9/15 Through the 1960s: Master Blass-ter, Alou Crew, Waners Whomp, Sweep, Pie Debut, No Mo, Game Days, RIP Tiny, HBD Rich, Dennis, Dave, Big, Fritz, Rap & Elmer

1862 - 3B Elmer Cleveland was born in Washington, DC. He had a very good season for the Union League’s Cincinnati Outlaw Reds, and after some more minor league seasoning was added to the NY Giants roster in 1888 and then shipped to the Alleghenys. Alas, Elmer was an early AAAA player, hitting .235 for the Giants and .222 for Pittsburgh. He got one more chance in 1891 with Columbus where he hit .171 and ran out of opportunities. He spent a productive decade playing minor league ball in the Western Interstate, Southern, Northwestern and Pennsylvania State Leagues. And yes, he was related to President Grover Cleveland; they were cousins, though sadly his bat was beyond the salvation of an executive order.

1888 - Ed Morris of the Alleghenys tossed his fourth consecutive shutout, a 1-0 win over the NY Giants, setting a NL record that lasted until 1968 when Don Drysdale threw six straight shutouts. The game’s only run came in the fourth when Bill Kuehne reached on an error and scored on Ed Maul’s single. Cannonball began his streak with 2-0 and 1-0 victories over the Philadelphia Phillies and a seven inning, 2-0, win over the Washington Senators. And Mo did it in a hurry; it took him just eight days to pitch four complete game whitewashes, all at Exposition Park. Morris went 29-23 on the year with a 2.31 ERA.

1902 - OF Herbert “Rap” Dixon was born in Kingston, Georgia. The five-tool Dixon played for 12 teams over 16 seasons, including a stop with the Homestead Grays in 1936 and several tours with the Pittsburgh Crawfords in 1932, 1934 and his last campaign in 1937, also spending time with barnstorming and Latino clubs.  After retiring from baseball, he went to work for Bethlehem Steel Company and played semi-pro ball. He died young from a heart attack in 1943 and was selected to the Pittsburgh Courier All Time (Negro League) All Star team a decade later. His “Rap” nickname is either derived from the Rappahannock River in Virginia for reasons unknown, or more likely, because of the way he rapped the ball (.336 career BA).  

1907 - LHP Fritz Ostermueller was born in Quincy, Illinois. The veteran southpaw spent the final five seasons of his 15-year career as a Pirate, putting up a line of 49-42-1/3.48 before retiring at the ripe old age of 41 with the nickname “Old Folks.” He later became part of the broadcasting crew for the minor-league Quincy Gems, once sharing the booth with Harry Carey.

Fritz Ostermueller - 1948 Leaf

1910 - LHP Edsall “Big” Walker was born in Catskill, New York. Walker, who featured a sinking fastball, pitched for the Homestead Grays from 1936-40 and then returned to toss again for them from 1943-45 before his arm gave out. He was the starting pitcher in the 1938 All Star game and worked in many championship series with the elite Gray squad. Per Brent Kelley’s “Voices From the Negro Leagues,” he got his “Big” moniker from the Grays - there were three Walkers on the roster, and at 6’/215 lbs, he was the biggest. He had another nickname, too. According to Chris Rainey in Walker’s SABR Bio, “Walker posted a 7-1 record in 1937, but walked more batters than he struck out. His nickname ‘Catskill Wildman’ reflected both his control of the strike zone and his attitude towards batters. He had no qualms about throwing inside to a hitter.”

1920 - Pie Traynor made his MLB debut, replacing SS Bill McKechnie in the fifth inning of an eventual 4-1 loss to the Boston Braves. It was the second game of a twin bill at Braves Field, and Pie went 1-for-2 with a double that drove home the only Bucco score in the ninth. Pie played 17 games in September, all at shortstop, and batted .212, but he picked it up afterward. He became an everyday player in 1922 and retired with a .320 lifetime BA in 1937 after spending all 17 years of his career with the Pirates. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1948. 

1928 - Paul Waner banged a pair of doubles against Cincinnati at Forbes Field in a 6-1 win, setting the NL record for two-baggers with 50. The mark only stood for a season as Brooklyn rookie Johnny Frederick broke it in 1929 with 52, and Boston’s Earl Webb claimed the MLB mark with 67 stroked in 1931. Big Poison gave it a run in 1932 with 62 for his personal best.

1934 - The Pirates collected a total of 30 hits while sweeping the Phillies by scores of 6-1 and 4-1 in a doubleheader at the Baker Bowl. Arky Vaughan went deep in both games of the doubleheader for the Bucs. Larry French tossed a complete game six-hitter in game one for his 12th win behind a 16-hit attack, led by Tommy Thevenow and Tom Padden with three hits each. Schoolboy Hoyt went the distance in game two, giving up four hits, to improve to 14-5 on the season. The Pirates had 14 hits in the nightcap, but had to score three times in the ninth to earn the win. Hoyt led off with a single and Woody Jensen doubled an out later. Then, per the Pittsburgh Press, “The Quaker infield blew sky high and handed the Bucs the winning runs...” by throwing a pair of balls away, the first aimed wildly at home while trying to cut down the lead run that instead allowed two Pirates to plate, while the second was an overthrow of first that sent the third score home.

Arky Vaughan - 1934 Goudey

1938 - Big and Little Poison homered in the same match for the third time, but it was the first time in MLB history that brothers went long back-to-back in a game. The deed wasn’t matched again until 2013 when the Upton brothers (Justin and BJ) lost consecutive balls with the Braves. The Waners fifth-inning dingers highlighted a 7-2 Bucco win over the NY Giants, with Jim Tobin taking home a complete game victory. The brothers had two hits and two RBI each; Johnny Rizzo and Arky Vaughan led the attack with three knocks apiece, with Rizzo and Pep Young also adding four-baggers. The victory put the Bucs up by three games in the pennant chase, but they would lose 6-of-7 at the end to fall two games short of the flag. Mel Ott got some rude treatment from Tobin during the action, who beaned him three times for another record. But it didn’t cause Master Melvin too much damage - the soft-tossing Tobin was a knuckleballer. For Little Poison, his long ball was a red letter blast, as it was the last homer Lloyd hit in the show, although he played six more seasons. Bucco siblings wouldn’t homer in the same game again until 2009 when Adam & Andy LaRoche combo'ed against the Twins. 

1949 - RHP Dave Pagan was born in Nipawin, Saskatchewan. The reliever finished his career with the Pirates in 1977, tossing three scoreless frames to close out a five-year MLB stand. He spent the next two years at AAA and retired. He found his new calling in lumber and woodworking in his native town, and kept his hand in Nipawin sports, curling, umpiring and pitching when the local sandlot teams met. He was elected to the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.

1949 - RHP Ernest “Tiny” Bonham died 18 days after pitching his final game as a Buc, an 8-2 win over the Phils. Tiny - who was 6’2”, 215 lb. - passed on at the age of 36, following an appendectomy and stomach surgery; the docs discovered he had cancer. Chet Smith of the Pittsburgh Press wrote, "No more lovable guy than Ernie Bonham ever pitched a baseball and you can put that in the official score." He tossed three years for the Pirates (1947-49), going 24-22, after spending his first seven years with the Yankees and was twice named an All-Star.

1951 - The seventh-place Bucs defeated the league-leading Brooklyn Dodgers, an oddly regular occurrence in an otherwise down year for Pittsburgh. As Les Biederman of the Pittsburgh Press wrote “Johnny Merson, playing in just his second major league game, staged a one-man riot at Forbes Field as the Pirates made the league-leading Dodgers dance to an 11-4 tune to the accompaniment of cheers of the 11,098 faithful. The 27 year old Merson...fired two singles, a double and a triple and drove in six big runs as the Pirates became the only team in the league to wind up with a season edge on the Dodgers, 12-10.” Frank Thomas added three hits, including a homer, to back up Mel Queen, who got the win with some strong relief work by Ted Wilks. The Bucs finished the year 64-90 and their showing against da Bums (the Dodgers were one of just two teams the Bucs had a winning campaign against) probably cost Brooklyn the pennant as they finished one game behind the NY Giants after losing the Bobby Thompson “shot heard ‘round the world” playoff game. As for Merson, he hit .360 in 13 games as a September call up, but batted just .246 the following season and after one game in 1953 was out of major league baseball.

Jack Merson - 1952 Topps

1962 - The Pirates beat the Giants’ Jack Sanford 5-1 at Forbes Field  to hand the righty his first loss after 16 straight wins. Sanford and Bob Friend were locked in a 1-1 duel until the Bucs broke it open with a four-run eighth inning, with the key blows being a Roberto Clemente double and Bob Bailey triple; the rookie had a three-RBI day. Friend tossed a five-hitter with nine punch outs. Sanford served up a six-hitter, but eight walks eventually cost him.

1963 - The three Alou brothers, Felipe, Jesus, and Matty, played in the San Francisco Giants’ outfield at the same time. Manager Alvin Dark played the Alou boys together for an inning during the Giants’ 13-5 win over the Pirates at Forbes Field, putting Willie Mays on the bench. Matty would later join the Bucs in 1966 for a five-year run with two All Star outings and a batting title while his nephew Moises Alou (Felipe’s son) played for a season in Pittsburgh.

1967 - LHP Dennis Moeller was born in Tarzana, California. Moeller was part of the Jose Lind deal with KC in 1992. Pittsburgh used the starter as a reliever in the show, and that didn’t work out so well - in 10 outings, he put up a 1-0/9.92 line. He mostly was rostered at AAA Buffalo, where he made 24 appearances (11 starts) with a slash of 3-4/4.34. Dennis was non-tendered after the season and signed with the Royals again, but never made it back to the show.

1968 - Steve Blass did it all in a 3-0 win against the Mets at Shea Stadium. He won his 16th game, and seventh in a row, by spinning a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts and more than helped himself at the dish by twice driving home runs. He was supported at the plate by Roberto Clemente, who had three hits, including two doubles, to open both of the Bucs' run-scoring frames. Manager Larry Shepard said of Blass “He’s come from nowhere to where he’s now our number one pitcher.” Steverino aw-shucked the praise, but did admit “Baseball sure has been a lot of fun for me this summer.” It sure was fun - Steverino finished the year with a line of 18-6/2.12.

1968 - LHP Rich Robertson was born in Nacogdoches, Texas. A 1990 draft pick of the Bucs, he was a seldom used mop-up guy for Pittsburgh in 1993-94, getting in 17 games and putting up an 0-1/6.57 slash. The Twins picked him up off the waiver wire, and he had his best MLB season for them in 1995 and started from 1996-97, winning 17 games. He lasted one more campaign, and after spending time in the minors, he stepped off the slab in 2000.

9/15 From 1970: Bangball, All-Around Ohlie, El Tiante Tough, Richie & Scrap Iron Slams, Game Days, TRS Marker, HBP Parker

1976 - Dave Parker went 4-for-5 with a homer and double while Bill Robinson and Richie Zisk also went long in a 7-2 win against the Phils at Veterans Stadium. The three amigos accounted for six RBI and six runs scored among them (Duffy Dyer chased home Willie Stargell for the other tally) to support John Candelaria, who went seven innings of two-run, three-hit ball for his 15th victory of the campaign, and Dave Giusti, who posted a pair of zeros to close it out.

1978 - Phil Garner hit his second grand slam in two games. Today’s was in the first inning off Woodie Fryman as the Pirates beat the Expos 6-1 at TRS. Yesterday’s granny came against Bob Forsch in the seventh frame as the Bucs beat the Cards 7-4 also at TRS. Garner was the first MLB player to hit slams in consecutive games since Brooks Robinson in 1962. Bruce Kison earned the Expo win with late help from Ed Whitson and Kent Tekulve; Jim Rooker went wire-to-wire for victory against the Cards. It was the 17th straight home win for the Pirates, who cut the Phils’ lead in the NL to three games. They would run their TRS streak to 24 consecutive wins, undefeated there until the next-to-last game of the season when Philly eliminated them from the race. 

1981 - Luis Tiant may have been 40-years-old and nearing the end of his road, but he took a sip from the fountain of youth in a 9-2 win against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Not only did he toss a four-hit complete game with eight whiffs, but he capped a five-run fifth inning by banging a two-out, bases-loaded double that cleared the sacks and gave him a seven-run lead. El Tiante had a shutout going until there were two gone in the ninth, when Leon Durham’s homer broke up the whitewash. Dave Parker, Tony Pena and Omar Moreno combined for seven hits.

1983 - Richie Hebner iced an 8-4 win over the Cubs with an eighth-inning pinch hit grand slam off of Chicago closer Lee Smith, earning a curtain call from the TRS faithful. Larry McWilliams went the distance for the win, ably supported by the Bucco 2-3-4 hitters (Johnny Ray, Dave Parker, Jason Thompson) who combined for seven hits, five runs scored and three RBI. The game put the Bucs in a tie with the Phils for the division’s top spot, but Philadelphia would pull away to take the crown easily by six games over the Pirates at the final gun. 

Glenn Wilson - 1989 Topps

1988 - Randy Johnson made his big league debut at Olympic Stadium against the Pirates, and it was a solid start as he went five innings, giving up two runs on six hits with five fans in a 9-4 win. Glenn Wilson warmly welcomed the rookie to the show with a pair of solo shots and had himself a four-hit, three RBI day. Bobby Bonilla tacked on three more hits. And for those who keep count, the Big Unit’s first MLB strikeout came against Orestes Destrade in the second frame.

1990 - RHP Parker Markel was born in Newport Beach, California. He was a late round pick in 2010 by Tampa Bay out of Yavapai CC after passing on the Tigers draft offer the year before as a prepster. He made it into the show for five outings with Seattle in 2019, was treated rudely in a small sample size by the AL hitters, and waived. The Pirates claimed him as a depth guy and then brought him up from Indy a week later. He got into 15 games and K'ed 21 batters in 17-1/3 IP, but gave up three bombs on his way to a 5.71 ERA. After bouncing around in three different systems, he was released by the White Sox in 2022 and had a final bite of the apple in ‘24 when he tried an indie league comeback.

1992 - Alex Coles used the old Roberto Clemente ploy and threw out St. Louis pitcher Mark Clark at first base from right field as the Bucs edged the Cards 4-2 at Busch Stadium. Helping the cause were homers by Jeff King, Barry Bonds, and Andy Van Slyke. Paul Wagner got the win in relief of Randy Tomlin (he had to leave the game after bruising his heel when he landed on first base awkwardly), with Danny Cox closing to pick up the save. 

1994 - The Pirates announced that Calgary of the Pacific Coast League would replace Buffalo of the International League as their AAA club, signing a two-year deal with the Cannons. Calgary lasted through the 1997 season; the Bucs moved their top prospects to Nashville in 1998 for seven seasons before developing their up and coming pups in Indianapolis in 2005.

Carlos Garcia - 1996 Leaf

1996 - The Pirates took a twin bill from the Giants by 4-1 and 11-9 scores at 3Com Park, sweeping the G-Men in a five-game set, a feat the Bucs wouldn’t repeat again until 2018 when they broomed Milwaukee at PNC Park. Jon Lieber scattered nine hits for the win with help from Matt Reubel. Orlando Merced and Carlos Garcia had a pair of hits, but the key blow was John Wehner's two-out, two-run, two-bagger. The offensive fireworks in the second game were provided by Tony Womack and Carlos Garcia, each with a pair of hits and three RBI while Jermaine Allensworth added four raps as the Bucs banged out 16 hits. Marc Wilkins, the fifth of seven pitchers, got the win. It was a wild finale - the game was tied 5-5 after nine; the Bucs hung on by outscoring the Giants 6-4 in the 10th inning, with San Fran bringing the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs before Joe Boever whiffed Kim Batiste to book it. The sweep was the start of an 11-game winning streak, but they still finished with just 73 wins in what would be Jim Leyland’s last Pirates campaign before moving on to Florida. 

1997 - It was looking good for the Bucs, who had a 4-1 lead going into the ninth against the Expos and Pedro Martinez at TRS, but a pair of Pirates errors led to three unearned runs, and the game went into extra innings. Ricardo Rincon and Marc Wilkins righted the ship with a clean frame before Kevin Young led off the bottom of the frame with an opposite field, walkoff home run off Anthony Telford. Wilkins, the fifth Bucco hurler, earned the victory while the Freak Show kept its hopes alive, with the win moving them to 3-1/2 games out of first. 

2011 - Ross Ohlendorf recorded his first win of the year and also whacked his first (and only) career homer in a 6-2 win over LA at Dodger Stadium. The Pirates trailed 1-0 after the first inning before scoring four times in the second, highlighted by a two-out, three-run blast by Ohlie who went seven four-hit, two-run innings to do it all in the City of Angels.

2016 - The Buc bats erupted for a 15-2 beatdown of the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Pirates hit five homers (Andrew McCutchen - two, John Jaso, Sean Rodriguez & Jordy Mercer the others) and nine of their 13 hits (they also drew eight walks) were for extra bases. Pittsburgh tied an MLB record that's been on the books since 1913 by leaving just one man LOB when scoring 15+ runs. The Bucs eight-run ninth matched their best inning of the year while 15 runs were the high water mark for runs scored in a game that season. Talk about using all three outs: the last 12 runs the Corsairs plated came with two away. The 15 runs were the most for the Bucs in a game against the Phils since June, 1967.

Cutch - 2016 Topps Franchise Finest

2019 - The Pirates were mauled by the Cubs 16-6 at Wrigley, capping a record-setting exercise in futility for Pittsburgh pitchers. The Bucs tied their modern franchise  record for runs surrendered in a three-game set with 47, matching the 1950 debacle when Brooklyn rang up 47 runs at Ebbets Field. The Bucco slab staff gave up 14 or more runs in three straight games for the first time in modern Corsair history while the Cubs became the fifth team since 1900 to score at least 14 runs in three straight games, along with the 1901 & 1928 Pirates, 1930 Cubs, and 1993 Tigers. Joining the 14 vibe, Chicago also hit 14 homers in the set.

2021 - Seems like it was a long time coming, but Roberto Clemente’s family was given the key to the City in Roberto’s name by Mayor Bill Peduto on MLB’s 20th Roberto Clemente Day. The presentation was part of the afternoon’s ceremonies held at The Great One’s statue by PNC Park.

2021 - The Reds were fighting for a wildcard spot while the Pirates were lining up tee times, but the Bucs showed they were still going to play out the season hard by taking a 5-4, walkoff win at PNC Park on Roberto Clemente Night. It was a seesaw game - Pittsburgh was down 2-0, surged ahead 4-2, and then Cincy tied it up in the eighth. Chris Stratton tossed a clean ninth and Wilmer Difo did the rest. He blooped a one-out double and came home from there on a pedal-to-the-metal dash during a ground out. Colin Moran rolled one past first, and Cincinnati pitcher Mychal Givens covered first, taking the throw that carried him a few steps up the line. Third base coach Joey Cora waved him on, Difo (who said he didn’t even see Cora) put his head down and kept on truckin’ while Givens hit the brakes, turned and threw home. Wilmer’s headfirst slide home beat Givens’ toss to give Pittsburgh their ninth walkoff. As far as the playoffs went, the 19th hole would host both clubs come October as both teams fell short.

2023 - SABR's Forbes Field Chapter unveiled a historical marker at the location of home plate for Three Rivers Stadium. The marker was dedicated inside Gold Lot 1A, next to PNC Park. Three Rivers Stadium was the team's home from 1970 to 2000, and was the site for Roberto Clemente's 3,000th career hit, Pirates World Series championships in 1971 (hosting the WS first night game) and 1979, the 1974 & 1994 (w/a TRS record 59,568 fans) All-Star Games and two no-hitters. A marker at the spot of second base at Three Rivers Stadium was dedicated in 2022 and  a home plate marker for Exposition Park was dedicated in 1995 in a parking lot by the Post-Gazette building (the state added a plaque in 1998) and Forbes Field’s dish is preserved in Pitt’s Posvar Hall. All the markers were the brainchild of Len Martin and his pack of Pirates historians. Another Gold Lot marker was dedicated in 2025 to honor the first all-minority MLB lineup, as sent out by the Pirates in 1971.

Weekly Report: Treading At .500, Brax & Valdez Out, ROH Back, Greensboro in Sally League Title Round

Nearing the tape...

Pirates Stuff:

• *sigh* The Bucs recalled RHP Antwone Kelly and placed RHP Braxton Ashcraft on the 15-day IL (right arm discomfort, retroactive to 9/7). Brax is getting evaluated; he reported arm pain after his start last Saturday (9/5). Then Esmerlyn Valdez left Friday's (9/11) game with left hamstring discomfort after running out a grounder; he suffered a hammy strain and was placed on the 10-day IL with Ronny Simon returning. The Bucs plan on shelving him for the rest of the season.

Ryan O'Hearn - Back in the saddle image/Pirates

• OF/1B Ryan O'Hearn (quad strain) began his rehab at Indy on Tuesday. It didn't take long to get back in the saddle - he was back on the Bucco roster on Friday. Ronny Simon was returned to Indy, but not for long - he was recalled when Valdez went down.
• The Bucs recalled LHP Brandon Eisert after RHP Isaac Mattson was placed on the 15-day IL with a right hip impingement (retro to 9/6).
• Konnor Griffin, at 20 years, 141 days old, became the youngest player to bat cleanup for the Pirates since 1901.
• Before the White Sox set, the Pirates hadn't won five straight series since 2015 nor been at .500 in September since 2018. Both streaks ended this week at Wrigley (they did get back to .500 on Sunday).
• The Greensboro Grasshoppers won their division playoffs by beating the Frederick Keys 2-games-to-1. They began the championship series for the Hi-A South Atlantic league crown yesterday in a best-of-three battle with the Winston Salem Dash, losing a batfest 15-8.
• Not exactly the Bucs, but the Washington Wild Things advanced to the Frontier League semis and a best-of-five series v Evansville.

Game Stuff:

• The Bucs gave Bubba Chandler five first-inning runs to work with v the White Sox on Tuesday and he was strong for six innings (four hits, two runs, eight K). It ended 9-3; Rafe Flores homered. The bats smoked - the team had 18 hits, with every starter having at least a knock (seven had multiple raps), & eight of the nine drove in and/or scored runs.
• The bullpen game was a chef's kiss, with the help of a couple of late inning bases-jammed DPs, and the Bucs topped the Sox by a 4-2 tally. Brandon Eisert earned the win and Mason Montgomery the save while Esmerlyn Valdez homered to get the Bucs back to .500.

Mason Montgomery - The Finisher image/Sportsnet.Pgh 7/26

• Jared Jones gave up one hit with two away in the seventh, Luke Weaver & Mason Montogomery finished the job and Oneil Cruz's homer/two RBI carried the day as the Bucs swept the Sox 2-0.
• Braxton Ashcraft was due but went on the IL, scrambling the rotation before the Cub opener start. No diff - the Pirates forgot how to hit (lefty pitching), pitch (Indy staff) and field (mental boots as well as physical) in his absence, dropping a 12-2 decision to Chi-town.
• The Pirates had a 3-2 lead; Don Kelly pulled Paul Skenes after seven innings and 82 pitches for Gregory Sota. He worked a frame, which was just long enough to lose it, 4-3 (with two outs and a Cub on second, he hit two batters and walked two more). Ryan O'Hearn's homer was all the Bucco offense, so there's that, too.

Brandon Lowe - image/Pirates 9/26 

• The Pirates held on to take game #3 by a 4-3 count. Bubba was wild and gave up the three runs in 5-1/3 IP, but three relievers shut the Cubs down and Brandon Lowe chased home a pair of runs as a sixth-inning pinch hitter that ended up decisive. 
• Pittsburgh comes home Tuesday against the Brew Crew before hosting KC on Friday in a pair of three-game sets. The Cards visit 9/22 and their three-gamer ends the regular season home sked.

MLB Stuff:

• C Christian Bethancourt cleared waivers and was assigned to Indy.
• The NC Dinos of the Korean League signed RHP Mike Clevinger, who opted out of his Pirates minor-league deal in early August. 
• LHP Aroldis Chapman picked up his 400th save last weekend. That's a rareified club that just nine guys belong to.

9/14 Through the 1960s: Friend's 21st, Sweep, Big Poison #200, Game Days, Bill Joins, Hamey GM, HBD Jerry Don, Frank, Fred, Don & Jake

1853 - 1B Jake Goodman was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Jake got his start with the Alleghenys in 1877 as part of the short-lived minor league International Association and then played for the Milwaukee Grays the following year. He dropped off the map for a while, likely playing minor or semi-pro ball, and popped back up as an Allie again for 10 games in 1882 (they were major-league then as part of the American Association), going 13-for-41 and last appearing in May. His story didn’t have a happy ending. While playing minor league ball in 1884, he was beaned and never recovered. He suffered from palsy afterward and died of a stroke in 1890 at the way-too-young age of 36. 

1916 - Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes made his first MLB start for the Pirates, losing a 3-2 decision to the Brooklyn Superbas at Ebbets Field. He didn’t have a lot of help; LF Bill Hinchman lost a fly in the sixth and Honus Wagner muffed a DP ball (per BR Bullpen, Hans said “those damn big feet of mine have always been in my way."). The Bucs came back to tie it but lost in the ninth on a two-out double by the opposing pitcher, Larry Cheney. Grimes finished his rookie campaign 2-3 but went on to win 270 games during his 19-year career.

1925 - The Pirates snapped a losing stretch of 7-of-8 games with a 9-4 win over the Brooklyn Robins at Forbes Field. Glenn Wright and George Grantham both went 3-for-4 and combined for a double, triple, three runs and three RBI to back Vic Aldridge’s win. The victory not only ended a dismal string, but launched the eventual World Championship club on a nine-game winning streak.

1931 - RHP Don Williams was born in Floyd, Virginia. Don went to the U of Tennessee and signed with the Bucs in 1953 along with his twin Dewey, who never made it out of the minors. After losing the 1954-55 seasons to military service, he finally got a couple of sips of the big league with the Pirates in 1958-59, getting into eight games with no record and a 6.75 ERA. He was sold to the White Sox, pitched briefly again in the show for Kansas City and retired after the 1963 campaign to become a rancher and gym teacher in Floyd County.

1933 - LHP Fred Green was born in Titusville, New Jersey. He pitched four years for the Bucs (1959-61, 1964) with a line of 9-6-4/3.33. The multi-role reliever was a member of the 1960 championship club after signing in 1952 and coming through the Pirate farm system; his last MLB gig was also with the Pirates in ‘64. After retirement, he found time to stay in the game by occasionally pitching batting practice for the Pirates before passing away at age 62. His son Gary, an Allderdice HS grad, played shortstop for the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, and Cincinnati Reds, then managed Pirates and Tigers farm teams for 11 years.

Fred Green - 1960 Topps

1936 - Paul Waner tied Rogers Hornsby's modern NL record by reaching 200 hits for the seventh time as the Bucs swept the Phils 11-4 and 6-5 at the Baker Bowl. Big Poison banged out his 200th knock in the opener and collected five hits during the twinbill. Bill Swift and Red Lucas earned complete game victories. Waner went on to set the mark with a 200+ hit season the following year (Ty Cobb posted 9). It lasted until Pete Rose topped it in 1977 (Charlie Hustle and Ichiro share the MLB record with 10 200-hit campaigns).

1938 - LHP Frank Carpin was born in Brooklyn. The Bucs took him from the Yankees via the 1964 minor league draft and Frank got into 39 games in 1965 for the Pirates with a slash of 3-1-3/3.18. The Astros then picked him up in the Rule 5 draft. He tossed 10 games for the ‘Stros, ended up in AAA and retired at the end of the year. At age 27, it was an easy decision - he had a degree from Notre Dame (he became a broker), four kids and bone spurs in his elbow.

1944 - The Pirates purchased catcher Bill Salkeld from San Diego of the Pacific Coast league. He was brought aboard to replace Al Lopez, but couldn’t win the spot even though he hit .293 in his three (1945-47) Bucco campaigns. As a rookie in ‘45, Salkeld batted .311 with 15 home runs in only 317 PA, but was mainly a platoon guy with a .213 lifetime BA against lefties. (Like most catchers, Bill was right-handed, but he batted lefty w/a .273 BA vs. RHP).

1946 - Roy Hamey, president of the minor league American Association, was named GM of the Pirates. He ran the ship until 1950 and was the first true general manager of the team, as the duties of the position had previously been handled by the team president. Roy picked up some veteran pieces for the squad but never put together a farm system to provide home-grown talent and was replaced by Branch Rickey, who did the opposite by tearing the MLB team apart but assembling a strong minor league pipeline. It took their successor, Joe Brown, to successfully fuse the two club-building approaches.

O'Brien twins - photo via Sports Collectibles

1957 - The Chicago Cubs split a doubleheader at Wrigley Field with the bonus baby O'Brien twins on the bump. In the opener, Eddie twirled a 3-1 complete game win, scattering six hits and fanning eight for his only big league decision. In the nitecap, Johnny pitched one inning in relief and was charged with the loss, his last MLB verdict (he was 1-3 lifetime). Both played from 1953-58 for the Bucs, but they were infielders first and pitchers as an afterthought.

1957 - LHP Jerry Don Gleaton was born in Brownwood, Texas. An All-American at the U of Texas, he was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round (18th pick overall) of the 1979 draft. The hard-tossing reliever spent the final year of his 12-season career as a Pirate with a 1-0/4.26 line. The first-rounder won just 15 games in those dozen years, bouncing around among six teams. He’s active in the Pro Athletes Outreach ministry and keeps his hand in the game by coaching.

1958 - The Bucs swept the Cubs in a Forbes Field twinbill by 5-4 and 6-2 tallies. Though the runner up Pirates wouldn’t get closer than five games of the NL-winning Milwaukee Braves, they did serve notice that they were no longer the sad sacks of the league, going 84-70 for their first winning campaign since 1948. They were led by two guys who would be team mainstays - 2B Bill Mazeroski, who hit his 19th homer, and RHP Bob Friend, who won his 21st game. Maz’s blast set the franchise record for Pirates second sackers and lasted until 2014 when Neil Walker banged 23 balls out of the yard. Friend won 22 games in ‘58, the first Pittsburgh pitcher to hit that mark since Carmen Hill in 1927; it wouldn't be matched again until 1990 by Doug Drabek in his Cy Young season (Bob came in third for the ‘58 Cy). It was Friend’s only 20-win year.

1968 - Roberto Clemente drilled a pair of homers off Tom Seaver (his only two career bombs off Tom Terrific) while driving in three runs and Bob Veale spun a six-hitter with 10 punch outs as the Bucs dropped the Mets 6-0 at Shea Stadium. It started a 9-of-11 run for the Pirates as they fought to finish above .500, but they stumbled at the tape and ended 80-82. Big Bob finished with a 2.05 ERA in 1968, but posted just a 13-14 slate in The Year of the Pitcher.

9/14 From 1970: Bucs Turn 3, Wags Gem, Bo Walkoff, Twin Slams, Rallies, Game Days, Mudcat-Angel, TSN Zisk, KY Scolding, Lotta Losses, HBD El Coffee

1970 - The Pirates traded with Oakland for Jim “Mudcat “Grant, sending them a PTBNL (Angel Mangual). Mudcat made 50 appearances for Pittsburgh in ‘70-71 with a 7-4-7/3.41 line. He worked as a broadcaster and executive for the Indians and as a broadcaster for the Athletics after he retired. Grant also became a black baseball historian and wrote the 2006 book “The Black Aces.” Angel played six seasons for the A’s as a reserve outfielder and finished with a year in Mexico.

1974 - Richie Zisk was featured on the cover of The Sporting News, touting the rookie outfielder’s story “Menacing Bat.” It certainly was; Zisk hit .313 with 17 HR and 100 RBI in his first full-time MLB season.

1982 - Richie Hebner and Bill Madlock stroked grand slams to lead the Pirates to a 15-5 win over the Cubs at TRS. Mad Dog drove six runs home while Johnny Ray went 3-for-3 and scored three times with a RBI. The last pair of Bucs to hit grand salamis in the same game were Arky Vaughan and Earl Grace for the 1933 Bucs during a 10-0 romp over the Phils.

1984 - Jose DeLeon looked like he was cruising for his 10th straight defeat, but the Pirates overcame an early 7-2 deficit to rally past the Cards 8-7 in 12 innings at Busch Stadium. Marvel Wynne and Johnny Ray fueled the comeback with three hits each; Ray’s leadoff homer off Bruce Sutter in the 12th was the game winner. After DeLeon and Lee Tunnell were roughed up, four Pirates relievers tossed eight innings of shutout ball. Don Robinson put up four of the goose eggs for the win, while Teke won a two-out race to first against Willie McGee while making a bare-handed grab of Jason Thompson’s flip with the tying run on third to earn the save.

1987 - Bob Walk watched the Expos’ Tim Raines pop a ball over the fence in left in a loss at TRS, then began a stretch of 117-1/3 innings/18 outings during which Walkie didn’t give up a homer. The streak ended June 24, 1988, when Hubie Brooks led off the ninth at Olympic Stadium with a long ball (Walk went the distance and took a 5-3 win as solace). 1988 was a special season for the Whirlybird, who posted a 12-10/2.71 line and appeared in his only All-Star Game.

Bob Walk - 1987 Topps

1988 - Bobby Bonilla barely dropped a long fly over the right field fence at TRS, and the first-row, three-run pop was the walkoff winner in a 12-inning 4-1 Bucco victory over the Montreal Expos at TRS. It was Bobby Bo’s first homer in a month and helped the Bucs keep pace with the Mets, although the clock was against them with NY’s magic number down to nine (the Bucs finished second, 15 games off New York’s pace). Chico Lind had four hits; his two-out double was the genesis of the Pirates extra inning rally. Mike Dunne started before Jeff Robinson, Scott Medved and winner Brian Fisher came on to retire 20 of the last 22 Expos.

1991 - OF Gregory Polanco was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He debuted on June 10th, 2014, against the Cubs and recorded his first MLB hit against Travis Wood. His first career home run four days later against the Miami Marlins in the 13th inning was the game winner. On June 18th, he became the first Pirate with a hit in each of his first eight games. Polanco developed into a .255, 20-HR right fielder when healthy before being released in 2021, landing with Toronto and now in Japan. He got his nickname of El Coffee as a Dominican teen baller; he reminded one of his coaches of an older player with that moniker.

1992 - In a game that saw the lead go back and forth, the Pirates prevailed barely by taking a 10-inning 5-4 victory from the Cards at Busch Stadium. A leadoff error and two singles put the Bucs up in the extra frame with Cecil Espy plating Alex Cole, but Lee Smith fanned a pair with the insurance run on third to keep it tight. The Redbirds came right back when a leadoff double and wild pitch put the tying run 90’ away with no outs. Roger Mason got an infield roller to freeze Bernard Gilkey at third, Denny Neagle fanned Ray Lankford and the third pitcher of the inning, Stan Belinda, served a liner to center that was gloved by Andy Van Slyke to finally nail down the win and earn his first save since early August. The Pirates had 14 hits on the day with five different Buccos banging out a pair of knocks but stranded 13 to make it a long day.

1993 - Paul Wagner tossed a rain-shortened 1-0 shutout against the Florida Marlins at Joe Robbie Stadium, scattering four hits and three walks throughout the game’s six innings. The match was decided on the game’s first pitch, a Chris Hammond fastball that Carlos Garcia knocked into the seats; it was the first modern-era leadoff homer by a Pirate that was the decider for a 1-0 dub. The Pirates prez Mark Sauer announced on the same day that they agreed to move into the new Central Division of the National League with Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston and St. Louis rather than remain in the East as their part of the 1994 realignment of the leagues from two to three divisions.

Kevin Young - 1997 Skybox Thunder

1997 - Kevin Young snapped in the locker room, scolding his teammates for a few minutes before Gene Lamont herded him into a private corner to calm him down. The Pirates had been right in the race before a 4-13 streak derailed them, and KY felt that an overall lack of attention was throwing the season away. Young’s lecture righted the ship temporarily, but even though the team won seven of the next nine games (Young put his money where his mouth was by homering in the next game), they never got closer to the lead than 3-1/2 games to finish five games behind the Astros with 79 wins and close the book on the Freak Show.

2007 - The Bucs scored three times in the eighth to defeat the Astros 4-3 at Minute Maid Park as Jose Bautista bombed a two-run homer and Ronnie Paulino’s two-out single brought in Steve Pearce with the game winner. But the play of the game was made by CF Nyjer Morgan, who took a circle route to run down Ty Wigginton’s two-out, bases-loaded blast in the third, kissing the wall as he made the grab to prevent Houston from running away and hiding early in the contest. Romulo Sanchez got the win with a Matt Capps save; the Bucs used six hurlers.

2011 - With a 3-2 loss to St. Louis, the Pirates extended their record streak of consecutive losing seasons to 19 straight years, adding to the longest in American professional sports history. And this was after leading the NL Central on July 20th! The streak would go on one more season until Clint Hurdle’s wild card team of 2013 won 94 games to bring it to an end.

2014 - The Pirates were sleepwalking against the Cubs, losing 3-0 in the fourth with Chicago runners at first and second with no outs and ready to run away with the contest. Matt Szczur hit a hot shot to third; Josh Harrison gloved it, stepped on the bag and fired a bullet to second, where Neil Walker made a strong turn and got the ball to Andrew Lambo at first for a triple play. Two innings later, the Pirates broke out of their stupor and surged ahead 6-3 on the way to a 7-3 victory at PNC Park. Walker hit his 20th homer, breaking the Pirate single season mark for 2B held by Bill Mazeroski (19), set in 1958. Triple play trivia: it was the first triple play turned by the Pirates since April 12th, 2009, at Cincy and the first ever turned by anyone at PNC Park. The last one in Pittsburgh was August 10th, 1993, v the Cardinals at Three Rivers Stadium. There hadn't been a 5-4-3 around-the-horn triple play by the Bucs since July 23rd, 1979 (also at TRS), scored Bill Madlock to Phil Garner to Willie Stargell. It was the first triple killing that the Cubs had hit into since May 14th, 2000, at Montreal. Walker, btw, would be involved in another triple play against St. Louis the next season.

9/13 Through 1974: Can Of Corn, Boss Roberto, Pops Flex, 4 For Ralph, Sweep, Nick Debut, Game Days, HBD Armando, Denny, Tom & Dan

1907 - Nick Maddox made his MLB debut, and according to the Pittsburgh Press headline, the “Pirates New Twirler Was An Enigma To The Cardinals” as he tossed a five-hit 4-0 shutout at Exposition Park. Maddox struck out 11 and walked a pair. He was backed by another rookie making his big league launch, 1B Harry “Swasy” Swacina, who drove in a pair of runs. Maddux had a pair of strong seasons with the Bucs, but his arm died and after four years, he was in the minors, then managed some before playing sandlot/semi-pro ball. 

1913 - OF Dan Wilson was born in St. Louis. Per BR Bullpen, Wilson debuted in 1937 with the Pittsburgh Crawfords as a right fielder and second baseman and hit .259. He was a bench player for Pittsburgh in 1938 and moved on to St. Louis where he earned the first of three Negro League All-Star berths. The 11-year vet played locally for one more year, suiting up for the Homestead Grays in 1946. After baseball, Wilson's life went downhill and he died homeless at the age of 73.

1922 - The Pirates swept a twinbill from the Braves, winning 8-1 and 6-1 behind Wilbur Cooper and Johnny Morrison. The wins got them within five games of the first place NY Giants and they cut the lead to 3-1/2 games a week later. Though the Bucs ended up a respectable 85-69, they finished third after fading badly by losing seven of their final eight contests.

1939 - RHP Tom Parsons was born in Lakeville, Connecticut. The 6’ 7” Parsons was signed by the Pirates in 1957 as a 17-year-old. He made his major league debut in 1963 as a September call-up after toiling on the farm for seven years. Parsons made one start, giving up four runs on seven hits in 4-1/3 IP, and began the next campaign back in the minors. That September he was sold to the Mets, where he played in '64-65 and earned his only save, as karma would have it against his old Buc mateys. Tom spent his last four pro seasons in the minors.  

1949 - For the third time in his career, Ralph Kiner hit four consecutive homers. His first pair came in a 7-3 win against the Cubs on Sunday, then after an off day, he added two more against the Phils in an 11-6 victory. Both games were played at Forbes Field. Ralph collected 10 RBI in the two games to lead the attack for Murry Dickson and Cliff Chambers victories.

Ralph Kiner - 1949 Play Ball

1950 - Giants' RHP Sal Maglie's consecutive scoreless inning streak ended at 45 frames after Gus Bell popped a 257’ fly that barely cleared the RF wall at the shoe-box shaped Polo Grounds for a cheap homer. All it hurt, though, was The Barber’s pride as the G-Men beat the Bucs 3-1.

1956 - ElRoy Face set a MLB record (later tied) when he appeared in his ninth consecutive game, giving up a run in a 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Forbes Field. He had gone 3-0-1 in the prior eight matches covering 15-1/3 innings. Danny Murtaugh finally relented and gave him the next game off, sending Dick Hall and Howie Pollet out to cover the last two frames.

1963 - Willie Stargell provided the muscle as the Pirates knocked off the SF Giants at Forbes Field 5-4 in 13 innings. The sparse crowd of 6,100 saw Pops bang a three-run blast in the third inning, only to have the G-Men rally to tie it with two outs and the bases empty in the ninth thanks to two walks and a Jesus Alou single against Joe Gibbon and Harvey Haddix. Captain Willie put the game in the win column with a walkoff triple (Surprisingly, he hit 55 three-baggers during his career and six in ‘63) in the 13th to score Ducky Schofield, who had walked. Bob Friend was the Pirates sixth pitcher and got the win with an inning’s work, his 17th victory of the campaign and his only outing that season from the bullpen (indeed, he wouldn’t appear in a relief role again until 1966).

1967 - Roberto Clemente told the media that the players were to blame for the Pirates dismal showing (they were 72-74 at the time), reiterating statements he had made in a June players-only meeting and recently to Puerto Rican radio/newspaper media. Then he put his money where his mouth was, banging out five hits, with a homer, double, four RBI and two runs scored, to lead his mates to an 11-3 victory over the Reds at Crosley Field. Matty Alou and Manny Sanguillen added three knocks each while Maury Wills tallied three times. Tommy Sisk got the win; even though he was tapped for 11 hits, the attack allowed him to go wire-to-wire.

Denny Neagle - 1996 Fleer Ultra

1968 - Denny Neagle was born in Gambrills, Maryland. The lefty spent four plus seasons (1992-96) with Pittsburgh, going 43-35 with a 4.02 ERA. An All-Star in 1995 with a 13-8 record, he was traded to Atlanta the following season as a cost-cutting measure and won 60 games between 1997-2000, mostly with the Braves. Neagle finished 124-92/4.24 during his 13-year career.

1970 - The infamous “can of corn” call was made by The Gunner, Bob Prince, after Willie Smith hit a routine fly to Matty Alou with the Bucs up 2-1, two outs and the bases empty in the ninth. He dropped it as the Wrigley wind was blowing in, and the Cubs went on to rally for the win. Despite cutting the Buc lead in the NL East to 1/2 game, the Pirates suffered no hangover effect from the tough loss. They finished out the rest of the month at 12-5 and took the title running away, finishing with a five game cushion over the Cubbies in the NL East.

1971 - OF Armando Rios was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. A member of LSU’s College World Series winners, he played four seasons for the Giants before coming to Pittsburgh at the 2001 deadline along with Ryan Vogelsong in exchange for Jason Schmidt and John Vander Wal. Rios was hurt at the time of the deal and played two games for Pittsburgh; in 2002 he hit .264 in 76 games with no pop and was released at the end of the year. He played one more season in the show and then went to the Latin leagues. He was one of the witnesses in the 2003 BALCO case and was associated with PED use, perhaps understandably after undergoing surgeries on his knee, elbow, and shoulder.

1972 - Roberto Clemente hit his last homer, a two-run, two-out blast off Fergie Jenkins at Wrigley Field in the seventh inning to lead the Bucs to a 6-4 win at Wrigley Field. It was his 10th long ball of the season and 240th career homer, fourth-most in Pittsburgh franchise history. Clemente also tripled and scored three times to support winner Nellie Briles.

9/13 From 1975: S-Rod Rocket, J-Hay Walkoff, Cutch #200, B-2-B-2-B, Walk v Doc, Rollin' 7, Game Days, CEO Frank, HBD Alfonso & Andy

1978 - The Pirates only got three hits against the Cards at TRS, but two of them were three-run homers by Willie Stargell & Bill Robinson and were more than enough to carry Bert Blyleven to a complete-game win at TRS by a 7-1 tally. The Pirates didn’t get very many good pitches to swing at; the Redbird hurlers walked 11 batters and tossed three wild pitches.

1983 - 3B Andy LaRoche was born in Fort Scott, Kansas. Part of the Jason Bay deal, the much ballyhooed prospect LaRoche came to Pittsburgh from LA at the 2008 trade deadline, joining brother Adam. He was a Pirate until 2010, but hit only .226 during that time. He played briefly for Oakland and Toronto after his Buc tour of duty and last played in the indie leagues in 2015-16.

1987 - The Pirates won their seventh in a row and 15-of-18 as they dropped the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 at Veterans Stadium. Bobby Bonilla and Sid Bream had three knocks each to lead a 15-hit attack that eventually wore the Phils down. Brian Fisher tossed a complete game five-hitter with 10 K for the win. Despite catching fire late, Pittsburgh ended the year with just 80 wins.

1988 - Bob Walk hooked up with Doc Gooden in a dandy duel, with Walkie’s eight-inning five-hitter taking the marbles in a 1-0 win at Shea Stadium. The game’s only run came in the fourth when Andy Van Slyke singled, stole second and came home on Bobby Bonilla’s double. Jim Gott earned the save with some drama by loading the bases (single, hit batter, walk) with two out against Howard Johnson. Johnson had bested Gott earlier in the year with a two-out, ninth-inning homer off a fastball. This time, Gott made sure Johnson saw three sliders. As Bob Hertzel of the Pittsburgh Press wrote “Strike one, strike two, take a seat.”

Bob Walk - 1988 Score

1991 - It was a tough day for the Pirates; they left their hotel at 6AM to fly home from Philadelphia to attend equipment manager John “Hooly” Hallahan’s funeral, said their goodbyes, then turned around and flew back to the Vet. Not surprisingly, they quickly found themselves in a 5-1 hole after the game started and then lost skipper Jim Leyland early when he was given the thumb in the fourth inning arguing an iffy Philly catch. But they kept grinding, and thanks to a five-run sixth, the Pirates found themselves in a 6-6 tie in the ninth. Mitch Williams took the ball for the Phils and got two fast outs, then walked a pair to set up Steve Buechele, who knocked a 2-2 pitch into the corner for a two-bagger to make it 8-6. It was Buechele’s third hit of the day and gave him three RBI. Rosario Rodriguez set Philadelphia down in their half to save Stan Belinda’s win, Pittsburgh’s 32nd come-from-behind victory of the year.

1996 - 1B/OF Alfonso Rivas was born in Chula Vista, California. Rivas was part of the 2023 Rich Hill/Ji Man Choi trade with San Diego. He was a fourth-round pick of Oakland in 2016 out of Arizona before being traded to the Cubs and then signing with the Padres in 2023. Rivas is a good-glove guy with not much power who the Cubs released in the off season. He batted .245 in 310 ABs w/Chicago and the Friars with a .313 career BA in AAA ball. In 40 games with the Bucs, Alfonso hit .234 and he's now playing in Mexico.

2007 - The Pirates officially announced that Frank Coonelly was the team’s new CEO (a post usually held by the owner), replacing Kevin McClatchy, who had announced in July that he was stepping down. Coonelly, an attorney, previously served as a Senior Vice President in the Commissioner's Office, where he was in charge of various matters including arb hearings and draft bonuses. He ended the Pirates decades-long losing streak and made the playoffs three times before being replaced in 2019 by Travis Williams.

2010 - The Pirates lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to the Mets at Citi Field in 10 innings, wasting three leadoff doubles and stranding 10 runners. James McDonald went eight frames of five-hit ball, but the Mets finally plated off reliever Chan Ho Park to earn the walkoff win.

Petey - 2013 Panini America's Pastime

2013 - Pedro Alvarez, Russ Martin and Garrett Jones hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the fourth inning off the Cubs’ Jake Arrieta, but a pair of two-run Chicago blasts carried the day as the Pirates fell 5-4. It was the first time that the Bucs had hit three consecutive homers at PNC Park and had an improbable degree of difficulty as Pedro’s was a stand-up inside-the-park shot. (He later told Root Sports that it was the first he could remember since “...little league.”)

2015 - Josh Harrison drove in Pedro Florimon with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning for a walkoff win over the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park in front of 34,170 fans. Pittsburgh trailed 6-1 entering the bottom half of the fourth inning before producing their deepest-in-the-hole comeback win of the season. The key early blow was Travis Snider’s two-run double in the fourth and back-to-back RBI knocks by Andrew McCutchen and Jung Ho Kang in the seventh to tie the match. The victory went to the Pirates eighth pitcher of the game, Jared Hughes, and put the club 30 games above .500 with a record of 86-56.

2016 - Sean Rodriguez hit a pinch-hit, opposite-field three-run homer in the ninth inning to rally the Pirates to a 5-3 win over the Phillies in Citizens Bank Park. Ivan Nova started and struck out 11 batters over six innings but left with the score knotted and ended up with a no-decision. Felipe Vazquez gave up a solo shot in the eighth to put the Bucs down, but S-Rod’s blast turned his looming loss into a dub, with Tony Watson working a 1-2-3 final frame for the save.

2017 - Andrew McCutchen joined Willie Stargell (475), Ralph Kiner (301) and Roberto Clemente (240) as a member of the Pirates 200 home run club (Cutch has 248 long balls as a Bucco). The first-inning blast to center, Andrew’s 25th long ball, was the Bucco highlight at Miller Park as the Brewers romped 8-2.

2022 - Rookie RHP Luis Ortiz, 23, was called up from Indy to make his MLB debut as the 29th player in a twin bill against the Reds at Great American Ball Park. He showed pretty well, too, going 5-2/3 innings of one-hit, shutout ball, striking out five and walking three. The bullpen didn’t allow any knocks afterwards, and it was the Bucs first one-hitter at Cincy since Randy Kramer’s gem in 1989. Ortiz tossed six heaters that were clocked at 100 MPH+ to become the first Buc hurler to fire that many in a game since Gerritt Cole threw seven in 2013; he and Cole are the only Pirate hurlers of the Statcast era (2015 onward) to hit triple figures. The Pirates only managed three hits themselves, but Kevin Newman’s seventh-inning, two-out flare into left scored Rodolfo Castro, who had doubled, and it was just enough for the 1-0 sweep. Chase DeJong earned the win and Duane Underwood Jr. spun his first MLB save. The Bucs took the opener 6-1 behind the arm of Johan Oviedo, 24, and homers from Bryan Reynolds, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Cal Mitchell.