4/11 Through the 1970s: Rally Cap Wins, Pirates Logo, Doc On Call, Willie Wins Clemente Award, HBD Turner, Hank, Red & Pop

• 1858 - OF John “Pop” Corkhill was born in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. For the last two seasons of his 10-year MLB career (1891-92), Pop played the pasture for the Bucs, hitting .200. His ball playing days effectively ended after an 1891 beaning. He tried to come back but the Bucs released him in July of 1892; he retired and became a businessman. Pop, a converted infielder, was a golden glove guy before it was a thing, winning five fielding titles for outfielders in his decade of ball. He was also a roster handyman, returning to the infield when needed and pitching several times during his career. Corkhill went bald as a young man; hence his nickname. 
• 1892 - C Williard “Red” Smith was born in Logansport, Indiana. Red’s MLB career consisted of two seasons (1917-18) with the Pirates as a reserve catcher; his .156 BA may help explain his brief stay. Red did have a decade-long minor league career, hanging up the spikes at age 36 after catching 36 games for Class B Quincy of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. 
• 1912 - Pittsburgh finally gave in to the inevitable and used “Pirates” on their uniforms, displayed in capital letters down the jersey’s button lapel, replacing the old PBC (Pittsburgh Baseball Club) logo. They had picked up the moniker in 1891 for “pirating” Lou Bierbauer from the Athletics, but more officially (and often) were called the Pittsburgh Nationals. It didn’t appreciably improve the club as they were drubbed 7-0 on opening day by St. Louis at Robison Field. They finished the year strong, though, ending up with a 93-58 record and a second place finish. 

Mike Donlin sporting his Pirates logo - 1912 photo/Conlon Collection/TSN

• 1919 - IF Hank Schenz was born in New Richmond, Ohio. He was with the Bucs in 1950 & ‘51 after four years with the Cubs. He hit .222 before being sold to the Giants during the 1951 campaign, and according to Dave Finoli’s Pirates By the Numbers, became the guy that stole and relayed opposing catcher’s signs from behind the Polo Grounds scoreboard by using a telescope. 
• 1961 - Bill Virdon smacked a two-out, three-run HR to right off reliever Mike McCormick to give the Pirates a ninth-inning, 8-7, win over the Giants in San Francisco’s Home Opener. Roy Face was credited with the win and Clem Labine claimed the save. Dick Groat and Bob Skinner added four hits and scored four runs while Roberto Clemente drove in a pair to rev the attack. 
• 1965 - OF Turner Ward was born in Orlando, Florida. The journeyman played in Pittsburgh from 1997-99, hitting .281 in a fourth outfielder role and becoming an early meme when he crashed through the TRS outfield fence in 1998. After his career, he returned to the Bucco system for a year, managing Low-A State College in 2007. Turner moved on to the D-Backs organization, eventually becoming their hitting coach, a position he also later held with the Dodgers and Reds. 
• 1967 - The Pirates scored three runs in the ninth inning to break open a tie game and take the Season Opener, 6-3, over the Mets at Shea Stadium. Pittsburgh had a balanced attack with all eight position starters reaching base, but were helped mightily by NY as the Metropolitans made five errors that gifted the Buccos three runs. Bob Veale tossed eight innings for the win (he was 16-8 over the year) and Pete Mikkelsen closed it out, retiring the side 1-2-3 in the final frame. 

Bob Veale - 1967 Topps

• 1974 - Willie Stargell won the Roberto Clemente Award and was presented his trophy by Bowie Kuhn. Willie said “Of all the awards, this ranks number one with me.” Pops was involved in many causes, from the Willie Stargell Foundation that funded Sickle Cell research to community projects. He was the first Buc to earn the honor; Andrew McCutchen in 2015 is the only other Pirate to take the trophy home.
• 1975 - There were 43,880 fans on hand at TRS to watch the Bucs on Opening Day, and they were three outs away from disappointment as Jerry Koosman and the Mets were cruising, 3-0, heading into the ninth. But the Pirates refused to mail it in; Richie Zisk, Dave Parker and Manny Sanguillen started it off with singles to send home a run and chase Koosman. Rick Baldwin came in and walked Paul Popovich, then an out later Rennie Stennett bounced a game-tying rap up the middle. Lefty Mac Scarce was waved in to face Richie Hebner, who fought him off to drop a flare single the opposite way to score Popovich with the winner. Larry Demery got the win in relief of Jerry Reuss. 
• 1976 - At Philadelphia‚ Doc Medich, walking in from the bullpen, spotted a man having a heart attack in the stands. He jumped over the railing and applied CPR to revive him. Sadly, the fan later passed away in the hospital. Doc didn’t get into the game, an 8-3 win for the Pirates at Veterans Stadium, though he did come that close to making the save of the day.

4/11 From 1980: Ramon Signs, K-Pop, Last AB Wins, TRS Sold Out, Game Days, Spanky Goes

• 1980 - The Bucs defeated the St. Louis Cards at Busch Stadium, 4-3, as Pittsburgh scored twice in the ninth. Ed Ott singled home the tying run with two down and the winner scored on the same play when SS Gary Templeton mishandled the relay, allowing the Bucs to overcome a sixth-inning, 3-0, deficit. Grant Jackson got the win, although he was almost in his birthday suit by the final frame. He worked a quiet frame and thought his night was done. Assuming he would be pinch-hit for, he was in the locker room and headed for the hot water when Chuck Tanner decided to have him bat after Ott’s big blow as the Redbirds had two switch-hitters and a lefty due up. Grant quickly slipped back into his uni, flew out to center, and then put the Redbirds away in order. 
• 1988 - A record crowd of 54,089 Pittsburgh faithful, the first baseball sellout in TRS history, watched the Bucs defeat the Phils, 5-1, thanks to an eighth-inning, bases-loaded (and clearing) double by Spanky LaValliere. Barry Bonds added two hits, including a homer. The match was the Bucs Home Opener, with Mr. Rogers tossing out the first ball. Doug Drabek gave up nine hits as he struggled through his five innings of work, but only one run crossed the plate and he got the win as Vicente Palacios and Jeff Robinson took care of business after him. 
• 1989 - In the Home Opener at TRS, the Bucs had to work overtime to take a 4-3 win from the Mets. Down by one with Jose Lind on first and one gone in the ninth, Bobby Bonilla singled to center off Mets reliever Randy Myers. Lind moved to third and scored on Glenn Wilson's sac fly. With the tally still knotted in the 11th with one away, Lind singled to right field against Myers and stole second base. With two gone, Bo came through again, singling on a slow infield bleeder up the third base side to chase Chico home for the win, credited to Jeff Robinson, the third hurler after Doug Drabek. The game sold out in early March - 55,000 tickets were bought and 42,910 hardy fans showed up despite the 44-degree weather - and KDKA aired it; the game was the first Home Opener to ever be telecast. The anthem was sung by The Letterman, and NL Prez Bill White threw out the first ball. 

Spanky - 1993 Fleer (reverse)

• 1993 - The Pirates released C Spanky Lavalliere as he was entering his seventh season as a Bucco, causing some teeth-gnashing in the locker room as he and Don Slaught had formed a strong tandem from 1990-92. The team carried three catchers after breaking camp, but needed to clear an active roster spot for a pitcher. The club had to decide between Tom Prince and Lavalliere to free up that slot and the 32-year-old Spanky, who still had two years/$4.45M left on his contract but was in questionable physical shape, lost the decision. He signed on with the White Sox and Gene Lamont, playing through 1995, but never caught more than 44 games in a season after he left Pittsburgh. 
• 1998 - Jose Guillen delivered a pinch-hit, walkoff home run in the 10th inning to give the Pirates a 7-6 win over the Florida Marlins at TRS. Kevin Young went 3-for-5 with four RBI and also connected for his first home run of the season; he added a double. Turner Ward contributed a triple and double, chasing home a pair of runs. Rich Loiselle picked up his first win of the year as the third pitcher following Francisco Cordova, also earning a blown save for yielding a run in the ninth. 
• 1999 - Brant Brown avenged himself against the team that had traded him when he went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and three RBI in Pittsburgh’s 9-6 win over the Cubs at TRS. Brian Giles smacked a homer and Freddy Garcia added a pair of hits and two RBI each. Jason Schmidt got the victory as the Bucs completed a three-game sweep of Chi-Town to improve their record to 4-2. 
• 2001 - RHP Ramon Martinez signed a one-year deal with a team option for $200K plus bonuses, bumping LHP Joe Beimel from the rotation to the bullpen while RHP Bill Taylor was DFA’ed to clear a spot. Ramon was effective earlier in his career, but 1998 surgery cost him, and he was looked upon as more of a veteran inning-eating back end guy than rotation anchor. He never even reached that status; he got four starts, lasting 15-2/3IP and slashed 0-2/8.62. Ramon retired in May after Lloyd McClendon talked to him about going to the bullpen, ending his MLB career. 

Solomon Torres - 2006 photo Sean Brady/Getty

• 2006 - The Pirates were off to a 1-7 start and didn’t look like they were going to earn that elusive second win after the Dodgers opened the game with a three-spot against Ian Snell. But the Bucco batters flexed their muscles to bang out three homers (Jeremy Burnitz, Ryan Doumit, Jack Wilson) in the first five innings, and the starters, Snell and Jae Weong Seo, left a 6-5 game in favor of Los Angeles to the bullpens in the sixth. Solomon Torres put up a zero, then Craig Wilson took Lance Carter’s first pitch over the wall to knot the score. The Pirates added a small-ball run (Joe Randa doubled, moved up ninety feet on a grounder and scored via a sac fly) later in the frame to take the lead, and it was goose eggs the rest of the way out at PNC Park by Torres, Ramon Hernandez and Mike Gonzalez. Solly took home the 7-6 win after Gonzo notched the save.
• 2023 - If back-and-forth ball games with ninth inning rallies is your cuppa tea, PNC Park was nirvana. Mitch Keller gave up a couple of early solo shots to the Astros; Jack Suwinski’s two-run blast quickly knotted the score. The the Bucs went ahead in the sixth on Ji-Man Choi’s long ball and added on when Ke'Bryan Hayes doubled, stole third and became an insurance run after Canaan Njigba-Smith’s sac fly. The lead lasted until the ninth when a misthrow opened the gates and Houston came back to tie it up. But the Pirates still had a little muscle left to flex. A Rodolfo Castro single (sweet redemption since he made the error), an Andrew McCutchen pinch-hit knock and Ji Hwan Bae’s blast into the right field stands, his first big league walkoff hit, sent the defending World Champs down the drain, 7-4, with David Bednar earning a blown save/win parley. It was also a big night for the Pittsburgh-Korea connection: Ji-Man Choi and Ji Hwan Bae became the first Korean-born teammates in MLB history to homer in the same game.

4/10 Through 1974: Casey Signs, Willie Pops 3, Roberto Romps, Hola Mexico City, No Dome, RIP Ginger, HBD Alberto, Lee, Joe, Roger & Howdy

• 1906 - 2B Howdy (short for Howard) Groskloss, who played for the Bucs from 1930-32 and hit .261, was born in Pittsburgh, the son of an opera singer. He became the oldest living major league baseball player in 2005 at the age of 99 and survived past the century mark before shuffling off to the stadium in the sky in 2006. The Pirates signed him for $10K, but he lost the starting 2B job to Tony Piet and switched gears by entering Yale Medical School, earning his MD degree in 1937. He served during World War II as a Chief Medical Officer and Flight Surgeon on a carrier in the Pacific theater, and later in life he moonlighted as a pro golfer and swung the clubs well enough to win several tournaments. 
• 1911 - RHP Roger Wolff was born in Evansville, Indiana. He spent seven years in the majors, closing out his career in 1947 with the Pirates, slashing 1-4/8.07 in six starts. The knuckleballer won 20 games for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1945, but when the Bucs got him two years later at age 36, he was tossing on memory. His Bucco days not only ended his MLB career but his run in the pros which had begun in 1930 as a 19-year-old. After he retired, he eventually became the AD at Southern Illinois Penitentiary after a series of jobs, including night club manager. 
• 1919 - Casey Stengel ended his holdout by accepting the Pirates original offer, which wasn’t disclosed. He had requested a trade but the Bucs couldn’t swing one to their liking, and with the season about to begin, Casey decided to swallow his pride and take the money. He did eventually get his wish to move along, being shipped to the Phils in August for Possum Whited. Casey was no happier across the state; he refused to report unless he got a sweeter deal, which was not forthcoming. So he went to Kansas City to join a barnstorming team to earn his daily bread, finally reaching a deal with Philly during the off season. 
• 1935 - LHP Joe Gibbon, who began his 13-year MLB career as a starter and finished it as a reliever, was born in Hickory, Mississippi. The lefty spent eight seasons as a Pirate, going 44-46-16 with a 3.61 ERA. An all-around athlete, he was blessed with good wheels to go with his strong arm, with the Bucs using him occasionally as a pinch runner. As a rookie, he pitched for the 1960 World Series club and returned to Pittsburgh to toss in the 1970 NLCS after spending four seasons with the Giants. Joe climbed the hill until 1972 when he was 37, posting a final slash of 61-65-32/3.52. He coached the Clarke College nine for eight seasons and was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1979, the Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988 and honored as a member of the Ole Miss Men’s All-Century Basketball Team (he was an excellent collegiate hoopster and was drafted by the Boston Celtics after he graduated). He also remained an active Pirates alum and he joined up with his old mateys in a ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1960 World Series at PNC Park during a 2010 reunion weekend. He passed away in Mississippi in 2019. 

Joe Gibbon - 1960 Topps

• 1948 - OF Lee Lacy, who spent six years in Pittsburgh (1979-84), mainly as a fourth outfielder, was born in Longview, Texas. Lacy hit .304 as a Bucco and was a member of the 1979 title team. In his 16-year career, he was part of three Los Angeles Dodger World Series teams, all of which lost. His ‘79 Series appearance was the third straight year he got to play in the Fall Classic. It also was his last, and the only one he won. After he retired, Lee became active in various community programs sponsored by the LA Dodgers Foundation. Sports run strong in his family genes; his daughter Jennifer Lacy played in the WNBA for 10 years. 
• 1956 - OF Clarence “Ginger” Beaumont passed away in Burlington, Wisconsin at age 79. Starting his career in Pittsburgh, he played here from 1899-1906, batting .321 with 200 stolen bases. From 1900–1904, Beaumont led the National League in hits three times, scored 100 runs four times, and took the 1902 batting title with a .357 mark. The speedster was the Pirates' leadoff man, and as such became the first player to bat in a World Series game in 1903 at Boston. Nicknamed "Ginger" for his red mop (Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss gave him the moniker, replacing “Clarry”), he’s the only man to collect six hits in six at bats and score six times in a game - and all his knocks were infield hits! 
• 1958 - The Pirates took the third game of a Mexican preseason swing by a 10-2 score over the Mexico City Reds behind Bob Friend’s pitching and homers by Roberto Clemente, Frank Thomas, and Johnny O’Brien. The crowd wasn’t pleased with the Bucs manhandling their hometown club and the umps threatened to call the game when many of the 5,000 standing-room fans found their way onto the field during play. After the contest, the spectators on the second level of Social Security Stadium began throwing cans and lit newspapers at the Pirates as they made their way off the field. Despite the passionate and rowdy response of the home loyalists, the Buccaneers made plans to return next season as their three-game visit drew over 65,000 fanaticos. 
• 1962 - Roberto Clemente spanked a third-inning grand slam and Bob Friend twirled a complete game, five-hit shutout as the Bucs blanked the Phils in their Home Opener at Forbes Field, 6-0. Clemente’s blast was the first and only Pirates Opening Day grand slam until Neil Walker banged one in 2011. Don Hoak also went deep as the Pirates made the most of their seven hits. 

Roberto - 2022 Topps Now Turn Back The Clock

• 1963 - A group of developers tried to cash in on the sixties dome fad (Civic Arena, Astrodome, etc) and proposed a $40M enclosed stadium to replace Forbes Field as a new home for the Pirates and Steelers. The project was to be built off the Parkway West by Campbell’s Run Road, halfway between the airport and downtown. Its permanent seating capacity would be 40,000, expandable to 60-65,000, with a parking lot for 15,000 vehicles. But by the time the back room smoke had cleared and a deal was cut, the North Shore proponents won out, and Three Rivers Stadium opened in 1970. 
• 1968 - Roberto Clemente hit a homer and made an unbelievable grab of Hal King’s drive down the right field line in the season Opener, but his heroics went for naught. The Bucs scored a pair of runs in the top of the ninth at the Astrodome to take a 4-2 lead, but Jim Bunning, Juan Pizarro, and Ronnie Kline couldn’t hold off the surging ‘Stros, losing, 5-4, to Houston when Bob Aspromonte tripled home two runs with two outs for a dramatic walk-off win. Maury Wills was an energizer bunny at leadoff with two hits, a run scored, two RBI and a stolen sack. 
• 1970 - RHP Alberto Reyes was born in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. The Pirates signed the 32-year-old vet as a minor league FA for the 2002 season after stints with Milwaukee, Baltimore and the LA Dodgers. He was called up late in the year, pitched creditably in 15 outings (0-0/2.65), then was released during the following camp. He signed with the Yankees and tossed for them, St. Louis and Tampa Bay through 2008, ending a 13-year MLB career at age 38. 
• 1971 - Willie Stargell hit three homers, including career #200, and drove in all four runs in a 5-4 loss in 12 innings to the Braves at Atlanta Stadium. Al Oliver added three hits. Steve Blass pitched nine innings, but with two down in the ninth walked Ralph Garr and then gave up a two-run homer to Hank Aaron to send the game to extra innings, with Nellie Briles taking the loss.

4/10 From 1975: Bell & Maddux Sign, Day Of 1st's, Smiley Start, Hoo-Ray, Openers & Game Days, B-Rey POTW, Jimmy's #500, Milo Hired, Keaton Carps, HBD Mike

• 1975 - The Bucs were the Opening Day foes at Wrigley Field and flexed some long ball muscle to tame the Cubs, 8-4. Pittsburgh started off hot with first-inning homers by Richie Hebner and Willie Stargell, then padded the lead with a two-out, two-run rally in the third. Chicago got to Dock Ellis in the fifth with a barrage of doubles and tied the game. It stayed at four-all until the eighth when Pops went deep again, Manny Sanguillen tacked on a two-run dinger and Rennie Stennett added the cherry on top with a two-out RBI knock. That was all she wrote as Sudden Sam McDowell, Larry Demery and game winner Dave Giusti shut the gate after Dock. Captain Willie wielded the hottest bat - he went 4-for-5 with two dingers, a walk, three RBI and two runs scored. 
• 1975 - RHP Mike Lincoln was born in Carmichael, California. He debuted as a teen for the Twins and pitched for the Pirates from 2001-03. He had two effective years as a reliever, but arm troubles hounded him in 2003 and throughout the rest of his career; his ERA was 5.56 from that season forward. As a Bucco, Lincoln went 7-9-5/3.50. His last campaign was in 2010 as a Red. 
• 1976 - Milo Hamilton replaced Bob Prince as the voice of the Pirates, marking the first time that an MLB team followed one future Ford Frick winner with another. Prince won the award posthumously in 1986 and Hamilton was recognized in 1992. Milo had a tough go in the Steel City as his quiet, polished style didn’t go over well with the fans who were brought up on the Gunner’s colorful, folksy delivery. Hamilton moved on to the Chicago Cubs broadcasting team in 1980. Lanny Frattare also made his broadcast debut as Hamilton’s partner. Frattare went on to become the Pirates longest tenured announcer, announcing victories with his tagline "...and there was nooo doubt about it" for 33 seasons before his retirement into academia at Waynesburg University. 
• 1976 - The Pirates defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4, at Veterans Stadium in the season Opener. Dave Parker scored the winning run in an 11th inning collision at home that cost C Johnny Oates two months of the season with a broken collarbone. Willie Stargell was the batting hero with three hits, a walk and three RBI while Larry Demery claimed the win after three scoreless innings of work. 

Willie Stargell - 1976 Hostess

• 1982 - Johnny Ray went deep for the first time in his career to help the Pirates beat the Cardinals, 11-7, on Opening Day at Busch Stadium. Ray led the Pirates with three hits (homer, double, single), while starter Rick Rhoden also went deep (it was RR’s sixth career dinger - he hit nine - and the only Opening Day long ball ever smacked by a Pittsburgh pitcher). Dale Berra also had three hits, including a pair of two-baggers, as the Buccos banged out five doubles and two homers among their twelve hits to go along with nine walks and four Redbird errors as Pittsburgh stranded 11 runners. Rod Scurry took home the victory and John Candelaria claimed the save. 
• 1983 - John Candelaria was hit hard and the Bucs found themselves down, 7-2, to Houston at the Astrodome after three innings. But Manny Sarmiento, Jim Winn, Jim Bibby, Kent Tekulve and Rod Scurry allowed just one more run over the last six frames and the Bucs bats kept grinding away, eventually taking a 10-8 victory from the Texans. The Buccos only had nine hits, led by Jason Thompson’s homer/double combo, but seven ‘Stro walks, four leading to scores, and three steals, with two setting up tallies, kept the runners moving along. Bibby was with the win while Scurry nailed down the save. 
• 1987 - The Pirates beat the Cards, 4-3, at TRS in the Home Opener in front of 52,119 fans, the biggest baseball crowd in Pirates history to date. They did it the hard way, with Don Robinson giving up a 3-1 lead in the ninth. The Redbirds almost took the lead that frame but 3B Jim Morrison threw out Curt Flood trying to score on a dink to short left. The Bucs and Mo weren’t to be denied - Morrison scampered home from first on Sid Bream’s two-out double off Dave LaPoint for the walk-off win. Morrison was the game’s hero; he went 4-for-4 with two homers, a double and a walk. It also marked the passing of the torch. PA announcer Art McKennan, 80 years young with 38 years behind the mic, announced the game and then handed over his chair to Bucco broadcaster Greg Brown, who was at that time a member of the Pirates PR department. Art had been fired in the off season, but the public outcry was so loud that the Pirates relented and allowed McKennan to announce Sunday games, which he did until 1993. 

Jim Morrison - 1987 Fleer Mini

• 1988 - After 76 appearances out of the bullpen, John Smiley made his first MLB start. He didn’t get the win, though he did leave ahead after five frames, 3-2, creating a good enough impression that he started 116 of his remaining 119 career outings in Pittsburgh. The lead at Busch Stadium almost held up; the Cards tied the match in the ninth to send it into extras. With two gone in the 11th inning, Sid Bream’s opp field pop fell between three Redbirds for a double, and Spanky LaValliere followed with a two-bagger for the lead. John Cangelosi’s knock added an insurance run as the Bucs took home a 5-3 victory, with Bob Kipper the winner and Jim Gott earning the save. 
• 1992 - The Pirates presented skipper Jimmy Leyland with his 500th win, defeating the Phils, 3-2, at Veterans Stadium. The Bucs scratched out a 3-0 lead, survived a two-run, seventh-inning blast by Philly pinch hitter Jim Lindeman, and hung on for the win as Roger Mason and Stan Belinda came on to finish off the victory for Randy Tomlin. Barry Bonds homered, Lloyd McClendon drove in and scored a run and Steve Buechele singled home the game-winner in the sixth. It would be Tomlin’s first win in his standout season, when he posted a 14-9/3.41 line. 
• 1993 - The Pirates announced that they signed SS Jay Bell, 27, to a four year/$17.5M contract extension to begin in 1994, after his current $2.6M deal expired. Bell received $3M (‘94), $4.2M (‘95), $4.5M (‘96) & $4.8M (‘97) along with a $1M signing bonus by giving up his final arb year (1994) and three free agency seasons. The agreement jumped him into elite company, making him the third-highest paid shortstop in the league, behind only Cal Ripken and Barry Larkin. 
• 1995 - The Bucs signed veteran RHP Mike Maddux, 33, to an NRI contract worth $200K (a $1M cut from his ‘94 deal) if he made the club. He did, but not for long. Maddux appeared eight times, all from the pen, posting a 9.00 ERA and was released May 15th. He survived for a decade in MLB and would last five more years in the show, pitching for five more teams through 2000. 

Mike Maddux - 1995 photo/Main Line Autographs

• 2006 - The Bucs were dissed by actor Michael Keaton, who threw the first pitch at the PNC Park home opener and then said afterward of ownership "I fear they will take advantage of the goodwill of the people who continue to show up. For my money, that's disrespectful. At some point, you...have to write the check.” The Pirates seemed to agree as the Dodgers bombed Zach Duke for an 8-3 win. 
• 2014 - The Pirates roared back from a 4-0 hole at Chicago’s Wrigley Field with a five-run seventh inning to blast out a 5-4 win over the Cubbies. Travis Snider began Pittsburgh’s comeback with a pinch-hit two-run homer while Pedro Alvarez came through with the game-winner, a three-run, 446’ shot with two outs. It was El Toro’s fifth home run in six games. Gerrit Cole went six innings for the win that was carried home by Tony Watson, Mark Melancon and Jason Grilli, who earned the save but made it exciting by leaving the bases full of Cubs in the ninth. 
• 2018 - The Pirates were rude visitors, defeating the Cubs 8-5 in Chicago’s Home Opener. Corey Dickerson went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI while Francisco Cervelli also collected three hits, including a three-run homer in the seventh inning. Ivan Nova went seven innings to pick up his first win on the season. Dickerson, who the Pirates had picked up in a deal with Tampa Bay for RHP Daniel Hudson and prospect Tristan Gray, took over left field and hit .300 during the campaign. 
• 2022- Lotta firsts were posted for the Bucs today. Their 9-4 win over the Cards at Busch Stadium was their first win of the season. Diego Castillo had three hits in his first big league start. Miguel Yajure earned his first MLB win while Wil Crowe closed it out to claim his first save in the show. Michael Chavis cranked out three hits, including a grand slam (his career second, spoiling the first-time vibe) to get Pittsburgh rolling after dropping the first two games of the Opening Day set. 
• 2023 - Bryan Reynolds was named the NL Player of the Week. He batted .480 with four homers, 12 RBI, nine runs scored and a couple of stolen bases added to the package. The Pirates started the year off 6-3 and B-Rey had raps in all nine games, including a trio of three-hit games. A step below, Tucupita Marcano rolled seven and was selected as the International League POTW, batting .526 with seven runs driven home, seven runs tallied and a seven-game hitting streak.

4/9 Through the 1970s: Big Poison Signs, Grimes Dealt, Jeep Out, '63 Opener, Roofers, Cy Spring No-No, SI Cobra, Youth City, HBD Claude

• 1909 - RHP Claude Passeau was born in Waynesboro, Mississippi. Passeau worked 13 years in the show, getting his start in 1935 as a 26-year-old rookie for the Pirates when he got into one game and was hammered for four runs and seven hits in three innings. The Bucs gave up on him early (Passeau claimed he had a dead arm after tossing 244 IP in the minors before the Pirates brought him up in late September) and sent him to the Phils as a throw-in piece of the Al Todd trade. Claude ended up winning 162 games with a 3.32 ERA and made four All-Star teams. After he left the game, he only had one beef - he was rumored to throw a wet one but denied the charge, claiming it came about from his ability to change speeds and pitch movement. However, Claude was herky-jerky on the mound, always tugging his cap, smoothing his uniform, etc., and that likely helped fuel the suspicion that he loaded the horsehide with some hidden hurler’s helper. 
• 1930 - After a contract clash and spring holdout, spitballer Burleigh Grimes was sent to the Boston Braves for lefty Percy Jones (who tossed nine games and was done) and “a considerable amount” of cash. Grimes was then flipped to the Cards later in the season. St. Louis made it to the Series in ‘30, losing to the Philadelphia Athletics and Lefty Grove. They took it all the following year as Grimes won 17 games and added another pair of victories in the Series as the Cards dethroned the Athletics in the rematch. Grimes had an in-and-out relationship with the Pirates; he started, spent the middle, and then ended his career with Pittsburgh, with five of his 19 MLB seasons spent here. 
• 1937 - The 1936 batting champ‚ Paul Waner‚ ended his holdout and signed his 1937 contract. No official announcement was made of the amount, which was believed to be in the ballpark of $16,000. Big Poison went on to hit .354 and earn his last All-Star berth at age 34. 

Jeep Handley - 1940 Play Ball

• 1939 - The Bucco preseason wound down on a sour note when starting 3B Lee “Jeep” Handley was felled by a bean ball and taken to the hospital during a spring training game played three days before the opener. “The beaning caused an uproar in the Pirate camp that hasn’t been equaled in many years…” wrote Pittsburgh Press beatman Les Biederman as the Bucs boiled over the “intentions” of Cleveland hurler Johnny Allen, who caught Jeep in the temple with a sidearm fastball. Allen had just given up a homer and his next pitch nailed Lee, leading the Pirates to believe it was a purpose pitch (the Chicago catcher defended his guy by saying Jeep was crowding the plate). Handley recovered to hit .285 during the campaign but missed the first 10 games of the season while recurring complications from the incident caused him to sit out 52 games during the year. 
• 1939 - Not only was Jeep beaned, but manager Pie Traynor may have cost Cy Blanton his career. Blanton tossed a no-no against the Tribe in the same exhibition game, going the distance in a meaningless contest because the skipper didn’t want to pull him with a no-hitter on the line. It’s been hotly debated whether or not this outing led to Blanton suffering torn ligaments three starts into the season. Afterward he was never the same. In the four prior years (1935-38), he started 122 games, tossing to a 3.23 ERA, and in his last four seasons, starting in 1939, he got just 42 starts with a 4.51 ERA. In brighter news of the day, Paul Waner, who in an annual rite of spring held out during camp, agreed to a new contract that reportedly cut his previous salary by $5,000. Big Poison was a week from reaching 36 and had his worst year as a Bucco in 1938, hitting .280 w/.331 OBP. He bounced back, batting .328, but was released by the Pirates after the 1940 season. 
• 1953 - In an exhibition game at Forbes Field, 21-year-old rookie Mickey Mantle of the Yankees crushed a Bill MacDonald curve and launched it over the right field roof, joining the Babe and Ted Beard as the only hitters to date to carry the upper deck, which was added in 1925. In all, 18 balls were sent over the roof, seven put in orbit by Willie Stargell. The Mick proved his blast asn’t just a youthful fling when he cleared the stands again during the 1960 World Series. 

Elroy Face - 1963 Topps

• 1963 - The home season kicked off in grand style as the Benny Benack band provided the music, Jeanne Baxter sang the Anthem and Governor William Scranton tossed out the first pitch while Commissioner Bill McClelland, Mayor Joe Barr & Prothonotary Dave Roberts were at the yard. The game was pretty good, too, as the Bucs and Braves traded ninth inning runs as the Pirates rallied for a 3-2 walk off win in front of 29,615 Forbes Field faithful. With two down in the ninth, Pittsburgh got back-to-back-to-back hits from Bill Virdon, Bob Bailey and pinch-hitter Ted Savage to win the game for ElRoy Face, who had worked out a two-on, no-out pickle in the Milwaukee ninth. The first two Pittsburgh scores came on solo shots by old dawg Smokey Burgess and frisky pup Bailey. 
• 1973 - Bob Prince and Nellie Briles (who sang a solo piece during the program) organized a two-hour benefit youth concert to help fund Roberto Clemente’s “Youth City” complex dream. It featured the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra and was broadcast live from Heinz Hall by WIIC-Channel 11 while being recorded for a record album sold to help support the cause. 
• 1979 - Dave Parker shared the cover and a “Who’s Best?” teaser on Sports Illustrated Baseball Special with Boston’s Jim Rice. The 1978 MVPs both did pretty well in ‘79 - All-Star Rice slashed .325/39/130 for a 91-win Bosox club while the Cobra also earned an All-Star berth with a line of .310/25/94; the World Series ring he won made him the winner of SI’s rhetorical question in our book.

4/9 From 1980: Gleaton Signs, Ks For Kell, Bravos Broomed, McW-AVS-Kris-Bombs Away & Game Days, PNC Opens, RIP Pops

• 1983 - It was tough to toss the ball much better than Larry McWilliams did at the Astrodome, pitching the Bucs to a 1-0 win against Houston. McWilliams gave up two hits, never allowed a runner to reach second, struck out seven without a walk and retired the last 16 Astros to face him. And he needed to be on top of his game; Joe Niekro pitched a three-hit gem of his own, with the only run coming in the first when Lee Lacy tortured Houston catcher Luis Pujols. Lee walked, stole second, went to third on a bad throw by Pujols and then scored on a passed ball. 
• 1990 - The Bucs turned Doc Gooden every which way but loose as they won 12-3 at Shea Stadium behind Doug Drabek’s arm and long balls by Andy Van Slyke (two homers, 2B) and Bobby Bo. Bonilla, along with Jay Bell and Jose Lind, collected three hits; the foursome had 10 hits (six for extra bases), nine runs scored and eight RBI. At 0-1, Gooden had a losing record for the first time in nine seasons. 
• 1992 - The Bucs signed LHP Jerry Don Gleaton, 34, after he was released by the Kansas City Royals. He went 1-0/4.26, almost exactly his career ERA, in 23 outings, and the Pirates let him go in late July. The 12-year vet caught on with the Giants and then the Marlins as minor league insurance, but his Pirates stint would be his last MLB work stop. At last check, Jerry Don was coaching DIII baseball at Howard Payne University and active with the Pro Athletes Outreach ministry. 
• 1999 - Rookie RHP Kris Benson beat the Cubs 2-1 at PNC Park in his first MLB start. He became the second #1 draft pick to win his debut, following Texas’ David Clyde (1973). Benson went six innings, giving up a run on two hits with three walks and three K, before Chris Peters and Mike Williams finished it up. The Pirates only had two hits, but made them count: Kevin Young doubled home the first run and Warren Morris added a solo shot, his first MLB long ball, for the game winner. Mo reached base twice - he also walked - and scored both runs for Pittsburgh. 

PNC Park - first pitch 4/9/2001 Pirates image

• 2001 - PNC Park, the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1887, opened for business along the North Shore of the Allegheny River when its first regular season game began on a blue note, debuting just hours after Pirate icon Willie Stargell passed away. Local boy Sean Casey had four hits and five RBI to lead the Reds to an 8-2 win in the park’s maiden match against Todd Ritchie. The game was played in summery 77-degree weather and 36,954 came out to catch the action. Team owner Kevin McClatchy threw out the first pitch and Iris Brown of the local band House of Soul sang the National Anthem. PNC Trivia: Casey homered, the first blast registered at PNC Park, three days after he banged the first longball at Miller Park. Both came off the same bat, which was sent to the Hall of Fame. 
• 2001 - Willie Stargell, who suffered from a host of medical conditions, passed away at the age of 61. Cap’n Willie spent his entire career (1962–1982) as a Pirate. Over his 21-year MLB tenure, he batted .282 with 2,232 hits, 423 doubles, 475 home runs and 1,540 RBI, helping his team to six National League East division titles, two pennants and two World Series titles (1971, 1979). Pops is the all-time Pirate career leader in home runs, RBIs, extra-base hits and was the oldest player at age 39 to win a MVP award. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988 while the team honored him with a statue by the left field gate, dedicated just two days prior to his passing, retired his #8 in 1982 and selected Willie as a charter member of the Pirates Hall of Fame in 2022. 
• 2014 - The Pirates hit five home runs at Wrigley Field but lost the game 7-5 to the Chicago Cubs. Pedro Alvarez and Russ Martin each drilled a pair of long balls while Travis Snider added a dinger. It was the first time since 2004 that two Bucs had multi-homer games during the same contest. But it was a case of all or nothing for Pittsburgh - the Pirates had only one other hit and never had a runner in scoring position. Starter Wandy Rodriguez took the loss. 

Starling Marte - 4/9/2017 walkoff Topps Now

• 2017 - The Bucs swept the Braves at PNC Park, but the final win was a struggle. Down 4-2 after seven, the Pirates rallied in the eighth and ninth innings to tie the game only to see the Bravos score in the 10th frame to regain the lead. But the Pirates rolled up their sleeves and went back to work: two batters later Jose Ramirez and Atlanta met defeat when Adam Frazier led off with a double and Starling Marte smacked a first-pitch, walk-off dinger to ice the series, nine days before he was spanked with an 80-game PED suspension. It was the 100th walk-off in PNC Park history. Felipe Rivero, who was in line to suffer the loss, instead ended up taking credit for the victory. 
• 2023 - It was a good news, bad news kinda day. The Pirates took 2-of-3 from the White Sox on Home Opener weekend by a 1-0 score. Winner Johan Oviedo went 6-2/3 innings, giving up five hits and fanning five, then Dauri Moreto, whose punchout stranded a runner at third, Colin Holderman, who earned his league-leading fourth hold, and David Bednar, who claimed his fourth save, kept the zeroes coming. The Pirates only had two hits playing a Sunday lineup, but Canaan Njigba-Smith’s second-inning triple was followed by Jack Suwinski’s sac fly to provide just enough offense. The bad? Oneil Cruz tried to score from third on a soft bouncer and made a late slide; he was not only thrown out but broke his ankle. To add insult to injury, Chicago catcher Seby Zavala had a few words for Cruz as he lay writhing, and Carlos Santana had a response, emphasized with a shove, as both benches emptied and held an on-field dance. Cruz had surgery the next day and Mark Mathias was called up from Indy to take his spot on the roster. The locker room was somber after the game, deflated by Cruz’s season-ending injury, but two vets, Santana and Andrew McCutchen, called a team huddle to dispel the pity party and move on with who was there. 
• 2025 - Mitch Keller became the fastest pitcher in club history to reach 700 strikeouts (by innings) after going 7-1/3 scoreless frames, giving up four hits while walking one and fanning six while retiring 15 straight Redbirds. It was a good thing that he brought his A-Game to PNC Park - the Pirates were no-hit until the seventh. The Cards lost a run in the eighth when Ke’Bryan Hayes made a heads-up tag at home after Joey Bart and Endy Rodriguez crashed into each other chasing a pop in front of the dish to keep the game scoreless through regulation. Tommy Pham kept it that way when he threw out a runner at home in the 10th. Both teams broke the ice in the 12th; for the Bucs, Pham's two-out single scored Hayes to keep Pittsburgh alive. In the 13th, Isiah Kiner-Falefa came across when Bart lifted a bases-loaded fly to the track over the shallow Card outfield, and the Pirates prevailed 2-1 to give Justin Lawrence, the last of five Corsair twirlers, his first Steel City victory. As a final footnote, recent call-up SS Tsung-Che Cheng started to make his MLB debut.

4/8 Through 1984: Lee Spree, 14-Inning Opener, Takin' Two, TSN Roberto; RIP Lee, HBD Brian, Tom, Kirby, Reddy, Smilin' Pete & John

• 1850 - Middle infielder John Peters was born in New Orleans. He played the final three years of his 11 season MLB career (1882–84) with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, batting .273. Peters was a pretty good all-around player; once he hit .351 (.278 lifetime BA) and led the NL in putouts twice. John was also the everyday shortstop for the NL pennant-winning 1876 Chicago White Stockings. 
• 1864 - LHP “Smilin’ Pete” Daniels was born in County Cavan, Ireland. After starting as a semi-pro ballplayer, Daniels played pro ball between 1887-1902 and managed to get two years/14 MLB games on his resume. He got four starts as a rookie in 1890 for the Alleghenys, slashing 1-2/7.07 after following his Louisville manager, Guy Hecker, to Pittsburgh. Chris Rainey of SABR wrote of his nickname “All it took was an affable personality and a beautiful set of teeth.” 
• 1875 - OF Romer “Reddy” (he was a redhead) Grey was born in Zanesville, Ohio. The long-time minor leaguer was “borrowed” on May 28th, 1903 from his Worchester Riddlers club by the Pirates due to the absence of several Bucco regulars. He played left field, went 1-for-3 with a walk, and then returned to Worcester’s roster, ending his MLB career. Reddy's brother was author Zane Grey, who also played minor league baseball, a couple of times on the same club as Reddy. Romer was also an author; an avid fisherman, he wrote "Adventures of a Deep Sea Angler" in 1930. Zane returned the favor, drawing on his brother for “The Redheaded Outfielder” by using lefty OF’er “Reddie Ray,” the fictionalized version of his bro, as one of the characters in his children’s tale. 

Kirby Higbe - 1948 Leaf

• 1915 - RHP Kirby Higbe was born in Columbia, South Carolina. He pitched for Pittsburgh at the tail end of his career as part of the rotation in 1947 and as a swingman in 1948, but began losing it by 1949. The Bucs traded the 34-year-old to the Giants that season, and after 1950, he hung 'em up. The righty put together a solid career - in a dozen seasons, he played for five teams, claimed 118 wins with a 3.69 ERA, was an All-Star twice and won a World Series with Brooklyn. 
• 1938 - RHP Tom Butters was born in Delaware, Ohio. He spent his four-year MLB career (1962-65) with Pittsburgh, compiling a modest 2-3/3.10 slash. The fireballer was signed at age 17 and spent six years in the minors trying to master the strike zone. He looked like he had earned his shot after the 1964 season (2-2/2.38) under Danny Murtaugh, but he was hurt in a car accident on the way to camp that caused him to retire three months later. Butters landed on his feet, though, and went on to have a successful 30-year career as a Duke athletic administrator before he passed away in 2016. 
• 1969 - The Pirates took a since-eclipsed NL opening-day record 14 innings to defeat St. Louis 6-2, tying their own 1958 benchmark. They scored four times in the 14th on five consecutive two-out singles, with Manny Sanguillen and Matty Alou each driving in a pair of runs. Bruce Dal Canton won and Chuck Hartenstein earned the save at Busch Stadium. Alou, along with Willie Stargell, collected three hits for the Buccos. Steve Blass and Bob Gibson were the Opening Day starters; Blass went seven innings while Gibson went nine frames with 10 K. 
• 1970 - IF Lee Handley died in Pittsburgh of a heart attack at age 56. Lee played 10 years in the show, with the middle eight seasons (1937-41, 1944-46, with a break for the service) spent as a Bucco. He hit .269 as a Pirate and was a starter for five of his eight campaigns here. Lee was tied for the NL lead in stolen bases in 1939, although his 17 swipes weren’t exactly Maury Wills-type numbers. The little guy (he was 5’7”) was plenty tough - he suffered a serious beaning in 1939 and was injured in a car crash after the 1941 season and bounced back from both. 

• 1972 - Roberto Clemente was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Mr. Big.” He went on to bat .312 and collected his 3,000th hit, winning All-Star honors for the 15th time in twelve seasons and earning a twelfth straight Gold Glove award in his final campaign. 
• 1973 - The Bucs took a pair from the Cards thanks to the longball, sweeping a TRS twinbill, 4-3 and 5-3, in front of 23,391 chilly (it was in the forties) fans. In the opener, the Bucs blew an early 2-0 lead before tying the game in the ninth when Gene Clines singled, went to third on Rennie Stennett’s knock by deking CF Jose Cruz with a stop-and-go turn at second, then plating on Manny Sanguillen’s fly. Pittsburgh won it in the 10th on Bob Robertson’s homer. Nellie Briles went the first nine innings for the win with Dave Giusti earning the save. In the nightcap, the Pirates used blasts by Willie Stargell, Milt May and Gene Alley to claim a victory for Dock Ellis. He finished one out shy of a complete game, as Ramon Hernandez was called on to get the final out against St. Louis. 
• 1981 - LHP Brian Burres was born in Oregon City, Oregon. Burres toiled for six years and 106 games in MLB, with his last big league hurrah taken in Pittsburgh from 2010-11, where he slashed 5-5/4.82. He tossed at various levels of pro ball from 2001-2016 before closing out his career as an indie league pitcher. 
• 1984 - Rod Scurry checked into a 30-day drug rehabilitation program to battle his cocaine demons, returning to action on May 13th. He finished the year 5-6-4/2.53 slash, and the Pirates sold him a year later to the Yankees for New York’s September run. The day's game resulted in better news. Behind Lee Lacy’s 4-for-4, three-RBI day, the Pirates swept a three-game set against LA, 5-2, at Dodger Stadium. Rick Rhoden chalked up the win and Cecilio Guante picked up the save.

4/8 From 1985: B-Rey #100, Jamo 1-Hitter, Starling Slam, Rallies, OT, A-Ram's 6-RBIs, Duels, TV & Game Days, Handy Art; HBD Carlos

• 1986 - 1B Carlos Santana was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The Pirates signed the 13-year vet (ten years were spent with Cleveland) FA for one-year/$6.725M after a down 2022 campaign (.202/19 HR), which featured stronger peripherals than counting numbers. He joined a posse of players the Pirates brought in to address 1B/DH/middle-of-the-order holes in the lineup and was slotted in the 2023 plans as a platoon partner (and mentor) with Ji-man Choi. Carlos was solid on the field and in the locker room, but like most veteran signings, was flipped at the deadline, going to Milwaukee for a teen prospect. “Slamtana” became a free agent in the off season and he’s now with the Arizona Diamondback, his fifth MLB stop since leaving the Pirates. 
• 1989 - The Pirates, who at the time were on national TV about as often as taxes get cut, not only were booked for seven outings on NBC during the season, but their game today against the Cubs at Wrigley was the season opener for the network. Alas, the Bucs struggled getting out of the gate, dropping five of their first six games, including this one, a 5-3 loss. The bottom of the order (Glenn Wilson, Rafe Belliard and Neal Heaton) rang up four of the Pirates five hits and scored/drove home all three Pittsburgh runs. Heaton took the defeat and former mate Mike Bielecki claimed the victory. 
• 1997 - The Pirates quieted the Padres, 2-0, behind Steve Cooke, Rich Loiselle‚ and John Ericks. They teamed up to toss a one-hitter, a single, while Pittsburgh had 11 raps but went 1-for-14 w/RISP against San Diego. Tony Womack was the Buc batting hero, driving in a pair of eighth-inning runs with a two-out triple to beat Sean Bergman at Qualcomm Stadium. Cooke was credited with the while and Ericks earned the save; he was a late-blooming swingman who was injured later in the season, had two shoulder surgeries and never pitched afterward. 
• 2001 - The Pirates whipped the Astros, 9-3, at Enron Field behind the smokin’ bat of 3B Aramis Ramirez, who slammed three HRs and drove in six runs. Joe Beimel was the winning pitcher, lasting just long enough to toss five innings before Billy Taylor and Jose Silva put the game to bed. 

Ron Villone - 2002 photo/AP

• 2002 - Lloyd McClendon’s Pirates ground out a 1-0 victory against the Reds in their home opener to hold on to first place. Ron Villone, Mike Fetters, and Mike Williams combined on a four-hit shutout, running the Bucs season winning streak to five and breaking a nine-game home opener losing streak. The run was set up by Reds pitcher Elmer Dessens. With Brian Giles on second base, Dessens balked Giles to third and he scored on Aramis Ramirez’s sacrifice fly. 
• 2003 - The Bucs honored Hall of Fame slugger Ralph Kiner by unveiling a commemorative sculpture at their home opener. The bronze artwork is a bit oddball, showing just Kiner's hands gripping a Louisville Slugger bat, located in the left field rotunda near the Willie Stargell statue. He was honored during the pre-game ceremonies and tossed out the first pitch, but the Buccos weren’t sharing his celebratory mood. Kip Wells walked seven, the fielding was brutal, and except for a late three-run homer by Jason Kendall that made it look deceptively close, the Brewers easily had their way with Pittsburgh, winning 5-3. To add insult to injury, only 24,000+ showed up on a chilly, gray day after the original opener had been pushed back due to inclement early-April weather. 
• 2011 - The Bucs outlasted the Rockies, 5-4, in a 14-inning, five-hour, 11-minute overnighter when Jose Tabata doubled with two outs to score Josh Rodriguez. Rockies' manager Jim Tracy decided to work on JT rather than walk him, even though Pirates pitcher Garrett Olson was on deck. The Buccos didn't have any position players left to pinch-hit, but the wily Clint Hurdle had Andrew McCutchen swinging in the on-deck circle (he was the leadoff hitter) and some suspect a con job was being pulled on Tracy. Still, the bullpen was the story of the game - six Pittsburgh pitchers tossed 11-1/3 frames of six-hit shutout ball as starter Ross Ohlendorf only lasted three innings. The game was played in front of 29,192 at PNC Park; most had hit the gates for home before Tabata’s walk-off and had to read about the dramatic finish in the morning paper. 
• 2012 - Down 4-1 to the Phillies in the seventh at PNC Park, the Bucs found their two-out mojo. The Bucs scored twice in the seventh with two away, tied it in the eighth on Matt Hague’s first MLB hit, a two-out knock, and won in the ninth on Cutch’s drive to center over Shane Victorino’s head with two gone, his third hit. Casey McGehee was the glue man, coming in late to go 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles, driving in one run and later touching home with the game winner. 

Starling Marte - 2016 Topps All-Star

• 2016 - Trailing 5-2 in the eighth frame with two away and the bases empty, the Bucs parlayed a walk, hit batter and infield single into a game-winning inning. Starling Marte followed the small ball by banging JJ Hoover’s hung slider into the stands for his first MLB grand slam to rally the Bucs to a 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Neftali Feliz and Mark Melancon shut the door after that to give Ryan Vogelsong his first win as a Pirate since 2005. 
• 2018 - Jameson Taillon tossed the first complete game of his young career, and it was a dandy one-hit shutout at PNC Park to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 5-0. He walked two, bopped one and whiffed seven while tossing 110 pitches. Only one Redleg reached second base, and that was due to defensive indifference with two down in the ninth. JT even drove in the game’s first run with two outs in the second before homers by Gregory Polanco and Corey Dickerson in the fifth frame gave him some breathing room. It was the Pirates first complete game since Ivan Nova’s in April of 2017 and the first one-hitter since AJ Burnett fired one in 2012. Frustratingly, the only hit he surrendered was to mound opponent Tyler Mahle. 
• 2019 - The Pirates were thumped, 10-0, by the Cubs at Wrigley Field, highlighted by an error-filled second inning that gifted six unearned Cubbie runs. It was the third Home Opener of the year for Pittsburgh and their third loss - the Reds had beaten them, 5-3, in the season Opener at GABP and the Cards spoiled the PNC Opener, 6-5. But once they got those bright-light games out of the way, they were otherwise fine on the field, putting together a 5-1 record for normal game dates. 
• 2024 - Bryan Reynolds closed the scoring for the Bucs with a sixth-inning blast in what ended up as a 7-4 win for Pittsburgh over the Tigers at PNC Park. The blow helped the Pirates continue a scorching start to the year, running their slate to 9-2, and it also added B-Rey as the 25th member of the team’s 100-homer club; he hit his first long ball as a Bucco rookie in April, 2019.

Weekly Report: Bucs On A Roll & Post a Home Sweep, Griffin Debuts, Yorke Walkoff, Cook Yo-Yos & Tri Is Out, Club & MLB News

Home at last...

Pirates Stuff:

• Konnor Griffin made his major league debut in the home opener. Didn't take long (five games at Indy) to arrive for the first Bucco big-league teen to play since Aramis Ramirez in 1998. OF/1B Billy Cook was optioned to Indy (and quickly called back) and IF Enmanuel Valdez was DFA'd off the 40-man roster.
• On Easter, the Pirates placed IF Jared Triolo on the 10-day IL with a right knee patellar tendon injury. It occured on Friday and it's expected that he'll be out of action for weeks while healing. Billy Cook was recalled.
• The Pirates were allocated the biggest MLB Draft bonus pool ever at $19,130,700. The draft takes place on July 11–13, in Philly.
• B-Rey moved into ninth place on the franchise HR list when his 140th bomb slipped him past Jay Bay.
• Pirate starters haven't given up a homer; that nine-game streak is the MLB's longest to start a season since 2018 and the franchise's longest since 1943, when the starters tossed 17! straight homerless matches. 
• Skenes had a 31-inning scoreless streak against the Reds come to an end on Wednesday afternoon, though he still claimed the W. 

Paul Skenes - Pirates graphic

• Paul Skenes & Bubba Chandler are both 23. This is the first time in 20 years the Pirates have used two starting pitchers 23 or younger in their first five games (2006: Paul Maholm, Zach Duke), per @SlangsOnSports   
• Seth Hernandez made his first pro start at Bradenton Saturday; he went three innings and K'ed 8 while giving up three hits and a run.
• The brick fiasco resolved: On Tuesday, the Pirates unveiled a display of 60 five-foot-high bronze panels on PNC Park’s facade at West General Robinson Street and Mazeroski Way. They displayed the fan messages written on commemorative Bucco Bricks that were landfilled during a PNC renovation. 
• Pirates Charities teamed up with the Laborer's District Council and will provide city youth ballfields with $600K of upgrades, from scoreboards to tarps to graders.
• If you'd like TRS's seats, the Wild Things EQT Park is selling some of them them to collector:s EQT Park sradium seats.

Game Stuff:

• Braxton Ashcraft did his part, giving up two runs in six frames, but the Buc sticks were lacking again in a 2-0 loss at Cincy on Monday. The bats boomed the next night - Oneil Cruz banged a pair of long flies and Ryan O'Hearn & Bryan Reynolds also hit bombs as the Bucs won, 8-3. Bubba Chandler went 4-1/3 frames and gave up no hits and an unearned run (ouch, outfield) while fanning six but also walked a half dozen. Yohan Ramirez came in with the bases loaded in the fifth and K'ed the two Reds he faced to save Bubba & get credit for the win. The Pirates took the series with a third-game 8-3 dub. Paul Skenes was back on track, giving up a run with five K's in five frames. It was tight to the end, though - the Bucs went into the ninth up by a 4-3 count, but B-Rey went deep and Nick Gonzales singled in a pair after Cruz's first-inning bomb gave the Buccos the early edge.
• Friday's Home Opener was the 25th anniversary of PNC Park and began with a big opening ceremony. Jason Kendall and Brian Giles double-teamed the first pitch while other pregame activities included a flyover of four Blackhawk helicopters, the River City Brass Band performing the National Anthem, a color guard, and a remembrance for Pirates players who were called to the Field of Dreams in the past year. And welcome to the 412 - first pitch was scheduled to begin at 4:12 PM, marking the fifth straight season that first pitch for the Pirates' Home Opener started at 4:12. Mitch Keller took the hill v the Baltimore Oriole's Kyle Bradish. The game was a sellout (38,986).

Took a week - Konnor Griffin debut 4-3-2026 photo/Pirates

• And the Bucs kept ho-ho-ho'ing in the Opener, jumping off to a 4-0 lead and hanging on for a 5-4 dub. Konnor Griffin doubled, walked, drove in/scored a run and played pretty spiffy SS. Five Bucs had RBI and five scored in a nicely balanced showing, with Mitch Keller claiming the W with six solid frames and Gregory Soto finished for the save, giving up a two-out homer in between striking out the side to add a little drama. 
• The Bucs & the Birds set an MLB mark with their seventh straight one-run interleague match as the Pirates took a 3-2 win in front of 29,949 fans (and that was with 18,000+ at PPG Paints Arena for the same-time Penguin game). Ol' Corsair Shane Baz went into the sixth, striking out five and leaving with a 2-1 lead over Carmen Mlodzinski, who started and lasted into the fifth. In the eight, a dribbled single by noted speedster Marcell Ozuna led to the tying run; Nick Yorke ran for him and plated with two down when Jake Magnum beat out a botched chopper. In the ninth, winner Dennis Santana 1-2-3'ed the O's then Bryan Reynolds and Yorke banged one-out two-baggers in the home half for the win. Nick's at bat was interesting; he looked like he took a third strike, but it was called a ball and the O's were out of challenges; he whacked the next pitch to deliver his first career walkoff knock.
• It was a dark and dreary Easter Day with temps in the 40's under gray skies. It didn't seem to bother Braxton Ashcraft much, who went six frames, giving up a run on four hits with eight K's after tossing 87 pitches. Nor did it bother Ryan O'Hearn,who homered, doubled and chased home four runs, nor Oneil Cruz, who hit his league-leading fourth homer...indeed, the whole club seemed to flourish in the PNC icebox, sweeping Baltimore, 8-2, for their fifth straight win. Next, San Diego rolls into town for three games. The Pirates haven't beat the Padres in Pittsburgh since 2023, losing six in a row.

MLB Stuff:

• The Cleveland Guardians optioned RHP Colin Holderman back to AAA after just two outings (two runs/three IP).
• RHP Cody Pence, who was with the Bucs in 2021-22 (1-7/5.86) before resurrecting his career in Korea and signing a three-year/$30M deal with Toronto, injured his ACL in his first start and will miss most, if not all, of the season.

Q - 2022 Topps

• The Rockies placed LHP Jose Quintana, 37, on the 15-day IL with a right hamstring strain. Q was a Buc in 2022 and every off season, fans wondered if the lefty was gonna get a call to rejoin the club...
• Boston put RHP Luis Oviedo on the IL with an elbow strain after his first Red Sox start of the year. As a Pirate, he had TJ surgery and missed the '24 season, then a lat injury the following year limited him to nine starts. During the off season, he was sent to Beantown as part of the Jhostynxon Garcia swap.
• Remember long-ago Buc IF prospect Tristan Gray? He's with the Twins now and finally had a day to share with the grandkids.

4/6 Through the 1980s: Owchinko Deal, Ambi Bo, MLK, Strike, Snow & #21 Retired Openers, Game Days, '89 Ouches; RIP Doggie, HBD Bert, Sonny & Smokey Joe

• 1885 - Hall of Fame RHP Smokey Joe Williams was born in Seguin, Texas. The fireballer pitched for the Homestead Grays from 1925-32. In a night game against the KC Monarchs, Williams allowed only one hit and struck out 27 batters as the Homestead Grays defeated the Monarchs and Chet Brewer (who had 19 K) 1-0 in twelve innings in what may have been the greatest pitching duel of all time. A 1952 Pittsburgh Courier newspaper poll of black baseball officials and sports writers named Williams the greatest pitcher in the history of the Negro Leagues. Smokey’s record was 9-2-1 barnstorming against white major-league teams with four shutouts, so his stuff played no matter what the level of competition. His nicknames were both based on his blazing fastball; Smokey Joe became his moniker during his Grays’ years, replacing Cyclone Joe. 
• 1909 - One of Pittsburgh’s most popular and colorful figures, George “Doggie” Miller, passed away in New Jersey. The C (he also played 2B, SS, 3B & OF) was the first player to spend 10 seasons with Pittsburgh, starting in 1884 as a 19-year-old for the Alleghenys, and he and Pud Galvin formed Pittsburgh’s first big-time battery. He hit .254 over his Steel City decade and was thus described by Alfred Spink in 1910’s The National Game: “Miller, a stocky little fellow (he was 5’6”) full of life and comedy, was a type of the old-time ballplayer - frolicsome, boisterous, playing the game for all there was in it every day and spending all his money merrily at night...The Pittsburgh fans considered him a marvel in every way.” He was also the only MLB player ever to be dubbed “Doggie” - he bred dogs - and also answered to “Calliope” for his foghorn voice which led to “Foghorn.” 
• 1929 - 3B Emanuel “Sonny” Senerchia was born in Newark. He only played one MLB season, appearing for the Pirates in 1952 and hitting .220 in 100 AB, but may have been the most interesting man to ever play in Forbes Field. Senerchia became an accomplished violinist as a boy, appearing at Carnegie Hall at the age of 10 and as an adult, he was a concert violinist for several symphonies. He also performed with Pearl Bailey, Jack Benny, and others as a jazz musician, playing clarinet, sax, flute and piano in various bands. Outside of music, Sonny became a teacher & baseball manager at Monmouth University and was also a race car driver, private pilot, and local TV & radio sports celeb. Sonny left this vale with his boots on - he died after a motorcycle accident at age 72. 
• 1951 - Rik Aalbert “Bert” Blyleven was born in Zeist, Netherlands. The Hall-of-Fame righty with the legendary hook pitched three seasons for the Pirates (1978-80) before being traded to the Indians after locking horns with Chuck Tanner. The Dutchman went 34-28/3.47 as a Buc with six shutouts and worked 697-2/3 frames. Oddly, his beef with Tanner was getting pulled too quickly, so he apparently didn’t think his 230+ innings/season was much of a load. He’s been a Twins TV analyst since 1996 and was elected into the Hall in 2011. 

Bert Blyleven - 1981 Fleer

• 1968 - The Pirates delayed their Season Opener against Houston at the Astrodome from Monday until Wednesday, even though that date was scheduled as the team’s travel day, to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who had been assassinated on the 4th. Assistant player rep Donn Clendenon told GM Joe Brown of the players’ decision to not play until after MLK’s funeral; Brown informed the Astros, and the game was mutually moved back. Roberto Clemente told the media “We owe this gesture to his (Dr. King’s) memory and ideals.” 
• 1971 - It’s the little things that win ball games. The Pirates took a 4-2 win from the Phils at TRS’ first home opener in front of 39,712 fans, at the time the largest crowd to witness a Pittsburgh season debut. Dock Ellis won and laid down three sac bunts, one being a suicide squeeze to plate a score and another setting up an eventual run while the Phillies self-destructed with four errors that led to two unearned runs. Ellis went the distance, giving up eight hits and whiffing eight. 
• 1972 - It was supposed to be Opening Day and Bill Virdon’s managerial debut, but the player’s strike put the kibosh on those scheduled happenings. Bucco GM Joe Brown reached out to player rep Dave Giusti and opened Three Rivers Stadium for the locally based players to work out if they so desired. 18 players did show up, as did the MLBPA’s Marvin Miller (Dock Ellis was the only Pirate in the area not to show at TRS, as he poured out some sweat at the Pitt Field House). But the Pirates' good-will gesture was short-lived. On the same day, NL President Chub Feeney ordered all the parks off limits to the players until a contract was reached. It took a week to settle the beef over pension money, and that kerfuffle cost the league 86 games that were never made up. 
• 1973 -A record 51‚695 fans were on hand at the Season Opener at TRS as Roberto Clemente’s number 21 was retired after he was elected to the Hall of Fame a few days before. The Pirates then overcame Bob Gibson and a 5-0 deficit to beat St. Louis‚ 7-5‚ staging an eighth inning rally that saw the Bucs score five times after two were down, keyed by a Richie Hebner double and Gene Clines three-bagger. The Gravedigger had a big day, adding a homer (he missed the take sign, ooops) and three RBI while going 4-for-4 at the dish. Other honors for the Great One: PNC Park’s right field fence is now known as the Clemente Wall, and reaches 21’ high to commemorate his number while his statue sits outside the CF gates of the yard. The players wore round #21 patches on their uniforms for the ‘73 season to commemorate Clemente after sporting black ribbons during spring training. At the 2006 All Star Game in Pittsburgh, players on both squads wore yellow wristbands with the initials "RWC" in honor of Roberto Walker Clemente. MLB designated 9/15 as “Clemente Day.” Around town, The Great One has a street, bridge, and park named after him to go along with a museum, a Susan Wagner statue and a bushel basket of awards, plus worldwide recognition. 

#21 Retired - 1973 Topps

• 1981 - The Oakland Athletics sent a PTBNL and cash to the Pirates for RHP Bob Owchinko; four days later RHP Ernie Camacho was sent to Pittsburgh. Ernie spent most of the year at AAA Portland and went 0-1/4.98 in seven games for the Bucs. After simmering in the minors, he was traded to the White Sox in early 1981 and then pitched eight more big league campaigns, spending five years with the Tribe. Owchinko tossed for parts of five more years with a brief return to Pittsburgh in 1983, when he worked mainly AAA and faced two batters as a Bucco. 
• 1982 - The Bucs’ home opener at TRS against Montreal was canceled after an April blizzard rolled across the mid east. The Atlantic Coast was buried in an unseasonable snowfall, canceling several games, and though Pittsburgh avoided the worst, the Nor’easter pelted the town with 39 MPH winds and swirling snow. The weather was so unforgiving that the entire three game series was canceled, pushing back the Buccos Home Opener date all the way to April 16th. 
• 1988 - Bobby Bonilla went long from both sides of the dish in a 14-inning, 6-5, loss to the Phils at Veterans Stadium. It was the second time he’d done it, and only he and Dale Sveum had pulled off that feat for Pittsburgh before. Bonilla went 4-for-7 with five RBI while his teammates stranded 13 runners. 
• 1989 - In a three-day span, the Pirates lost closer Jim Gott (elbow) and first baseman Sid Bream (knee) for the season, while CF’er Andy Van Slyke pulled his rib cage, costing him a month and limiting his swing all year. A week later, catcher Mike LaValliere went down and missed much of the season, and the MASH unit Pirates finished the campaign in fifth place with just 74 wins.