6/2 Games: Shutout Streak, Winning & Losing Strings, Double & Triple Plays, Tornado Game, Big Blasts & More

• 1890 - The Pittsburgh Alleghenys committed 14 errors in a 14-1 loss to Chicago Colts at home. The Pittsburg Press wrote of the match that “The people who witnessed the National League game at Recreation Park...left disgusted and many of them promising not to return...Indeed, there are several amateur clubs about the city that may be relied on to play better ball…” That Pittsburgh club finished 28-108, 66-1/2 games behind the NL champion Brooklyn Bridegrooms and 23 games behind the Cleveland Spiders, the team closest to them in the standings.
• 1903 - The Pirates tossed their first of a MLB record six consecutive shutouts as Deacon Phillippe blanked the New York Giants, 7-0. The NL champ Bucs threw 51 straight scoreless innings during the six-game streak, a record that still stands today. The win launched a 15 game winning streak.

Deacon Phillippe 1903 E107

• 1943 - Pittsburgh scored three times in the ninth to send the Boston Braves to a 3-2 loss at Forbes Field. A walk, an Elbie Fletcher homer and Al Lopez triple set the stage for Frank Coleman’s flare single to become the game-winner. Wally Hebert pitched seven strong innings, giving up a pair in the second when a pair of bunts were misplayed and a bases loaded free pass resulted in two Brave runs. Xavier Rescigno picked up the win in relief.
• 1945 - The Pirates hung on to defeat the Phils 6-5 at Forbes Field; the main storyline was that the Bucs turned five DPs while Philly committed five errors. Pittsburgh scored four times in the first - only one run was earned - but quickly fell behind; they took the lead for good in the fourth, scoring twice with two outs thanks to a pair of Philadelphia boots. The bullpens put up zeroes after that, with Max Butcher notching the win and Anton Karl taking the loss.
• 1948 - The Bucs pulled off the first triple play off the season when 1B Ed Stevens caught a shoe top liner, stepped on first for the second out and tossed to second to trap a third Boston runner at Forbes Field. Alas, it was in vain as the Braves won handily 5-1 behind Johnny Sain’s three-hitter. Ralph Kiner’s homer was the only rain on Sain’s parade.

Ed Stevens 1948-49 Leaf

• 1955 - The Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 12-3 at Forbes Field. Dale Long went 3-for-5 and had five RBI with a home run, a two-run shot during a five-run third inning. Frank Thomas also went deep while the Pirates banged out a season high 17 hits.
• 1962 - Roberto Clemente just missed becoming the first right handed batter to hit a ball on Forbes Field’s right field roof, bouncing a shot off the facing a foot shy of the top. The blast was off Houston’s Turk Farrell during a 9-2 Bucco laugher over the Colt .45s. Roberto had three RBI, Dick Stuart homered, driving home a pair, and Don Hoak scored twice after hitting two triples to support the Deacon, Vern Law. For Pittsburgh, it was their 10th win in 11 games, but after the contest, they entered a tailspin that saw them lose 7-of-8.
• 1968 - Willie Stargell homered in both ends of a doubleheader, collecting six hits and driving in six runs in the two contests. He pushed his BA to .300 for the first time in his career and capped a four-game long ball streak. The one-man show wasn’t quite enough as the Pirates split the twinbill with the Atlanta Braves at Forbes Field, winning the opener 8-4 but losing the nightcap 10-5.

Willie Stargell 1968 Topps

• 1987 - Rick Reuschel fired a two-hitter against the Atlanta Braves, ending a six game Pirate losing streak. Andy Van Slyke’s homer accounted for the Bucco runs, and he made a great catch in the ninth to help save the victory. It was Reuschel’s ninth straight win over Atlanta.
• 1998 - The Pirates beat the Mets 5-2 at TRS behind Chris Peter’s pitching and a bases loaded triple by Kevin Young for their fourth straight victory, but the big story was that they earned the win in the midst of a tornado. The game was delayed nearly an hour by the gale, but Peters came back after the break in the third frame to work five innings. The Post Gazette noted that a couple of Pirates gathered up hailstones from the dugout before play resumed. Locals should recall the night; the tornado touched down on Mt. Washington and the PPG’s banner headline screamed “Torn Asunder.”
• 2008 - The Bucs beat the Cardinals 5-4 at Busch Stadium. Jason Michaels provided the muscle by blasting a seventh-inning, two-out pinch-hit grand slam on the first pitch he saw from Adam Wainwright. Matt Capps saved the win for Franquelis Osoria.
• 2011 - The Bucs blew a 7-0 lead to the Mets and lost 9-8 at Citi Field as Paul Maholm left with the game tied and Jose Veras self destructed in the eighth, giving up a hit, four walks and a wild pitch.

Garrett Jones 2013 Topps Tier 1

• 2013 - The Reds raced to a 4-0 first inning lead against Jeanmar Gomez and the righty was yanked after the frame with forearm tightness. But the Pirate bullpen put up 10 scoreless frames, allowing just five hits, while Pedro Alvarez and Garrett Jones homered - Jones became the first Pirate to reach the Allegheny on the fly with his 463’ blast - to send the game into extra innings at PNC Park. The Pirates took it in the eleventh on Travis Snider’s soft two-out liner that scored Russ Martin from second for a walk-off 5-4 win.
• 2014 - The Pirates romped at Petco Park, winning 10-3 as the San Diego Padres ran through seven pitchers and 249 pitches during the longest nine-inning game in SD history at 4:04. Of the 53 men Pittsburgh sent to the plate, 26 reached base. They went 9-for-20 with RISP and still stranded 16 men, loading the bases seven different times. San Diego left 11 runners of their own on the pond, and went 1-for-10 with RISP. Jordy Mercer went 4-for-5 with a homer, four RBI and two runs scored, while Josh Harrison and Neil Walker added three hits each. Charlie Morton got the win, but the Pirates had to use three relievers of their own to close out the contest. There were six HBP without a warning being issued and twelve walks combined during the game. It was only the second time during an NL game of the modern (post-1914) era that each team hit three batters in the same game. The other time it happened was Aug. 15th, 2007, when the New York Mets played, natch, the Bucs.