4/22 From the 40s Forward: Mace Gone, Turner Inked; New Park; 10-In-A-Row; Game Stories; RIP Steve

• 1941 - Pitcher Mace Brown was sold to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Mace had spent seven years as a Pirate, doing everything from starting to closing, but with Brooklyn was converted to one of the first full-time relievers. He was fairly effective over the next three years, then lost 1944-45 to the war while serving in the Navy, and 1946 was his last MLB campaign. 
• 1949 - The Pirates won their home opener‚ beating the Reds 5-4 behind Ralph Kiner's third-inning grand slam. The Bucs had fallen behind 4-0 in the first, but Bill Werle tossed 7-2/3 frames of scoreless relief to claim the win. 

Gus Bell 1951 Bowman

• 1951 - Led by Gus Bell‚ who went 5-for-5 with a homer‚ three doubles, and a single while scoring three times‚ the Pirates defeated the Reds 7-5 at Crosley Field. Ralph Kiner was 1-for-2 with a triple and was walked three times behind Bell. Bill Werle tossed 2-1/3 scoreless relief frames to claim the win. 
• 1953 - As noted by Pirates Prospects John Dreker, the Pirates lost for 12th straight time to the New York Giants’ righty Jim Hearn. The final at Forbes Field was 4-2 with Hearn tossing a four-hitter, albeit with five walks. But the worm would turn. That streak ended on the this date and Hearn would go on to lose his next five decisions against Pittsburgh. He ended his 13-year career with a 21-10/3.45 slash v the Pirates. 
• 1957 - Hank Foiles hit a 425’ triple and a 258’ homer off the RF foul pole in a 3-1 loss to the Giants at the weirdly configured Polo Grounds. Willie Mays’ two-out, three-run homer in the third off Luis Arroyo carried NY to victory. 
• 1962 - The Pirates won their tenth straight game, 4-3, over New York, equaling the major league record to start a season. Bob Veale beat the Mets at Forbes Field; the NY nine tied a NL record going in the opposite direction by opening the year 0-9. The Pirates won it in the bottom of the eighth when Bill Mazeroski’s double scored Roberto Clemente. Pittsburgh won 93 games, but that was only good enough for a fourth-place finish in the NL, eight games behind the LA Dodgers. 

Steve Swetonic (art by Feg Murray/LA Times)

• 1974 - RHP Steve Swetonic passed away at age 70 in Canonsburg. Steve was from Mt. Pleasant and Pitt, spending his entire, too-short career with the Pirates. He tossed for five years (1929-33) after coming up from the minors and was considered a hot prospect, but a variety of injuries ground his career to a halt. He had appendicitis in 1930 and missed two months. Then he had elbow surgery the following campaign that put him on ice until late June and kept him from going longer than four innings in any outing. In 32, he again had arm pain that knocked him out for three weeks and only allowed him one start from mid-August on; some feel his injury cost the Bucs a shot at the flag. They were 1/2 game behind before he was hurt and finished four games off the pace while Steve had his strongest year to date. In 1933, he set personal highs in wins (12), starts (21) and IP (164-2/3), but had off season hand surgery and never tossed in the show again after a short-lived 1935 comeback attempt. He retired and became a salesman for the Blaw Knox company. 
• 1993 - Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield won his second consecutive start while walking nine batters when he ended a five game Bucco skid with a 5-4 decision over the Cincinnati Reds at Three Rivers Stadium. He only allowed four hits while going the distance. Wakefield made it a nail biter by walking the bases loaded on 14 pitches after two outs in the ninth, but Barry Larkin inexplicably offered at the first pitch following that third free pass and tapped into a game-ending comebacker. Lonnie Smith led a balanced Pirates attack with two RBI and a run scored, while Carrick’s John Wehner made his first pro start in center field, replacing Andy Van Slyke. 
• 1997 - The Pirates signed OF Turner Ward to a $300K deal after he had was released by the Brewers. He had two solid years for the Bucs, including an all-time TV moment when he crashed through the TRS wall. But he hit under the Mendoza line in 1999 and was released in August. 
• 2001 - Jason Kendall gave the Bucs their first walkoff win at PNC Park with a two-run homer off Chicago’s Jeff Fassero in the 10th inning. The Cubs took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th on a leadoff homer by Gary Matthews. In the home half, Kevin Young answered by delivering a pinch-hit single and Kendall followed with his blast to give the Bucs and Mike Williams the win. 

Jason Kendall 2002 Pirates Game Program

• 2010 - The Pirates were humiliated by the Brewers at PNC Park 20-0 for their worst loss in their history. Six Bucco pitchers surrendered 25 hits. The victory completed a three-game sweep of the Bucs in which the Brew Crew outscored Pittsburgh, 36-1. "It was fun..." said Brewer Ryan Braun, who homered, doubled, singled and drove in five runs 
• 2016 - The Bucs held off the Diamondbacks 8-7 in a game that featured some epic long taters. It was in the nineties in Arizona, and the Chase Field roof was open, setting up perfect conditions for a slugfest. Each team had three homers (Welington Castillo had two) but the Buc blasts were seismic. Sean Rodriguez and Gregory Polanco hit the longest pair of back-to-back homers since official measurements began in 2009 at 458 and 461 feet. They were topped by Jordy Mercer’s launch of 466’, the longest home run of the year to date. Those bombs were three of the six longest homers hit so far during the season. Jon Niese got the win (it was the first time the vet started a campaign with a 3-0 record) and Mark Melancon earned the save. 
• 2017 - The Perry Hilltop Citizens Council held the "Corner of Hope Celebration" to unveil nine revamped Negro League All-Star murals and the small park the artwork is located in at the corner of Wilson Avenue and West Burgess Street in North Side. Originally dedicated in the late nineties, the faded Negro League murals were restored by students at The Pittsburgh Project who also cleared the run-down lot with Oakglade Realty providing funding for the project. The murals are of Josh Gibson, who lived in the neighborhood, and fellow stars Ray Dandridge, Rube Foster, Gus Greenlee, Pop Lloyd, Satchel Paige, Cum Posey, Jackie Robinson, and Mule Suttles.