8/2 Through 1974: Robby Rockets, Arriba Arm-ed, Roman's Run, Zippos, Mini-Riot, Hans Hot, Game Days, TSN Matty, SI Willie, HBD Tim, Wilmer & Bucky

1881 - RHP Frederick W. “Bucky” Veil (he went to Bucknell) was born in Tyrone. He only pitched two MLB seasons (1903-04), both for the Bucs, as his career was cut short by malaria bouts. He did have a good arm; Honus Wagner predicted "...A brilliant future for the promising star..." in the Pittsburgh Press, although his health held him to just five career victories. He holds the distinction of being the first relief pitcher in a World Series, when he tossed seven innings against Boston in 1903 after replacing an injured Sam Leever in game two, giving up just one run. He finished his career in the minors in 1909. He stayed in baseball as player/manager for the Cresson RR team and coach of St. Francis College. 

1894 - The Pirates set a club record by scoring in 14 straight innings during a 7-4 loss to the St. Louis Browns when they plated a run in the first. They started the streak on July 31st, beating Cincinnati 11-10 while scoring in the last five frames, and then tallied in all eight frames on August 1st against the Reds, winning by a 15-5 count. The games were played at Expo Park. One footnote to the game: the infield fly rule was new, and what the Pittsburgh Press called “a puzzling play” occurred when pitcher Red Ehret missed an infield pop (not intentionally) that had been called an infield fly by the ump. The runner on first took off (the original rule stated he had to remain on first), the pitcher threw the ball into center field and all sorts of hilarity broke out until the Pirates had, per the Press, “a sudden awakening” and tagged first for the forceout.  

1905 - Temper, temper, Hans: In the course of a 3-1 loss to the New York Giants, Honus Wagner was called out on a bang-bang play at first. Hot at the decision, he fired a baseball past umpire George Bausewine’s noggin during warmups the next inning. The Flying Dutchman was ejected, then later suspended by the league for three games and banged with a $40 fine.

1907 - The Big Train, Walter Johnson, lost his debut outing 3-2 to Ty Cobb’s Tigers. But before then, he was this close to being a Buc instead of a Senator: the Pittsburgh Pirates had wanted to try him out, but refused to guarantee his $9 train fare back home if he didn't make the team. Instead, Johnson signed with the DC nine for $350 a month, a $100 bonus and a train ticket according to Biography.yourdictionary.com. The Big Train went on to win 417 games for the Senators during his Hall of Fame career and went on to manage the club.

Harry Pulliam - Helmar Cabinet II

1909 - National League President Harry Pulliam was buried in Louisville. In his honor (and for the first time in baseball history) both National and American League games were postponed and the teams wore black armbands in his memory for the remainder of the season. Harry had been the Pirates team president prior to that, and is widely credited with convincing Honus Wagner to leave Louisville and join him in Pittsburgh among his other accomplishments.

1922 - RHP Wilmer Fields was born in Manassas, Virginia. Fields was a 6’3”, 220 lb. quarterback at Virginia State when the Homestead Grays discovered him and his fastball. Wilmer spent from 1940-48 with the team as a two-way player: not only did he win 102 games from the hill, but he was used as a utility man off the bench, playing 2B, 3B, SS, catcher and the OF. After the Grays folded he went on to win an amazing seven MVP awards in four different Latin and indie leagues. Though in the right era, he never played MLB ball, turning down several offers because the pay was too low ($4,500 was the going rate for rookies in those days) and also because as an indie player his wife could attend all his games, an impossibility for a major-league spouse. A Wilmer factoid: He was variously known as Bill, Red and Chinky. They were in reference to his light skin color, which led him to become known jokingly among his teammates as “the man who integrated the Homestead Grays.” He also continued his college education during the off-season, and after his playing days became an alcohol abuse counselor, wrote his autobiography and served as the first president of the Negro League Baseball Players Association. 

1924 - The Pirates and the New York Giants match at the Polo Grounds “...at times resembled a miniature riot” per Press beat writer LH Wollen. It started when a Giant was called safe on a double steal, despite taking a roundabout route to the base, leading to a 20 minute debate. The game resumed, only to have Max Carey ejected the next inning; the umpire was nicked in the foot by Carey’s bat toss after a pop out, and thought it was by intention. Then to add injury to insult, Kiki Cuyler was knocked cold when tagged in the head on a steal try, leaving under his own power after a couple of minutes in cuckoo-land but done for the day. Nevertheless, the plucky Buccos broke a 6-6 tie in the eighth on Rabbit Maranville’s double, scoring Pie Traynor (Pie had a three-hit day). Glenn Wright added three RBI and Ray Kremer got the win. It gave the Corsairs three-out-of-four wins for the series, but they finished third behind the G-Men, three games from the flag when the smoke cleared with the Brooklyn Robins in second.

1928 - The Pirates scored 12 runs in the first three innings and ran away with an 18-4 laugher over the Phillies at the Baker Bowl. Glenn Wright with five RBI and George Grantham, who scored four times, cranked out early three-run homers to pace the attack. Three more runs were driven in by both Pie Traynor and Fred Bickell, setting the table for an easy Burleigh Grimes win.
August 2, 1930 - Playing at night under Kansas City's portable light system, the Homestead Grays' 44-year-old hurler, Smokey Joe Williams, spun a one-hitter (an eighth-inning bloop) and struck out 27 batters to defeat the Monarchs' Chet Brewer, who gave up four hits & fanned 19, including 10 in a row starting in the seventh inning, by a 1-0 count in a fiercely contested 12-inning matchup. Oscar Charleston scored the game’s only run when he walked - the first free pass of the game - and eventually scored on Chaney White’s single. Not only were the pitchers masterful, but both were also masters of doctoring the horsehide, an especially effective ploy at night. As the Pittsburgh Courier observed “The opposing pitchers were cheating without the question of a doubt. An emery ball in daylight is very deceptive but at night it is about as easy to see as an insect in the sky.” Still, Grays’ owner Cum Posey later called it “the greatest pitching battle of the Grays’ history...”

Erv Brame - 1930 Conlon Collection/Getty

1931 - The Pirates stopped the Cincinnati Reds 3-0 at Forbes Field behind Erv Brame to sweep the series. It was the team's third straight shutout over the Redlegs and its’ fourth whitewash in a row. Paul Waner posted three hits, scored two times and drove in a run while Tommy Thevenow also kicked in with three knocks and chased a pair of Bucco teammates home.  

1954 - Roman Mejias, a 23-year-old second-year Cuban outfielder in the Pirates system (Class B Waco), had his 55-game hitting streak snapped. Mejias’ streak was the third-longest in minor league ball; the record is held by Joe Wilhoit, who collected a hit in 69 straight games with Wichita of the Western Association 1919. During the streak, Mejias batted .419 with 19 doubles, five triples and seven home runs while driving home 67 runs and plating 56 times. He hit .358 on the year and was called up the following season, spending six campaigns with the Buccos as a back-up outfielder. His MLB stick never matched his minor league performance; he hit .245 as a Bucco and .254 over his nine-year career. 

1960 - The Pirates defeated the Dodgers 3-0 at Forbes Field behind Vern Law’s five-hitter. Roberto Clemente’s arm was a game breaker. He threw behind Norm Larker at first to catch him rounding the base too aggressively after a single, and then played Johnny Roseboro’s ball into the RF corner perfectly, holding the Dodgers to a single that was followed by a DP. The Bucco glovework was contagious; earlier in the game, Frank Howard was nailed going to third on a Bill Virdon to Dick Groat to Don Hoak trifecta with the Tiger climbing the ladder on a high relay and coming down with the tag. Pittsburgh took the lead in the seventh when Bill Mazeroski rolled a single up the middle to score Joe Christopher. But the play of the game came in the next frame  when Dodger hurler Stan Williams mishandled a bunt, leading eventually to a two-out, two-run double by Dick Groat that kept Pittsburgh three games ahead of Milwaukee and four up on LA.

1966 - Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield was born in Melbourne, Florida. The RH spent his first two seasons (1992-93) as a Buc and went 14-12 with a 4.17 ERA. After a fairly terrible year in AAA Buffalo in 1994, he was released and then spent the next 17 years in Boston, winning 187 games and making an All-Star appearance before hangin’ ‘em up after the 2011 season at the age of 44. Tim is now the NESN studio analyst for the Boston Red Sox. 

Tim Wakefield - 1992 Score

1969 - Matty Alou was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Pirate Treasure.” He was a treasure in his second All-Star season, leading the league in hits (231), plate appearances (746), at-bats (698) and doubles (41). His .331 BA was the fifth highest in the majors.

1970 - Pittsburgh outslugged the Braves 10-7 at Atlanta Stadium behind the hot sticks of Bob Robertson and John Jeter. Robertson went long twice and drove home six runs; the other four runs were chased home by Jeter, who also went yard. Dock Ellis was credited with the win, although Dave Giusti made it interesting in the ninth by giving up three runs on back-to-back Bravo home runs. The victory moved the Bucs back into first place, a game ahead of the Mets.

1971 - Willie Stargell was the cover boy for Sports Illustrated as part of the feature article “Pittsburgh Overpowers the East.” The Bucs did just that, taking the division crown, National League title and World Series championship with 31-year-old Captain Willie leading the way with 48 long balls, 125 RBI, .295 BA and a .628 slugging % as he lifted his game to another level.

1974 - The Bucs took advantage of a couple of Redbird miscues to take a 3-2, 14-inning match from St. Louis at Three Rivers Stadium, snapping a six-game Cardinal winning streak. The Bucs legit run scored on an Al Oliver solo homer. Pittsburgh scored a second run when the Cards muffed a double play. The winner came home after the Cards had already cut down one run at the plate but blew the chance at a second. Richie Hebner singled with two outs and Ed Kirkpatrick at second; he scored uncontested when C Ted Simmons (a future Pirates GM) drifted up the line to track the throw home when he should have stayed at the plate. 1B Joe Torre had slid over to cut the offline peg and spun to relay the ball only to find Simmons nowhere near the dish, but still 10’ up the baseline. Ramon Hernandez got the win, following Larry Demery and Dave Giusti.

8/2 From 1975: Winning Trio, Rockin' The Glove, Showtime, Game Days, Cobra TSN, Candy-Kip, Gott Joins, Felipe POTM, HBD Daulton & Mark

1975 - Dave Parker was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Lethal Punch.” In his third season, the 24-year-old Cobra put up a .308/25/101 slash during his breakout season for the division-winning Pirates, beginning a streak of five straight .300+ campaigns.

1977 - The Pirates scored twice in the ninth inning to tie the score 3-3 against Houston at the Astrodome, keeping the blood pumping long enough for Bill Robinson’s two-out, three-run homer off Dan Larson in the top of the 10th to win it. Robinson had tied the game thanks to a misplayed single with Dave Parker aboard the frame before; the throw to third to try to get The Cobra got past 3B Enos Cabell and both Parker & Robinson scored on the misplay. Larson threw a complete game in a losing effort, giving up just six hits, with five coming in the final 1-2/3 innings. Grant Jackson spun three one-hit frames for the win. 

1982 - It took 17 innings, but the Bucs rode a two-run triple by Johnny Ray to a 4-2 victory over the Cards at Busch Stadium. Rick Rhoden and John Stupor left with the game tied at two, with the Bucco tallies coming on a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth by Jason Thompson. Enrique Romo, who pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the 10th, was credited with the win after Rod Scurry and Kent Tekulve put up zeroes. There was plenty going on - the game was the longest of the year to date, the Cards stranded 24! runners, going 2-for-23 w/RISP, and Chuck Tanner was tossed, then put on a skipper show by raging, stomping, posing and finally flinging his cap into the ground in disgust.

1985 - The last-place Pirates dumped a trio of players, trading pitchers John Candelaria and Al Holland along with OF George Hendrick to the Angels for OF Mike Brown and pitchers Pat Clements & Bob Kipper. The deal was triggered to add some youth to the roster while moving two veterans who were described by the media as “disgruntled” with the other in his walk year.

1987 - One day before his birthday, the Bucs picked up RH reliever Jim Gott off waivers from the SF Giants. In a season plus, he saved 47 games for the Pirates, but an elbow injury in 1989 limited him to one outing, and Pittsburgh let him go in the off season as a free agent. Gott then pitched from 1990-94 for the LA Dodgers, ending his career back in Pittsburgh in 1995. He coached for both the Angels and Phillies before joining the A’s as a minor league pitching coach.

Jim Gott - 1988 Fleer Update

1990 - The middle four of the Pittsburgh order (Jay Bell, Andy Van Slyke, Bobby Bonilla and Barry Bonds) went 10-for-19 with a double, triple, and four homers, while driving in and scoring all eight of the Pirates runs to lead the Bucs to an 8-5 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Jon Smiley started and got the win despite some shaky relief work behind him; Bob Walk finally calmed Chicago down over the last two frames to stop the bleeding and pick up the save.

1992 - The Bucs were down 1-0 with two outs in the ninth to St. Louis at Three Rivers Stadium with Lee Smith on the hill and Andy Van Slyke on second before rallying for a 2-1 win. Jeff King singled AVS home to tie it and went to second on the play at the plate, then Don Slaught’s knock chased King around for the walkoff win. Randy Tomlin went eight six-hit innings, but Bob Walk notched the victory for putting up a final-frame zero. It also marked the beginning of John Wehner’s 99-game errorless streak at third base. The Rock wouldn’t make another error until October 1, 2000, in a 10-9 loss to the Cubs, to share the MLB flawless fielding mark at the hot corner with Jeff Cirillo. It was deja vu all over again; his error in 1992 was a bad throw against the Cubs; his streak ended with another errant toss against Chicago nine years later.

1993 - The Cubs beat the Pirates 12-10 at Wrigley Field in a game marked by seven long balls, six ejections, three brushbacks and a brawl. Carlos Garcia had a pair of homers for the Bucs‚ and was beaned in his next at-bat by Bob Scanlon, eventually triggering a melee when Pirates pitcher Blas Minor took aim at Mark Grace as pay-back (Minor threw behind him; old-school Grace later said he expected to get drilled; if Minor had just hit him, he would jogged to first and there would have been no problems). Sammy Sosa led the Chi-town charge off the bench and several loud debates broke out until Kevin Young found Scanlan and gave him a love tap; Ryne Sandberg came to his defense and the dancing began in earnest. Lloyd McClendon and Al Martin also went long for Pittsburgh in the come-from-ahead loss. Paul Wagner had an 8-2 lead but tried to pitch through a hammy he injured fielding a bunt, allowing the Cubs to come back.

1994 - UT Mark Mathias was born in Santa Clara, California. He was traded to the Bucs by Texas in March, 2023 for a PTBNL (minor league RHP Ricky DeVito). The 28-year old had played for the Brewers and Rangers and was a depth pick-up who fit into the Pirates utility role model by being able to play both corner infield and outfield. Mathias started the season at Indy, but was called up to the big team twice during the ‘23 campaign, waived in July and taken by Seattle. He’s now in the affiliated Atlantic League with Long Island.

Mark Mathias - 2023 photo Julio Aguilar/Getty

1995 - The Pirates had won once in the past 11 games and were looking for some help when the Cubs gave them a hand in a 4-3, 10-inning Bucco victory at TRS. Down 3-1 in the eighth, Jacob Brumfield doubled and scored on a Jay Bell single. Bell’s knock got through Sammy Sosa’s wickets and Jay rolled into third, plating on a sac fly. In the 10th, Chicago stranded a runner at third with one away thanks to a couple of smoked but at-’em outs. The first two Bucs went down quietly in their half before John Wehner singled. Cub reliever Anthony Young then caught the Rock leaning, but instead of picking him off, he chucked the throw into right with Wehner scampering to third. Jeff King then hit a ball to the wall in left and Luis Gonzalez leapt to make the catch. But the ball wouldn’t cooperate and popped out of his mitt; Gonzalez tried to recapture it with a baseball tip drill, keeping the ball alive for three taps before it fell to the track for the walkoff dub. Dan Miceli, the third Pittsburgh twirler to follow starter Esteban Loaiza, was credited with the win.

1995 - RHP Daulton Jeffries was born in Merced, California. Jefferies pitched for the California Golden Bears, and was named All-PAC & to the US National team before being picked by the A’s at #37th overall in the 2016 draft. He went through TJ surgery twice, bookending a thoracic outlet problem. Daulton went from Oakland to the Giants as a FA for 2023, making 16 career outings (11 starts) between the clubs with a line of 2-10/6.64. On May 10, 2024, he was traded here by San Francisco for OF Rodolfo Nolasco and was later brought up from Indy as the 27th man in a twin bill, though he didn’t get a call to the hill. He later worked four games before going on the IL (elbow). He was outrighted in the off season, refused his minor league assignment and has been a free agent ever since.

2002 - The Bucs walked off with a 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park. Down a run with two outs in the ninth, Jason Kendall lined a single and Jack Wilson followed with a bloop. Brian Giles then drilled Rob Nenn’s 1-2 pitch into left center for a double (his second) to plate them both for the win. The trio were down to their last swing as all three hits came with two strikes. Adam Hyzdu and Rob Mackowiak homered while Brian Boehringer got the win.

2003 - The Pirates beat the Colorado Rockies at PNC in front of 37,820 fireworks night fans by a 1-0 count. The shutout was spun by the unlikely trio of Brian Meadows, Brian Boehringer and Mike Lincoln. Meadows scattered five hits over seven innings  and Bo followed with a clean eighth, but left in the ninth frame with an out and Rox on the corners. Lincoln’s first pitch to Jay Payton was tapped to short for a game-ending 6-4-3 that was hotly disputed by the Colorado manager Clint Hurdle (he was still a few years away from making PNC Park his home office), along with the first base coach and Peyton. The Bucco run was scored by Randall Simon in the second inning after a Jose Hernandez double and an RBI bounce out followed Simon’s leadoff walk.

2018 - Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez was named National League Reliever of the Month for July while setup men Kyle Crick and Edgar Santana were also recognized by receiving votes. All-Star Vazquez had a win, eight saves, a 1.46 ERA and 22K in 12-1/3 IP. The Nightmare was the first Pirates RoM since Jason Grilli took the honors in both April and May of 2013.

8/1 Through the 1970s: Pops Goes Off, Rip Off 11, Goose Eggs, 2-In-1 For Lefty, Game Days, HBD Freddy, Pete, Milt, Pep & Roy

1892 - RHP Roy Sanders was born in Stafford, Kansas. Roy yo-yoed between the Cincy Reds and the minor league American Association Kansas City Blues in 1917, then landed in Pittsburgh in 1918 as the PTBNL in a deal with KC for Fritz Mollwitz. Roy had a decent year, getting in 28 games (14 starts) with a 7-9/2.60 slash, but it would be his last in MLB as he lost his job to the flood of ball players returning from WW1. He went by the monikers of “Butch” and “Pepe.” 

1893 - Pittsburgh crushed St. Louis 25-2 in game one of a twinbill, then won the second contest 6-1 while cranking out 17 hits at Robison Field. Frank “Lefty” Killen won both games against the Browns (he started both contests, but got a blow from reliever Tom Colcolough in the first game) en route to a 36-win season and even belted a homer. Jake Beckley banged out six hits during the day while Jack Glasscock and Denny Lyons added five more apiece.

1904 - Charlie Case gave up 11 hits but still shut out the Cubs 4-0 at Expo Park. The difference was in the fielding; Chicago made four errors, all contributing to Pittsburgh scores, while the Pirates played the field flawlessly and occasionally brilliantly. Ginger Beaumont had three hits for the Bucs, while Tommy Leach and Honus Wagner each chipped in a pair of knocks.

1906 - After pitching 10-2/3 innings of no-hit ball at Washington Park, Brooklyn’s Harry McIntyre was finally touched for a single by Pirates 2B Claude Ritchey. Only 31 Bucs faced McIntyre in the first 10 frames, but Pittsburgh finally wore Mac down to beat the Superbas in the 13th when Bob Ganley singled, went to third on Honus Wagner’s double and scored on Joe Nealon’s knock to take a 1-0 decision behind Lefty Leifield, who went the distance while tossing a nine-hitter.

Lefty Leifield - 1905 Harlan Collection/Detroit Public Library

1916 - RHP Elmer “Pep” Rambert was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Pep’s MLB career consisted of two cups of joe with the Bucs from 1939-40, working 12 innings with a line of 0-1/8.25. He did have a long shelf life in the minors where he both hurled and played outfield, winning 68 games and putting up a career .307 BA, then managed in the bushes after retiring.

1918 - Pittsburgh and Boston played a record 20 scoreless innings, a benchmark for futility that lasted until 1967, before the Pirates won in the 21st frame by a 2-0 score at Braves Field. Art Nehf went all the way for Boston, while Erskine Mayer worked the opening 15 frames for Pittsburgh, followed on the slab by Wilbur Cooper. Cooper scored on Max Carey’s two-out knock and Billy Southworth doubled Carey home with an insurance tally for the overtime victory.

1943 - Rip Sewell won his 11th straight start (he did drop a decision as a reliever during that streak) by a 7-1 count over the Boston Braves at Forbes Field, tossing a three-hitter. Every outing during Sewell’s skein was a complete game victory. Rip was an All Star that year (his first of four straight appearances) and posted his career-best season with a slash of 21-9/2.54. He dropped his next outing to the Cardinals and faded after that loss, finishing 4-5 for the remainder of the year, although he did post three saves (he worked 265-1/3 innings) to keep busy.

1950 - C Milt May was born in Gary, Indiana. May began (1970-73) and ended (1983-84) his career as a Pirate, batting .261 as a reserve catcher. He was a member of the 1971 World Series club and 1972 pennant winners, and hit .400 (2-for-5) as a pinch hitter in the postseason. Milt also made the record books when he drove in the one millionth run in MLB history on May 4th, 1975, with a three-run home run as a Houston Astro. Despite having one of the weirdest set-ups in baseball, wagging his bat high above his head, May became the hitting coach for 10 seasons in Pittsburgh (1987–96) with stints with the Florida Marlins, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and as pitching coach for the Colorado Rockies. May was a scout for the Rockies in 2000, then spent the 2001 season as a Pirates minor-league hitting coordinator and is now Orioles minor league coach.

Milt May - 1984 Donruss

1951 - Pete Mackanin was born in Chicago. He never suited up for the Bucs as a player, but spent several seasons with the club as skipper and coach. After managing the Hickory Crawdads and Lynchburg Hillcats in 2001 and 2002, he became the Bucco bench coach in 2003. After Lloyd McClendon was fired, Mackanin served as the Pirates' interim manager for the last month of 2005, leading the team to a 12–14 record. He spent the next season managing in the Pirates' minor league system at Bradenton before moving on to work for other clubs. He was  the Phils manager until 2017, when he was pulled from the dugout and moved to a front office job.

1951 - The Dodgers took a 7-2 lead after three innings against Murry Dickson at Forbes Field, but it wasn’t enough padding as Brooklyn was eventually overwhelmed and lost to the Bucs, 12-9. The Pirates scored four in the fourth inning and four more in the eighth frame, sparked by Ralph Kiner's 27th homer, and snapped da Bums’ winning streak at 10 games. George Strickland drove home three runs and homered. The win went to Bill Werle, save to Ted Wilks.

1970 - Willie Stargell smoked three doubles and two home runs against the Braves at Atlanta - Fulton County Stadium. Captain Willie posted six RBI and tied a MLB record with five extra base knocks (it’s the only five extra-base hits in a game in franchise history) as the Bucs rolled over the Bravos by a 20-10 tally. Pittsburgh set a club record with 14 extra-base hits and 47 total bases during the match. Bob Robertson added five more knocks to the pot, making Pops and Big Red the first Bucco duo to collect five hits in a game.

1972 - 3B/LF Freddy Garcia (not to be mistaken for the veteran American League pitcher) was born in La Romana, Dominican Republic. He played for the Bucs in 1995 and then from 1997-99 as a bench depth guy, hitting .221 over that span. He was then traded to the Atlanta Braves for a minor league pitcher and finished his MLB career the following season.

8/1 From 1980: Big First Not Enough, Lee Debut, Cutch Hammer, Wild Rallies, Game Days, Almost A Deal.., Benji Signed, Q, Nova & Bastardo Deals

1982 - They say that the best way to not hit a home run is to swing for one, but Bill Madlock laid that to rest with a 10th inning game winner against the Mets at Shea Stadium. Mad Dog told the Pittsburgh Press’ Russ Franke that “...I was definitely looking for a home run with two out and nobody on. It was either be a hero or a bum...I just stepped in the bucket and swung.” His blast into the left field bleachers against Terry Leach gave the Bucs a 4-3 victory over New York. Pittsburgh battled back from a 3-1 deficit with a pair of scores in the seventh strung together by Lee Lacy, Dale Berra (he had two RBI on the night) and Willie Stargell. They almost won it in the ninth, but a potential rally was squashed by some happy feet by Berra. Tony Pena blooped a hit into right, but was picked off between the bases when a hesitant Berra rounded second late (“I thought the right fielder caught the ball”) and fell down trying to get back to the bag, leaving Pena hung out to dry. But all’s well that ends well; Kent Tekulve got the win and Rod Scurry the save.

1998 - Per Paul Meyer of the Post Gazette, the Pirates had a conditional deal with Seattle set up that would have landed Brian Giles in Pittsburgh, but it was inadvertently blown up by the Houston Astros. The Mariners were set to deal Randy Johnson to the Indians, and part of the return would have been Giles, who was then supposed to be flipped to the Bucs (GM Cam Bonifay tactfully refused to name the Pirate player who was part of the foiled trade). But the Tribe lost the bidding war five minutes before the midnight deadline to the ‘Stros, and there was no time for them and the Pirates to reach a side deal. It would wait until the offseason when Ricardo Rincon went to Cleveland for Giles, who patrolled the Bucco outfield for the next 4-1/2 years. To add a little salt to the wound, the Big Unit pitched the next night against the Buccos and whipped them, 6-2.

2000 - The Pirates announced that they had signed IF Mike Benjamin to a two-year contract extension with $1.85M guaranteed and another $600K available in bonus bucks. The 34-year-old Benjamin hit .270 for the Pirates in 2000, then missed all of the 2001 season with a bad elbow. He came back in 2002 but hit just .150 in 108 games before retiring.

2003 - Trailing the Rockies 11-6 with one out and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth, the Pirates rallied for the win at PNC Park. Craig Wilson, Reggie Sanders and Jose Hernandez packed the sacks. Jack Wilson’s single scored one run and a grounder brought home another Bucco. With two down, a passed ball made it 11-9 before pinch hitter Jeff Reboulet walked. Tike Redman, who had just been called up, tripled home a pair to tie the game, and Jason Kendall lined a single to left for the win. Duaner Sanchez, the Pirates fourth pitcher, got the victory.

Cutch - 2009 Topps Victory

2009 - Andrew McCutchen tied a club record by homering three times in Pittsburgh’s 11-6 victory over the Washington Nats at PNC Park. Cutch became the 10th player in club history to go long three times in the same game, the first since Aramis Ramirez launched a trio on April 8th, 2001, and the first Buc rookie to swat three bombs in a single game. His blasts accounted for six RBI as Andrew hit a solo home run in the first inning to lead off the game against starter Craig Stammen, a two-run shot in the fourth frame off Tyler Clippard and then a three-run tater in the sixth inning off Logan Kensing, falling a grand slam short of hitting for a natural home run cycle.

2011 - At 54-53, the Pirates were making a run to at least break the .500 mark, something they hadn’t accomplished in 18 years. They strengthened the roster and brought in 1B Derek Lee, who debuted on this date. He did his part, banging two homers and driving in all three Bucco runs in a 5-3 loss to his old club, the Chicago Cubs, at PNC Park. Pittsburgh’s luck continued to run cold though, as the veteran 1B broke his wrist two days later after being hit by a pitch, and the Pirates went 8-20 in the weeks that he missed. He did get into 28 games overall, batting .337 with seven homers and 18 RBI, and then, not finding a deal to his liking, retired at age 36.

2014 - Behind 4-0 in the fifth inning, the Pirates went on a late rampage to bury the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-4 at Chase Field. Pittsburgh scored three runs in the eighth frame, keyed by Pedro Alvarez’s two-run pinch hit double. The Bucs exploded for five more tallies in the ninth. Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer led off with doubles, Andrew McCutchen was intentionally walked and four of the next five Pirates bopped singles. Harrison, Mercer and Cutch batted 1-2-3 and had six hits, two walks and seven runs scored in the win. Tony Watson was the winner.  

2016 - Given an extra 24 hours to wheel and deal because the usual 7/31 deadline fell on a Sunday, the Bucs FO burned the phone lines. First, they got rental RHP Ivan Nova from the NY Yankees for two PTBNL (OF Tito Polo and LHP Stephen Tarpley). After going 5-2/3.06, they made the relationship more permanent by signing Nova to a three-year contract. They returned Jon Niese to the Mets (he was traded to Pittsburgh before the season for Neil Walker) for lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo (who was a Pirate in 2015 and left as a FA), and finally sent LHP Francisco Liriano, along with prospects OF Harold Ramirez and C Reese McGuire, to Toronto for RHP Drew Hutchison; Francisco returned to the Bucco fold in 2019. The Blue Jays picked up the approximately $17M left on Frankie’s contract for 2016-17, and that cost the Pirates the big prospect package. 

Ivan Nova - 2016 Topps Update

2022 - In a deadline deal, extended as 7/31 fell on a Sunday, the Pirates sent RHPs Jose Quintana, 33, and Chris Stratton, 31, to the St. Louis Cardinals for RHP Johan Oviedo and 1B/3B Malcom Nunez, a power-hitting AA prospect. Q, signed as a free agent in the offseason, went 3-5/3.50 in 20 starts as the Pirates most effective starter while Stratton, who joined the Bucs in 2019 and posted a Pittsburgh line of 15-7-10/3.98. Oviedo, 24, was 2-9/4.65 with 19 of his 33 MLB outings as a starter. The 21-year-old Nunez had 17 HRs and was converted from 3B to 1B when he arrived. Oviedo was optioned to Indy and Nunez to Altoona as RHPs Chase De Jong came off the IL and Colin Holderman was called up from Indy to replenish the active roster. Oviedo became part of the Pirates starting rotation in '23, but had TJ surgery and is near to returning from a long layoff while Nunez has spent the last four years in AAA.

2023 - 1B Ji Man Choi (.205/6/11) and LHP Rich Hill (7-10/4.76) were shipped to the San Diego Padres for prospects LHP Jackson Wolf, 1B/OF Alfonso Rivas and OF Estuar Suero in a deadline deal. Choi became a Buc via trade and Hill as a FA during the off season. Wolf, 24, was a 4th round pick in 2021 after tossing for WVU and was flipped back to San Diego. Rivas, 26, was a good-glove guy who got into 40 games (.237) and is now playing in Mexico. 17-year-old switch hitter Suero is a lotto ticket playing in the Florida Rookie League. Later in the day, Pittsburgh sent C Austin Hedges to Texas for international bonus pool space; he is currently with Cleveland. In a final minor swap, Pittsburgh traded IF Rodolfo Castro, 24, to the Philadelphia Phillies for LHP Bailey Falter, 26. Rudy has spent 2024-25 playing in AAA while Bailey claimed a rotation spot until he was flipped a year later to KC for Callan Moss and Evan Sisk.

2025 - The Pirates scored nine! first-inning runs v Colorado at Coors Field, keyed by an Oneil Cruz grannie and Andrew McCutchen three-run shot. It wasn’t quite enough; they lost 17-16 when new closer Dennis Santana yielded two homers and five runs in the ninth after Andrew Heaney and Thomas Harrington gave up a 10-spot over the first five frames. It was the first time since 1890 that the club has scored 16 or more runs and lost. Cutch finished the night with five RBI, Cruz had four and Isiah Kiner-Falena added three. All nine Pirates reached base and scored (Joey Bart was the sole hitless Bucco batter, but he had an excuse - he was walked four times and bopped once).

2025 - To refill the roster after the deadline (the FO dealt four rostered players in two days, but didn’t receive any MLB-ready talent in return), the Pirates recalled RHP Thomas Harrington, RHP Kyle Nicolas and IF Jared Triolo from Indy and LHP Ryan Borucki from the IL. Triolo wasn't a lock and there was some fan/media support for the call-up of UT Ronny Simon (.300 for two AAA teams) or IF Cam Devanny (.316 at Indy since being traded here for Adam Frazier) to take Key's spot on the big league roster, while RHPs Bubba Chandler & Johan Oviedo were considered possible next arms up, though Bubba has workload concerns and Johan was just finishing long-term lat strain rehab. Harrington only lasted an outing (he got toasted by Colorado), was optioned back and replaced by RHP Dauri Moreta, who had missed all of ‘24 after shoulder surgery and was knocking off the rust at Indy.

7/31 Deadline Deals: Corey, Oneil, JA, Gaby, J-Mac, Jon, Freddy Join / Renegade, Tony, Jose, Jay, Kip, Ollie, Robby, Supe Go

1987 - The Pirates traded RHP Don Robinson to the San Francisco Giants for C Mackey Sasser and $50K. Robinson did everything from starting to closing for the Giants from ‘87-91, with a slash of 42-33-14/3.56. Sasser played a dozen games for the Buccos and then was traded to the New York Mets after the season as part of the deal for 1B Randy “Moose” Milligan. 

1993 - RHP Jon Lieber was traded by the Kansas City Royals along with reliever Dan Miceli to the Bucs for closer Stan Belinda. Lieber won 38 games in five seasons with Pittsburgh before being traded to the Cubs for Brant Brown, Miceli had 24 saves/10 holds/5.41 ERA in four Pirates campaigns and Belinda lasted two years for KC, settling into a bridge role out of their bullpen.

2001 - The Pirates traded the well-traveled LHP Terry Mulholland to the LA Dodgers for pitchers Mike Fetters and Adrian Burnside. Mulholland, from Uniontown, pitched for 11 teams in a 20-year major league career with a pair of stints with the Cubs, Phils and Giants. The FO also swapped RHP Mike Williams to the Astros for RHP Tony McKnight. It was actually worked out as more like a lend-lease, as Williams signed with the Bucs again as a free agent after the season.

2002 - The Bucs sent first round bust OF Chad Hermansen, 24, to the Cubs for 35-year-old OF Darren Lewis, who refused to report to the Pirates (he was ticketed as outfield depth) and retired instead. Chad hit .209 for the Cubs before moving on. The deal’s personnel package was restructured; along with Chad, the Pirates sent OF Aron Weston to Chicago (he topped out at AA) and the Cubs shipped pitchers Ricardo Palma (he reached AAA and pitched for the Venezuelan WBC team) and Tim Lavery, who was sent to A ball and retired at age 23, to replace Lewis.

2003 - Pitchers Brandon Lyon, Anastacio Martinez and Jeff Suppan were traded by the Bucs to the Red Sox for LHP Mike Gonzalez, 2B Freddy Sanchez and cash in a redo deal. Originally, Gonzalez had gone to Boston for Lyons and Martinez a few days earlier, but Lyons flunked the physical, causing a reworking of the swap. The mulligan panned out pretty well for the Bucs.

Jody Gerut - 2005 Topps

2005 - The Cubs sent young OF Jody Gerut to Pittsburgh for vet OF Matt Lawton. Chi-town shipped Lawton to the Yankees for a minor leaguer in August. Gerut, hampered by a bum knee, barely played and was released after 2006, appearing in just four games as a Pirate.

2006 - Busy at the deadline: The Pirates traded pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez to the New York Mets for OF Xavier Nady. Pittsburgh also sent RHP Kip Wells to the Texas Rangers for RHP Jesse Chavez, traded OF/1B Craig Wilson to the New York Yankees for RHP Shawn Chacon and acquired RHP Brian Rogers from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for 1B Sean Casey. Nady hit .301 in three Pittsburgh seasons, Chavez was flipped in the 2009 offseason for 2B Aki Iwamura, Chacon gave the Bucs two workmanlike campaigns (7-7-1/4.44) and Rogers was ineffective, getting into 13 games over two years and posting a 9.28 ERA.

2007 - The Bucs traded OF Rajai Davis and IF Stephen McFarland to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Matt Morris, who was being paid $7.5M in 2007 and under contract to make $9.5M in 2008 with a $1M buyout for 2009. He was released on April 27th of 2008 after going 3-8/7.04 in 16 Pirate starts, costing the club piles of dead money; many believed this deal was the final nail in GM Dave Littlefield’s coffin. Rajai finished in the Mexican League and now has a position in MLB Baseball Operations. 

2007 - Another rumored shuffle didn’t get done; there were hot and heavy talks with the Tigers to send SS Jack Wilson to Motown, but the deal fell through although Detroit agreed to take on his contract and offered one of either P Jair Jurrjens/Dallas Trahorn, but Littlefield wanted Craig Monroe, per Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette. The Bucs had already chased Toronto away by asking for Troy Glaus straight up for Wilson. Relievers Damaso Marte, Salomon Torres and Shawn Chacon were also dangled without success (all were on contractual short leashes: Chacon left as a free agent while Torres was traded during the offseason and Marte lasted until the 2008 trade deadline).

Brandon Moss - 2009 Topps Heritage

2008 - Jason Bay and Josh Wilson were traded to the Boston Red Sox in a three-team deal that sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Andy LaRoche & Bryan Morris to the Pirates from LA, and Brandon Moss & Craig Hansen shipped to the Bucs from Beantown. None of the prospects panned out for Pittsburgh, and Bay’s career was hamstrung by injury. Reports were that Tampa Bay offered SS Reid Brignac & RHP Jeff Niemann for Bay, but the Bucco FO wanted Wade Davis, David Price or Jeremy Hellickson instead of Niemann, ending that talk in a hurry. Miami was also a player for Bay and offered a package anchored by OF Jeremy Hermida and RHP Ryan Tucker, but the Pirates didn’t bite; they were focused on an 18-year-old outfielder named Mike Stanton.

2010 - A lot of wheeling and dealing: RHP James McDonald was traded to Pittsburgh with OF Andrew Lambo by the LA Dodgers for RHP Octavio Dotel and cash. The Bucs also flipped LHP Javier Lopez to the  SF Giants for RHP Joe Martinez and OF Joe Bowker. In a bigger house cleaning/change of scenery deal, SS Bobby Crosby, RHP D.J. Carrasco and RF Ryan Church were sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash, C Chris Snyder and SS Pedro Ciriaco. J-Mac had a promising start but crashed in 2013 while Lambo couldn’t overcome a spate of injuries; the other players were given MLB auditions but didn’t leave much of an impression with the organization.

2011 - OF Ryan Ludwick was sent to the Pirates by the San Diego Padres for cash as the Bucs hoped to make a late push for respectability. He hit .232 with two homers during the dog days and then signed with the Cincinnati Reds in the off season, with 2014 being his last MLB season.

2012 - 1B Gaby Sanchez and RHP Kyle Kaminska went from the Marlins to the Pirates for OF Gorkys Hernandez and 2013’s sandwich compensation draft pick five minutes before the deadline expired. Gaby stayed as a platoon 1B and bench bat through 2014 with Pittsburgh, hitting .241, and then went to Japan to play. Before that trade, the Bucs dealt 3B Casey McGehee to the Yankees for RHP Chad Qualls; both ended up as stretch run rentals for their respective clubs.

Gaby Sanchez - 2013 Topps

2015 - The Bucs picked up 1B/OF Michael Morse, who had just been traded to and DFA’ed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, for OF Jose Tabata and cash. The Beast hit .275 with a .390 OBP in 45 games during the stretch, mainly off the bench. Morse was released the next year, then signed with the Giants in 2017, which was his final MLB campaign while Tabata played in the Latino and indie leagues through 2021. In a late deal spurred by AJ Burnett’s trip to the DL due to elbow inflammation, Pittsburgh then sent minor league RHP Adrian Sampson to Seattle for veteran lefty JA Happ, who turned in a masterful slash of 7-2/1.85. Sampson is in the Nats’ system through 2025 while Happ retired following the 2021 campaign after toeing the rubber for eight teams over 15 MLB seasons.

2017 - LHP Tony Watson (5-3-10, 3.66) was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a pair of prospects, SS Oneil Cruz and RHP Angel German. Tony joined the club in 2011 and was seventh in franchise history with 450 appearances, but had lost his closer job to Felipe Rivera and was in his walk year. He retired in 2022. Cruz went from the Pirates starting SS to CF while German topped out at AA. The Pirates picked up 40-year-old rental RHP Joaquin Benoit from the Phillies for 23-year-old Bradenton Marauders closer RHP Seth McGarry. Both are now out of baseball.

2018 - Busy day. First, they sent a ton of potential talent in OF Austin Meadows, RHP Tyler Glasnow, both at one time the top-rated Pirates prospects, and a PTBNL (RHP Shane Baz, the Pirates 2017 first-rounder, #12 overall) to Tampa Bay for RHP Chris Archer. Archie, 29, joined Jameson Taillon at the head of the rotation, a spot he wouldn’t hold for long. He injured his thoracic nerve and won just six games in Pittsburgh in two seasons and some change. He left to rejoin his old club as a FA for 2021, but injured his forearm after one start for the Rays and went to the Twins. Archie took a job in baseball ops for the Dodgers in ‘24. Austin suffered from anxiety issues and hasn’t played since 2023. The oft-injured Glasnow later was dealt to the LA Dodgers and Baz is now with the Baltimore Orioles.

2018 - The Pirates snagged RHP Keone Kela, 25, from the Texas Rangers for minor league LHP Taylor Hearn, 23, and a PTBNL, who ended up being 3B Sherten Apostel, 19, a Low-A prospect who played for the Rangers, then in Japan and has been out of the pro game since 2024. Kela was the Rangers’ closer, but the Bucs added him for depth to their bullpen’s back end. He was effective but injury prone, and left for the Padres as a free agent after the 2020 season. He had TJ surgery in 2021 and is now throwing in Mexico. Hearn was having a breakout campaign at Altoona and was the top-ranked Pirate organizational southpaw starter before being traded. He’s now pitching in Japan. 

Keone Kela - 2020 Pirates wallpaper

2019 - OF Corey Dickerson was traded to Philly for $250K in international bonus credit. Corey came over from Tampa for RHP Daniel Hudson and minor league IF Triston Gray. He hit .303 with a 121 OPS+ in 2018-19 and won a Gold Glove in his first season, but injured his shoulder in ‘19, got into just 44 games for Pittsburgh and was moved in the walk year of his contract. Injuries have plagued him throughout his career; he played for eight teams before retiring to coach prep ball in 2024. Huddy retired after the 2024 campaign and Gray made his debut in ‘24 and is now playing for the Twins. 

2025 - The Yankees snagged RH closer David Bednar (17 saves, 2.37 ERA) for minor league Cs Rafael Flores, 24, and Edgleen Perez, 18, along with 21-year-old CF Brian Sanchez. After an early season demotion, The Renegade returned with a vengeance. He hadn't blown a save and put together a two-month, 23-outing stretch without allowing an earned run in ‘25; the Renegade has been strong in ‘26, too. Flores was the Yankees' No. 8 prospect per MLB.com and was recently promoted to AAA, batting .279 with 23 doubles, 16 homers and 60 RBI between the two levels though struggling some in AAA (.211). He was the Yankees' minor league player of the year in 2024 and considered just about big-league ready if he can keep his tweaked swing, but wasn’t considered a very strong plate defender, with talk of his MLB home being at first base although he has mainly caught for the Pirates. The other pair are playing in Class A. 

2025 - The Pirates closed a couple of late-hour moves after the Bednar deal: LHP Bailey Falter, who was 7-5/3.73 and on an economical $2.2M deal with three years of arb ahead, was traded to the Kansas City Royals for lefty reliever Evan Sisk, 28, who after four years in AAA has appeared in five games for KC, and 1B Class A prospect Callan Moss; one media source said he was told that Bailey was dealt because he was arb-eligible in ‘26. Sisk started ‘26 at Indy and was called up before going on the IL while Moss has been solid at AA Altoona. For the closing act, the Bucs sent LHP Taylor Rogers to the Chicago Cubs for 22-year-old Hi-A OF Ivan Brethowr in an old-timey salary dump (the Pirates were on the hook for the final two months of Taylors’ $12M contract). They held on to the walk-year guys Tommy Pham, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Andrew Hainey. All three were released - Hainey was the first to go a month later (signed by the Dodgers), IKF joined him a couple of days later (signed by Boston) and Pham alone finished out the year (signed by the Phillies).

7/31 Through 1964: Maz Muffs, Bananas Bobby, 19-Innings, Game Days, Gee Whiz Deal, '61 All-Stars, HBD Mike, Frank, Elmer, Peanuts & Joe

1870 - C/1B Joe Sugden was born in Philadelphia. Sugden spent the first five seasons (1893-97) of his 13-year big league career with Pittsburgh, hitting .277. He also played for the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Spiders, the White Sox and Detroit Tigers. Joe went on to become a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals before passing away at age 88 in his hometown.

1892 - LHP Erv ”Peanuts” Kantlehner was born in San Jose. Working mostly as a starter for the Bucs from 1914-16, he slashed 13-29-7/2.85. He made the Bucco record books by tossing a shutout in his first start on 4/17/1914, a 2-0, four-hit, complete-game win over St. Louis (Paul Maholm and Nick Kingham matched the feat, but neither went nine innings). Erv later coached high school baseball. Thought to have gotten his nickname while in the minors, Diamonds In the Dusk said in his bio that it was “...because all southpaws are considered a little bit nuts.” His heater earned him an alternative handle, ”The Teuton of Speed.”

1896 - Per Gregory Wolf of SABR: “In a game against Cincinnati at League Park, (Pirates pitcher) Lefty Killen charged home plate to argue a decision made by umpire Bud Lilly, who had changed his call on a fly down the left-field line from foul ball to fair.” According to the Pittsburgh Daily Post, Lilly “let go at” Killen, apparently under the impression that the pitcher planned to strike him. Killen retaliated by landing “a couple of blows on (Lally’s) face” before a melee erupted with players, spectators, and police rushing onto the field. When order was finally restored, Killen was under arrest, escorted to the local police station, and ultimately fined $25 while team owner William Kerr publicly condemned the umpire for provoking the incident. Pittsburgh won the contest
in spite of the rhubarb, 9-7. The incident was typical of the short-fused Killen. Wolf noted “The ‘grave objection to Killen is his temper,’ per Sporting Life. ’He is as obstinate as a mule.’”

1912 - The Pirates scored three runs in the 19th inning and then barely held off Boston to take a 7-6 decision at the South End Grounds. 38-year-old Honus Wagner was the man of the hour, stealing home and later driving in the game-winning run for Pittsburgh against the Braves. The game was a duel turned into a slugfest - it was 2-2 going into the 18th when both clubs scored twice, and five more runs were scored in the 19th. Otto Hess of the Braves had an excuse; he went all 19 frames. For the Bucs, Hank Robinson and Howie Camnitz faded in relief of Marty O’Toole, who called it a day after 12 innings. Camnitz got the win despite giving up two runs in the last frame.

Hank Robinson - 1913 Voskamp

1913 - Hank Robinson won his 12th game, defeating the Brooklyn Superbas at Forbes Field by a 3-2 count with Dots Miller chasing home a pair of runs and Fred Kommers plating twice. It was early in a stretch that saw the Bucs win 8-of-9 games and put Pittsburgh’s record at 47-46; they remained above .500 for the rest of the campaign and finished the season in fourth place with a 78-71 slate. It kept a franchise-high 15-year streak of winning records, begun in 1899, intact, although it would end in 1914 when the Pirates came in seventh at 69-85.

1914 - RHP Elmer Riddle was born in Columbus, Georgia. The 10-year veteran tossed his last two campaigns (1948-49) in Pittsburgh, winning an All-Star berth the first season while posting a 12-10/3.49 line. He faded badly in ‘49, winning just one game in his final year while hobbled by a bum wheel. He toiled briefly as a scout for Kansas City afterward. He passed away there at the age of 69.

1939 - The Pirates obtained 6'9" LHP Johnny Gee from Syracuse of the International League for $75,000 and four players. Nicknamed “Gee Whiz,” he lasted parts of four seasons (1939, 1941, 1943-44) with the Bucs, winning five games. Also known as “Long John” (and less kindly, as the “$75,000 Lemon,” the price paid for his contract), he never fully recovered from a 1940 arm injury. Gee was the tallest person to play MLB until 6’10” Randy Johnson debuted for the Montreal Expos in September, 1988. Not too surprisingly, Long John also played pro hoops for the NBA Syracuse Nationals (1937-39). Gee later became a teacher, coach, and high school principal.

1944 - RHP Frank Brosseau was born in Drayton, North Dakota. A first-round pick of the Bucs in the 1966 secondary draft, he was inked from the U of Minnesota as an OF’er. When his bat proved weak, he was converted to the mound. That got him a shot in the show with the Pirates, albeit just for three games in 1969 and 1971, working 3-2/3 IP and giving up two runs on two hits with two walks and two whiffs. He finished his pro career in 1971 at AAA Charleston.

1953 - Murry Dickson broke a personal five-game losing streak and the team’s four-game skid by scattering eight hits to defeat the Chicago Cubs 4-0 at Forbes Field. Although Bruins had runners aboard in every frame but one, only three Cubs reached second and just one made it as far as third. C Nick Koback had a memorable day; not only did the rookie collect his first MLB hit, a ninth-inning single, but he called a shutout in his first big league start behind the dish.

Bobby Bragan makes the news - 8/1/1957 Press/Les Biederman

1957 - Manager Bobby Bragan was ejected for arguing a call (actually, he held his nose) during a 4-2 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. After being tossed, he went slightly bonkers. Bobby got an orange drink from the stands and he offered them all a sip while ordering hot dogs for the boys in blue, but they weren’t placated. After their report to the league, Bragan was fined $100 and threatened with suspension if he didn’t clean up his act. After the game, Bragan was quoted by the Pittsburgh Press’ Les Biederman as saying “My only regret is that the hot dog didn’t arrive in time.” Bragan was fired three days later and replaced by Danny Murtaugh on a temporary basis. The fill-in Murtaugh managed until 1964 and was brought back as skipper three more times.

1959 - RHP Mike Bielecki was born in Baltimore. His first four big league years (1984-’87) were spent in Pittsburgh, where he went 10-17/4.57. He was the Pirates first round pick in the 1979 draft (secondary phase) and went on to have a workmanlike 14-year MLB career.

1961 - C Smoky Burgess, OF Roberto Clemente, RHP ElRoy Face and 1B Dick Stuart repped the Bucs in the second All-Star game of the year at Fenway Park, a 1-1 tie called after nine innings because of rain. The next ASG tie wouldn’t be until 2002 when the game was controversially called after the sides ran out of pitchers. Clemente went 0-for-2, Burgess & Stu 0-for-1, and the Baron of the Bullpen was given the day off by manager Danny Murtaugh.

1962 - The National League owners unanimously rejected a proposal by Commissioner Ford Frick to include inter-league play at the annual scheduling meeting held in Chicago. The idea dated back to 1903 when the NL and AL first made peace, but wouldn’t come to fruition until 1997.

1964 - It happens to the best. The San Francisco Giants took advantage of three errors by Bill Mazeroski and three more by his teammates to edge the Bucs 8-6 at Forbes Field. Maz's last error, a dropped catch on a potential around-the-horn DP ball in the ninth, would have ended the game with the Pirates on top 6-5 had he held on to turn the pivot. Other Pirates miscues were owned by 3B Bob Bailey, who committed two errors on one play, and C Jim Pagliaroni’s misthrow.