7/8: Busy, Busy Day In Bucco History

Lots of stuff happened in Pittsburgh baseball today...

• 1859 - Ump Hank O’Day was born in Chicago. He only pitched one year for the Alleghenys, (1885), but O’Day became known as an ump, calling plays for 30 years, famously the controversial “Merkle Bonehead” decision. He umped in 10 World Series and 2,710 games behind the plate. 
• 1915 - Al Mamaux pitched a 2-0 shutout, his fifth of the year, over the Phils at the Baker Bowl. He struck out nine, and the Bucs tied a record by recording only two assists the entire game, both by 2B Jim Viox.
• 1921 - A ruling by the City of Pittsburgh allowed fans to keep balls hit into the stands in Forbes Field. Robert Alderdice‚ the Director of Public Safety, made the call following threatened lawsuits against police who arrested three fans for refusing to return balls to the team. 
• 1927 - Johnny Gooch’s two out single in the seventh was the only hit the Bucs got off the Cubs’ Charlie Root as he outdueled Lee Meadows for a 1-0 win at Forbes Field. Meadows scattered eight hits, and the only score he gave up was in the second, when 3B Pie Traynor threw wildly to first with two outs to allow Charlie Grimm to score the game’s only run from second base. 
• 1929 - OF John Powers was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He was a legendary minor league masher, but for Pittsburgh between 1955-58, he hit just .190 with four homers in 160 PA. 

Johnny Powers Topps 1958 series

• 1935 - SS Arky Vaughan and RF Paul Waner repped the Pirates in the All-Star game at Cleveland Stadium. Vaughan doubled, walked and scored in three at-bats while Waner was 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter in the AL’s 4-1 win. 
• 1941 - At Detroit's Briggs Stadium, SS Arky Vaughan became the first player to hit two home runs in an All-Star Game, cracking a pair of two-run homers in the NL's 7-5 loss. Arky went 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBI in his eighth straight (and final) AS appearance. 3B Bob Elliott and C Al Lopez also played, both going 0-for-1. 
• 1947 - Pittsburgh’s All-Star at Wrigley Field was 3B Frank Gustine, who went 0-for-2 in a 2-1 loss to the junior circuit. 
• 1950 - The Bucs beat the Cards 7-6 at Forbes Field. The Pirates rallied in the ninth when pinch-hitter Jack Phillips' long fly ball just eluded Stan Musial’s leap, grazing off his glove at the 376’ mark and landing in the bullpen for a walk-off grand slam, his first ever. Ralph Kiner and Stan Rojek also homered for Pittsburgh.

Jack Phillips Topps 1952 series

• 1952 - For the fourth straight year, OF Ralph Kiner was the sole Pirate rep for the All Star Game. The NL won 3-2 in a rain-shortened, five-inning game at Shibe Park. Kiner was scheduled to enter the game in the seventh and didn’t get to play. 
• 1958 - The Pirates sent a full contingent of P Bob Friend, 2B Bill Mazeroski, OF Bob Skinner and 3B Frank Thomas to the All Star Game at Memorial Stadium, a 4-3 AL win. Bob Friend took the loss, giving up two runs in 2-⅓ innings, one last score unearned thanks to a boot by teammate Thomas. Skinner went 1-for-3 with a RBI, Thomas 1-for-3 and Maz 0-for-4. 
• 1964 - P Bob Kipper was born in Aurora, Illinois. The lefty tossed for seven seasons (1985-91) for the Bucs. He spent his first three years as a starter and then was converted to the pen. Kipper went 24-33-11/4.34 with the Pirates, appearing 195 times in his last four seasons and was part of Jim Leyland’s 1991 NLCS club. 
• 1969 - Roberto Clemente homered over the 436’ mark in center at Forbes Field, his third hit of the day, in an 8-1 win over the Expos. Montreal was held to three hits by Steve Blass. 
• 1977 - The Bucs and Phils had a pair of bench-clearing to-dos after Mike Schmidt and Willie Stargell were beaned, mitigated a bit when Morgana “The Kissing Bandit” planted a smooch on John Candelaria. Pittsburgh won the literal and figurative slugfest 8-7, overcoming a 7-3, eighth inning deficit at TRS. The victory was anti-climatic; after tying the game in the eighth, the Pirates won when pinch hitter Jim Fregosi drew a bases-loaded, ninth inning walk off Warren Brusstar to earn the W for Pittsburgh and Goose Gossage. 

Bruce Kison's beaning of Mike Schmidt led to...(photo from CSN Philly)

• 1980 - The NL topped the AL 4-2 at Dodger Stadium in the All Star game with Chuck Tanner as manager. 2B Phil Garner went 1-for-2 with a run, walk and stolen base while RF Dave Parker went 0-for-2. P Jim Bibby pitched a clean seventh inning, while Kent Tekulve watched the game from the bullpen. 
• 1982 - The Reds rallied in the ninth at TRS to turn a 4-2 deficit into an 8-4 lead. The never say die Pirates answered with a two run homer by Willie Stargell and a bases clearing double by Jason Thompson to win in Cardiac Kid fashion 9-8. 
• 1987 - Josh Harrison was born in Cincinnati. The utility guy has been up-and-down with the Bucs for the past few seasons after coming over in the John Grabow/Tom Gorzelanny deal with the Cubs in 2009, and seems to have settled into a super utility role this year, playing the part well enough to win an All-Star berth. 

Josh Harrison photo from isportsweb

• 1994 - The statue of Roberto Clemente, located in front of Roberto Clemente Bridge, was designed by sculptor Susan Wagner and originally dedicated outside of Gate B at TRS on this date. When PNC Park opened in 2001, it was reinstalled just beyond center field. A neat factoid: under glass blocks representing first, second, and third base is soil from Puerto Rico, Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium. 
• 1997 - The junior circuit short circuited the NL by a 3-1 score at the All Star game played at Jacobs Field. 2B Tony Womack was the Bucs’ representative and grounded out in his only at bat.
• 2003 - The Bucs nosed the Brewers 8-7 in 10 innings at Miller Park to win their fifth game in six outings. Wes Helms hit a two run homer off Mike Williams in the ninth to sent the game to overtime; Jack Wilson answered with a two run shot in the tenth. It wasn’t quite done; John Vander Wal singled to left center with two out and two on in the Brew Crew half to chase a run home, but Geoff Jenkins was thrown out at third by Kenny Lofton to end the game. Matt Stairs and Jason Kendall had three hits. Stairs, Wilson and Lofton also homered. 
• 2005 - Pittsburgh scored four times in the ninth to send the game into extras, then took a 6-5 win against the Mets in 10 frames at PNC Park. With two gone in the ninth, Tike Redman singled home a pair and Matt Lawton followed with a two bagger to tie it. After a pair were gone in the 10th, Humberto Cota lined a knock to left, scoring Rob Mackowiak, who had reached second on an error. The Mets were just a pitch away; both Redman and Cota’s hits came with two strikes. 
• 2008 - The Pirates scored three times after two outs and the bases empty in the eighth to top the Houston Astros 4-3 at PNC Park. Adam LaRoche started with a homer, then a HBP, single and walk set up Nate McLouth. He dropped a liner into short right to plate the tying and winning runs. Damaso Marte saved the win for John Grabow. 

Nate McLouth 2005 Bowman series

2011 - Pinch hitter Mike McKenry broke a 4-4 tie with the Cubs in the eighth inning when he took an 0-2 pitch deep with two outs off Carlos Marmol for a three run bomb to give the Bucs a 7-4 win at PNC Park. It was The Fort’s first MLB homer. The Bucs entered the All-Star break above the .500 mark for the first time since 1992. 

2012 - The Pirates kept sole possession of first place in the NL Central for the last time with a 13-2 thumping of the Giants at PNC Park. Neil Walker went 5-for-5 with a double and home run, drove in a pair and scored four times; Andrew McCutchen homered twice while collecting three hits, four RBI and three runs and Casey McGehee added three knocks to give AJ Burnett his tenth win. It was also the club’s tenth win in the past twelve games.