Willy v Yu Darvish, Lineup & Notes

Game: The opener begins at 8:15 at Wrigley and will be aired by AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Kevin Newman SS, Josh Bell 1B, Colin Moran 3B, Bryan Reynolds LF, Gregory Polanco DH, Cole Tucker RF, Jake Stallings C, Jarrod Dyson CF and Trevor Williams P. The Tuck-in-the-OF thing still kinda befuddles us; we're guessing it's a combo bandage/OJT until El Coffee is entirely back in the saddle. And what happened to Joey O?

Captain Redbeard is holding down cleanup - 2020 Topps Heritage

Pitchers: RHP Trevor Williams (0-1, 7.36) vs. RHP Yu Darvish (0-1, 6.75). Willy's numbers are a little skewed; he was victim of some soft hits in opening outing v the Cards, so hopefully that will even out today. And he could use the vigorish; his lifetime ERA at Wrigley is 7.62. Darvish start was pushed back a day after the game against the Reds was scrubbed. His wins-losses against the Pirates aren't impressive, but he's been effective against the Bucs - in five lifetime starts, his slash is 1-2/3.00 with a 0.80 WHIP and a strikeout per inning.

Notes:

• The Bucco taxi squad for this series: RHP Cody Ponce, LHP Sam Howard and C Andrew Susac.
• The Pirates are hitting a major league worst .171 after six games.
• Kevin Newman & wife are expecting a baby girl in January.
• AT&T SportsNet is creating a second channel so they can show games when their featured teams, the Pirates and Pens, have a schedule conflict.
• And ho boy, now the Cards are reported to have a couple of coronavirus positive players...

Deadline Deals: Archie, Keone, JA, J-Mac, X-Man, Gonzo, Steady Freddy, Belinda Swaps

• 1987 - The Pirates traded RHP Don Robinson to the San Francisco Giants for C Mackey Sasser and $50K. Robinson did everything from starting to closing for the Giants from ‘87-91, with a slash of 42-33-14/3.56. Sasser played a dozen games for the Buccos and then was sent to the Mets after the season as part of the Randy Milligan deal. 

Mackey Sasser -1988 Donruss

• 1993 - RHP Jon Lieber was traded by the Kansas City Royals along with reliever Dan Miceli to the Bucs for closer Stan Belinda. Lieber won 38 games in five seasons with Pittsburgh, Miceli had 24 saves/10 holds in four Pirates campaigns and Belinda lasted two years for KC, blowing 2-of-3 save opps and settling into a bridge role. 
• 2001 - The Pirates traded the well-traveled LHP Terry Mulholland to the Dodgers for pitchers Mike Fetters and Adrian Burnside. Mulholland, from Uniontown, pitched for 11 teams in a 20-year career and had a pair of stints with the Cubs, Phils and Giants. The FO also swapped Mike Williams to the Astros for RHP Tony McKnight. It was actually more like a lend-lease, as Williams signed with the Bucs again as a free agent after the season. 
• 2002 - The Bucs sent first round bust OF Chad Hermansen to the Cubs for OF Darren Lewis, who refused to report to the Pirates and retired instead. Chad hit .209 for the Cubs before moving on. 
• 2003 - Pitchers Brandon Lyon, Anastacio Martinez and Jeff Suppan were traded by the Bucs to the Red Sox for LHP Mike Gonzalez, 2B Freddy Sanchez and cash in a redo deal. Originally, Gonzalez had gone to Boston for Lyons and Martinez a few days earlier, but Lyons flunked the physical causing a reworking of the swap. The mulligan panned out pretty well for the Bucs.
• 2005 - The Cubs sent young OF Jody Gerut to Pittsburgh for vet OF Matt Lawton. Chi-town shipped Lawton to the Yankees for a minor leaguer in August. Gerut, hampered by a bum knee, barely played and was released after 2006, appearing in just four games as a Pirate.

Shawn Chacon - 2007 Topps Heritage

• 2006 - Busy at the deadline: The Pirates traded pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez to the Mets for Xavier Nady. Pittsburgh also sent P Kip Wells to the Rangers for P Jesse Chavez, traded OF/1B Craig Wilson to the Yankees for P Shawn Chacon and acquired RHP Brian Rogers from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for 1B Sean Casey. Nady hit .301 in three Pittsburgh seasons, Chavez was flipped in the 2009 offseason for Aki Iwamura, Chacon gave the Bucs two workmanlike campaigns and Rogers was ineffective, getting into 13 games over two years. 
• 2007 - The Bucs traded OF Rajai Davis and IF Stephen McFarland to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Matt Morris, who was being paid $7.5M in 2007 and under contract to make $9.5M in 2008 with a $1M buyout for 2009. He was released on April 27th of 2008 after going 3-8/7.04 in 16 Pirate starts, costing the club piles of dead money; many believed this deal was the final nail in GM Dave Littlefield’s coffin. Rajai is still playing, albeit in the Mexican League. Another rumored shuffle didn’t get done; there were hot and heavy talks with the Tigers to send SS Jack Wilson to Motown, but the deal fell through when the two sides couldn’t agree on how much of Wilson’s remaining two-year/$14.5M contract would be eaten by the Pirates. Relievers Damaso Marte, Salomon Torres and Shawn Chacon were also dangled without success (spoiler alert: Chacon left as a FA and Torres was traded during the offseason while Marte lasted until the 2008 trade deadline). 
• 2008 - Jason Bay and Josh Wilson were traded to the Boston Red Sox in a three-team deal that sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Andy LaRoche & Bryan Morris to the Pirates from LA, and Brandon Moss & Craig Hansen coming to the Bucs from Beantown. None of the prospects panned out for Pittsburgh, and Bay’s career was hamstrung by injury. Reports were that Tampa Bay offered SS Reid Brignac & P Jeff Niemann for Bay, but the Bucco FO wanted Wade Davis, David Price or Jeremy Hellickson instead of Niemann, ending that talk in a hurry. Miami was also a player for Bay and offered a package anchored by OF Jeremy Hermida and P Ryan Tucker, but the Pirates were focused on an 18-year-old outfielder named Mike Stanton, another untouchable. 
• 2010 - A lot of wheeling and dealing: RHP James McDonald was traded to Pittsburgh with OF Andrew Lambo by the LA Dodgers for RHP Octavio Dotel and cash. The Bucs also flipped LHP Javier Lopez to the Giants for RHP Joe Martinez and OF Joe Bowker. In a big house cleaning/change of scenery deal, SS Bobby Crosby, RHP D.J. Carrasco and RF Ryan Church were sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash, C Chris Snyder and SS Pedro Ciriaco. J-Mac had a promising start but crashed while Lambo couldn’t overcome a spate of injuries; the other players didn’t leave much of a mark with the organization. 
• 2011 - OF Ryan Ludwick was sent to the Pirates by San Diego for cash. He hit .232 with two homers during the dog days and then signed with the Reds in the off season. 

Gaby Sanchez - 2013 Topps

• 2012 - 1B Gaby Sanchez and RHP Kyle Kaminska went from the Marlins to the Pirates for OF Gorkys Hernandez and 2013’s sandwich compensation draft pick five minutes before the deadline expired. Gaby stayed as a platoon 1B and bench bat through 2014 with Pittsburgh, hitting .241, and then went to Japan to play. Before that trade, the Bucs dealt 3B Casey McGehee to the Yankees for RHP Chad Qualls; both ended up as stretch run rentals for their respective clubs. 
• 2015 - The Bucs picked up 1B/OF Michael Morse, who had just been traded to and DFA’ed by the LA Dodgers, for OF Jose Tabata and cash. The Beast hit .275 with a .390 OBP in 45 games during the stretch, mainly off the bench. In a late deal spurred by AJ Burnett’s same-day trip to the DL due to elbow inflammation, Pittsburgh then sent minor league RHP Adrian Sampson to Seattle for veteran lefty JA Happ, who turned in a masterful slash of 7-2/1.85. 
• 2017 - LHP Tony Watson (5-3-10, 3.66) was sent to the LA Dodgers for a pair of prospects, IF Oneil Cruz and RHP Angel German. Tony joined the club in 2011 and was seventh in franchise history with 450 appearances, but had lost his closer job to Felipe Rivera and was in his walk year. To replace him, the Pirates picked up 40-year-old rental Joaquin Benoit from the Phillies for 23-year-old Bradenton Marauders closer Seth McGarry. Watson is now working for the Giants.
• 2018 - Big day for the Buccos. First, they sent a ton of potential talent in OF Austin Meadows, RHP Tyler Glasnow, both at one time the top-rated Pirates prospects, and a PTBNL (RHP Shane Baz, the Pirates 2017 first-rounder, #12 overall) to Tampa Bay for RHP Chris Archer. Archer, 29, joined Jameson Taillon at the head of the rotation (a spot he wouldn’t hold for long), and he’s under contract through the 2021 season. Austin hit .291 w/33 HR in 2019 and was named to the ASG; Glasnow averaged 11 K in 12 starts and was an effective lead dog in Tampa’s “bullpen” rotation while Baz has impressed in the minors. The Pirates also snagged RHP Keone Kela, 25, from the Texas Rangers for minor league LHP Taylor Hearn, 23, and a PTBNL (19-year-old 3B Sherten Apostel, a Low-A prospect). Kela was the Rangers’ closer, but the Bucs added him to provide extra depth to their bullpen’s back end. Hearn was having a breakout campaign at Altoona and was the top-ranked Pirate organizational southpaw starter.

Corey came and went - photo 2018 Pirates

• 2019 - OF Corey Dickerson was traded to Philly for a PTBNL and international bonus credit. Corey came over from Tampa for RHP Daniel Hudson and minor league IF Triston Gray. He hit .303 with a 121 OPS+ in 2018-19 and won a Gold Glove in his first season. He hurt his shoulder in ‘19, got into just 44 games for Pittsburgh and was moved in the walk year of his contract. Still fighting injuries in Philly, he was released at the end of the season and signed with the Marlins.

7/31 Through the 1940’s: Gee Whiz; Lefty Locked Up; Long Day; HBD Vic, Elmer, Frank, Joe & Peanuts

• 1870 - C/1B Joe Sugden was born in Philadelphia. Sugden spent the first five seasons (1893-97) of his 13 year big league career with Pittsburgh, hitting .277. He also played for the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Spiders, the White Sox and Tigers. Joe went on to become a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals before passing away at age 88 in his hometown. 
• 1892 - LHP Erv ”Peanuts” Kantlehner was born in San Jose. Working mostly as a starter for the Bucs from 1914-16, he went 13-29 with a 2.85 ERA. He made the Bucco record books by tossing a shutout in his first start on 4/17/1914, a four-hit, 2-0, win over St. Louis. Erv later coached high school baseball. He was said to have gotten his nickname in the minors for reasons unknown. 

Lefty Killen - photo via Baseball Revisited

• 1896 - Per Gregory Wolf of SABR: “In a game against Cincinnati at League Park, (Pirates pitcher) Lefty Killen charged home plate to argue with umpire Bud Lilly, who had changed his call on a fly down the left-field line from foul to hit. According to the Pittsburgh Daily Post, Lilly ‘let go at’ Killen, apparently under the impression that the pitcher would strike him. Killen retaliated by landing ‘a couple of blows on (Lally’s) face’ before a riot erupted with players, spectators, and police rushing onto the field. When order was finally restored, Killen was under arrest and escorted to the local police station. Killen was ultimately fined $25 while team owner William Kerr publicly condemned the umpire for provoking the incident.” Pittsburgh won in spite of the rhubarb, 9-7, over the Cincinnati Reds at League Park. The incident wasn’t out of character for the short-fused Killen. Wolf noted “The ‘grave objection to Killen is his temper,’ per Sporting Life. ’He is as obstinate as a mule.’” 
• 1912 - The Pirates scored three runs in the 19th inning and then barely held off Boston to take a 7-6 decision at the South End Grounds. 38-year-old Honus Wagner was the man of the hour, stealing home and later driving in the final, game-winning run for Pittsburgh against the Braves. The game was a duel turned into a slugfest - it was 2-2 going into the 18th when both clubs scored twice, and five more runs were scored in the 19th. Otto Hess of the Braves had an excuse; he went all 19 frames. For the Bucs, Hank Robinson and Howie Camnitz faded in relief of Marty O’Toole (he called it a day after 12 innings), although Camnitz got the win despite giving up two runs in the last frame. 
• 1914 - RHP Elmer Riddle was born in Columbus, Georgia. The 10-year veteran tossed his last two campaigns (1948-49) in Pittsburgh, winning an All-Star berth the first season while posting a 12-10, 3.49 line. He faded badly in ‘49, winning just one game in his final year while hobbled by a bum wheel. He toiled briefly as a scout for Kansas City afterward and then worked for United Oil in his hometown of Columbus. 
• 1936 - OF Vic Davalillo was born in Churuguara, Venezuela. He played for the Bucs from 1971-73, hitting .290 while a platoon player in the outfield and first. Vic played on two Pirate playoff clubs and when he was traded to Oakland in 1973, he joined a third. Davalillo was a motherland hero; he played 30 seasons in the Venezuelan Winter League and still holds a handful of career records, including a .325 BA. In 2003, Vic was selected in the inaugural class of the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame.

Johnny Gee - photo 1941 via Out of the Ballpark Development

• 1939 - The Pirates obtained 6' 9" LHP Johnny Gee from Syracuse of the International League for $75,000 and four players. Nicknamed “Gee Whiz,” he lasted parts of four seasons (1939, 1941, 1943-44) with the Bucs, winning five games. Also known as “Long John” (and the “$75,000 Lemon”), he never fully recovered from a 1940 arm injury. Gee was the tallest person to play MLB until 6’10” Randy Johnson debuted for the Montreal Expos in September, 1988. Not too surprisingly, Long John went on to play pro hoops for the NBA Syracuse Nationals. 
• 1944 - RHP Frank Brosseau was born in Drayton, North Dakota. A first-round pick of the Bucs in the 1966 secondary draft, he was inked from the U of Minnesota as an OF’er. When his bat proved weak, he was converted to the mound. That got him a shot in the show with the Pirates, albeit for three games in 1969 and 1971, working 3-2/3 IP and giving up two runs. He finished his pro career in 1971 at AAA Charleston.

7/31 From the 1950’s Through the 1970’s: Triple Play; T Scoops; Game Stories; HBD Mike & JJ

• 1953 - Murry Dickson broke a personal five-game losing streak and the team’s four-game skid by scattering eight hits to defeat the Chicago Cubs 4-0 at Forbes Field. Although Bruins were on in every frame but one, only three Cubs reached second and just one made it as far as third. C Nick Koback had a memorable day; not only did the rookie collect his first MLB hit, a ninth-inning single, but he called a shutout in his first big league start behind the dish. 
• 1957 - Manager Bobby Bragan was ejected for arguing a call (actually, he held his nose) during a 4-2 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. After being tossed, he went slightly bonkers. Bobby got an orange drink from the stands; the umps told him to take it into the clubhouse, and he offered them all a sip and ordered hot dogs for the boys in blue, but they weren’t placated. After their report to the league, Bragan was fined $100 and threatened with suspension if he didn’t clean up his act. After the game, Bragan was quoted by the Pittsburgh Press’ Les Biederman as saying “My only regret is that the hot dog didn’t arrive in time.” Bragan was fired three days later and replaced by Danny Murtaugh on a temporary basis. The fill-in Murtaugh managed until 1964 and was brought back as skipper three more times after that. 

Bobby Bragan - photo via Sports Memorabilia

• 1959 - RHP Mike Bielecki was born in Baltimore. His first four years (1984-’87) were spent in Pittsburgh, where he went 10-17 with a 4.57 ERA. He was the Pirates first round pick in the 1979 draft (secondary phase) and went on to have a workmanlike 14-year MLB career. 
• 1961 - C Smoky Burgess, OF Roberto Clemente, P ElRoy Face and 1B Dick Stuart repped the Bucs in the second All-Star game of the year at Fenway Park, a 1-1 tie called after nine innings because of rain. The next tie wouldn’t be until 2002 when the game was controversially called after the sides ran out of pitchers. Clemente went 0-for-2, Burgess & Stu 0-for-1, and the Baron of the Bullpen was uncalled upon by manager Danny Murtaugh. 
• 1962 - The NL owners unanimously rejected a proposal by Commissioner Ford Frick to include inter-league play at the annual scheduling meeting held in Chicago. The idea dated back to 1903 when the NL and AL first made peace, but wouldn’t come to fruition until 1997. 
• 1964 - It happens to the best of them. The San Francisco Giants took advantage of three errors by Bill Mazeroski and three more by his teammates to edge the Bucs 8-6 at Forbes Field. Maz's last error, a dropped catch on a potential around-the-horn DP ball in the ninth, would have ended the game with the Pirates on top 6-5 if he had held on to turn the pivot. Other Pirates miscues were registered by 3B Bob Bailey, who committed two errors on one play, and C Jim Pagliaroni’s misthrow. 
• 1968 - The Pirates used a triple play to squelch a Reds comeback in a tight contest and then turned it on to run away from Cincinnati at Crosley Field 10-1. Up 2-1 with Dock Ellis on the mound, a pair of Reds aboard on walks were off and running on a 3-2 pitch to Tommy Helms. He lined the ball to Gene Alley, who flipped it to Bill Mazeroski and then on to Donn Clendenon to defuse the jam. Roberto Clemente and Clendenon homered in a victory that wasn’t iced until the Bucs scored six times in the last two frames. It secured a twin bill split as Bob Moose and the Buccos were dusted 8-2 in the opener. Clendenon had five hits on the day and Manny Mota collected four. 
• 1969 - Five Pirates pitchers (Luke Walker, Joe Gibbon, Bob Moose, Lou Marone and winner Chuck Hartenstein) held the Dodgers to six hits over 15 innings and hung on until Al Oliver’s sinking liner dropped to score Matty Alou to claim a 2-1 victory at Forbes Field. The teams exchanged runs in the seventh on Bill Sudakis’ solo shot and Jose Martinez’s pinch-hit single that plated Freddie Patek. The Bucs banged out 15 hits, 14 of which were singles, hit into three DPs, had a runner thrown out at home, and left 13 ducks on the pond until Scoops’ walk off game winner. Roberto Clemente had four hits while Oliver and Freddie Patek banged out three each. Old Bucco hurler Al McBean picked up the loss.  

• 1976 - Al Oliver was featured as the cover story of The Sporting News in an article titled “Batting Demon.” It was his third AS year, and he finished the season with a.323 BA and .839 OPS. He played 18 years of MLB ball and finished up with a .303 lifetime batting average, .795 OPS and seven All-Star appearances.  
• 1979 - IF Jason Joseph “JJ” Furmaniak was born in Naperville, Illinois. A three-time All-Star in the minors, Furmaniak had a cup of coffee with the Bucs in 2005, getting into 13 games and hitting .192 after being dealt to Pittsburgh for David Ross. He signed with Oakland in 2007 and played 16 games for them before going to Japan for a season. JJ then finished out his career in the minors with 2011 being his last campaign.

7/31 From the 1980: Pops Enters HoF; Strike Ends; AJ, DeLeon Gems; Game Stories

• 1981 - The player’s strike ended after 42 days. In the settlement, teams that lost a top free agent would be compensated from a pool of players left unprotected from all of the clubs (who could protect 26 players) rather than just the signing club, a procedure that lasted until 1985. The union agreed to restrict free agency to players with six or more years of major league service. Reportedly, the negotiations were so bitter that after the deal, Players Association rep Marvin Miller and the owners' negotiator Ray Grebey refused to pose with each other for the traditional “done deal” photo. The year became “split season” with first-half winners meeting second-half titleists to determine the champs. It was a weird year; the Pirates and Cards played 102 games during the season while the Giants got in 111. 
• 1983 - Rookie Jose DeLeon held the Mets hitless for 8-1/3 innings before Hubie Brooks singled, but Mike Torrez countered with 11 shutout innings as New York won 1-0 in 12 frames. In his previous start‚ DeLeon had held the Padres hitless for 6-1/3 innings. Manny Sarmiento took the loss when the Pirates opted to go for a DP with an out in the 12th, but George Foster beat the relay to first. The day was a double defeat for the Bucs as they lost the twin bill’s lidlifter 7-6, blowing a 6-1 lead. Jim Bibby took the loss in the 11th on Bob Bailor’s walk off single to waste Jason Thompson’s first-inning grand slam. 

Steve Kemp - 1985 All Star insert

• 1985 - The Pirates scored twice in the bottom of the 10th to rally past the Phillies 4-3 at TRS. Cecilio Guante picked up the win in spite of himself, allowing a home run in the top of the 10th and tossing a wild pitch in the ninth that tied the game. Former Bucco Kent Tekulve suffered the loss after Steve Kemp lined a two-out walk off single to left to bring home Larry McWilliams, pinch running for Jason Thompson. The batter before Kemp, Marvell Wynne, hit into a force that plated Lee Mazzilli and knotted the score again. 
• 1988 - Willie Stargell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as the sole honoree that year. Stargell played his entire career (1962-1982) with the Pirates, batting .282 with 2,232 hits, 475 home runs and 1,540 RBI. His home run and RBI totals remain first on the club’s all-time list, in addition to his 937 walks and 953 extra-base hits. 
• 1992 - Knuckleball specialist Tim Wakefield made his debut against the Cards at TRS, replacing Zane Smith who was hurt, and pitched his way to a 3-2 win. He was in hot water early, giving up a couple of unearned runs in the fifth after working his way out of second and third frame jams. But he left the bases full of Redbirds in the fifth and cruised afterward. He got all his support from a pair of bombs, a two-run shot by Barry Bonds and a solo homer off Jay Bell’s bat, and made the three scores stand up. The Bucs went into first after the win and never looked back. 
• 1997 - Kevin Young played through a case of the flu, and the pregame chicken soup worked its magic as his three-run, eighth-inning homer carried the Bucs to a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies at TRS. Jason Schmidt went eight frames for the win with Rick Loiselle earning the save. 
• 2012 - AJ Burnett held the Cubs hitless through 7-2/3 innings before giving up his only knock, a single to right by Adrian Cardenas. The Bucs won 5-0 at Wrigley. Burnett tossed a 108-pitch complete game while a clutch Neil Walker had all five RBI with a first-inning granny and a sixth inning sac fly. 

AJ Burnett - 2012 Topps Update

• 2013 - The Pirates won their fourth straight in a five-game series (they would lose the next day 13-0) over St. Louis with a 5-4 win at PNC Park. With Card ace Adam Wainwright on the hill, Pittsburgh rallied three times from early deficits to tie the game 4-4 in the fifth. The score stayed that way until the bottom of the eighth. Neil Walker opened with a single and tagged to second after Pedro Alvarez’s drive to left died in the corner for the second out. Russell Martin turned on a slider and lined it into short left center for the game winner. The Pirate bullpen tossed five scoreless innings in the victory, with Tony Watson getting the win and Mark Melancon earning the save. The Pirates extended their NL Central lead to 2-½ games with the decision. 
• 2015 - Behind Starling Marte’s ninth-inning defensive prowess and Jung-Ho Kang’s stick, the Pirates snapped a six game losing streak at GABP by hanging on to beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-4. Marte threw out Brandon Phillips at home for the second out of the ninth, then made a tumbling, grass-top grab of Todd Frazier’s low, hooking liner to end the game, giving Mark Melancon his 31st straight save conversion. JHK ripped three straight doubles, scored twice (once on a heads-up sprint home following a short wild pitch) and drove in a run. Kang finished July with a .379 BA & 13 extra-base hits, the most productive month for a Pirate rookie since Paul Waner hit .381 with 14 multi-base contests in September of 1926. Jeff Locke got the win for the Bucs.

7/30 Deadline Deals: Jack Wilson, Joakim Soria, Joey Bats, J-Hay, Lunchbox Hero, Joe Blanton, Felipe Trades

• 2000 - The Pirates announced a deal after a 9-8 loss to the Padres: the Cardinals sent young SS Jack Wilson to the Bucs for LHP Jason Christiansen. Wilson would be the Bucs starting SS from 2001-09, winning an AS berth and Gold Glove in 2004, while Christiansen would toss through 2005, with only one strong year during that span. Even though trade talks were in the final stages, Jimmy Leyland broke with tradition and used Christiansen during the contest, as the swap wasn’t finalized until later in the game. He was, btw, hammered for four runs in 1/3 IP, which fortunately didn't deter the Redbirds.
• 2001 - The Bucs sent RHP Jason Schmidt and OF John Vander Wal to the Giants for OF Armando Rios and RHP Ryan Vogelsong. Schmidt went 7-1 the rest of the year for SF and then signed a big four-year contract. Vander Wal wason four teams in the following four years, retiring in 2004. Vogelsong underwent Tommy John surgery two months later. When he returned, he went 10-17/5.82 over four years and then left for Japan. 

Jose Bautista - 2004 Bowman Chrome

• 2004 - The Pirates traded RHP Kris Benson and IF Jeff Keppinger to the Mets for 3B Jose Bautista (who they had lost in the 2003 Rule 5 draft), IF Ty Wigginton and RHP Matt Peterson. Bautista became the tenth major leaguer to play for four teams in a season, having been on the rosters of Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Kansas City. In fact, he was actually on five teams, as he was acquired by the Mets from the Royals but sent to Pittsburgh the same day. Benson, the other key player in the deal, won just 27 more games in his career. Interestingly, GM Dave Littlefield reportedly rejected an offer for Benson made by the Phillies for a power-hitting prospect named Ryan Howard, who would eventually become a NL MVP. The Bucs thought they had a Howard clone already in their system with Brad Eldred. After falling domino was 3B Chris Styne, who was released the next day, made redundant by Wigginton.
• 2009 - The Pirates shipped lefties Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow to the Cubs in exchange for IF Josh Harrison and RHPs Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio. Gorzo became a bullpen guy for several clubs, Grabow’s last season was 2011, Hart & Acasio succumbed to injuries and J-Hay ended up the keeper of the deal. For the Pirates, it was the end of a 10-day purge. Besides Gorzo and Grabow, they had earlier dealt away Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, Ian Snell and Adam LaRoche; Harrison and Ronny Cedeno were the only prospects netted from those three deals to become starting players for Pittsburgh. 
• 2011 - The Pirates traded minor league 1B Aaron Baker to the Orioles for 1B Derrek Lee, the first time that Pittsburgh was a buyer at the trade deadline since dealing for SS Shawon Dunston in 1997 to bolster the “Freak Show” lineup. Baker never made it past the AA level while Lee hit .337 with seven long balls for the Pirates in 28 games (he missed a month with a wrist injury) as Lyle Overbay’s replacement before retiring at the end of the year at age 35. 
• 2012 - In a trade of 2006 first rounders, Pittsburgh sent RHP Brad Lincoln to Toronto for OF Travis Snider. The change of scenery didn’t help much - Lincoln’s MLB career ended after the 2014 season and Travis has bounced around between AAA and the show since. 
• 2015 - Keep the phone charged: The Pirates acquired veteran RHP Joe Blanton, 34, from the Royals for $660K after he had been DFA’ed. Blanton went 5-0/1.57 for the Pirates during the dog days. RHP Vance Worley was released to make room for him. In a bigger deal, RHP Joakim Soria was picked up by the Pirates from the Tigers for Altoona SS prospect JaCoby Jones. The Detroit closer, slotted to work the back end of the bullpen behind Mark Melancon and Tony Watson, made 29 Bucco appearances with a 2.03 ERA, one save and 11 holds. Finally, IF Justin Sellers, who had been DFA’ed, was sent to the Chicago White Sox for cash. 

Joe Blanton - 2015 photo Getty Images

• 2016 - The Pirates sent closer Mark Melancon and $500K to the Washington Nationals for a pair of hard throwing lefties (both touched 100), reliever Felipe (Rivero) Vazquez and prospect Taylor Hearns. The Shark was a bullpen backender that came over in the Joel Hanrahan deal with Boston. In four years w/Pirates, he went 10-10-174/1.80. Vazquez was on his way to becoming one of the league’s elite back-end relievers after taking over the closers’ job in 2017 from Tony Watson until he was jailed for child porn. Hearn was a 21-year-old lanky southpaw with an upper 90s heater and control issues; he’s now with the Rangers. He was already on the Bucco radar; he was the Pirates 22nd-round pick in 2012, but didn’t sign and went to Oklahoma Baptist. As for Melancon, he turned into a costly Nat rental, later signing with the Giants and later, the Braves.

7/30 Through the 1910’s: Skipper-Go-Round; Pud Umps; Game Stories; HBD Johnny, Casey, Hal, Bill & Chuck

• 1870 - C/1B Bill Merritt was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. The reserve played for the Pirates from 1894-97, with a brief stop in Cincinnati (Pittsburgh was one of Bill’s six MLB outposts). He hit .280 with the Bucs. 
• 1886 - Enjoying an off day between games against the Metropolitans in New York, Allegheny pitcher Gentleman Jim Galvin decided to take in the NY Giants-St. Louis match at the Polo Grounds, and ended up with the best seat in the house. Still steaming over some verbal blasts unleashed during the prior day’s game, ump John Gaffney demanded a pre-game apology from the Giants. With none forthcoming, he stormed off the grounds, and Pud was pulled from the stands to ump. He must have done OK; the Giants edged the Maroons 2-1 and he escaped in one piece. 

Casey - 1919 uncredited clip

• 1890 - OF Casey Stengel was born in Kansas City, Missouri. The Ol’ Perfesser spent 1918-19 as a Pirate, with a .280 BA, and performed his famous “bird in the hat” stunt as a Bucco. He’s much more associated with New York, of course, than Pittsburgh. Between playing and managing, the Hall-of-Famer is the only person to have worn the uniforms of all four of New York's major league clubs - the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees and Mets. 
• 1891 - The Pirates got off to a 31–47 start following a disastrous 23–113 season, demoted captain/manager Ned Hanlon (who had left the team in 1890 for the Pittsburgh Burghers of the upstart Players' League before returning to the club after that league folded) and hired Bill McGunnigle as skipper. McGunnigle managed the club to a modest 24–33 record over the remainder of the year. He was replaced by Tom Burns, who didn’t make it through the 1892 season before losing his job to Al Buckenberger. 
• 1894 - IF Chuck Ward was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He started his six-year MLB career with the Pirates, playing 125 games and hitting 236 in 1917. The next five campaigns were spent with the Brooklyn Robins, where he became a deep bench player, batting 100 times in just one season. Ward started pro ball in 1912 as a 17-year-old at Falls City and retired after the 1924 campaign spent with Toledo. He later managed the Rutgers nine for a dozen years. 
• 1904 - Baseball had some pretty rowdy roots. Per BR Bullpen: “Cardinals pitcher Jack Taylor walked seven and tossed three wild pitches to help the Pirates beat St. Louis, 5-2 at Exposition Park. The outcome was viewed suspiciously because several local gamblers had bet heavily on Pittsburgh before the game, but the real reason was Taylor and teammate Jake Beckley's late-night public drinking.” Pittsburgh Press writer Ralph Davis did note dryly that “Taylor was not hit hard, but he was inclined to be wild.” Bucco hurler Roscoe Miller’s five-hitter may have played a role, too. It was the opener of a twin bill; the Pirates also took the nitecap behind Sam Leever 2-1. “Old Sam” even chipped in with a pair of hits, outdone only by Tommy Leach’s three knocks. 
• 1905 - C Hal Finney was born in Lafayette, Alabama. He was a reserve that played for the Bucs from 1931-34 & 1936. He spent his MLB career in Pittsburgh, finishing with a .203 BA. Finney came by that BA honestly - he held the record for non-pitchers for most at bats in a season without a hit from 1936, when he went 0-for-35, until 2011. His OBP was .000 as well, a futility mark that stood until 2008. 

Vic bested Matty - 1909 American Tobacco

• 1909 - The Bucs ended NY Giant’s Christy Mathewson’s 13-game winning streak by a 3-1 score at Forbes Field. Tommy Leach doubled in Fred Clarke & Alan Storke, and Wee Tommy in turn was chased home by Dots Miller in the first. That’s all the support Vic Willis would need, scattering nine hits for the complete game win. 
• 1912 - OF Johnny Rizzo was born in Houston. He burst on the scene in 1938, hitting .301 with 23 HR and 111 RBI as a rookie; his HR mark for a first year Pirate stood until Jason Bay bettered it in 2006. Rizzo drove in nine runs against the Cardinals in 1939, and that’s still the team’s single-game record. He cooled off after that red hot start, and early in 1940 was traded for Vince DiMaggio after putting up a line of .283 with 29 HR and 168 RBI while in Pittsburgh. Johnny joined the Navy in 1943 and played minor league ball upon his discharge, then worked in the sporting goods business.

7/30 From 1920 Through the 1960’s: Bing Double Dips; Duelin'; Game Stories; HBD Clint & Bill

• 1922 - Max Carey went deep twice as the Pirates beat the Giants 7-0 at the Polo Grounds. Carey hit a two-run shot in the seventh inning and then connected for another two-run blast as part of Pittsburgh’s 13-hit attack. Johnny Morrison went the distance for the Pirates, allowing seven hits in the shutout. 
• 1928 - C Bill Hall was born in Moultrie, Georgia. Hall signed as an amateur free agent with the Pirates in the 1947 season. He got cups of coffee in 1954 and ‘56, then a longer look in 1958. In the three campaigns, he hit .262 in 57 games. Bill retired to his Georgia farm after the 1960 season. 

Bill Hall - 1956 Topps

• 1937 - The Pirates snapped a 15-inning scoring drought in the bottom of the ninth to take a 1-0 walk-off victory from the Boston Bees at Forbes Field. Ed Brandt of the Bucs and Hub City’s Guy Bush hooked up in a classic duel when an Al Todd hustle double opened the final frame. Johnny Dickshot ran for him, and an intentional walk and a sac bunt that was beat out loaded the bases. After a pop out, pitcher Red Lucas hit for Brandt and lifted a fly to right that scored Dickshot easily. Pittsburgh Press beat writer Claire Burcky wrote that “...(RF Gene) Moore just stuck the ball in his tobacco pocket and jogged off through the clubhouse tunnel.” Bush scattered seven hits while Brandt gave up just two raps, both doubles to Ray Mueller, who was the only Bee to get past first base. 
• 1948 - Pittsburgh unleashed a four-homer barrage against Brooklyn to take a 10-5 win at Ebbets Field. Wally Westlake hit for the cycle, while Max West, Monty Basgall and Clyde Kluttz went deep to chase Dodger workhorse Ralph Branca. Bob Chesnes went the distance to claim the win.
• 1956 - Sports Illustrated wrote that “Bing Crosby, one of the 11-man syndicate that made the winning $5,500,000 bid for the Detroit Tigers, is also 16% owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates. When baseball Commissioner Ford Frick ruled that Crosby could own an interest in only one club at a time, the Groaner said he would keep the Pirates.” 
• 1957 - Clint Hurdle was born in Big Rapids, Michigan. After a 10-year stint as a player and later manager of the Colorado Rockies from 2002–2009 with a World Series appearance, Hurdle took over the Pirate reins in 2011, replacing John Russell. He broke the Pirate 20-year losing season streak in 2013 when he guided the club to 94 wins and the playoffs, with two more wild card postseason appearances in 2014-15.  
• 1958 - The Pirates got to .500 for the first time in five weeks with a 7-1, rain-shortened win over the Cubs at Forbes Field. George Witt scattered seven hits and fanned 10 before getting some eighth inning help from Bob Porterfield; the rains came after Porterfield squelched a Cubbie rally, and after 36 minutes, the umpires called it a night. The attack was carried by Hank Foiles three-run homer and a three-RBI night from Dick Stuart. 
• 1962 - In the second All-Star game of the year, this one played at Wrigley Field, the AL bashed the NL 9-4. Dick Groat went 2-for-3 and was HBP while driving home two runs. Roberto Clemente went 0-for-2 and Bill Mazeroski 0-for-1. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy tossed out the first pitch. 

Roberto Clemente - 1968 Topps 3-D

• 1968 - The Bucs swept the Milwaukee Braves 8-5 and 5-4 at Forbes Field. In the opener, Donn Clendenon’s error led to three unearned Bravo runs, but the battery (and 8-9 hitters) of the Bucs, Milt May and Steve Blass, drove in a combined five runs to overcome the boot. There was a memorable bit of glovework to help make up for the error when Roberto Clemente robbed Mike Lum. Les Biederman of the Pittsburgh Press wrote “Clemente took off in pursuit and ran as hard and as fast as he could. Just as he approached the wall, Clemente reached up and caught the ball, still with his back to the diamond. He crashed into the wall...and was stunned for a second but held the ball." The Great One didn’t start the evening match, but did rally and came on in the eighth inning. The second game went 10 innings before Manny Mota’s roller scored Matty Alou from third. Maury Wills and Clendenon each went 4-for-5 to help Ronnie Kline, who tossed 4-⅓ innings of shutout relief, to the victory.

7/30 From 1970: Ladies Day; Bucs Take 1st; Cutch Bombin'; Game Stories; HBD Shelty & Josh

• 1970 - Pirates Manager Derek Shelton, 49, was born in Carbondale, Illinois. He replaced Clint Hurdle as skipper following the 2019 campaign after serving as a bench coach for the Twins for two seasons. Before that, Derek was a quality control coach at Toronto, the Tampa Bay Rays’ hitting coach under Joe Maddon from 2010-16 and worked as the Cleveland Indians’ hitting coach for five years before that. Shelton started out managing in the Yankees system for three years (GCL, Class A short-season) and won two league championships after serving as a minor-league catcher in the NYY organization in 1992-93, with elbow surgery derailing his career. He played at Southern Illinois University during his college days. 

HBD Shelty! - Image Pittsburgh Pirates

• 1975 - The Pirates had to delay the start of the game at TRS by 18 minutes to let the Ladies’ Day promotion crowd of 43,260 get to their seats. It was worth the wait as the Bucs pounced on the Phils’ Steve Carlton on the way to an 8-1 win. Jerry Reuss went the distance, as Manny Sanguillen had a big day, going 5-for-5 with a homer. Al Oliver (HR, 2B), Willie Stargell (2B) and Dave Parker (2B) each had two-hit days. There were 21 hits banged out between the clubs, but the game still took just 2:25 to play. 
• 1978 - IF Josh Bonifay was born in Macon, Georgia. The son of Bucco GM Cam Bonifay, the Pirates drafted Josh in 1999. He had a long and successful minor league career, mainly at Altoona. He hung up the spikes after the 2007 season and became a coach in the Pirates system. In 2011, he moved to the Houston organization and now is with Texas. 
• 2002 - Pittsburgh snapped a six game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park. The Bucs broke open a pitching duel between Kris Benson and the Rox’s Denny Neagle in the eighth, scoring three times with two outs. The rally was keyed by Adam Hyzdu’s two-run double. Mike Williams earned the save of Benson’s win. 
• 2006 - Pittsburgh concluded a five game winning streak by taking a 2-1, 10-inning victory from the SF Giants at PNC Park. Jose Castillo’s leadoff homer in the ninth forced the game into extras, and Jose Hernandez’s single in the 10th scored Jack Wilson with the tie breaker. Both starters, Zach Duke and Matt Morris, put up zeroes but were gone before the seventh was done, and it took 11 more pitchers to finish up what they had begun. 
• 2013 - The Pirates swept a doubleheader from the Cards by 2-1 and 6-0 scores at PNC Park to vault over them into first place in the NL Central. The opener went 11 innings, with the winning run scoring after Alex Presley’s apparent DP ball deflected off pitcher Kevin Siegrist’s glove and into left field to plate Russ Martin. Vin Mazzaro got the win. The key blow in the nitecap was Andrew McCutchen’s two-run homer that bounced off Matt Holliday’s glove and into the second row of seats in left. Rookie Brandon Cumpton went seven frames for the win, tossing three-hit ball. C Tony Sanchez took his MLB bow behind the dish and became one of seven Pirates to call a shutout in his first game; the last was Jason Kendall in 1996. 

Brandon Cumpton pitched the Bucs into first - 2015 Topps

• 2014 - The San Francisco Giants broke a six game losing streak largely thanks to a DP via a walk. The Pirates, who had won three in a row, led 5-4 in the sixth when Chris Stewart drew a one-out walk with runners on second and third. Giant hurler Jean Machi got the ball back from the catcher and noticed Travis Snider had wandered off second base, apparently thinking it was a bases-loaded walk (he later admitted that was the case). Machi picked him off, and Gaby Sanchez, who was at third, was caught in the backwash and picked off, too. The Bucs went on to lose 7-5 at AT&T Park, wasting long balls by Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer. 
• 2017 - The Pirates were in a four-game losing streak that had dropped them from 2-½ to 5-½ games off the NL Central lead when a pair of the Bucs big dogs, Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole, got off the leash. Cutch was up five times; he homered three of them and walked the other two while Cole Train tossed seven innings of one-run ball with eight whiffs as the Pirates took a much-needed 7-1 win from the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. They were helped along by Josh Bell who banged a pinch-hit dinger and Jose Osuna who drilled a two-run triple.

Buc Bats Baffled By Woodruff, Brewers In 3-0 Loss

Through the first two frames, Joe Musgrove and Brandon Woodruff traded zips, with Phil Evan's dribbled single the only damage done by either side. In the third, an old Big Joe bugaboo bit: Ben Gamel launched a two-run homer and the Bucs were in the hole, with another run saved when Bryan Reynolds cut down a runner at home. It was 1-2-3 for Pittsburgh. Musgrove regained control in the fourth while Woodruff has fanned seven and hasn't had a ball leave the infield. The fifth was also scoreless. The Crew tried to start some two-out trouble with a bopped batter and walk while Gregory tested the Milwaukee outfield with a fly, the first ball off of Woodruff to travel past the dirt, but no cigars were awarded. Keston Hiura led off the sixth with a long fly that barely cleared the fence in center to make it 3-0. With two away, a walk ended Joe's night at 91 pitches and brought on Dovy Neverauskas, who issued a walk followed by a K. Woodruff continued to spin 'em like an ace. 

Phil Evans 2020 photo Carmen Mandato/Getty

Robbie Erlin got the seventh. He gave up a lead-off double, but worked out of it. Evans was Woodruff's thorn as he drew a leadoff walk. J-Bell struck out, and then Craig Counsell yanked Woody and brought in David Phelps. The lefty made CC look like a genius by whiffing both Colin Moran and Bryan Reynolds. Erlin gave up an opening single and two-out intentional walk, but posted another zero in the eighth. Devin Williams got the call and kept the goose eggs rollin'. Richard Rodriguez toed the slab in the ninth and whiffed a pair in a clean frame before Josh Hader came on and tucked it away.

Woodruff was terrific, hitting the corners, working the upper zone and changing speeds while Milwaukee's back end did their part. He fanned 10 and was a 15' squibber away from a no-hitter. Good pitching and a Pirate attack that sputters much of the time made for a mismatch tonight. Big Joe was again looking good for most of the game with a sharp slider but can't seem to avoid the four-base mistake; he's given up four dingers in 11-1/3 IP. The Pirates are off tomorrow before they visit Wrigley Field on Friday.

Notes:

• Bryan Reynolds leads MLB in outfield assists with three.
• Woodruff retired 17 straight Bucs between Phil Evans' single and later walk.
• Tonight was the first time the Brewers scored first this year.
• Heston Kiura has 21 career homers; seven were hit in PNC Park, per Brew Crew beat man Adam McCalvy.

Big Joe v Brandon Woodruff in Rubber Match; Lineup & Notes

Game: Pittsburgh and Milwaukee close out their first series at 7:05. The contest will be carried by AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Phil Evans 3B, J-Bell DH, Colin Moran 1B, Bryan Reynolds LF, Gregory Polanco RF, Jake Stallings C, Jarrod Dyson CF, Erik Gonzalez SS and Joe Musgrove. We wonder whassup with Kevin Newman's PT?

Big Joe makes his second start - photo Pittsburgh Pirates

Pitchers: RHP Joe Musgrove (0-1, 4.76) closes it out against RHP Brandon Woodruff (0-1, 3.60). The longball bit Joe against the Redbirds, and also has against the Brew Crew - he's given up eight long flies in 23-2/3 IP v Beertown and as a result has a 6.46 ERA against them. Woodruff became an All-Star starter last year at the age of 26 and won 2-of-4 starts with two no decisions against the Bucs in '19, but with a less than stellar 4.58 ERA. 

Notes:

• Six games, six lineups. Four guys - Adam Frazier, Bryan Reynolds, Colin Moran & J-Bell - have started every game and so far, Guillermo Heredia has also appeared at some time in all five contests. All except Captain Redbeard (.353) are hitting at or below the Mendoza Line.
• Geoff Hartlieb won his first MLB game last night while Nick Burdi earned his first big league save.
• The Bucs are off tomorrow, then it's off to Wrigley for a three gamer v the Cubs.

7/29 Through the 1950’s: Frankie's 21-Gamer; Game Stories; RIP Henry; HBD Dave & George

• 1886 - 2B George Cutshaw was born in Wilmington, Illinois. He came to the Bucs in exchange for Burleigh Grimes and manned second base for four seasons (1918-21). Cutty hit .275 as a Pirate. His best year was his last, when he hit .340. But he was injured in August, and the 35-year-old was sold to Detroit, where he spent the last two years of his career. 

George Cutshaw - 1921 American Caramel

• 1903 - LHP Ed Doheny, it was announced in the Pittsburgh Press, “..had left the team under a mental hallucination (he believed detectives were tailing him) and returned home.” His mental state had slowly unraveled as the season went on, and owner Barney Dreyfuss told the paper “If it is true that Doheny is mentally deranged, I am certainly sorry to hear of it. (Manager) Fred Clarke told me that there was something wrong with the pitcher before the team started West, but I laughed at him. Now it seems that Fred was right.” Ed was wrestling with real demons. After rest at home, he returned to the Pirates briefly and in September was escorted home by his brother. After some violent episodes there, he was declared insane and sent to the Danvers State Asylum, where he died in 1906. 
• 1909 - Harry Pulliam committed suicide in New York City. A writer in Louisville, he joined Barney Dreyfuss in Pittsburgh as the team president, akin to today’s general manager title. In 1903, he was elected president of the NL. He made the ruling to support umpire Hank O’Day’s call in the famous “Merkle” misadventure, which eventually cost the Giants the championship in a playoff against the Cubs. He took several months off after that after having a nervous breakdown; the following year, he took his life, often blamed on depression caused by the pressures of the president’s office. 
• 1915 - Honus Wagner hit a grand slam in the eighth inning off Brooklyn Dodger Ed Pfeffer (It was “a dandy drive” per the Pittsburgh Press) during the Pirates 8-2 victory at Forbes Field. The inside-the-park round tripper made the 41-year old infielder the second oldest player ever to hit a homer with the bases juiced, a record set by 42-year old Cap Anson in 1894. (Cap's mark stood until 1985 when 44-year-old Tony Perez of the Reds claimed it.) Erving Kantlehner scattered nine hits while going the distance for the win, helped by an unassisted DP when RF Bill Hinchman snared a short line drive and raced to first base to double off Pfeffer. 
• 1922 - Max Carey (2), Reb Russell, Cotton Tierney and pitcher Wilbur Cooper all homered at the Polo Grounds as the Pirates whipped the league-leading NY Giants, 8-3. Cooper went the distance for the win. Charlie Grimm had four hits while Carey & Russell banged out three knocks. It was a sweet victory over their rivals, but in the long run the G-Men took the flag with the Pirates finishing in third place, eight games behind. 
• 1940 - The Bucs scored six times in their final at-bat, with the lead run thrown out at the plate as Frank Gustine tried to score from first on Vince DiMaggio’s single. It was a big play; the Dodgers pushed across a two-out run in the bottom half as the Pirates went down 7-6 at Ebbets Field. The game was marked by a ninth inning brawl that started when Brooklyn C Babe Phelps spiked P Mace Brown at a play at first. Manager Frankie Frisch was fined $100 and ejected while three of his players were hit with $25 fines. 

Frank Gustine - 1943 Play Ball

• 1947 - Frank Gustine went 4-for-5 against the Boston Braves to lead Pittsburgh to a 6-5 win at Forbes Field. It ran his hitting streak to 21 games before it was snapped the next day. Tiny Bonham went the distance for the win. J
• 1959 - LHP Dave LaPoint was born in Glen Falls, New York. the 12-year veteran spent part of 1988 with the Pirates, coming over from the Chicago White Sox in August for Barry Jones. He got eight starts for the Bucs, slashed 4-2/2.77 and signed with the Yankees in the off-season, almost doubling his salary from $425 K to $800K. He’s bounced around several baseball-themed activities since his retirement after the 1991 campaign, coaching minor & indie league ball, hosting a talk show and running academies. Dave now describes himself on twitter as a “Former MLB Pitcher with a face made for radio and a body made for bowling”

7/29 From 1960: Sanchez, Wilson, Snell Traded; Lyles-for-Ponce; Game Stories; RIP Bill; HBD Mike & Tommy

• 1963 - OF Tommy Gregg was born in Boone, North Carolina. A seventh-round pick of the Pirates in the 1985 draft from Wake Forest, Gregg spent the first two years of his nine-season career with the Buccos in 1987-88. He hit .217 in limited time before being shipped to the Atlanta Braves as part of the Ken Oberkfell deal.Tommy spent several seasons as a bench player for the Bravos, and is now part of their minor-league coaching staff. 
• 1968 - Henry Aaron was caught red-faced thanks to some smoke and mirrors by the Buccos. On a hit-and-run, Gene Alley and Bill Mazeroski decoyed Hammerin’ Hank into believing Joe Torre had hit a grounder between them; the reality was he had lifted a fly to Roberto Clemente in right. When Aaron stopped at second to try to find the ball, it was too late; it was already on its way to first for the DP. It wasn’t one of his better days on the bases as he was also picked off first base in the Pirates 3-2 win at Forbes Field. Beside his Emmy performance, Maz also homered to help Bob Veale to the win. 

Bill Mazeroski - 1967 Topps

• 1968 - RHP Mike Williams was born in Radford, Virginia. In six seasons (1998-2003), he went 15-23 and saved 140 games for Pittsburgh with a 3.78 ERA. His mark of 46 saves in 2002 is still a team standard, but fame is fleeting - his 12-year baseball career closed after the 2003 season following a trade to Philadelphia. 
• 1983 - John Candelaria and Tom Seaver exchanged four-hitters at Shea Stadium, with the Candy Man prevailing 2-1. Two of the hits off Tom Terrific were solo shots by Mike Easler and Tony Pena; Candelaria gave up a run in the first and tossed goose eggs afterward. Cecilio Guante went seven-up, seven-down to save the game for Candy. 
• 1971 - Gene Clines was the hero of the Bucs 8-5 win over Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium. His three-run homer was the big blow in a six-run sixth inning, and the CF went 4-for-4 with four RBI and a pair of runs. Bob Robertson and Willie Stargell also went yard in the win that was cemented by 5-2/3 scoreless frames tossed by the bullpen. 
• 2000 - Brian Giles went 5-for-5 with a pair of doubles while Warren Morris and Emil Brown homered as the Bucs ran up a 10-2 count against the San Diego Padres at TRS. Francisco Cordova got the win as three Buc pitchers scattered six hits in front of a Saturday night crowd of 30,118. 
• 2007 - Bucco outfielder Bill Robinson passed away in Las Vegas. The local boy (he was from McKeesport and went to Elizabeth-Forward HS) spent eight years as a Pirate from 1975-82, hitting .276 with 109 homers. He played five positions as a Pirate (1B/3B, all three OF spots) and while a regular for only one year, he got into 100+ games six times in his eight seasons here. 

Bill Robinson - 1977 Topps

• 2009 - 2B Freddy Sanchez was traded to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Tim Alderson. The Bucs also traded RHP Ian Snell and SS Jack Wilson to the Mariners for RHP Aaron Pribanic, RHP Brett Lorin, 1B Nathan Adcock, SS Ronny Cedeno and 1B Jeff Clement. Snell was out of baseball by 2010 while Freddy & Jack were snake-bitten by injury. For the Bucs, the only contributor was Cedeno, and he wore out his welcome after 2011. 
• 2014 - The Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 at AT&T Park behind Francisco Liriano’s 11 whiffs and homers by Travis Snider and Josh Harrison. It was the third straight game that Harrison and Snider went long. After an April-May slump that saw them fall nine games behind in the NL Central race and eight games below .500, the Bucs pulled within a game of first and even in the loss column while moving into the second wild card spot. 
• 2019 - The Pirates sent RHP Jordan Lyles to the Brewers for AA RHP Cody Ponce. Lyles, a FA signing from the off season, had a Jekyll and Hyde stay with Pittsburgh, posting a 4-1/1.97 mark in mid-May, then crashing to a 1-6/9.57 slash from that time forward. He ended 2018 with Milwaukee, where he went 1-0/3.31, so they were picking up a guy they knew. The 25-year-old  second-rounder Ponce is on the Pirates 40-man roster and played for the US national team.

Bucs Reverse the Tide, Storm Back to Snatch Late 8-6 Victory From Brew Crew

Nice, quiet first frame - a leadoff rap followed by six outs served up by Josh Lindblom and Derek Holland. Dutch Oven walked a guy in the second; no prob, he picked him off. Colin Moran walked and Bryan Reynolds' soft liner dropped to lead off for Pittsburgh, putting Buccos on the corners. Reynolds stole second, but the next trio of Pirates went down swinging. The Brew Crew went quietly in the third; ditto for the Pirates. Holland lost the strike zone a bit in the fourth -  a bopped batter was followed by a DP roller, a walk and wild pitch, but a swingin' K (his fifth whiff) got him out of the inning. With an out, Captain Redbeard and Phil Evans walked around a Bryan Reynolds double to juice the sacks. Guillermo Heredia then notched his first Bucco rap, a two-run single to left. After a whiff, Lindblom left with back cramps, and in came Eric Yardley, who shut the door. Holland cruised through the fifth. J-Bell singled off Brent Suter to create all the Bucco noise. Milwaukee tied it in the sixth when a walk was followed by a Keston Hiura dinger; Chris Stratton came on to get the last out. It was 1-2-3 for the Buccos.

Derek Holland's first Bucco start was strong - photo Pirates

Stratton gave up a pair of free passes to open the seventh and newbie Miguel Del Pozo took the hill, walking another pair on 10 pitches, before giving up a double. After an intentional walk, Geoff Hartlieb was waved in. He got a sac fly DP, Heredia to Phil Evans, as a sixth run scored before he shut it down. The Bucs made run, loading the bases with leadoff singles from Tuck and Murphy, followed by a bopped Fraze. Another walk brought in a run, and then a break - Justin Smoak corralled Redbeard's one-out hopper, and threw it away. That allowed two Pirates to score, and Evans tied it with a two-out double. Corey Knebel took the ball and K'ed pinch hitter El Coffee to end the party. Gottlieb got into immediate problems; he threw away a tapper and then gave up a knock to put Crew on the corners. The outfield came through again; a fly turned into another DP when B-Rey threw a strike to toss out Ryan Braun at home, and a grounder left a zero on the board. Bobby Wahl took over and was greeted by a double to the Notch by Tuck. Two batters later, Fraze lifted one over the fence and the Bucs were back on top. Nick Burdi left the bullpen roost and after an opening walk, he got a punch out and 4-6-3 DP. 

Raise the Roger for Shelty's first home win. Kinda looks like the talent gap getting from the starters and the closers are gonna keep these two teams hoppin'. But it was a nice bounceback win and it's good to see Reynolds, Tuck and Heredia collect hits to go with a Fraze dinger. 

Notes:

• Two guys with zero hits on the season going into today each had two knocks tonight: Bryan Reynolds and Cole Tucker.
• Guillermo Heredia had a nice day in center, making a web gem snag, starting a DP and getting his first Bucco rap to chase home a pair.
• Clay Holmes (forearm strain) and Kyle Crick (lat strain) were both placed in the 10-day IL; that goes a long way toward explaining Shelty's bullpen usage Monday night. RHP Geoff Hartlieb has been recalled and LHP Miguel Del Pozo added to the 30-man roster. Del Pozo is late of the Angels and signed as an NRI in December.

Dutch Oven v Josh Lindblom, Lineup & Notes

Game: The Bucs and the Brewers mix it up at PNC Park at 7:05. The game will be broadcast by AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Kevin Newman SS, Josh Bell 1B, Colin Moran DH, Bryan Reynolds LF, Phil Evans 3B, Guillermo Heredia CF, Tucker Cole RF, John Ryan Murphy C, and Derek Holland P. Looks like the bottom four are gonna be mix-and-match in the early slog.

Derek Holland - 7/2020 photo Pittsburgh Pirates

Pitchers: LHP Derek Holland takes on RHP Josh Lindblom. Holland was a free agent signing as an NRI and made the club, performing solidly enough in both spring and summer camps. He's been effective the past two seasons against Milwaukee, with a 1-0/1.74 slash in 11 appearances (two starts). The lefty had his game face on a little early; he was ejected Sunday for barking at the plate ump. Lindblom had a cup of coffee with the Bucs in 2017, spending time at Indy before being granted a release to playing Korea. In 2018-19 he won 35 games in the KBO and was selected as its top pitcher and parlayed that into a deal with the Crew; we'll see how that translates. After all, the 33-year-old is only making the second start of his major league career. 

Notes:

• Nick Burdi wasn't available last night; coming off his injuries and lack of work in the last two years (21 IP), they're being quite careful about his usage. Clay Holmes, JT Brubaker and Rob Erlin were the only relievers they didn't use last night; JT had tossed two innings Sunday while the others were fresh. Polanco, Jarrod Dyson, Jose Osuna and Jake Stallings were given today off. Seems like an awful lot of velvet-glove treatment for five games...
• Gregory walked twice and whiffed twice (against lefties) in his return to action.
• The Indy Indians are forming a community committee to examine its nickname.
• Here's the latest on the Miami Covid outbreak: ABC News

7/28 Through the 1940’s: Suhr-for-Butcher; Josh Sets HR Mark (Kinda); Games Stories; HBD Chet, Duke & Bill

• 1867 - LHP Duke Esper (birth name: Charles H. Esbacher) was born in Salem, New Jersey. Duke spent nine seasons in the show and made a pair of brief stops with the Alleghenys (1890: 0-2/5.29) and the Pirates (1892: 2-0/5.40). In between those stints, Duke won 36 games, including 20 with Philadelphia in 1891, in 59 outings. He ended up with a solid 101-100/4.39 lifetime slash before retiring after the 1898 campaign. 

Duke Esper - Alpha Studios

• 1867 - RHP Bill Day was born in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. Bill had a 14-game major league career working for the Phils from 1889-90 and then finishing up with the ‘90 Alleghenys, going 0-6/5.52 in six starts after the Alleghenys, dumping salary, sent OF Billy Sunday to the Quakers for him and $1,000. He hung around pro ball until 1904, closing out his ballplaying days in the Connecticut League. 
• 1908 - In much ado over nothing, Vic Willis and the NY Giants Hooks Wiltsie battled to a 2-2 tie at the Polo Grounds after 16 frames as the game was called because of darkness. The Pittsburgh Press called it “A fitting finish to a great baseball series. Willis and Wiltse pitched high class baseball and their comrades supported them in grand style. The twirlers were cheered to the echo on leaving the slab after innings of excitement where they had baffled their foes.” The Pirates had taken 2-of-3 against their rivals while drawing 70,000 fans during the four-game series, a huge gate for old-timey baseball. 
• 1932 - Scout Chet Montgomery was born in Warsaw, Kentucky. The Western Kentucky alum was known as “Chet the Jet” for his speed on the diamond and basketball court, but never played organized pro ball. After graduation, he became a HS hoops coach, then scouted for the Bucs (1963-67), Reds, and Indians before returning to the Pirates as Special Assistant to the General Manager and Director of Player Development for a decade. 
• 1932 - Pittsburgh swept a twin bill from the NY Giants‚ winning 10-7 and 9-1. Earl Grace had three hits and three RBI during the lidlifter to pace the Pirate attack. Paul Waner and Adam Comorosky also had three raps as the Bucs banged out 16 hits, 14 of which were singles. Erv Brame got the win in relief of Steve Swetonic while Larry French picked up the save. In the nitecap, Tony Piet smacked a grand slam and three-run homer to go along with two more hits for a seven RBI, three-run day to plow the road for Heinie Meine. 
• 1938 - At Zanesville, Ohio’s Mark Grey Park (admittedly a bandbox), Josh Gibson led the Grays to a 17-4 win over the Memphis Red Sox with four home runs (two in one inning), the only four-homer game ever recorded in the Negro Leagues. The Negro National League champion Homestead Grays absolutely dominated the Red Sox, going 10-0 against them, including nine wins in a late July barnstorming series through the Midwest that included this game. Because no official box score or score card has been found, the game wasn’t counted in Gibson’s statistics.

Josh Gibson - Helmar Art Stamp Hall of Fame

• 1939 - The Pirates traded veteran 1B Gus Suhr to the Phillies for RHP Max Butcher. Suhr was nearing the end of his career (he was released after playing just 10 games in 1940, his last MLB season), but Butcher became a mainstay for the Bucs, pitching for seven years, making 154 starts and winning 67 games in Pittsburgh. 
• 1940 - The Pirates won their eighth of nine games and fifth in a row after sweeping Boston at Braves Field by 5-2 and 7-3 scores. Maurice Van Robays was the hero of the opening match, homering and driving in three runs to give Dick Lanahan all the support he needed. The Bucs used a balanced attack to support Max Butcher’s four-hitter in the nitecap.

7/28 From 1950 Through the 1990’s: Prince Night; The McBean Show; Cobra Out; Thomas on SI; Game Stories; HBD Carmelo

• 1958 - Frank Thomas was featured as the cover story of Sports Illustrated in an article titled “Nobody Knows Him But Everybody Wants Him.” In case you’re among the gang that doesn’t know him, the Pittsburgh native hit 163 HR in eight years as a Bucco and 286 bombs in his 16 seasons in the majors. 
• 1960 - 1B/OF Carmelo Martinez was born in Dorado, Puerto Rico. Carmelo (he’s Edgar’s cousin) spent parts of the tail end of his nine-year career with the Pirates. The Pirates got him in 1990 as part of the Wes Chamberlain deal with the Phillies and then sent him to KC for Victor Coles in May of the following year. Martinez didn’t see much action in that span, getting in 23 games and hitting .229. He works for the Cubs now as their Latin Field Coordinator. 

Carmelo Martinez - 1991 Fleer

• 1968 - Al McBean had one of those can-do-no-wrong Sundays. He gave up 13 hits to the Cards at Forbes Field, but still went the distance for a 7-1 win. The big blow? McBean’s grand slam in the fifth off Larry Jaster, coming with two down after Milt May was walked to get to Alvin. He also had fun on the hill, tossing several blooper pitches to the Giants in the ninth. Donn Clendenon added a two-run blast to the cause. McBean became one of six Pirates pitchers in franchise history to bang out a grand slam. 
• 1971 - Luke Walker spun a four-hit, complete game whitewash at Los Angeles in a 4-0 win at Dodger Stadium. Bob Robertson homered and had a sac fly to bring home two runs. The Bucs nickled and dimed the Dodgers; every position player had a hit, four different guys scored and three had RBI as the club put up their runs one at a time in four different frames. 
• 1972 - “It was “Bob Prince Night” at TRS and 39,035 fans turned out for the event. As Bob Smizik wrote in the Pittsburgh Press “...he is listened to by just about everyone. And there are some who don’t like him. But many, many more see through his exterior to the man inside.” The colorful broadcaster requested that any money raised would be forwarded to his pet project, the Allegheny Valley School for Exceptional Children, and Pirates nation kicked in over $75,000 for the institute. The Bucs joined in the celebration by defeating Tom Seaver and the NY Mets 3-1 behind Dock Ellis’ complete game seven-hitter, a Willie Stargell homer and a timely DP started by Dave Cash off an Ed Kranepool smash to bail the Docktor out of his biggest jam. 
• 1977 - Twelve Bucco batters reached against Dan Larsen of the Astros in the first two innings (Pittsburgh rattled off six straight hits in the first frame alone) to open up a 5-1 lead and added on thanks to a Bill Robinson grand slam to claim a 9-4 decision over Houston at TRS. Robinson had three hits while Phil Garner, Dave Parker, Al Oliver and Ed Ott added a pair of knocks to back a sometimes shaky Jim Rooker (he gave up nine hits, including a pair of long balls), who went tape-to-tape for the win. Pittsburgh was en fuego at home; the victory gave them a 38-14 record at Three Rivers for the year. 
• 1982 - The Pirates were dealt a heavy blow when Dave Parker ruptured a thumb ligament while legging out a hustle double against the Phils. The Cobra required surgery and was out of action until September 11th. Even then, he wasn’t much help - Parker only played two complete games and had little power, getting into just 12 contests and managing 20 at bats, hitting two doubles and no homers. 

Dave Parker - 1982 Topps All Star sticker

• 1987 - Barry Bonds hit 176 homers while wearing the Bucco colors, but only one was an inside-the-park job. In an otherwise blah 5-2 loss to the Phillies at TRS, rookie Bonds drilled a two-out liner to right off Shane Rawley that kicked around, allowing him and Junior Ortiz to score the only Pirates tallies of the day. "Glenn Wilson tried to cut the ball off and missed it," Rawley recalled for the AP. "It rolled around the corner and ricocheted all the way around. By the time he got the ball, there was no way to get Barry." The hit was payback for Bonds, who Rawley had plunked twice. It was the first of three Bonds’ homers that didn’t clear the fence among his 762 long flies. The other two were hit in 1997 with the Giants. 
• 1996 - Orlando Merced hit two home runs and tallied four RBI while Al Martin & Mark Johnson had four hits each as the Bucs beat the Phillies 12-8 at TRS. Reliever John Ericks took home the win of the nationally televised ESPN Sunday Night Baseball match. It would be the last SNB appearance for the Bucs until 2014.