7/23 TRS-PNC Park Era: TRS-ASG; Bobby Bo & A-Ram Deals; Guillen, Darwin Dealt; 9 In a Row; Game Stories

• 1974 - TRS hosted the 45th All-Star Game, drawing 50,706 fans. The NL romped 7-2 with Pirate lefty Ken Brett, the Bucs only All Star, getting the win. He tossed a pair of scoreless frames, giving up a hit and a walk. It was the third time the Pirates hosted the All-Star Game (the first two were at Forbes Field in 1944 and 1959). This would be the first of two times that the game would be played at Three Rivers Stadium, with the stadium the ASG venue again in 1994. 

• 1977 - With some clutch two-out at-bats and a bit of legerdemain from Chuck Tanner, the Bucs scored four times in the seventh to beat Cincinnati 5-4 at TRS. Down 4-1, the Bucs cut the lead to a run on doubles by Dave Parker and Rennie Stennett around a Bill Robinson knock. Two righty pinch-hitters, Fernando Gonzalez and Jerry Hairston, reached on a walk and infield knock to load the bases with two outs. Sparky Anderson saw Willie Stargell with a helmet and bat, so he kept lefty starter Frank Capilla in to instead face Jim Fregosi, who banged out a two-run single to put Pittsburgh up by a run. It was a little chicanery on Tanner’s part as unknown to Sparky, Pops had an elbow problem that was so severe that he couldn’t swing a bat; otherwise Pedro Borbon would have gotten the call. Grant Jackson squelched a bases-loaded threat left by Kent Tekulve in the eighth and tossed a 1-2-3 ninth against Pete Rose, Ken Griffey and Joe Morgan to save the win for Jim Rooker. 
• 1979 - The Bucs won their ninth game in a row by a 7-1 count over the Atlanta Braves at TRS. Tim Foli went 3-for-5 with four RBI to lead the attack while Bert Blyleven tossed a four hit complete game. The Bucs pulled off the 500th triple play in MLB history in the second inning of the nitecap when Braves’ pitcher Phil Niekro bounced into a 5-4-3, Bill Madlock-to-Phil Garner-to-Willie Stargell triple killing at TRS, but had the last laugh as he spun a two-hitter in an 8-0 Atlanta romp, ending the Bucco winning string. 
• 1982 - Pittsburgh dropped Atlanta 6-0 at TRS as Rick Rhoden did it all. He tossed a six-hit, complete game shutout with only two Braves reaching second, banged out two hits and chased home a pair of runs. Dale Berra had a big day too, making two great plays in the field and scoring three times, one on a swipe of home as part of a double steal with Omar Moreno. 

Rick Rhoden 1982 Donruss

• 1986 - The Bucs sent RHP Jose DeLeon to the Chicago White Sox for OF Bobby Bonilla. DeLeon had a long and workmanlike career while Bobby Bo earned four All-Star berths with the Pirates, hitting .284 with 114 HR and 500 RBI for the Pirates from 1986-91. The Pirates had originally signed Bonilla out of high school in 1981, but the White Sox claimed him in 1985’s Rule 5 draft. The move ended Lee Mazzilli’s three-year run with the Pirates; he was released to make roster space for Bonilla and signed with his original team, the Mets.
• 1991 - A couple of milestones: Buc bench coach Jeff Banister made his MLB debut and singled off Atlanta’s Dan Petry in his only big league at bat. Banister was a Pirate lifer after being drafted in 1986 until landing the skipper job in Texas. In the same game, rookie John "Rock" Wehner, now a Pirates broadcaster, went 5-for-5 to become the first 'Burgh rook since Richie Zisk in 1973 to collect five hits. The Bucs beat the Atlanta Braves 12-3 at TRS; Gary Redus and Spanky LaValliere combined to drive in seven runs while Redus and Bobby Bonilla homered to help Doug Drabek to cruise to victory. 
• 1996 - The Pirates traded RHP Danny Darwin to the Astros for minor league RHP Rich Loiselle. Loiselle spent his six-year MLB career (1996-2001) as a Pirate and claimed 29 saves in 1997 after being converted from a starter to the pen. He finished 9-18-49, going steadily downhill after fairly strong 1997-98 campaigns. The veteran Darwin won 16 more games before hangin’ the spikes up after the 1998 season, closing out 21 years in the show. 

Rich Loiselle 1998 Finest

• 1999 - The Pirates traded OF Jose Guillen and P Jeff Sparks to Tampa Bay for Cs Joe Oliver and Humberto Cota, scuffling for help behind the plate after Jason Kendall broke his ankle. Guillen‚ who had 28 homers and 154 RBI in his first two seasons‚ was having a down year after arriving at spring training a month late due to visa problems. He went on to have a half dozen 20+ HR campaigns, including a 31-bomb season in 2003. 
• 2015 - 3B Aramis Ramirez, who began his career as a Bucco, was traded back to the ‘Burg by the Milwaukee Brewers along with cash for minor league reliever Yhonathan Barrios. A-Ram, who retired at the end of the year, filled a gap on the left side of the infield caused by injuries to Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer.