7/25 From the 60s Forward: HBD Doug, Ed & Alex; ASG; Candy Faces the Minimum; Jackson Loses 1-Hitter; Game Stories

• 1960 - The Bucs regained first place when Bob Friend defeated the Cardinals 4-2 at Busch Stadium behind homers from Bill Virdon, Bob Skinner and Roberto Clemente. Pittsburgh wouldn’t relinquish the top spot for the remainder of the season. 

Doug Drabel 1988 Topps Big

• 1962 - RHP Doug Drabek was born in Victoria, Texas. He tossed six seasons (1987-92) in Pittsburgh with a line of 92-62/3.02. Drabek won the Cy Young in 1990 when he went 22-6, but oddly never made an All-Star team as a Pirate. Doug spent six seasons in the show after he left Pittsburgh following the 1992 season but never won more than a dozen games elsewhere. After he retired, he spent time at home and helping coach Little League ball. In 2010, he returned to pro ball as a pitching coach for Arizona, a position he still holds. 
• 1963 - Tommie Sisk pitched five innings of near perfect relief (he walked two) and rode Roberto Clemente’s three-run homer to a 6-2 win over league leading Los Angeles and ace Sandy Koufax at Dodger Stadium. Smoky Burgess chipped in with a pair of RBI. Koufax had entered the game with just three losses and a 1.75 ERA. 
• 1965 - The Bucs took the opener of a twin bill at Forbes Field from the Cubs 3-2 when back-up catcher Del Crandall, 35, was called into duty in the sixth. He banged a two out, 3-1 pitch barely into the left center seats for the win. Bill Mazeroski also homered, and Vern Law won his second game in 24 hours as the seventh Pirate pitcher, working the final 1-⅓ IP. The Cubs took the nightcap easily 5-0 in 1:37; the Pirates had just three hits and a Roberto Clemente line-out triple play to show for their efforts. 

Ed Sprague 1999 Topps Traded

• 1967 - 3B Ed Sprague was born in Castro Valley, California. The 11-year MLB vet spent 1999 with the Pirates, hitting .267 with 22 long balls and winning an All-Star berth. Pittsburgh let him leave as a free agent (he signed with San Diego) as they had his heir-apparent, 21-year-old Aramis Ramirez, waiting in the wings. After he retired, Sprague became the head coach of the Pacific Tigers college baseball team from the 2004-15, then went to Oakland, where he’s now the team's Coordinator of Instruction. 
• 1972 - The NL nosed the AL 4-3 at Atlanta Stadium in the All-Star game, kicking off an 11-game winning streak for the senior circuit. Manager Danny Murtaugh had a boatload of Bucs on his roster: P Steve Blass, OFs Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Al Oliver plus C Manny Sanguillen. Blass went an inning and gave up a run. Sangy went 1-for-2, Pops 0-for-1 with a walk, and Scoops went 0-for-1. The Great One didn’t get in the last of his 12 All-Star games; he was voted a starter, but was injured. He did have a pretty capable replacement, though - Hank Aaron played in his stead. 
• 1982 - John Candelaria faced the minimum 27 batters in a four hit shutout win over the Atlanta Braves. Three DP and a caught stealing took the Brave runners off the basepaths in an 8-0 whipping at TRS. The middle of the Pirate lineup - Bill Madlock, Jason Thompson and Dave Parker - drove home a pair of runs each.

Alex Presley 2013 Topps

• 1985 - OF Alex Presley was born in Monroe, Louisiana. Picked in the eighth round of the 2006 draft, he hit .261 as a yo-yo part of the Pirate roster between 2010-13, when he was traded to Minnesota as part of the Justin Morneau deal.He’s played for Houston, Milwaukee and Detroit since then.
• 1987 - The Pirates ended their west coast trip on a winning note by dropping the San Diego Padres 9-3 at Jack Murphy Stadium. The journey had started perilously with a pair of losses to the LA Dodgers but concluded at 6-4, their first winning left coast visit since 1983. The offensive heroes were Sid Bream with three hits/five RBI, Andy Van Slyke with two knocks/three runs scored from the top of the order and Barry Bonds with two raps including a homer. Brian Fischer took the win with help from Barry Jones and Don Robinson.
• 1992 - Danny Jackson gave up one hit at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, but it was unfortunately a home run to David Justice as the Braves behind Charlie Leibrandt beat the Bucs 1-0 for their 13th straight win. The Pirates best chance to score was in the first, but both Andy Van Slyke and Lloyd McClendon were caught stealing to run themselves out of the frame and the game. Pittsburgh didn’t make any noise again until the seventh, with Otis Nixon sprinted to the fence and pulled back AVS’s blast from over the wall. The last hurrah was in the ninth, when Barry Bonds bounced out with two down and two aboard. 
• 2003 - Pittsburgh won its fifth game in six tries 10-5 over the Cards at Busch Stadium. Reggie Sanders had a homer and triple, Brian Giles a homer and double and Jose Hernandez added a pair of two-baggers against Saint Louis. Brian Meadows got the win in relief of Kip Wells. 

Tike Redman 2004 Topps Total

• 2004 - The Bucs won their eighth game in ten outings with a 6-5 decision against the Reds at PNC Park. Tike Redman had a homer and three RBI as Sean Burnett, who was yanked with an out in the sixth, got the win behind 3-2/3 scoreless innings from the pen. 
• 2011 - In their first ESPN-televised game in seven years, the Pirates defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-1 behind James McDonald, who struck out nine in 5-2/3 frames, and four relievers at Turner Field, keeping the Bucs tied for first place in the NL Central for the last time in 2011.