Wednesday, February 12, 2014

2/11-12: Aldridge-Grimes, TRS, Dutch, Woody and Joe Garagiola...

Aldridge-Grimes, TRS, Dutch, Woody and Joe Garagiola...


  • February 11, 1928 - Pittsburgh sent RHP Vic Aldridge, who was fishing for a raise from owner Barney Dreyfuss, to the NY Giants for RHP Burleigh Grimes, who they had traded away nine years earlier. Grimes won 42 games in 1928-29 before being sent to the Braves after the Bucs reached a contract impasse with him. He returned in 1934 for his third Pittsburgh stint to finish his MLB career as a Pirate, the team he started with. The Hall of Famer won 48 of his 270 career victories as a Buc. As for Aldridge, he also bumped heads over money with Giants, held out and had a terrible year, prompting him to retire from baseball in 1929.
  • February 11, 2001 - Three Rivers Stadium‚ the home of the Pirates since 1970‚ was imploded before a full complement of TV cameras and thousands of onlookers. Roberto Clemente's 3,000th hit, Mike Schmidt's 500th home run and a couple of World Series teams were part of the park's legacy. 


Three Rivers Stadium Implosion from ESPN


  • February 12, 1912 - RHP Lloyd “Dutch” Dietz was born in Cincinnati. Dutch tossed from 1940-43 for the Bucs, going 14-16-6 with a 3.86 ERA, compiling a 7-2/2.33 slash in 1941. 
  • February 12, 1922 - RHP Forrest “Woody” Main was born in Delano, California. He pitched off and on for the Bucs in 1948, 1950, and 1952-53 after being claimed from the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft. Woody went 4-13-3 with a 5.14 ERA as a Pirate. 
  • February 12, 1926 - C Joe Garagiola was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and spent the middle of his MLB career (1951-53) with Pittsburgh. Joe hit .262 over that span, but is best known as an announcer, a profession he began after his playing days in 1955.

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