8/17 From the 50s Through the 70’s: Maz's 2000th; Clem's First Save; Game Stories; HBD Bill, Alex & Chad

• 1957 - RHP Bill Landrum was born in Columbia, South Carolina. Landrum closed for the Bucs from 1989-91, saving 56 games and putting up a 13-10/2.32 line. His big year was 1989, when he saved 26 games and had a 1.67 ERA. Bill retired when he was 36 and since has been in the real estate business back home in South Carolina. 

Clem Labine 1980 TCMA

• 1960 - Clem Labine‚ picked up the day before after being released by Detroit‚ tossed 3-2/3 innings of hitless ball with six K to save a 5-3 win for Harvey Haddix over the Phils at Forbes Field. Don Hoak’s three RBI paced the Bucco batters. Clem stuck with Pirates for another season and his last campaign was as a Met in 1962. 
• 1962 - Per the Pittsburgh Press, “Harvey Haddix agrees that it makes a great difference when your curveball and slider finally do what a curve and slider are supposed to do” as he notched his first win since July 3rd, 9-1, over the Phillies at Forbes Field. Harvey went the distance, scattering nine hits, behind a balanced attack that saw all nine Bucs reach base against Philadelphia with eight scoring and seven chasing home runs. The game was played in front of a disappointing Friday night crowd of 13,713 despite a pre-game show by Jackie Gleason and the Glea Girls (which was panned in the papers).
• 1965 - OF Alex Cole was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Cole put in seven years in the show, spending most of 1992 with Pittsburgh and batting .278, reaching base five times in 13 PAs in the NLCS v Atlanta. He came to the Pirates in a July trade for Tony Mitchell and the speedster was lost the following season when he was drafted by the Colorado Rockies. 

Alex Cole 1993 Donruss

• 1969 - The Pirates opened with five runs in the first inning, capped by a three-run Gene Alley blast. The Reds answered with four tallies of their own as Pete Rose and Bobby Tolan, the first two Cincy batters, homered off Steve Blass with Johnny Bench adding another long ball an out later. The game at Crosley Field settled down after that, with the Pirates taking an 8-5 decision behind Al Oliver and Willie Stargell dingers. Steverino gave up another home run (to Tony Perez) in the third, but lasted until the eighth to claim the win with a Chuck Hartenstein save. 
• 1971 - Bill Mazeroski recorded his 2‚000th career hit against Wade Blasingame in a 6-5 loss to Houston at TRS. Maz finished his career with 2,016 knocks, eighth on the all-time Pittsburgh hit list. 
• 1978 - RHP Chad Qualls was born in Lomita, California. The Pirates got him at the deadline from the Yankees in 2012 for Casey McGahee as they sniffed a playoff run that never materialized (in fact, they faded badly and ended up with 78 wins). Chad didn’t help turn the corner, tossing to a 6.59 ERA in 17 appearances and getting released after the year. Qualls kept working, though - he was in the majors until 2017, last pitching for the Rox.