5/9 From the 50s Forward: Kiner, Klu, The Hound Go Deep; Brawlin' & Greetin'; Brant & Pat; The Kid; Dirt Balls

• 1950 - Ralph Kiner hit a grand slam, the eighth of his career & second in three days, then added a three run homer during a 3-for-4, seven RBI outing as the Bucs beat Brooklyn 10-5 at Forbes Field. Bill Werle tossed 6-⅔ frames of scoreless relief for the win.

Big Klu 1958 Topps

• 1958 - Ted Kluszewski broke up a scoreless tie between starters Robin Roberts and Ron Kline - both hurlers went the distance - by belting a lead-off, first pitch homer in the 12th to give the Bucs a 1-0 win over the Phils at Forbes Field. It was only the fourth Pirates hit off Roberts while Kline scattered eight knocks.
• 1959 - Pittsburgh blasted Philadelphia 9-1 at Forbes Field behind Ron Kline’s eight-hitter. He was backed by Bob Skinner's two homers, three runs scored, and four RBIs. Roberto Clemente added three raps, including a pair of triples.
• 1963 - The Bucs beat Dick Ellsworth’s slider into the dirt all day as Ernie Banks became the first NL first baseman to garner 22 putouts in a game (with an assist). The Cubs whipped Pittsburgh 3-1 at Wrigley Field as Ellsworth allowed Pittsburgh just two singles.

John Milner 1979 Topps

• 1979 - Four bench-clearing brawls, four beaned batters and two grand slams were the highlights of a 17-9 Bucco victory over the Braves at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. Substitute umps ejected five players‚ both managers and a coach. As for the game itself, the Pirates headed into the ninth inning with a slim 10-9 lead before exploding for seven runs. John Milner’s grand slam off Gene Garber highlighted the big frame. Earlier, Bill Robinson had hit two home runs off Phil Niekro to give the Pirates the lead. Tim Foli added four more RBI.
• 1997 - Prior to the game with Atlanta‚ Pirate players had an impromptu meet-and-greet inside the TRS gates to shake hands and pose for pictures with the fans. The up close and personal vibes worked as they proceeded to beat the Braves 9-0 behind Francisco Cordova. Jose Guillen homered and drove in three runs while Al Martin added three knocks.
• 1999 - Two of Pittsburgh’s bigger disappointments showed what coulda been. The Pirates beat the Cards‚ 12-9 behind SS Pat Meares’ five hits and OF Brant Brown’s three-run, inside-the-park homer at Busch Stadium.

Brant Brown 1999 Bowman

• 2015 - Neil Walker began and ended the first 4-5-4 triple play in MLB history. He leapt to snag Yadier Molina’s bases-loaded liner and threw to third, doubling off the lead runner. Jung Ho Kang at the hot corner apparently lost track of the outs; he started toward the dugout before a little prompting from his mates got him to toss the ball back to Neil, standing on second, to complete the trifecta. It was a game full of big innings; the Bucs scored three in the second inning, then the Cards answered with a five spot in the fourth frame before Pittsburgh put up another triad of runs in the sixth to take a 7-5 win at PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Kid added a homer while Jordy Mercer chased home three runs to earn Rob Scahill, the first of four Pirate relievers to toss a scoreless frame, the win.