7/16 - TRS Opens and More...

Three Rivers opens, Chief Wilson, Earl's pearl, never say die, splish splash, Big Red, DD, big bats, Zachster...

• 1970 - The first game at Three Rivers Stadium, located on about the same spot as old Exposition Park, the home of the Pirates from 1891-1909, was played. Cincinnati’s Tony Perez hit the park's first home run as the Bucs lost to the Reds 3-2. Richie Hebner scored the first run in the stadium’s history when Al Oliver doubled him home in the first inning to knock in the yard’s first RBI; Pops hit the first Bucco homer. Dock Ellis started and took the loss. The Pirates rocked their new uniforms of stretch cotton and nylon for the debut in front of 48,846 fans. 
• 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 Filed 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 came on a John Flynn RBI knock and Bill McKechnie’s drive that glanced off a glove to score Flynn. Deacon Phillippe got the win. 
• 1920 - Lefty Earl Hamilton pitched 16 shutout innings before running out of gas and losing 7-0 to the New York Giants, getting just one out in the 17th frame. The Giants Rube Benton went the distance for the win at Forbes Field, tossing a seven hitter. 
• 1950 - The Bucs scored three times in the eighth and once in the ninth to edge the Boston Braves 6-5 at Forbes Field. Ted Beard (whose ball hit the RF roof and bounced over it) and Gus Bell went long (after Ralph Kiner was intentionally walked to get to him) 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 hit this day; the Bucs contributed five to the cause - Bell (2), Beard, Turner and Danny O’Connell’s blast in the first game. 
• 1969 - Willie Stargell splashed a pitch over the RF fence 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 Hartenstine got the save, even though he gave up a ninth inning homer, to close the win for Joe Gibbon. 
• 1971 - Bob Robertson became the first player to blast a shot into the upper left field deck of TRS when he connected off of San Diego’s Steve Arlin in a 2-1 Pirate win.
• 1992 - Doug Drabek scattered four hits and turned a pair of two out RBI hits - a homer by Andy Van Slyke and a single through the right side by Alex Cole - into a victory as the Bucs defeated the Chicago Cubs 2-1 at TRS.
• 1999 - The middle hitters of the Pirate order - Brian Giles, Kevin Young and Ed Sprague - each collected a homer and drove in a combined eight runs while scoring seven times in an 11-3 win against the Cleveland Indians at TRS.
• 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 had a homer and sac fly while Wilson banged out three hits, including a triple as the Pirates Josh Fogg defeated Houston’s Roy Oswalt.
• 2005 - The Bucs behind Zach Duke shut out the Chicago Cubs and Greg Maddux 3-0 at Wrigley Field. The Zachster gave up eight hits, but the Buc defense turned four DPs in his behalf. Duke even helped himself with a sac fly. The other runs came on a Jason Bay homer and a double by Matt Lawton, both with two outs.