8/1 Through the 1950s: Rip on a Roar; 20-Innings; Game Stories; HBD Pete, Milt, Roy & Pep

• 1892 - RHP Roy Sanders was born in Stafford, Kansas. Roy yo-yoed between the Reds and the minor league American Association Kansas City Blues in 1917, then landed in Pittsburgh in 1918 as a PTBNL in a deal with KC for Fritz Mollwitz. Roy had a decent year, getting in 28 games (14 starts) with a 7-9/2.60 slash, but it would be his last in MLB as he lost his job to the flood of ball players returning from WW1. He went by the monikers of “Butch” and “Pepe.” 
• 1893 - Pittsburgh crushed St. Louis, 25-2, in game one of a twinbill, then won the second contest‚ 6-1, while banging out 17 hits at Robison Field. Frank Killen won both games against the Browns (he started both, but got a blow from reliever Tom Colcolough in the first game romp) en route to a 36-win season and even had a homer. Jake Beckley had six hits during the day while Jack Glasscock and Denny Lyons added five more apiece. 

Charlie Case 1905 - photo via Chicago Daily News (filter ColouriseSG)

• 1904 - Charlie Case gave up 11 hits but shut out the Cubs 4-0 at Exposition Park. The difference was in the fielding; Chicago made four errors, all leading to Pittsburgh scores, while the Pirates played flawlessly and occasionally brilliantly behind Case. Ginger Beaumont had three hits for the Bucs, while Tommy Leach and Honus Wagner each added a pair of knocks. 
• 1906 - After pitching 10-2/3 innings of no-hit ball at Washington Park, Brooklyn’s Harry McIntyre was touched for a single by Pirates 2B Claude Ritchey. Only 31 Bucs faced McIntyre in the first 10 frames, but Pittsburgh beat the Superbas in the 13th when Bob Ganley singled, went to third on Honus Wagner’s double, and scored on Joe Nealon’s knock to take a 1-0 decision behind Lefty Leifield, who went the distance while tossing a nine-hitter. 
• 1916 - RHP Elmer “Pep” Rambert was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Pep’s MLB career consisted of two cups of joe with the Bucs from 1939-40, working 12 IP and going 0-1/8.25. He did have a long shelf life in the minors where he both hurled and played outfield, winning 68 games and putting up a career .307 BA, then managed in the bushes after retiring. 
• 1918 - Pittsburgh and Boston played a record 20 scoreless innings (it was tied in 1967) before the Pirates won in the 21st frame by a 2-0 score at Braves Field. Art Nehf went all the way for Boston, while Erskine Mayer worked the first 15 frames for Pittsburgh, followed by Wilbur Cooper. Cooper scored on Max Carey’s two-out knock and Billy Southworth doubled Carey home with an insurance tally. 
• 1943 - Rip Sewell won his 11th straight start (he did drop a decision as a reliever during that streak) by a 7-1 count over Boston at Forbes Field, tossing a three-hitter. Every outing during the skein was a complete game victory. Rip was an All Star that year and posted his career-best season with a slash of 21-9/2.54. 
• 1950 - C Milt May was born in Gary, Indiana. May began (1970-73) and ended (1983-84) his career as a Pirate, batting .261 as a reserve catcher. He was a member of the 1971 World Series club and 1972 pennant winners, and hit .400 (2-for-5) as a pinch hitter in the postseason. Milt also made the record books when he drove in the one millionth run in MLB history on May 4th, 1975, with a three-run home run as a Houston Astro. May became the hitting coach for ten seasons in Pittsburgh (1987–96) with stints with the Florida Marlins, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and as pitching coach for the Colorado Rockies. May was a scout for the Rockies in 2000, then spent the 2001 season as a Pirates minor-league hitting coordinator and is now a minor league coach for the Orioles. 

Milt May - 1985 Topps

• 1951 - Pete Mackanin was born in Chicago. He never suited up for the Bucs as a player, but spent several seasons with the club as skipper and coach. After managing the Hickory Crawdads and Lynchburg Hillcats in 2001 and 2002, he became the Bucco bench coach in 2003. After Lloyd McClendon was fired, Mackanin served as the Pirates' interim manager for the last month of 2005, leading the team to a 12–14 record. He spent the next season managing in the Pirates' minor league system at Bradenton before moving on to work for other clubs. He was the Phils manager until 2017, when he was relieved and moved to a front office job. 
• 1951 - The Dodgers took a 7-2 lead after three innings against Murry Dickson at Forbes Field, but it wasn’t enough as Brooklyn lost to the Bucs 12-9. The Pirates scored four in the fourth and four more in the eighth, sparked by Ralph Kiner's 27th homer‚ and snapped da Bums’ winning streak at 10 games. George Strickland drove home three and homered. The win went to Bill Werle and the save to Ted Wilks.