7/15 From 1940 Through the 1980’s: Cover Boy Catcher; Cobra Strikes; Game & All Star Stories; HBD Enrique, Anthony & Don

• 1942 - CF Don Bosch was born in San Francisco. He started his four-year run in the show with two hitless at bats for the Pirates in 1966 after signing with the club in 1960. He went to the Mets in the ‘66 off season with Don Cardwell as part of the Dennis Ribant/Gary Kolb deal. At the time, he was a highly touted prospect and AAA All-Star, but fizzled in the majors, batting just .164 during his career. His last MLB season was 1969 with the Expos, and he retired from pro ball after the 1970 campaign at age 27. 

Bob Elliott - 1940 Bill Berger/Press

• 1945 - The Pirates bombed the visiting Brooklyn Dodgers in a Forbes Field doubleheader‚ slamming them 9-1 and 15-3. Frank Gustine drove home three runs in the opener while Bob Elliott hit for the cycle. Pete Coscarart scored five times in the nitecap as part of a 19-hit onslaught. Rip Sewell and Ken Gables went the distance for the wins. 
• 1947 - Enrique Romo was born in Santa Rosalia, Mexico. The righty pitched for the Pirates for four seasons (1979-82), going 25-16-26/3.56 after coming over from Seattle. Romo appeared in 84 games for the World Series champs in ‘79 and was an integral part of the Buc bullpen his first two years, but went noticeably downhill in his last two campaigns, which marked the end of his six-year MLB career. 
• 1967 - In the fourth inning of a game at Busch Stadium, Bob Gibson suffered a broken fibula on a line drive off the bat of Roberto Clemente. He pitched to three more batters, issuing two walks around a flyball before the leg literally snapped (and Roberto’s liner was the only hit Gibson gave up). It was a kind of karmic payback; in his book “Stranger to the Game,” Gibson said of Clemente, “I always threw at him. He swung way too hard against me...” It usually worked; Clemente hit just .208 off Gibby. The Great One collected three raps (two off relievers) to lead the Bucs and Juan Pizarro to a 6-4 win over the eventual World Champion Cards. 
• 1971 - The Pirates beat the Padres 4-3 at TRS by never saying die. Pittsburgh rallied to tie the game in the bottoms of the ninth‚ 13th and 16th innings before winning it on Roberto Clemente’s HR in the 17th. San Diego’s Danny Coombs was hit with a double whammy, credited with a blown save in the 16th and then the loss in the 17th. It was the first time in franchise history that the Bucs had overcome a pair of extra-inning deficits to rally for a win, a feat that wouldn’t be repeated again by the club until 2015 at PNC Park against the Cardinals. 
• 1972 - Manny Sanguillen was featured as the cover story of The Sporting News in an article titled “Durable Mitt Star.” For seven of his first eight years with Pittsburgh, he caught at least 113 games (with 151 games behind the dish in 1974). The only year he didn’t was in 1973, when he was given an extensive audition as a right fielder after Roberto Clemente’s death. 

• 1975 - The NL whipped the AL 6-3 in the All Star game at County Stadium. Jerry Reuss pitched the first three frames, putting up zeroes on three hits with two strikeouts. Al Oliver doubled and scored in his lone at bat while Manny Sanguillen was planted on the bench. The contest was Hank Aaron's 21st and final All-Star Game, a fitting venue for his farewell in the former home of the Milwaukee Braves. 
• 1982 - Dave Parker came through early and came through late to carry the Pirates and John Candelaria to a 5-1 win over Houston in the Astrodome. His first-inning single chased home two Buccos (one on an error) and his three-run, 430’ blast to center in the ninth off reliever Frank LaCorte iced the game. In between, the Candy Man and Don Sutton were hooked up in a dandy little duel, with Rod Scurry covering the final 2-⅔ frames without allowing a hit for the save. 
• 1984 - RHP Anthony Clagett was born in Hemet, California. 2009 was his big season, starting with the Yankees and ending with the Pirates after he was DFA’ed in late September, getting into one game and giving up a run on two hits in his inning. During the off season, Claggett was cut by Pittsburgh when Octavio Dotel was signed. He played indy ball, in Australia and Japan from 2012-14. Since then, Claggett has been a coach at the collegiate level for College of the Desert, Riverside and San Jose State. He’s now the pitching coach at New Mexico State. 
• 1986 - The junior circuit squeezed out a 3-2 win over the NL in the Midsummer Classic held at the Astrodome. C Tony Pena came on as a ninth inning pinch runner and was singled to third by ex-Buc Dave Parker as the tying run with an out, but the next hitter banged into a game-ending DP. P Rick Rhoden was also selected, but didn’t get to climb the bump. This was the last All-Star Game to be played indoors until 2011 when Chase Field was the host.