6/15 From 1980: Cutch Cookin'; Kris' First Whitewash; Larceny Doesn't Pay; Game Stories; HBD Erik & Josh

• 1980 - C Erik Kratz was born in Telford, Pennsylvania. The journeyman made his second appearance as a Bucco in 2016; he caught nine games in 2010 as a rookie. Defensively, he did a fine job, throwing out 50% (8-of-16) wanna-be base larcenists, but hit just .111. Pittsburgh is one of nine teams the backstop has played for in 10 MLB seasons; he’s bounced around the league more than a superball. 

Erik Kratz - 2016 photo MLB.com

• 1987 - RHP Josh Lindblom was born in Lafayette, Indiana. He pitched regularly for the Dodgers and Phils from 2011-12 as part of a trek that included stops at five MLB teams, seven minor league towns and two Korean nines. The Pirates liked him; they claimed him off waivers in 2014 only to release him to the Lotte Giants of the KBO, then signed him again when he returned after two years. He spent most of his time at Indianapolis, getting into four 2017 Pirates contests and giving up nine runs in 10 plus innings. He went back to Lotte, then twirled for the Doosan Bears before signing a stateside deal with Milwaukee.
• 1987 - In a 3-1 win over the Cardinals‚ Jim Morrison set a MLB record by getting caught stealing home twice in the same inning. He was first caught in a rundown and Terry Pendleton dropped the throw to third, with Morrison being credited with a CS and Pendleton an error. Mo tried to steal again - some guys never learn - and was caught cleanly the second time. Mike Diaz went deep while Andy Van Slyke and Spanky LaValliere doubled home runs to back Mike Dunne’s complete game three-hitter. 
• 1992 - Jeff King was also caught stealing twice in the same inning. The first time he was given 1B after being picked off when he collided with Phillies P Terry Mulholland during the rundown. Mulholland was called for interference‚ and King was charged with a caught stealing. He was nailed later in the frame trying to steal third. The Bucs lost 4-1. 
• 2000 - Kris Benson continued to turn heads by tossing his first MLB shutout, a six-hit,2-0 win against Atlanta at TRS. In his last 10 starts, Benson slashed 5-2/2.08 in that time, but never managed to take off, never topping the 12-win mark. Runs were hard to come by; the Bucs scored theirs on a pair of two-out infield hustle hits, one by Benson and the other by Pat Meares.
• 2008 - The Bucs squandered a 4-2 lead in the ninth, allowing the Orioles to score twice, but came back in the tenth to claim a 5-4 win at Camden Yards. Jason Bay walked to start the extra frame and scored on Adam LaRoche’s single. Matt Capps, who had blown the save by giving up a two-run, two-out homer to Bip Roberts, struck out a pair in the 10th to claim the W. 

Cutch - 2010 Topps T206

• 2010 - The Pirates lost to the Chicago White Sox 6-4 at PNC Park, but don’t blame Andrew McCutchen. He had his seventh three-or-more hits game, with a walk, a run scored and an RBI, while stealing three bases for the second time in his brief career. In one sequence, Chicago’s Matt Thornton threw to first 14 times to keep Cutch close - and he still swiped second. Brad Lincoln lost his second straight start since being called up from the minors, and for the Bucs, it was their ninth consecutive defeat. 
• 2010 - Even Independents loved the sixties Bucs: The Pennsylvania House passed a bill honoring the Pirates 1960 championship team as part of the club’s 50th anniversary celebration. It was approved by a 197-0 vote and was sponsored by 64 members in a rare bipartisan display.