4/23 Through the 1940s: Babe Goes, 5 For Cotton, Early Betting, Game Days, Fast Start, Happy Jack to HoF; HBD Blackie, Genie, Iron Man, Connie & Bob

• 1875 - OF Bob Ganley was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. Bob started his five-year MLB run with the Pirates in 1905-06, hitting .270 off the bench as a rookie and started in his second year before losing his spot to rookie Goat Anderson. Bob’s last MLB campaign was in 1909 with the Philadelphia A’s and he was out of baseball after spending the 1912 season with Atlanta of the Southern Association. Per BR Bullpen, he moved around so much as a player that he was called "the globetrotter of organized baseball." He played for Pittsburgh, Washington and Philadelphia as a big leaguer and for New Haven, Albany, Brockton, Columbus, Toledo, Marion, Schenectady, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Oakland, Johnstown, Des Moines, Newark and Atlanta as a farm hand. Bob also managed the Fredericton Pets in 1913 and the Perth Amboy Pacers in 1914. 
• 1882 - RHP Cornelius “Connie” Walsh was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Walsh got his big league call in 1907 for the Pirates and apparently one was his magic number: he got into one game, pitched one inning, and gave up one run on one hit with one walk. Connie went to Cedar Rapids in the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League the following year and found a home there, pitching for six different IIIL clubs over the next seven seasons before retiring after the 1914 campaign. 
• 1890 - Charlie Gray and the Alleghenys beat the Cleveland Spiders 20-12 at Recreation Park in front of an alleged crowd of 17 (with six paid) in a yard that held 17,000 (spoiler: that figure isn’t confirmed but anecdotal as a part of a Frederck Leib team history written decades after the fact; the Press just called the attendance “meager.”). The Alleghenys set another franchise record that day; five batters were beaned by the Spiders. Don’t fault the fans for the low turnout - the team finished last in the NL with a record of 23–113, 66-1/2 games behind the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. Recreation Park was also known as Union Park and later, the Allegheny Athletic Association Grounds. It was tucked between Allegheny Ave, Pennsylvania Ave, Galveston Ave and Behan St in Allegheny West. No pictures of it as a baseball yard are known to exist, though there are a couple of field-level newspaper shots of Pitt playing football there. The baseball team left for Exposition Park in 1891 and Pitt followed suit in 1904, also playing their games at Expo Park. 
• 1902 - St. Louis Cardinals owner Frank Robison reportedly put up a $10‚000 challenge that the Pirates wouldn’t repeat as NL champions. Pittsburgh players pooled their money to meet the bet and then collected easily as they won the pennant by 27-1/2 games. St Louis finished sixth, 44-1/2 games back. 

Ray Starr - photo from Find-A-Grave

• 1906 - RHP Ray “Iron Man” Starr was born in Nowatka, Oklahoma. Ray tossed for the Bucs during the second half of his career between 1944-45 in his age 38-39 seasons with a line of 6-7-3/5.33. He was a product of wartime baseball; after tossing for three years in the show, he spent from 1934-40 in the minors (in all, he spent 15 years on various farm clubs) before he was called back up by the Reds in 1941. Ray picked up his nickname because he was said to have tossed both ends of more than 40 double-headers while in the minor leagues. 
• 1913 - The Pirates were held to three hits by St Louis hurler Bill Steel and lost 3-1 despite Claude Hendrix’s two-hitter (six walks hurt) at Robison Field. The runs were hard earned; the Cardinals scored on a bases loaded walk, steal of home and sac fly while the Bucco run came on an error. The bright spot of the Pirates’ day was a nifty triple play. With the bases loaded, Hendrix speared a comebacker and went home to catcher Billy Kelly for a force; his relay to Dots Miller at first beat the batter to the sack, and Miller’s return throw home nailed the Card runner who had kept on truckin’ from second, trying to steal a score during the exchange. 
• 1917 - RHP Gene “Genie” Smith was born in Ashley, Louisiana. He pitched for the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays between 1946–1947. During his career, he threw three no-hitters, played in the East-West All Star game and in the Negro World Series, although not with Homestead. He joined the local nines after spending two years in the service and never had another big season afterward, retiring from the low minors after the 1953 campaign with a bad arm. 
• 1922 - Second baseman Cotton Tierney collected a career-high five hits, doubled three times, and knocked in a game-high four runs in Pittsburgh’s 14-3 rout of the Cubs in Chicago. The Bucs broke the game open with an eight-run second inning and then added two more tallies an inning later to make it 10-0. It was Pittsburgh’s sixth straight win after beginning the season with losses in each of the first three games. Hal Carlson cruised to the victory at Wrigley. 

Ron Blackburn - 1960 Topps

• 1935 - RHP Ron “Blackie” Blackburn was born in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. His MLB career lasted two years, from 1958-59, both spent with the Bucs where Blackie slashed 3-2-4/3.50. Blackburn spent 11 campaigns in the minors, the last for Asheville from which he retired after the 1964 season to become a teacher and baseball coach at Western Carolina University, and from there he became the recreation director at the Western Correction Center in North Carolina. 
• 1946 - RHP “Happy Jack” (he was an upbeat guy) Chesbro was elected to the Hall of Fame. A spitballer who won 41 games in 1904 for the NY Highlanders, he tossed for the Pirates at the beginning of his career from 1899-1902 with a line of 70-38/2.89. Also selected was Rube Waddell, a colorful hurler who started his career with Pittsburgh in 1900-01. They were inducted on June 12th. 
• 1946 - The Bucs sold 1B Ellsworth “Babe” Dahlgren to the St. Louis Browns. Dahlgren hit .271 with 176 RBI in his two-year stint with the Bucs, but faded badly with the Browns as a 34-year-old and ‘46 was his last season in the show after 12 big league campaigns with eight clubs. He’s noted as the man who replaced Lou Gehrig in 1939 while with the Yankees. 
• 1947 - The Pirates broke out of the gate in a hurry, winning their sixth of the first seven games of the season by an 8-5 count over the Cards at Sportsman’s Park. Billy Cox and Eddie Basinski each homered and combined for seven RBI. Ed Bahr tossed 6-1/3 shutout innings to win in relief. But it’s how you finish that counts, and 62 wins on the year netted the Bucs seventh place in the NL.

4/23 From 1950: Brrr, GOTW, Big Finishes, Awards, Game Days; RIP Art, HBD Evan & Dave

• 1959 - The Pirates were awarded trophies like it was Little League appreciation day at Forbes Field - Joe Brown was presented with The Sporting News’ GM of the Year honor, Bill Mazeroski and Harvey Haddix were given Golden Gloves, and the local Baseball Writers named Danny Murtaugh the Outstanding Sportsman of the Year with George “Red” Witt winning the Rookie of the Year nod. The team, with Witt on the hill, didn’t win any prizes for their performance on the awards day though, eking out just five hits in a 5-2 loss to the Reds in front of 18,819 fans. 
• 1966 - The Pirates homered three times in the ninth inning to pull out a 5-4 win against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Pittsburgh trailed 4-2 heading into the ninth before Bob Bailey (his second on the day), Jim Pagliaroni, and Jose Pagan each homered off Dennis Aust and Hal Woodeshick to power the Bucs past the Cards. Pete Mikkelson got the win after tossing two scoreless frames and ElRoy Face worked the ninth for the save. The Bucs were hot; the win pumped their record to 9-2. They won 92 games, but finished third, three games off LA’s pace. 
• 1982 - C Tony Peña went 2-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI in the Pirates 12-10 victory over Chicago at Wrigley Field. The Pirates kept the Cubbies alive with three errors that led to four unearned runs, but the Buc bats atoned for the threadbare leather by banging out 17 hits as every starter tallied at least one rap, including starting pitcher Eddie Solomon, who came away with the victory. Kent Tekulve pitched the final 1-1/3 innings to earn his first save of the season. Bill Madlock and Mike Easler each had three hits while Jason Thompson homered to pace the attack. Pena (3), Easler (3) and Omar Moreno (4) combined to chase home 10 of the 12 runs. 

Tony Pena - 1982 Donruss

• 1984 - LHP Dave Davidson was born in Richmond Hill, Ontario. The Pirates drafted him out of HS in 2002 and he got a September call up in 2007, giving up five earned runs in two innings. He was sent to Altoona, playing in the Summer Olympics and the 2009 WBC for Canada before the Pirates released him. He was picked up by the Marlins, where he had a sore arm and was let go after the 2009 campaign, ending his career in the indie leagues before retiring in 2011. 
• 1988 - The Pirates-Cubs match at TRS was the NBC Game of the Week, the Buccos first GOTW slot since 1985. The network brass knew what they were doing as the game ended up a 5-4 squeaker in favor of the Buccos. Pittsburgh overcame a 2-0 deficit when Bobby Bonilla and RJ Reynolds homered in the sixth to put the Buccaneers up by a run. The Cubs struck back quickly in the next frame, putting up a pair off Jeff Robinson to retake the lead. The Bucs loaded the bases with an out in the eighth, and Spanky LaValliere came through, dropping a two-run single into short center to give the club the lead. Jim Gott made it hold up to claim the win, the Pirates 12th in 16 games. 
• 1994 - The Pirates broke open a 1-1 pitching battle started by Randy Tomlin and Steve Avery with five runs in the ninth inning to beat the Braves 6-1 in front of 49,350 fans in Atlanta. The Bucs banged out five straight singles with one away to plate five times in the final frame. Jeff Ballard earned up his only win of the campaign; he was the third of four Pittsburgh pitchers. 
• 1996 - Ballpark announcer Art McKennan passed away at age 89. Starting out as a Forbes Field errand boy, he did odd jobs around the park, eventually working his way up to bat boy and scoreboard runner. Art got a job in the real world while moonlighting as an usher. In 1930, he was diagnosed with polio, but it didn’t stop him. Art was the voice of the Pirates at Forbes Field from 1948 until it closed, and then at Three Rivers Stadium until 1987 (he did Sunday games after that until 1993). He also had stints with the Penguins, Pitt football & Duquesne hoops along with a 30-year career in Pittsburgh’s Parks Department, becoming the director of the City-sponsored youth sports organizations. 

Art McKennan - 1960 photo/Press Roto

• 1997 - Lefty reliever Evan Sisk was born in Chester, South Carolina. Sisk was drafted by the Cards in 2018 from the College of Charleston in the 16th round and bounced around in the St. Louis, Minnesota and KC systems. Sisk made his MLB debut for KC in 2025, getting five April/May outings and posting a 1.69 ERA with 11 K & five walks in 5-1/3 IP. He came to Pittsburgh at the deadline as part of the Bailey Falter package with a rep as a high strikeout, high walk guy with closer experience. Evan was called up by the Bucs in mid-August and earned his first MLB dub against Toronto. He started ‘26 in AAA and was recalled to the big club in mid-April after posting a 1.17 ERA at Indy. 
• 2005 - The Pirates rallied to win 4-3 against Chicago at Wrigley Field. The game-time temperature was 36 degrees with a wind chill of 24, and the Buc bats were almost as cold as the weather, with the Pirates down by a 3-2 count going into the ninth after the Cubs broke a two-all tie in the eighth on Corey Patterson’s dinger. Then came the needed thaw: a one-out homer by Jason Bay knotted the score and an out later, Freddy Sanchez banged a pinch hit triple to right center, chasing home Craig Wilson, who had walked and stole second, with the eventual game-winner. John Grabow picked up his first win of the season and Jose Mesa earned his sixth save of the campaign, stranding Cubbies on the corners by whiffing Patterson on three pitches.
• 2022 - The Pirates had taken the first two games of the Chicago series at Wrigley, and the Cubs were having no more of it. They laid the worst defeat in franchise history on the Bucs, walloping them, 21-0. Four Pittsburgh pitchers, the last being utilityman Diego Castillo, gave up 23 hits (and oddly enough, only one left the yard), four walks and a bopped batter while Kevin Newman booted a pair of DP balls to allow four unearned runs to plate. The Pirates had no answer; they were held to three hits, and that’s all the runners they had aboard during the game. Prior to today, the worst Bucco loss was a 20-0 beating at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2010. Starter Zach Thompson took the loss while Miguel Yajure and poor Diego just took some lumps.

4/22 Through the 1940s: Osborne Joins, Mace Goes, Ralph Slam, 12-Run 1st, Openers, Game Days, Craw Raid, Fred Slapped, Expo Opens; HBD Mickey, Terrible Ted, Jake & Sandy

• 1887 - RHP Sandy Burk was born in Columbus, Ohio. He had spent parts of four seasons in the majors and made his last hurrah as a Pittsburgh Rebel in 1915, jumping leagues after beginning the year in Indianapolis. He started two games, going the distance and winning both, giving up just two runs/eight hits in 18 IP. Sandy pitched for Minneapolis of the American Association for two years after the Players League folded, winning 21 games in 1916. He then served as an infantry sergeant during WW1 and tossed one last pro season upon his return in 1919. 
• 1891 - The Pirates played their first game at Exposition Park III, located on the North Shore of the Allegheny River, not far removed from where PNC Park sits now. Pittsburgh lost to the Chicago Colts 7-6 in front of 5,263 fans as rain before the game held down the attendance. The Pirates fell behind, 4-0, rallied in the seventh to go ahead and then saw the Colts tie it in the ninth and win it in the 10th, defeating Pud Galvin. The Pittsburgh Press printed a special “Sporting Edition” that included a game story and illustrations. The 16,000 seat yard featured 400-foot foul lines and a 450-foot center field fence; the gigantic Expo was the Bucs home field until 1909 when Forbes Field (another gargantuan playpen) opened. 
• 1892 - The Pirates set a franchise record when they scored 12 times in the first inning against St. Louis at Expo Park to beat the Browns 14-3. Doggie Miller led the hit parade with four knocks; four other Bucs (Lou Bierbauer, Ed Swartwood, Jake Beckley & Frank Shugart) had a pair of raps. The Pittsburgh Press wrote that “Fully 3,000 people turned out in the rain to see the game. It was too one-sided for interest after the first inning but the advantage was on the right side, so everyone was pleased. (Pud) Galvin (the winning pitcher) was fairly effective and did not have to work hard.” The game provided this footnote: Pittsburgh OF Elmer Smith worked a pair of free passes in that opening frame, the first time a major league player walked twice in the same inning. 
• 1894 - 2B Jake Pitler was born in New York City. Jake’s major league career was spent in Pittsburgh between 1917-18. He played regularly the first season but got into just two games in the second, hitting .232 in his time as a Pirate. Pitler was raised in Pittsburgh and was a newspaper boy working in the Forbes Field area. That piqued his interest in baseball and he played semi-pro, advancing to the minor-leagues. The Pirates were looking for stability at second base so he got his shot when the Bucs picked him up from Chattanooga. He lost out in 1918 when Pittsburgh acquired vet George Grantham to play second and sent Pitler to minor-league Jersey City. He didn’t report and instead returned to his indie league roots. He eventually caught on with the Brooklyn Dodgers after his playing days and served as a long-time minor-league manager and big league coach. 

Lefty Killen - 1886 team photo snip

• 1897 - The Pirates won the Season Opener at Robison Park, easily defeating the St. Louis Browns by a 4-1 score. Frank “Lefty” Killen, coming off a 30-win campaign, allowed six singles, struck out four and went the distance. Steve Brodie made a sweet Pittsburgh debut in center field, banging out a pair of two-baggers and driving in two runs while player/manager Patsy Donovan, in RF, also added two hits. The only run against Lefty came on a bit of skulduggery when the Browns, with runners on the corners, executed a double steal. Despite the strong start to the season, Killen wasn’t able to duplicate his 1896 success in ‘97, winning just 17 games while his ERA jumped a full run higher. 
• 1898 - Cincinnati's Ted Breitenstein tossed a no-hitter against the Pirates, blowing the Bucs away by an 11-0 count at League Field. He struck out two, walked one, and another runner reached via error. All in all, the Pittsburgh Press declared it “...a wonderful feat.” And the result dripped of sweet revenge; Breitenstein was the pitcher the Pirates chased six years earlier to the day during a record-setting 12-run first inning when he was twirling for St. Louis. 
• 1897 - Per John Thorn’s book “Our Game,” the first major-league Opening Day at which the National Anthem was played took place in Philadelphia on this date when the Phils played the Giants at the Baker Bowl. From 1918 on, it was played at the opening of every World Series, but wasn’t universally adopted in MLB as a pre-game leadoff until 1942 and the American entry into WW2. 
• 1902 - The Pirates and their opponents, the Cincinnati Reds, marched in a festive parade led by the Grand Army of the Republic band from the downtown Monongahela House hotel to Exposition Park for the Home Opener, cheered on by thousands per the Pittsburgh Press’ front page. The Bucs raised their 1901 pennant flag over the ballyard in front of a record 15,000 fans (the overflow was given SRO space behind ropes in the outfield, but “...gave the police no trouble and never once interfered with the players...” as noted by the paper) and then overcome an early three-run deficit to edge the Reds 4-3. Tommy Leach scored the winning run in the eighth, singling and then advancing from first-to-third on a bunt. He scored on starting (and winning) pitcher Sam Leever’s sac fly. 

Terrible Ted - 1942 photo Teenie Harris/CMOA

• 1903 - Theodore Roosevelt “Terrible Ted” Page was born in Glasgow, Kentucky. The speedy and gritty OF’er played for the Homestead Grays (1931-32) and Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932-34). He grew up in Youngstown and turned down a football scholarship offered by Ohio State to focus on baseball. The lefty Page batted .335 for his career, but injured his knee in 1934, leading eventually to his retirement in 1937. He stayed in Pittsburgh and his sports focus switched. After baseball, Page ran bowling alleys, including Meadow Lanes (he was hired to work there by former teammate Jack Marshall), and wrote a bowling column for the Pittsburgh Courier. He met a tragic end, beaten to death at home during a robbery, and is buried at Allegheny Cemetery. According to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, he earned his nickname because of his fiery on-field (and sometimes off-field) personality. He was a rough and tumble character who “played to win,” per his bio, “and would intimidate a player with his spikes or with rough language.” 
• 1913 - Manager Fred Clarke was suspended for five days after a run in with umpire Brick Owens, who called strike three on a Red at Forbes Field for the final out of a Bucco win on 4/19, only to change his mind and decide it was a ball, after all. The Pirates had started to trot off the field, allowing a runner to scoot to third while the club was scattered about. It became a moot point when the Bucs held on for a 6-5 win over Cincinnati. Afterward, Clarke admitted that he had used “forceful language” in arguing his case, but given the circumstances of the beef, he was still upset by the time off. First-place Pittsburgh was already missing injured stars SS Hans Wagner and C George Gibson; they would shortly start a slide that dropped them out of contention, falling 10 games back by mid-June. 
• 1918 - Mickey Vernon was born in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. Vernon spent 1960 as the Bucs' first-base coach and was actually added at age 42 to the active roster in September, going 1-for-8 in nine games. He went on to manage the Washington Senators, returning to Pittsburgh as a coach again in 1964. The first baseman’s MLB career spanned four decades (1939-60), and after Pittsburgh he coached for the St. Louis Cardinals, LA Dodgers, Montreal Expos and NY Yankees. He managed at the AAA and AA levels of the minor leagues and served as a batting instructor in the Kansas City Royals and Yankees' farm system. Mickey retired from baseball after the 1988 season at the age of 70, with 52 seasons spent as a player, coach and manager in pro baseball. 

Jughandle Johnny - 1925 photo/Morrison Estate

• 1925 - The Pirates beat the Cubs 6-1 in front of 31,000 fans in the Home Opener at Forbes Field. Jughandle Johnny Morrison did it all, tossing a complete game five-hitter plus going 2-for-4 with two three-baggers; Pie Traynor and Clyde Barnhart also tripled twice. The Bucs banged out 14 hits, including seven triples (one shy of the MLB record) in the spacious Oakland ballyard. 
• 1931 - RHP Bob Osborn was sold to the Pirates by the Cubs. The move was triggered because pitchers Ervin Brame, Remy Kremer and Steve Swetonic were all out of action at the time with various ailments. The Pirates used Osborn mostly as a short reliever (he started twice) and he ended the season with a slash of 6-1/5.01 with his six wins in relief tops in the NL. He was sent to the Cards the following year as part of the Bill Swift trade. The swap marked the end of his MLB career; he spent the rest of the thirties playing minor league and semi-pro ball. 
• 1937 - Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo signed several players from the Crawfords, including Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige, to his Dragones of Ciudad Trujillo squad. It was one of the blows that eventually brought down the Pittsburgh team as a powerhouse Negro League club. The Crawfords were sold in 1939 and moved to Toledo. 
• 1941 - Pitcher Mace Brown was sold to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Mace had spent seven years as a Pirate, doing everything from starting to closing, but Brooklyn converted him to one of the MLB’s first full-time relievers. He was fairly effective over the next three years, then lost 1944-45 to the war while serving in the Navy, and 1946 was his last major league campaign. 
• 1949 - The Pirates won their Forbes Field Home Opener in front of 32,173 fans, beating the Reds 5-4 behind Ralph Kiner's third-inning grand slam and Clyde McCullough’s run-scoring three-bagger. The Bucs had fallen behind 4-0 right out of the gate as Bob Chesnes gave up four runs in the opening frame and left in the second with runners on the corners and no outs. Bill Werle then tossed 7-2/3 frames of scoreless relief to claim the win with help from Hugh Casey, who came on to strike out Cincinnati’s Dixie Walker for the game’s final out with Redlegs on first and third.

4/22 From 1950: Turner Signs, Wood Joins, B-2-B Bombs, Doug Fans 11, Streaks, Bell's Fiver, Game Days, RIP Steve

• 1951 - Led by Gus Bell, who went 5-for-5 with a homer, three doubles, and a single while scoring three times, the Pirates defeated the Reds 7-5 at Crosley Field. Ralph Kiner was 1-for-2 with a triple and was walked three times behind Bell. Bill Werle tossed 2-1/3 scoreless relief frames to claim the win. Bell must have really impressed Cincy; they traded for him in the 1952 off season, and he played with the Redlegs for nine seasons, claiming four All-Star nods in that span. 
• 1953 - As noted by Buc historian John Dreker, the Pirates lost for the 12th straight time to the New York Giants’ righty Jim Hearn. The final at Forbes Field was 4-2 with Hearn tossing a four-hitter, albeit with five walks. But the worm would turn as Hearn would lose his next five decisions against Pittsburgh, though he ended his 13-year career with a 21-10/3.45 slash v the Pirates. 
• 1957 - Hank Foiles hit a 425’ triple and a 258’ homer off the RF foul pole in a 3-1 loss to the Giants at the weirdly configured Polo Grounds. Willie Mays’ two-out, three-run homer in the third off Luis Arroyo carried NY to victory as Ruben Gomez went the distance, tossing a six-hitter. 
• 1962 - The Pirates won their 10th straight game over New York 4-3, equaling the best major league record to start a season, set by the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. Bob Veale beat the Mets at Forbes Field as the NY nine tied a NL record going in the opposite direction by opening the year at 0-9, tying a record held by the 1918 Dodgers and 1920 Boston Braves. The Pirates won it in the bottom of the eighth when Bill Mazeroski’s double scored Roberto Clemente. Both streaks ended the next day when the Mets won, 9-1, behind Jay Hook’s five-hitter. It was more than a loss; it started the Pirates on a spiral of losing 13-of-17 games. Pittsburgh still had a nice season, winning 93 games, but that was only good enough for a fourth-place finish in the NL, eight games behind LA. 

Billy Maz - 1962 Topps

• 1974 - RHP Steve Swetonic passed away at age 70 in Canonsburg. Steve was from Mt. Pleasant and Pitt, spending his entire, too-short career with the Pirates. He tossed for five years (1929-33) after coming up from the minors and was considered a hot prospect, but a variety of injuries ground his career to a halt. He had appendicitis in 1930 and missed two months. Then he had elbow surgery the following campaign that put him on ice until late June and kept him from going longer than four innings in any outing. In 32, he again had arm pain that knocked him out for three weeks and only allowed him one start from mid-August on; some feel his injury cost the Bucs a shot at the flag. They were 1/2 game behind before he was hurt and finished four games off the pace with Steve out. In 1933, he set personal highs in wins (12), starts (21) and IP (164-2/3), but had off season hand surgery and never tossed in the show again after a short-lived 1935 comeback attempt. He retired and became a salesman for the Blaw Knox company. 
• 1978 - The Bucs did it the hard way, but they overcame a pair of late Cardinal leads to rally for an 8-7, down-to-the-wire victory at TRS. The hero was Duffy Dyer, who had been activated from the DL (he had broken his thumb) just before the game. He batted in the ninth, pinch-hitting as the last man left on the Bucco bench. After two were gone Ed Ott doubled and Phil Garner worked a walk to keep the Bucs pulse beating and give Duffy his chance. The nine-year vet came through by lining a ball barely inside the chalk in left off John Urrea to chase both runners home. Rennie Stennett had three hits, two RBI and a run; Bill Robinson added two knocks, a run driven in and plated twice, while Willie Stargell homered. Teke tossed the ninth for the win; the game was started by Bert Blyleven. 
• 1988 - Doug Drabek, usually a pitch-to-contact guy, struck out 11 Cubs, his career high (he averaged 5K per nine IP in ‘88, and it was the only time during the season that he posted more than seven whiffs in a game), as he went the distance in an 8-4 win at TRS in front of 16,250 Bucco fans. It was Drabek’s second consecutive complete game and his third straight victory of the young campaign. Spanky LaValliere provided the stickwork with four knocks, stroking a pair of doubles and chasing home two runs while Bobby Bonilla chipped in with a two-run longball. 
• 1992 - The Pirates won their ninth consecutive game, defeating Montreal 2-0 at Olympic Stadium behind Doug Drabek’s five-hitter. Expo hurler Dennis Martinez was almost as dominating, giving up just two knocks. Kirk Gibson homered off the third pitch of the game (he also had the other rap against Martinez) and Steve Buechele’s two-out single in the ninth off reliever Mel Rojas plated Andy Van Slyke with a little soft shoe - Buechele got trapped between bases, but stayed alive long enough for AVS to score. Pittsburgh’s record improved to 12-2, tying the franchise’s best 14-game start since the 1914 & 1902 teams. Montreal salvaged the last match of the four-game set the next afternoon, 6-3, whipping former teammate Zane Smith to snap the streak. 

Tim Wakefield - 1993 Toys R Us

• 1993 - Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield won his second consecutive start while walking nine batters when he ended a five-game Bucco skid with a 5-4 decision over the Cincinnati Reds at Three Rivers Stadium. He only allowed four hits while going the distance. Wakefield made it a nail biter by walking the bases loaded on 14 pitches after two outs in the ninth, but Barry Larkin inexplicably offered at the first pitch following that third free pass and tapped into a game-ending comebacker. Lonnie Smith led the Pirates attack with two RBI and a run scored, while Carrick’s John Wehner made his first MLB start in center field (he played 91 games in the Buc OF during his career), replacing Andy Van Slyke. 
• 1997 - The Pirates signed OF Turner Ward to a $300K deal after he was released by the Brewers. He had two solid years for the Bucs, including an all-time TV moment when he crashed through the TRS wall. But he hit under the Mendoza line in 1999 and was released in August. 
• 2001 - Jason Kendall gave the Bucs their first walkoff win at PNC Park with a two-run blast off Chicago’s Jeff Fassero in the 10th inning after the Cubs took a 3-2 lead in the top of the frame on a leadoff homer by Gary Matthews. In the home half, Kevin Young answered by delivering a pinch-hit single and Kendall followed with his blast to give the Bucs and Mike Williams a 4-3 win. 
• 2010 - The Pirates were humiliated by the Brewers at PNC Park 20-0, suffering the worst loss in their history. Six Bucco pitchers surrendered 25 hits and walked six more batters. The victory completed a three-game sweep of the Bucs in which the Brew Crew outscored Pittsburgh 36-1. "It was fun..." said Brewer Ryan Braun, who homered, doubled, singled and drove in five runs. It was eclipsed in 2022 when the Pirates were pummeled 21-0 by the Cubs at Wrigley Field. 

Brandon Wood - 2011 photo/Sports Collectibles

• 2011 - IF Brandon Wood was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The utilityman ended up getting into 99 games during the season, starting 55, mainly at third base, although he did play all four infield spots. He got a good look, but only hit .220 and was DFA’ed at the end of the year. Wood then bounced around in various minor league systems until retiring in 2014. 
• 2016 - The Bucs held off the Diamondbacks 8-7 in a game that featured some epic early season long taters. It was in the nineties in Arizona, and the Chase Field roof was open, setting up perfect conditions for a slugfest. Each team had three homers (Welington Castillo had two) but the Buc blasts were seismic. Sean Rodriguez and Gregory Polanco hit the longest pair of back-to-back homers since official measurements began in 2009 at 458 and 461 feet. They were topped by Jordy Mercer’s launch of 466’, the longest home run of the year to date. Those bombs were three of the six longest homers hit so far during the season. Jon Niese got the win (it was the first time the nine-year vet started a campaign with a 3-0 record) and Mark Melancon earned the save. 
• 2017 - The Perry Hilltop Citizens Council held the "Corner of Hope Celebration" to unveil nine revamped Negro League All-Star murals and open the small park the artwork is located in at the corner of Wilson Avenue and West Burgess Street in North Side. Originally dedicated in the late nineties, the faded Negro League murals were restored by students at The Pittsburgh Project who also cleared the run-down lot, with Oakglade Realty providing funding for the project. The murals are of Josh Gibson, who lived in the neighborhood, and fellow stars Ray Dandridge, Rube Foster, Gus Greenlee, Pop Lloyd, Satchel Paige, Cum Posey, Jackie Robinson, and Mule Suttles. 
• 2024 - The Pirates started off the year like gangbusters, jumping off to a 9-2 start before reality checked in. They had just lost six games in a row to drop to .500 when rookie phenom Jared Jones spun six innings, giving up a run and fanning seven - he became the fourth MLB player since 1893 to whiff seven or more batters in his first five starts, joining another Bucco, Jose DeLeon, who did the deed back in 1983 - to help the Pirates keep their heads above water with a 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park. Two key bats that had been quiet made some noise to help him, with both ends of the Pittsburgh generational arc, Andrew McCutchen and Oneil Cruz, each collecting three hits. Cutch homered in the first, his 11th leadoff homer for the Buccos, and Oneil singled home a pair of runs with a two-out single in the sixth to give the pen some breathing room.

4/21 Through the 1970s: Mick To Allies, B-2-B-2-B, Roberto & Pops Bops, All The Rey, Chiefs' 1st Dub, Game Days; HBD Jack, Kip & Happy Rabbit

• 1887 - The Alleghenies picked up RHP Jim McCormick in a trade with the Chicago White Stockings, sending them $2,000 and rookie George Van Haltren (he would return to the Pittsburgh fold in 1892), who was later quite successfully converted from pitcher to outfielder. He became the third starter in a three-man rotation, joining James “Jeems” Galvin and Ed “Cannonball” Morris. It was a big deal for the Allegheny club; McCormick was one of baseball’s early dominators (he ended his career with 265 wins), but age and wear on his arm finally caught up to him. The 30-year old was in his 10th and final big league campaign and slashed 13-23/4.30. He started 36 games and went the distance for every one, amassing 322-1/3 IP during the year. And he did fit in with the team ethos; he was known as a man who would tip a few and after a contract squabble for his return after the season hit a wall, he retired to run a local bar. 
• 1901 - The Pirates first Home Opener at Forbes Field was a successful debut. After falling behind early, the Buc bats banged out a 9-4 win over the Cards in front of nearly 8,000 fans who came to see the 1909 pennant flag raised before the game. Babe Adams started and made it through six innings, leaving for a pinch-hitter with an eventual 6-4 lead; Deacon Phillippe shut the door during the final three frames. Pittsburgh put up seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings behind an attack led by Dots Miller, who had four hits, and Bobby Byrnes with three; each man plated twice. 
• 1913 - The Pirates banged out eight straight hits plus a sac fly to score seven times in the sixth inning and rally past the St. Louis Cards 8-5. Babe Adams went the distance for the win at Robison Field. Hans Wagner & Solly Hofman led the attack with three knocks apiece. The victory moved Pittsburgh briefly to the top of the pack; they finished fourth in a year the NY Giants ran away from the NL field. 
• 1919 - SS Stan Rojek was born in North Tonawanda, New York. He played for the Pirates from 1948-51, starting the first two seasons and hitting .266 during his Pittsburgh years. The Bucs got him from Brooklyn, where he was a backup infielder behind Pee Wee Reese. He hit .290 his first Bucco season as the starter but after a beaning that sent him to the hospital, his bat was never quite the same and he was traded to the Cardinals in May of 1951. The Pirates gave him a couple of nicknames, per Edward Veit of SABR. “Initially Rojek’s Pirates teammates called him ‘Reject’ because he had been dumped by the Dodgers. He also was called ‘The Happy Rabbit’ because of...his attitude, and his quickness in scurrying around shortstop.” Fortunately for Stan, the “Rabbit” name stuck. 

Stan Rojek - 1951 Bowman

• 1921 - Moses “Chief” Yellowhorse won his first MLB game, the first big league dub ever posted by a full-blooded Native American (he was Pawnee), by working 3-1/3 innings in Pittsburgh’s 8-7 win over the Reds at Forbes Field in the season’s home lidlifter. Rabbit Maranville led the attack with three hits, including a triple, two runs scored and three RBI. Chief Yellowhorse relieved Elmer Ponder, who had come on after Babe Adams stumbled against Cincinnati in the third inning. 
• 1927 - In their Home Opener at Forbes Field, Pirates ace Ray Kremer did it all. He tossed a complete game four-hitter while blasting a two-run home run off Reds starter Eppa Rixey to lead the Bucs to a 3-2 victory in front of 33,439 fans, a fitting start for the ‘27 NL pennant winners. 
• 1933 - The Bucs won their Home Opener at Forbes Field 5-1, rallying in their last at-bat to break up a pitcher’s duel. The Pirates Bill Swift was locked up with Si Johnson of the Reds going into the bottom of the eighth with Cincy up 1-0; Swift had surrendered just two hits, but one was a homer. Manager George Gibson started the eighth frame off with pinch hitter Woody Jensen (per beatman Volney Walsh of the Pittsburgh Press: “Mr. Jensen was enjoying his usual afternoon siesta on the bench when Gibby summoned him...”) and Woody lit the fuse - he singled to start a parade of knocks; the Bucs scored five times behind a two-run double by Pie Traynor, Gus Suhr’s triple to chase home two more tallies and Tony Piet’s knock to send the final runner across the plate. Bill Harris worked the ninth to tuck the game away for Swift. The Pirates were in the midst of a 10-3 April record and finished second in the Nation League with 87 wins, five games behind NY.
• 1943 - Rip Sewell ruined the Cubs Home/Season Opener at Wrigley Field as he tossed a three-hit 6-0 shutout, backed by the three hits of Frank Colman & Al Lopez, with a pair of runs chased home by Vince DiMaggio in the eighth keying the win. Sewell had the Cubbies’ number and won five more contests from them during the campaign. He wasn’t the only ace on this date - there were four games played around the league and they all ended in shutouts, a MLB record. 
• 1957 - In the first game of a doubleheader at Ebbets Field, Frank Thomas, Paul Smith, and Dick Groat hit consecutive home runs in the third inning off Brooklyn’s Don Newcombe to lead Pittsburgh to a 6-3 victory. Bob Skinner also went yard while Roberto Clemente collected three hits. Bob Purkey got the win for the Pirates with an ElRoy Face save. Don Drysdale evened things up by winning the nightcap in favor of the Dodgers 7-4 as Don Zimmer homered and drove in three runs. 

Gene Freese - 1964 Topps

• 1964 - Home run or no count: The Bucs beat the Chicago Cubs 8-5 at Wrigley Field. Nine different players went long, as the wind was blowing out. Roberto Clemente, Ducky Schofield, Jim Pagliaroni, and Gene Freese (who hit a three-run bomb in the ninth to win it as a pinch-hitter for Willie Stargell, swatting the only blast that wasn’t a solo shot) went yard for Pittsburgh while the Cubs added five singletaries, tying a record. ElRoy Face got the win after Vern Law started. The game had a little of everything going on; another record was tied when Robert Clemente was walked intentionally three times, and Face helped himself by turning an unassisted double play. 
• 1968 - Roberto Clemente hit one inside-the-park homer after being thrown out at home the inning prior against San Francisco. The four-bagger was a Forbes Field special when a hard-hit single took a giant bounce off the hard turf and over G-Man outfielder Ty Cline’s head; by the time he caught up to the ball and got it in, The Great One had a stand-up dinger. In his previous at-bat, he had drilled a ball off the batting cage in center field 457’ away. Clemente admitted he cost himself that homer by cruising around the bases, assuming he had a stand-up triple, until he saw third base coach Alex Grammas wave him around at third, and a perfect relay cut him down at the plate. The run was fortunately meaningless in a 10-0 Al McBean win. Willie Stargell went long the traditional over-the-wall way while the Pirates banged out 16 knocks, with all nine starters posting a hit. 
• 1971 - Pops Stargell hit three long balls for the second time in 11 days to lead Pittsburgh to a 10-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. It was the fourth time he had three homers in a game, tying him with Ralph Kiner for the team record. Captain Willie collected five RBI and scored three times at TRS as four other Buccos banged out a pair of knocks. Dock Ellis tossed a five-hitter to calm the Bravo bats. 
• 1977 - RHP Kip Wells was born in Houston. The righty came to Pittsburgh in the 2001 off season as part of the Todd Ritchie deal with the White Sox and tossed for five Bucco campaigns (2002-06), winning 36 times. The Texan started off well with ERAs of 3.58 and 3.28 in 2002-03 but faded and was sent to the Rangers for Jesse Chavez. Kip played through 2009, went through a couple of years when he couldn’t land an MLB job, and closed out his career in 2012 as a Padre. 
• 1978 · LHP Jack Taschner was born in Milwaukee. After working for the Giants and Phils, the reliever joined the Bucs as an NRI in 2010. He went north with the squad and made 17 outings, going 1-0/6.41 before being released in June. The Dodgers claimed him, and he finished the year (and his MLB career) with them. Jack became a cop in Appleton, Wisconsin after his playing days.

4/21 From 1980: Quinones Deal, Come From Behind, Kip Parties, '02 Roll, Game Days, Cobra Suit, Arriba On Line; HBD Brent & Ronny

• 1981 - Ronny Paulino was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He was thought to be the Bucco catcher of the future and started behind the dish in 2006-07. That was enough time to prove he wasn’t the answer and after the 2008 season he was dealt to the Phils for Jason Jaramillo. Paulino spent four years as a Pirate and hit .278, bumping around the league for four more seasons. He finished his career in the Mexican and Dominican leagues after the 2019-20 season. 
• 1986 - The Pirates filed a lawsuit in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court against Dave Parker to cut his deferred contract money. It sought to relieve the club of the $5,312,475 still owed to the OF’er, with the Bucco claim based on his drug testimony which they alleged triggered a clause that forfeited the back pay. He was the only player they sued after the fact, probably due to a combination of Parker playing for another team, not being very popular among the fans, and the Pirates sinking financial condition. A confidential settlement was reached between the club and the Cobra in 1988 before the trial. 
• 1987 - It was a good news, bad news kinda game. The good news was that the Pirates, thanks to some questionable Mets baserunning, turned their first triple play since 1982. With runners on second and third, a one-hopper to second held the runners during a routine 4-3 putout. But for some unknown reason, Darryl Strawberry drifted toward third with Gary Carter standing on it; 1B Sid Bream flipped the ball to shortstop Denny Gonzalez who ran Straw down between bases. While that dance was happening, Carter took off for home, where he was easy pickings for C Junior Ortiz’ tag to complete a 4-3-6-2 triple dip. As for the game at TRS, Barry Bonds and Johnny Ray banged eighth-inning homers to cut the New York lead to 7-6, but Don Robinson was touched up for two runs in the ninth to seal the Pirates 16th loss in 17 games to the Metropolitans by a final count of 9-6. 
• 1987 - 3B Brent Morel was born in Bakersfield, California. Brent got six years in the show (2010-15), spending his first four campaigns with the White Sox primarily as a depth piece. He finished his MLB career in Pittsburgh after being claimed off waivers, getting into 26 games during 2014-15 and hitting .196. Morel spent his last two pro years in Japan, retiring after the 2017 season. 

Rey Quinones - 1989 Upper Deck

• 1989 - In a deal of hopefuls, the Pirates traded former first round pick OF/1B Mark Merchant along with pitchers Mike Dunne & Mike Walker to the Seattle Mariners for SS Rey Quinones and UT Bill Wilkinson. The change of scenery didn’t help: Dunne worked two more seasons (4-9/5.71 - 29 appearances), Quinones played 71 games for the Pirates, hit .209, and was released to end his career, Wilkinson didn’t play another MLB game, and Merchant never made it to the show, so Walker’s five years/88 outings (3-11-2/5.09) topped the performance list. 
• 1991 - The Pirates became the first MLB team to ever come back from a five-run deficit in an extra inning to rally for victory. After the Cubs scored five times, thanks mostly to a grand slam by Andre Dawson, the Pirates plated six runners in the 11th inning at TRS to claim a 13-12 victory, with Don Slaught's double the game winner. Nine Bucs batted in that frame, collecting two doubles, three singles, three walks and a sac fly as they small-balled their way to a big inning. Bob Patterson was charged with giving up three runs in an inning of work, but was credited with the win. The loss was pinned on former Pirate Mike Bielecki. The extra-inning comeback was just the second of two late rallies; the Bucs were losing 7-2 going into the eighth. An Orlando Merced triple and Bobby Bo homer cut the lead to one and then the Bucs tied it in the ninth on a two-out Gary Varsho double. It was a true team win: nine Pirates chipped in with RBI and eight players scored. Orlando Merced made his first career start (he appeared in 776 games, starting in 643, during his seven years as a Pirate) while going 2-for-4 with a triple, a pair of walks, two RBI and a run scored.
• 1992 - The Bucs scored five times in the first inning and held on to beat the Expos 8-7 at Olympic Stadium. Andy Van Slyke put the Bucs ahead in the first with a two-run triple and finished with three RBI. Barry Bonds went deep in the third inning to make it 6-2 Pittsburgh. Vicente Palacios picked up the win in relief with two scoreless frames while Roger Mason earned the save. 
• 2002 - The Pirates won their sixth straight game and 7-of-8 by a 9-3 count over the Phils at PNC Park to run their record to 12-5. The Bucs had a 2-1/2 game lead in the division after the triumph, but by mid-May they were below .500 and finished with 72 victories, 24-1/2 games out of the top spot. The Buccos ran up a five-spot in the second inning to ice the game, keyed by a two-out, bases-loaded triple by Jason Kendall. Abraham Nunez led the hit parade with three raps, including a double, two steals and three runs scored to gift wrap Kip Wells' b-day dub. 

Kip Wells - 2004 Fleer Showcase

• 2005 - Kip Wells liked working on his birthday as he and the Bucs defeated the Reds 4-2 on his 28th trip around the sun. He worked five innings, giving up three hits but with five walks to amass 104 pitches. Kip left with the lead and four relievers put up zeroes behind him, with Jose Mesa earning the save. Jason Bay swung the Buccos’ big bat with three hits, including one that left GABP. 
• 2014 - The Bucs blew an early lead, but an Andrew McCutchen homer in the eighth tied it and Neil Walker’s two-out RBI bloop to right later in the frame was the game winner as the Pirates outlasted Cincinnati 6-5 at PNC Park. Jared Hughes stranded a pair of Reds in the ninth to earn the win. Ike Davis hit his second grand slam of the year and both were against the Reds, one as a Buc and one as a Met. He became the first player in MLB history to hit two grand slams with two different teams before the end of April and the third player to hit two grand slams against the same opponent for two different teams. 
• 2020 - The Roberto Clemente Museum shared its exhibits and some tales on a live stream for the first time on its Instagram account. Opened in 2007 and located at the old #25 Engine House on Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville, the museum had offered only scheduled tours, but director/curator Duane Rieder decided to provide Bucco fans with a web boost during the coronavirus shutdown of baseball and still operates his Twitter (sorry, “X”) account to this day. 
• 2022 - For the 12th time in 13 games, the Pirates' opponents scored first when the Cubs took a 3-0 lead at Wrigley after two innings. But the Bucs had an answer. Daniel Vogelbach cut the lead to a run with a two-run shot in the third inning, then Yoshi Tsutsugo dumped an opposite field, two-out, bases-loaded double to plate another pair of Buccos in the fifth frame. And 4-3 is how it ended as the Pittsburgh relievers (Bryse Wilson started) tossed six shutout innings of one-hit, 10 K ball, a feat that hasn’t been done since 2001. Derek Shelton shot just about all his bullpen bullets - Wil Crowe, Dillon Peters, Heath Hembree, David Bednar and Chris Stratton were called on, with Crowe credited with the win, Stratton made the save, and the other three earned a hold. The Pirates squandered a few chances (they were 1-for-9 w/RISP), including a 175’ triple hit by Bryan Reynolds against the shift, tapping a third base line roller that slowly rolled to the railing. B-Rey hustled into second, realized no one was covering third base, and so he just kept truckin’ through the turn and took that sack, too. More stuff: per announcer Joe Block, Peters set the longest hitless batter streak in franchise history (since 1974) of 25 hitters. Also, of those dozen games the Bucs started in the hole, they came back to win six. Ironically, they lost the only contest when they scored first.

Weekly Report: 4-3 Home Stand, Bullpen Shuffle, Skenes & Kells K-Men, Lowe & Cruz Rampagin', Paul's Cy Award & Bobblehead

Home standing... 

Pirates Stuff:

• The Pirates recalled LHP Evan Sisk from Indy and optioned LHP Hunter Barco (0-1/6.43) to the Tribe. Hunter was used as a bulk inning long man here and will stretch out as part of the rotation at Indianapolis; the Bucs believe that his future is as a starter and that he was just treading water in the Pittsburgh pen. 
• Pittsburgh called up RHP Cam Sanders from Indy; they've had a long stretch of games and it's taking its toll on the pen. Cam had a not very strong six-game call up last year, walking more men than he K'ed. Not too surprisingly, RH longman Jose Urquidy was the guy optioned back to AAA.
• Cam didn't last long. On Sunday, RHP Wilber Dotel joined the Pirates (he worked the ninth in his debut outing the same day) and Sanders was optioned back to Indy. Not adding a serviceable mid-inning long guy or two has bitten the Bucs.

Brandon Lowe - 2026 image/Sportsnet Pgh.

• On Monday night against the Nats, Paul Skenes became the first Pirates pitcher in the Modern Era (1901 on) with 400 or more strikeouts in his first 59 career starts. He now has 404 punchouts on his resume. That same night, Brandon Lowe became the first Pirate since RBI became a stat in 1920 to record five+ RBIs in back-to-back games. Only Honus Wagner (1901) and Jimmy Williams (1899) are in that club.
• And just to hang another red letter on the night, the Pirates scored 10 times in the sixth inning in the 16-5 romp, their first 10-run frame since 2017 during a 14-3 beatdown of the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Bucs last scored 16 runs in 2023, and it was also v Washington at Nationals Stadium.
• Mitch Keller has moved into 10th place on the Pirates all-time strikeout list, passing Rick Rhoden (852) on Sunday. Keller has posted 856 career strikeouts after a five-punchout start against Tampa Bay.
• The yearly breakdown of Konnor Griffin's nine-year/$140 M deal: Signing Bonus - $12M; $1M - 2026; $2M - 2027; $4M - 2028; $6M - 2029; $12.5M - 2030; $21M - 2031; $26.5M - 2032 and $27.5M - 2033-34 with escalators that pump up his salary (max potential total $7.5M) for a Top Ten MVP finish per Jon Heyman.
• Oneil Cruz's hitting steak ended at 12 games on Tuesday; it marked a personal best for the CF'er.

Oneil Cruz - 2026 photo/Pirates

• And talking abotu hitting streaks, Spencer Horwitz is 10-for-10 lifetime against Tampa's Nick Martinez after Friday night.
• Injury report: Jared Jones is back in Florida and began tossing sim games, the final step to getting into live action with a minor league rehab stint. No real news on Jared Triola's rehab schedule yet, and Mike Clevinger will be out for an extended period with an MCL knee sprain.
• The NL Central is about as tight as it can be; the five teams were within 1-1/2 games from top to bottom going into Monday.

Game Stuff:

• The Bucs were 11-5 against the Nats at PNC since 2022 and Paul Skenes was on the hill...so yah, the good guys romped Monday, 16-5. Paul went six one-hit, one-run frames with six K, Brandon Lowe & Spencer Horwitz homered, Bryan Reynolds had three hits (he & Lowe combined for nine runs chased home) and Oneil Cruz kept his hitting streak alive with two more knocks to go with two walks + a steal.
• Rain delayed the start of Tuesday's match a bit. Too bad it didn't pour; Mitch Keller was clocked in the first inning, being both wild and hittable. He lasted four frames and left with the Pirates in a 5-1 hole (yes, Lowe homered again). The Bucs cut the lead to one when Joey Bart went deep. They loaded the bases with an out in the seventh and Lowe up, but Don Kelly decided to match up and bat Nick Yorke for him, and he bounced into a DP. Jake Magnum kept it at a run with a strike to Bart to cut down an insurance tally at the dish in the eighth, but the Bucs stranded a pair in the ninth to go down 5-4.
• Wednesday was a bullpen game for the Bucs, kinda. Carmen Mlodzinski was the middle man and went six two-hit, no-run innings with five K, only two walks and 81 pitches as Pittsburgh took a 2-0 win home. The Pirates had five hits; Ryan O'Hearn had three of them, matching the Nat's hit total.

Carmen Mlodzinski v the Nats - photo/MLB

• he series ended up split; the Pirates lost 8-7 on Thursday, not so much beaten by Washington   (the boys did rally from a four-run deficit to take the lead) as beaten by themselves, with too many misplays, mental & physical (four errors) plus a bases-loaded wild pitch/bopped batter sequence to lose the lead. It was a series they should have won. 
• PNC Park hosted a big night for 24,198 fans - Doug Drabek presented Paul Skenes with his Cy Young Award, AJ Burnett threw out the first pitch, it was Fireworks Night and the Bucs debuted their new City Connect unis as Tampa Bay came to town. The Bucs needed some good mojo as the Rays were on a six-game road win streak, and they got it. Bubba Chandler shoved, going six innings and giving up a run on three hits with a walk & three K’s, Oneil Cruz banged a two-run homer, Brandon Lowe doubled home a pair with his third hit, Spencer Horwitz went three-for-three with an RBI and Marcell Ozuna also posted three knocks and a run scored to his stat sheet in a 5-1 Bucco dub.
• Saturday was a sold out Paul Skenes bobblehead night, and guess who was hurling? It was a marquee matchup between Skenes and Drew Rasmussen. With rain on the way, the first pitch was jumped up to 3:30 (it was a scheduled 6:45 start). Ryan O'Hearn & Marcell Ozuna must be mudders; both banged two-run homers before a 2-1/2 hour rain delay that came with two out in the bottom of the fourth. Cam Sanders and Evan Sisk took over for Skenes, and in a flash it was 5-4 Tampa. Isaac Mattson stopped the bleeding from the bump and Nick Yorke tied it with an RBI knock in the eighth. In extras, the Bucs loaded the bases with an out, but couldn't put another ball in play. In the 11th, Yohan Ramirez gave Tampa the lead via a goofed-up pickoff try, but Konnor Griffin singled Yorke home in the Buc half to keep it alive. Ramirez was apparently the last arm left; he went three innings and gave up a two-run dinger in the 13th. The Bucs got one back but fell short after leaving runners on second and third with two away (they were 2/17 w/RISP) and fell to the Rays 8-7.

Isaac Mattson - 2026 photo/Pirates

• This series has been played in spring weather, a rainstorm and now a sunny but windy & chilly day as Mitch Keller tried to win the set for the Bucs. Kells was back to his workmanlike self for seven pen-friendly frames, Bryan Reynolds cashed in three Buccos and Spencer Horwitz & Nick Yorke went deep as the Pirates took the series with a 6-3 dub. Now a day off and on to Texas and Andrew McCutchen...

MLB Stuff: 

• RHP Gerrit Cole, recovering from TJ surgery, is a step closer to returning as he began a rehab assignment at AA Somerset on Friday.
• RHP Miguel Yajure , who spent parts of two not very solid years (2021-22) with the Bucs as part of the Jamison Taillon trade return before joining the Giants org and then going to Japan for two years, signed a minor league deal with the Astros.

4/20 Through 1984: Willie the Roofer, Rip Roarin', Gus-to, Sweet Steve, Game Days All-MLB; HBD Chris, Steamer & Sam

• 1869 - OF Sam Nicholl was born in County Antrim, Ireland (recently, John Dreker of Pirates Prospects has found the date to be 4/18/1865). After a strong year at Wheeling, Nicholl finished out the 1888 campaign with the Alleghenys. He went 1-for-22, but his BA was considered bad ball luck as he hit the ball well, and he was also a plus defender. He was a late cut in camp the next season and sent back to Wheeling. Sam got one more shot in 1890 with Columbus, then closed out with five years in the Western Association before a leg injury effectively ended his career. 
• 1881 - OF Jim “Steamer” Flanagan was born in Kingston, Pennsylvania, across the Susquehanna River from Wilkes-Barre. He was rumored to have turned down a scholarship to Notre Dame to turn pro in 1901. He played for the Pirates briefly in 1905 as September insurance, and showed well, hitting .280 with seven runs scored and three stolen bases in seven games. Steamer was considered a five-tool guy, but for reasons unknown, he never got another shot at the majors, playing in the minors through the 1915 season. After his ball-playing days, he lived in Wilkes-Barre as a cop, sandlot player, manager and umpire, while also serving as a bird dog for the Red Sox and Athletics. Per Jack Smiles of SABR, “he ran, it was said, like a steam locomotive” and hence his nickname. 
• 1916 - The Pirates lost the Home Opener at Forbes Field to St. Louis 5-0, held to five hits by Harry “Slim” Sallee in front of 20,000 or so. But there was some early excitement. With two on and a 3-1 count on the batter, manager Jimmy Callahan, coaching third, stepped out of the box to talk with base runner Doc Johnston between pitches. He apparently placed his hand on Johnston during the chat and plate umpire Ernie Quigley called Doc out on coaches interference due to Callahan’s contact. The Bucs protested to no avail, and owner Barney Dreyfuss protested the game to NL President John Tener. Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press wrote that at a smoker that evening, Dreyfuss went on about a conspiracy with the boys in blue having secret league instructions (he didn’t disclose their nature) and went so far as to call them “...pin-headed umpires.” Tener rejected the protest, though he did clarify that the rule was to be in effect only when the player was physically assisted leaving or returning to a base by a coach. 

Hans - 1983 Sports Design West Collection

• 1930 - Long-time baseball writer Irwin Howe of the Chicago Tribune picked his all-time MLB team (baseball was young enough that the Hall of Fame was still a twinkle in the eye), and it included SS Honus Wagner and 3B Pie Traynor. Howe had the background for the job - he was a baseball historian, the secretary for the Chicago chapter of BBWAA and the AL’s official statistician. 
• 1932 - Mt. Pleasant native and Pitt grad Steve Swetonic came as close as any Pirate pitcher (Bob Moose matched his feat in 1968) to tossing a no-hitter at Forbes Field. He surrendered a two-out knock in the eighth to the Card’s George Watkins that spoiled his bid. Though he gave up a couple of anti-climatic ninth inning singles, he cruised to a 7-0 victory in the Home Opener before 16,000 fans. His career was short circuited after five years when he retired at 28 because of a chronic sore arm. 
• 1936 - The Bucs’ Gus Suhr slugged a two-out, three-run homer in the ninth off Roy Henshaw to erase an early six-run deficit and give Pittsburgh a 9-8 win over the Cubs at Forbes Field. Pep Young and Cookie Lavagetto also went long, and Bill Swift worked the final four frames for the win. 

Rip Sewell - 1947 Sports Exchange

• 1946 - Rip Sewell spun a four-hitter to win a duel against the Cards Bucky Walters, 2-1. Walters was a one-man show, scoring his clubs’ only run by stealing home, but RBI doubles banged out by Bob Elliott and Elbie Fletcher sent the Forbes Field crowd of 27,891 (and Rip) home happy. 
• 1948 - Rip Sewell did it all; he tossed a complete game six-hitter and homered as the Bucs won their Home Opener 3-2 over the Chicago Cubs at Forbes Field. Rookie second baseman Monty Basgall had the game-winning rap, his first big league homer, in the sixth inning. 
• 1970 - Willie Stargell belted a sixth-inning homer off Jim Bouton that cleared the RF roof at Forbes Field as the Pirates took a 3-1 decision from Houston; Pops drove in all three Bucco tallies. Dock Ellis went six innings for the win, with Dave Giusti covering the last three frames while fanning four. The deed wasn’t witnessed by very many; there were only 4,015 fans in the house. 
• 1980 - CF Chris Duffy was born in Brattleboro, Vermont. Duffy hit .269 in his three Buc years (2005-07) but butted heads with manager Jim Tracy who wanted him to change his batting style. Duffy stormed home after a closed-door session with the skipper and his career pretty much sank after that affair. He played one more season for Pittsburgh, and in 2008 was injured and released. He would play just 13 more MLB games as a Milwaukee Brewer in 2009.

4/20 From 1985: Teke Traded, B-Rey & Tuck Debut, Wakefield Gone, 9-In-9th, Basebrawl, Odd Datelines, Game Days, '23 Pgh HoF, Hans Marker

• 1985 - Kent Tekulve’s Pirate career ended after 11+ seasons when he was traded to the Phils for Al Holland. He wasn’t happy with the swap, but the next day, he pitched two shutout innings for Philadelphia after traveling overnight to join his new club. The 38-year-old became a set-up man there and remained rubber-armed, appearing in 291 games in four years with a 24-26-25/3.01 line in Philly before finishing out his final campaign with the Cincinnati Reds. 
• 1986 - The Pirates and Cubs played 13 innings, only to have their game at Wrigley Field suspended due to darkness after four hours and 48 minutes and the score tied 8-8 after the Cubs scored three times in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game into extra innings. The contest was completed on August 11th with the Bucs winning 10-8 in 17 innings. The total game time from start-to-finish was six hours and nine minutes. Johnny Ray & Joe Orsulak combined for seven hits and five runs while Sid Bream and Steve Kemp homered. Barry Jones picked up the win, going four scoreless innings while whiffing eight. Oddly, though Jones wasn’t called up until July, he set the MLB record for whiffs in a debut as a reliever (tied in 2016 by then-Astro Joe Musgrove). It was in actuality his 10th appearance, but the game date reverted back to when the contest’s first pitch was tossed, making it his first outing in the record books. In another similar oddity, rookie Barry Bonds got his first actual hit on May 31st, but was credited by MLB with his first knock on this date (it was actually his 51st hit of the year) when he pinch hit and banged the game-winning single during the makeup date. That at bat, like Jones's appearance, reverted to the match’s original scheduled date. 
• 1987 - It was the kind of game to drive a fan to drink, both to boo-hoo and party. The Pirates had a 5-2 lead over the ‘86 World Series champs, the Mets, at TRS going into the seventh when John Smiley came on to replace Rick Reuschel. A home run and back-to-back two-out walks sent John to the showers and Barry Jones was called in for that third out; instead he served Gary Carter a fat one that he sent over the wall to give New York a 6-5 lead. Hey bartender... But the Buccos proved to be adept copy-cats. Sid Bream smacked his second dinger of the day (he went 4-for-5 with three RBI) off Randy Myer to knot the score and then the Pirates drew consecutive two-out walks. Sound familiar? And the script played out - Doug Sisk was waved in to close the frame and watched Mike Diaz loft a ball into the stands for another two-out, three-run blast. That gave Pittsburgh its pad back at 9-6 and Logan Easley took care of business for the final two innings to get credit for the win, his first MLB victory, while breaking a 15-game losing streak to the Big Apple club to turn it into happy hour. Johnny Ray also homered while RJ Reynolds had a three-hit night. 

Randy Tomlin - 1992 Topps Stadium Club

• 1992 - The Pirates turned a pitching duel between Randy Tomlin and Montreal’s Ken Hill on its ear with a nine-run outburst in the ninth to defeat the Expos at Olympic Stadium, 11-1. The inning was highlighted by a Kirk Gibson grand slam and a three-run shot by Barry Bonds, only the second time in MLB history that a team has swatted a grannie and a three-run dinger in the ninth frame. Tomlin earned the win with help from Dennis Lamp and Stan Belinda. 
• 1995 - Pittsburgh released knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. He was picked up a week later by Boston, where he spent the next 17 seasons, tossing over 3,000 innings and winning 186 games. He was a wild child for the Buccos, but mastered the flutterer in the Red Sox system under the tutelage of Phil and Joe Niekro. They also sent 1B Kevin Young & C Angel Encarnacion to the AAA Calgary Cannons and placed pitchers Steve Cooke and Rick White on the DL. Later in the week, 3B John Wehner and RHP John Ericks were also bumped down to Calgary. 
• 1998 - Pennsylvania placed a state memorial plaque, sponsored by the local historical society, at 605 Beechwood Avenue in Carnegie, near the site of Honus Wagner's birthplace, to honor the Pirates Hall of Fame shortstop. Hans had been born in Chartiers, now part of Carnegie, in 1874 to an immigrant coal mining family, playing for local sandlot and company teams until he joined the local semi-pro Mansfield Indians and began his road to Cooperstown. 
• 2009 - Ross Ohlendorf tossed the Bucs’ fourth shutout of the season (in 13 games), giving up two hits in seven innings, in an 8-0 win over Florida to end the Marlins’ seven-game winning streak. The Bucs had recorded just two shutouts in all of 2008. Nate McLouth gave Ohlie all the support he needed by driving in four runs, three touching home after a sixth-inning homer. 

Ohlie - 2009 Upper Deck

• 2014 - Milwaukee topped the Pirates 3-2 in 14 frames on Easter at PNC Park, but the game took a back seat to the on-field action in the third inning. Brewer Carlos Gomez admired a ball that didn’t quite get out of the yard. He made it to third and Gerrit Cole let him have it verbally for hot-dogging it. Gomez went after Cole, the benches emptied and a basebrawl broke out. Travis Snider went after Gomez, Rickie Weeks grabbed him by the arms and Martin Maldonado took advantage to poke a defenseless Lunch Box, leaving him with a shiner. Maldonado was suspended five games, Gomez received a three-game suspension (he also threw his helmet at the Bucco mob), and Snider was suspended two games. Fran Cervelli later challenged pugilist Maldonado to an off season boxing match for charity, but was never taken up on the offer. As for the game, Neil Walker had three hits, including a homer, but Khris Davis’ extra-inning blast off Jeanmar Gomez carried the day (all three Milwaukee runs were solo dingers, including the ninth-inning game-knotter by Ryan Braun off Jason Grilli) to overcome eight strong innings of six-hit, one-run ball spun by Cole. 
• 2019 - A couple of Bucs made their MLB debuts, starting in a 3-1 win v the Giants at PNC, and both collected their first big league hits. Leadoff hitter/SS Cole Tucker’s swat was the game-winner in the fifth when he banged a two-out, two-strike, two-run homer just before a lightning storm accompanied by a downpour shortened the match. A former Giant farmhand, Bryan Reynolds, also took his bow in left field, batting fifth, and went 1-for-2. Though Cole’s day was more auspicious, in the long run B-Rey proved to be the keeper. Jameson Taillon was the victor. 
• 2023 - The Pirates rode some early two-out lightning, Ke'Bryan Hayes’ mitt and Roansy Contreras' arm to a 4-3 victory against the Reds at PNC Park. With two on and two away in the first, Connor Joe hammered a full-count heater into the bullpen and Jack Suwinski followed with another blast to make it 4-0. Contreras kept the string of strong starting pitching going, going 6-2/3 innings and giving up one run on five hits with eight K while tossing the staff’s 10th straight quality start. Key’s glove saved a potential big inning when he dove into the hole and threw a strike to second from his knees to begin a DP, with Carlos Santana making a nice scoop to complete the twin killing. The Reds picked up a pair in the eighth to add some drama, but David Bednar tucked them away in the ninth to earn his sixth save. The 13-7 Buccos were on a roll, winning their fourth straight game and fifth-in-six. Just before the first pitch, the Bucs announced their second class of team Hall-of-Famers: pitchers ElRoy Face, Bob Friend and Kent Tekulve, along with shortstop Dick Groat.