7/12 PNC Park Era: Comeback Kids; ESPN Thrilla; Bombs Away; ASGs

• 2002 - The Pirates rode two-run homers by Brian Giles, Kevin Young and Jack Wilson to a 9-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Sean Lowe got the win in relief of Jimmy Anderson, who was yanked in the third after giving up his seven hits. 

Sean Lowe 2002 Upper Deck 40 Man

• 2005 - The AL whipped the NL at Comerica Park 7-5 in the All Star game. The Pirates sent Jason Bay as their rep and he was the only position player for either side not to play, though Jay did get some swings in as a participant of the home run derby. He used up his 10 outs without a long ball, the only player not to swat a couple of souvenirs during the competition. 
• 2008 - The Pirates scored four times in the ninth and twice in the 10th to outlast the St. Louis Cardinals 12-11 at PNC Park in a game. They were losing 9-3 going into the seventh inning, but scored in that frame, the eighth, ninth and tenth to rally for the victory. Nate McLouth hit a three run homer and Jay Bay later drove in the tying run in the final frame on a first-and-third force out that the Cards couldn’t convert into a DP. Jason Michaels ripped a two-run shot in the 10th to walk off a winner. Bay had two long balls and five RBI to lead the offense. Adam LaRoche also had a dinger, as the Bucs launched five balls over the fence during the game. 
• 2011 - The NL took a 5-1 decision from the AL All-Stars at Chase Field. OF Andrew McCutchen and pitchers Joel Hanrahan and Kevin Correia were named to the team. Cutch went 0-for-1, Hanny pitched to two batters with a strikeout and single, and KC didn’t get in the game. It was the first ASG in a NL ballyard to use a DH. 

Petey 2013 Gypsy Queen

• 2013 - Pittsburgh scored twice in the first on Pedro Alvarez’s homer (he had been selected to play in the All-Star Home Run Derby as an injury replacement just days before by NY’s David Wright, who was booed mercilessly by the PNC Park crowd for ignoring El Toro the first time around) and then went nine more frames before posting another run, but it all worked out as the Bucs took a 3-2, 11 inning win from the Mets. Jordy Mercer singled home Andrew McCutchen after two outs with the winning run to give the Pirates’ sixth pitcher, Vin Mazzaro, the victory. 
• 2014 - The Bucs blew a 4-0 lead to the Reds at GABP after Charlie Morton was touched up for a five-spot in the sixth inning, but managed to tie the game in the ninth on Andrew McCutchen’s solo homer off Jonathan Broxton and won it in the 11th when clutch Cutch homered again off JJ Hoover to deliver a 6-5 victory. McCutchen had three hits, as did Jordy Mercer and Travis Snider. Six Pirates relievers shut the door on Cincinnati, with Justin Wilson picking up the W and Jeanmar Gomez earning his first MLB save. 
• 2015 - In a see-saw game that was tied 3-3 after nine, the Bucs prevailed in dramatic fashion to drop the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 in 10 innings at PNC Park on ESPN. Frankie Liriano, a .057 hitter, drove home a pair of runs and Gregory Polanco one more, countered by a Jhonny Peralta homer and pair of manufactured scores. In the 10th, things turned gloomy when Randal Grichuk banged a bases loaded double off Arquimedes Caminero, scoring two Redbirds although a third was nailed at the plate. That would prove huge. Trevor Rosenthal, who had thrown 27 pitches the day before, came on. He got two outs after Jordy Mercer’s leadoff blooper, and then the Pirates starting coming. A Starling Marte single brought in Jordy, Jung-Ho Kang’s knock moved him up, and Marte sprinted home on Fran Cervelli’s two strike roller inside the first base line to even it up. A walk brought up Polanco, and he dropped the first pitch into right for the game winner and the Pirates second walk-off win in consecutive nights over St. Louis. Caminero, though battered, earned his first MLB win. 

Frankie 2015 Topps Opening Day

• 2016 - Both Bucco reps got in the ASG, a 4-2 AL victory at Petco Field in San Diego. Mark “The Shark” Melancon gave up a walk and then closed out his inning with a grounder while Starling Marte went 1-for-1 with a two-out, first-pitch, pinch-hit single to right and played an inning in center field. It was the last All-Star game that determined home field advantage for the World Series, as had been done since 2003. Home field afterward would be earned by the team with the best regular season record.