 Upper Deck 40-Man

• 2002 - Lloyd McClendon gave five regulars the day off and a later bit of snit cost him Aramis Ramirez, but he still had enough firepower to eke past the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 at Miller Park. Pitcher Dave Williams blooped a two-run, two-out flare in the second to provide the bulk of the Bucco attack, then bopped Geoff Jenkins in the Brew Crew half. Ben Sheets paid it back by drilling Ramirez in the butt in the following frame, triggering A-Ram to charge the mound while flinging his helmet at Sheets, who responded by zipping his mitt at the Pirates infielder. The teams met at the mound quickly for a little jaw session before the two protagonists were ejected. The Brewers tied it up in the fourth frame thanks to a walk and error before Brant Brown’s fifth-inning homer provided the final margin. Williams went five innings for the win, with help from Mike Lincoln, Brian Boehringer, Joe Beimel, and a save by Mike Williams. The three-game brooming of the Brew Crew gave the Buccos their first road sweep since 2000. 
• 2011 - Andrew McCutchen (3-for-3 w/two walks) and Jose Tabata led off the game with back-to-back home runs off Edinson Volquez, the third time that had been done in club history. The Pirates scored four times in the opening inning and outlasted the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 at Great American Ball Park. Garrett Jones also homered and had two knocks. The Bucs went through six pitchers in the game, with Chris Resop getting the win and Joel Hanrahan closing out for the save. 
• 2013 - AJ Burnett had a no-hitter going against the Cards at PNC Park, carrying the no-no into the seventh before Carlos Beltran banged a double. It was a big day for AJ; he also went over the 2,000 mark in career strikeouts with eight whiffs and no walks. The last two innings were closed out by Mark Melancon, Tony Watson and Jason Grilli as the Bucs won 5-0 behind a balanced attack - nine different Buccos had hits, with Cutch and Neil Walker collecting a pair of knocks each. 
• 2014 - The Pirates broke open an early pitching duel with the Brew Crew when they scored nine runs in the seventh and eighth innings to blow past Milwaukee at PNC Park, 11-2. The offense was primed by four long balls off the bats of Andrew McCutchen, Josh Harrison, Gaby Sanchez and Pedro Alvarez. Edinson Volquez went seven innings to claim his first victory as a Bucco. 

Edinson Volquez - 2014 Topps First Edition

• 2017 - RHP Johnny Barbato, 24, was traded by the New York Yankees to the Pirates for a PTBNL (RHP Matt Frawley). He broke camp with the Bucs, was sent to Indy in June and came back in August, pitching to a 0-1/4.08 line in 24 MLB outings. He was waived in the off season and claimed by the Tigers. Johnny later tossed in Japan for a year, was an indie league player/coach, tossed in Mexico and is now a free agent. 
• 2023 - The final score of 14-3 conjured up visions of a Steelers-Broncos clash, but it was the final count of the Bucs victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. 43-year-old Rich Hill won his first game as a Pirate with lots of help. Mark Mathias had a career-high four hits, and four other guys - Ke’Bryan Hayes (three RBI), Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen (homer) and Carlos Santana (three RBI) added a pair of raps while Ji Hwan Bae scored three times and drove home two. 
• 2025 - Three more memorial plaques were dedicated honoring the history of TRS. Located on West Robinson Street, they commemorated the spot where second base was in remembrance of Roberto Clemente’s cap tip after collecting his 3,000th hit, the pitcher’s rubber spot and a general overview placard. A marker for the home plate location was erected in 2023 in the Gold Lot and a state Historical marker was put up in 2006 on North Shore Drive noting the highlights from the stadium’s glory days. The date itself is historical - it was on the anniversary of Clemente’s first MLB hit in 1955. 
• 2025 - The Bucs claimed the series against the Nats at PNC with a 1-0 win when Andrew Heaney tossed shutout ball into the eighth to make Oneil Cruz’s leadoff homer stand up. It was the second time since 1900 that a leadoff Pirates homer led to a 1-0 win; Carlos Garcia’s opening dinger in 1993 against the Florida Marlins at Joe Robbie Stadium was the first. Heaney gave up five hits and K’ed four in 7-1/3 IP, with Ryan Borucki and Dennis Santana finishing it off. The effort was well timed; Pittsburgh only posted five hits during the day. For Heaney, it was a fitting celebration of his 10th MLB service year earned on this day after working for five teams. He finished out as a Dodger and then retired in 2025.

4/16: Brown-Bowman, Mr. Swat Debut, Babe Ball, Bailey & Cruz Duo, Dual Slams, Jose K, Amends For Arriba, Openers & Game Days; HBD Big Poison, Bash, Keone, Babe & Piggy

• 1867 - Utilityman Frank “Piggy” Ward was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He made his first big league appearance at age 16 and played in 221 games over six years in the majors; six of them were with Pittsburgh in 1891 when he went 6-for-18 with three runs scored. Piggy set a record (since tied) in June of 1893 - he reached base a record 17 times (errors & force-outs not counted) in 17 consecutive plate appearances, with eight hits, eight walks and one hit by a pitch. To top it off, his three-day spree started as an Oriole and ended as a Red. Ward's overall pro career ran from 1883 to 1906, and he didn’t last many moons beyond it. A fall off a telephone pole he was working on in 1909 left him paralyzed and he finally passed away in 1912. 
• 1903 - The Pirates started the season off right, defeating the Reds 7-1 behind a Deacon Phillippe two-hitter. Playing before 12‚000 fans at Cincinnati’s Palace of the Fans, it was the first of four straight wins over Cincy to open a season that would eventually take the Bucs to the first World Series against the Boston Americans. The team arrived with an entourage of 50 Pittsburgh rooters who came for the games and the action - one fan was said to have offered $1,000 wager on the game; there was no report on whether he found a Cincinnati taker. 
• 1903 - Hall-of-Fame RF Paul "Big Poison" Waner was born in Harrah, Oklahoma. He had a 20-year big league career, with the first 15 spent in Pittsburgh. As a Pirate, Waner compiled a line of .340/.407/.490. He was also the elder half of a legendary Bucco brother act, spending 14 years in the pasture with his baby bro “Little Poison” Lloyd, who was also Cooperstown-bound; they became the second pair of bros, behind George and Harry Wright, to enter the Hall. 
• 1908 - C Ernest “Babe” Phelps was born in Odenton, Maryland. Babe, a 10-year vet, joined former teammate Al Lopez with the Pirates in 1942 as part of the Arky Vaughan deal with Brooklyn and shared the backstop duties with Lopez, hitting .284 in 95 games. Babe was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for yet another Babe, veteran first sacker Babe Dahlgren, at the end of the year, but the 34-year-old Phelps never reported to his new club, instead retiring to end his MLB career. Babe batted .310 in the show with a .362 OBP & .472 slugging %, joining the NL All-Star Team from 1938-1940. He passed away in 1992 after being inducted into the Dodgers Hall of Fame (he played seven seasons for Brooklyn and was a fan favorite), the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame and the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame. And yes, our Babe did get his nickname from that slightly more noted Babe: Phelps was 6’2”, 235 pounds, and bore a passing resemblance to the Bambino, who he would become tight with later in his career. Cort Vitty of SABR wryly noted that “Later in his career, as his physique matured, Phelps would also be referred to as ‘Blimp.’" 

Max Carey - 1912 American Tobacco

• 1912 - The Bucs booked the rare 5-3-7 DP at Redland Field, with LF Max “Scoops” Carey sneaking behind second base after a sac bunt to finish a twin killing after the lead runner took a wide turn. The Pirates claimed an 8-2 decision for their first victory after four defeats while handing Cincy its first loss. Marty O’Toole got the win, giving up five hits although walking seven; three DPs helped keep him out of trouble. Carey, Honus Wagner and George Gibson each had two hits. 
• 1915 - The Pirates gave 24-year-old rookie Dazzy Vance his first and only Pittsburgh start; he lost 4-2 to the Cincinnati Reds, facing 14 batters and walking five of them. They quickly sold him to the Yankees, who also gave up on him. But Dazzy was a classic late bloomer: when he was 31 and after arm surgery, he hit his stride with Brooklyn, winning double-digit games 10-of-11 years. Vance tossed until he was 44 on the road to 190 victories and a spot in the Hall of Fame. 
• 1929 - The Chicago Cubs drew their largest Opening Day crowd to date, an estimated 46,000 fans, but they didn’t help as the Cubbies lost to the Buccos 4-3 at Wrigley Field. Burleigh Grimes went the distance for the win while Pie Traynor banged out three hits and scored twice. 
• 1935 - The Reds lobbied to have their Home Opener moved up to this day (the two teams were the only NL clubs not scheduled to open on the 16th), and the league office agreed. In a classic case of being careful what you wish for, Pittsburgh clocked Cincinnati 12-6 in front of 27,400 at Crosley Field. Sam Byrd homered for the Bucs and Waite Hoyt picked up the win. The game was played on a cold, raw day that the Pittsburgh Press said was “...better suited for football than baseball.” The next day, the two teams caught a train and met again at Forbes Field for the Pirates Home Opener, and the Reds returned the favor, taking a 7-4 decision. 
• 1937 - The Pirates traded 1B/RF Earl Browne to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for LHP Joe Bowman. Bowman worked five years for the Bucs with a 33-38/4.35 record, splitting his time between starting and the pen while Browne’s last big league season was 1938. Bowman swung a good stick, too, batting .281 for the Pirates as an often-called-upon pinch hitter with 322 PA. 

Joe Bowman - 1937 photo Mears/TSN

• 1946 - 23-year-old Ralph Kiner made his MLB debut on Opening Day at St. Louis’ Sportsman Park, a 6-4 Bucco win. Ralph played center field (he was in the middle 75 times in ‘46 and then never again played the position, spending the rest of his big league days in left field) and went 1-for-4 with a walk. Mr. Swat hit .247 with a league-leading 23 long balls as a rookie. The future Hall-of-Famer led the NL in homers for a record seven straight seasons and Kiner’s 301 dingers during his eight-year Pirates career ranks second in club annals, behind Willie Stargell. 
• 1953 - The Pirates beat the Phils in a 14-12 barnburner on Opening Day at Forbes Field. The Phillies scored nine runs in the top of the fifth and the Pirates came back with six in the bottom half to tie the NL record for runs in an inning. The Bucs added five more in the sixth to pull ahead. It was a team effort; all nine members of Pittsburgh’s starting lineup had at least one hit. Cal Abrams led the pack with three knocks while Danny O’Connell had three RBI. The last of five Bucco pitchers, Murry Dickson, got the win by working four scoreless frames to stop the bleeding. 
• 1958 - The Bucs opened the season by edging the defending World Series champs, the Milwaukee Braves 4-3 at County Stadium. It took 14 innings before RC Stevens’ single chased home Dick Groat with the eventual winning tally. The game was started by Warren Spahn and Bob Friend, with the Bucs holding a 3-2 lead after scoring in the ninth frame, but the Braves tied it against ElRoy Face in their half. Rookies Ron Blackburn and Curt Raydon tossed zeroes over the final four frames, with Blackburn getting the win and Raydon the save. 
• 1962 - Roberto Clemente's three-run homer in the fifth propelled the Bucs to a 6-5 win over Chicago at Wrigley Field, redeeming himself for a first-inning error that allowed a run to plate. Diomedes Olivo was credited with the win over the Cubs in relief of starter Bob Veale. Bill Virdon had three knocks while Dick Groat, Dick Stuart and Don Hoak each chipped in a pair of hits. 

Roberto Clemente - 1962 Jay Publishing

• 1985 - Jose DeLeon tied the Bucco record for most strikeouts thrown in a game by a right-handed pitcher (Bob Moose set the mark in 1969) as he whiffed 14 Mets at TRS. He gave up four hits without a run or walk in eight innings of work. The effort fell short, though, as the Pirates went down 1-0, victims of a Ron Darling/Jesse Orosco one-hitter. John Candelaria took the loss in relief. 
• 1993 - RHP Keone Kela was born in Los Angeles. The Texas closer joined the Bucs at the 2018 deadline, coming east in return for minor league LHP Taylor Hearn and PTBNL. He quickly stepped in as the Pirates eighth inning arm, going 0-1/2.93 in 16 appearances before being shut down in mid-September with a case of dead arm. KK continued to be hounded, first by Covid 19 and then arm woes, in 2020 before moving on to San Diego the following season. After a brief stop with the Dodgers in ‘22, then signed in Japan and is now tossing in Mexico. 
• 1993 - RHP Tyler “Bash” Bashlor was born in Springfield, Georgia. After two years with the New York Mets (0-6/5.33, 48 games), he was sold to Pirates in early August and called up to the big club two weeks later. Bash featured a mid-nineties fastball and control problems. He was released in April, 2021 and spent ‘22 in the Minnesota Twins system as his last pro gig. 
• 1996 - Orlando Merced and Jay Bell both hit grand slams (the two grannies tied an MLB single-game record that not too surprisingly is shared by many) at Busch Stadium to lead the Bucs to a 13-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Pittsburgh banged out 20 knocks, led by Jeff King with four raps while Merced, Carlos Garcia, Al Martin and Keith Osik added three hits apiece. Zane Smith coasted to the victory and Jon Lieber mopped up the final three frames for a stress-free save. 
• 2025 - Pittsburgh took the series lead with the Nats by a 6-1 count at PNC Park. Bailey Falter went seven scoreless frames, facing the minimum 21 batters despite two hits and a walk; two DPs and a caught stealing eliminated those runners. Oneil Cruz hit a grand slam, his first MLB grannie, on the first pitch following a bit of basebrawl after Jorge Lopez hit Bryan Reynolds and headhunted Cutch back-to-back. He was ejected. Henry Davis added his first dinger of the year and posted two RBI as the Bucs rolled to victory in front of a meager cold-weather/bad ball crowd of 8,529.

4/15 Through 1964: Jackie, Hank & Chief Debuts, DPs, Howie, Rip & Game Days, Pgh Pros; HBD Mike, Wild Bill, Chaney, King, Abby & Bill

• 1871 - 3B Bill Grey (also spelled Gray) was born in Philadelphia. A utility player who yo-yoed between the majors and minors, he was picked up by the Pirates for the 1898 season as part of the Pink Hawley deal after hitting .357 for the Western League Indianapolis Hoosiers. He played one campaign here as the full-time third baseman (the only time he played one position for an entire year in the majors), getting 528 ABs but hitting just .229, and was dealt again, netting Ginger Beaumont. The Pirates were his last MLB stop; after two more minor-league seasons, he retired to his hometown. 
• 1876 - The Pittsburgh Alleghenys fielded what’s often thought to be the city's first professional baseball team against the local Xanthas at North Side’s Union Park, winning 7-3. (The Alleghenys had paid players but were an independent club). They played in front of 2,000 fans despite an hour’s delay to doctor the field after some rain. The next year, the Alleghenys franchise joined the minor league International Association, but the team and league disbanded after the season. 
• 1877 - Ed Abbaticchio, considered by many to be the first Italian American to play MLB, was born in Latrobe. “Batty” was also one of the first to play both pro baseball and football, starring on the gridiron for Latrobe, arguably the first pro football team. The middle infielder played 3-1/2 of his nine big league seasons (1907-10) for Pittsburgh, hitting .253, and was a reserve for the 1909 World Series champs at age 32, a year away from his last MLB season. 
• 1886 - RHP Leonard “King” Cole was born in Toledo, Iowa. The jolly old soul spent six years in MLB, tossing 12 times for the Bucs in 1912 with a 2-2/6.43 line. The Pirates got him from the Cubs on May 30th with Solly Hofman for Tommy Leach and Lefty Leifield. He spent 1913 at Columbus and was then drafted by the Yankees. Cole had an interesting career, pitching the first Cubbie no-hitter in 1910 (seven innings, shortened by curfew) while winning 20 games, serving up Babe Ruth’s first hit while a Yankee hurler in 1914 (a double), and becoming a Ring Lardner hero in his Alibi Ike series of short stories. The King passed away not long after that, dying from TB in 1915 at age 29. He got his nickname from the Cub faithful, likely after the nursery rhyme character. 

King Cole - 1912 photo/Charles Conlan

• 1894 - OF Chaney White was born in Longview, Texas. Chaney played for 18 seasons in the Negro Leagues with one local stop, hitting .312 for the 1930 Homestead Grays. Chaney broke up Chet Brewer and Smokey Joe Williams’ legendary pitching duel when he doubled off the third base sack to plate Oscar Charleston with the game’s only run to defeat Brewer in the 12th frame. 
• 1908 - Opening Day at St. Louis’ Robison Field was a damp one (it was rescheduled from the day before, a rain out) and it showed as the Pirates and Cards combined for 10 errors. Still, it was a 0-0 duel between Pittsburgh’s Howie Camnitz and the Redbirds Johnny Lush going into the ninth when each team scored (who woulda guessed?) an unearned run. In the 10th inning, the Bucs turned a bopped batter and a botched forceout try into a pair of runs and Camitz took care of the rest to claim a 3-1 win. It was a big confidence booster for a young club; the Pirates were without Hans Wagner, who said he was retiring, but an offer two days later that doubled his salary lured him back. 
• 1921 - Pirate pitcher Moses “Chief” Yellow Horse made his major league debut against the Reds. Yellow Horse, a Pawnee, was believed by many baseball historians to be the first full-blooded American Indian to play in the big leagues. He worked the last two innings and “did not permit a single safe swat” per the Pittsburgh Press to save a win for Earl Hamilton as the Bucs beat the Reds, 3-1, at Redland Field. The Pirates won it in the eighth, filling the bases on a knock, error and swinging bunt single, and all three runners plated when Max Carey’s two-out bloop dropped. Yellow Horse spent both of his MLB seasons (1921-22) as a Pirate, and his nickname was said to have been bestowed on him by Rabbit Maranville. 
• 1926 - RHP William “Wild Bill” Pierro was born in Brooklyn (the date is debatable; Bill was deserted as an infant and raised by foster parents, the Pierros). A lanky kid, Pierro was a hot shot Bucco prospect and made it to the show in July of 1950. He featured a blazing fastball with a sidearm curve and fanned 275 batters in Class B Waco in 1949 after punching out 300 hitters in Bartlesville the previous season while compiling a 51-31/2.60 line in four minor-league seasons. He got into 12 games and made three starts for the Pirates, slashing 0-2/10.55. He lived up to his nickname, walking 28 batters in 29 IP, including six in one memorable frame. He butted heads with Branch Rickey over a variety of issues, not exactly helping his own cause, and was slated to work at the minor league complex on his control after 1951 camp broke. He was still with the big team on his 25th birthday when he was rushed to Pittsburgh’s Presbyterian Hospital with encephalitis and was in a coma for several weeks. Bill eventually recovered, but his days as an athlete were finished. He went back home to Brooklyn. 

Wild Bill Pierro - 1950 Post-Gazette photo

• 1947 - In his Pirate debut, Hank Greenberg’s sixth-inning double chased home Billy Cox to give the Bucs' a 1-0 victory over the Cubs and Hank Borowy. Rip Sewell got the win by scattering five hits at Wrigley Field. The slugger was brought in from the Tigers after a contract impasse and Greenberg wasted no time cashing in for Pittsburgh, along with tutoring young slugger Ralph Kiner. 
• 1947 - Jackie Robinson broke the color line when he made his Dodgers debut in front of 26,623 fans at Ebbets Field against the Boston Braves as the first black MLB player since 1884 (Moses Fleetwood Walker). Robinson started at first base and went hitless, but went on to win the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award in 1947 after batting .297 with 125 runs scored and 29 stolen bases. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1962 and had his #42 jersey number retired league-wide in 1997 on April 15th. This date is celebrated across the MLB as “Jackie Robinson Day.” 
• 1958 - The Pirates beat the Braves 4-3 in a 14-inning contest, tying the longest Opening Day game ever played in the NL, a record they would tie again in 1969. Bill Virdon chased home Hank Foiles with the game winner at Milwaukee’s County Stadium. Ron Blackburn got the win and Curt Raydon picked up the save. Roberto Clemente, Dick Groat and Bob Skinner each had three hits; Bill Virdon and RC Stevens chipped in a pair, too, as the Bucs stranded 13 runners. 
• 1960 - OF/1B Mike Diaz was born in San Francisco. He played in Pittsburgh from 1986-88, hitting .250 with 28 HR in 524 AB. Diaz was dubbed “Rambo” by Bob Walk while with the Bucs because of his resemblance to Sly Stallone, and the club even promoted a popular poster of him under that nom de guerre. He had a second career in Japan lasting for four seasons beginning in 1989. 
• 1961 - The Dodgers and Pirates tied a league record by turning nine DPs (Los Angeles 5‚ Pittsburgh 4, with Dick Groat starting three of the double dips) in a 4-1 Buc win at Memorial Coliseum. It was only the second time (July 3rd, 1929, Cubs-Reds) that nine DPs have been turned in a nine-inning National League game, with eight the result of grounders. Bob Friend was the recipient of the twin killings. Bill Virdon smacked two homers, the first to lead off the game, and Don Hoak banged a bases-loaded, two-out double to chase home the Pirate tallies. The contest had a lot of moving pieces for the 46,667 fans; it started late when the lights failed, the Tiger snapped over a call at third and was ejected, and Dick Stuart went after Charley Neal in the LA dugout.

4/15 From 1965: Delwyn Deal, Cutch Clutch, Frankie Gem, Bay Day, Robby 2HR/6 RBI, Game Days, #600 For Jim; HBD Dauri, Adeiny & Jeromy

• 1966 - Bob Gibson and the Redbird bats dominated the Bucs in a 9-2 win at Forbes Field. It was the 18th straight for the Cards in Pittsburgh, tying the major league record set by the Dodgers against the Phillies in 1945-46 for consecutive road wins against one club. But the worm finally turned as the Pirates took the series by winning the next two games of the series. 
• 1969 - RF Jeromy Burnitz was born in Westminster Hills, California. After back-to-back solid seasons, the Pirates signed the 37-year-old, 13-year veteran to a $6M free agent deal for 2006. He hit .230 with 16 HR and Pittsburgh bought out the ‘07 team option year of his deal for $700K. Jeromy retired before that campaign opened, unable to catch on with anyone else. 
• 1977 - The Pirates spoiled the St. Louis Home Opener by beating the Redbirds, 7-0, at Busch Stadium. Jim Rooker pitched a complete game for the Bucs, giving up three hits and striking out five. Dave Parker, Duffy Dyer and Rennie Stennett all homered for the Bucs. Parker, Stennett and Frank Taveras each had two knocks as part of an 11-hit attack; the efficient Bucs stranded just four runners. 
• 1978 - The Pirates snapped a five-game losing streak by whipping the Cubs, 13-10, at chilly Wrigley Field (the game was played with the temp in the lower 40s), scoring nine times in the fourth inning and hanging on. The key blow in their big frame was a Bill Robinson grand slam, his second long ball of the day. He drove in a career-best six runs to generate much of the Pittsburgh attack. The two clubs were as cold as the weather; they combined to commit six errors, issued 13 walks, plunked a pair of hitters and added a wild pitch. Jim Rooker, the starter, got the win although he gave up six runs (but just two earned) in five frames with Bruce Kison and Grant Jackson bringing it home. Dave Parker and Robinson each had three hits to pace the revved-up offense. 

Adeiny Hechavarria - 2018 image/Sports Chicago

• 1989 - SS Adeiny Hechavarria was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. The light-hitting veteran infielder was picked up in an August, 2018 minor league deal with Tampa Bay. Hechy batted .233 in 15 games, and was sold to the Yankees. He’s since spent two seasons in Japan after being released by Atlanta following the 2020 campaign. He then rejoined Atlanta’s org after his Asian tour before spending time in Mexico. the KC system and indie ball, retiring after the 2025 season. 
• 1993 - Dennis Moeller won his first MLB game and manager Jim Leyland won his 600th as the Bucs swept the Padres, 5-4, in 13 frames at Jack Murphy Stadium. The hero was Tom Prince; the catcher was scheduled to be lifted for a pinch hitter in the ninth, but trotted back from the bullpen when the two Bucs ahead of him reached and he was called on to bunt. He did successfully, setting up the tying run, and then later doubled home Carlos Garcia with the game winner. The victory capped the Bucs first four-game sweep of the Friars at SD since 1983. 
• 1996 - RHP Dauri Moreta was born in Comendador, Dominican Republic. He came to Pittsburgh in 2022 in a straight-up deal for SS Kevin Newman, having put up a line of 0-2-1/5.40 while averaging a whiff per inning, fitting the usual reliever Pirates model. The Bucs used him as a mid-inning bridge to the backend of the bullpen. “Big Bank” featured a fastball-slider combo and he showed enough to lock down a ‘24 spot until elbow surgery made him hors de combat. He now works in Japan for the Hanshin Tigers. 
• 1997 - The Pirates have taken some painful losses, but this game featured a painful win over San Diego at TRS. The Padres tied the game, 2-2, in the ninth inning on a Greg Vaughan homer off John Ericks, but the Bucs came back to load the bases with an out in their half. Tony Womack fell behind 0-2, fouled off a couple, and then was bopped in the noggin to force home Jose Guillen with the winning run. Ericks was credited with the win in relief (and a blown save, too) as starter Jon Lieber went into the eighth frame before Ricardo Rincon took over. 

Tony Womack - 1997 Select

• 2006 - It was set up to be a big day for Jason Bay at PNC Park - it was not only his bobblehead night, but before the game, he was honored with the Tip O’Neill award as Canada’s best baseball player for the second straight year. The Cubs decided the best way to recognize Bay was to pitch around him; he was walked three times and HBP once, never posting an official at bat. The Pirates foiled the strategy (though it was effective) by first scoring on a walk, steal, and two-out error then adding another tally on a Craig Wilson three-bagger/Joe Randa sac fly. It was just enough to eke out a 2-1 victory, as Zach Duke went seven strong innings for the win, giving up just a run. John Grabow, Ramon Hernandez & Mike Gonzalez, who earned the save, closed out the final two frames. 
• 2009 - The Pirates acquired IF/OF Delwyn Young from the Dodgers for PTBNL RHPs Eric Krebs and Harvey Garcia. Young played 234 games for the Pirates during the 2009-10 seasons, hitting .255 with 14 HR and 71 RBI in his last MLB stint. Neither Krebs nor Garcia made much of a dent for LA, although Garcia had a cup of coffee with Florida in 2007, appearing in eight games. 
• 2015 - Francisco Liriano returned from paternity leave and tossed a gem, but the Bucs lost a 1-0 decision to the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park. Frankie struck out seven and gave up four hits in six frames, but one of the knocks was a solo homer by former Bucco Rajai Davis that proved the game winner. Alfredo Simon and Joakim Soria only managed three K between them, but surrendered just two hits without a walk to stifle the Pirates, who had just one runner reach second. 
• 2017 - The Bucs spotted the Chicago Cubs four runs in the first inning and were down 6-2 heading into the sixth. But it’s not the start but the finish that counts - they shook the slumber from the lumber and roared back to take an 8-7 win at Wrigley Field. Fran Cervelli, Starling Marte and Josh Harrison homered to keep the Bucs around and Andrew McCutchen capped a five-run seventh frame with a two-out, three-run blast. Tony Watson kept it interesting by giving up a ninth inning dinger (Kris Bryant’s second long ball of the day) and walking the tying run aboard, but he put it to bed with a swinging whiff. Trevor Williams, in relief of Tyler Glasnow, was credited with the win and Watson the save. It was the middle match of a three-game Bucco sweep of the Cubbies.