7/14 Through the 1970s: Reds Bite, Roberto Slam, Hot Streak, Playin' All 9, Game Days, Pie Rumors, Murry & ASGs, HBD Ben, Earl, Bob, Jack, Joe & Tanny

1874 - LHP Jesse “Tanny” Tannehill was born in Dayton, Kentucky. He played six seasons (1897-1902) for Pittsburgh, with a line of 116-58/2.75. Tanny won 20 games or more four times for the Pirates and led the NL in ERA in 1901 (2.18). He was also pretty handy when not hurling, batting .277 and making 71 OF appearances for the Bucs. After six years with the Pirates, he and owner Barney Dreyfuss got into a contract squabble. Tannehill then jumped to the AL New York Highlanders and spent the next seven years of his career in the junior circuit before a last hurrah with Cincinnati. Tanny went on to coach, manage and even ump to stay in baseball after his playing days ended.

1889 - RHP Joe Conzelman was born in Bristol, Connecticut, unfortunately for him long before ESPN could tout a hometown jock. He spent his three-year MLB career (1913-15) with the Bucs mostly as a reliever, slashing 6-8-2/2.92 in 54 outings. He was a Columbia and Brown graduate and left baseball to pursue his university-trained calling as an engineer.

1892 - Utilityman Floyd “Jack” Farmer was born in Granville, Tennessee. Farmer played 2B, SS, 3B, LF & RF for the 1916 Bucs, getting into 55 games and batting .271. He would play big league ball again in 1918 briefly for the Cleveland Indians, then took off the twenties and made a last hurrah stop in the Class D Cotton League from 1929-31 before ending his playing days.

1910 - The Bucs were down, 3-0, going into the ninth inning against Christy Mathewson and the New York Giants at Forbes Field, but roared back in their last go-round to take home the win. A walk, error and two singles set the table. Matty turned wild child, tying the contest with back-to-back walks, and after throwing two balls to Tommy Leach was relieved by Red Ames. Ames lost Leach, forcing home the winning run and giving Deacon Phillippe the victory.

Pie Traynor - SSPC Baseball Immortals

1922 - The Pirates denied that they were about to swing a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Robins involving 3B Pie Traynor, UT Clyde Barnhart and C Walter Schmidt for OF Zach “Buck” Wheat and SS Jimmy Johnston. Pie was only 23-years-old and in his first season as a starter; he would have a 17-year Pirates career that ended with a .320 lifetime BA and induction into the Hall of Fame. Barnhart was 26 and would serve a nine-year MLB tour of duty, all with the Bucs, and hit .295 over that span. Schmidt was a 35-year-old reserve who would last through 1924 with Pittsburgh, with a final campaign as a Card the following year. Wheat was 34 and had 14 years under his belt, but would play through 1927, hitting .346 over those final six seasons. Like Pie, Buck also entered the HoF. Johnston was 32 and would be a solid stick man through 1925 (.313 BA from 1922-25), playing one more year afterward before ending his MLB stay. 

1929 - RHP Bob Purkey was born in Pittsburgh and was signed by the Bucs after he graduated from South Hills HS. The knuckleballer spent his first four years and then his final season with the Pirates (1954-57, 1966), slashing 16-30-3/4.13. His heyday was with the Reds, where he won 100+ games, appearing in a World Series and three All-Star contests. The Pirates dealt Purkey to Cincinnati in 1957 for relief pitcher Don Gross. Pirates GM Joe Brown often called the transaction "the worst trade I ever made.'' After his retirement, Purkey lived in Bethel Park, and he ran an insurance agency before passing on in 2008 at age 78.

1935 - Earl Francis was born in Slab Fork, West Virginia. The hard throwing righty tossed five seasons (1960-64) for the Bucs, going 16-23/3.77 with his time split between starting and as a long man from the bullpen. Francis became the Pirates first African American Opening Day pitcher in 1963 when he started against the Cincinnati Reds and was the first pitcher that rookie Pete Rose ever batted against (Charlie Hustle went hitless). His short spell in the show was cut short by a bad wing as Francis battled a sore arm throughout his career. He retired in 1966 and put that achy but still powerful arm to good use - he became a butcher. Earl passed away in 2002 at age 66 and is buried in Homewood Cemetery.

1940 - The Pirates won their sixth game of seven by whipping Brooklyn, 6-2, at Forbes Field. Rip Sewell got the win and also cracked a homer. The Corsairs dropped the nitecap of the twin bill, 2-0, as the Dodgers’ Freddie Fitzsimmons got the better of Ken Heintzelman. The ‘40 Bucs basically sputtered along as Frankie Frisch’s charges finished 78-76-2 and finished the season in fifth place, 22-1/2 games behind the eventual World Series champs, the Cincinnati Reds.

Rip Sewell - undated photo via Sports Memorabilia

1946 - Hall of Famer Warren Spahn beat the Bucs at Forbes Field by a 4-1 tally for his first MLB win; he would earn 363 of them in his 21-year career, with 49 of his victories coming against Pittsburgh. His only blemish was a solo shot by Frankie Gustine. The lefty reached 400 wins despite losing three years to WW2 and was popularized by the rhyme “Spahn, Sain and pray for rain...”.

1953 - RHP Murry Dickson was the Bucco rep at the All-Star Game, a 5-1 Senior Circuit victory at Crosley Field. He tossed the final two innings, giving up a run on three hits and earning a save for Warren Spahn. The relief appearance of St. Louis Brown’s 46-year-old Satchel Paige in the eighth inning set an All-Star record for the oldest pitcher to toss in the contest.

1955 - The Pirates suffered the worst defeat in their history when Cincinnati mashed them, 19-1, at Forbes Field. Reds Johnny Temple, Wally Post and Smoky Burgess combined for 13 hits. Five Pirate pitchers gave up 21 hits (including three homers), 12 walks and a hit batter while the fielders chipped in with three errors for a total team meltdown. That visit behind the woodshed stayed in the record books until 2010 when the Brewers laid a 20-0 beatdown on the Bucs.

1961 - A two-out grand slam in the bottom of the eighth by Roberto Clemente, a rising liner to dead center, erased a 4-1 deficit and led the Bucs to a 6-4 win over the SF Giants at Candlestick Park. Clem Labine got the win and ElRoy Face was credited with the save; Joe Gibbon started the game.

1969 - IF Jose Hernandez was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. Jose played for 15 years in the show, making stops in Pittsburgh in 2003 as part of the A-Ram/Kenny Lofton deal with the Chicago Cubs and again in 2006 as a free agent add, playing six positions while hitting .240. He signed a minor league deal with the Bucs for 2007 (he was one of Jim Tracy’s favorites) but the 37-year-old’s tank was running on fumes and he didn’t make the final roster cut. He’s been a coach in the Baltimore Orioles system since 2010, moving up to the big club in 2022.

Roberto Clemente - 2002 Donruss Studio

1970 - Roberto Clemente was booed by the All-Star crowd at Riverfront Stadium (then all of two weeks old) after earlier saying he would only play if the game was held in Pittsburgh instead of Cincinnati. He changed his tune after GM Joe Brown provided a bit of arm twisting to convince his achy star to give up his rest break, and despite a chronically sore neck, the Great One was used late in the game. Clemente, the only Buc rep on the roster, hit a sac fly to tie the contest and held Willie Horton to a 375’ single off the wall in right as the Nationals won, 5-4. The game’s most remembered moment was the train wreck between Pete Rose and Ray Fosse at the plate, with Rose jarring the ball loose to score the winning run while Fosse suffered a broken shoulder.

1974 - The nitecap of a twin bill against the rival Reds at TRS erupted into a donnybrook. The action started after a fourth inning beanball of Bruce Kison by Jack Billingham, causing both teams to rush the field. When Sparky Anderson stepped on Ed Kirkpatrick's foot, the Buc catcher shoved the Reds skipper and was rewarded with a sock from Andy Kosko. The most memorable bit of mayhem was when Cincy’s Pedro Borbon bit Daryl Patterson after a little hair-tugging episode. Patterson got a tetanus shot after the chomp (Borbon told the media afterward for Patterson not to worry about tetanus, but rabies; Patterson countered by saying Borbon "fights like a woman." Welcome to the playground. The Pirates won the spirited contest, 2-1, after dropping the opener, 3-2. The victory ignited an eight-game Bucco winning streak and the Pirates stormed through the dog days to take the NL East title, only to lose the NLCS to the LA Dodgers.

1974 - Pirates GM Ben Cherington was born in Meriden, New Hampshire. He replaced Neal Huntington (they were teammates on Amherst’s baseball team) after the 2019 season. He began as a scout for Cleveland in 1999, moved on to Boston the following year and rose through the ranks to become GM in 2011. He held that spot until 2015, took a year off to teach, and then spent three years as Toronto’s VP of Baseball Operations before taking the Pittsburgh rebuild job.

7/14 From 1980: Sweep, Top Guns, Slugfest, Game Days, Oneil, Cutch & ASGs, Konnor Drafted, HBD Isaac & Jack

1980 - Vets Stadium in Philadelphia was the scene of a smokin’ shootout between the Bucs and Phils, with Pittsburgh finally taking the slugfest by a 13-11 tally after Dave Parker's two-run homer in the ninth. The two teams combined for 36 hits (21 by the Pirates) and there were no 1-2-3 innings for either side during the contest. The game was bitterly fought to the end. The Phillies left a runner on third in the eighth and the tag team of Lee Lacy-to-Tim Foli-to-Phil Garner cut down Lonnie Smith at second in the ninth; Smith’s attempted stretch of his rap would have put Philadelphians at second and third with one out. The Cobra had three hits, including two dingers, four RBI and three runs scored; Foli and Bill Robinson each banged out four hits. The Bucs’ fifth pitcher, Grant Jackson earned the win after posting two scoreless but rambunctious frames.

1987 - The National League outdueled the Americans to take home a 2-0 victory in the Midsummer Classic held at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. It took 13 innings before a run was scored when Tim Raines hit a two-run, two-out triple to win the game and the MVP. Rick Reuschel repped the Bucs and tossed 1-1/3 frames, giving up a hit and fanning one batter.

1988 - Though 37,453 fans packed TRS, the Bucs got off to a slow start. The Giants jumped out to a 2-0 lead after an inning and starter John Smiley was done, suffering from an inflammation of his hand. More bad news: Rick Reuschel, an All-Star for the Pirates the year before and an 11-game winner so far for San Francisco, was on the bump. But all’s well that ends well, and this one ended up well with a 9-2 win. Andy Van Slyke tripled twice and chased home four runs, Darnell Coles plated four more runners, and Brian Fisher stepped in and went 5-1/3 IP for the victory. Dave Rucker and Jeff Robinson carried it into the ninth when an hour and 22 minute rain delay gave the fans an excuse for an early exit before Barry Jones mopped up at the finish.

1990 - LHP Jack Leathersich was born in Beverly, Massachusetts. After seeing some time with the Mets and Cubs, Leathersich was claimed by the Bucs from Chicago in September 2017, after recovering from TJ surgery. He tossed well albeit with a small sample size (4-1/3 IP, no runs on three hits with six whiffs in six appearances) but was DFA’d the following spring. Jack last pitched for the Texas Rangers organization in 2019 and now is retired from baseball.

Barry Bonds - 1992 Topps All-Star

1992 - A lotta lumber was being swung at the Midsummer Classic as the American League took a 13-6 victory from the Nationals at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium. The Junior Circuit banged out 19 hits with two swats leaving the yard. Outfielders Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke started; Bonds went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored while AVS went 0-for-2 and hit into a DP. Barry also took part in the home run derby, hitting two dingers in the first round.

1995 - RHP Isaac Mattson was born in Erie. He pitched for Pitt and was drafted by the LA Angels in 2017 in the 19th round. From there he played for the Angels, Orioles, where he got into four MLB games in 2021, and Twins, also making stops in the Frontier League, including a year with the Washington Wild Things. The Pirates signed him in 2024, and he was solid at Altoona/Indy (7-2-4/3.17) as a long man who could start in a pinch. Matty was called up in late September and got into three games. He started ‘25 in Indy but was called up in late May, pitched solidly in a mid-inning role, and found a home in the Bucco pen.

1997 - The Bucs came from behind three times, rallying from 1-0, 2-1, and 4-3 deficits, to finally beat the Mets, 5-4, at Three Rivers Stadium to take their 10th win in 12 games. Steve Cooke left after seven with a 3-2 lead, but New York scored twice off Clint Sadowsky in the eighth to leapfrog ahead. The Pirates tallied twice in the eighth for the victory on four straight hits: doubles by Al Martin, Kevin Young and Jason Kendall sandwiched around a knock by Dale Sveum. Rich Loiselle picked up his 12th save to tie the club rookie record set by Francisco Cordova one year earlier and finished the year with 29 saves. Ricardo Rincon got the win. Cordova, now converted to a starting pitcher, was earlier named the NL Player of the Week following his shared no-hitter with Rincon.  

2006 - The top four of the Bucco order (Nate McLouth, Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez & Jay Bay) collected nine hits, including four doubles and a walk, scored four times and drove in four runs to lead Pittsburgh to a 7-4 win over Washington at PNC Park. Wilson and Jose Bautista each had three hits, including Jose’s 11th homer, as the Bucs banged out 15 knocks. Zach Duke was credited with the win and Mike Gonzalez earned the save, with five Pirates hurlers toeing the slab.

Jose Bautista - 2006 Bazooka Rookie

2009 - The American League continued its avalanche over the Nationals in All-Star competition, taking a 4-3 victory at Busch Stadium. Pitcher Zach Duke and 2B Freddy Sanchez made the team but didn’t get into the game. President Barack Obama, wearing a White Sox jacket, threw out the first pitch and later joined Joe Buck and Tim McCarver in the booth.

2015 - Andrew McCutchen started and batted leadoff for the Senior Circuit in the ASG played at Great American Ballpark. Cutch contributed a home run while going 1-for-3 (Cutch was the first Buccaneer to homer in an ASG since Dave Parker went deep in 1981 and the seventh Pirates player to go long in the Midsummer Classic), but the Americans won their third straight summer shindig by a 6-3 count. Gerrit Cole tossed a scoreless frame while Mark Melancon struck out a pair in his inning of work but was touched up for a two-out, two-strike homer by the Minny Twins’ Brian Dozier. AJ Burnett, in his first All-Star game after 17 years in the show, didn’t get into the fray. Commissioner Bud Selig allowed Pete Rose to be recognized during the pre-game festivities along with former Cincy Red teammates Johnny Bench, Barry Larkin, and Joe Morgan.

2017 - The Bucs spotted the Cards a 2-0 first-inning lead at PNC Park but ground their way to a 5-2 win that was nowhere as easy as the score would indicate. Gerrit Cole recovered nicely after the rough opening while Tony Watson, Juan Nicasio and Felipe Rivero held the fort to allow the Pirates to tie the game at two going into the ninth. With Adam Frazier on second and an out, Andrew McCutchen was given an intentional pass so that Seung Hwan Oh could face rookie Josh Bell. He got ahead 1-2, then J-Bell went the opposite way for a walkoff blast and a 5-2 win. Bell’s homer would be the jump-off point for three walk-off wins in a six-day span for the livin’ on the edge Bucs.

2018 - The Pirates swept a doubleheader from the Milwaukee Brewers by 2-1 and 6-2 scores at PNC Park in front of 24,474 rooters. Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco hit back-to-back homers in the first inning of the opener, and five Pirate pitchers, beginning with Ivan Nova and finishing with Felipe Vazquez, kept the Brew Crew at bay. The nightcap featured stellar work by some young Pirates: Clay Holmes tossed six shutout innings, Jordan Luplow homered twice & Max Moroff went deep once while Marte & Polanco become the second Pirate duo to hit back-to-back homers in both ends of a twin bill (Frank Thomas and Dick Groat were the first in 1957; only one other MLB pair, Oakland's Sal Bando & Reggie Jackson in 1988, has matched the twin bill B-2-B feat). Vazquez got the final out of the second game, earning a pair of saves on the day.

Jordan Luplow - 2018 Topps

2020 - The 2020 All-Star Game was originally scheduled on this date, to be hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the match was canceled due to the corona virus-shortened 2020 season, the first bypassed Midsummer Classic since wartime travel restrictions scrubbed the 1945 game. Dodger Stadium went to the head of the line for the All-Star Game for 2022, the next available date as Atlanta was already set for the 2021 showcase, though it was later flipped to Denver.

2024 - The three day draft began. The Pirates Top Five selections were SS/CF Konnor Griffin (First Round #9, $6,216,600 slot - Jackson Prep, MS), a LSU commit. He was considered the top prep prospect, with the big question being if he can develop more consistent contact. He aced that question, zooming to Hi A Greensboro, in his second season hitting for both average and power and becoming MLB’s #2 Prospect per Baseball America. Next was RHP Levi Sterling (Competitive Balance, #37, $2,511,400 slot - Notre Dame HS, CA), a Texas commit who features a heater (90-92), curve and splitter. SS Wyatt Sanford (2nd Round #47, $1,984,800 - Independence HS, TX), a Texas A&M commit, was the third choice. He’s noted for his good glove but profiled as a potential utility guy because of his uncertain stick. LHP Josh Hartle (3rd Round #83, $920,800 - Wake Forest) was the only college pick among the first five. He was hot in '23 (11-2/2.81 & an All-American), but stumbled in '24 (6-3/5.79). SS Eddie Rynders (4th Round #112, $649,700 - Milwaukee Wisconsin Lutheran HS) closed out the early picks. He showed power and was switched to 3B.

2025 - Well, Oneil Cruz seems to like the limelight...he banged 21 homers in the first round of the ASG HR Derby, one a 513' foot launch (A Truist Park record and the longest HRD blast outside of Coors Field), to move on to the semis. He was the first Bucco in the Derby to advance past the first round. It ended for Cruz in the next round as Oneil bopped 13 more dingers (and 9 of the ten longest homers of the night through the first two rounds) but Cal Raleigh, who squeaked through the first round, smacked 19 bombs and went on to take the title home, out-swatting Junior Caminero.

7/13 Through 1974: Roberto Sixer, Hans Hurls, Shutout Sweep, Game Days, HBD Clint, Rich, Frank, Jeep, Jiggs & John

1866 - 2B John O’Brien (and no, he’s not one of the O’Brien twins who played in the ‘50s) was born in St. John, New Brunswick. He finished his six-year big league run with the Pirates in 1899, batting .226 after being bought from the Orioles in mid-June. His pro career stretched from 1889-1904 when he played his last campaign for Lawrence in the New England League.

1879 - 1B/C John “Jiggs” Donahue was born in Springfield, Ohio. He started his nine-year MLB career with Pittsburgh as a LH catcher from 1900-01, going 2-for-10 before being released and moving on to the Milwaukee Brewers.  Donahue had his best years from 1904 to 1908 after switching to first base for the Chicago White Sox. His glove work was a key to the Sox 1906 World Series championship team (aka the “Hitless Wonders”) as he led AL-1B in fielding %, assists, and putouts from 1905-07; he was by consensus as the best fielder at first of his era and among the best at the spot all-time. He wasn’t lost at the plate, either, batting .267 during that span. Per Mark Miller of SABR, here’s how his moniker came about: As a teen, John worked at a cigar store and when the store wasn’t busy, he stepped outside and did dance steps. Customers started calling him Jiggers, after the sand flea known as a jigger (apparently because of the hopping around he did while dancing). The nickname was later shortened to Jiggs. Donahue died at age 34, the victim of syphilis he had contracted while living in Chicago’s fast lane.

1888 - Harry Staley and Pud Galvin of the Alleghenys became the first pitchers to toss a doubleheader shutout by blanking the Boston Beaneaters 4-0 and 6-0 at Recreation Park in front of 3,000 fans. It was the fifth shutout in six games for the Alleghenys as Staley fired a three-hitter and Galvin gave up just an eighth-inning knock. The Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette wrote that “If the Hubbys came up on a goose egg hunt, they were eminently successful.” The paper carried a pair of sidebar stories - before the matches began, the Boston mascot/bat boy was found outside the park by Galvin and Mike Donlin, who tossed him over the fence into the field, no reason given. The paper added that “The only mishap was reported by umpire Daniels who says some gentleman, or something else, stole his mask, thus leaving him exposed to the cold charity of the pitchers.”

Honus Wagner - Texas Tommy Type 1

1900 - The Philadelphia Athletics took BP against Sam Leever and Jack Chesbro at Exposition Park and pounded their way to a 20-4 lead after five innings. Fred Clarke then sent his right fielder to the mound, Hans Wagner, to save some Bucco arms. Wagner, who wouldn’t claim the shortstop spot until the following season, had pitched a bit as a semi-pro and did OK for his first MLB outing. He tossed two shutout frames before giving up three runs in the eighth inning (all unearned) and the game was called with the scoreboard reading 23-8. The Flying Dutchman would make one more appearance on the hill in 1902, spinning 5-1/3 IP and giving up two unearned runs. His line wasn’t bad at all for a mop-up guy: 8-1/3 IP, seven hits, six walks and six K. The five unearned scores left him with a 0.00 ERA; he’s the only Hall of Famer with a career zero ERA. 

1913 - IF Lee “Jeep” Handley was born in Clarion, Iowa. He was signed to a $20,000 bonus contract by the Pirates and played eight years (1937-46, with 1942-43 off for war duty) for the team. A slick fielder, he played third and some middle infield, hitting .269 for Pittsburgh. A tough guy, Jeep survived a serious beaning, injury, illness and a car accident during his career. As for his nickname, the Uniontown Morning Herald in 1938 noted that “Lee (Jeep) Handley came to the National League in 1936, the year of (Eugene the) Jeep's appearance in Thimble Theatre (the original name of the Popeye cartoon strip).” Just a coincidence? 

1930 - Brooklyn’s Jumbo Elliot tossed a four-hitter against the Bucs, but Larry French scattered nine knocks to earn a 1-0 win over the Robins at Ebbets Field. Charlie Engel opened the seventh with a single, went to third on a hit-and-run and scored on Paul Waner’s bouncer to second for the game’s only run. Brooklyn stranded 12 runners and had two more thrown out on the bases.

1940 - LHP Frank Bork was born in Buffalo. He spent his one MLB campaign in Pittsburgh in 1964, getting into 33 games with a slash of 2-2-2/4.07. Bork had been signed by the Bucs in 1960 and remained in the Pirate organization throughout his pro career, last pitching in AA Macon in 1967. He was just 26 but had torn a muscle in his back and opted not to have surgery, effectively ending his career. He retired to Dublin, Ohio and became a sales rep.

Vern Law - 1958 Hires Root Beer

1958 - There was some heavy hitting as the Bucs swept the St. Louis Cardinals 10-8 and 8-6 in a Busch Stadium twinbill. The first game featured 10 pitchers and 24 hits, with Pittsburgh surviving a ninth-inning rally by the Redbirds when Vern Law got Curt Flood, who represented the winning run, to bounce out to second to save the win for Ron Blackburn. Bob Skinner had three hits, including a homer, and three RBI while C Bill Hall added two knocks, one a long ball. Maz also had a pair of hits. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 5-0 first inning lead in the nitecap but by the fourth St. Louis had taken the lead at 6-5. Once again it was the Deacon to the rescue, coming on to spin five shutout frames to earn the win. Dick Groat, Mazeroski and Skinner were the batting stars, going 9-for-12 as a group; Maz homered while Groat & The Dog smacked doubles. The trio chased home six runs and touched the dish six times to power the Pirates game #2 attack. 

1968 - Roberto Clemente banged out five hits and drew a walk, but it was to no avail as the Pirates lost 3-2 to the Phils at Forbes Field. The Bucs went bust when given a chance; they were 1-for-15 w/RISP and stranded 17 runners. The Great One wasn’t involved in any of the runs as Matty Alou/Maury Wills went 3-for-16 ahead of him and Manny Mota/Gene Alley were 1-for-13 behind him in the order. Dock Ellis took the loss in relief; the run posted against him was unearned thanks to an Alley error. It wasn’t a good month for Pittsburgh; the loss was their eighth straight and the string eventually built to 10 consecutive defeats.

1971 - 1B/OF Rich Aude was born in Van Nuys, California. Aude began his pro career as a second-round pick of the Pirates out of Chatsworth (CA) Charter HS in 1989, signing for $80K. A big kid at 6’5”, Rich flashed some power in the minors, but during his stints with the Bucs (1993, 1995-96) he hit just two homers in 151 AB, with a .225 BA. He remained in the minors until 1999 and then became a scout for Tampa Bay, with Delmon Young among his discoveries.

1972 - RHP Clint Sodowsky was born in Ponca City, Oklahoma. He tossed for the Bucs in the middle of a five-year MLB career, going 2-2/3.63 in 45 appearances in 1997. It was his best big league season, and after struggling with the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals, he soldiered on in the minors and indie ball through 2006 but never tossed in the show again.

7/13 From 1975: Todd Tuff, Long Sweep, Game Days, Team Talk, Hans All-Century, Littlefield Era, Seth Drafted, HBD Casey & Ryan

1978 - OF Ryan Ludwick was born in Satellite Beach, Florida. The 32-year-old vet was purchased from San Diego at the 2011 deadline and hit .232 with two homers in his brief Bucco stay. He left after the season to join the Reds, where he ended his playing days after the 2014 campaign. Ludwick is now a roving hitting instructor for St. Louis’ minor league teams.

1983 - The Bucs raced ahead of the Giants 5-0 but frittered away the lead by the ninth to fall behind 6-5 at Candlestick Park. With two down and Greg Minton on the hill, Johnny Ray bombed a tying homer to right, then the baseball gods smiled. Mike Easler hit a drive the opposite way that would have hit off the wall, but as LF Jeffrey Leonard tried for a leaping catch, the ball ticked off his glove and cleared the fence to give The Hit Man a game-winning four-bagger. Kent Tekulve pitched a clean ninth to save the game for Manny Sarmiento. The victory gave the Pirates a three-game sweep of San Francisco during a 9-1 West Coast swing.

1984 - The Pirates swept the Giants in a Three Rivers Stadium twilight (it started at 5:05) double-dipper by 8-2 and 4-3 scores. The first game featured four RBI from Lee Lacy and three hits from Lee Mazzilli as John Candelaria got the win with help from Kent Tekulve. For Candyman, it was his 12th consecutive July win. The second one, well, that victory was a little tougher to come by - it went 18 innings and five hours, 11 minutes before Jason Thompson’s knock chased Mazzilli home with the game winner. It was Thompson’s second RBI; Jim Morrison also had two RBI while Tony Pena collected three hits and scored twice. The two teams used nine pitchers; Teke gave up runs in the eighth and ninth to let the G-Men knot the score. The bullpens ruled; San Francisco’s pen tossed 10 shutout innings; the Bucco relief corps put up nine zippos, seven by Don Robinson. The game ended at 1:32 AM; the Zambelli fireworks were still shot off, much to the dismay of sleeping ‘Burgers, but per the Pittsburgh Press, most of the 22,176 at the yard happily stayed to the end for the show.

1990 - RHP Casey Sadler was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Drafted in the 25th round of the 2010 draft, he worked seven games (one start) for the Pirates in 2014-15, slashing 1-1/6.46. Sadler missed the 2016 season due to TJ surgery and after some bouncing around with five MLB stops through six seasons, he retired in 2024 after posting a 6-4-1/2.86 career slash for five clubs.

Casey Sadler - 2015 photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates

1998 - After dropping a twin bill for their sixth loss in a row and 13th defeat in 16 games, Kevin Young asked manager Gene Lamont for the OK to hold a players-only team meeting for the struggling Bucs. Permission was granted and he, Al Martin, Jason Kendall & Jose Guillen spoke, touching on the teams’ inexperienced but talented roster and the need to grow and progress. Martin said it was “It was more of a family talk...We wanted to get everything out in the open.” It worked that night as the Bucs beat the Cubs, 6-2, behind Jon Lieber and an inside-the-park homer by Tony Womack, the 500th in franchise history. It launched the club on an 8-of-11 victory run, but it was just a temporary fix as the Pirates still finished last in the division with 69 wins, 33 games back.

1999 - Honus Wagner was named to the All-Century team selected by fan vote and honored at the All-Star game. Locals included on the ballot of the were Negro League standouts Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell and Josh Gibson, along with Buccos Wagner, Hank Greenberg, Pie Traynor, Barry Bonds, Roberto Clemente, Ralph Kiner, Willie Stargell and Paul Waner.

2001 - Lotta pitching goin’ on: Todd Ritchie lost a no hitter against the Royals when Luis Alicea bounced a one-out, ninth-inning single through the infield. Todd shook it off and served up a DP ball to cruise out. He got his well earned dub in the bottom half of the frame when Aramis Ramirez singled through a drawn-in infield to score Brian Giles - it was A-Ram’s third walk-off hit of the campaign - for a 1-0 win at PNC Park and the Pirates second consecutive shutout win. It was a well-pitched series: Jimmy Anderson and Mike Williams had combined for a 2-0 whitewash against Kansas City the day before, with Kevin Young’s two-run homer being the only offense du jour. 

2001 - Dave Littlefield began his term as GM, replacing Cam Bonifay. Hampered by ongoing financial restraints, he was noted for a stretch of losing seasons, yo-yo rental players and the erosion of both the farm system and the Latino player market, although he did have some successes. He drafted Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker and hired Rene Gayo to scout Latin America. Littlefield was fired in 2007 and eventually replaced by Neal Huntington.

Starling Marte - 2019 Topps

2019 - The Chicago Cubs spanked the Buccos at Wrigley Field 10-4 but Starling Marte showed up, banging two homers. That pair of long balls made him the second speed/power (100 HR, 200 SB) club member of the Bucs franchise, joining 1991 founder Barry Bonds.

2024 The Pirates finally broke a 50+ game stretch where they were the epitome of a .500 team, never winning or losing more than two straight games, when they claimed their third straight win, a 6-2 victory over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. The decision was the first three-gamer they had cobbled together since May 4-6th, primed by a strong start by Luis Ortiz, with the win going to Kyle Nicolas, his first in the bigs. The game was tight until Bryan Reynolds went clutch with seventh and ninth inning two-run raps as part of the All-Star’s 4-for-5 day.

2025 - Rounds 1-3 of the MLB Draft were held, with the remaining picks (4-20) made on the following day. The Pirates had the sixth overall selection and picked RHP Seth Hernandez, a 19-year-old out of Corona HS, CA. He was thought to be the draft’s top prep arm, and the Bucs have some cred developing pitchers, so Seth fit the bill. The second round/#50 selection was 17-year-old RHP Angel Cervantes, Warren HS. CA. Less toolsy and more of a project than Hernandez, he was still a Top 50 Draft Prospect. The Competitive Balance/73rd pick was 3B Murf Gray, a 21-year-old out of Fresno State who was a two-time MVP in the Mountain West. In the third round/#82, they selected C Easton Carmichael, a 21-year-old out of Oklahoma, an athletic backstop with a good stick and gap-to-gap power.

2025 - Greensboro did it again - another combo perfecto, just nine days after pulling off the first one on the 4th of July. Hung-Leng Chang started the ball rolling for five innings, then Joshua Loeschorn, Jake Shirk and Jarod Bayless brought it home as the Grasshoppers beat Bowling Green, 4-0. Shirk appeared in both zippos while Geovanny Planchart was behind the dish for the two games.

7/13 ASGs: Vince DiMag 3-Hits '43, Deacon Law Wins In '60, Willie HR '65, Dock Start '70, Roberto HR '71, Fraze Starter '21

1943 - The American League defeated the Nationals 5-3 in the first night All-Star game, which was broadcast to GIs via shortwave radio from Shibe Park. Pirates' OF Vince DiMaggio starred for the Senior Circuit with a single, triple and home run while scoring twice and driving in a run. P Rip Sewell and 1B Elbie Fletcher were also on the squad; Sewell pitched a perfect sixth inning and Fletcher went 0-for-2. A couple of other Pirates repped the City: manager Frankie Frisch was a coach while Spud Davis was the bullpen catcher.

1948 - The Bucs sent 3B Frank Gustine, LF Ralph Kiner and RHP Elmer Riddle to Sportsman’s Park for the All-Star Game. The American League jumped ahead of the Nationals quickly and won 5-2 as Gustine and Kiner each went 0-for-1 and Riddle never got in the game.

1954 - OF Frank Thomas was the sole Buc representative in the All-Star Game at Cleveland Stadium, an 11-9 Junior Circuit victory, and struck out in his only at bat for the National League side. The teams combined for an ASG record of 20 runs on 31 hits, which included six home runs. 

1960 - Vern Law became the second Pirate to win a 1960 All-Star Game, working two scoreless, one-hit innings in a 6-0 National League victory at Yankee Stadium. He matched Bob Friend, who won the first game two days earlier at Municipal Stadium and then sat this game out. OF Bob Skinner went 1-for-3, OF Roberto Clemente drew a walk in his only at bat, SS Dick Groat went 0-for-1 and C Smoky Burgess & 2B Bill Mazeroski both went 0-for-2 against the Americans.

1965 - The NL beat the AL 6-5 at Minnesota’s Metropolitan Stadium in the 36th All-Star game. OF Willie Stargell, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, homered in the second, and recalled it as one of his most memorable long balls, not because of distance or the game situation, but because of its landing spot. He hit the ball into the bullpen area, where the band was seated, and it dropped over the fence and right into a tuba bell. OF Roberto Clemente went 0-for-2 and LHP Bob Veale didn’t get a call to work.

Willie Stargell - 1965 Jay Publishing

1971 - The American League jumped on top early, scoring four times off Dock Ellis in the third inning (Reggie Jackson hit a 520’ HR off the Docktor) and then held on to take a 6-4 win from the Nationals in the All-Star game held at Tiger Stadium. It was the first AL win since the second All-Star Game of 1962, and their last until the 54th All-Star Game in 1983. The AL went 1-19 during that span but came back with a vengeance afterward. OF Roberto Clemente went 1-for-2 with a solo homer (he hit the long ball in what would be his final AS at bat; he didn’t play in the 1972 ASG because of injury), 1B Willie Stargell 0-for-2 with a run scored after a HBP and C Manny Sanguillen didn’t get into the game. It’s thought that Dock talked his way into the start. At a presser the day before the game, Ellis told the media that NL manager Sparky Anderson wouldn't start two "brothers" (Vida Blue was the AL starter), verbally backing the skipper into a corner.

1976 - The National League nine put a hurtin’ on the American League squad by a 7-1 count in the All-Star game at Veterans Stadium after President Gerald Ford tossed out the first ceremonial pitch. OF Al Oliver was the only Bucco All Star and went 0-for-1 off the bench. 

1982 - The AL fell 4-1 to the NL in the All-Star game at Stade Olympique (Olympic Stadium) in Montreal in the first All-Star Game ever played outside the United States. C Tony Pena stole a base as a pinch runner and went 0-for-1 at the dish, as did 1B Jason Thompson. Former Bucco Al Oliver, now an Expo, went 2-for-2 with a run scored and double in his sixth ASG. 

1993 - The American League nine banged the ball all around the Camden Yards lot in a 9-3 win over the National League club. Bucco rep 2B Jay Bell went 0-for-1 while Andy Van Slyke, slated to be the NL's starting center fielder, sat out the game with a broken collarbone suffered when he crashed into a wall at Busch Stadium. AL manager Cito Gaston didn’t make any friends in Baltimore. The fans got fired up when the hometown Birds’ Mike Mussina warmed up in the bullpen in the ninth and roared "We Want Mike!", but Gaston never made a call for him. The Camden Yard crowd littered the field after the final out until Moose quieted them down. He said afterward that he warmed up on his own because it was his day to throw (he did pitch on July 16th), but most believe he was trying to catch Cito’s attention so he could make a hometown appearance.

AVS missed the '93 ASG with a broken wing.

1999 - The AL took a 4-1 win from the NL in the All-Star Game at Fenway Park. 3B Ed Sprague was the Pirate rep and went 0-for-1. Pedro Martínez added to his legend when he became the first twirler to begin the ASG by striking out the side. He fanned out five of the six batters he faced and was named MVP. The game began 15 minutes late after Ted Williams came out in a golf cart for the pre-game ceremonies and was mobbed by the players who wanted to honor the all-timer. Two days earlier, Pirates pups Nashville 3B Aramis Ramirez and Lynchburg C Yamid Haad played for the World team in the Futures game; Buc coach Trent Jewell participated as a USA coach.

2004 - The junior circuit pounded out a 9-4 win over the National League All-Stars at Houston’s Minute Maid Park. SS Jack Wilson was the lone Bucco representative and went 0-for-2 at the plate. At age 73, Jack McKeon, the MLB poster boy for graybeards, became the oldest All-Star manager after becoming the oldest World Series skipper in 2003 with the Florida Marlins.

2010 - The Senior Circuit finally solved the American League in the All-Star Game, taking a 3-1 win at Angels Stadium at Anaheim and snapping a 13-year losing streak. Pitcher Evan Meek was the Pirates rep and didn’t get in the game. Matt Capps, an ex-Bucco who was then with Washington, got the win. It was the first game where the DH was made a permanent lineup fixture (before it only was used in AL parks) and took effect in 2011 at Chase Field.  

2021 - The All-Star game was held at Coors Field in Denver after being moved by MLB from its original site, Atlanta’s Truist Field, to protest Georgia's passage of a controversial voting bill. The two Pirate reps, 2B Adam Frazier and CF Bryan Reynolds, who was a  replacement for the injured Ron Acuna, started. Fraze went 1-for-2 with the NL’s first hit and a couple of glovely plays while Reynolds went 0-for-2 with a loud fly out to the RF fence. The AL won its eighth straight match by a 5-2 score. Shohei Ohtani started and won, pitching and batting leadoff.

Weekly Report: Brew Crew Broomed, Bucs Deal, Konnor & Endy Out, Brax All-Star...Not, Bullpen Blues, Draft - Curiel #1, Minor & MLB News

All-Star week just over the horizon w/no bullpen reinforcements...

Pirates Stuff:

• The first deal: the White Sox White Sox sent IF Jacob Gonzalez, 24, and middle-man reliever Brandon Eisert, 28, to the Pirates for LHP Jaden Woods, 24, and the #34 comp pick in the draft. Gonzalez is a lefty 1B, batting .244 w/two HR in 86 at bats in his rookie campaign and has seen some minor league time at SS, where the Pirates expect to try him. LHP Eisert's line is 2-1/5.93 w/32 K in 27 IP; he had a 2024 cup of coffee with Toronto and has been with the Sox full-time since. Woods is a 24-year-old upper level lefty with big strikeout numbers and a 3-2-1/4.84 slash w/51 K in 35 IP. Spoiler alert: Gonzalez seems to be the bigger get in this deal, so the bullpen is the same 'ol. To open 40-man space, Cam Sanders was DFA'ed and Konnor Griffin was transferred to the 60-day IL.
• Yah, when it rains...Konnor Griffin tore a tendon in his hand during Sunday's game. Faced with the choice of playing through it & risking further damage or taking several weeks to rehab the injury non-surgically while on the IL, they opted for the IL, so he'll be splinted for six weeks, with an expected return time of 8-10 weeks. See ya in September... IF Jack Brannigan was called up; by week's end, he was optioned back to Indy, bumped out of a spot when Jacob Gonzalez joined the team.

Konnor - ya see him , then ya don't - he's back on the IL image/Sportsnet.Pgh

• And Part 2 - C/1B Endy Rodríguez (left glute strain) was placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to July 6, and C/1B Rafael Flores Jr. was brought back. Endy tried to play through it, but the injury proved too stubborn.
• RHPs Thomas Harrington and Antwone Kelly were added to the active roster and Cam Sanders & Hunter Stratton were optioned to Indy. Neither callup has exactly set AAA on fire - Kelly's line is 4-5/4.85 with seven K per game; Harrington's is 1-5-1/6.52; he averages a fan per frame. Kelly came up, got in one game and was optioned back; Harrington didn't even get an outing before he was returned to Indy.
• OF Joshua Palacios has signed a minor league contract with the Pirates (he played here 2023-24 & hit .236) and was assigned to Indy. He was with the White Sox last year (.203) and was playing indie ball this year.
• It took a couple of days longer than it should have, but Braxton Ashcraft got the call to his first All-Star game on Tuesday. It didn't up Pirates rep count, though - he replaced Paul Skenes, who started on Sunday and so is on ice for the Tuesday ASG. And when a rain delay pushed his start to Saturdya, he was ruled ineligible for the ASG and replaced. He and Skenes plan to attend the game even if they can't pitch.
• Brandon Lowe (21 HRs/64 RBI) and Ryan O'Hearn (16 HRs/61 RBI) are the third pair of Pirates to have at least 15 homers and 60 RBI prior to the All-Star break (from 1933), joining Willie Stargell (30 HRs/75 RBI) & Al Oliver (15 HRs/61 RBI) in 1973 along with Bobby Bonilla (19 HRs/61 RBI) & Barry Bonds (15 HRs/62 RBI) in 1990.

Brandon Lowe - 2026 Topps 75th Anniversary

• The last time the Pirates had the first nine batters of an inning reach base, as they did Sunday, was in 1986 v the Expos.
• LHP Connor Wietgrefe (Eastern League/Altoona in June) was named the EL's Pitcher of the Month. Wietgrefe went 3-0/0.39 in four appearances (three starts), giving up 10 hits, five walks and fanning 29 in 23 IP. He was, not too surprisingly, promoted to Indy at the end of June.
• 3B Murf Gray (Greensboro/South Atlantic League) took home the Sally League's Player of the Month award, batting .333/7/15. He also entered MLB Pipeline's Top 10 3B Prospects list.
• 3B Enmanuel Valdez (International League/Indy) and SS/2B Sammy Stafura (South Florida League/Greensboro) have been named their league's Player of the Week. Valdez hit .400 with three HRs/11 RBI while Stafura posted a line of .542/4/11. Sammy also made MLB's All-Prospect Team of the Week as the shortstop.
• In the Futures game, RHP Seth Hernandez tossed a 1-2-3 inning with two punchouts and OF Edward Florentino was HBP (in the butt, so he'll be fine), stole second and scored.

Game Stuff:

• Paul Skenes had a rugged start and was down 1-0 in the first v Atlanta at PNC, but Ryan O'Hearn provided a pick-me-up with a grannie in the Bucco half, then added a pair of three-run bombs to plate a club single-game record of 10 RBIs as the Pirates romped 12-4.
• Jared Jones went six perfect innings with eight K; Donnie pulled him after 77 pitches with the score 0-0. Two innings later, recent Bucco Joey Bart sent a Dennis Santana serving over the fence to make it 2-0, with the final count 3-0 Atlanta; gotta score to win. Too bad we don't get to face our own bullpen.
• If worryin' about pitchers is your bag, Mitch Keller is your boy. He lasted three innings giving up three runs, and his relief, Cam Sanders, walked three guys in 2/3 of an inning & let in three more scores. But homers by Bryan Reynolds, Esmerlyn Valdez and Jake Mangum cut it to a 6-5 lead in the ninth. Then Kelly inexplicably brought in Dennis Santana, who was beat up yesterday, and he got beat up again today, giving up a grannie, as the Pirates dropped a 10-5 decision & the set to Atlanta.

Esmerlyn Valdez - 2026 HR trot photo/Pirates

• The first Brewer game was rained out and rescheduled as a split twin bill for Saturday. In the opener, Braxton Ashcraft was human, giving up five runs in five frames, but Esmerlyn Valdez refused to say die and homered twice with a slam (a seventh-inning game winner) and six RBI with Carmen Mlodzinski & Gregory Sota dodging stingers to take the day opener 7-6. Valdez put the Bucs up 2-0 in the nightcap with his third! homer of the day. Milwaukee tied it in the fifth while chasing Bubba Chandler, and the Pirates went back up 3-2 in the sixth when B-Rey chased Brandon Lowe home. And that's how it ended; five guys came out of the pen and put it away. It was a good day for the cavalry.
• Paul Skenes didn't face Jacob Misiorowski as originally booked; the Brewers held Miz back due to fatigue and Robert Gasser got the call. So much for the anticipated top gun duel - Paul went into the sixth (two runs, three hits, seven K) and left the game with a 14-2 lead. All nine starters had hits by the fourth inning when they erupted for 10 runs and the game went on cruise control after that, with the Bucs sweeping the set 14-5 after the twinbill brooming of the Brew Crew the day before. The bottom four in the order (Nick Gonzales, Marcell Ozuna, Jared Triolo & Hank Davis) went 9-for-19 with two homers (Davis & Ozuna), two doubles, seven runs scored and nine runs chased home.

Draft Stuff: 

• The Player Draft was held on Saturday (1st - 4th rounds) & Sunday (5th - 20th rounds). The Pirates top picks (bios/Kevin Gorman of the Trib) were at No. 5 (first round) & No. 34 (Competitive Balance-A round/traded to White Sox for Jacob Gonzalez) selections. In the first round, Pittsburgh selected LF (the Bucs will likely start him in center) Derek Curiel, 21, a lefty stick from LSU who posted a two-year line of .349/13/46/.431 OBP in 597 PAs. Other Top 100 picks: Aiden Ruiz, SS, Stony Brook HS (R2 - #44); Chris Rembert, 2B, Auburn (R2 - #51) and Jason DeCaro, RHP, N. Carolina (R3 - #80). On Sunday, the Pirates had 16 picks; they chose 13 pitchers to go with two OF's and a 3B. MLB Pirates Draft Tracker

MLB Stuff:

• Rowdy Tellez cleared waivers and re-signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta, where he'll join Cutch in AAA Gwinnett.
• RHP Bryse Wilson, recently set free by the Cubs, returned to one of his past playgrounds by signing with the Milwaukee Brewers.
• IF Pablo Reyes, released by San Diego last week, signed a minor league deal with the LA Angels.
• RHP Vince Velasquez, who tossed here in 2023 before elbow surgery in '24, signed a minor league deal with KC.
• RHP Mike Burrows (4-9/5.99) was optioned to AAA by the Astros; he was part of the multi-team deal that landed Brandon Lowe.

7/12 Through 1984: Cobra Debut, Lucky 13, Soap Game, Happy Jack Tops Matty, Game Days, Pud Joins Allies, ASGs, HBD Gorzo, Phil, Big Country, Cobra, Johnny & Lee

1885 – The Buffalo Bisons sold RHP Pud Galvin to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys for $5,000. Galvin won 138 games pitching for the Alleghenys, Burghers and Pirates. From the HOF (he was inducted in 1965): “Jim ‘Pud’ Galvin was baseball's first 300-game winner. Short and stocky, The Little Steam Engine was a tireless worker with a deceptive pick-off move. Galvin pitched for 14 Major League seasons, earning 20 or more victories 10 times and twice topping the 40-win mark. When he retired in 1892, he was the all-time Major League leader in wins, innings pitched, games started, games completed and shutouts. He was nicknamed Pud because his pitching process supposedly turned opposing batters into pudding.” Galvin also went by "Gentleman Jeems” for his demeanor, and "The Little Steam Engine" because of his small but powerful build.

1894 - Lee Meadows was born in Oxford, NC. The righty spent the last seven campaigns (1923-29) of his 15-year career with the Pirates, going 88-52/3.50. He was hardly used his last two seasons (he made five appearances), but was a workhorse in his first five years, leading the NL with 20 wins in 1926 and winning 19 games twice. Meadows was part of two World Series teams, the winning 1925 club and the losing 1927 squad. He wore glasses and was dubbed “Specs.”

1902 - Jack Chesbro pitched a five-hit shutout (he led the league with eight whitewashes) and struck out 11 Giants to beat Christy Mathewson 4-0 at Exposition Park despite the Buccos losing five straight runners via basepath errors. With two outs in the third, Ginger Beaumont was on second base and was tossed out trying to advance to third on a grounder to short. In the fourth, Honus Wagner led off with a triple, but was thrown out at the plate on Kitty Bransfield's grounder to first; Bransfield was then caught trying to steal second. Claude Ritchey drew a walk and got picked off first. Jimmy Burke led off the fifth with a double and tried to stretch it into a triple, but was tagged out by Matty, covering the bag. Happy Jack’s performance made it all moot.

1919 - OF Johnny Wyrostek was born in Fairmont City, Illinois. The Bucs bought him from the St. Louis Cardinals and he spent 1942-43 as a bench player in Pittsburgh, hitting just .140 in 60 games. After a two-year break for the service, he returned to baseball and played another nine campaigns for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds, ending his career with a solid .271 BA and two All-Star outings. After he retired, he returned home to become a deputy sheriff, tradesman, and the long-time mayor of his birthplace, Fairmont City.

Larry French - 1933 Conlon/TSN

1933 - The Pirates blew an 8-0 lead in the ninth inning as the Boston Braves rallied to tie the score at Forbes Field, leading to Larry French’s “Soap Game.” Per Bob Fulton’s 1999 Pittsburgh Pirates History: “French figured he could duck out of the bullpen and hit the showers early. Little did he know as he was getting clean that the Braves had rallied to make the score 8-7. When the call came for French to pitch, he didn't even have time to rinse off. He put on his uniform and hustled out to the mound with soap trickling down his neck.” French tossed 1-2/3 IP perfectly and earned the win as the Bucs came back to take a 9-8 decision.  Arky Vaughan helped, too - he doubled, banged two triples and drove in five runs.

1935 - Dave Ricketts was born in Pottstown. He was a two-way star at Duquesne University, playing on a pair of Dukes NIT basketball teams. He spent most of his MLB career as a back-up catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, joining the Bucs in 1970. Ricketts retired after that season and coached in Pittsburgh from 1971-74 as part of the World Series team.

1938 - The Pirates won their 13th straight game over the Chicago Cubs 14-6 at Wrigley Field, led by C Al Todd, who homered and drove home five runs. With their 40th victory in their last 54 games, the Bucs were in the NL lead for the first time that season. Ed Brandt got the win and Rip Sewell notched a save. That club was in first place by two games on September 25th, then fell apart, losing six of their last seven games to finish two games off the pace.

1949 - Pittsburgh sent OF Ralph Kiner to Ebbets Field for the All-Star Game, won 11-7 by the Junior Circuit. Ralph went 1-for-5 and his one swat left the park for a two-run homer, but a Kiner fly out generated bigger news - Ted Williams fractured his elbow after crashing into the fence while grabbing one of Ralph’s screamers. Although he finished the game, the Splendid Splinter was operated on the next day and was out of action until mid-September. This All-Star Game was the first to have black ballplayers in the lineup, with Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson starting at 2B while teammates C Roy Campanella and P Don Newcombe also appeared for the Nationals. Indians' OF’er Larry Doby played four innings for the AL’ers.

Frank Thomas - 1955 Bowman

1955 - OF Frank Thomas was the only Pirates player in the All-Star Game at Milwaukee’s County Stadium. He went 0-for-1 in a 6-5 National League overtime win. It was one of the Senior Circuit’s great rallies as they overcame a 5-0 deficit in the seventh and eighth innings, winning in the 12th frame on the Cards' (and Donora’s) Stan “The Man” Musial’s first-pitch walk-off homer.

1956 - The Bucs swept a doubleheader at Wrigley Field by 2-1 and 5-4 counts. In the opener, Ronnie Kline kept the Cubbies under control by spinning a six-hitter and was backed by Bill Virdon’s three hits. The nitecap hero was Dale Long, who chased home four runs against Chicago with a bases-loaded triple and a game-winning solo shot in the eighth, the slugger’s first long ball in over a month. It gave ElRoy Face a well-deserved win after he tossed seven innings of scoreless, five-hit ball in relief of Cholly Naranjo, who was making his first major league start.

1959 - Roberto Clemente kept ElRoy Face’s 19-game win streak alive when he cracked a bases-loaded single off the right field wall in the 10th inning to rally the Bucs to a 6-5 win over the Cards at Forbes Field. Face had blown the save in the ninth frame, but settled down and was on the hill for the win. Dick Groat and Danny Kravitz carried the Pittsburgh attack with three hits.

1966 - The Nationals edged the Americans 2-1 in the All-Star game at Busch Stadium on soon-to-be Bucco Maury Will’s 10th-inning rap. OF Roberto Clemente batted 2-for-4 with a double, OF Willie Stargell went 0-for-1 and P Bob Veale sat. The game not only went into extras, but hello, St. Looie summer - it was a muggy 105 degree day with the field reaching a toasty 113 degrees.

Dave Parker - 1973 Pirates Photo Card

1973 - Dave Parker, 22, made his Bucco debut in right field, replacing Gene Clines, who had suffered torn ankle ligaments, on the roster. in a 4-0 Pirates win against the Padres at San Diego Stadium. The Cobra went 0-for-4, but Willie Stargell homered and had three RBI while Bob Robertson added a solo shot. Luke Walker went the distance for the win, spinning a five hitter.

1980 - OF/1B Brad “Big Country” (6-5, 280 lbs) Eldred was born in Fort Lauderdale. The big banger (he hit 30+ dingers four times in the minors) was drafted by the Pirates in the sixth round of the 2002 draft. He made his MLB debut in 2005, batting just .221 but with 12 homers in 190 at-bats. That was offset by 77 whiffs, and he made it back to Pirates for just a brief 2007 showing, hitting .140 in 47 PAs after missing most of 2006 due to injury. The K-rate haunted him and he got two cups-of-coffee with Colorado in 2010 and Detroit in 2012 before continuing his career in Japan where he played for Hiroshima through 2018. 

1981 - LHP Phil Dumatrait was born in Bakersfield, California. The Pirates claimed him from the Cincinnati Reds, and he worked the bump from 2008-09 here, making 11 appearances and six starts with a line of 3-6/5.50. He became a starter when Matt Morris was released, but underwent bursitis surgery (his second procedure after TJ surgery in 2004) and his shoulder never fully recovered. Phil retired in 2012 after a couple of come-back tries fell short.

1982 - LHP Tom Gorzelanny was born in Evergreen Park, Illinois. The lefty was a second round draft pick of the Pirates in 2003, and spent the first 4-1/2 years (2005-09) of his career in Pittsburgh with a 25-26/4.79 line before being traded to the Cubs. Gorzo has tossed for six teams in his career, last with the Indians in 2016. He’s now a D-Back minor league pitching coach.