- 1980 - Willie Stargell was given the Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year honor for 1979. Cap’n Willie was the World Series MVP and NL’s co-MVP (with the Cards’ Keith Hernandez) in ‘79. It was his second DD award - he shared the 1971 honor with Danny Murtaugh and Roberto Clemente.
- 1982 - Minor league C Angel Rodriguez‚ 20, who played for the Pirates' Alexandria club (Carolina League), was suspended from organized baseball for one year for telling opposing Latino batters what pitches were coming, tipping them off in Spanish. Rodriguez had been suspended by the Pirates during an August 19th game against Lynchburg, and baseball added its punishment after investigators had obtained written statements from eight umpires and several managers. He returned in 1984, but never got past the AAA level.
- 1984 - C Tony Pena agreed to a four-year pact with the Pirates worth $4.15M, avoiding a scheduled arb hearing (he had asked for $780,000; the Bucs offered $625,000; the new contract earned him a midpoint $700,000 for year one). It was a good deal for the Pirates; Tony was an All-Star for the next three years and two-time Gold Glove winner, then was flipped to the Cards for Andy Van Slyke, Spanky LaValliere and Mike Dunne in 1987.
- 1989 - The Pirates tried to splash Rennie Stennett, 38, and Gateway HS lefty Tim Conroy, 28, who started his MLB career at age 18, with some of Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth elixir by signing the pair to minor league deals. Alas, Rennie, who had sat out the past eight years, and Tim, whose last big league outing was in 1987, had short-lived comebacks: Stennett went 2-for-3 as a spring pinch hitter but had lost his range and was cut at the end of camp, and Conroy got a couple of outings in AAA Buffalo before he hung ‘em up for good.
- 1999 - “Plan B” passed the Pennsylvania legislature, assuring state money to complete new stadiums in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, a process that began for Steel City leaders back in 1991. It locked in some team payback (one state aide said the deal was neither a grant nor a loan, but a “groan”) after suffering setbacks in both Harrisburg back rooms and Pittsburgh voting booths. As a result, the cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all TRS was replaced with PNC Park & Heinz Field, both of which opened in 2001.
- 2001 - RHP Mike Lincoln joined the Pirates from the Twins after being released by Minnesota in the off season. The Bucs converted the starter to a bullpen role, and in three years with Pittsburgh (2001-03), he went 7-9-5 with a 3.50 ERA, closing briefly in 2003. He had a bruised shoulder in his last season, working just 36-⅓ IP, and was non-tendered after the campaign. Lincoln went to the Cards, but had TJ surgery during the 2004 season. It took four years for him to bounce back, but he did rally for three final campaigns with the Reds from 2008-10 before retiring.
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| Mike Lincoln - 2002 Upper Deck 40-Man |
- 2015 - The Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame inducted six new members, including Roberto Clemente. He joined other former Buccos Manny Mota, Tony Armas Sr., George Brunet, Juan Pizarro, Vicente Romo, and Luis Arroyo as members. The following year, ex-Bucco catcher Tony Pena was also inducted into the Hall.
- 2019 - RHP Bob Friend passed away at the age of 88. Friend worked off the hill for the Pirates for 15 years (1951-65), winning 191 games and was an ironman, never appearing in fewer than 34 outings in that time and posting an 11-year streak of 200+ IP. He holds the franchise mark for innings pitched (3,480-1/3), games started (477) and strikeouts (1,682). Bob spent his last season with the Yankees and Mets and returned to Pittsburgh, working an insurance business and becoming a two-time County Controller. He also was one of the founders of the Pirates Alumni Association.
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