Weekly Report: Konnor Deal Finalized, 50-50 Week, Cruz Hot, City Connect Unis On Deck

Are they for real...?

Pirates Stuff:

• As leaked by the sporting media, 19-year-old SS Kevin Griffin agreed to a nine-year/$140M contract with the Pirates on Wednesday that included a $12M signing bonus less than a week after his MLB debut. The deal was the largest in club history and includes incentives that could raise the total value to $150M. Griffin was selected ninth overall in 2024 as the first high school player taken. 
• IF Enmanuel Valdez, who was DFA'ed when Konnor Griffin was called up, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Indy.
  

Oneil sporting his City Connect outfit.

• Oneil Cruz has an 11-game hitting streak going on, tying the longest such streak of his career and is the longest current active streak in MLB.
• The Pirates showed off their '26 black-and-gold City Connect unis. They'll debut the new duds on April 17 at PNC v the Rays.
• For our trivia fans, the Pirates starters' streak of homer-less frames ended Tuesday at 53-1/3 IP when Paul Skenes was touched up for a solo shot. It additionally ended a two-year losing streak along the Allegheny to the San Diego squad, and also marked the first time Skenes and Konnor Griffin played together. Whew!

Game Stuff:

• The Bucs were as sloppy as the weather on Monday and dropped the opener of a three-gamer to San Diego, 5-0. TOOTBLAN's, fielding comedy, 10 runners stranded...it wasn't a pretty show by the home nine. 
• After losing seven straight to the Friars at PNC, Paul Skenes said enough. He went 6-1/3 IP, giving up a run on two hits & two walks with six K after 87 pitches and left with a 2-1 lead. The Bucs bats went oppo field crazy, and when the smoke cleared, it was a 7-1 Tuesday dub for the boys. Ryan O'Hearn, Konnor Griffin and Henry Davis had two raps; Oneil Cruz, Nick Gonzales and Griffin chased home a pair.
• Mitch was strong again on Wednesday with six scoreless frames, but Justin Lawrence and Jose Urquidy were toasted as SD took the series 8-2. The Bucs booted three balls and went 1-for-9 w/RISP while the Padres OF made a couple of glovely plays to keep the Bucs at bay when they were trying to make it a game.
• After a day of rest, it was off to Wrigley Field for a weekend trio. On Friday, Carmen Mlodzinski dodged some bullets but got into the sixth with a shutout while Shota Imanaga was brilliant over six. In the seventh, Bryan Reynolds bopped a two-run shot off Caleb Thielbar and the Bucs took the opener, 2-0.

Yohan Ramirez - 2025 photo Tim Vizer/Imagn Images

• Braxton Ashcraft was spectacular with nine fans in five frames while Oneil Cruz was 4-for-4 with three swiped sacks and Nick Yorke was 3-for-4, but singletons scored off Justin Lawrence and Dennis Santana out of an overworked pen left it tied 3-3 after regulation. It was Yohan Ramirez to the resue, tossing two shutout innings despite being a bit wild, and aided by a thrown-away two-out dribbler by the Cubbies Caleb Thielbar (tough coupla days for him), the Corsairs claimed a 4-3, 11-inning dub at Wrigley.
• Despite Brandon Lowe banging two homers - one a granny - and being up 5-0 and 6-1, the Bucs were walked off in the Chicago finale 7-6. Seven walks, leaky OF defense and trying to protect a lead with Justin Lawrence and Jose Urquidy proved too much to overcome; no sweep today *sigh*.
• The Pirates return to PNC for a seven-game stand - four v the Washington Nats and three against the Tampa Bay Rays.

MLB Stuff: 

• The Blues Jays called up LHP Josh Fleming, who last pitched in the bigs for Pittsburgh in 2024 (1-1-1/4.02, 25 games), used him once, DFA'ed him and then resigned him to a minor league deal.
• The Atlanta Braves have DFA'ed LHP Martin Perez, 35, who got 16 starts for the 2024 Pirates (2-5/5.20).
• The NY Mets, who recently signed OF Tommy Pham to a minor league deal, are reported to be calling him up on Monday for the LA series.

4/13 Through 1974: Stuffy Signs, Al, Vern, Babe & Game Days, Roberts Debuts, Balk-A-Mania; HBD Ricardo, Doug, Claude, Mike & Abel

• 1870 - 1B Abel Lizotte was born in Lewiston, Maine. His major league career consisted of seven games played as a Bucco in 1896 with Abel proving to be not very threatening with the stick, going 3-for-29. Lizotte was a 17-year man in the bushes, wielding the lumber a lot better on the farm with a .292 lifetime BA while playing for 10 different clubs. He also managed in the minors. 
• 1883 - C Mike Simon was born in Hayden, Indiana. He was with the Bucs from 1909-13, mainly as a reserve, and hit .244. He jumped to the outlaw Federal League in 1914 and finished his big league career there, playing two more seasons. Mike then spent his final two years in the minors. 
• 1889 - RHP Claude Hendrix was born in Olathe, Kansas. He pitched for the Bucs from 1911-13, posting a 42-30/2.71 slash. He jumped to the Federal League in 1914 where he won 45 games in two years for the Chicago Whales. When the Fed folded, he stayed in the Windy City with the Cubs and won 57 more games with them over five seasons. He got caught up in the backwash of a gambling investigation and his career ended in 1920. He passed away at age 54.
• 1914 - The Bucs dropped the Season Opener 2-1 at St. Louis’ Robinson Park as Babe Adams lost his duel to Dan Griner of the Browns, whose pitching, according to the Pittsburgh Press, was “of the airtight variety.” Redbird manager Miller Huggins, despite the win, liked the Pittsburgh lineup, saying that “Fred Clarke has a sweet baseball club this year.” Huggins was a better skipper than prognosticator as the Pirates finished in seventh with a 69-85 record. 
• 1916 - Babe Adams tossed a one-hit 4-0 gem against the Cards. The only hit was a generously ruled knock that clanged off 2B Joe Schultz's mitt. Adams won only one more game that season and was sent to the minors in August. The Pirates brought him back again in 1918 after he sat out a season, and he stuck through 1926, winning 48 games between 1919-21. Babe’s last game was on August 11th, 1926 when he was released after leading a player revolt, asking that former manager and current FO suit Fred Clarke, who had been openly critical of manager Bill McKechnie, be banned from the bench in what became known as the “ABC (Adams, Skeeter Bigbee & Max Carey were the ringleaders) Affair.” He would never play another major league game, though at age 44 his better days were in the rearview mirror. Babe worked 19 years for the Bucs, winning 194 games with a 2.76 ERA and he won three World Series games in 1909. 

Babe Adams - 1916 The Sporting News

• 1925 - 1B Stuffy McInnis was released by the Boston Braves and signed by the Bucs. He hit .368 in 59 games and played in Pittsburgh’s World Series win over Washington. He was a bench guy the following year, hitting .299 before retiring after 1927. McInnis gained his nickname as a youngster in Boston, where his spectacular fielding brought shouts of "that's the stuff, kid.” 
• 1926 - The defending world champion Pirates opened at Sportsman Park against the St. Louis Cards, which would replace them as king of the hill in ‘26, and dropped a 7-6 thriller. Vic Aldridge, winner of a pair of Series games, fell behind eventual 20-game winner Flint Rhem 6-0 after five innings. The Bucs gnawed away at the lead, cutting the deficit to a run with one out in the ninth with runners on second and third, but a pop up was followed by an at-em ball liner to end it.. 
• 1954 - Seven years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier, second baseman Curt Roberts made his major league debut during the season Opener at Forbes Field and became the first African American to play for the Pirates (although Carlos Bernier, who came up in 1953 and was considered Latino rather than black, was the first black Buc). The former Kansas City Monarch tripled off Robin Roberts in the first inning as the Bucs beat the Phillies 4-2 by scoring four times in the eighth frame. Vernon Law retired all six batters he faced in relief of starter Bob Friend and picked up the win. It was the first time the Pirates had ever opened the season at Forbes Field, drawing 32,294 fans. It was their 11th straight home opener win, a streak that would end the following year. There was a little pre-game merriment as three-year-old Leslie Blair, Honus Wagner’s granddaughter, was slated to throw out the first pitch, but was struck by stage fright and never let loose the horsehide, so the umps began the game without its traditional opening. 
• 1962 - The Mets played their first Home Opener against the Bucs with only 12,447 fans at the Polo Grounds on a cold, drizzly day. It was Friday the 13th to boot, and the date cursed the home team. The Pirates scored the winning run on two eighth-inning wild pitches thrown by Ray Diavault, scoring Dick Groat, who had opened with a walk, to defeat New York 4-3. The Pirates had eight hits, with five coming from the 6-7-8 hitters (Smoky Burgess, Don Hoak & Bill Mazeroski), who accounted for two runs and three RBI from the bottom of the order. Tom Sturdivant went seven innings for the win with ElRoy Face nailing down the save. 

Bob Friend - 1963 Topps

• 1963 - The Pirates clobbered the Reds 12-4 at Crosley Field, but the big story was on the bump. The league decided to clamp down on balks and a record seven were called in the game, including a MLB record of four on Bob Friend (the mark lasted a month until the Braves’ Bob Shaw was caught five times), who was nonplussed by the calls. He admitted that he never adhered to the full stop rule because it had never been called before. An MLB record 924 balks were rung up during the season after umpires were instructed to enforce the rule as written. As for the game, Ducky Schofield, Bob Skinner and Billy Maz each had three hits; Roberto Clemente and Friend had two knocks each. Pete Rose collected his first MLB hit during the game, a triple, after an 0-for-11 start. 
• 1964 - IF Doug Strange was born in Greenville, South Carolina. He ended his nine-year MLB run off the bench in Pittsburgh, batting .173 in 90 games. He spent a couple of seasons as minor-league depth, then joined the Marlins as a scout for a couple of more years before coming over to Pittsburgh’s Baseball Operations section in 2002. He’s now a Special Assistant to the GM.
• 1966 - Vern Law won his 10th straight game by a 6-0 count over the Braves at Atlanta Stadium. The Deacon gave up four hits, no walks and fanned four, never allowing a runner to advance beyond first base. Willie Stargell had a homer and three RBI while Donn Clendenon added a two-run blow to key the attack. Law then missed a month with a pulled rib muscle, lost his next outing in May (ironically against the same club, Atlanta) and finished 12-8/4.05 on the campaign. He only had fumes left in his tank, and a groin injury led to his retirement in August of ‘67. 
• 1968 - Al McBean went the distance to claim a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants and Gaylord Perry at Candlestick Park. McBean did it all; he tossed a three-hitter and even singled in the winning run with two outs in the seventh inning. The key play was The Great One gunning down Willie Mays at third with no outs in the seventh to keep the lid on a potential rally by the G-Men. Per BR Bullpen, Mays could recall being caught going from corner-to-corner just once in his career, and it was on this day. "Roberto Clemente threw me out on a bang-bang play at third. I should have remembered what a tremendous arm he had..." later explained the sadder-but-wiser Say Hey Kid. 
• 1970 - LHP Ricardo Rincon was born in Cuitlahuac, Mexico. Rincon, who signed as a veteran of the Mexican leagues, pitched for the Pirates from 1997-98. He went 4-10-50/3.17 with 135 K in 125 IP. Rincon was part of a combined no-hitter on July 12th, 1997 when Francisco Cordova threw nine innings of hitless ball and RR pitched a clean 10th. He was traded for Brian Giles in 1998.

4/13 From 1975: Zach, Hammer, Cobra & Game Days, #8000, TSN Barry, Jody Woes, TV; RIP Don, HBD Cam & Steve

• 1976 - The Bucs promised the fans another Lumber Company and came through in the home opener for the 40,937 faithful at TRS with a 14-4 win over St. Louis, hammering out 13 hits to go with 12 walks. Dave “The Cobra” Parker homered and collected five RBI, Al “Scoops” Oliver posted three hits and three RBI while Manny Sanguillen had the only three-walk game of his career and plated three times. Victor Jerry Reuss had a no-hitter going into the sixth and went the distance. 
• 1979 - John Milner homered twice for the fifth time in his career, including a game-winning, two-run shot in the seventh inning that broke a 5-5 draw, to carry the Pirates to a 7-6 victory over the Cards at Three Rivers Stadium. The Hammer had four RBI on the night to spark the attack; Redbird SS Garry Templeton helped the cause with a two-out, third-inning error that led to four unearned Buc runs, a pair scoring thanks to the boot and two more on Milner’s first long ball. Jim Bibby won in relief of starter Bruce Kison, while Grant Jackson picked up the save. 
• 1983 - 1B/OF Steve Pearce was born in Lakeland, Florida. An eighth-round pick in the 2005 draft, he spent bits and pieces of five seasons (2007-11) in Pittsburgh, hitting .232, and was a magnet for nagging injuries. He carved out an MLB role in the American League, playing for Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Boston before announcing a soft retirement after the 2019 season. Steve hung ’em up for good the following year after 13 campaigns/.254 BA (108 OPS+). 
• 1986 - AT&T SportsNet first hit the air as the Pirates Cable Network, operated by TCI. Its first telecast was on that date, airing a game between the Pirates and Cubs from TRS, an 8-0 Bucco win announced by Mike Lange. The PCN rebranded on April 24th as the KBL Entertainment Network to reflect that other sports besides baseball (mainly the Penguins) were to be included by the network. KBL’s first regular broadcast was against the Mets in early June. In 1994, it became Prime Sports KBL, then two years later Fox Sports Pittsburgh, followed by Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh and once more as FSN Pittsburgh. That whole Fox thing lasted until 2011, when it became Root Sports. In 2017, it flipped to its current network, AT&T SportsNet. With cable stations dropping like flies, this could be the last hurrah for them; hello, MLB Baseball broadcasts. 

• 1987 - Barry Bonds shared the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Blossoming Buc.” Although he was still a couple of seasons away from breaking out into elite status, he went on to hit .261 with 25 homers, 99 runs, 59 RBI and 32 stolen sacks during the 1987 campaign. 
• 1988 - The Pirates took over first place for the first time since 1983 with a convincing 7-0 win over the Phils at TRS. Brian Fisher took a five-hitter into the eighth, with Jim Gott coming on to coax the final four outs while Chico Lind and Spanky LaValliere had five hits between and scored five of the Bucco runs. Sadly, it was a long season, and the Bucs finished in second with 85 wins but far off the pace of the Mets 100-win campaign. Al Pedrique will remember the day as the one when an unidentified lady fan leap over the railing in the eighth and told Al “You’re a good looking guy and I’d like to shake you hand” and that’s what they did, leading to some joshing post-game by his teammates that he didn’t end up with a smooch. Fisher said “Al’s not married and in that situation...you’ve got to get a little peck at least.” Another unwritten baseball rule... 
• 1996 - Carlos Garcia took Montreal lefty Jeff Fassero deep for the 8,000th home run in Pirates history during a 9-3 Buc win at TRS. His fourth-inning blast opened the floodgates - Jeff King, Jay Bell, and Mark Johnson all went yard after him to start the chase for 9,000 dingers. Garcia had three hits and Paul Wagner worked seven innings of five-hit shutout ball for the win. 
• 1997 - IF Cam Devanney was born in Nashua, New Hampshire. He was a 15th round draft pick by the Brew Crew in 2019 out of Elon. He went from Milwaukee to KC’s farm system in 2024 and became a Pirate in ‘25 when he was flipped for Adam Frazier in July. The Bucs called him up in late August to make his MLB debut (he was on KC’s roster for a few days earlier in ‘25, but never got off the pine.) Cam got into 14 MLB games with 11 starts at third as part of the traded KeBryan Hayes replacement auditions, hit .139, and was released in November so he could sign with the Hanshin Tigers. 

Jody Gerut - 2005 Topps

• 2006 - OF Jody Gerut informed the team that he was going to have knee surgery two weeks after he had been sent to the minors. The Pirates got him in August of 2005 from the Cubs for Matt Lawton, and he took just 18 at bats during that campaign because of his cranky knee. Both sides agreed he had tendinitis, but the Pirates didn’t believe surgery was necessary. It was a potentially costly decision for Jody - since the Bucs didn’t approve the procedure, he went on the restricted list, making him ineligible to collect his $875K salary or payments towards the surgical fees while also putting a stop to his service accrual time (they did reach an agreement of sorts after the MLBPA filed a grievance). It was the end of his Pirates days, too. He did eventually have surgery, missed all of 2006 and then was released in camp in 2007. He played for the Brewers and Padres from 2008-10, averaging 225 at bats per season and hitting .259 before retiring. 
• 2009 - Zach Duke pitched a four-hit, complete game shutout at PNC Park as the Pirates defeated Houston 7–0 in the Home Opener. Both the Bucs and the Astros wore Pittsburgh Police hats in honor of three officers who were shot and killed on April 4th. The pre-game ceremonies honored the trio, including a flyover by four Apache helicopters, as well as recognizing former pitcher and current broadcaster Steve Blass for his 50th season with the team. Adam LaRoche had three hits, including a homer, and Freddy Sanchez banged out three doubles. 
• 2010 - The Pirates flashed some leather to beat the San Francisco Giants 6-5 at AT&T Park. Paul Maholm hit the ground to snag Aubrey Huff’s ball and in one motion shoveled it and his glove to 1B Jeff Clement while doing a backflip. The save of the game came in the bottom of the ninth when Garrett Jones, at 1B after a double switch, made a diving grab of Pablo Sandoval's liner to end the game after Octavio Dotel had already surrendered two ninth-inning runs. Jones had Kung Fu Panda’s number; he also threw him out at the plate from RF earlier in the game. Every win was hard fought; the Bucs only had 57 of them that campaign, and it cost skipper John Russell his job. 
• 2015 - Josh Harrison became the third Pirate (RJ Reynolds & Billy Cox were the others) to hit a leadoff homer to kick off the Home Opener and it set the tone in the Bucs 5-4 win over Detroit at PNC Park. Pedro Alvarez and Corey Hart also went long in the victory. Gerrit Cole got the victory and Mark Melancon finished up, although the Shark staged a drama when he was touched for three ninth-inning tallies with the tying run aboard and nobody out before finally nailing it down. 

Colin Moran - 2019 Gypsy Queen

• 2019 - Pat Corbin was doing it all for Washington at National Stadium. He struck out 11 and his only major mistake over seven innings was a solo shot given up to Josh Bell. The lefty also stroked a two-run, two-out knock off Trevor Williams and he left the DC nine with a 2-1 lead after seven innings. Starling Marte stroked a two-run single in the eighth against the beleaguered Nats pen, but the short-lived lead was erased when Anthony Rendon homered off Kela Keone, his second long fly of the night. The game went into the 10th when Colin Moran came off the pine and banged a three-run blast (the Bucs first game-winning, extra-inning, pinch hit dinger since 1998) to put the Pirates up 6-3. Felipe Vazquez nailed it down to give Nick Burdi his first MLB victory. 
• 2021 - It took four hours and was as ugly as a game gets, but the Bucs defeated the Padres at PNC Park by an 8-4 count. Pirate pitchers walked 13 batters and bopped three more (it was the first time since 1948 that a team had 16 BB+HBP in a nine-inning game and won) but three GIDPs and 15 stranded Friars kept the damage to a minimum. The Bucco batsmen banged out 12 hits, had eight more reach by walks/plunks and went 7-for-15 w/RISP against an unlikely team: the Padres had allowed just 25 runs in its first 11 games. Jake Stallings collected three hits, a walk and three RBI while Chris Stratton was credited with the win. 
• 2023 - Don Leppert passed away at the age of 91. Don only caught for the Bucs for two seasons (1961-62; 67 games/.266 BA), but returned in 1966 with AAA Columbus and then coached in the organization from 1967-76, first as a Class A manager and then with the big league club. He served as the first base coach on the Pirates’ 1971 World Series champs and was there when Roberto Clemente collected hit #3,000, tucking the ball in his back pocket for safekeeping. 
• 2023 - The Pirates defeated the Cardinals 5-0 at Busch Stadium with several notable performances. First, Vince Velasquez went six scoreless frames for first time since 2021 to give the Bucs their first shutout in St. Louis since 2013. It was a good night for duets - Connor Joe & Rodolfo Castro hit back-to-back homers, Carlos Santana banged two doubles/two RBIs and Ji Hwan Bae made two grand larceny grabs in center, one coming on a dive for a flare and the other a run-saving, wall-kissing fence crasher. One painful pairing was losing Oneil Cruz and then JT Brubaker to surgery during a three-day period earlier in the week. Still, it was the seventh win in the last 10 games for Pittsburgh, leaving them just 1/2 game behind the Brewers in the division.

4/12 Through the 1950s: Joe Page Signs, Opening Salvo, Little Poison Debut, Ike No Scout; RIP Cannonball, HBD Tommie, Woodie, Bob, Moose, Joe, Bill & Vic

• 1876 - Vic "Delaware Peach" Willis was born in Cecil County, Maryland. The Hall of Fame righty spent four seasons in Pittsburgh (1906-09), posting an 89-46/2.08 line and was part of the 1909 team that won the World Series against the Tigers, the first championship team from Pittsburgh. He won 249 games over a 13-year career. After retiring in 1910, Willis ran the Washington House, a hotel in his hometown of Newark, Delaware. The “Delaware Peach” was raised in Newark and went to Delaware College, hence his nickname recognizing his heritage. 
• 1879 - 1B Bill Clancy was born in Redfield, New York. His MLB career consisted of one season (1905) with the Pirates, hitting .229. He was a highly touted minor-league player, and the Pirates grabbed him to replace the traded Kitty Bransfield at first. Clancy started off hot, but a broken finger in June cooled his stick and a couple of ill-advised drinking sessions earned him his release. But he did have a legacy - it’s thought that long-time Bucco catcher George Gibson was signed after a recommendation from Clancy. He was sometimes known as “William the Chicken-Hearted” because he turned down some MLB offers and chose to stay in the minors, a sign to the sporting press that he was afraid of the better competition. But fairly equal pay, a guarantee to play every day and his popularity among the farm fans motivated him to sign where he was comfortable rather than a case of stage fright keeping him from the brighter MLB lights. 
• 1908 - RHP Antonio “Joe” (his middle name) Vitelli was born in McKees Rocks. Joe got into five games as a Bucco during the 1944-45 war years and did OK for a guy who didn’t sniff the majors until he was 36, posting a 2.57 ERA (he did give up six runs in seven IP, but four were unearned). Joe earned his spot - he came back from the service and was originally used as a Buc BP pitcher; from there, he got his shot on the roster. Vitelli was a semi-pro gridder for the powerhouse Rox Rangers, and after his playing days coached local football/baseball squads, while working for Allegheny County as a rec leader in charge of youth sports clinics. 

Bobby Byrne - 1911 Gold Border

• 1911 - The Bucs thumped the Reds 14-0 at the Palace of the Fans on Opening Day; it remained the most one-sided OD shutout in MLB history until eclipsed by the Dodgers in 2016, when the Blue took the Padres behind the woodshed for a 15-0 victory. In the Pittsburgh romp over Cincy, Babe Adams tossed a four-hitter with six whiffs while Bobby Byrne went 5-for-5 and finished a homer shy of the cycle. Dots Miller added four knocks and Honus Wagner chipped in with three raps. The Pirates banged out five triples during the day. Despite the start, it was a fairly spirited series during the year - even though Pittsburgh finished 16 games above .500, they were just 12-10 against Cincinnati. 
• 1926 - OF Walt “Moose” Moryn was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. Moose - he was 6’2”, 205 pounds - spent eight years in the majors as a slugging outfielder, although oddly enough remembered the most for snaring a two-out, ninth-inning sinking liner to save Don Cardwell’s 1960 no-hitter while a Cub. The one-time All-Star was sold to Pittsburgh for cash and a minor leaguer in June of 1961 and closed out his career that season, hitting .200 in 40 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. He went on to manage a sporting goods department and later ran a saloon/liquor store in Cicero, Illinois, before retiring. 
• 1927 - Scout Bob Zuk was born in Detroit, Michigan. Zuk, who was the Parks baseball director for the City of Oakland, started as a part-time sleuth for the White Sox. The Bucs hired him full-time in 1957 and he turned up a gem, signing Willie Stargell (for $1,500!) after George Powles, a HS coach, recommended he take a look. He also brought Freddie Patek into the fold before leaving the Pirates and beginning the nomadic life of a bird dog, sniffing around for nine other clubs during his 46-year career. Among the players he signed during his career were Reggie Jackson, Gary Carter, Ellis Valentine, Darrell Evans and George Hendrick. 
• 1927 - Hall-of-Famer Lloyd Waner made his Pirate debut in left field for the Pittsburgh Pirates with his brother Paul, who was in right field, during the Bucs' 2–1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Redland Field. Little Poison collected his first hit and scored the winning run, driven in by his big bro, to back Ray Kremer’s six-hitter. Lloyd would go on to play 1,993 games in 17 years as a Bucco. 

Cannonball Morris - 1888 Goodwin/Old Judge

• 1937 - Ed “Cannonball” Morris passed away in Pittsburgh. The lefty only worked five years for the Alleghenys but won 122 games over a four-year span (1885-88) while working in 220 outings and nearly 2,000 innings. Cannonball had two more seasons left in him but his workhorse days were done as his arm was shot at age 26. A Brooklyn native, he stayed in Pittsburgh after his baseball days as a North Side bar owner and a deputy warden. Ed was buried in Union Dale Cemetery. 
• 1940 - LHP Woodie (short for Woodrow) Fryman was born in Ewing, Kentucky. He started his career in Pittsburgh in 1966-67, going 15-17-2/3.91. He was part of the Jim Bunning deal in 1968 and went on to have a breakout All-Star campaign with the Phils. Woodie pitched for 18 years and for six teams (primarily Montreal and Philadelphia) with a pair of All Star selections before hangin’ the spikes up at age 43 and retiring to his Kentucky tobacco farm. Fryman entered the Montreal Expos' Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. 
• 1954 - The Pirates signed LHP Joe Page, 35, who was on the comeback trail after injuries cut short his Yankees tenure in 1950. He spent the spring mainly as a BP pitcher, and convinced the Bucco brass that his sore wing was healthy enough to fly right again (a hip injury suffered in 1950 with the Bromx Bombers contributed to his arm injury the next season in the minors). Page had taken a three-year MLB break and a two-year pitching hiatus, developing a sinker in an effort to get back to the hill. But his feel-good tale didn’t have a fairytale ending - in 11 Bucco appearances, the Fireman, now a mop-up man, tossed to an 11.17 ERA/2.379 WHIP and was released on June 1. 
• 1942 - RHP Tommie Sisk was born in Ardmore, Oklahoma. The righty tossed seven seasons for Pittsburgh (1962-68) as a swingman after spending just two years in the minors and went 37-35 with a 3.69 ERA. His best effort was against the Mets on September 20, 1965 when he tossed a two-hitter. He threw for two more years in the league before retiring in 1970. 
• 1958 - On a recommendation from former GM Branch Rickey’s bud President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Pirates signed RHP Preston Bruce, the son of the White House doorkeeper, and assigned him to Salem in the short-season Class D Appalachian League. DDE was a better general than scout; Bruce put up a 15.60 ERA and his pro career ended the following season.

4/12 From 1960: Duels, TRS Nite Opener, Atlanta Christening, Game Days, Special Plays, #1 For Jim & Chuck; HBD Dennis, DJ, Jeff & Jerry

• 1964 - C Jerry Goff was born in San Rafael, California. The journeyman spent the middle of his six-year MLB career (1993-94) as a Pirate, batting .210 in 22 games, doing most of his Bucco backstopping at AAA Buffalo. Jerry’s now a fireman in California. Sports chops run deep in the Goff genes - his son, Jared, was drafted first overall in the 2016 NFL draft and is a QB for the Detroit Lions. 
• 1965 - Bob Bailey hit a lead-off, walkoff homer to give Bob Veale a 1-0 win in 10 innings over the Giants’ Juan Marichal at Forbes Field in the Bucco Opener. The two twirlers were spectacular, going the distance while combining to surrender just eight hits and a walk while whiffing 19 batters; Big Bob gave up three singles and fanned 10. The 28,189 fans witnessed the first time in club history that the Pirates won a walk-off Home Opener by a score of 1-0. 
• 1966 - The Pirates helped christen Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium by beating the Braves 3-2 in 13 innings before a crowd of 50,671 on Opening Day. The game-winning blow was a two-run dinger by Willie Stargell off Tony Cloninger to give Don Schwall the win behind starter Bob Veale and fireman ElRoy Face. The Baron in the ninth and Schwall in the 11th had to work their way out of bases-loaded jams to secure the victory. All five runs were driven in by homers; Jim Pagliaroni went long for the Pirates and Joe Torre hit a pair of solo shots for Atlanta. 
• 1976 - LHP Jeff Wallace was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He tossed for the Bucs in 1997 and 1999-2000 after sitting out a year due to injury. His slash with the Bucs was 3-0/4.67, and control was his stumbling block - as a Pirate, he walked 80 batters in 86-2/3 IP. Wallace worked 90 games with the Pirates without picking up a loss, the most outings without a defeat in team history. He spent 2001 with the Tampa Bay Rays in his last MLB gig and retired the following year after a stint in Boston’s minor league system, returning home to Wheeling. 

Jeff Wallace - 1998 Fleer Tradition

• 1977 - It took four tries, but new Bucco skipper Chuck Tanner finally claimed his first win at the Pittsburgh helm when the Pirates took a 2-1 win from the Expos at TRS. Duffy Dyer’s fifth-inning single scored Phil Garner to give Jerry Reuss a 1-0 lead, but two old Buccos, Dave Cash and Tim Foli, singled to chase home the tying run in the seventh. Kent Tekulve and Goose Gossage took over after that to keep Montreal off the board, and Rennie Stennett’s one-out double in the bottom of the ninth plated Dave Parker with the walk-off game winner. It was a sadly typical April crowd for the Buccos; the afternoon contest drew just 4,042 fans although game-time temperatures were in the 80’s. 
• 1977 - RHP DJ Carrasco was born in Safford, Arizona. He worked part of the 2010 campaign for Pittsburgh after signing on as a free agent and was solid, going 2-2/3.88 in 45 outings before being flipped to Arizona. The Bucco stint was a homecoming of sorts as DJ had spent four seasons in the Pirates system before being lost to the KC Royals in the 2002 Rule 5 Draft. He tossed his last MLB game in 2012 for the Mets, closing out a nine-year career. 
• 1983 - In the eighth inning of the Home Opener, Bill Madlock took a long lead off first with 1B Keith Hernandez playing well behind him. Bruce Sutter checked the runner and spun off the mound to chase him back - and beat him to the bag for an unassisted pickoff! The Bucs lost to the Cards 4-3 in 10 innings. Pittsburgh had the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the 10th, but Madlock hit a comebacker 1-2-3 double play and Gene Tenace flew out to turn out the lights. They blew another shot in the sixth with the bases juiced and one out when Tony Pena banged into a 4-6-3 DP. 
• 1985 - In their first night Home Opener, the Bucs prevailed over the Cards 6-4 at TRS. A crowd of 47,335, the largest baseball gathering since 1980, watched Maz (in a tux!) throw out the first pitch and Jason Thompson mash a two-run homer. Converted starter John Candelaria saved Don Robinson’s win of a game started by Larry McWilliams. Doug Frobel and Tony Pena had a pair of hits each. 

Rick Rhoden - 1986 Donruss

• 1986 - The Pirates beat the Cubs at TRS 3-1 behind Rick Rhoden, whose effort gave Jim Leyland his first MLB win as skipper. Matt Keough was also sharp; the game wasn’t decided until the eighth when Johnny Ray banged a two-out, three-run shot off Lee Smith. The milestone was witnessed by just 5,623 fans thanks to both chilly weather and a chilly reception to the drug trials. 
• 1993 - Dave Otto won his first start as a Buc (he was a minor league draft pick claimed from the Indians) by a 4-2 count over San Diego at Jack Murphy Stadium. He gave up two runs and four hits over six innings after being staked to an early 3-0 lead, keyed by a Kevin Young triple. Dave also got his first MLB hit and RBI to help himself. He started off strongly while place-holding the injured Zane Smith’s rotation spot, but ended the year 3-4/5.03 in his only Pirates campaign. 
• 1996 - RHP Dennis Santana was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. He started with the LA Dodgers in 2018, then moved on to the Texas Rangers, where he had his best year in 2021 with a line of 2-4/3.63. Santana had a nice FIP of 3.15 the next year, but in the real world, his ERA was 5.22 and he went to the New York Mets. He was mostly a depth guy there and moved on to the Yankees in 2024 where he slashed 2-0-2/6.26 and was DFA’ed. Pittsburgh’s bullpen was in flux and they snapped him up. He made a 180 here, going 1-1-1/2.44 in 39 outings w/10K per nine innings and pitched his way into the late-inning bullpen rotation in 2025. He became the Pirates' closer when David Bednar was sent to the New York Yankees at the deadline. 
• 2002 - Cubbie Sammy Sosa set the PNC Park long-distance record with a three-run, 484’ home run in the sixth inning off Dave Williams to break a tie and key a 7-3 Chicago victory. The box score told the game’s tale; the Pirates managed just five hits while the Cubs cranked out three homers. 
• 2009 - With runners on the move from first and second base, the Reds' Edwin Encarnacion's liner to Pirates' SS Jack Wilson was turned into a triple play (Wilson-Freddy Sanchez-Adam LaRoche), the Bucs' first since 1993. Pittsburgh still lost at Great American Ball Park by a 2-0 score on Aaron Harang’s three-hitter w/nine whiffs, the first MLB shutout of the year. The game’s only runs came in early on a first-inning, two-out homer by Brandon Phillips off Ian Snell.

4/11 Through the 1970s: Rally Cap Wins, Pirates Logo, Doc On Call, Willie Wins Clemente Award, HBD Turner, Hank, Red & Pop

• 1858 - OF John “Pop” Corkhill was born in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. For the last two seasons of his 10-year MLB career (1891-92), Pop played the pasture for the Bucs, hitting .200. His ball playing days effectively ended after an 1891 beaning. He tried to come back but the Bucs released him in July of 1892; he retired and became a businessman. Pop, a converted infielder, was a golden glove guy before it was a thing, winning five fielding titles for outfielders in his decade of ball. He was also a roster handyman, returning to the infield when needed and pitching several times during his career. Corkhill went bald as a young man; hence his nickname. 
• 1892 - C Williard “Red” Smith was born in Logansport, Indiana. Red’s MLB career consisted of two seasons (1917-18) with the Pirates as a reserve catcher; his .156 BA may help explain his brief stay. Red did have a decade-long minor league career, hanging up the spikes at age 36 after catching 36 games for Class B Quincy of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. 
• 1912 - Pittsburgh finally gave in to the inevitable and used “Pirates” on their uniforms, displayed in capital letters down the jersey’s button lapel, replacing the old PBC (Pittsburgh Baseball Club) logo. They had picked up the moniker in 1891 for “pirating” Lou Bierbauer from the Athletics, but more officially (and often) were called the Pittsburgh Nationals. It didn’t appreciably improve the club as they were drubbed 7-0 on opening day by St. Louis at Robison Field. They finished the year strong, though, ending up with a 93-58 record and a second place finish. 

Mike Donlin sporting his Pirates logo - 1912 photo/Conlon Collection/TSN

• 1919 - IF Hank Schenz was born in New Richmond, Ohio. He was with the Bucs in 1950 & ‘51 after four years with the Cubs. He hit .222 before being sold to the Giants during the 1951 campaign, and according to Dave Finoli’s Pirates By the Numbers, became the guy that stole and relayed opposing catcher’s signs from behind the Polo Grounds scoreboard by using a telescope. 
• 1961 - Bill Virdon smacked a two-out, three-run HR to right off reliever Mike McCormick to give the Pirates a ninth-inning, 8-7, win over the Giants in San Francisco’s Home Opener. Roy Face was credited with the win and Clem Labine claimed the save. Dick Groat and Bob Skinner added four hits and scored four runs while Roberto Clemente drove in a pair to rev the attack. 
• 1965 - OF Turner Ward was born in Orlando, Florida. The journeyman played in Pittsburgh from 1997-99, hitting .281 in a fourth outfielder role and becoming an early meme when he crashed through the TRS outfield fence in 1998. After his career, he returned to the Bucco system for a year, managing Low-A State College in 2007. Turner moved on to the D-Backs organization, eventually becoming their hitting coach, a position he also later held with the Dodgers and Reds. 
• 1967 - The Pirates scored three runs in the ninth inning to break open a tie game and take the Season Opener, 6-3, over the Mets at Shea Stadium. Pittsburgh had a balanced attack with all eight position starters reaching base, but were helped mightily by NY as the Metropolitans made five errors that gifted the Buccos three runs. Bob Veale tossed eight innings for the win (he was 16-8 over the year) and Pete Mikkelsen closed it out, retiring the side 1-2-3 in the final frame. 

Bob Veale - 1967 Topps

• 1974 - Willie Stargell won the Roberto Clemente Award and was presented his trophy by Bowie Kuhn. Willie said “Of all the awards, this ranks number one with me.” Pops was involved in many causes, from the Willie Stargell Foundation that funded Sickle Cell research to community projects. He was the first Buc to earn the honor; Andrew McCutchen in 2015 is the only other Pirate to take the trophy home.
• 1975 - There were 43,880 fans on hand at TRS to watch the Bucs on Opening Day, and they were three outs away from disappointment as Jerry Koosman and the Mets were cruising, 3-0, heading into the ninth. But the Pirates refused to mail it in; Richie Zisk, Dave Parker and Manny Sanguillen started it off with singles to send home a run and chase Koosman. Rick Baldwin came in and walked Paul Popovich, then an out later Rennie Stennett bounced a game-tying rap up the middle. Lefty Mac Scarce was waved in to face Richie Hebner, who fought him off to drop a flare single the opposite way to score Popovich with the winner. Larry Demery got the win in relief of Jerry Reuss. 
• 1976 - At Philadelphia‚ Doc Medich, walking in from the bullpen, spotted a man having a heart attack in the stands. He jumped over the railing and applied CPR to revive him. Sadly, the fan later passed away in the hospital. Doc didn’t get into the game, an 8-3 win for the Pirates at Veterans Stadium, though he did come that close to making the save of the day.

4/11 From 1980: Ramon Signs, K-Pop, Last AB Wins, TRS Sold Out, Game Days, Spanky Goes

• 1980 - The Bucs defeated the St. Louis Cards at Busch Stadium, 4-3, as Pittsburgh scored twice in the ninth. Ed Ott singled home the tying run with two down and the winner scored on the same play when SS Gary Templeton mishandled the relay, allowing the Bucs to overcome a sixth-inning, 3-0, deficit. Grant Jackson got the win, although he was almost in his birthday suit by the final frame. He worked a quiet frame and thought his night was done. Assuming he would be pinch-hit for, he was in the locker room and headed for the hot water when Chuck Tanner decided to have him bat after Ott’s big blow as the Redbirds had two switch-hitters and a lefty due up. Grant quickly slipped back into his uni, flew out to center, and then put the Redbirds away in order. 
• 1988 - A record crowd of 54,089 Pittsburgh faithful, the first baseball sellout in TRS history, watched the Bucs defeat the Phils, 5-1, thanks to an eighth-inning, bases-loaded (and clearing) double by Spanky LaValliere. Barry Bonds added two hits, including a homer. The match was the Bucs Home Opener, with Mr. Rogers tossing out the first ball. Doug Drabek gave up nine hits as he struggled through his five innings of work, but only one run crossed the plate and he got the win as Vicente Palacios and Jeff Robinson took care of business after him. 
• 1989 - In the Home Opener at TRS, the Bucs had to work overtime to take a 4-3 win from the Mets. Down by one with Jose Lind on first and one gone in the ninth, Bobby Bonilla singled to center off Mets reliever Randy Myers. Lind moved to third and scored on Glenn Wilson's sac fly. With the tally still knotted in the 11th with one away, Lind singled to right field against Myers and stole second base. With two gone, Bo came through again, singling on a slow infield bleeder up the third base side to chase Chico home for the win, credited to Jeff Robinson, the third hurler after Doug Drabek. The game sold out in early March - 55,000 tickets were bought and 42,910 hardy fans showed up despite the 44-degree weather - and KDKA aired it; the game was the first Home Opener to ever be telecast. The anthem was sung by The Letterman, and NL Prez Bill White threw out the first ball. 

Spanky - 1993 Fleer (reverse)

• 1993 - The Pirates released C Spanky Lavalliere as he was entering his seventh season as a Bucco, causing some teeth-gnashing in the locker room as he and Don Slaught had formed a strong tandem from 1990-92. The team carried three catchers after breaking camp, but needed to clear an active roster spot for a pitcher. The club had to decide between Tom Prince and Lavalliere to free up that slot and the 32-year-old Spanky, who still had two years/$4.45M left on his contract but was in questionable physical shape, lost the decision. He signed on with the White Sox and Gene Lamont, playing through 1995, but never caught more than 44 games in a season after he left Pittsburgh. 
• 1998 - Jose Guillen delivered a pinch-hit, walkoff home run in the 10th inning to give the Pirates a 7-6 win over the Florida Marlins at TRS. Kevin Young went 3-for-5 with four RBI and also connected for his first home run of the season; he added a double. Turner Ward contributed a triple and double, chasing home a pair of runs. Rich Loiselle picked up his first win of the year as the third pitcher following Francisco Cordova, also earning a blown save for yielding a run in the ninth. 
• 1999 - Brant Brown avenged himself against the team that had traded him when he went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and three RBI in Pittsburgh’s 9-6 win over the Cubs at TRS. Brian Giles smacked a homer and Freddy Garcia added a pair of hits and two RBI each. Jason Schmidt got the victory as the Bucs completed a three-game sweep of Chi-Town to improve their record to 4-2. 
• 2001 - RHP Ramon Martinez signed a one-year deal with a team option for $200K plus bonuses, bumping LHP Joe Beimel from the rotation to the bullpen while RHP Bill Taylor was DFA’ed to clear a spot. Ramon was effective earlier in his career, but 1998 surgery cost him, and he was looked upon as more of a veteran inning-eating back end guy than rotation anchor. He never even reached that status; he got four starts, lasting 15-2/3IP and slashed 0-2/8.62. Ramon retired in May after Lloyd McClendon talked to him about going to the bullpen, ending his MLB career. 

Solomon Torres - 2006 photo Sean Brady/Getty

• 2006 - The Pirates were off to a 1-7 start and didn’t look like they were going to earn that elusive second win after the Dodgers opened the game with a three-spot against Ian Snell. But the Bucco batters flexed their muscles to bang out three homers (Jeremy Burnitz, Ryan Doumit, Jack Wilson) in the first five innings, and the starters, Snell and Jae Weong Seo, left a 6-5 game in favor of Los Angeles to the bullpens in the sixth. Solomon Torres put up a zero, then Craig Wilson took Lance Carter’s first pitch over the wall to knot the score. The Pirates added a small-ball run (Joe Randa doubled, moved up ninety feet on a grounder and scored via a sac fly) later in the frame to take the lead, and it was goose eggs the rest of the way out at PNC Park by Torres, Ramon Hernandez and Mike Gonzalez. Solly took home the 7-6 win after Gonzo notched the save.
• 2023 - If back-and-forth ball games with ninth inning rallies is your cuppa tea, PNC Park was nirvana. Mitch Keller gave up a couple of early solo shots to the Astros; Jack Suwinski’s two-run blast quickly knotted the score. The the Bucs went ahead in the sixth on Ji-Man Choi’s long ball and added on when Ke'Bryan Hayes doubled, stole third and became an insurance run after Canaan Njigba-Smith’s sac fly. The lead lasted until the ninth when a misthrow opened the gates and Houston came back to tie it up. But the Pirates still had a little muscle left to flex. A Rodolfo Castro single (sweet redemption since he made the error), an Andrew McCutchen pinch-hit knock and Ji Hwan Bae’s blast into the right field stands, his first big league walkoff hit, sent the defending World Champs down the drain, 7-4, with David Bednar earning a blown save/win parley. It was also a big night for the Pittsburgh-Korea connection: Ji-Man Choi and Ji Hwan Bae became the first Korean-born teammates in MLB history to homer in the same game.

4/10 Through 1974: Casey Signs, Willie Pops 3, Roberto Romps, Hola Mexico City, No Dome, RIP Ginger, HBD Alberto, Lee, Joe, Roger & Howdy

• 1906 - 2B Howdy (short for Howard) Groskloss, who played for the Bucs from 1930-32 and hit .261, was born in Pittsburgh, the son of an opera singer. He became the oldest living major league baseball player in 2005 at the age of 99 and survived past the century mark before shuffling off to the stadium in the sky in 2006. The Pirates signed him for $10K, but he lost the starting 2B job to Tony Piet and switched gears by entering Yale Medical School, earning his MD degree in 1937. He served during World War II as a Chief Medical Officer and Flight Surgeon on a carrier in the Pacific theater, and later in life he moonlighted as a pro golfer and swung the clubs well enough to win several tournaments. 
• 1911 - RHP Roger Wolff was born in Evansville, Indiana. He spent seven years in the majors, closing out his career in 1947 with the Pirates, slashing 1-4/8.07 in six starts. The knuckleballer won 20 games for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1945, but when the Bucs got him two years later at age 36, he was tossing on memory. His Bucco days not only ended his MLB career but his run in the pros which had begun in 1930 as a 19-year-old. After he retired, he eventually became the AD at Southern Illinois Penitentiary after a series of jobs, including night club manager. 
• 1919 - Casey Stengel ended his holdout by accepting the Pirates original offer, which wasn’t disclosed. He had requested a trade but the Bucs couldn’t swing one to their liking, and with the season about to begin, Casey decided to swallow his pride and take the money. He did eventually get his wish to move along, being shipped to the Phils in August for Possum Whited. Casey was no happier across the state; he refused to report unless he got a sweeter deal, which was not forthcoming. So he went to Kansas City to join a barnstorming team to earn his daily bread, finally reaching a deal with Philly during the off season. 
• 1935 - LHP Joe Gibbon, who began his 13-year MLB career as a starter and finished it as a reliever, was born in Hickory, Mississippi. The lefty spent eight seasons as a Pirate, going 44-46-16 with a 3.61 ERA. An all-around athlete, he was blessed with good wheels to go with his strong arm, with the Bucs using him occasionally as a pinch runner. As a rookie, he pitched for the 1960 World Series club and returned to Pittsburgh to toss in the 1970 NLCS after spending four seasons with the Giants. Joe climbed the hill until 1972 when he was 37, posting a final slash of 61-65-32/3.52. He coached the Clarke College nine for eight seasons and was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1979, the Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988 and honored as a member of the Ole Miss Men’s All-Century Basketball Team (he was an excellent collegiate hoopster and was drafted by the Boston Celtics after he graduated). He also remained an active Pirates alum and he joined up with his old mateys in a ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1960 World Series at PNC Park during a 2010 reunion weekend. He passed away in Mississippi in 2019. 

Joe Gibbon - 1960 Topps

• 1948 - OF Lee Lacy, who spent six years in Pittsburgh (1979-84), mainly as a fourth outfielder, was born in Longview, Texas. Lacy hit .304 as a Bucco and was a member of the 1979 title team. In his 16-year career, he was part of three Los Angeles Dodger World Series teams, all of which lost. His ‘79 Series appearance was the third straight year he got to play in the Fall Classic. It also was his last, and the only one he won. After he retired, Lee became active in various community programs sponsored by the LA Dodgers Foundation. Sports run strong in his family genes; his daughter Jennifer Lacy played in the WNBA for 10 years. 
• 1956 - OF Clarence “Ginger” Beaumont passed away in Burlington, Wisconsin at age 79. Starting his career in Pittsburgh, he played here from 1899-1906, batting .321 with 200 stolen bases. From 1900–1904, Beaumont led the National League in hits three times, scored 100 runs four times, and took the 1902 batting title with a .357 mark. The speedster was the Pirates' leadoff man, and as such became the first player to bat in a World Series game in 1903 at Boston. Nicknamed "Ginger" for his red mop (Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss gave him the moniker, replacing “Clarry”), he’s the only man to collect six hits in six at bats and score six times in a game - and all his knocks were infield hits! 
• 1958 - The Pirates took the third game of a Mexican preseason swing by a 10-2 score over the Mexico City Reds behind Bob Friend’s pitching and homers by Roberto Clemente, Frank Thomas, and Johnny O’Brien. The crowd wasn’t pleased with the Bucs manhandling their hometown club and the umps threatened to call the game when many of the 5,000 standing-room fans found their way onto the field during play. After the contest, the spectators on the second level of Social Security Stadium began throwing cans and lit newspapers at the Pirates as they made their way off the field. Despite the passionate and rowdy response of the home loyalists, the Buccaneers made plans to return next season as their three-game visit drew over 65,000 fanaticos. 
• 1962 - Roberto Clemente spanked a third-inning grand slam and Bob Friend twirled a complete game, five-hit shutout as the Bucs blanked the Phils in their Home Opener at Forbes Field, 6-0. Clemente’s blast was the first and only Pirates Opening Day grand slam until Neil Walker banged one in 2011. Don Hoak also went deep as the Pirates made the most of their seven hits. 

Roberto - 2022 Topps Now Turn Back The Clock

• 1963 - A group of developers tried to cash in on the sixties dome fad (Civic Arena, Astrodome, etc) and proposed a $40M enclosed stadium to replace Forbes Field as a new home for the Pirates and Steelers. The project was to be built off the Parkway West by Campbell’s Run Road, halfway between the airport and downtown. Its permanent seating capacity would be 40,000, expandable to 60-65,000, with a parking lot for 15,000 vehicles. But by the time the back room smoke had cleared and a deal was cut, the North Shore proponents won out, and Three Rivers Stadium opened in 1970. 
• 1968 - Roberto Clemente hit a homer and made an unbelievable grab of Hal King’s drive down the right field line in the season Opener, but his heroics went for naught. The Bucs scored a pair of runs in the top of the ninth at the Astrodome to take a 4-2 lead, but Jim Bunning, Juan Pizarro, and Ronnie Kline couldn’t hold off the surging ‘Stros, losing, 5-4, to Houston when Bob Aspromonte tripled home two runs with two outs for a dramatic walk-off win. Maury Wills was an energizer bunny at leadoff with two hits, a run scored, two RBI and a stolen sack. 
• 1970 - RHP Alberto Reyes was born in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. The Pirates signed the 32-year-old vet as a minor league FA for the 2002 season after stints with Milwaukee, Baltimore and the LA Dodgers. He was called up late in the year, pitched creditably in 15 outings (0-0/2.65), then was released during the following camp. He signed with the Yankees and tossed for them, St. Louis and Tampa Bay through 2008, ending a 13-year MLB career at age 38. 
• 1971 - Willie Stargell hit three homers, including career #200, and drove in all four runs in a 5-4 loss in 12 innings to the Braves at Atlanta Stadium. Al Oliver added three hits. Steve Blass pitched nine innings, but with two down in the ninth walked Ralph Garr and then gave up a two-run homer to Hank Aaron to send the game to extra innings, with Nellie Briles taking the loss.

4/10 From 1975: Bell & Maddux Sign, Day Of 1st's, Smiley Start, Hoo-Ray, Openers & Game Days, B-Rey POTW, Jimmy's #500, Milo Hired, Keaton Carps, HBD Mike

• 1975 - The Bucs were the Opening Day foes at Wrigley Field and flexed some long ball muscle to tame the Cubs, 8-4. Pittsburgh started off hot with first-inning homers by Richie Hebner and Willie Stargell, then padded the lead with a two-out, two-run rally in the third. Chicago got to Dock Ellis in the fifth with a barrage of doubles and tied the game. It stayed at four-all until the eighth when Pops went deep again, Manny Sanguillen tacked on a two-run dinger and Rennie Stennett added the cherry on top with a two-out RBI knock. That was all she wrote as Sudden Sam McDowell, Larry Demery and game winner Dave Giusti shut the gate after Dock. Captain Willie wielded the hottest bat - he went 4-for-5 with two dingers, a walk, three RBI and two runs scored. 
• 1975 - RHP Mike Lincoln was born in Carmichael, California. He debuted as a teen for the Twins and pitched for the Pirates from 2001-03. He had two effective years as a reliever, but arm troubles hounded him in 2003 and throughout the rest of his career; his ERA was 5.56 from that season forward. As a Bucco, Lincoln went 7-9-5/3.50. His last campaign was in 2010 as a Red. 
• 1976 - Milo Hamilton replaced Bob Prince as the voice of the Pirates, marking the first time that an MLB team followed one future Ford Frick winner with another. Prince won the award posthumously in 1986 and Hamilton was recognized in 1992. Milo had a tough go in the Steel City as his quiet, polished style didn’t go over well with the fans who were brought up on the Gunner’s colorful, folksy delivery. Hamilton moved on to the Chicago Cubs broadcasting team in 1980. Lanny Frattare also made his broadcast debut as Hamilton’s partner. Frattare went on to become the Pirates longest tenured announcer, announcing victories with his tagline "...and there was nooo doubt about it" for 33 seasons before his retirement into academia at Waynesburg University. 
• 1976 - The Pirates defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4, at Veterans Stadium in the season Opener. Dave Parker scored the winning run in an 11th inning collision at home that cost C Johnny Oates two months of the season with a broken collarbone. Willie Stargell was the batting hero with three hits, a walk and three RBI while Larry Demery claimed the win after three scoreless innings of work. 

Willie Stargell - 1976 Hostess

• 1982 - Johnny Ray went deep for the first time in his career to help the Pirates beat the Cardinals, 11-7, on Opening Day at Busch Stadium. Ray led the Pirates with three hits (homer, double, single), while starter Rick Rhoden also went deep (it was RR’s sixth career dinger - he hit nine - and the only Opening Day long ball ever smacked by a Pittsburgh pitcher). Dale Berra also had three hits, including a pair of two-baggers, as the Buccos banged out five doubles and two homers among their twelve hits to go along with nine walks and four Redbird errors as Pittsburgh stranded 11 runners. Rod Scurry took home the victory and John Candelaria claimed the save. 
• 1983 - John Candelaria was hit hard and the Bucs found themselves down, 7-2, to Houston at the Astrodome after three innings. But Manny Sarmiento, Jim Winn, Jim Bibby, Kent Tekulve and Rod Scurry allowed just one more run over the last six frames and the Bucs bats kept grinding away, eventually taking a 10-8 victory from the Texans. The Buccos only had nine hits, led by Jason Thompson’s homer/double combo, but seven ‘Stro walks, four leading to scores, and three steals, with two setting up tallies, kept the runners moving along. Bibby was with the win while Scurry nailed down the save. 
• 1987 - The Pirates beat the Cards, 4-3, at TRS in the Home Opener in front of 52,119 fans, the biggest baseball crowd in Pirates history to date. They did it the hard way, with Don Robinson giving up a 3-1 lead in the ninth. The Redbirds almost took the lead that frame but 3B Jim Morrison threw out Curt Flood trying to score on a dink to short left. The Bucs and Mo weren’t to be denied - Morrison scampered home from first on Sid Bream’s two-out double off Dave LaPoint for the walk-off win. Morrison was the game’s hero; he went 4-for-4 with two homers, a double and a walk. It also marked the passing of the torch. PA announcer Art McKennan, 80 years young with 38 years behind the mic, announced the game and then handed over his chair to Bucco broadcaster Greg Brown, who was at that time a member of the Pirates PR department. Art had been fired in the off season, but the public outcry was so loud that the Pirates relented and allowed McKennan to announce Sunday games, which he did until 1993. 

Jim Morrison - 1987 Fleer Mini

• 1988 - After 76 appearances out of the bullpen, John Smiley made his first MLB start. He didn’t get the win, though he did leave ahead after five frames, 3-2, creating a good enough impression that he started 116 of his remaining 119 career outings in Pittsburgh. The lead at Busch Stadium almost held up; the Cards tied the match in the ninth to send it into extras. With two gone in the 11th inning, Sid Bream’s opp field pop fell between three Redbirds for a double, and Spanky LaValliere followed with a two-bagger for the lead. John Cangelosi’s knock added an insurance run as the Bucs took home a 5-3 victory, with Bob Kipper the winner and Jim Gott earning the save. 
• 1992 - The Pirates presented skipper Jimmy Leyland with his 500th win, defeating the Phils, 3-2, at Veterans Stadium. The Bucs scratched out a 3-0 lead, survived a two-run, seventh-inning blast by Philly pinch hitter Jim Lindeman, and hung on for the win as Roger Mason and Stan Belinda came on to finish off the victory for Randy Tomlin. Barry Bonds homered, Lloyd McClendon drove in and scored a run and Steve Buechele singled home the game-winner in the sixth. It would be Tomlin’s first win in his standout season, when he posted a 14-9/3.41 line. 
• 1993 - The Pirates announced that they signed SS Jay Bell, 27, to a four year/$17.5M contract extension to begin in 1994, after his current $2.6M deal expired. Bell received $3M (‘94), $4.2M (‘95), $4.5M (‘96) & $4.8M (‘97) along with a $1M signing bonus by giving up his final arb year (1994) and three free agency seasons. The agreement jumped him into elite company, making him the third-highest paid shortstop in the league, behind only Cal Ripken and Barry Larkin. 
• 1995 - The Bucs signed veteran RHP Mike Maddux, 33, to an NRI contract worth $200K (a $1M cut from his ‘94 deal) if he made the club. He did, but not for long. Maddux appeared eight times, all from the pen, posting a 9.00 ERA and was released May 15th. He survived for a decade in MLB and would last five more years in the show, pitching for five more teams through 2000. 

Mike Maddux - 1995 photo/Main Line Autographs

• 2006 - The Bucs were dissed by actor Michael Keaton, who threw the first pitch at the PNC Park home opener and then said afterward of ownership "I fear they will take advantage of the goodwill of the people who continue to show up. For my money, that's disrespectful. At some point, you...have to write the check.” The Pirates seemed to agree as the Dodgers bombed Zach Duke for an 8-3 win. 
• 2014 - The Pirates roared back from a 4-0 hole at Chicago’s Wrigley Field with a five-run seventh inning to blast out a 5-4 win over the Cubbies. Travis Snider began Pittsburgh’s comeback with a pinch-hit two-run homer while Pedro Alvarez came through with the game-winner, a three-run, 446’ shot with two outs. It was El Toro’s fifth home run in six games. Gerrit Cole went six innings for the win that was carried home by Tony Watson, Mark Melancon and Jason Grilli, who earned the save but made it exciting by leaving the bases full of Cubs in the ninth. 
• 2018 - The Pirates were rude visitors, defeating the Cubs 8-5 in Chicago’s Home Opener. Corey Dickerson went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI while Francisco Cervelli also collected three hits, including a three-run homer in the seventh inning. Ivan Nova went seven innings to pick up his first win on the season. Dickerson, who the Pirates had picked up in a deal with Tampa Bay for RHP Daniel Hudson and prospect Tristan Gray, took over left field and hit .300 during the campaign. 
• 2022- Lotta firsts were posted for the Bucs today. Their 9-4 win over the Cards at Busch Stadium was their first win of the season. Diego Castillo had three hits in his first big league start. Miguel Yajure earned his first MLB win while Wil Crowe closed it out to claim his first save in the show. Michael Chavis cranked out three hits, including a grand slam (his career second, spoiling the first-time vibe) to get Pittsburgh rolling after dropping the first two games of the Opening Day set. 
• 2023 - Bryan Reynolds was named the NL Player of the Week. He batted .480 with four homers, 12 RBI, nine runs scored and a couple of stolen bases added to the package. The Pirates started the year off 6-3 and B-Rey had raps in all nine games, including a trio of three-hit games. A step below, Tucupita Marcano rolled seven and was selected as the International League POTW, batting .526 with seven runs driven home, seven runs tallied and a seven-game hitting streak.

4/9 Through the 1970s: Big Poison Signs, Grimes Dealt, Jeep Out, '63 Opener, Roofers, Cy Spring No-No, SI Cobra, Youth City, HBD Claude

• 1909 - RHP Claude Passeau was born in Waynesboro, Mississippi. Passeau worked 13 years in the show, getting his start in 1935 as a 26-year-old rookie for the Pirates when he got into one game and was hammered for four runs and seven hits in three innings. The Bucs gave up on him early (Passeau claimed he had a dead arm after tossing 244 IP in the minors before the Pirates brought him up in late September) and sent him to the Phils as a throw-in piece of the Al Todd trade. Claude ended up winning 162 games with a 3.32 ERA and made four All-Star teams. After he left the game, he only had one beef - he was rumored to throw a wet one but denied the charge, claiming it came about from his ability to change speeds and pitch movement. However, Claude was herky-jerky on the mound, always tugging his cap, smoothing his uniform, etc., and that likely helped fuel the suspicion that he loaded the horsehide with some hidden hurler’s helper. 
• 1930 - After a contract clash and spring holdout, spitballer Burleigh Grimes was sent to the Boston Braves for lefty Percy Jones (who tossed nine games and was done) and “a considerable amount” of cash. Grimes was then flipped to the Cards later in the season. St. Louis made it to the Series in ‘30, losing to the Philadelphia Athletics and Lefty Grove. They took it all the following year as Grimes won 17 games and added another pair of victories in the Series as the Cards dethroned the Athletics in the rematch. Grimes had an in-and-out relationship with the Pirates; he started, spent the middle, and then ended his career with Pittsburgh, with five of his 19 MLB seasons spent here. 
• 1937 - The 1936 batting champ‚ Paul Waner‚ ended his holdout and signed his 1937 contract. No official announcement was made of the amount, which was believed to be in the ballpark of $16,000. Big Poison went on to hit .354 and earn his last All-Star berth at age 34. 

Jeep Handley - 1940 Play Ball

• 1939 - The Bucco preseason wound down on a sour note when starting 3B Lee “Jeep” Handley was felled by a bean ball and taken to the hospital during a spring training game played three days before the opener. “The beaning caused an uproar in the Pirate camp that hasn’t been equaled in many years…” wrote Pittsburgh Press beatman Les Biederman as the Bucs boiled over the “intentions” of Cleveland hurler Johnny Allen, who caught Jeep in the temple with a sidearm fastball. Allen had just given up a homer and his next pitch nailed Lee, leading the Pirates to believe it was a purpose pitch (the Chicago catcher defended his guy by saying Jeep was crowding the plate). Handley recovered to hit .285 during the campaign but missed the first 10 games of the season while recurring complications from the incident caused him to sit out 52 games during the year. 
• 1939 - Not only was Jeep beaned, but manager Pie Traynor may have cost Cy Blanton his career. Blanton tossed a no-no against the Tribe in the same exhibition game, going the distance in a meaningless contest because the skipper didn’t want to pull him with a no-hitter on the line. It’s been hotly debated whether or not this outing led to Blanton suffering torn ligaments three starts into the season. Afterward he was never the same. In the four prior years (1935-38), he started 122 games, tossing to a 3.23 ERA, and in his last four seasons, starting in 1939, he got just 42 starts with a 4.51 ERA. In brighter news of the day, Paul Waner, who in an annual rite of spring held out during camp, agreed to a new contract that reportedly cut his previous salary by $5,000. Big Poison was a week from reaching 36 and had his worst year as a Bucco in 1938, hitting .280 w/.331 OBP. He bounced back, batting .328, but was released by the Pirates after the 1940 season. 
• 1953 - In an exhibition game at Forbes Field, 21-year-old rookie Mickey Mantle of the Yankees crushed a Bill MacDonald curve and launched it over the right field roof, joining the Babe and Ted Beard as the only hitters to date to carry the upper deck, which was added in 1925. In all, 18 balls were sent over the roof, seven put in orbit by Willie Stargell. The Mick proved his blast asn’t just a youthful fling when he cleared the stands again during the 1960 World Series. 

Elroy Face - 1963 Topps

• 1963 - The home season kicked off in grand style as the Benny Benack band provided the music, Jeanne Baxter sang the Anthem and Governor William Scranton tossed out the first pitch while Commissioner Bill McClelland, Mayor Joe Barr & Prothonotary Dave Roberts were at the yard. The game was pretty good, too, as the Bucs and Braves traded ninth inning runs as the Pirates rallied for a 3-2 walk off win in front of 29,615 Forbes Field faithful. With two down in the ninth, Pittsburgh got back-to-back-to-back hits from Bill Virdon, Bob Bailey and pinch-hitter Ted Savage to win the game for ElRoy Face, who had worked out a two-on, no-out pickle in the Milwaukee ninth. The first two Pittsburgh scores came on solo shots by old dawg Smokey Burgess and frisky pup Bailey. 
• 1973 - Bob Prince and Nellie Briles (who sang a solo piece during the program) organized a two-hour benefit youth concert to help fund Roberto Clemente’s “Youth City” complex dream. It featured the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra and was broadcast live from Heinz Hall by WIIC-Channel 11 while being recorded for a record album sold to help support the cause. 
• 1979 - Dave Parker shared the cover and a “Who’s Best?” teaser on Sports Illustrated Baseball Special with Boston’s Jim Rice. The 1978 MVPs both did pretty well in ‘79 - All-Star Rice slashed .325/39/130 for a 91-win Bosox club while the Cobra also earned an All-Star berth with a line of .310/25/94; the World Series ring he won made him the winner of SI’s rhetorical question in our book.