10/3: Cap Clarke, WS Win '03, The Dog, Fordham Flash, Grays' '48 Title, NLCS Wins, Roberto's Last At-Bat, AJ Chased, More...

Cap Clarke, WS Win '03, The Dog, Fordham Flash, Grays' '48 Title, NLCS Wins, Roberto's Last At-Bat, AJ Chased, More...

• 1872 - OF and manager Fred “Cap” Clarke was born in Winterset, Iowa. Hall-of-Famer Clarke was discovered by Barney Dreyfuss, and came to Pittsburgh with most of the Louisville team in 1900 with Dreyfuss. He was the LF’er and manager from 1900-11, and mostly manager, with a couple of spot appearances, from 1912-15. His Pirate line was .299/.379/.418, he hit .300 or better 11 times, and was player/manager for four pennant winners and two World Series teams. He guided the club to 14 straight first-division finishes, 1,422 wins, and compiled a winning percentage of .595. 
• 1903 - Deacon Phillippe, working on a days rest, gave up four hits in a 4-2 win over Boston Americans in the first World Series, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead in games. Ed Phelps doubled twice and Claude Ritchey had a pair of hits to lead the Pirate attack. The contest was played at the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds. 
• 1908 - The Pirates moved a ½ game ahead of the Cubs and Giants with a 3-2 win over the Cardinals at Robison Field, the Bucs eighth straight victory. Nick Maddox tossed a five hitter and drove in a run; the other RBI came from the bats of Tommy Leach and Honus Wagner, and it was just enough to beat Art Fromme. Their next game was against the Cubs, and interest was so high that the Pittsburg Press opened four phone lines and posted telegraphed bulletins at their office with the Chicago game’s blow-by-blows. Alas, the Bucs lost that game and finished second in one of the great NL pennant races. 
• 1914 - Bob Harmon ended a disappointing season for the Bucs on a high note, tossing a two hit, 1-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Forbes Field in the home finale. Both Redleg runners were caught stealing by C Bob Schang, and Harmon faced the minimum 27 hitters while outdueling King Lear. Wally Gerber’s triple in the seventh drove in the game’s only score. 

 Bob Harmon 1916 Herpolsheimer series

• 1915 - The Pirates ended their season with a 5-3 win over the Reds. Retiring manager Fred Clarke hosted a banquet for his players after the game‚ celebrating not only his retirement but his 43rd birthday, before they scattered during the off season. The next day, he arrived back in Pittsburgh and was given a public send off in front of 500 at the Hotel Schenley. Carnegie Steel vice president HP Bope served as toastmaster of the event with team owner Barney Dreyfuss and Pittsburgh Mayor Joe Armstrong among the speakers. 
• 1931 - LF/1B Bob Skinner was born in La Jolla, California. The Dog (a nickname from his Marine Corps days) played for the Bucs in 1954 and then 1956-63, hitting .280. He was the starting left fielder for the 1960 World Series champs. Skinner was the Phillies manager from 1968-69, famously resigning when Richie Allen beefed about going to an exhibition game. He coached after that, serving with the Pirates from 1974-1976 and again from 1979-1985, along with other clubs. 
• 1937 - The Pirates swept a closing day doubleheader from the Reds at Forbes Field‚ 4-3 and 4-0‚ extending their winning streak to 10‚ and running the Reds' losing run to 14. The Bucs finished 21-1 against Cincinnati, winning the last 17 decisions of the season. Ken Heintzelman tossed a six-hitter in the opener. Woody Jensen scored twice and Fred Schulte had a pair of RBI to lead the attack. The second games was called after seven innings with Jim Weaver and Mace Brown combining on a three hitter. Bill Schuster and Gus Suhr each scored and drove in a run. 

 Ken Heintzelman 1930s Burke photo

• 1939 - Frankie Frisch jumped from the Boston Braves’ broadcasting booth to a managing gig‚ signing for two years with the Pirates to replace Pie Traynor, who resigned. He skippered the Bucs for seven seasons, from 1940-46. 
• 1948 - Vic Lombardi lost a duel to Johnny Vander Meer as the Reds took a 1-0 win at Crosley Field to end the season. It was scoreless into the bottom of the ninth when Bobby Adams walked, was bunted to second and came in on Steve Filipowicz’s single. Lombardi gave up five hits, Vander Meer just two. The loss cost the Bucs a chance to join Brooklyn in third; they finished fourth, 8-½ games behind the Boston Braves. 
• 1948 - Luke Easter's grand slam highlighted the Homestead Grays' 19-hit assault on the Birmingham Black Barons in the fourth game of the Negro World Series, played at Pelican Stadium in New Orleans. The Grays won the game 14-1 and the Championship in five games. This was the final Negro WS‚ as the Negro National League became a casualty of integration and folded during the winter, according to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology. 

 

Luke Easter 1948 from Richard Merkin Collection

• 1970 - Dock Ellis and Gary Nolan bent but refused to break at TRS until the Reds put up three runs in the 10th inning to take a 3-0, opening NLCS victory from the Pirates. Tony Perez’s double brought in the first score and the insurance runs were chased home on Lee May’s two out two bagger. Pittsburgh stranded nine runners, but only one Bucco reached third, and that was with two outs. Matty Alou had a tough day on the base paths; he was picked off in the first inning and caught stealing in the ninth, ending both frames.
• 1971 - 1B Bob Robertson hit three home runs, the first time ever done in a playoff game, and added a double in a 9-4 playoff win over the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park. He had five RBI and four runs scored to give Dock Ellis all the offensive support he’d need. The Pirates launched a 15 hit barrage with Roberto Clemente and Dave Cash adding three knocks to square the NLCS at a game apiece.
• 1972 - Roberto Clemente made a ninth inning appearance in his 2,433rd and final game for the Bucs, tying Honus Wagner for the most games played by a Pirate as Pittsburgh beat St. Louis 6-2 at TRS in the season finale. 
• 1976 - The Pirates shut out the St. Louis Cardinals by identical 1-0 scores in a doubleheader at Three Rivers Stadium. Jim Rooker threw a seven hitter in the opener and Jerry Reuss followed with a five hitter in the nitecap. The Pirates wouldn’t win back-to-back 1-0 games again until September, 2014 when they blanked the Brewers and then the Braves. 

 Jerry Reuss 1976 Topps series

• 1979 - Pittsburgh won the second game of the NLCS 3-2 over the Reds in 10 innings at Riverfront Stadium. The Bucs nursed a 2-1 lead into the ninth, built on Tim Foli and Bill Madlock RBI. But back-to-back one out doubles by Hector Cruz and Dave Collins off Kent Tekulve tied the match. The Pirates came right back, though. A leadoff single by Omar Moreno, a bunt by Foli and the game winning knock by Dave Parker sent Doug Bair to defeat. Don Robinson got the win and the Pirates went up 2-0 in the series against Cincinnati. 
• 1990 - The Bucs’ Jerry Reuss‚ in his only start of the year‚ gave up one earned run but had a no decision in a 6-3 loss to the Mets in his last appearance in the majors. Reuss joined the exclusive four decade club (1969-90) and closed out his career claiming 220 wins without a 20 win season‚ a MLB record shared only with Milt Pappas and Frank Tanana among 200 game winners. 
• 1996 - The Pirates named Gene Lamont to replace Jim Leyland as skipper. 
• 1999 - The Mets literally outlasted the Pirates‚ 2-1. After a 6-hour rain delay‚ Buc reliever Brad Clontz tossed a bases loaded wild pitch to allow the winning run to score.
• 2010 - The Pirates finished the season with a 17-64 record on the road after suffering a 5-2 loss to the Marlins. The Bucs' away-from-home record equaled the mark that the 1963 Mets set as road kill during a 162-game season. 
• 2013 - AJ Burnett was chased in a seven run third inning that saw 11 Cardinals bat as St. Louis took the opener of the NLDS at Busch Stadium by a 9-1 score. Adam Wainwright went seven innings and struck out nine for the Redbirds. The Pirates only mustered four hits, two by Andrew McCutchen. Pedro Alvarez’s homer was the lone Bucco tally.