7/10 Events & All-Stars: HBD Gene, Sonnyman Busted, Clarke to HoF, Divisional Era, ASGs

• 1934 - 3B Pie Traynor, SS Arky Vaughan and RF Paul Waner represented the Bucs in the second All-Star game held at the Polo Grounds. Traynor went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, a RBI and stolen base (he became the first and only player to swipe home in an ASG), while Waner and Vaughan both went 0-for-2 in the NL’s 9-7 victory. It’s known best for Carl Hubbard’s feat - he struck out five future Hall of Famers in a row. After two batters reached in the first, he fanned Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, & Jimmie Foxx, adding Al Simmons & Joe Cronin to open the second. 

Pie Traynor 1981 Cramer Baseball Legends 

• 1940 - SS Gene Alley was born in Richmond, Virginia. He played his entire 11 year career (1963–73) with the Pirates. A modest hitter - his BA was .254 - he won a pair of Gold Gloves, was twice selected an All-Star, and set the MLB DP record for middle infielders with Bill Mazeroski in 1966 with 161. Shoulder and knee problems slowed and ultimately ended his career. 
• 1943 - Homestead Grays owner (and numbers king) Rufus "Sonnyman" Jackson was briefly jailed after a confrontation at Forbes Field with a Mexican baseball agent (actually, the Mexican diplomatic consul AJ Guina) trying to raid his roster. As quoted by Mark Ribowsky in A Complete History of the Negro Leagues, Jackson said “I don’t care if they send Pancho Villa, they’re not getting my ballplayers.” Sonnyman eventually kept his players and he ran the team himself after team co-owner Cum Posey's death, winning the last pennant in Negro National League history in 1948. 
• 1945 - Fred Clarke was inducted into Hall of Fame. Selected by the Old Timers Committee, Clarke spent 15 years in Pittsburgh (1900-11, 1913-15) and hit ahead of Honus Wagner, batting .299. As a manager, he led the Bucs to the first three modern NL pennants, taking four flags in all, and finished second five times. Clarke won (1,602) and managed more games (2,829) than any other Bucco skipper, and compiled the club’s highest career winning percentage (.576). 

Ralph Kiner 1951 Topps Red Tops

• 1951 - Exploding for a record four homers‚ the NL trounced the AL 8-3 at the All-Star Game at Briggs Stadium. Pirate OF Ralph Kiner hit a HR for the third year in a row, a MLB AS record.
• 1956 - P Bob Friend and 1B Dale Long were the Pirate All-Stars at Griffith Stadium for the NL’s 7-3 victory. Friend got the win thanks to triple threes - 3 IP, 3 hits, 3 K (Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Harry “Suitcase” Simpson) - and without much help from Long, who struck out twice in two at-bats. The 25-year-old Friend spent the last six innings on the bench shooting a home movie of his first ASG. 
• 1962 - Led by OF Roberto Clemente’s three hits, the NL beat the AL 3-1 in the first of two All-Star games, this one at held at Washington’s DC Stadium. SS Dick Groat went 1-for-3, scored and turned a DP while 2B Bill Mazeroski was 0-for-2. 
• 1968 - The NL announced that it will split into two divisions in the following season. The Eastern Division will take in Chicago, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. It was the intro to the Divisional Era, where the winners of each division would compete against each other in a League Championship Series to determine the World Series opponents.

Tony Pena 1984 Donruss

• 1984 - The NL was used to the windy confines of Candlestick Park and breezed to 3-1 win over the AL in the All Star game. The senior circuit got some terrific tossing. Fernando Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden combined to whiff six batters in a row for a new All-Star Game record. Valenzuela K’ed Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson, and George Brett in the fourth inning. Then Doc, the youngest All-Star ever at age 19, punched out Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon, and Alvin Davis in the fifth. C Tony Pena was Pittsburgh’s only AS selection and came in to catch the ninth inning. 
• 1990 - Pitching dominated as the AL dropped the NL 2-0 in the All Star game at Wrigley Field. Outfielders Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla both went 0-for-1 and P Neal Heaton didn’t get in. 
• 2001 - The American League nine took a 4-1 All Star victory from the NL at Safeco Field. OF Brian Giles, the Pirates only AS, grounded out in his one at bat. 

Brian Giles 2001 Donruss Dominators

• 2007 - The AL eked out a 5-4 win over the NL in the All Star game played at AT&T Park. 2B Freddy Sanchez was the only Pirate on the team and didn’t get in the game. 
• 2012 - The senior circuit blasted its way to an 8-0 win over the AL All Stars at Kaufmann Stadium. OF Andrew McCutchen went 1-for-2 after taking part in the home run derby the night before and P Joel Hanrahan faced one batter, Billy Butler, striking him out after tossing a wild pitch.