7/24 Games: Big Day For Ginger, Stello Screw-Up, Big Bat Displays, Rallies & More...

• 1899 - The Pirates swept a pair from Philadelphia‚ winning both games on ninth inning blasts by rookies. After the Phils scored five in the ninth in the opener‚ Jimmy Williams hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the frame to win‚ 9-8. In the nitecap‚ Ginger Beaumont tripled with the bases loaded to cap a 5-4 victory.

Ginger Beaumont had a big day (image from Fan Craze 1906)

• 1901 - The Pirates scored in every inning while defeating the Reds 11-2 at Exposition Park. Jesse Tannehill tossed a seven hitter for the win. Ginger Beaumont had four hits and Claude Ritchey tripled twice as the Bucs banged out 14 hits, four for triples. The Pittsburg Press opined that “The Reds as they are now made up should not be able to win from the Pirates in a hundred years.”
• 1931 - The Brooklyn Dodgers banged out 21 hits during the game (Babe Herman hit for the cycle) and scored three times in the ninth, but reliever Larry French put down the rally as the Bucs hung on for an 8-7 win at Forbes Field. The Pirates had 13 knocks, seven for extra bases, and jumped out to an early 8-1 lead behind Pie Traynor’s three RBI and Eddie Phillips’ homer.
• 1969 - The Pirates beat the Padres in walk-off fashion at Forbes Field with a 4-3, 10-inning win. Carl Taylor’s double in the extra frame brought home Matty Alou for the game-winning run. Willie Stargell and Richie Hebner added solo shots. Dock Ellis went the distance for the win.

Carl Taylor 1969 Topps

• 1979 - A baffling fourth inning call resulted in a 34 minute rhubarb during the Pirates-Reds game at TRS. With Buc runners on 1st and 3rd‚ a 3-1 pitch to Omar Moreno was called a ball‚ but Johnny Bench threw to 2B ahead of the runner from 1B‚ Lee Lacy‚ who was going on the pitch. Lacy was called out by ump Dick Stello even though the runner was entitled to second base after the walk. After questioning the out call, Lacy left the base and was tagged out again by Dave Concepcion‚ reigniting the argument. The Bucs protested the game, but NL president Chub Feeney upheld the call and the Pirates 6-5 loss was in the books.
• 2004 - The whole Pirate attack chipped in during a 14-4 romp over the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park. The Buccos had 11 batters with at least a hit and banged out six doubles as 10 different players scored and eight Pirates drove in runs. Jason Bay had three hits and three RBI while Jose Castillo scored four times to lead the attack. The Bucs' seven-run sixth iced it.
• 2008 - The Bucs won their fourth in a row by hammering the Padres at PNC Park by a 9-1 score. Nate McLouth, Jason Bay and Xavier Nady homered while Yoslan Herrera tossed six scoreless frames to claim the win, his first in the majors. For the X-Man, it was his last Bucco blast - he was traded to the Yankees two days later. The streak had begun with a sweep of the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park; during their short winning string, the Pirates hit 10 homers and outscored Houston and San Diego by a 34-13 count.

Yoslan Herrera (photo Doug Pensinger/Getty)

• 2013 - Francisco Liriano and Stephen Strasberg hooked up in a 1-0 battle, with the Pirates up, going into the ninth. Both starters turned the game over to the bullpens, and that’s when the fun started. The Bucs put up a three spot on Drew Storen, with Mike McKenry’s two run knock being the big blow, and Washington came back at Nationals Park to score a pair off Justin Wilson until Jason Grilli came to the rescue in a 4-2 Pirate win. The only score in the first eight frames came on a second inning homer by Pedro Alvarez.
• 2015 - Last time out, Washington ace Max Scherzer no hit the Bucs, losing his perfect game with two outs and two strikes in the ninth. Today was a different kettle of fish; the Buccos got homers from Pedro Alvarez (453’ and one bounce into the river), Gregory Polanco (after falling behind 0-2, fouling off six straight fastballs and taking 12 pitches) and Neil Walker (the first time Mad Max gave up three homers in a game since 2011) on their way to a 7-5 win, closed out by scoreless frames by Jared Hughes, Tony Watson and Mark Melancon in front of a full house at PNC Park. Scherzer had held Pittsburgh hitless for 14 straight innings until El Toro’s long ball in the second. That made it the longest hitless streak by a starting pitcher against one big-league team since Pittsburgh's Francisco Cordova threw 15 consecutive hitless innings vs. Houston in 1997.