7/16 Through the 1960s: Splish Splash Starg, Carlos Da Man, Bomb's Away, Happy Jack's Run Ends, Chief Rolls Threes, Knot Hole, Game Days, Teke Signs, HBD Howdy

1885 - In perhaps the earliest “knot hole” day promotion in the City, William Nimick, part-owner and president of the Alleghenys, announced in the Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph that all Saturday games at Recreation Park (nee Union Park) in Northside would feature dime admissions for children. The yard was the Alleghenys home until 1891, when the team moved to Expo Park. The concept was carried over to Forbes Field games. (S/O to @19thCenturyBucs).

1894 - SS James Howard “Howdy” Caton was born in nearby Zanesville, Ohio. He spent his four year MLB career (1917-20) with Pittsburgh, hitting .226 as a reserve infielder. Howdy never did hit a homer, but he did leg out 16 triples. After his Bucco tenure, he played for local teams in the Midwest League including his hometown Zanesville Greys squad for several years and had a day job as a city worker for Zanesville. Howdy also answered to the nickname Buster. 

1902 - “Happy Jack” Chesbro had his franchise-record 41-inning scoreless streak come to an end during his 9-1 win over Boston at Expo Park. His stats were still flashy - his record to date was 15-2/1.97 while he finished the year with a 28-6/2.17 mark for the pennant-winning Pirates. Ginger Beaumont was a homer shy of a cycle and Kitty Bransfield also added three hits as Pittsburgh banged out 15 knocks. Every Buccaneer in the lineup scored, had an RBI, or posted both.

1910 - Chief Wilson had three hits, including two triples, and the Bucs scored three times in the eighth off Christy Mathewson to sweep a four game set from the NY Giants at Forbes Field by a 6-3 score. With two outs in the eighth frame, Fred Clarke and Honus Wagner banged back-to-back doubles for the lead. The insurance markers came on a John Flynn RBI knock followed by Bill McKechnie’s drive that glanced off a glove to score Flynn. Deacon Phillippe got the win.

Chief Wilson - 1910 Tip Top Bread

1918 - The Bucs sent reserve 3B Gus Getz to Indianapolis of the American Association for minor-league vet SS Roy Allam. It ended up a minor deal. For the Pittsburgh-born Getz, it was the end of his seven-year MLB career. Ellam auditioned for the shortstop spot but hit just .130 in 26 games, and the stint was the last of his brief big league career (he played 10 games for the Reds).

1920 - Lefty Earl Hamilton pitched 16 shutout innings before running out of gas and losing 7-0 to the New York Giants. NY’s Rube Benton went the distance for the win at Forbes Field, tossing a seven hitter. The game featured outstanding defense, with the Pittsburgh Press citing “remarkable work in the field” and “fielding thrills” provided by both nines. It spotlighted Pirates birthday boy SS Howdy Caton’s lunging grab behind second and spin-a-rama toss to first to retire Frankie Frisch as “the greatest play witnessed on the local lot in several years.”

1950 - The Bucs scored three times in the eighth and once in the ninth inning to edge the Boston Braves 6-5 at Forbes Field. Ted Beard (whose ball hit the right field roof and bounced over it, making him  the first batter since Babe Ruth in 1935 and just the second in Forbes Field's 41-year history to clear the stadium's 89-foot-high roof), homered. Then Gus Bell went long after Ralph Kiner was intentionally walked with two down in the eighth to tie it. Earl Turner cracked another two-out dinger in the final frame to win it for Hank Borowy. Pittsburgh dropped the opener of the twin bill, 9-5. MLB set a record of 37 HR launched on this day; the Bucs contributed five long balls to the cause - Bell (2), Beard, Turner and Danny O’Connell’s blast in the first game.

1953 - Pittsburgh’s happy feet and a day by Carlos Bernier snapped the Pirates 10-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Braves at Forbes Field. In the fourth, the Bucs set up shop when Eddie O’Brien and Danny O’Connell inadvertently ran a double steal. Caught off base after a missed bunt, O’Brien redeemed himself by dancing into third after the Braves tried to pick him off at second, with O’Donnell steaming into second during the festivities. Bernier singled them both home and went to third on Paul Smith’s knock. Smith stole second without a throw, and then Carlos stole home, drawing a wild throw to the plate during his dash that allowed Smith to come around, too. Bernier later tripled and scored to help Bob Friend to a complete game victory.

Carlos Bernier - 1953 Topps

1960 - The Bucs jumped ahead of the Cincinnati Reds, 2-0, in the first inning, but found themselves down 5-2 going into the seventh at Forbes Field. Maz’s homer tightened it up and Don Hoak’s two-out, bases-loaded single an inning later tied it. The Pirates came all the way back when pinch hitter Dick Stuart, batting for reliever Earl Francis, drilled a walkoff homer over the left field fence with an out in the ninth for a 6-5 victory. Francis, who worked two scoreless frames, claimed  the Pittsburgh win.

1969 - Willie Stargell cannon-balled a pitch 495’ into the municipal swimming pool behind Jarry Park Stadium in the eighth inning as the Bucs beat the Expos, 8-7. The Pirates scored three times in the eighth and three more times in the ninth to claim the win. Roberto Clemente had a two-run, two-out single in the final frame, followed by the eventual game-winning knock, a Richie Hebner single that scored Stargell. Chuck Hartenstein got the save, even though he gave up a ninth-inning homer (the Expos hit four long balls), to close the victory for Joe Gibbon. It was a win, but not one of the team’s finer outings - they committed three errors, hit into four double plays and lost a run when Manny Sanguillen left third base too soon on a tag. Fun fact: The Expos later presented Willie with a life preserver to commemorate “all the swimmers he chased out of the pool” (christened as “La Piscine de Willie” - Willie’s Pool) with his Jarry Park blasts.

1969 - Pirates scout Dick Coury signed 22-year-old RHP Kent Tekulve as an undrafted free agent out of Marietta College. The contract was offered following a tryout at Forbes Field, where Tekulve didn’t pitch during the audition but in a private bullpen session after the main event, per Bob Hurte of SABR, and then was sent to Geneva farm club. Teke was a late bloomer, not cracking the Bucco roster until 1974, but made up for lost time - he tossed for a dozen years for the Pirates, making 722 appearances with a 2.68 ERA, 70 wins and 158 saves as a rubber-armed reliever. He put together a 16-year MLB career with 1,050 outings and a line of 94-90-184/2.85, working 90+ games three times and once pitching nine straight games before hangin’ up the mitt at age 42. (His retirement was 20 years to the day after he signed his first pro contract, on 7/17/89). Tekulve then worked for the Wild Things, as a Bucco scout, and finally a broadcaster before having a heart transplant in 2014 and retiring in 2017. He joined the Pirates Hall of Fame in 2023.

7/16 From 1970: Duelin' Doug, Dual Dave, Robby Rocket, TRS Opens, Game Days, Fraze Dealt, Skenes & ASGs HBD Ildemaro

1970 - The first game at Three Rivers Stadium, located near old Exposition Park, the home of the Pirates from 1891-1909, was played. The Dukes of Dixieland played, Billy Eckstine sang the National Anthem, and Pie Traynor tossed out the first pitch. Cincinnati’s Tony Perez hit the park's first home run as the Bucs lost to the Reds, 3-2. Richie Hebner had the first Pirates hit in the new ballyard and scored the first run in the stadium’s history when Al Oliver doubled him home in the first inning to chase in the park’s first RBI; Pops hit the first Bucco homer and was rewarded with a $1,000 prize by a local retailer. Dock Ellis started and took the loss. The Pirates rocked their new uniforms of stretch cotton and nylon (they were the first MLB team to sport knit outfits) in front of 48,846 fans.

1971 - Bob Robertson became the first player to blast a shot into the upper left field deck of Three Rivers Stadium when he connected off of San Diego’s Steve Arlin in the seventh with the eventual game winner in a 2-1 Pirate victory. Al Oliver added three hits, Richie Hebner singled home a two-out run and Bob Johnson went the distance while tossing a six-hitter for the win.

1972 - Reliever Dave Giusti had a day every reliever dreams of as he got a win and save in a twin bill against the Astros at TRS in front of 49,341 fans. Giusti worked 2-1/3 IP, giving up two hits and fanning a pair in twin 3-2 Bucco wins. His victory came in the 10th inning after Bob Moose started the opener and he got the last out of the nightcap to save Bruce Kison’s win.

1978 - The Bucs swept the Phillies by 3-2 and 10-6 scores in a Three Rivers Stadium twinbill, but the big news was that Dave Parker was back. The Cobra missed 15 games with a broken cheek suffered in a collision at home, but sporting a variety of masks (a goalie mask when at bat and football face bar attachment for his helmet in the field), he returned to action. The Cobra drew an intentional walk in the 10th inning of the opener, setting up Bill Robinson’s game-winning knock, and his triple in the seventh frame of the nightcap tied the score and triggered an eventual five-run outburst to break the game open. Parker went on to take the NL MVP title, but the team was a couple of bricks shy, finishing second with 88 wins, 1-1/2 games behind Philly.

1985 - The Senior Circuit took a 6-1 decision from the Americans at the Metrodome in the All-Star game. For the second season, C Tony Pena was the only Buc on the team, and he struck out against Dan Petry. There was a local connection: Ex-Buc Dave Parker won the first Home Run Derby. The honorary captains were players from the 1965 All-Star game, recognizing the first ASG held in Minnesota, with hometown hero Harmon Killebrew, who homered in the ‘65 Classic and Sandy Koufax, 1965’s winning pitcher, on tap.

Ildemaro Vargas - 2021 Justin Aller/Getty

1991 - UT Ildemaro Vargas was born in Caripito, Venezuela. 2020-21 was a busy time for the five-year D-Back reserve; he went from Arizona to Minnesota to the Cubs to Pittsburgh (seven games/.133 BA) and then back to Arizona within a 10-month period. The Pirates picked him up after injuries thinned the roster in May of 2021, sold him to Arizona in June when the wounded began to return, then he went to the Cubs, played three seasons with the Washington Nationals and is now back in the Arizona D-Back organization. 

1992 - Doug Drabek scattered four hits, and supported by a pair of two-out RBI hits - a homer by Andy Van Slyke and a single by Alex Cole - led the squad to victory as the Bucs defeated the Chicago Cubs 2-1 at Three Rivers Stadium. The win kept the Pittsburgh lead over the Baby Bruins and Cards at six games in the NL Eastern Division as play resumed after the All Star break.

1999 - The middle men of the Pirate order - Brian Giles, Kevin Young and Ed Sprague - each banged a homer and together drove in a total of eight runs while scoring seven times in an 11-3 win against the Cleveland Indians at TRS in front of 43,519 mixed-city rooters. The Bucs ran away and hid from the Tribe early; they were up by a 10-0 count after four frames. Francisco Cordova got the win, lasting into the sixth before three relievers carried the game home.

2002 - Brian Giles and Jack Wilson drove in all seven runs in a 7-3 Bucco win against the Astros at Minute Maid Park. Giles produced a homer and sac fly while Wilson collected three hits, including a triple, as the Pirates’ Josh Fogg outlasted Houston’s Roy Oswalt for the dub.

2005 - Behind Zach Duke, the Bucs shut out the Chicago Cubs and Greg Maddux at Wrigley Field, 3-0. The Zachster gave up eight hits, but the Buc defense turned four DPs on his behalf. Duke even helped himself with a sac fly to chase home his first MLB RBI, with the other runs scoring on a Jason Bay homer and a double by Matt Lawton, both coming with two outs. Duke finished July en fuego with a 3-0/0.87 slash and was named the NL Rookie of the Month.

Zach Duke - 2005 Topps Update

2013 - OF Andrew McCutchen, 3B Pedro Alvarez, and pitchers Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon and Jeff Locke were named to the All-Star game. It was a homecoming of sorts for Alvarez, as the game was played in Citi Field near his Manhattan home of Washington Heights, and he also participated in the home run derby. Petey didn’t make it past the first round, but his six homers were the most ever hit by a Bucco in that event until Josh Bell’s 18 in 2019. The Americans took the ASG match, 3-0, as El Toro went 0-for-1 and Cutch 0-for-2 while Grilli tossed a scoreless inning of relief. Melancon didn’t get in the game, and Locke was on ice, nursing a back injury. It was the first time since 1972 that the Pittsburgh Pirates had five players selected for the game. 

2024 - Paul Skenes took his lil' hop over the foul line, toed the rubber and worked a clean first frame (his scheduled allotment), ceding only a walk on a pitch that looked suspiciously close to strike three in his first ASG start at Globe Life Field. He became the first player in MLB history to earn an All Star nod the year after being drafted No. 1. The game went to the AL, 5-3, par for the course. Boston CF Jarren Duran smacked a two-out, two-run homer in the fifth off Hunter Greene to overcome LA's Shohei Ohtani's earlier three-run blast (Sho-Time became the first MLB player who has both an AS win and homer). The Pirates Bryan Reynolds started in left field and went 1-for-2 while Bethel Park HS/Waynesburg U/Oakland's Mason Miller earned the win. Earlier the NL topped the AL in the Futures Game, 6-1. The Bucs were repped by Altoona RHP Bubba Chandler, who spun one scoreless inning, and Greensboro 2B Temarr Johnson, who went 1-for-2.

2025 - The Pirates traded UT Adam Frazier to the Royals for IF (primarily shortstop) Cam Devanney, 28, who was optioned to Indy. Cam was hitting .272/18 HR for the Royals’ AAA Omaha club, but has never played in the show, spending the last six years in the Milwaukee/KC systems w/.253 career BA. He's an insurance policy should Isiah Kiner-Falefa land elsewhere before the deadline ends. IKF stayed, and Cam got a September callup, hitting .139 in 14 games. He’s now playing in Japan.

7/15 Through the 1970s: HoF Game, Elliott Cycle + Six, Ray & Waite Gems, 8 For Jake, Game Days, Manny TSN, Jerry, Scoops & ASGs, HBD Enrique, Don, Donn & Red

1893 - Jake Stenzel banged a homer and a triple, both with the bases loaded, collecting five hits and eight RBI as Pittsburgh crushed the Washington Senators, 19-0, at Exposition Park. The Bucs banged out a double, four triples and four homers in routing the DC squad. Sealing the deal at both ends, Frank Killen tossed a six-hitter, leading the Pittsburgh Press to write that the Sens were “...completely at the mercy of the clever left-hander.” 

1893 - LHP John “Red” Oldham was born in Zion, Maryland. Red tossed for Detroit for five years, dropped out of sight for a couple of seasons, dedicating himself to business and some indie league play, then resurfaced in 1925 at the age of 32 with the Pirates. His first season was solid enough at 3-2-1/3.91, but his big moment came in the World Series. Red pitched the final inning of Game 7 before 42,856 fans at Forbes Field. The Pirates took a 9-7 lead in the eighth and called on Oldham to put it away against the heart of the Washington Senators lineup that featured three future Hall of Famers. He caught Sam Rice looking, got Bucky Harris on a liner and then rung up Goose Goslin. His performance went downhill in 1926 (2-2-2/5.62) and was released in July.

1905 - In a showdown twin bill between the first place New York Giants and the second place Bucs at the Polo Grounds, Pittsburgh overcame a 6-0 deficit against Iron Joe McGinnity to take a 7-6 lead in the seventh, but lost 8-7 on a ninth inning homer as Christy Mathewson shut them down over the last 2-2/3 innings. The Pirates took the nitecap 3-0 behind Deacon Phillippe's four-hitter. Honus Wagner clinched the victory with a two-run homer that hit the el tracks in the eighth inning. The powerhouse Giants eventually won the pennant with 105 victories (Pgh. had 96 wins) and then swept the Philly A's in the World Series.

1908 - The Pirates tied the Boston Doves in the ninth inning thanks to a George Gibson triple and won 3-2 in the 10th when Fred Clarke was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for a walkoff plunk. Sam Leever went the distance for the victory at Exposition Park. The win put the Bucs back in the top spot, 1/2 game ahead of the NY Giants and a game up on Chicago. The pennant chase remained tight all year; the Cubs held off Pittsburgh and New York by one game.

Ray Kremer - 1932 TSN Collection

1932 - The Pirates got plenty of pitching from Ray Kremer, who tossed a three-hitter and needed it to take a 1-0 victory over the Boston Braves at Forbes Field as part of a four-game sweep of Boston. LF Dave Barbee doubled home Arky Vaughan in the fourth inning with the only score; the Buccos only had five hits off tough-luck loser Hub Pruett. Neither slabster was particularly overpowering as each posted just one whiff during their complete game outings.

1934 - Waite Hoyt tossed a one-hitter against Boston, surrendering a single to Tommy Thompson in a 5-0 win in the opener of a twin bill at Braves Field. The offense was a team effort; five Bucs had two hits and all eight position players scored and/or drove home runs. Beantown’s Ed Brandt returned the favor in the nitecap, limiting the Bucs to three hits in a 4-0 Brave victory.

1935 - 1B Donn Clendenon was born in Neosho, Missouri. An all around athlete at Morehouse College, he turned down offers from the Cleveland Browns and Harlem Globetrotters to sign with the Bucs. He spent eight years (1961-68) as a Pirate with a line of .280/106/488. Clendenon hit .302 as a rookie in 1962 (he didn’t play enough in ‘61 to qualify) and was runner up to Chicago’s Ken Hubbs in the Rookie of the Year voting. He spent a couple of off-seasons (1962-64) as an Allegheny County detective and eventually earned a law degree from Duquesne in 1978 that carried him into his post-baseball career. Family Act: Clendenon's stepfather was Nish Williams, a noted Negro League player and manager. Donn was a three-sport star as a youth, and is said to have selected baseball as his primary focus because of the respect he held for Nish.

1942 - CF Don Bosch was born in San Francisco. He started his four-year run in the show with two hitless at bats for the Pirates in 1966 after signing with the club in 1960. He went to the New York Mets in the ‘66 off season with pitcher Don Cardwell as part of the Dennis Ribant/Gary Kolb deal. At the time, Bosch was a highly regarded prospect and AAA All-Star, but fizzled in the majors, batting just .164 during his career. His last MLB season was 1969 with the Montreal Expos, and he retired from pro ball after the 1970 campaign at age 27.

Pete Coscarart - 1945 Play Ball

1945 - The Pirates bombed the visiting Brooklyn Dodgers in a Forbes Field doubleheader, slamming them by 9-1 and 15-3 tallies. In the opener, Rip Sewell cruised to victory as Frank Gustine drove home three runs. Bob Elliott hit for the cycle, chased home six runs and plated three times in the nitecap while Pete Coscarart scored five times. The Bucs launched a 19-hit onslaught to back Ken Gables, who went the distance for the win. Despite the blowouts, the teams had a spirited competition during the year with da Bums holding a 12-10 season edge.

1947 - Enrique Romo was born in Santa Rosalia, Mexico. The righty pitched for the Pirates for four seasons (1979-82), going 25-16-26/3.56 after coming over from Seattle. Before that, he had spent 11 seasons pitching in Mexico, mainly as a starter (he was converted to the pen in the majors) and was a 20-game winner for Mexico City in 1976. Romo appeared in 84 games for the World Series champs in ‘79 and was an integral part of the Buc bullpen his first two years, but went noticeably downhill in his last two campaigns, ending his six-year MLB career.

1963 - In the first game of a Forbes Field twi-light doubleheader, Alvin Dark and Danny Murtaugh sent seven future Hall-of-Famers out for battle - the G-Men had Juan Marichal, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda while the Bucs countered with Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Bill Mazeroski. In the ninth, the Dominican Dandy was cruising along with a 1-0 lead. Bill Virdon singled, Roberto doubled and Maz was walked intentionally. That made Willie - then a 23-year-old rookie who was more Pup than Pops - the hero when his single to right plated the Quail and Arriba. Marichal went on to win 25 games that year, but couldn’t overcome three HoF guys in row, with Clemente topping both teams lineups with three hits. The Pirates also took the nightcap 4-1 as Joe Gibbon bested Billy O’Dell. The pair eventually switched loyalties: three years later, Gibbon ended up with SF and Digger with the Bucs.

1967 - In the fourth inning of a game at Busch Stadium, Bob Gibson suffered a broken fibula on a line drive off the bat of Roberto Clemente. He pitched to three more batters, issuing two walks around a flyball before the leg literally snapped (and Roberto’s liner was the only hit Gibson gave up). It was a kind of karmic payback; in his book “Stranger to the Game,” Gibson said of Clemente, “I always threw at him. He swung way too hard against me...” It usually worked as Clemente hit just .208 off Gibby, but not today. The Great One collected three raps (two off relievers) to lead the Bucs and Juan Pizarro to a 6-4 win over the eventual World Champion Cards.

Roberto Clemente - 2002 Donruss Diamond Kings

1968 - The Chicago Cubs swept the Bucs at Forbes Field to send the struggling Pirates to their tenth straight defeat as Fergie Jenkins tossed a 10-inning six-hitter and singled home the winning run against Luke Walker. Pittsburgh equaled the franchise’s longest post-1900 losing streak with the 2-1 loss, but finally stopped the spin the next day by rallying for a 3-2 win over the Mets. Jerry May’s two-out, two-run double in the seventh brought home the bacon to cut the string and earn a dub for Ronnie Kline.

1971 - The Pirates beat the San Diego Padres 4-3 at TRS by never saying die. Pittsburgh rallied to tie the game in the bottoms of the ninth, 13th and 16th innings before winning it on Roberto Clemente’s homer in the 17th. San Diego’s Danny Coombs was hit with a double whammy, credited with a blown save in the 16th and then the loss in the 17th. It was the first time in franchise history that the Bucs had overcome a pair of extra-inning deficits to win, a feat that wouldn’t be repeated again by the club until 2015 at PNC Park against the Cardinals.

1972 - Manny Sanguillen was featured as the cover story of The Sporting News in an article titled “Durable Mitt Star.” For seven of his first eight years with Pittsburgh, he caught at least 113 games (with 151 games behind the dish in 1974). The only year he didn’t was in 1973, when he auditioned unsuccessfully as a right fielder after Roberto Clemente’s death and caught just 89 games.

1975 - The National League whipped the American League 6-3 in the All-Star game held at County Stadium. Jerry Reuss pitched the first three frames, putting up zeroes on three hits with two strikeouts. Al Oliver doubled and came around to score in his lone at bat while Manny Sanguillen was planted on the bench. The contest was Hank Aaron's 25th and final All-Star affair, and the former home of the Milwaukee Braves was a fitting venue for his farewell bow.

7/15 From 1980: Cutch Streak, King V, Gems, Cobra, Rallies, Game Days, Skenes & ASGs, Hans T206, HBD Kevin & Anthony

1982 - Dave Parker came through early and late to carry the Pirates and John Candelaria to a 5-1 win over Houston in the Astrodome. His first-inning single chased home two Buccos (one aboard on an error) and his three-run, 430’ blast to center in the ninth inning off reliever Frank LaCorte iced the game. In between, the Candy Man and Don Sutton were hooked up in a dandy little duel, with Rod Scurry covering the final 2-2/3 frames without allowing a hit for the save.

1984 - RHP Anthony Claggett was born in Hemet, California. 2009 was his only MLB season, starting with the Yankees and ending with the Pirates after he was DFA’ed in late September, getting into one game and giving up a run on two hits in his inning. During the off season, Claggett was cut by Pittsburgh when Octavio Dotel was signed. He played indie ball in Australia and Japan from 2012-14. Claggett has since been a coach for College of the Desert, Riverside, San Jose State and New Mexico State. He’s now the pitching coach at Washington State.

1986 - The Junior Circuit squeezed out a 3-2 win over the National League in the Midsummer Classic held at the Houston Astrodome. C Tony Pena came on as a ninth inning pinch runner; P Rick Rhoden was also selected, but didn’t get to climb the bump. This was the last All-Star Game to be played indoors until 2011 when Chase Field hosted the match.

1991 - The 2-3-4 hitters for the Bucs were on fire against the Astros at TRS. Jay Bell, Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla went a combined 8-for-12 with eight runs chased home and scoring six times, putting together a trifecta cycle to generate an easy 8-0 romp. Randy Tomlin was sharp, too, tossing a five-hit complete game victory; if the bats don’t get ya, the pitchin’ will.

Carlos Garcia - 1994 Donruss

1994 - The Pirates erased an eight-run deficit and came back to beat Houston 11-8 at TRS after the Astros had scored seven times in the first inning. Carlos Garcia homered and plated four RBI while John Wehner and pitcher Ravelo Manzanillo both delivered two-run hits. Relievers Rich Robertson, Manzanillo (win) and Mike Dyer (save) tossed seven innings of shutout ball.

1995 - Jeff King hit two home runs with five RBI to power the Pirates past the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-2, at TRS. The Pirates jumped ahead early by a 6-0 count after two, fueled by long balls from King, Mark Parent and Jay Bell. Denny Neagle went the distance, pitching his third of five complete games during his 1995 All-Star season, his first of two (1997 with Atlanta).

1996 - IF Kevin Padlo was born in Murrieta, California, and was a 2014 draft prep selection of Colorado. In 2021-22, Padlo got to suit up with Tampa Bay, Seattle, San Francisco, Seattle again and then three games with the Pirates in 2022 after they claimed him from the Mariners. All that travel may have earned frequent flier miles but the corner infielder got just 49 plate appearances in 23 games, thanks to a .109 BA. The Pirates assigned him back to Indy after three weeks on the big league roster and released him at year’s end. He’s now in the KC Royals system.

1998 - Rookie sensation Kerry Wood helped draw 28,655 fans to TRS (half-price day helped, too) but Francisco Cordova, who last won on May 31st, stole the show by spinning a four-hit shutout with eight K in a 3-0 Bucco win over the Cubs. Cordova got all the help he needed from Kevin Young, who bombed a two-run homer and Ricardo Rincon, who nailed down the save.

2000 - A 1909 Honus Wagner T-206 baseball card was auctioned on eBay for a record $1.265M on this day; the same card was resold for $2.8M in 2007. Another version, the “Jumbo” (a miscut that was 1/16” longer than the usual size) went for $3.12M in 2016. It’s still among the top five baseball cards in value. On August 3rd, 2022, a T206 Wagner card sold for $7.25M.

Honus - 1909 T 206

2003 - The American League scored three times in the eighth inning at US Cellular Field to claim a 7-6 All-Star win over the National League in the 70th Anniversary matchup. Reliever Mike Williams was the Pirates only selection for the second straight year, and he didn’t get into either game. This contest was the first to award home-field advantage for the World Series to the winning league, a rule that stemmed from a 7–7 tie the previous year that led fans to question whether the game had any meaning. That hot-potato rule remained through 2016.

2008 - The AL continued its domination over the NL with a 4-3 All-Star squeaker at Yankee Stadium that took 15 innings to complete. It was a final tribute to the storied “House That Ruth Built” that would close its gates after the season. OF Nate McLouth was the Pirate rep, and he went 1-for-4 during the contest. It was the longest MLB All-Star Game in time (4 hours and 50 minutes) and the 15 innings played tied the mark for the most frames with the 1967 contest.

2011 - Jeff Karstens and Andrew McCutchen took care of business, leading the Bucs to a 4-0 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park. Jeff was in control, spinning an 83-pitch five-hitter while facing just 30 batters (no walks and two DPs); one Houston runner reached third and one more touched second. Cutch provided enough O when he belted a two-run blast in the third inning.

 
2012 - Andrew McCutchen homered in his fourth straight game among his three hits, but it went for naught as the Bucs and AJ Burnett were dropped 4-1 by the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Field.

2014 - The Americans whipped the Nationals 5-3 in the Midsummer Classic at Target Field in Minnesota. It was Derek Jeter’s 14th and final ASG appearance. All the Bucco All-Stars played: Andrew McCutchen went 1-for-3 as the starting center fielder, Josh Harrison was a sub in left and went 0-for-2, while LHP Tony Watson came in to face one batter, Jose Abreu, and got him to fly out to Josh. Manager Clint Hurdle was there too, as a coach for the NL squad.

Josh Bell - 2018 Topps Opening Day

2018 - The Pirates completed a five-game brooming of the Milwaukee Brewers in dramatic fashion, twice rallying in their final at bats to pull out a 7-6 win. They were down 5-2 going into the eighth when a two-out single by Starling Marte scored Corey Dickerson to cut the lead to 5-3. The Bucs were cooking in the ninth, loading the bases with no outs, but a DP, though bringing home a run, left them on the brink of defeat before David Freese tied it with a two-strike triple to right to provide the fans with some bonus baseball. In the 10th, a couple of walks by Tanner Anderson, just called up from Indy, led to a run. The Pirates were down to their last out with a runner on first when Colin Moran singled to keep the pulse pumping. Then, in the midst of a sudden summer storm, Josh Bell banged a ball over Lorenzo Cain’s head in center; the double scored Polanco while Moran, chugging around the circuit, scored the winner as a throw that would have easily beat him skipped off the mound and through the catcher's wickets. It gave the Pirates six straight wins and 8-of-9 going into the All-Star break; it was the Brew Crew’s sixth straight loss and the series sweep dropped them out of first place in the division. It was a big day for Tanner; it was Anderson’s first MLB win.

2025 - Paul Skenes started the All-Star game by tossing 14 pitches, fanning a pair, and was up 2-0 when Ketel Marte doubled home a pair in the NL's half. But much like his Pirates outings, he didn't get the decision - after nine frames the Midsummer Classic at Atlanta's Truist Park, it was 6-6, and decided for the first time by an extra-inning "swing off", a sort of home run derby. Each squad picked three players, each of whom got three “homer or no count” swings. The Phils Kyle Schwarber went three-for-three, winning both the ASG MVP and the game (7-6 was the official final). Another first was the The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system — allowing batters, pitchers and catchers to question called balls and strikes. It's been used in the minors and tried out on the big stage on Tuesday. It seemed to work out pretty well as four calls were overturned by review without much delay.

7/14 Through the 1970s: Reds Bite, Roberto Slam, Hot Streak, Playin' All 9, Game Days, Pie Rumors, Murry & ASGs, HBD Ben, Earl, Bob, Jack, Joe & Tanny

1874 - LHP Jesse “Tanny” Tannehill was born in Dayton, Kentucky. He played six seasons (1897-1902) for Pittsburgh, with a line of 116-58/2.75. Tanny won 20 games or more four times for the Pirates and led the NL in ERA in 1901 (2.18). He was also pretty handy when not hurling, batting .277 and making 71 OF appearances for the Bucs. After six years with the Pirates, he and owner Barney Dreyfuss got into a contract squabble. Tannehill then jumped to the AL New York Highlanders and spent the next seven years of his career in the junior circuit before a last hurrah with Cincinnati. Tanny went on to coach, manage and even ump to stay in baseball after his playing days ended.

1889 - RHP Joe Conzelman was born in Bristol, Connecticut, unfortunately for him long before ESPN could tout a hometown jock. He spent his three-year MLB career (1913-15) with the Bucs mostly as a reliever, slashing 6-8-2/2.92 in 54 outings. He was a Columbia and Brown graduate and left baseball to pursue his university-trained calling as an engineer.

1892 - Utilityman Floyd “Jack” Farmer was born in Granville, Tennessee. Farmer played 2B, SS, 3B, LF & RF for the 1916 Bucs, getting into 55 games and batting .271. He would play big league ball again in 1918 briefly for the Cleveland Indians, then took off the twenties and made a last hurrah stop in the Class D Cotton League from 1929-31 before ending his playing days.

1910 - The Bucs were down, 3-0, going into the ninth inning against Christy Mathewson and the New York Giants at Forbes Field, but roared back in their last go-round to take home the win. A walk, error and two singles set the table. Matty turned wild child, tying the contest with back-to-back walks, and after throwing two balls to Tommy Leach was relieved by Red Ames. Ames lost Leach, forcing home the winning run and giving Deacon Phillippe the victory.

Pie Traynor - SSPC Baseball Immortals

1922 - The Pirates denied that they were about to swing a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Robins involving 3B Pie Traynor, UT Clyde Barnhart and C Walter Schmidt for OF Zach “Buck” Wheat and SS Jimmy Johnston. Pie was only 23-years-old and in his first season as a starter; he would have a 17-year Pirates career that ended with a .320 lifetime BA and induction into the Hall of Fame. Barnhart was 26 and would serve a nine-year MLB tour of duty, all with the Bucs, and hit .295 over that span. Schmidt was a 35-year-old reserve who would last through 1924 with Pittsburgh, with a final campaign as a Card the following year. Wheat was 34 and had 14 years under his belt, but would play through 1927, hitting .346 over those final six seasons. Like Pie, Buck also entered the HoF. Johnston was 32 and would be a solid stick man through 1925 (.313 BA from 1922-25), playing one more year afterward before ending his MLB stay. 

1929 - RHP Bob Purkey was born in Pittsburgh and was signed by the Bucs after he graduated from South Hills HS. The knuckleballer spent his first four years and then his final season with the Pirates (1954-57, 1966), slashing 16-30-3/4.13. His heyday was with the Reds, where he won 100+ games, appearing in a World Series and three All-Star contests. The Pirates dealt Purkey to Cincinnati in 1957 for relief pitcher Don Gross. Pirates GM Joe Brown often called the transaction "the worst trade I ever made.'' After his retirement, Purkey lived in Bethel Park, and he ran an insurance agency before passing on in 2008 at age 78.

1935 - Earl Francis was born in Slab Fork, West Virginia. The hard throwing righty tossed five seasons (1960-64) for the Bucs, going 16-23/3.77 with his time split between starting and as a long man from the bullpen. Francis became the Pirates first African American Opening Day pitcher in 1963 when he started against the Cincinnati Reds and was the first pitcher that rookie Pete Rose ever batted against (Charlie Hustle went hitless). His short spell in the show was cut short by a bad wing as Francis battled a sore arm throughout his career. He retired in 1966 and put that achy but still powerful arm to good use - he became a butcher. Earl passed away in 2002 at age 66 and is buried in Homewood Cemetery.

1940 - The Pirates won their sixth game of seven by whipping Brooklyn, 6-2, at Forbes Field. Rip Sewell got the win and also cracked a homer. The Corsairs dropped the nitecap of the twin bill, 2-0, as the Dodgers’ Freddie Fitzsimmons got the better of Ken Heintzelman. The ‘40 Bucs basically sputtered along as Frankie Frisch’s charges finished 78-76-2 and finished the season in fifth place, 22-1/2 games behind the eventual World Series champs, the Cincinnati Reds.

Rip Sewell - undated photo via Sports Memorabilia

1946 - Hall of Famer Warren Spahn beat the Bucs at Forbes Field by a 4-1 tally for his first MLB win; he would earn 363 of them in his 21-year career, with 49 of his victories coming against Pittsburgh. His only blemish was a solo shot by Frankie Gustine. The lefty reached 400 wins despite losing three years to WW2 and was popularized by the rhyme “Spahn, Sain and pray for rain...”.

1953 - RHP Murry Dickson was the Bucco rep at the All-Star Game, a 5-1 Senior Circuit victory at Crosley Field. He tossed the final two innings, giving up a run on three hits and earning a save for Warren Spahn. The relief appearance of St. Louis Brown’s 46-year-old Satchel Paige in the eighth inning set an All-Star record for the oldest pitcher to toss in the contest.

1955 - The Pirates suffered the worst defeat in their history when Cincinnati mashed them, 19-1, at Forbes Field. Reds Johnny Temple, Wally Post and Smoky Burgess combined for 13 hits. Five Pirate pitchers gave up 21 hits (including three homers), 12 walks and a hit batter while the fielders chipped in with three errors for a total team meltdown. That visit behind the woodshed stayed in the record books until 2010 when the Brewers laid a 20-0 beatdown on the Bucs.

1961 - A two-out grand slam in the bottom of the eighth by Roberto Clemente, a rising liner to dead center, erased a 4-1 deficit and led the Bucs to a 6-4 win over the SF Giants at Candlestick Park. Clem Labine got the win and ElRoy Face was credited with the save; Joe Gibbon started the game.

1969 - IF Jose Hernandez was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. Jose played for 15 years in the show, making stops in Pittsburgh in 2003 as part of the A-Ram/Kenny Lofton deal with the Chicago Cubs and again in 2006 as a free agent add, playing six positions while hitting .240. He signed a minor league deal with the Bucs for 2007 (he was one of Jim Tracy’s favorites) but the 37-year-old’s tank was running on fumes and he didn’t make the final roster cut. He’s been a coach in the Baltimore Orioles system since 2010, moving up to the big club in 2022.

Roberto Clemente - 2002 Donruss Studio

1970 - Roberto Clemente was booed by the All-Star crowd at Riverfront Stadium (then all of two weeks old) after earlier saying he would only play if the game was held in Pittsburgh instead of Cincinnati. He changed his tune after GM Joe Brown provided a bit of arm twisting to convince his achy star to give up his rest break, and despite a chronically sore neck, the Great One was used late in the game. Clemente, the only Buc rep on the roster, hit a sac fly to tie the contest and held Willie Horton to a 375’ single off the wall in right as the Nationals won, 5-4. The game’s most remembered moment was the train wreck between Pete Rose and Ray Fosse at the plate, with Rose jarring the ball loose to score the winning run while Fosse suffered a broken shoulder.

1974 - The nitecap of a twin bill against the rival Reds at TRS erupted into a donnybrook. The action started after a fourth inning beanball of Bruce Kison by Jack Billingham, causing both teams to rush the field. When Sparky Anderson stepped on Ed Kirkpatrick's foot, the Buc catcher shoved the Reds skipper and was rewarded with a sock from Andy Kosko. The most memorable bit of mayhem was when Cincy’s Pedro Borbon bit Daryl Patterson after a little hair-tugging episode. Patterson got a tetanus shot after the chomp (Borbon told the media afterward for Patterson not to worry about tetanus, but rabies; Patterson countered by saying Borbon "fights like a woman." Welcome to the playground. The Pirates won the spirited contest, 2-1, after dropping the opener, 3-2. The victory ignited an eight-game Bucco winning streak and the Pirates stormed through the dog days to take the NL East title, only to lose the NLCS to the LA Dodgers.

1974 - Pirates GM Ben Cherington was born in Meriden, New Hampshire. He replaced Neal Huntington (they were teammates on Amherst’s baseball team) after the 2019 season. He began as a scout for Cleveland in 1999, moved on to Boston the following year and rose through the ranks to become GM in 2011. He held that spot until 2015, took a year off to teach, and then spent three years as Toronto’s VP of Baseball Operations before taking the Pittsburgh rebuild job.

7/14 From 1980: Sweep, Top Guns, Slugfest, Game Days, Oneil, Cutch & ASGs, Konnor Drafted, HBD Isaac & Jack

1980 - Vets Stadium in Philadelphia was the scene of a smokin’ shootout between the Bucs and Phils, with Pittsburgh finally taking the slugfest by a 13-11 tally after Dave Parker's two-run homer in the ninth. The two teams combined for 36 hits (21 by the Pirates) and there were no 1-2-3 innings for either side during the contest. The game was bitterly fought to the end. The Phillies left a runner on third in the eighth and the tag team of Lee Lacy-to-Tim Foli-to-Phil Garner cut down Lonnie Smith at second in the ninth; Smith’s attempted stretch of his rap would have put Philadelphians at second and third with one out. The Cobra had three hits, including two dingers, four RBI and three runs scored; Foli and Bill Robinson each banged out four hits. The Bucs’ fifth pitcher, Grant Jackson earned the win after posting two scoreless but rambunctious frames.

1987 - The National League outdueled the Americans to take home a 2-0 victory in the Midsummer Classic held at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. It took 13 innings before a run was scored when Tim Raines hit a two-run, two-out triple to win the game and the MVP. Rick Reuschel repped the Bucs and tossed 1-1/3 frames, giving up a hit and fanning one batter.

1988 - Though 37,453 fans packed TRS, the Bucs got off to a slow start. The Giants jumped out to a 2-0 lead after an inning and starter John Smiley was done, suffering from an inflammation of his hand. More bad news: Rick Reuschel, an All-Star for the Pirates the year before and an 11-game winner so far for San Francisco, was on the bump. But all’s well that ends well, and this one ended up well with a 9-2 win. Andy Van Slyke tripled twice and chased home four runs, Darnell Coles plated four more runners, and Brian Fisher stepped in and went 5-1/3 IP for the victory. Dave Rucker and Jeff Robinson carried it into the ninth when an hour and 22 minute rain delay gave the fans an excuse for an early exit before Barry Jones mopped up at the finish.

1990 - LHP Jack Leathersich was born in Beverly, Massachusetts. After seeing some time with the Mets and Cubs, Leathersich was claimed by the Bucs from Chicago in September 2017, after recovering from TJ surgery. He tossed well albeit with a small sample size (4-1/3 IP, no runs on three hits with six whiffs in six appearances) but was DFA’d the following spring. Jack last pitched for the Texas Rangers organization in 2019 and now is retired from baseball.

Barry Bonds - 1992 Topps All-Star

1992 - A lotta lumber was being swung at the Midsummer Classic as the American League took a 13-6 victory from the Nationals at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium. The Junior Circuit banged out 19 hits with two swats leaving the yard. Outfielders Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke started; Bonds went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored while AVS went 0-for-2 and hit into a DP. Barry also took part in the home run derby, hitting two dingers in the first round.

1995 - RHP Isaac Mattson was born in Erie. He pitched for Pitt and was drafted by the LA Angels in 2017 in the 19th round. From there he played for the Angels, Orioles, where he got into four MLB games in 2021, and Twins, also making stops in the Frontier League, including a year with the Washington Wild Things. The Pirates signed him in 2024, and he was solid at Altoona/Indy (7-2-4/3.17) as a long man who could start in a pinch. Matty was called up in late September and got into three games. He started ‘25 in Indy but was called up in late May, pitched solidly in a mid-inning role, and found a home in the Bucco pen.

1997 - The Bucs came from behind three times, rallying from 1-0, 2-1, and 4-3 deficits, to finally beat the Mets, 5-4, at Three Rivers Stadium to take their 10th win in 12 games. Steve Cooke left after seven with a 3-2 lead, but New York scored twice off Clint Sadowsky in the eighth to leapfrog ahead. The Pirates tallied twice in the eighth for the victory on four straight hits: doubles by Al Martin, Kevin Young and Jason Kendall sandwiched around a knock by Dale Sveum. Rich Loiselle picked up his 12th save to tie the club rookie record set by Francisco Cordova one year earlier and finished the year with 29 saves. Ricardo Rincon got the win. Cordova, now converted to a starting pitcher, was earlier named the NL Player of the Week following his shared no-hitter with Rincon.  

2006 - The top four of the Bucco order (Nate McLouth, Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez & Jay Bay) collected nine hits, including four doubles and a walk, scored four times and drove in four runs to lead Pittsburgh to a 7-4 win over Washington at PNC Park. Wilson and Jose Bautista each had three hits, including Jose’s 11th homer, as the Bucs banged out 15 knocks. Zach Duke was credited with the win and Mike Gonzalez earned the save, with five Pirates hurlers toeing the slab.

Jose Bautista - 2006 Bazooka Rookie

2009 - The American League continued its avalanche over the Nationals in All-Star competition, taking a 4-3 victory at Busch Stadium. Pitcher Zach Duke and 2B Freddy Sanchez made the team but didn’t get into the game. President Barack Obama, wearing a White Sox jacket, threw out the first pitch and later joined Joe Buck and Tim McCarver in the booth.

2015 - Andrew McCutchen started and batted leadoff for the Senior Circuit in the ASG played at Great American Ballpark. Cutch contributed a home run while going 1-for-3 (Cutch was the first Buccaneer to homer in an ASG since Dave Parker went deep in 1981 and the seventh Pirates player to go long in the Midsummer Classic), but the Americans won their third straight summer shindig by a 6-3 count. Gerrit Cole tossed a scoreless frame while Mark Melancon struck out a pair in his inning of work but was touched up for a two-out, two-strike homer by the Minny Twins’ Brian Dozier. AJ Burnett, in his first All-Star game after 17 years in the show, didn’t get into the fray. Commissioner Bud Selig allowed Pete Rose to be recognized during the pre-game festivities along with former Cincy Red teammates Johnny Bench, Barry Larkin, and Joe Morgan.

2017 - The Bucs spotted the Cards a 2-0 first-inning lead at PNC Park but ground their way to a 5-2 win that was nowhere as easy as the score would indicate. Gerrit Cole recovered nicely after the rough opening while Tony Watson, Juan Nicasio and Felipe Rivero held the fort to allow the Pirates to tie the game at two going into the ninth. With Adam Frazier on second and an out, Andrew McCutchen was given an intentional pass so that Seung Hwan Oh could face rookie Josh Bell. He got ahead 1-2, then J-Bell went the opposite way for a walkoff blast and a 5-2 win. Bell’s homer would be the jump-off point for three walk-off wins in a six-day span for the livin’ on the edge Bucs.

2018 - The Pirates swept a doubleheader from the Milwaukee Brewers by 2-1 and 6-2 scores at PNC Park in front of 24,474 rooters. Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco hit back-to-back homers in the first inning of the opener, and five Pirate pitchers, beginning with Ivan Nova and finishing with Felipe Vazquez, kept the Brew Crew at bay. The nightcap featured stellar work by some young Pirates: Clay Holmes tossed six shutout innings, Jordan Luplow homered twice & Max Moroff went deep once while Marte & Polanco become the second Pirate duo to hit back-to-back homers in both ends of a twin bill (Frank Thomas and Dick Groat were the first in 1957; only one other MLB pair, Oakland's Sal Bando & Reggie Jackson in 1988, has matched the twin bill B-2-B feat). Vazquez got the final out of the second game, earning a pair of saves on the day.

Jordan Luplow - 2018 Topps

2020 - The 2020 All-Star Game was originally scheduled on this date, to be hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the match was canceled due to the corona virus-shortened 2020 season, the first bypassed Midsummer Classic since wartime travel restrictions scrubbed the 1945 game. Dodger Stadium went to the head of the line for the All-Star Game for 2022, the next available date as Atlanta was already set for the 2021 showcase, though it was later flipped to Denver.

2024 - The three day draft began. The Pirates Top Five selections were SS/CF Konnor Griffin (First Round #9, $6,216,600 slot - Jackson Prep, MS), a LSU commit. He was considered the top prep prospect, with the big question being if he can develop more consistent contact. He aced that question, zooming to Hi A Greensboro, in his second season hitting for both average and power and becoming MLB’s #2 Prospect per Baseball America. Next was RHP Levi Sterling (Competitive Balance, #37, $2,511,400 slot - Notre Dame HS, CA), a Texas commit who features a heater (90-92), curve and splitter. SS Wyatt Sanford (2nd Round #47, $1,984,800 - Independence HS, TX), a Texas A&M commit, was the third choice. He’s noted for his good glove but profiled as a potential utility guy because of his uncertain stick. LHP Josh Hartle (3rd Round #83, $920,800 - Wake Forest) was the only college pick among the first five. He was hot in '23 (11-2/2.81 & an All-American), but stumbled in '24 (6-3/5.79). SS Eddie Rynders (4th Round #112, $649,700 - Milwaukee Wisconsin Lutheran HS) closed out the early picks. He showed power and was switched to 3B.

2025 - Well, Oneil Cruz seems to like the limelight...he banged 21 homers in the first round of the ASG HR Derby, one a 513' foot launch (A Truist Park record and the longest HRD blast outside of Coors Field), to move on to the semis. He was the first Bucco in the Derby to advance past the first round. It ended for Cruz in the next round as Oneil bopped 13 more dingers (and 9 of the ten longest homers of the night through the first two rounds) but Cal Raleigh, who squeaked through the first round, smacked 19 bombs and went on to take the title home, out-swatting Junior Caminero.