4/12 From 1930 Through the 1960’s: Bucs Christen Atlanta; Veale-Marichal Duel; RIP Cannonball; HBD Woodie, Tommy & Jerry

• 1937 - The Pirates and White Sox played an exhibition game with a new experimental “dead ball.” The score ended up 9-6 Chicago, though all but one hit was a single (that was a double), so it was a sort of a “glass half full” result. 
• 1937 - Ed “Cannonball” Morris passed away in Pittsburgh. The lefty only worked five years for the Alleghenys but won 122 games over a four-year span (1885-88) while appearing in 220 outings and working nearly 2,000 innings. Cannonball had two more seasons left in him but his workhorse days were done as his arm was shot at age 26. A Brooklyn native, he stayed in Pittsburgh after his baseball days as a North Side bar owner and a deputy warden. Ed was buried in Union Dale Cemetery. 

Cannonball 1888 Goodwin/Old Judge

• 1940 - LHP Woodie (his first name was Woodrow) Fryman was born in Ewing, Kentucky. He started his career in Pittsburgh in 1966-67, going 15-17-2/3.91. He was part of the Jim Bunning deal in 1968 and went on to have a breakout All-Star campaign with the Phils. Woodie pitched for 18 years and six teams (primarily Philadelphia & Detroit) before hangin’ them up at age 43 and retiring to his tobacco farm in Kentucky. Fryman was inducted into the Montreal Expos' Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. 
• 1942 - RHP Tommie Sisk was born in Ardmore, Oklahoma. The righty tossed seven seasons for Pittsburgh (1962-68) as a swingman after spending just two years in the minors. He went 37-35 with a 3.69 ERA. His best effort was against the Mets on September 20th, 1965 when he tossed a two-hitter. He threw for two more years in the league before retiring in 1970 and now lives in Provo, Utah. 
• 1958 - On a recommendation from former GM Branch Rickey’s bud President Dwight D. Eisenhower‚ the Pirates signed RHP Preston Bruce‚ the son of the White House doorkeeper, and assigned him to Salem in the short-season Class D Appalachian League. DDE was a better general than scout; Bruce put up a 15.60 ERA and his pro career ended the following season. 
• 1964 - C Jerry Goff was born in San Rafael, California. The journeyman spent the middle of his six-year MLB career (1993-94) as a Pirate, batting .210 in 22 games, doing most of his Bucco backstopping as depth at Buffalo. Jerry’s now a fireman in California. Sports chops run deep in the Goff genes - his son, Jared, was drafted first overall in the 2016 NFL draft and is a QB for the LA Rams. 

Jerry Goff 1994 Topps

• 1965 - Bob Bailey hit a lead-off, walk-off homer to give Bob Veale a 1-0 win in 10 innings over the Giants’ Juan Marichal (both guys went the distance) at Forbes Field in the Bucco Opener. The two big boys on the hill were spectacular, combining to surrender just eight hits total and a walk apiece while whiffing 19 batters. It was the first time in club history the Pirates won an Home Opener in walkoff fashion by a score of 1-0. 
• 1966 - The Pirates helped christen brand-new Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium by beating the Braves, 3-2, in 13 innings before a crowd of 50,671. The game-winning blow was a two-run dinger by Willie Stargell off Tony Cloninger to give Don Schwall the win behind starter Bob Veale and fireman ElRoy Face. Face in the ninth and Schwall in the 11th had to work their way out of bases-loaded jams to secure the victory. All five runs were driven in by homers; Jim Pagliaroni went long for the Pirates and Joe Torre hit a pair of solo shots for Atlanta.