9/25 Happenings: Bucs Clinch in '60; NH GM; HBD Dave, Dick, Tony & Vanimal; Wilson, Williams Records,

• 1889 - OF Dave Robertson was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. He played nine big league seasons,stopping in Pittsburgh near the end in 1921, starting 58 games and hitting .322. The Pirates picked him up from the Cubs for P Elmer Ponder and released him at the end of the year. Robertson played through 1922; Ponder was done in ‘21. 

Dave Robertson 1921 (photo George Bain/The Sporting News)

• 1922 - The Pirates and Detroit Tigers played a home-and-home exhibition series, first in Pittsburgh and the next day in the Motor City. The Tigers took both matches by a 5-4 score. In the second game, pinch-hitter Ty Cobb was hit on the leg by a pitch from Moses “Chief” Yellowhorse in the 5th inning and had to be carried off of the field. 
• 1953 - OF Dick Davis was born in Long Beach, California. He closed out his six-year career in 1982 with Pittsburgh (the third team he played for that season) hitting .182 in 39 games. C Wayne Nordhagen ended up the main man in the 1982 Davis dealings; he was sent by Toronto to Philly on June 15th for Davis, then moved to Pittsburgh on the same day for Bill Robinson. 10 days later, the Pirates shipped him back to Toronto as the PTBNL for Davis.
• 1960 - Although the Pirates lost 4-2 to the Braves, a St. Louis defeat clinched the pennant for Pittsburgh (The NY Yankees clinched their title on the same day). The City celebrated by holding a giant midnight torchlight parade in the Golden Triangle. It was the first time since 1927 that the Pirates were headed for the World Series, and it was front page news in the City, with the Fall Classic and its seventh game still celebrated to this day in Pittsburgh. 

• 1969 - Tony Womack was born in Danville, Virginia. Womack was drafted by the Pirates in 1991 (seventh round) and became their everyday second baseman in 1997. Tony led the NL in stolen bases that year with 60 and did it again in 1998 with 58 swipes. The speedster played his first five seasons (1993-94; 1996-98) with the Bucs, hitting .278 and earning an All-Star berth. After the 1998 campaign, he was traded to the Diamondbacks for Jason Boyd and Paul Reichard (whatever was Cam Bonifay thinking?) and he played a key role in Arizona’s World 2001 title. He played in the show for 13 seasons, finishing up with a .272 BA. 
• 1987 - RHP Vance Worley was born in Sacramento. Vanimal hit the show running in 2011, as he was elected to Baseball America’s All-Rookie Team and finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, behind winner Craig Kimbrel and Freddie Freeman. Alas, bone chips derailed his 2012 campaign, and he was moved to Minnesota, where mechanical problems caused by the injury led to some very forgettable outings. The Bucs bought him in the 2013 off season, called him up in June of 2014, and he went 8-4/2.25. He started 2015 in the pen, claimed a spot in the rotation when Charlie Morton was hurt, and went back to relief upon Morton’s return, finishing w/a 4-6, 4.02 slash. He was released after the 2015 season & claimed by the Orioles. 
• 2001 - Craig Wilson collected hits in each of the final 3 innings of Pittsburgh's last game and got hits in each of the first three frames against Chicago‚ giving him knocks in six consecutive innings against six different pitchers‚ a MLB mark. The Bucs won 13-1, but the Cubbie pitchers got a little glory, too. They fanned 10 Pirates, giving them 1,250 Ks for the year for a new MLB mark. 

Mike Williams 2002 Fleer Tradition

• 2002 - Mike Williams set the Bucco single season save record when he earned his 46th against the Mets at PNC Park with a 1-2-3 ninth, closing out a 4-3 win for Ron Villone. The record would last until 2015, when it was eclipsed by Mark Melancon with 51. 
• 2007 - 37-year-old Neal Huntington was officially named as the Pirates new GM, replacing Dave Littlefield although the news had been leaked earlier in the week. He spent six years with the Expos and a decade with the Indians in various executive positions prior to coming to Pittsburgh, primarily in the player development area. Huntington, per the Associated Press’ Alan Robinson, was among the newer breed of executives who rely heavily on statistics and number-crunching before making decisions and was expected to provide some data-driven direction to the club.