5/3: Can't Do That, Hot Honus, Hot Pitching, Gunner's Last Hurrah, Turner Gate-Crashes, Walk Off, Whiffs & More...

Can't Do That, Hot Honus, Hot Pitching, Gunner's Last Hurrah, Turner Gate-Crashes, Walk Off, Whiffs & More...

• 1899 - OF Jack McCarthy hit a ball that went through an open gate in the Exposition Park outfield wall, and a helpful fan shut it to give him an uncontested three run, walk-off homer in Pittsburgh’s 7-6 win against the Louisville Colonels. The league frowned on the play and ordered a replay of the game. 
• 1909 - The Bucs whipped Chicago‚ 9-2 at the West Side Grounds. Honus Wagner went 5-for-6 during the game. He was repeating what he did the day before, also going 5-for-6 in a 6-0 victory over the Cubs. Chicago was Pittsburgh’s hottest competitor and finished second to them in the NL, 6-1/2 games off the Pirate pace. 

1961 Fleer Baseball Greats series

• 1927 - Paul Waner went 3-for-4 with a triple, walk, three runs scored and four RBI as the Pirates outlasted the St. Louis Cardinals 11-10 at Forbes Field. Earl Smith had three hits, including two homers, to add three RBI to the pot and Glenn Wright also had three knocks and plated three times to give Ray Kremer, the Pirates fourth pitcher, the win. 
• 1928 - Ray Kremer lost his first home start of the season to the Boston Braves at Forbes Field 5-4 in 11 innings, ending a MLB record streak of 22 straight home victories begun in 1926. 
• 1947 - The Pirates traded OF Al Gionfriddo and $100,000 to Dodgers for P Kirby Higbe, P Cal McLish, IF Gene Mauch, P Hank Behrman, and P Dixie Howell. Gionfriddo was remembered for his 1947 World Series grab of a Joe DiMaggio blast for Brooklyn and Red Barber’s call that he was going “back back back back back” for the catch, which Chris Berman of ESPN later adopted as his home run call. Some analysts believe that Branch Rickey made the deal to send a message to the Dodger players about his support for Jackie Robinson by sending some gripers to Pittsburgh, though he may have just been housecleaning; none but Higbe had any impact with the Pirates. 
• 1953 - Johnny Lindell, a converted outfielder‚ pitched the Pirates to their fifth straight win‚ beating the Cards‚ 6-2. Lindell earned his first win since 1942 when he was a Yankee reliever, his last season on the mound before this year. 
• 1985 - The Gunner, Bob Prince, returned to the booth after a 10 year absence (he had been fired by KDKA). Prince got a standing ovation from the crowd, and when he took over the mic in the fourth frame, the Pirates erupted for nine runs, earning him another O after the inning. It was a short comeback as The Gunner died of cancer on June 10th. 
• 1986 - A skunk wandered onto the field at San Diego in the 7th inning at Jack Murphy Stadium and held up the Padres-Pirates game for several minutes. It was rumored that a group of skunks lived under the stadium‚ feeding on peanuts and other fan debris; guess that’s one rumor that proved true. The Bucs scored three times in the 8th and added another in the 9th to beat the Padres‚ 7-6. 
• 1991 - The Pirates defeated the Astros 1-0 in a one hour‚ 45 minute contest at TRS‚ the NL's shortest nine inning game since 1981. Zane Smith threw a complete game four hitter while the 'Stros Pete Harnisch went the distance and gave up only two knocks, one being Orlando Merced’s first homer of the year in the third inning. Harnisch threw 89 pitches and Smith 92 during the contest. 
• 1998 - Turner Ward literally crashed through the right field wall at Three Rivers Stadium while running down Mike Piazza’s long fly in a 10-5 loss to the Dodgers. And yes, he hung onto the ball in a play that is still considered one of the great all-time MLB catches and an ESPN go-to clip, though he had to leave the game with bruises and some fiberglass splinters. The kid was a gamer; he crashed through the wall while LA was ahead 9-0. 

 Turner Ward from MLB.com

• 1999 - The Bucs scored four times in the ninth on homers by Warren Morris and Brian Giles and a two-out walk off single by Brant Brown to surge past the Giants 9-8 off reliever Robb Nenn at TRS. Giles had three hits and five RBI while Jason Kendall went 5-for-5 with a pair of doubles. 
• 2012 - The Pirates set a club mark by striking out 17 in nine innings during their 6-3 win over the Cards at Busch Stadium. Erik Bedard did the heavy lifting, whiffing 11 in five frames and setting a franchise record with seven consecutive K’s. Four Pirate relievers added six more K in the final four innings. Jason Grilli and Joel Hanrahan picked up a pair of punchouts apiece in the eighth and ninth.