The Green Weenie: 8/15 Happenings: HBD Doggie, Duffy, Ramon & Ollie; Carey Deal; Bunning Trade

Monday, August 15, 2016

1864 - George “Doggie” Miller was born in Brooklyn. Doggie was mostly a catcher, but also played the OF and every IF position, primarily third. In 10 seasons with the Alleghenys and Pirates (1884-1893), he hit .254 and was the epitome of a contact hitter: Doggie struck out 99 times in a Pittsburgh uniform (not counting 1884-86, which have no K stats), and never had a season where he whiffed more than he walked. Doggie was athletic for a catcher; besides playing all those other positions, he swiped 209 bases. Miller is one of three catchers to last a decade in Pittsburgh, along with George Gibson and Manny Sanguillen, and was the first player ever to spend ten years with Pittsburgh.

Doggie Miller N29 Allen & Ginter

1910 - The Pirates bought the rights to OF’er Max Carey from South Bend of the Central League. The Hall-of-Famer played in Pittsburgh for 17 seasons, compiling a .287 BA and .363 OBP with 2,416 hits, 918 walks (he had over 1,000 in his career), 1,414 runs scored and 688 stolen bases. He led the NL in stolen bases 10 times and still holds the Bucco record for swipes, barely edging out Honus Wagner.
1945 - C Duffy Dyer was born in Dayton, Ohio. Dyer backed up Manny Sanguillen from 1975-78, hitting .227 as a Bucco. He caught John Candelaria's no-hitter on August 9th, 1976 and led NL catchers in fielding % in 1977.
1969 - The Pirates traded RHP pitcher Jim Bunning to the Dodgers for two minor league players and cash. Bunning was a disappointing 14-23/3.84 in two seasons with Pittsburgh and won just 18 more games before retiring after 1971, though he would earn a spot in Cooperstown for his work with the Tigers and Phils. IF Chuck Goggin and 1B/OF Ron Mitchell were the return. Goggin earned eight at-bats in Pittsburgh while Mitchell never made it to the show, spending 11 years in the minors.

Chuck Goggin (photo via Mainline Sports)

1974 - RHP Ramon Morel was born in Villa Gonzalez in the Dominican Republic. Ramon pitched for the Bucs from 1995-97, going 2-2/4.98. At last check, he was working for a Florida sports training academy.
1981 - LHP Oliver Perez was born in Culiacan, Mexico. Part of the Jason Bay deal, he pitched from 2003-06 for the Bucs, with a breakout 2004 campaign, when he went 12-10 with a 2.98 ERA and 239 K in 196 IP, the third most in franchise history for a single season. Control and velocity problems ruined his effectiveness, and he reinvented himself later in his career as a LOOGY.