8/30 Through 1974: ElRoy 17 Straight, Grantham Grand, Pie 5, Coop's #200, Dave Cycle, Game Days, RIP Arky, HBD Kiki, Charlie & Will

1870 - RHP Will Thompson (he also played 1B and the OF) was born in Pittsburgh. He made one MLB appearance, working three frames for the 1892 Pirates. He gave up a run and took the loss. After playing at Penn, he spent time in the local minors in the New York State League at Elmira, the Pennsylvania State League at Johnstown and the Iron & Oil League for New Castle. He later served in the 1898 Spanish–American War, and lived to be 91 before passing on.

1878 - IF Charlie Starr was born in Pike County, Ohio. Charlie played three years in the show, joining the Bucs in the middle in 1908 after a couple of years at Youngstown and batted .186 in 20 games. He played for two more clubs after that in 1909, then joined Buffalo for a couple of seasons before heading south, suiting up for New Orleans, Mobile, Chattanooga and Little Rock before his last pro at-bat in 1916. He retired and became a metal worker in construction.

1898 - OF Hazen Shirley “Kiki” Cuyler was born in Harrisville, Michigan. The Hall-of-Famer spent his first seven seasons (1921-27) as a Pirate, hitting .336 with a .399 OBP. The end of his Pittsburgh era was rocky. In 1927, Cuyler was benched for nearly half the season because of a dispute with rookie manager Donie Bush. The Pirates went to the World Series, but Cuyler was on the pine, and that November, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs. He played 11 more seasons and ended his career with a .321 BA. Per SABR, two explanations have been given for his nickname "Kiki." In one version, the players called him "Cuy" in the minors at Nashville, so when a fly ball was hit to Hazen, the shortstop would call out "Cuy" as would the second baseman, and the echoed “Cuy-Cuy” caught on with the fans. A variant says that "Kiki Cuyler" was caused by his stuttering problem and was the way Cuyler's name came out when he pronounced it. Either way, the nickname’s popularization is credited to Vol’s announcer Bob Murray.

Johnny Lindell - 1953 Topps

1916 - RHP Johnny Lindell was born in Greeley, Colorado. Johnny started as a pitcher in 1942 and ended as one in 1953, spending the eight years in between as an outfielder. After hitting below the Mendoza line in 1950, he was sent to the Hollywood Stars in the PCL where manager Fred Haney turned him into a knuckleballer. Lindell returned to the majors in 1953 at the age of 36 with the Pirates, who had Haney at their helm. His knuckleball was tough to hit but tougher to control, and Johnny led the league in walks and wild pitches with a line of 5-16/4.71. His stick recovered as he batted .286 in 91 appearances, but it was the end of his road. He was sold to Philly in late August of 1953, finished out the season there, then got five at-bats the following campaign before leaving the show after putting in 12 campaigns for four teams.

1921 - Dave Robertson hit for the cycle to lead the Bucs to an 8-2 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. He scored twice and drove in three runs. George Cutshaw and Clyde Barnhart added three knocks each as Whitey Glazner scattered seven hits for the complete game win.

1924 - Wilbur Cooper, who is the Pirates all-time pitching leader with 202 victories and 236 complete games, won his 200th career contest (he finished his MLB tour of duty with 216 wins/2.86 ERA and 3,480 innings tossed) in a 12-3, complete game decision over Cincinnati at Forbes Field. It would be Wilbur’s last Pirates campaign, finishing the year slashing 20-14/3.28 before becoming part of a six-man deal with the Cubs after the season. The 32-year-old lefty had started out with Pittsburgh in 1912 when he was just 20. Wilbur won double-digit games 10 times in that time w/four seasons with 20 or more wins and two more at 19.

1929 - Pie Traynor went 5-for-5 to lead a 21-hit attack (seven different Pirates posted multiple-hits) in a runaway 15-0 win over Chicago at Forbes Field. Heinie Meine tossed a three-hitter as Pittsburgh dominated the Cubbies from the slab and the dish. It was the Pirates' fourth win over the Cubs in three days, but the Windy City nine snapped out of it the following game by taking a 7-6 win.

George Grantham - 1929 Kashin

1930 - The Pirates swept a twinbill from Cincinnati, 5-0 and 3-2, to win their 12th game in 14 outings. The Waner brothers, Paul and Lloyd, scored all five runs in the opener with George Grantham driving them in three times. Spades Wood tossed a six-hitter for the win. Grantham was big in the second game too, with three hits, two runs and an RBI as Larry French took the win.

1951 - The Pirates rallied from an 8-1 deficit to take a 10-9 victory from the Giants at the Polo Grounds. Frank Thomas hit his first MLB homer and Ralph Kiner won it with a long ball in the ninth while Gus Bell and Pete Castiglione also went deep for the Bucs. Pittsburgh climbed back to take the lead in the eighth, only to have the Giants tie it, but the G-Men were trumped by Kiner. Murry Dickson blew the save but ultimately got the win, one of 20 he earned during the campaign.

1952 - Arky Vaughan, 40, and his friend Bill Wimer drowned in California’s Lost Lake. While the two were fishing, their rowboat overturned. Wimer couldn’t swim, and both men went under when Vaughan tried to save his bud. Vaughan retired with 1,173 runs scored, 926 RBI, 118 steals, a .318 BA and .406 OBP. His .385 batting average, .491 OBP, and 1.098 OPS in 1935 are Pirate team records, and the batting average is a 20th century record for NL shortstops. Arky was a Hall-of-Famer who was included in the Ritter/Honig book “The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time” and cited by historian/statistician Bill James as the second greatest shortstop in history, behind only Honus Wagner.

1953 - The Milwaukee Braves flexed their muscles and set some records against hapless Bucco hurling in a doubleheader at Forbes Field, sweeping Pittsburgh by 19-4 and 11-5 scores. The Bravos blasted eight homers in the opener, breaking the NL one-game record of seven held by three teams, including the Pirates. They added four more in the nightcap, breaking the NL back-to-back games mark of 10 held by the 1925 Bucs. Eddie Mathews and Jim Pendleton led the onslaught with three homers each while Johnny Logan added a pair as the Post Gazette topped the day’s box scores with the headline “Cheaper By the Dozen.”

The Baron of the Bullpen - Laughlin's Great Feats

1959 - ElRoy Face notched his 17th straight victory of the year, earning a 10-inning win against Philadelphia, 7-6, at Forbes Field after Dick Stuart’s two-run double in overtime. The Bucs rallied from a five-run deficit on the strength of Danny Kravitz and Stuart homers to sweep the doubleheader. They took the opener, 2-1, behind Harvey Haddix’s arm and Bob Skinner’s two-out, ninth-inning knock that scored Dick Hoak to climb to four games from the top. Maybe they listened to NBC broadcaster Leo Durocher, who regaled some of the Buccos before the game with tales of his ‘51 Giants winning the pennant although 12-1/2 games back at one point. Face had also won the last five decisions of 1958, giving him a 22-game winning streak. He finished the year 18-1, and his 18 relief wins remains the major league record. The Baron went a month (6/11-7/12) without giving up a run, and his 22 straight wins is second only to Carl Hubbell’s 24-game streak.

1960 - The Pirates defeated Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers, 5-2, at the LA Memorial Coliseum. Bob Friend picked up the win with help from ElRoy Face, supported by long balls from Dick Groat and Roberto Clemente. Arriba was the only right-handed hitter beside Frank Howard to homer the opposite way in the Coliseum during the season, swatting a Koufax heater 400’.

1972 - Bob Prince turned the mic over to ex-KDKA announcer Harold Arlin, the first man to ever broadcast a live baseball game. The Gunner graced him to call a few innings in Pittsburgh while Harold’s grandson, Steve Arlin, was on the mound for San Diego. Pap didn’t have much to brag about as the Bucs won 11-0, with Manny Sanguillen and Dave Cash combining to drive in seven runs on five hits. The game’s highlight was when Roberto Clemente tied the club record for hits with a pair of knocks, equaling Honus Wagner's franchise mark of 2,970 career hits.

1972 - A Federal Court decision dismissed a $3M suit against the Pirates brought by Sportservice of Buffalo, Forbes Field’s concessionaires, claiming they had the concession rights to Three Rivers Stadium. The gist of the case was a 1946 side deal between Sportservice and Pirates president Frank McKinney. The judge ruled that since that agreement was never approved by the boards of either organization, the concession contract was terminated when Forbes Field closed.

8/30 From 1975: Cutch 20-20, GI & Freddy For 4, Paul's Debut, Comin' Back, Game Days, Hayes-Martinez & Buechele Deals, Latin HoF, Bye Rick, HBD Luis & Marlon

1977 - OF Marlon Byrd was born in Boynton Beach, Florida. The Pirates acquired the vet, along with John Buck, from the Mets for the 2013 stretch run in exchange for Dilson Herrera and Vic Black. He came through, hitting .318 with three homers during the regular season and .364 in the postseason with a big three-run homer in the Wild Card win against the Reds. He then signed with the Phils during the off season. Byrd also picked up a pair of PED suspensions, in 2012 and 2016, with the second one ending his 15-year, 11-team MLB career.

1979 - IF Luis Rivas was born in La Guaira, Venezuela. Luis played for eight years, primarily for the Twins, and finished his career in Pittsburgh in 2008, batting .218 (he had never hit under .256 in his prior stops) after signing a minor league FA deal for $525K. He did have one big week - he had his first two-homer game on May 25th and banged his first grand slam on the 31st.

1984 - Bob Hertzel of the Press reported that the Pirates were making reliever Kent Tekulve available, but the market wasn’t biting. Teke still had three years left on his contract worth $2.6M, was 37 years old and had a 3.29 ERA with just 10 saves. The Bucs couldn’t move him, but after an icy start in 1985, they dropped their price and sent him to the Phils for Al Holland in late April. 

1990 - The Pirates picked up vet OF/1B Carmelo Martinez from the Phillies for OF’s Tony Longmire, Wes Chamberlain and Julio Peguero. The deal was made of necessity; GM Larry Doughty had placed them on waivers that he believed to be recallable; he was wrong, and so worked out a deal with the Phils. Martinez lasted less than a season with the Bucs, while the young outfield prospects ended up with bench roles during their brief careers, with Chamberlain the only one with legs, lasting six years for the Phils and Reds as a part-timer.

1991 - The Rangers traded 3B Steve Buechele to the Pirates for young pitchers Kurt Miller and Hector Fajardo. Buechele, a FA, signed with the Pirates after the season, but was moved at the next deadline for Danny Jackson after hitting .248 in 453 BA and played four more seasons through 1995. Miller tossed off-and-on until 1999, appearing in 44 games for the Marlins and Cubs, while Fajardo was done in 1995 after pitching in 28 games for the Rangers.

Charlie Hayes - 1996 Leaf

1996 - The Pirates sent 3B Charlie Hayes to the Yankees (the eighth player New York brought in during August) for a PTBNL, RHP Chris Corn. Charlie hit .286 for the Yankees and played through 2001; Corn never advanced past AA ball. Hayes’ son Ke’Bryan carried on the local legacy until he was dealt in 2025.

2002 - After marathon sessions, Bud Selig & Donald Fehr announced a new four-year Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB and the MLBPA. Revenue sharing increased, random drug tests were permitted, a luxury tax was introduced, the minimum salary rose to $300K and contraction, a major bone of contention, was ruled out until at least 2006. The 30th was the drop-dead date set by the Union to wrap up negotiations and the two sides just beat the clock. 

2005 - The Milwaukee Brewers fell by a score of 6-0 to the Bucs behind Paul Maholm’s four-hitter at Miller Park, an impressive outing for the 23-year-old lefty’s first MLB start on a game day delayed due to rain. It was an oasis in an otherwise arid stretch of games that saw Pittsburgh lose 11-of-12 contests. The Bucs put up a five spot in the first inning, keyed by Jack Wilson’s base-clearing, bases-loaded double (he also later started a slick DP with a diving stop and open glove feed to Freddy Sanchez). The Bucs had the bases empty with two outs, but Doug Davis walked four of the next five batters, all on 3-2 pitches, before Wilson cashed in.

2006 - Pittsburgh scored three times in the 11th inning against the Cubs to take a last-man-standing, 10-9, victory at PNC Park. The 12,730 fans who came out for the getaway game saw lots of action, as the two teams pounded out 40 hits (20 each) and not one cleared a fence. Chicago tallied twice off Marty McLeary (who got the win), but the Bucs scored on Jose Castillo’s single to cut the lead to one. A walk later, the bases were jammed for Freddy Sanchez, and he lined a two-run, two-out single to right for the win, giving him four RBI on the night. Castillo had four knocks while Jason Bay and Xavier Nady had three hits. The win gave the Bucs a three-game sweep and their second straight walkoff win v Chicago.

Freddy Sanchez - 2006 Upper Deck

2011 - Andrew McCutchen was a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dismal outing as he hit a ninth-inning homer against the Houston Astros in an 8-2 loss at Minute Maid Park. With that swat, he became the eighth Pirates player to ring up 20 home runs/20 stolen bases in one season, and the first since Nate McLouth, who Cutch later replaced, in 2008. Starling Marte last pulled off the honors for the Bucs in both 2018 (20 homers/33 steals) and 2019 (23 homers, 25 steals).

2013 - The Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cards, 5-0, at PNC Park behind Francisco Liriano’s two-hitter and a 3-for-4 night by Garrett Jones, who had four RBI and was a triple short of the cycle. The HR was #100 of his career. Pittsburgh moved back into a Central Division tie for first with the Redbirds in front of a sellout crowd of 38,036, ultimately finishing second to earn a wild card.

2013 - The Dominican-based Latino Baseball Hall of Fame announced its newest class at Marlins Park, and it was well-repped by ex-Pirates inductees Matty Alou (1966-70), Vic Davalillo (1971-73), Rennie Stennett (1971-79), Tony Armas (1976) and Julian Javier, Bucs farmhand from 1956-59 who was blocked by Maz and dealt to the Cards.

2014 - Neil Walker provided the day’s offense with his first-inning, three-run homer, and it was just enough to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 win over Cincinnati at PNC Park in front of 38,023 fans. Vance Worley earned the win with Justin Wilson, Tony Watson and Mark Melancon finishing up with 2-2/3 scoreless innings from the pen.

2021 - Hitting coach Rick Eckstein was let go by the Pirates. He was hired by GM Neal Huntington in November of 2018 to replace Jeff Branson and retained by Ben Cherington, but never got a lot of talent to work with, and after a couple of dismal offensive seasons by the club, lost his spot. Andy Haimes, formerly of the Brew Crew, was hired to replace him after the season (Matt Hague took his spot in 2025). Brother David was a special assistant to the GM between 2019-21 before he too departed. Rick now works for USA Baseball.

8/29 Through 1984: Robby-Rick & Bob Shows, Double The Fun, Game Days, WENS TV, RIP Big Poison, TSN Giusti, HBD Billy, Dode, Pep, Woody, Ensign & Jimmie

1883 - UT Jimmie Savage was born in Southington, Connecticut. Savage appeared in the show for three seasons, including 1914-15 when he played for the Pittsburgh Rebels of the Federal League. Jimmie, then 30-years-old, played mostly in left but filled in at short and third base as needed. He finished his Rebel days with a .278 BA and his only MLB homer. He stayed local, dying in New Castle, but true to his family roots, Jimmie was buried in Southington.

1888 - LHP Ensign (his given name) Cottrell was born in Hoosick Falls, New York. He started his five-year career in the majors in 1911 with the Pirates after leaving Syracuse University, giving up four runs in his inning of work, and was released later in the season without any more action. He tossed his last game in 1915 for the Yankees, then went off to RPI to finish his education, becoming a self-employed civil engineer and surveyor in Syracuse.

1892 - OF/1B Roy “Woody” Wood was born in Monticello, Arkansas. Roy started his three-year career with the Pirates after playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He hit .286 in a short stint, played two years for Cleveland and then left baseball after the 1916 season to become a naval aviator in WW1. Woody went back to Fayetteville afterward, opened a dry goods store and was a mover in the town’s civic affairs before passing away at home in 1974.

1907 - IF Lemuel Floyd “Pep” Young was born in Jamestown, North Carolina. He played eight years (1933-40) for the Bucs, hitting .264 and playing mainly second, but with some shortstop and third thrown in. He was a lineup regular for four years, with the high tide of his career being in 1938, when he received some votes for the National League MVP after hitting .278 in 149 games. As fate would have it, he hurt his knee the next season, and played just 93 games over his three years (1940-41; 1945). He became Pep because he was as peppy as an Energizer Bunny. Per the Harrisburg Daily Independent,  "He is the sort of player...who is on his toes all the time, chock full of life and ginger. It was his great display of energy in the minors that earned him the nickname of 'Pep.'"

Pep Young - 1940 Play Ball

1918 - C Joe “Dode” Schultz Jr. was born in Chicago. He played for the Bucs from 1939-41, hitting .231 as a seldom used reserve and pinch hitter. His dad, Joe Sr., was also a Pirate, donning the Bucco uni in 1916. Dode went on to manage the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and replaced Billy Martin as the Tigers skipper in 1973 in addition to serving a long minor league coaching career. As for his nickname, Rory Costello of SABR wrote “As a child, Joe’s parents nicknamed him Dode, although the boy (Joe) ‘had no idea what it meant, if anything.’” The book “Detroit Tigers Lists and More” by Mark Pattison & David Raglin claims Dode is shorthand for “Dodo.” No wonder Joe feigned innocence...

1919 - SS Billy Cox was born in Newport, located in central Pennsylvania. He got a September call-up in 1941, spent four years in the service and became the starting Bucco shortstop in 1946-47, batting .280. He was traded to Brooklyn, moved to the hot corner, and played seven seasons for the Dodgers. Cox played in three World Series, where he hit .302.

1925 - The eventual World Series champ Bucs put on a batting clinic against Philly in a twin bill at the Baker Bowl, sweeping both ends, 11-2 and 13-1, while banging out 32 hits. Glenn Wright (homer/double) and Clyde Barnhart (double) each had three raps, scored twice and combined for seven RBI to pave an easy road for Emil Yde’s 15th win. In the nightcap, Ray Kremer spun a five-hitter for his 12th dub. Wright (double), Pie Traynor (two homers) and George Grantham (two doubles) totalled 11 hits, plated eight times and chased home six runs. Johnny Gooch added a pair of knocks and posted three RBI.

1953 - TV station WENS (Channel 16) kicked off its entry into the Pittsburgh market by being the first to televise a Pirate game from Forbes Field. There were two high cameras (one behind home, the other on the first base line; eventually, a third field-level camera was added) while the radio announcers, Rosey Rowswell and Bob Prince, did the play-by-play. Oh, the Bucs lost to the St. Louis Cards 5-4 in front of 3,145 that Saturday afternoon despite 2B Johnny O’Brien’s three hits. WENS chose the ballgame to start as they were heavily into sports, televising not only the Bucs but Duquesne basketball and Pittsburgh Hornet hockey. WENS (W-Entertainment, News, Sports) was an ABC affiliate and went off the air in 1957 after Channels 4 & 11 were licensed.

Rosey Rowswell - 1952 Topps

1956 - The Pirates rallied in the ninth to tie the Braves 1-1 at County Stadium, only to lose when Roy Face was tagged for a three-run, walkoff homer by Joe Adcock. But there was, despite the low score, plenty of action. In the fourth, Dick Groat asked for a clean ball to be put into play and home plate Frank Dascoli denied him. That started a heated argument, as the Bucs believed Milwaukee starter Lew Burdette was tossing a wet one (a career-long suspicion), which was the trigger for Groat’s request. Then in the eighth, Frank Thomas was rung up trying to score; that call was also disputed and ended up getting Danny Murtaugh and Ronnie Kline sent to the showers.

1959 - Bob Friend helped himself by driving in three runs with a two-out, bases-loaded double while tossing a nine-hitter against the Phils in an 11-1 romp at Forbes Field. Smoky Burgess also chased home a trio of runs with a pair of homers while Dick Groat added four hits.

1965 - Hall of Fame OF’er Paul “Big Poison” Waner died in Sarasota, Florida at age 62. Among his many marks were a .333 lifetime BA, 3,152 hits with eight 200+ hit seasons, and a 1927 MVP award. His #11 was retired by the Pirates in 2007. After his playing days, he owned a batting cage teaching establishment in Harmarville, and one of the guys he helped develop there was rookie shortstop and eventual MVP Dick Groat of Wilkinsburg. 

1970 - Dave Giusti was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Pirate Cutthroat.” He posted a line of 9-3-26/3.06 during his “cutthroat” campaign, answering the bell 66 times and working 103 innings. 

Dave Giusti - TSN Cover Boy

1978 - Despite a 36-minute rain delay, Bert Blyleven spun a five-hit, complete game shutout with eight strikeouts in a 5-0 win over the Reds at Riverfront Stadium. Willie Stargell led the attack with three hits, including a homer, and three RBI while Dave Parker & Ed Ott anted up a pair of knocks. It was Bert’s 39th whitewash; he would go on to toss 60 during his career.

1983 - The Pirates Rick Rhoden, with late help from Kent Tekulve, edged the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 at Riverfront Stadium to increase the Bucs division lead to 1-1/2 games over the Phils and Expos. Rhoden scattered six hits and fanned nine while helping himself at the dish with an RBI knock; the other run came courtesy of a Marvell Wynne homer. Teke picked up the slack by tossing two innings of one-hit ball to close it out after Rhoden left the game with a twinge in his arm.

1984 - God helps those who help themselves: RHP Don Robinson pitched two scoreless innings of relief, knocked in the go-ahead run and scored the insurance marker as the Pirates beat the Astros 4-2 at The Astrodome. Robinson broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the 9th inning with a two-out single and touched home with an insurance run after Tony Pena followed with a double.

8/29 From 1985: 7-In-1, J-Hay Day, Kris & Wags 1-Hitters, Bonds Bop, AVS Slam, Game Days, Ray Deal, Cota Dance, S-Rod Goes

1987 - Lotta firsts: Andy Van Slyke hit his first (and only) grand slam off Larry Andersen with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to ice an 8-2 win against the Houston Astros at TRS, extending the Bucco win streak to five games. Mike LaValliere went deep for the first time on the season and Mike Bielecki picked up his first win of the campaign while tossing the first complete game of his career. He almost had his first MLB shutout, too, tossing goose eggs into the ninth (he would finally author a whitewash in 1989). His six-hitter topped Nolan Ryan and Larry Anderson. Bobby Bonilla added three hits, including a double, and chased home three runs. Not all the moments were firsts but continuations: the Ryan Express passed the 200+ K mark for a record 11th year.

1987 - The Pirates traded 2B Johnny Ray to the Angels for two minor leaguers, 3B Bill Merrifield and LHP Miguel Garcia, in one of Syd Thrift’s few bloopers. With Jose Lind in the wings, the Pirates thought Ray, whose range had diminished noticeably at age 30, was expendable after seven years and a .286 BA. Maybe he was, but the Bucs sure didn’t get much - Merrifield never played for Pittsburgh and Garcia made 13 Pirate appearances with a 7.71 ERA. Meanwhile, Ray won an All-Star berth and hit .296 in four seasons for the Halos before closing his career in Japan. Ray’s agent said that the 2B had demanded the trade after GM Thrift brought up Lind, claiming that Chico would cut into Ray’s playing time and cost him bonus money. The two sides had been cool since spring training when an expected (by Ray) contract extension didn’t happen, soooo... 

1988 - LHP Dave LaPoint became the first Pirate starter to begin his Pittsburgh career with three one-run or fewer starts when he whipped the Reds 8-1 at Riverfront Stadium. He was obtained for reliever Barry Jones in August from the White Sox and finished the year 4-2/2.77 for the Buccos. Dave then signed with the Yankees as a FA the following season.

1990 - Barry Bonds went 3-for-4 with five RBI to lead the Bucs to a 10-0 rain-shortened seven inning win over the Braves at Atlanta-Fulton Stadium. Jeff King added three RBI as Doug Drabek won his 17th contest. The game ended a four-game losing streak and followed a clubhouse meeting held by manager Jim Leyland after a lackadaisical 9-0 loss the night before.

Paul Wagner - 1995 Fleer

1995 - RHP Paul Wagner came within one strike of a no-hitter with an 11K 4-0 win over the Rox at TRS. With two away in the ninth, 1B Andres Galarraga chopped a 3-2 pitch past the mound and over second, where Nelson Liriano made the grab but couldn’t beat The Big Cat to first with his throw. For Wags, it was just his third win against 13 losses, and the victory snapped a six-game Pittsburgh losing string, so all’s well that ends well despite the soft hit.

1998 - The Historical Society of Carnegie dedicated a marker recognizing Honus Wagner on the corner of Mansfield Boulevard and Chartiers Avenue, across the street from the house he was born and raised in. The site was selected after a public vote. The tablet stated “Honus Wagner, 1874-1955, The Flying Dutchman. Hailed as baseball’s greatest shortstop and all-around player...” 

2000 - Kris Benson shutout the Giants 8-0 at TRS. He gave up one hit in eight frames, a first-inning single to Barry Bonds, along with five walks and seven strikeouts. The Pirates banged four doubles (two by Enrique Wilson), a triple and a homer (John Vander Wal) off Livian Hernandez, who only managed six outs before getting the hook. The performance highlighted his home cookin’ line at TRS - he slashed 7-4/2.78 at home and 3-8/5.23 on the road during the season.

2003 - C Humberto Cota was suspended without pay and removed from the 40-man roster for refusing to play for AAA Nashville. He had hurt his hand in winter ball during the 2002-03 off season and told the Sounds he was injured and in too much pain to keep on playing after he was sent down by the Pirates, a diagnosis not shared by the team docs. Cota took 2-1/2 months off to rest his paw, then got back in shape by playing some winter ball outfield. The Bucs reinstated him and invited him to camp, where he won a backup role in 2004, allowing Craig Wilson to move to the OF. He held down an off-and-on bench spot through 2007, and even played a career-high 98 games in 2005 after Jason Kendall was traded to the Oakland A’s during the previous winter.

Humberto Cota - 2003 Topps Total

2006 - The Pirates scored twice in the 11th on an error and a bases loaded walk to defeat the Cubs 7-6 at PNC Park. Matt Capps, the sixth Pirate pitcher, picked up the win while Xavier Nady went 3-for-5 with a double and a couple of runs scored. The Cubs had jumped out to a 4-0 lead; the Bucs tied it in the sixth, then the clubs exchanged tallies in the seventh to set up some bonus baseball. It was also notable as the first “Pup Night” at the yard; 200 tickets were reserved for furry fans, and it was a howling success that is still carried on.

2012 - The Pirates made their last push of the year, dropping the Cards by a 5-0 score behind Wandy Rodriguez at PNC Park. Pedro Alvarez banged a three-run homer to lead the attack. The Bucs moved within a game of the wildcard berth, having shut out the Redbirds 9-0 the day before with Petey adding another pair of homers and four RBI in support of James McDonald. It was just a tease; Pittsburgh finished September 7-21 and ended the season with just 79 wins.

2014 - It was Josh Harrison day at PNC Park against the Cincinnati Reds. Presented with the Heart & Hustle Award before the game, J-Hay had the key hit in the Pirates come-from-behind 2-1 win. His triple off Jonathan Broxton scored Andrew Lambo to tie the game in the eighth inning, and Josh came home with the game winner on Jose Tabata’s chopper through a drawn-in infield. Not only did J-Hay have three hits, but made several web-gem plays during the contest, the best of the bunch being a diving stop that he turned into a 5-3 DP and a hustling chase of a bad relay that led to a thrown out runner at home. Edinson Volquez had a no-hitter through six frames, but was in line for a loss after Tony Watson, in relief with two outs in the eighth, allowed a soft single to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. Watson got the win after Mark Melancon tossed a perfect ninth for the save. The game was played before a sellout crowd of 37,209 fans.

2016 - Gregory Polanco blasted a three-run, opposite field home run off the Cubs Jake Arrieta at Wrigley Field for the 11,000th homer in Pirates history. Josh Bell added his second career home run with another oppo taco, a solo shot in the fourth inning in a 5:03, 13-inning contest that the Bucs eventually lost, 8-7. Pittsburgh loaded the bases with no outs in the final inning, but could only chase home one run on a Josh Harrison sac fly. It didn’t hold up - Jeff Locke couldn’t get an out in his second inning of work and Chicago took home the bacon.

Trevor Williams - 2018 Topps

2018 - Trevor Williams went six innings of three-hit, scoreless ball with a career-high eight strikeouts and the bullpen (Edgar Santana, Keone Kela and Felipe Vazquez) took care of the rest as the Pirates dropped the Cards 2-0 at Busch Stadium. A little small ball paid off in the fifth as the Bucs used a bunt, bloop and hit-and-run to generate the scores with Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco driving in the runs. Polanco, Corey Dickerson and Adam Frazier each had a pair of hits while Marte and Jordy Mercer scored to generate the attack, as it was.

2018 - Utilityman Sean Rodriguez, in his second go-around with the Pirates, was DFA’ed when Jordy Mercer came off the DL. S-Rod joined the Pirates in the winter of 2014 after a trade with Tampa Bay for P Buddy Borden, hit .246, and signed for another season at $2.5 M. He hit .270 w/18 HR and was a NL Player of the Week in 2016, then signed a two-year, $11.5 M deal with the Atlanta Braves. He injured his rotator cuff in a car accident and was traded back to the Pirates in 2017 for 1B/OF Connor Joe. In his first game back with the Pirates, he hit a walk-off home run, but it went downhill after that. S-Rod hit .168 for the Bucs over the remainder of the campaign and .167 the following year before he was let go. He played every position except pitcher/catcher while with the club. He last saw action with Miami in 2020 and is now a Phils player development coach.

2019 - The Pirates sent 11 batters to the plate in the first inning and scored seven times against Colorado at Coors Field, then hung on to finally take an 11-8 victory. Kevin Newman led off with a homer with two hits in the opening frame and had four on the night, including a second dinger. Adam Frazier also chipped in four hits and Jose Osuna added a homer. The Pirates had an eight-run lead in the eighth, only to see the Rockies tee off on the bullpen and make it interesting at 11-8. Felipe Vazquez came on to get a drama-free save of Trevor William’s win.

8/28 Thru The 1960s: Arriba Attack, Ray's 27-Gamer, Deacon & Howie Gems, Suhr Streak, Kiki Duet, Jewels Replaces Donie, Shep Signed, HBD Mark, Howie, Wally, Willis, Cholly & Chauncey

1873 - IF Bill “Chauncey” Stuart was born in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. Bill was a two-sport star, also playing halfback for Penn State football. As a 21-year-old, he got into 19 games and collected 77 at-bats in 1895 with the Pirates, batting .247; he would get one more major league outing in 1899 with the NY Giants, going 0-for-3. He retired after that and went into oil speculation. He died in Fort Worth, but was buried close to home at State College.

1898 - Charlie “Jolly Cholly” Grimm was born in St. Louis. The 1B played six years (1919-24) in Pittsburgh, hitting .286, but made his reputation with Chicago in the following dozen years after a big 1924 trade sent him to the Windy City and played for four teams through 20 campaigns. Charlie became a manager after his playing days with stops in Boston/Milwaukee and the Cubs. He earned his nickname for his cheerful, upbeat manner, ala Chuck Tanner.

1898 - Willis Moody was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He came to Pittsburgh as a 21-year-old to play for the Keystones and later spent four seasons with the Homestead Grays. He only got into a dozen games as a Gray (he mostly played for the indy black teams that were based in the area), but left his mark on the City as an amateur sportsman, starting youth teams in Belzhoover, a baseball team in the 18th Ward of Pittsburgh, and managing several local semi-pro clubs.

1902 - OF Wally Roettger was born in St. Louis. Wally ended his eight-year MLB career (spent mostly with the Cards and Reds) in Pittsburgh in 1934, hitting .245. A college hoopster in addition to being a ballplayer, Wally went on to become the baseball skipper at the University of Illinois from 1935-51 and an assistant basketball coach from 1936-49; he started on that trail when he coached hoops at Illinois Wesleyan during the baseball off-season. His tale had a sad ending; at age 49, with heart problems and failing eyesight, he took his own life.

Wally Roettger - 1934 George Burke/Real Photo Postcard

1911 - Pirate super scout Howie Haak was born in Rochester, NY. Pittsburgh discovered much of its legendary Latino talent from the mid-1950s through the 1980s thanks to Haak's efforts. He recommended that Pittsburgh draft Roberto Clemente from the Brooklyn system and signed Manny Sanguillen, Omar Moreno and Rennie Stennett of Panama; Julian Javier, Tony Pena, Jose DeLeon, and Cecilio Guante of the Dominican Republic; Al McBean of the Virgin Islands and Roman Mejias of Cuba. Howie left Pittsburgh after the 1988 season and spent the final five years of his scouting career working for the Houston Astros, retiring at the age of 82. He passed away at age 87 in Palm Springs in 1999. Haak was selected as the first recipient of the Scout of the Year award in 1984.

1925 - The Pirates hung on to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 10-9 at the Baker Bowl. Kiki Cuyler had four hits, including a pair of inside-the-park homers, Eddie Moore and Clyde Barnhart added three knocks apiece and George Grantham homered. Babe Adams and Tom Sheehan gave up five runs in the bottom of the ninth and Ray Kremer had to come on to get the final out with the bases juiced. He retired pinch hitter Nelson “Chicken” Hawks, who was batting for the second time in the inning and already had a hit and run scored under his belt.

1929 - Donie Bush resigned as the Pirate manager, replaced by coach Jewel Ens. Bush took the team to the World Series in 1927, where they were swept by the Murderer’s Row Yankees, playing without Kiki Cuyler, who Bush had benched. The Pirates had lost 8-of-9 when Bush resigned and were 14-½ games behind the eventual titlists, the Chicago Cubs.

1930 - The Pirates scored in double figures for the third straight game, beating the Cincy Reds 11-2 at Forbes Field in the second game of a twin bill after winning 16-12 in the lid lifter. The club started the streak at Wrigley Field with a 10-8 win over the Chicago Cubs. Gus Suhr went 7-for-13 with six runs, eight RBI, two homers, two triples and a double over that span.

Gus Suhr - 1930 Cracker Jack pin

1940 - Homestead Grays RHP Ray Brown earned his 27th consecutive victory (vs. all competition, both barnstorming and league) over a two-year span when he shut out the Baltimore Elite Giants 5-0 on three hits, bringing his record to 12-0 (he finished 15-4). Brown played for Cum Posey's Grays from 1932-45 and again in 1947-48 (in fact, he married Posey’s daughter Ethel), winning 109 games in his career. He was selected for the Hall of Fame in 2006.

1951 - The Bucs ended the New York Giants winning streak at 16 games, the longest since 1935, when LHP Howie Pollet tossed a six-hit shutout for a 2-0 win at the Polo Grounds. The Pirates only had three hits (two by rookie Frank Thomas), but were issued eight free passes (three to Ralph Kiner), and both eighth-inning Bucco runs were unearned following two-out muffs.

1953 - You’d think a seven-run inning would be plenty to ensure a win, but the Pirates proved it not so against the Cards at Forbes Field. The Redbirds scored four runs in the fifth to take a 6-1 lead, but the Bucs, powered by longballs off the bats of Frank Thomas and Vic Janowicz, came right back with a seven spot of their own to regain the lead. But Big Mo proved fickle; St. Louis put up four more runs in the seventh and the Bucs were out of rallies. Pittsburgh scored in the seventh to cut the lead to a run, but left the bases loaded to squelch their last hurrah.

1956 - The Bucs spotted Warren Spahn and the first place Milwaukee Braves a four-run lead at County Stadium, then scored four times in the seventh to tie the game on the back of Dale Long’s three-run homer. The Pirates took command the next frame when Dick Groat’s two-out infield knock to the SS hole plated Frank Thomas and Pittsburgh held on for a 5-4 victory, credited to ElRoy Face. A tag team sixth-inning catch may have ignited the Bucs: per the Milwaukee Journal's Cleon Walfoort "Clemente and Bill Virdon robbed Spahn of an extra-base hit and the Braves of one or more runs. Clemente got his glove on the ball against the fence and Virdon grabbed it as it squirted out. It was just after this remarkable catch that the Pirates came to life."

Dale Long - 1956 Topps

1959 - Vern Law whitewashed the Philadelphia Phillies 9-0 on five hits at Forbes Field, striking out seven and supported by three solo homers off the bats of Roberto Clemente, Smoky Burgess and Rocky Nelson. Clemente’s was an inside-the-park four-bagger that hit off the flagpole in left center 457’ away on one hop. Pittsburgh banged out 10 hits and drew nine walks.

1960 - OF/1B Mark Ryal was born in Henryetta, Oklahoma. Mark closed out a bits-and-pieces five-team, six-year MLB career with the Bucs in 1990, going 1-for-12. He went to Japan for a couple of years afterward. He scouted briefly and got into college coaching; he’s now an amateur coach and private tutor. Mark’s main claim to fame is that he was the last lefty to play shortstop in MLB, manning the spot in 1987 as a California Angel.

1964 - Joe Gibbon and the Phils’ Jim Bunning traded zeroes for the first seven innings at Forbes Field. Then Bunning led a charge of four straight Philadelphia hits in the eighth as the Brotherly Love nine pulled ahead 2-0 before Tommie Sisk and Roy Face could quiet their bats. The score stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth. A Bill Virdon knock and one-out Jerry Lynch walk was followed by a Willie Stargell single to make it 2-1, and then old Shake, Rattle and Roll, Smoky Burgess, lifted an Ed Roebuck offering into the seats to walk off a 4-2 win. 

1967 - Roberto Clemente had three hits, including two homers, to lead the Bucs to a 4-3 win over the Braves. He hit the game winning blast with two outs in the 10th at Atlanta Stadium. Denny Ribant got the win and Juan Pizarro the save.

1968 - The Bucs gave Larry Shepard a new contract. GM Joe Brown said “I’m making the announcement now to give the players an incentive to finish higher, knowing Larry will be back.” The incentive didn’t light much of a fire under the players - Larry managed the Pirates to an 80-82 record in 1968, and the Pirates were 84-73 when the team fired him late in the 1969 campaign and replaced him with Alex Grammas, who was bumped by Danny Murtaugh in 1970.

8/28 From 1970: Byrd Swoops, El Toro Launch, Johan-Brian & Josh Gems, Pops Gun, Game Days, Neagle-Schmidt, HBD TJ

1972 - Willie Stargell almost single-handedly carried the Bucs to a 5-3 win over San Diego at TRS with a pair of two-run blasts off Mike Caldwell. His bombs gave Bob Moose a 5-1 lead to work with, and until the ninth he was cruising before the Padres banged back-to-back long balls with one out; he then gave up a single. Ramon Hernandez was waved in; he gave up another knock to bring the winning run to the plate. Ramon settled down, and a whiff & a pop into short right closed the book. Pops’ blasts were big; the Pirates only had six hits during the contest. 

1974 - The Giants banged out 14 hits at Candlestick Park, but the Bucs took home the bacon with a 3-1 in 11 innings on Ed Kirkpatrick’s two-out double. San Francisco stranded 16 runners as Jerry Reuss and game winner Dave Giusti bent but didn’t break. It was Pittsburgh’s sixth straight win and nudged them 1-1/2 games ahead of the Cardinals.

1978 - John Candelaria, pitching through a bad elbow (he had to skip some starts to let it calm down), went six innings of two-hit, one-run, six-strikeout ball and Ed Whitson followed with three no-hit frames as the Bucs tossed their way past the Reds 3-1 at Riverfront Stadium. It wasn’t much of an attack by the Pirates - Dave Parker’s triple sent home Omar Morena while Bill Robinson had a sac fly & blooper to plate Parker and later, Steve Brye. Pittsburgh stranded 10 runners during the contest, leaving the bases loaded twice to allow the Redlegs some false hope.

1980 - RHP TJ Beam was born in Scottsdale, Arizona. TJ put his second and last MLB campaign in with the Pirates in 2008, slashing 2-2-1/4.14 in 32 appearances. He afterward inked a couple of minor league deals and closed out his playing days in an indie league. Beam served as a pitching coach for Ole Miss for two seasons when he returned to campus to complete his degree.

1988 - The Atlanta Braves sent IF Ken Oberkfell and cash to the Pirates for OF Tommy Gregg. Oberkfell spent a season and change with the Bucs as a seldom used reserve, batting .181 in 34 games, while Gregg played nine more years, mostly as a reserve/platoon outfielder.

Ken Oberkfell - 1989 Topps

1992 - OF Dave Clark, signed as a minor league free agent during the off season, became the first modern-era Buffalo Bison (then the Pirates top farm club) to hit for the cycle during a 16-9 win over the current AAA squad, Indianapolis. He added six RBI, and was called up to the big team in September, starting a run with the Pirates that lasted into the 1996 campaign.

1996 - LHP Denny Neagle was traded to the Atlanta Braves for RHP Jason Schmidt, OF Corey Pointer and 1B Ron Wright. Schmidt continued the series of starters who would be developed by the Bucs (like Neagle) just to blossom elsewhere because of salary constraints in Pittsburgh. Schmidt went 44-47/4.39 in six Bucco seasons before breaking out as a Giant (three All-Star nods & a World Series); Neagle had gone 43-35/4.02 for his five seasons as a Pirate before five strong campaigns with the Braves (All-Star) and Reds, with two World Series. With that deal done, the Bucs and Cards, along with Cleveland, began talking turkey regarding Jeff King, but they couldn’t agree on a return and Jeff made it through the season before being sent to KC in the winter.

2002 - Atlanta’s Greg Maddux hooked up with Brian Meadows in a pitching duel at PNC Park; Maddux went nine innings and Meadows eight, leaving a 0-0 game to their bullpens. Scott Sauerbeck tossed an uneventful ninth, but his next-in-line, Mike Williams, made it exciting in the 10th when he loaded the bases with two outs and went 3-2 on Rafael Furcal before getting him to fan. Mike Remlinger couldn’t match the drama. He worked the bonus frame, walking a pair with one away before Brian Giles shot a ball into the RF corner to chase home the winning run in a 1-0 cliffhanger. It would have been a tough loss to swallow; the Bucs had 10 hits but couldn’t cash anyone in until Giles came through. Family affair: it was the first time the Giles brothers, Brian and Marcus, met in an MLB game.

2003 - Josh Fogg tossed a four-hitter - he didn’t give up a hit until the sixth inning - en route to a 5-0 win over the Marlins and Dontre Willis at TRS. Jack Wilson had four RBI, with the game’s key blow a two-out, bases-loaded double in the fourth to give Fogg a cushion to work with. Mike Lincoln and Julian Taveras got the final four outs to preserve the whitewash. Kip Wells had shutout the Fish in the previous game as the Pirates swept the three-game series.

Josh Fogg - 2003 Upper Deck Vintage

2007 - Freddy Sanchez and Matt Capps were the Bucs’ two-headed monster at PNC Park in a twin sweep of the Reds. Freddy’s grand salami was the big blow in a 6-5 win in the opener while his eighth-inning triple in the nightcap led to the winning tally in a 3-2 victory. The Mad Capper carried his weight, too, saving both ends of the doubleheader for Tom Gorzelanny and Shawn Chacon. The Pirates were riding a bit of a wave, with 14 wins in the last 20 games.

2012 - Pedro Alvarez hit the longest homer by a Pirate at PNC Park, (he bettered his this blast in October, 2015, blasting one 479’), bombing a sixth inning Brandon Dickson delivery 469’ for his 25th dinger. The shot cleared the yard in center and bounced onto the Allegheny Riverwalk during the Bucs 9-0 win over St. Louis. El Toro also added a 422’ shot in the third off Jake Westbrook and finished the game a triple shy of the cycle as James McDonald got the win, giving up two hits with six K in seven frames.  

2013 - Newly acquired Marlon Byrd hit a homer and tallied three RBI in his first game with the Bucs to lead Pittsburgh to a 7-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park. Charlie Morton earned the victory. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Byrd was the third Pirate player to hit a home run and have at least three RBI in his first game with the team after playing for another MLB team earlier in the season. The other quick-off-the-blocks starters: Derrek Lee hit two dingers and had three RBI on August 1st, 2011 after being traded by the Orioles and Shawon Dunston hit two long balls and drove in four runs on September 2nd, 1997 after being acquired from the Cubs.

2022 - The Bucs snapped an ugly seven-game losing streak by dropping the Phils at Citizens Bank Park by a 5-0 score. The stopper was rookie Roansy Contreras, who spun five shutout frames while giving up three hits, two walks and fanning seven. Manny Banuelos, Duane Underwood Jr. and Wil Crowe pitched one-hit ball the rest of the way to toss the Bucs first road shutout of the season. The Pirates banged out three triples (Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz and Tucupita Marcano) and used a balanced attack as all nine Pirates starters posted a hit, RBI or run scored to gang up on Noah Syndergaard. 

Roansy Contreras - 2022 Topps Fire

2023 - Ellwood City native Hack Wilson had a Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission roadside marker dedicated to him on Woodside Avenue (PA Route 65) at the Lincoln HS Baseball Field in Ewing Park, with the event hosted by the Ellwood City Area Historical Society. In 1930 as a Chicago Cub, Hack swatted 56 home runs, the National League record for 68 years, and drove in 191 runs, a mark yet to be topped. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.

2023 - Johan Oviedo tossed his first career complete game (and, needless to say, his first career shutout), a 112-pitch, two-hit 5-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. He struck out five, walked a pair and didn’t allow a runner to reach second base. The Buccos backed him with a 12-hit attack. Ke’Bryan Hayes went 4-for-4 with a walk to lead the lumbermen, who shot themselves in the foot by bouncing into three double plays.

2024 - The most runs that the Pirates ever yielded to the Cubs in a three-game home series was 27, happening way back in 1890 and 1897. Well, guess what? Even with the Bucs top trio of Mitch Keller, Jared Jones and Paul Skenes on the hill, the mark was shattered with 41 Cubby tallies. The Pirates lost the first two matches 18-8 and 9-5 but were up 10-3 in the seventh inning of today’s game. It didn’t hold - it was 10-8 going into the ninth for David Bednar, but by the time the smoke cleared, the Cubbies had a sweep, running away with a 14-10 decision. One notable detail: Oneil Cruz got his first outing in CF (he had one inning of MLB outfield time in 2022, in LF). And a final note: It’s the first time they’ve blown a seven-run lead since June 2, 2011 (Mets, 9-8).