8/19: Redus, Byrne, May Deals; HBD Ike, Frisch & Rockwell; The Games...

• 1891 - SS Ike McAuley was born in Wichita. In his three years in Pittsburgh (1914-16) he had just 50 PA and hit .149, yo-yo’ing between the show and the farm. He did have a moment in the sun, tho - when he made his debut, the Bucs started him at SS and played Hans Wagner at 3B. He also had stints with the Cubs and Cards.
• 1902 - In a see-saw game at Exposition Park, the NY Giants went ahead of Pittsburgh 4-3 with a ninth-inning run off Jack Chesbro on a single that went off Honus Wagner’s glove. But in the Bucco half, the Dutchman came through when he spanked a two-out, two-strike single through the left side to score Deacon Phillippe and Ginger Beaumont to give the Bucs a 5-4 win.

Deacon Phillippe 1903 E107

• 1909 - The Pirates traded Alan Storke and Jap Barbeau to the St. Louis Cardinals for 3B Bobby Byrne. Storke died young in the next year from the flu, while Barbeau lasted two more seasons. Byrne held down the hot corner for the Bucs for the next five seasons.
• 1941 - Manager Frankie Frisch was ejected ump Jocko Conlan and fined $50 by during the second game of a twin bill when he appeared on the field with an umbrella to protest the damp playing conditions at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field. The argument was later the basis of a Norman Rockwell painting. Da Bums were the better mudders‚ winning 9-0 and 6-2.
• 1950 - The Pirates outlasted the Cubs 13-9 at Wrigley Field for their sixth win in seven games, led by Ralph Kiner’s pair of bombs and three RBI. Johnny Hopp had a big day,too, with a homer and pair of doubles, driving in a pair and scoring twice. Pittsburgh plated six times in the final two frames to take the win.

Ralph Kiner 2005 Upper Deck Classics

• 1958 - The Pirates held off the Chicago Cubs 4-3 at Wrigley Field on the strength of two-run blasts by Bill Mazeroski in the second frame and Dick Stuart in the sixth (Stu’s went 450’), both off starter Taylor Phillips. Curt Raydon worked six innings for the win, with Bob Porterfield tossing three shutout frames to save the decision. A key factor in the victory was Roberto Clemente’s play in the field; he made a pair of highlight grabs and threw out a runner at third. The win was the Pirates’ twentieth in twenty-eight games and kept them in second place, 6-1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Braves.
• 1973 - Jim Rooker spun a five-hitter and went 3-for-3 as the Pirates beat San Francisco and Juan Marichal 5-0 at TRS. Richie Hebner also added three hits, including a homer.
• 1983 - The Pirates traded Steve Nicosia to the Giants in exchange for Milt May and cash in a swap of backup catchers. May retired after the 1984 season and Nicosia, who was unhappy playing behind Tony Pena, remained a reserve and played a bench role for three teams before leaving baseball after the 1985 campaign.

Milt May 1984 Fleer

• 1988 - The Pirates traded 1B/OF Mike Diaz to the Chicago White Sox for OF Gary Redus. Diaz ended the year with the Sox before heading to Japan to finish his career. Redus played first and some outfield for the Bucs until 1992, hitting .255 with 24 homers, 96 RBI, 157 runs scored and 69 stolen bases as a Pirate.
• 1999 - Cincinnati defeated Pittsburgh 1-0 at Cinergy Field‚ as Pete Harnisch and Scott Williamson combined for a one-hitter while whiffing 13 Bucs; Harnisch surrendered just a seventh inning single to Mike Benjamin. Kris Benson pitched a dandy of his own, scattering seven hits and punching out eight. He had a shutout going until one out in the eighth when Sean Casey homered for the game’s only run.
• 2012 - The Bucs outlasted the Cards at Busch Stadium to take home a 19-inning victory, 6-3. The teams ran through 16 pitchers before it was decided on a Pedro Alvarez homer off Barret Browning; starter Wandy Rodriguez was called on to work the last two frames and notched the W. Both teams swapped runs in the 17th to keep the game rolling. El Toro became the first player in Pirates history to hit a home run in the 19th inning or later. It was the first road win of 19 innings or more since beating San Diego in 1979, and the first time the Pirates put up three runs or more in the 19th or beyond since 1912 against the Boston Braves.