7/2 Through the 1940’s: Po' Phils; Game Stories; HBD Fred & Ed

• 1859 - OF Ed Beecher was born in Guilford, Connecticut. Ed began his short but active MLB career with the Alleghenys in 1887, batting .210. He played for four years with four teams - Pittsburgh, the Washington Statesmen (twice), Buffalo Bisons and Philadelphia Athletics - in three different leagues, the American Association, National League, and the Players Association. He got into 283 games as a career reserve with a lifetime .269 BA. 

Ed Beecher - 1887 Buchner Gold Coin

• 1864 - C and utilityman Fred Carroll was born in Sacramento, California. In his seven years (1885-91) with Pittsburgh teams, he played for the Alleghenys, the outlaw Burghers and the Pirates, hitting .284 over his career. A bit quirky, at the beginning of the 1887 season Carroll buried his pet monkey, which had served as an unofficial team mascot for the squad, under home plate at Recreation Park in a pre-game ceremony. 
• 1889 - The Pittsburgh Press front page headline read “Poor Phillies” as Pittsburgh took their fifth straight win from their cross-state rivals by a 10-5 score. The Alleghenys scored nine times in the last two innings on six hits (five singles and a double), abetted by two walks, two “muffs” and two “wild throws,” per the Press. Fred Carroll and Jocko Fields had three hits each and Harry Staley got the win in front of 1,500 fans at Exposition Park. 
• 1925 - The Bucs edged the Cards 2-1 at Forbes Field as Tom Sheehan outpitched Dolf Luque. Kiki Cuyler tripled home Max Carey and then was brought home by Clyde Barnhart in the sixth for the Pirate scores. It marked the last stand of a NL-record 150-game scoring streak by the Pirates that began on July 4th, 1924 when the Reds Pete Donahue shut them out the next day 8-0. 
• 1927 - Pittsburgh scored twice in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to beat the Reds, 7-6, at Forbes Field after trailing 6-1. The clinching blow was Clyde Barnhart’s two-run homer to left field in the ninth off Art Nehf. Mike Cvengros tossed six shutout innings of relief and was rewarded with the win. 

Mike Cvengros - 1927 photo/tnfotos (filter ColouriseSG)

• 1949 - The Cubs and particularly Andy Pafko had a bad day at Wrigley Field, losing 8-3. Pafko hit into a bases loaded triple play in the third inning. He was called out in the dugout after Pete Castiglione at third knocked down his liner (actually, it popped out of his mitt), tagged the runner at third, then stepped on the base for the force. In the confusion, he then threw the ball to home, and the catcher went to first for the force on Pafko, who thought his drive had been caught cleanly and was wandering his way to the bench. Even the umps had to step back to review the whole thing (“A crazy quilt affair that had to be unraveled by Umpire-in-Chief Lou Jorda,” per the Pittsburgh Press), but it stood. Ralph Kiner hit his 20th homer as Tiny Bonham picked up the win.