10/3 From 1980: Lamont Hired; Starg's Last Hit; Reuss Last Outing; Coaches Housecleaning; Game Stories; HBD Goose & Kevin

• 1982 - In his last game, Willie Stargell was penciled in to lead off at TRS by manager Chuck Tanner. Captain Willie singled off the glove of Expos’ pitcher Steve Rogers and was pulled by Tanner, who wanted Pops to end his career with a knock and ovation. It was Pops’ first start since August 9th; he collected fewer than 100 PAs during the season and hit just .233 with three homers during his final MLB lap. The Bucs lost to Montreal 6-1; the team ended the year with 84 wins, good for fourth place, eight games behind the St. Louis Cards. 
• 1988 - IF Phil “Goose” Gosselin was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The Bucs sent minor league P Frank Duncan to Arizona for utilityman Gosselin, who was hoped to take the place of Sean Rodriguez off the bench in 2017. But alas, he spent most of his time at AAA Indianapolis. In 28 games for the Pirates, he played 1B-2B-3B, but hit just .150, then was released in August and claimed by the Rangers. Goose is now with the Phillies. 

The Goose didn't get loose much for the Bucs - 2017 photo Pgh Pirates

• 1990 - The Bucs’ Jerry Reuss‚ in his only start of the year‚ gave up one earned run but had a no decision in a 6-3 loss to the Mets in his last MLB appearance. Reuss joined the MLB’s four decade club (1969-90) and closed out his career claiming 220 wins without a 20 win season, a baseball oddity shared only with Milt Pappas and Frank Tanana among 200 game winners. 
• 1993 - IF/OF Kevin Kramer was born in Turlock, California. He was the Bucs second round draft selection in 2011 out of UCLA. After hitting .297 at Altoona in 2017 and .311 at Indianapolis in 2018, he was added to the 40-man roster and called up to the big club, hitting just .135. He didn’t do much better in 2019 with a BA of .167; both were 20-game auditions in September. After a good spring camp 1.0, Kramer lost the 2020 campaign to hip surgery. 
• 1996 - The Pirates named Gene Lamont, who had served as the Chicago White Sox field boss from 1992-95, to replace Jim Leyland as skipper. He led the club from 1997-2000, putting up a 295-352 record, then coached for the Red Sox, Astros and Tigers. He’s currently a Special Assistant in Kansas City. 
• 2010 - The Pirates finished the season with a 17-64 record on the road after suffering a 5-2 loss to the Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium, with the defeat going to Brian Burres. The Bucs' away-from-home record equaled the MLB low water mark set by the 1963 Mets. 
• 2013 - AJ Burnett was chased in a seven-run third inning that saw 11 Cardinals go to bat as St. Louis took the opener of the NLDS at Busch Stadium by a 9-1 score. Adam Wainwright went seven innings and struck out nine for the Redbirds. The Pirates only mustered four hits, two by Andrew McCutchen, with Pedro Alvarez’s homer providing the lone Bucco tally. 

Cutch - 2013 Panini Prizm

• 2019 - Following the dismissal of Clint Hurdle, the Pirates fired bench coach Tom Prince, 55, who had spent 26 years with the organization as a player, manager & coach, and pitching coach Ray Searage, 64, who had joined the team in 2010 and lasted throughout the Hurdle era. They were the two longest tenured coaches and it was thought that their removal was a conscious effort by the FO to break with the old ways and inject more forward-thinking, data-driven methodology into the clubhouse culture. The old staff members retained by Derek Shelton were hitting coach Rick Eckstein, third base/infield coach Joey Cora, assistant pitching coach Justin Meccage, who became the team’s bullpen coach, and Heberto Andrade, assistant to the bullpen & pitching coaches.