Bucco History 5/1

Long balls, birthdays, beaned batters, a suspension and some well & poorly thrown baseballs...

• 1895 - Bill Hart hurled a one-hitter in a 4-1 victory over Cincinnati at Exposition Park.
• 1933 - Arky Vaughan and Earl Grace became the first pair of Pirates to hit grand slams in the same game when they did it against the Phillies at the Baker Bowl to lead Pittsburgh to a 10-0 win.
• 1953 - The Pirates defeated the Reds‚ 8-3‚ at Forbes Field for their third win in a row‚ their longest streak since August, 1951. Bonus baby Paul Pettit was the winner in his first MLB start. It was his only win, as he never recovered from arm injuries suffered the previous year on the farm, and spent most of his career as a minor league outfielder.
• 1955 - Pirate pitching coach Ray Searage was born in Freeport, NY. The West Liberty State grad coached Buccos for the Williamsport Crosscutters in 2003-04, the Hickory Crawdads in 2005, the Altoona Curve in 2006-07 and the Indianapolis Indians in 2008-09. In 2010, he joined the MLB staff during John Russell’s final season.
• 1957 - The Cubs sent 1B Dee Fondy and 2B Gene Baker to the Bucs for 1B Dale Long and OF Lee Walls. Fondy hit .300 while Walls and Long combined for 45 Chicago HRs in 1957.
• 1959 - Dick Stuart hit one of the longest shots ever launched at Forbes Field, carrying well over the scoreboard and landing deep in the parking plaza when he caught a 2-0 curve off Jim Brosnan. Alas, the almost 500’ two-run, two-out drive in the ninth only made it close as the Bucs went down to the Cards 7-6. Big Stu had three hits, including a double, in the loss.
• 1960 - The Pirates won their ninth straight game, their longest string since 1945, against the Reds 13-2 at Crosley Field. Roberto Clemente had a grand slam and Maz added a three run shot. The streak would end the next day against the Cards and Ronnie Kline by a 4-3 count.
• 1964 - Jose Lind was born in Toabaja, Puerto Rico. In six seasons with the Pirates (1987-92), the 2B hit .255 and appeared in three NLCS bouts. Chico was considered a top flight defender, and won a Gold Glove in 1992. A coke addiction drove him out of the game and into several clashes with the law, but he came clean and participates in the Bucco fantasy camps now.
• 1973 - The Giants scored seven runs with two outs in the ninth to claim an 8-7 win at Candlestick Park. Bob Moose started and got the first two outs in the ninth, but Ramon Hernandez and Dave Guisti gave up three hits and two walks trying to close out the game, the capper being Chris Arnold’s pinch-hit bomb off Hernandez. The Bucs wasted Stargell’s three hits and three RBI.
• 1974 - Dock Ellis hit the Reds’ Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, and Dan Driessen in the top of the first inning and Tony Perez dodged some chin music to draw a walk as Ellis tied a MLB record for consecutive beaned batters before Danny Murtaugh yanked him. Ellis later claimed that he was high on pep pills during the Bucs 5-3loss to the Reds, and was trying to counter what he saw as the Reds intimidation of the Pirates.
• 1980 - Bill "Mad Dog" Madlock was fined $5‚000 and suspended 15 games by NL president Chub Feeney for poking umpire Jerry Crawford in the face after being called out on strikes with the bases loaded. Madlock dragged out an appeal‚ but finally withdrew the protest and began serving the suspension on June 6th after the NL umpires threatened to eject him from every game he tried to play.