9/16 From 1950 Through the 1960’s: 5x40 For Ralph; Red's 8th Straight; Game Stories; HBD Scott & Mark

• 1950 - Cliff Chambers and Boston's Vern Bickford dueled through 11 scoreless innings before the Bucs broke it open in the 12th at Braves Field. Two walks‚ a wild pitch‚ and four singles gave the Pirates a 4-0 win, with Pete Castiglione’s two-run knock the big blow. Both pitchers went the distance, with Chambers tossing a six-hitter for the victory. 

Cliff Chambers - 1950 Bowman

• 1951 - Ralph Kiner set an NL record by hitting his 40th homer, the fifth consecutive year he reached that mark. The blast came during a DH loss to the NY Giants at Forbes Field, in the seventh inning of the opener against Larry Jensen. The only other player to hit 40 home runs for five or more straight seasons was Babe Ruth, who did it for seven campaigns between 1926-32. 
• 1958 - George “Red” Witt won his eighth straight game, 2-1, over the Cards. For Witt, it was his last appearance of the year as he left the club to finish his senior year at Long Beach State. He finished 9-2, and his 1.61 ERA in 106 innings was the NL's top mark. He came to camp next season with a sore elbow and went 0-7 with a 6.96 ERA in 1959. Red won just two more games before retiring in 1962, but did work 2-⅔ scoreless IP in the 1960 World Series. Red’s win was the conclusion of a suspended game; the Bucs took two behind Ronnie Kline 3-1 as Dick Stuart and Bob Skinner combined for six hits, three RBI and two runs scored in the regularly scheduled game that followed. It kept the Pirates faint pennant hopes alive a bit longer, but they were eliminated a week later. 
• 1961 - RHP Scott Medvin was born in North Olmsted, Ohio. The Pirates picked up Scott (along w/Jeff Robinson) as part of the 1987 Rick Reuschel deal with the Giants. He worked from 1988-89 with the Bucs going 3-1/5.03 in 23 appearances from the pen. The Pirates sent him to Seattle for Lee Hancock, and he worked his final season for the M’s. 
• 1961 - C Mark Parent was born in Ashland, Oregon. Mark spent 13 years in the show as a back-up catcher with his busiest season in 1995 as a Bucco. He got into 69 games and amassed over 200 AB for the only time in his career that year, hitting .232 but with 15 HR. Mark was sent to the Cubs in late August, and he stayed in the show through the 1998 campaign. He’s spent most of his time since retiring as a minor league coach/manager, bouncing from system to system. 

Mark Parent - 1995 Topps Top of the Order

• 1962 - The San Francisco Giants scored three times off Al McBean and Roy Face in the eighth inning on a Willie Mays homer to tie the Bucs 4-4 at Forbes Field. The Pirates then stranded five runners in the eighth and ninth, but finally claimed the win in the 10th frame when pinch hitter Smoky Burgess launched a two-run shot off Stu Miller to give Joe Gibbon and Pittsburgh a 6-4 walk-off victory. Willie Stargell made his first MLB appearance in this game. It wasn’t very auspicious - he K’ed pinch hitting in the 10th, just before Smoky went long. 
• 1963 - Bob Veale fired a two-hit shutout and needed to be every bit that good as he and the Bucs topped the Cubs and Larry Jackson 1-0 at Forbes Field. Big Bob also gave up two walks and whiffed nine; he didn’t allow a Cub runner until a fifth-inning free pass and didn’t give up a hit until the seventh. The Pirates collected eight hits off Jackson but couldn’t cash until the ninth. Ken Hubbs booted Roberto Clemente’s grounder, Donn Clendenon bunted him up and he flew home on Bill Mazeroski’s liner to left with the game’s only tally. 
• 1969 - In front of a Connie Mack Stadium crowd that barely edged into four figures (1,169), Bob Moose set the record for whiffs by a Bucco righty when he sat down 14 Phillies in a 9-5 victory. The Export product struck out the side once and got a K in every frame. Jose Pagan and Matty Alou had three hits each while Pagan and Al Oliver homered.