7/28 From 1950 Through the 1990’s: Cover Boy Frank; Gunner Night; Super Alvin; Game Stories; Cobra Out; HBD Carmelo

• 1958 - Frank Thomas was featured as the cover story of Sports Illustrated in an article titled “Nobody Knows Him But Everybody Wants Him.” In case you’re among the gang that doesn’t know him, the Pittsburgh native hit 163 HR in eight years as a Bucco and 286 bombs in his 16 seasons in the majors.  

• 1960 - 1B/OF Carmelo Martinez was born in Dorado, Puerto Rico. Carmelo (he’s Edgar’s cousin) spent parts of the tail end of his nine-year career with the Pirates. The Pirates got him in 1990 as part of the Wes Chamberlain deal with the Phillies and then sent him to KC for Victor Coles in May of the following year. Martinez didn’t see much action in that span, getting in 23 games and hitting .229. He works for the Cubs now as their Latin Field Coordinator. 
• 1968 - Al McBean had one of those can-do-no-wrong Sundays. He gave up 13 hits to the Cards at Forbes Field, but still went the distance for a 7-1 win. The big blow? McBean’s grand slam in the fifth off Larry Jaster, coming with two down after Milt May was walked to get to Alvin. He also had fun on the hill, tossing several blooper pitches to the Giants in the ninth. Donn Clendenon added a two-run blast to the cause. McBean became one of five Pirates pitchers in franchise history to bang out a grand slam. 
• 1971 - Luke Walker spun a four-hit, complete game whitewash at Los Angeles in a 4-0 win at Dodger Stadium. Bob Robertson homered and had a sac fly to bring home two runs. The Bucs nickled and dimed the Dodgers; every position player had a hit, four different guys scored and three had RBI as the club put up their runs one at a time in four different frames. 
• 1972 - “It was “Bob Prince Night” at TRS and 39,035 fans turned out for the event. As Bob Smizik wrote in the Pittsburgh Press “...he is listened to by just about everyone. And there are some who don’t like him. But many, many more see through his exterior to the man inside.” The colorful broadcaster requested that any money raised be forwarded to his pet project, the Allegheny Valley School for Exceptional Children, and Pirates nation kicked in over $75,000 for the institute. The Bucs joined in the celebration by defeating Tom Seaver and the NY Mets 3-1 behind Dock Ellis’ complete game seven-hitter, a Willie Stargell homer and a timely DP started by Dave Cash off an Ed Kranepool smash to bail the Docktor out of his biggest jam. 
• 1977 - Twelve Bucco batters reached against Dan Larsen of the Astros in the first two innings (Pittsburgh rattled off six straight hits in the first frame alone) to open up a 5-1 lead and added on thanks to a Bill Robinson grand slam to claim a 9-4 decision over Houston at TRS. Robinson had three hits while Phil Garner, Dave Parker, Al Oliver and Ed Ott added a pair of knocks to back a sometimes shaky Jim Rooker (he gave up nine hits, including a pair of long balls), who went tape-to-tape for the win. Pittsburgh was en fuego at home; the victory gave them a 38-14 record at Three Rivers for the year.

Dave Parker - 1982 Donruss Diamond Kings

• 1982 - The Pirates were dealt a heavy blow when Dave Parker ruptured a thumb ligament while legging out a hustle double against the Phils. The Cobra required surgery and was out of action until September 11th. Even then, he wasn’t much help - Parker only played two complete games and had little power, getting into just 12 contests and managing 20 at bats, hitting two doubles and no homers.  
• 1987 - Barry Bonds hit 176 homers while wearing the Bucco colors, but only one was an inside-the-park job. In an otherwise blah 5-2 loss to the Phillies at TRS, rookie Bonds drilled a two-out liner to right off Shane Rawley that kicked around, allowing him and Junior Ortiz to score the only Pirate tallies of the day. "Glenn Wilson tried to cut the ball off and missed it," Rawley recalled for the AP. "It rolled around the corner and ricocheted all the way around. By the time he got the ball, there was no way to get Barry." The hit was payback for Bonds, who Rawley had plunked twice. It was the first of three Bonds’ homers that didn’t clear the fence among his 762 long flies. The other two were hit in 1997 with the Giants. 
• 1996 - Orlando Merced hit two home runs and tallied four RBI while Al Martin & Mark Johnson had four hits each as the Bucs beat the Phillies 12-8 at TRS. Reliever John Ericks took home the win of the nationally televised ESPN Sunday Night Baseball match. It would be the last SNB appearance for the Bucs until 2014.