7/4 From 1920 Through the 1970’s: Bert One-Man Crew; Satch No-No; Moves; Game Stories; HBD Chuck, Jims & Wayne

• 1927 - The Pirates swept the World Champion Cardinals‚ 7-2 and 6-4, in a Forbes Field doubleheader. Lee Meadows took the opener behind Johnny Gooch’s bases-loaded triple. The Cards rallied to tie the second game in the top of the eighth, but Clyde Barnhart answered with a two-run double in the bottom half for the win. Carmen Hill went the distance for the W. 
• 1928 - Pirate skipper Chuck Tanner was born in New Castle. He managed the Pirates for nine years (1977–1985, 711-685 record) and won the World Series in 1979. He was also skipper of the White Sox, Athletics and Braves. Tanner was traded for Manny Sanguillen to the Pirates in 1977 by Oakland, only the second manager-for-player trade in history. He returned to the Pirates in 2007 as a special assistant to GM Neal Huntington, a spot he held until he passed away in 2011 at the age of 82. The Rotary Club of Pittsburgh hands out two awards in his name, the annual Chuck Tanner Major & Minor Baseball Managers of the Year, while the Pirates created the Chuck Tanner “We Are Family” Fund. Baseball was his life, saying “The greatest feeling in the world is to win a major-league game. The second greatest feeling is to lose a major-league game.” 

Chuck Tanner - 1983 Donruss

• 1934 - Satchel Paige of the Pittsburgh Crawfords tossed a no-hitter against the Homestead Grays at Greenlee Field on Bedford Avenue with the only runners reaching via an error and a walk. He struck out 17, establishing the all-time Negro League record and matching what was then the MLB whiff record for a single game in the 4-0 win against Frank Stewart. The Craw’s Oscar Charleston had two hits, including a triple. Josh Gibson was Paige’s catcher, the only documented time in Negro league history in which no-hitter battery mates were both members of the Hall of Fame, something which has never happened in the majors. It was part of a holiday twinbill that drew 12,000 fans. The Grays took the nightcap, 4-3, with Joe Strong getting the win over Bert Hunter. Ray Brown homered for Homestead. 
• 1947 - RHP Jim Nelson was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Jim had a brief career but his fingerprints are all over the Bucco history books. Per Wikipedia: Nelson was a 31st round pick in the 1965 draft and made a dazzling debut in 1970. He relieved against the San Francisco Giants, struck out Willie Mays, and then got Willie McCovey to bounce into a twin killing. Jim spun three perfect innings with four strikeouts and also slapped a single (he was a good hitter, batting .269). Nelson started his career with a 4-0 record (and the team won his first seven starts), a feat not equaled by a Pirates starting pitcher until Zach Duke in 2005. Nelson also was the last Pittsburgh hurler to win his first three career starts until Gerrit Cole matched the feat in 2013. More trivia: Nelson also was the starting and winning pitcher in the final game played at Forbes Field on June 28th, 1970, a 4-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. But the next season saw him develop serious control issues and he was shipped to the minors in mid-July. Jim refused to report (he was 2-2/2.34 with the team, but had made only 17 appearances) and it cost him as his teammates voted him a half-share of their 1971 World Series money but the FO stiffed him when handing out World Series rings. It was a sort of messy way to end a relationship, especially as he later had rotator cuff surgery and never got back to the majors. His lifetime line was 6-4/3.01 as a Buc from 1970-71. Nelson became a salesman after baseball, and used to hand out $5 bills to the homeless in his Sacramento community as Christmas gifts until he passed away at the age of 57. 
• 1947 - RHP Jim Minshall was born in Covington, Kentucky. A second round pick in the 1966 draft out of HS, he tossed six games for the 1974-75 Bucs and was 0-1, even though he never gave up an earned run. Jim was a Pirates lifer; he pitched in the organization from 1966-76, closing out his career at AAA Charleston. 
• 1948 - The Pirates took two from the Cubs by 5-1 and 6-2 scores at Forbes Field to reclaim second place in the NL, 2-1/2 games behind the front-running Boston Braves. Rip Sewell and Kirby Higbe gave up eight hits in the opener but only one run while Elmer Riddle tossed a four-hit complete game victory in the nightcap. Ralph Kiner and Stan Rojek led the way at the dish; each had five hits during the day. Ralph had a homer, a double and three RBI while The Happy Rabbit scored twice. As for the Pirates, they finished in fourth place, 8-1/2 games behind the Braves, but did end up 83-71 in a competitive campaign. 

Stan Rojek - 1949 Bowman

• 1948 - OF Wayne Nordhagen was born in Three Rivers Falls, Minnesota. Wayne put up eight years off the bench in MLB, getting into one game as a Bucco in 1982 and he did pretty well, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Nordhagen was part of a fairly byzantine set of moves. The Blue Jays sent him to Philly for Dick Davis; the Phils sent him the Pirates on the same day for Bill Robinson. Then a week or so later, the Bucs shipped him back to the Jays for Davis. 
• 1956 - After a quick start, the Pirates dropped 15-of-19 games after a doubleheader split with the Cubs and made some moves. IF’s Gene Freese & Spook Jacobs, C Danny Kravitz and P Luis Arroyo were sent to Hollywood. In their place, the Bucs called up 20-year-old 2B Bill Mazeroski and pitchers Charlie Naranjo & Fred Waters. Six of the guys involved would be fringe players for the Bucs in the overall scheme of things, but for Maz, it was the start of a Hall of Fame career. He debuted on the 7th and never tasted the minors again, playing in seven All-Star games during his 17-year run with the Pirates. 
• 1978 - The Pirates took both ends of a twinbill from the Expos at TRS by 3-1 and 4-3 scores. The first game was all Bert Blyleven - he tossed an eight inning five-hitter, allowing a run on Ellis Valentine’s dinger, and drove in all three Pirates runs with a two-out, bases-loaded double in the fifth. Dan Schatzeder was tough, too - he gave up four hits, but all of them were bunched together in the deciding fifth frame. Pittsburgh overcame an early 2-0 deficit with three homers - a two-run shot by Bill Robinson and solo drives by Willie Stargell and Omar Moreno - to allow Don Robinson to slip past Wayne Twitchell in the closing match. Kent Tekulve saved both ends of the double dipper. The wins put the Bucs within a game of .500, and they would finish the year with 88 victories, 1-1/2 games behind the Phils.