9/8 Through the 30s: HBD Russ, Zeke, Val, Buck, Frank & Jim; Game Stories...

• 1852 - OF Russ McKelvy was born in Swissvale. The local lad was on the Alleghenys first roster in 1877 when they were a member of the minor league International Association (the Alleghenys carried just 12 players and all of them made it to the majors) before moving on to the Indianapolis Blues. That move made McKelvy the first ballplayer from Allegheny College to make it to the show (Glenn Beckert of the Cubs/Padres and Josh Sharpless of the Pirates later joined him). Josh’s minor league record is MIA after that (it seems he played in the local leagues, possibly as a semi-pro player), but he did get one more shot in the majors. His old club, the Alleghenys, now a big-league team, played him on August 24th, 1882. Russ started in right field and went 0-for-4, taking his final bow in the show. He shuffled off the Omaha after that where he became a successful businessman and civic mover. 
• 1875 - LHP Eli Rosebraugh was born in Charleston, Illinois. Out of Oberlin College, he tossed briefly for Pittsburgh in 1898-99, working six games (four starts) with an 0-3, 4.55 line. Eli, also known as Zeke (his middle name was Ezekiel although he later used Ethelbert) or Rosie, then spent the following campaign in Ohio, tossing for Dayton, Mansfield and Youngstown in the Interstate League. His trail grows cold after that until he shot himself at the age of 54 while living in Fresno. 

Val Picinich 1934 Goudey Big League

• 1896 - C Val Picinich was born in New York City. Picinich caught for 18 seasons, never cracking the 100-game mark in any one of them. Though he was a mostly a caddy, during his five-year stint with the Senators he was Walter Johnson’s personal battery mate, catching all but two of his starts. Val finished his career with Pirates in 1933 at the age of 37 when the Bucs were looking for some relief for regular catcher Earl Grace who was battling nagging injuries. He hit .250 in 16 games to end his career. Picinich retired to become a chicken farmer after a couple of shots at managing in the minors, then later took on a job with the Bath Iron Works shipyard. 
• 1899 - Pittsburgh's 3B Jimmy Williams‚ who earlier set a MLB rookie record by hitting in 26 consecutive games‚ ran his club record string to 27 games before he was stopped by Deacon Phillippe of Louisville‚ who had also ended his earlier streak, as Louisville won 5-3. Deacon joined the Pirates a year later, much to William’s relief. Kenny Lofton (2003) and Danny O'Connell (1953) also strung together 26 game streaks for the Pirates. His rookie mark lasted until 1987, when it was bested by Benito Santiago. Jimmy also set the franchise high water mark for RBIs by a rookie with 116, later matched by Maurice Van Robays in 1940. 
• 1905 - As written by the Pittsburg Press “(Cincinnati pitcher) Charlie Chech was touched up for fifteen safeties, including six two baggers, and allowed eight bases on balls, but still the Pirates could get but three little runs out of all that swatfest” as Pittsburgh lost 8-3 to the Reds at Exposition Park. The Bucs stranded a NL record 18 men in the loss. 

Buck Leonard 2003 Topps Gallery

• 1907 - 1B Walter “Buck” Leonard was born in Rocky Mount, NC. He played 15 years for the Homestead Grays (1934-48), batting ahead of Josh Gibson, and the pair were often likened to Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. The Grays won nine consecutive Negro National League pennants (1937-1945) with Leonard and Gibson ("the Thunder Twins") in the middle of the order. Leonard finished his Grays’ career with a .320 BA and was selected to the HoF. In 1994, when the All-Star Game was held in Pittsburgh, the then 88-year-old Leonard was named an Honorary Captain. 
• 1908 - Howie Camnitz tossed a five-hitter with seven whiffs and made two first-inning runs chased home by Honus Wagner stand as the Pirates swept a four game set from the St. Louis Cards, 2-0, at Exposition Park. The Bucs set a major league record against the Redbirds with only two assists in the field, both by 2B Charlie Starr. 
• 1912 - Long-time Pirate coach and minor league manager Frank Oceak was born in Pocahontas, Virginia. He was with the organization from 1942-1972 for all but one season, managing in the minors everywhere from Class D Oil City to AAA Columbus. Oceak also served for 10 seasons as Danny Murtaugh’s coach and finished his career on Bill Virdon’s staff, with 1960 (he’s the coach wearing #44 who’s running down the third base line with Maz) and 1971 World Series teams parts of his resume. 

Frank Oceak (photo via SABR)

• 1915 - Fred Clarke resigned as manager after leading the club to four pennants in 19 years, citing a desire for more family time (and probably nudged along by back-to-back losing seasons). He wanted to step down after the 1909 World Series campaign, but was talked out of it by owner Barney Dreyfuss. Jimmy Callahan replaced him in 1916. 
• 1916 - RHP Jim Bagby Jr. was born in Cleveland. Jim closed out his 10-year MLB run with Pittsburgh in 1947, going 5-4/4.67. Jim, a two-time All-Star earlier in his career, joined his dad to became the first father and son combo to pitch in the World Series when Jim Jr. appeared for the 1946 Red Sox; Jim Sr. had appeared in the Fall Classic with the 1920 Indians. In another feather in his cap moment, Jr. and Al Smith were the Cleveland pitchers who ended Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. Following his baseball career, Bagby became a professional golf player and in 1992 was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Final Bagby Trivia item via Wikipedia: he maintained a lifelong dislike of sports writers because he was born with a cleft palate and was often made fun by them for his appearance. 
• 1932 - C Earl Grace had his errorless streak end at 110 games. The errant throw was his only miscue of the season (out of 413 chances), a NL record. He did his penance by smacking a homer but it wouldn’t be nearly enough as the Brooklyn Dodgers embarrassed the Pirates 12-2 at Ebbets Field. But Earl needn’t have felt badly; the game itself was a slop-fest that featured seven boots between the two clubs. 

Tom Padden (photo Janice Brown/New Hampshire History)

• 1937 - The Pirates swept Cincinnati at Forbes Field. Pittsburgh had to score three times in the 10th inning to pull out a 7-6 win in the opener on a Tommy Padden walk-off single. The rap was an act of atonement for Padden; he threw away a bunt in the top half to allow the Reds two runs. Woody Jensen had four hits to lead Pittsburgh. The Bucs took the nightcap easily by an 8-2 count. Jensen had two more knocks to support Jack Tobin’s four-hitter.