6/12 - Dock's No Hitter & Lots of Offense

Hit parade, Clemente & pinch hitters deliver, Dock's no-no, extra, extra, Tigers tamed...

• 1928 - The Pirates set a record, later tied, by having seven batters collect three hits or more in a game when they whipped the Phillies 15-4 at the Baker Bowl. Oddly, Ray Kremer, the Bucco pitcher, led the parade with four knocks. Pittsburgh had 25 hits, with every starting player chipping in. 
• 1956 - Roberto Clemente's fifth inning, two-out, two-run homer into Crosley Field's right-centerfield bleachers gave Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. An out earlier, pinch hitter Jack Shepherd launched a two run shot that cut Cincy’s lead to one after the Reds had scored three times in the first off Bob Friend. Roy face pitched 4-1/3 shutout innings of relief for the win. The victory put the Pirates ½ game ahead of the Reds in the standings. 
• 1969 - SS Freddie Patek’s boot led to two unearned runs in a three-run third for Houston, but Roberto Clemente’s game-tying two run shot in the sixth and pinch hitter Carl Taylor’s two out single in the ninth to score Manny Sanguillen gave the Bucs a 4-3 win. Jim Bunning went the distance for the win at the Astrodome. 
• 1970 - At Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, Dock Ellis walked eight batters but no-hit the Padres, 2-0, to become the fourth Pirate pitcher to accomplish the feat. He later claimed he was high on LSD while pitching that day. It was the first game of a twin bill; SD took the nitecap 5-2. 
• 1999 - Ed Sprague, Kevin Young and Jason Kendall homered, Al Martin had four hits and the Bucs banged out five doubles to edge the KC Royals 9-8 at TRS. Sprague singled home Adrian Brown in the ninth for a walk off win. Jason Christiansen got the W. 
• 2001 - The Pirates put up nine runs in the fourth inning to run away with a 13-3 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park. Abraham Nunez had a bases loaded triple, Rob Mackowiak banged a two run homer and John Van Der Wal added a two run single in the big frame. Brian Giles homered and doubled for four RBI to match Nunez’s game total as the Bucs hammered seven extra base hits.