10/2 Through the 1960s: Matty Crown, 3-In-1, Mooney Mark, Game Days, Hoo-rah, Manny Signed, Good Year, HBD Bob, Maury, Rex, Honest Eddie, Ernie & Scott

1869 - RHP Scott Stratton was born in Campbellsburg, Kentucky. Stratton worked eight years in the show, spending two games with the 1891 Pirates between stints with the Louisville Colonels. He went 0-2/2.45 in two starts for Pittsburgh. He did have a pair of 20-win seasons in the American Association and played in the bushes until the age of 30; he transitioned to the outfield, ending his minor league days with a .329 BA. Scott was known as the Taylorsville Wonder, dubbed for the town he was raised in. He retired to Louisville.

1877 - The London Tecumsehs defeated the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in the International Association’s championship, winning the deciding third game by a 5-2 score. The match was played at Tecumseh Field (now Labatt Memorial Park) in Ontario as Fred Goldsmith of London, one of the original curve ball artists, squared off against the Alleghenys’ Pud Galvin, who won 365 big league games on his road to the Hall of Fame. No particulars can be found, but much controversy was generated over the match as the Alleghenys refused to accept the result of the game, accusing the Tecumsehs of using one of their players as an umpire. The IA was founded in Pittsburgh in February and was considered the first minor league, although many argue that its play was on a par with the major league clubs of the era. Both teams would last one more season before folding, but the Alleghenys came back in 1881 to play in the American Association and then birthed the Pirates franchise when they joined the National League in 1887.

1877 - OF Ernie Diehl was born in Cincinnati. Ernie was a wealthy lad (his dad owned a distillery) and a toolsy ballplayer who starred in local semi-pro ball. The Pirates picked him up for a match in 1903 and a 12-game stretch in 1904, both times as an injury replacement, and Ernie went 7-for-40 (.175). Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss offered him a full contract for both years, but Diehl refused and played the games without a deal, returning to his local team and business interests after the Bucs were back to full strength. He was thought to have been offered and refused a player’s contract by various teams for 10 straight years, though he played briefly for Boston for a couple of seasons and had short stints with Toledo & Louisville in the American Association. He remained a businessman, was a standout in amateur sports (he was also an excellent tennis player) and dabbled in local politics. The whiskey business was sold in 1918 and Ernie moved to Miami, where he lived until passing away in 1958.

1891 - OF “Honest Eddie” Murphy was born in Hancock, New York. Eddie spent 11 years in the show, mostly as a bench guy, and played his final season as a Pirate in 1926, batting .118 in 16 games at age 35. He joined Pittsburgh after five years of solid minor-league play, called up in August when the Bucs were battling for a flag, but he injured his knee and didn’t have much impact. The Pirates finished 4-1/2 games behind the Cards, although they would come back to take the 1927 NL flag. Eddie played two more minor league years before retiring. His nickname came about because he was a player for the infamous 1919 Black Sox squad, but the tiniest splatter of scandal couldn’t be tied to him; his reputation was so spotless that he became known as Honest Eddie.

Eddie Murphy (w/Philly) - 1915 Cracker Jacks

1901 - Pittsburgh railroaders held a parade complete with a band and marched from town to Exposition Park in the North Side to celebrate the final home game of the season for the pennant-winning Buccos. A horse-drawn carriage delivered a $500 loving cup that was presented to manager Fred Clarke, owner Barney Dreyfuss and club president Harry Pulliam for leading the team to its championship season, and each player was given a decorated badge with his likeness on it. After some chest-thumping speechifying, the Bucs went on to take an 8-4 win over Boston behind Sam Leever. The next evening, the Alvin Theater invited the team to take in the show as the Pirates were the toast of the town. Pittsburgh finished at 90-49, 7-1/2 games ahead of Philadelphia.

1903 - Bill Dinneen struck out 11 and pitched a complete game three-hitter for the Boston Americans as they defeated the Bucs 3-0 at the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds in the second game of the first World Series. Patsy Dougherty homered off both starter Sam Leever, who left with an injury (he returned for the sixth game, but wasn’t effective), and Bucky Veil to carry the offense.

1908 - Pittsburgh took over the NL lead by a gnat’s eyelash after sweeping St. Louis at Robison Field. Lefty Leifield won the opener 7-4 as Fred Clarke and Alan Storke each had three hits to pace the attack. Howie Camnitz took the nitecap 2-1, tossing a seven-hitter with seven K while backed by homers off the bats of Honus Wagner and George Gibson. Two percentage points separated New York, Chicago, and Pittsburgh going into the final week of the season; the Cubs won by a game over the Buccos and G-Men in one of baseball’s great to-the-wire races.

1909 - Pirates backstop George Gibson set the then-record of catching in 134 consecutive games in a 3-1 loss to the Cubs, breaking the previous mark set by the Washington Senators’ Deacon McGuire in 1895. He set another MLB record for games played in a season by a catcher with 150, which had also been held by McGuire. His 150 games caught record stood until 1920 when Ray Schalk caught 151 games. And while he was at it, he led all NL catchers in fielding percentage and caught stealing, both in number of runners and percentage, in 1909. “Mooney” topped off the year by helping the Bucs to take the pennant and Series.

George Gibson - 1909 American Caramel

1911 - Scout Rex Bowen was born in Shiloh, New Jersey. After a minor league career as a player, Bowen bird-dogged for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1943-50, the Pirates from 1950-1967, spending the last 12 years as the club’s scouting director, and as his last act joined the Reds front office from 1967-90. He signed Bill Mazeroski (who ended up marrying Rex’s secretary, Milene), Dick Groat, Bruce Dal Canton, Gene Freese, Gene Michaels and George Freese among others. In 2000, Baseball America named him one of the top ten scouts of the 20th Century.

1914 - Phil Douglas of Cincinnati gave up just one hit, a single to Honus Wagner, but three walks - one with the bases loaded - and two errors in the ninth turned the tide as the Reds lost, 2-1, to George McQuillan and the Pirates at Forbes Field. It was the third game of his career where Hans had the only Pittsburgh hit. With a game to go, Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press described the last series as “...closing out the most disastrous season the Pirates have known since Fred Clarke became their chieftain.” The Bucs finished 69-85, in seventh place and 25-1/2 games behind the Boston Braves.

1920 - After a pair of rainouts, the Pirates and Reds played the last MLB tripleheader at Forbes Field. The Bucs wanted to get in the games to keep alive its slim hopes for a third place finish (and post-season bonus). It didn’t happen as the Reds took 2-of-3 to clinch the third spot. The crowd of an estimated 9,000 fans watched Cincy win the first two games, 13-4 and 7-3, before losing the third game 6-0 to Johnny Morrison, a six-inning affair shortened due to darkness. It was Jughandle Johnny’s first MLB start, and he tossed a four-hitter in the condensed match for his first win in the majors. Buc rookie 3B Clyde Barnhart became the only player in big league history to have hits in three games in one day, as he had two knocks in game one, and one each in the other two games. Peter Harrison earned his check, too; he was the home plate umpire for all three games. Starting at noon, the three games took exactly five hours to play. The Pittsburgh franchise also played the first MLB tripleheader, being swept in 1890 by Boston, so the circle was unbroken. And it was baseball’s first true three-in-one date as the other two triple headers played were actually morning games followed by an afternoon twin bill, with separate admission fees for the contests. 

1932 - IF Maury Wills was born in Washington, DC. His glory years were with the Dodgers, though he played for Pittsburgh for two seasons from 1967-68 as a third baseman who hit .290 with 81 steals. The Pirates sent him to Montreal, and in 1969 he returned to LA, where he had spent the first eight years of his career and would spend his final four campaigns. Wills was one of the great base stealers of his era, amassing 564 swiped sacks in his 14 years, and even had a downtown Pittsburgh club called “The Stolen Base.” Maury coached in several one-off leagues and did some broadcasting. His stint as skipper of the Seattle Mariners in 1981 was pretty much a fiasco and he was fired after a 26-56 slate. He had a bumpy life after baseball, but made it to the age of 89 before passing away in 2022.

Maury Wills - 1967 Topps

1946 - Bob Robertson was born in Mt. Savage, Maryland. A member of the 1971 WS champs, Big Red hit four home runs in the 1971 NLCS against the Giants (three in one game) and added two more in the Fall Classic against the Orioles. Bob Prince once said “The only park he can’t hit it out of is Yellowstone” and dubbed him “The Mount Savage Strong Man.” In the years 1970-71, he bombed 53 long balls, but never fully realized his potential as a Pirate. In nine Bucco seasons, he hit .245 with 106 HRs.

1960 - The Pirates closed out the regular season with a 9-5 win over the Milwaukee Braves at Forbes Field. It was a good year - 34,578 fans showed up to top off a record gate of 1,705,828, the Bucs’ 95-59 record earned them the NL pennant, and Dick Groat came back to win the NL batting crown with a .324 BA after recovering from a broken wrist, the first Pirate to wear the crown since Deb Garms in 1940. And it got better - Groat was voted the National League MVP and Pittsburgh won the World Series from the New York Yankees. 

1964 - Pirates scout Herb Raybourne signed 20-year-old catcher Manny Sanguillen out of Panama for a $500 bonus. He hit .299 over 13 seasons, won two World Series rings, played on six pennant winners, was named to three All-Star teams and was recognized by the Bucs in 2024 when he entered the Pirates Hall of Fame. Sangy is still around with a BBQ shop at PNC Park, where the popular Pirate-for-life slings sandwiches and holds court with the faithful. 

1966 - Matty Alou finished the season with a .342 BA to win the NL batting title. He went 4-for-6 against the Giants at Forbes Field during a 7-3 Bucco loss. But there was no team crown this year - the Pirates posted 92 wins and the Giants had 93, but LA took the pennant with 95 victories.

1969 - The batting title went down to the final swing; Pete Rose bunted for a single at Atlanta in his last at-bat while Roberto Clemente went 3-for-4 in a 8-2 win against the Expos, giving Rose a final .348 to .345 edge. If Clemente, who grounded out in his last dibs, had singled, his BA would have been .347; if Rose’s bunt had failed, his average would have been .346.

10/2 From 1970: Cruz Debut, 2M, Mad Dog Champ, '79 NLCS Win, 'Teke/Goose Duo, '74 Clincher, Game Days, Zisk Signs, PA Sale, Geno Goes, HBD Marino & Victor

1971 - The SF Giants scored four runs in the fifth inning off Steve Blass via two-out homers by Tito Fuentes and Willie McCovey, and the outburst was just enough to drop the Pirates 5-4 in the opening game of the NLCS at Candlestick Park. Dave Cash scored twice and had an RBI while Al Oliver drove home a pair of runs in the loss. It was the Pirates sixth straight loss in the City by the Bay.

1971 - LF Willie Stargell was the leading vote-getter and C Manny Sanguillen was the top dog behind the dish per the News Enterprise Association poll for the best performers in the majors as selected by the MLB players themselves. Pops was picked as an outfielder (he wouldn’t see much action at 1B until the following year) while Sangy easily outpolled previous winner Johnny Bench. Roberto Clemente was a second teamer as Tony Oliva dropped Arriba and the Orioles’ Frank Robinson to runner-up status in right field. Also on the second squad was Dave Giusti, who led the league with 30 saves but finished behind the Giants’ Jerry Johnson in the relief pitcher category.

1974 - Bob Smizik’s Pittsburgh Press game story was headlined “Pirates Blunder Into Division Title” and it was right on. The Pirates rallied from a 4-0 hole against the Cubs at TRS to get within a run in the ninth. With two gone and Manny Sanguillen on third, pinch hitter Bob Robertson K’ed on a Rick Reuschel curve. The ball got away from Steve Swisher, and his throw to first hit chug-a-lugging Robby on the back and caromed into right, allowing Robby to safely reach base and The Roadrunner to score. The Bucs won it in the next inning when Al Oliver tripled and scored on Sangy’s swinging bunt up the third base line. A Pirates loss would have given the St. Louis Cardinals, with a rainout to make up, a chance to tie Pittsburgh for the lead. The fans didn’t act in championship fashion, tossing bottles at the Cub outfielders, who had to wear batting helmets in the field. Plate ump Shag Crawford told Smizik after the game that “It was the worst I’ve ever seen a big league crowd. I finally gave some thought to forfeiting in the ninth, but (manager Danny) Murtaugh really helped out...” when he went on the field and scolded the crowd into a semblance of civility.

1975 - Richie Zisk ended what was then the longest holdout in Pirates history when he inked a $65,000 deal after playing the season without signing a contract. He and Joe Brown couldn’t agree on salary at the start of the year and the Pirates renewed his contract. Zisk was reportedly looking to double his ‘74 salary of $35,000, but wasn’t interested in taking his case to arbitration or joining the crowd testing the reserve clause. Just before the playoffs against the Reds began, he and Brown finally reached a $60K agreement (he had been paid at a rate of $55,000 during the year, presumably the figure the Buccos had offered earlier). The impasse didn’t affect his plate performance; he hit .290 with 20 homers during the regular season and then went 5-for-10 in the NLCS.

Victor Santos - 2006 photo Elsa/Getty

1976 - RHP Victor Santos was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Victor, although he had five years in the league, made it to the Pirates via the Rule 5 draft from KC and spent 2006 as a Bucco, slashing 5-9/5.70 in 25 games (19 starts). He took the mound for one more year in the show, then spent most of his time in the Latin leagues, toeing the rubber for the last time in 2012. After his retirement, he became an instructor at Roberto Clemente's Baseball Academy. 

1977 - Kent Tekulve and Rich Gossage each appeared in their 72nd games to break the existing club record for most appearances during a 3-2 Bucco victory over the Cubs in the second game of a twin bill at TRS. Goose got the win after Teke blew the save. Dave Parker clinched his first batting title (he repeated the following season), finishing with a .338 average after going 1-for-4 in the opener, a 5-1 Bucco win. For the Pirates, it was a red hot finish as they won 12-of-13 games to end the season, finishing second to the Phils with 96 wins. Teke shattered the record in 1979 by appearing in 94 outings, later matched by Salomon Torres in 2006. 

1979 - In the opening game of the NLCS at Riverfront Stadium, Willie Stargell ended a tight pitching battle started by John Candelaria and Tom Seaver by bombing a three-run homer in the 11th inning off Tom Hume to give the Pirates a 5-2 victory over the Reds. Grant Jackson got the win with a Don Robinson save. The Bucs drew first blood in the third by a 2-0 tally on a Phil Garner homer, Omar Moreno triple and Tim Foli sac fly. The Reds tied the count an inning later on George Foster’s two-run shot.

1981 - RHP Marino Salas was born in Hato Mayor del Rey, Dominican Republic. He was traded to the Pirates as part of the Salomon Torres deal with the Brewers. He began 2008 en fuego, going 2-0-2/0.77 in 14 appearances at AAA Indy and was recalled by the Pirates in May. It didn’t translate as he slashed 1-0/8.47 in 13 outings. Salas ended his career by pitching in the Italian League.

1981 - The Pirates were out of the race with the Cards on life support, and both teams put on a clinic on why non-playoff October baseball is often less than compelling. Playing in 30 degree weather with a swirling wind before the smallest TRS crowd to date (2,348), the Bucs took an 8-7 win from St. Louis. The Pirates jumped ahead early 7-2 thanks to four RBI from Jason Thompson, but allowed five straight unearned runs on four errors (it was the second straight start that Paschal Perez was burdened by five gift runs). Rod Scurry was tagged for two ninth-inning tallies to knot the score before Mike Easler walked it off by doubling home Omar Moreno to earn a win for Kent Tekulve. The Redbirds contributed three boots of their own, the two staffs issued 11 walks, and the contest was so poorly played that the Pirates invited everyone back to attend the next game gratis. Not many took up the offer: there were only 3,600 fans the next night.

Bill Madlock - 1983 Fleer

1983 - Bill Madlock, finishing out the season gimpy with a calf injury, sat out the Bucs last game but managed to hang on to the batting title, finishing the year at .323 to edge out the Cards’ Lonnie Smith, who ended the campaign at .321. Though it was the lowest BA to win a NL title since 1919, it was quite a feather in Mad Dog’s cap as he became just the eighth MLB player with four or more batting crowns since 1900 and the first in the senior circuit to earn a quartet since Roberto Clemente in 1967. Bill was the first hitter to win two titles for two teams, taking the crown in 1975 & ‘76 as a Chicago Cub.

1985 - The Galbreath family and Warner Communications agreed in principle to sell the Pirates to the Pittsburgh Associates, a group of 10 primarily corporate and institutional investors that kept the team afloat and in Pittsburgh, for $21.8M (the deal was finalized in March, 1986). As part of the agreement, Malcolm “Mac” Prine was named president of the Pirates during the transition and takeover. Mac was the CEO of Ryan Homes, which was part of the PA, the first private-public ownership group in pro sports. He brought in Jim Leyland as manager and Syd Thrift as GM; ironically, a power struggle with Thrift led to Prine’s resignation two years later. Mac was replaced by Carl Barger, who had sharper elbows and forced Thrift to walk the plank a year later. 

1990 - The Pirates drew 50,028 fans to Three Rivers Stadium to watch the Bucs batter the Mets 9-4 and went over the 2M mark in attendance for the first time in history. Pittsburgh was warming up for their playoff series against the Reds and banged Dwight “Doc” Gooden around, finishing the day with 12 hits in a balanced attack that Bill Landrum rode to victory. Although the 2,049,908 total attendance figure would be edged out the next year, the game average of 25,308 fans would remain the TRS high water mark.

2000 - Gene Lamont was let go as the Pirates manager. The former White Sox skipper had replaced Jim Leyland in 1997 and led the Bucs to a second place finish, but overall his Pittsburgh record was 295-352 (.456). It wasn’t a surprise dismissal; Kevin McClatchy told Lamont that he wouldn’t be back in mid-September. His hitting coach, Lloyd McClendon, was hired to take his spot three weeks later. Lamont returned to coaching with the Red Sox, Astros, and Tigers; he was a special assistant at Kansas City and rejoined the Bucs in 2025 as an advisor to new skipper Don Kelly, officially titled the Special Assignments coach. 

A-Ram - 2001 Upper Deck SP

2001 - Aramis Ramirez had three hits and chased home a pair of runs in the Pirates 10-1 romp over the Mets at Shea Stadium. That gave A-Ram 111 RBI on the season (he finished with 112), the most by a Pirates third sacker since 1930, when Pie Traynor plated 119 runners. Craig Wilson also was huge with a homer among his three hits and four RBI. Bronson Arroyo held up his end, tossing a five-hit complete game for a nice highlight to an otherwise dismal, 100-loss season.
 
2005 - Zach Duke, with help from Mike Gonzalez and Salomon Torres, stopped the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 at PNC Park. The Brewers finished at 81-81, and the loss prevented them from their first winning season since 1992, although it did end a long consecutive losing season streak. The Bucco tallies came on a two-run Nate McLouth homer and a solo shot by Craig Wilson. The Brew Crew won 83 games in 2007 to get over the hump; it would take Pittsburgh until 2013 to finish above water at year's end.

2021 - The Bucs looked like they were staggering to another defeat, down 5-0 to the Reds at PNC Park before a fireworks crowd of 20,000+. But they put together a six-spot in the fifth, keyed by two-run extra-base raps by Wilmer Difo and Michael Chavis, then added on to take home an 8-6 win. Bryan Reynolds had four hits, falling a homer shy of the cycle, while Ben Gamel added three more knocks to lead a 16-hit attack. It was the MLB debut of uber-prospect Oneil Cruz, who had two hits, a run, an RBI and the hardest hit recorded by a Bucco in the Statcast era of 118.2 MPH. Nick Mears faced two batters in the sixth, giving up a game-tying double before posting the third out but still was credited with the win. Chris Stratton worked a 1-2-3 ninth to earn the save.

2022 - It took a decade, but the Pirates finally hung a loss on the Cardinals Adam Wainwright, who hadn’t been defeated by Pittsburgh since June 29th, 2012. The Bucs defeated Waino at Busch Stadium by a 7-5 count on a day he, Yadi Molina and Albert Pujols were all pulled in the fifth inning to be honored during their last regular season home game together. Ben Gamel had a three-run homer, Bryan Reynolds swatted a solo shot, Miguel Andujar added a pair of RBI and Oneil Cruz had two hits and scored twice. Six Buccaneer hurlers ran through the raindrops to close it out, with Chase De Jong getting the win and David Bednar the save.

10/1 Through 1974: Roberto & Waner BA Titles, MVP, Max's 51, Deac Wins 1st WSG, Game Days, RIP Goes, O'Connell Deal, Danny Done, HBD Vance, Jim, Specs & Bobby

1868 - SS Bobby Cargo was born in Pittsburgh. He only got into two MLB games, both as a Bucco, in 1892 as an injury replacement and went 1-for-4 after being signed from the local East End club. He was an off-season streetcar driver who still played minor league ball through 1903 (career BA .273 in 13 years) before he caught pneumonia while with Atlanta and passed away at age 35. Cargo was a Lawrenceville resident and was buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery.

1895 - RHP Carmen “Specs” Hill was born in Royalton, Minnesota. Carmen pitched eight years in Pittsburgh (1915-16, 1918-19, 1926-29) and went 47-31-8 with a 3.26 ERA. He won 22 games for the NL Champion Pittsburgh Pirates in 1927. As for his nickname, Carmen was the second pitcher in major league history to wear glasses and the other players wouldn’t let him forget it. He also had a second nickname of "Bunker,” inspired by his last name of Hill.

1903 - Deacon Phillippe pitched a six-hitter while whiffing 10 to defeat the legendary Cy Young and the AL’s Boston Americans, 7-3. It was the first World Series game in baseball history, played at the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds in front of 16,242 fans. For the books, the first WS hitter was CF Ginger Beaumont, who flew out to the American’s CF Chick Stahl. Tommy Leach got the first hit, a triple, and became the first runner to score when Honus Wagner singled him home for the first WS RBI (Wee Tommy went 4-for-5). Jimmy Sebring hit the first Series’ homer (a seventh inning inside-the-park dash) and drove in four runs. Although the series was not officially sanctioned by the leagues, the clubs had agreed during the season to a best-of-nine postseason showdown, and the World Series was officially OK’ed to be permanently staged starting in 1905.

1917 - Wilbur Cooper tossed a four-hit shutout as the Pirates closed the season with a 2-0 win over the Boston Braves at Forbes Field. Bill Webb had three hits and a run scored to lead the attack. Fritz Mollwitz also crossed home while Lee King & Max Carey drove in the runs. It was Cooper’s 17th win for a team that finished last by 47 games with only 51 victories.

1918 - OF Jim Russell was born in Fayette City, between Belle Vernon and Stockdale on the Mon. He played for the Pirates from 1942-47, starting all but his rookie campaign, and put up a .277 BA. In his final season, the CF’er had Hall-of-Famers Hank Greenberg and Ralph Kiner as bookends in the outfield. As a youth, he contracted rheumatic fever twice; his baseball career was cut short because of associated heart disease which sapped him in his later years.

Jim Russell - circa 1943 Wiki/Steve Russell

1922 - Max Carey swiped his 51st base against the Reds in a 5-1 loss at Redland Field. Not only did he lead the league in larceny, but his 51 steals in 53 attempts was the highest success rate ever achieved by a stolen base leader. His record of 31 straight steals without being caught (he stretched it to 36 straight during the ‘23 campaign) stood until 1975, when Davey Lopes put together a 38-swipe streak. Vince Coleman has the current mark of 50 consecutive steals.

1927 - Paul Waner collected a pair of hits against Cincinnati in a 9-6 win at Redland Field to finish the season with a Bucco record 237 knocks. The victory also clinched the pennant for the Pirates, who finished the year with 94 wins, 1-1/2 games ahead of St. Louis and two up on NY. Pie Traynor, Lloyd Waner and Earl Smith each added three hits to back Johnny Miljus. It was a big year for Big Poison - he won the BA crown at .380, led in RBI with 131 and won the MVP.

1934 - IF Chuck Hiller was born in Johnsonburg, Illinois. Hiller spent the finale of his eight-year career with the Pirates in 1968, going five-for-13 in 11 games, primarily as a pinch hitter. When he retired after the 1968 season, he became a minor league manager in the Pirates' organization for a year, then returned to the Mets in a similar capacity, working for the Mets' director of player development, Whitey Herzog, through 1972. He then served under manager Herzog as a MLB coach with the Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals, and later spent brief stints with the Giants and the Mets. In between his big-league assignments, Hiller served the Mets as an infield instructor in their minor league system, and managed in the Cards' organization. 

1944 - RHP Len “Meow” Gilmore set a couple of dubious Pirate records. His start against the Phils at Shibe Park was his only big league game, and he gave up 13 hits and seven runs, going the distance in a 7-1 loss. He was a poster boy for pitch-to-contact: all 36 batters he faced put the ball in play, leaving him with the Pirates standard for most innings pitched in a game without recording a strikeout or a walk. The Bucs had clinched second place and its $400 bonus in the opening bout of the day with a 9-1 victory behind Rip Sewell and a 17-hit attack, allowing manager Frankie Frisch the luxury of finishing the campaign with a rookie hurler. 

1946 - The Pirates hoped to bolster their staff by purchasing LHP Steve Nagy from Montreal, where he had gone 17-4/3.01 and led the club to an International League pennant. Alas, that hope faded as he tossed to a 1-3/5.79 line for Pittsburgh and spent most of his time at Indianapolis; in 1948, he was shipped to the New York Giants as part of the Bill Werle deal.

Rip Sewell - November 1949 Berger/Press

1949 - The Pirates released 42-year-old RHP Truett “Rip” Sewell after 12 years with the club (he spent his rookie campaign with the Tigers). Sewell appeared in 385 games as a Pirate (243 starts) with a line of 143-97-15/3.43 and two 21-win seasons to go with three All-Star berths. The Bucs had originally released him in 1947 with plans to add him to the coaching staff but instead inked him for active duty for two more seasons.  He was best known for the ol’ eephus, his blooper pitch, but his most valuable contribution came when Sewell, who never made more than $21,500 per year, came up with a funding mechanism for baseball's pension plan. On a train ride to Boston for the 1946 All-Star Game, he and St. Louis shortstop Marty Marion devised the formula to use revenue from the All Star Game to prime the pension pump, and it’s still part of the funding formula.

1949 -  IF Danny O’Connell officially came over from the Brooklyn Dodgers for a PTBNL (IF Jack Cassini) and $50,000 in a deal that had been announced a couple of days earlier. Danny spent two years with the Bucs, bookending two years of military service, and hit .293 as a Pirate. He was flipped to the Milwaukee Braves after the 1953 season for six players and cash. Cassini was a one trick pony; he had gotten into eight games for the Pirates in 1949, all as a pinch runner. He scored three times, and that was his MLB career.

1956 - SS Vance Law was born in Boise, Idaho. Drafted out of high school by Pittsburgh, the son of Bucco great Vern Law spent his first two years as a Pirate (1980-81) and hit .184 as a seldom used reserve. After being traded to the White Sox, he carved out an 11-year MLB career, including an All-Star season. Law showed his dad’s genes as he was also quite the fireman. He was called on seven times to pitch as an arm-saver in blowouts, and finished each outing while compiling a career ERA of 3.38 in eight innings.

1964 - Danny Murtaugh retired as Buc skipper, citing health reasons. Danny joined the Pirate front office, evaluating players for GM Joe L. Brown. Harry “the Hat” Walker was later named as his replacement. Danny became the Bucs' go-to manager; he was the Pittsburgh skipper for all or parts of 15 seasons over four different periods (1957–64, 1967, 1970–71, 1973–76).

1966 - The Giants swept Pittsburgh by 5-4 and 2-0 tallies at Forbes Field to eliminate the Pirates from the pennant race as Juan Marichal and Bob Bolin teamed up to defeat Pete Mikkelsen and Tommy Sisk. The Bucs ended up finishing in third place, three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Arriba's '67 Crown - 2016 Topps Flashbacks

1967 - Roberto Clemente ended the season by going 2-for-5 with a triple, homer, three RBI and two runs scored while winning his fourth batting title with a .357 average in a 10-3 victory over Houston at Forbes Field in front of 28,244 fans on Prize Day. And for the heck of it, he also threw out Sonny Jackson at home. Jerry May matched Roberto, going 3-for-5 with a homer, double, three RBI and two runs while Maury Wills added three more hits. Tommy Sisk finished the year with his 13th win. Roberto did do it all; he was also the manager for the day, as retiring skipper Danny Murtaugh (he’d eventually be back) handed over the reins to the Great One in the season finale. 

1972 - Steve Blass got the start and a chance for his 20th win, but was lit up for three first-inning runs and chased in the third frame by the New York Mets at Three Rivers Stadium as the Pirates fell 7-3. Injury was added to insult when Blass was yanked after a liner caught him in the arm, though he did recover to pitch well in the playoff series ultimately lost to the Reds. Steve never did reach twenty wins in his career; he fell apart the following season and was out of the majors in 1974. It was also Maz’s final regular season game; he was presented with a plaque by the team and pulled in the eighth inning so the fans could give him a proper final farewell.

1973 - By losing 4-3 to Randy Jones and the San Diego Padres at TRS on the season’s last day, the Bucs were officially eliminated from the NL East title hunt. They were 1-1/2 games back going into the contest, with the league leading Mets scheduled to play a doubleheader. New York won their first game, making the Pirates contest a moot point by the sixth inning. Bob Moose took the loss. The Padres put a lot of effort into making up the game (it was a rainout date from July 21st); they flew cross-country to play as the game had a potential impact on the pennant (a possibility of a three-way tie for the flag existed) even though they finished last in their division.

1974 - The Buccaneers took a one-game lead over the Cardinals in the NL East title race by beating the Cubs 6-5 at TRS. A two-run pinch hit homer by Bob Robertson in the eighth inning was the game winning blow while Dave Giusti closed out the last two frames of the contest to earn the come-from-behind win. The Pirates went on to clinch the pennant the next day.

10/1 From 1975: Cole Cuts, Cueto Game, Freddy Crowned, 'Rique Roll, Game Days, Staff Hires, SI Bo, TRS Finale, Lanny Retires, HBD Colin

1978 - The Pirates announced that coaches Joe Lonnett, Al Monchak and Larry Sherry would return next season, but not Jose Pagan. Pete Peterson said they weren’t displeased with Jose’s work, but were specifically looking for a batting coach and eventually brought in Bob Skinner while Pagan moved to the Oakland A’s as a minor league manager. Sherry also left before the next season started (he went to the California Angels), replaced by the Kitten, Harvey Haddix.

1980 - Enrique Romo had a big day in leading the Pirates to a 10-5 win at Shea Stadium. Not only did he work four frames to save the win for Jim Bibby, but he hit his first and only major league homer off Roy Lee Jackson - and it was a grand slam. That feat wouldn’t be matched again until 2016 when Josh Bell hit his first long ball with the bases juiced against the Cubs. Romo’s eighth-inning blast gave him breathing room, turning a 6-5 nail-biter into a comfortable 10-5 tally. He had help at the dish from Dave Parker, who had three hits, three RBI and a long ball of his own along with Omar Moreno, who added three raps and a stolen sack. It was Bibby’s 19th win of the season, matching his career high. 

1987 - Team President Mac Prine and the Pirates agreed to terms with GM Syd Thrift (though he held out for more control and didn’t sign his contract until the 27th), Manager Jim Leyland, and all five of his coaches - Rich Donnelly (bullpen), Gene Lamont (third base), Milt May (hitting), Ray Miller (pitching) and Tommy Sandt (first base) - for undisclosed amounts. As Leyland noted, “The Pirates have treated me fairly both financially and emotionally, plus I got a wife out of it, too...” as he had set the date (November 27th) to marry Katie O’Connor, the Pirates Event Coordinator, during the offseason in a win-win day for the Bucco skipper. 

1990 - Bobby Bonilla was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the story “Down To The Wire.” The pennant race didn’t end up that close as the Bucs won the division by four games, though losing the NLCS to the Cincinnati Reds. Bobby Bo had an All Star season, hitting .280 with 32 HR and 120 RBI and finished second in the MVP voting to teammate Barry Bonds.

The Hook: 10-1-1992 Tom Hayden NH News

1992 - A couple of Bucco fans decided the team needed a symbol to rally behind and came up with “The Hook,” reminiscent of Captain Hook’s Pirate claw. It went on sale and was touted as a counter to the playoff opponent Atlanta Braves’ annoying but effective Chop. Alas, it didn’t work very well as a good luck charm and became a collector’s item rather than a fearsome Bucco amulet.

1992 - 1B Colin Moran was born in Port Chester, New York. The sixth overall selection of the 2013 draft by Miami, he was traded to the Astros, where he was blocked by Alex Bregman, and came to Pittsburgh in 2018 as part of the Gerrit Cole trade. He won the hot corner job, and made Pittsburgh friends in a hurry when he hit a grand slam during his first at bat in PNC Park, joining Roberto Clemente (1962) and Ralph Kiner (1949) on the Bucco Home Opener grand salami list. He was moved to first base in 2020 after Josh Bell was dealt to the Nats and Ke’Bryan Hayes was promoted to the big team. He joined the Reds in 2022 and played indie ball in ‘24. Colin comes from good bloodlines; his uncle is BJ Surhoff and his brother Brian has pitched for three MLB teams.

2000 - A crowd of 55,351, the largest gathering ever to see a regular season baseball game in Pittsburgh, watched the Pirates fall to the Chicago Cubs 10-9 in the final game at Three Rivers Stadium. Sister Sledge was on hand to sing the National Anthem after Gene Lamont, Jim Leyland, Chuck Tanner & Bill Virdon presented the final lineup card to the ump. Dock Ellis tossed the first pitch to Manny Sanguillen after Pie Traynor threw out a ceremonial first pitch. Brian Giles had three hits and became the first Pirate to hit .300 with 30+ home runs and 100+ RBIs in back-to-back seasons. The Bucs ran through seven pitchers, with Scott Sauerbeck taking the loss after surrendering three eighth-inning runs. The Pirates made it interesting to the end, putting runners at second and third with two outs in the ninth, but John Wehner bounced out. He did, however, have the honor of hitting the last homer in the yard in the fifth inning (the Rock also committed the final error and made the last out at TRS, so it was a mixed bag kind of day). After the game, a video stadium tribute was shown, home plate was dug up to be transported to PNC Park (it was flown away by “Rocketman,” who was strapped to a jet pack), and Willie Stargell came out to toss a ceremonial last pitch to Jason Kendall as a final farewell for TRS.

2000 - On the day TRS closed, the Pirates opted for a smooth media transition to PNC Park when they announced that they had signed Greg Brown, Steve Blass and Bob Walk to three-year contract extensions after letting them dangle in the breeze all summer. Lanny Frattare was also returning to the fold; he had signed his deal earlier in the year and it too ran through 2003.

Steady Freddy - 2006 Fleer Ultra

2006 - Freddy Sanchez banged out a pair of singles v the Reds in a 1-0 Pirates victory at PNC Park in front of 25,004, winning the NL batting title in a down-to-the-last-day battle with Miguel Cabrera to claim the first Bucco batting crown since Bill Madlock in 1983. Miggy went 0-for-2 to drop his average to .339 while Steady Freddy climbed to .344 to take the title. It was notable for a couple of other reasons: the pair of raps gave Sanchez 200 hits on the season and reliever Salomon Torres closed to post the save in his 94th outing of the year, tying him for the franchise’s single-season record with Kent Tekulve. As for the game, the dub was earned behind the arms of Shane Youman, John Grabow, Matt Capps and Torres, who combined on a four-hitter. Pittsburgh scored in the eighth by rapping four straight two-out singles; Xavier Nady drove in Jason Bay with the winner.

2008 - Lanny Frattare, the Voice of the Pirates for decades, announced his retirement to end a 33-year career as the team's radio and TV play-by-play announcer. He was the longest tenured announcer in team history, calling over 5,000 games. Frattare and Milo Hamilton became the Pirates' on-air duo in 1976, with Lanny handling the color chores. When Hamilton jumped to the Cubs in 1980, Frattare became the play-by-play man with his own style and calls ("Go, ball! Get outta here!" & "There was no doubt about it!"). Lanny, 60, cited travel and the overall grind as the drivers behind his decision and went academic by taking a Communications job at nearby Waynesburg University. Greg Brown was named as his replacement.

2012 - It took 10 trips to the hill, but Jeff Locke got his first MLB win by beating the Braves at PNC Park 2-1. He gave up two hits (and issued five free passes) in six frames while three relievers tossed hitless ball behind him. Starling Marte provided the offense; he swatted a solo homer and tripled, coming in on Chase d’Arnaud’s ground out, to account for both Bucco runs.

2013 - A record PNC Park crowd of 40,487 saw the Pirates win the NL Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Reds by a 6-2 score. Francisco Liriano gave up one run on four hits over seven innings for the win. He was supported by Russell Martin, who had a pair of homers, and Marlon Byrd, who also went long. Martin became the first catcher to homer for three different teams in the postseason, going yard with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 and the New York Yankees in 2012. Martin's first blast was legendary. While the crowd was chanting "Cueto" after Byrd's dinger, Johnny dropped the horsehide, picked it up and then served up another long ball to Russ, lifting the roof off PNC Park. Byrd’s homer was during his first postseason at-bat after playing 1,250 MLB games before reaching the promised land. It was the first playoff game ever held at PNC and the first Pirate playoff win in Pittsburgh since defeating the Atlanta Braves, 7-1, on October 11th, 1992 in the NLCS at TRS. The victory cost the Reds more than a playoff run; it also cost them a manager when Dusty Baker was fired three days later after suffering his seventh straight playoff loss.

2013 Wild Card "Raise The Roger" Blackout Towel

2014 - The Pirates laid a playoff egg in front of a record crowd of 40,629 at PNC Park, falling to Madison Bumgarner and the SF Giants, 8-0, in the winner-take-all NL Wild Card elimination game. Bumgarner tossed a complete game whitewash with 10 K and Brandon Crawford’s grand slam in the fourth inning off Edinson Volquez would provide Mad Bum with more than enough runs; for good measure, Brandon Belt drove in three more Giants. Josh Harrison was the Bucs lone bright spot at the dish, collecting two of the four Pirates’ hits. The Bucs weren’t the only club left red-faced by San Francisco as the Giants were on fire in October. Sparked by Bumgarner’s brilliant postseason pitching run, the G-Men beat Washington, St. Louis and KC to reign as the 2014 World Series champions.

2017 - In a game that epitomized September baseball, the Bucs jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held off Washington at Nationals Park by an 11-8 count. The contest was the longest nine-inning game in both clubs’ history at four hours and 22 minutes. The Pirates used 23 players, including nine pitchers. The Bucs stranded 10 runners, the Nats 15; each club issued seven free passes to go along with 30 combined hits. Angel Sanchez got the win and George Kontos was credited with the save, the first for both pitchers. Jake Stallings had three hits plus a walk while Max Moroff had a knock and two free passes; together they drove in seven runs and scored three times. Chris Bostick & Josh Bell had two knocks and a walk, and Starling Marte had two raps to end the year on a 12-game hitting streak. The marathon ended the 2017 season for the Pirates with just 75 wins, earning them the 10th pick (OF Travis Swaggerty) in the upcoming draft.

2021 - The Pirates were handed their 100th loss the night before, but shrugged it off and came back to whip the Reds at PNC Park by a 9-2 tally, led by a pair of unlikely heroes. Wil Crowe (4-8/5.77) tossed six shutout innings, giving up a hit, two walks, and tying his career high with nine K. He left with a 1-0 lead, which the bullpen couldn’t hold (Chris Stratton, who gave up the run that knotted it, got the win), but an eight-run eighth inning put it away for the Bucs, keyed by the other man of the hour, Cole Tucker. Tuck, who was hitting .206 with one long ball, had a dazzling catch in short right that he turned into a twin killing, then tripled and scored the Bucs first run before capping the night with his first grand slam.

2024 - The Pirates housekeeping began before the World Series even started. In a two-week period, pitchers Justin Bruihl, Domingo Germany, Ryan Ryder & Jake Woodford along with position players Billy McKinney & Edward Olivares declared for free agency. A week earlier, the club began their roster scrub by releasing CF Michael Taylor and 1B/DH Rowdy Tellez.

9/30 Through the 1970s: Roberto - 3,000, '79 Clincher, Candy's 20, Ralph's #54/100+ RBI, Mo' Bros, Game Days, Herman Trade, Temple Cup, Frankie Hired, TSN Scoops, HBD Leo

1886 - The American Association Alleghenys defeated the Brooklyn Grays 12-0 at Recreation Park, leading the Commercial Gazette to write that Brooklyn “...had been used as mops to wipe up the diamond.”  Cannonball Morris tossed a five hitter with six whiffs (the hard-throwing Morris had a monster campaign with a slash of 41-20-1/2.45) and added some salt to the wound with three hits; his batterymate Fred Carroll and Sam Barkley also added three raps. The Allies came in second place with an 80-57-3 slate and won their last five games, but they couldn’t catch the St. Louis Browns, winners of the NL and World Series.

1891 - RHP Leo “Pat” Bohen was born in Oakland, Iowa. He got into two major league games; one was with the Bucs in 1914, when he gave up two runs on two hits with two walks in an inning of work. Bohen retired at age 24 after the 1915 campaign and became a machinist.

1893 - The Pirates ended their season with an eight-game winning streak by topping the NY Giants by an 8-6 score to finish the year 81-48, five games behind the Boston Beaneaters. Pittsburgh’s partial owner William Chase Temple thought there should be a series between the top two teams (as his club was second) for the title, so he donated the Temple Cup to the league for a best of seven postseason championship series, to start in 1894. It lasted for four years, never being terribly popular among the players or fans, and didn’t help Temple’s Bucs at all - they never finished higher than sixth during the Cup’s existence. The winner was supposed to take 2/3 of the gate, but the first teams to play agreed beforehand on a 50-50 split, which the winning club then reneged on, causing Temple to sell his Pirate share in disgust with overall baseball ownership.

1908 - The Pirates beat the Cards 7-5 at Forbes Field behind Sam Leever, who relieved starter Vic Willis, and “Wee Tommy” Leach’s home run. Pittsburgh fell behind 5-0 in the home finale before tying the game in the seventh and pushing the winning runs across in the eighth. The victory put the Bucs in a virtual tie for first with the NY Giants and 1/2-game ahead of Chicago. In a shoot-out NL finish, the Cubs took the pennant by a game over both the Pirates and Giants.

Wee Tommy - 1908 Real Photo Post Card

1921 - RHP Phil Morrison got his only big league outing, tossing 2/3 of an inning against St. Louis in a 12-4 defeat, giving up a hit and getting a K. He’s noteworthy as one of the Pirates’ early brother acts, as he joined sib “Jughandle Johnny” Morrison on the roster that season. 

1939 - Buc President Bill Benswanger announced that Frankie Frisch would take the place of Pie Traynor at the Pirates helm, signing a two-year deal. Frankie managed the club through 1946, finishing second once before he was replaced by Billy Herman. Frankie had six years as field boss (five as player/manager) under his belt after leading the St. Louis Cardinals from 1933-38, winning it all in 1934, and spent ‘39 as a Boston Bees radio announcer.

1946 - 2B Billy Herman, who the Bucs wanted as a manager, was traded to Pittsburgh by Boston with OF Stan Wentzel, RHP Elmer Singleton and IF Whitey Wietelmann for three-time All Star 3B Bob Elliott and C Hank Camelli. Even Herman realized a lopsided deal when he saw one, saying "Why, they've gone and traded the whole team on me.” Elliott won the 1947 National League MVP award and led the Beaneaters to the 1948 NL pennant. Herman was announced as Bucco skipper after the deal and was inked to a two-year contract.

1946 - The Bob Feller Major League All-Stars and the Satchel Paige Colored Stars opened the post-season touring circuit in Forbes Field before 4,592 fans, with the Colored All-Stars taking a 3-1 win. The big draw was a three-inning duel between Paige and Feller. Paige gave up a hit and fanned four; Feller gave up two hits and whiffed three, the aces leaving the game with the score 1-1. Ray Brown, long-time Grays’ twirler, was the real star, pitching six innings of one-hit, shutout ball to top Cleveland’s Bob Lemon, who gave up the final two Colored Stars’ runs.

Ralph Kiner - 1949 Pirates Post Card

1949 - Ralph Kiner hit his 54th homer and 16th of September over the LF scoreboard at Forbes Field as the Pirates beat Herm Wehmeier and the Reds, 3-2, behind Bob Chesnes’ four-hitter. The monthly total eclipsed Cy Williams' 1923 NL mark (broken in 1965 by Willie Mays with 17), and 54 homers is still the Pirate standard for long balls in a season.

1951 - Ralph Kiner hit a two-out, 425’ walkoff grand slam in the 11th inning to give the Pirates an 8-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Forbes Field; his dramatic game ender was the final play of MLB’s regular season. The four RBI gave him 109 on the year, his fifth straight season with 100+ runs plated, tying the franchise record set by Pie Traynor. Mr. Swat also led the league in HR’s (42), runs (124) and walks (137). Bill Werle, the Pirates third pitcher, got the win in a match that Howie Pollet started.

1964 - The Pirates were struck out 19 times in 16 innings, but the Bucs still beat the Reds 1-0 on Jerry Mays’ suicide squeeze, knocking Cincy out of the NL’s top spot. Bob Veale struck out a club-record 16 in 12-1/3 innings while Cincinnati's Jim Maloney K’ed 11 in eleven frames at Crosley Field. Al McBean worked the final 3-2/3 IP for the bonus baseball victory.

1972 - Roberto Clemente hit a fourth-inning double off Jon Matlack’s 0-1 curve to become the 11th player in major league history (there are now 33; Miguel Cabrera is the most recent, joining in 2022) to reach the 3,000 hit plateau. As an added bonus, Clemente scored and his run was the game winner when Manny Sanguillen chased him home with the Pirates’ first tally. Take it with a grain of salt if someone told you they were there for the big occasion. Only 13,117 people showed up at TRS to watch the 5-0 win over the Mets on a raw Saturday afternoon. Dock Ellis took home the win and Bob Johnson worked three innings for the save as the pair combined on a two-hitter to stymie New York.

Roberto's 3,000 - 2013 Panini Historic Tickets

1972 - Al Oliver was highlighted on the cover of The Sporting News for the featured story “Swat Artist.” And that he was; the 25-year-old Bucco center fielder slashed .312/18/89 and scored 88 times on the way to his first of seven All-Star selections and three Top 10 MVP finishes.

1977 - John Candelaria became the first Bucco since Vern Law in 1960 to win 20 games (and it would take until 1990 for Doug Drabek to become the Pirates next) when he downed the Cubs 3-1 at TRS. Al Oliver, Kenny Macha and Frank Taveras chased home the Pittsburgh runs. Candy Man scattered seven hits to go with seven whiffs, and his only mistake was a 3-0 meatball that Steve Swisher smacked into the seats. Candelaria went all the way to become the first Puerto Rican pitcher to notch a 20-win season (The Yankees’ Ed Figueroa became the first native-born Puerto Rican to win 20 games the following year). He finished the year 20-5/2.34, both top marks in the league. Jim Rooker didn’t have such a good day; he broke his arm and leg in a car accident. Rook returned next season, but never had another double-digit win year and retired after the ‘80 campaign.

1978 - The Phillies clinched their third consecutive NL East title by eliminating the Pirates 10-8 at TRS. The victory, fueled by Phil pitcher Randy Lerch’s two home runs, snapped Pittsburgh’s 24-game home winning streak. The Bucs went down fighting. They scored four times in the ninth and got the tying run to the plate twice, but Willie Stargell, who had earlier swatted a grand slam, whiffed and Phil Garner bounced out to end the rally. But just wait ‘til next year...

1979 - The Pirates clinched the NL East crown with 5-3 win over the Cubs on the last day of the season in front of 42,176 jubilant fans at TRS. Bruce Kison and Kent Tekulve got the win and save, Dave Parker had three hits, Phil Garner added an RBI, and Bill Robinson’s two-run single in the seventh was the key blow as the Bucs finished the season two games ahead of the Montreal Expos, who dropped a 2-0 decision to Steve Carlton and the Phils. Willie Stargell became the Pirates all-time RBI leader when he bombed a solo homer in the fifth to overtake Honus Wagner. Pops’ pair of RBI were numbers 1,475 and 1,476; he would finish his career with 1,540 runners driven home.