7/15 From 1990: Tanner Tames Brewers; ASG's, Cutch Streak; King Kong; Game Stories

• 1994 - The Pirates erased an eight run deficit and came back to beat Houston 11-8 at TRS after the Astros had scored seven times in the first inning. Carlos Garcia banged a homer and plated four RBI while John “The Rock” Wehner and P Ravelo Manzanillo both delivered two-run hits. Relievers Rich Robertson, Manzanillo (win) and Mike Dyer (save) tossed seven innings of shutout ball in the win. 

Jeff King - 1995 Flair

• 1995 - Jeff King hit two home runs with five RBI to power the Pirates past the Cardinals, 9-2, at TRS. The Pirates jumped ahead early by a 6-0 count after two, fueled by long balls from  King, Mark Parent and Jay Bell. Denny Neagle went the distance, pitching his third of five complete games during his 1995 All-Star season. 
• 1998 - Rookie sensation Kerry Wood helped draw 28,655 fans to TRS (half-price day helped, too) but Francisco Cordova, who last won on May 31st, stole the show by spinning a four-hit shutout with eight K in a 3-0 Bucco win over the Cubs. Cordova got all the help he needed from Kevin Young, who bombed a two-run homer and Ricardo Rincon, who nailed down the save. 
• 2000 - A 1909 Honus Wagner T-206 baseball card was auctioned on eBay for a record $1.265M on this day; the same card was resold for $2.8M in 2007. Another version, the “Jumbo” (a miscut that was 1/16” longer than the usual size) topped the chart in 2016, going for $3.12M. 
• 2003 - The AL scored three times in the eighth inning at US Cellular Field to claim a 7-6 All Star win over the NL in the 70th Anniversary matchup. Reliever Mike Williams was the Pirates only selection for the second straight year, and he didn’t get into either game. The match was the first to award home-field advantage in the World Series to the winning league, a rule that stemmed from a 7–7 tie the previous year that led fans to question whether the game meant anything. The rule stayed in effect through 2016. 
• 2008 - The AL continued its domination over the NL with a 4-3 All Star squeaker at Yankee Stadium that took 15 innings to complete. It was a final tribute to the storied “House That Ruth Built” that would close its gates after the season. OF Nate McLouth was the Pirate rep, and he went 1-for-4 during the contest. It was the longest MLB All-Star Game in time (4 hours and 50 minutes) and the 15 innings played tied the mark for the most frames with the 1967 contest. 

Cutch - 2012 Topps Museum Collection

• 2012 - Andrew McCutchen homered in his fourth straight game and collected three hits, but it was in vain as the Bucs fell to Milwaukee 4-1 at Miller Field. 
• 2014 - The AL whipped the NL 5-3 in the ASG at Target Field in Minnesota. It was Derek Jeter’s 14th and final appearance. All the Bucco All-Stars played: Andrew McCutchen went 1-for-3 as the starting center fielder, Josh Harrison was a sub in left and went 0-for-2, while LHP Tony Watson came in to face one batter, Jose Abreu, and got him to fly out to Josh. Manager Clint Hurdle was there too, as a coach for the NL skipper, the Card’s Mike Matheny. 
• 2018 - The Pirates completed a five game brooming of the Milwaukee Brewers in dramatic fashion, twice rallying in the final at bats to pull out a 7-6 win. They were down 5-2 going into the eighth when a two-out single by Starling Marte scored Corey Dickerson to cut the lead to 5-3. The Bucs were cooking in the ninth, loading the bases with no outs, but a DP, though bringing home a run, left them on the brink of defeat. David Freese tied it with a two-strike triple to right to send the game into bonus baseball time. In the 10th, a couple of walks by Tanner Anderson, just called up from Indy, led to a run. The Pirates were down to their last out with a runner on first when Colin Moran singled to keep the pulse beating. Then, in the midst of a sudden summer storm, Josh Bell banged a ball over Lorenzo Cain’s head in center; the double scored Polanco while Moran, chugging around the circuit, scored the winner as a throw that easily beat him skipped off the mound and through the catcher's wickets. It gave the Pirates six straight wins and 8-of-9 going into the All-Star break; it was the Brew Crew’s sixth straight loss and the series sweep dropped them out of first place in the division. It was also Anderson’s first MLB win.