Weekly Report: Weak Week, Kells & Bubba Sharp, O'Hearn BD Slam, More Fringe Moves, Top 5 Picks Signed, Rehab, Fringe Moves

2026 Season, Part II...

Pirates Stuff:

• C Shawn Ross was called up when Rafael Flores went on the 7-day concussion IL and got his first MLB start on Sunday (spoiler alert - he homered). Despite pitching well lately, RHL Jose Urquidy was DFA'ed to clear 40-man roster space and was traded to the White Sox for minor league RHP Felix Doroteo, a 21-year-old reliever in the Rookie League who's a hi K/hi walk lotto ticket.
• The Bucs acquired RHP Ron Marinaccio from San Diego for International Signing Bonus Pool money; RHP Dennis Santana was DFA'd. It's not much of an upgrade at first blush - Santana is 2-5-2/6.05 ERA with 37 strikeouts over 41-2/3 innings after posting a 2.18 ERA in '25. Marinaccio was DFA'ed on Monday after posting a 1-0/4.79 line over 47 IP w/38K. But the Pirates are hoping he reverts: Marinaccio's line is 7-5-2/3.50 in 141 career outings in five MLB seasons with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres.   

Endy's rehabbing at Indy - 2026 image Sportsnet.Pgh

• Rehabs: Endy (glute strain) has reported to Indy, Spencer Horwitz (hammy) is at Class A Bradenton as is RHP Chris Devenski (illness) and RHP Michael Darrell-Hicks (undisclosed) was sent to the FCL.
• The Pirates were off last Thursday before reporting for 17 straight games without a breather.
• The Bucs signed their top five picks: No. 1 choice (#5 overall) LSU CF Derek Curiel for $6.2 M (slot $8,336,500), second rounder (#44 overall) SS Aiden Ruiz from Stony Brook HS ($3.5M bonus/$2.28M slot - Vanderbilt commit); second round supplemental pick (#51 overall) 2B Chris Rembert from Auburn for $2.4M (slot $1.94M); third-round pick (#80 overall) UNC RHP Jason DeCaro for $1.3 M (slot value: $1,035,700) and fourth-round pick (#108 overall) OF Andruw Giles ($1M bonus/$725,900 slot - Oregon commit) of Basic Academy. Another HS player (TNXL Academy), 11th round pick LHP Spencer Evans signed for $300K ($150K slot). He was an LSU commit.

Game Stuff: 

• Braxton Ashcraft kicked off the series at Yankee Stadium. A error, a missed challenge of a 3-2 walk and a hung curve to Jazz Chisholm made it 4-0 NYY's in a hurry. But those Buc bats...Esmerlyn Valdez homered to make it 5-4 Pirates in the top of the third. But Brax didn't have it; he left after three, down 8-5 after another Jazz blow. And who woulda thunk it - the next six frames went by quietly except for a little mixer (Dennis Santana and José Caballero traded some verbs; both clubs met at the mound for more chat), and the Yanks took the opener 8-5.
• Tuesday's Game #2 was Bubba Chandler's start, but it was rained out and deja vu, made part of a split doubleheader Wednesday. The opener matched Mitch Keller against ol' matey Gerrit Cole while Bubba faced Max Fried, fresh off the IL, in the nightcap.

Kells - July 2026 photo/Pirates

• Kells outgunned Cole Train, spinning five shutout innings, and Pittsburgh had a 3-0 lead in the seventh built on Jacob Gonzalez & Nick Gonzales homers until Carmen Mlodzinski gave up a three-run bomb. But no prob - Jared Triolo and Jake Mangum, the RBI twins, drove in 10th inning runs and Gregory Soto saved the 5-3 win for Mason Montgomery.
• In Game #2, Bubba was pulled with a shutout duel going on in the seventh; Brandon Eisert came in and got banged for two runs and 2-0 is how it ended. The Bucs got just three hits and fanned 12 times; the pitching held up against the Yanks even if the day ended in a split.
• The Friday night game drew 33,000+, but the Bucs went down to the Cubs in ten innings, 3-2. Yohan Ramirez had gone 19 scoreless innings before giving up a pair in extras, driven in by a two-out single and a bases-loaded walk. The Pirates had a couple of chances to take it in regulation, but left the bases loaded without scoring in the fifth with no outs and a run in, then Hank Davis was gunned down trying to score in the seventh on a nice throw by Ian Happ.
• 39,105 fans showed up Saturday night; unfortunately, the Pirates didnt and were blown out 11-0.

Ryan O'Hearn - 2026 photo Pirates

• Thankfully the Cubs didn't have a third lefty to toss against us on Sunday. Ryan O'Hearn celebrated his BD with a grand slam; Esmerlyn Valdez and Shawn also homered (tho it wasn't their party day) and it was 7-0 after three. Ashcraft got banged around for four runs, but gave the Bucs six frames and Carmen Mlodzinski with Mason Montgomery held the Cubs off from there as the Pirates salvaged the finale, 8-7.
• Busy week comin' up - The Buccos have a three-gamer with Arizona, then go to Cincy for a four game set

MLB Stuff: 

• LHP Justin Lawrence was released by the Nats on Tuesday after 6-1/3 IP & 4.26 ERA. He started out the season in the Pirates pen (0-2-1/5.08), was released and picked up by the Minnesota Twins. They let him go after seven outings and Washington claimed him. He was replaced by a former Bucco farmhand, RHP Eddy Yean, who debuted earlier in the year for the Nationals.
• LHP Marco Gonzales, who hasn't pitched an MLB game since early in 2024 as a Pirate following tendon surgery, has been called up to pitch for the Texas Rangers.
• Congrats to Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent on entering the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

7/27 Through 1974: Bill Takes Two, Kiki Clutch, Game Days, Skeeter Joins, Buck & NLASG, Matty On TSN, RIP Babe, HBD Enrique, Biz, Irish & Harry

1860 - RHP Henry Jones was born in McKeesport. Henry started playing for McKeesport in 1884 and hopped from one minor/indie team to another, landing with the Alleghenys in 1890. He went 2-1/3.48 in five outings (four starts), though his numbers don’t tell a true tale - he gave up 25 runs, but only 12 were earned, although he did finish with a 3.85 FIP. It ended up as his only big league campaign, and after two more years in the bushes, he was done with pro ball. 

1880 - LHP/OF Henry “Irish” McIlveen was born in Belfast, Ireland. His family later settled in the Pittsburgh area and McIlveen attended Penn State. He got his start in the majors with the Pirates in 1906, pitching two games and slashing 0-1/7.71. He was wisely converted to the outfield and caught on with the New York Highlanders, seeing some action in 1908 and getting into four games the following year before ending his MLB days. He passed away in 1960 at age 80.

1897 - C Biz Mackey was born in Eagle Pass, Texas. The 2006 Hall of Famer played for 24 seasons in the Negro Leagues and he made a brief stop in the area in 1927, playing for the Homestead Grays when they were an independent team. He put together a .329 lifetime BA and is considered one of the two top catchers in black baseball history, along with Josh Gibson.

1908 - Honus Wagner and Chief Wilson led the Bucs to a 4-3 win over the NY Giants and Christy Mathewson at the Polo Grounds. The Flying Dutchman had a pair of doubles good for two runs and an RBI while Wilson had two knocks, including a triple, scored once and drove in a pair. Nick Maddox got the win while Irv Young came on to get the last out in the ninth frame.

Carson Bigbee - Helmar Oasis

1916 - The Pirates bought the contract of 21-year-old Carson “Skeeter” Bigbee from Tacoma (he played his college ball at Oregon). Bigbee spent his 11-year MLB career as a Buc, batting .287 as mainly a LF who also played a bit in center and 2B. He was a hero of the 1925 World Series when his two-out, eighth-inning pinch hit double plated the tying run and he scored the winner against Walter “Big Train” Johnson in the seventh game although health issues had reduced him to a role player. He was part of a Buc brother act as sib Lyle pitched for the 1921 club.

1927 - Vic Aldridge tossed a five-hitter and the Bucs scored twice in the eighth inning to beat Dazzy Vance and the Brooklyn Robins 2-1 at Forbes Field to take over undisputed possession of first place. Kiki Cuyler banged the game winner when his single chased home Paul Waner, who had three hits on the day, and George Grantham for the victory.

1932 - Bill Harris notched a pair of wins in a twinbill against the Giants at the Polo Grounds, tossing three innings in the opening 9-8 win followed by two perfect frames in a 4-2 nitecap victory. In the first game, Lloyd Waner had four knocks while Arky Vaughan and Tony Piet homered. The Pirates scored three in the ninth to take the second match with C Earl Grace knocking home two of his three RBI and Harris singling in another. The Pirates increased their NL lead over the Cubs to five games, but would finish the season four games behind Chicago.

1941 - Homestead Gray 1B Buck Leonard launched a three-run homer at Chicago’s Comiskey Park to lead the East to an 8-3 win over the West in the Negro League All-Star Game. The contest drew a record crowd of 50,256. The NLASG series began in 1933, the brainchild of Pittsburgh Crawfords’ owner Gus Creenlee, and continued through the 1962 season.

Buck Leonard - 1993 Ted Williams

1942 - Pirates owner Bill Benswanger planned a tryout for Negro League players Roy Campanella, Sammy T. Hughes, and David Barnhill as reported by the NY Daily Worker. The August date was pushed back to September while Benswanger added Josh Gibson, Willie Wells, Sam Bankhead, Leon Day and several others to the list of players to audition. But the new September showcase never happened for undisclosed reasons (it was thought that most MLB owners were opposed to the idea and Benswanger didn’t want to go solo, but he never publicly gave a reason for the inaction) and a black ballplayer wouldn’t join MLB until Jackie Robinson suited up in 1947.

1961 - Giants’ Manager Alvin Dark said before the game that "Juan Marichal will go all the way" and kept his bullpen in the dugout to emphasize the point. And to rub it in, he was right. Marichal threw a complete game, five-hit shutout with eight whiffs at Forbes Field before 17,885 fans, winning 2-0 over the Pirates while topping hurlers Vinegar Bend Mizell and ElRoy Face.

1968 - Matty Alou was featured as the cover story of The Sporting News in an article titled “Pistol Packing Pirate.” Mateo was indeed packing - he hit .332 for his third straight .330+ campaign as a Bucco and earned a spot on the National League All-Star team for the first time.

1968 - Charles “Babe” Adams passed away in Silver Springs, Maryland, at age 80. The righty was on the short list of great Bucco pitchers, slashing 194-139-16/2.74 in 18 Pirates campaigns. Babe was the hero of the 1909 World Series, going 3-0/1.33 against Ty Cobb and the Tigers. He later was a farmer and newspaperman, covering local Mount Moriah, Missouri, sports and also serving as a foreign correspondent during World War II and the Korean War.

1973 - IF Enrique Wilson was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The nine-year vet played two half-seasons for the Bucs in 2000-01, hitting .223 and playing 2B, SS & 3B. The Bucs got him at the 2000 deadline as part of the Wil Cordero deal with Cleveland and then sent him to the New York Yankees at the next deadline for Damaso Marte. Two Enrique factoids: he hit .440 lifetime against Pedro Martinez, and in 2001, he was scheduled to be on American Airlines Flight 587 that crashed in Rockaway, killing everyone aboard. But when the Bronx Bombers lost the 2001 World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks, canceling the planned victory parade, Wilson flew home a few days earlier and missed the doomed flight. He’s had a fear of flying ever since.

7/27 From 1975: Freese-Frame, Fort-itude, Jay Day, Gems, Scrappy Sweep, Game Days, Candy POTW, Santana-Severino, Cobra HoF

1977 - Down by a pair to the Astros at TRS and with their six-game winning streak in peril, the Bucs put their nose to the grindstone and scored in three of the final four innings to eke out a 3-2 win. Down 2-0 in the eighth inning, Omar Moreno singled, stole second and came home on Fernando Gonzalez’s pinch hit single. Bill Robinson led off the ninth frame with a game-knotting dinger and scored the game-winner in the 11th. He walked, moved up to second via a sac bunt and continued on to third base when the throw hit him. Bill plated on Rennie Stennett’s walkoff line hugger to right. Kent Tekulve, the Bucs fourth hurler following Odell Jones, Grant Jackson and Goose Gossage, claimed the win. The squad stayed hot and swept Houston the next night, but their streak ended at eight straight at the hands of the Atlanta Braves and Phil Niekro.

1979 - The Bucs swept Montreal in a twin bill at Olympic Stadium in front of 59,260, one of the biggest baseball turnouts in Canada. They took the opener 5-4, three times losing leads to the pesky Expos before Phil Garner’s eighth-inning single scored Dave Parker with the game winner. Scrap Iron had a big game, with three hits and a homer, while Kent Tekulve allowed an inherited runner to score in the seventh to tie the game but still got the win with Enrique Romo picking up the save. Bob Robertson went long and had four RBI while Phil Garner went 3-for-4 again with four runs scored in the Bucs 9-1 win in the nitecap. Bert Blyleven went the distance, scattering five hits and striking out nine as the Bucs moved within 1/2 game of the first-place Expos.

1982 - Larry McWilliams tossed a three-hitter (he took a no-no into the seventh inning) and struck out 11 in a wire-to-wire 4-0 win over Philadelphia at TRS. Jason Thompson drove home a pair and Bill Madlock homered to provide the cushion against the Phils. In more good pitching news, John Candelaria was named the NL Pitcher of the Week after beating Cincy 3-1 and Atlanta 8-0 to run his season slash to 7-4/2.67 while working on a six-game unbeaten streak.

1983 - Jose DeLeon spun a four-hitter while Rennie Stennett & Johnny Ray combined for six hits, three homers and seven RBI to lead a 15-hit attack as the Bucs rolled over San Diego at TRS, 10-1. DeLeon struck out seven Padres and carried a no-hitter through the sixth inning in his second major league start (he beat San Francisco in his debut) and first complete game. 

Jose DeLeon - 1984 Donruss

1988 - The Pirates found a ball but lost their catcher while taking a 3-2, 10-inning decision from the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. In the third inning, Bobby Bonilla at third base lost a foul pop and Junior Ortiz hunted it down, making a diving, tumbling grab. He broke his collarbone in the process and was lost to the team until mid-September with Mike Lavalliere picking up most of the slack along with Tom Prince. The Pirates had an early 2-0 lead thanks to a Barry Bonds third-inning triple sandwiched between a single & grounder, and won it in the 10th frame when Bonds was chased home by Jose Lind’s double. The two-bagger extended Chico’s hitting streak to nine games and kept the Pirates two games behind the New York Mets in the standings. Mike Dunne started the game which was won by Jeff Robinson and saved by Jim Gott.

1991 - Jay Bell had the first two-homer game of his career while going 4-for-5 with four RBI and four runs scored in Pittsburgh’s 11-5 win at the Houston Astrodome. Bell opened with a homer in the first frame, then added a three-run shot in the sixth inning to extend the Bucs’ lead to 11-0. Barry Bonds added three RBI and scored twice as Randy Tomlin picked up the win.

1998 - 2B Tony Womack set a record of 888 consecutive at-bats without grounding into a double play in an 8-7, 13-inning loss to the Rox at Coors Field. The previous record had been held by Brooklyn's Pete Reiser, set in the mid-forties. Tony ran the mark to 219 straight games and 918 at-bats without hitting into a twin killing. Jose Guillen had four hits and a homer (he also made one of the great throws in Pirates history, gunning a ball from the warning track in right on the fly to 3B Keith Osik to hose Neifi Perez by five feet) while Kevin Young also went long with three RBI.

1999 - In one of baseball’s weirder promotions, the Pirates defeated the New York Mets 5-1 in the first of MLB's "Turn Ahead the Clock Nights," sponsored by Century 21 Real Estate. Each team wore futuristic uniforms (the Bucs had red jerseys with yellow sleeves and a giant Bucco head logo, costumes better fit for Barnum & Bailey than a ballyard), with the hometown squad becoming the "Mercury" Mets for the night. The pregame welcome was “Greetings, earthlings. Welcome to Shea Station 4C. Blastoff time is 7:40.” The futuristic theme was carried on throughout the evening, with the scoreboard flashing computerized graphics of the players in the MLB space age as each came to the plate. Rickey Henderson, for example, was given three eyes and pointy ears, and played "left quadrant." Al Martin hit the first of his two HRs in the first "sector‚" and rookie Kris Benson went all nine sectors for the win; it was his first complete MLB game.

2009 - In an otherwise unremarkable 4-2 loss to Tim Lincecum at AT&T Park, Delwyn Young added a little spice to the show. Randy Winn’s bloop into right went off right fielder Garrett Jones’ mitt, then he soccer-balled it off his knee and kicked it into the air with his foot for good measure. Young, playing second, dove after the horsehide hacky-sack and made a lunging barehanded grab. Alas, despite the dexterity and degree of difficulty in recording the out, the ump blew the call and gave Winn a hit, which was how the Pirates’ luck ran back then. Regardless of the call on the field, Tribune Review writer Joe Starkey called the catch the “best play of the decade.”

Mike McKenry - 2013 Mike Rebilus/USA Today

2013 - Mike McKenry showed why MLB catchers are a different breed of cat. He caught the final three frames of a 7-4 win against Miami at Marlins Park after tearing the lateral meniscus in his left knee during a slide, an injury that required season-ending surgery three days later. It was hard to tell he was one-legged, as the reserve catcher, who soldiered through the game because starting catcher Russell Martin had tweaked his knee the previous night, went 4-for-5, the only four-hit game of his career. Charlie Morton won with a save by Mark Melancon.

2016 - It took 88 tries, but Gerrit Cole tossed his first complete game, spinning a three-hitter against the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park on the way to a 10-1 Bucco romp. The top of the order was smoking as Jordy Mercer & Andrew McCutchen had three hits apiece while Starling Marte & David Freese added a pair. The foursome went 10-for-17 with four doubles, a homer, two walks and HBP, scoring eight times and chasing home six. And the fifth guy in the order, Jung Ho Kang added a base-loaded double and had four RBI on the night. Ross Ohlendorf, btw, reclaimed the franchise’s title for going the longest without a CG at 64 starts.

2018 - The Bucs had dropped two in a row, coinciding with injuries to Starling Marte and Corey Dickerson, and things looked bleak when Michael Conforto lit up Ivan Nova for a three-run, first-inning homer at PNC Park to give the Mets a quick lead. An inning later, Josh Bell left the game with an oblique injury, but veteran platoon guy David Freese carried the team through the grind to a 5-4 victory. He was aboard five times with three hits, including a homer and two walks, while driving home all five runs, the last a ninth-inning walkoff rap. The Bucco bullpen carried its weight after Nova departed, tossing four innings of scoreless, three-hit ball with five whiffs. Edgar Santana and Kyle Crick held the fort before Felipe Vazquez tossed the ninth inning for the win. 

2023 - The Pirates traded 1B Carlos Santana, 37, to the Milwaukee Brewers for SS prospect Jhonny Severino. “Slamtana” joined his sixth team in five years (now he’s with Cleveland) after slashing .235/12/53 in Pittsburgh with solid leatherwork. The 18-year-old Severino was an international signee in 2022 by the Brew Crew, played in the Dominican Summer League and was promoted to the Arizona Rookie League this year (.250/4 HR in 12 games). The switch-hitter was a Top 25 International Prospect but wasn’t listed among Milwaukee’s Top 30 organizational prospects, and at least six other shortstops in the system were ranked ahead of him, so the FO opted to accept the teen lottery ticket for Santana. Jhonny is now at Greensboro, lighting it up.

2025 - RF Dave “The Cobra” Parker, along with Dick Allen, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner, was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Parker entered the Hall as a Bucco (He played for Pittsburgh for 11 of his nineteen big league seasons) and was the 14th HoF’er who spent most of his career with the Pirates, joining Jake Beckley, Max Carey, Fred Clarke, Roberto Clemente, owner Barney Dreyfuss, Ralph Kiner, Bill Mazeroski, Willie Stargell, Pie Traynor, Arky Vaughan, Honus Wagner, Lloyd Waner and Paul Waner. The Cobra’s career resume includes: .290 BA/339 HRs/1,493 RBI/1272 Runs, back-to-back batting titles in 1977/1978 and NL-MVP in ‘78. He also was a seven-time All Star while winning three Golden Glove and three Silver Slugger awards. The Pirates celebrated during the PNC series against Arizona that led up to the ceremony with park displays, throw-back unis and a Cobra patch.

7/26 Through The 1970s: Gunner Reunion, Groat Fiver, Waners Win, Game Days, HBD Joaquin, Jose, Tom, Eddie & Jimmy

1889 - The Alleghenys defeated the Cleveland Spiders, 8-4, at Recreation Park despite giving up a three-run infield homer to ex-Allegheny Jay Faatz, whose hot shot to 3B Jim White bounced off his foot and went into the “free seats” - temporary stands - and couldn’t be dug out in time to stop Faatz from circling the bases. Fred Carroll, Ned Hanlon and Doggie Miller each had three knocks to spearhead a 16-hit Buc attack that easily carried Harry Staley to the win. Miller homered over the left field wall, and the Pittsburgh Press wrote “The crowd went wild as little George trotted over the circuit and lifted his cap at the plate. An enthusiast threw a silver dollar at him, which (Miller) accepted with a smile.” Who said there was no bonus money in early baseball?

1911 - The Brooklyn Infants put as many Pirates on base as the Pirates did themselves (Brooklyn dished out eight walks, a bopped batter and error to match the Buccos 10 hits) and the result was a 12-1 romp by Pittsburgh at Forbes Field. Three of the Buc hits were triples, and Bill McKechnie’s four RBI led the pack; McKechnie would later go on to manage the Pirates for five years (1922-26). Howie Camnitz worked the first seven innings (one run, five hits, one walk, three K) to earn the win while 24-year-old Harry Gardner mopped up the final two frames.

1917 - 2B Jimmy Bloodworth was born in Tallahassee, Florida. Jimmy played for 11 seasons and was a member of the 1950 NL champ “Whiz Kids” Phillies team. Like many of his era, he spent time in the Army from 1944-46. Bloodworth put in one season with the Pirates in 1947, batting .250, just about his career average, appearing in 88 games. 1951 was Bloodworth’s last season in the major leagues. He played in the minors for the following three years, managed in the bush leagues for two more years and then served as a deputy sheriff in Florida.

1920 - IF Joe “Eddie” (his middle name) Bockman was born in Santa Ana, California. He had a brief four-year MLB stay, spending his last two campaigns in 1948-49 with the Pirates, playing second and third while batting .230 in 149 games. He then spent a decade as a Bucco player/coach in the minors, then served for another 30 years as a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies, where he signed Bob Boone, Larry Bowa, Joe Charboneau, Buck Martinez, Ricky Jordan, Randy Lerch, Dick Ruthven, John Vukovich and Bob Walk. In 1992, he became a scout for the expansion Florida Marlins. Eddie passed away in 2011.

Eddie Bockman - 1949 Eureka Sports Stamp

1921 - OF Tom Saffell was born in Etowah, Tennessee. He played for the Bucs from 1949-51, then after spending the next three seasons in the minors, returned in 1955. The speedy OF’er hit .239 for the Bucs. He was a minor celeb, though, as he was the pitcher for the 1960 syndicated TV show “Home Run Derby” that was hosted by Mark Scott. That program was said to inspire the All Star Game’s home run derby and was also part of ESPN’s Classic series.

1927 - The Pirates pushed across two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to edge the Brooklyn Robins 6-5 at Forbes Field to remain tied with the Cubs for the National League lead. They were almost derailed by former matey Max Carey (he moved on to Brooklyn in 1926), who had three hits, three runs, and three stolen bases. But he was countered by the Waner brothers, as Lloyd had three hits and scored twice, both times driven home by Paul. Little Poison’s lumber work allowed him to take over the league lead in hits while Lee Meadows went the distance.

1928 - NY Giant future Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell made his MLB debut against the Pirates at the Polo Grounds. He pitched a scoreless first inning, but the Bucs scored five times in the second to knock him out of the game, winning 7-5 behind Burleigh Grimes. Paul Waner had three hits and two RBI to lead a balanced Bucco attack. But King Carl persisted: he left MLB after 16 years, with 253 wins under his belt and a slash of 49-21/3.07 lifetime against Pittsburgh.

1942 - Utilityman Jose Martinez was born in Cardenas, Cuba. Jose was signed by the Bucs in 1960 and spent 1969-70 with the Pirates, his only stop in the show as a player, hitting .245 in 96 games. He put in 14 years on the farm before his MLB career took off as a bench boss and team administrator. Jose served as a minor league manager and major league coach for the Kansas City Royals from 1980-88 and then coached with the Chicago Cubs from 1988-94. He joined the Atlanta Braves front office in 1995 and worked for them until his death in 2014.

Jose Martinez - 1970 Topps

1952 - The Pirates used the power of persistence to overcome Boston at Braves Field, 6-4. Falling behind 3-0 after an inning, the Bucs, led by rookie Dick Groat’s 5-for-5 day (he broke out of an 0-for-19 funk), chipped away at the Brave lead. Pittsburgh, behind two RBI from Groat and a two-run homer by Gus Bell, climbed back into a tie in the seventh. They went ahead in the ninth inning on George Metkovich’s two-run, two-out double, set up by Clem Koshorek, who had the ball waiting on him as he went from first-to-third on a single but kicked it out of 3B Sibby Sisti’s mitt. Howie Pollet recovered from the rocky first frame (and it didn't get much easier; Boston had runners aboard in eight of the nine frames) for the win, and added three knocks to the attack.

1977 - The Bucs dodged a bullet when John Candelaria took a liner just below his pitching elbow but only suffered a bruise in a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros at Three Rivers Stadium. He was replaced by Goose Gossage, who was pitching for the first time in eight days after a rib pull, and The Goose nailed down the final five outs, one a spectacular leaping catch by Dave Parker at the wall. It was Candy Man’s best season, ending at 20-5/2.34. He led the league in ERA and enjoyed his only 20-win season and sole All-Star selection. Candy’s stellar season wasn’t enough to push the Bucs to the top, though - they won 96 games, but still finished five behind the division-winning Phillies.

1977 - RHP Joaquin Benoit was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The last stop in his 16-year career was with the Pirates in 2017 after a deadline deal with the Phils, who got Benoit for a minor leaguer. He was a season-ending warm body and went 0-2/7.56 in eight games as a 39-year-old. He signed with the Nats for 2018, but spent the season on the DL and was done.

1979 - The Gunner was briefly united with old mate Jim Woods on the United Artists Satellite radio system for a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Three Rivers Stadium. The Possum was a regular broadcaster for the network (they featured national Thursday Night games), and it was a one-time deal for Prince. There was plenty of action to keep the pair from any dead air, but the Bucs fell short, losing 9-7 as Dave Roberts and Joe Coleman gave up eight runs in three innings, outings that Willie Stargell and Bill Robinson homers couldn’t overcome.

7/26 From 1980: 100 For Renegade, Shelty's 1st, Marte Mash, Meals Call, Game Days, Kendall Contract, '08 NYY Swap, Holmes-Castillo, HBD Tsung-Che, J-Hwan & Ryan

1988 - Doug Drabek carried a two-hit shutout into the ninth inning against the Cards at Busch Stadium, but was banged for a two-out homer by Willie McGee to cut the score to 2-1 and add a little drama to the affair. Jimmy Leyland yanked him for Jim Gott (“I’ve seen too many guys give up a home run like that, lose a little concentration and boom, someone else has got them” the skipper told Bob Hertzel of the Pittsburgh Press after the game). Gott added to the final theatrics by giving up a single, but closed it out by blowing a fastball past Tom Brunansky to book the victory. The Bucs scored twice in the fourth frame on a wild pitch and Sid Bream knock that scored Jose Lind & Andy Van Slyke, to snap a four-game losing streak and stay two games behind the New York Mets in the division race. Another notable feat occurred during the game: C Spanky LaValliere stole his first MLB base, one of a single-season high of three swipes in ‘88. He stole two more sacks in 1991 and those five bags were his total big league.

1992 - The Braves were on a 13-game winning streak and weren’t planning on it ending. Down 4-1 in the eighth inning at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Lonnie Smith banged a three-run homer off Stan Belinda to tie the contest. But the Bucs hitters had an answer. Jeff King opened the ninth frame with a single, was bunted up and beat the throw home on Orlando Merced’s single. Jeff had two hits, two runs scored and an RBI on the day; Orlando, who came in as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and stayed on at 1B, went 2-for-2 with two runs chased home (King both times with two outs). Belinda sucked it up and locked it down with a 1-2-3 ninth for the win.

1993 - 1B/RF Ryan O’Hearn was born in Dunedin, Florida. He was drafted in the 8th round of the 2014 lottery by KC from Sam Houston State and debuted with the Royals in 2018. Kansas City was the first of three MLB stops for him before signing with Pirates in January of ‘26 for two years/$29M after breaking out in 2024, then having a career year in 2025 while splitting time with the Baltimore Orioles and and San Diego Padres.

1997 - C Jason Kendall signed a four-year/$7.2M contract extension covering his arbitration years that carried him to the 2001 campaign. It was well worth the price; the young backstop hit .317 over the life of the deal, earned two All-Star bids and his play was amply rewarded later with a club record six-year, $60M deal.

Ji-Hwan Bae - 2023 Topps Golden Mirror

1999 - IF/OF Ji-Hwan Bae was born in Daegu, South Korea. Signed by the Bucs as an international FA in 2018 for $1.25M, he caused a storm when he was suspended 30 days for domestic violence committed in 2017. But he toed the line afterwards, worked through the system and debuted in 2022. Ji-Hwin was versatile, playing some outfield and 2B (his usual spot) while batting .333 in a small sample size. He also showed some speed as he was 3-for-3 on steals, aggressive on the basepaths and could cover center. With the Pirates short of leadoff types and OF’s, Bae was called up to the big team for a long look in '23 and flashed hot-and-cold on the field. He made a couple of other stops in ‘24 and ‘25 at Pittsburgh while spending most of his time in AAA. Ji-Hwan was waived at the end of the 2025 campaign and was claimed by the New York Mets.

2001 - IF Tsung-Che Cheng was born in Pingtung County, Taiwan. He was an international signee in 2019 known for his good wheels and good glove. He lived up to that rep, playing slick middle infield and some third, but hitting just .230 in two seasons with Altoona. “Z” was on Taiwan’s ‘23 WBC team and the Pirates 40-man roster/Top 20 Prospect list by 2025. He had a strong spring camp and was called up in early April, when Jared Triolo, whose profile Cheng fits, went on the IL with back woes. It was a brief stay (three games, 0-for-7) and he was DFA’ed; Tampa Bay claimed him and he’s now with the Red Sox.

2008 - OF Xavier Nady & LHP Damaso Marte were traded to the NY Yankees for OF Jose Tabata and RHPs Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen & Ross Ohlendorf. During their Bucco careers, Karstens tossed for five years (23-35/4.31), McCutchen made 109 appearances in four seasons (8-11/4.77) and Ohlie tossed for four years (13-27/4.61). Tabata was the key prospect; the Pirates locked him up to a long-term deal guaranteed for five years/$14.5M. Although he hit .275 over six years, injuries and lack of power were his undoing and he was shipped to LA. Joey last played in Mexico in 2021.

2011 - This was the black day of the Jerry Meals game in Atlanta, heralding the end of the Bucco's improbable pennant (and .500+ season) run. The ump blew a call at home in the 19th inning, giving the Braves a 4-3 win and starting a downward spiral of epic proportions for Pittsburgh. At 6 hours and 39 minutes, it was the longest game in club history. The Pirates filed a protest (at 2:30 in the morning) but the judgment call was upheld, even though the League Office admitted it was wrong. To add salt to the wound, Meals was born in nearby Butler.

2012 - In a rookie-on-rookie match, Starling Marte homered to left center against Houston’s Dallas Keuchel, hammering the first MLB pitch he saw. Pittsburgh won the contest 5-3 at Minute Maid Park as Garrett Jones and Clint Barmes also went long while AJ Burnett took home the victory against the ‘Stros behind the big boomers. Marte became the third Bucco to send his first major league pitch over the wall, joining Walter Mueller (1922) and Don Leppert (1961).

Derek Shelton - July 2020 photo/Pirates

2020 - It took three tries, but new Bucco skipper Derek Shelton won his first MLB game by a 5-1 count over the St. Louis Cardinals in Busch Stadium. Mitch Keller went five innings, giving up a run, before JT Brubaker, in his first big league outing, Michael Feliz and Nick Burdi nailed it down. Jose Osuna and Colin Moran homered while Phil Evans collected three hits. In a sidebar, with no fans in attendance due to the Covid 19 crowd ban, pitcher Derek Holland decided to soak up some sun and caught the game from the box seats, from whence he was ejected for jawing at the plate umpire to become the first player given the thumb in 2020. It was an abbreviated initiation for Shelton; he debuted during the Covid-shortened 60-game season that had only begun on July 23.

2021 - The New York Yankees acquired RHP Clay Holmes from the Pirates in exchange for IFs Diego Castillo, 23, and Hoy Jun Park, 25. Park was playing AAA ball, went to Indy briefly and was called up on 7/31, while Castillo was in AA and assigned to Altoona; both played 2B/SS (Park also had some time in the pasture). The pair showed some pop on the farm with the sticks, and both were up-and-down, filling in as utilitymen. Park played in the Oakland system and is now a FA while Castillo is a Kansas City farmhand. Holmes flipped from the Yankees closer to joining the Mets’ rotation.

2023 - The Pirates had lost all six series in July, were minus their skipper, Derek Shelton, for the day (suspension), starting a pitcher, Johan Oviedo, who hadn’t won since mid-May and fully committed to their young blood, starting five players with less that two months MLB experience. But thanks to three solo homers and a steely comeback by David Bednar in the ninth frame, they took two out of three at San Diego’s Petco Park by claiming the finale 3-2 to hand bench coach Don Kelly his first win at the helm. The Bucco blasts were provided by Ji Man Choi, Bryan Reynolds & Carlos Santana and the drama by The Renegade. Bednar came in with a two-run lead and got the first out before two walks (the first one scored; the second forced the run home), a hit batter and single made it 3-2 with the bases jammed. But it ended well as he closed it out with a pop and a whiff, and though it took 37 pitches, he notched his 20th save to clinch Oviedo’s dub. The Pirates last series win was a sweep at PNC Park in late June, also v the Friars.

2025 - Pirate bats remained icy despite the July heat, but the pitching was hotter than...well, you know where. Andrew Heaney spun five shutout innings, giving up two hits, and he along with the bullpen bunch made Oneil Cruz’s two-run, second-inning blast hold up as they beat the D-Backs at PNC Park, 2-0. It was a big night for the Renegade. David Bednar walked off the hill after a MLB-leading 23rd straight appearance without yielding an earned run (22-1/3 IP; 10 hits; five walks; 29 K). It was his 16th straight save, and he joined the Pirates 100 saves club as its sixth member, along with ElRoy Face, Kent Tekulve, Mike Williams, Dave Giusti and Mark Melancon.

7/25 Through the 1950s: Hound Clears Roof, Josh Debut, Max & Hans Fivers, Game Days, Beckley-Davis, HBD Jack, Marv & John

1863 - John Tener was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, and moved to the City as a babe. A pitcher for the Pittsburgh Burghers in 1890 (3-11/7.21), he wisely got into politics and served as Pennsylvania’s Governor from 1911 to 1914 after a term as a State House Member (1909-11) and then moved on to become the President of the National League from 1915 to 1918.

1894 - The Chicago Colts pounded out 26 hits, 12 for extra bases, and laid a 24-6 beating on Pittsburgh at the West Side Grounds. Every Colt had at least a hit and a run, and Chicago batted around in four innings. It could have been worse; the game was called after seven innings so the Pirates could catch a train back home. The Pittsburgh Press noted that the game “...resulted in the most disastrous whipping recorded in the annals of the national league of baseball,” adding that “...the Pittsburg fielders were kept busy chasing savage drives...Pittsburg’s weakness in the (pitching) box was apparent,” as it was in the 18-11 loss suffered the day before. Still, the club did finish the year at 65-65, albeit with a 5.62 team ERA, 10th ranked in the 13-team MLB. 

1896 - The Pirates traded 1B Jake Beckley to the New York Giants for 1B Harry Davis and $1,000. Beckley was a local favorite who would eventually enter the Hall of Fame, and the deal didn’t sit very well with the fans; Jake was in his eighth Bucco campaign and had a batting average of .300 during that time; he also posted a .323 BA as a Player’s League Pgh. Burgher in 1890. Both teams got a good year, bad year out of the players, who then went on to star for different clubs. Beckley spent seven years with Cincinnati and hit .325 for them, cementing his HoF path, while Davis spent 16 of his last 17 seasons (he played 22 years) hitting .279 for the Philadelphia Athletics.

1908 - Before an SRO crowd of 30,000+ at the Polo Grounds, the Pirates' Lefty Leifield topped the New York Giants and Christy Mathewson, 7-2. Two errors in the seventh opened the door for five Pirate runs to break up what had been a pretty solid pitching duel. Pittsburgh was led by Honus Wagner, who went 5-for-5 to take over the batting lead from Mike Donlin of the Giants. After each hit, Wagner held up a finger to show the number of safeties he had to RF Donlin, according to the BR Bullpen entry. It was an interesting game - it was delayed by rain, and even though police surrounded the field during play, there was a half-hour stoppage when the yard was rushed by fans that were led by, per the Pittsburgh Press, “thick heads in the 25 cent section...,” eventually requiring the Giant players to jump in and help the gendarmes control the crowd.

Hans Wagner - 2019 Topps 150 Greatest Years 1908

1912 - The Pirates blew an early lead against Brooklyn, but rallied to tie the score in the eighth and then rode Howie Camnitz’s arm to a 14-inning 8-7 win over the Superbas at Forbes Field. Camnitz gave up just two hits in six innings, and got the win when Dots Miller’s sac fly brought home Chief Wilson, who had singled and moved to third on a Honus Wagner double.

1913 - Max Carey scored five runs against the Phillies without a hit, reaching first via an error and four walks, as the Bucs won 12-2 at Forbes Field. He also stole four bases and advanced twice on wild pitches to disrupt Philly and help Claude Hendrix to the win. The Pittsburgh Press griped that “The battle was a long, drawn out affair that required two hours and 10 minutes.”

1917 - 1B George “Highpockets” Kelly was claimed off waivers from the New York Giants. He got in eight games, and after the injured player he replaced (43-year-old Honus Wagner) came back, he was waived back to the Giants. Bad move; Hans retired after the season, leaving a huge hole at 1B while Kelly became a Hall-of-Fame player for NY, hitting .297 over 16 seasons.

1921 - CF Marv Rackley was born in Seneca, South Carolina. Marv was bungee Bucco - the Brooklyn Dodgers sent him to Pittsburgh in 1949 for 1B Johnny Hopp. He got into 11 games and hit .314, but he complained that he was trying to play through a bum arm dating back to Dodger days, although the injury was a surprise to the Dodgers and thought to be a ploy by Rackley to get back to Brooklyn. Regardless of whether it was a bad wing or bad faith, the deal was voided and he went back to da Bums, who sold him to the Reds in the off season. He played five games for them before being sent down, and he finished his career in the upper minors, retiring after the 1955 campaign.

1921 - CF Max Carey earned his pay this day. He corralled 11 flies, tying the record (it was broken in 1929) during the Pirates' 6-3 win over New York at Forbes Field. He also scored three times, going 3-for-4 with two doubles. Rabbit Maranville, batting behind him, drove home three teammates to support Babe Adams, who went the distance against the Giants for the win.

Kiki Cuyler - 1925 Exhibits

1925 - In a ho-hum 7-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field, Kiki Cuyler became the last Bucco basepath larcenist to steal second, third and home in a game. He was the fourth Buc to complete the circuit, joining Hans Wagner (3 times), Max Carey (twice) and Bobby Byrne. 

1930 - The Homestead Grays rode a five-run second frame and Vic Harris’ ninth-inning, two-out walkoff dinger to a 6-5 win over the KC Monarchs at Forbes Field. Harris' homer rolled under a tarp and allowed him plenty of time to circle the bases. It was one of three hits for him; Georges Scales added three more knocks as Lefty Williams went the distance for the win over Chet Brewer, who later was a Pirates scout. It was the catching debut of 18-year-old Josh Gibson, who took over after C Buck Ewing was hurt, but didn’t get a chance to bat.

1931 - Larry French went the distance at Forbes Field during a 14-inning 3-2 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the longest NL contest of the season. It wasn’t exactly a gem, as he gave up 15 hits, but it was enough to outduel Fred Heimach, who also went gate-to-gate. Pie Traynor had three hits (two 3Bs, 2B), two runs and an RBI. It was the second game of a twin bill; the Bucs took the opener, 5-2. Spades Wood not only tossed a three-hitter, but drove in a pair of runs. Traynor had two hits in that match, including a double, and scored twice.

1932 - LHP Jack McMahan was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Pirates drafted him after the 1955 campaign from the New York Yankees as a Rule 5 pick, called him in from the pen 11 times (0-0/6.08) in 1956 and then shipped him, along with Curt Roberts, to Kansas City for Spook Jacobs in June. The Athletics used him as a starter and sent him back to the NYY after the campaign as part of a huge, 13-man trade. It was the only MLB season for McMahan; he spent three more years in the minors and retired, returning to Hot Springs. He kept his hand in baseball as a side gig, scouting for the Cardinals and coaching the local American Legion nine. Jack passed away in 2020.

1944 - Max Butcher tossed a six-hit goose egg at the Polo Grounds as the Bucs blasted the NY Giants‚ 15-0. Pittsburgh banged out 20 hits and posted a nine-run second inning. Bob Elliott homered and chased home six runs while Pete Coscarart and Jim Russell each added four knocks.

Joe Garagiola - 1952 Topps

1951 - The Pirates overcame a 4-0 deficit by scoring four times in the seventh and once again in the eighth to rally past the NY Giants 5-4 at Forbes Field. Joe Garagiola’s homer in the seventh was the big blow, with the game winner being a bases-loaded sac fly delivered by George Strickland an inning later. Ted Wilks won after two innings of clean relief work with three whiffs.

1952 - Manager Billy Meyer held a clubhouse meeting after the Bucs had dropped six games in a row (per the Pittsburgh Press, Billy told them “...to look respectable”) and apparently the low-key boot in the pants worked as Pittsburgh beat the Boston Braves 3-2 at Forbes Field. Clem Koshorek doubled home a pair of runs and the game-winner was Jack Merson’s fourth-inning single, scoring Ralph Kiner. Murry Dickson made it hold up while scattering nine hits. It was his seventh win of the campaign - three were versus Boston and three more against the New York Giants. The pep talk afterglow didn’t have very strong legs - after the Pirates won the next day, they proceeded to lose six of the next seven on their way to a last-place, 42-win season.

1956 - The Bucs blew a four-run lead by giving up eight tallies to the Cubs in the last two innings, but the Pirates answered at Forbes Field. Roberto Clemente ripped an inside-the-park, ninth-inning, walk-off grand slam to rally the Bucs to a 9-8 win. His gapper ricocheted off the base of the left field light standard and then rolled along the warning track toward center field. Clemente ran through 3B coach Bobby Bragan’s stop sign (there were no outs) and as Ernie Bank’s relay reached home "He slid, missed the plate, then reached back to rest his hand on the rubber...as the crowd of 12,431 went goofy with excitement" per sportswriter Jack Hernon of the Post Gazette. It was the only walkoff, inside-the-park grand slam posted in MLB history. In the same game, Dale Long hit his 20th homer, then a club record for lefties, to break Arky Vaughan’s 1935 mark.

1958 - Bob Skinner became the fifth player to clear the right field roof at Forbes Field when he homered in the second inning off Stu Miller as the Pirates steamrollered the SF Giants by a 10-0 score before 30,545 fans, the largest night crowd of the season for the Bucs. Seven of the nine Pittsburgh starters had multiple hits, with Skinner and Dick Groat leading the gang with three knocks each. The Corsairs flexed some muscle, with 10 of their 16 raps going for extra bases (six 2Bs, three 3Bs & Skinner’s shot). Curt Raydon went the distance, spinning a four-hitter with seven K.

7/25 From 1960: 1-Hit Danny, Best Coast, Candy Faces 27, Busy Bill, Game Days, ASG, Fraze Swap w/SD, HBD Cam, Alex, Ed & Doug

1960 - The Bucs regained first place when Bob Friend defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 at Busch Stadium behind home runs from Bill Virdon, Bob Skinner and Roberto Clemente. Pittsburgh wouldn’t relinquish the top spot for the remainder of the season (the lead was never less than three games during September) and finished seven games ahead of the Milwaukee Braves.

1962 - RHP Doug Drabek was born in Victoria, Texas. He tossed six seasons (1987-92) in Pittsburgh after coming over from the NYY, posting a line of 92-62/3.02. Drabek won the Cy Young in 1990 when he went 22-6, but oddly never made an All-Star team as a Pirate. Doug spent six more seasons in MLB after he left Pittsburgh after the 1992 season but never won more than a dozen games elsewhere. After he retired, he spent time at home and helped coach Little League ball. In 2010, he returned to pro ball as a pitching coach for Arizona and is now posted with their AAA club at Reno.

1963 - Tommie Sisk pitched five innings of near perfect relief (he didn’t surrender any hits, but he walked a pair) and rode Roberto Clemente’s three-run homer to a 6-2 win over league leading Los Angeles and ace Sandy Koufax at Dodger Stadium. Smoky Burgess chipped in with a pair of RBI. Koufax had entered the game with just three losses and a 1.75 ERA. He evened things up in a September rematch, giving up one earned run with 9 K in a complete game win.

1967 - 1B/3B Ed Sprague was born in Castro Valley, California. Sprague spent one of his 11 major league campaigns in Pittsburgh, signing as a free agent in 1999 for $1.3M, and gave the club a solid season. He became the Bucco starter, hitting .267 with 22 homers and was named to the only All-Star game of his career. He left for the San Diego Padres in 2000, as 22-year-old Aramis Ramirez was on deck to man the hot corner for Pittsburgh. 2001 was Ed’s last big league year before he became the head coach for the U of Pacific from 2004-15 and then joined the Oakland A’s as their Director of Player Development.

Ed Sprague - 1999 Pacific Omega

1972 - The Nationals nosed out the American League 4-3 at Atlanta Stadium in the All-Star game, kicking off an 11-game winning streak for the Senior Circuit. Manager Danny Murtaugh had a boatload of Bucs to maneuver on his roster: RHP Steve Blass, OFs Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Al Oliver plus C Manny Sanguillen. Blass went an inning and gave up a run. It was his only appearance in an All-Star Game and in effect a ghost outing as NBC couldn’t broadcast the frame he pitched due to technical issues. Sangy went 1-for-2, Pops 0-for-1 with a walk, and Scoops went 0-for-1. The Great One didn’t get into the last of his 12 All-Star games; he was voted a starter, but was injured (knee bruise). The NL had a pretty good replacement: Hank Aaron played in his stead.

1977 - Bill Robinson made amends for a throwing error in the top of the eighth inning by banging a three-run homer in the bottom half of the frame as the Bucs beat Phil Niekro and the Atlanta Braves for the eighth time in nine tries, 6-3. Robinson had a couple of busy innings at Three Rivers Stadium - his leadoff double in the seventh tied the game when he scored, followed by his misfire that put the Bravos’ leadoff guy on third in a 3-3 game, although Jerry Reuss picked him up and stranded the runner. Reuss went the distance, firing a five-hitter.

1982 - John Candelaria faced the minimum 27 batters in a four-hit, 86-pitch shutout win over the Atlanta Braves. Three twin killings and a caught stealing erased the four Bravo runners from the basepaths in an 8-0 whipping at Three Rivers Stadium before 22,565 fans. The middle of the Pirate lineup - Bill Madlock, Jason Thompson and Dave Parker - drove home six runs.

1983 - The Bucs were hanging on to a slim 4-3 lead against the Padres at TRS when Rick Rhoden filled the bases with no outs in the sixth inning. Cecilio Guante, who had been out of action since July 14th with a sore shoulder, was waved in and quelled the fire when he struck out the side. It was the key moment of a 6-3 Bucco win, as Guante tossed four shutout frames and was given a safety net in the eighth when Dave Parker, who had three hits on the night, homered. 

1985 - OF Alex Presley was born in Monroe, Louisiana. Picked in the eighth round of the 2006 draft, he hit .261 as a back-and-forth member of the Pirate roster between 2010-13, before he was traded to the Minnesota Twins as part of the Justin Morneau deal. He also played for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers before taking his final MLB bow in 2017.

B & B - 1988 Topps Pirates Leaders

1986 - 8,622 fans sat through a nondescript 7-3 loss to the Giants at TRS without realizing that they were witnessing the birth of a bit of Bucco history: for the first time, the Killer B’s, Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla, started together for the Pirates. Bonds was at leadoff while playing centerfield and had two hits; Bo patrolled left and batted sixth in his third game back since being reacquired from the White Sox and drew a pair of walks. They played together through 1991.

1987 - The Pirates ended their west coast trip on a winning note by dropping the San Diego Padres 9-3 at Jack Murphy Stadium. The journey had started perilously, with a pair of losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers but concluded with a 6-4 slate, their first winning left coast visit since 1983. The offensive heroes were Sid Bream with three hits & five RBI, Andy Van Slyke with two knocks & three runs scored and Barry Bonds with two raps, including a homer. Brian Fischer took home the win with help from Barry Jones and Don Robinson over the final two frames.

1992 - Danny Jackson gave up one hit at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, but it was unfortunately a home run to David Justice as the Braves, behind Charlie Leibrandt, beat the Bucs 1-0 for their 13th straight win. The Pirates best chance to score was in the first inning, but both Andy Van Slyke and Lloyd McClendon were caught stealing to run themselves out of the frame and allow Leibrandt to catch his wind. Pittsburgh didn’t make any noise again until the seventh frame, with Otis Nixon sprinted to the fence and climbed it to pull back AVS’s potential two-run blast. The Buccos made one final push in the ninth inning, but Barry Bonds bounced out with two down and two aboard to bring down the curtain.

1992 - The Pirates made a wholesale change in pitching: Zane Smith (8-7/2.96) was placed on the DL with tendinitis, while vets Jerry Don Gleaton (1-0/4.26) and Jeff Robinson (3-1/4.46) were released, ending both of their MLB careers. The Bucs then brought up their pups - Paul Wagner, Steve Cooke and Blas Minor. None of them set the world afire as rookies, but they did make 19 credible outings among themselves and the trio were major parts of the staff in ‘93.

Dave Clark - 1995 Upper Deck

1995 - Losing to the Atlanta Braves at TRS by a 3-1 tally in 10 innings (the Bravo rally began with two outs and the bases empty with Jim Gott on the hill; the Pirates had left the bases loaded in their half) was painful enough. Adding injury to insult in the fifth inning, a collision between Dave Clark and Jacob Brumfield in right center field cost the Bucs Clark’s services until mid-September after he broke his collarbone. Brumfield suffered dizziness and a deep thigh bruise; both were taken away by ambulance after the staff spent 20 minutes stabilizing the pair. The good news was that Jake made the catch a step before the crash

1996 - LHP Cam Alldred was born in Batavia, Ohio. A 24th round draft pick in 2018 (#714 overall) by the Bucs out of the U of Cincinnati, the reliever broke out in 2021 at AA Altoona. After two solid if brief stints at Indy, he was called up to the big team in mid-May, 2022 and tossed a scoreless frame before he was returned to AAA. Cam was released and signed with the Korean League Kia Tigers in May, 2024 and is still tossing in the Mexican League. 

2011 - In their first ESPN-televised game in seven years, Pittsburgh defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-1 behind James McDonald, who struck out nine in 5-2/3 frames, and four relievers who finished it off at Turner Field, keeping the Bucs tied for first place in the NL Central, although it was the last time for the lead in 2011. The Pirates only had five hits, but back-to-back walks turned into a pair of Bucco runs. Andrew McCutchen led the attack with a knock, walk, run and RBI. 

2021 - The Bucs pulled 2B Adam Frazier from the Giants’ game and announced afterward they had traded him to the San Diego Padres with cash ($1.4M) to cover his 2021 salary, the deal becoming official the next day when all the physicals were completed. Friar prospects AAA - IF/OF Tucupita Marcano, 21; AA - OF Jack Suwinski, 23, and Hi A - RH reliever Michell Miliano, 21, were the return package. Marcano was a Padres Top Ten minor-leaguer, known as a versatile defender with a spray-the-ball approach who the Bucs reportedly tried to land as part of an earlier Joe Musgrove deal. The other two were lottery guys, with Suwinski having a big stick and Miliano being a project. Suwinski flashed power and is now in the Dodger system. Turcano got banned for life by baseball for gambling and Miliano is looking for work. The Friars shipped Fraze to Seattle in the off season. In 2023 he signed with Baltimore as a FA, then moved on to KC, came back home for a spell in 2025 and returned to the Royals via trade; he moved on to the Angels in ‘26. Trade Trivia: Adam was the third player since 1900 to be traded at midseason while leading MLB in hits, joining Willie McGee (1990) and Red Schoendienst (1957) per ESPN Stats & Info.