- 1879 - C Ed “Yaller” Phelps was born in Albany, NY. Phelps was on the 1902 and 1903 National League pennant-winning clubs and played in the 1903 World Series, serving as a back-up catcher during his five year Pittsburgh career (1902-04, 1906-08). He hit .247 as a Bucco. Phelps' nickname of "Yaller" referred to his sallow complexion, according to his family.
- 1940 - The Boston Braves sold OF Debs Garms to the Pirates. In 358 at bats for Pittsburgh he led the NL in hitting with a .355 average. At the time, there was no minimal at-bat requirement. League prez Ford Frick said the title was unofficial and 100 games was enough (Garms got into 103). In 1950, the NL made 2.6 AB’s per scheduled game the magic qualifying number. The veteran was sold to St. Louis after the 1941 season, where he would finish his career in 1945. Debs, btw, is not a moniker but his given name. His parents christened him in honor of early twentieth century labor activist and socialist, Eugene Debs.
 |
| Debs Garms 1941 Play Ball |
- 1960 - LHP Neal Heaton was born in South Ozone Park, NY. He pitched for Pittsburgh from 1989-91, making the All Star team in 1990 after a 9-1 start. Heaton, who had battled tendinitis, credited the 1990 success to a new pitch, a knuckle change. The league apparently caught on; he finished the year at 12-9. As a Pirate, his line was 21-19 with a 3.46 ERA.
- 1964 - Coach Trent Jewett was born in Dallas. Jewett was a C on the Pirate farm before continuing on as a coach in the organization. He managed the Triple-A Nashville Sounds from 1998 to 2000, was the Bucs third base coach from 2000-02, then returned to managing AAA Nashville and Indy until 2008 when he skipped to the Nat system. In 2013, he joined Lloyd McClendon as bench coach for Seattle.
No comments:
Post a Comment