12/3: Jerry Lynch, Chico, Barney Dreyfuss, Billy Southworth, Deacon White...

Jerry Lynch, Chico, Barney Dreyfuss, Billy Southworth, Deacon White...

• 1956 - OF Jerry Lynch was taken by the Reds from the Pirates in the Rule 5 draft. Lynch played seven years with Cincinnati before returning to Pittsburgh in 1963, and is considered one of baseball's all-time best pinch hitters with 116 pinch hits (and 18 homers) during his career. He had his ashes sprinkled over Champion Lakes Golf Course in Ligonier, co-owned by him and Dick Groat, after he passed on in 2012. 

Jerry Lynch - undated file photo Pittsburgh Post Gazette

• 1982 - 2B Jose “Chico” Lind was signed as an 18 year old FA out of Puerto Rico. He won the 2B job in 1988, and the defensive whiz played six years in Pittsburgh, hitting .255. Chico was a member of the 1990-92 division winning clubs before ending his career in the AL amidst a swirl of personal problems.
• 2007 - German-born Barney Dreyfuss, owner of the Pirates from 1900 until his death in 1932, was elected by Veterans Committee to the Hall of Fame. He built Forbes Field, helped to establish the first modern World Series in 1903, won six pennants & two titles during his term, cleaned up the game and was considered one of the founding fathers of modern baseball. He was inducted on July 23rd, 2008. The Pirates honored him with a stone memorial which has traveled from Forbes Field to TRS and now sits in PNC's concourse behind home plate.

Barney Dreyfuss 1910 Tip Top Bread series

•  2007 - Billy Southworth was also selected to the HoF, with his playing and managing careers both lasting 13 years. OF Southworth played three years for the Pirates (1918-20), leading the NL in triples in 1919 (14) and hitting .294 as a Buc. As a manager, he won four pennants and two World Series titles with St. Louis and Boston. He was inducted on July 28th, 2008.
• 2012 - James “Deacon” White was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Hall's pre-integration era committee. Earning his reputation as a bare-handed catcher, Deacon also helped popularize the catcher’s mask (Al Spalding, who founded a sports equipment company that sold them, was his battery-mate) and as a young spot pitcher is credited with developing the first windup. He played for the Bucs near the end of his 20-year career in 1889, hitting .253 from the hot corner. Deacon came by his nickname honestly; he was a devout Christian in an era when ballplayers were notoriously rowdy. 

Deacon White - 1872 photo from the NY Public Library