10/9 Through the 1960s: Deacon Tops NYY Again In '60, Hans Takes Title, Danny's 3rd Time A Charm, RIP Tiger, HBD Felix, Ray, Bob, Cricket, Jack, Arnie & Al

1865 - RHP Paul “Al” Maul was born in Philadelphia. He worked two years for the Alleghenys (1888-89), one season (1890) for the Pittsburgh Burghers, and spent 1891 as a Bucco. He went 2-8/6.24 with the Alleghenys & Pirates and 16-12/3.79 in the Players League. Al spent 10 more campaigns in the big leagues after leaving the Bucs, primarily as a Washington Senator. Maul coached at Lehigh and then spent a decade as a Philadelphia A’s scout. Although he had a cranky arm throughout his career, his cheerful, upbeat demeanor earned him the nickname “Smiling Jack.”  Maul came up as an outfielder and hit .241 over his career.

1892 - LHP Arnie Stone was born in North Creek, New York. His MLB days were in 1923-24 when he toiled for the Pirates, posting a line of 4-3/3.77 in 35 games (two starts). The 31-year-old Stone tossed for two more years in the minors before retiring back home to New York. 

1903 - LHP Jack Tising was born in High Point, Missouri. Jack was a minor-league lifer who got his big league time with the Bucs in April/May of 1936, making 10 outings (six starts) and posting a 1-3/4.21 line as a 32-year-old. The spitballer pitched from 1924-46 in the bushes (he took off 1929-31 before the itch returned) and won 167 games, appearing over 600 times before retiring at 42.

1909 - Detroit jumped on Howie Camnitz early, scoring five times in the second and third innings after Pittsburgh had taken a 2-0 lead in the opening frame, and never looked back in taking a 7-2 win over the Bucs in front of 30,915 attendees at Forbes Field to square the World Series at a game apiece. Wild Bill Donovan limited the Pirates to five hits with seven whiffs. Tommy Leach was the only Pittsburgh batter to solve him, cracking a pair of doubles; Wee Tommy drove in the first run and scored the second. Ty Cobb stole home against reliever Vic Willis in the third inning to plate the fifth Tiger tally.

Tommy Leach - 1909 The Sporting News

1911 - In a 10-inning 6-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs at the West Side Grounds, Honus Wagner collected a pair of hits, finishing the season with a .334 BA to win his eighth NL batting title. No one would wear that many crowns again until Tony Gwynn equaled Hans’ mark in 1997.

1944 - SS Freddie Patek was born in Seguin, Texas. Known as “The Cricket” - he was 5’5” and chirpy - Freddie played his first three seasons (1968-70; .244 BA) with Pittsburgh and then spent nine more years in the American League, mostly with KC. He was a speedy, glove-first shortstop who was blocked in Pittsburgh by Gene Alley. He played on three pennant-winning Royals squads, was chosen as an All-Star three times and led the league with 53 stolen bases in 1977.

1947 - RHP Bob Moose was born in Export. He went to Franklin Regional HS, where he threw three no-hitters and was drafted by the hometown Bucs in 1965 during the 18th round. The righty added one more to his resume in the MLB, tossing a no hitter against the Mets on September 20th, 1969. In a decade with the Pirates - he first twirled in the show at 19 - he slashed 76-71-19/3.50.  He died tragically in an auto accident while heading to a golf party celebrating his birthday in 1976, entering and departing this vale on the same date. Sparky Anderson, skipper of the rival Cincinnati Reds, upon hearing the news, summed it up aptly: “How sad. Only 29. How sad.”

1959 - RHP Ray Krawczyk was born in Sewickley. The local kid was raised in California but the hometown nine reclaimed him by drafting Ray in the first round (4th overall) of the 1981 MLB June Draft (Secondary Phase) from Oral Roberts University. He got a handful of outings with the Bucs from 1984-86, appearing in 24 games and going 0-3/8.65. He got a couple of more shots with California and Milwaukee, but he was out of baseball following the 1989 season. He’s now based out of Orange County and pushes a training device he invented, the Throw Trac.

Ray Krawczyk - 1986 Vintage Postcard

1960 - Vern Law won his second contest against the Yankees, thanks to his own two-out RBI double followed by Bill Virdon's two-run knock in the fifth inning. Roy Face retired the final eight Bronx Bombers for the save at Yankee Stadium. The 3-2 victory stopped the Buccaneer bleeding to even the Series at 2-2 after a pair of New York runaways. The game’s big play was Virdon’s leaping grab of a Bob Cerv drive at the wall (he and Roberto Clemente actually crashed into one another after meeting at the fence) in the seventh inning, saving a pair of runs.

1963 - SS Felix Fermin was born in Mao, Dominican Republic. He played for the Pirates, the team that first signed him, from 1987-88, hitting .265 in 66 games. He was traded to Cleveland and spent the next five years as their starting shortstop, ending his 10-year career with stops at Seattle and then with the Chicago Cubs. His nickname was "El Gato" because of his cat-like reactions on defense. After his playing days were finished, he went on to manage in the Dominican and Mexican Leagues.

1969 - Danny Murtaugh was hired for the third time as Bucco bench boss. He replaced Alex Grammas, who was serving in Larry Shepherd's spot. For 19 of the next 22 years, Grammas coached third base and infield for Sparky Anderson’s staff, with a three-year stint as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. As for the Whistling Irishman, he would manage the Pirates between 1970-71, retire for health reasons, then take the helm for a final time from 1973-76.

1969 - Don Hoak passed away on the same day that Danny Murtaugh was named manager, a job the Tiger thought he deserved. His widow, singer Jill Corey, claimed that Hoak died of a broken heart because the Pirates had passed him over for skipper, although he actually suffered a fatal heart attack chasing after a relative’s stolen car. Hoak was a Tiger to the end.

10/9 From 1970: Wakefield & Drabek Beat Bravos In '91-92, Bucs One Away In '72, Lenny Done, HBD Starling, Derek & Jason

1971 - Pittsburgh scored three times in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of the World Series at Memorial Stadium on just one hit. But the Birds came back on the strength of three homers, the killing blast delivered by Merv Rettenmund that chased home three runs, to take the lidlifter by a 5-3 count. Dave McNally tossed a three-hitter with nine whiffs to earn the win while sore-armed Dock Ellis took the loss in his only appearance of the Series.

1972 - The Pirates overcame an early 2-0 deficit and nipped the Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium 3-2 to take a two-games-to-one lead in the NLCS. Manny Sanguillen homered and had a pair of RBI to back winner Bruce Kison and Dave Giusti, who earned the save.

1974 - The Bucs were eliminated from the NLCS three-games-to-one by LA as Don Sutton tossed an eight-inning one-hitter in a 12-1 thrashing at Dodger Stadium. Steve Garvey had four hits, including two homers, with four runs scored and four RBI to lead the Big Blue onslaught. Charlie Finley’s Oakland A’s then rolled over the Dodgers in five games to claim their third straight MLB crown.

1979 - The first game of the World Series, scheduled for Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, was rained out. Not only did the showers push the Fall Classic Opener back a day, but it compressed the Series schedule by eliminating a travel off-day and squeezing together five consecutive games. Mother Nature's whim gave the Buccos a bit of an advantage; Earl Weaver had planned to basically throw a three-man rotation at the Pirates due to that off day while it didn’t change Chuck Tanner’s planned starting schedule. Another Buc edge; there was no DH this year.

Jason Jaramillo - 2009 Toops Chrome

1982 - C Jason Jaramillo was born in Racine, Wisconsin. JJ came to the Pirates in the 2008 offseason after a deal for C Ronny Paulino with the Phillies, but in three years (2009-11) with Pittsburgh hit .235 and was non-tendered by the Bucs in 2012. He signed a series of minor league deals with four teams in the next two years before retiring after the 2013 season. He’s now part of Forceout, a family company that makes a protective glove to wear under a fielder’s mitt.

1986 - LHP Derek Holland was born in Newark, Ohio. Holland, an 11-year veteran known as “Dutch Oven,” was added as an NRI on a minor-league deal in 2020 and broke camp as part of the rotation. He was a free spirit (and sometimes loose cannon) who brought some experience to a fairly young staff. Holland landed him in the pen after five starts, where he was much more solid (8.20 ERA starting/4.40 relieving with a line of 1-3/6.86 overall). He moved on to Detroit the next year and then into the Toronto system before being released. Dutch Oven started 2023 in the Atlantic League before needing TJ surgery and retiring.

1988 - OF Starling Marte was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He signed as an international free agent in 2007. Starling joined the big club in 2012, the first Pirates Dominican Academy graduate to reach the majors, and won a regular OF spot in 2013. He homered on the first pitch he saw in the show off Houston’s Dallas Keuchel, the first Pirate to do so since Walter Mueller in 1922. Marte won a Gold Glove (he had 33 OF assists in 2015-16) and was named to the All-Star team in 2016. He took a big hit in 2017 when he was suspended for 80 games because of steroid use. He hit .275, but his power numbers took a nosedive. He rebounded in 2018 with a 20 HR/30 SB campaign, joining Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke in that club, followed by a strong 2019 campaign (.295/23/82 in 132 games) before he was traded to Arizona for prospects Brennan Malone and Liover Peguero in the offseason. Marte has since played for the Miami Marlins, the Oakland A’s, the New York Mets and KC Royals, his 2026 club. He was released in mid-August and now is a FA.

1990 - The Pirates fell behind three games-to-one in the NLCS by dropping a 5-3 decision to the Reds before 50,461 fans at TRS as Jose Rijo topped Bob Walk. Paul O’Neill & Chris Sabo homered for Cincinnati while Jay Bell went long for Pittsburgh with Chico Lind adding a pair of hits.

AVS - 1991 Topps Stadium Club

1991 - Doug Drabek and Bob Walk combined on a five-hitter, allowing just one runner to reach second, as the Bucs won the opening game of the NLCS 5-1 against the Atlanta Braves and Tom Glavine at Three Rivers Stadium with 57,347 attending. Andy Van Slyke had two hits, two runs, and two RBI with a homer and double; Bobby Bonilla also had two knocks, scoring and plating a run. But there was a price paid; DD injured a hammy in the sixth inning and didn’t return to action until Game #6. The Buc ace was originally slated to take three turns on the hill and the hamstring twinge cost him the seventh game start.

1992 - Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield pitched Pittsburgh to a 3-2 victory over the Braves at TRS with 56,610 rooters on hand, giving the Pirates their first win in three tries during the NLCS. Wakefield was the first rookie to start a National League playoff game since Philly's Charles Hudson in 1983 and showed well, allowing five hits in a complete game outing. The Bravo runs were solo shots by Sid Bream and Ron Gant. Gary Redus went 3-for-3 with a double, triple and walk while Don Slaught added a homer to carry the Bucs. Another TRS rookie made a debut appearance - 11-year-old Christina Aguilera from Wexford sang the National Anthem before the game.

2002 - After spending 36 years as a Pirates scout, starting as a regional guy and climbing to special assistant to the GM, Lenny Yochim resigned. Dave Littlefield had asked the 74-year-old to become a part-time staffer, and Lenny refused the demotion. Yochim explained to Beaver County Times beat guy John Perrotto that “My pride won’t let me take a smaller role and pay cut.” It was his last MLB job before he passed away at age 84 in his hometown, New Orleans, in 2013.

2013 - The Pirate playoff run ended with a  6-1 loss at Busch Stadium as two-run homers by David Freese and Matt Adams gave Adam Wainwright all the tallies he needed to take the fifth and deciding game of the NLDS. Gerrit Cole pitched well, but the Cards scored four times off the Bucco bullpen after he was pulled for a pinch hitter in the sixth. Pedro Alvarez singled home the lone Pirates score, giving him a MLB record for chasing home a run in each of his first six postseason contests. The Redbirds made it to the World Series, where Boston bested them.

10/8: Bucs Even '25 WS, Top LA In '74 NLCS Clash, Hans #2, Throwing Cannonballs, Game Days, Irishman MOTY, HBD Colin, Robbie, Spanky, Catfish, Danny, Donie & Coakley

1870 - RHP Tom “Coakley” Colcolough was born in Charleston. He pitched for the Pirates from 1893-95 with a line of 10-8/6.55 in 38 games, 23 as a starter. Tom spent the remainder of his career in the minors, with a brief 1899 stop with the New York Giants. When Colcolough’s baseball days were done, he returned to Charleston, where he became an alderman before passing away in 1919.

1886 - The Alleghenys’ LHP Ed “Cannonball” Morris whitewashed the New York Metropolitans 9-0 at Recreation Park. It was his 12th shutout, which is still a franchise record. Cannonball posted a record of 41-20 that year with a 2.45 ERA over 555-1/3 innings, striking out 327 batters.

1887 - Owen “Donie” Bush was born in Indianapolis. He was a hometown hero (Donie was a manager, president and part-owner of the Indy club who was known as “Mr Baseball” around town) and until 1996, the Indy ballyard was called Bush Field before a new downtown park (Victory Field) opened. After a 16 year playing career, mostly with Detroit, the infielder managed the Bucs briefly from 1927-29, taking them to a World Series in 1927 against the Yankees’ “Murderers’ Row” club (and the Pirates got murdered in four straight). But he’s probably best remembered for his feud with Hall-of-Fame OF Kiki Cuyler, whom he benched and then traded to the Cubs. Donie managed four big league clubs, three top minor league franchises and did some scouting. He was given the title "King of Baseball" (a minor league honor) during Major League Baseball's 1963 winter meetings and was an inaugural inductee of the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame. His nickname “Donie” (pronounced like Tony) was a one-off of his original nickname, Ownie.

1903 - Game Six was a rematch between Boston's Bill Dinneen and Pittsburgh's Sam Leever at Exposition Park. Both went the distance, with Boston coming out on top 6-3 to tie the best-of-nine series at three games. Ginger Beaumont went 4-for-5 with a pair of stolen bases while Jimmy Sebring and Fred Clarke added two hits for the Bucs. Boston's "Royal Rooters", 200 strong, traveled to Pittsburgh with a brass band and sang their theme song "Tessie" to distract the opposing players, especially trying to get under the skin of Buccaneer big guy Honus Wagner. Boston won three out of the four games at Pittsburgh to keep their Rooters rockin’.

Honus - 1905 National Police Gazette

1905 - Cincinnati CF Cy Seymour and Pittsburgh SS Honus Wagner faced one another in a doubleheader on the season’s final day as the pair would finish the year one-two in the race for the batting title. Seymour was well ahead going into the games and collected four hits to Hans’ two to finish as the runaway winner at .377 while The Dutchman clocked in at .363 at the end of the day. A newspaper account of the twinbill stated "...10,000 were more interested in the batting achievements of Wagner and Seymour than the games...cheer upon cheers greeted the mighty batsmen upon each appearance at the plate..." The Reds swept the Bucs at the Palace of the Fans by 3-1 and 4-1 scores.

1909 - After walking two of the first three batters and giving up a first-inning run, Babe Adams settled down and pitched the Pirates to a 4-1 win over the Detroit Tigers in the opening game of the World Series at Forbes Field. Pittsburgh only had five hits off Motown starter George Mullin, including a homer by Fred Clarke, but four different Tigers committed errors that led to three unearned runs. This series was the first head-to-head matchup of league batting winners with MLB’s biggest draws, Honus Wagner (.339) and Ty Cobb (.377), squaring off.

1917 - Danny Murtaugh was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. He was a Bucco infielder from 1948-51 with a lifetime batting average of .256 and a stolen base crown in 1941 while with the Phils. The Irishman won a couple of World Series as the skipper in 1960 and 1971, managing the club from 1957–64, 1967, 1970–71, and finally in 1973–76. He guided five playoff squads and had a record of 1115-950 while at the helm. He was known as "The Whistling Irishman" (it's even the title of his biography) because he used to whistle while playing the infield.

1920 - 1B/OF George “Catfish” Metkovich was born in Angels Camp, California. George was signed by the Tigers and declared a free agent in 1940 in a wholesale release of Detroit players, the penalty for illegally restricting their movement (Johnny Sain of the Braves was another freed by this decree). That launched Catfish on a 10-year career, with a 1951-53 stop at Pittsburgh. He had a line of .276 with lots of playing time, but in May of 1953 left as part of the Ralph Kiner deal with the Cubs. George played through 1954, spent three years in the PCL, then took some minor-league managing and scouting work before retiring to open a restaurant with his brothers. He got his nickname because one day when he was fishing during training camp in Florida, he caught a catfish and accidently stepped on it; a fin penetrated his shoe and foot that had to be removed at a hospital. His manager at the time, Casey Stengel, then of the Boston Bees, spread the story and George became “Catfish” or just plain ol’ “Cat.” 

Kiki Cuyler - 1925 photo George Bain/Library of Congress

1925 - After a pre-game ceremony to honor Christy Matthewson, who had passed away the day before, the Bucs evened their World Series count against Washington at a game each with a 3-2 win at Forbes Field in front of 43,364 fans. The only dent against the Senators’ Stan Coveleski was a Glenn Wright homer until the bottom of the eighth when Kiki Cuyler’s two-run blast put Pittsburgh up 3-1. The DC nine pushed across a ninth-inning run to provide some late drama, but Vic Aldridge survived, going the distance for the win.

1927 - The NL Champion Pirates lost 4-3 and were swept in four games by the NY Yankees, led by their "Murderers Row" lineup featuring Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. The Pirates had tied it in the seventh on RBIs from Clyde Barnhart and Paul Waner, but lost it in the ninth at the House That Ruth Built. Pirates RHP Johnny Miljus loaded the bases with no outs, then struck out Lou Gehrig and Bob Meusel. But with Tony Lazzeri up, he misfired on an 0-1 delivery to allow the winning run to score, the only World Series to end on a wild pitch. It was the first ever sweep of an NL team by an AL club. The  Bambino, Babe Ruth, and Pirates rookie Lloyd “Little Poison” Waner each hit .400 during the series.

1944 - Utilityman Ed “Spanky” Kirkpatrick was born in Spokane, Washington. He played 16 years in the majors (he suited up for just three teams - the LA/California Angels, Kansas City Royals and Pirates - during his first 15 years but played for another three clubs  - Pittsburgh, Texas and Milwaukee - in his last campaign) and was a Bucco from 1974-77, batting .236 while playing the infield corners, all three outfield spots and pinch-hitting. He got his nickname while with the California Angels because he looked like Spanky of the “Little Rascals.”

1946 - The Jackie Robinson All-Stars beat the Major League All-Stars (a sort of pick-up club with Pirates Frankie Gustine, Lee Handley and Al Gionfriddo part of the lineup) 6-4 at Forbes Field. Jackie led both teams in hits, collecting three, and won the respect of a local old-timer who was at the game, Honus Wagner. Robinson would become MLB’s first black player the next year, and Post Gazette writer Al Abrams asked him if he caught much grief from the fans while a minor-leaguer or touring. Jackie replied, “No more than when I played college ball...I didn’t let it bother me. I just went about my business and made the fans like me whenever I could. The players were grand.”

Jackie's All-Star Exhibit - 10/9/1946 Al Abrams Post-Gazette

1960 - The New York nine returned home in style, ripping off six first-inning runs and burying the Bucs 10-0 at Yankee Stadium to take a two games to one lead in the World Series. Whitey Ford tossed a four-hitter and only allowed two Pirates to reach second base; no Bucco touched third. Bobby Richardson belted a grand slam (he had one regular season homer) and had six RBI. It took three Pirates pitchers (Vinegar Bend Mizell, Clem Labine and Fred Green) just to get out of the opening frame and that told the tale of the game.

1970 - It was announced that birthday boy Danny Murtaugh was selected as Manager of the Year in a poll of the current managers. He won eight votes to top the Yankees’ Ralph Houk, who had five, and the Reds Sparky Anderson, who was named on four ballots. It was an unofficial honor, but still considered prestigious because of the selection committee of peers.

1972 - The Reds scored four times in the first inning off Bob Moose (he didn’t retire a batter, giving up five straight hits) and then hung on to take a 5-3 win at TRS and knot the NLCS at a game each. Roberto Clemente, Milt May and Dave Cash each drove in runs to make it 4-3 after six innings, but Joe Morgan’s eighth inning homer took the wind out of the Pirate sails while Tom Hall retired six of the last seven batters to preserve the Cincinnati win.

1974 - The Pirates scored five times in the first inning and never looked back as they defeated Los Angeles 7-0 at Dodger Stadium. Bruce Kison and Ramon Hernandez combined on a four-hitter to cut the Pittsburgh deficit in the NLCS to two games to one and stave off elimination (for a night). Willie Stargell swatted a three-run homer and Richie Hebner added a two-run shot off Doug Rau (it was the first time the Bucs had a multi-homer inning during a postseason game) in the opening frame to get the Bucs off and running.

Willie Stargell - 1974 O-Pee-Chee

1990 - LHP Robbie Erlin was born in Oakland, California. Erlin had five years with San Diego as a starter and long man before the Pirates signed the 29-year-old to a $1.5M contract as a free agent in 2020. He made the 40-man roster as a reliever and was called up in late July by the Bucs, but was waived in early August after just two outings. Robbie was claimed by the Braves, who used him as a starter without a lot of luck; they waived him in September. He spent the 2021 campaign in Japan and last pitched in the Dodgers system in ‘23.

1990 - Cincinnati took a two-games-to-one lead in the NLCS by whipping the Bucs 6-3 at Three Rivers Stadium. Zane Smith surrendered a three-run homer to Mariano Duncan and a two-run shot to Billy Hatcher to give the Reds’ Danny Jackson and the “Nasty Boys” in the bullpen working room. Bobby Bonilla, Carmelo Martinez and Jose Lind had the Buccos' RBIs.

1995 - RHP Colin Holderman was born in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The Pirates traded for the rookie reliever by shipping DH Daniel Vogelbach to the Mets in July, 2022. Holderman slashed 4-0/2.04 in 15 outings for NY and was a strikeout per inning guy, although a bit on the wild side, averaging four walks per nine. He got into nine Bucco games (1-0/6.75, seven walks, four HBP and six K in 10-2/3 IP) before hitting the IL with a shoulder impingement, ending his 2022 campaign. Colin bounced back to claim the set-up role in ‘23, with 58 outings, a slash of 0-3-2/3.58 and an immaculate inning. His ERA sat at a sturdy 2.87 in mid-September until two brutal appearances led to a year-ending trip to the IL with a thumb injury. Colin had a 3-6/3.16 slash with 21 holds in 2024 but was more up-and-down than the numbers indicate, missing a month with a wrist sprain. He spent more time on the IL than roster in ‘25, pitched poorly, and was sent down to Indy in mid-September. Colin opted to become a free agent and signed with Cleveland for the ‘26 season.

10/7: Bad Playoffs/World Series Date Except For '72, Hans Human, Game Days, Geno's '96 Staff, Tanner Let Go, HBD Nick, Chuck, Fred, Adam & Brickyard

1867 - P Bill “Brickyard” Kennedy was born in Bellaire, Ohio. He tossed his final MLB season for the Pirates in 1903, going 9-6/3.45 and worked one game in the WS, losing badly to the Boston nine, 11-2, although six runs were unearned. Brickyard was noted for a lively fastball that he had sporadic control over, walking over 1,200 batters in his 12-year career. He got his Brickyard nickname because he worked for a brick-making company. Kennedy was also known as “Roaring Bill” because of his loud voice, which he used to barber anyone within earshot.

1892 - IF Adam DeBus was born in Chicago. The son of German immigrants, he played minor league ball in the Midwest before the Cards signed him in 1917. He didn’t play for them but caught the eye of the Pirates, who inked him in July. Adam hit .229 in 131 ABs and that three month audition ended up being his sole run of MLB days and was the end of his pro career. After the 1917 season, DeBus joined the 86th Infantry Division, and played on the 86th’s baseball team. He spent his post-baseball days working as an electrician.

1895 - LHP Fred “Moonlight Ace” Fussell was born in Sheridan, Missouri. Fred tossed his first two years with the Cubs, spent the next three years in the minors and then finished his career as a Pirate in 1928-29, going 10-11/4.61. He was a baseball lifer, though, and toiled on the farm for the next 11 years before calling it a day at age 43. He was dubbed with his moniker in the minors after his MLB stint when he threw a no-hitter in a 1933 night game to become a "Moonlight Ace."

1901 - It wasn’t easy being The Flying Dutchman. Per the season-ending Pittsburgh Press Bucco recap, “Hans Wagner leads the Pirates in batting with a good percentage. His batting this year, however, has not come up to his own or expectations of friends.” Honus’ disappointing campaign consisted of hitting .353, the fourth best average in the National League (of course, he had hit .381 in 1900), and he also finished fourth in total bases with 271. Tough crowd...

Honus Wagner - 2017 Topps Museum Collection

1902 - Sam Leever and the NL champ Pirates beat a team of AL All-Stars in an exhibition at Exposition Park by a 4-3 score, with the AL pushing across three runs in the ninth to give the Bucs a scare. Ginger Beaumont led the Pirates with three hits. Cy Young took the loss, giving up eight hits and striking out seven. There was no formal post-season or World Series yet; the NL and AL were still merrily raiding one another’s rosters in a bid for baseball supremacy.

1903  - Game Five of the World Series at Exposition Park was a pitcher's duel for the first five innings between Boston's Cy Young and Pittsburgh's Brickyard Kennedy. But in the top of the sixth inning, the Americans scored six runs and added four more in the seventh frame on the way to an 11-2 romp over the Bucs. Young went the distance and struck out four for his first World Series win while the Pirates didn’t help their moundsmen much with either their bats or mitts, collecting six hits while committing four errors that led to six unearned runs.

1904 - OF Chuck Klein was born in Indianapolis. The HoF’er played one year (1939) in Pittsburgh, hitting .300 with 11 homers. He was signed by the Pirates after being released by the Phillies and fittingly returned to Philadelphia in 1940 to end his career, giving him 15 years in the City of Brotherly Love. Klein then put down roots in the City of Brotherly Love, operating a Philly bar after his playing days. The Phils retired his number, but as he wore eight of them during his years with the club (two of them twice), they just put a Philly “P” up where the number should be on the Veterans Stadium Wall of Fame.

1907 - The Bucs split a twin bill with the Reds to finish with 91 wins, 17 behind the front-running Cubs. But it was a championship season for Honus Wagner. Hans led the league with a .350 BA, .408 OBP, .513 slugging %, 38 doubles, 264 total bases and 61 stolen bases. He tied teammate Ed Abbaticchio for second in RBI with 82 and came in third in runs scored with 98.

Pie Traynor - 1925 photo George Bain/Library of Congress

1925 - Walter Johnson of the Senators struck out 10 Pirates during a 4-1 Washington victory in the opening game of the World Series at Forbes Field. Pie Traynor’s homer was the only dent against the Big Train, who surrendered just five hits. Lee Meadows took the loss. In a sidebar, Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis had the Pirates and the Sens wear black armbands in memory of New York Giants pitcher Christy Mathewson, who had died that morning. It was thought to be the first time that teams recognized the passing of a fellow MLB player with a memorial uniform patch.

1927 - Herb Pennock took a perfect game into the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium before Pie Traynor broke it up with a one-out single, followed by Clyde Barnhart double to bring him home. That was about all the local offense as the New York nine claimed an 8-1 victory over the Pirates to give the Murderers’ Row Yankees a 3-0 bulge in the World Series. It was actually a close game until NY scored six runs in the seventh, capped by Babe Ruth’s three-run bomb.

1972 - The Pirates scored three times in the first and never looked back as they beat Cincinnati 5-1 in the NLCS opener at TRS. Al Oliver had a homer, triple, two runs scored and three RBI to give Steve Blass all the offensive help he’d need. He gave up eight hits and walked four, but Steverino dodged the bullets by stranding 11 Reds before giving way to Ramon Hernandez with one out in the ninth. A postgame sidebar: Allegheny County Coroner Cyril Wecht discovered that being a politico wasn’t a ticket to ride when he was arrested for disorderly conduct. It seems he didn’t like the way a City cop was directing stadium traffic, and after several warnings from the officer to refrain from his sharp-tongued criticism, Cy found himself hauled away in a paddy wagon.

1975 - John Candelaria fanned 14 Reds at TRS, but Pittsburgh lost the NLCS finale 5-3 as Cincy swept the series three games to none. The Bucs got a two-run homer from Al Oliver, but Ramon Hernandez was touched up for a pair of runs in the 10th inning to take the loss. The Reds went on to beat the Boston Red Sox in seven games to win the World Series.

John Candelaria - 1975 SSPC

1985 - Chuck Tanner was fired by the Pirates, but wasn’t out of work for long as he was hired to manage the Atlanta Braves three days later. Chuck’s teams had spent five years around .500 after the ‘79 championship and suffered a black eye during the Coke Trials. Jim Leyland would later be named as the new skipper while Tanner went on to spend three years with the Bravos. He then served as a baseball operations assistant for the Milwaukee Brewers (1992-2002) before scouting for five years for the Cleveland Indians. Chuck closed out his Bucco days as a senior advisor to Pirates GM Neal Huntington beginning in 2007, a position he held until he passed away in 2011.

1992 - The Braves took a 2-0 lead in the NLCS with a 13-5 pounding of the Pirates at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The Bucs threw seven pitchers at Atlanta, which banged out 14 hits, including a Ron Gant grand slam. The Bravos had a pair of four-run innings and iced it in the seventh, when they scored five two-out tallies off Denny Neagle. Chico Lind had two RBI for the Buccos while Barry Bonds scored twice; Lloyd McClendon’s two hits led the Pirates pack.

1996 - Manager Gene LaMont put together his first Pirates staff when he added Pete Vukovich (pitching)/Lloyd McClendon (batting) as coaches, joining Spin Williams (bullpen & only holdover)/Jack Lind (first base) and the soon-to-be-hired Rich Renick (bench)/Joe Jones (first base). Lamont, who had been the White Sox skipper from 1992-95, had a tough act to follow when he took the reins from Jim Leyland after serving a season as his third base coach, and lasted through 2000 in Pittsburgh, when he was replaced by one of his coaches, McClendon.

1996 - RHP Nick Mears was born in Sacramento, California. Mears, an undrafted free agent, joined the Bucs in 2018 and was a fast riser, going through three MiLB levels before reaching Altoona at the end of 2019 and capping off the year with a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. He was invited to camp and called up on August 8th, made one appearance, and was returned to the alternate minor league camp after the MLB staff got a chance to look him over. Nick rejoined the club later in the month, getting into four games total and fanning seven in five frames with a 5.40 ERA. Mears started at Indy in 2021, was recalled in late May, then joined the Pirates pen full time in late July, finishing with a line of 1-0/5.01 in 30 outings. He was out for most of 2022 after an elbow ‘scope procedure and got into just two games for the Pirates. In the off season, Nick was claimed by Texas Rangers after being DFA’ed to clear a roster spot for Connor Joe. He later went to the Colorado Rockies before joining the Milwaukee Brewers for the ‘25 campaign and spent ‘26 with the KC Royals.

Nick Mears - photo/2020 Pirates

2001 - Pirate prospect Chad Hermansen showed a brief flash when his three-run homer in the eighth inning off Carlos Zambrano scored the Wilson boys, Craig and Jack, to give Pittsburgh a season-closing 4-3 win over Chicago at Wrigley Field. Joe Beimel got the win with a save from Mike Fetters. The Bucs finished last in the Central with 62 wins and Chad was dealt to the Cubs the following year.

2013 - The Pirates were on the brink of eliminating the St. Louis Cardinals from the NLDC at PNC Park, but the Redbirds rode Michael Wacha’s arm to a 2-1 victory and into a winner-take-all game at Busch Stadium. The Cards drew first blood when Matt Holliday hit a two-run homer in the sixth off Charlie Morton. Pittsburgh halved the gap in the eighth when they got their first and only hit, a 438’ bomb by Pedro Alvarez, to make it a one-run contest. But both bullpens were in shutdown mode, and the score stood. 40,493 fans showed up for the third consecutive postseason game to set a park attendance record. The Cardinals set a playoff record as all three of the day’s pitchers (Wacha, Carlos Martinez and Trevor Rosenthal, who got the save) were 23-years-old or younger.

2015 - The Bucs were one-and-done in the 2015 playoffs, losing the wild card game to the Chicago Cubs, 4-0. The Cubs scored early off Gerrit Cole as the top of the order, Dexter Fowler and Kyle Schwarber, went 5-for-6 against Cole Train, accounting for all four runs and each pounding a homer. The Pirates big opportunity came in the sixth when they loaded the bases with an out, but a bullet off Starling Marte’s bat, with an exit speed of 109 MPH, was an at ‘em ball to short, resulting in a rally-and-game-crushing DP. Jake Arrieta held the Bucs to four hits with 11 K in a complete game win. A PNC Park record 40,889 fans were at the game to watch the 98-win Pirates face off against the 97-win Cubs; the Cardinals won the division with 100 victories.

10/6: Smiley's 20, Chief Three-Bags, '03 Series Win Against Boston, '71 NLCS Champs Over SF, '13 NLDC Dub v Cards, Game Days, HBD Joey, Radhames, Hanny, Jeff, Gene, Tom, Pat & Eddie

1866 - OF Eddie Burke was born in Northumberland, Pennsylvania. Eddie played eight years in the show, spending 1890 as an outfielder for the Alleghenys where he hit .210 in 31 games. Burke last played in the majors in 1897 for the Reds and then soldiered on through the 1901 campaign in the minor leagues. He passed away at the age of 41 in 1907 in Utica, NY.

1893 - OF Pat Duncan was born in Coalton, Ohio. He started his seven-year big league career with the Pirates in 1915, going 1-for-5. By 1920, after time in the bushes and the Army, he had matured into a starting outfielder for the Reds, playing for them until 1924. A strong hitter, his main claim to fame was being the first MLB player to hit a homer to clear the 12’ fence at his home yard, Cincinnati’s Redland Field (later Crosley Field). After his playing days, Duncan worked for the Ohio Highway Department and was a regular at Reds old-timer affairs.

1903 - A crowd of 7,500 filled Exposition Park as the Pirates defeated the Boston Americans 5-4 in the first World Series game ever played in Pittsburgh, delayed a day by rainy weather. Boston even brought 200 fans, who sat in their own section and included a brass band that played between innings. Deacon Phillippe was the winner for the third time, pitching on two days' rest. It almost caught up to him as the Americans scored three times in the ninth until Phillippe finally got pinch hitter Jack O’Brien to pop out. Wee Tommy Leach knocked in three runs while Honus Wagner and Ginger Beaumont each collected three hits. Sadly, it would be the last game they’d win in this Series. The clubs socialized when they weren’t playing - both squads and the newspaper crowd went to the Grand Opera House that evening to see the Victor Hugo play “Notre Dame” and had a reception with the cast afterwards. The night before, both teams braved the rain to attend Frank Keenan’s 15-act vaudeville show at the Duquesne Theater.

Tommy Padden - 1936 Goudey Wide Pen

1908 - C Tom Padden was born in Manchester, New Hampshire. A part-time catcher for Pittsburgh, he appeared in 399 games from 1932-37 and compiled a .272 BA. He might be best known for coin rather than horsehide flinging. On February 26th, 1936, surrounded by a large crowd, he tossed a silver dollar about 475 feet over the Merrimack River and into a snow pile. He pulled the stunt to copy pitcher Walter “Big Train” Johnson, who did it a few days earlier across the Rappahannock to emulate the legendary feat of George Washington. Tom retired to Manchester, where he coached local baseball and basketball teams before passing away in 1973 at age 64.

1912 - Owen “Chief” Wilson hit his 36th triple of the season, establishing a MLB record. Wilson tried to stretch the triple into an inside-the-park home run, but was thrown out at the plate in a 16-6 Pirates win against Cincinnati at Redland Field. He wasn’t a gap guy but a banger. As noted in SABR’s Mark Armour bio of Wilson “Spacious Forbes Field may have been the best park ever for triples, and the Pirates led the NL in that category 30 of the 62 seasons they played there. Wilson did hit 24 of his 36 triples at home, but it is likely that many of these triples would have been home runs at other parks.” Sporting Life pointed out that "Few of the smashes have struck in front of fielders. They have all been over the heads or between the fields, all juicy jams."

1927 - The Yankees’ George Pipgras quieted the Buc bats at Forbes Field as New York took a 2-0 lead in the World Series. Vic Aldridge was hooked up in a 3-2 game in the eighth when three singles, two walks (to #8 hitter Benny Bengough and then to Pipgras), a HBP and wild pitch gifted the Bronx Bombers three runs and lots of late breathing room on their way to a 6-2 victory. Lloyd “Little Poison” Waner scored both Buc runs, plated by brother Paul and Clyde Barnhart.

1929 - In the season finale, second place Pittsburgh beat league-leaders Chicago by an 8-3 tally at Wrigley Field. The Bucs collected 12 hits, led by Lloyd Waner’s 3-for-3 day, while Larry French earned the victory. The Pirates, with 88 wins, still finished 10-1/2 games behind the Cubs, but set the MLB record by banging out double-digit hits in 102 games during the season.

Little Poison - 1929 Helmar Big League Brew

1946 - OF Gene Clines was born in San Pablo, California. A speedy center fielder with a good glove, he was a platoon outfielder for the Bucs from 1970-74, putting up a .287 BA as a contact hitter. He played for the 1971 World Series champs and the division winning teams of 1972 and 1974. Clines had a long career coaching for six teams for nearly three decades and was a front office advisor in the Dodger organization. He passed away in 2022 in Bradenton at the age of 75.

1960 - RHP Jeff Zaske was born in Seattle. Jeff was a 27th round pick of the Pirates in the 1978 draft out of high school, and made just three big league outings, pitching five shutout innings for the Bucs in 1984. He was noted for a 1980 incident when as a 19-year-old in camp, bored teammates egged him on to pitch Bill Madlock tight. He did, nicking him in the arm and earning a punch in the puss from a sore Mad Dog (who later apologized). Zaske spent most of his time as a AAA pitcher for four organizations, spending a decade on the farm, with six of those campaigns at the top level until leaving the game after the 1988 campaign.

1960 - The Yankees roared back from their opening defeat to win 16-3 and knot the World Series at a game apiece. Mickey Mantle put on a show with a pair of blasts, one measured at 478’ that was thought to be the first homer that a right-handed batter hit out of Forbes Field to the oppo side of dead center. The Mick had five RBI and three runs scored as the Bronx Bombers pounded out 19 hits. Mantle was the only player to have a multi-homer playoff game in Pittsburgh until 2013 when Russell Martin hit a pair at PNC during the Johnny Cueto game.

1971 - The Pirates rolled over the Giants 9-5 at TRS to take the NLCS three games to one. The Gravedigger, Richie Hebner, and Al Oliver both homered and had three RBI each while Roberto Clemente drove in the other three runs. Bruce Kison took the win and Dave Giusti earned the save as they twirled seven innings of scoreless relief after Steve Blass was rocked by the G-Men in the second frame. The game was tied 5-5 after the second inning as the Bucs banged Gaylord Perry early, too, before knocking him out of the box in the sixth frame.

Gravedigger & Scoops Topps Rookie Card 1969

1974 - The Pirates tied the Dodgers in the seventh inning on RBIs from Richie Hebner and Al Oliver, but LA rattled off four straight eighth-inning hits off Dave Giusti, who took the loss, and another off Larry Demery, scoring three times to take a 2-0 lead in the NLCS at TRS with a 5-2 victory.

1981 - RHP Joel Hanrahan was born in Des Moines, Iowa. A second round pick of the Dodgers, he was the Nat’s closer and hit a rocky patch, so in a mid-season change-of-scenery deal, he was traded to Pittsburgh in 2009. Pitching coach Joe Kerrigan pushed the right buttons and Hanny became the Pirates closer in 2011, earning two All-Star nods while collecting 76 saves from 2011-12 (his Pittsburgh line was 10-8-82/2.59, with 265 K in 229-1/3 IP). After the 2012 season, he was shipped to Boston (the FO was dumping his arb-year salary) for Mark Melancon. That worked out; Jason Grilli held the fort until The Shark was ready to claim the closer role. A string of injuries derailed Hanny after that and Joel returned to the Bucco flock in 2017 as a minor league pitching coach, leaving after the 2021 season and moving on to the Washington Nats organization, where he lasted through the 2024 campaign.

1983 - RHP Radhames Liz was born in El Seibo, Dominican Republic. Liz tossed for three years for the O’s, then worked out of Korea for three more years. The Bucs signed him as a free agent for $1M in the 2014 off season. He went 1-4/4.21 for the Pirates in 2015, striking out 27 batters in 23-1/3 IP, but walked 12 and bopped three during that span. He spent 2016 in Japan, 2017 pitching in the Dominican Winter League and then signed with the Brewers in ‘18 but was released in May. Liz spent a year in China, took off the 2020 campaign with a herniated disc and has worked in the Mexican and Dominican Leagues since 2021 to add to his international resume.

1991 - In the last game of the year, John Smiley tossed a five-hit shutout with help from the pen to beat the Expos 7-0 at TRS. It was Smiley’s 20th win of the year for the Pirates and capped a dog days run - he went 8-1/2.69 in 13 outings from August onward. He was backed by three RBI from Jose Lind and another pair from Barry Bonds, who also scored twice. In other news of the day, Jim Leyland announced his 25-man playoff roster; pitchers Neal Heaton and Vincentes Palacios were left off, along with catcher Tom Prince. The club also set an attendance record for the third time in four years with a total of 2,065,302 seats sold. The record was a little misleading, as they got three extra home dates because of an accident shutting down Olympic Stadium. That shifted the final Montreal series to Pittsburgh, and those bonus matches put them over the top. Finally, Jay Bell had himself a year - his 67 RBI and 90 runs scored were the most production by a Pirates shortstop since Arky Vaughan (95 RBI, 113 RS) in 1940.

Jay Bell - 1991 Fleer Ultra (reverse)

1992 - John Smoltz and the Braves won the opening game of the NLCS at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium by a 5-1 count over Doug Drabek and the Pirates. The Bucs bats were silenced by Smoltz, who held the Bucs to just five hits, dented only by Chico Lind’s eighth-inning homer.

1997 - LHP Joey Wentz was born in Lawrence, Kansas. He was the #40 overall pick of Atlanta in the 2016 draft out of Shawnee Mission East HS. Joey was traded to Motown in 2019 but spent the entire 2020 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and was converted to the pen in 2024. After posting a 5-17-1/5.81 slash with the Tigers in three seasons, he was DFA’ed and claimed by the Pirates. Wentz was out of options and carried on the Bucs MLB roster, keeping the spot in ‘25. He was workmanlike (2-1/4.15) but was DFA’ed in June. The Twins took him and then let him go a month later; he was claimed by Atlanta, where a hot start/cold finish kept him off the playoff roster, and Joey lost the ‘26 campaign to ACL surgery after a spring training collision at first.   

2013 - PNC Park had another record breaking crowd of 40,489 to watch the Pirates take a two-to-one lead in the best-of-five NLDC against the Cards, winning by a 5-3 score and celebrating the first postseason game held in the City since 1992. St. Louis rallied from behind twice against the Pirates, but the last comeback belonged to Pittsburgh. The Bucs went up 2-0 on a two-out, two-run Marlon Byrd single in the first, and the Redbirds tied it in the fifth on Carlos Beltran’s two-run single. The Pirates went ahead, 3-2, an inning later on Russell Martin’s sac fly. Beltran tied it again in the eighth with a homer to right center off Mark Melancon. Pittsburgh put up two in their half off Carlos Martinez, with RBI singles from Pedro Alvarez and Martin. Jason Grilli then closed out the see-saw game, with Melancon initially blowing the hold and then getting the win. Francisco Liriano and Joe Kelly started the game, but neither made it to the seventh inning.

Weekly Report: Jared & Mason Honored; FA's/Arbs; Cutch On TV; Playoffs

Another year older...

Pirates Stuff:

• The NL Pitcher of the Month is 25-year-old Jared Jones. In five starts, he went 3-0/0.93 with 40 K in 29 innings and took a no-hitter into the seventh against the White Sox on the 10th. Not too bad for a kid who missed all of the 2025 season due to elbow surgery.
• Shoulda happened last month, too...Mason Montgomery was named the NL Reliever of the Month with 11 saves in 13 outings. He gave up three runs during the month, all in one inning after a two-out, two-strike hit, and didn't cede an earned run at all in August. He was picked up in an offseason deal and got into 70 outings, moving into the closers role in late July and slashed 6-4-18/2.88/with nine holds & 105K in 68-2/3 IP.  

Brandon Lowe - 2026 image SportsNet.Pgh

• If you're looking ahead, the only Pirate FAs are 2B Brandon Lowe and lefty reliever Gregory Soto; our sense is that they try to compete for Lowe while Soto could go either way. Guys signed are Ryan O'Hearn ('27), Luke Weaver ('27), Mitch Keller ('28), Bryan Reynolds ('30) and Konnor Griffin ('34). The big class belongs to the arb guys; there are ten of them (eight first-year & all pretty big roster pieces including Skenes, Cruz, Jones et al), so their paydays could get pricey.
• The Bucs have five guys up for All-MLB honors: Braxton Ashcraft, Nick Gonzales, Brandow Lowe, Mason Montgomery and Paul Skenes. If you're the voting kind, toss them some love at MLB All-Stars.
• Yah, we knew it all along...MLBTR's Charlie Wright covers how the Pirates FO nailed the Brandon Lowe trade. 
• The Sporting News released another All-Star group, "The Stalwarts" who displayed consistent performance. Pittsburgh was repped by Homestead Grays RHP Smokey Joe Williams, who tossed for them from 1925-32.
• Curious about how the Bucs 2026 Minor League org did? The Pirates put together the MiLB clubs year in review. Also, here's the year-end Bucs Top 30 Prospects list as ranked by MLB.

The Dynamic Duo - Seth Hernandez & Edward Florentino

• MLB Pipeline held their annual MiLB Awards Show; the Pirates didn't show so well. Their only nod came when RHP Seth Hernandez was selected to the second All-Prospect Team. In their post-season Top 100 Prospects list, Hernandez was ranked as the #9 pup and OF Edward Florentino joined him on the roster at #32.

MLB Stuff: 

• Perry Hill, 74, who was the IF coach for the Pirates/Clint Hurdle in 2019 before moving on to Miami and Seattle, was let go by the Mariners the day after manager Dan Wilson got the ax.
• RHP Jose Urquidy declared for free agency.

Playoff Stuff:

• Cutch will be a guest analyst on MLB Network Monday and Tuesday for playoff coverage...career two?
• The Padres activated RHP Joe Musgrove from the 60-day IL to the playoff roster for bullpen depth; he hasn't tossed since August.
• DH Rowdy Tellez has been added to the Braves 40 man & playoff rosters; he's mostly summered in AAA Gwinnett.
• The Guardians took RHP Colin Holderman off the playoff roster; he's having wrist surgery after a rebound 2026 campaign (6-4-1/2.73).

Bracket via MLB.com