8/20 Happenings: HBD Bull, Al & Matt, Montanez & Cozy Deals, Danny's #1,000 Win, Omar's Swipes & More

• 1890 - OF Lew “Bull” Smith was born in Plum,West Virginia. He was raised in an orphanage but overcame that humble beginning to become a WVU grad (he won a law degree). Bull played sparingly in the MLB, with his 13-game season with the Pirates his longest stay, hitting .143. Baseball wasn’t his only strong suit, though - he was also a halfback for the Canton Bulldogs in 1905-06, playing in the NFL’s forerunner, the Ohio League. He managed and played locally at Clarksville and Charleston after his big league days and later became a lumberman and school teacher. 
• 1883 - According to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology, after the Eclipse-Pittsburgh game at Exposition Park (won by Louisville 8-2), Allegheny OFs Billy Taylor and Mike Mansell‚ along with 2B George Creamer, were each fined $100 and suspended indefinitely for drunkenness. 

Al Lopez 1946 (photo Acme News Service)

• 1908 - Hall of Fame catcher Al Lopez was born in Tampa. He caught seven years (1940-46) for the Pirates, hitting .254 with a rep as one of finest defensive catchers in baseball, earning a 1941 All-Star berth. After his playing days, Lopez had success as a manager of the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. 
• 1913 - The Pirates traded P Howie Camnitz and 3B Bobby Byrne to the Philadelphia Phillies for third baseman Albert “Cozy” Dolan and cash. Camnitz and Byrne were at the end of their effective careers (Bryne had a strong 1914 before fading), and Dolan was traded at the end of the year, so though a couple of big names were involved, it ended up a minor deal. Cozy was banned from baseball in 1924 as a coach after being involved with a bribe offer during a heated pennant race. He didn’t get his nickname by being cozy with the bookies, though, but rather from a namesake baseball predecessor, Patrick “Cozy” Dolan. Fortunately for scorekeepers, there was a five-year break between Patrick’s last game and Albert’s MLB debut. 
• 1946 - The Pirates voted against recognizing the American Baseball Guild as their bargaining agent by a 15-3 count with 10 abstentions in a pre-game Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board election. They then blanked the Brooklyn Dodgers 10-0 at Forbes Field behind Nick Strincevich’s four hitter. Elbie Fletcher banged a three-run homer and Jim Russell had three hits that chased four Buccos home. 

Elbie Fletcher 1947 Tip-Top

• 1961 - The Cubs and Pirates tied an NL record by playing their third straight extra-inning game at Wrigley Field. Chicago took this one 1-0 when Billy Williams singled home the winning run with two outs in the 11th, making Bob Friend a loser to Don Cardwell. The clubs had split the first pair; all three games went 11 innings. 
• 1975 - Manager Danny Murtaugh’s 1,000th win (he finished with 1,115, all with the Buccos) was in the books after a 3-1 victory over the Giants at TRS. The Pirates scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on Craig Reynold’s double and a two-run knock by Rennie Stennett. Jim Rooker pitched eight innings of three-hit ball to earn the win with Dave Giusti closing it out. 
• 1980 - Omar Moreno stole his 70th base of the year in a 5-1 loss at the Astrodome‚ becoming the first player in the 20th century with three consecutive 70-steal seasons. The Antelope swiped 71 in 1978‚ 77 in 1979‚ and finished 1980 with a career-high 96 successful larcenies. He swiped 412 sacks in an eight-year Bucco stay, behind only Max Carey (688) and Hans Wagner (639) in the franchise record book, and 487 bases during his career.

Omar Moreno 1980 Topps

• 1981 - Pittsburgh traded John Milner to the Expos for Willie Montanez in a flip of reserve first basemen. Neither did much for their new teams, and Montanez was released after the 1982 season so the Pirates could bring Milner back for his final MLB campaign. 
• 1985 - 1B Matt “The Hitman” Hague was born in Bellevue, Washington. The Pirates selected Hague in the ninth round of the 2008 draft out of Oklahoma State as a third baseman; he was switched to first because of Pedro Alvarez. He got his nickname because in the minors it was said all he did was hit, but in two Pittsburgh stays (2012 & 2014), he stroked just .222 and was waived to Toronto, where he played in 2015. After a year in Japan, he’s now in the Twins organization.