5/29 From 1920 Through the 1950’s: Grace Deal; Stuffy Signed; Double Your Fun Roberto; Game Stories; HBD Hitch

• 1921 - At Redland Field‚ Clyde Barnhart hit a ninth inning inside-the-park homer to tie the game with the Reds 2-2. He scampered to his first ITPHR after his ball was swallowed up by the right field tarp, considered in-play by the ground rules. It didn’t help in the long run as Pittsburgh lost 4-3 in 13 frames. But the freaky dinger did spoil what would have been the longest no-homer streak of the modern era - it was the only four-bagger that Cincy twirler Eppa Rixey allowed in 301 IP. 

Clyde Barnhart - 1921 Paul Thompson via RMY Auctions (filter ColouriseSG)

• 1922 - In a decision that was pretty big for the Pirates as well as MLB, the US Supreme Court ruled that organized baseball was a sport, not a business, and exempted it from antitrust and interstate commerce laws. 
• 1925 - 1B Jack “Stuffy” McInnis was signed as a free agent. The veteran was a reserve, getting into 106 games over two seasons, starting 64 of them. But his bat still held up; in 1925-26, he hit .337 for Pittsburgh, and .286 in the 1925 World Series against the Washington Senators. He played one more game after leaving Pittsburgh for his original club, Philadelphia, in 1927 before hanging ‘em up. 
• 1928 - 2B Norma “Hitch” Dearfield Whitney was born in McKeesport. She played fast-pitch softball as a youth and after tryouts at the hometown Renziehausen Park, Hitch got to play with the All American Girls Professional Baseball League’s Chicago Colleens in 1949 and the South Bend Blue Sox in 1950 (no stats available). An injury while with South Bend in 1950 forced her to retire. She returned home, coached girls softball and was a member of the board of directors of the McKeesport Softball League. 
• 1929 - The Pirates leapfrogged the Cubs into a first place tie with the Cards after a 7-2 win at Forbes Field, their eighth victory in a row. Paul Waner had a triple, two runs scored, and two RBI. Pie Traynor added a pair of knocks with a three-bagger and three runs chased home; Dick Bartell also had two hits. Rookie Steve Swetonic held the Cubs scoreless for seven frames before fading and got the W with help from Carmen Hill. Though the Bucs would jockey for first throughout July, they finished the campaign with 88 wins, 10-½ games behind the Cubs. A blah August (13-16) dropped them out of contention. 
• 1931 - C Earl Grace was traded by the Cubs with cash to the Pirates for C Rollie Hemsley. Grace caught five years for the Bucs and hit .275 over that span, retiring after 1937. Hemsley ended up playing 15 more seasons for five teams, hitting .262 and playing on five All-Star teams. 

Earl Grace - photo 2/28/1933 Pittsburgh Press

• 1955 - At the age of 20 years and 284 days, Roberto Clemente became the second youngest player to hit three doubles in a game in MLB history, behind the Braves’ Eddie Mathews (ironically against the Pirates in 1952). The Bucs beat the Phillies 11-5 at Forbes Field; the young Clemente was the leadoff hitter, and banged his two-baggers off three different pitchers while going 5-for-5. Every Pirate starter had a hit. Dick Groat had four knocks, Frank Thomas went long and Max Surkont got the win. It was the back end of a doubleheader. The Buccos dropped the opener 5-2; Thomas had a home run in that contest, too.