11/26 From 1940: Rhoden-Drabek Swap Finalized; AVS GG; Augie, Lonnie Join; HBD Gravedigger, Walkie & Josh

• 1947 - 3B Richie Hebner was born in Boston. The Gravedigger (his off season occupation) played 11 years (1968-76, 1982-83) for the Pirates, putting up a .277 BA and playing in five NLCS and the 1971 World Series. He left on a contentious note; after having his contract cut in 1976 after a poor year, he opted for free agency after the campaign. The Pirates GM Pete Peterson offered to match any deal Hebner received on the market, but the Gravedigger wanted out and signed with Philadelphia (other tales say Philly doubled Pittsburgh's on-the-table offer, which sounds a little more like it). He returned a few seasons later. Richie then spent two decades coaching/managing at the minor/major league level. 

Bob Walk - image via Root Sports

• 1956 - RHP Bob Walk was born in Van Nuys, California. He pitched a decade for the Pirates (1984-93) with an 82-61-5/3.83 ERA, won an All-Star berth in 1988 and compiled a 2-1 record in the postseason, capped by a three-hitter tossed against the Braves in 1992 to keep the Pirates alive in the NLCS. He’s known now as a Bucco broadcaster, with over 20 years in the booth. 
• 1963 - The Pirates brought IF Gene “Augie” Freese back, prying him from the Reds for an undisclosed but “considerable” amount of cash (per Joe Brown, more money than he had ever spent on a player in his nine-year run as GM). Freese, 30, had started his career in Pittsburgh, playing from 1955-58 after being signed out of West Liberty State by the Bucs in 1953. Augie played third base in his second go-around, lasting until August of 1965, when he was sold to the White Sox after batting .233 in 142 games and being bumped off the hot corner by promising youngster Bob Bailey. 
• 1986 - In a pitcher swap, the Yankees dealt Doug Drabek, Brian Fisher, and Logan Easley to the Bucs for Rick Rhoden, Cecilio Guante, and Pat Clements. It took three days to complete the trade, until Rhoden agreed to a two-year/$1.5M contract extension with NY (as a 5 & 10 year man, he could veto the deal). The swap gave Jim Leyland his ace; Drabek went on to win the NL Cy Young in 1990 while posting a 92-62/3.02 Bucco slash in six seasons. 
• 1988 - LHP Josh Smoker was born in Calhoun, Georgia. After working two years with the Mets, he signed with the Bucs as a minor league FA in 2018. Josh saw limited action with the big club (with good reason), giving up seven runs in 5-2/3 IP on 11 hits with five walks and just two whiffs. He was released, claimed by the Tigers and later the Dodgers. He’s once again a free agent after finishing 2019 tossing in the indie leagues. 

Josh Smoker (spring 2018) - photo Pittsburgh Pirates

• 1991 - Andy Van Slyke won his fourth Golden Glove and Barry Bonds his second, but the big local story was 2B Jose Lind losing out to Ryne Sandberg, who earned his ninth straight GG. The gist of the argument: Chico was playing on turf at TRS and Sandberg at Wrigley. Pittsburgh featured Astroturf, which gives truer hops but is a much quicker track than the thick grass that kills hot shots in Chi-town. The debate lost its legs soon enough; Lind won his Golden Glove the following season. 
• 2018 - The Pirates signed FA 3B/RF Lonnie Chisenhall to a one-year/$2.75M contract with $3M more available in bonuses based on at-bats, with the deal officially announced the next day. The big incentive clause provided a mutual value regulator, inserted after a two-year string of injuries to the former Indian, who posted .272 BA/127 OPS+ in 2017-18 but only got into 111 games. Primarily a platoon player at Cleveland, the 30-year-old was expected to hold the fort in right field while Gregory Polanco recovered from off-season surgery. But he was injured again, missed the entire 2019 campaign, and was released at the end of the year.