7/1 From 1980: Sweet Pitching; Young Guns; Game Stories

• 1988 - It was 2-1 after an inning, but a shootout at Candlestick Park wasn’t in the cards until the 10th inning. The Bucs John Smiley and the Giants Rick Reuschel settled in, and it was a 2-2 game after nine frames. Atlee Hammaker and Craig Lefferts couldn’t keep the zeros coming. Hammaker gave up a triple to Andy Van Slyke and intentional walk to Bobby Bo; Darnell Coles spoiled the strategy by flaring a single to right. In came Lefferts, but with two away, singles by RJ Reynolds and Rafe Belliard gave the Buccos a 5-2 lead. Jeff Robinson took the ball, and a pair of whiffs and grounder later, the Pirates had the victory. It ended the G-Mens’ effort to steal a win; the Pirates outhit them 12-2 over the course of the game, but stranded nine runners. 

John Smiley - 1989 Topps

• 1990 - LHP John Smiley came off the DL after breaking his hand in mid-May and was still rusty, giving up five runs in four innings against the Giants at Candlestick Park, but his teammates picked him up with homers from Barry Bonds, Jeff King, Sid Bream and Jay Bell (three of the blasts were two-run shots) as Pittsburgh rode the longball barrage to a 9-5 win and stayed a game up in the NL East standings. It was the first time the Pirates had gone long four times in a game since April. 
• 1992 - Zane Smith tossed a five-hit, complete-game gem in a 1-0 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. It was their second straight shutout of the Redbirds, the only time during the campaign that Bucco hurlers would put up consecutive zeros. Gary Varsho’s single in the fourth plated Andy Van Slyke, who had opened the frame with a double, for the game’s only tally. St. Louis’ Mark Clark was the tough-luck loser, giving up four knocks in eight frames. Back in the day when “pace of game” wasn’t a thing, the contest took just two hours and four minutes from opening pitch to the final out. 
• 1996 - During a 4-1 win over Chicago at TRS‚ RF Orlando Merced pulled off an unassisted DP‚ catching Mark Grace's liner and then beating Scott Bullett to 1B. He also started another DP, gloving a short pop and catching Doug Glanville off second with his throw to Jay Bell. Merced added a pair of hits, two RBI and a run scored to help Danny Darwin pick up the win. 
• 2006 - The Pirates and sponsoring PNC Bank took trinkets to a new level with the “Young Guns - Doumit, Duke and Duffy” (Ryan Doumit, Zach Duke, and Chris Duffy) triple bobblehead giveaway. 37,111 fans flooded PNC Park (playing the Detroit Tigers, whose fans travel well, on a Saturday night helped the draw, too) to get theirs as the Bucs won 9-2. Jose Bautista and Sean Casey each had three hits and Matt Capps got the win in relief of Tom Gorzelanny. One bummer: manager Jim Tracy must have missed the memo as none of the “Young Guns” played.

• 2014 - Down 2-0 in the ninth and held to just two hits over eight innings by Arizona’s Wade Miley, the Bucs made up for lost time in the ninth at PNC Park. Neil Walker opened with a single to center, then pinch hitter Gregory Polanco dumped a knock to left. With an out, Starling Marte chased a pair of sliders away, then reliever Addison Reed hung one over the plate and Marte bombed it for a two-run double off the center field wall. He scooted to third when SS Nick Ahmed's throw to the plate got away, then Andrew McCutchen was walked intentionally. Ike Davis hit for Gaby Sanchez and dropped a broken bat jam shot into right to plate Marte as the Bucs rallied to take an improbable 3-2 victory. Ernesto Frieri picked up his first win as a Bucco after tossing a scoreless ninth, with his bacon being saved by Josh Harrison, who threw out a runner at home from short right field. 
• 2015 - The Pirates flexed their muscles against the Tigers at Comerica Field in a 9-3 win. The Buccos banged out 21 hits, their most since 2004, and drilled four homers. Two were by Neil Walker, and three were hit in one frame by Walker, Starling Marte and Pedro Alvarez. Every Pirate starter had a knock and seven had multi-hit nights against Detroit, led by The Pittsburgh Kid and Marte with four each while Gregory Polanco added three more. AJ Burnett coasted to his seventh victory.