9/18 Through the 1920’s: Willis 1-Hitter; Kiki Streak; Sweep to Clinch; Off to Canton; HBD Harvey & Heinie

• 1889 - 3B Heinie Groh was born in Rochester, New York. He spent 15 years manning the hot corner for the NY Giants and Cincinnati Reds. The speedy Groh was an leadoff hitter extraordinaire, playing his invention, the bottle bat, to a .292 lifetime tune with a .373 OBP and 180 SBs. In 1927 Groh ended his career with Pittsburgh, playing only 14 games during the regular season (he had badly injured his knee in 1925, rendering him a bench player) and made his final big-league appearance as a pinch-hitter in the 1927 World Series; it was the fifth Fall Classic of his career. Per Sean Lahman of SABR: “When his playing days were over, Groh stayed in baseball, first as a minor league manager and later as a scout. He eventually returned to Cincinnati where he worked as a cashier at River Downs Race Track.” 

Heinie Groh 1927 (photo via Detroit Public Library)

• 1890 - The Pittsburgh Alleghenies switched their match against the Cleveland Spiders from Recreation Park to Canton’s Pastime Park, a minor league field (some cite Mahaffey Park, tho Pastime seems the more likely). It was the first of two games that season played at a neutral site (although 30 or so home games were played at opponent’s parks) in hopes of attracting a crowd larger than the team roster. The Spiders, who finished seventh in the NL with 44 wins, took the match 11-10 behind Ohio boy Cy Young, pitching in his rookie year. Pittsburgh would become baseball’s worst team ever at the end of the season with a 23-113 record; they would lose the top spot to the Spiders a decade later when Cleveland finished 20-134 in 1899.
• 1903 - The Bucs swept a twinbill from the Boston Beaneaters (aka Nationals) at Exposition Park in a pair of nail-biters, 7-6 & 6-5, to clinch the NL crown. The Pirates scored three times in the ninth in the opener and took the nightcap with a ninth-inning rally, too. In the first game, Fred Clarke was on first with two out when Hans Wagner doubled. Kitty Bransfield’s knock chased them both home and he scored the game-winner on Claude Richey’s knock. Clarke was the sparkplug in the second match, too, tripling in the ninth and scoring on Jimmy Sebring’s single. Sam Leever and Gus Thompson were both bloodied on the mound but each went the distance to earn the wins. The Boston Americans claimed the AL title the day before, and the teams would meet in the first World Series between the leagues after the NL/AL presidents had agreed to a best-of-nine match. 
• 1909 - Vic Willis stopped the Brooklyn Superbas on one hit‚ a Baltimore chop off the plate in the third inning by Zack Wheat, for his 21st win of the year. It was the nearest anyone ever came to a tossing a no-hitter at Forbes Field. Pittsburgh won‚ 6-0, with two hits each from Honus Wagner and Tommy Leach. 

Harvey Haddix 2014 Panini Golden Age

• 1925 - LHP Harvey Haddix was born in Medway, Ohio. The Kitten (he got that moniker as a rookie in St. Louis because of his veteran mentor Harry "The Cat" Brecheen) worked for the Pirates from 1959-63 with a line of 45-38/3.73. He won two games against the Yankees in the 1960 World Series, including the seventh, and tossed 12 perfect innings against the Milwaukee Braves on May 26th, 1959, losing in 13 frames, a game considered by many to be the best pitching performance in major league history. He was also the Pirates pitching coach from 1979-84. 
• 1925 - Kiki Cuyler collected four hits to launch a torrid five-game hitting streak during which he banged out 15 knocks (he had three four-hit games in the span). C Earl Smith joined him with a four-rap day in a 9-7 win over the Boston Braves at Forbes Field to give the Pirates third hurler, Emil Yde, the win. The Pirates won all five of Kiki-streak games on their way to the NL and WS titles. Cuyler finished the campaign batting .357, the highest average of his career.