6/12 Through the 1960’s: HoF Opens; Kitten Night; Game Stories; HBD Willie, Sol & Dutch

• 1868 - IF King Solomon “Sol” White was born in Bellaire, Ohio. Known as an educated and gentlemanly guy, his multi-faceted career in black baseball was launched in Pittsburgh. Per BR Bullpen: White began his career in 1887 with the Pittsburgh Keystones of the National Colored League. After the league folded, White played for Wheeling, the New York Big Gorhams, the Cuban Giants, the Page Fence Giants, the Cuban X-Giants and the Chicago Columbia Giants. In 1902, White and white sportswriter H. Walter Schlichter founded the Philadelphia Giants. For the next eight years White co-owned, managed and played for his team, one of the era's best. After leaving the Giants, White managed the Brooklyn Royal Giants and the New York Lincoln Giants. Following a period of semi-retirement, he led the Columbus Buckeyes, the Cleveland Browns and the Newark Stars. The Wilberforce grad later became a sportswriter, penned the first definitive history of early black baseball in 1907, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. 

Sol's HoF career began as a Pittsburgh Keystone

• 1884 - 2B Otto “Dutch” Knabe was born in Carrick. He got a cup of coffee with the hometown Buccos in 1905 and then returned in 1916, the last season of his 12-year career. He was out of shape, and the Bucs sent him to the Cubs in June, where he finished out as a player/coach. In between, though, he and SS Mickey Doolan formed one of the slickest and competitive DP combos in the league with Philadelphia. He played/managed in the minors through 1922, ran a pool hall/gambling den (it was reported that he was going to bet on the “Black Sox” in the 1919 World Series, was tipped that the fix was in and switched his money to the Reds) and later a bar in Philadelphia. “Dutch” was a play on Deutsch, or German. 
• 1904 - LHP Willie Foster was born in Lorman, Mississippi. One of the top southpaws of his era (and perhaps any other), he pitched for the Homestead Grays in 1932 (8-1/2.08) and the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1-2) in 1936 on his way to the Hall of Fame. Willie later became an associate dean and coached at Alcorn State, where the Foster Baseball Field at McGowan Stadium, home for Braves baseball, is named in his honor. 
• 1928 - The Pirates set a record, later tied, by having seven batters collect three hits or more in a game when they beat the Phillies 15-4 at the Baker Bowl. Ray Kremer, the Bucco pitcher, led the parade with four knocks. Pittsburgh had 25 hits, with every starting player chipping in. Paul & Lloyd Waner, Sparky Adams, Glenn Wright (five RBI), Pie Traynor and Fred Brickell had three knocks while Clyde Barnhart had a pair with four RBI. 
• 1939 - The Baseball Hall of Fame opened to the public in the greatest gathering of old-timey baseball starpower ever assembled. The Hall named its first five inductees in 1936 (Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner and Christy Mathewson) and others voted in (Grover Alexander, Eddie Collins, Nap Lajoie, Connie Mack, George Sisler, Tris Speaker & more) prior to the building’s dedication. Hans, in the first HOF vote, tied for second with the Babe. They were outpolled only by the Georgia Peach, Cobb. 
• 1956 - Roberto Clemente's fifth inning, two-out, two-run homer into Crosley Field's right-centerfield bleachers gave Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. An out earlier, pinch hitter Jack Shepherd launched a two-run shot that cut Cincy’s lead to one after the Reds had scored three times in the first off Bob Friend. Roy Face pitched 4-1/3 shutout innings of relief for the win. The victory put the Pirates ½ game ahead of the Reds in the standings. 

The Kitten - 1959 Kahn's Wieners

• 1959 - To celebrate his 12 perfect innings against the Braves, the Pirates held Harvey Haddix Night at Forbes Field. The Cardinals Don Blasingame, the leadoff hitter, singled on the third pitch to ruin the vibe, and it was an omen of things to come: the Kitten was chased after four innings and the Pirates eventually lost a see-saw contest, 9-6, in front of 27,970 fans. The pregame ceremony set up tea time at the Haddix household - NL President Warren Giles presented Harvey with a silver set with 12 goblets (one for each perfect inning, inscribed with the batters that were retired) and Bucco owner John Galbreath also gave him a $1,000 silver set.
• 1969 - SS Freddie Patek’s boot led to two unearned runs in a three-run third for Houston, but Roberto Clemente’s game-tying two-run shot in the sixth and pinch hitter Carl Taylor’s two-out single in the ninth scored Manny Sanguillen to give the Bucs a 4-3 win. It was almost sent into overtime; with two outs Jim Wynn lifted a long fly to left that Jose Pagan pulled in at the wall. Jim Bunning went the distance for the W at the Astrodome.