6/15 Player Moves: Jim, Digger, Moose, Johnny, Ducky & Elbie Join; Ed, Robinson, Schwall, Gino, Freese & Wally Go; Rumor Mill

1939 - The Pirates picked up 1B Elbie Fletcher from the Boston Bees for IF Bill Schuster and cash. Fletcher played seven seasons for Pittsburgh (he lost three campaigns because of WW2) and hit .279 with 60 HR and 464 RBI for the Bucs. Broadway Bill Schuster was a sub who hit .234 over a five-year career, also missing three wartime years.

1943 - The Pirates traded RHP Dutch Dietz to the Phillies for RHP Johnny Podgajny. For the 31-year-old Dietz, it was his last MLB season after 3-1/2 seasons as a Bucco (13-15-4/3.51). Podgajny slashed 0-4/4.72 in 15 appearances for Pittsburgh, then was traded in the off-season with OF Johnny Wyrostek to the Cards for Preacher Roe. Johnny became a minor league arm after that, surfacing for six big-league outings in 1956 with the Indians.

1949 - The Pirates dabbled in what was basically a three-way deal. They began the day by buying Hank Sauer’s brother Ed, an outfielder, from the St. Louis Cards; before the sun set, they had sent him to the Boston Braves for C Phil Masi. Masi was solid, playing in 48 games and hitting .274, but he was sold in the off season to the Chicago White Sox. 

1951 - The Pirates received RHP Ted Wilks, IF Dick Cole, C Joe Garagiola, OF Bill Howerton and LHP Howie Pollet from St. Louis for LHP Cliff Chambers and OF/3B Wally Westlake. Pollet and Chambers ended up as washes as far as hill success went, but Westlake played six more seasons with five teams before retiring with a lifetime .272 BA. Wilks pitched creditably out of the pen for the Bucs from 1951-52 (8-10-16/3.19), Garagiola hit .262 for Pittsburgh from 1951-53 and Howerton batted .279 as a Pirate with 1952 being his last campaign.

Ted Wilks - 1952 Bowman

1954 - Les Beiderman of the Pittsburgh Press wrote that trade talks between the Bucs and Cards fizzled. The Redbirds wanted RHP Max Surkont and dangled $50,000 and a couple of minor leaguers; the Pirates Branch Rickey asked for Solly Hemus as the return, and no deal was struck. Max was 9-18/4.41 in 29 starts for Pittsburgh while bench IF Hemus hit .304.

1958 - SS Johnny O’Brien and 3B Gene Freese were traded to the Cards for IF Dick “Ducky” Schofield, who would play a key role in the Bucs 1960 NL championship as a sub for the injured Dick Groat during the stretch run. Ducky, a lifetime .227 hitter, had a .333 BA for the 1960 Buccos and hit .248 in his eight Pittsburgh seasons. Freese had a 12-year career and rejoined the Pirates from 1964-65. It was the first time Johnny and his twin brother Eddie played for different teams and was Eddie’s last campaign; Johnny was gone a year later.

1961 - Pittsburgh sent OF Gino Cimoli to the Milwaukee Braves for IF Johnny Logan. Cimoli was a bench player for the Braves, went on to start for KC in 1962-63 and was back on the pine for his last two years. Logan’s All-Star days were behind him and he spent his final three seasons with the Bucs as a reserve infielder batting .249 in 152 games. 

1961 - Former All-Star OF Walt “Moose” Moryn was sold to Pittsburgh by the Cards and closed out his career that season, hitting .200/three HR in 40 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. He was hoped to bolster the Bucco bench for a pennant push that never happened and was released at the end of the year.

Digger O'Dell - 1967 Topps

1966 - The Atlanta Braves traded LHP Billy O'Dell to the Pirates for RHP Don Schwall in a twilight time deal. 33-year-old Digger O’Dell was effective in ‘66, making 37 appearances with a 2.78 ERA, but he faltered during the next season, his last in the majors. Schwall, 30, went 3-3 in eight starts for Atlanta, and pitched one game in 1967 to end his career.

1977 - The Pirates shipped utilityman Ed Kirkpatrick to the Rangers for infielder Jim Fregosi. Spanky finished his 16-year MLB career in 1978 after a four-year Bucco stint (.236 BA) while Fregosi hung it up after 18 years, spending his last two campaigns in Pittsburgh before being released to take over the California Angels manager’s job in June of ‘78. They also bought OF Jerry Hairston from the White Sox, releasing utilityman Tommy Helms to clear a roster spot. Hairston hit .192 and was sold to Durango of the Mexican League. After four years playing down south, he returned to the White Sox and played off-and-on until 1989.

1977 -  After a bitter front office/media feud, the Mets sent Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds for Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, Dan Norman and Pat Zachry. It was rumored that the Pirates were interested in dealing for Tom Terrific, but New York’s FO asked for a package featuring Bruce Kison with prospects including 20-year-old Dale Berra, who was a first-round draft pick in 1975. (Other names bandied about were Al Oliver & Jerry Reuss). 

1982 - The Pirates traded 39-year-old OF Bill Robinson to the Phillies for OF Wayne Nordhagen. Wayne was a mover: He had been sent to Philly by the Blues Jays, then traded to the Pirates by the Phils. He played one game for the Pirates before the club shipped him back to the Jays on the 25th as the PTBNL for an earlier deal for Dick Davis, who was the player Philly had sent to Toronto on the 15th before being traded to the Pirates a week later. Robby and Nordhagen had one more MLB campaign left and it was the last season for Davis.

6/15 Through the 1960s: Kitten Purrs, Dingin' Dino, To The Max, Furious Finishes, 14 Straight, Game Days, HBD Lance, Bruce, Gene, Bud, Babe, Jerry, Peek-A-Boo & Ed

1860 - OF Ed Glenn was born in Richmond, Virginia. He played three years, mostly as an American Association player with Richmond (1884), the Alleghenys (1886) and then split the 1888 season between the AA Kansas City Cowboys and NL Boston Beaneaters. He was a good gloveman with a strong arm and showed speed with Pittsburgh, banging five triples and stealing 19 bases, but hit just .191 (his lifetime BA was .202). Ed last played with Sioux City of the Western Association through 1890; in early 1892, he passed away from TB at age 31.

1862 - 1B/OF/P William “Peek-A-Boo” Veach was born in Indianapolis. He only played part of the season with the Alleghenys in 1890 (did pretty well, too, hitting .300) and had just a brief three-year big league career with a lifetime .215 BA. He was also a Spanish-American War vet, but he made the cut for the history pages thanks to his unique nickname. When he pitched for the Kansas City Cowboys of the Union League in 1884, his club called pick-offs with hand signals from the bench for him as he became antsy with runners aboard. Veach would shift his eyes from the field to the dugout so often before a pitch that the runners caught on and dubbed him Peek-A-Boo, taken from a popular song title of the day. Afterward, the manager put a plant in the grandstands who would wave a game program to indicate when Veach should throw to first, but that was quickly sniffed out by the opponents, too. So the signaling system never became a thing, and largely explained both his nickname and conversion to 1B/OF. 

1863 - C Jerry Hurley was born in Boston. Jerry played three MLB campaigns, getting into 33 games. Eight of those were with the 1890 Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players League, where he hit .273 as a backup but wore out his welcome by sparring with manager Ned Hanlon. He did have an 11-year minor league career stretching from 1884-94 and managed briefly.

Sam Frock - April 1909 Pgh Press photo

1909 - The Pirates defeated the Brooklyn Superbas 8-2 at Washington Park for their 14th straight victory. Sam Frock went the distance for the win despite giving up 12 raps, backed by three hits from Fred Clarke and a Wee Tommy Leach homer. The streak was snapped the following day, but between May 24th-June 29th, Pittsburgh won 27-of-30 games on the way to the National League pennant and their first World Series title over Ty Cobb’s Detroit Tigers.

1912 - 1B Babe Dahlgren was born in San Francisco. He played for the Pirates from 1944-45, hitting .271 and earning an All-Star spot in 1944. Babe was noted as he replaced Lou Gehrig in 1939, ending the Iron Horse’s 2,130 game playing streak, and was credited as being the first MLB player to take a drug test for a non-performance enhancing drug. He took it voluntarily (and passed) in 1943 to dispel rumors that he was smoking wacky tobacco, a false allegation that hung over his career, Still, he played for eight teams in 12 seasons.

1916 - OF Eddie “Bud” Stewart was born in Sacramento, California. He started his nine-year MLB run (.268 lifetime BA) in Pittsburgh in 1941-42, hitting .242. He was a strong defensive player with good speed and a dependable pinch-hitter. His ball-playing days were interrupted by WW2 when he entered the Army. Bud returned to his California roots after his playing days as a gym teacher and moonlighted as an extra in several Hollywood flicks. 

1925 - Gene Baker was born in Davenport, Iowa. The back-up infielder played for the Bucs from 1957-58 and 1960-61 with a .259 BA. In 1961, he became the first African-American manager in organized baseball when the Pirates named him skipper of their Batavia farm club in the New York-Penn League. In 1963, the Pirates promoted him to the big team as the second black coach in MLB, following Buck O'Neil, who had been hired three months earlier. When Danny Murtaugh was tossed by an ump, Baker became the interim manager for two games, making him the first black to manage a team in a major league game. Baker managed Batavia again in 1964, and then returned to Davenport where he settled in as the Bucs’ top midwest scout for 23 years.

Gene Baker - 1960 Topps

1929 - The Pirates lost a lumberfest to the New York Giants in 14 innings at Forbes Field by a 20-15 tally, with 11 of the runs coming in the last frame, keeping the 25,000 fans in their seats until the bitter end. The Bucs overcame a five-run deficit in the final three innings capped by a three-spot in the ninth frame (they stranded the winning run at third with an out) and then traded runs with the G-Men in the 11th inning to keep the game going on Pie Traynor’s two-out homer. Paul Waner had six hits, Rollie Hemsley added four more and Traynor chipped in three knocks; four other Buccos had two raps as the Pirates banged out 24 hits but stranded 17 runners. Pittsburgh used six pitchers with Steve Swetonic taking the loss although his relief man Larry French was charged with seven of the eight runs the Giants scored at the end.

1941 - RHP Bruce Dal Canton was born in California, Washington County. Dal Canton pitched for California State College and had a low-key entry to pro baseball. After graduating, he became a science teacher at Burgettstown HS and played ball in an amateur league where he was discovered by scout Rex Bowen. The team signed him in 1966 and he debuted in the majors the next year. Bruce tossed his first four big-league seasons (1967-70) in Pittsburgh and spun a 20-8-8/3.57 line. He put together an 11-year career as a starter and long man, also twirling for Kansas City, Atlanta and the White Sox. Dal Canton was a Braves minor league pitching coach for a decade when he was discovered to have cancer in 2008; he passed away six months later in Pittsburgh at age 67.

1944 - Max Butcher ducked the bullets and went the distance as the Bucs edged the Reds 1-0 at Crosley Field. The Pirates scored with two down in the ninth when Bob Elliott’s single to center sent Lee Handley home for the Pirates only tally against Cincinnati’s Tom de la Cruz. Butcher gave up eight hits during the afternoon, but the Redlegs went 0-for-8 with RISP while Handley was only the second Bucco to get into scoring position against de la Cruz.

ino Restelli - 1950 Bowman

1949 - Rookie OF Dino Restelli homered twice and drove in five RBI against Boston’s Warren Spahn, leading the Pirates to an 8-7 come-from-behind victory at Forbes Field and make Rip Sewell, on in relief, a winner. Despite the blazing start, Dino was back in the minors next season. Some people say his career was ruined after he wore an Ewell Blackwell fastball; more lore was that he couldn’t see because of east coast humidity - his glasses would fog!

1956 - C Lance “Big Wheel'' Parrish was born in Clairton. Lance spent 19 years in the show, returning home as a 38-year-old in 1994, putting up a .270 BA. He was an eight-time All-Star for three different teams, six-time Silver Slugger awardee and three-time Gold Glove honoree. Since retiring, he’s been both a major and minor league coach, announcer, and is now a minor league manager. The nickname “Big Wheel'' came about in the early ’80s based on a Mel Allen “This Week in Baseball” feature. Allen opened with “...the wheels of the Motor City were turning...” and referred to Parrish as the Big Wheel, per Baseball By the Letters.

1960 - The Pirates ran San Francisco out of Candlestick Park behind Harvey Haddix by a 14-6 tally. The Kitten went the distance, giving up four earned runs, and pulled double duty with four hits (two two-baggers), three runs scored and two RBI. Dick Groat also had four knocks while The Tiger, Dick Hoak (four runs chased home), and C Hal Smith chipped in with three raps each. The Bucs banged out 19 hits, nine of which went for extra bases, although they all stayed in the yard. The win put the Buccos three games up in the division, and they eventually took the title with a seven game edge.

1962 - Hank Aaron hit a grand slam in the seventh and Roberto Clemente answered with a grand salami of his own an inning later as a furious Pirates rally was just enough to overcome the Milwaukee Braves 9-8 at Forbes Field. The Braves held an 8-2 lead going into the eighth. Arriba’s slam made a game of it, then with two outs, five straight Bucco hitters reached with Bill Virdon’s single tying the game and Dick Groat’s knock chasing home the game winner. Seven Pirates starters had hits and scored/ drove in runs (or both). Jack Lamabe picked up the win by tossing a scoreless eighth and ElRoy Face followed for the save.

6/15 From 1970: Renegade Rules, Cutch Hot But Team Not, Kris Zippo, Carlos Steakin', No Home Larcenists, Game Days, Dome Rainout, HBD Jake, Josh & Erik

1971 - The Bucs scored twice in the ninth to beat Houston 3-0 at the Astrodome behind Steve Blass’ six hitter. But Roberto Clemente’s catch was the highlight reel. Ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the eighth with one on and one out, Clemente first robbed Cesar Cedeno with a sliding, shoestring catch. The next grab off Bob Watson was even better when he leaped and pulled in his liner from over the wall with his back to the plate, crashing into the fence at full throttle. He landed dazed; CF Al Oliver had to take the ball from him. Per BR Bullpen, UPI’s Darrell Mack caught Watson’s reaction: "I never saw one like that...he hit it (the wall) wide open. He never slowed up. I don’t see how he could keep the ball in his glove. The thing that makes him so great is that he does it all in a jam. He’s one of the best clutch players in the game.” The fans in Houston gave him two ovations; one after the catch and once again in the ninth when he batted. As for the game, Al Oliver’s seventh inning homer broke up the duel between Blass and Larry Dierker; Richie Hebner and Manny Sanguillen knocked home the insurance.

1976 - The Bucs were in effect rained out of a game at the Houston Astrodome. Though the field was fine and the teams took their pre-game warmups, flooding after 10” of rain prevented the umps from reaching the yard. Both teams’ players and Houstons’ staffers shared their clubhouse buffet on the field, with several brunchers wearing flip-flops. A couple of dozen fans made it to the game, and they were treated to a cafeteria meal for their loyalty. It was the only time in Houston and MLB history that a game under a dome was called off because of bad weather. The only other previous cancellation at the dome was for Dr. King's death, and other roofed places have banged games because of building issues, but it was the first time a dome lost a match to rain. 

1980 - C Erik Kratz was born in Telford, Pennsylvania. The journeyman made his second appearance as a Bucco in 2016; he caught nine games in 2010 as a rookie. Defensively, he did a fine job, throwing out 50% (8-of-16) wanna-be base larcenists, but hit just .111. Pittsburgh was one of nine teams the backstop played for (he was rostered by three squads twice) in 10 MLB seasons with a .209 career BA until he announced his retirement in 2020.

1987 - RHP Josh Lindblom was born in Lafayette, Indiana. He pitched regularly for the Dodgers and Phils from 2011-12 as part of a trek that included stops at five MLB teams, seven minor league towns and two Korean nines. The Pirates liked him; they claimed him off waivers in 2014 only to release him to the Lotte Giants of the KBO, then signed him again when he returned after two years. He spent most of his time at Indianapolis, getting into four 2017 Pirates contests and giving up nine runs in 10 plus innings. He went back to Lotte, then twirled for the Doosan Bears before finishing in 2022 in the Milwaukee Brewers system.

Josh Lindblom - 2017 photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates

1987 - IF Jake Elmore was born in Dothan, Alabama. Jake played for six teams in six years - Arizona (they drafted him in 2008), Houston, Cincy, Tampa Bay, Milwaukee and for the Bucs in 2019. Jake played every position in the field at one point or another, even pitching and catching, but his lifetime .215 BA (he hit .213 as a Pirate while filling in at four spots) has kept him around as just a depth/role player. He’s with Philly now as a minor league coach.

1987 - In a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, Jim Morrison set an MLB record by getting caught stealing home twice in the same inning. He was first caught in a rundown and Terry Pendleton dropped the throw to third, with Morrison being credited with a caught stealing and Pendleton an error. Mo tried to swipe again - some guys never learn - and was caught cleanly the second time. He was picked up by Mike Diaz, who went deep, while the Pirates who came over from St. Louis in the Tony Pena deal wreaked a little revenge on the Redbirds - Andy Van Slyke and Spanky LaValliere doubled home runs to back Mike Dunne’s complete game, three-hit outing at Busch Stadium.

1992 - Jeff King was also caught stealing twice in the same inning at Three Rivers Stadium. The first time he was given 1B after being picked off but then collided with Phillies P Terry Mulholland during the rundown. Mulholland was called for interference, and King was charged with a caught stealing. He was nailed later in the frame trying to steal third. (Jeff lost his dubious honor a few days later when the league determined that the interference call nullified the first CS). The Bucs lost, 4-1. The day opened as a hybrid twin bill when Team USA defeated Nicaragua 4-1 in a warm up contest before the ‘92 Olympics. Neither team medaled, although the US finished fourth.

1995 - Carlos Garcia extended his hitting streak to 10 games as he chased home six runs with a three-run homer and bases-loaded double to help power the Pirates past the Dodgers at Three Rivers Stadium by an 11-7 count. Mark Johnson added his own three-run blast, and the Bucs needed the runs. Dan Miceli gave up three ninth-inning scores to LA and had the tying run swinging in the on-deck circle before he got the third out to preserve Denny Neagle’s win.

2000 - Kris Benson continued to turn heads by tossing his first MLB shutout, a six-hit 2-0 win against Atlanta at Three Rivers Stadium. In his prior 10 starts, Benson slashed 5-2/2.08 and looked poised for a breakout, but starting in mid-July, he went 2-6/5.01 and never won more than 11 games in any single season of his nine-year career. The Bucs bled out their two runs, scoring on a pair of two-out infield hustle hits, one by Benson and the other by Pat Meares.

Kris Benson - 2000 Fleer Ultra

2008 - The Bucs squandered a 4-2 lead in the ninth inning, allowing the Orioles to score twice, but came back in the 10th to claim a 5-4 win at Camden Yards. Jason Bay walked to start the extra frame and scored on Adam LaRoche’s single. Matt Capps, the Pirates fourth hurler who had frittered away the lead by giving up a two-run, two-out homer to Bip Roberts, struck out a pair of Birds in the 10th to be credited with both a blown save and a win.

2010 - The Pirates lost to the Chicago White Sox 6-4 at PNC Park, but don’t blame Andrew McCutchen. He had his seventh three-or-more hits game, with a walk, a run scored and an RBI, while stealing three bases for the second time. In one sequence, Chicago’s Matt Thornton threw to first 14 times to keep Cutch close - and he still swiped second. Brad Lincoln lost, and for the Bucs, it was their ninth consecutive defeat during a 105-loss campaign.

2010 - No Red/Blue political split in baseball: The Pennsylvania House passed a bill honoring the Pirates 1960 title team, doing its part for the club’s 50th anniversary celebration. It was approved by a 197-0 vote and was sponsored by 64 members in a rare bipartisan display.

2022 - The Pirates snapped a nine-game losing streak when they topped the Cards 6-4 at Busch Stadium. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second, thanks greatly to some shoddy fielding by the Redbirds, only to see St. Louis put up a three-spot in the fifth to tie it. Then two Buc stalwarts came to the rescue: Bryan Reynolds banged his 11th homer, a two-run, two-out shot in the seventh inning on the eighth pitch of his at bat, to regain the lead, then David Bednar toed the slab for the final 2-2/3 innings to ice Wil Crowe’s win, whiffing four while yielding just an infield single. Trivial pursuit: the last Pirate pitcher to record a save of at least eight outs in a game decided by two runs or fewer was Jason Christiansen in 1998.

6/14 Through the 1960s: Pud, Doug & Hal Dealt, Al-Ray, Pie & Al's Dozen, Wally Cycle, Stu Boom, Game Days, Maz Nite, HBD Mark & Randy

1892 - RHP Pud Galvin was traded to the St Louis Browns for 2B Cub Stricker. Before Stricker played a game for the Pirates, he was traded two days later to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Adonis Terry. Galvin was near the end of his Hall of Fame career, and his MLB days were done after the season. Terry did a nice job in his stay with Pittsburgh, with a line of 30-16-1/3.42 during his three-year stint. Stricker was finished after the 1893 campaign.

1907 - Christy Mathewson was plunked by Pirate pitcher Lefty Leifield in the ninth, but carried on until the 12th frame when the Pirates finally slipped by him at Expo Park, 2-1. The Bucs loaded the bases with no outs, then hit into a home-to-first DP. But pinch hitter Otis Clymer came through, singling home the winner. Honus Wagner made a play that “the crowd went simply wild with delight” per the Pittsburgh Press. The Giants had runners on first and third in the 11th inning with two down when the Dutchman raced from the SS hole to make a play on a ball hit up the middle. He tumbled after he made the grab, but still managed to flip the ball to second for the force out while flat on his back, saving a run and likely the game for the Pirates. He was rewarded with a five minute ovation by the 5,605 rooters.

1917 - Swiss Army knife Doug Baird, 25, was sent to the Cardinals for 23-year-old LHP Bob Steele. Baird played fairly regularly for the next three seasons before hangin’ up the spikes in 1920 with a lifetime .234 BA. Steele slashed 7-14-2/2.87, split between starting and the pen. In 1918, he was sold to the Giants and his last season in the show was 1919.

1930 - Pie Traynor drove in seven runs and C Al Bool pushed five more teammates home to lead the Bucs to a 19-12 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a Baker Bowl twin bill. Glenn Spencer tossed the final 5-1/3 frames for the win in relief of Leon Chagnon, who was chased in the fifth after surrendering nine runs. Gus Suhr had four hits while Dick Bartell added three two-baggers; every Pirate position player had a hit, scored at least twice and seven-of-eight drove home runs during the contest. The Pirates dropped the nitecap 5-4 despite a homer from George Grantham and a pair of two-baggers by Adam Comorosky. Jesse Petty inherited a tie game in the ninth from Heinie Meine, and didn’t retire a batter.

Al Lopez - 1942 Play Ball

1940 - C Al Lopez was traded by the Boston Bees to the Pirates for C Ray Berres plus an estimated $40,000. Lopez was considered to be the top catcher in the league, and the deal was widely applauded in Pittsburgh, with the dead presidents greasing the skids for the cash-needy Bees. Berres caught for six more years with a lifetime .216 BA. Lopez caught seven seasons for Pittsburgh and hit .256 during that time. He later made the Hall of Fame, thanks to his later career as a manager. In 15 full seasons and 2,200 games as a skipper, López’s Indian/White Sox teams never posted a losing record and appeared in two World Series.

1949 - Wally Westlake hit for the cycle as Pittsburgh beat the Boston Braves 4-3 at Forbes Field. Westlake ended the game with a two-run walkoff double in the ninth inning to give Tiny Bonham the win in relief of Bob Chesnes. Wally drove in three runs, scored twice and threw a Brave out at third. Buc fans went a long time waiting for another Pirate to hit for the cycle at home again until Jason Kendall repeated the deed on May 19th, 2000.

1953 - RHP Mark Lee was born in Inglewood, California. After a couple of seasons with the San Diego Padres, he came over to the Pirates in 1980-81, making 16 appearances with a slash of 0-2-2/3.20. The Pirates had acquired him as a PTBNL in the Kurt Bevacqua deal and he was sold to the Detroit Tigers in 1982 after spending most of two seasons at AAA Portland.

1953 - OF/PH Hal Rice was traded to the Bucs by the St. Louis Cardinals with cash for IF Pete Castiglione. Hal hit .311 for the Bucs for the remainder of the campaign; he was traded exactly one year later to the Chicago Cubs after an icy start. Castiglione didn’t hit a lick for the Redbirds and was released early in the ‘54 season; it was the last campaign for both players.

Hal Rice - 1954 Topps

1954 - In a backup outfielder swap, the Bucs sent Hal Rice (yah, it was moving day again for poor Hal) to the Chicago Cubs for Luis Marquez. It was a well-timed deal for the duo; the Cubs were in Pittsburgh the following day, so all the two players had to do was switch locker rooms. The trade itself was a wash - Rice had hit .311 in ‘53, but was slumping at .173 at the time of the deal; he did even worse for the Cubs (.153) and ‘54 was his last MLB year. Ditto for Luis, who hit .083 for Chicago and .111 for the Pirates, and this also became his farewell campaign. In another deal, Pittsburgh signed two-sports star Laurin Pepper of Mississippi Southern (now Southern Mississippi), as a bonus baby for $35,000; the righty lasted four years and 44 outings, slashing 2-8/7.06.

1955 - The Pirates exploded for eight runs in the fourth inning (the Bucs sent 13 batters to the dish) to tame the Cardinals 10-5 but needed some timely clutch pitching by Bob Purkey to close the door at Busch Stadium. Ron Kline left the bases loaded with no outs in the seventh, but with St. Louis threatening to rally, Purkey climbed the hill and fanned a couple of tough customers in Stan Musial and Bill Virdon, then got a diving stop of Red Schoendienst’s right-side hot shot by Gene Freese to turn the Redbirds away empty. The attack was multi-pronged, primarily generated by Dale Long’s three hits, including a homer and four RBI, along with Dick Groat’s three raps/three runs chased home.

1961 - Dick Stuart had himself a day at Forbes Field, almost single handedly beating the Reds, 5-4. Big Stu went 3-for-5 with a homer, triple and four runs driven home. His solo long ball put the Pirates ahead 2-0 in the first frame; his RBI single tied it 3-3 in the seventh and the three-bagger off Jim Brosnan was the walkoff winner in the ninth, chasing home Dick Groat and Roberto Clemente, who had four hits. ElRoy Face couldn’t shut the gate in relief of Bob Friend and let Cincy take a 4-3 lead in the eighth; winner Bobby Shantz tossed a clean ninth.

Randy Tomlin - 1992 Upper Deck

1966 - LHP Randy Tomlin was born in Bainbridge, Maryland. An 18th round draft pick in 1988 from Liberty University, he played for the Bucs from 1990-94. He won 22 games from ‘91-92, but an elbow injury that required surgery in 1993 short-circuited his career. He made three appearances in the ‘91-92 NLCS, and put up a career line of 30-31/3.43. Randy was known as “Whispers” as he was a soft-spoken man of few words. He later worked as a pitching coach, first at his alma mater and later in the Nats system. Now he’s the head baseball coach at Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg and a summer college league manager.

1968 - Bob Moose went into the eight with a no-hitter against Houston, only to be denied by light hitting Julio Gotay, whose two-out blooper to right dropped despite the leaping efforts of Billy Mazeroski to run it down. The only previous challenge for a knock came in the second when Maury Wills made a diving grab of Jim Wynn’s shot up the third base line, got up and threw the Toy Cannon out. Moose gave up an anticlimactic hit in the ninth to go with a walk and five whiffs, and went the route to claim a 3-0 win. Roberto Clemente was a four-bagger shy of the cycle and Donn Clendenon homered to lead the modest attack. Moose’s performance thrilled one section of the house - his mom, dad, sis, wife and assorted fam were at Forbes Field, having picked a fine Friday night to catch the apple of their eye in action.

1969 - The Pirates had a Bill Mazeroski Night at Forbes Field. He reaped a bundle of goodies - a car from the team, a stereo from the players, and a TV and three portraits from other Maz-lovin’ organizations. It was also announced that Billy Maz had five local amateur ballfields renamed in his honor. Bob Prince MC’ed the event in front of 18,000 fans, including Maz’s better half Milene, son Darren and Mayor Joe Barr. Mazeroski told the crowd “I couldn’t have been treated better anywhere in the world than in Pittsburgh.” The Bucs won the game 4-2 over the Atlanta Braves behind a Willie Stargell homer and the pitching of Dock Ellis & Bob Moose. Maz went 0-for-4, but as usual, played the field flawlessly and started two DP’s.

6/14 From 1980: Junior-Marvell, Eddie-Mo, Duelin', A-Rammin', Jose & Zach Attack, '09 Replay, Squeakin' By, Game Days, AVS Out

1982 - RHP Eddie Solomon was sent to the Chicago White Sox for 3B Jim Morrison. Solomon was released after the season, while Mo found a home here for six years, posting a .274 BA with 57 HR and 241 RBI in 552 games for the Pirates.

1983 - C Junior Ortiz and RHP Arthur Ray went to the New York Mets for RHP Steve Senteney and OF Marvell Wynne. Junior returned to the Pirates fold for the 1985 season via the Rule 5 Draft and hit .274 in seven Bucco campaigns. Marvell spent three years in Pittsburgh and batted .248 before moving on to San Diego. The two pitchers, Senteney and Ray, never saw the MLB after the deal (Senteney worked 11 games for Toronto in ‘82).

1985 - Jose DeLeon fanned 11 in seven innings at TRS to beat the Phillies 3-2, backed by homers from Johnny Ray and Sixto Lezcano. DeLeon, who didn’t win his first game until June 2nd, then lost his next 11 outings to finish the campaign at 2-19. His 4.70 ERA was the worst of his career until his final season in 1995. The game also marked the return of Willie Stargell, who was hired as first base coach by Chuck Tanner and debuted this night. The next season, Pops didn’t make the transition to Jim Leyland’s staff and joined Tanner at Atlanta.

1987 - After the Bucs dropped a 7-3 decision to the Mets at TRS, Jim Leyland held a brief and X-rated closed door meeting with his team, citing lackadaisical play and then telling the Post Gazette’s Ed Bouchette that “If I was a fan, I’d want my money back today” after the game. The Pirates drew well - they attracted 84,836 for the three-game weekend set - but dropped two out of three. The only fire was shown by the Pirates pitchers: Brian Fisher and the Mets John Mitchell each buzzed a batter in this match, while the contest the day before featured Darryl Strawberry charging Bob Kipper after being plunked and a takedown of Ron Darling by the still-pumped Fisher during the dance. But despite Leyland’s prodding, the Bucs finished 80-82 on the year and were still a couple of bricks shy on the roster. They wouldn’t start their playoff run until 1990.

Stan Belinda - 1992 Pinnacle

1992 - The Pirates won their fourth straight one-run game by a 5-4 count over the Mets at Shea Stadium to sweep the series. Andy Van Slyke plated Gary Varsho with a ninth inning sac fly for the victory. Denny Neagle got the win in relief with a Stan Belinda save. The club had taken consecutive 3-2 wins over the Mets in the first two games of the series and started the streak with a 2-1 win over the Phillies. On a down note: Barry Bonds sprained his rib cage, and was out of action until July 4th. But he was apparently 100% recovered when he returned - he slashed .311/.456/.624 with 34 HR and a 204 OPS+ to win the MVP.

1993 - The Bucs not only lost their fifth game in a row 8-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals but also lost center fielder Andy Van Slyke, who suffered whiplash and a fractured collarbone crashing into the Busch Stadium wall. He bemoaned the unforgiving fence, saying that “...an inch or two of more padding and I have a sore shoulder instead of a broken collarbone.” He wouldn’t return to action until August 27th. Even a healthy AVS wouldn’t have made a big difference in the Pirates final results - they were in the midst of losing 10-of-11 in their first campaign without Barry Bonds and Doug Drabek, and the lack of starpower showed. The Bucs finished 75-87, 22 games off the pace.

1996 - Jeff King singled home Jason Kendall and Mike Kingery in the ninth to send Rob Nen and the Marlins to a 5-4 defeat at TRS. Florida had raced out to a 4-0 lead as Matt Ruebel could only get three outs in his start, but Ramon Morel, Jon Lieber, Dan Miceli and winner Dan Plesac tossed eight shutout innings, giving up four hits and striking out eight Fish.

2003 - Aramis Ramirez homered and doubled to drive in four runs, while Jack Wilson smacked three two-baggers among his four hits with three RBI as the Pirates outlasted the Tampa Bay Rays 12-9 at Tropicana Field. Winner Josh Fogg was staggered in the ninth and was yanked after giving up four knocks to five Tampa batters. His replacement, Scott Sauerbeck, also allowed four of the five Rays he faced to reach before Mike Williams came on; he walked his first man to pack the sacks before closing it out to escape the Rays’ six-run final frame.

A-Ram - photo Ezra Shaw/Getty

2006 - Two unlikely run producers, Jose Castillo and Zach Duke, combined for seven RBI to propel Pittsburgh to a 9-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. Castillo had a double and homer to drive in four runs while Duke had a pair of singles to plate three more Buccos. Starter Duke got the win and Mike Gonzalez nailed down the save, coming in to dish out the final out after Matt Capps allowed two ninth-inning runs on a Scott Rolen dinger.

2009 - The Pirates hosted the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park during the 100th anniversary of their 1909 World Series meeting. Both teams wore throwback uniforms and the stadium's PA and sound systems were turned off to simulate the game conditions of the Hans and Ty era for the 27,565 fans on hand. Pittsburgh won the game 6–3 as Robinzon Diaz drove in three runs off Dontrelle Willis and Ross Ohlendorf went six solid innings for the victory.

2011 - The Bucs beat the Houston Astros 1-0 at Minute Maid Park. Jeff Karstens threw 6-2/3 innings of three-hit ball and five relievers picked up the slack, with Joel Hanrahan getting the save. The only run came in the second when Neil Walker singled off Bud Norris, went to second base on a wild pitch and scored on Garrett Jones’ knock into short right.

2015 - The Pirates defeated the Phils 1-0 in 11 innings at PNC Park. AJ Burnett and Cole Hamels left the game scoreless before the Bucs staged a two-out rally to walk off with the win. Neil Walker singled, Jose Tabata reached on an error, and Josh Harrison’s first-pitch rap knocked Walker home. Antonio Bastardo was credited with the victory. The Pirates swept the three-game series in a set of to-the-wire squeakers. The opener was a 13-inning 1-0 victory, with Starling Marte’s two-out single bringing home the game winner for Bastardo while the middle game was a 4-3 nailbiter won by Gerrit Cole and saved by Mark Melancon.

6/13: Andrew HR String, El Coffee's 1st, One Strike Away, Mix 'N' Match, Killer Bs, Willie Flexes, Scoops Slam, Yoyo Ward, Game Days, Cutch Signed, HBD Darrell & John

1885 - Pop Smith, slick fielding but weak hitting Alleghenys 2B, hit into a 4-3-2 triple play against Baltimore in the 11th at Oriole Park. It marked the beginning of an accursed stretch of baseball: Pittsburgh would go on to lose the game 11-10, beginning a tumble that saw them drop from second to finishing 17-1/2 games back after a 5-17 September swoon. 

1904 - C John O’Connell was born in Verona. The Duquesne Duke’s MLB career lasted three games played in 1928-29; he doubled once in nine appearances with a walk. O’Connell was the first Red & Blue ballplayer to reach the big leagues since Johnny Miljus in 1915; the next Bluff product to appear in the show was pitcher Dick Ricketts in 1959 with the Cards. He also multi-tasked by playing pro hoops until he retired from roundball after the 1958 season.

1954 - It was a forgettable day for the Bucs, dropping a twin bill to the Cards at Busch Stadium by 5-0 and 5-3 scores. But it was a rags-to-riches tale for 1B Preston Ward. He wore the golden sombrero in the opener, K’ing four times while facing Harvey Haddix. He sat in the nightcap, but pinch hit in the eighth, and smacked a solo homer off Stu Miller. It would take 61 years for another Pirate to whiff in all four at-bats in the first game of a double header and then drill a homer in the second before Starling Marte turned the trick in 2014.

1968 - Pittsburgh won a wild one by an 8-7 score over the Giants at Candlestick Park. San Francisco scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth and loaded the bases with two down, but had used up their bench and had to send Ray Sadecki, a good hitting hurler, to the dish to bat for reliever Bill Henry. Roy Face took over and whiffed Sadecki to close out the victory. The play of the game was made in the sixth when Roberto Clemente took a home run away from Willie Mays, making a grab over the right field railing as he was crashing into the fence with two on and two out.

Roberto Clemente - 1968 Custom Roselle Avenue Baseball

1972 - LHP Darrell May was born in San Bernardino, California. He spent seven seasons with six teams in MLB, getting a brief look in Pittsburgh in 1996, getting five outings (two starts) and going 0-1/9.35 as a 24-year-old. The Pirates had acquired him off waivers from the Braves; Pittsburgh released him in September and California claimed him. He pitched in the show and in Japan through 2005. He did some prep & college coaching and now runs DMay Baseball School plus is in charge of player development for TWC Sports Management.

1975 - Al Oliver was the man of the hour with a grand slam and five RBI as the Pirates dispatched the Atlanta Braves 10-3 at Atlanta Stadium. Richie Zisk also went deep, and Rook helped himself with a hit, two runs scored and an RBI. Rooker was the winner, but was pulled in the ninth (he gave up nine hits, walked five and told the media “I was terrible tonight...” But overall he was solid for the ‘75 Bucs, posting a 13-11/2.97 line.

1980 - It was Willie Stargell’s day as Pops went 4-for-4 with two homers, both off Joe Niekro, a double and all five RBI (he drove in Tim Foli three times) in a 5-3 Bucco victory against the Houston Astros at Three Rivers Stadium. Eddie Solomon got the win with Kent Tekulve finishing up for the save.

1985 - The New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority announced that it had a pair of groups ask about the availability of the Meadowlands should the Pirates relocate there, per the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. The Bucco FO denied the rumors, saying that they hadn’t talked to any potential Jersey buyers and had made remaining in Pittsburgh, at least during the TRS lease that ran through 2011, one of their sale conditions.

1988 - The Pirates shut out the Cubs 8-0 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Bobby Bonilla homered and went 3-for-5 with three RBI while Barry Bonds went 2-for-4 with a dinger and scored three times. Bob Walk pitched a complete game for his seventh win - this was his one and only All-Star year, as he slashed 12-10/2.71 - while dodging raindrops. Walkie threw 121 pitches and gave up eight hits with four walks but left 12 Cubbies stranded on the bases.

Bonds & Bonilla - 1988 Topps Pirates Leaders

1994 - The Bucs avoided becoming no-hit victims when Carlos Garcia singled off Expo pitcher Jeff Fassaro’s glove with two outs in the ninth. Fassaro, with his bubble burst, then served up a gopher ball to Jay Bell. Jay’s bomb was way too little and way too late to move the needle as Montreal won the contest running away, 10-2, at Stade Olympique.

1997 - Ex-Pirate Jeff King hit a two-run homer for Kansas City but was answered by ex-Royal Joe Randa with a tying homer, a triple and three RBI as Pittsburgh and KC squared off. Tony Womack smacked the winning dinger in the sixth off Royals reliever Mike Williams, who joined the Buccos the next season, in a 5-3 Pittsburgh win at Three Rivers Stadium. It was the Pirates’ first interleague game and the concept was an early hit in Pittsburgh as 108,536 turned out for the three-game set. The mix of old mates came about thanks to a December trade that sent Jay Bell and King to the Royals for Jeff Granger, The Joker, and Jeff Wallace.

2000 - Pittsburgh scored three times in the ninth and once again in the tenth to rally for a 7-6 win over the Atlanta Braves at TRS, redeeming themselves a day after blowing a five-run lead against the Bravos. Bruce Aven drove in Kevin Young to cut the lead to 7-5 in the final frame, then with two down, pinch hitter Mike Benjamin doubled and Warren Morris singled them both home on an 0-2 pitch to knot the score. Wil Cordero did it the easy way in the 10th by launching a leadoff bomb off Don Wengert for the walkoff win, credited to Jose Silva.

2001 - The Pirates traded infielder Enrique Wilson to the Yankees for journeyman relief pitcher Damaso Marte. The Bucs would later trade Marte away, get him again and then flip the lefty back to the Bronx Bombers with Xavier Nady for Jose Tabata, Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf and Daniel McCutchen, with all the dealing coming in a three-year span. In all, Marte spent four workmanlike seasons with Pittsburgh, posting a line of 7-8-5/3.52 in 210 outings.

Cutch (Gulf Coast League) - 2005 Justifiable

2005 - The Pirates signed their #1 draft pick, CF Andrew McCutchen (#11 overall) from Fort Meade HS, to a $1.9 M deal and he began his pro journey at Bradenton in the Rookie League. Cutch gave up a commitment to Florida to turn pro and debuted with the Bucs in 2009. He played nine years in Pittsburgh, batting .291 with 203 homers while winning an MVP (2013) and five All-Star berths, then took a five-year, four-team hiatus before returning home to Pittsburgh in 2023.

2014 - The Pirates blew a ninth-inning 6-2 lead to Miami by allowing the Fish to tie the score on one hit; three relievers walked six batters in a Friday the 13th nightmare. But Jeanmar Gomez pitched four frames of shutout bonus ball - he and starter Jeff Locke tossed 12 innings, giving up just two runs without yielding a single walk - and Gregory Polanco’s first MLB homer won it 8-6 in the 13th at Marlins Park. Polanco had quite a coming-out party; he became just the second post-1914 era rookie to have a five-hit contest during his first four games in the league, going 5-for-7. The top of the Pirate order (El Coffee, Starling Marte, who also homered, and Andrew McCutchen) went 11-for-21 with six runs scored and five RBI. The Pirates snapped a 13-game Friday the 13th losing streak in the 13th inning in their Twilight Zone victory. The Pirates eerily almost played out the same scenario the next day by giving up four ninth-inning runs, but hanging on for another 8-6 seat-of-the-pants victory.

2017 - Andrew McCutchen went deep twice as the Pirates won their fourth straight game, a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies, while playing in front of 16,764 rooters and the NHL champion Penguins, who brought the Stanley Cup along for a visit to PNC Park. Cutch hit his 10th and 11th homers of the year to become just the fourth Pirate in team history to hit at least 10 home runs in nine straight seasons (Wille Stargell - 18 consecutive years, Roberto Clemente - 13 years & Al Oliver - nine years). His three RBI helped carry Gerrit Cole to victory.

2019 - After bursting onto the scene by tossing 6-2/3 innings of perfect ball in his April of 2018 MLB debut while on his way to a 5-0, nine-K win over the Cards, 26-year-old Nick Kingham was DFA’ed and sold to Toronto. Projected as a mid-rotation arm, the fourth round, 2010 pick from Sierra Vista HS in Vegas couldn’t replicate the magic, and finished the year at 5-7/5.21 in 18 outings (15 starts). Flipping between the pen and starting in 2019, his line was 1-1/9.87, and out of options, he was released in early June after spending a decade in the Pirates system. Nick has since tossed for Toronto and in Korea, Mexico and China before retiring from pro ball in 2023.

6/12 Through 1984: Dock No-No, Lefty No-Hits Locals, Harvey Honored, Trips Hits Galore, Hit Man Cycle, Game Days, Strike, HoF Opens HBD Willie, Dutch & Sol

1868 - IF King Solomon “Sol” White was born in Bellaire, Ohio. An educated and gentlemanly guy, his multi-faceted career in black baseball was launched in Pittsburgh. White began his career in 1887 with the Pittsburgh Keystones of the National Colored League, with a return stop in 1892. Sol spread himself around the circuit - there were 18 clubs he played/managed for. In 1902, White and white sportswriter H. Walter Schlichter founded the Philadelphia Giants. For the next eight years White co-owned, managed and played for his team, one of the era's best. Sol then managed the Brooklyn Royal Giants and the New York Lincoln Giants. Following a period of semi-retirement, he led the Columbus Buckeyes, the Cleveland Browns and the Newark Stars, retiring after the 1926 season. White was also a sportswriter, author of a definitive history of black baseball in 1907, and elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006.

1884 - 2B Otto “Dutch” Knabe was born in Carrick. He got a cup of coffee with the hometown Buccos in 1905 and then returned to the fold in 1916, the last season of his 12-year career. The Bucs sent him to the Chicago Cubs in June, where he finished out as a player/coach. In between, though, he and SS Mickey Doolan formed one of the slickest and competitive DP combos in the league with Philadelphia. He then played/managed in the minors through 1922, ran a pool hall/gambling den (it was reported that he was going to bet on the “Black Sox” in the 1919 World Series, was tipped that the fix was in and switched his money to the Reds) and later operated a bar in Philadelphia. His moniker was common during his era -  “Dutch” was a play on Deutsch, or German.

1904 - LHP Willie Foster was born in Lorman, Mississippi. One of the top southpaws of his era (and perhaps any other), he pitched for the Homestead Grays in 1931 (9-2/2.34) and with the Pittsburgh Crawfords in 1936 (4-3/4.30) on his way to the Hall of Fame. Willie later became an associate dean and coached at Alcorn State, where the Foster Baseball Field at McGowan Stadium, home for Braves baseball, is named in his honor. He passed away in 1978.

1928 - The Pirates set a record, later tied, by having seven batters collect three hits or more in a game when they beat the Phillies 15-4 at the Baker Bowl. Ray Kremer, the Bucco pitcher, led the parade with four knocks. Pittsburgh had 25 hits, with every starting player chipping in. Paul & Lloyd Waner, Sparky Adams, Glenn Wright (five RBI), Pie Traynor and Fred Brickell had three knocks while Clyde Barnhart had a pair with four RBI.

Ray Kremer - Post game clip 6/13/1928 Post-Gazette

1933 - The Homestead Grays’ 38-year-old Lefty Williams tossed a no-hitter against the local Hazelwood Jehovic club at Greenlee Field, claiming a 3-0 victory over the cross-river foes. The club wasn’t as fortunate on the back end of a split twi-light twin bill as Hall-of-Famer Ray Brown (who also played CF) dropped an 8-6 decision to their Negro league foes, the Baltimore Black Sox, despite three hits from SS Leroy Mornay, who would skip to cross-town rivals, the Crawfords, the following season; he played for 14 teams during his career. That was vividly in contrast with Lefty - he pitched for Homestead from 1921-35, with the only gap being six games he worked for Detroit in a split season.

1939 - The Baseball Hall of Fame opened to the public in the greatest gathering of old-timey baseball starpower ever assembled. The Hall named its first five inductees in 1936 (Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner and Christy Mathewson) and the next wave voted in (Grover Alexander, Eddie Collins, Nap Lajoie, Connie Mack, George Sisler, Tris Speaker & others) prior to the building’s dedication. The Flying Dutchman, in the first HOF vote, tied for second with the Bambino, behind the Georgia Peach, Cobb.

1946 -  The Pirates traded OF Johnny Barrett to the Boston Braves for OF Chuck Workman. Both had started out in the 40’s as World War 2 MLB fill-ins. The guys finished out the campaign with their new clubs, but the return of the wartime players led the duo to spend the rest of their careers in the minor leagues.

1959 - To celebrate his 12 perfect innings against the Braves, the Pirates held Harvey Haddix Night at Forbes Field. The leadoff hitter singled on the third pitch to ruin the vibe, and it was an omen of things to come: the Kitten was chased after four innings and the Pirates lost a see-saw contest 9-6 to the Cards in front of 27,970 fans. However, the pregame gifts set up tea time at the Haddix household - NL President Warren Giles presented Harvey with a silver set with 12 goblets (one for each perfect inning, inscribed with the batters that were retired) and Bucco owner John Galbreath also gave him a $1,000 silver set.

Kitten gifted - Pgh Press photo 6/13/1959

1970 - During the first game of a twin bill at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, Dock Ellis walked eight batters but no-hit the Padres 2-0 to become the fourth Pirate pitcher to toss a no-no. He later famously claimed he was high on LSD while pitching that day. Pops Stargell provided the muscle with a pair of solo shots. The Friars took the nitecap, 5-2.

1980 - Mike Easler, the aptly named Hit Man, hit for the cycle as the Bucs won 10-6 over the Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium. John Milner and Dale Berra homered while Phil Garner drilled a pair of doubles to make a winner of Jim Bibby, with help from Enrique Romo, who tossed the final four innings for the save. For Easler, it was a breakout campaign - in six prior years, he had never gotten over 62 PAs in any one season. Finally playing regularly led to a 1980 line of .338 with 21 HR and a 167 OPS+. From 1980 until his final season, 1987, he hit .295 with 115 homers, a 120 OPS+ and averaged 130 games/486 PAs per year.

1981 - The players went out on strike over free agent compensation. It was the first work stoppage in MLB since the 1972 strike that resulted in regular season games being canceled (86 in all that year - the owners refused to pay the players for the games they were on strike, so they chopped the unplayed matches). The strike forced the cancellation of 713 games before the two sides reached an agreement on July 31st. The season started on August 10th, with championships determined by the hybrid “split season” title format. Ironically enough, the game staffers at TRS agreed on their contract the same day that the players walked.

1982 - Don’t overlook the bottom of the order. The Bucs 6-7-8-9 hitters (Tony Pena, Lee Lacy, Dale Berra, Manny Sarmiento) went 8-for-16, scored seven runs, chased home five more, walked three times, stole two bases, and hit a sac fly in a 9-2 romp over the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium. Berra provided the muscle with a homer and double while Sarmiento backed up his six-hit, complete game outing with his stick, going 2-for-3.