8/20 From the 1940's Through the 70’s: Danny's1000th; Bonus Baseball; No Union; Game Stories

• 1945 - The Pirates hit two homers (Babe Dahlgren, Pete Coscarart), two triples (Lee Handley, Jim Russell) and two doubles (Tommy O’Brien, Johnny Barrett) to romp over the Brooklyn Dodgers 11-1 at Ebbet’s Field. The Bucs scored three times in the first inning and five more times in the ninth while Preacher Roe scattered eight hits. O’Brien and Frankie Gustine led the lumber parade with three hits each; Dahlgren and  Coscarart homered. Da Bums had two noteworthy sidebars: they committed seven errors during the game, and 17-year-old SS Tommy Brown became the youngest player to hit a major league home run.

Babe Dahlgren (photo via Baseball Birthdays)

• 1946 - The Pirates voted against recognizing the American Baseball Guild as their bargaining agent by a 15-3 count with 10 abstentions in a pre-game Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board election. They then blanked the Brooklyn Dodgers 10-0 at Forbes Field behind Nick Strincevich’s four hitter. Elbie Fletcher banged a three-run homer and Jim Russell had three hits that chased four Buccos home. 
• 1947 - It wasn’t a very good day for pitchers as Pittsburgh bludgeoned its way to a 16-10 win over Boston at Braves Stadium. 19 players banged out 34 hits. The leader of the pack was the Pirates’ Jim Russell, who went 5-for-6 with a double and triple, five RBI and three runs scored. Jimmy Bloodworth wasn’t far behind, going 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs. It wasn’t all on the hurlers; the teams combined to commit six errors, allowing 10 unearned runs to score. 
• 1953 - The Pirates used four Philadelphia Phillies errors to beat Robin Roberts 5-2 at Connie Mack Stadium, ending his 15 game winning streak against them. The winner was 19-year-old Jim Waugh, who tossed a six hitter. Four of the Bucco runs were unearned. 
• 1961 - The Cubs and Pirates tied an NL record by playing their third straight extra-inning game at Wrigley Field. Chicago took this one 1-0 when Billy Williams singled home the winning run with two outs in the 11th, making Bob Friend a loser to Don Cardwell. The clubs had split the first pair; all three games went 11 innings.

Bob Veale 1969 Topps

• 1969 - Bob Veale tossed a four-hitter with one walk and 10 Ks to defeat the Houston Astros and Denny Lemaster 1-0 at Forbes Field. The big lefty allowed just one runner beyond first during the contest. The game’s only run scored in the eighth, when back-to-back Astro errors and a successful bunt set up Roberto Clemente’s sac fly. 
• 1975 - Manager Danny Murtaugh’s 1,000th win (he finished with 1,115, all with the Buccos) was in the books after a 3-1 victory over the Giants at TRS. The Pirates scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on Craig Reynold’s double and a two-run knock by Rennie Stennett. Jim Rooker pitched eight innings of three-hit ball to earn the win with Dave Giusti closing it out.