6/23: Brother Acts, Angelic Win, HBD Bill & Curly, Duels, Game Stories...

• 1877 - Jim “Pud” Galvin of the Alleghenys shut out Chicago on three hits‚ 6-0, in International League play. The IL was considered a minor league, and only lasted one more season. The Alleghenys became a major league club in 1882 when they joined the American Association. Gentleman Jeems spent eight years in Pittsburgh as an Allegheny, Burgher and Pirate.
• 1890 - 2B Harry and SS John Gilbert became the first brothers to play together for a major league Pittsburgh club when they manned the middle at the Philadelphia Baseball Grounds against the Phillies. The Alleghenys split the twin bill, with Harry going 2-for-8 and John 0-for-8, and they turned a DP in each game. The doubleheader was the only time either one of the Pottstown brothers played at the MLB level. They preceded brother duos Harry & Howie Camnitz (1909), Carson & Lyle Bigbee (1921), Johnny & Phil Morrison (1921), Lloyd & Paul Waner (1927-40), Gene & George Freese (1951), twins Eddie & Johnny O'Brien (1953-58) and Adam & Andy LaRoche (2008).

The Pirates most famous brother act - Big & Little Poison, the Waners 1935
(photo Pittsburgh Press)

• 1900 - RHP Bill Harris was born in Wylie, Texas. He tossed for the Bucs from 1931-34, with a record of 16-15-7 and a 3.45 ERA. Harris was a baseball lifer - he had seven years in the show, and earned 257 minor league wins between 1921-45, including two no-hitters. He managed in the minors afterward for the Giants and then scouted for them, the Senators and Yankees.
• 1916 - Ken “Curly” Jungels was born in Aurora, Kansas. Curly pitched five MLB seasons, mostly for Cleveland, though not very often nor well. He made five outings and was 0-0/6.89 for the Pirates in 1941 while overall, his career consisted of 25 games, slashing 1-0/6.80. After his Pittsburgh campaign, Curly joined the Army during WW2 and never returned to the ballfield.
• 1919 - The Bucs won their fifth game in a row, 3-2 over the Saint Louis Cardinals at Robison Park. Casey Stengel was the man of the hour, hitting a two-run homer in the sixth and then making a game-saving catch in the bottom half to back Frank Miller’s complete game effort.

Casey Stengel

• 1930 - Bucco pitchers Heinie Meine and Leon Chagnon gave up twelve straight hits during the sixth inning in a 19-6 loss to the Brooklyn Robins at Forbes Field, tying the record for most consecutive hits allowed.
• 1953 - The Pirates defeated Hall-of-Fame pitcher Warren Spahn and the Braves at County Stadium, 1-0. Spahn, who would be named The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year after the season 23-7, 2.10 ERA), struck out 12 batters and surrendered just two hits. Bucco outfielder Carlos Bernier delivered the game-winner, a two-out single in the eighth inning that scored Preston Ward, who had walked. RHP Bob Hall tossed a six-hit shutout to win the duel against Spahn and Milwaukee.
• 1954 - The Bucs broke St. Louis’ Harvey Haddix’s string of 37 straight shutout innings when Preston Ward drove home Dick Cole in the sixth, but were still left in the dust at Forbes Field by the Cards 7-1.
• 1995 - Denny Neagle won a duel with Pedro Martinez as the Bucs beat the Expos 2-0 at Olympic Stadium. Neagle surrendered just a pair of hits, with Mark Johnson and Nelson Liriano chasing home the Bucco runs.

Denny Neagle 1995 Upper Deck Collectors Choice

• 2004 - Pittsburgh beat the Astros 7-2 at Minute Maid Park on the strength of a two-out grand slam by Jason Kendall off David Weathers in the seventh. Ryan Vogelsong went six innings for the win.
• 2005 - The Pirates jumped out to an 11-2 lead over the Cards and never looked back to take an 11-7 win. Humberto Cota led the way with three RBI, two on sac flies, but St. Louis was its own worst enemy, committing three errors and allowing Pittsburgh seven unearned runs at Busch Stadium. Dave Williams got the victory and Rick White the save after he blunted a Redbird rally in the ninth.
• 2013 - It ain’t over ‘til it’s over. Angel pitchers had sat down 16 straight Pirates and went into the ninth with a 6-3 lead at Angel Stadium with closer Ernesto Frieri on the hill. But the battlin’ Bucs tied the game on a double by Russell Martin and single by Starling Marte, both with two strikes and two outs. Then they scored four more in the tenth. But LA decided to not mail it in; they scored three times in their half off Bucco closer Jason Grilli and had runners on second and third with two out and Mike Trout up; Grilli got him swinging. Martin and Andrew McCutchen were scheduled for off days, but played the last two innings, going a combined 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. It was also the MLB debut for a pair of Pirate rookies, C Tony Sanchez, who doubled in his first at bat, and RHP Duke Welker, who worked a frame and got his first big league punch out. It was a series sweep for the Pirates, their first road interleague sweep ever.

Duke Welker (photo J Meric/Getty)

• 2015 - Cincinnati jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, but the Pirates answered with their biggest inning in over a year, plating seven runs in the fourth against the Reds at PNC Park. The big blows were a three-run homer by Fran Cervelli and a two-run shot by Andrew McCutchen. Pittsburgh needed every one of those tallies, as the bats were shut down after that outburst. Tony Watson and Mark Melancon calmed the hot Redleg bats in the last two innings by ringing up six straight punch outs for the hold and save of Rob Scahill’s victory.