6/22: Hans, Clyde, Max, Lights Out, HBD Brant, Gregory, Dovy...

• 1882 - The Reds beat the Bucs at Exposition Park‚ 5-2 in 14 innings, ending the game with a triple play. With runners on first and second‚ Cincinnati SS Chick Fulmer let a pop fly drop, then with the runners in limbo, went around the horn to close out the game. The infield fly rule was put into effect in 1885 by the NL, and was crafted into its current form in 1901.
• 1908 - Honus Wagner smacked his 2,000th hit against Jake Weimer of the Reds during a 4-0 loss at Exposition Park. Back in the day, there wasn’t much ado about career milestones (nor were hits and such even accurately counted, so this date may be taken with a grain of salt) and the Pittsburgh media made nary a mention of the feat.
• 1917 - The Pirates held a Honus Wagner Day at Forbes Field to honor the star SS who announced (again) that this would be his last season. The fans were all given ribboned pins with the Flying Dutchman’s picture (there were no bobbleheads back in the day) and Wagner received an engraved ("Presented to John P. Wagner By His Admirers Friday June 22, 1917 Wagner Day.") silver loving cup. The Bucs eked out a 4-3 win over the Cubs, with Hans walking off the winning run with a 10th inning single off Hippo Vaughan.

Hans in 1917 (photo Bains News Service/Library of Congress)

• 1925 - Max Carey got two hits in each the first and eighth innings as the Pirates beat the Cards at Sportsman's Park, 24-6. The two-hits-in-two-innings feat wasn’t repeated again until Rennie Stennett did it against the Cubs in 1975. The Pirates smacked six homers that game, with two from George Grantham, grand slams by Kiki Cuyler and Pie Traynor and more long balls from Clyde Barnhart and Earl Smith, helped along by seven Cardinal errors along the way. Every Pirate starter, including the pitcher, had at least a hit and either scored a run, drove in a run, or both. It was the Pirates biggest run outburst of the 20th century. The Bucs were really rolling; the game before they tattooed the Brooklyn Robins 21-5, banging out four HR, three 3B and three 2B. Kiki Cuyler went 4-for-5 with two homers, a triple, six RBI and five runs.
• 1927 - LF Clyde Barnhart ran his hit streak to 23 games with a single in an 11-9 win over the Reds at Forbes Field. It would end the following game against the Cubs’ Charlie Root. The heroes of the day for the Bucs were Kiki Cuyler and Glenn Wight with three knocks and two RBI each, along with pitcher Carmen Hill. “Specs” spun 6-⅔ IP of relief for the win and went 2-for-3 at the dish.
• 1951 - A power failure at Forbes Field delayed the start of the game with Dodgers by two hours, and rain held up play in the sixth inning by another 36 minutes‚ pushing the game’s end to 1:56 AM. Brooklyn’s night owls won easily, 8-4. Of the 24‚966 fans there at the start of the Friday night game, an estimated 10‚000 were still on hand for the bitter end.

Forbes Field when the lights were on (photo via The Allegheny Conference)

• 1971 - OF/1B Brant Brown was born in Porterville, California. The Bucs swapped Jon Lieber for Brant after he had hit .291/14 HR with the Cubs in 1998, but in 130 Pirates games he hit just .232, although he did swat 16 homers and chase home 58 runs. He was sent to the Padres after the year for Bruce Aven and 2000 was his last big-league season. Since he’s retired, Brown has been a coach in the Rangers and Mariners minor-league systems.
• 2010 - RHP Dovydas Neverauskas pitched for the GCL Pirates during an 11-4 loss to the Yankee rookies, becoming the first native Lithuanian to appear in organized baseball.

Gregory Polanco 2014 Topps Update

• 2014 - Rookie Gregory Polanco’s team-record streak of 11 straight games with a hit to open his career ended at Wrigley Field, but the Bucs prevailed 2-1. Travis Snider’s home run and Josh Harrison’s two-out single gave Brandon Cumpton just enough breathing room, with Mark Melancon coming on to earn a save. Polanco would continue his on-base streak, which reached 14 games before he finally had a contest without a hit or walk. El Coffee had barely kept his hit streak alive in the prior game, winning a challenge for an infield single that had originally been ruled an out.