8/20 From the 80’s Forward: Montanez Deal; LL Classic; Reggie 2-Fer; Omar's 70th; Games Stories; HBD Hitman

• 1980 - Omar Moreno stole his 70th base of the year in a 5-1 loss at the Astrodome‚ becoming the first player in the 20th century with three consecutive 70-steal seasons. The Antelope swiped 71 in 1978‚ 77 in 1979‚ and finished 1980 with a career-high 96 successful larcenies. He swiped 412 sacks in an eight-year Bucco stay, behind only Max Carey (688) and Hans Wagner (639) in the franchise record book, with 487 bases stolen during his career.

Omar Moreno 1980 Topps

• 1981 - Pittsburgh traded John Milner to the Expos for Willie Montanez in a flip of reserve first basemen. Neither did much for their new teams, and Montanez was released after the 1982 season so the Pirates could bring Milner back for his final MLB campaign. 
• 1983 - Jose DeLeon took a no-hitter into the seventh inning for the third time during the season‚ but Cincinnati's Dan Driessen doubled with two outs to spoil the no-no. DeLeon finished with 13 strikeouts and a 4-0 two-hit victory at TRS. Jason Thompson and Tony Pena had two hits, a run and a RBI each. 
• 1985 - 1B Matt “The Hitman” Hague was born in Bellevue, Washington. The Pirates selected Hague in the ninth round of the 2008 draft out of Oklahoma State as a third baseman; he was switched to first because of Pedro Alvarez. He got his nickname because in the minors it was said all he did was hit, but in two Pittsburgh stays (2012 & 2014), he stroked just .222 and was waived to Toronto, where he played in 2015. After a year in Japan, he was in the Twins system and he’s now a FA. 
• 2002 - Pirate pitching held the Cardinals hitless after a one-out single in the first at Busch Stadium. The 8-0 win was started by Kris Benson, with an inning each from Brian Boehringer and Al Reyes. Jason Kendall had three RBI, and five Bucs homered - Brian Giles, Aramis Ramirez, Rob Mackowiak, Craig Wilson and Adam Hyzdu. 

Reggie Sanders 2003 Topps 205 Series

• 2003 - Reggie Sanders joined Jeff King (who did it twice) and Jake Stenzel (1894) as the only Bucs to homer twice in one inning when he belted long flies off Jason Pearson and Esteban Yan of the Cards during a 10-run fifth inning at Busch Stadium, with his second dinger being a grand slam. His first tater was the team’s third in a row, behind Jason Kendall and Brian Gile blasts, and the four bombs in one inning was a Pirates record. It was home run derby for the Pirates; also going long were Rob Mackowiak with a pair of four-baggers and pitcher Jeff D’Amico, who dropped one in the seats while tossing a complete game three-hitter in a 14-0 Bucco romp. 
• 2014 - Down 2-0 in the bottom of the eighth and in the throes of a seven game losing streak, the Bucs rallied to overtake the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park by a 3-2 score. A leadoff walk to Gaby Sanchez in the eighth was followed by a ground rule double off Travis Snider’s bat. A grounder and wild pitch brought them home to tie the game. Jordy Mercer opened the ninth with a single and went to third an out later when Justin Upton misplayed Starling Marte’s fly to left center. Sanchez again was the man of the hour, hitting a fly just deep enough to plate Mercer. Tony Watson got the win and Mark Melancon the save. The Pirates went on to finish the year on a 24-12 run and earn a wild card, falling two games short of catching the Cards for the NL Central title. The SF Giants, who went on to win the WS, topped them 8-0 behind Madison Bumgarner in the win-or-go-home playoff game. 

Ivan in the LL Classic (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

• 2017 - The Pirates, at the behest of MLB, flipped their game from PNC Park to Bowman Field, a minor-league park in Williamsport, to play the St. Louis Cardinals in the “Little League Classic” during the Little League World Series tournament. 2,596 tweener ball players and their parents watched as the Buccos won a 6-3 decision. Ivan Nova had a rocky outing but kept the run count down for the win, supported by some nice work from the bullpen. The first four Pirates hitters (Starling Marte, Josh Harrison, Andrew McCutchen & Josh Bell) went 8-for-15, scored all six runs and drove in five. It marked the sixth straight multi-hit game for Marte while J-Bell's four RBIs (two-run homer, two-run single) tied his single-game high. And in a nice nod to LL sportsmanship, the two teams went through a handshake line after the game.