8/5 Expo Park-Forbes Field Games: Groat's Greatest; Willie Launch; Poison Bros; Duels; Game Stories

• 1902 - The first-place Pirates defeated the New York Giants 3-0 behind Jesse Tannehill's two-hitter. Tanny retired the first 19 Giants to face him before John McGraw managed a knock. Christy Mathewson made it a fight and struck out 11 Bucs, but had no answer for Honus Wagner, who doubled and scored twice. 

Jess Tannehill (photo via SABR)

• 1905 - In front of a record crowd of 18,383 fans at Exposition Park, the NY Giants forfeited to the Pirates over a call at third. In a 5-5 game, Claude Ritchey opened the ninth with a double, his third hit of the day, and beat the throw to third on a bunt. At least that’s what ump George Bausewine called. The Giants disagreed and tried to get the first base ump to overrule the call; lotsa luck with that. The ensuing hubbub by the New York nine continued, and when they wouldn’t return to their positions after several warnings, Bausewine called the game. It was front page news in Pittsburgh, and manager Fred Clarke was incensed, telling Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press that “the New York players realized that only a miracle could prevent us from winning a clean and creditable victory, and rather than give us that satisfaction they allowed the game to break up...If we had disgraced ourselves in front of a record breaking crowd as the Giants did, we would have been mobbed.” The Giants protested the forfeiture; the league upheld it. 
• 1915 - The Pirates beat the Phillies and ace Grover Cleveland Alexander 1-0 at Forbes Field when Quaker catcher Bill Killefer threw wildly past third base in the ninth; Bill Hinchman, who had tripled, scooted home with the game’s only tally. Babe Adams, who tossed a six-hitter, claimed the win over Old Pete, who had only surrendered five knocks himself. August 5, 1921 - The Phils’ Jimmy Ring shut down the top of the Buc lineup as the first three hitters managed just a free pass in 12 PAs (and that was erased on a CS) but the rest of the Buccos collected 10 hits and three walks in an 8-5 win over Philly at Forbes Field. Jimmy Zinn had a big day; not only did he spin six innings off one-run relief for the win, but added a pair of hits in a see-saw game that saw each team lose a lead twice before the Pirates put up three eighth-inning tallies. Possum Whitted and Tony Brottem also had two hits as Possum, who hit cleanup, didn’t have an RBI but started several fires and scored three times. 
• 1934 - The Pirates swept a twin bill from the St. Louis Cardinals at Sportsman’s Park by 6-4, 7-2, tallies, led by the hot-hitting Waner brothers. From the top of the order, Big and Little Poison combined for 11 hits, eight runs scored and five more driven home to help send Daffy Dean and Bill Hallahan to defeat. They were helped by Earl Grace, who had three hits in the lidlifter, then by Freddie Lindstrom & Gus Suhr, each delivering a pair of knocks in the closing game. Larry French won the opener in relief of Bill Swift while Schoolboy Hoyt claimed the nightcap. 

The Waners (photo Hall of Fame)

• 1934 - The Homestead Grays brought 49-year-old Smokey Joe Williams out of retirement for the season (he served as a combination player/coach) and held a day for him at Forbes Field. In front of 1,200 fans, Smokey struck out the leadoff batter and tossed the first two innings of a 5-1 victory over the Fort Wayne Berghoffs. The big blow of the game was Ray Brown’s triple that helped fuel a four-run sixth frame while Joe Strong finished up for the win. 
• 1950 - Leadoff hitter Bob Dillinger singled off Jim Hearns to open the game, but that would be the Bucs’ only knock in a 5-0 loss to the NY Giants at the Polo Grounds. Hearns was effectively wild that day, issuing five walks and uncorking a wild pitch. Mel Queen, who gave up a four spot in 4-⅓ IP, took the loss. 
• 1960 - As posted by BR Bullpen: In a game described by Dick Groat as "the greatest I ever played in," the World Series-bound Bucs buttressed their first place margin over Milwaukee by pulling out a 1-0 win over the Giants. The game's only run came in the eighth inning, when Bill Virdon scored from first on an errant throw by pitcher Sam Jones on Groat’s bunt. But it's the fielding plays that were most spectacular: for the Giants, Willie Mays nipped a seventh inning Bucs uprising in the bud with a brilliant throw to cut down Don Hoak going first to third. But the Pirates' Vinegar Bend Mizell was the chief beneficiary of this game's defensive prowess: the "Say Hey Kid" was robbed of a sure extra-base hit by Roberto Clemente in a terrifying catch and crash that knocked the right fielder out of the lineup for a week as he smashed face first into the concrete base of the right-centerfield stands at the 395-foot mark, and collapsed on the dirt warning track. Five stitches were required to close the cut on his chin, and his left knee was banged up. An inning before that, Virdon made a tremendous running grab of Felipe Alou's bomb to the left center light tower, and, in the eighth, Virdon made what Pittsburgh Press writer Les Biederman described as "the play of the season," just missing a leaping grab of Andre Rodgers' drive to the 406’ mark in left center, then recovering almost instantly to make a strong, accurate throw to third. Out by a mile was Rodgers, who made an ill-advised, two-out try for a triple. The classic was witnessed by 33,301 fans. 

The Quail was all over the lot 1960 Leaf

• 1964 - The Pirates scored once in the eighth and twice in the ninth to rally past Don Drysdale and the Dodgers 4-3 at Forbes Field. In the eighth, Bill Virdon scored after a Roberto Clemente double and a wild pitch by reliever Ron Perranoski to cut the lead to 3-2. Jim Pagliaroni led off the last frame with a homer, and with two out, Clemente lined a 2-2 pitch into center, his third hit of the game, to bring home Gene Alley with the game winner. Al McBean pitched the last two innings to get the win. 
• 1969 - Willie Stargell launched a bomb off LA’s Alan Foster that officially was measured at 507’, the longest - and first - home run ever hit out of Dodger Stadium (other estimates ranged from 480’-512’). The Bucs won 11-3, with Manny Sanguillen and Bill Mazeroski also going yard. Steve Blass cruised to the win over Don Drysdale.