7/7 Through the 1920’s: Game Stories; HBD Billy, Satch, Double Duty, Red, Harry & Merry

• 1868 - 2B Harry Gilbert was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. A semi-pro infielder, he played in two games for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys on June 23rd, 1890, starting both ends of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies and going 2-for-8. His brother John was also picked up for the game and went 0-for-8 while playing SS; they both fielded cleanly during the day. They became the first brother act in Pittsburgh franchise history, and neither ever played pro ball again. 

Double Duty - image from the Negro League Museum

• 1902 - P/C Theodore Roosevelt “Double Duty” Radcliffe was born in Mobile, Alabama. He stopped briefly in Pittsburgh, playing for the 1931 Homestead Grays and the 1932 Pittsburgh Crawfords. Writer Damon Runyon gave him the nickname "Double Duty" because Radcliffe performed as a catcher one game and as a pitcher the next during a 1932 Negro League championship doubleheader between the Crawfords and the Monroe Monarchs at Yankee Stadium. Radcliffe caught a Satchel Paige shutout in the first game then pitched a shutout in the second game. 
• 1902 - Art “Merry” Merewether was born in East Providence, Rhode Island. The Brown grad got into one big league game in 1922 as a 20-year-old Pirate, unsuccessfully pinch-hitting. But baseball wasn’t his bag. He left the Buccos to attend MIT (the only MLB player to get a sheepskin from that school), serving as captain of the college's baseball team, played minor league ball in 1926 and then went on to his true calling, meteorology. Merry became the chief meteorologist for United Airlines, was president of the American Meteorological Society and discovered a Canadian lake which was named after him, per BR Bullpen. 
• 1906 - Leroy “Satchel” Paige was born in Mobile, Alabama. He pitched through the thirties for the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords. At 42, Paige became the oldest rookie in major league history when he joined the Cleveland Indians in 1948, and in 1971 became the first Negro League star inducted into the Hall Of Fame. Paige is on the short list of great black pitchers, and what really cut him from the herd was his showmanship. One of his favorite acts was to have his fielders sit down at their positions while he’d strike out the side. According to Paige, his nickname originated from a childhood carrying bags at the train station, although his long-time friends suggested it was because he’d swipe the satchels. Either way… 
• 1909 - IF/MGR Billy Herman was born in New Albany, Indiana. The Hall-of-Famer came to Pittsburgh in 1947 as a player/manager, the last one that the Pirates would ever have. Billy played a little, hitting .213, and after compiling a 61-92 record, he resigned as the manager on the last day of the season. That was also his last season as a player; he went on to coach, manage, and work in player development for decades after his retirement. 

Billy Herman - photo George Burke/George Brace Collection

• 1910 - OF Leo “Red”/”Nonny” Nonnenkamp was born in St. Louis. Nonny started his four-year MLB career with one at bat for the Bucs in 1933 (he struck out as a pinch hitter); he’d return to the show for Boston in 1938-40. He played pro ball from 1930-46, with three years off for military duty in the Navy. He retired to Arkansas, became a mailman, and was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. 
• 1921 - The Bronx Bombers visited Forbes Field for an exhibition tilt. The Pittsburgh Press wrote “Thousands of fans who attended the exhibition match between the New York Yankees and the Pirates were disappointed when Babe Ruth failed to deliver a circuit clout.” The Bambino, who had 31 homers on his way to swatting 59 on the year, flew out twice and fanned two times in the Bucs 5-2 win as Pirates RF Dave Robertson was the only player to go long. 
• 1922 - OF Max Carey earned his paycheck in an 18-inning, 9-8 loss to the Giants at Forbes Field. He had six hits, three walks, three stolen bases (including home), scored three times, drove home a pair of runs and caught seven flies. C Johnny Gooch was hot, too, going 6-for-8 with a double. Gooch and Carey both set career-bests with their six hits. 
• 1923 - Bucco bats erupted at the Baker Bowl as the Philadelphia Phillies were swamped 18-5. Pie Traynor hit for the cycle, driving in six runs and scoring four times. Reb Russell had four hits, scored five times and drove home four runners while Charlie Grimm doubled and had four RBI. Max Carey and Carson Bigbee scored three times each during the contest as Lee Meadows cruised on the hill to claim the victory.