6/14 Through the 1950’s: Lopez, Stricker, Rice Deals; Lefty v Christy; Pie Takes the Cake; Wally Cycle; Pepper Inked; HBD Mark

• 1892 - P Pud Galvin was traded to the St Louis Browns for 2B Cub Stricker. Before Stricker played a game for the Pirates, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Adonis Terry. Galvin was near the end of his Hall of Fame career, and his MLB days were done after the season. Terry did a nice job in his stay with Pittsburgh, with a line of 30-16-1/3.42 during his three-year stint. Stricker had one more season left in the tank, batting .179 for the Senators in 1893. 

Otis Clymer - 1905 Chicago Daily News/History Museum
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• 1907 - Christy Mathewson was plunked by Pirate pitcher Lefty Leifield in the ninth‚ but carried on until the twelfth when the Pirates finally persevered 2-1 at Exposition Park. The Pirates loaded the bases with no outs, then hit into a home-to-first DP. But pinch hitter Otis Clymer came through, singling home the winning run. Honus Wagner made a play that “the crowd went simply wild with delight” per the Pittsburgh Press. The Giants had runners on first and third in the eleventh and two down when the Dutchman raced from the SS hole to make a play on a ball hit up the middle. He tumbled after he made the grab, but still managed to flip the ball to second for the force out while flat on his back, saving a run and possibly the game for the Pirates. He was, according to the article, rewarded with a five minute ovation. 
• 1930 - Pie Traynor drove in seven runs and C Al Bool five more to lead the Bucs to a 19-12 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a Baker Bowl twin bill. Glenn Spencer tossed the final 5-1/3 frames for the win in relief of Leon Chagnon, who was chased in the fifth after surrendering nine runs. Every Pirate position player scored at least twice during the contest. The Pirates dropped the nitecap 5-4 despite a homer from George Grantham and a pair of two-baggers by Adam Comorosky. Jesse Petty inherited a tie game in the ninth from Heinie Meine, and didn’t retire a batter to take the loss. 
• 1940 - C Al Lopez was traded by the Boston Bees to the Pirates for C Ray Berres and $40,000. Berres caught for six more years with a lifetime .216 BA. Lopez caught seven seasons for Pittsburgh and hit .256 during that time. He later made the Hall of Fame, thanks to his post-playing days career as a manager. 
• 1949 - Wally Westlake hit for the cycle as Pittsburgh beat the Boston Braves 4-3 at Forbes Field. Westlake ended the game with a two-run walk off double in the ninth inning while Tiny Bonham got the win in relief of Bob Chesnes. Wally drove in three runs, scored twice and threw a Brave out at third. Buc fans went a long time waiting for another Pirate to hit for the cycle at home again, until Jason Kendall repeated the feat on May 19th, 2000. 
• 1953 - RHP Mark Lee was born in Inglewood, California. After a couple of seasons with San Diego, he came over to the Pirates in 1980-81, making 16 appearances with a slash of 0-2-2/3.20. The Pirates had acquired him as a PTBNL in the Kurt Bevacqua deal and he was sold to Detroit in 1982 after spending most of two seasons at AAA Portland. 

Hal Rice - 1954 Topps

• 1953 - OF/PH Hal Rice was traded to the Bucs by the St. Louis Cardinals with cash for IF Pete Castiglione. Hal hit .311 for the Bucs for the remainder of the campaign; he was traded exactly one year later to the Cubs after an icy ‘54 start. Castiglione didn’t hit a lick for the Cards and was released early next year. 
• 1954 - In a backup outfielder swap, the Bucs sent Hal Rice (Yah, it was moving day for poor Hal) to the Chicago Cubs for Luis Marquez. It was a well-timed deal for the duo; the Cubs were in Pittsburgh the following day, so all the two players had to do was switch locker rooms. The trade itself was a wash - Rice had hit .311 in ‘53, but was slumping at .173 at the time of the deal; he did even worse for the Cubs (.153) and ‘54 was his last MLB year. Ditto for Luis. He hit .083 for Chicago and .111 for the Pirates, and this also became his farewell campaign. Pittsburgh also signed two-sports star Laurin Pepper of Mississippi Southern (now Southern Mississippi), as a bonus baby for $35,000; the righty lasted four years with a slash of 2-8/7.06.