5/23 Through 1964: Duelin', Streaks Snapped, Swipe City, Skinner-Lynch, Mac Signed, Specs Deal, Sid Sold, Game Days; HBD Nelson, Clyde, Hugh, Bill & Deacon

• 1872 - RHP Charles “Deacon” Phillippe was born in Rural Retreat, Virginia. The Deacon spent 12 years with Pittsburgh (1900-11), posting a line of 189-109/2.59. He went 3-2 in the 1903 World Series with a 3.07 ERA and closed out two games in the 1909 World Series, pitching six scoreless innings. Phillippe was perhaps the top control pitcher of the modern era, won 20 games six times, and was voted by Buc fans as the greatest right-handed pitcher in Pirates history. He came about his nickname honestly, being a devout Lutheran and clean living guy in an era noted for its rowdy ballplayers. He also went by “The Great Phillippi” due to his pitching prowess. Trivia: The outlaw league Pittsburg Filipinos of 1912 took their name from their manager - Deacon Phillippe. 
• 1879 - OF Bill Miller was born in Bad Schwalbach, Germany. 23-year-old Miller was called up in 1902 to help bolster a thin roster on the recommendation of Tommy Leach. He played right field on August 23rd against the Brooklyn Superbas at Exposition Park. He went 1-for-5 with two RBI, and played a fair right field, although he misplayed the first ball hit to him (“He ran in for it when he should have hiked in the other direction...Being a newcomer, his mistake gave the crowd a bad impression from the start” per the Pittsburgh Press). It was his only MLB game. 
• 1885 - 1B Hugh Bradley was born in Grafton, Massachusetts. After three years with Boston (he was the first player to homer at Fenway Park), he spent a season in the minors and then signed with the Pittsburgh Rebels. He was the starting 1B in 1914, hitting .307, but was bumped to reserve duty when Ed Konetchy joined the team the next season. Spending time in the pasture and not happy about it, he was released and moved on to the Brooklyn Tip-Tops. They likewise let him go and he became a member of a third Federal League club, the Newark Peppers. Brad spent from 1916-23 in the minors and umpired before getting on with his life. Fun factoid: for a while, Bradley spent the off seasons with a vaudeville act of Boston players called the “Red Sox Quartette,” a barbershop quartet. 

Doggie Miller - 1908 Pgh Commercial Gazette

• 1890 - During a 17-10 New York victory at the Polo Grounds, the Giants swiped a record 17 sacks against the battery of rookie LHP Fred “Crazy” Schmit and veteran C George “Doggie” Miller. The Alleghenys added three steals of their own to set a game record of 20. Crazy was thought nuts by the other players because he was the first pitcher to keep a book on hitters, warmed up at 75' rather than 60’ by tossing a water-soaked ball to make it heavier and used other quirky personal tricks of the trade to get ready for a game. He also answered to “Germany” for more obvious reasons. The 1890 Alleghenys, it should be noted, were on the short list of baseball’s worst teams ever, winning just 23 games and allowing 447 stolen bases, nearly four per game - and the catchers had a 31% toss-out rate! 
• 1892 - The Pirates ended the Chicago Colts 13-game winning streak with a 5-4 win at Southside Stadium in front of 2,000 Windy City fans. The Pirates overcame an early 4-0 deficit, behind extra base knocks by Jake Beckley, Doggie Miller, Mike Smith and Lou Bierbauer, generating just enough offense to push Mark Baldwin to victory. As recapped by the Pittsburgh Press: “The Pittsburgs defeated the Chicagos in a very close and exciting game. The Pittsburgers were outbatted, but their hits were more timely and counted more than those made by the Colts.” Part of the excitement was the fielding; each side surrendered just one earned run, with the clubs combining to boot five balls. 
• 1923 - Pittsburgh sent 2B Cotton Tierney and RHP Whitey Glazner to the Philadelphia Phillies for 2B Johnny Rawlings and RHP Lee “Specs” Meadows. The bespectacled Meadows posted a line of 87-51-1/3.50 through 1927 as Glazner's rotation replacement, winning 20 games once and 19 twice while Rawlings lasted four Bucco seasons, batting .272. Whitey was out of baseball after slashing 14-30-1/5.29 for Philly through 1924 and Cotton was finished following the 1925 campaign after playing for the Phils, Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers. 

Lee Meadows - 1924 photo/Charles Conlin

• 1924 - Coach Clyde King was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina. King never played for the Bucs, but after hangin’ up the mitt, he managed the Hollywood Stars in 1957 and the Columbus Jets in 1958, both Pirate farm clubs. After coaching outside the organization, he returned as a member of Harry Walker’s staff from 1965 to 1967. He continued to coach in the minors and the MLB as manager of the SF Giants, Atlanta Braves and NY Yankees, also serving as the Gotham GM. 
• 1943 - The Pirates only had one hit during the match but it was enough. Vince DiMaggio’s fourth-inning double scored Elbie Fletcher, who had walked, for a 1-0 win at Forbes Field against the Chicago Cubs. Bob Klinger went the distance for Pittsburgh, tossing a four-hitter to hand Dick Barrett a tough loss. The Pirates wouldn’t win another game with just one hit again until 2017 when they defeated the Dodgers 1-0 at PNC Park. In that contest, Josh Harrison’s walk-off homer in the 10th broke up both the no-no and shut-out bids of LA pitcher Rich Hill. 
• 1950 - After traveling a twisted trail (he was signed out of high school by the Tigers, granted free agency by the league with a handful of other Detroit farmhands due to some contractual hanky-panky, then signed with the Pirates for $20,000 to become their first “bonus baby” to reach Forbes Field), Bill MacDonald made his first major league start. It was a good one as he shut out the Philadelphia Phillies 6-0, twirling a complete game three-hitter against the future National League champs. “Whalin’ Willie” (his bread-and-butter was the fastball) went 8-10-1/4.29 for the last-place Bucs, making 32 outings (twenty starts) with two shutouts and six complete games to his credit. His major drawback was a wild streak; he averaged over five walks per nine. MacDonald then missed the 1951–52 seasons when he was in the service during the Korean War years, and when he returned in 1953, he had lost it. Bill pitched poorly in four more games (12.27 ERA), was sent to the Pacific Coast League and retired after the 1954 campaign. 
• 1952 - It took 13 frames, but Johnny Merson’s double scored Gus Bell with a walkoff game winner to end an eight-game losing streak as the Bucs topped the Cubs at Forbes Field, 6-5. The Pirates scored four times in the opening inning, but Bob Friend couldn’t hold on to the early lead. Ted Wilks spun the last 5-2/3 frames without yielding a run to end the drought.

Sid Gordon - 1955 Bowman

• 1955 - 3B Sid Gordon was sold to the New York Giants for “considerably over the $10,000 waiver price,” thought to be in the $25K range. Despite hitting .306 in 1954, the 36-year-old Gordon was a seldom-used backup third baseman (he lost his job to Gene Freese) and pinch hitter, providing not a lot of value as their highest-paid player at $27,500. The Pittsburgh Press said he was “...understandably happy and excited when called into Branch Rickey’s office to get the glad news...” The NY gig didn’t do much to extend his career; he got into 66 games and hit .243, ending his career. 
• 1958 - IF Nelson Norman was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. In six MLB years, Nelson got into 198 games; three were for Pittsburgh in 1982 when he went 0-for-3. But he had some Bucco history. The Pirates originally signed him in 1975 as a 16-year-old. He went to Texas a couple of years later as part of the Bert Blyleven deal. The Rangers acquired Mario Mendoza in 1981, bumping Nelson out of a job, and after the season, the Rangers traded Norman back to the Pirates for Víctor Cruz. He played mostly for Portland (AAA), Lynn (AA) and Hawaii (AAA) through 1984, finishing out his career in the minors for Baltimore and Montreal in ‘87. He’s coached for several organizations since retiring and is now a scout/head of Dominican Operations for the O’s. 
• 1960 - Sandy Koufax was doing Sandy Koufax things all night at Forbes Field, topping the Bucs, 1-0, at Forbes Field. The southpaw gave up one hit, a single to his mound opponent Bennie Daniels, and offset a wild streak of six walks by fanning 10 while going the distance. The second frame was the Pirates' best chance when they loaded the bases with two outs, but couldn’t cash in; only one other Bucco runner reached second. Daniels was pretty sharp himself, giving up four hits and whiffing six in seven frames before Roy Face finished up. It was scoreless into the seventh, when Norm Larkin led off with a two-bagger and scored two outs later on Tommy Davis’ double. It was a frustrating loss, but proved to be a minor bump on the road to the World Series for the Bucs. 
• 1963 - The Bucs sent OF Bob Skinner to the Reds for Jerry Lynch, who started his career in Pittsburgh in 1954. Lynch spent his last four years as a Pirate and set the MLB pinch hit home run record of 18 (since surpassed by Matt Stairs) while in a Bucco uniform. Skinner spent nine seasons in Pittsburgh, posting a .280 BA, and spent five more years in the show.

5/23 From 1965: Bats Boom, Vogie Beaned, Dewey Dongs, K-andy, Sweep, Game Days, Pete Axed; HBD Tyler, Vic & Gonzo

• 1965 - The Pirates came to Milwaukee in the throes of an eight game losing streak and left with a three-game sweep of the Braves at County Stadium, taking a 10-1 victory in the series finale, with the match iced by an Andre Rodgers grand slam. Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski each had three hits to back Bob Veale’s complete game, four-hit performance. The combo of the sad sack Pirates and some chilly weather didn’t do much to line the owners’ pockets - the set drew just 7,394 fans for the three contests, with the biggest crowd being 2,679 for the Friday night series opener. Of course, the fact that the Braves announced their move to Atlanta just a week or two prior to the series probably didn’t help spin the turnstiles, either. After the relocation, Milwaukee went without MLB ball until 1970 when the Brewers (nee Seattle Pilots) arrived. 
• 1978 - Reliever Mike Gonzalez was born in Corpus Christi. He was drafted by the Pirates and pitched his first four seasons (2003-06; 7-9-28/2.37) in Pittsburgh. Gonzo became a rare LH closer in 2006, earning 24 saves before being sent to Atlanta in the off season as part of the Adam LaRoche deal. He worked for six teams and last pitched in the majors in 2013 for the Brewers. 
• 1984 - Bucco lefty John Candelaria struck out 12 batters in eight innings of work as the Pirates beat Cincinnati at TRS, 7-2. It was Candy Man’s fourth win of the year. The Pirates took the lead with six runs in the fifth inning and never looked back. Catcher Tony Pena went 3-for-4 with a triple, but lineup balance was the game story - eight Bucs had hits, seven scored, and six drove in runs.
• 1985 - The Pirates fired GM Pete Peterson and replaced him with former GM Joe Brown; ironically, Peterson had taken Brown’s spot back in 1976. Pittsburgh was in last place in the division and last in attendance, too, prompting owner John Galbraith to pull the trigger. Joe steered the club until November, when Syd Thrift was named GM and Jim Leyland replaced Chuck Tanner. Pete eventually caught on with the Yankees, then joined the Padres and Blue Jays before retiring in 1995. 
• 1988 - RHP Vic Black was born in Amarillo, Texas. The Bucs first round pick in 2009 (49th overall) from Dallas Baptist University, he was called to the show briefly for Pittsburgh in 2013 before being traded to the Mets as part of the Marlon Byrd deal. He looked like a steal for New York with a two-year line of 5-3-1/2.63 in 56 outings, but injuries to his neck and shoulder derailed his career. 2014 was his last MLB season; he retired in 2018 after serving minor/indie league stints, returning as a minor league pitching mechanics coordinator for the Pirates in 2020. 

John Smiley - 1989 Classic

• 1989 - John Smiley struck out nine batters and tossed a complete game in a 5-2 victory over Zane Smith and the Braves in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Glenn Wilson had two hits, including a two-run homer, to lead the attack. The win was Smiley’s fifth in a row en route to winning 12 games for the Bucs that year. The 24-year-old’s 1989 campaign would see him set personal full-time bests in ERA (2.81) and WHIP (1.086) on the road to a 20-win season in 1991. 
• 1993 - RHP Tyler Beede was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. A first round pick of the Giants in 2014 (14th overall) from Vanderbilt, the highly regarded prospect never lived up to his hype at the Bay (5-11/5.39) and was converted from starter to the pen after 2020 TJ surgery. “Beedah” was DFA’ed in 2022 after serious control issues and claimed by the Pirates as a change of scenery candidate. Pittsburgh used him as a spot starter and out of the pen before DFA’ing him in September. Tyler then tossed in Japan and Cleveland; he’s now in the Cubs system. 
• 1998 - Jason Kendall had a big if somewhat painful day at Pro Players Stadium against Florida in Pittsburgh’s 10-4 victory. After his first inning single knocked in a run, he was rewarded with a pair of HBPs. Kendall responded to the bruise cruise with a double & single to plate two more runs and touched the dish once with his following pair of swings, going 3-for-3 with three RBI. Turner Ward also drove in three runs and Tony Womack scored three times. Jon Lieber went seven frames to earn the win and Ricardo Rincon was credited with the save. 
• 1999 - Jason Schmidt left after two innings, with the Florida Marlins up 5-0 (he missed the next start with “dead arm”). But the Bucs came all the way back at Pro Player Stadium to win 6-5 by putting on a nickel and dime clinic against the Fish. They plated their runs on a sac fly, a grounder, an single/error followed by a rap, a wild pitch/missed catch, a double play and then scored the winner in the ninth when Mike Benjamin singled off a glove, went to second on a balk, tagged to third and scored on Al Martin’s blooper that barely cleared short. The comeback victory was made possible by a great bullpen effort: Jeff Wallace took home the win and the save went to Mike Williams following Chris Peters and Brad Clontz. 

Jeff Wallace - 1998 Fleer Tradition

• 2010 - Ryan Doumit had himself a day as the Bucs walked off with a 10-inning 3-2 win over Atlanta in front of a Sunday crowd of 23,045 fans at PNC Park. The Pirates left the bases loaded in the seventh (Pittsburgh was 1-for-9 w/RISP), failing to add to a 2-1 lead before former Bucco Eric Hinske homered off Evan Meek to tie the game in the eighth. The match went on quietly until with two outs in the 10th, when Dewey jumped on Takashi Saito’s first pitch and knocked it over the Clemente Wall for the first (and only) walkoff big fly of his career. The blast gave Octavio Dotel the win against the Bravos in a contest started by Zach Duke. Doumit’s three hits led the batting parade while Aki Iwamura and Andrew McCutchen added a pair of knocks apiece to the cause.
• 2016 - In one of PNC Park’s scarier moments, witnessed by 34,529 fans, Pirates pitcher Ryan Vogelsong was hit in the face with an 0-2 fastball by the Rockies (and future Bucco) Jordan Lyles in the second inning and was carted off the field with facial fractures. Ryan was temporarily blinded in one eye, but his vision slowly recovered after surgery, and against the odds he returned to the mound on August 4th and pitched six strong innings. The Bucs, btw, won the match against Colorado by a 6-3 score (Wilfredo Boscan got his first MLB win) and Lyles was introduced to instant karma - he lost the game and then was sent to the minors the next day. 
• 2018 - The Bucs were cruisin’ at GABP behind Chad Kuhl, with a 4-0 lead going into the sixth after Fran Cervelli’s two-run homer and a pair of soft RBI singles. Kuhl Whip worked through the sixth, leaving with a 4-1 lead, but the Reds ganged up on Michael Feliz and Felipe Vazquez in the eighth to knot the score. Pittsburgh didn’t fold; Josh Harrison tripled in the 10th to plate Jordy Mercer, who made a sweet slide-by tap of the dish to beat the rap and regain the lead. Kyle Crick made the finish exciting, putting runners on the corners with nobody away and eventually leaving the sacks loaded, but he finally put it to rest, saving the victory for Steven Brault. Harrison and Corey Dickerson each had four hits to account for eight of the team’s 11 hits during the night. 
• 2019 - Colorado had run away with the first two games of the series at PNC Park and were threatening to sweep, but today the worm turned. The Pirates scored four runs in the first and had an 8-0 lead after four frames with their unlikely early season ace, Jordan Lyles, on the hill. But with two outs in the sixth (he had retired 14 Rox in a row), the wheels came off - the Rocky Mountain gang banged out five hits with a pair of walks against Lyles and Geoff Hartlieb to close the count to 8-6. It made the fans reach for the nitro tabs, but proved to be the Rockies last hurrah as the Pirates swatted three long balls in the seventh (Bryan Reynolds, Josh Bell, Starling Marte) and cruised to a 14-6 win. Lyles got the dub, though his ERA jumped from 1.97 to 2.81. The Pirates collected 15 hits (three each from Colin Moran and Bell) with Gregory Polanco also going deep. It was the biggest offensive output of the season for Pittsburgh and its largest margin of victory.

5/22 Through the 1950s: Jack Joins, What Goes Around..., Josh Jolt, Sweet Steve, First & Last, Expo On Fire, Game Days; HBD Jim, George, Terris, Hooks & Tom

• 1884 - RHP Tom McCarthy was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Tom makes today’s list as one of the Bucs flipped so quickly that hardly anyone knew he was here. He started the year as a Cincinnati Red, had one terrible outing and was sold to the Pirates in May. He pitched twice for the Buccos, once as a starter and once in relief, and reversed his fortune by giving up one unearned run and three hits in six frames. Then in mid-June, he was part of a deal with the Boston Doves for LHP Irv Young, joining his third team in a span of 39 days. Tom tossed pretty well for the Beaneaters into 1909, then was traded to the minor league Hartford club (then an independent club rather than an affiliate) for RHP Chick Evans. That was the end of Tom’s baseball road for all intents and purposes - he had two good minor league seasons, then had to retire due to a balky back. 
• 1894 - 3B Hoke “Hooks” Warner was born in Del Rio, Texas. Hooks played for the Bucs in 1916 as the starting third baseman after being purchased from Dayton in August and returned for cups of coffee in 1917 and 1919 (he spent 1918 in the army). Warner hit .232 over that span, and would play just 14 more MLB games with the Chicago Cubs in 1921. In retirement, he managed a local restaurant. 
• 1900 - The Pirates purchased C Jack “Peach Pie” O’Connor from the Cardinals for $2,000 (St. Louis papers reported $2,500), outbidding several clubs for his services. The 35-year-old was coming off a pair of subpar years at the dish and hit just .239 in 153 games from 1900-02 for the Pirates before jumping ship to join the American League’s New York Highlanders. 
• 1900 - Exposition Park was plagued by a series of fires set in the stands. The Pittsburgh Press wrote that “It is believed the fires were started by persons who formerly held passes but whom the new management refuses to recognize,” referring to small stockholders who were cut out of the action by new owner Barney Dreyfuss and apparently took the loss of their park perks to heart. 

Press snip 5/22/1900

• 1910 - RHP Terris McDuffie was born in Mobile, Alabama. Originally a speedy but poor-hitting outfielder, he later converted to pitching and won over 170 games. He played baseball for 25 years in the Negro, Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Venezuelan and California Winter leagues with some time in the minors. He pitched for the Homestead Grays in 1941, going 12-8/3.12 and starting in the All-Star game. McDuffie was a flashy player; he wore a jacket that had “McDuffie the Great” embroidered across the back and went by the nicknames of Speed, Elmer the Great, Terris the Terrible, Schoolboy and Payaso (a person who likes to clown around, probably the most fitting of all). 
• 1921 - In their initial meeting of the season, the league-leading Pirates defeated the second place New York Giants 8-6 at the Polo Grounds. After trailing for most of the game, the Pirates scored twice in the eighth inning and six times in the ninth. Possum Whitted went 3-for-3 with a homer, George Cutshaw went 4-for-5 with two doubles, Cotton Tierney added three knocks and Max Carey belted a four-bagger while Wilbur Cooper went the distance for the win. It was a 2-0 game in favor of Gotham going into the eighth; the G-Men had no quit in them either and scored once in the eighth and three times in the ninth to keep the match competitive. New York lost that battle but won the war; the Giants took the 1921 National League title by four games from the Bucs. 
• 1925 - Pittsburgh scored five times in the first inning, keyed by Glenn Wright’s three-run homer, and then didn’t score again until the 10th frame, but it was just enough lumber to edge the New York Giants 6-5 at the Polo Grounds. Pie Traynor drilled a liner off pitcher Wayland Dean’s shin that ricocheted into short right for a fluke double and then scored on a two-out knock by George Grantham for the overtime game winner. Vic Aldridge got the win in relief of Lee Meadows while Dean was a hard luck loser, working 9-2/3 innings of one-run relief only to get tagged with the loss (and a bruise). The win was quite a boost for the Bucs - NY had taken four straight NL crowns and were off to a smokin’ start at 23-8, and were already nine games ahead of the Pirates. Pittsburgh tightened their ship after playing .500 ball through late May, winning the pennant easily with 95 victories and then coming back from a 3-1 hole to win the World Series v Washington. 
• 1932 - Mt. Pleasant’s Steve Swetonic, a Pitt grad, had his scoreless innings streak snapped at 26 frames (and a concurrent hitless streak ended at 10 innings) when Pepper Martin hit a two-out, seventh inning solo homer, but still ended up with a three-hit 5-1 win over Bill Hallahan and the St. Louis Cardinals at Sportsman’s Park. Steve would finish with a slash of 11-6/2.86 for the year, but a bum arm short-circuited his career. He would have only one more healthy season left in his tank before missing all of 1934 and retiring in 1935. His career (1929-33) was spent entirely in Pittsburgh, where he posted a line of 37-36-13/3.81. 

George Spriggs - Topps 1967 Rookie Stars

• 1937 - OF George Spriggs was born in Jewell, Maryland. The Bucs signed the speedy Spriggs after he spent two years barnstorming with the Kansas City Monarchs followed by two more years in the service. The burner led the AA Southern and AAA International League in stolen bases from 1964-66, but in 56 games for the Pirates from 1965-67, Spriggs hit just .182 though he was 5-for-5 in stolen bases. He got two more MLB years as a bench guy for the Kansas City Royals. George also logged time in Mexico, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and independent leagues in addition to his 10-year minor league tenure and two-year Kansas City tour of duty. 
• 1946 - Josh Gibson hit a homer that traveled an estimated 490’ over the left center wall at Forbes Field to lead the Homestead Grays to an 11-8 victory over the New York Black Yankees. Gibson hit .379 that season and led the Negro League with 16 homers in 49 games. It was the opener for the defending Negro National League champion Grays and was played in front of 5,000 fans. Homestead center fielder Jerry Benjamin led both teams with four hits. 
• 1946 - Coach Jim Colborn was born in Santa Paula, California. He pitched for a decade in the show - he was the Brewers first 20-game winner and tossed a no-hitter for KC - then went to LA as a pitching coach after his playing days. Colborn followed Jim Tracy to the Pirates in the 2006 offseason. He didn’t endear himself here - Jim got into an infamous shouting match with Jack Wilson on a ball that dropped between three Buccos, didn’t have much luck in developing the Pirates young pitchers, and was let go after the 2007 campaign. He then caught on with the Texas Rangers as a bullpen coach and later as their Pacific Rim coordinator. 
• 1959 - Ah, the days before replay: Dick Schofield dropped a ball into the first row of the right field stands for a ninth-inning, walkoff homer to carry the Bucs to a 4-3 win at Forbes Field against the Reds...or did he? The ball dropped back into the field and Ducky stopped at second before he was waved around by umpire Ed Sudol. The angry Reds claimed a fan tried to grab the ball short of the wall and it clanged off his hands. The call stood, and Press writer Les Biederman noted that “The Pirate bullpen snickered in the clubhouse...(and) intimated that a fan reached below the level of the front railing...” Oooops. The Pirates knew the drill and weren’t the least bit sympathetic; they had lost a game the week before to the Cubs on a similar missed call. Vern Law, who went the distance for the victory, wisely decided no comment was the best comment.

5/22 From 1960: Duelin', B & B, Long Day, 3 For Pops, Ducky-Jose, Game Days, All-Irish(man); RIP Mark, HBD Corey, Rick, Julian & Jose

• 1965 - The Pirates sent IF Dick Schofield to the Giants for IF Jose Pagan. Pagan spent seven years with Pittsburgh, hitting .263 as a jack-of-all-trades and driving in the winning run in the seventh game of the 1971 World Series before coaching for the Bucs. Ducky played until 1971, but the light-hitting utilityman only batted above .221 twice during that span, most notably in 1960 when he swatted .333 replacing the injured SS Dick Groat late in the season. 
• 1966 - RHP Jose Mesa was born in Pueblo Viejo, Dominican Republic. The two-time All-Star and 1995 Reliever of the Year (he had 46 saves for Cleveland with a 1.13 ERA) signed with the Pirates late in his 19-year major league career, looking for a place where he could again compete as a closer. He won the job in Pittsburgh and during the 2004-05 campaigns, Jose picked up 70 more saves to carry him past 300 career saves, although with a 3.93 ERA and 12 blown saves. He played two more seasons as a set-up man for the Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, and Philadelphia Phillies before retiring in 2007. 
• 1968 - With the wind blowing out at Wrigley Field, the Pirates came from four runs down to defeat the Chicago Cubs, 13-6. Willie Stargell hit three home runs and just missed a fourth, drilling a double that bounced off the left field top railing. Pops also smacked a single for 15 total bases and seven RBI on the day. Bill Mazeroski had three hits and scored twice; Jerry May had two knocks and a walk, scoring three times. Tommie Sisk was credited with the win in relief of starter Jim Bunning, but Dave Wickersham did the heavy lifting in Wrigleyville, spinning five innings of three-hit ball and yielding one unearned run, taking the long road to earn a save. 
• 1971 - Willie Stargell was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Streaking Slugger.” The Captain wasn’t all that streaky but solid as a rock: he hit .295 w/48 HR and 125 RBI, and finished second in the National League MVP race to the St. Louis Cardinals’ Joe Torre. 

• 1973 - RHP Julian Tavarez was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Tavárez had been a starter, but suffered a shoulder injury in 2002 as a Marlin that he tried but couldn’t pitch through. The 30-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Pirates the following season. They converted him to the bullpen (where he had started his career) and he put up a career-high 11 saves, going 3-3-11/3.63. The Bucs lost him to free agency the next year when he signed with the Cards. Julian had a 17-year MLB run, playing for 11 teams before his final campaign in 2009. 
• 1976 - In a 16-inning marathon, the Pirates defeated the Cubs at TRS 4-3 in the longest game of the season. With one out in the 16th, an unlikely duo cashed in: Mario Mendoza lofted a sac fly to left field to score Willie Stargell from third base with the winning run. The score had been tied since the fifth inning as starter Bruce Kison along with relievers Dave Guisti and game-winner Bob Moose shut out the Cubs for 10 straight frames. Pops banged out three hits, including a homer, scored twice and drove in a pair. Richie Zisk also went long. 
• 1985 - The Post Gazette reported that there was a “rift” between GM Pete Peterson and manager Chuck Tanner. Both claimed it was just the usual give-and-take, denying that it was a big deal (Chuck said “Pete’s the boss...no two people always agree” and Pete saying “...there will be disagreements...it happens.”) Still, the bickering cost both guys - Pete was dismissed in May and his spot was taken by Joe Brown temporarily, then Syd Thrift in 1986, while Tanner was ushered out after the season, replaced by Jim Leyland. Better to sing from the same hymnal... 
• 1985 - RHP Henricus "Rick" van den Hurk was born in Eindhoven, Netherlands. He was signed as a 17-year-old international FA by the Marlins and spent parts of four seasons with the Fish. Rick moved on to Baltimore for two more campaigns, ending his MLB chapter in 2012 with the Bucs, where in four outings he lasted 2-2/3 innings, giving up four runs. He later was signed by the Japanese League in 2015, where Rick pitched through 2021 for three teams. 

Corey Dickerson - 2018 Pirates image

• 1989 - OF McKenzie Corey Dickerson was born in McComb, Mississippi. Dickerson, who had played five seasons for the Rockies and Rays, came to Pittsburgh in a 2018 deal for RHP Daniel Hudson, minor league 2B Tristan Gray and cash. He was an All-Star in 2017, batting .280 with 27 HR, but had a Jekyll and Hyde campaign, hitting .312 at the halfway post and then slumping to .241 through the dog days. He took over in LF, filling in the hole left by the Andrew McCutchen trade, and started from Opening Day until a shoulder injury sidelined him early in 2019. He was moved to the Phils at the deadline and then signed with the Marlins in 2020. Corey played for Toronto in ‘21, the Cards in ‘22, then the Nats. He retired after the ‘24 season and is now a Tampa Bay coach. 
• 1990 - Trying to punch up his lineup against lefties, Jim Leyland flipped the batting spots of Jeff King and Barry Bonds, leading off with King and batting Bonds fifth. It was kind of a wash for Jeff, who walked and scored, but it paid off for Barry, whose grand slam - his first MLB grannie, and the Bucs first in the Astrodome since Roberto Clemente’s 1969 grand salami - was one of two big blows that led the Bucs to an 8-4 win over the Astros. The other key shot was Jay Bell’s bases loaded triple, one of three knocks by Jay on the day. Winner Neal Heaton started and lasted into the seventh, with Bill Landrum finishing the job. 
• 1997 - The Pirates snoozed their way to a 3-1 deficit v Montreal at Olympic Stadium before getting their wake-up call. It roused them, and how - the Bucs scored eight times over the final three frames to claim a 9-3 win over the Expos. Over that three-inning span, Pittsburgh banged out six hits (two homers, a double and a triple), walked four times and were bopped by pitches twice. Adrian Brown smacked his first MLB dinger and Joe Randa added his third long ball of the campaign to help rally Jon Lieber to the win; Ricardo Rincon posted his fourth save by fanning the last batter. 

Adrian Brown - 1997 Best Premium

• 2013 - Francisco Liriano outdueled the Cubs Jeff Samardzija 1-0 at PNC Park. The only run scored in the first, when with two outs Andrew McCutchen doubled and Garrett Jones singled him home. Liriano gave up two hits, a walk, and K’ed nine in seven innings with Tony Watson and Mark Melancon closing it out. It was only the second time in Pirates history that a pitcher began his career by allowing a run or less in his first three outings, the other being Dave LaPoint in 1988. 
• 2023 - The Pirates rode a couple of firsts to a 6-4 victory over the Texas Rangers at PNC Park. 24-year-old righty Luis Ortiz won his first MLB game, going 7-2/3 innings while giving up two runs on five hits and fanning four. The Pittsburgh attack was carried by Tucupita Marcano, who banged his first big league grand slam in the seventh frame while Carlos Santana & Connor Joe also chipped in RBIs. It took Ortiz seven starts over two seasons to claim win #1. 
• 2024 - Long-time off and on Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame at PNC Park during pre-game ceremonies celebrating Irish Heritage Night on the North Shore. The Whistlin’ Irishman hit .264 in his four seasons as a Pirates infielder, and his record as the field general through four Bucco stints (1957-76) was 1,115-950/.540 in 15 campaigns with a pair of World Series titles and five pennant flags. 
• 2025 - Former Pirates CEO/President Mark Sauer passed away at the age of 78. After a stint in the St. Louis Cardinals front office, he was hired by the Pirates in 1991 to replace Carl Barger. The team was in financial muddy waters by then, operated by the Pittsburgh Associates. He kept the playoff streak alive through 1992, but had to shed salary via losing stars like Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla and Doug Drabek. Mark flipped from fastballs to pucks, leaving the Pirates in 1996, after Kevin McClatchy took over from the PA, to become CEO of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues until 2005. Mark headed up non-profit youth projects in his retirement years in Delray Beach, Florida, until his death.

5/21 Through the 1960s: Top Guns, Kiner & Gustine Swattin', Kitty In Blue, Game Days, Cy-clopped, No-Gro, HBD Steve, Tony, Fitz, Mace, Bunny, Fred & Sure Shot

• 1859 - IF Fred “Sure Shot” Dunlap was born in Philadelphia. The slick fielder was a member of the Alleghenys from 1888-90, hitting .240, and also managed the club to a 61-71 record as a player/manager in 1889. His declining stick - he was still a whiz at defense - led to a contract cut in 1890, causing him to jump to the New York Giants of the outlaw Player’s League. Per Wikipedia, he earned the nickname "Sure Shot" for the strength and accuracy of his throws to first base, and was also sometimes referred to in the 1880s as the "King of Second Basemen." 
• 1867 - SS Fred Clement was born in Philadelphia. Fred was one of those guys the old-time teams used to pick up on the road on an audition/need basis to save on travel costs, and Clement got his shot when the Alleghenys were playing the Phils. He didn’t exactly shine; in five chances at short, he made two plays, booted two balls, threw another grounder away and went 0-for-1 at the dish in five frames with the Allies, and that ended up as the 23-year-old’s sole MLB appearance. Fred went back to his day job as a dentist and played ball for the local Oxford club. 
• 1891 - LHP Charles Bunn “Bunny” Hearn was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Bunny spent one of his six big league seasons in Pittsburgh with the Rebels in 1915, going 6-11/3.38. Hearn joined John McGraw's 1913 world touring team and during its London stop, Hearn demonstrated pitcher’s grips to King George V, leading to a lifetime humblebrag that he taught the King of England how to throw a curve. After his pitching days, he managed in the minors and for the North Carolina Tar Heels for 17 years, where he won eight league titles. 
• 1907 - NL president Harry Pulliam dismissed the protest of Pittsburgh manager Fred Clarke over NY Giant’s C Roger Bresnahan's donning of cricket-style shin guards, with Clarke calling them a danger to runners after he slid into Bresnahan’s pads trying to score on Opening Day. Bresnahan was the first, and at the time only, receiver to add them to the tools of ignorance though they were quickly adopted by the league’s backstoppers. Bresnahan also developed a prototype batter’s helmet. 

Mace Brown - 1936 National Chickle Pastel

• 1909 - RHP Mace Brown was born in North English, Iowa. He tossed seven years (1935-41) for the Pirates and in every role from starter to closer with a line of 55-45-29/3.67. Brown was an All-Star in 1938, when he led the National League in outings with 51, winning 15 games and saving five. Mace scouted for the Boston Red Sox after his playing days from 1947-89, serving one year on the big league staff as pitching coach for Billy Herman in 1965. 
• 1913 - The Pirates beat Brooklyn 5-2 at Ebbett’s Field and set a small-ball MLB record with four sac bunts in the eighth inning (Dodger errors allowed two bunters to reach base). Babe Adams got the win. His curve was on, as noted in the Pittsburgh Press: “Adams was working a big sweeping outdrop that he would swing across the plate time and time again…” One Dodgers batter, Jake Daubert, and the Pirates Dots Miller were both given the boot by ump Bill Klem for griping over strike calls. The Bucco victory also snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Dodgers hurler Pat Ragan. 
• 1917 - Per BR Bullpen: The Giants took over first place with a 4-3 win over the Pirates behind the pitching of Big Jeff Tesreau and the iffy umpiring of Kitty Bransfield. Kitty made an out call in the ninth on a grounder that the Pirates Doug Baird clearly beat after earlier missing G-Man Art Fletcher leaving third base early before scoring on a sacrifice fly. Kitty was a former Bucco and didn’t harbor any grudges but was noticeably raw at calling a game. The Pittsburgh Press wrote that “Kitty is a mighty fine fellow, but at the gentle art of umpiring, he still has considerable to learn.” In fact, Bransfield was teamed by the league with the best-reputed ump of the era, Bill Klem, in order to bring his game up to speed. The contest itself was meaningless in the context of the season as the New York club finished first and the Pirates last, 47 games off the pace. 
• 1924 - C Ed Fitz Gerald was born in Santa Ynez, California. He was in WW2 before baseball, capturing a pair of German soldiers single-handedly before returning home and signing with the Bucs in 1946. Fitz spent six (1948-53) of his 12 big league years in Pittsburgh, mainly as a reserve, hitting .247, with his career moment catching Cliff Chambers' no-hitter on May 6th, 1951. Fitz spent the second half of his career with the Washington Senators. When he left active duty, Ed coached for the Indians, Athletics and Twins, then managed the Fresno Giants of the California League through 1966. 

Ed Fitz Gerald - 1952 Bowman

• 1940 - The Pirates had sold RHP Cy Blanton to the Syracuse Chiefs during the off season for $10,000 a year after he tore ligaments in his elbow. He beefed that he was “sold down the river” and threatened to not report. Cy came around to accept the deal, but after three straight losses, the Chiefs claimed the Pirates sold them a bill of goods (they probably had; his career was more-or-less done after the injury) and tried to return him to Pittsburgh to recoup their money; the Bucs didn’t want him back. Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis finally had to call a hearing to clear up the mess and declared Blanton a free agent OTD. He signed with Philly. 
• 1948 - Frankie Gustine went 5-for-5 to lead Pittsburgh to an 8-4 win over the Dodgers. He scored four runs and drove in a pair at Ebbets Field. 1B Max West helped the cause by blasting a two-out, three-run homer in the fifth and Fritz Ostermueller picked up the win. But the star of the show was the “People’s Cherce,” Dixie Walker - the club threw a day for the ex-Bum (he was sent to Pittsburgh a year earlier) and he was gifted with a car, paid for by the fans. 
• 1950 - The Pirates had a big day at the Polo Grounds, sweeping the NY Giants by 4-2 and 8-6 scores to even its record, though not for long; the Bucs finished the year last with 57 wins and stayed below .500 from May 25th onward. The hero of the day was Ralph Kiner, who homered in the first game and had three hits in the nightcap, including a 475’ triple in the oddly angled ballyard. 
• 1959 - In a meeting held at Pirates owner John Galbreath’s Ohio farm, MLB owners nixed expanding its 16-team league, even though just three of the franchises were located west of the Mississippi River and both Congress & the proposed Continental League were applying pressure for growth. That pressure to grow (and profit) soon proved too strong to resist. In 1961 each league added a pair of teams, and now the MLB roster includes 30 clubs. 

Tony LaCava - photo by Chris Young/Canadian Press

• 1961 - Tony LaCava was born in Pittsburgh. He never made the show as a player, but won a state championship at Central Catholic HS and went on to play at Pitt. The local boy made good not in a uniform but a suit. He signed with the Bucs out of college, and after a couple of years struggling in the low minors, Tony began scouting for the Angels, Braves, Expos and Indians. The Blue Jays hired him as an assistant to the GM in 2002, and he served as GM for a season with Toronto; he’s now their VP of Player Personnel. LaCava, an Oakmont resident, was interviewed and considered to be one of the top candidates for the Bucs GM spot in 2007 that eventually went to Neil Huntington. 
• 1962 - The Bucs beat the Cubs 8-4 at Forbes Field behind the top two guys in the order, Bill Virdon and Dick Groat. The duo went 8-for-9 with a walk, two doubles, scored twice and drove in six runs. Tom “Snake” Sturdivant earned the win with 6-1/3 shutout frames in relief of starter Earl Francis. 
• 1965 - The Bucs broke an eight-game losing streak with a 6-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Forbes Field. Vern Law and Al McBean combined for a five-hitter, backed by Bill Mazeroski’s two hits and three RBI, Donn Clendenon’s three knocks and a big two-run pinch hit by Jerry Lynch. The Pittsburgh Press sports banner read “Brace Yourself - Pirates Win One.” The paper’s beat man Les Biederman noted the team’s relief, writing “In the clubhouse, the players were shaking hands with one another and cutting up for the first time in ten days.” 
• 1968 - OF Steve Pegues was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi. Steve joined the Bucs in 1994 after starting the year with the Cincinnati Reds and stayed through 1995, getting into 89 games and hitting .264. Steve was a toolsy guy but it never translated in the bigs. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the first round of the 1987 draft (21st overall) and spent 11 years in the minors with another campaign in an indie league, but his 94-95 campaigns were his only MLB years.

5/21 From 1970: Cruz'ing, Quick Hooks, Comeback Kids, AVS Hot, Game Days, Strike, Jim, Manny, Barry PHoF, HBD Rodolfo

• 1976 - The Pirates tried to come back from a 5-0 hole but fell 5-4 to the Chicago Cubs at Three Rivers Stadium. The bigger issue was the makeshift supporting cast. The regular crew in blue passed on the game, supporting the striking TRS vendors, so the Bucs lined up some sandlot guys. By all reports, they did an acceptable job. Also out in support were the ground crew and other union workers - “everyone but the players,” per one newspaper - but the club got through it as things returned to normal after a two-day work stoppage. 
• 1979 - The Pirates rolled to their sixth straight victory by a 4-2 tally over Montreal at Olympic Stadium, finally reaching the .500 mark for the season. It was a red letter day for Bert Blyleven, who won his first game in his 10th start of the year; he was 0-2/5.17 going into the contest. Both the Pirates and Bert were headed toward better days. Though Pittsburgh would lose the next three, the team finished the year in first with 98 wins and won the World Series, while Bert kicked his game into gear to post a 12-5/3.60 line by the time the campaign ended. 
• 1989 - The Pirates romped over Houston 17-5 at the Astrodome, even though Neal Heaton, the starting pitcher, almost didn’t make it through the fifth to qualify for the win. Heaton, who was 0-4, mostly due to lack of support, finally got some runs but had an uncharacteristic struggle while on the bump; he left the bases loaded in the fifth, lasting that long only because Jim Leyland wanted to get him a dub. Brian Fisher then came on, giving up a run and earning a four-inning save, the Pirates first since May 3. The 17 runs were the most the Buccos had plated since 1979, with the 18-hit, three-walk, five Astro base onslaught led by Andy Van Slyke, who had a homer, double, four hits, four runs and four RBI. Bobby Bonilla, who went deep, and Rey Quinones each chased home three runs while leadoff man Barry Bonds scored three times. 
• 1991 - Bary Bonds was in the midst of both a power and batting slump, entering the game against St. Louis batting .182 with three homers. But he shook off the funk and began grinding out the hits starting today, when he homered twice (and was HBP twice in return) as the Bucs took a 5-3 win at TRS v the Cards with John Smiley taking the dub. Barry continued on that upward trend, ending the year with a .289 BA, 25 homers and 116 RBI, coming in second in the NL-MVP vote. 

Barry Bonds - 1991 Nationwide

• 1997 - The Bucs ended a four-game tailspin by edging the Cards 3-2 at Busch Stadium, scoring on a balk, a bases-loaded walk and blooper, with a couple of sidebars to the story. In the second inning, with Bucs on the corners, Jason Kendall checked off ball four as Joe Randa headed to second. The Cards threw to second and beat The Joker to the bag, but since it was ball four...or was it? The Redbirds asked for a confirmation by the first base ump, who overruled the plate ump and called Kendall’s wiggle a swing, so instead of the bases loaded with no outs, the Bucs had a runner on third with two away. He did score on a balk, but not before coach Pete Vukovich was ejected and manager Gene Lamont protested the game. In the eighth, Mark Johnson was thrown out at home by two steps, slapping C Mike Difelice in the noggin on the play. The two then tussled, Kevin Young knocked Tony La Russa's glasses off during the ensuing melee, and he joined Johnson and Difelice in the shower. The winning vibes were provided by the Pirates pitchers - Francisco Cordova, Matt Ruebel and Rick Loiselle - who made the three runs stand up against St. Louis. 
• 1999 - IF Rodolfo Castro was born in Los Llanos, Dominican Republic. Despite never playing above High A, Castro was called off the alternate camp team to the big squad in late April, 2021, to replace Anthony Alford after flashing some power during spring training. The Pirates wasted little time getting him in action - he joined the team during a twin bill and started the second game during his brief stay. He was sent to Altoona after a week’s visit. Rudy came back after the Adam Frazier trade and made some record-setting noise when his first five hits in the show all left the yard. He started 2022 with the Curve, but earned a May call-up. Rodolfo played 2B-SS-3B while getting into 71 games and batting .233 with 11 long balls. Castro broke camp with the big team in 2023 and was in the 2B mix, shifting to short when Oneil Cruz went down. He hit .228, fading after a hot April, and was dealt to Philadelphia at the deadline for LHP Bailey Falter. Rudy is now playing in Japan for Hokkaido. 
• 2002 - Brian Giles hit a three-run, opposite-field, inside-the-park homer to highlight a 12-1 Bucco win at Wrigley Field in the lidlifter of a twin bill. It was his first inside-the-park blast and the first by a Pirate in three years. Kevin Young had a homer and two doubles while Chad Hermansen went long and added a two-bagger in support of Jimmy Anderson and Sean Lowe’s three-hitter. The Cubs rallied to take the nightcap, 4-3. Pittsburgh jumped off to a 3-0 first-inning lead but Sammy Sosa’s three-run shot in the sixth off Josh Fogg earned a split for Chicago. 

Humberto Cota - 2005 Topps Total

• 2005 - Before a sellout crowd of 37,504 at PNC Park, Ollie Perez, on his bobblehead night, surrendered a pair of hits and two runs while striking out eight batters in five innings on the bump as the Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies, 8-3. C Humberto Cota led the club at the dish with a pair of hits, including a double, and four RBI while Matt Lawton, Jack Wilson and Tike Redman also went long as 10 of the Bucs 11 hits went for extra bases. The victory was Lloyd McClendon’s 300th as the Pirates’ skipper, the tenth Pittsburgh manager to reach that mark. 
• 2012 - The Comeback Kids were at it again. They fell behind the Mets, 4-0, before the Buc bats woke up. Back-to-back-to-back doubles by Josh Harrison, Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez halved the deficit in the fourth, Mike McKenry’s two-run homer tied it in the seventh, and NY gifted the Pirates the winning run in the eighth when Neil Walker reached third on a botched fly and scored on Clint Barmes sac fly, a shallow swat that gave Walker just enough time to dodge a swipe tag at home. Four relievers put up zeros behind Erik Bedard over the final four frames by spinning two-hit ball with five Ks. Jared Hughes was the winner and Joel Hanrahan earned the save. 
• 2013 - The Cubs scored first and last, but the Bucs scored enough in the middle, keyed by a sixth-inning Travis Snider grand slam, to eke out a 5-4 win. The Pirates put together all five of their runs in the sixth frame, sending 11 batters to the dish. Snider’s grannie was his first ever and the first Buc pinch hit salami at PNC Park since Craig Wilson’s in 2003 that rallied the Pirates from a 3-0 hole to a 5-3 victory. Wandy Rodriguez got the win with a Jason Grilli save. 
• 2014 - Neither Pirates starter Wandy Rodriguez nor the Orioles Chris Tillman made it through the first two innings of the game. It was the first time in either club’s history that both starters were removed so early in a game; the quick hooks were also a first in interleague play. (Rodriguez was DFA’ed the following day after giving up six runs in 1-2/3 innings.) The score was 8-6 Pittsburgh after two frames; the O’s tied the game late, then the Pirates rallied to take a 9-8 decision at PNC Park. The middle of the Buccos order - Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Starling Marte and Ike Davis - went 11-for-17 with six runs scored and chased home six more. Tony Sanchez delivered the game-winning hit and Bryan Morris, the third of five relievers, claimed the victory. 

Bryan Morris - 2014 USA Today photo

• 2021 - The Pirates were turned every which way but loose in a 20-1 drubbing at the hands of the Braves at Truist Park, a game fitting closed by utility man Wilmer Difo’s eight-run outing on the hill in the ninth. Atlanta hit two grand slams among seven dingers, setting a slew of lowlights for Pittsburgh: The Pirates let in 20 runs in a game for the first time since being blanked, 20-0, by the Brewers on April 22nd, 2010, at PNC Park while the seven home runs surrendered were the most since allowing seven on July 8th, 1956, in the opener of a double dip at the New York Giants (the club record is eight from August 30th, 1953, in the lidlifter of a twin bill vs. the Milwaukee Braves). It was also the second time since 1900 that the Pirates allowed two grand slams in the same game. The other time it happened was on July 29th, 1955, at Cincinnati, per the Elias Sports Bureau. 
• 2021 - A mural of Homestead Grays/Pittsburgh Crawfords great Josh Gibson was unveiled on the back wall of Voodoo Brewery on Ninth Avenue in Homestead. The Hall of Fame catcher’s portrait covered 27,000-square feet and was created by artist Jeremy Raymer, who also painted the likeness of Roberto Clemente by the Parkway North approach to PNC Park. 
• 2024 - The Pirates were sleepwalking in their game against the Giants at PNC Park and went into the ninth inning down, 6-2. Then the alarm went off; the Pirates tied it on Oneil Cruz’s two-out double, David Bednar tossed a clean 10th and Nick Gonzales banged the first pitch through the box, scoring ghost runner Michael Taylor from second for Nicky G’s first MLB walkoff hit. Oneil had three hits and set a Statcast record as the first player to hit two balls 120 MPH+ (His 121.5 MPH double that knotted the score was the hardest hit ball so far during the season) and a third 115 MPH+ in the same game. But the rally was a team effort; six Bucs scored and six had RBI. The contest was the first time the Pirates came back to win after being down by four runs or more in the ninth inning since July 12, 2008, against the Cardinals at PNC Park, a game they won 12-11. The Giants returned the favor the next night, digging out of a 5-0 hole to take a 9-5, 10-inning win. During the pre-game show, C Manny Sanguillen, Manager Jim Leyland and OF Barry Bonds were named as the 2024 inductees into the Pirates Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony was on Saturday, August 24, at PNC Park before the Pirates took on the Reds.  

5/20 Through the 1960s: Dale X 2, 8-Run Frame, Paul Doubles Up, Bad Choice, Game Days, No Curt; HBD George, Moon & Horace

• 1856 - Horace Phillips was born in Salem, Ohio. He was the manager of the Alleghenys from 1884-89, and led them to their first winning season in 1885. His best finish was second the next year, when his team went 80-57. He shepherded the club from the American Association into the NL in 1887. Phillips was yellow rag fodder during the era for some financial peccadilloes, and it took its toll. After he quit managing, Phillips spent the rest of his years in various insane asylums. 
• 1891 - 1B Joe “Moon” Harris was born in Coulter (now part of South Versailles Township). Harris was a war hero, and recovered from serious injuries (in fact, his war record won him reinstatement to the majors after he had been suspended for jumping to an indie team) to play MLB ball for five teams over 14 seasons, including the Pirates in 1927-28. He hit .329 in 145 games as a Buc and was part of the 1927 WS club; he was also an opponent of the Corsairs in the 1925 Fall Classic as a member of the Senators A local kid, Joe got his start playing for the McKeesport Tubers, and when he retired, he ran a pool hall/bowling alley in Renton. He went by the nicknames of “Coulter Joe” and “Moon,” one for his birthplace and the other a moniker he picked up in the service. 
• 1896 - Pittsburgh played Brooklyn at Exposition Park in a match that featured some cat-and-mouse tactics that backfired on the Bucs. Pittsburgh fell behind 6-0 after three innings when it began to rain and manager Connie Mack's team set a leisurely pace in the field, hoping that the game would drag on and be called. Pirate pitchers started lobbing the ball over the plate, although Brooklyn caught on quickly enough and tried to make outs to make sure the game reached five innings. It was never called as the weather cleared up, leaving the Pirates down,17-0, after five innings. The Pirates turned serious and scored six runs in the last two innings, but they had dug themselves way too deep a hole to climb out of. They took a thumping, dropping a 25-6 decision. 

George Grantham - 1925 Exhibits

• 1900 - 2B/1B George Grantham was born in Galena, Kansas. He played seven years (1925-31) for the Bucs, hitting .315 with a .410 OBP; he never fell below .300 in any of his Bucco campaigns. Grantham played for the 1925 and 1927 World Series clubs, hitting .364 against the Yankees in the 1927 match-up. His biggest season was 1930, when he hit .324 with 18 homers, 99 RBI and 120 runs. In 1951, Grantham was honored at an Old Timers Day at Forbes Field when the city of Pittsburgh named a North Side street in his honor (it ran across Lacock Street and was lost when I-279 was built).
• 1932 - Paul Waner tied the MLB record with four doubles in five at bats during the Pirates 5-0 win over the Cards at Sportsman’s Park. Other Buccos to later match the four-doubles feat were Adam Frazier (2019) and Kevin Newman (2021). Big Poison set an National League record that season with 62 two-baggers and holds the Pirates franchise record for doubles with 558, seven more than Hans Wagner banged out. Larry French fired a two-hitter for the win. 
• 1947 - Talk about your small ball: The Bucs beat Milwaukee 4-3 at Forbes Field as the teams combined for 22 hits, and every one was a single. Hank Greenberg knocked home the winning run in the 10th, making Tiny Bonham, who took the ball from Ed Bahr in the seventh, the winner. The teams added nine walks, too, and stranded 20 runners between them. 
• 1948 - The Bucs bombed Boston, 13-0, behind a big eight-run fourth frame primed by a Ralph Kiner homer and double, while Elmer Riddle tossed a four-hitter at Braves Stadium. Six Bucs had multiple hits, five had multiple RBI (led by Kiner’s three), and eight different players scored. 

Elmer Riddle - 1948 Eureka Sports Stamps

• 1956 - The Pirates drew their biggest crowd in five years (32‚326) and celebrated with a DH sweep over the first-place Milwaukee Braves by‚ 6-5 and 5-0 counts at Forbes Field. Dale Long homered in each game and drove in seven runs; he was three games into his eight-game homer streak. Bob Friend won the opener over Ray Crone and Ron Kline tossed a six-hitter to best Warren Spahn in the nitecap. 
• 1960 - The Pirates stretched their NL lead to 1-1/2 games by edging the Giants 5-4 on Roberto Clemente's 12th inning single. Clemente had three hits to raise his average to .378. Willie McCovey's homer in the ninth tied it for San Francisco, and a score in the 12th put them ahead. Don Hoak's single and a run-scoring double by Dick Groat set the stage for Arriba’s game winner at Forbes Field. 
• 1960 - The Pirates were still looking for pitching but lost out on free agent LHP Curt Simmons, who had been cut loose by the Phils. He signed with the Cards, who offered him a major league contract, spurning the Bucs offer of a minor league deal. The 12-year vet still had eight seasons left in the tank and went 59-42/3.10 from 1960-64, starting 136 games and tossing 982 IP. 
• 1962 - The seven and eight hitters for Pittsburgh, Don Hoak and Bill Mazeroski, went 4-for-7 with a walk, double, triple and homer, four runs scored and five RBI to carry the Bucs and Vern Law past the Reds 8-2 at Forbes Field. They had been 0-for-8 in the series opener.

5/20 From 1970: Cutch Mark, Neil Night, Matt Moonshot, Play On, Hit Man, Willie Rocket, Teke Debuts, Game Days, Starg Boo'ed, HBD Tony

• 1970 - Pittsburgh beat the Phils 3-2 in 14 innings at Forbes Field. Roberto Clemente's third-inning triple, a 440-footer off the left-centerfield light tower, plated Freddie Patek. In the eighth, John Briggs dropped an Al Oliver fly, allowing Matty Alou to score the tying run. Alou later scored the game winner courtesy of two consecutive wild pitches by Philadelphia’s Dick Selma. After a two-out knock, Matty moved up 90’ on the first wayward toss and then scored when the next took a wild bounce off the cement beneath the backstop screen, giving Alou the time to scoot home from second base. Bob Veale started the marathon, followed by five innings of two-hit relief from Dave Giusti before Bruce Dal Canton finished off the last two frames to get credit for the win. 
• 1974 - 27-year-old RHP Kent Tekulve took his MLB bow, tossing a scoreless, one-hit ninth inning at Jarry Park against Montreal in a 4-2 loss. Teke spent a dozen campaigns (1974-85) with the Bucs, posting a line of 70-61-158/2.68. The Rubber Band Man appeared in 722 games, slinging over 1,000 frames with one All Star selection and finishing in the Top Five of Cy Young voting twice. 
• 1978 - Batting against Wayne Twitchell of the Montreal Expos, Willie Stargell hit the only fair ball ever to reach the upper deck of Olympic Stadium. The red seat where the ball landed, 535’ away, was painted yellow to mark the spot (and though baseball has long left, the seat memorial still remains). The Bucs won 6-0 as Bert Blyleven tossed a three-hitter with eight strikeouts, backed by Pops’ five RBI. 
• 1981 - Mike Easler lived up to his “Hitman” nickname by going 3-for-4 with two homers, a double and four RBI in a 6-1 win over the Atlanta Braves at TRS. Rick Rhoden went six innings to get credit for the win, with Enrique Romo tossing three hitless frames to close it out. 
• 1988 - Former Pirates MVP Willie Stargell was booed at TRS for coaching rival Atlanta, managed by Chuck Tanner, who consoled Pops by telling him “They didn’t deserve to have you.” The Bucs won rather handily despite facing their old legends by a 10-3 score as Junior Ortiz and Mike Diaz teamed up to drive home six runs. Mike Dunne got the win in a game finished by Jim Gott. 

Tony Sanchez - 2014 Bowman

• 1988 - C John Anthony “Tony” Sanchez was born in Miami. He was drafted in the first round (4th pick) of the 2009 draft out of Boston College and first appeared as a Bucco in 2013. Tony hit .259 from 2013-15, serving as a call-up third catcher. He was DFA’ed after the 2015 season and then bounced around, last playing in the Ranger’s system through 2019. 
• 2000 - C Keith Osik made the second mop-up relief appearance of his career, allowing five runs on five hits, two hit batters, a wild pitch and a home run in the ninth inning of a 19-4 loss to the Cards at TRS. Osik became the second position player since 1900 to both give up and hit a home run in the same game when he took Pat Hentgen deep in the eighth inning before serving a long ball to Thomas Howard. The 19 runs were the most the Redbirds had posted since 1977. 
• 2001 - The Pirates did it the hard way at PNC Park - they fell behind the Brewers 7-0 but had two big innings left in them to rally for an 8-7 victory in front of a Sunday crowd of 35,728. The Bucs mounted their first surge in the fifth frame, small-balling three runs across the dish but leaving the bases jammed. Still down by a 7-3 count in the eighth inning, Pittsburgh again did it by hitting the ball where they ain’t, cashing in on five hits (four were singles; Abraham Nunez’s double was the game’s only extra-base hit for the Corsairs out of their 12 raps) and an error to plate five runs and claim the 8-7 comeback win. The real heroes were the five guys called from the pen, who worked 5-1/3 IP of three-hit, one-run ball. Josiah Manzanillo got the win and Mike Williams earned a save. It was the first time since 1998 the Pirates had overcome a seven-run deficit, and it was deja vu all over again: that was also an 8-7 decision over Milwaukee at TRS. 
• 2004 - The Bucs were down 6-0 after an inning and 7-1 after two frames, but Daryle Ward and Jason Bay each bopped a pair of homers with three RBI each to lead the Bucs to a 9-7 comeback win (the biggest since overcoming a seven-run deficit against the Minnesota Twins in June, 2001) over the San Diego Padres at PNC Park. Mike Gonzalez claimed the win and Jose Mesa posted the save. Despite the homers and nine runs scored, the Bucs went 0-for-7 with RISP. 

Daryle Ward - 2005 Fleer Tradition

• 2005 - Matt Lawton hit the longest Pirate homer to date at PNC Park, blasting a 463’ rocket off Colorado’s Jamey Wright in a 9-4 Bucco victory. Lawton and Rob Mackowiak had three RBI each and Tike Redman went 4-for-4. Starter Mark Redman was credited with the win with four relievers filling in behind him to tag team the final eight outs against the Rox. 
• 2011 - Neil Walker hit a homer and double while driving in five runs to lead Pittsburgh to a 10-1 win against Detroit at PNC Park. Jeff Karstens picked up the win, followed by a trio of relievers who carried it home. Jose Tabata and Garrett Jones added two knocks each while Lyle Overbay went long. 
• 2016 - Andrew McCutchen claimed the all-time hits record at PNC Park in front of 23,248 with a first-inning double off the Clemente Wall for career hit number 613 (he’s up to 1,781 raps) at the home grounds, passing Jack Wilson’s mark of 612 knocks. It set up the Bucs first run by sending John Jaso to third, who scored a batter later. Gerrit Cole earned the 2-1 win against the Rockies after allowing one run in seven innings while Mark Melancon picked up his 14th save. 
• 2025 - The Pirates had lost seven of their last 10 games, had a franchise-record streak of 24 games scoring four or fewer runs, sported a 15-33 record and had been drubbed the day before by the Cincy Reds, 7-1. But three of those four items were checked off at PNC Park as the Pirates rode the strong arm of Bailey Falter to a 1-0 victory over the Reds. Bailey gave up four hits over seven frames without a walk while fanning five, working out of a couple of sticky situations during a drizzly Pittsburgh night. Dennis Jackson worked a clean eighth, and after a leadoff rap in the ninth, David Bednar came back with a 4-6-3 DP and fly that Alexander Canario corralled with a nice sliding catch to Raise the Roger. The game’s only score came in the sixth inning when Brian Reynolds singled home Oneill Cruz, who had walked and then swiped second base. Otherwise, it was the same ol’ - the Bucs were 1-of-8 with RISP and only had six hits, two by Spencer Horwitz. They checked off that final box later in the week when they scored five runs against Milwaukee, ending their four-or-less run string at 26 games, tying them for the MLB’s longest weak streak.

5/19 Through 1974: Roberto Rollin', Long Street Starts, Pgh Bopped, Game Days, Shady Fred, Arriba Out; RIP Sam, HBD Ed, Fireball, Newt & Bud

• 1890 - As Pirates Prospects John Dreker noted in “This Date In Pirates History,” this day was a tough one for Pittsburgh baseball fans. Not only did the Alleghenys go down by an 18-2 score, but the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Player’s League lost big too, 16-3. It launched the Alleghenys on an 11-game losing streak; the Burghers lost seven in a row. It was a preview for the Allies, a club that finished at 23-113 in one of the worst campaigns in baseball history, while the Burgers muddled along, finishing sixth with a record of 60-68 in their only season. 
• 1897 - RHP Bernard Aloysius “Bud” Culloton was born in Kingston, New York. His big league time consisted of 13 outings (one start) for the Pirates from 1925-26 with a line of 0-1/3.28 in 24-2/3IP. He spent most of his last campaign at Class A New Haven before calling it a career. 
• 1901 - 2B Newt Allen was born in Austin, Texas. He spent over two decades playing in the Negro Leagues, almost entirely (17 of 20 pro seasons w/three All Star nods) with the Kansas City Monarchs. He spent the 1932 campaign suited up with the Homestead Grays and batted .250. 
• 1913 - RHP Theolic “Fireball” Smith was born in Wabbaseka, Arkansas. He began his career with the Pittsburgh Crawfords from 1936-38, going 4-11 in 16 starts. It was the start of a well-traveled career that lasted until the 1955 season with stops in the Negro, Mexican and Pacific Coast Leagues. Fireball was not only an All-Star pitcher several times over, but hit well enough to be used as an outfielder. His nickname described both his fastball and his quick temper. 

Fireball Smith - 1947 photo via RMY Auctions

• 1915 - Player-manager Fred Clarke filed a patent application for flip down sunglasses that he designed to be used in the outfield that was granted on May 2nd, 1916. In addition to the shades, which the future Hall of Famer believes are "good for motorists, too," he also created and was issued patents for a sliding pad and a mechanical field tarpaulin. 
• 1953 - RHP Sam Leever, who spent his entire 13-year career in Pittsburgh (1898-1910) died in his hometown of Goshen, Ohio. Leever went 194-100/2.43 and won 20+ games four times. Leever wasn’t a hard thrower, but his curve and outstanding control made him one of the era’s better hurlers. Mark Armour of SABR passed on this Leever tale: “In 1924 Leever was startled to discover that he was dead, or believed to be so. As reported in The Sporting News, "he had a great deal of enjoyment out of reading his own obituary, and he appreciates all the nice things that were said about him, but he insists that he is not even half-dead. In fact, Sam says he never felt better in his life, and he had no thought whatever of cashing in." The misinformation was due to the passing of a distant relative with the same name; Sam didn’t shuffle off this mortal coil until three decades later. 
• 1955 - RHP Ed Whitson was born in Johnson City, Tennessee. He never worked a full season during his 1977-79 tenure in Pittsburgh, compiling an 8-9-5/3.73 slash. But he lasted 13 years in the show as a fairly durable starter, even making an All-Star appearance as a SF Giant. He’s also noted for his stormy stretch as a Yankee, highlighted by an altercation with manager Billy Martin. 

Ed Whitson - 1978 Topps

• 1956 - Dale Long's ninth-inning home run against the Cubs’ Jim Davis was the first of eight consecutive games in which he homered, triggering an MLB record-setting power spree. The Bucs won the game, 7-4, at Forbes Field. Long also doubled and had four RBI while Nellie King picked up the victory. 
• 1959 - Roberto Clemente came out of the game with St. Louis at Busch Stadium complaining of elbow pain. He had been achy since camp (he believed it was an old battle scar that was acting up) and aggravated the injury with a hard landing while making a diving catch earlier against LA. The Great One missed several weeks of the campaign, not returning until July 9th, still sore but able to throw again. Clemente played in only 105 games and batted .296 that year, but recovered enough to play winter ball and was at 100% by the spring. 
• 1970 - The Philadelphia Phillies snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Bucs with a 2-0 victory at Forbes Field. Lefty Chris Short fanned 10 and held the Bucs to four hits; two were by Manny Sanguillen, who found second base a sack too far when was thrown out stealing and nailed trying to stretch a long single into a double. Dock Ellis went the distance, giving up seven hits and a couple of small ball, two-out runs: a walk followed by two singles in the opening frame and a steal of home in the second set up by a forceout, steal and wild pitch. 
• 1971 - 36-year-old Roberto Clemente drilled Riverfront Stadium's first-ever inside-the-park home run off Gary Nolan. Clemente added a triple and two singles with three RBI and three runs to lead Pittsburgh to a 6-1 decision over the Reds, helping Bob Moose to the victory.