7/17: Han's Day; 300 Game Winners; Babe v Rube; HBD Jerry Lynch; FF Smoulders; Cobra MVP

• 1890 - For the first time, two 300-game winners were opponents as Tim Keefe of the Giants faced Pittsburgh's Jim 'Pud' Galvin in a Players League (which was eventually considered a major league) match-up. New York easily beat the Burghers, 8-2. O’Keefe did his part, tossing a four hitter (The Pittsburg Press said “the wonder is that the Pittsburgs were allowed to score at all.”) while Pud was rattled for a dozen knocks.
• 1908 - Honus Wagner Day was celebrated at Exposition Park, and players from both teams lined up before the game to honor The Flying Dutchman. (Wagner's tribute was bumped back a day so it wouldn’t conflict with a benefit picnic for orphans, at Honus’ request.) Wagner was presented with a $700 gold watch. The Boston Doves won the game 4-0 behind ex-Pirate Tommy McCarthy’s five hitter. It could have been worse - the Doves tacked on six more runs in the eighth, but the game was called because of darkness before the Pirates could bat.
• 1914 - In one of the great pitching duels of early baseball, Babe Adams lost to the Giants Rube Marquard 3-1 in 21 innings at Forbes Field. Babe surrendered 12 hits without a walk; it’s the longest outing without a free pass in MLB history. NY’s Larry Doyle's inside-the-park home run was the spoiler. The key play was when Honus Wagner was called out for interference in the sixth inning. He slid into third and headed home when the ball disappeared from view; it ended up to be in his uniform, as Wagner was, per the Pittsburgh Press “...trying to hide a ball and score off the trick.” Hans plated, but ump Lord Byron rung him up for the old hidden ball trick. As the Press reported “...the decision caused a mighty howl, which was participated in by many of the players and by Manager Fred Clarke, who applied a flow of profanity to the umpire, which was anything but pleasing to the disgusted spectators. Clarke’s language on this occasion...will not win ball games.” The Pirates appealed to the league with no success.

Honus Wagner (photo from Hall of Fame collection)

• 1930 - OF/PH Jerry Lynch was born in Bay City, Michigan. Lynch started (1954-56) and ended (1963-66) his career in Pittsburgh, spending the seven middle years with the Reds. He hit .263/45/188 as a reserve Pirate outfielder and primo pinch hitter. Lynch had 116 pinch hits during his career with 18 HR, and even today he rates high on the hit lists for PH.
• 1939 - Newly acquired Bucco outfielder Chuck Klein made his first appearance in Philadelphia since leaving the Phils‚ who he spent 10 years with, and jacked a pair of homers to lift the Bucs to a 7-4 win at Shibe Park. The Bucs released Klein in August, and he spent until 1944 as a Phil again.
• 1952 - Ralph Kiner hit a two run shot in the ninth to walk off the Phils at Forbes Field by a 4-2 count. He also joined the 1,000 hit club; he would end his career with 1,451 knocks. The blast off Karl Drews made a winner out of Ted Wilks, who tossed a scoreless ninth in relief of Woody Main.
• 1966 - The Pirates swept a twinbill from San Francisco at Forbes Field 7-4 and 7-1 to vault over the Giants into first place behind the pitching of Steve Blass and Tommie Sisk. Matty Alou and Donn Clendenon collected four hits during the two games, with Clendenon homering. It was a wild race that year. The Bucs would finish third with a 92-70 slate, three games behind the Dodgers.

Steve Blass 1973 Topps series

• 1970 - Roberto Clemente led the Bucs to a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Forbes Field with three hits, a double shy of the cycle. He tripled and scored the tying run in the sixth, homered for the eventual game winner in the eighth, and threw out Tommy Helms at the plate in the ninth to preserve the victory.
• 1971 - A deserted Forbes Field suffered its second fire in a matter of weeks, and the structural damage was so bad that its demolition, already scheduled by Pitt, began almost immediately. Now the former ballyard’s footprint is the site of Posvar Hall, with home plate still showcased in the building and a bit of the left field wall left standing.
• 1971 - Dock Ellis won his 14th straight decision by a by a 9-2 count over the Padres at TRS with Bob Robertson’s three run homer giving him all the runs he needed. Dock’s next outing would be a no decision before the Dodgers ended his streak. It's still the franchise mark for most straight wins before All-Star break.
• 1979 - The NL won its eighth straight All-Star Game, 7-6, at the Kingdome in Seattle. Pittsburgh’s only representative, Dave Parker, threw out a runner at home and another at third, and was named the game's MVP. The Cobra went 1-for-3 with an RBI and was intentionally walked once.

Dave Parker 1981 Topps series

• 1998 - The Bucs traded RHP Esteban Loaiza to the Texas Rangers for RHP Todd Van Poppel and 2B Warren Morris. Loaiza pitched for another 10 seasons (albeit with seven teams), topped by a 21-9/2.90 campaign with the White Sox in 2003 when he was an All-Star & Cy Young runner up. Morris was released after the 2001 season and Van Poppel worked one year for Pittsburgh.
• 1999 - In a wild 13-10 win over the Cleveland Indians at TRS, Kevin Young homered twice to drive in five runs and Al Martin also went yard two times to plate three more. The teams combined to bang out 32 hits and together burned through 13 pitchers during the game.
• 2003 - The Brewers and Bucs exchanged grand slams in a 7-5 Milwaukee win at PNC Park. Ex-Bucco John Vander Wal clocked a first inning salami off Kris Benson; Craig Wilson pounded a pinch hit grannie in the fifth off Wayne Franklin.

Craig Wilson 2005 Topps Heritage series

• 2004 - Pittsburgh scored three times in the bottom of the eighth to rally past the Florida Marlins 4-2 at PNC Park. Tike Redman and Jack Wilson had RBI knocks in the frame, while Tony Alvarez added a sac fly. Salomon Torres got the win;Jose Mesa the save.
• 2009 - It took the Bucs 14 innings, but they ended a streak of seven losses in eight games going into the All-Star break with a 2-1 win over the Giants when Garrett Jones homered off Bob Lowry at PNC Park. The pitching duel, begun by Paul Maholm and Tim Lincecum, featured 13 pitchers between the two clubs, with Evan Meek getting the win.