- 1980 - The NL topped the AL 4-2 at Dodger Stadium in the All Star game with Chuck Tanner as manager. 2B Phil Garner went 1-for-2 with a run, walk and stolen base while RF Dave Parker went 0-for-2. Jim Bibby pitched a clean seventh inning, while Kent Tekulve watched the game from the bullpen.
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| Teke winnin' one the hard way - 1982 Donruss |
- 1983 - OF/1B John Bowker was born in Sacramento. A third-round pick of the Giants, he played for the Bay Bombers from 2008-10 and then was traded to the Pirates at the deadline, along with Joe Martinez, in return for Javier Lopez. He hit .233 as a Bucco and was flipped in late 2011 to the Phillies. John spent 2012-14 in Japan, with a stint in the Mexican League, too. The Bucs brought him back in 2015, but he never got past AAA Indy and retired after the campaign.
- 1986 - The Pirates were shaken but not stirred in San Diego when a 2:15 AM earthquake rocked them. Jim Leyland, trainer Kent Biggerstaff, sportswriter Ron Cook and nine players made it to the lobby while the 30-second+, 6.0 Richter Scale tremor shook. But it caused little damage and no injuries as the Bucs went on to play that night, dropping a 4-2 decision to the Friars to fall 13 games (34-47) under .500.
- 1987 - Jack-of-all-trades Josh Harrison was born in Cincinnati. The utility guy was up-and-down with the Bucs since 2011 after coming over in the John Grabow/Tom Gorzelanny deal with the Cubs in 2009. But in 2014, playing LF and then later claiming the third base job, he broke out, winning an All-Star berth with a .315 BA, second best in the NL (he won a second nod in 2017). He inherited the second base spot after Neil Walker was traded to the Mets, and later signed with the Tigers as a free agent in early 2019 after being bumped by Adam Frazier.
- 1994 - The statue of Roberto Clemente, located in front of Roberto Clemente Bridge and designed by sculptor Susan Wagner, was dedicated outside of Gate B at TRS. When PNC Park opened in 2001, it was reinstalled just beyond center field. A neat factoid: under glass blocks representing first, second, and third base is soil from Puerto Rico, Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium.
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- 1997 - The junior league short circuited the NL by a 3-1 score at the All Star game played at Jacobs Field. 2B Tony Womack was the Bucs’ sole representative and grounded out in his only at bat.
- 2003 - The Bucs nosed the Brewers 8-7 in 10 innings at Miller Park to win their fifth game in six outings. Wes Helms hit a two-run homer off Mike Williams in the ninth to send the game to overtime; Jack Wilson answered with a two-run shot in the 10th. It wasn’t quite done; John Vander Wal singled to left center with two outs and two on in the Brew Crew half to chase a run home, but Geoff Jenkins was thrown out at third by Kenny Lofton to end the game. Matt Stairs and Jason Kendall had three hits. Stairs, Wilson and Lofton also homered.
- 2005 - Pittsburgh scored four times in the ninth to send the game into extras, then took a 6-5 win against the Mets in 10 frames at PNC Park. With two gone in the ninth, Tike Redman singled home a pair and Matt Lawton followed with a two-bagger to tie it. Then Humberto Cota lined a knock to left after a pair were gone in the 10th, scoring Rob Mackowiak who had reached second on an error. The Mets were just a pitch away; both Redman and Cota’s hits came with two strikes.
- 2008 - The Pirates tallied three times after two outs and the bases empty in the eighth to top the Houston Astros 4-3 at PNC Park. Adam LaRoche started with a homer, then a HBP, single and walk set up Nate McLouth. He dropped a liner into short right to plate Jose Bautista and Luis Rivas with the tying and winning runs. Damaso Marte saved the win for John Grabow.
- 2011 - Pinch hitter Mike McKenry broke a 4-4 tie with the Cubs in the eighth inning when he took an 0-2 pitch deep with two outs off Carlos Marmol for a three-run bomb to give the Bucs a 7-4 win at PNC Park. It was The Fort’s first MLB homer. Joel Hanrahan notched his 26th straight save of the season (although he did suffer a couple of losses in non-save situations) when he pitched a perfect ninth against the Cubs, striking out a pair. He would blow his next save opp 10 days later (the Pirates didn’t have many leads to protect in the latter stages of the 2011 season) when he was tagged with a run-producing double by Houston’s Chris Johnson. The Bucs entered the All-Star break above the .500 mark for the first time since 1992.
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| The Pittsburgh Kid - 2012 Gypsy Queen |
- 2012 - The Pirates kept sole possession of first place in the NL Central for the last time with a 13-2 thumping of the Giants at PNC Park. Neil Walker went 5-for-5 with a double and a home run, drove in a pair and scored four times; Andrew McCutchen homered twice while collecting three hits, four RBI and three runs while Casey McGehee added three knocks to give AJ Burnett his tenth win. It was also the club’s 10th win in the past 12 games. The elation was short-lived as the Bucs collapsed in the dog days...but at last, wait ‘til next year wasn’t an empty slogan
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