Happenings & ASG 7/9: Candy's Pout, All Star Euphus, Exbitions, Hanny's Belated Win, ASGs...

• 1940 - Pittsburgh was represented by SS Arky Vaughan in the All-Star Game at St. Louis’ Sportsman’s Park. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run in a 4-0 NL victory.
• 1942 - The Bucs drew 29,488 fans to Forbes Field on Army-Navy Relief Fund Night, raising over $36,000 in donations with an extra $10,000+ from the gate and rewarded the patriotic crowd with a 9-0 win over the Phils. It was 1-0 after seven innings, but Philadelphia starter Frank Melton was lifted for a pinch hitter and Pittsburgh then rattled the Philly pen for eight runs. Rip Sewell tossed a five-hitter for the win. 

Rip Sewell had a busy day (photo Walter Stein/AP)

• 1946 - Bucco Rip Sewell's most famous blooper pitch came in the All Star game against Ted Williams at Fenway Park. Sewell warned Williams before the game he was going to throw him the blooper (eephus). With the AL ahead 8–0, Williams came to bat, and Sewell nodded to let him know the blooper was coming. Williams fouled it off. Sewell nodded again, and threw another blooper and then another. With the count 1–2, Williams smacked the next one for a home run, the only homer ever hit off Sewell's trick pitch. As The Splendid Splinter rounded the bases, Sewell followed him, saying, "the only reason you hit it was because I told you it was coming." Williams laughed back, the fans loved it, and Sewell received a standing ovation when he walked off the mound. (from Donald Honig’s 1975 book "Baseball When the Grass Was Real") The kicker was that Ted took a running start toward the pitch before he blasted it, and was out of the batter’s box when he made contact. 3B Frank Gustine was the other Pirate All-Star; he went 0-for-1 with a walk and no comedy routine.
• 1951 - The Pirates played an exhibition against their alumni as a fundraiser for Hazelwood native Moose Solters, who played in the AL for nine seasons before being blinded when he was hit with a ball during warmups. Organized by Lee Handley & Frankie Gustine, the game featured players like Bullet Bob Feller, Wally Westlake, Stan Rojek, Cliff Chambers, Dixie Howell, Preacher Roe, Billy Cox, Red Ruffing, Johnny Hopp, Bob Elliott, Gene Woodling and others. The Bucs beat the alumni 1-0 in front of 9,553 at Forbes Field and raised around $17,500 for Moose, who left baseball before there was a pension and ran a bar to make ends meet. The prelim was a three inning match between the Greenfield Cubs and Highland Little Leaguers.
• 1957 - C Hank Foiles was the Pirate’s rep at the All Star Game at Busch Stadium, a 6-5 win for the junior circuit. Hank batted once, singled and scored.

Hank Foiles (image by Berger/Pgh Post Gazette)

• 1963 - The NL beat the AL 5-3 at Cleveland Stadium in the All Star game. Roberto Clemente came in as a late sub, never batting, and Bill Mazeroski was injured and didn’t play. The NL-All Star middle infield combo of Dick Groat and Julian Javier, who was traded to the Cards because Maz blocked him as a Pirate, may have sported Redbird logos across their chest but were Pittsburgh products.
• 1968 - All Star pitching duels don’t get much better than the NL’s 1-0 win over the AL in the All Star game at the Astrodome as the only run scored in the first inning on a double play grounder. The Bucs didn’t have much to do with the outcome, as Matty Alou singled in his only at bat and Gene Alley was a bench player.
• 1982 - John Candelaria, closing in on free agency, told the Pirates that he would not sign a new contract, saying “I’m not happy here. I don’t want to stay here.” He lied, signing for four years at close to $700,000/season after the campaign. However, he quickly beefed about that deal (he wanted it renegotiated after Kent Tekulve got nearly $1M per year in his FA season), and in 1985 was dealt to the California Angels in early August.
• 1991 - The junior circuit took a 4-2 win from the NL in the All Star game played at the Skydome. Bobby Bonilla started at DH and went 2-for-4 with an RBI. P John Smiley faced one batter, Joe Carter, who singled off him.

Bobby Bo 1991 Upper Deck

• 1996 - The NL shut down the junior circuit 6-0 at Veteran’s Stadium to take the All Star game. C Jason Kendall was the Pirate AS, and came in to catch the ninth.
• 2002 - This was the infamous 7-7 All Star game, when the managers both threw in the towels after burning through their pitchers and accepting an 11 inning draw at Miller Park. The Buccos’ only rep, reliever Mike Williams, worked the third inning cleanly, striking out a pair.
• 2009 - Joel Hanrahan won his first game of the year while sitting in a hotel room in Philadelphia. He was credited with a W when Washington won a game suspended on May 5th by defeating the Astros, 11-10. Hanrahan, since traded to Pittsburgh, was the pitcher of record when the game was postponed. The winning Nat run was scored by Nyjer Morgan, who was one of the Pirates sent to Washington in the Hanny deal.