8/12: Players Strike; Ott Slams Millan; 13 In A Row; Remarkable Rallies; Barme's Slam; Barry & A-Ram

• 1915 - Al Mamaux tossed a three hitter in a 4-0 win over the NY Giants at Forbes Field, his eighth shutout of the year. Doug Baird led the offense, going 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Ralph Davis of the Pittsburg Press noted that Giant skipper John McGraw wasn’t in the coaching boxes, and asked a NY writer about his absence. He was told “Mac is disgusted with the bunch he is piloting this year...who are tied to long term contracts and not hustling.”
• 1922 - The Pirates won their 13th game in a row by a 6-0 count over the Cincinnati Reds as Babe Adams tossed a whitewash at Forbes Field. The streak would end the next day when the Reds squeaked out a 5-4 win in 10 innings.
• 1940 - The Bucs won their 11th-of-12 games by a 4-2 count over the Cincinnati Reds at Forbes Field. The Pirates used a 10 hit attack to support Max Butcher, who went the distance for the win in front of a Monday night crowd of 42,254, setting a new attendance record.

Max Butcher 1942 Play Ball series

• 1958 - The red hot Pirates beat the Braves 10-0 behind the two hit pitching of George Witt to move into second place‚ five games behind Milwaukee. 36‚867 Pirate fans jammed Forbes Field to see them win their 17th game of the last 22. Frank Thomas had a homer, double and three RBI while Bill Mazeroski and Bill Virdon banged out three hits each.
• 1959 - It was 2-2 going into the seventh at Connie Mack Stadium, but Roberto Clemente would change that in a heartbeat. The Phils’ Robin Roberts gave up back-to-back singles and a walk, but had gotten a K and foul pop and needed one more out to dodge a seventh inning bullet. He didn’t get that out from Clemente, who rifled a shot into left center for a bases-emptying triple, coming in on Rocky Nelson’s knock through the left side. Harvey Haddix went the distance, giving up seven hits, for the 6-2 win.
• 1966 - Pittsburgh beat the Reds 14-11 in 13 innings at Crosley Field, scoring in the ninth, tenth, eleventh and thirteenth frames before finally wresting the win from Cincinnati. There were 11 HR hit by the two teams, tying a MLB record. Going yard for the Bucs were Bob Bailey (2)‚ Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente‚ Jesse Gonder‚ and Jerry Lynch, his 18th pinch-hit bomb‚ a MLB record. Tommie Sisk pitched one-hit ball over the last two innings to earn the victory.

Jesse Gonder 1966 Topps series

• 1977 - Mets’ 2B Felix Millan suffered a broken collarbone compliments of Pirate catcher Ed Ott during a 6-5 Pirate victory at TRS‚ ending Millan's 12-year MLB career. Ott took out Milan on a hard slide into second, Milan responded with a shot to Ott’s face, and the Pirate catcher body slammed him. As for the game, the back end of a twin bill, the Bucs won in the 12th when Duffy Dyer chased home Rennie Stennett with two outs after a single and steal. Phil Garner had three hits and a homer in the win, which went to Larry Demery, who tossed two-hit ball over four innings. The opener was hard fought, too, with Jim Rooker hurling the Bucs to a 3-2 win while driving in two runs in the second with a two-out, bases loaded single after the Mets walked Dyer to get to him.
• 1988 - Jose Tabata was born in El Tigre, Venezuela. JT came over from the Yankees in a 2008 trade featuring Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte, and since 2010 has been in the show with various degrees of success after a promising rookie campaign, hampered by a variety of leg injuries and unfulfilled expectations. He signed a deal that ran from 2011-16 with three option years that the front office rather quickly regretted. He was traded to the Dodger for Michael Morse during the 2015 deadline period.
• 1991 - Barry Bonds drove in four runs with a pair of two run homers, including a dramatic 11th inning walk-off blast against Lee Smith to rally the Bucs to victory against the Cards 4-3 at TRS. Bob Patterson was the winner thanks to Bond’s big night.

Barry Bonds 1993 Donruss Elite series

• 1994 - In 1994 the post-season and the last 50 games or so of the season were cancelled due to a player's strike called by the MLBPA, led by Don Fehr and spurred by the owners’ desire for a hard salary cap. The World Series wasn’t played for the first time in 90 years. In the off-season, the owners declared an impasse and attempted to implement their own rules. The strike was ended by a ruling from US District Court judge Sonia Sotomayor, at the end of March, 1995, just as the owners were prepared to start the season by using replacement players. She kept the old collective bargaining agreement in place until a new one could be reached. It led to a deal, and though the 1995 season was cut by approximately 20 games, ball games did begin again at the end of April. Ironically, the umpires decided to go on strike just as the union and owners settled their dispute, so the 1995 season opened with regular players, but replacement umpires, per BR Bullpen.
• 1995 - The Dodgers defeated the Pirates‚ 11-10‚ in 11 innings thanks to a brain cramp from a rookie. With the winning run at 3rd base‚ Mitch Webster of the Dodgers swung at a pitch in the dirt to whiff. C Angelo Encarnacion (his real first name was Eleutero) blocked the ball and then for some reason picked it up with his mask. LA manager Tommy Lasorda charged out of the dugout and appealed‚ citing a rule which awarded a runner two bases if a fielder intentionally uses his mask to touch a thrown ball. The umpires agreed and the winning run jogged home.
• 2000 - The Bucs rode the bat of Aramis Ramirez to down the Arizona D-Backs 9-6 at TRS. A-Ram went 3-for-4 with a homer and double, driving in five runs. He was helped by Jason Kendall who added two hits, including a home run to earn Scott Sauerbeck the win, overcoming three Snake long balls. The victory came during a rough stretch; the Pirates had lost the previous three games and would go on to lose the next four.

Aramis Ramirez 2001 Upper Deck SP series

• 2001 - Pittsburgh scored three times in the eighth and once again in the ninth to snatch a 7-6 win away from the San Diego Padres at PNC Park. Light hitting Keith Osik had a big day, going 3-for-4 and driving in four runs, including the game tying knock in the eighth. Aramis Ramirez homered in the ninth off Rodney Myers to give Josias Manzanillo the win.
• 2007 - Tom Gorzelanny fired a five hitter and Josh Phelps drove in four runs with a homer and triple to lead the Bucs to a 5-0 win over the SF Giants at AT&T Park.
• 2012 - Clint Barmes' first career grand slam was the key blow in a nine run fourth inning while Neil Walker went 5-for-5 as the Pirates roared past San Diego 11-5 at PNC Park. The Bucs sent 14 batters to the dish in the fourth, their biggest inning since 2010. It ended an 11 game home losing streak to the Padres the day after the Bucs blew a six run lead to lose 9-8 to SD, prompting Clint Hurdle to say "We kind of felt we got slapped by our girlfriend in front of our mother..." Erik Bedard won over former Pirate Ross Ohlendorf.