8/6 From the 40’s Through the 70’s: Roberto HoF; Danny's 1st Win; Pops & Gravedigger; HBD To Steve & Stan; More

• 1943 - Rip Sewell lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 8-3 at Sportsman’s Park, snapping his win streak at 11. Rip and his Eephus pitch would end up 21-9 that season, but he did fade some after the loss, finishing 4-5 for the remainder of the year, though he did pick up three saves in that stretch. 

Rip Sewell 1947 Tip Top

• 1955 - C Steve Nicosia was born in Paterson, NJ. A platoon and reserve catcher, he was with Pittsburgh for six years (1978-83) after being selected in the first round of the 1973 draft. He wasn’t much of a stick, hitting .248 as a Buc and getting just one knock in the 1979 World Series, but he did catch the seventh game victory. He also had a knack for whacking Steve Carlton (.339 as a Buc), but despite that, he was injury plagued and traded to the Giants for Milt May in 1983 and ended his career in 1985. 
• 1957 - It took three tries, but rookie manager Danny Murtaugh won his first MLB game as a skipper when the Pirates snapped an eight-game losing streak by taking a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Forbes Field. Gene Freese belted a two-run homer and Bob Skinner chased home a pair of runs, giving Ronnie Kline enough support to go the distance for a five-hit victory (and breaking his personal seven-game losing string). Murtaugh, who was hired on an interim basis after first base coach Clyde Sukeforth was offered the job, but turned it down (he recommended Danny), led the Bucs to a 26-25 record. The “Whistling Irishman” was named full-time manager for 1958, finished second and won the Associated Press Manager of the Year award. 
• 1966 - RHP Stan Belinda was born in Huntingdon, PA. The sidewinder started his career as a Buc (1989-93) after being a 10th round draft pick in 1986. His line was 19-15-61/3.52 in Pittsburgh. Stan went on to have a 12 year MLB stay, mainly pitching in a set-up role. He’ll be remembered locally as the guy who gave up Francisco Cabrera’s single to score Sid Bream with the winning run in the 1992 NLCS. He was traded at the 1993 deadline to KC and tossed through the 2000 campaign. 

• 1966 - Woodie Fryman was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Pride of the Pirates.” It was Fryman’s rookie campaign, and he put up a 12-9/3.83 slash during a year the Bucs won 92 games, finishing third behind the Dodgers by three games. 
• 1972 - The Bucs swept a twin bill from the Montreal Expos by 8-0 and 7-2 tallies at Parc Jarry. Willie Stargell had two bombs and five RBI in the opener while Richie Hebner added three hits, easing the way for a complete game, seven-hit victory for Bob Moose. Pops and The Gravedigger were at it again in the nightcap as Willie homered and scored three times while Richie had three more hits, including a long ball, scored twice and chased home four runs. Bob Johnson was the recipient of their offensive outburst with Ramon Hernandez taking over in the seventh to claim a save. The wins put the Pirates up by eight games over the NY Mets; they won the NL East by 11 games over the Cubs when the regular season’s final out was recorded. 
• 1973 - Roberto Clemente was inducted into the Hall of Fame after the mandatory five-year waiting period was waived, with the ceremony shown live on Pittsburgh TV. His wife Vera delivered the acceptance speech. The Great One finished his career with 3,000 hits, a career average of .317 and won the NL batting title four times. He was presented with the Gold Glove Award 12 times and made the All-Star team 15 times. Arriba played in 14 World Series games and had at least one hit in each of those games. Roberto was the first Latin-born player to enter the Hall.