7/10 From 1940 Through the 1960’s: Central Formed; Clarke HoF; Sonnyman Locked Up; HBD Gene

• 1940 - SS Gene Alley was born in Richmond, Virginia. He played his entire 11-year career (1963–73) with the Pirates. A modest hitter - his BA was .254 - he won a pair of Gold Gloves, was twice selected an All-Star, and set the MLB DP record for middle infielders with Bill Mazeroski in 1966 with 161. Shoulder and knee problems slowed and ultimately ended his career. 

Gene Alley - 1971 Pirates Picture Pack

• 1943 - Pittsburgh surrendered a franchise record for most runs given up in the modern era when the Brooklyn Dodgers spanked them 23-6 at Forbes Field. As motivation, the Dodgers only had two players willing to suit up before the game after Leo Durocher suspended pitcher Bobo Newsome. Da Bums, led by ex-Buc Arky Vaughan, were ready to walk out in support of Newsome until GM Branch Rickey stepped in and calmed the seas, leaving Brooklyn to take out its frustrations on the Buccos. Vaughan despised Leo The Lip so much that he sat out the following three seasons at his ranch and wouldn’t return to Brooklyn until Durocher was gone. 
• 1943 - Homestead Grays owner (and numbers king) Rufus "Sonnyman" Jackson was briefly jailed after a confrontation at Forbes Field with a Mexican baseball agent (actually, the Mexican diplomatic consul AJ Guina) trying to raid his roster. As quoted by Mark Ribowsky in A Complete History of the Negro Leagues, Jackson said “I don’t care if they send Pancho Villa, they’re not getting my ballplayers.” Sonnyman eventually kept his players and he ran the team himself after team co-owner Cum Posey's death, winning the last pennant in Negro National League history in 1948. 
• 1945 - Fred Clarke was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Selected by the Old Timers Committee, Clarke spent 15 years in Pittsburgh (1900-11, 1913-15) and hit ahead of Honus Wagner, batting .299. As a manager, he led the Bucs to the first three modern NL pennants, taking four flags in all, and finished second five times. Clarke won (1,602) and managed more games (2,829) than any other Bucco skipper while compiling the club’s highest career winning percentage (.576). 
• 1951 - Exploding for a record four homers‚ the NL trounced the AL 8-3 at the All-Star Game at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium. Pirate OF Ralph Kiner hit a HR for the third year in a row, a MLB AS record. 

Bob Friend yukking it up after the ASG - photo Associated Press

• 1956 - P Bob Friend and 1B Dale Long were the Pirate All-Stars at Griffith Stadium for the NL’s 7-3 victory. Friend got the win thanks to triple threes - 3 IP, 3 hits, 3 K (Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Harry “Suitcase” Simpson) - and without much help from Long, who struck out twice in two at-bats. The 25-year-old Friend spent the last six innings on the bench shooting a home movie of his first ASG. 
• 1962 - Led by OF Roberto Clemente’s three hits, the NL beat the AL 3-1 in the first of two All-Star games, this one at held at Washington’s DC Stadium. SS Dick Groat went 1-for-3, scored and turned a DP while 2B Bill Mazeroski was 0-for-2. 
• 1968 - The NL announced that it would split into two divisions next season. The Eastern Division would consist of Chicago, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. It was the beginning of the Divisional Era, where the winners of each division would compete against each other in a League Championship Series to determine the World Series opponents.