7/19 From 1980: Comebacks; Game Stories; HBD Phil & Ernesto

• 1982 - LHP Phil Coke was born in Sonora, California. Phil was a Bucco target early in his career as a Yankee in 2008, but remained in pinstripes when a medical question went unresolved. After bouncing around the league for nine years, he ended up back with NY, and they sold him to the Pirates in 2016. Better late than never? Eh, probably not - the 33-year-old tossed four scoreless innings in three outings, but walked four to go with three hits, and that ended his MLB days. He toiled in Japan the following year and in Mexico in 2018. 

Phil Coke - photo Pittsburgh Pirates

• 1983 - The Pirates won their eighth in a row in workmanlike fashion over the Dodgers 4-1 at TRS. Brian Harper went 2-for-3 with a homer to lead the attack while John Candelaria notched the win with relief help from Rod Scurry. The streak ended later that night when Alejandro Pena and the LA bullpen edged the Bucs in 11 innings 3-2 in the nitecap of a twilight twin bill. 
• 1985 - RHP Ernesto Frieri was born in Arjona, Colombia. He was the Angels closer who hit on hard times and in June, 2014, Frieri was traded to Pittsburgh for another change-of-scenery candidate, Jason Grilli. Frieri gave up 12 runs in 10-2/3 innings for the Pirates and was DFA’ed & outrighted to AAA Indianapolis in August, then released three weeks later. Frieri has bounced around since then, making a couple of big league stops, and was last spinning in Mexico. 
• 1988 - Rafael Belliard enjoyed the last day of an eight game hitting streak that started on July 8th. In true Raffy style, his first eight hits were infield singles. He went 13-for-31 during that span, with two grounder-through-the-infield knocks, a bloop, a liner, and his only extra base hit, a triple following his eight leg hits. It didn’t help a whole lot; he still hit just .213 during the season. The Bucs split a doubleheader with San Diego, and Raffy’s string ended in the second game. 
• 2001 - The Pirates overcame a 2-0 deficit by scoring three times in the sixth and seventh innings to end a five game losing streak by defeating the Chicago Cubs 3-2 at PNC Park. The key blow was a two-out, two-run single by Aramis Ramirez off a 1-2 pitch from Julian Taveras. It came with the bases loaded in the sixth following an intentional walk to John Vander Wal. 
• 2002 - Adam Hyzdu went 3-for-5 with a homer, four RBI and three runs to lead the Bucs to a 12-9 slugfest win over St. Louis at PNC Park. After the Cards tied the game with five runs in the seventh, Rob Mackowiak put Pittsburgh back in control by countering with a two run pinch hit homer in the Pirate half. 

Dewey 2005 - Bowman Prospects

• 2005 - The sad sack Pirates were swept by the Astros 9-3 and 6-4 in a PNC Park twin bill, but it was a coming out day for 24-year-old rookie C Ryan Doumit, who slugged his first two MLB homers in the lidlifter (MLB número uno was off Ezequiel Astacio). Dewey would spend seven campaigns with Pittsburgh, though he never became a big bopper despite that promising start, swatting just 67 long flies as a Bucco. 
• 2011 - The Bucs shut out the Reds for the second straight game, beating Mike Leake 1-0 at PNC Park to claim sole possession of first place in the NL Central for the last time. James McDonald, with help from Joe Beimel, Chris Resop and Joel Hanrahan, got the win when a soft roller to short by Cutch in the first inning cashed in Josh Harrison, on third after Neil Walker doubled. Charlie Morton and Joel Hanrahan teamed up to take a 2-0 victory the game before. 
• 2014 - It took 11 innings, but the Bucs finally topped the Colorado Rockies 3-2 at PNC Park on Jordy Mercer’s walk-off double. Charlie Morton and Brett Anderson were hooked up in a duel, both lasting seven innings with the Rox up 2-1. The Bucs tied it in the eighth when Gaby Sanchez’s double plated Neil Walker and the bullpen took over. Ernesto Frieri, Mark Melancon, Justin Wilson and Jared Hughes needed just 33 pitches to cover the last four frames. Hughes got the win, but had the baseball gods on his side when with runners on the corners, a one-hop bullet back to the box stuck in his mitt and he turned it into an inning-ending DP. 
• 2016 - Josh Harrison scored on a throwing error in the ninth inning to collect his sixth career walk off hit as the Pirates beat the Brewers 3-2 at PNC Park. Harrison led off the ninth with a triple to center field off Milwaukee’s Tyler Thornburg. Second baseman Scooter Gennett’s relay throw skipped into the Pittsburgh dugout as J-Hay slid into third, sending him home for the club’s second walk off of the year. Mark Melancon got the blown save/win combo after giving up a run in the ninth (he was dinged by a two-out, two-strike rap by Hernan Perez). The Shark had followed Tony Watson, Neftali Feliz and rookie starter Jameson Taillon on the bump.