9/10: Hans New Stick, Burleigh Grimes, Bucs Roll 11, Friend Wins #20, Neil Walker...

Hans New Stick, Burleigh Grimes, Bucs Roll 11, Friend Wins #20, Neil Walker...

• 1913 - Before the Bucs lost 5-2 at Forbes Field to the NY Giants, Hans Wagner was gifted with a new piece of lumber. MA Seidel, a boyhood bud of the Dutchman who moved to Erie, presented the shortstop with a bat made from a timber of Commodore Perry’s flagship The Niagara, sunk in 1813, engraved with “We have met the enemy and he is ours.” 
• 1934 - Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes, closing out his career, got his last MLB win in relief as the Pirates beat the NY Giants 9-7 at the Polo Grounds. Grimes went two innings and gave up a run to claim his 270th victory. 
• 1940 - The Bucs rolled 11 in consecutive games, sweeping a twin bill from the Phillies by 11-3 and 11-1 scores at Shibe Park. In the opener, Maurice Van Robays homered with four RBI while Arky Vaughan smacked two triples and drove in three runs to allow Joe Bowman to cruise to victory. Rip Sewell tossed a six hitter with lots of support in the closer. Van Robays had a double and three more RBI, Al Lopez went 2-for-2 with three runs driven in, Vaughan added four more hits and Bob Elliott homered. 
• 1958 - Dick Stuart banged a two-run, two-out 10th inning homer, atoning for an earlier error that allowed a run to score, to give Bob Friend his 20th win of the year as the Pirates beat the Giants 6-4 at Forbes Field. Roberto Clemente added three hits, a run, RBI, stolen base and threw out a runner at third. Friend finished the year at 22–14 to lead MLB in victories, and became the first Buc pitcher to win twenty since Murry Dickson (20-16) in 1951. The victory guaranteed the ‘58 Pirates a winning record, snapping a nine-season drought during the “Rickey-Dinks” era. 
• 1985 - 2B Neil Walker was born. The Pine-Richland grad was a three sport star in HS, and was drafted in the first round of the 2004 draft. Playing mostly catcher and third in the minors, he got his shot in 2010 at second base after Akinori Iwamura fizzled, and never looked back.