7/6 - Trouble With Umps, First All-Star Game, First Splash Down and More...

A farce, no ump, first All-Star game, back-to-back, Jason Thompson, comebacks, the Freak Show, splash down...

• 1896 - The Pittsburgh Press described the game, played in the rain at Washington, as “...a farce. But was not without excitement, however, for Umpire Tim Hurst threatened to whip half a dozen players.” Hurst punched Pirates Jake Stenzel and Emerson "Pink" Hawley in the jaw for the guff they had given him during the game. According the New York Clipper "neither player resented the attack." The Pirates defeated the Senators 6-2 at Boundary Park. 
• 1901 - NY Manager George Davis said he would pull his team off the Polo Grounds rather than allow ump Harry Colgan to call the game, and he got his wish. Colgan didn’t show up, and under the threat of a forfeit and fine by the league if the blustering Giants didn’t play the match, the two teams each selected a player - Giant Charlie Buelow and Pirate Jack O'Connor - to ump. Davis might have been better off with Colgan as his club lost 6-2, but at least there weren’t any rhubarbs. There were only two bang-bang plays, and sportsman O’Connor called them both for the Giants. 
• 1933 - CF Paul Waner and 3B Pie Traynor represented the Bucs in the first-ever All-Star Game held at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. The AL won 4-2. Traynor doubled against Lefty Grove in his only at-bat, and Big Poison got into the game but didn’t make a plate appearance. 
• 1945 - A doubleheader couldn’t begin any better; Pete Coscarart and Jim Russell started it off with a bang, smacking back-to-back homers, the first time that had been done in franchise history. But Boston regained its composure pretty quickly and swept the Buccos 13-5 and 14-8 at Braves Field. 
• 1954 - 1B Jason Thompson was born in Hollywood. He played for the Pirates for five years (1981-85) and hit .253 with 93 HR, with a particularly sharp eye that led to a .376 OBP. Thompson was an All-Star in 1982, batting .284/31/101, and spent 11 years in MLB. 
• 1980 - Cub relief pitchers held the Pirates hitless for 12-2/3 innings at TRS but Pittsburgh took home a 5-4, 20 inning victory. Cliff Johnson's two-out homer in the ninth off Bert Blyleven tied it for Chicago‚ but Omar Moreno's single hours later (it was a 5-1/2 hour affair) was the game winner. Jim Bibby (11-1) earned the win with three scoreless innings‚ but lost a probable start in the All Star game because of his unexpected relief outing. 
• 1985 - The Pirates blew a three run lead at TRS, allowing the Padres to tie the game in the ninth inning, but came back in their half to take an 8-7 decision. Steve Kemp homered and the Bucs added a triple and five doubles during the contest, but Pittsburgh used three consecutive two-out singles against Craig Lefferts, the last by Marvell Wynne, to claim the victory. 
• 1997 - The Pirate “Freak Show” completed a four game sweep of St. Louis, 6-3, at Busch Stadium to go into the All-Star break with a one-game lead in the NL Central standings. Steve Cooke won the game backed by Jose Guillen’s three run homer and four RBI. 
• 2001 - Pittsburgh put up a five spot in the eighth inning to rally past the White Sox 10-6 at Comiskey Park. Jack Wilson had three hits and John Vander Wal added a homer to pace the attack. 
• 2002 - Houston's Daryle Ward became the first player to put a baseball in the Allegheny on the fly when he homered off Kip Wells during a 10-2 Astro win. The ball traveled an estimated 463'.