3/31 Through the 1970’s: Robby Released; DiMag Dealt; Béisbol; RIP Billy; HBD Frank, Skeeter, Tom, Chick & Fred

• 1886 - OF Fred Kommers was born in Chicago. He debuted with the Bucs in 1913, hitting .233 in 40 games. He jumped to the Federal League the following season, and though he hit better as a Fed than he did in the NL, it didn’t do much to advance his baseball career - it would be his last major league campaign. 
• 1887 - RHP Chester “Chick” Brandom was born in Coldwater, Kansas. Chick tossed from 1908-09 for the Bucs, getting into 16 games and going 2-0-3 with a 0.94 ERA. The Bucs were loaded back then, and he was sent back to the minors despite that shiny albeit small performance sample. But he may have a greater claim than his Bucco stint. A 1908 picture of Chick shows him delivering a knuckleball and if the date is right, that would make him the first known practitioner of that pitch, predating guys like Eddie Cicotte (caveat emptor; the original knucksy is still debated). 

Chick Brandom - 1908 photo via RMY Auctions

• 1894 - RHP Tom Sheehan was born in Grand Ridge, Illinois. Tom pitched the final two years of a MLB career that began in 1915 for the Pirates (1925-26; 1-3-2/4.08). He embarked on a long march as a baseball lifer after his playing days. Sheehan coached for the Reds and Braves, then spent many years as a minor league manager/ scout in the Giants system. In 1960, at age 66, he succeeded the fired Bill Rigney as the Giants skipper, becoming the oldest person to make his debut as a big-league manager. That gig didn’t work out, and after the campaign he was once again assigned to scouting. 
• 1895 - OF Carson “Skeeter” Bigbee was born. He played eleven years for Pittsburgh, his only MLB club, from 1916-26, and hit .287 lifetime. His best seasons were 1921-22, when he batted .323 and .350. He banged out 419 hits over that span, scored 213 runs and led the NL in singles both years. Bigbee stole 182 bases in his career, which earned him his “Skeeter” nickname. Bigbee was part of the 1926 “ABC Affair” when he, Babe Adams and Max Carey beefed about team suit Fred Clarke being in the dugout during games and overruling manager Bill McKechnie; all three were on the downside of their careers and got their walking papers as a result. 
• 1940 - The Pirates and Philadelphia Athletics played the first MLB exhibition game south of the border when they met in Hermosilla, Mexico at Casa del Pueblo Stadium. The A’s won by an 8-7 count at a match that featured soldiers at the gates & on the roof, bands playing throughout the game, and fans on the field. After a little post-game shopping, the two teams hopped a train for their next match in Phoenix. 
• 1945 - The Pirates traded OF Vince DiMaggio, a two-time All-Star, to the Philadelphia Phillies for P Al “Lefty” Gerheauser. Both were near the end of their playing days; DiMaggio hung up the spikes after the ‘46 season and Gerheauser won just seven more games in three years as the Pirates converted him from a starter to the pen. 
• 1957 - Ex-manager Billy Meyer died at age 64 of kidney and heart problems in Knoxville, having never truly recovered from a stroke suffered two years earlier. He had a long minor league career with a brief taste of the bigs and was a long time farm skipper before he got the call to manage the Bucs in 1948. He piloted the team to fourth place finish that season (Meyer won The Sporting News Manager of the Year award for that 83-win feat), but was stuck with a roster of Ralph Kiner and Rickey-Dinks, compiling a 317-452 record over five years. He resigned as skipper after the 112-loss 1952 campaign and spent the next three campaigns as a minor league rover/scout for Pittsburgh before his stroke. His #1 was retired by the Pirates in 1954, more as a matter of respect and affection for Billy than accomplishment. 

Bill Meyer - 1957 image Bill Winstein/Pittsburgh Press

• 1960 - Former Pirates President Frank Coonelly was born in Philadelphia. Hired in 2007 as CEO to replace Kevin McClatchy, he helped engineer the Bucs into respectability with three straight playoff appearances, but couldn’t continue keepin’ on and was let go at the end of the 2019 season. Coonelly previously served as senior VP in the commissioner’s office, where he was in charge of arbitration hearings and draft bonuses, among other items. He was a lawyer in private practice before that. His replacement was Travis Williams. 
• 1977 - After nine years as a Bucco, the Pirates released 1B Bob Robertson, who had been reduced to part-time status following 1974 knee surgery and then hurt his back in camp. He filed a grievance with the MLBPA to get his full year’s salary because he was let go while injured; it was settled when the Bucs paid him the entire $50K due for 1977. In 1971, the Mount Savage Strongboy became the first player to hit TRS’s upper deck in left center, then enjoyed a monster postseason, but he slumped badly after that campaign before his knees gave out. He retired after being released by Toronto in June of 1979.

3/31 From 1980: Bonus Baseball Lid Lifters; Last Call for Bell & Tenace; Solly & KY Sign; Curtis Deal; PNC & GABP Debuts

• 1984 - C Gene Tenace ended his 15-year career when he was released by the Pirates in spring training after batting .177 for the Bucs in 1983 as a 36-year old. Tenace had a great eye and was an OBP machine. His BA was just .241, but he had a .388 OBP for his career and drew nearly 1,000 walks. Even in his last season with the Bucs, he had more walks than hits. 
• 1988 - The Chicago Cubs traded minor league LHP Mike Curtis to the Pirates for RHP Mike Bielecki. Bielecki turned into a workmanlike journeyman pitcher, working 14 years in MLB (although he did have one big season for the Cubs, going 18-7/3.14 in 1989) while Curtis never got out of AAA, ending his career as an indie league pitcher. 

KY - 2001 Fleer Traditional

• 1997 - The Pirates lured FA 1B Kevin Young back to Pittsburgh from KC with a $400K contract. He would sign two more deals with the Bucs worth $28M over the following six seasons before retiring after the 2003 campaign. The 1B hit .259 over 11 years with the Pirates and is back with the club as a special instructor. 
• 2001 - PNC Park hosted its first MLB baseball game when the Pirates and Mets played an exhibition. The game was a sellout as NY won, 4-3. The Mets won the next day’s spring game too, 3-2, notable mainly because Aramis Ramirez hit the first HR in the park’s history. 
• 2002 - “Operation Shutdown” OF Derek Bell was released, with the Pirates eating $4.5M in guaranteed money, after Bell told the media that he would sail into the sunset on his yacht rather than be forced to compete for a starting spot. In the first year of his deal, he was nagged by injuries and hit .173 in 46 games, which to many seemed a good enough reason to open the competition. His voyage as a ballplayer was scuttled after he hoisted his anchor: he never appeared in another MLB game. As Mark Madden of the Post Gazette wrote “Derek Bell becomes the ultimate Pirate: Lives on a boat and steals money.” 
• 2003 - Pittsburgh helped the Reds christen Great American Ballpark. President George Bush tossed out the first ball in front of 42,000+ fans, but Cincy played second banana for the yard’s opening act. The Bucs spoiled the inauguration, winning 10-1 behind homers from Reggie Sanders, Kenny Lofton and Jason Kendall, all launched during a six-run second inning. Kris Benson got the win. 
• 2006 - RHP Salomon Torres agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $6.5M pending a physical, extending his current deal through 2008. He worked 94 games in 2006 (3-6-12/3.28), but after a subpar 2007 campaign, he was shipped to Milwaukee for Marino Salas and minor leaguer Kevin Roberts. Torres considered retirement over relocation, but did join the Brewers, worked the season and then hung up his mitt. 

Xavier Nady - 2008 Topps Heritage

• 2008 - In an Opening Day shootout at Turner Field, the Bucs beat the Braves 12-11 in 12 innings. Damaso Marte and Matt Capps blew a 9-4 ninth inning lead, capped by a fly ball dropping between LF Jason Bay and CF Nate McLouth with two outs to tie the score. Pittsburgh reclaimed the lead in the top of the 12th on a Xavier Nady three-run bomb, but Atlanta almost tied it again with two runs in their half before Franquelis Osario nailed down the save. The X-Man had four hits while McLouth, Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Doumit had three to prime a 17-hit attack. 
• 2014 - Neil Walker blasted a 10th-inning, 3-2 changeup from Carlos Villanueva deep over the Clemente Wall to give the Bucs and Bryan Morris a 1-0 Opening Day win over the Cubs at PNC Park. Francisco Liriano and Jeff Samardzija started the game, leaving it for the bullpens to decide. It also marked the first use of expanded replay, which had been rolled out in the Arizona Fall League, when Cubs manager Rick Renteria challenged a double play in the top of the fifth inning. (The original call on the field of out at first was confirmed).

Notes: Injuries, AJ, Temp Agreements, Help the Cause

Life goes on...

• The wounded pitcher report: Steven Brault, shut down since 3/2, (shoulder) isn't throwing yet, Clay Holmes, injured on 2/29, (foot fracture) is throwing from 75-90' on one knee, and Jameson Taillon (TJ surgery) is throwing from 120'; he was at 90' during camp. Needless to add, Brault and Holmes both would have missed original Opening Day by quite a bit.
• AJ Burnett visited 93.7 The Fan and had some solid tidbits to drop in his chat w/Dan Zangrilli. Among other topics, he compared the old days to today, tipped his cap to Frankie, and said he'd like a shot at coaching - for the Pirates, of course. Jason Mackey of the Post Gazette transcribed the highlights.

AJ - 2013 Topps Archives

• MLB and MLBPA agreed on a couple of things: The season can start when crowd/travel restrictions are lifted, and the medicos give their OK. They also agreed on a myriad of other topics (pay, rosters, service time, draft, etc); Jay Jaffe of Fangraphs has the rundown. One agreement that allows players to accrue service time w/o play bites teams like the Pirates that field a young roster and see both years of control and arb time tick away, and also bangs clubs that picked up expiring contracts.
• Steven Brault did his bit to help the cause, singing in a virtual music funder to raise CV funds. The Pirates players, as usual, have been good citizens, paying for hospital meals (well, pizza), making contributions to first responders, etc while the team has donated food and money through its Pirates Charities arm, and the effort filters all the way down to Bradenton..

3/30 Through the 1900’s: HBD to Tom, George, Ripper, Happy, Hal, Dutch & Ed

• 1857 - IF/manager Tom Burns was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. After spending the first 12 years of his career playing for Chicago clubs, he spent his final campaign as a player/manager of the Pirates in 1892. Though the team was considered a contender with two future Hall of Famers on the roster in Joe Kelley and Jake Beckley, it started slowly and after putting up a 25–30 record, Burns was axed in favor of Al Buckenberger (he led them them to a too-late 53-41 slate). Tom moved on to manage in the minors, spent a couple of seasons as the skipper of the Chicago Orphans and finished his baseball career in 1901 as a farm club boss. 

GVH - 1909 Sunday Oregonian/Harry Murphy

• 1866 - OF George Van Haltren was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He played briefly for the Pirates in 1892-93, hitting .325, but was deemed expendable because of a deep Pittsburgh outfield. A borderline HoF player, Van Haltren was sold to the New York Giants, where he spent the next decade putting up a .321 BA. He started his career as a pitcher, and in 1888 tossed a rain-shortened no-hitter against the Alleghenys. 
• 1879 - Utilityman Arthur “Dutch” Meiers was born in St. Louis. A two-sport star at Princeton, Dutch spent just one year in the show, playing behind Honus Wagner and Fred Clarke in 1906. He hit a respectable .256 and got into 82 games. He earned his spot during the previous off-season when Meier showed his stuff by joining the team for exhibition and barnstorming games. After his Pittsburgh stint, he played for a variety of semi-pro clubs and served as baseball coach for his alma mater. And maybe even for his old team - it's speculated that Meier may have played a few more times with the Pirates under a number of assumed names since he appears in team pictures as late as the 1912 season. 
• 1897 - IF Ed Sicking was born in St. Bernard, Ohio. Ed spent four years in the show as a backup infielder for four different clubs, then spent six years with Indianapolis of the American Association. He opened the 1927 campaign with the Bucs, got into six games, going one-for-seven, and was sent back to Indy in early May. Though he didn’t leave much a mark in MLB, Sicking was a pro ball lifer, spending 17 years fielding hot shots (12 seasons in the AA) before retiring in 1933 at age 36 from Class B Keokuk. 
• 1899 - IF Hal Rhyne was born in Paso Robles, California. He began his career in Pittsburgh (1926-27), coming over with Paul Waner from the San Francisco Seals, and hit .258. He was a .250 batter in his seven MLB years and a minor league lifer, spending 20 years on various farm clubs. Rhyne came to the majors with a reputation as a hitter. The back of a 1926 photo carries a caption that claimed his “magnetic eyes” made a ball look twice as large as normal. He might have been better off with a magnetic bat instead, although he did finish with a .291 career BA on the farm, playing until he was 41. 

Hal Rhyne - 1926 World Wide Sports/TSN/Conlon Collection

• 1899 - IF Bill “Happy/Gray Ghost” Evans was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He played semi-pro and indie league black ball from 1924 until the late 30s, with his longest stop in the pros being with the Homestead Grays from 1930-33. Happy played everywhere, mainly at short, second and the outfield, and was a dependable stick guy with one of the strongest arms in black baseball. He spent his last pro campaign in 1937 with Homestead’s crosstown rivals, the Pittsburgh Crawfords. He was called the Gray Ghost because of the his speed & defense and Happy due to his disposition. Evans is still in the news today, or at least his bloodline is - he’s the great-great uncle of Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s better half. 
• 1904 - 1B Jim “Ripper” Collins was born in Altoona. He made his name as a hard-hitting prankster of the Gas House Gang and spent his last MLB campaign as a Pirate in 1941 after taking a two-year hiatus in the PCL at Los Angeles. The Bucs brought him in to share some Elbie Fletcher’s workload at first, but at age 37 Collins’ best days were behind him and he batted just .211 in 49 games, mostly pinch-hitting. He stayed with the organization for several years as a player/manager at Class A Albany. Cort Vitty of SABR, citing The Sporting News, wrote “The nickname Ripper developed during an on-field incident that occurred when Jimmy was a young player. A ball rocketed off his bat and struck a nail protruding from the outfield fence; it caused the cover to partially tear. When asked who hit the ball, the retrieving outfielder saw the ball hanging and said, ‘It was the ripper.’”

3/30 From 1950: Long Opener; David, Brian, Ricardo Deals; Omar Signed; RIP Deacon; HBD Mike & Dan

• 1952 - Deacon Phillippe passed away. The righty tossed 12 seasons (1900-11) for the Bucs with a 168-92-11/2.50 line, winning 20 games six times and never suffering through a losing season. He won three World Series games against Boston in 1903, beating Cy Young in the opener and tossing five complete games. Toward the end of his career, he worked six shutout innings in the 1909 Series against Detroit. In 1969, Pirates fans voted him as Pittsburgh's top all-time right-handed pitcher. 

Deacon - 1910 Sweet Caporal

• 1969 - Panamanian OF Omar Moreno was signed by the Pirates’ Howie Haak as a 16-year-old amateur free agent. Moreno, who was with the Pirates from 1975-82, led the 1979 World Series club in runs and hits. The speedster, known as The Antelope, set the single-season Pirates record for stolen bases with 96 in 1980, and his 412 steals with the team ranks third overall behind Max Carey and Honus Wagner. Omar still works as a special assignment coach and spring instructor for the Bucs.
• 1979 - LHP Mike Johnston was born in Philadelphia. A 20th round pick in the 1998 draft, he made his big league debut on April 7th, 2004, along with fellow farmhand Jose Castillo against the Phils; Mike got his first whiff and Jose his first hit. Johnston made it until June with the big club, being sent down after going 0-3/4.37. He made one more appearance in 2005 and that was his last MLB outing. He tore his labrum in 2006 at Indianapolis, missed 2007-08 and was released by the White Sox in 2009. Mike gave indie ball a final shot at age 33 in 2012 to close his career. 
• 1985 - LHP Dan Runzler was born in Santa Monica, California. He signed with the Bucs for the 2017 season and was a September call up, getting in eight games with no decisions and a 4.50 ERA after spending the summer at Indy. That was his last MLB duty; he’s been with Tampa, Boston and in the indie leagues since. 
• 1997 - The Pirates purchased LHP Ricardo Rincon from the Mexico City Reds. In 1997-98, he went 4-10-18/3.17 for the Bucs and was then traded to Cleveland for Brian Giles in one of Pittsburgh’s better baseball deals. He’ll be remembered here for combining with Francisco Cordoba on a 10-inning 1997 no-hitter. Ricardo played on the Mexican WBC teams in 2006 & 2009, retiring from the Mexican League in 2012. 
• 2002 - RHP Brian Meadows signed as a minor league free agent with the Pirates. He was called up mid-season and lasted four years with the club, converting from a starter to a reliever who made 133 appearances in his last two seasons with Pittsburgh. Meadows went 8-12-2 with a 4.20 ERA from 2002-05. He lasted one more year with Tampa Bay before retiring. 

Brian Meadows - 2005 Fleer Tradition

• 2005 - The Bucs bought C David Ross from the Dodgers. Ross got into 40 games (35 behind the dish) and hit .222. It was fairly early in his 15-year career and he was just 28, but that made him the graybeard, behind 26-year-old Humberto Cota & a pair of 24-year-old up-and-comers, Ryan Doumit and Ronny Paulino. Ross was sent to San Diego at the deadline for SS JJ Furmaniak to help break the logjam. 
• 2018 - In their earliest-ever season opener (and it started even sooner the next year), the Pirates see-sawed to a 13-10 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park. Ivan Nova twice worked out of bases-loaded, no-out jams, but relievers Michael Feliz and Felipe Rivero were bashed for four runs each, Feliz in 2/3-IP and Rivero failing to get an out in the ninth, blowing a 10-6 lead and sending the game into extra innings. Josh Smoker and game-winner Steven Brault held off Motown until Gregory Polanco bashed a three-run homer in the 13th, set up by two-out singles by Adam Frazier and Josh Harrison. Frazier, Polanco and Josh Bell each had three hits; Harrison, Starling Marte and Fran Cervelli collected a pair of raps. El Coffee had four RBI while Bell and Cervy each knocked home three. Harrison and Polanco scored three times apiece. It was, unsurprisingly, the longest Opener in Bucco history, lasting five hours and 27 minutes.

3/29 Through the 1970’s: McEnaney Trade; Lots of HBD's - Danny, Sean, Bob, Mike, Hank & Bob

• 1865 - RHP Hank Gastright was born in Covington, Kentucky. He had been a workhorse for the Columbus Colts for the first three years of his career, had a rough campaign with Washington and then in 1893 had a bounceback year, starting out with Pittsburgh. The Pirates didn’t use him much as he went 3-1/6.25 in nine games into July, when he was released and claimed by Boston, where he pitched a little better but with lots more luck, going 12-4/5.13; his combined 15-5 record was the best winning percentage in the National League that year. He had one more campaign left in him and tossed a farewell game in 1896 for his hometown Cincinnati Reds. Trivia: Gastright threw a no-hitter in 1890 for Columbus but it’s not considered an official no-no. It missed the books because the game was called after eight innings due to darkness. 

Bob Steele - 1913 photo Moose Jaw Robin Hood/Western Canadian League

• 1894 - LHP Bob Steele was born in Cassburn, Ontario. Steele hurled for the Bucs from 1917-18, when they had some fairly poor clubs. He was 7-14, but his ERA was 2.87. Pittsburgh sold him to the Giants during the 1918 campaign, and 1919 was his last big league season. He did make the record books (albeit Canadien) when he tossed a no-hitter for the Moose Jaw Robin Hoods against the Calgary Bronchos (sic) in the Class D Western Canadian League in 1913. 
• 1961 - OF Mike Kingery was born in St. James, Minnesota. Mike closed out his 10-year MLB career with the Bucs in 1996, signing on as a $750K free agent at the age of 35. He became their part-time center fielder, hitting .246 before retiring to Minnesota to raise his family and begin the Solid Foundation Baseball School. 
• 1962 - Pirates owner Bob Nutting was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He’s CEO of Ogden Newspapers Inc. and owner of Seven Springs Mountain Resort along with being the Chairman of the Board and principal owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had been repping the Nutting interests in the Bucs since 2002, when his dad Ogden was a shareholder of the Kevin McClatchy team. Educated at Williams College (despite his background, he majored in History, not Finance/Econ), he’s married with three kids and often the target of frustrated Pirates fans who believe he should loosen the pursestrings. Get used to his bottom line ways; he’s already turned down at least three local bids to sell the club. 
• 1971 - RHP Sean Lowe was born in Dallas, Texas. Lowe had been a White Sox long man/spot starter for three seasons when he arrived in Pittsburgh in 2002 with Kip Wells and Josh Fogg as part of the Todd Ritchie deal. After going 4-2/5.35, he was released in September. He finished the campaign with Colorado, tossed for KC in 2003 and that ended his seven-year stint in MLB. 

Danny Kolb - photo 2007 Matt Robinson/Pittsburgh Skyline

• 1975 - RHP Danny Kolb was born in Sterling, Illinois. The Pirates signed the eight-year vet to a minor league deal in 2007; the 32-year-old didn’t break camp with the club, but was called up in June, got into three games, gave up three runs on six hits in three innings and was DFA’ed back to the minors. He refused to report and became a FA, signing with Boston. The Red Sox released him early in 2008, making Pittsburgh his last MLB stop. 
• 1978 - The Pirates sent RHP Tim Jones to the Expos for LHP Wil McEnaney. The deal was a wash - Jones bombed in AAA and retired, while McEnaney was shelled in Pittsburgh (10.38 ERA) and sent to AAA Columbus, where he was released at the end of the season after posting a 6.24 ERA. He was fighting drug & drinking demons in 1977-78, triggered by a divorce and the death of his mom, but after a car wreck and under the wing of his future second wife, Cindy, he flew straight once again and has been leading a clean life ever since.

3/29 From 1980: Varsho, Smith, Carrasco Deals; Anderson 5th Man; Hughes Cut; No Deal; Tracy Moves

• 1991 - In a depth swap, the Pirates traded Steve Carter to the Chicago Cubs for Gary Varsho. OF Carter, who had a couple of short Pittsburgh stays, never appeared in MLB again. Varsho hit .249 as a bench bat for the Bucs, was waived and claimed by the Reds for the next season, and returned to the coop in 1994. 

Gary Varsho - 1992 Studio

• 1994 - After being released the day before, Gary Varsho signed a $243,750 contract for a second go-around with the club, which he had played for in 1991-92 before joining the Reds. In his three years with the club, Gary batted .251 as a pinch hitter and extra outfielder. He returned one more time to serve as John Russell’s bench coach in 2008 before being let go in 2010, shortly before JR was shown the door. He came back to the fold in 2016 as a Bucco scout. 
• 1997 - The Pirates traded OF Trey Beamon and C Angelo Encarnacion to the San Diego Padres for 1B/OF Mark Smith and minor-league RHP Hal Garrett. It was a wash; Beaman had a couple of decent seasons from the pine while Smith hit .285 with nine homers off the bench for the Bucs in 1997 but faded in 1998. Smith’s highlight came in 1997 when he drilled a homer in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Pirates a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros at TRS, ending the first extra-inning, combined no-hitter (Francisco Cordoba, Ricardo Rincon) in MLB history. 
• 1999 - RHP DJ Carrasco, 33, signed a one-year/$950K free agent deal with the Pirates. He continued his workmanlike ways with a 2-2/3.88 slash. That performance earned him a deadline ticket to Arizona with Ryan Church and Bobby Crosby via the trade route for Pedro Ciriaco, Chris Snyder and cash. 
• 2000 - The Pirates picked Jimmy Anderson to break camp as their fifth starter and cut veteran LHP Pete Schourek, eating the final $2M of his contract. Schourek wasn’t taken by surprise; he was coming off a poor, injury-hindered 1999 and had been on the trade market for a couple of weeks. The Pirates suits thought Anderson had more upside, but a couple of the team leaders weren’t sold. Kevin Young said “A lot of the veteran players are disturbed...We don’t want people rewarded for mediocrity.” Brian Giles added that “He (Schourek) busts his butt. With Jimmy, you don’t know that...Jimmy needs to learn how to work and make himself better. From what we’ve seen, we haven’t seen him make that commitment.” As it ended up, Anderson’s career lasted through 2004 and he never posted a season after his ‘99 rookie campaign with an ERA south of 5.10 while Schourek tossed through 2001 for Boston, winning four games pitching to an ERA of 4.97. It ended up much ado about nothing; the Pirates wouldn’t find a fifth starter who had an ERA under five until 2011, when Kevin Correia put up a 4.72 mark. 

Craig Stays - 1996 Upper Deck Epic

• 2006 - It was a busy day at Jim Tracy’s first camp. First, the rumor mill was leaking out a UT Craig Wilson-for-RHP Joel Pineiro swap with Seattle, which eventually fell through (Piniero made twice the money that Wilson did, and went on to post an 8-13/6.36 with the Mariners during the season, so the Bucs dodged a bullet). The need for a starting pitcher was highlighted when Kip Wells, John Van Benschoten and Bryan Bullington were all placed on the DL this day. Additionally, a handful of non-pitching guys were sent to the minors, including Jose Bautista, Ronny Paulino and Mike Edwards. 
• 2017 - In a surprise move, the Pirates released RHP Jared Hughes, whom they had tendered months earlier and signed to a $2.175M contract. Hughes had been with the MLB club since 2011 and was a career-long member of the organization since 2006 when he was a fourth round draft pick. The release date had to do with a combination of declining performance and dollars; by letting him go before the season started, the Pirates were on the hook for just $695K. Hughes later signed as an FA with the Milwaukee Brewers for $950K. He followed that campaign by signing for two-years w/an option with the Reds and is now a free agent after opting out of a deal w/the ‘Stros.

3/28: Heaton, Solomon, Davis & Olivares Deals; Yankee Repeat; MLK-AS Game; RIP Cum; HBD Shark, Bryan, Bill & Steve

• 1929 - RHP Bill MacDonald was born in Alameda, California. Bill tossed for the Bucs in 1950 and again briefly in 1953, compiling an 8-11-1/4.66 mark. He had a promising debut campaign for Pittsburgh, but after missing 1951-52 while in the service, Mac never regained his form. He tossed for two seasons in the PCL and retired from baseball. 

Bill McDonald - 1951 Bowman

• 1946 - Cumberland “Cum” Posey, who owned the Homestead Grays from 1911-46, died in Mercy Hospital from cancer. He was a part-time player until 1929, and managed until 1937. Posey was a big-time owner, and his teams played regularly in Forbes Field and Washington DC’s Griffith Stadium. The Grays won eight Negro League pennants and three World Series titles under his reign. 
• 1961 - Just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, the Pirates bounced the Yankees in their first meeting since the World Series by a 9-2 score at Fort Myers’ Terry Park during a spring exhibition, played in front of an overflow crowd of 5,351 fans. Bob Friend tuned up for the season by going the distance, scattering eight hits and fanning seven. Dick Stuart and Roberto Clemente homered while Maz led the nine-hit attack with a pair of knocks. But the Bronx Bombers proved better suited for the long run - they beat the Reds in the ‘61 Fall Classic in five games while the Bucs stumbled to a 75-win, sixth-place campaign. 
• 1969 - The Pirates traded RHP Tommie Sisk and C Chris Cannizzaro to the San Diego Padres in exchange for OF Ron Davis and IF Bobby Klaus. Sisk was on the backside of his career while Davis and Klaus never became big-time performers, but Cannizzaro became an All-Star in 1969 for the expansion Padres (albeit with a .220 BA) and had a 12-year career that ended after the 1974 season. 
• 1970 - The one-time East-West Major League Baseball Classic was held at Dodger Stadium to commemorate Dr. Martin L King. Played before 31,694 fans, the Pirates were represented by Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente; other players with Pittsburgh connections were Grant Jackson, Maury Wills and Jim Fregosi (the teams were integrated, per MLK’s philosophy) while Mudcat Grant played and sang the National Anthem. The East won 5-1 (Roberto doubled, scored and chased home a run) while the game raised $30,000 for the Southern Christian Leadership Council. 
• 1975 - RHP Steve Sparks was born in Mobile, Alabama. Sparks was drafted by the Bucs in the 28th round of the 1998 draft from the U of South Alabama and tossed three times for the Pirates in 2000 during a brief mid-summer visit. He had no decisions and a 6.75 ERA in his only MLB season. Steve played two seasons after that in the upper minors, hanging ‘em up in 2002 at the age of 27. 

Tike and Steve were on the bullet list - 2000 Fleer Tradition Rookie

• 1980 - RHP Eddie “Buddy” Solomon Jr. was traded by the Atlanta Braves to the Pirates for a PTBNL, minor league RHP Greg Field. Solomon worked 1980-82 for Pittsburgh, going 17-15-1/3.58 before being traded at the deadline to Chicago for 3B Jim Morrison. Buddy died young in a car accident in Macon, Georgia, at age 34 in 1986. 
• 1985 - RHP Mark Melancon was born in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Melancon came to Pittsburgh in 2013 from the Red Sox as a versatile back-ender, working both as set-up man and closer, and earned a spot on the ‘13 All-Star team. Mark the Shark took the closer’s job full time in early 2014, saving 33 games in 37 chances. In nearly four Pirates seasons, he picked up 10 wins, 130 saves and 41 holds while posting a 1.80 ERA (2.27 FIP) in 267 appearances. He won The Sporting News & Trevor Hoffman NL reliever of the year awards in 2015. The Shark was traded to Washington at the 2016 deadline and signed with the Giants in 2017 as a free agent.
• 1987 - RHP Bryan Morris was born in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Acquired in the Jason Bay trade, he was part of the Bucco bullpen from 2012-14, going 13-8/2.61 before being dealt to Miami. Morris was otherworldly in his first season, posting an 0.66 ERA (although his 3.03 FIP was more down to earth) and finished his Fish tenure with a 2.30 ERA. He moved to San Francisco in 2017 and retired later that season to become the pitching coach for his old high school team.
• 1989 - LHP Neal Heaton was traded by the Montreal Expos to the Pirates for RHP Brett Gideon. Heaton worked four years for the Jimmy Leyland playoff teams of the early nineties and made the All-Star team in 1990. He was out of the MLB after the 1993 season and is a pitching instructor for the private All Pro Sports Academy in Bellport, NY. Gideon got into five games for the Expos in 1989-90 to end his MLB days, retired after the 1992 campaign and is now a sales rep. 

Omar Olivares - 2002 Topps series 2

• 2001 - The Pirates staff was beset by injuries, and the Bucco FO made a conditional deal with Oakland for RHP Omar Olivares, who had just been beaten out as the A’s fifth man. The 33-year-old Olivares joined his eighth team and got a dozen starts for the Pirates, going 2-7/7.12, before being sent to the pen, where he posted a 4-2-1/5.63 line, but it wasn’t enough and this would be his last MLB campaign.

3/27: Blass Released; Cangy-for-Wynn; Guerrier-for-Marte; No Deal; HBD Clay, Montana, Bill, Gary & Dave

• 1895 - RHP Bill Burwell was born in Jarbalo, Kansas. Burwell pitched but one year for the Pirates, going 1-0/5.23 in 1928, but later served as a Pirate coach and scout (1947–1948; 1958–1962). Burwell was the acting manager of the Pirates for the final game of the 1947 season after player-manager Billy Herman resigned and he beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-0. He was the pitching coach for the 1960 WS champs, and before that was a minor league assistant who helped develop Vern Law by teaching him how to change speeds and throw a changeup. 

Bill Burwell - 1966 James Elder Postcard

• 1953 - C Gary Alexander was born in Los Angeles. He had back-to-back strong seasons in 1977-78 while playing for three teams but a low BA and high K rate marked him as bench material by the time he arrived in Pittsburgh in 1981. He hit .213 as an OF/1B/PH for the Bucs in his last MLB season. Alexander was released by the Pirates as a late cut the following spring and finished out his pro career in Mexico. 
• 1956 - 1B Dave Hostetler was born in Pasadena, California. He closed out his five-year MLB run with six games played for the Pirates in 1988 after reviving his career with a two-year tour of duty in Japan. Hostetler went two-for-eight, and in May was sent to AAA Buffalo, ending his time in the show. After retirement, he stayed in sports as a regional manager for Riddell. 
• 1975 - The Pirates released RHP Steve Blass, who went from Game Seven World Series winner to a pitcher who had no idea where the ball was going once it left his hand, a condition that to this day is known as “Steve Blass disease.” Blass is now a Pirate ambassador and last lap member of the broadcast team for Root Sports (now AT&T SportsNet). In other camp news, a position shuffle saw Willie Stargell moved from LF to 1B, Richie Zisk crossed the pasture into Pops old spot and Dave Parker was slotted into right. Bob Robertson ended up with the short stick; Willie’s shift (and Robby’s aching knees) reduced Big Red to just 152 PAs during the regular season. 
• 1987 - OF John Cangelosi was traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Pirates for RHP Jim Winn. Cangelosi became a useful bench piece for the Bucs, spending four seasons in Pittsburgh with a .243 BA, while Winn worked two more years in the show. Cangelosi retired in 1999 and now operates a sports training facility in Illinois. 
• 1992 - RHP Montana DuRapau was born in Deltona, Florida. He was a 32nd round draft pick in 2014, from Bethune-Cookman College. He had a nice career in the minors, but proved his own worst enemy by getting banged twice for drug abuse, the last in 2018. He cleaned up his act, had a lights-out start at Indy, and when the Pirates went through a rash of injuries/poor performances from their bullpen, was called up in May, 2019, as a 27-year-old rookie. He got his name in the franchise highlights as the starting pitcher in the Pirates first-ever “opener” game on May 18th, a 7-2 Bucco win against San Diego. It was a rude initiation, though - Montana went 0-1/9.35 in 14 outings. 

Clay Holmes - 2018 photo Pittsburgh Pirates

• 1993 - RHP Clay Holmes was born in Dothan, Alabama. A ninth round pick of the Bucs out of high school in 2011, his career was delayed by 2014 TJ surgery. Clay finally got the call, albeit for a cup of coffee, in April of 2018, getting into one game as a mop-up man, giving up a run in two innings on two hits & two walks with a whiff before being sent back down. He continued to yo-yo between Indy and Pittsburgh during the campaign, going 1-3/6.84 In 11 outings (four starts) with major control & command issues, giving up eight walks per nine innings. Holmes started 2019 at Indy, being grooved for a bullpen role, and went 1-2/5.58 in 35 appearances after being called up in May. He again flashed MLB stuff by fanning 10 batters per contest, but with a walk rate of 6.5 per game. Clay had a strong camp before breaking his foot in an exhibition, which is healing during the MLB coronavirus break.
• 2001 - The papers speculated that the Pirates, whose FO was given the green light to increase the payroll after injuries to Kris Benson, Francisco Cordova and Jason Schmidt created the need for another pitcher, were after Brett Tomko of Seattle. But nothing came of the attempt to bolster the staff except dealing for Omar Olivares (6-9-1/6.55), who started 12 games and was sent to pen, and the free agent signing of Ramon Martinez, who got four starts that resulted in an 0-2/8.62 slash to end his MLB career. Todd Ritchie and Jimmy Anderson carried the load, with 10 other pitchers joining the rotation at one point or another behind them. Ritchie, with 11 victories, was the only double-digit game winner. 
• 2002 - The Pirates sent out-of-options LHP Damaso Marte and minor league IF Ruddy Yan to the Chicago White Sox for RHP Matt Guerrier. The Bucs would get Marte back a few years later (he spent four campaigns as a Bucco) while Guerrier never tossed for the Pirates. He spent two seasons in AAA Nashville before embarking on an 11-year, 555-outing MLB career that ended after the 2014 season.

3/26: Yates & Moose Trades; Kuwata Retires; Bravo Deal Denied; Herges-for-Young; Bucs & Sandy; HBD Josh, Eric, Morrie & Jack

• 1850 - P Morrie Critchley was born in New London, Connecticut. He honed his art as a semi-pro player before tossing as a 32-year-old rookie for the Alleghenys in 1882. Morrie did pretty well, spinning a seven-hit whitewash as he tamed Cincinnati 2-0 at the Bank Street Grounds to become the MLB’s first 30-year-old or over hurler to pitch a shutout in his first game. Despite that victory, he was released 10 days later; it seems the Allegheny directors had “strong reason to believe he was throwing games” per Major League Player Profiles, with their shackles raised after an exhibition contest where he was shellacked. Even with that stain, he was taken by the St Louis Brown Stockings six weeks later. He threw four complete games for them, but the results weren’t as shiny as he went 0-4/4.24, and that stint ended his big league career. Morrie remained in Pittsburgh, umpired briefly and then ran a local bar/hotel until he died at the age of 59. 

Jack McCarthy w/Chicago - photo 1904 Chicago Daily News

• 1869 - LF Jack McCarthy was born in Hardwick, Massachusetts. McCarthy started for the Pirates in 1898-99 and hit a robust .298. But the Pirates landed Fred Clarke, also a LF, when they absorbed the old Louisville team and sold McCarthy to the Chicago Orphans. He played until 1907 and had a lifetime .287 BA. He managed in the minors for a while after retiring, then finished his days as a Chicago courthouse employee. Fun fact: On April 26th, 1905, as a Cub, McCarthy became the first fielder to throw out three runners at home plate, doing the deed against his old mateys, the Pittsburgh Pirates. 
• 1963 - The LA Dodgers' Sandy Koufax surrendered two homers and was touched for six runs while whiffing nine Buccos in seven innings during a spring tune-up. It was not an omen of things to come. In 40 starts that season, Koufax gave up six runs in an outing once, going 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA, winning the Cy Young Award and earning a World Series ring. The Bucs did get to the Hall-of-Fame lefty better than most during that campaign, going 1-1 against him in three starts and scoring over three runs per game. 
• 1981 - IF Josh Wilson was born in Pittsburgh and played prep ball at Mt. Lebanon High along with Don Kelly. As a Blue Devil, he won the 1998 PIAA Championship and was the PA Player of the Year. He was only with the hometown organization briefly at Indy in 2008 but played in eight big-league campaigns for nine teams (with three stops at Arizona). Wilson earned the nickname “Paperboy” not so much because he delivered (his lifetime BA was .229) but as a nod to his youthful appearance. Josh was the son of one of the area’s top baseball icons - his dad, Mike, was a long-time coach with stops at Mt Lebanon HS (he coached up Josh & Don), Pitt & Duquesne, and also was a player, coach, & manager in the semi-pro Greater Pittsburgh Federation Baseball League for more than 20 years. 2017 was his last hurrah as a player and Wilson is a scout for the Tigers now. 
• 1983 - RHP Eric Hacker was born in Duncanville, Texas. The Pirates got the reliever from the New York Yankees for Romulo Sanchez in 2009. He spent most of his time at AAA Indianapolis, getting a September call up and making his MLB debut on September 22nd. He toed the slab for three Bucco outings, giving up two runs on four hits in three frames. Eric got a couple more cups of coffee in the show and then headed across the pond, pitching in Korea from 2013-18. 

Eric Hacker - photo 2009 Dave Arrigo/Pirates

• 1988 - C Mackey Sasser and RHP Tim Drummond were traded to the NY Mets for minor leaguer Scott Henion and 1B Randy “Moose” Milligan, a 26-year-old selected as The Sporting News’ 1987 Minor League Player of the Year. Milligan hit .220 for the Bucs before having some solid seasons at Baltimore while Sasser caught the next six seasons for the Mets, batting .286 for NY over that span. Drummond worked 43 more games in the bigs, with a 3-5-2/4.35 line. 
• 2003 - The Pirates released RHP Matt Herges, for whom they had traded RHP Chris Young to the Padres in December. SD reclaimed Herges on April 1st, in effect keeping their reliever and getting a young front-line pitcher for free from Pittsburgh’s GM Dave Littlefield. Herges pitched until 2009 and Young, despite a boatload of injuries, started 221 career games and tossed into 2017 until moving on to become an administrator for MLB. 
• 2006 - The day’s hot topic was a deal brewing between Atlanta and Pittsburgh featuring a straight 1B/OF Craig Wilson-for-RHP John Thompson swap, with the Bravos also showing interest in expanding the talks to include Salomon Torres. It eventually led nowhere, with all the players remaining in place for the season, which was an overall win for Pittsburgh. The Pirates starters were terrible in 2006, but Thompson’s 2-7/4.82 campaign for the Braves wouldn’t have helped to right that ship. Wilson hit .267 with 13 HR off the bench while Torres was a bullpen ironman, getting the ball 94 times and going 3-6-12/3.28 over the year. 
• 2008 - The Pirates traded minor league RHP Todd Redmond to the Atlanta Braves for reliever Tyler Yates. Fastballer Yates went 6-5 in two seasons with Pirates, pitching to a 5.08 ERA before arm surgery derailed his career. Redmond finally got a shot at Toronto in 2013 and was effective in 2014 after being converted to the pen. He got beat up in 2015 at Toronto and spent most of the year in AAA. 2016 was his last pro season when he was released by Baltimore in April. 

Masumi Kuwata - 2007 Topps Rookie 1952 series

• 2008 - RHP Masumi Kuwata, the first Japanese player ever signed by the Pirates and a legend in his homeland, retired. Kuwata, who was a week shy of 40-years-old, had a 1.80 ERA in five innings in the spring but hadn’t pitched since March 18th and chose to retire when it became clear that he wouldn’t make the Pirates' opening-day roster. Per Japanese tradition, Kuwata walked to the McKechnie Field mound about an hour after the Tigers-Pirates exhibition game ended and without stepping on the white-painted pitching rubber, placed a ball on it. He made his major league debut at Yankee Stadium on June 9th, 2005 and was 0-1/9.43 in 19 games before his final MLB appearance on August 13th. Kuwata was the oldest player to make his first major league appearance since 41-year-old Diomedes Olivo, also for the Pirates, in 1960.

3/25: Jay Bell & Vanimal Deals; Maz Hurt, Freese & El Coffee Signed; Jack Makes the Lineup; HBD Lee

• 1953 - The Pirates signed IF Gene Freese to a minor league contract. The 19-year-old from Wheeling made it the hard way; he was one of 21 to survive a local try-out at Forbes Field, then was culled from a pack of about 70 players who were worked out at minor league camp. He was assigned to Class D Brunswick and jumped quickly to Class B Burlington, then in ‘54 started out at AA New Orleans. From there, he went to Hollywood of the Pacific Coast League and debuted with Pittsburgh later in 1955 as a 21-year-old. Gene used that as a launching pad to an 11-year MLB career, spending six of those seasons with the Bucs.

Gene Freese - 1958 Topps

• 1955 - OF Lee Mazzilli was born in New York City. Mazzilli spent four of his 14 seasons as a Pirate, playing fairly regularly for his first two years (1983-’86) and hitting .244 overall. In 1986, the Mets were rumored to have offered Ray Knight (who was nearing the end of his career) for Mazzilli, but the Pirates turned them down. The Bucs released Lee in July when he was hitting just .226 and he joined NY for free while Knight batted .298 with one more solid ‘87 campaign still left in him. 
• 1965 - Camp isn’t all fun and games. Bill Mazeroski broke a bone in his right foot on this day and was out of the Bucco lineup until May. He came back to hit .271 and earned another Golden Glove for his trophy case. It was the only time between 1964-67 that he didn’t appear in every game, and Maz still played in 130 contests after his foot healed. 
• 1989 - The Pirates sent SS Felix Fermin and UT Denny Gonzalez to Cleveland for SS Jay Bell to complete a PTBNL deal from November 28th, 1988. Bell manned the SS spot for eight years and earned an All-Star berth in 1993 for the Bucs. He returned to the team in 2013 as their batting coach before moving on to the Reds. Fermin played eight more years in the AL, starting several years for the Indians. Gonzalez got into eight more MLB games after the deal and closed out his career with stints in Japan and Mexico. 
• 2001 - Manager Lloyd McClendon officially announced that 23-year-old Jack Wilson was going to start the season at shortstop, bumping veteran Pat Meares to second base. Solid choice; Wilson held the job until he was traded in 2009, hitting .269 and winning an All-Star berth in 2004. Jumping Jack Flash was sent to Pittsburgh in 2000 by the Cards for LHP Jason Christiansen. For Meares, it was the end of the road - a nagging hand injury led to a battle royale with the club over treatment, and he got into just 86 games during the campaign, his last as a MLB’er, playing out his $15M contract on the DL through 2003. 

Gregory Polanco - 2018 Stadium Club

• 2009 - Pirates Latin American scouts Rene Gayo and Rene Ellis signed a skinny 17-year-old kid who they envisioned as making the jump from pitcher to outfielder for $175,000. The vision became reality - the beanpole was Gregory Polanco and he’s been on patrol in Pittsburgh’s pasture since 2014. Although the promise has yet to catch up with the performance, he did a little better at the negotiating table in 2017, signing a five-year/$35M contract with two team option years worth $26M. He was injured during an awkward late season slide late in 2018 and returned before he was 100% in 2019, playing in only 42 games. He looked ready to go at camp, but the 2020 season may not be ready for him (or any player).
• 2014 - RHP Vance Worley was purchased from the Minnesota Twins. After going 1-5 with a 7.21 ERA in 2013, Vanimal started out at Indianapolis and following some tinkering with his arm angle, he was called up to start on June 15th to replace injured Francisco Liriano. He finished the campaign with an 8-4 record and 2.85 ERA. After a 4-6/4.02 line in 2015, he was released and went to Baltimore. He’s now a FA, having not pitched in a MLB organization since 2018.

3/24 Through the 1960’s: Jeter Joins; HBD Gus, Gentleman George, Mike, Pat & Al

• 1869 - RHP Al Lawson was born in London, England. His MLB career consisted of three 1890 starts, two with the Alleghenys. He wasn’t exactly a poster boy for Brit baseball; he went 0-2, giving up 20 runs (10 earned) in 10 IP on 15 hits and 10 walks. Al played pro ball from 1888-95 and then managed in the minors from 1905 to 1907. In 1908 he started a new baseball league known as the Union Professional League, which quickly floundered (His brother George founded the United States League in 1910, which also died a rapid death). But he had a second career as an aviation advocate, publishing air industry magazines, founding Lawson Aircraft, and was credited by some as the guy who came up with the idea of commercial airliners. Moving on, he later wrote books, developed an out-there philosophy known as “Lawsonomy” and founded his own religion, all of which were fairly popular for a spell in the Upper Midwest. 

Mike Mowrey - 1914 pennant

• 1884 - 3B Harry “Mike” Mowrey was born in Brown's Mill, Pennsylvania. Mike had a 13 year MLB career, spending a pair of seasons in Pittsburgh. He hit .254 as a Pirate in 1914 and .280 for the Federation League’s Pittsburgh Rebels the following year. Mowrey’s forte was as a defender; he was considered the most accomplished hot corner fielder in baseball and especially sharp against the bunt, a major offensive tool during the dead ball era. Mike’s real first name was Harry; he became Mike thanks to his brother. Mowrey’s dad was sheriff and ran the jail; vagrants were often housed in the cells overnight. Young Harry was friendly with one of his dad’s guests named Mike and so his brother called Harry “Mike the Hobo” after his incarcerated bud from that time forward. 
• 1893 - “Gentleman George” Sisler was born in Manchester, Ohio. After a Hall-of-Fame career at 1B mainly w/the St. Louis Browns, he joined the Dodgers in 1942 as a coach & evaluator. When Branch Rickey moved to the Pirates in 1951, Sisler tagged along. He helped several hitters, notably Roberto Clemente, whom he counseled to keep his head quiet and to use a heavier bat. Sisler stayed on with the Pirates after Rickey left as a roving hitting instructor. His sons, Dick & Dave Sisler, were MLB’ers. Dick spent eight years in the show and later managed the Cincinnati Reds while Dave had a seven-year career as a pitcher. George got his nicknames of “Gentleman” and “Gorgeous” because of his demeanor and looks; he was also known to a lesser degree as “Sizzler” and “The Picture Player.” 
• 1906 - C Art “Pat” (Patrick was his middle name) Veltman was born in Mobile, Alabama. Veltman had a six-year MLB career that consisted of coffee klatches; he played just 23 games over that span, his final dozen as a Pirate in 1934, going 3-for-28 (.107). He was released in midseason to return to the Pacific Coast League Oakland Oaks (the team the Pirates drafted him from after the 1933 campaign), where he finished out the season as manager. He played three more years in the PCL and Western Association afterward and then retired from baseball. 
• 1907 - 1B/OF Augustine “Gus” Dugas was born in St. Jean de Matha, Quebec. The reserve hit .250 in 1930 & 1932 (he broke his jaw in 1931) as a Bucco before he was sent to Philly as part of the Freddie Lindstrom trade. “Lefty” (his threw and hit from the left side), along with fellow Quebec-born major leaguers Tim Harkness, Raymond Daviault, Georges Maranda, Ron Piché, Claude Raymond, and Jean-Pierre Roy, threw the ceremonial first pitch before the inaugural Montreal Expos game at Olympic Stadium on April 15th, 1977. 

John Jeter - 1970 Topps

• 1965 - OF Johnny Jeter was selected off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles; he had originally been signed by the Pirates in 1964 out of Grambling and had been lost to the Birds in November. Johnny was unfortunately a guy who was easily exposed. Playing two years for the Bucs and six overall in the show, during the three seasons that he batted fewer than 100 times, he hit over .300, but in the three campaigns with 100+ at bats, he never hit higher than .240.

3/24 From 1980: Bo's Walk Year; #4; Slugger Stamp; RIP Mace; HBD Corey & Chris

• 1982 - 1B/OF Corey Hart was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Pirates signed Hart to a one-year/$2.5M contract for the 2015 campaign, taking a risk that he would recover from microsurgery on his knee and fill a hole at first base. The club rolled snake eyes; Corey got into just 35 games battling shoulder & knee injuries, batted .222, and retired prior to the 2016 season. The two-time All-Star is now a minor league hitting coach for Toronto. 

Corey Hart - 2015 Topps

• 1991 - The Pirates president, Carl Barger, GM Larry Doughty and skipper Jim Leyland held a three-hour, closed door meeting discussing the Bucs “State of the Union” per the report of Bob Hertzel of the Pittsburgh Press. A major topic was the future of Bobby Bonilla, who was in his walk year and could be signed, traded, or lost to free agency. Hertzel said the rumor mill was percolating, with the Yankees 1B Kevin Maas & OF Roberto Kelly, the Mariners 1B Tino Martinez & old Bucco property OF Jay Buhner, the Braves P John Smoltz & OF Dave Justice and a couple of days later, the Cubs Mark Grace & Jerome Walton, on the Pirates’ wish list of possible matches. But no match was made, and Bobby Bo left the Bucs empty-handed after putting up an All Star line of .302/18/100 in ‘91 to sign with the Mets. 
• 1993 - Utilityman Chris Bostick was born in Rochester, New York. A well-traveled minor league depth guy, Pittsburgh became his fourth organization in 2017 and after some good stick work at Indy, he got his first call to the show for a May cup of coffee, then a longer September look, batting .296 overall in 20 games for the Pirates. He got a couple of more tastes in ‘18 before going to Miami; he's now with the Orioles. 
• 2002 - RHP Mace Brown passed away in North Carolina at the age of 92. Brown was one of the earliest dedicated relievers for the Pirates, appearing 207 times from the bullpen from 1935-41. He also started 55 games over that span and ended up credited retroactively with 29 saves as a Pirate (a closer wouldn’t be a thing for several more decades; a save wasn’t even kept as a stat until 1969) to go with 18 complete games and two shutouts. 
• 2006 - At Mickey Mantle's Restaurant & Sports Bar in New York City, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled the "Baseball Sluggers" postage stamps which were issued on July 15th at Yankee Stadium prior to the game against the White Sox. The four Hall of Famers featured in the set had roots in New York with Mickey Mantle (Yankees), Mel Ott (Giants) and Roy Campanella (Dodgers) playing their entire careers in the Big Apple, and the fourth, Hank Greenberg, had set schoolboy records at James Monroe High School in the Bronx. Greenberg spent his final season (1947) in Pittsburgh where he mentored slugger Ralph Kiner.

• 2014 - The Pirates announced that the team would wear #4 patches all season to commemorate slugger Ralph Kiner, who died on February 6th. Kiner led the NL in home runs for seven straight years (1946-52) and MLB for six consecutive seasons (1947-52), both records. He was selected for the All-Star Game in six straight seasons, from 1948-53, and entered the Hall of Fame in 1975.

3/23: Bunning Cover Boy; RIP Don; HBD Wendell, Lanny, Johnny, Mike, Hooks, Frenchy, Danny & Slappy

• 1868 - OF/P Elmer “Mike” Smith was born in Pittsburgh’s North Side. Smith was a pitcher that was converted to the OF after his arm wore down. He played from 1892-97, then briefly again in 1901, for the Pirates. He was a good hitter with a .325 BA, .415 OBP and 136 OPS+ during his Bucco years. In 1893 he scored 121 runs and drove in 103 runs. He led the team in 1894 with a .357 BA and, in 1896, he hit .362 with a .454 OBP. Smith, converted to the OF by his Bucco time, also tossed for the Pirates in 1892, going 6-7/3.62. He remained a local boy after his 14-year career in MLB (he kept a North Side home on Madison Avenue) working as an inspector for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Highways. When he died, he was buried in North Side’s Union Dale Cemetery. 

Mike Smith - Ars Longa Art Card

• 1885 - OF Danny Moeller was born in DeWitt, Iowa. Danny began his career playing 47 games in 1907-08 for Pittsburgh, batting .219. He sharpened his skills in the bushes afterward (and picking up the nickname “Rochester Rambler” for his time spent with that club), returning to the show in 1912 to begin a five-year run with Washington and a brief stint with Cleveland. He did start four years for the Senators, batting leadoff while sporting a fine glove and strong arm, tho he became the first MLB player to strike out 100 times in a season when he whiffed 112 times in 1912. Danny’s career was short-circuited by a chronic shoulder dislocation. 
• 1886 - RHP Cy “Slappy” Slapnicka was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He pitched pro ball from 1906-20, working 10 games in MLB. His last stint was with the 1918 Pirates, who bought his contract from Birmingham of the Southern Association in late June. Slappy, then 32, went 1-4/4.74 in seven outings (six starts) and was released. Though he did have a long and solid career in the bushes, Slapnicka made his name after he retired. He did a little administrating and minor league managing but was a big-time scout for the Indians, signing Bob “Rapid Robert” Feller, Roger Maris, Herb Score, Lou Boudreau, Bobby Avila and several other A-Listers. 
• 1893 - RHP Remy “Ray/Frenchy” Kremer was born in Oakland, California. Kremer pitched 10 seasons for the Pirates (1924-33), his only MLB club, and went 143-85/3.76, winning 20 games twice, leading the NL in ERA in 1926 and 1927 and claiming a pair of victories in the 1925 World Series. What's more amazing is that he didn't make his major league debut until he was 31 years old after spending nine campaigns in the Pacific Coast League! But he didn’t come with a senior discount; the Pirates, in battle with the Cubs for his services, sent pitchers George Boehler and Earl Kuntz, infielder Spencer Andrews, and a reported $20,000 to the Oaks in exchange for Kremer, who also got a little slice of the pie after he threatened to hold out after the deal. 
• 1905 - OF Harold “Hooks” (he had noticeably bowed legs) Tinker was born in Birmingham, Alabama, but migrated to Pittsburgh with his family in 1917. He played sandlot for the Edgar Thompson team, then for the Pittsburgh Monarchs. Hooks joined the Pittsburgh Crawfords in 1928, playing center field and acting as assistant player-manager of the team, he was said to have discovered Josh Gibson. Tinker was on the team when it was sold to Gus Greenlee in 1931, but when faced with Greenlee's decree to "work or play," Tinker chose to leave the team and keep his mill job to support his family. Hooks answered to a second calling and became a highly respected reverend in the Hill District. 

Wendell Smith - photo Teenie Harris/Hall of Fame

• 1914 - Writer Wendell Smith was born in Detroit. After his graduation from West Virginia State in 1937, where he pitched and played basketball, Smith began his career with the Pittsburgh Courier, then perhaps the most influential black paper in the country. Smith, as a baseball writer and sports editor, covered the Homestead Grays, Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Pirates. In 1947, he went to the Chicago Herald-American and later, the Sun-Times. He also became a WGN-TV sports anchor. He chronicled the early days of Jackie Robinson and was reputed to be one of the industry insiders to recommend Jackie to Branch Rickey. Wendell also was a tireless advocate of baseball integration, pushing teams (including the Pirates) to try out Negro League players such as Josh Gibson. He was recognized by the BBWAA Spink’s Award in 1993. In a bit of irony, the group had turned down Smith’s membership application while he was with the Courier, though in 1948 they finally relented and admitted him as one of its earliest black members, behind only Sam Lacy. He passed away of cancer in 1972, and in 2014, was the winner of the Associated Press’ Red Smith Award. 
• 1926 - IF Johnny Logan was born in Endicott, NY. Logan spent the end of a productive 13-year career with the Pirates (1961-63) as a reserve, getting in 152 games and hitting .249. Playing mainly as a Brave, Logan batted .268 with 93 home runs, 547 runs batted in, 651 runs scored and 1,407 hits in 1,503 games. He was a four-time all-star, including three berths in a row from 1957-'59, and was on Milwaukee’s 1957 World Series-winning club. He finished his career in Japan, then did some broadcasting, scouting and took a gig building the Trans-Alaska pipeline. 
• 1948 - Pirate announcer Lanny Frattare was born in Rochester, NY. Lanny was the voice of the AAA Charleston Charlies in 1974-75, and got in the booth for a couple of Pirates games after the minor league season at Bob Prince’s invitation, getting to announce an inning or so. He was officially part of the Pirate broadcasting team from 1976-2008, starting out as Milo Hamilton’s color man, and announced over 5,000 Bucco games during those 33 seasons ("...and there was no doubt about it"), becoming the Pirates longest-tenured voice before moving on to academia. In 2008, he was nominated for the Ford Frick Award, given by the Baseball Hall of Fame for excellence in broadcasting. 
• 1968 - Jim Bunning was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Bucks In Pirate Bank.” The season didn’t work out quite as expected, though. Injuries to his groin, ankle and hip led Bunning to win just four games as he came in with his worst major league season to date with a 4-14 record and 3.88 ERA. 

Jim Bunning - 3/23/1968 TSN

• 1979 - Coach Don Osborn, 71, passed away in Torrance, California. After a minor league pitching career and some managing on the farm for the Cubs and Phils, he joined the Pirates in 1957 as a roving minor league consultant. In 1963, Osborn was named pitching coach of the Pirates, and he served three stints in that post (1963–64, 1970–72, and 1974–76) mostly under Danny Murtaugh, with minor league duties in between big league gigs. Osborn was named pitching coach once again after the 1978 season by Chuck Tanner, but bad health led to his resignation, and he died a year later.

Notes Since Shutdown - More Cuts, CV Responses, Moves & Stuff

Stuff since the shutdown...

• The Bucs optioned a handful of guys to Indy; for a couple, they may have been short-circuited by camp closing early and available minor league options/service time than by their play. They are 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes, SS Cole Tucker, OF Jason Martin, and P's Edgar Santana, Geoff Hartlieb, Sam Howard & Yacksel Rios.

Tuck off to Indy - 2019 Panini Chronicles

• The hiatus will allow Steven Brault, Clay Holmes and even Chad Kuhl some added recovery time; whether that's a blessing or complication for roster construction remains to be seen...
• The Pirates were a healthy bunch: None of them presented any symptoms and so they weren't tested for coronavirus in Bradenton.
• The season isn't expected to open in April; it looks more like a June opening, dependent on how severe/mild the outbreak proves to be.
• The Bucco camp is closed to everyone except players and staff - no media or family. With camp quashed, the player options are return to their offseason homes, stay in their training camp towns or travel to their team's home city. The Bucs scattered, though a few players and some of the coaching staff stayed in Florida to work out.
• Bryan & Blair Reynolds are expecting a child. Congrats! 

The happy couple droppin' a hint...

• Tho it was shuffled and short-circuited, Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors has the Pirates Offseason Review. Some baseball stuff did happen, ya know...
• Minor leaguers who were in camp are getting a $400/week allowance until their original start date of April 8th; it's pending after that. Park employees are being paid out of a $30M fund that the teams are putting together. More compensation issues are down the road, but the first patch has been applied.
• Jared Hughes was released by the Astros, reportedly at his own request after hitting his opt-out date.
• The Nats released reliever Hunter Strickland, 31,who was a Pirates property through 2012 and has put six MLB seasons under his belt since.

3/22: Ump Show; Spring Dance; Bilardello Purchase; HBD Jimmy, Moose, Ike, Ramon, Beast, Goldie & Jason

• 1882 - RF Jimmy Sebring was born in Liberty, PA, near Williamsport. He played for Pittsburgh from 1902-04, hitting .261, and in 1903 became the first MLB player to homer in a World Series game when he legged out an inside-the-park four-bagger against Cy Young while hitting .333 against Boston in that first WS. The talented OF’er (he was an early “can’t miss” prospect) had a rift with the team over a couple of different incidents and was traded. He then played with a series of outlaw teams, sidetracking his promising career. Sebring was on the comeback trail when he passed away from kidney disease in 1910 at the age of 27. 

Jimmy Sebring - 2011 Tri-Star Obak

• 1902 - Coach Goldie (his given first name was Golden) Holt was born in Enloe, Texas. Holt played 23 years of minor league ball, serving as a player/manager for six of those seasons. He finally reached the majors as a Pirates coach under manager Billy Meyer from 1948–50, then scouted and managed in the farm system for the Dodgers from 1951–58. He switched to the Cubs' organization as a member of its College of Coaches experiment from 1961–65 (a disastrous rotating coach gimmick conjured up by owner Phil Wrigley), then returned to the Dodgers as a scout through the early 1980s, where he was credited with teaching Charlie Hough how to throw a knuckleball. 
• 1906 - OF Julius “Moose” Solters was born in Pittsburgh. He never played for the Pirates but was one of the better local ballplayers with one of baseball’s sadder stories. Moose (he was 6’1”, 190 lbs), the son of a Hungarian immigrant who worked at J&L Steel, went to Fifth Avenue HS. Solters played nine years in the AL for four clubs, slashing .289/89/559 and put up five double-digit homer seasons along with four 100+ RBI campaigns. In 1941, he was hit by a ball during pregame fielding drills after he had turned to wave to his in-laws in the stands. Solters suffered headaches and double vision afterward, effectively ending his baseball career, and slowly began losing his vision. He returned to his native Beltzhoover and ran a bar. Solters was also a key figure, along with Frankie Gustine, in planning and fundraising for Frank Vittor’s 1955 Honus Wagner statue. He passed away in 1975 and is buried in Hazelwood’s Calvary Cemetery. 
• 1968 - RHP Ramon Martinez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He ended his 14-year career, spent primarily with the Dodgers, as a Pirate in 2001 with four largely forgettable outings before retiring. He won 135 games over that span but was bested for family honors by his little brother, Pedro. Ramon is now pitching coach for the Orioles, specializing in developing young Latino arms. 
• 1974 - RHP Jason Phillips was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Jason was drafted out of high school by Pittsburgh in 1992 and had 17 MLB outings over parts of three seasons. He made his debut with the Pirates in 1999 with six appearances and an 11.57 ERA. The Bucs released him in 2001 and he subsequently got a couple of stints with the Indians. He ended his pro career in 2004 after a couple of years of tossing in Japan. 

Michael Morse - 2016 Topps

• 1982 - 1B Michael Morse was born in Fort Lauderdale. “The Beast” (he’s 6’5”, 245 lbs) was a third round selection of the White Sox out of high school in 2000 and the Pirates picked him up in 2015 in a trade with the Dodgers. The Pirates were the 11-year vet’s seventh team, counting LA, who flipped him before he ever played a game for them. He hit .275 in 2015 and after one outing in 2016 was released in April. He lost most of the 2017 season with the Giants due to a freak concussion after he and Jeff Samardzija accidentally banged heads during a baseball brawl with the Nats in May. The following season, he hung up the spikes and took a broadcasting gig. 
• 1987 - The Bucs purchased C Dann Bilardello from the Montreal Expos, and after a minor league stint at AAA Buffalo, he was sold back to Montreal in July. The Bucs then brought him back as a free agent signing in 1989 and he hit .225 as a bench guy. He was released after the year, signed again, and then released for good after the 1990 campaign when he hit just .054, spending both years mainly in AAA. In all, Dann played two seasons for Pittsburgh, appearing in 52 games and batting .171. 
• 1987 - 1B Ike Davis was born in Edina, Minnesota. The Bucs were hoping that Ike, who they got from the Mets in mid-April for a couple of prospects, could plug the hole at first in 2014, but 10 homers/.235 BA in 94 starts with 397 plate appearances didn’t cut it. The Pirates sold his contract to Oakland after the season and announced that Pedro Alvarez would be their first baseman in 2015. After stints with the Athletics and Yankees, Ike spent 2017 pitching (he was a standout reliever at Arizona State) in the Dodger system, but that was too little, too late, and he retired the following season. 
• 1989 - It was only spring training, but when the Phils Don Carman served up some chin music to Bobby Bonilla, the two teams erupted into a bit of basebrawl (Carman had a history with the Bucs, having bopped several in recent seasons). It was mostly a dance and debate; as Benny DiStefano said “I was looking for a fight but I couldn’t find one.” Still, plate ump Bob Davidson found reason to toss Philadelphia’s Dickie Thon (Bob Dernier had been ousted earlier for griping about a strike three call) and a boatload of Bucs - Bobby Bo, Barry Bonds, RJ Reynolds and skipper Jim Leyland. As fate would have it, the instigator, Carman, escaped the thumb. The Bucs won the match 7-6 on the strength of Gary Redus’ three-run, seventh-inning homer. 

Photo Pittsburgh Press/AP 3-23-1989

• 1990 - The umpires announced a boycott, sore that they weren’t consulted over MLB schedule changes made after the lockout, even though the new CBA wasn’t hammered out until March 19th. They returned to work on April 1st while pay, schedule consultation, and other related issues were being resolved through binding arbitration.