5/21: HBD Sure Shot, Mace & Ed; Strike Game; Wandy's Finale; Lloyd's 300th Win...

• 1859 - IF Fred “Sure Shot” Dunlap was born in Philadelphia. The slick fielder played for the Alleghenys from 1888-90, hitting .240. He also managed the club to a 61-71 record as a player manager in 1889. His declining stick - he was still a whiz at defense - led to a contract cut in 1890, causing him to jump to the NY Giants of the outlaw Player’s League early in the season. Per Wikipedia, he earned the nickname "Sure Shot" for the strength and accuracy of his throws to first base, and was also sometimes referred to in the 1880s as the "King of Second Basemen."
• 1907 - NL president Harry Pulliam dismissed the protest of Pittsburgh manager Fred Clarke over NY Giant’s C Roger Bresnahan's donning of shin guards. He was the first, and at the time only, receiver to add them to the tools of ignorance. A safety first guy, Bresnahan also developed a prototype batter’s helmet.
• 1909 - RHP Mace Brown was born in North English, Iowa. He tossed seven years (1935-41) for the Pirates and in every role, from starter to closer, with a line of 55-45-29/3.67. Brown was an All-Star in 1938, when he led the NL in outings with 51, winning 15 games and saving five.

Mace Brown 1936 R312 Pastel Premium

• 1913 - The Pirates beat Brooklyn 5-2 at Ebbett’s Field‚ and per Greg Beston of Retrosheet, set a small-ball MLB record with four sac bunts in an inning. Babe Adams got the win.
• 1924 - C Ed Fitz Gerald was born in Santa Ynez, California. He spent six (1948-53) of his 12 big league years in Pittsburgh, mainly as a reserve, hitting .247. He caught Cliff Chambers' no-hitter on May 6th, 1951. Fitz spent the second half of his career as a Washington Senator.
• 1948 - Frankie Gustine went 5-for-5 to lead Pittsburgh to an 8-4 win over the Dodgers. He scored four runs and drove in a pair at Ebbets Field. 1B Max West helped the cause by blasting a two-out, three run homer in the fifth and Fritz Ostermueller picked up the win.
• 1962 - The Bucs beat the Cubs 8-4 at Forbes Field behind the top two guys in the order, Bill Virdon and Dick Groat. The duo went 8-for-9 with a walk, two doubles, scored twice and drove in six runs. Tom Sturdivant earned the win with 6-⅓ shutout frames in relief of Earl Francis.

Dick Groat 1962 Topps

• 1976 - The Pirates tried to come back from a 5-0 hole but fell 5-4 to the Cubs at Three Rivers Stadium. The bigger issue was the umps. The regular crew in blue passed on the game, supporting the striking TRS vendors, so the Bucs lined up some sandlot guys. By all reports, they did an adequate job. Also out were the ground crew and other union workers - “everyone but the players,” per one newspaper - but the club got through it as things returned to normal after a two day work stoppage.
• 2005 - Before a sellout crowd of 37,504 at PNC Park, Ollie Perez surrendered a pair of hits and two runs while striking out eight batters in five innings on the bump as the Pirates beat the Rockies 8-3. C Humberto Cota did the heavy work at the dish with a pair of hits, including a double, and four RBI. The victory was Lloyd McClendon’s 300th as the Pirates’ skipper.
• 2013 - The Cubs scored first and last, but the Bucs scored enough in the middle, keyed by a sixth inning Travis Snider grand slam, to eke out a 5-4 win. Snider’s grannie was his first ever and the first Buc pinch hit slam at PNC Park since Craig Wilson’s in 2003, rallying the Pirates from a 3-0 hole to a 5-3 win. Wandy Rodriguez got the win over Matt Garza.

Wandy Rodriguez 2013 Topps

• 2014 - Neither Pirate starter Wandy Rodriguez nor the Oriole's Chris Tillman made it through the first two innings of the game. It was the first time in either club’s history that both starters were removed so early in a game; the quick hooks were also a first in interleague play. (Rodriguez was designated for assignment the following day after giving up six runs in 1-⅔ innings.) The score was 8-6 Pittsburgh after two frames; the O’s tied the game late, then the Pirates rallied to take a 9-8 decision at PNC Park. The middle of the Buccos order - Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Starling Marte and Ike Davis - went 11-for-17 with six runs scored and chased home six more.