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.