6/24 Through the 1920s: Basebrawl; "Bright Star' Hans; Game Stories; HBD Jake, Lefty, Rollie & Kirtley

• 1867 - OF Jake Stenzel was born in Cincinnati. He patrolled center field for five years (1892-96) for Pittsburgh. Stenzel was a strong guy with the stick, putting up a line of .360/.429/.528 in his Allegheny years, adding 188 stolen bases. He was a monster in 1894, hitting .352 (oddly, his lowest one-season BA as a Bucco) with 150 runs and 121 RBI, banging 13 HR, 20 triples, and 39 doubles while swiping 61 sacks. Stenzel scored 100+ runs in his final three seasons with Pittsburgh. Per John Dreker of Pirates Prospects, Stenzel is the only player in baseball history to produce a .350 BA, 80 RBI, 100 runs & 50 SB line in a season four times (Honus Wagner did it twice) and is the franchise leader in batting average and on base percentage. 

Jake Stenzel - photo via Out of the Park Development

• 1896 - RHP Kirtley Baker was born in Covington, Kentucky. He started a decade-long baseball odyssey with the Alleghenys in 1890 as a 21-year-old, going 3-19/5.60 in 25 outings with one outing as a pinch runner (he stole a base). Over the course of the next 10 years, he would pitch for Orioles and Senators between stops of a nine-team trip through the minors, hanging up the spikes after the 1900 campaign. 
• 1902 - The Bucs whipped the Orphans 7-2 at the West Side Grounds in a game that was highlighted by a brawl between Chicago’s Joe Tinker and the Pirates Wid Conroy. Steamed that Conroy had held him (literally) at second in the previous game, Tinker launched a punch at Conroy, who promptly retaliated before ump Hank O’Day could restore order. Conroy ended up with a 20 day suspension while instigator Tinkers was given a three day slap on the wrist. Pure baseball was at a minimum as the Pittsburgh Press described the game action as providing “an oversupply of bungling” and added that “neither team did sufficient good playing to deserve a victory.” Chicago picked up the nickname of Cubs during this season because of the youthfulness of their roster. They had gone as the Orphans since 1898, when their long time manager Pop (aka Cap) Anson was fired; the media called them the "Orphans" because they had lost their Pop. 
• 1907 - C Ralston “Rollie” Hemsley was born in Syracuse, Ohio. Rollie spent the first four years (1928-31) of his 19-year, eight-club MLB stay with Pittsburgh, starting the last two and putting up a .264 BA. After being traded, he went on to have five All-Star years with three different clubs. After retiring, he was a coach for the Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators while also managing in the minors. He was selected Minor League Manager of the Year by The Sporting News in 1950 while serving as pilot of the Columbus Red Birds. 
• 1908 - Per the Pittsburgh Press: “The bright...star of the game was ‘Honus’ Wagner who clouted the bulb for a home run, a double, a single, scored two runs...and made a bold steal of home…” as the Pirates beat the Reds 5-3 at Exposition Park. The Bucs scored three times in the eighth to turn the game their way with Hans driving in the lead run and stealing home for an insurance marker, getting the jump when the Cincinnati catcher tried to catch the runner at first, Ed Abbaticchio, napping with a snap throw behind him. Abby was wide awake, tho, and got back safely as the Flying Dutchman took advantage to sneak home. Vic Willis got the win with Nick Maddux tossing the ninth for the save. 
• 1910 - The Pittsburgh Press described it as “...a contest marked by free and easy hitting by both sides, sensational fielding and mediocre pitching...” as the Pirates prevailed over the Cubs at Forbes Field by a 6-5 tally. Honus Wagner was the offensive spark plug, banging out three hits and sending four runners home; he had the game-winning blow, a three-run, bases-loaded double in the seventh that “did the cleanup act.” Howie Camnitz was the “mediocre” hurler, giving up five runs in four innings before Deacon Phillippe came to the rescue, spinning shutout ball for five frames while giving up three hits. The Bucs gave Redbird Solly Hofman the day off; he became the first NL first baseman to play an entire game without registering a putout. 

Lefty Gerheauser - photo via Find-A-Grave (filter ColouriseSG)

• 1917 - LHP Al “Lefty” Gerheauser was born in St. Louis. Lefty tossed during 1945-46 for the Bucs as a swingman, going 7-12 with a 3.93 ERA. He came to the Pirates from the Phils in exchange for Vince DiMaggio. Lefty spent six years in the show with another 13 seasons in the minors before hanging ‘em up. He got on with his life in Joplin, Missouri, and fed his baseball jones by coaching at the Mickey Owens Baseball School. 
• 1924 - Cincinnati’s Eppa Rixey retired the first 23 Bucco batters that he faced and had a 1-0 lead in a duel with Ray Kremer. But the Pirates scratched out a run in eighth and added three more in the ninth, with the big blow a two-run single by Kiki Cuyler, to take a 4-3 win at Redlands Field. The Reds almost came all the way back, scoring twice in their half of the ninth, with Edd Roush, representing the tying run, cut down at the plate on a strong relay by SS Glenn Wright. Pittsburgh was outhit 13-6 in the contest.