9/3 From the 1980’s Forward: Torres Return; Lunch Bucket Walk Off; Orlando's 5-RBI Day; RIP Rip & Clyde; HBD Mad Capper

• 1982 - It was 100+ degrees in the City of Angels but the bats were chilly as the Bucs defeated LA 3-2 in Dodger Stadium. Don Robinson and Bob Welch were hooked up in a 1-1 battle going into the seventh when some two-out lightning carried the day for the Comeback Kids. Dale Berra singled with one gone, stole second with two away, then Omar Moreno walked. Johnny Ray punched a soft liner over short to plate Berra and Bill Madlock followed with another knock to make it 3-1. Big Blue countered with a run in their half, but Kent Tekulve and Rod Scurry nailed down the final six outs for the win. 

Matt Capps 2008 Topps

• 1983 - RHP Matt Capps was born in Douglasville, Georgia. The closer spent five years (2005-09) in Pittsburgh, putting up a record of 19-19-67/3.61. Though he went converted 27 of 32 save opportunities in 2009, his 5.80 ERA led to the Pirates to non-tender him after the campaign. After stints in Washington and Minnesota, he’s been out of MLB since 2013, signing several minor league deals and hanging ‘em up after the 2016 campaign. He went by the nicknames "The Mad Capper" and "Big Bull Rider," both integral parts of his scoreboard vid intro at PNC Park. 
• 1989 - Truett "Rip" Sewell passed away in Plant City, Florida, at the age of 82. Rip was a three-time All-Star who led the NL in wins, winning percentage, and complete games. A workhorse (eight years w/175+ IP), he posted four 15-wins seasons (w/two 21-win campaigns), and logged 200 or more IP four years in a row. A cousin of big league stalwarts brothers Joe and Luke Sewell, he is best known for the eephus pitch. The righty pitched virtually his entire career in Pittsburgh, from 1938-49, starting 243 games, winning 143 (with 15 saves tossed in) while posting a 3.43 ERA. 
• 1992 - Orlando Merced drove in five runs on three hits including a double to help the Pirates complete a three-game sweep of the Giants with a 9-3 victory at TRS. Alex Cole also helped the cause with a personal-high four hits, tripling twice. Doug Drabek worked into the seventh for the win.   
• 2000 - Longtime Pirates coach and scout Clyde Sukeforth passed away in Waldoboro, Maine, at the age of 98. He caught for 10 years with the Reds and Dodgers and then became a Brooklyn coach, moving to Pittsburgh to join Branch Rickey in 1952, where he coached, managed in the minors (he turned down the Pirates reins in 1957, bringing on Danny Murtaugh) served as a super scout (he was one of several who bird-dogged Roberto Clemente) until 1965, then serving as an Atlanta scout to close out his career.

Clyde Sukeforth 1952 Topps

• 2002 - Salomon Torres pitched his first MLB game since July 20th‚ 1997‚ and went 8-1/3 scoreless innings against the Braves, also collecting his first hit since 1994 in the Pirates 3-0 win. Torres‚ 30‚ retired as an active player in 1997 and served as Montreal's pitching coach in the Dominican Summer League before he signed with Pittsburgh in January. Torres now runs three training complexes for minor leaguers in the Dominican Republic to prep them for baseball and life in the US. 
• 2007 - Jack Wilson had a big game, going 4-for-5 with a homer and double, scoring twice and driving in three as the Bucs beat the St. Louis Cards 11-0 at Busch Stadium. Ronnie Paulino was hot, too, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs and two RBI while Ian Snell and Juan Perez combined on a six hit shutout. 
• 2013 - Travis Snider’s ninth inning homer lifted the Pirates to a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park and gave Pittsburgh a two-game lead in the NL Central. It also was Pittsburgh’s 81st win and snapped a 20-year losing streak by the franchise, unmatched by any other major professional sports team in North America. There were more contributors than Snider, though - Andrew McCutchen, Justin Morneau and Marlon Byrd combined to go 7-for-10 with three RBI and three runs scored, Mark Melancon picked up the save for Vin Mazzaro, and Gerrit Cole, who gave up a pair of first inning runs after just three batters, came back to put up zeroes through six innings and retired the last 12-of-13 hitters he faced. Cutch’s homer was his 100th, putting him in the Bucco 100 HR/100 steal club along with Barry Bonds, Al Martin, Andy Van Slyke, Dave Parker and Paul Waner. And in a final bit of irony, the Brewers had broken their club record 12-season losing streak at PNC Park in 2005, so it was fitting the Bucs returned the favor at Miller.