5/8 Expo Park-Forbes Field Era: Willie's 1st; Rizzo-for-Vince D; HBD Bill & Big O; Filipinos & More

• 1885 - RHP Bill Powell was born in Taylor County, West Virginia. He tossed for the Bucs in 1909-10, compiling a 4-8/2.87 slash. The rest of his MLB career consisted of one appearance for the Cubs in 1912 and another for the Reds in 1913. Bill did work seven minor-league campaigns, retiring in 1916.

The 1914 Pittsburgh Rebels

• 1912 - The Pittsburgh Filipinos of the newly formed United States League opened their home schedule at Exposition Park with a 3-2 loss to Cincinnati. The league folded in June but the team affiliated with the Federal League, an outlaw major league that operated from 1913-15 and formed from the ashes of the USL. That squad was first called the Pittsburgh Filipinos after their manager, Deacon Phillippe. They later became the Stogies and then the Rebels, named for manager Rebel Oakes.
• 1929 - 26-year old hurler Carl Hubbell, in his second MLB season, became the first LHP in 13 seasons to throw a no-hitter when he beat the Pirates, 11-0, at the Polo Grounds. Sparky Adams drew a walk for the Bucs and NY committed three errors behind Hubbell to deny him a perfecto.
• 1930 - New York’s Freddie Lindstrom had his second five-hit game of the season and went for the cycle as the Giants defeated the Pirates, 13-10, at Forbes Field. He took the spotlight from Adam Comorosky, who went 4-for-5 with four RBI, and George Grantham, who had three hits and plated four times in the losing cause. The Buc bosses took notes; they traded for Lindstrom in the 1932 off season.

Vince DiMaggio 1941 Play Ball

• 1940 - The Pirates traded OF Johnny Rizzo to the Reds in exchange for OF Vince DiMaggio, Joe & Dom’s bro. Vince held down center for the Bucs for five seasons and hit .255 with 79 homers and 367 RBI’s in 670 games with All-Star years in 1943-44. It also marked the end of the Waner era in Pittsburgh; Paul was traded to Boston in 1941 and Lloyd followed the following year, bumped by DiMaggio and Maurice Van Robays. Rizzo joined the Navy in 1942 and had one strong season after returning.
• 1962 - 1b Orestes “Big O” Destrade was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Orestes played for the Bucs in 1988 as a bench bat, hitting .149. He was part of the first Florida Marlins club in 1990 (he hit 20 HR for them and was also became the first strikeout victim of The Big Unit, Randy Johnson). The Big O went on to a stellar career in Japan where he was a home run leader, worked for ESPN and is now an announcer for the Tampa Bay Rays.
• 1963 - Willie Stargell hit his first MLB homer, a three run shot off Lindy McDaniel at Wrigley Field, during a 9-5 loss to the Cubbies. He had a lot more home runs to come; he ended his career with a franchise-best 475 long flies with several record-setting blasts in stadia around the league, and all as a Pirate.