4/10 Through the 1960’s: Roberto; Mexican Trip; RIP Ginger; HBD Howdy, Roger, Joe, Lee

• 1906 - 2B Howdy (short for Howard) Groskloss, who played for the Bucs from 1930-32 and hit .261, was born in Pittsburgh, the son of an opera singer. He became the oldest living major league baseball player in 2005 at the age of 99 and survived past the century mark. The Pirates signed him for $10K, but he lost the 2B job to Tony Piet and went off to Yale Medical School, earning his degree in 1937. He served during World War II as a Chief Medical officer and Flight Surgeon on a carrier in the Pacific, and later in life he moonlighted as a pro golfer and won several tournaments.

Howdy Groskloss 1930 (photo via Kiski Academy)

• 1911 - RHP Roger Wolff was born in Evansville, Indiana. He spent seven years in the majors, closing out his career in 1947 with the Pirates, slashing 1-4/8.07 in six starts. The knuckleballer won 20 games for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1945, but when the Bucs got him two years later at age 36, he was tossing on memory. His Bucco days not only ended his MLB career but his run in the pros which had begun in 1930 as a 19-year-old.
• 1935 - LHP Joe Gibbon, who began as a starter and finished as a reliever during his 13-year MLB career, was born in Hickory, Mississippi. The lefty spent eight seasons as a Pirate, going 44-46-16 with a 3.61 ERA, and being blessed with good wheels to go with a strong arm, the Bucs used him fairly occasionally as a pinch runner. As a rookie, he pitched for the 1960 World Series club and returned to Pittsburgh to toss in the 1970 NLCS after spending four seasons with the Giants. Joe worked the hill until 1972, when he was 37. He coached the Clarke College nine for eight seasons. He was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1979, the Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988 and was honored as a member of the Ole Miss Men’s All-Century Basketball Team (he was drafted by the Boston Celtics out of college). He also remained an active Pirates alum and on October, 2010, he joined his old mateys in a ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1960 World Series at PNC Park.
• 1948 - OF Lee Lacy, who spent six years in Pittsburgh as a mainly part-time outfielder, was born in Longview, Texas. Lacy hit .304 during his Bucco era and was a member of the 1979 championship team. In his 16-year career, he was part of three LA Dodger World Series teams, all of which lost. His ‘79 Series appearance was the third straight year he got to play in the Fall Classic. It was his last, and the only one he won. After he retired, Lee became active in various community programs sponsored by the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. And sports is in his genes; his daughter Jennifer Lacy played in the WNBA for 10 years.

Lee Lacy 1981 Fleer

• 1956 - OF Clarence “Ginger” Beaumont passed away in Burlington, Wisconsin at age 79. Starting his career in Pittsburgh, he played in the Steel City from 1899-1906, batting .321 with 200 stolen bases. From 1900–1904, Beaumont led the NL in hits three times, scored 100 runs four times, and took the 1902 batting title with a .357 mark. The speedster was the Pirates' leadoff man, and as such became the first player to bat in a World Series game in 1903 at Boston. Nicknamed "Ginger" for his red mop (Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss gave him the moniker, replacing “Clarry”), he’s the only man to collect six hits in six at bats and score six times in a game - and all his knocks were infield hits!
• 1958 - The Pirates took the third game of a Mexican preseason swing by a 10-2 score over the Mexico City Reds behind Bob Friend’s pitching and homers by Roberto Clemente, Frank Thomas, and Johnny O’Brien. The crowd wasn’t pleased with the Bucs for manhandling their club and the umps threatened to call the game when many of the 5,000 standing-room fans found their way onto the field during play. After the contest, the spectators on the second level of Social Security Stadium began throwing cans and lit newspapers at the Pirates as they made their way off the field. Despite the passionate and rowdy response of the home loyalists, the Buccaneers made plans to return next season as their three-game visit drew over 65,000 fanaticos.

Roberto Clemente 1962 Topps

• 1962 - Roberto Clemente spanked a grand slam and Bob Friend twirled a complete game, five-hit shutout as the Bucs blanked the Phils in their home opener at Forbes Field 6-0. Clemente’s blast was the first and only Pirates Opening Day grand slam until Neil Walker banged one in 2011. Don Hoak also went long as the Pirates made the most of their seven hits. 
• 1968 - Roberto Clemente hit a homer and made an unbelievable grab of Hal King’s drive down the right field line in the season Opener, but it went for naught. The Bucs scored a pair in the top of the ninth at the Astrodome to take a 4-2 lead, but Jim Bunning, Juan Pizarro, and Ronnie Kline couldn’t hold off the ‘Stros, losing 5-4 to Houston. Maury Wills had a big day at leadoff with two hits, a run scored, two RBI and a stolen sack.