5/21 From 1940 Through the 1960’s: Expansion; Damaged Goods; Frankie Hot; Game Stories; HBD Tony & Steve

• 1940 - The Pirates had sold P Cy Blanton to the Syracuse Chiefs during the off season for $10,000 a year after he tore ligaments in his elbow. He beefed that he was “sold down the river” and threatened to hold out. Cy came around to accept the deal, but after three straight losses, the Chiefs claimed the Pirates sold them a bill of goods (they probably had; his career was more-or-less done after the injury) and tried to return him to Pittsburgh to recoup their money; the Bucs didn’t want him back. Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis finally had to call a hearing to clear up the mess and subsequently declared Blanton a free agent on this day. He signed with Philly soon afterward. 
• 1948 - Frankie Gustine went 5-for-5 to lead Pittsburgh to an 8-4 win over the Dodgers. He scored four runs and drove in a pair at Ebbets Field. 1B Max West helped the cause by blasting a two-out, three-run homer in the fifth and Fritz Ostermueller picked up the win. 

Frank Gustine - 1949 Bowman

• 1950 - The Pirates had a big day at the Polo Grounds, sweeping the NY Giants by 4-2 and 8-6 scores to even its record (tho not for long; the Bucs finished the year last with 57 wins and stayed below .500 from May 25th onward). The hero of the day was Ralph Kiner, who homered in the first game and had three hits in the nightcap, including a 475’ triple in the oddly angled ballyard. 
• 1959 - In a meeting held at Pirates owner John Galbreath’s Ohio farm, MLB owners nixed expanding its 16 team league, even though just three of the franchises were located west of the Mississippi River and both Congress & the proposed Continental League were applying pressure. That pressure to grow (and profit) was too strong to resist. In 1961 each league added a pair of teams, and now the MLB roster includes 30 clubs. 
• 1961 - Tony LaCava was born in Pittsburgh. He never made the show as a player, but won a state championship at Central Catholic HS and went on to play at Pitt. The local boy made good not in a uniform but a suit. He signed with the Bucs out of college, and after a couple of years struggling in the low minors, Tony began scouting for the Angels, Braves, Expos and Indians. The Blue Jays hired him as an assistant to the GM in 2002, and he served as GM for a season with Toronto; he’s now their VP of Baseball Operations & Assistant General Manager. LaCava, an Oakmont resident, was interviewed and considered one of the top candidates for the Bucs GM spot in 2007 that eventually went to Neil Huntington. 
• 1962 - The Bucs beat the Cubs 8-4 at Forbes Field behind the top two guys in the order, Bill Virdon and Dick Groat. The duo went 8-for-9 with a walk, two doubles, scored twice and drove in six runs. Tom Sturdivant earned the win with 6-⅓ shutout frames in relief of Earl Francis. 
• 1965 - The Bucs broke an eight game losing streak with a 6-1 win over the Phils at Forbes Field. Vern Law and Al McBean combined for a five-hitter, backed by Bill Mazeroski’s two hits and three RBI, Donn Clendenon’s three knocks and a big two-run pinch hit rap by Jerry Lynch. The Pittsburgh Press sports banner read “Brace Yourself - Pirates Win One.” Beat man Les Biederman noted “In the clubhouse, the players were shaking hands with one another and cutting up for the first time in ten days.” 

Steve Pegues - 1995 Kodak

• 1968 - OF Steve Pegues was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi. Steve joined the Bucs in 1994 after starting the year with Cincinnati and stayed through 1995, getting into 89 games and hitting .264. Steve was a toolsy guy but it never translated in the bigs. He was drafted by the Tigers in the first round of the 1987 draft (21st overall) and spent 11 years in the minors with another campaign in an indie league, but his 94-95 campaigns were his only MLB years.