9/2 Through the 1920’s: 9 Straight; First Claimed; Game Stories; HBD Milo & Ben

• 1907 - IF Ben Sankey was born in Nauvoo, Alabama. His MLB career lasted for 72 games from 1929-31, all as a Bucco, and he hit .213 over that span. Ben stuck at it, playing minor league ball until 1941, waiting until he was 33-years-old before unlacing the spikes. The slick fielder spent six years with Montreal and three more with Baltimore in the International League, earning a spot in the IL Hall of Fame in 1947. 

Ben Sankey - photo via Find-A-Grave

• 1909 - Per Charlton’s Baseball Chronology, Boston's Cliff Curtis pitched his first MLB game and beat the Pirates 1-0 to give the Doves their only win against Pittsburgh that year. The Pirates, who would claim the NL pennant, won the nightcap at the South End Grounds 5-3, took all the remaining September games and finished the season 20-1 against last-place Boston.  
• 1917 - The Pirates won a wild one at Redland Field as they held off the Cincinnati Reds 8-7. Hans Wagner had three hits, including his final MLB two-bagger (which sent home Max Carey in the ninth with what proved to be the game-winning run). Bill Evans got the win in relief of Burleigh Grimes with Bob Steele saving it by working the final two frames. 
• 1925 - The Pirates won their ninth straight game by defeating the Cincinnati Reds 8-2 at Forbes Field. It was scoreless going into the sixth when the bats woke up. The Redlegs put up a pair and the Bucs answered with seven tallies. George Grantham led the attack, going 4-for-4 and falling a homer short of the cycle while Eddie Moore chipped in with three raps. Glenn Wight added two hits, two runs and two RBI to the cause. Johnny Morrison went the distance; he was touched up for 12 hits but stranded 11. The Pirates streak ended the next day against the Cards, who rallied in the ninth to topple the Buccos. It was a good year for Pittsburgh, which took the pennant and then the World Series in seven games from the Washington Senators. 
• 1927 - The Pirates took over first place with a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Cards at Forbes Field. Ray Kremer won against Grover Cleveland Alexander, and added an RBI to the effort. The Waner brothers went 7-for-10 with two runs scored and two RBI. The Bucs never relinquished first place after the victory, and nosed out the Cards for the title by a 1-½ game margin. 

Milo Hamilton - photo via Baseball Hall of Fame

• 1927 - Leland Milo Hamilton was born in Fairfield, Iowa. Milo had the unenviable and ultimately untenable job as Bob Prince’s replacement in the broadcast booth. His quiet demeanor was a stark contrast to the Gunner’s folksy ways and boosterism and the gig wore thin on both Hamilton and the City. He moved on to the Cubs job in 1980 and discovered that working with Harry Caray wasn’t much easier than replacing Prince. Milo finally found a home in Houston in 1985, where he broadcast for 28 years until his retirement in 2012. Hamilton was the 1992 recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award and was also inducted into the National Radio and Texas Radio Halls of Fame.