4/12 Birthdays & Deaths: HBD Delaware Peach, Woodie, Tommie, Bill, Joe, Moose, Bob, Jerry, Jeff & DJ; RIP Cannonball

• 1876 - Vic "Delaware Peach" Willis was born in Cecil County, Maryland. The Hall of Fame righty spent four seasons in Pittsburgh (1906-09) with an 89-46/2.08 line and was part of the 1909 team that won the World Series against the Tigers, the first championship team from Pittsburgh. He won 249 games over a 13-year career. After retiring in 1910, Willis ran the Washington House, a hotel in his hometown of Newark, Delaware. The “Delaware Peach” was raised in Newark, Delaware, and went to Delaware College. 

Vic Willis 1909 Philadelphia Caramel

• 1879 - 1B Bill Clancy was born in Redfield, New York. His MLB career consisted of one season (1905) with the Pirates, hitting .229. He was a highly touted minor-league player, and the Pirates grabbed him to replace the traded Kitty Bransfield at first. Clancy started off hot, but a broken finger in June cooled his stick and a couple of ill-advised drinking sessions earned him his release. But he did have a legacy - it’s thought that long-time Bucco catcher George Gibson was signed after a recommendation from Clancy. He was sometimes known as “William the Chicken-Hearted” because he turned down some MLB offers and chose to stay in the minors, a sign that he was afraid of the better competition per the sports writers. But fairly equal pay, a guarantee to play every day and his popularity among the farm fans motivated him to sign where he was comfortable rather than succumbing to stage fright over the level of play. 
• 1908 - RHP Antonio “Joe” (his middle name) Vitelli was born in McKees Rocks. Joe got into five games as a Bucco during the 1944-45 war years and did OK for a guy who didn’t sniff the majors until he was 36, posting a 2.57 ERA (he did give up six runs in seven IP, but four were unearned). Joe got his chance the hard way - he came back from the service and was originally used as a Buc BP pitcher; from there, he got his shot on the roster. 
• 1926 - OF Walt “Moose” Moryn was born in St.Paul, Minnesota. Moose - he was 6’2”, 205 pounds - spent eight years in the majors as a slugging outfielder, oddly enough remembered the most for snaring a two-out, ninth inning sinking liner to save Don Cardwell’s 1960 no-hitter while a Cub. The one-time All-Star was was sold to Pittsburgh for cash and a minor leaguer in June of 1961 and closed out his career that season, hitting .200 in 40 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. He went on to manage a sporting good department and later ran a saloon/liquor store in Cicero, Illinois, before retiring from the work world to enjoy the golf links. 
• 1927 - Scout Bob Zuk was born in Detroit, Michigan. Zuk, who was the Parks baseball director for the City of Oakland after graduating from Cal-Berkeley, started as a part-time sleuth for the White Sox. The Bucs hired him full-time in 1957 and he turned up a gem, signing Willie Stargell (for $1,500!) after George Powles, a HS coach, recommended he take a look. He also brought Freddie Patek into the fold before leaving the Pirates and beginning the nomadic life of a bird dog, sniffing around for nine other clubs during his 46-year career. 

Cannonball 1889 Goodwin/Old Judge

• 1937 - Ed “Cannonball” Morris passed away in Pittsburgh. The lefty only worked five years for the Alleghenys but won 122 games over a four-year span (1885-88) while appearing in 220 outings and working nearly 2,000 innings. Cannonball had two more seasons left in him but his workhorse days were done as his arm was shot at age 26. A Brooklyn native, he stayed in Pittsburgh after his baseball days as a North Side bar owner and a deputy warden. Ed was buried in Union Dale Cemetery. 
• 1940 - LHP Woodie (his first name was Woodrow) Fryman was born in Ewing, Kentucky. He started his career in Pittsburgh in 1966-67, going 15-17-2 with a 3.91 ERA. He was part of the Jim Bunning deal in 1968 and went on to have a breakout All-Star campaign with the Phils. Woodie pitched for 18 years and six teams (primarily Philadelphia & Detroit) before hangin’ them up at age 43 and retiring to his tobacco farm in Kentucky. Fryman was inducted into the Montreal Expos' Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. 
• 1942 - RHP Tommie Sisk was born in Ardmore, Oklahoma. The righty tossed seven seasons for Pittsburgh (1962-68) as a swingman after spending just two years in the minors. He went 37-35 with a 3.69 ERA. His best effort was against the Mets on September 20th, 1965 when he tossed a two-hitter. He threw for two more years in the league before retiring in 1970 and now lives in Provo, Utah. 

Tommie Sisk 1967 Topps Sticker

• 1964 - C Jerry Goff was born in San Rafael, California. The journeyman spent the middle of his six-year MLB career (1993-94) as a Pirate, batting .210. Jerry’s now a fireman in California. Sports chops run deep in the Goff genes - his son, Jared, was drafted first overall in the 2016 NFL draft and is a QB for the LA Rams. 
• 1976 - LHP Jeff Wallace was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He tossed for the Bucs in 1997 and 1999-2000 after sitting out a year due to injury. His record with the Bucs was 3-0 with a 4.67 ERA, and control was his issue - as a Pirate, he walked 80 batters in 86-⅔ IP. Wallace worked 90 games with the Pirates without picking up a loss, the most appearances made without a defeat in team history. He spent 2001 with Tampa before getting a day job, working near his old hometown, in a sports bar just outside Oglebay Park. 
• 1977 - RHP DJ Carrasco was born in Safford, Arizona. He worked part of the 2010 campaign for Pittsburgh after signing on as a free agent and was solid, going 2-2/3.88 in 45 outings before being flipped to Arizona. The stint was a brief homecoming of sorts as DJ had spent four seasons in the Pirates system before being lost to the KC Royals in the 2002 Rule 5 Draft. He tossed his last MLB game in 2012 for the Mets, closing out a nine-year career.