8/8 Through 1964: One Man Band, Brain Trips, Lumberin' Twin Kills, Game Days, Radio Rights, Bucs Sold, Posey Night, SI Groat, Deac Retires, HBD Brett, Mark, Elzie & Billy

1865 - RHP Billy Gumbert was born on Frankstown Avenue in Pittsburgh’s East End. He played for the Alleghenys in 1890 and the Pirates in 1892, with a pitching line of 7-8/3.93 and a .200 BA (he also played a little OF and 1B). Per John Dreker of Pittsburgh Baseball History, Billy was only available for home games because he owned & operated a business in Pittsburgh, so he worked “as needed” without a contract - he got a $15 game fee. His brother, Ad Gumbert, was also a major leaguer twirler and pitched for the Bucs from 1893-94. 

1893 - Pittsburgh swept a DH from the Chicago Colts, 17-10 and 9-8, at Exposition Park. George Van Haltren, Denny Lyons and Joe Sugden (2B & 3B) each had three hits in the opener to give Ad Gumbert the win. In the nitecap, the Colts scored three times in the ninth to go up by four; the Pirates answered with a five spot, keyed by Lyons, who tripled with the bases loaded to tie the game and then scored the winning run. Lyons had six hits on the day. Red Ehret, who went the distance, got the victory. The fans were into the comeback victory; per the Pittsburgh Press “Not at Exposition Park this year has there been such a scene of excitement and enthusiasm...Lyon’s hit (the ninth inning triple in the second game) caused the wildest scene ever seen here for many a day. There were nearly 6,000 people and they all stood up and yelled themselves hoarse. Hats were flying in all directions.” The crowd had been stirred up by Colt manager Cap Anson, who “...indulge(d) in some very jeering talk” after Chicago took the lead per the Press, and then got to enjoy eating his own words as a post-game snack. 

1903 - RHP Elzie Clise Dudley was born in Graham, North Carolina. He tossed for five years in the majors, putting up a line of 17-33-2/5.03, with his last MLB outing (and only appearance) with the Pirates in 1933, when he gave up five runs on six hits and a walk in 1/3 IP against Boston. He’s noted for two things: As a Pirate, his 135.00 ERA/21.000 WHIP are franchise records (not in a good way). A better standard was set as a Brooklyn Robin in 1929, when Dudley became the second player (and the first pitcher) to hit a homer on the first pitch he saw.

Dave Brain - 1909 American Tobacco

1905 - Second baseman Dave Brain, who hit three triples in a game for St. Louis against the Pirates earlier in the season, repeated the performance against Boston after being traded to Pittsburgh, becoming the only player to triple-triple twice in one season. Pittsburgh defeated the Beaneaters 5-4 in 10 innings at Expo Park, with Mike Lynch getting the win in relief of Sam Leever. Brain, who went 4-for-5, had the game winning knock, a single to score Tommy Leach. Davy had quite the day; the Pittsburgh Gazette wrote “Not only did Brain bat well, but he fielded in fine style, and some of the plays made by him were decidedly sensational.” 1905 was his only year with Pittsburgh; he hit .257 as a 3B/SS before being flipped to Boston as part of the Vic Willis trade.

1922 - The Pirates lined, drilled, dribbled and blooped a major league record 46 hits during a doubleheader sweep against the Phillies at Shibe Park. Bucco SS Rabbit Maranville made a record 13 plate appearances during the day. The team had 27 knocks, a franchise record, in their 19-8 rout in the opening match. Reb Russell went 5-for-5 with a homer, two doubles, five runs and seven RBI while Cotton Tierney had four hits, scored five runs and drove in five. Tierney went 4-for-5 in the nitecap with four RBI and Russell doubled three times as the Bucs banged out 19 hits in a 7-3 brooming of Philadelphia. Tierney and Russell each recorded eight hits during the twin bill.

1938 - A federal court ruled that KQV Radio could not broadcast games without the permission of the Pirates, who had sold game radio rights to KDKA/WWSW. The sly KQV broadcasters perched on Oakland rooftops, using that as their play-by-play roost and thus pirating the Pirates contests. The judge’s decision etched in stone that the controlling rights of game coverage belonged to the teams, a nice part of the clubs’ ka-ching today.

1946 - Bill Benswanger, representing the Dreyfuss family, sold the Bucs to a group headed by Frank McKinney, Tom Johnson and John Galbreath, with Bing Crosby as one of the minority investors. The price was reported to be $2.5M. The Galbreath group controlled the Pirates until 1985 when he sold the club to a group of local business and civic leaders, the Pittsburgh Associates, who baby-sat the club for another decade until they sold the team to Kevin McClatchy.

Cum Posey - Helmar T206

1946 - In a Forbes Field night game, the Homestead Grays topped the Baltimore Elite Giants 7-4 in a Negro League game witnessed by 6,000 fans. It was dedicated to Cum Posey. The owner, who had died earlier in the year, was commemorated with a scholarship award in his name that the contest helped to fund. Two pups, the Grays’ 23-year-old Wilmer Fields and 22-year-old Joe Black of the Giants, faced off from the hill. The Homestead hitting stars were Luis Marquez, who was a homer shy of the cycle, and Buck Leonard with two raps.

1952 - Murry Dickson did it all for the Bucs. He not only pitched a 10-inning, six-hit, 1-0 shutout against the Cubs at Forbes Field, but drove in the game’s only run. Joe Garagiola led off the 10th with a single, and Brandy Davis, who had just been called up from Waco and didn’t arrive at the park until 7:30, pinch ran. A grounder moved him up a station, and with two down, Dickson hit a ball toward the SS hole. Roy Smalley made a diving stop to knock the ball down, but that didn’t slow down the speedster Davis who raced home on the infield knock.

1957 - RHP Mark Ross was born in Galveston, Texas. Mark got six fairly brief stops in the show, two of them with Pittsburgh, in 1987 and his last go-around in 1990. In 10 Pittsburgh outings, he went 1-0/3.95. Ross pitched for Team USA in 1987 and served as a minor league coach in the Atlanta Braves system. 

1960 - Dick Groat was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the story “Fiery Leader of the Pirates.” The team captain and All-Star became the first Pirate to be named MVP since Paul “Big Poison” Waner in their last pennant year of 1927 and led the league with a .325 BA.

1961 - The Bucs swept a twin bill against the Phils by 10-2 & 3-2 scores at Connie Mack Stadium, running Philadelphia’s losing streak to 12 games. Harvey Haddix and Tom Sturdivant spun the ball nicely while Smoky Burgess went 5-for-5 in the opener with a homer and four RBI while Don Hoak added five hits during the afternoon, also launching a long ball. The frustrated Phillies didn’t go down without a fight - in the sixth inning of the nightcap, Roberto Clemente threw out the tying run, Tony Gonzalez, at the plate. Catcher Hal Smith was spiked high and applied a hard tag; Gonzalez took a poke at him and the fireworks erupted. The ensuing basebrawl went on for nearly 10 minutes, left both managers (Danny Murtaugh & Gene Mauch) battered - Mauch ended up with a shiner - and had seven different individual battles going on before peace was restored. The umps, who perhaps wisely stayed out of the fray and didn’t toss a soul, had two of Philadelphia’s finest sit on each teams’ bench for the remainder of the contest, which seemed to oil the waters. 

1963 - Injuries drove RHP Vern Law to the voluntarily retired list. But the Deacon returned with a vengeance to win 12 games in 1964, and in 1965, at the age of 35, he led the Pirates with 17 victories and a 2.15 ERA. He was honored with the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award as comeback player of the year. But the injuries finally wore him down and the Deacon retired permanently after the 1967 campaign.

1963 - RHP Brett Gideon was born in Ozona, Texas. He was a sixth round pick of the Pirates in 1985 and made his debut in 1987. He worked in 29 games and posted a 1-5-3/4.46 line. He was traded to Montreal for Neal Heaton in 1989, and only got in five games in two Expo seasons. Brett worked in the minors until 1992 before hangin’ up the spikes, and now he’s a pharmo sales director.

8/8 From 1965: Zippos, B-2-B-2-B, Reed Debut, Milner Slam, Cobra 5-er, Manny da Man, Game Days, Moises-Zane, HBD Ohlie

1969 - Manny Sanguillen was a homer shy of the cycle and scored three times as he led the Pirates to a 7-1 win over the Padres at San Diego Stadium. The Roadrunner was on a hitting roll, collecting 13 hits in his last 26 at bats. Willie Stargell added a double and two RBI as Bob Veale gave up 11 hits but struck out 10 Friars to claim the win.

1974 - Jon Matlock went to the well once too often against Richie Zisk, and paid the price when Zisk banged a walkoff homer in the ninth to drop the Mets, 4-3. Matlock had hung an 0-fer on Richie by starting him off with an inside fastball in his previous four at bats, getting a first-pitch out three times. This time, Zisk was sitting on the pitch and rocketed the heater into the left field stands at TRS. The match had been tied at three since the fourth, with Frank Taveras and Art Howe singles accounting for the Buc runs. It was Jerry Reuss’ 11th win; he gave up six hits in a complete game victory with all three New York runs being unearned. 

1977 - The Pirates had jumped out to a 3-0 lead after an inning at TRS, but Chi-town All-Star Rick Reuschel, who would become a Bucco in 1985, settled in after that. By the seventh frame, the Cubs had banged their way back to take a 6-4 lead, but Reuschel struggled as he neared the finish line. In the seventh, he gave up a run after walking Frank Taveras, who stole second and scored on Dave Parker’s rap. Big Daddy got through the eighth inning, but couldn’t hang on in the final frame. Omar Moreno singled, Rennie Stennett doubled, and after a Jim Fregosi lineout, Dave Roberts got the call to face Ed Ott. Maybe they should have let Reuschel face one more batter as Otter drilled a triple off Roberts to walkoff a 7-6 victory. The first inning runs were chased home by Bill Robinson and Al Oliver with a later solo shot by Fernando Gonzalez. Grant Jackson got the win; Bruce Kison and Goose Gossage preceded him on the hill.

1978 - Dave Parker had the first five-hit day of his career with a home run, double, three singles & three RBI while John Milner added a grand slam and Willie Stargell chipped in a pair of raps to chase home the other two runs in a 9-5 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Milner’s big blow was made possible by Chuck Tanner’s timely intervention. After Milner and ump Joe West got into a debate over a call, Tanner stepped in to protect his player and got the heave-ho but saved Milner’s hide by shoving his aggravated outfielder away from West. Don Robinson got the win while Kent Tekulve posted the final five outs.

Bill Robinson - 1978 Topps

1979 - The Pirates survived a rare rough outing by Kent Tekulve in a 10-inning 5-2 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Jim Bibby and Lynn McGlothen hooked up in a duel, with Teke called on to hold a 2-1 ninth inning lead, following Bibby, Enrique Romo and Grant Jackson. The Cubbies tied the score and Steve Dillard’s single into left looked ticketed to chase home Steve Ontiveras from second with the game winning run. But Bill Robinson came up firing, and though his throw was high and a bit off line, Ed Ott made a leaping grab and came down with the ball, managing to swipe Ontiveras’ leg and keep the game alive. In the 10th, Phil Garner was at bat with two Bucs aboard and the bunt sign on. Skipper Chuck Tanner had a change of heart and had Scrap Iron swing away after the first pitch; two tosses later, he hit one into the left field seats. Teke still struggled to ice it, but Robinson saved his bacon again with a two-out, two-on, diving catch of a sinking liner that was running away from him to close the book. The Pirates extended their lead over Montreal to 1-1/2 games after the victory and eventually won the pennant by finishing two games ahead of the Expos.

1982 - RHP Ross Ohlendorf was born in Austin, Texas. Ohlie pitched for the Pirates from 2008-11 with a line of 13-27/4.60. Ohlendorf was a bit more than a jock; he graduated from Princeton and spent a summer as an intern in Washington for the Department of Agriculture. He also tossed an “immaculate inning” - nine pitches to strike out the side - on September 5th, 2009 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Ohlie tossed in the show for four years and four teams after leaving Pittsburgh, spinning the ball in Japan in 2017 to close out his pro career. He now breeds and raises Longhorns on his family’s Texas ranch.

1988 - Rick Reed made his MLB debut memorable by tossing an eight-inning three-hitter to defeat the front-running Mets 1-0 in front of 38,307 fans at TRS with Jim Gott finishing up with a 1-2-3 ninth. The Pirates' run was manufactured by Jose Lind’s wheels - he opened the fourth inning with an infield single, stole second, went to third when the throw was off target and scored on a groundout. It was quite the rivalry - the set drew 171,435 fans, the largest four-game series attendance in TRS history. Reed would join New York a decade later and spend five years as a member of their rotation, earning a pair of All Star nods. Meanwhile, upstairs in the booth, Lanny Frattare was broadcasting his 2,000th Bucco game. He had a lot more contests to announce - his Pittsburgh career lasted 33 seasons and he was the Voice of the Pirates for over 5,000 games.

Zane Smith - 1991 Bowman

1990 - The Pirates sent IF Willie Greene, RHP Scott Ruskin and OF Moises Alou to the Montreal Expos for LHP Zane Smith. Greene was a #1 draft pick who played nine seasons, but with a career .234 BA. Ruskin was promising but only lasted through 1993. Alou was a highly regarded prospect who was deemed expendable as he was blocked by OFs Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla. Moises lived up to his hype, playing 17 years with six All-Star nods and posting a .303 career BA. Smith spent six of his last seven seasons with the Pirates, winning 47 games behind a 3.35 ERA, and was a staff mainstay for the early nineties’ clubs, spinning 16 victories for the division champs of 1991.

1995 - Orlando Merced, Jeff King and Midre Cummings hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the second inning against the Giants at Candlestick Park, the first time a trio of Bucs had turned that feat in 25 years. King also became the first Bucco to homer twice in the same inning since Jake Stenzel in 1894 (Reggie Sanders matched it in 2003) when he went yard off starter Sergio Valdez and then reliever Terry Mulholland, a deed he’d do again the next season to join Willie McCovey and Andre Dawson as two-timers. The fence-bustin’ Pirates won by a tally of 9-5, scoring all nine runs in that explosive second frame when the Bucs four homers in the inning to set a team record.

2008 - The Bucs took a 12-inning 2-0 win from the Phils at Citizens Bank Park. Steve Pearce’s double and Freddy Sanchez’s two-out infield knock plated the Pittsburgh runs. Craig Hansen got the save for TJ Beam in dramatic fashion when LF Brandon Moss ran down and gloved Chase Utley’s opposite field gapper and his relay doubled Shane Victorino off first to end the game. Six Pirate pitchers allowed just a half-dozen hits, although nine walks led to a dozen stranded Phils.

2011 - The Pirates snapped a 10-game losing streak by beating the Giants 5-0 at AT&T Park. Charlie Morton threw a six-hitter with ninth inning help from Jose Veras while Garrett Jones’ 4-for-5 day was the highlight of the Buc attack. The sad sack run dropped the Bucs from five games above .500 to five below, puncturing both their playoff hopes and a shot at finishing with a winning record for the first time since Jim Leyland’s 1992 squad won the flag.

8/7 Through 1954: Zippo x 2, Batfests & Rallies, Game Days, Dealin', Gray-io, HBD Steve, Jim, Gerry, Les, Bill, Adonis & Jim

1862 - IF Jim Gray was born in Pittsburgh. Gray was a local kid “who helped in an emergency” whenever a Pittsburgh club was short handed as a roster fill-in, per Frederick Lieb in his book “The Pittsburgh Pirates.” (Gray earned more money working his day job, so he never considered a pro baseball career) Playing in six games - not many emergencies back in the day - he got 23 at-bats and hit for a .304 average (His fielding was brutal, though; the infielder made nine errors in 32 chances). He played for the Alleghenys in 1884 & 1890, the Player’s League Burghers, also in ‘90, and finally for the Pirates in 1893. He spent a short time umpiring in the minors before coming back home. Jim then settled down and spent the next 50 years as a City worker.

1864 - RHP William “Adonis” Terry was born in Westfield, Massachusetts. He tossed for 14 big league seasons, working for the Pirates from 1892-94. He was excellent in ‘92 (17-7/2.51) but went downhill in his last two seasons, still putting up a respectable slash of 30-16/3.45 as a Buc. During his career, he tossed two no-hitters, was versatile enough to play both infield and outfield if called on, and umpired, even as an active player, into his retirement. Brooklyn fans gave him his nickname, reflecting the clean living Terry’s appearance and character.

1886 - Bill McKechnie was born in Wilkinsburg. A backup infielder for Pittsburgh (1907, 1910-12, 1918, 1920/.235 BA), he began 1922 as a Pirate coach. McKechnie replaced George Gibson as manager in midseason, and the team improved from fifth place to a tie for third. The club got better in each of the next few seasons before capturing the National League pennant and the World Series crown in 1925. But after the Pirates fell to third place in 1926, McKechnie was fired. He resurfaced and became the only skipper to win pennants with three different NL clubs - Pittsburgh (1925), St. Louis (1928), and Cincinnati (1939-40). McKechnie earned the nickname “Deacon” because he sang in his church choir and lived a quiet lifestyle. He was also the namesake for Bradenton’s old McKechnie Field (now LECOM Park) and joined the Hall of Fame in 1962.  

1890 - The Alleghenies scored 17 runs against the Reds at Expo Park, with home runs by Fred Osborne, Harry Decker and Ed Sales (the trio had three hits apiece on the game) but it was to no avail. They set the franchise record for most runs scored in a loss when they were dropped, 23-17, by Cincy. It wasn’t as close as it looked, though - the Allies scored nine times in the ninth to close the gap.

Jake Stenzel - photo via Out Of The Ball Park

1895 - The Pirates rang up 11 runs in the third inning, parlaying a combo of bloops, blasts, boots and bases on balls, to trounce the St. Louis Browns at Exposition Park, 18-1. The Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette wrote ”There wasn’t enough left of the St. Louis Browns to bait a mousetrap...the home boys grabbed the visitors by the neck and knocked down all the high weeds in the outfield...” among other bon mots. Brownie Foreman (the winner) and Jake Hewitt scattered five hits while Jake Stenzel led the Pirates 18-hit barrage with four knocks.

1904 - The Pirates sent IF Jimmy Sebring to the Reds, Cincy sent Mike Donlin to New York, and the Giants then sent OF Moose McCormack to the Bucs. The deal was the seed that sprouted this trade tree: the Pirates flipped Moose to Philly for IF/OF Del Howard, who became part of the 1905 package sent to Boston that landed Hall of Fame RHP Vic Willis, who won 89 games for Pittsburgh in four seasons and was part of the World Series Championship squad of 1909.

1913 - The Pirates purchased pitcher Erv “Peanuts” Kantlehner from Victoria in the Northwestern League. Peanuts went 13-29-5 between 1914-16 for the Bucs, with a respectable 2.84 ERA. He split his time starting and relieving, matching five saves with five shutouts. Peanut's career ended in 1916 after he was sold to Philly, where he made three final outings. The Santa Clara University grad's last pro gig was with San Francisco of the Pacific Coast League in 1919. 

1915 - The Pirates tossed double zeroes at the Philadelphia Phillies in sweeping a Forbes Field double-dipper, 9-0 and 6-0. Al Mamaux tossed a four-hitter behind an efficient Buc attack that scored nine runs on nine hits. Jim Viox and George Gibson had two hits while Max Carey homered. In the second match, Bob Harmon scattered five hits while Doug Baird had a pair of raps including a triple and Bill Hinchman added two more knocks to lead the attack against the Phils.

1915 - 1B Les Fleming was born in Singleton, Texas. His last hurrah was with the Pirates in 1949, hitting .258 in a bench role to end his seven-year MLB run (he debuted with Detroit and then spent five years in Cleveland). Fleming played on until 1956, closing out a 20-year pro run (he missed two years during the war) in the Texas League, retiring from pro ball at age 40.

Babe Adams - 1920 photo via Field Of Dreams

1920 -The Pittsburgh Press banner touted “Victory Boosts Pirates Into Third Place” with the front-page story headline of “Gibson’s Warriors Shut Out League’s Leaders” after the Bucs beat the Brooklyn Superbas 7-0 for their fifth win in a row. Babe Adams got the win at Ebbets Field, tossing a six hitter. A two-run throwing error on a pickoff play gave the Pirates a five-run cushion in the sixth inning and Max Carey’s two-run triple in the seventh frame provided the icing. Alas, the pennant fever was premature. The Bucs faded and finished fourth, 14 games off the pace.

1922 - Ten different Pirates had two hits apiece, a club record, as the Bucs whipped the Phillies 17-10 at the Baker Bowl, sparked by an eight-run fourth inning that saw 13 Bucco hitters bat. The only Pittsburgh batters without two knocks were cleanup hitter Clyde Barnhart and pitcher Wilbur Cooper; all 12 batters in the lineup hit safely while even the pitchers combined to go 5-for-5 with a homer. Whitey Glazner picked up the win in relief after Wilbur Cooper and Hal Carlson were given early hooks. The Pirates were in the midst of a 13-game winning streak and this was the beginning of a four-game sweep of the Phils, with the Bucs scoring 57! runs during the set.

1925 - The Pirates and Brooklyn Robins had a wild final three innings at Forbes Field. The Robins scored twice in the seventh inning to take the lead at 7-4; Pittsburgh scored three times in their half to knot the score. Brooklyn then plated twice in the eighth frame to go up 9-7; the Pirates answered in the ninth with a three-pack to rally for a 10-9 win. Max Carey, Pie Traynor and Kiki Cuyler each had three hits in the victory, which went to “Jughandle” Johnny Morrison. To add to the excitement, Max Carey got into a brawl with the Dodgers Burleigh Grimes, (an off-and-on Bucco) when they bumped into one another on the basepaths, leading to a fine/suspension for Grimes.

1936 - C Gerry McNertney was born in Boone, Iowa. He finished a nine-year MLB career with the Pirates in 1973, playing nine games, mostly as a defensive sub, and going 1-for-4 at the dish. The Iowa State product was later a bullpen and minor league coach with the Yankees and briefly a Bosox coach in 1989 before spending eight years coaching at his alma mater.

Josh Gibson - 2017 Topps Sketch Card

1942 - For the first time, a Negro League game was broadcast on radio when the Washington/Homestead Grays defeated their division rivals, the Baltimore Elite Giants, 7-3, at Baltimore’s Bugle Field in front of a guesstimated crowd of 6,000 fans. The Baltimore Afro-American newspaper sponsored the game, aired by WWDC in a battle between the Grays’ southpaw Roy Welmaker and the Giants’ Jonah Gaines. It ended up an easy win for Homestead; they scored four times in the first while Josh Gibson homered twice (he was also wisely intentionally walked two times) to leapfrog Baltimore into first place. The games were broadcast sporadically; Homestead/DC was carried on the airwaves next on August 13th from Griffith Stadium, a 14-inning 3-2 Grays win over the KC Monarchs in front of a crowd of 24,000. Welmaker started against Satchel Paige, with Ray Brown coming on in the ninth to finish the task and earn the victory. The Grays ended up claiming the Negro NL title, but Paige had his revenge as Homestead was swept by the Monarchs in the Negro World Series. (Thanks to Donna Halper/SABR - “August 7, 1942: First Negro League Baseball Game Is Broadcast On Radio“)

1951 - RHP Jim Sadowski was born in Lawrenceville. A nephew of the local MLB clan of Ed, Ted and Bob Sadowski, he played for Central Catholic HS. Ed signed with the Pirates in 1969 and while not as successful as his uncles, he did get into four games with Pittsburgh in 1974, going 0-1/6.00 in nine innings of work. He spent a decade toiling on the farm, playing in the Pirates, Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds systems. Jim’s now a financial consultant.

1954 - OF Steve Kemp was born in San Angelo, Texas. He played for the 1985-86 Pirates and hit .246 before being released in early ‘86. He joined the club as part of the deal that brought Tim Foli back to Pittsburgh during the 1984 off season. After a stint in the Senior Baseball League, the semi-retired Kemp has coached at the amateur level and is a regular at Tigers fantasy camps.

8/7 From 1955: Rallies, Bell Bop, Roberto Rocks, Game Days, FF Fire, Starg Signed, Josh & Buck HoF, #9 Retired, Moves & Deals, RIP Coop, Pgh HoF, HBD Michael, Ryan, Frenchy & Tyler

1958 - The Pirates signed Willie Stargell as a free agent out of Encinal HS in Alameda, California, after just three workouts. Pirate scout Bob Zuk got the 17-year old’s name on a contract for a very well spent $1,500 bonus, a bargain bin price tag for a Hall of Famer who belted 475 HR and chased home 1,540 runners in his 21-year Pirates career, both setting club records.

1962 - Forbes Field, which was plagued by a pair of fires after its closing in 1970, also had a blaze delay on this day, stopping the Pirates-Cardinals game for 26 minutes when some materials stored under the right field seats burst into flames during the seventh inning. Some 200 fans had to be moved, but the flare up was contained to the storage area and didn’t cause any damage to the stands. A fire needed to be lit under the Buccos instead of the rooters as Pittsburgh went up in smoke to the Saint Louis Cardinals, 5-0.

1966 - Roberto Clemente put on a one man show at Forbes Field with four hits, two homers and five RBI, but it wasn’t enough in a 9-7 loss to the Reds. Clemente had a chance to win the game in the ninth with two on and two out, but his flare to center was run down, ending the day’s magic for Arriba and the Buccos.

1972 - Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard were inducted into the Hall of Fame, along with Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra, Early Wynn, Lefty Gomez, Ross Youngs and former American League president Will Harridge. Josh and Buck, who played for the Homestead Grays and were known as “the Black Babe Ruth” and “the Black Lou Gehrig,” were the fourth and fifth Black players to enter the Hall of Fame, following Jackie Robinson (1962), Roy Campanella (1969) and Satchel Paige (1971) and were the first to spend their careers entirely in the Negro League (Buck, at age 45, played 10 games for the unaffiliated Portsmouth team).

1973 - RHP Wilbur Cooper passed away at the age of 81. Wilbur tossed for 13 years (1912-24) for Pittsburgh, slashing 202-159/2.74 and winning twenty or more games four times. He’s the only pitcher to win 200+ games as a Pirate, is second in career IP with 3,199, behind only Bob Friend (3,480-1/3), and also in games started with 469, again trailing Friend (477). 

Tyler Yates - 2009 Upper Deck

1977 - RHP Tyler Yates was born in Lihue, Hawaii. He pitched for the Bucs from 2008-09 after coming over in a deal with the Braves. The reliever went 6-5-1/5.06 in 87 appearances over that span, but 2009 was his swan song as he underwent a second TJ surgery and never made it back to the show. After retiring from baseball, Tyler became a police officer in Kauai. His brother Kirby kept the family ties going, joining the Bucs via trade in 2026.

1984 - LHP Wade “Frenchy” LeBlanc was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The Pirates picked up the 31-year-old, eight-year veteran long man/spot starter from Seattle in 2016 and he worked two campaigns as a long/middle man from the pen. The Bucs were his eighth team, and they took a chance on him after he rejuvenated his career in 2015 with a strong season in Japan. After impressing the FO, he signed as a FA in 2017 ($750K) with a $1.25M option for 2018. The option wasn’t picked up as the southpaw went 5-2 but with a 4.50 ERA in 2017. He signed with Seattle and had success as a member of their rotation, a return to his original roots, and closed out his stay with the St. Louis Cardinals before retiring in 2022 after 13 years in the show.

1987 - Bill Mazeroski’s #9 was retired during a copacetic 9-3 victory over the Expos at TRS in front of 24,093 fans. C Spanky Lavalliere and SS Al Pedrique celebrated by collecting three hits, two runs and a pair of RBI each. Bob Walk went six innings for the win with Bob Gideon working the last three frames for the save. The Pirates also swung a deal, trading 3B Jim Morrison to the Detroit Tigers for OF Darnell Coles and a PTBNL (LHP Morris Madden). Coles played 108 games in 1987-88, batting .230, Madden pitched 14 times for the Pirates (2-2/5.91), and Morrison was about at the end of his MLB career.

1987 - C Ryan Lavarnway was born in Burbank, California. Ryan spent parts of seven seasons of MLB ball with four different teams before he signed with the Pirates in 2018 as a depth option. He didn’t make the team out of camp and went to Indianapolis, getting the call to Pittsburgh in September after the Indy season finished. Since, he’s played for six organizations, the latest being Miami. Lavarnway got his start at Yale. He also played for the 2017/23 Israeli teams in the WBC and on their 2020 Olympic club. Ryan retired after the 2022 season and is now a roving catching coach for the Cubs, children's book author, motivational speaker and podcaster.

Jay Bell - 1996 Circa

1994 - SS Jay Bell went 5-for-6 with a pair of doubles to lead the Pirates to a 6-5 win over the Cardinals at TRS, the second five-hit game of his career. His bases-loaded single up the middle in the bottom of the ninth plated Tim Foli for the walkoff win. Carlos Garcia homered and Paul Wagner worked the ninth for the win.

1999 - C Michael Perez was born in Catano, Puerto Rico. He was a fifth-round pick of the D-Backs in the 2011 draft and traded to Tampa Bay, where he was a reserve for three years. They waived him after the 2020 campaign and the Bucs claimed the good glove, bad bat (.221 career BA) backstop. He won the caddy job behind Jake Stallings by beating out Tony Wolters in the spring. He was the backup in ‘21, and started the next season at Indy before he was called up due to injury. Despite a three-homer day that belied his Pirates BA of .145, Perez lost out to Jason Delay, was DFA’ed in July and sold to the Mets, last playing MLB in 2022.

2000 - The Pirates sent IF Luis Sojo to the Yankees for RHP Chris Spurling. It was a return home for Sojo and he lasted three more seasons as a utility guy for the Bronx Bombers. Spurling was lost to the Braves in the 2002 Rule 5 draft and went on to pitch four MLB seasons as a reliever for Detroit and Milwaukee (6-8-3/4.82).

2010 - Colorado scored three runs in the ninth to tie the game and two more in the 10th to take the lead, but the Bucs rallied at PNC Park to claim an 8-7 victory. With runners at first and second and two down in the extra frame, Pedro Alvarez took Huston Street deep for the walkoff win, giving Sean Gallagher the W even though he was tagged for two runs in his inning of work.

2013 - Petrina McCutchen, Andrew’s mom, sang the National Anthem before the Miami Marlins’ game at PNC Park. Her son responded with a 2-for-3 night including a walk and a homer. So did the team, as they won, 4-2, behind Charlie Morton, Tony Watson and Mark Melancon.

Cutch - 2013 Bowman Platinum

2015 - Pedro Alvarez’ pinch-hit single in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Jung Ho Kang and gave the Bucs a 5-4 walkoff win over the Dodgers at PNC. It was his second walkoff rap of the year and the third of his career. Gregory Polanco had two hits, including a homer, as one of four Bucs with multiple knocks; the club banged out 14 knocks but stranded a dozen. The Buccos fifth pitcher, Antonio Bastardo, got the win. He fanned two and stranded two in the top of the 10th.

2021 - The Pirates recalled OF Anthony Alford, 27, from Indy, who was on fire with the bat since June 1st (.356 BA/12 HR). It was a short reunion. He broke camp with the team in 2022 but was released in late April; he caught on with Cleveland but moved on to the Korean League three weeks later and last played pro in the Mexican League in ‘24. They DFA’ed veteran IF Erik Gonzalez, 29, who they picked up in the 2018 offseason from Cleveland. In three years, he hit .236, was snake bitten with injuries and ultimately became the victim of a logjam of young IFs moving through the pipeline. He cleared waivers and was sent to Indy; he’s now playing in Mexico. They also optioned UT Phil Evans, 28, to Indy, and he’s now in Mexico. He was signed as a free agent in the winter of 2019 and batted .232 in his two years with Pittsburgh.

2022 - The inaugural class of the long time coming Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame was announced. It consisted of 19 members: Jake Beckley, Steve Blass, Ray Brown, Max Carey, Oscar Charleston, Fred Clarke, Roberto Clemente, Josh Gibson, Ralph Kiner, Buck Leonard, Bill Mazeroski, Danny Murtaugh, Dave Parker, Willie Stargell, Pie Traynor, Arky Vaughan, Honus Wagner, Lloyd Waner, and Paul Waner. The team was inclusive, as promised as four of the inductees - Brown, Charleston, Gibson and Leonard - played for the Homestead Grays/Pittsburgh Crawfords. The ceremony was on September 3rd.

8/6 Through the 1960s: Danny's 1st, Bats Bang, Bud Gifts Self, Fore, Game Days, Fred To Philly, TSN Woodie, HBD Stan, Steve, Clem, Bud H, Bud S, Brownie & Jim

1860 - Utilityman Jim McDonald was born in San Francisco. He spent most of his brief career with the Alleghenys in 1884, batting .159 while playing 2B, 3B and the outfield. Though he only got into 43 big league games for three teams between 1884-85, he did have a long minor league career on the coast, mostly playing in the California League from 1878-94. When he was done, he stayed in the game as an umpire, spending four years as an NL arbiter.

1875 - LHP John “Brownie” Foreman was born in Maryland. He tossed for two big league campaigns, spending 1895-96 with the Pirates before being released and finishing out his second year with the Reds where he joined his brother Frank, also a hurler. Brownie, who came up as a 19-year-old, went 11-9-2/4.25 with the Bucs. He played pro ball from 1893-1900, with nine different stops in the minors, and after his baseball days he became a policeman.

1881 - 1B Bayard “Bud” Sharpe was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Bud played in the majors in 1905, then again in 1910 for three teams, and one of the clubs was the Pirates. He opened 1910 with them and went 3-for-16 in four games before being traded to Boston as part of the Kirby White deal. The Penn Stater was also a noted soccer player, spending his off season as a booter. Sharpe was a player and manager in the minors along as a scout for Boston, but he was plagued by health problems and eventually succumbed to tuberculosis at age 34.

1902 - The Pirates shut out the Giants 2-0 to sweep a four-game set against New York at Exposition Park, as Jack Chesbro beat Dummy Taylor in five innings of a rain-shortened affair. Ginger Beaumont and Tommy Leach scored first-inning runs on a hit by Kitty Bransfield and a Giant error. Tempers did flare, although not between players. The Giants’ Jimmy Jones knocked the mask off umpire Bob Emslie while arguing a strike call and was suspended for the season. The Pirates beat a lot of teams that year; they won the NL pennant by 27-1/2 games with a record of 103-36.

Bud Hafey - 1979 Diamond Greats

1912 - OF Bud Hafey was born in Sacramento, California. He spent three years in the show, hitting .222 as a Pirate in 1935-36. His cousin, OF Chick Hafey of the Cards/Reds, apparently inherited the deep end of the Hafey baseball gene pool and was elected to the Hall of Fame. Bud only got one full season of major league ball, spending most of 1930-41 in the minors.

1913 - Christy Mathewson was tagged for nine runs on 10 hits in five innings at Forbes Field as the Pirates took a 9-1 victory from New York. One Giants player speculated that manager John McGraw left his ace in so long because Matty had gone golfing at Schenley Park before the game, a sport that Muggsy thought was bad for pitchers’ arms. Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press wrote “Whether golf or something else was responsible, it is certain that Mathewson took the drubbing of his long career.” George McQuillan went the distance for the win.

1926 - RHP Clem Labine was born in Lincoln, Rhode Island. The 13-year vet spent his last full-time days with the Bucs in 1960-61. The Pirates signed him in mid-August after the Tigers released him as a complement to ElRoy Face. In 15 games through the remainder of the season, he slashed 3-0-3/1.48, helping the Pirates to the pennant. After the ‘61 season (4-1-8/3.69), he finished out his MLB days, appearing in three games for the New York Mets in 1962 at the age of 35. One of the early closers who bloomed in the 50’s, his 96 career saves ranked fourth in major league history when he retired. Clem went on to work in the sporting goods business and died at the age of 80 in Florida, where he was still baseballin’ by taking part in a Dodger fantasy camp.

1930 - In a roundabout manner, the Bucs sent 23-year-old OF Fred Brickell to Philadelphia for 26-year-old OF Denny Sothern. The trade deadline had passed, so both centerfielders had to be waived past the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds as both sat beneath the Pennsylvania clubs in the standings. But Boston had a young CF’er waiting in the wings and the Reds weren’t looking to add any late season payroll, so the waiver gambit worked as hoped. It was much ado about nothing - Southern was a fizzle, hitting .176 for the rest of the year for Pittsburgh before being sent to the minors; he played 19 games for Brooklyn in 1931 to finish his MLB career. Brickell was given through 1931 to earn a starting spot in Philly, but hit just .250. He got into 53 more games over the next two years and was released; he retired from baseball in 1936.

Fred Brickell - 1927 Conlon Collection/Detroit Public Library

1935 - OF Bud Hafey became one of three Pirates to hit his first homer on his birthday (Howie Camnitz & Konnor Griffin are the others), but he was the only Bucco to cross the plate this day as Pittsburgh fell to the Chicago Cubs 2-1, posting eight hits but stranding nine runners at Wrigley Field.

1941 - The Bucs banged out 13 hits and drew nine walks to romp over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, 13-3. Every Bucco starter sent at least a run home and 8-of-9 scored. Maurice Van Robays smacked a pair of doubles and had three RBI; Bob Elliott had a day with three hits, three runs scored and a pair of runs chased home. Rip Sewell stole the show - he went the distance, posted two hits including a homer and scored three times. 

1954 - The Pirates took both games of a doubleheader against the Cardinals at Forbes Field behind an unexpected surge by OF Preston Ward. He homered and pushed across three runs in the opener, a 7-3 win. Frank Thomas also went deep. Then Ward added three knocks, including a triple, and three more RBI in the nightcap, a 6-5 victory. Dick Littlefield went tape-to-tape to win game one; Johnny Hetki took the game two victory after relieving starter Laurin Pepper.

1955 - C Steve Nicosia was born in Paterson, NJ. A platoon and reserve catcher, he was with Pittsburgh for six years (1978-83) after being selected in the first round of the 1973 draft. He wasn’t much of a lumberjack, hitting .248 as a Buc and getting just one knock in the 1979 World Series, though he did call and catch the seventh game victory. He also had an inexplicable knack for hitting against Steve Carlton (.339 as a Buc). Steve caddied for Ed Ott/Tony Pena and was traded to San Francisco for Milt May in 1983 before retiring in 1985.

Steve Nicosia - 1980 Topps

1957 - The third time was the charm as rookie manager Danny Murtaugh won his first MLB game when the Pirates snapped an eight-game losing streak by taking a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Forbes Field. Gene Freese belted a two-run homer and Bob Skinner chased home a pair of runs, providing Ronnie Kline enough support to go the distance for a five-hit victory while breaking his personal seven-game losing string. Murtaugh, who was hired on an interim basis after first base coach Clyde Sukeforth was offered the job but turned it down (Clyde recommended Danny), led the Bucs to a 26-25 record. The “Whistling Irishman” was named full-time manager for 1958, finished second and won the Associated Press Manager of the Year award.

1959 - The Pirates started off on fire, scoring three times in their opening frame, took a little snooze and then erupted for 14 more runs in the last two innings, including 10 tallies in the ninth on 10 hits, to roll over the Cards 18-2 at Busch Stadium. Smoky Burgess went 5-for-6 with a homer, two doubles and six RBI, Bill Virdon went deep and pushed five runs across the plate and Rocky Nelson doubled twice and scored four times. In all, the Bucs banged out 23 hits against five Redbird hurlers and made Harvey Haddix’s complete game, seven-hit win a breeze, at least for the final two frames.

1966 - RHP Stan Belinda was born in Huntingdon, PA. The sidewinder started his career as a Buc (1989-93) after being a 10th round draft pick in 1986, posting a slash of 19-15-61/3.52 in Pittsburgh. Stan went on to have a 12-year MLB stay, mainly pitching in a set-up role. His stay here is mainly remembered for him being the guy who gave up Francisco Cabrera’s single to score Sid Bream with the winning run in the 1992 NLCS loss to Atlanta. He was traded at the 1993 deadline to Kansas City and tossed for six different clubs through the 2000 campaign.

1966 - Woodie Fryman was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Pride of the Pirates.” It was Fryman’s rookie campaign, and he put up a 12-9/3.83 slash during a year the Bucs won 92 games to finish the year third behind the Los Angeles Dodgers by three games.

8/6 From 1970: Walkoffs, Jeff Gem, Zach Roll, Long Night, Game Days, Roberto HoF, No Work, PNC Named, Hechy & Arqy Deals

1972 - The Bucs swept a twin bill from the Montreal Expos by 8-0 and 7-2 tallies at Parc Jarry. Willie Stargell had two bombs and five RBI in the opener while Richie Hebner added three hits, easing the way for a complete game, seven-hit victory for Bob Moose. Pops and The Gravedigger were at it again in the nightcap as Willie homered and scored three times while Richie had three more hits, including a long ball, scored twice and chased home four runs. Bob Johnson got the dub with Ramon Hernandez taking over in the seventh inning to claim a save. The wins put the Pirates up by eight games over the New York Mets; they won the National League East by 11 games over the Cubs.

1973 - Roberto Clemente was inducted into the Hall of Fame after the mandatory five-year waiting period was waived, with the ceremony shown live on Pittsburgh TV. His wife Vera delivered the acceptance speech. The Great One finished his career with 3,000 hits, a career average of .317 and won the National League batting title four times. He was presented with the Gold Glove Award 12 times and made the All-Star team 15 times. Arriba played in 14 World Series games and had at least one hit in each of those games, was the first Latin-born player to enter the Hall, has an MLB day and a campaign to “Retire #21.” 

1974 - The Pirates were losing to the Mets 4-0 going into the seventh, then 7-3 going into the eighth, and were still down 8-5 going into the ninth, but overcame each deficit to rally for a 9-8 victory in 11 innings at TRS. Their three runs in the seventh were the result of Rennie Stennett’s homer; the two in the eighth were chased home via a Bob Robertson blast, and the three in the ninth came after two were out and the bases empty. The Pirates then ran off five straight hits, with Manny Sanguillen’s two-run single taking it into extra innings. There wasn’t much drama for the walkoff in the 11th as Gene Clines reached via an error and scored on another gaffe thanks to Mario Mendoza’s misplayed bunt to first. Daryl Patterson got the win for Pittsburgh after a pair of shutout frames; the Bucs chased Jerry Koosman and then hung the loss on Tug McGraw.

1985 - The players staged a two-day work stoppage over a couple of gnawing financial issues. The MLB quickly agreed to increase its pension contribution and the league’s minimum wage, making the players happy, and the boycotted games were made up later in the season.

Jeff King - 1990 Topps Rookies

1989 - Jeff King smoked an 18th-inning leadoff homer off the Cubs' Scott Sanderson, who had tossed eight innings of shutout relief, to give Pittsburgh a walkoff 5-4 win at Three Rivers Stadium. The game took five hours and 49 minutes to play, tying it for the longest game played in Pittsburgh (the Post Gazette sports page headline dubbed it a “Twi-Light Single Header.”). Doug Drabek worked the last two frames to earn the win in his only pen outing of the season to notch the only relief dub of his career. The Bucs scored three times in the first inning on an Andy Van Slyke homer and Mike LaValliere RBI knock. Chicago eventually went ahead 4-3 in the ninth frame on a two-out knock; the Bucs replied with a Barry Bonds sac fly. Each team burned through six pitchers.

1990 - Barry Bonds had three hits, falling a double short of the cycle, and five RBI to lead the Bucs to a 10-1 romp over the Philadelphia Phillies at the Vet in the opening game of a twilight twin bill. Randy Tomlin, just called up from Harrisburg, had a two-hit shutout going into the final frame and ended up with a five-hit, complete game victory in his MLB debut. The Pirates swept the doubleheader with a 10-inning 4-3 win in the second game, with the key blow being Mike LaValliere’s three-run homer in the sixth inning. The deadlock was broken when Sid Bream doubled home Bobby Bonilla with the deciding run, though RJ Reynolds was cut down trying to plate behind him. Bill Landrum, Pittsburgh’s fifth pitcher, earned the win with two scoreless frames (and some drama when he left the bases loaded in the ninth) to close out the night.

1998 - The Pirates and PNC Bank announced a 20-year marketing deal under which the new home of the Pirates would be named PNC Park when it opened in 2001. Per the agreement, PNC would pay approximately $1.5M a year through the 2020 season. As a side deal, the Sixth Street Bridge would be renamed the Clemente Bridge as a sop to the many who believed the ballyard itself should bear the name of The Great One. PNC signed a 10-year extension in 2021.

2000 - OF Bruce Aven was sent to the Dodgers for a PTBNL per the papers, although the Bucs never received anyone from LA. Baseball Reference categorized it as a conditional deal, so it’s more likely his contract was sold to the Dodgers, who stashed Aven in AAA until September, after all the paperwork was done. The move cleared a spot for Adrian Brown, who was returning from the DL to play center field between Brian Giles and Alex Ramirez/John Vander Wal.

Jared Jones - 2026 graphic/Sportsnet.Pgh

2001 - RHP Jared Jones was born in Whittier, California. He was the Bucs second round pick in 2020 out of La Mirada HS and zipped through four minor league levels in three years, holding off Quinn Priester for a rotation spot out of camp in 2024. He was considered by many to have the best overall stuff of any Pirates pitching prospect, and showed his promise when he made his MLB debut against the Marlins, striking out 10 Fish in 5-2/3 IP on his way to a 9-3 victory. JJ landed a regular rotation spot until falling out with a June lat sprain. In early 2025 at camp he was said to have elbow discomfort that required rest; he ended up having internal brace surgery and didn’t return to the bump until May 29, 2026.

2003 - San Diego GM Kevin Towers said that trade efforts for C Jason Kendall and OF Brian Giles of the Bucs were dead, at least until the offseason. The last place Padres were thought to be looking to make a splash before moving into their new digs at Petco Park. The Friar players involved weren’t named, but Post Gazette writer Robert Dvorchak said they were OF Xavier Nady, LHP Ollie Perez, RHP Kevin Jarvis, a probable minor-league add on, with cash from Pittsburgh to help ease Kendall’s contract load. Giles did go to San Diego in the offseason for Perez and Jason Bay. X-Man took longer to reel in, but the Bucs finally landed Nady from the New York Mets in 2006 for Perez and Roberto Hernandez. Kendall was eventually shipped to the west coast after the 2004 campaign, but the deal was with the Oakland A’s, not San Diego, netting pitchers Mark Redman and Arthur Rhodes, who was quickly flipped to Cleveland for OF Matt Lawton.

2005 - Zach Duke became the second rookie in Pirates history to win his first five decisions as a starter when the Pirates topped the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-4 at PNC Park. The 22-year-old was the first Bucco tyro since Whitey Glazner in 1921 to start 5-0 (Spoiler alert: Paul Skenes put the pair in the rear view mirror when he won his first six decisions in 2024 before dropping a 2-1 decision). Duke’s 0.87 ERA in July was the lowest among all MLB pitchers, and he was named the NL Rookie of the Month. Freddy Sanchez and Chris Duffy combined for seven hits and five runs at the top of the order with Jason Bay knocking in three scores.

2008 - Jeff Karstens tossed a gem against the Diamondbacks, a 2-0 two-hit complete game win at Chase Field. He got all the offensive support he needed from a Freddy Sanchez homer and an RBI double from Doug Mientkiewicz. In his second start for the Pirates, he retired the first 23 Arizona batters he faced before Chris Young doubled in the eighth frame while running his scoreless streak to 15 innings since being acquired from the New York Yankees. Karstens also banged out his first two career hits (welcome to the NL) off The Big Unit, Randy Johnson.

Jeff Karstens - 2010 Upper Deck

2012 - Eric Bedard, Jason Grilli and Chad Qualls combined for a two-hit 4-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park. Andrew McCutchen had a pair of hits and scored twice for the Pirates. Freddy Sanchez added a pair of knocks. The Bucs tallied three eighth inning runs to put the game away, lighting the scoreboard via four consecutive ground ball singles and a sac fly.

2013 - Josh Harrison led off the bottom of the ninth frame with a walkoff homer to right center off Mike Dunn to give the Pirates and Bryan Morris a 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins at PNC Park. Neil Walker had three hits and Andrew McCutchen added a pair of knocks, along with a late-inning highlight film diving catch, to carry the Buccos to victory over the Fish. The win put the Pirates two games ahead of the second-place Cardinals while raising the team’s record to 68-44.

2016 - The Pirates sent RHP Arquimedes Caminero to the Seattle Mariners for a PTBNL and a conditional PTBNL (the Bucs ended up with two low-level minor leaguers). Caminero could touch 100 and went 6-3-1/3.58 for the Pirates from 2015-16 but was inconsistent in ‘16, averaging five walks per/9 IP with a 1.659 WHIP. He went to Japan, retired, coached for a couple of years and then returned to the Dominican to run a business.

2017 - Jameson Taillon (who survived a rocky start) and Juan Nicasio were cruising along with a 4-2 lead over the San Diego Padres after eight frames. But Felipe Rivero blew his first save of the campaign by surrendering a pair of runs to send the game into overtime. The Friars had left the bases loaded in the ninth; the Pirates did the same in the 10th. A pair of unlikely heroes saved the day. Dovydas Neverauskas, a AAA call up, pitched two scoreless frames and Sean Rodriguez, who was reunited with the Buccos via trade the day before, smacked a walkoff homer in the 12th inning to give Dovy his first MLB win and sent the PNC Park crowd of 34,175 home happy. 

Hechy - August 2018 Pirates photo

2018 - The Pirates sent minor league RHP Matt Seelinger to Tampa Bay for good-glove rental SS Adeiny Hechavarria and cash to bolster the middle of the infield after Hechy had cleared August waivers. The move was a mild surprise, with 2015 first-rounder Kevin Newman and utility IF Max Moroff, who had seen time with the Bucs, both available for call up from AAA Indianapolis as middle infield reserves. They lost out to experience as the Pirates were still in the running for a wildcard spot and opted for a veteran (Hechy wasn’t a needle mover; he hit .233 in 15 games) and the Buccos fell short of the postseason.  

2020 - Kevin Newman cracked a pinch-hit, two-run single up the middle in the ninth inning to lift the Pirates to a 6-5 win against the Twins. The walkoff was the 125th for the Pirates in PNC Park history. Minny jumped off to a 3-0 first inning lead; Gregory Polanco whacked his first home run of the season, a 446-foot three-run shot that bounced into the Allegheny River in the second to knot the score. Newman’s clutch knock gave Sam Howard his first win as a Pirate.