- 1866 - RHP Jim Handiboe was born in Columbus, Ohio. Jim’s big league stay consisted of a season with the Alleghenys in 1886 where the 20-year-old put up a respectable 7-7/3.32 slash, going the distance 12 times. Apparently the team thought he needed a little more seasoning; Jim toiled in various whistle stops until 1901, retiring at age 34 after hurling for hometown Columbus.
- 1873 - RHP George “Chummy” Gray was born in Rockland, Maine. His tale is that of a AAAA pitcher getting his moment in the sun. After back-to-back 20 win seasons, Gray tossed a no-hitter with one walk for Buffalo in 1899. He got his reward when the Pirates brought him up for the last month of the season. Gray went 3-3/3.43 in nine games, completing six of his seven starts. Chummy then rattled around the minor leagues for a few more years, but never again returned to the majors before hanging up the spikes after the 1901 season. He passed away at age 40 from tuberculosis and is remembered as a member of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.
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| 1888 Alleghenys (photo George Hastings/Library of Congress) |
- 1888 - The Pittsburgh Alleghenys lost 2-0 to the Philadelphia Quakers, dropping a three-game set at Exposition Park by 1-0, 1-0 and 2-0 counts. The middle game was the most exciting when a ninth-inning hit-and-run single followed by an unpopular safe call at third led to the game’s only run. The Pittsburgh Press described it this way: “ …the umpiring...looked to be decidedly against the locals in the ninth inning. Twice it looked like Andrews (Quaker CF Ed Andrews who scored the game winner) was out. The first time on strikes (and)...again in deciding him safe at third when Billy Kuehne (Alleghenys’ 3B) had touched him fully two feet from the base. It looked as though another serious mistake had been made in favor of the visitors by the tenth man...There is little wonder that the indignation of the crowd knew no bounds but let it be said to its credit no act of violence was done.” For his part, the ump was indignant at the fans’ reaction and said he called the game in good faith while Philly manager Harry Wright claimed the “locals had no business to kick.” The Alleghenys straightened up and flew right afterward, going on to win 11-of-13 after the series while averaging 5-½ runs per game.
- 1890 - For the first time, two 300-game winners were opponents as Tim Keefe of the Giants faced Pittsburgh's Jim 'Pud' Galvin in a Players League (which was eventually considered a major league) match-up. New York easily beat the Burghers, 8-2. O’Keefe did his part, tossing a four hitter (The Pittsburgh Press wrote “the wonder is that the Pittsburgs were allowed to score at all.”) while Pud was rattled for a dozen knocks.
- 1907 - “The veteran Vic Willis was on the slab...and he tied knots in the home bunch from first to last. He allowed but two hits, one a scratch...” per the Pittsburgh Press and he led the Bucs to a 2-0 win over Christy Mathewson and the NY Giants at the Polo Grounds. Matty only allowed four hits, with the Pirates not getting on the scoreboard until the eighth with an unearned run. The clincher came in the ninth when Ed Abbaticchio bounced one off the wall; it caromed into a dirt pile by the fence and it took two Giants to finally dig it out. By the time the ball made it back in, Abby had rounded the bases.
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| Vic Willis (photo Conlon Collection/TSN/Getty) |
- 1908 - It was Honus Wagner Day at Exposition Park. Before the game, players from both teams lined up to honor him. He was speechified and then gifted with a $700 gold watch and an Elk’s pin with a diamond worth four bills. Wagner's tribute was originally scheduled for the 16th, but Honus asked that it be moved a day so it wouldn’t conflict with the annual benefit picnic for orphans. Oh - The Boston Doves won the game 4-0 behind ex-Pirate Tommy McCarthy’s five-hitter. It could have been worse - the Doves tacked on six more runs in the eighth, but the game was called because of darkness before the Pirates could bat. Hans went hitless.
- 1914 - In one of the great pitching duels of early baseball, Babe Adams lost to the Giants Rube Marquard 3-1 in 21 innings at Forbes Field. Babe surrendered 12 hits without a walk; it’s the longest outing without a free pass in MLB history. NY’s Larry Doyle's inside-the-park home run was the spoiler. The key play was when Honus Wagner was called out for interference in the sixth inning. He slid into third and headed home when the ball disappeared from view; it ended up tucked in his uniform, as Wagner was, per the Pittsburgh Press “...trying to hide a ball and score off the trick.” Hans plated, but ump Lord Byron rung him up for the old hidden ball trick. As the Press reported “...the decision caused a mighty howl, which was participated in by many of the players and by Manager Fred Clarke, who applied a flow of profanity to the umpire, which was anything but pleasing to the disgusted spectators. Clarke’s language on this occasion...will not win ball games.” The Pirates appealed to the league with no success.
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