7/17 From 1930 Through the 1970’s: Cobra ASG-MVP; Dock's Lucky 13; FF Fire; Game Stories; HBD Jerry

• 1930 - OF/PH Jerry Lynch was born in Bay City, Michigan. Lynch started (1954-56) and ended (1963-66) his career in Pittsburgh, spending the seven middle years with the Reds. He hit .263/45/188 as a reserve Pirate outfielder and primo pinch hitter. Lynch had 116 pinch hits during his 13-year big league tour of duty with 18 HR, and even today he rates high on the hit lists for PH. 

Jerry Lynch - image Murray Olderman 4/5/1954 Pgh Press

• 1939 - Newly acquired Bucco outfielder Chuck Klein made his first appearance back in Philadelphia since leaving the city where he spent 10 years as a player and jacked a pair of homers to lift the Bucs to a 7-4 win at Shibe Park. The Bucs released Klein in August and he returned to his old club, retiring in 1944 as a Phil. 
• 1952 - Ralph Kiner hit a two-run shot in the ninth to walk off the Phils at Forbes Field by a 4-2 count in the nightcap of a twin bill. He also joined the 1,000 hit club; he would end his career with 1,451 knocks. The blast off Karl Drews made a winner out of Ted Wilks, who tossed a scoreless ninth in relief of Woody Main. Clem Koshorek and Pete Castiglione joined Ralph with a pair of hits. The Pirates also took the opener 2-1 behind a Cal Hogue four-hitter. Catfish Metkovich singled home rookie Dick Groat to plate the first run and Groat drove in Clyde McCullough two innings later with the game winner. 
• 1966 - The Pirates swept a twinbill from San Francisco at Forbes Field 7-4 and 7-1 to vault over the Giants into first place behind the pitching of Steve Blass and Tommie Sisk. Matty Alou and Donn Clendenon collected four hits during the DH, with Clendenon homering. It was a wild race that year. The Bucs would finish third with a 92-70 slate, three games behind the Dodgers. 
• 1970 - Roberto Clemente led the Bucs to a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Forbes Field with three hits, falling a double short of the cycle. He tripled and scored the tying run in the sixth, homered for the eventual game winner in the eighth, and threw out Tommy Helms at the plate in the ninth to preserve the victory.
• 1971 - A deserted Forbes Field suffered its second fire in a matter of weeks, and the structural damage was so bad that its demolition, already scheduled by Pitt, began almost immediately. Now the former ballyard’s footprint is the site of Posvar Hall, with home plate still showcased in the building and a bit of the brick & ivy wall left standing. 

Dock Ellis - 1971 Topps

• 1971 - Dock Ellis won his 13th straight decision by a by a 9-2 count over the Padres at TRS with Bob Robertson’s three-run homer providing all the scoring he would need while Manny Sanguillen had four knocks and Roberto Clemente added three more. Dock’s next outing would be a no decision before the Dodgers ended his streak. 
• 1978 - The Pirates bullpen imploded in the ninth at TRS, allowing San Diego to score three runs to tie the game at six, rallying from a fourth-inning 6-1 deficit. The Padres tacked another run on in the 10th to take the lead, but the Bucs weren’t quite done. Rollie Fingers was on the hill and had his hands full. Bill Robinson reached on an error and Willie Stargell singled through a shift; Rennie Stennett’s following rap tied the game. Ken Macha, who ran for Willie, and Stennett tagged and moved up a base after Ed Ott’s line out to left. San Diego decided to not walk Manny Sanguillen with lefty John Milner on deck, and The Roadrunner made it a bad choice by banging a ball off the left field wall for a long single and walk off win, credited to Kent Tekulve. 
• 1979 - The NL won its eighth straight All-Star Game, 7-6, at the Kingdome in Seattle. Pittsburgh’s only representative, Dave Parker, threw out runners at home & third and was named the game's MVP. The Cobra went 1-for-3 with an RBI and was intentionally walked once. Future Bucco Lee Mazzilli tied the game in the eighth inning with a pinch hit home run and then put the NL ahead in the ninth by drawing a bases-loaded walk to become the MVP runner-up to Parker. The ASG was the only one played at the Kingdom. By the time the Midsummer Classic returned to Seattle in 2001, the Mariners were playing in Safeco Park.