- 1962 - The Pirate players called off a threatened walkout in objection to a rained out game that was rescheduled as part of a Saturday doubleheader with another doubleheader already scheduled on Sunday. Bob Friend, team rep, was irked that the players were bypassed in rescheduling the game. Friend lost the opener 3-2 to St. Louis at Busch Stadium, giving up a run with two down in the ninth. The Bucs took the second game 4-0 behind Earl Francis, who tossed a three-hitter and was backed by homers off the bats of Dick Groat and Dick Stuart. They also split the next day’s twin bill.
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| Euclides Rojas - now an MLB official (image Positively Pittsburgh) |
- 1967 - Euclides Rojas was born in Havana. He was the Cuban National Team's all-time leader in saves before he left his homeland by raft in 1994, was rescued by the US Coast Guard, and emigrated to America. He’s been the Buccos bullpen coach since 2010, having served in the same position for the Red Sox and briefly, the Marlins. Rojas spent six years (2005-2010) as the Pirates Latin American Field Coordinator and also worked for Pittsburgh as a roving minor league instructor in 2002 with an emphasis on the club's Latin American program. Prior to that job, Rojas spent five seasons as a coach in the Florida Marlins organization. Now he's a player development official for MLB.
- 1972 - Steve Blass pitched a career-high 11 innings but had a no-decision in a 3-2, 12-inning walk off win in the first game of a doubleheader against the Dodgers at TRS. Steverino had a rare bout of wildness, walking nine and bopping one, but had some glovely fielding behind him to keep the damage minimal. Richie Hebner sent the game into overtime with a homer in the ninth, then Manny Sanguillen delivered the game-winning rap with a two-out single in the 12th off reliever Pete Richert. Dave Cash had reached second on a throwing error and scored the winning run. The Dodgers were held to three hits in the second game by Bruce Kison, but split on the day by taking a 4-3 win. A walk came around, another run scored on a balk and Bill Buckner homered after an error.
- 1974 - OF Gary “Junior” (he’s Gary Matthews’ son) Matthews Jr. was born in San Francisco. He put in 12 big-league years with nine stops, spending 46 games in Pittsburgh in 2001 when he was taken off waivers from the Cubs. He hit .245 and was sold to the Mets in the off season. Known for defensive flair, he also made the All-Star team in 2006, joining his dad as the 14th father-son combo to appear in the Midsummer Classic.
- 1974 - The Pirates swept a twin bill at San Diego Stadium, dropping the Padres by 4-1 & 10-2 scores to vault into first place, 1/2-game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals. Pittsburgh was on a 29-11 roll, having caught fire after a basebrawl with the Reds. The Pirates won the lidlifter in 12 innings, with Jim Rooker getting the win by tossing six-hit ball over 11 frames. The Bucs won softly - their runs in the 12th came on a sac fly and pair of bases-loaded walks. Larry Demery won the nightcap with help from Ramon Hernandez in a game that was a cliffhanger until late, when the Buccos scored nine runs in the seventh and ninth frames. The Pirates won the NL East, but were left in the dust by the LA Dodgers in the NLCS, losing 3-of-4 games.
- 1978 - Major League umps staged a one-day strike, its first walk-out, to air a laundry list of grievances they had with MLB; semi pro and amateur arbitrators were used as replacements. The umpires walked out again at the beginning of the 1979 season. The Major League Umpires Association authorized several disruptive events on behalf of the boys in blue, including the ill-fated mass resignation of 1999, leading the umps to decertify the MLUA and start a new unit called the World Umpires Association, recognized in 2000 and still the umps’ bargaining unit.
- 1979 - The Bucs scored twice in the ninth after two were out and no one aboard to send the game into extra innings, eventually winning 4-3 in 19 frames over the Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium. Dave Roberts pitched out of a pair of bases loaded jams to earn the win. He wriggled off the hook with the sacks juiced and no one away in the 17th inning after escaping in the 16th, when the bases were packed with two outs and he went 3-0 to opposing pitcher John D'Acquisto. The Friars stranded 26 runners in the match, one short of the MLB record. The contest lasted six hours and twelve minutes, the longest Pirate contest until the Jerry Meals 19-inning game at Atlanta in 2011.
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