9/17: Leyland Leaves, Whitey, Specs, Pennant Express, Boots, Cap'n Willie, Late Run, Frank Taveras, Long Day...

Leyland Leaves, Whitey, Specs, Pennant Express, Boots, Cap'n Willie, Late Run, Frank Taveras, Long Day...

• 1893 - RHP Charles “Whitey” Glazner was born in Sycamore, Alabama. He pitched from 1920-23 for the Bucs, with a line of 27-18/3.48, with an exceptional 1921 campaign when Whitey went 14-5-1 with a 2.77 ERA. But he couldn’t repeat, and was traded to the Phils in 1923. 
• 1915 - Rookie Carmen “Specs” Hill won his first start, 5-0, over the NY Giants in the second game of a twin bill at Forbes Field. Hill pitched eight years for the Pirates, winning 22 games in 1927 for the NL pennant winners. He also became the second MLB pitcher to wear glasses; Lee Meadows, who became a Bucco teammate of Hill in the twenties, was the first big leaguer to sport peepers earlier in the season. The Bucs won the opener 9-6 behind Wilbur Cooper. 
• 1927 - The Pirates won their tenth and eleventh games in a row, sweeping the Brooklyn Robins 2-1 and 6-0. Vic Aldridge won the opener and drove in a run to help himself. Ray Kremer tossed his third shutout in four outings while Lloyd Waner banged out his 200th hit of the season, becoming the first MLB rookie to reach that mark in the 20th century, during the nitecap. 
• 1939 - In a 7-3 loss to Philly, the Bucs set a club record with eight errors - 3B Frankie Gustine had three misplays - and every Philadelphia run was unearned. The game was the opener of a doubleheader at Forbes Field. The Pirates played flawlessly in the field during the nitecap to earn a split with a 10-1 victory. Bob Klinger not only tossed a four hitter, but went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored twice. Paul Waner and Arky Vaughan homered. 
• 1973 - Willie Stargell went 4-for-4 with a homer, triple, and two doubles good for four RBI as the Bucs beat the Mets 10-3 at TRS. Richie Zisk and Milt May both went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI each. Bruce Kison got the win and Chris Zachary earned a three-inning save. 
• 1976 - Behind Doc Medich and Dave Guisti’s combined six hitter, the Bucs defeated the Mets 4-1 at Shea Stadium for their 18th win in 22 games. Frank Taveras’ two run single in the fifth was the telling blow. The win made the NL East race interesting. The Pirates cut Philadelphia’s lead down to three games, but it would be the closest they came as they finished with 92 wins, nine games behind the Phils. 
• 1977 - Frank Taveras tied and then broke Max Carey’s single season team record of 63 stolen bases, which was set in 1916, during a 6-3 Bucco victory over the Expos in Montreal (Omar Moreno stole 96 sacks in 1980). Scheduled starter Jerry Reuss was scratched after warming up, and his short-notice replacement Ed Whitson pitched five innings for the win as Goose Gossage tossed the final four frames to earn his 23rd save. 
• 1992 - It took thirteen innings, but the Pirates finally defeated the Montreal Expos 3-2 at TRS. Danny Cox, the Bucs’ sixth pitcher, got the win after Cecil Espy led off the 13th with a triple and scored on Jay Bell’s infield single to the SS hole. The game took four hours and 35 minutes to play, but was worth the time for Bell, who had two hits and ran his hitting streak, which had began on 8/24, to 22 games before the Phils’ Terry Mulholland stopped him the next night. 
• 1996 - Manager Jim Leyland announced that he’d leave the Pirates at the end of the season. The two-time Manager of the Year quickly found a new job as skipper of the Florida Marlins, signing a five year deal with the Fish on October 4th and then winning the World Series with them.