9/30 Through the 1960s: Kiner #54; Herman to Pgh; Temple Cup; Game Stories; HBD Pat

• 1891 - RHP Leo “Pat” Bohen was born in Oakland, Iowa. He got into two major league games; one was with the Bucs in 1914, when he gave up two runs on two hits with two walks in an inning of work. Bohen at age 24 retired after the 1915 campaign, spent at Moline and Peoria, and became a machinist.

William Temple - via John Thorn's blog "Our Game" 2016

• 1893 - The Pirates ended their season with an eight-game winning streak by topping the NY Giants by an 8-6 score to finish the year 81-48, five games behind the Boston Beaneaters. Pittsburgh’s partial owner William Chase Temple thought there should be a series between the top two teams (as his club was second) for the title, so he donated the Temple Cup to the league for a best of seven postseason championship series, to start in 1894. It lasted for four years, never being terribly popular among the players or fans, and didn’t help Temple’s Bucs at all - they never finished higher than sixth during the Cup’s existence. The winner was supposed to take ⅔ of the gate, but the first teams to play agreed beforehand on a 50-50 split, which the winning club then reneged on, causing Temple to sell his Pirate share in disgust with baseball. 
• 1908 - The Pirates beat the Cards 7-5 at Forbes Field behind Sam Leever, who relieved starter Vic Willis, and “Wee Tommy” Leach’s home run. Pittsburgh fell behind 5-0 in the home finale, tying the game in the seventh and pushing the winning runs across in the eighth. The victory put the Bucs in a virtual tie for first with the NY Giants and 1⁄2-game ahead of Chicago. In a wild NL finish, the Cubs would take the pennant by a game over both the Pirates and Giants. 
• 1921 - RHP Phil Morrison got his only big league outing, tossing ⅔ of an inning against St. Louis in a 12-4 defeat, giving up a hit and getting a K. He’s noteworthy as one of the Pirates’ early brother acts, as he joined sib “Jughandle Johnny” Morrison, who pitched eight years for Pittsburgh, on the roster that season. 
• 1946 - 2B Billy Herman, who the Bucs wanted as a manager, was traded to Pittsburgh by Boston with OF Stan Wentzel, RHP Elmer Singleton and IF Whitey Wietelmann for three-time All Star 3B Bob Elliott and C Hank Camelli. Even Herman realized a lopsided deal when he saw one, saying "Why, they've gone and traded the whole team on me.” Elliott won the 1947 NL MVP award and led the Beaneaters to the 1948 NL pennant. Herman was announced as Bucco skipper after the deal and was inked to a two-year contract. 
• 1946 - The Bob Feller Major League All-Stars and the Satchel Paige Colored Stars opened the post-season touring circuit in Forbes Field before 4,592 fans, with the Colored All-Stars taking a 3-1 win. The big draw was a three-inning duel between Paige and Feller. Paige gave up a hit and fanned four; Feller gave up two hits and whiffed three, the aces leaving the game with the score 1-1. Ray Brown was the real star, pitching six innings of one-hit, shutout ball to top Bob Lemon, who gave up the final two Colored Stars’ runs. 

Pittsburgh Post Gazette 10/1/1943

• 1949 - Ralph Kiner hit his 54th homer and 16th of September over the LF scoreboard at Forbes Field as the Pirates beat Herm Wehmeier and the Reds‚ 3-2, behind Bob Chesnes four-hitter. The monthly total eclipsed Cy Williams' 1923 NL mark (broken in 1965 by Willie Mays with 17), and 54 homers is still the Pirate standard for long balls in a season. 
• 1951 - Ralph Kiner hit a two-out, 425’ walk-off grand slam in the 11th inning to give the Pirates an 8-4 win over the Reds at Forbes Field. The four RBI gave him 109 on the year, his fifth straight season with 100+ runs driven home, tying the franchise record set by Pie Traynor. Bill Werle, the Pirates third pitcher, got the win. 
• 1964 - 19 Pirates were struck out in 16 innings, but the Bucs still beat the Reds 1-0 on Jerry Mays’ suicide squeeze, knocking Cincy out of the top spot in the NL. Starter Bob Veale struck out 16 in 12-1/3 innings while the Reds’ Jim Maloney K’ed 11 in eleven frames at Crosley Field. Al McBean worked the final 3-⅔ IP for the victory.

9/30 From 1970 Through the 1980s: Roberto's 3,000th; Prez Pitch; '79 Clincher; 20 For Candy; TSN Scoops; Coles Clobbers; HBD Bryan

• 1972 - At Three Rivers Stadium, Roberto Clemente hit a fourth-inning double off a Jon Matlack 0-1 curve to become the 11th player in major league history (there are now 32) to reach the 3,000 hit plateau. As an added bonus, Clemente scored and his run was the game winner when Manny Sanguillen chased him home with the Pirates’ first tally. Take it with a grain of salt if someone told you they were there for the big occasion. Only 13,117 people showed up to watch the 5-0 win over the Mets on a raw Saturday afternoon. Dock Ellis took home the W and Bob Johnson worked three innings for the save; the pair combined on a two-hitter. 

• 1972 - Al Oliver was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Swat Artist.” That he was; the Bucco center fielder slashed .312/18/89 and scored 88 times on the way to his first of seven All-Star selections. 
• 1977 - John Candelaria became the first Bucco since Vern Law in 1960 to win 20 games (and it would take until 1990 for Doug Drabek to become the Pirates next) when he downed the Cubs 3-1 at TRS. Al Oliver, Kenny Macha and Frank Taveras chased home the Pittsburgh runs. Candy Man scattered seven hits to go with seven whiffs, and his only mistake was a 3-0 meatball that Steve Swisher smacked into the seats. Candelaria went all the way to become the first Puerto Rican pitcher to notch a 20-win season. He finished the year 20-5/2.34, both the best marks in the league. Jim Rooker didn’t have such a good day; he broke his arm and leg in a car accident. He returned hale and hearty for the following season. 
• 1978 - The Phillies clinched their third consecutive NL East title by eliminating the Pirates, 10-8, at TRS. The victory, fueled by Phil pitcher Randy Lerch’s two home runs, snapped Pittsburgh’s 24-game home winning streak. The Bucs went down fighting. They scored four times in the ninth and got the tying run to the plate twice, but Willie Stargell, who had earlier swatted a grand slam, whiffed and Phil Garner bounced out to end the rally. 
• 1979 - The Pirates clinched the NL East crown with 5-3 win over the Cubs on the last day of the season in front of 42,176 jubilant fans at TRS. Bruce Kison and Kent Tekulve got the win and save, Dave Parker had three hits, Phil Garner added an RBI, and Bill Robinson’s two-run single in the seventh was the key blow as the Bucs finished the season two games ahead of the Montreal Expos, who dropped a 2-0 decision to Steve Carlton and the Phils. Willie Stargell became the Pirates all-time RBI leader when he bombed a solo homer in the fifth to overtake Honus Wagner. Pops’ pair of RBI were numbers 1,475 and 1,476; he would finish his career with 1,540. 
• 1980 - RHP Bryan Bullington was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Ball State junior was the Bucs top pick and first selection overall in the 2002 draft. He made his debut in 2005 for the Bucs, then returned to toss some in 2007 after labrum surgery, going 0-3/5.89 in six games (three starts) as a Pirate. BB never made much headway in the show, winning just one game. After pitching for KC in 2010, he went to Japan where he tossed until a shoulder injury in 2015. 

Darnell Coles - 1988 Topps

• 1987 - The Pirates split a doubleheader with the Chicago Cubs at TRS. They won the opener 5-3 behind Brian Fisher as Jose Lind chased two runs home and Spanky LaValliere scored twice. They dropped the nitecap 10-8 despite Darnell Coles tying a team record by blasting three homers and driving in six runs. Pirate pitching gave up just nine hits, but six were for extra bases and they added 11 walks. 
• 1988 - President Ronald Reagan tossed out two ceremonial first pitches before the Cubs lost 10-9 to the Pirates at Wrigley. “Dutch,” a former play-by-play announcer, joined Harry Caray for an inning and a half in the WGN booth. Jose Lind and Andy Van Slyke combined for seven hits in the win, spoiling the Prez’s day. It was a wild finish; Pittsburgh and Chicago each scored five times in the eighth and ninth innings to end up with a 9-9 regulation stalemate. Andy Van Slyke drove in Rafael Belliard with the winner in the 10th. Scott Medvin claimed the W while Goose Gossage took the loss.

9/30 From 1990: '90 Clincher; 20 Year Funk; Marte 20/30 Club; Dewey Rains on Cubs; Game Stories

• 1990 - Pittsburgh beat St. Louis 2-0 at Busch Stadium behind Doug Drabek's three-hitter to clinch its first NL East title since 1979. Gary Redus and Andy Van Slyke had the RBI as the Pirates finished a seven game winning streak to pull away from the Mets (the Bucs finished the year four games up). It took Drabek just 80 pitches to go the distance. It set up a Pirates-Reds NLCS; ironically, the old rivals were the only two NL teams not to win a division title in the 80s. 

Tim Wakefield - 1993 Leaf

• 1993 - Tim Wakefield shut out the Phillies on four hits (although he did walk six) in a 5-0 whitewashing at TRS. It was the first time Philadelphia had been shut out since September 19th, 1992 (also at TRS, by Doug Drabek), a NL record-setting stretch of 174 games between blankings. Pittsburgh’s home finale victory over Philadelphia was led by Dave Clark, who homered & tripled, and Tom Foley, who had three hits including a two-bagger. 
• 2009 - Ryan Doumit went 4-for-4 with a home run, three runs scored and four RBIs in the second game of a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs, an 8-3 Pittsburgh win behind Jeff Karstens. Dewey became the second Pirate catcher in the last 40 years to have at least four hits and four RBIs in the same game; Jason Kendall collected four knocks and five RBIs in a 13–1 Pirates victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on May 19th, 2000. It was a good day at Wrigley Field for the Bucs as they took the opener, too, 4-0. Charlie Morton tossed a four hitter and Jason Jaramillo doubled in two runs. 
• 2012 - The Pirates were dropped by Cincinnati 4-3 for their 82nd loss, finishing below .500 for the 20th consecutive season to extend their sad little record. The Bucs were 16 games over .500 on August 6th, but for the second consecutive year, a dog days’ collapse was in the cards. This one at PNC Park hurt, as the Reds scored twice in the ninth off closer Joel Hanrahan to steal the win in front of 32,814 fans.
• 2015 - The Pirates stayed alive in the NL Central race by winning the lid lifter of a twin bill at PNC Park against St. Louis, 8-2, for Gerrit Cole's 19th win. The offense was generated via a grand slam by Francisco Cervelli, Neil Walker’s homer and Gregory Polanco chasing home two runs. But the Cardinals clinched the flag and a 100-win season when they won the back end, 11-1, chasing Charlie Morton in the third and getting a Jason Heyward grand slam of their own off Bobby LaFromboise. The Pirates hosted the Wild Card walk-in game for the third straight season as their consolation prize. 
• 2017 - The Pirates had been held to one hit over eight innings by Max Scherzer, AJ Cole and Enny Romero and were down 1-0 going into the ninth at Nationals Park. Washington sent Brandon Kintzler to close it out, and he got within a strike of doing it. With runners at first and second, Sean Rodriguez slapped a two-out, 3-2 sinker into left to tie the game. A walk loaded the bases and Max Moroff cleared them with a triple to open a wide safety net. Felipe Rivero mopped it up to save George Kontos’ win (Jameson Taillon tossed seven innings of four-hit ball to start the game) and the Bucs took home a 4-1 win from Washington. 

Max Moroff - 2017 photo Joe Guzy/Pirates

• 2018 - The Pirates finished an 82-79, roller-coaster campaign with a 6-5, 10-inning win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park. The teams used 13 pitchers in a showcase of the young guys that featured four home runs, three errors and everything in between. Pablo Reyes scored on a wild pitch to win it for Michael Feliz, and Jose Osuna added a pair of doubles. The vets had a hand in it, too, as Josh Bell homered, Starling Marte went long & doubled, and Felipe Vazquez notched his 37th save. Some notable achievements: Marte became the third Pirate to have a 20 HR/30 SB season, joining Barry Bonds (four times) & Andy Van Slyke (1987-88). It was also the first time that the Bucs had two relief pitchers with at least 80 strikeouts in the same season as Vazquez punched out 89 and Richard Rodriguez, 88. Only two Pirate relievers have reached 90 Ks in a campaign (Joel Hanrahan w/100 in 2010 & Jason Grilli w/90 in 2012). And finally, Clint Hurdle got his 1,200th career victory in the show. He joined Bruce Bochy, Mike Scioscia, Buck Showalter and Terry Francona as active skippers in the 1,200 win club.

News and Notes

 News and notes:

• Ke'Bryan Hayes was named NL Rookie of the Month for September. In 24 games, he batted .376 with 5 homers, 11 runs scored, 17 RBI, 202 OPS+ and +4 Defensive Runs Saved per Baseball Reference.

No surprise here...

• Pittsburgh was pretty much equal opportunity in how they lost this year - the squad was 8-15 in one-run games and 4-12 in five+ run blowouts.
• The Pirates played nine different teams this year; seven made the playoffs. They played the two non-postseason clubs six times during the year (and were 0-6!).
• Hmmmm...the Bucs must be running low on numbers. C Andrew Susac (#80) and OF Jared Oliva (#76) were both issued first-time uni numbers this season, and there were three guys with that honor last year: Ps Williams Jerez (#79), Wei-Chung Wang (#78) and James Marvel (#74). There were only three other players before those five to have their own unshared number: P Joe Beimel (#97, 2011), OF Lastings Milledge (#85, 2009-10), and P Rick White (#88, 2005)
  
• Larry Broadway is no longer the Bucco senior director of minor league operations. He's been relieved of that title, although expected to remain in the FO. His successor is yet to be named per Jason Mackey of the Post Gazette.
• The Oneil Cruz incident isn't nearly as cut-and-dried as originally presented, according to Kevin Gorman of the Trib.
• The Game 7 Gang canceled the annual October 13th celebration outside the Forbes Field wall, citing Covid crowd regulations as being too much to work through.

9/29 Through the 1940s: Ooops; Game Stories; HBD Cannonball, Paul; Rubber Wing & Hunky

• 1862 - LHP Ed “Cannonball” Morris was born in Brooklyn. Morris was considered by many to be the first great lefty to pitch in the majors. In 1884, Cannonball tossed a no-hitter against Pittsburgh for Columbus, and was purchased by the impressed Alleghenys five months later. The lefty pitched for the Alleghenys from 1885-89 with a 171-122/2.84 line, winning 80 games from 1885-86. He struck out over 300 batters twice with 298 another year, and threw over 550 innings in two different seasons. He also worked a year with the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players League in 1890, his last season in the majors. Afterward, he ran a hotel/saloon on Pittsburgh’s North Side and was a deputy warden at Western Penitentiary. He remained a fan, rarely missing a Pirates game, and in 1934 he was tapped by the team to pitch an inning during the Silver Anniversary of Forbes Field. As you may have guessed, he was nicknamed "Cannonball" for the velocity of his ol’ number one. 

Cannonball - 1889 Goodwin/Old Judge

• 1866 - RHP “Rubber-Winged Gus” Weyhing was born in Louisville, Kentucky. In a 14-year career spanning over 500 appearances, he tossed one game for the Pirates in 1895. He won it before joining his hometown Louisville Colonels, his third team of the season (he tossed for nine clubs). Gus was a strong pitcher, winning 25+ games six straight seasons, but he was one of the old-timey pitchers that didn’t cope very well when the mound was moved back ten feet to 60’6” in 1893, though he did manage to hang around until 1901. He was also a colorful character - he jumped leagues twice and was an early wild child; he still leads the majors with 277 hit batsmen. 
• 1884 - 3B/OF Royal “Hunky” Shaw was born in Yakima, Washington. The Washington U alum has one MLB at-bat on his resume (he whiffed) in 1908 as a Pirate. He played pro ball until 1924, mostly in the Northwest and Nebraska Leagues. He retired and opened a sporting goods store, and became a club exec for the minor league Yakima Pippins. 
• 1900 - Busted! Per the Pittsburgh Press after a 4-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds “...the disgrace of being beaten...was not the most humiliating experience the Pirates had at Exposition Park, and until they clear themselves of the charge of attempting the dishonorable Philadelphia trick of tipping off the signals (ie, stealing signs) of opposing clubs, they will get little sympathy from Pittsburg’s patrons of the national game.” Reds’ shortstop Tommy Corcoran called the ump over late in the game and pointed out an advertising sign in center field that could be potentially be adjusted by a hidden Bucco with binoculars to steal the catcher’s signals. Corcoran had a nose for opposing tricksters; he also uncovered the ploy in Philadelphia that involved a vibrating electronic gizmo buried in the third base box. The Reds filed cheating charges, and though we never found a formal resolution of the matter, it appears the Pirates defense of “how could we have cheated if we lost” was upheld. 
• 1908 - Pittsburgh blanked the Cardinals 7-0 at Forbes Field behind Howie Camnitz in the first game of a doubleheader sweep. Camnitz had a no hitter until the ninth when Claude Osteen singled. The last-place Redbirds were blanked for a record 33rd time. The Cards broke out the lumber in the nitecap, but still lost 6-5 when Roy Thomas’ grounder brought home George Gibson in the ninth to give Vic Willis the win. 
• 1909 - RHP Harry Camnitz mopped up in the Pirates 6-1 loss to the NY Giants at Forbes Field. It was his only outing of the year (he had been purchased from the minor league McKeesport Tubers in July), but it made him part of the first brother act for the Pittsburgh Pirates to appear during the same season; he was the little bro of the team’s ace, Howie Camnitz. The Bucs added him to the roster after he picked up 27 wins with the Tubers. 

Paul Giel - undated via SABR

• 1932 - RHP Paul Giel was born in Winona, Minnesota. Paul was a two-sport star at the U of Minnesota and picked baseball over football (he was a highly touted QB) when he graduated. He spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues and made 20 appearances with the Pirates in 1959-60, going 2-0, 7.30. He retired from baseball in 1961 and embarked on a journey through the Minnesota sports scene. Giel went to work for the Vikings briefly, spent a longer stretch with local sports broadcasting and then became the AD at his alma mater. 
• 1935 - In his only major league game, C Aubrey Epps went 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBI in the Bucs' 9-6 loss at Cincinnati, giving the Pirates a doubleheader split on the season’s last day. In an oddity, the touted 23-year old catcher ended up with identical career batting and fielding averages (.750) as he committed two errors in eight chances; guess that’s why it was his only game. Aubrey caught pneumonia after the season, although he did recover in time to report to 1936 camp. He couldn’t win a roster spot and spent the next six seasons in the minors. He was nicknamed “YoYo” for his proficiency with the toy, per Diamonds in the Dusk. 
• 1942 - Satchel Paige of the KC Monarchs tossed 5-2/3 innings of hitless relief against the Homestead Grays (by that time, they split dates between Pittsburgh & Washington), winning 9-5 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia to cap a four game sweep of the 1942 Negro League World Series. The series featured seven members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, three from the Monarchs (Satchel Paige, Hilton Smith, and Willard Brown) and four from the Grays (Josh Gibson, Jud Wilson, Ray Brown, and Buck Leonard). Paige had actually been slated to start but showed up late at the ballpark, claiming he was tardy because of a speeding ticket he picked up on the way to the park.

9/29 From 1950: Clint Axed; Rosey's Day; Two for Teke; Quail Retires; Brown Bunch; Game Stories; HBD Ken

• 1950 - Ken Macha was born in Monroeville. The Gateway grad, a sixth round draft pick in 1972, played briefly for the Bucs (1974, 1977-78), hitting .263 as a corner utilityman. He made his name as a MLB coach and manager of the Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers. Ken is retired and now lives in Latrobe after a stint as a pre-game analyst for Root Sports. 

Kenny Macha - 1977 Topps

• 1957 - The New York Giants played their final game at the Polo Grounds before pulling up their stakes and heading west, losing to the Pirates 9-1. Bob Friend got the win; Johnny Antonelli took the loss. Roberto Clemente, Johnny Powers and Friend each had three hits; rookie Powers hit the last homer and tallied the final RBI ever at the yard. After the game, 11‚606 fans swarmed for keepsakes as both teams retreated to the center field clubhouses for safety. 
• 1960 - Mayor Joe Barr declared it “Rosey Rowsell Day” at his memorial dinner at the Penn Sheraton. Governor Davey Lawrence was the main speaker, and the newly-crowned NL champs, the Pirates, led by Danny Murtaugh, Bob Friend, Roy Face, Bob Skinner and more were in attendance. Though Rosey had passed on in 1955, the dinner tradition continued as a funder for his favorite charity, the Ward Home for Children in Mt. Lebanon. 
• 1968 - Ahead of Matty Alou by a razor’s edge on the season’s last day, Pete Rose went 1-for-3 to keep his average at .335 while the Pirates outfielder wore an 0-for-4 collar in a 5-4 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, finishing the year with a BA of .332. The day before, the batting crown rivals were en fuego, combining to go 9-for-9 to set up the final day showdown. 
• 1978 - Kent Tekulve won both ends of a season-ending DH over the Phils at TRS in relief‚ 5-4 and 2-1. He pitched two innings in the opener and 1-1/3 frames in the nitecap‚ winning in the 10th. Both wins were gift wrapped; the Bucs won the opener when the relay to third on Ed Ott’s two-out, ninth-inning triple got away, and the Phils balked in the winning run in the 10th inning of the nitecap. Bruce Kison made the pitcher trivia rounds in the second game when he homered off Steve Carlton. That gave him a season natural batting cycle of a single, double, triple and homer in that order. Of course, for a hitter, a natural cycle begins with his first at-bat; with pitcher Kison, it started with a single on July 20th, with quite a few outs sprinkled in between. The twilighter drew 45,134 fans as a September run by the Bucs cut the Phils lead to 1-½ games after their 24th straight win at TRS. Pittsburgh finished two games back, but the stretch run pointed the way to 1979. 

The Kison Cycle - 1978 Topps

• 1990 - Bob Walk threw a four-hit complete game, winning an 8-0 decision over St. Louis at Busch Stadium in a match between the top dog Pirates and cellar-dwelling Cards. The 6-7-8 bottom of the order batters (Sid Bream, Mike LaValliere & Chico Lind) had two hits each and scored six runs, with even Walk contributing an RBI double from the nine-hole. The win almost put Pittsburgh over the top; they would clinch the division by eliminating the NY Mets the next day. 
• 1992 - The Pirates won their sixth straight game by a 3-0 score over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field as Zane Smith, Paul Wagner (the winner), Steve Cooke and Stan Belinda combined on a two-hitter to put the Bucs nine games up in the standings. Andy Van Slyke homered and drove in a pair of runs to spark the Pirate attack. The Buccos other run came on a Carlos Garcia sac fly that scored Gary Varsho.
• 1999 - In an oddity noted by BR Bullpen, the Bucs 1-2-3 hitters against the Milwaukee Brewers at County Stadium were Adrian Brown, Emil Brown and Brant Brown. Adrian had two hits and Brant drove in a run, but the Brown bunch wasn’t strong enough to carry the day as the Pirates fell 5-2. 
• 2002 - Bill Virdon retired from baseball at age 71 after serving as Lloyd McClendon’s bench coach during the season. After 52 years as a player, coach and manager, the Quail said “I’ve just had all the travel I could handle.” But he didn’t completely burn his bridges - he agreed to return as a Bucco instructor and torch-bearer during spring training. 
• 2012 - Andrew McCutchen hit a walk-off homer to right center off Jonathan Broxton of the Cincinnati Reds with one down in the ninth inning for his 31st long ball of the season. It gave the Pirates a 2-1 win at PNC Park in front of a Saturday night crowd of 38,623. Alex Presley doubled home Chase d'Arnaud in the seventh for the Bucs first run. Kyle McPherson started the game, and Joel Hanrahan finished for the win. 

Clint - 2019 image WGN

• 2019 - 62-year-old skipper Clint Hurdle was let go just before the final game of the year, one that the Pirates lost to the Reds, 3-1, at PNC Park to finish 69-93 and last in the NL Central. Hurdle was hired as manager in 2011 and led the Pirates to winning seasons in four of his nine years, breaking a record string of 20 non-winning campaigns. They made the playoffs three times, the last coming in a 2015 NL wild-card loss to the Cubs. The 2019 Pirates had an injury list that was a mile long, locker room fights, their closer arrested, and went on a 25-48 tailspin after the All-Star game. He finished with a 735-720-1 record over his Pirates tenure, winning 2013 NL Manager of the Year. Derek Shelton, bench coach of the Twins, was selected as his replacement.

9/28 Through the 1940s: Clarke Celebration; Homer In the Gloamin'; HBD Grant, Lou, Leon, Pete, Everett, Bill & Cy's

• 1863 - RHP Bill Nelson was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. He tossed three games for the Alleghenys in September of 1884, going 1-2/4.50. His peripherals were a little bit rougher - in 26 IP, he gave up 21 runs (13 were earned), hit four batters and tossed five wild pitches. He was released at the end of the season; the Alleghenys were about to buy the Columbus roster, leaving no room for a pitching project. Little is known what happened to Bill afterward; he appears he got on with his life at home as he ended his days in 1941 back in Terre Haute. 

Lou Bierbauer - 1898 Cameo-Pepsin Badge

• 1865 - 2B Lou Bierbauer was born in Erie (some sources claim he was born in Philly, que sera, sera). The Pirates signed him in 1891, as he wasn’t on the reserved roster of his American Association club, the Philadelphia Athletics (he had skipped to the outlaw Players League Brooklyn Ward’s Wonders in 1890). His rights were decided by an arbitrator, and though the AA thought the Alleghenys’ act was “piratical,” Pittsburgh was awarded Bierbauer and a new nickname, the Pirates. From 1891-96, Bierbauer was a defensive master and hit .260 for the Pirates. 
• 1883 - RHP Harlan “Cy the Third” Young was born in Portland, Indiana. The Pirates purchased Harlan’s contract from Wichita of the Western Association in 1908 and he did OK in a limited time, going 0-2/2.23 in three starts. Then it gets interesting. In Cy Young’s era, every pitcher named Young became a Cy of one stripe or another. Cy the Third, Harlan, was traded to Boston for Cy the Second (aka Young Cy), Irv Young. The association by name didn’t help Cy Two much nor Three at all. Irv did go 4-3/2.15 for Pittsburgh and lasted two more seasons with the White Sox, winning 63 games in six years. Harlan remained winless with Boston, and then bumped around in minor league ball until 1920. He retired, and though he never outdid his namesake in the baseball record books, Cy III ran a golf course and later managed apartments in Florida, living to the ripe old age of 91. 
• 1889 - OF Anna Sebastian “Pete” Compton was born in San Marcos, Texas. Compton had a six-year run in MLB, playing for five clubs, with a brief stop in Pittsburgh in 1916, going 1-for-16 in five games. Though old Pete was just a .241 hitter in the show, he was handy with the wood in the minors - he played through the 1928 season, leaving pro ball after eight straight .300+ seasons, over 2,500 hits, and a career .307 minor league BA. And no, we don’t know how Anna morphed into Pete. Guess Ma & Pa Compton were hoping for a girl. 
• 1891 - OF Everett Booe was born in Mocksville, North Carolina. His MLB days were from 1913-14; he spent his rookie campaign as a Bucco, batting .200 in 29 games before jumping to the Federal League. Booe was a speedster and did have a long playing career in the minors, stretching from 1910-30 with the last handful of seasons spent as a player/manager. After he was done, he retired with his wife to Kennedy, Texas, where he ran a lumber supply company and was active in community affairs, both civic and baseball. 
• 1893 - 1B/OF Cy Rheam was born in Pittsburgh. Cy went to Indiana Normal School (now IUP) and the utilityman rostered for a couple of seasons with the Pittsburgh Rebels in 1914-15, batting .201 while playing six different positions. That was the sum of Cy’s MLB career, and he apparently stayed local after his playing days. He died in the City in 1947 and was buried in Allegheny Cemetery.

Cy Rheam - 1914-15 photo via Find-A-Grave

• 1902 - RHP Leon Chagnon was born in Pittsfield, New Hampshire. He worked for the Bucs from 1929-30, then again from 1932-34 after spending 1931 in the minors. Mostly called to action from the bullpen, he went 19-14-2 with a 4.61 ERA during his Pirate career. He closed out his big league stay with the Giants in 1935, then spent two years in the minors before hangin' the spikes up. 
• 1909 - Player/manager Fred Clarke was honored at Forbes Field before the game, when, according to Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press, “...Mayor WA (William) Magee presented him with a bag of gold coin ($600). Just as the money was being handed to Clarke, James Geary placed a wreath of evergreen on his brow and showered dozens of rosebuds all over him while the fans shouted themselves hoarse at the scene.” After all that, the Pirates went out and lost to the NY Giants 13-9, but even that was good. The Pirates clinched the pennant when the Chicago Cubs lost to the Phils 3-2 and went on to beat the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. 
• 1938 - The Bucs lost the “Homer in the Gloaming” game to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, considered one of the greatest pennant race finishes in baseball. The teams were tied for first and tied in the bottom of the ninth. The umpires ruled that the ninth inning would be the last to be played because of darkness; if it was still tied, it would become a no-contest and would be replayed the next day in its entirety. Player manager Gabby Hartnett came to bat with two out, fell behind 0-2, and then connected off Mace Brown, launching the ball into the left-center field bleachers for the walk off win and sending 34‚465 fans home in ecstasy, many of whom circled the bases with him. The Cubs won the next day (their 10th straight), the Pirates faded, and Chicago became the NL champs. The loss was so painful to manager Pie Traynor that it’s said to have contributed to his retirement after the 1939 season. 
• 1942 - LHP Grant Jackson was born in Fostoria, Ohio. Buck tossed for the Pirates from 1977-81 and made his last MLB outing as a Buc in 1982. His line here was 29-19-36/3.23, and he tossed scoreless ball in his six appearances during the 1971 NLCS/World Series campaign. After he retired, Jackson was hired as Pittsburgh's pitching coach in 1983. He held similar positions with four other organizations (Chicago Cubs, NY Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, and Baltimore Orioles) before he retired for good after the 2002 season. He got his nickname in the minors; one of his teammates thought he walked like a cowboy and so dubbed him “Buck.” 

Buck - 1977 Topps

• 1947 - Tiny Bonham tossed a two-hit whitewash as the Bucs defeated the Reds, 7-0, at Forbes Field to end a dismal season in Bill Burwell’s only game as a manager (he replaced Billy Herman, who resigned). Pittsburgh finished 62-92, 32 games out of first. Dixie Howell and Frank Gustine homered in front of 33,794 fans. The Bucs had won just 64 games the year before, but would take 83 the following season under new skipper Billy Meyer. Herman wasn’t left holding the bag; he still had a year left on his contract and pocketed $28K for 1948.

9/28 From 1950: Blass Day; Freak Finale; SI Danny; Chuck Berry Duck Walks Out; Game Stories

• 1952 - The Post Gazette lede told the story: “The Pittsburgh Pirates wound up the clubs losingest (sic) season in modern baseball history by doing just that - losing.” The Bucs put up a fight at Crosley Field as Gus Bell dinged a two-run homer in the ninth to tie the game briefly before the Cincinnati Reds stormed back in the ninth to claim a 3-2 win from Forrest Main. The Pirates finished the year with a 48-106 slate. Still, it was a profitable day for a couple of Pirates - in a pre-game set of contests, Brandy Davis won $100 as the fastest player while Joe Garagiola ($50) and Frank Thomas ($25) came in 1-2 in the distance-hitting event. 
• 1966 - Pittsburgh swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies by 2-1 and 4-2 scores at Connie Mack Stadium. The strong mound work of Steve Blass and Bob Veale pulled the club within 1-½ games of first place LA. In the first game, Donn Clendenon homered and Manny Mota chased Matty Alou for the Bucco offense. The big blows in the nightcap were a triple by Bill Mazeroski, chasing home a run & scoring on a bad relay, and a two-out Roberto Clemente double that plated Matty Alou & came around on a single and error. It was their last hurrah; the SF Giants swept the final three-game set at Forbes Field and the Bucs finished third, three games off the pace. 

Matty Alou - 1966 East Hills SC promo photo

• 1970 - Danny Murtaugh was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the story “The Desperate Race.” It actually wasn’t that desperate; the Bucs’ lead had grown from two games into five by the time the issue was published after winning 6-of-7 down the stretch. 
• 1986 - The Pirates Bob Patterson and the Mets Bob Ojeda were involved in a dandy duel at TRS in front of 30,606 fans. The Bucs Jim Morrison added some drama with a two-out homer off Ojeda in the ninth to tie it 1-1 before Darryl Strawberry launched an 11th inning, three-run bomb off Bob Walk to give NY the win. There was even a little more drama after the game. The Four Tops & Chuck Berry were scheduled to perform after the home season finale. Berry was scheduled to start at 5 but when the game ran long, he refused to take the stage as showtime was pushed back 45 minutes and left TRS, despite having already been paid $10K up front. The Four Tops, a pro act, played a longer set to make up for Berry’s walkout. The Pirates went on to sue him for $20,000 and ended up recouping the deposit and some of the damages. 
• 1997 - The Freak Show ended its run with the club’s 79th victory, 5-4, over Houston in 11 innings at the Astrodome. Jose Guillen swung the hot bat with a homer, two runs scored and three RBI to give Jason Christiansen the win, saved by Rich Loiselle. The club wouldn’t match that victory total again until 2012. 
• 2009 - The Pirates won their home finale 11-1 against the Dodgers, with Andy LaRoche hitting two homers and driving in six runs. John Russell drew the ire of the 16,696 fans in attendance when he inexplicably pulled starter Zach Duke (103 pitches) with two outs in the ninth after a sac fly ruined his shutout bid. 
• 2012 - The Bucs drew 34,796 fans to PNC Park, but the star of the show was Reds pitcher Homer Bailey, who tossed a no-hitter to outduel AJ Burnett and earn a hard-fought, 1-0, complete game win. Bailey walked one and fanned 10 as the Pirates were no-hit for the first time since 1971. It was the year of the no-hitter; Bailey’s was the seventh of the season, tying a modern-day MLB record. 
• 2013 - Behind a six-home-run barrage (Neil Walker-2, Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Marlon Byrd and Andrew Lambo), the Pirates won home field advantage for their wild card game against the Reds by defeating Cincinnati 8-3 at GABP. It was the first time since August, 2007, versus the Rockies at Coors Field, that Pittsburgh banged out that many long balls in a game. It was his first career multi-homer game for Walker and the first career MLB home run for Lambo. Alvarez became the first Pirate third baseman to drive in 100 runs since Aramis Ramirez chased home 110 in 2001, and his 36 homers were a club record for a third baseman. Vin Mazzaro came on in the fifth inning and was credited with the win.

Petey - 2013 Topps Allen & Ginter

• 2016 - Although eliminated from playoff contention the day before, the Pirates still had some spunk left in them and whipped the 100-win Cubs and Jake Arrieta 8-4 at PNC Park. John Jaso led the attack by hitting for the first cycle in PNC Park history (it was the first Bucco cycle since Daryle Ward’s in 2004 and the first at home since Jason Kendall’s in 2000 at TRS) while chasing home five runs and scoring twice. Rookie Jameson Taillon spun a one-hitter through six innings and survived some occasionally shaky bullpen work to earn the win. Josh Bell, Sean Rodriguez and Eric Fryer each added two knocks with S-Rod scoring three times. 
• 2019 - The Pirates and Mayor Bill Peduto declared it “Steve Blass Day,” and the Bucs helped celebrate it by announcing Steve would be part of the initial franchise HoF, which will be selected by the fans and located in PNC Park in 2020. Blass retired the following day, after announcing the Pirates final home broadcast of the season.

Tribe Outslugs Bucs In Finale 8-6

Cal Quantrill found out you can't stop Ke'Bryan Hayes, who singled, but the righty did put down everyone else at the opening bell. After two outs, a bopped batter and two-bagger put JT Brubaker in a jam until his slider got him a the inning-ending K. The second was awkward; the Pirates led off with a knock, followed by a DP. Then the third out was botched by the Tribe, putting JT Riddle at second, where he scored on Joey O's looper to right. Bru ran the gamut, too, with a single, DP, walk and whiff but no damage done. Key kept rolling in the third, homering to make it 2-0 (he must keep his red cape tucked under his jersey). The lead didn't last the inning; a bunt single scored when Carlos Santana took a high 3-0 fastball and knocked it out of the yard to knot the score. The fourth was quiet for the Pirates, with Phil Maton now on the hill. Cleveland got a single, quickly erased by a DP liner back to JT. 

Joey O closed it out with three hits - photo Pgh Pirates

Cam Hill got the ball in the fifth and Joey O greeted him with a second-pitch dinger. An out later, Fraze doubled, Key was intentionally walked and Ollie Perez was waved in. Redbeard hit a ball ticketed for a DP, but the relay to first went astray (it was Francisco Lindor's first error of the season), plating another Bucco run. JT tossed a clean frame. Nick Wittgren was called on for the sixth. JT Riddle singled and Joey O doubled with an out. Andrew Susac walked to juice the sacks and Fraze doubled two more runs home. Key proved human by whiffing, but the Bucs had upped their edge to 6-2 after the smoke cleared. But Bru went an inning too long; a double, walk and Franmil Reyes bomb made it 6-5 without an out. Geoff Hartlieb took the bump. After two were gone, he gave up consecutive raps before escaping. James Karinchak answered the call in the seventh and struck out the side. Nik Turley took his turn, plunked the first Indian before the next pair doubled to give Cleveland the lead. A wild pitch and sac fly added an insurance marker.

Adam Cimber was beckoned for the eighth. After two were out, he issued a walk. Brad Hand then came on to get the last out. Blake Cederlind worked a 1-2-3 frame. Hand stayed on for the ninth. Ke'Bryan smoked a shot to center, but it found leather. The next two outs were routine. Goodnight, 2020 campaign. 

Fraze was hot at the end with two more knocks - 2020 Topps

Notes:

• Ke'Bryan Hayes had eight straight hits before he was intentionally walked in the fifth. He had two hits and a walk; Joey O had three raps and Fraze a pair.
• Everyone in the NL Central Division qualified for the playoffs except the Pirates, who finished 19-41.

JT v Cal Quantrill, Lineup & Notes

Game: The Bucs end the season beginning at 3:10. AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan will broadcast the finale

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B, Colin Moran DH, Josh Bell 1B, Bryan Reynolds CF, Erik Gonzalez SS, JT Riddle LF, Jose Osuna RF, Andrew Susac C and JT Brubaker P. Stalls is out; he's on the concussion IL..

#3 C Andrew Susac finally gets a start today - photo 2020 Brian Blanco/Getty

• The Pirates placed catcher Jacob Stallings, who was hit by a backswing last night, on the seven-day concussion IL, replacing him on the roster w/Andrew Susac. Keone Kela was sent to the 45-day IL to complete the space-making moves.

• The Bucs have had two good weeks this season. They won five-of-seven from August 21st-27th and four-of-five from September 22nd to today.

• A tale of two Centrals: the Pirates went 16-24 against their NL Central rivals, but 3-16 so far against the AL Central.

• In case you're wondering who the Pirates have done without as the season ends, here's the current out-of-action list: CF Anthony Alford; RHP Chris Archer; RHP Tyler Bashlor; RHP Nick Burdi; RHP Kyle Crick; IF Phil Evans; RHP Michael Feliz; RHP Clay Holmes; RHP Keone Kela; IF Kevin Kramer; C Luke Maile; OF Jason Martin; IF Kevin Newman; RHP Yacksel Ríos; RHP Jameson Taillon and OF Cole Tucker. A dozen of those guys have missed 40+ days. Another five players (RHP Mitch Keller, IF Colin Moran, RHP Joe Musgrove, RF Gregory Polanco & IF JT Riddle) were on the IL at one time or another and are back in the saddle. Just about a complete shadow roster, especially pitching...

Pitchers: RHP JT Brubaker (1-3, 4.46) closes the campaign against RHP Cal Quantrill (2-0, 2.17). JT was sharp in his last start, fanning nine and lasting into the seventh against Chicago, giving up two runs. He's been pretty solid in his last five outings save one beatdown by the White Sox while tossing 85+ pitches. Cleveland knocked him around a few weeks ago, scoring three times in three innings. Bru is waiting for the hidden vigorish to kick in - the Pirates haven't scored for him in his last three outings. Quantrill was part of the San Diego package the Tribe received for Mike Clevinger. This is just his third start of the year (he's been converted to a bullpen piece), so his pitch count should be pretty tight - he went four innings and 40 pitches when he started last week.

Notes:

9/27 Through the 1900s: '01 Clincher; 16 Straight; Hans Gone; HBD Alan, Doug, Marty, Joe & Willie

• 1859 - 1B/OF Joe Visner was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Joe, part of the league’s first wave of Native American players, had a good year in 1889 for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and in 1890 jumped to the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players' League where he was the starting right fielder. He batted .267, scored 110 runs and hit 22 triples. Joe played one more big league season after that and got on with his life after three more minor league campaigns. His post-baseball life was a story in itself; he inherited 400 acres of land and moved his family there. He tired of the farm life and disappeared for long stretches; he’d ride his bike across Canada, augmenting his fur-trapping skills with handyman chores. 

Alan Storke - 1909 American Caramel

• 1884 - 1B Alan Storke was born in Auburn, New York. He was a Bucco from 1906-09 and while primarily a first baseman, he played every infield position with a .255 BA while a Pirate. He attended Harvard Law School in the off season, joining the Pirates in early June after classes ended per his understanding with Barney Dreyfuss. The 25 year-old Amherst grad sadly never got to see a degree; he died in 1910 of a lung infection stemming from the flu (or "grippe" as it was then known) during his final term at school. 
• 1890 - RHP Jim “Willie” Adams was born in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. Willie worked two seasons for the St Louis Browns before joining the Pittsburgh Rebels of the Federal League in 1914, going 1-1-2, 3.74 in 15 outings (two starts). He yo-yo’ed between the bigs and the farm until 1922, when he suffered a heart attack that ended his baseball career. 
• 1891 - Utilityman Doug Baird was born in St. Charles, Missouri. He played for five teams in six years, starting his career in 1915-17 (in part) with Pittsburgh where he saw a lot of action (2B, 3B, LF, RF, CF) and hit .223 in 316 games. After his last MLB gig in 1920, Baird played for seven more years in the minors through the 1927 campaign. 
• 1901 - Deacon Phillippe tossed the Pirates past the Brooklyn Superbas 5-4 at Exposition Park to clinch the NL pennant, the first of three straight NL titles for the Bucs. Pittsburgh scored three times in the bottom of the eighth after Brooklyn had taken the lead in the top half of the inning. Kitty Bransfield’s single to left chased home Honus Wagner, who had doubled home a pair, with the pennant-clinching run. From August 31st to this date, the Pirates had won 26-of-30 games. It was Pittsburgh’s first NL flag and first title since the Alleghenys began playing major league ball in the American Association in 1882. 
• 1905 - LHP Marty Lang was born in Hooper, Nebraska. He had a brief MLB stay with the 1930 Pirates, getting into two games covering 1-2/3 IP and being rattled for 10 runs. Lang spent a decade in the minors, mostly in the Western league, before last toeing the slab in 1938. 

Hans out at third and out for the season - 1909 photo Associated Press

• 1907 - In a game that ended a 5-5 draw, the Bucs lost Honus Wagner for the last dozen games of the season when he was hit in the hand in the first inning by the Boston Dove’s Rube Dessau and broke a bone. The contest went 11 innings at Exposition Park before darkness claimed it. The injury was moot so far as affecting the pennant chase. Although the Bucs won 91 games that season, they still finished second, 17 games behind the Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance Chicago Cubs, the winners of the 1907 World Series. 
• 1909 - The Bucs won their 16th straight game, the longest winning streak a Pirate club has ever put together. They beat the Giants 6-1 in the first game of a twinbill at Exposition Park, finally losing when they dropped the nitecap, 8-7. That powerhouse club took the NL pennant by 6-½ games over the Cubs with 110 wins and defeated the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.

9/27 From 1910 Through the 1970s: Josh Bomb; Kiner's Lucky 7; Game Stories; HBD Johnny, Dicks & Dave

• 1911 - LHP Dick Lanahan was born in Washington, DC. He got into 47 games for the 1940-41 Pirates after a couple of previous pit stops in Washington with a line of 6-9-2/4.35. He appeared in 40 outings in ‘40, ninth-most in the NL. He toiled in the minors, with a military break, after his Pirates gig through the 1948 season. 
• 1919 - IF Johnny Pesky was born in Portland, Oregon. Johnny made his name as a Red Sox player, coach, manager and announcer but in between served some time with the Bucs. From 1965-67, he was Harry “The Hat” Walker’s first-base coach. After Walker's firing in 1967, Pesky managed the Bucs' AAA Columbus Jets squad of the International League to a second-place finish before moving to the Boston booth. He then returned to the familiar role of Red Sox coach and instructor. 

Dick Hall - 1956 Topps

• 1930 - P/OF Dick Hall was born in St. Louis. Hall came up in 1952 as a light hitting outfielder; in 1955, he was converted to the mound and pitched until 1971. In his Bucco years (1952-59) he hit .218, and was 6-13-2/4.57 on the hill. He got better; Baltimore flipped him from starter to reliever, and he tossed for nine years in two stints as a Bird with a 2.98 ERA; he even threw a scoreless frame to earn a save against Pittsburgh in the 1971 World Series at age 41 during his last campaign. He retired to the Baltimore area and became an accountant and a member of the Orioles Hall of Fame. 
• 1930 - Paul Waner kept an 11 game hitting streak alive when he smacked a homer and single in an 11-8 win over St. Louis at Sportsman’s Park. That gave Big Poison 217 knocks during the year and 1,057 hits over his first five seasons, making him one of four players - Kirby Puckett, Earle Combs and Ducky Medwick are the others - to have 1,000+ hits in their first five campaigns. Waner had staying power; he finished his career with 3,151 hits and a place in the Hall of Fame. 
• 1930 - 18 year old rookie Josh Gibson was credited with drilling what at the time was the longest home run ever hit in Yankee Stadium, a blast that was estimated to be anywhere from 460-505’, off the back wall of the LF bullpen (he was said to have landed another ball there in 1946). The Lincoln Giant’s “Broadway Connie” Rector gave up the three-run smash in the first inning of a Homestead Grays 7-3 playoff victory. A week earlier, Gibson was credited with being the first hitter to clear the 457’ mark at Forbes Field during the same series. 
• 1935 - RHP Dave Wickersham was born in Erie. The Ohio U grad had eight solid years in the AL when he came over to the Bucs from Detroit for Dennis Ribant in 1968, but he only got into 11 games for the Pirates, with a respectable line of 1-0-1/3.48, and then was sold to his original MLB city, the KC Royals, in the off season. He tossed for them for one more campaign before retiring, long enough to enter the record books as one of four players to be members of both Kansas City franchises, the Athletics (he pitched from 1960-63 for the A’s) and the Royals. 
• 1952 - In the next-to-last game of the season, a 9-6 win over the Reds at Crosley Field, Ralph Kiner homered to finish the season with 37 long balls to tie Hank Sauer for the crown. It was Kiner’s record-setting seventh consecutive NL home run title. 

Dave Cash - 1970 Topps Rookie

• 1970 - The Pirates clinched the NL East title with a 2-1 victory over the Mets at TRS in front of a record 50,469 fans. Dave Cash had two hits, a run scored and the game-winning RBI while Roberto Clemente banged out a pair of doubles to lead the offense. Dock Ellis got the win and Dave Giusti earned the save as the Pirates swept the three-game series from New York. The Pirates were broomed in the NLCS 3-0 by Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine, which in turn was beaten handily by the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.

9/27 From 1980: '92 Clincher; Bashing Brian; Blass Finale; Newman Night; Ninth Inning Fireworks; Game Stories; HBD Pedro & Vin

• 1985 - IF Pedro Ciriaco was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Ciriaco got his first taste of MLB in 2010-11, batting .333 for the Pirates in 31 games after coming over in a deadline deal with Arizona. He popped in and out of the majors through 2015 and then finished by playing in the Mexican and Dominican Leagues. 
• 1986 - RHP Vin Mazzaro was born in Hackensack, New Jersey. After working 2009-12 in the AL, Vin spent a couple of years in Pittsburgh with a line of 8-2-1, 2.89 in 62 outings. Mazzaro last pitched in the show for the Giants in 2015; he worked out of the indie leagues in 2017-19. 

Vin Mazzaro - 2013 Quarry

• 1988 - In a contest that manager Jim Leyland called “...a stepping stone to the winner’s circle,” the Bucs won their 84th game (they finished with 85 victories, the most since the 1979 World Series club) to clinch second place with a 3-2 win over the Cards at TRS. The Pirates jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead on a Mike LaValliere grounder and Bobby Bonilla’s two-run, two-out single, and John Smiley and Jim Gott made it hold up. The outcome was in doubt until the ninth, when with one away, Luis Alicea lifted a fly to medium center with Jose Oquendo on third; he tagged and Andy Van Slyke’s strike nailed him at home to end the game on a dramatic note. 
• 1989 - Doug Drabek spun a four-hit shutout as the Bucs edged the Cubs and Joe Magrane 1-0. The Pirate run came in the fourth when Pittsburgh strung together three straight singles, with C Dan Bilardello bringing home Jeff King with the contest’s only run. Doug finished the year with a 2.80 ERA, his first of three sub-three ERA seasons as a Pirate. 
• 1992 - Pittsburgh won their third consecutive division crown by defeating the Mets at TRS, 4-2. Danny Jackson got the win and Stan Belinda picked up the save. Gary Redus and Jay Bell each had a pair of hits; Redus scored twice and Bell had two RBI. The club lost the NLCS to Atlanta four games to three when the Braves scored three times in the ninth inning of the seventh game to erase a 2-0 deficit, taking the crown after Sid Bream beat Barry Bond’s throw home. 
• 1998 - The Pirates ended a dismal season with a 4-1 loss to Cincinnati at Cinergy Field. They finished 69-93 thanks to a 5-25 finish to the campaign, a collapse that started back on August 28th, and finished 33 games behind the Houston Astros in the NL Central. The loss was their eighth in a row and 11th in the final 12 games. The last time the club had been at .500 was on June 14th when they were 34-34.
• 2002 - The Bucs beat the Cubs‚ 13-3 as Brian Giles scored five runs and drove home six with a double & a pair of home runs. He added another bomb the next game to give him four consecutive years with 35+ homers, joining Alex Rodriguez‚ Sammy Sosa‚ and Rafael Palmiero in that select club. Salomon Torres got the win at Wrigley Field. Every Pirate starter, including Torres, had a hit as the Bucs banged out 19 knocks. 

Brian Giles - 2002 Leaf Certified

• 2009 - It ain’t over until it’s over: Pittsburgh scored four times in the ninth inning off Jonathan Braxton at PNC Park after the Dodgers took a 5-2 lead in the top of the frame by scoring three times off Matt Capps. Lastings Milledge delivered the game-winning hit, a two-run single to right-center, to plate Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones. Capps, despite his miserable frame (three hits and a walk), took home the win. 
• 2019 - After going through a miserable post All Star stretch, the Pirates, without injured starters Josh Bell, Starling Marte, Bryan Reynolds and Colin Moran, fought back to win their fourth in a row when Kevin Newman banged a two-out walk off homer (his second of the game) with Jake Elmore aboard to lead Pittsburgh to a 6-5 victory over the Reds at PNC Park. Newman had five RBI and scored twice to earn Yacksel Rios his first win as a Bucco. It was the 11th straight home win against Cincinnati, and came at an opportune time - it was retiring announcer Steve Blass’ final TV game, making it a memorable finale after six decades with the Pirates organization.

Big Joe, Big Blows, & Big Ke'Bryan Lead Bucs to 8-0 Romp

Key smacked a double off Aaron Civale and touched home after Colin Moran's rap. J-Bell singled next, but the party ended with no more ado. Joe Musgrove stranded a two-out double. Pittsburgh added on in the second when Joey O took a long fly the opposite way to up the count to 2-0. After the Tribe led off with a knock, Big Joe struck out the side. Ke'Bryan swatted his second two-bagger to open the third and came around on J-Bell's single. With two outs, Bryan Reynolds got a 2-0 heater and sent it into the seats to make it 5-0. The Indians lost a runner when Francisco Lindor tested Joey O's arm trying to stretch a single and lost. A walk and two K's closed out the frame. Jake Stallings and Key picked up knocks in the fourth, and with two gone, the beat went on when Redbeard went boom. Cleveland went down in order. Tristan McKenzie tossed a clean fifth inning; Musgrove did the same. 

Big Joe on a roll - photo 2020 Pittsburgh Pirates

The Bucs remained quiet in the sixth and so did the Cleves. Logan Allen was greeted by Key's fourth hit in the seventh but worked his way through the rest of the order without a bump. Big Joe kept on truckin' through the lineup. Joey O banged a double and Jake worked a free pass with two away in the eighth but caused no damage. Nick Tropeano took the ball and old Bucco Jordan Luplow greeted him with a double, but Nick shut the gate after that. Hayes opened the ninth with a double, then Allen fanned the side. Dovy Neverauskas came out for the closing act. He gave up an opening infield single and a two-down walk before turning out the lights. Three homers and a shutout earned a well deserved raise the Roger tonight; all the cylinders were purrin'.

At least the last week has been fun with some hitting and wow factor pitching against contenders. Be nice to see it carry over...

Notes:

• Ke'Bryan Hayes had five hits, including three doubles. He became the 12th Pirates rook to go 5-for-5 or better (S/O Joe Block). Colin Moran, J-Bell and Joey O had two hits; Jake had a walk and a knock as the Bucs collected 13 hits tonight.
• In his last two starts, Big Joe Musgrove has been unscored on in 13 innings, giving up six hits with two walks and 21 strikeouts. His ERA dropped from 5.74 to 3.86 during that span.

Big Joe v Aaron Civale, Lineup & Notes

Game: The match starts at 7:10 and will be aired by AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B, Colin Moran DH, Josh Bell 1B, Gregory Polanco RF, Bryan Reynolds CF, Erik Gonzalez SS, Jose Osuna LF, Jake Stallings C and Joe Musgrove P. Fraze and Key have been en fuego at the top of the order.

Joey O gets the start tonight - photo Pittsburgh Pirates

Pitchers: RHP Joe Musgrove (0-5, 4.68) bumps head with RHP Aaron Civale (4-5, 3.99). Big Joe has been fanning guys pretty regularly (12.4/nine innings), but seems like he also has that one brutal inning lurking. Not last outing; he fanned 11 while spinning a six-inning shutout against St. Louis, and another good day should help clean his palate for 2021 (or pump his trade value; he's an oft-mentioned shiny winter toy). Big Joe hasn't worked against Cleveland this year.  Civale has had a bumpy second half. In his past six games, he's 2-4/5.00 with an unlucky .356 BABIP. But he does a complete game win against the Bucs, tossing a five-hitter in a 6-1 mid-August win.

Notes: 

• The final Bucco taxi squad of the season consists of C Andrew Susac, LHP Brandon Waddell, RHP Nick Mears, 1B Will Craig and IF Rodolfo Castro.
• The Indians have won 8-of-9; three of their last four wins have been walkoffs.
• The Pirates clinched the #1 pick in the draft under the current rules with last night's loss. But Rob Manfred has the right to change the order this year, so it's not writ in stone yet, although the Commish has given no sign that he'll change the setup.
• After 14 entertaining MLB seasons, OF Hunter Pence is retiring at age 37.

9/26 Through the 1930s: One Step Away; Short No-No; Game Stories; HBD Bobby, Al, Bob & Joe

• 1890 - C Bob Coleman was born in Huntingburg, Indiana. The back-up catcher played for Pittsburgh from 1913-14, hitting .245 in 200 ABs. He got one more taste of the majors in 1916 with the Indians but would spend most of his innings on various farm clubs. He played until 1927 when he retired after the season at the age of 36. Bob became a minor-league lifer. He skippered for 35 seasons (20 at Evansville), and Coleman's teams won 2,496 games. Bob also coached for the Tigers and managed the Boston Braves, both for brief periods. 

Jack Chesbro - 2011 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions

• 1901 - The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 4-3 at Exposition Park, guaranteeing at least a tie for the 1901 NL pennant with Philadelphia. Jack Chesbro got the win and added an RBI. The other scores were driven in by Honus Wagner, Kitty Bransfield and Lefty Davis as the Pirates put together a four-run sixth inning for the win. They would clinch the next day to take their first ever NL flag. 
• 1906 - Lefty Leifield hurled a six-inning no-hitter, although not considered official as it didn’t go the prerequisite nine frames. He walked two and fanned six. The Bucs defeated Philadelphia at the Baker Bowl, 8-0, (per the Pgh Press, the Pirates were in “a swatting mood”) in the back end of a doubleheader that was shortened because of darkness. Pittsburgh won the opener by a shutout, too, taking a 5-0 win behind Vic Willis. The day’s hitting hero was OF Bob Ganley, who collected five hits and swiped a pair of sacks during the twin bill. 
• 1910 - LHP Joe Sullivan was born in Mason City, Illinois. Joe closed out his five-year major league career with Pittsburgh in 1941, going 4-1-1, 2.97 in 16 games (four starts). Though manager Frankie Frisch was said to like him as a guy he could use in any situation, Joe had control problems and in camp the following spring, he came down with a severe case of tonsillitis. He was sent to the farm and never made it back to the majors. Joe retired to the Pacific Northwest (he spent several years in the PCL after his MLB career) and worked in the Naval Shipyard. 
• 1911 - Announcer Al Helfer was born in Elrama, in Washington County. Al played football and basketball at W & J College, taking his first job as a sports reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette while also calling football games for the Pittsburgh Pirates (before they were the Steelers) and Pitt Panthers for WWSW. He started broadcasting Pirates games off ticker updates in 1933-34, launching a career as “Mr. Radio Baseball.” Helfer called the action for the Reds, Dodgers, Phils, Colts, A’s, and Mutual Broadcasting during his career. He was awarded the Ford C. Frick Award for Excellence in Baseball Broadcasting from the Hall of Fame posthumously in 2018; he had passed away at age 63 back in 1975. 
• 1920 - Babe Adams was pummeled 8-0 by the Reds in the season finale, but it was a nice season for the 38-year-old. He finished 17-13/2.16 and tossed 263 innings. Babe set a MLB record by walking just 18 batters in his 35 games, averaging 0.6 walks per nine innings, one free pass every 14-2/3 IP. That set a single-season control record that stood until 2005 (Jose Silva, 0.43 per nine innings in 188 IP for the Twins). 

Bobby Shantz - 1962 Topps

• 1925 - LHP Bobby Shantz was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Bobby worked 16 years in the show for seven clubs, stopping in Pittsburgh for the 1961 season. He went 6-3-2, 3.32, making 43 appearances (six starts). The little lefty was a three-time All-Star and won eight Gold Gloves before he retired to run a restaurant and bowling alley back home. 
• 1937 - It just took three innings to win two games: The Bucs rallied to take the first game against Cincinnati 5-4, then scored twice in the first frame of the nitecap to claim a 2-1 sweep at Crosley Field. The Reds led the opener 4-0 in the eighth, but the Pirates scored three times that frame and twice more in the ninth for the victory. Jim Tobin not only went the distance, but had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run. Gus Suhr doubled home Woody Jensen and Lloyd Waner to provide Bill Swift, who tossed a complete game eight-hitter, all the support he needed in the closer.