9/26 Through 1974: Al Flexes, Steve's #19, Dock+Cricket, Earl The Pearl, Game Days, Larry Axed, HBD Brian, Steve, Bobby, Al, Joe, Bob

1890 - C Bob Coleman was born in Huntingburg, Indiana. The back-up catcher played for Pittsburgh from 1913-14, hitting .245 in 200 ABs. He got one more taste of the majors in 1916 with the Cleveland Indians but would spend most of his innings on various farm clubs. He played until 1927 when he retired after the season at the age of 36 and continued on the road of a minor-league lifer. He skippered for 35 seasons (20 at Evansville), and Coleman's teams won 2,496 games. Bob also coached for the Tigers and managed the Boston Braves.

1901 - The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 4-3 at Exposition Park, guaranteeing at least a tie for the 1901 NL pennant with Philadelphia. Jack Chesbro got the win and added an RBI. The other scores were driven in by Honus Wagner, Kitty Bransfield and Lefty Davis as the Pirates put together a four-run sixth inning for the win. They clinched the next day to take their first NL flag.

1906 - Lefty Leifield hurled a six-inning no-hitter, the first in franchise history, although the no-no isn’t considered official as it didn’t go nine frames. He walked two and fanned six as the Bucs defeated Philadelphia at the Baker Bowl 8-0 (per the Pgh Press, the Pirates were in “a swatting mood”) in the back end of a doubleheader that was shortened because of darkness. Pittsburgh won the opener by a shutout, too, taking a 5-0 win behind Vic Willis. The day’s hitting hero was OF Bob Ganley, who collected five hits and swiped a pair of sacks during the day.

1910 - LHP Joe Sullivan was born in Mason City, Illinois. Joe closed out his five-year major league career with Pittsburgh in 1941, going 4-1-1/2.97 in 16 games (four starts). Though manager Frankie Frisch was said to like him as a guy he could use in any situation, Joe had control problems, and in camp the following spring, he came down with an untimely case of tonsillitis. He was sent to the farm and never made it back to the majors. Joe retired to the Pacific Northwest (he spent several years in the Pacific Coast/Western Leagues after his MLB career) and worked in the Naval Shipyard.

Joe Sullivan (w/Boston) - photo via SABR

1911 - Announcer Al Helfer was born in Elrama, in Washington County. Al played football and basketball at W & J College, taking his first job as a sports reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette while also calling football games for the Pittsburgh Pirates, back in the days before they were known as the Steelers (1940), and Pitt Panthers for WWSW. He started broadcasting Pirates games off ticker updates in 1933, launching a career as “Mr. Radio Baseball.” Helfer also called the action for the Reds, Dodgers, Phils, Colt 45s, A’s, Mutual Broadcasting and the gridiron Broncos during his career. He was awarded the Ford C. Frick Award for Excellence in Baseball Broadcasting from the Hall of Fame posthumously in 2018 after passing away in 1975 at age 65.

1920 - Babe Adams was pummeled 8-0 by the Reds in the season finale, but it was a nice season for the 38-year-old who finished 17-13/2.16 and tossed 263 innings (he’d pitch through 1926). Babe set a MLB record by walking just 18 batters in his 35 games, averaging 0.6 walks per nine innings or just one free pass for every 14-2/3 IP. That set a single-season control record that stood until 2005 when Jose Silva walked 0.43 per nine frames in 188 IP for the Twins.  

1925 - LHP Bobby Shantz was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Bobby worked 16 years in the show for seven clubs, stopping in Pittsburgh for the 1961 season. He went 6-3-2/3.32, making 43 appearances (six starts) as a Buccaneer. The little lefty was a three-time All-Star and won eight Gold Gloves before he retired to run a restaurant and bowling alley back home.

1937 - The Pirates scored in just three innings (in a row) of a twin bill, but it was enough to win two games: The Bucs rallied to take the first game against Cincinnati 5-4 after the Reds led 4-0 in the eighth. The Pirates answered three times that frame and twice more in the ninth for the victory. Jim Tobin not only went the distance, but had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run. Then Pittsburgh scored twice in the first frame of the nitecap and held on to claim a 2-1 win and sweep at Crosley Field. Gus Suhr doubled home Woody Jensen and Lloyd Waner to earn Bill Swift, who tossed a complete game eight-hitter, the win.

Jim Tobin - 1937 Original News Photo

1948 - The Homestead Grays won the opening game of the Negro World Series 3-2 over the Birmingham Black Barons at Blues Stadium in Kansas City. The Grays did all the scoring in the second inning, with Willie Pope banging a two-run triple and coming home after Luis Marquez’s two-out single. Ted Alexander scattered eight hits for the Homestead/Washington victory.

1961 - IF Steve Buechele was born in Lancaster, California. He spent parts of 1991-92 with the Bucs, coming as part of one deadline deal and leaving as part of another, playing 3B and hitting .248. After 11 years in MLB, Steve now works in the front office of the Texas Rangers.

1962 - Earl Francis surrendered two hits in 10 frames to beat the Reds and Jim Maloney 1-0. Bob Friend pitched the 11th frame to earn his only save of the year (he came in from the pen three times during the season), after Bill Mazeroski and Willie Stargell doubles produced the game’s only run.

1968 - LHP Brian Shouse was born in Effingham, Illinois. A 13th-round, 1990 draft pick of the Pirates from Bradley, the sidewinder got the call in 1993 for six games and four innings. He was sent to the farm, popping up again in 1998 with Boston before another stint in the minors. That one lasted until 2002, when KC gave him the ball. But he finally broke through after that; he joined the bullpen full-time in Texas in 2003 at the age of 34 and worked through 2009. His last MLB gig was as a pitching coach in the Rangers system, which lasted through 2019.

Brian Shouse (w/Augusta) - 1991 Classic Best

1969 - Dock Ellis spun a complete game five-hitter to tame the Cubs and 21-game winner Fergie Jenkins at Forbes Field by a 2-0 score. The runs were the result of a two-run homer by the least likely of suspects, Freddie Patek, who banged his fifth long ball in the third inning with Jose Pagan aboard. The Docktor took care of the rest as Chicago never got a runner past second base.

1969 - Larry Shepard was fired as manager even though Pittsburgh had an 84-73 record. Coach Alex Grammas took over the club for the remaining week of the season before the Bucs returned to old faithful, Danny Murtaugh, for his third go-around as Pirates field boss. It was a good choice; the Whistlin’ Irishman won 89 games in 1970 and the World Series in 1971.

1972 - Steve Blass scattered eight hits to defeat the Phils and win his 19th game by a 5-1 score at Veterans Stadium. Al Oliver and Manny Sanguillen had a pair of RBI, and Blass added a hit and drove in the other run. He missed his only chance for 20 victories in his final start against the Mets when he couldn’t get through the first inning after taking a line drive off the elbow.

1974 - Al Oliver smacked five hits, including two homers and a double, during the Pirates’ 11-5 win at New York’s Shea Stadium. Scoops scored four times and had five RBI. Willie Stargell added four RBI with a long ball of his own as 37-year-old Juan Pizzaro, making just his second start of the year, won. It was his only dub of the season and was the 131st & final victory of Juan’s 18-year career. That win moved the Pirates into a first place tie with St. Louis, a race that the Pirates would take by 1-1/2 games by winning 6-of-7 contests in the season’s final days.

9/26 From 1975: Kell Ks, McCrush-en, 40 For Hanny, Key's 5, Broomin', Boppin', What's Up Doc, Game Days, Spinnin' Stiles, Booth Filled, HBD Jordan, Chris, Daniel & Yurendell

1979 - IF Yurendell deCaster was born in Brievengat, Curacao. deCaster became Bucco property in 2000 when he was taken from the Twins in the minor league draft. He made it to AAA Indianapolis, spending most of 2005-07 with the Indians. He got his MLB cup of coffee in 2006, getting into three Pirates games and going 0-for-2, fanning twice. Yurendell was part of the Nats and Yankees farm system before moving on to the indie, Nicaraguan, Mexican and Netherland Leagues. He also played for three WBC Netherland teams, repping Curacao.

1982 - RHP Daniel McCutchen was born in McKinney, Texas. He came to Pittsburgh in 2008 as part of the Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte deal with the NYY. Daniel worked from 2009-12 for the Pirates, seeing most of his action in 2011 with 73 of his 108 Bucco appearances and going 8-11/4.77 overall. He got a cup of coffee with Texas in 2014 and his last pro campaign was in 2016.

1987 - The Pirates banged out perhaps their most satisfying win of the season when they defeated the Mets 8-2 in front of 48,695 rooters at Shea Stadium the day after Doc Gooden said of the Bucs “They’re too cocky. I saw a lot of Little League stuff...” to the NY Post. Gooden had won seven straight against Pittsburgh, but today snapped that streak decisively when the Buccos scored five runs on seven hits in his three innings on the hill. The “Little Leaguers” kept it going by posting 14 hits against Doc - three each by Bobby Bonilla and Spanky LaValliere, with a pair apiece chipped in by Barry Bonds (who homered), Andy Van Slyke and winning pitcher Doug Drabek.

1988 - RHP Chris Archer was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. The two-time All-Star for Tampa was the Pirates big addition at the 2018 deadline, coming over for a prize prospect package of OF Austin Meadows, RHP Tyler Glasnow and a PTBNL (RHP Shane Baz). He was a risk; in seven years, he’d only won more than 10 games once, but the Bucs hoped to tap into his potential and wipe-out slider. Arch was pretty much a bust in the ‘Burg, with two visits to the IL in 2019 and then thoracic outlet surgery in 2020, costing him his final contract season. Archie got into just 33 games as a Pirate with a line of 6-12/4.92. He returned to Tampa Bay as a free agent in 2021 where injuries continued to plague him and then signed with Minnesota in 2022. The Twinkies released him at the end of the year and he couldn’t find any takers to pitch for in 2023, instead taking some business course at Harvard before landing a job with the LA Dodgers as an assistant in their baseball ops department. 

Archie - 2019 Panini Prizm

1991 - The Pirates took their 10th win in 12 games, defeating the Mets in the opener of a twin bill at Shea Stadium by a 4-3 count in 15 innings. Bill Landrum, the fifth Buc pitcher, gave up a tying run in the 14th but worked a scoreless 15th frame for a blown save/win daily double. Lloyd McClendon singled in the 14th for the lead; pinch hitter Todd Hundley homered in the Met half to knot the score. Don Slaught doubled home Barry Bonds in the next set of at-bats, and the Mets ran out of responses. The Bucs had plenty of opportunities to run away and hide, but went 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position. They dropped the nitecap 2-1 again wasting a boatload of runners by going 1-for-12 w/RISP. Roger Mason, the third Pirates pitcher, took the loss.

1992 - The Bucs laid a 19-2 hurtin’ on the NY Mets at TRS. Andy Van Slyke went 3-for-5 with a homer, triple, four runs and two RBI. Barry Bonds doubled and went long, scoring three times and chasing home three more tallies. Lloyd McClendon added a grand slam in the first frame to trigger the 20-hit onslaught, featuring five 2Bs, two 3Bs and three HRs. Bob Walk got the win, with Steve Cooke and Paul Wagner mopping up after him. The Mets used a position player to pitch for the first time in their history when IF Bill Pecota tossed the ninth.

1993 - OF Jordan Luplow was born in Visalia, California. He was drafted by the Pirates in the third round of the 2014 draft out of Fresno State, and made his Bucco debut in 2017. Luplow yo-yo’ed between Indy and the big club again in 2018 before finally being given a chance to show his stuff regularly in September after Gregory Polanco was injured. He was sent to Cleveland as part of the Erik Gonzalez deal during the ‘18 offseason, bounced around with Tampa Bay, Arizona, Toronto  and Minnesota. He’s now playing in Mexico.

1993 - It was a good day to end some bad mojo. For the first time since September of 1990, the Pirates swept a twin bill, winning by 5-1 and 1-0 tallies against the Chicago Cubs at TRS. Paul Wagner won the opener by tossing five-hit ball with eight punchouts over eight innings before Mark Dewey finished up for him. The contest’s deciding blow was Jeff King’s eighth-inning bases-loaded, bases-clearing double. The daylight lidlifter saw another long streak come to an end when Jerry Goff homered for the Bucs, the first long ball he swatted since August of 1990. The second game was a night contest and was all Tim Wakefield, who made a first inning run hold up by going the distance with another five-hitter. It also ended a long, dark stretch for him, too - it was the first start he won since April 27th; he had gone 13 starts without a victory. 

Tim Wakefield - 1993 Bowman

2001 - During an 8-4 loss to the Cubs in their final home game of the season, the Pirates drew 25,564 to PNC Park, its first-year ballyard, and set a franchise attendance record of 2,464,870, an average of 30,430 fans per contest. It took until 2012 to reach the 2M mark again, and the attendance record stood until 2015 when 2,498,596 rooters spun the turnstiles. 

2003 - The Pirates announced that they had renewed the contracts of their broadcast team - Lanny Frattare, Greg Brown, Bob Walk and Steve Blass - who had already been together for the past decade. The extensions were for three years, with Lanny being the senior member with 28 years behind the mic. Steverino had 21 years in the booth, with Brownie and Walkie being the pups with 10 years under their belts and still going strong on the airwaves.

2011 - It took seven Bucco hurlers, but the Pirates held off the Brewers 9-8 at Miller Park, with Daniel McCutchen getting the win and Joel Hanrahan earning the save, his 40th on the year and Pirates fourth-highest all-time total. The big men with the bats were Alex Presley with a homer, double and single, generating three RBI, and Pedro Alvarez, who drove in three runs.

2015 - The Bucs defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-0 at Wrigley Field. The big blow was delivered by Jordy Mercer, who banged a three-run homer in the fifth inning, his first long ball since early June (he only hit three dingers during the season). For the Pirates, it capped an eight-game road winning streak, their first since 1938. Frankie Liriano claimed the victory while picking up strikeout #200, joining Gerrit Cole (who got his 200th whiff the night before) to become the first pair of Pirate pitchers to punch out 200 batters in the same season.

Jordy Mercer - 2015 First Edition Platinum

2017 - The Pirates and Orioles were counting the days until the season ended (both finished with 75-87 records), but Andrew McCutchen wasn’t booking tee times yet. He went 4-for-4 with two homers, including the first grand slam of his career, a double, eight RBI and four runs scored to complement Trevor Williams and Steven Brault’s pitching as the Bucs prevailed 10-1 at PNC Park. Cutch was the first Pirate with at least four runs and eight RBI in a game since Ralph Kiner in 1950, with the deed first done by Johnny Rizzo in 1939. Andrew’s eight runs chased home was a Buc feat last done by Jason Bay in 2004 (Rizzo had nine, Bay drove in eight twice and Kiner & Dave Robertson each did it once). Cutch also hopped over Al "Scoops" Oliver and Max Carey for 11th in all-time Bucco RBIs w/724. Dave "The Cobra" Parker was 10th w/758 but Andrew didn’t catch up for awhile, being traded to the Giants in the off season. He returned and climbed up the list to 6th all-time with 875 RBI. Trevor struck out six, making the 2017 staff one of four in Pirates history (and the first since 1984) with five pitchers with 115+ K (Gerrit Cole-196, Chad Kuhl-142, Ivan Nova-131, Jameson Taillon-125 and Williams-117.)

2020 - With a game left in an otherwise dismal season, Ke’Bryan Hayes banged out five hits, including three doubles and three runs scored, in an 8-0 walloping of the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Hayes became the first Pirates rookie to have five hits in five plate appearances since Neil Walker in 2010. Colin Moran homered and had four RBI while Bryan Reynolds and Jose Osuna also went deep against the Tribe. Joe Musgrove started the whitewash, giving up three hits in seven innings before Dovy Neverauskas and Nick Tropeano finished up. 

2023 - Mitch Keller became the Pirates top single-season righty strikeout artist when he picked up whiff #210 to bypass AJ Burnett (AJ and Gerrit Cole were the only prior RHPs to post 200+ K in a season; Paul Skenes topped him in 2025 with 216 K’s). That was the good news; the bad was the Phils won 3-2 in 10 innings at Citizens Bank Park, overcoming solo homers by Bryan Reynolds and Henry Davis. David Bednar took the loss when a ground ball single up the middle scored the Philly ghost runner. The walkoff victory clinched a Philadelphia playoff spot in the upcoming October championship tussle.

9/25 Through the 1940s: Ralph Records, Waner Double Trouble, Sweet Sweep, Moore Plz, Hans Hot Date, Game Days, Westlake Joins, HBD Dave

1890 - Boston defeated the Alleghenys by a 4-3 score at Recreation Park in front of 240 fans, a typical attendance for the sad-sack Allies. The team was gutted before the season when most of their better players defected to the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players League. It wasn't enough that the team wasn't very good. On this day, the ump called the game from behind the mound, and that positioning led him to miscall a ball hit down the line, ruling it foul when it appeared to be a game-tying two-bagger. Even Beaneaters’ manager Frank Seelye agreed, calling the win “a fluke” in the Pittsburgh Press. John “Phenomenal” Smith took the tough loss. Poor attendance accompanied the poor play, with Pittsburgh drawing just 16,604 fans during the year, an average of 236 rooters per game. That led to the squad to playing 97 of their 136 games away. They finished with a road record of 9-88, and their .093 road winning percentage is the worst in MLB history. The 1906 New Castle News wrote tongue-in-cheek (we think) that the term 23 Skidoo came about in reference to the Allies’ 23 wins. 

1889 - OF Dave Robertson was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. He played nine big league seasons, stopping in Pittsburgh near the end in 1921 where he started 58 games and hit .322. The Pirates picked him up from the Cubs for RHP Elmer Ponder and then released him at the end of the year. Both were near the end of their roads - Robertson played through 1922; Ponder was done after ‘21. 

1901 - The Dutchman Hans Wagner drove in six runs against Christy Mathewson at Exposition Park with a double and triple as the Pirates defeated the NY Giants for the 12th straight time during the season by a 10-5 score. The top three men in the lineup - Lefty Davis, Fred Clarke and Ginger Beaumont - banged six hits, walked four times and scored seven runs as a trio. Jesse Tannehill was touched for 13 hits but was never really threatened as Pittsburgh scored three runs in the opening frame and was up 10-1 after six to make the livin’ easy for Jesse.

1907 - Honus Wagner swiped four bases at Forbes Field, including second, third, and home in the second inning, against the New York Giants during a 14-1 victory, a deed the Flying Dutchman duplicated four times in his career. Fred Clarke scored three times and also swiped four bags; only Tony Womack would join the pair in stealing four bases in a single game for Pittsburgh. The game itself was a laugher after the Bucs put up a seven-run second inning, with Nick Maddox coasting on a six-hitter. It was the first time since 1901 that the Pirates had taken the season series from their Big Apple rivals. Umpire Bill Klem had his work cut out, though, ejecting three Giants during the game; Klem ended up giving the heave-ho to eight G-Men during the three-game set.

Jimmy Zinn - 1920 photo via tnfoto/Out Of The Ball Park

1920 - Jimmy Zinn went the distance in the Pirates 12-inning 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field. Zinn gave up six hits in just his second MLB start; before the game, he had 10 big-league innings under his belt. Zinn’s only full season came the following year, when he went 7-6 for the Pirates. He was the epitome of a AAAA player and spent 25 years hurling in the minors. Elmer Riddle wasn’t quite as sharp in the nightcap as the Cards rallied for a 3-1 win and a split.

1923 - The Pirates turned the Phillies every which way but loose in an 18-5 romp at Forbes Field. SS Eddie Moore made his MLB debut at the leadoff spot, and had three hits, drew two walks, and scored five times. Pie Traynor had chased home four runs and Johnny Rawlings went 4-for-5. Ray Steineder got the win, and chipped in with two hits, two runs, two RBI and a sac bunt.

1927 - The Pirates took a pair from the Cubs at Wrigley Field by 2-1 and 6-1 counts. It was a big sweep as the St Louis Cards, breathing down the Buccos’ necks, also claimed a doubleheader win. The Bucs lead remained at two games with the NY Giants 2-1/2 back with five games to go, and Pittsburgh would hang on to win the NL crown by a game. Vic Aldridge and Ray Kremer got the wins for Pittsburgh. Aldridge helped his own cause with an RBI in the opening squeaker while the Pirates banged out 13 hits in the second game to smooth Kremer’s road.

1932 - Paul Waner stroked a pair of two-baggers at Sportsman's Park to set the Senior Circuit mark for doubles (62) during Pittsburgh’s 7-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a twin bill. Big Poison and Arky Vaughan each had three hits, Gus Dugas homered and Bill Harris scattered seven hits for the win. The Redbirds took the second game 7-4, overcoming the still-hot bat of Dugas who banged another long ball and added three hits during the defeat.

Elbie Fletcher - 1941 Big League

1941 - Max Butcher and Elbie Fletcher eliminated the St. Louis Cards from the NL race with a 3-1 win at Forbes Field. Butcher tossed a five-hitter and the only run he was allowed was when he surrendered a bases-loaded walk in the seventh; he came back to strike out the next two Redbirds to limit the damage. Fletcher drilled a two-run, inside-the-park homer to straight center and Billy Cox scored the other tally with a triple followed by Arky Vaughan’s sac fly.

1946 - The Pirates traded with the Pacific Coast League’s Oakland Oaks for OF Wally Westlake, sending them a PTBNL (RHP Johnny Hutchings) and $35,000. In five years with the Bucs (1947-51), Westlake slashed .281/97 HR/378 RBI in 580 games; Hutchings never tossed in the majors again.

1946 - Ralph Kiner capped a strong rookie season by banging his 23rd homer in a 6-5 win against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. It tied the Johnny Rizzo’s Bucco record for the most long balls in a season and for all intents and purposes, earned him the NL home run title as he bypassed Johnny Mize, the man he was battling for the crown, who was injured and done for the season. Ralph then obliterated the Pirate mark in 1947, swatting 51 dingers. Mr. Swat’s dinger followed Bob Elliot’s three-run shot in the eighth frame and gave the Bucs the lead, which they promptly gave back. The Bucs finally prevailed in the 16th frame, when rookie pinch-hitter Billy Cox’s RBI single plated Lee Handley with the game-winner to reward Ken Gable’s scoreless eight-inning relief stint.

1949 - Mr. Swat Ralph Kiner banged his 53rd homer of the year in the first game of a doubleheader sweep of the Reds at Cincinnati. It was his 25th of the year on the road, a new NL record, and his 15th of the month, tying another mark. He would bang out #16 on the 30th, just in time to set another record. It was his 54th, still the most dingers for a Bucco in a single season.

9/25 From 1950: 46 For Mike, Craig's Hit Parade, Doug's 21st, 7 Straight, Clinch Day, Game Days, GM Neal, HBD Wilber, Vance, Mike, Tony & Dick

1953 - OF Dick Davis was born in Long Beach, California. He closed out his six-year career in 1982 with Pittsburgh, the third team he played for that season, hitting .182 in 39 games. The Pirates acquired Davis from Toronto in exchange for C Wayne Nordhagen in late June.

1960 - Although the Pirates lost 4-2 to the Braves, a St. Louis defeat clinched the pennant for Pittsburgh (The NY Yankees clinched their title on the same day). The City celebrated by holding a giant midnight torchlight parade in the Golden Triangle. It was the first time since 1927 that the Pirates were headed for the World Series, and it was front page news in the City, with the ensuing Fall Classic and its seventh game still celebrated to this day in Pittsburgh.

1969 - Tony Womack was born in Danville, Virginia. Womack was drafted by the Pirates in 1991 (seventh round) and became their everyday second baseman in 1997. Tony led the NL in stolen bases that year with 60 and did it again in 1998 with 58 swipes. The speedster played his first five seasons (1993-94; 1996-98) with the Bucs, hitting .278 and earning an All-Star berth. After the 1998 campaign, he was traded to the D-Backs for Jason Boyd and Paul Reichard (it was a salary dump - there was no heir apparent; Warren Morris took over the spot) and he played a key role in Arizona’s 2001 World Series title. He lasted 13 seasons in the show, posting a .272 BA with 363 stolen bases.

1974 - Trying to sweep the Cards and hang on to their slim 1/2 game lead, the Bucs instead squandered a wild one at Busch Stadium by a 13-12 count. The Pirates scored five times in the first, keyed by a three-run shot by Manny Sanguillen. The Cards came back with a six-run third; starter Ken Brett yelled at manager Danny Murtaugh when he was yanked during the frame, and again after the contest. The game settled down, and went into the 11th inning tied at 10. The Pirates scored twice; the Cards rallied for three runs to take the game, scoring off September call-ups Juan Jimenez and Jim Minshall. The fielders didn’t help much; Rennie Stennett’s error allowed the tying run to score, and the infield played Bake McBride’s bunt into a hit. The loss stung, but Pittsburgh would eventually take the pennant, although losing the NLCS to the LA Dodgers.

Candy Man - 1977 Hostess

1977 - Behind Dave Parker and John Candelaria, the Pirates won their seventh straight game by a 4-0 tally over Rick Reuschel and the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Parker had two hits, including a homer, scored twice and drove in a run while Al Oliver added two hits/two RBIs. Candy Man took his shutout into the eighth before Goose Gossage came in to get the final five outs. The Bucs lost the next day, then went on to close out the year with five more dubs to finish 12-of-13. They finished the season with 91 victories but still fell 6-1/2 games short of the Phillies.

1984 - RHP Mike Crotta was born in Fort Lauderdale. He was drafted in the 17th round of the 2006 draft by the Bucs out of Florida Atlantic. He got his only MLB taste in 2011, going 0-1 for the Pirates and giving up 11 runs in 10-2/3 IP, appearing in 15 outings. He pitched in Japan from 2014-15 and tossed his last pro campaign in 2016 for the Tigers organization.

1987 - RHP Vance Worley was born in Sacramento. Vanimal hit the show running in 2011, as he was elected to Baseball America’s All-Rookie Team and finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, behind winner Craig Kimbrel and Freddie Freeman. Alas, bone chips derailed his 2012 campaign, and he was moved to Minnesota, where mechanical problems caused by the injury led to some very forgettable outings. The Bucs bought him in the 2013 off season, called him up in June of 2014, and he went 8-4/2.25.  He started 2015 in the pen, claimed a spot in the rotation when Charlie Morton was hurt, and went back to relief upon Morton’s return, finishing with a 4-6/4.02 slash. He was released after the 2015 season & claimed by the Orioles. Vance spent 2021 primarily in the Mets organization, then tossed for the indie Kane County Cougars as a last hurrah.

1990 - It was a good day at TRS. First, Doug Drabek, who had fallen into an early 3-0 hole on the scoreboard, righted himself against the Cubs to win 5-3 for his 21st victory of the season (he would go on to win 22 games and the Cy Young). And Doug did more than just pitch his squad to victory - he doubled, singled and scored twice to help fuel a pair of Pirates rallies. Next, the crowd of 21,644 pushed the attendance at the yard to 1,870,640, setting a new single-season record while on the way to Pittsburgh’s first 2M+ home gate. Finally, it nudged the magic number for the title to six; the Bucs would eventually win the East by four games over the New York Mets, claiming Pgh’s first divisional pennant since 1979.

Doug Drabek - 1990 Homers

2001 - Craig Wilson collected hits in each of the final three innings of Pittsburgh's last game and got hits in each of the first three frames against Chicago, giving him knocks in six consecutive innings against six different pitchers, an MLB mark. Two days before, the rookie tied the record for most pinch-hit homers in a season with his seventh. The Bucs won 13-1, but the Cubbie pitchers repped some rizz - they fanned 10 Pirates, giving them 1,250 Ks for the year for a new MLB mark.

2002 - RHP Wilber Dotel was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He was signed by the Bucs in 2020 and began in the Florida rookie league in 2021, working his way to Indy and a 40-man spot by ‘26. The Pirates called him up in April as a bulk inning guy after he spent the last three seasons in the rotation, though getting a brief bullpen look at camp. He’s toolsy but like many Pittsburgh hurlers has had control issues. The club is crossing its fingers that Wilber can make the transition; he’s blocked for the time being by Carmen Mlodzinski & Jared Jones from the fifth starter’s role. He got his call up on April 19, 2026, plugged in as a middle man, a thin position in the pen. Wilber made three outings and was sent back down to start, but the Pirates recalled him for the pen again in May out of need and he then yo-yo’ed between levels, filling multiple roles and holes for the big league staff that went through 31 pitchers.
 
2002 - Mike Williams capped the Bucco single season save record when he earned his 46th save against the Mets at PNC Park with a 1-2-3 ninth, closing out a 4-3 win for Ron Villone. He had broken the mark in mid-August when he blew past Jim Gott’s 1988 mark of 34 saves. The righty’s ERA wasn’t super at 2.93 (w/a FIP of 3.91) and he K’ed just six guys per nine, but he only blew four saves during the year. Williams’ mark would last until 2015, when Mark “The Shark” Melancon topped it by posting 51 saves, the current Pirates record.

2007 - 37-year-old Neal Huntington was officially named as the Pirates new GM, replacing Dave Littlefield, although the news had been leaked earlier in the week. He spent six years with the Expos and a decade with the Indians in various executive positions prior to coming to Pittsburgh, primarily in the player development area. Huntington, per the Associated Press’ Alan Robinson, was among the newer breed of executives who rely heavily on statistics and number-crunching before making decisions and was expected to provide some data-driven direction to the club. His debut was successful as the Pirates snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 6-5 win over Arizona. The Bucs also took the next game from the Snakes before ending the season on a four-game losing snap. He lasted through the 2019 season, when he was replaced by Ben Cherington.

9/24 Through the 1960s: Blass - 3 Zippos, Rip #20, Game Days, Grays Win & Lose Title Games, HBD Jim, Dixie, Paddy & Doc

1881 - RHP Bob “Doc” Vail was born in Linneus, Maine. He started in the New England League in 1906 and then spent the remainder of his pro career in the Virginia League from 1907-12. His big-league career was a four-game stop in Pittsburgh in 1908 where he went 1-2/6.00 with a couple of good and a couple of not-so-good appearances. He was cut from camp in 1909 with a sore arm and spent the rest of his career as a minor leaguer, pitching through the 1912.

1891 - 2B Peter “Paddy” Siglin was born in Aurelia, Iowa. Paddy was hitting .320 for Waterloo in 1914 when he was purchased by the Pirates. He was mostly stashed in the minors by the Bucs, but appeared in 23 MLB games from 1914-16, going 9-for-56 (.180) at the plate. In 1917 he took his services to the Pacific Coast League where he spent the next decade on five different squads before hanging up the spikes in 1926. Paddy did set a benchmark - in his debut on September 12th, 1914, in a doubleheader sweep of the Cubs, he became the first Bucco to have two hits and a stolen base in his first outing; three other Pirates (Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata & Austin Meadows) have since matched the feat.

1910 - OF Fred (“Dixie”/“The People's Cherce”) Walker was born in Villa Rica, Georgia. He’s often remembered as the guy who fought Jackie Robinson’s arrival in Brooklyn, though he eventually accepted him both as a ballplayer and person. However, his initial negativity was said to be part of the impetus for the Dodgers to deal him to Pittsburgh in 1948 (Brooklyn got Preacher Roe back, another pretty fair reason). He played two seasons, batting .316 in his first campaign, then posting a .282 BA with 13 pinch hits in 1949 as a bench piece. After the ‘49 season, he hung ‘em up and went on to a long career in scouting and coaching. Fred came by the “Dixie” moniker honestly, as a Georgia boy whose father Ewart was also known as Dixie. (His dad had pitched for the Senators, and his brother Harry “The Hat” Walker managed the Pirates from 1965-67.) His popularity with the Ebbets Field fans in the forties earned him the other nickname "The People's Cherce," as spelled (or at least pronounced) in Brooklynese.

1929 - C Jim Mangan was born in San Francisco. He graduated from the U of San Francisco and the Pirates signed him in 1949. Jim played briefly for the Bucs in 1952 and 1954, batting .179. Reports are that he got into a spat with Branch Rickey in 1955, and was sent down to Hollywood before being optioned to El Paso. From there he was sold off waivers to the Giants in 1956, where he got his final MLB licks (he feuded there with manager Bill Rigney, and guys that hit under the Mendoza Line don’t win many debates with their field bosses). Following his petulant baseball career, Mangan became a high school teacher, golf coach and small business owner in San Jose.

Jim Mangan - snip via Wikipedia

1939 - The Baltimore Elite Giants topped the Homestead Grays 2-0 before 10,000 fans at Yankee Stadium to claim the Negro National League Championship. Baltimore’s pitchers held the Grays to three hits while Homestead ace Roy Partlow, who had won the opening game of the Series 2-1 took the loss. He was spinning a shutout when a two-out misthrow in the seventh gifted the Giants a pair of scores. The Grays loaded the bases with two away in the eighth, but a pop-out closed out that final chance. Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard paced the Homestead hitters while Roy Campanella led the way for Baltimore’s batters. It was actually the first game of a twin bill. The two Series teams combined to face a white squad of mixed MLB/minor league players. The nightcap ended in a 1-1 tie when darkness ended the game and sent the players barnstorming.

1944 - The Pirates outlasted the Giants 6-4 at the Polo Grounds in 13 sloppy innings. Max Butcher had a 4-0 lead for the Buccos, but gave up a pair in the seventh before three errors and a walk tied it in the eighth. The Pirates put their first two runners on in the 13th but were almost stymied by a pair of nice defensive plays by the G-Men. A two-out walk loaded the bases - can’t defend against that - and pinch hitter Tommy O’Brien singled on the next pitch to plate a pair. Art Cuccurullo tossed a quiet closing frame and Rip Sewell picked up his 20th win in relief. The Pirates left 19 runners aboard and the Giants 15 as the game featured 25 hits, 19 walks (Butcher issued seven himself) and five errors.

1944 - The Homestead/Washington Grays, playing in their fifth Negro World Series game and fourth city of the championship (Birmingham, New Orleans and Pittsburgh hosted the prior matches) closed it out against the Birmingham Barons 4-2 to defend their title at Griffith Stadium, four-games-to-one. Lefty Roy “Snookie” Welmaker, who had already won Game #1, went the distance, giving up eight hits while fanning six. The 1-2-3 Gray hitters - Cool Papa Bell, Jerry Benjamin and Sam Bankhead - each had a pair of hits while Jud Wilson’s two-out, two-run single gave Homestead a 3-0 first inning lead they never relinquished.

Jud Wilson - Dick Perez card

1956 - The Pirates temporarily derailed the Brooklyn Dodgers pennant express with a 6-5 win at Forbes Field after losing a suspended game earlier in the day (they had to play the ninth, and the Bucs were already down 8-3, the final score). After a wild first inning, with both clubs scoring three times, Bob Friend settled in and the Bucs took a 5-3 lead. The Bums tied it in the eighth, but Frank Thomas came back with the game winner in the Bucco half, a two-out single that scored Bill Virdon, to cap a four-hit, three-RBI contest that included a homer. Friend went the distance to win his 17th game, dropping Brooklyn 1/2-game behind the Braves after losing three-of-four to the seventh place Buccos. But they eventually prevailed, winning the NL by a game over Milwaukee before going on to lose their second straight Subway Series to the Yankees. 

1957 - Bucco 1B Dee Fondy grounded out to end the game to become the last MLB player to swing a bat at Ebbets Field. Da’ Bums Danny McDevitt blanked the Bucs 2-0 on five hits with nine whiffs in the final major league game played in Brooklyn before the Dodgers relocated to Los Angeles, defeating Benny Daniels, who was making his MLB debut. The organist played “Until We Meet Again” and “Auld Lang Syne” as the teams left the field. Ebbets Field had been the Dodgers home ballyard for 45 years but only 6,702 fans showed up to say goodbye.

1966 - Roberto Clemente connected for a two-run, go-ahead homer to cap off a five-run seventh inning in Pittsburgh’s 8-6 win over the Braves at Atlanta Stadium. Bob Bailey had a two-run bomb and Gene Alley chased home two more with a double. Steve Blass worked two innings of relief (nine of his 34 appearances in ‘66 were in relief) for the win; Pete Mikkelsen got the save. The win moved them 1-1/2 games behind the Dodgers, but that’s as close as the Pirates would get, finishing three games off the pace after going 2-5 during the season’s last week.

1968 - Steve Blass tossed his third consecutive shutout, defeating the Reds 2-0 at Forbes Field. Steverino won his ninth straight victory and recorded a NL high seventh shutout on his way to an 18-6 season. The game against Gary Nolan was scoreless until the seventh when Willie Stargell led off with a homer. The Bucs added an insurance run in the eighth when Maury Wills singled, was bunted to second and came home on Mateo Alou’s two-bagger as Matty remained alive in his chase of Pete Rose for the MLB batting title, eventually finishing second (.335-to-.332) at season’s end.

9/24 From 1970: Super Soph, 10K Wins, Clobberin' Craig, Ante-lopes, Handyman Willie, Roberto Day, Game Days, SI Danny, Pedro Deal, HBD Travis, Jeff & John

1970 - Luke Walker spun a seven-hit shutout as his teammates made it easy for him with a 15-hit attack to drop the Mets 8-0 at TRS. Gene Alley was the unlikely batting hero, with three hits including a triple and four RBI. Manny Sanguillen also had three knocks and scored twice. Matty Alou, Dave Cash, Richie Hebner and Bob Robertson each added a pair of hits.

1971 - Shea Stadium hosted a Roberto Clemente Day. Clemente was gifted with a Cadillac, which he accepted, and cash, which he directed to be sent to three children’s charities in Puerto Rico. The event was put together by New York City’s Puerto Rican community, and the gifts came via donations from the “small people.” The Bucs won the game, 3-2, on their way to a division title. The Great One celebrated the day with two hits and drove in a pair of runs.

1973 - LF Willie Stargell robbed Ken Singleton of a homer in the fifth, went long himself in the sixth, and threw out Tony Scott at home in the seventh inning during a 3-0 defeat of the Expos at Jarry Park in the second half of a double dipper. Nellie Briles and Dave Giusti kept Montreal off the board, scattering eight hits for the shutout. The Bucs lost the opener 5-4 despite Willie’s 43rd dinger. Starg was a tired man after playing back-to-back twin bills - “I won’t be waking up too early tomorrow,” he told Press writer Bob Smizik - but not too tired to lead the majors in homers (44), doubles (43), RBI (119) and slugging % (.646).

1973 - Danny Murtaugh was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the story “Frenzy In the East.” The Pirates, winners of three consecutive titles, finished third behind the Mets, 2-1/2 games out. Five of the six National League East teams were separated by just five games.

1974 - IF John McDonald was born in New London, Connecticut. The “Prime Minister of Defense” spent 16 years as a glove-first player, stopping in Pittsburgh for part of 2013. He came to the Pirates on a conditional deal from the D-Backs, hit .065 in 16 games, went on the DL and when he recovered was sent to the Indians on another conditional deal as John ended up on four different rosters that season. He retired before the 2015 campaign, then joined Cleveland as a farm league coach and is now the Guardians minor league field coordinator. 

John Mc Donald - 2013 photo Justin Aller/Getty

1977 - OF Omar Moreno swiped his 50th base of the season to surpass Sonny Jackson's rookie record set with the Astros in 1966. The Antelope swiped a pair of sacks and was caught once by Cubs C George Mitterwald during a 7-3 Pirates win at Wrigley. The Padres’ first-year speedster Gene Richards matched him with 50 later on the same day and ended the campaign with 56 thefts, three more than the Bucs' outfielder, to overtake Moreno for the rookie record.

1982 - RHP Jeff Karstens was born in San Diego. He was sent to Pittsburgh by the Yankees in 2008, and the oft-injured righty worked as a multi-role pitcher for the Pirates until 2012, with most of his outings as a starter. He retired in 2015 after failing to recover from 2013 shoulder surgery. In his five Pirates years, Jeff’s slash was 23-25/4.31 in 123 appearances. After his MLB days ended in 2015, Jeff became the pitching coach for Berkeley Prep in Tampa the following year.

1983 - John Candelaria’s elbow was bothering him, but he hoped to give the Bucs five good innings against the Expos, and did he ever. He shut out Montreal on three hits, all surrendered in the first two frames, before turning the ball over to Cecilio Guante, who finished up by allowing two hits over the final four innings to nail down a 1-0 win over the Expos at Olympic Stadium. Candy did more than toss; he drove in the Bucs only run when he yanked a Bryn Smith curve into right for a single to chase home Dale Berra, who had doubled ahead of him; both hits came after two were away in the fifth. Candy and Cecilio kept the Pirates on a roll, helping the club to its 10th win in 13 games. The press couldn’t get Candelaria to comment on his big day, though; he reminded them postgame that “I stopped talking to the media two months ago...”

1983 - 1B/OF Travis Ishikawa was born in Seattle, Washington. He started the 2014 campaign with the Pirates, lost his job to Ike Davis and was DFA’ed. He was claimed by the Giants and paid them off by hitting a three-run homer to propel them into the World Series. The Pirates got him back in mid-2015 as a bench player. He bounced to-and-fro between the MLB and AAA before retiring after the 2016 campaign; he’s now a hitting coach in the San Francisco organization.

Travis Ishikawa - 2015 Topps Update

1991 - Bob Walk and the Mets’ Frank Viola both were both chased after four frames on a rainy night during the Pirates 10-8 win over New York at Shea Stadium. Andy Van Slyke and Lloyd McClendon each had three knocks to lead the Pirates 17-hit attack. Lloyd had a pair of RBIs and scored twice; Don Slaught drove home three runs and touched the plate once. The game featured three of the top five MVP finishers - Barry Bonds (2nd), teammate Bobby Bonilla (3rd) and the Mets’ Howard Johnson (5th). The Pirates were counting down; they were 13-1/2 games up on the division with a 92-59 record and had already clinched.

2001 - Rookie utilityman Craig Wilson tied the MLB record for pinch hit homers in a season by pounding his seventh bomb in the sixth frame during the Pirates' 7-6 win over the Cubs at PNC Park. He remained in the game and banged out two more hits. Gary Matthews Jr. also went long as reliever Mike Lincoln, the Pirates fifth pitcher, was credited with the win and Rich Loiselle earned the save against Chicago. Craig was named to the MLB All-Rookie team after the campaign.

2006 - A little bit of MLB history involving the Bucs on this day: Trevor Hoffman retired the Pirate side in order to close out a 2-1 San Diego victory at Petco Park. It was his 479th career save, surpassing Lee Smith and making the 38-year-old reliever the all-time leader in saves.

2008 - The Pirates came to a verbal agreement with Pedro Alvarez, their first round draft pick and second selection overall, for $6M after an MLB negotiating extension. Not everyone thought that was kosher - Alvarez’s agent Scott Boras claimed the deadline deal between the club and third baseman was finalized too late, the MLBPA filed a grievance that was headed for arbitration, and El Toro was placed on the restricted list by MLB until the smoke cleared. Petey finally put his John Hancock on a $6.355M MLB deal later in September.

Petey - 2008 photo Jared Wickersham/Getty

2015 - Pittsburgh won its 10,000th NL game by defeating the Colorado Rockies 5-4 at Coors Field on the strength of a two-out, three-run homer by Pedro Alvarez in the eighth inning. Joe Blanton got the win while Mark Melancon became the first Pirate reliever to notch 50 saves. The club won its sixth straight game and completed its first four-game road sweep since 1997. Starling Marte was red hot; he tied Pie Traynor’s 1928 club record for most hits (13) in four-game series. History debate: The Bucco franchise started its major league days in 1882 (they didn’t join the NL until 1887) as the Alleghenys of the American Association and based on that time frame, this was major league win #10,236 by the club. So take your pick; both are big numbers.

2018 - The Pirates thumped the Cubs 6-1 behind two-run homers from Fran Cervelli and Adam Frazier sandwiched around a two-run two-bagger by Jose Osuna. Jameson Taillon got the victory, tossing his 21st straight “quality start” game. In their last five games played against Chicago, the Bucs surrendered just one run in each game, with all the tallies coming by way of a solo shot. Quirky factoid: according to the Elias Sports Bureau, that marked the first time in MLB history that a team has held an opponent to one run in five straight games with all the runs being scored via a solo shot.

2025 - It was Paul Skene's final outing of the year, and it was a marquee matchup at GABP v the Reds’ Hunter Greene. Skenes did his part, leaving after six innings with a 2-0 lead, giving up four hits and fanning seven to set the Bucco record for K’s in a season by a righty with 216. As for the game, the attack fizzled and the pen let Cincy tie it up. Skenes had that kind of run support all year and gave up 3+ runs only six times in 32 starts with a 1.97 ERA, yet his final record was 10-10. The clubs traded runs in the 10th before Pittsburgh pulled it out, 4-3. Spencer Horwitz had three RBI, including the game winner, to give Yohan Ramirez the dub - and he made it a drama by walking the bases loaded in the 11th and then falling behind three balls/one strike with two outs before coming back to get a bouncer to third to finally call it a night.

9/23 Through 1954: Murry #20, Mr Swat's 51st, Craws NNL Champs, '25 Crown, Clarke Day, On The Case, Game Days, HBD Dennis, Moe, Rook, Dino, Lino, John, Joe & Cy

1880 - LF Cecil “Cy” Neighbors was born in Fayetteville, Missouri. Cy’s MLB career consisted of one inning in the pasture without a fielding chance for the 1908 Pirates. He was a minor league mainstay, though, batting .302 in 15 seasons on the farm (1905-20). He was a player manager for Tacoma in 1921 before settling into a post-baseball gig as a carpenter. 

1886 - According to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology and Wikipedia, Alleghenys’ pitcher Pud Galvin walked the first three Brooklyn Bridegrooms he faced, and then picked them all off for a 1-2-3 inning! Pittsburgh won the game at Washington Park by an 8-2 score. The Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette made no mention of the feat, but did note that “Galvin...showed up well. To-day he not only twirled with great effect but showed remarkably good judgment when men were on base.”

1886 - OF Joe Kelly (not to be confused with Bucco “Handsome Joe” Kelly of earlier years) was born in Weir, Kansas. He played regularly during his rookie campaign as a Pirate in 1914, hitting .222, and spent parts of five seasons in the show. Joe had a long career in minor league ball that spanned 23 seasons (1908-30), spending  the last five years as a player/manager.

1895 - OF Johnny Mokan was born in Buffalo, New York. He started his seven-year career with the Bucs in 1921-22, hitting .262 off the bench, then spent the next five campaigns with Philadelphia where he blossomed. He spent the last two years of his playing days with the local farm clubs at Buffalo and Rochester and later worked as an equipment operator for NY State.

1904 - The Pirates downed the runaway NL leaders, the NY Giants, by a 7-0 score at the Polo Grounds. Charlie Case tossed a two-hitter, and didn’t give up a knock after the second frame. His opponent wasn’t quite up to snuff; the Pittsburgh Press said that “Leon Ames...was as wild as a March hare and issued six free passes. Besides, the Pirates stung his delivery at a lively rate and practically sewed up the game in the second inning, when three free passes turned into tallies.” The New York Herald was a little less kind - "Pittsburg Plays All By Itself" was its headline.

Charlie Case - 1905 photo via Baseball Prospectus

1907 - The Pirates dropped the NY Giants 2-1 at Exposition Park. Vic Willis tossed a six-hitter with six K to outgun Hooks Wiltse. Bill Hallman had three hits and a run scored for the Bucs, Honus Wagner added two knocks and a stolen base, and Ed Abbaticchio doubled and scored. The game had a little added spice when umpire Bill Klem and Giant manager John McGraw argued during the lineup exchange, priming the pump for McGraw’s ejection in the sixth inning.

1915 - It was “Fred Clarke Day” in Pittsburgh, and player/manager Cap suited up one last time in his only on-field appearance of his final season. He played four innings and went 1-for-2 against Dick Rudolph of the Boston Braves in an 8-4 win at Forbes Field with Wilbur Cooper on the hill. For farewell gifts, Clarke received an eight-day grandfather clock from his players and a leather binder containing the names of several thousand supporters as a keepsake.

1922 - LHP Lino Donoso was born in Havana. Donoso was a star in the Mexican League (and for a few seasons with the Negro League NY Cubans) although it didn’t quite translate in MLB. The Pirates brought him up on the strength of his 19-8/2.37 Pitcher of the Year performance in 1954 for Hollywood in the PCL; the only problem was that Lino came to Pittsburgh as a 33-year-old and was losing steam on his fastball. He worked 1955-56 as a Bucco, going 4-6/5.21 and then returned south of the border. He posted 100+ wins and was elected to the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.

1924 - OF Dino Restelli was born in St. Louis. He had just a two-year MLB career (1949, 1951) spent with the Pirates, but has a legit claim to fame: he hit a record seven home runs in his first ten games.  He, along with Jose Abreu (White Sox - 2014) and Mark Quinn (KC - 1999), are the only players since 1914 to have a pair of multi-HR outings in their first 10 career games. But his star dimmed quickly. In parts of two seasons (1949-50), he hit .242 with 13 HR and was nagged by a series of injuries. The theories as to why he fizzled seem to focus on two issues - one was fear of the Lord, instilled in him by the Reds’ Ewell Blackwell who drilled him high with a fastball as a rookie. The other was his eyesight - he wore glasses that fogged up and he would often back out of the box to wipe them clean with an ever-present red hankie (which precipitated his incident with Blackwell). After his baseball career ended in 1955, he became a San Francisco police officer briefly before another injury caused him to leave that job. But he found work in nearby San Carlos where his parents lived. There he became a civic mover and the local Mr. Baseball, coaching and working as a member of the local Parks Department.

Emil Yde - 1925 photo George Bain/Library Of Congress

1925 - The Pittsburgh Press wrote “The Phillies gave the Pirates a merry tussle in the game that clinched the pennant for the Smoky City…” as the Bucs turned six DPs and edged the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 at Forbes Field to claim the NL flag for the first time since 1909. It was the ninth straight victory for the Pirates and put the eventual World Series champs 10 games up on the second-place NY Giants. Emil Yde tossed a seven-hitter for victory #17 with late help from Tommy Sheehan who earned the save. Max Carey and Pie Traynor added a pair of knocks.

1935 - Behind the four-hit pitching of Jim Weaver and Pep Young’s three raps/seven RBI, the Bucs left the St. Louis Cardinals pennant hopes on life support, winning 12-0 over the Redbirds at Sportsman’s Park. The loss dropped the Redbirds four games behind the Cubs in the loss column with four games to go. Woody Jensen had four hits, including a pair of doubles, while Lloyd Waner and Arky Vaughan added three hits and runs apiece.

1935 - The Pittsburgh Crawfords beat the New York Cubans 3-0 to win the Negro NL Championship. Lefty curveballer Leroy Matlock, who went 18-0 during the regular season, tossed a three-hitter. He was backed by Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Judy Johnson and Oscar Charleston, all future Hall of Famers. Pittsburgh took the hard fought seven-game series after falling behind three-games-to-one to New York for its only undisputed Negro League title.

1942 - LHP Jim Rooker was born in Lakeview, Oregon. Rook pitched eight years (1973-80) for the Bucs with a line of 82-65-6/3.29, which he equaled in playoff time with a 3.20 ERA, including a strong start in Game #5 of the 1979 Series, a crucial match that the Pirates, down three-games-to-one, won. He was also a Pirate TV color analyst from 1981 through 1993, and worked for ESPN from 1994 to 1997. Rooker’s most memorable TV moment came when he said on air that he’d walk home from Philadelphia if the Pirates lost. They did, and he did. True to his word, he staged a cross-state charity walk after the season. Retired now, Rook Rook dipped into politics but had better luck as an author of children’s books.

Jim Rooker - 2004 Pitt-Ohio Express

1947 - Ralph Kiner hit his franchise record 51st homer (he would break that mark in 1949) against Jim Kearns of the Cards at Forbes Field in an 8-4 loss to the Redbirds. It was the only strike saw that night; he walked on four pitches in three other at-bats and was ahead 2-0 before his swat.

1951 - Murry Dickson tossed a five-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field to win his 20th game, 3-0. Gus Bell had a pair of hits and two RBI to back Dickson. Murry was the only Bucco pitcher to win more than eight games that season; the team only won 64 contests.

1952 - IF Jim Morrison was born in Pensacola, Florida. He spent half (1982-87) of his 12-year career as a Pirate, hitting .274 as a Bucco with a standout 1986 campaign, posting a line of .274/23/88 as Pittsburgh’s starting third baseman. He had his most memorable outing on June 1st, 1986, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when Jim chased home seven runs with a double, a triple and a grand slam, the only granny of his career. After he quit playing, he managed in the Phillies system for a couple of years and has been with Tampa Bay since 2006.

1952 - RHP Dennis Lamp was born in Los Angeles. He worked in Pittsburgh in 1992 as a 40-year-old, finishing out his 16-year MLB career going 1-1/5.14 in 21 appearances until his June release. At last look, Dennis works behind the seafood counter at Bristol Farms in Newport Beach. According to his store manager, "He talks sports. He sells fish. He works hard." Lamp, for his part, shrugs and says he doesn’t really need the money, but just likes to work and stay busy.