Royals Grind Down Pirates 7-3

Today's Game: The Bucs got off to a good start against Mike Minor. Adam Frazier doubled on a chalk-kisser, went to third on a fly to the track and scored on Bryan Reynold's right side roller. Chad Kuhl quickly gave up a leadoff two-bagger, then tossed a wild pitch. Two K's almost got him out of it, but a well-placed bouncer through an infield shift and off Kevin Newman's mitt knotted the score. The Pirates got a two-out walk and knock in the second to no avail. Kuhl bopped the first Royal, and he scored on a following double. A single made it 3-1, and Cole Tucker's error kept the line moving before three routine outs limited the damage. K-Man doubled with one gone in the third and Jake Stalling's two-out knock sent him home. Chad can't keep the leadoff guy off the bases; KC opened with a single and a wild pitch moved him up. A liner back to the box cleaned that up; Chad snagged the bullet, spun and then caught the runner off second. He followed that with another K. Both sides went down in order for the first time in the fourth. 

Ka'ai Tom, Bucco walk machine - photo Pirates

Nada in the fifth for the Buccaneers. Duane Underwood took over (Kuhl was at 75 pitches) and was whacked for three hits, including an Adalberto Mondesi dinger, an error, wild pitch and steal to make it 5-2. The Pirates couldn't cash in a two-out Gregory Polanco double in the sixth. KC had a one-out single negated via an around-the-horn DP. Jake Brentz took over for Minor in the seventh, issuing a leadoff free pass and nothing else. The Royals started with a single, but two easy outs and a caught stealing made it a calm frame for Underwood. Tyler Zuber worked the eighth and surrendered a solo shot to B-Rey to tighten the gap to 5-3. Luis Oviedo got the call and was banged for an opening two-bagger; a grounder and walk left Royals on the corners. A bouncer to third plated a run and a double chased home another tally. Greg Holland fanned two of three to drive the stake into the Buccos, 7-3 losers tonight.

Too little of everything tonight; it served mainly as an early testing ground for Chad Kuhl. He allowed three runs on six hits, one HBP and two wild pitches in four innings/75 pitches. To his credit, he didn't walk anyone or give up a homer, both previous problem areas, and emphasized his slider, a good thing. He's another guy with the goods but not the command; we'll see what the Buc coaches can do to sharpen that up while his jury sits this season.

Notes:

• The Pirates had six hits, but the only guy to reach base twice was Ka'ai Tom, who drew a pair of walks. B-Rey went deep and chased home two runs, adding to his team-leading total of seven long balls, 24 RBI and 31 runs scored. It should help him when he's bracketed by Ke'Bryan Hayes and Colin Moran in the near future. 
• The Pirates were 8-20 in May.
• Ke'Bryan Hayes is with the team in KC and working out, so everything looks like a go for his return on Thursday, when he's eligible to come off the IL.

Tomorrow's Game: First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 to conclude the two-game set. The match will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan, featuring mound opponents Wil Crowe and Brady Singer.

Memorial Day In KC: Chad Kuhl v Mike Minor; Mears Optioned

Today's Game: The 8:10 Kauffman Stadium match will be on ESPN, AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. The Bucs and Royals split an earlier two-game set at PNC Park.

Lineup: Adam Frazier DH; Kevin Newman 2B; Bryan Reynolds CF; Jake Stallings; Gregory Polanco RF; Will Craig 1B; Ka'ai Tom LF; Erik Gonzalez 3B; Cole Tucker SS; (Chad Kuhl P). The ol' AL lineup tonite.

Tuck gets the start at short - photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates

Pitchers: RHP Chad Kuhl (0-1/6.32) kicks off the set v LHP Mike Minor (3-2/4.83). Chad's returning from the IL/Indy rehab after suffering a sore wing, so we wouldn't expect a very deep start. His problems on the hill before the injury were mainly the result of surrendering four homers and 16 walks over 15-2/3 IP. He's faced the Royals once and got clobbered last year, issuing six walks and giving up a homer in 2-1/3 IP. Minor has been the KC workhorse with 54 innings eaten in 10 starts. He's tossed once against Pittsburgh this year, being chased in the fifth after giving up five runs (four earned) in a no-decision that the Royals won 9-6.

Notes:

• RHP Nick Mears was returned to Indy, creating room on the active roster for RHP Chad Kuhl to return from the IL.
• The Pirates selected UT Hunter Owen and C Joe Hudson as their taxi squad for the KC series.
• Nothin' like a little stability: the Bucs have started seven different guys at third base and in right field in their first 52 games.
• Pittsburgh leads the majors in the dubious three runs or fewer scored category with 32 games; surprisingly, the team right behind them is the NY Yankees at 30.

Tomorrow's Game: The quickie two-game series ends tomorrow at 8:10 and will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. Wil Crowe battles Brady Singer.

5/31 Through the 1950s: Dizzy v Satch; Vic-Ball; Rain, Rain; Twin Bill Babe; Double 0; Two-Bags; Game Tales; HBD Russ

• 1888 - The Alleghenys forfeited a game to the New York Giants when they failed to show up at the Polo Grounds while it was raining, staying high and dry in their hotel. The Pittsburgh Press wrote “Manager Phillips claimed that he had word that there would be no game and that it rained from 3:30 to 4 (the game’s starting time). President Nimick will protest the game.” He did; the league didn’t buy the alibi and the Pittsburgh nine forfeited the match. 
• 1909 - Babe Adams won both ends of a doubleheader at Exposition Park against the Cardinals. He worked the final two frames of a 5-4 win in the opener, then tossed a complete game 4-2 victory in the second match. Dots Miller had five hits during the twin bill with Hans Wagner adding three more knocks. The two games drew 20,633 fans. 
• 1915 - The Pirates swept the first place Cubs by identical 1-0 scores at Forbes Field in front of 15,000 fans as Wilbur Cooper (three hits, eight K) and Al Mamaux (five hits, five K) hurled complete game whitewashes. The Pirates won the first game when RF Bill Hinchman was plunked with the bases loaded to force home C George Gibson (they wouldn’t win another 1-0 game via the plunk again until 2017) and the second on a wild pitch that allowed Hinchman to plate from third. As Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press noted, “This was getting the breaks...it was the luck of the Buccaneers to profit twice from slips made by Chicago twirlers.” 

Joe Harris - 1927 photo George Rinhart via Detroit Public Library

• 1927 - The Pirates overcame a 6-1, sixth-inning deficit by scoring nine times in the final four frames to nip the Cubs 10-9 at Forbes Field. 1B Joe Harris was on fire, going 5-for-5 with two triples, a double, four RBI and two runs scored. Carmen Hill, Pittsburgh’s fourth pitcher, got the win after K’ing a pair while posting a quiet ninth. 
• 1930 - Umpire Russ Goetz was born in McKeesport. After 13 seasons of honing his craft in the minors, he was an AL umpire from 1968 to 1983. Goetz was part of the blue crew for two All Star Games, four AL playoff series, and two World Series, including the Bucs 1979 battle against the Baltimore Orioles. Russ went into umpiring after serving in the Navy during the Korean War with deployments in Korea and China. He started his sporting days as a basketball player for the Tigers and remained in Tube City after he retired. 
• 1932 - Paul “Big Poison” Waner banged out his 20th double of the month at Forbes Field in the fifth inning against Cincinnati’s Red Lucas to set the MLB record. The Pirates won the game 4-1 as Waner went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI to back Larry French’s mound work. During the month, Big Poison collected 43 hits in May - 21 singles, 20 doubles and two triples. 
• 1937 - The Reds beat the Pirates 8-3 in the opener of a doubleheader at Crosley Field. It was the only game Cincinnati won against the Pirates that season. Starting with a 7-5 loss in the nightcap - Pep Young’s three-run homer was the big blow - Cincy lost the next 17 straight to the Buccos, and dropped 21 of 22 games‚ tying the MLB record set by the Cubs over the Braves in 1909 and the Yankees over the Browns in 1927. In fact, the Reds would drop the first three to open 1938 for a 20 game losing streak against Pittsburgh, another MLB record. 

Satch as a Crawford - via Negro League Museum

• 1942 - Satchel Paige rejoined his old Grays teammates when they played against the Dizzy Dean All-Stars in an exhibition game at Washington’s Griffith Park. The match drew 22,000 fans (the major league Senators averaged just 5-6,000 per game) and the Satchels beat the Dizzys, 8-1. Clark Griffith, the Sens’ owner, told Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard after the game that he was going to “break up your league” and sign black ball players, but he never made good on the promise. 
• 1948 - At Wrigley Field, the Cubs set a paid attendance record when 46‚965 fans passed through the turnstiles during a doubleheader split with the Pirates on Memorial Day. The Bucs lost the opener 4-3 after Chicago scored in the ninth off Kirby Higbe. Pittsburgh rallied in the nightcap behind Elmer Riddle to win 4-2. Danny Murtaugh chased home a pair of runs and scored once to provide Riddle with some working space. 
• 1953 - Vic Janowicz became the first Heisman Trophy winner to play MLB when he appeared as a pinch runner for the Pirates in the opening game of a doubleheader loss to the Dodgers. He was a better gridder than ballplayer; he hit .214 in his 1953-54 MLB stint with the Buccos. He went on to play a little NFL ball, but a car accident in 1956 ended his pro sports days.

5/31 From 1960: Clemente Day; BB's 1st; Early Review; Double Trouble; Second Story Willie; Jose's Fiver; Coke Trial; Game Tales; HBD Kenny

• 1961 - Pittsburgh bashed out nine doubles (two by Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski, with one each from Joe Gibbon, Dick Groat, Hal Smith, Gino Cimoli and Dick Stuart) in a 9-1 laugher at Forbes Field against the Milwaukee Braves. Joe Gibbon tossed a six-hitter with 10 strikeouts to earn the win over Warren Spahn. 
• 1962 - Joe Orsulak was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. A sixth round pick of the Pirates in the 1980 draft, he was seen as the Bucs future lead-off man and CF’er. In his four years in Pittsburgh (1983-86) he never managed to secure the job, though he did hit .272. He lasted 14 years in the show, hitting .273 lifetime as primarily a bench/platoon outfielder while playing with the Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Florida Marlins, and Montreal Expos. 
• 1964 - Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers beat the Pirates 6-4 at Forbes Field, but had to survive a towering blast by Roberto Clemente to do it. The Great One hit a ball halfway up the light tower 450’ away in center field. Post Gazette writer Jack Herndon estimated the drive would have traveled 500’ if the lights hadn’t been in its way; the Dodgers beat man Frank Finch of the LA Times agreed. 

Kenny Lofton - 2003 Upper Deck Vintage

• 1967 - OF Kenny Lofton was born in East Chicago, Indiana. The Bucs signed him as a free agent for $1.025M and he had a nice year in 2003, hitting .277 with 18 swiped sacks while posting a 26-game hitting streak. He was lost in an epic Bucco salary dump when he was traded to the Cubs at the deadline with Aramis Ramirez for Bobby Hill, Jose Hernandez and Matt Bruback; Lofton and A-Ram helped Chicago to the 2003 NL Central title. Kenny played until he was 40, retiring after the 2007 campaign with 17 seasons, 11 playoff years and six All-Star berths on his resume. After Lofton left baseball, he went into film and television, his major at the U of Arizona. He does some media gigs now and founded FilmPool Inc., a movie company. 
• 1973 - The Bucs topped the Atlanta Braves 3-1, backing up Nellie Briles three-hitter with Willie Stargell’s three-run blast in the eighth at TRS. Stargell’s ball went 468’ and landed in the upper deck. Of the 12 shots that carried into the cheap seats in TRS history, Pops launched the most; this was his fourth and final second-tier homer. It broke up a gem by Gary Gentry; he had a shutout going into the eighth when a one-out infield single and 3-2 walk that raised the hackles of Bravo manager Eddie Matthews was followed by Willie’s blast. Briles went the distance for the win, sending Atlanta to their seventh straight loss. 
• 1985 - A Federal grand jury indicted seven for cocaine distribution and sales in baseball, none of which were Pirates (the players that testified were granted immunity). GM Joe Brown hoped the indictments would “...remove the shadow that has existed over the Pirates…” but his hope was in vain. The coke trials tainted the team’s freewheeling clubhouse culture and several Bucs, notably Dave Parker and Rod Scurry, in the eyes of the fans. 
• 1986 - Barry Bonds collected his first MLB hit, a first-inning double off Rick Honeycutt, as the Bucs beat the LA Dodgers 4-0 at PNC Park. Bonds must have been excited; he was picked off a batter later. BB had debuted a day earlier, but went 0-fer. Bill Almon’s two-run homer and Bob Kipper’s eight shutout innings keyed the win. Bob Kipper got the victory and Pat Clements earned the save. 

Barry Bonds - 1986 Fleer

• 1992 - The Pirates and Giants had a true throwback game - the Bucs wore their 1939 unis with red lettering and blue piping while the Giants wore their 1939 pinstripes with “New York” emblazoned across their chests. The old-timey G-Men beat the Bucs 5-3, scoring three unearned runs off Zane Smith. It marked the first month since April of 1990 that the Pirates hadn’t led the division. Jimmy Leyland made no excuses: “We’re not in first place because we haven’t played like a first place team...” the skipper said of his 11-17 charges. That changed in a hurry - a sizzling finish put the Pirates comfortably atop the division by the time the smoke cleared, with 96 victories and a nine-game pad over the Nats. 
• 1994 - It wasn’t a good day to be a Pirate pitcher. San Diego scored 13 runs in the second inning on the way to a 15-5 whipping of the Bucs at Jack Murphy Stadium. Steve Cooke and John Hope were the hapless hurlers in that unlucky frame. 
• 1999 - Umpire Frank Pulli anticipated video review by a decade when he looked at a TV replay of a disputed home run in the Marlins-Cards game at Pro Player Park. The dispute was whether a ball Cliff Floyd drilled cleared the scoreboard or not. The blue crew met, reversed themselves, and apparently still uncertain, peeked at a monitor in the St. Louis dugout to get the call right, ruling it a double. The league tut-tutted the procedure, but allowed it to stand. Pulli told the Washington Post that "I sure don't want to make a habit of it, but at that moment, I thought it was the proper thing to do. ... I hope I don't have to go to the replay again.” He didn’t; home run video reviews didn’t become MLB law until 2009, well after he retired. 
• 2006 - Jose Castillo homered in his fifth straight game as the Pirates defeated Milwaukee 6-1 at PNC Park. Castillo hit a two-run shot off Chris Capuano in the second inning to continue a streak that began on the 26th against Houston’s Taylor Bucholtz, the third longest in franchise history behind Dale Long’s eight game streak and Jason Bay’s six-gamer (which had ended the day before). Ian Snell and three relievers combined on a three hitter against the Brew Crew. 

Luis Rivas - 2008 photo John Grieshop/Getty

• 2008 - SS Luis Rivas had four RBI, two runs scored, a homer and double as the Bucs pounded St. Louis 14-4 at Busch Stadium to ruin Tony LaRussa’s 2,000th game as St. Louis skipper. Ronny Paulino added three RBI with three hits and a homer of his own while Jose Bautista chipped in with four raps. Xavier Nady and Freddie Sanchez had three hits each as the Pirates pounded out 19 knocks. 
• 2016 - Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that this date would be Roberto Clemente Day throughout Major League Baseball. The highlight of the celebration was to be a game between the Pirates and Miami Marlins at San Juan’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Unfortunately for Roberto’s homeland, the game was moved to Miami after a Zika outbreak on the island, and his special day was pushed back. The day of remembrance began in 2002, and beginning in 2009 was marked by pre-game ceremonies around MLB with the teams presenting their Roberto Clemente Award to its nominee, with the overall winner announced after the World Series.

Bucs Can't Hang On As The Bullpen Struggles, Blackmon Rakes In 4-3 Loss To Rockies

Today's Game: Chase De Jong tossed a 1-2-3, nine-pitch first while the Bucs managed a Kevin Newman knock off of Kyle Freeland. The Rox worked a walk in the second; Pittsburgh also drew a free pass, hit into a 6-4-3 DP and rolled out. Colorado didn't get a ball past the infield in the third. Ka'ai Tom opened with a walk and was bunted up. He scored easily on an Adam Frazier double. A grounder and walk left Bucs on the corners, where they stayed. The Rockies got on the board when a fourth inning leadoff single came home on Charlie Blackmon's one-out triple off an 0-2 curve to even the score. Chase got a whiff, walked a lefty intentionally, and then posted another K, nicely dodging any further damage. Back-to-back raps and a walk set up shop for the Pirates, and Tom followed up with a hustling RBI infield single. After De Jong K'ed, Fraze's rollover grounder plated another score to make it 3-1. It was a quiet fifth for the Rox. Jordan Sheffield climbed the hill and survived a couple of smoked outs for a clean frame.

Ka'ai Tom singled, walked, scored and had an RBI - 2021 image AT&T SportsNet

A leadoff single ended DeJong's day in the sixth as Sam Howard was waved in with two lefties due up; he walked them both. Then he struck out the righty, go figure, and fanned the next lefty. Clay Holmes was handed the ball and finished the triplet with another strikeout. The Pirates went down in order. Holmes was tapped for a knock and a walk with two away in the seventh, and Chasen Shreve came on to put it to rest. Carlos Estevez stepped on the rubber and shut the Buccos routinely. Kyle Crick gave up a double, wild pitch and walk to start the eighth. A whiff was followed by a bopped batter to juice the sacks. Crick stayed on after a visit, served up a three-pitch K and then walked in a run that was on Shelty for leaving him on the slope. Richard Rodriguez was beckoned and put out the fire to keep Pittsburgh ahead 3-2. Daniel Bard gave up a leadoff walk and nada else. Ric Rod got a fly out to the track, then lost Ryan McMahon in a 12-pitch battle. Blackmon doubled him home to knot the score after falling behind 0-2. He was wild-pitched to third and a two-out, two-strike single gave Colorado the lead. Bard faced the bottom of the order and mowed them down.

The Pirates almost stole one, but Charlie Blackmon (see notes) and the bullpen's wildness, something they usually manage to work around, showed up in spades today. In four innings, five relievers gave up three runs on four hits with six walks, a HBP and three wild pitches while tossing 98 pitches. The Rox went 0-for-11 w/RISP and stranded 12 runners to keep the Pirates in the game.

Notes:

• Pittsburgh only had five hits. Gregory and Ka'ai had a knock and walk; B-Rey walked twice.
• The Rockies had more walks (8) than hits (7) today, not including a bopped batter. Charlie Blackmon was a one-man show with two doubles, a triple, two runs scored and two RBI. It was an even split of five hits, five BB's for the Bucs.
• The Pirates pitchers had shut out Colorado for 17-1/3 IP before the Rox finally crossed the plate; then they allowed three more runs over the last two frames. 
• 7,917 was today's announced crowd.

Tomorrow's Game: The Bucs will spend Memorial Day in Kansas City. The 8:10 game will be on ESPN, AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan, with Chad Kuhl expected to take on Mike Minor.

Sunday: Rox Finale - Chase De Jong v Kyle Freeland As Pirates Look For Trifecta

Today's Game: The series ender starts at 1:05 as the Bucs look for a sweep. AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan will cover the game.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B; Kevin Newman SS; Bryan Reynolds CF; Jake Stallings C; Gregory Polanco RF; Will Craig 1B; Erik Gonzalez 3B; Ka'ai Tom LF; Chase DeJong P.

K-Man is back in the two hole - 2020 Topps

Pitchers: RHP Chase De Jong finishes the set against LHP Kyle Freeland (0-0/2.25). Chase, 27, won today's musical chair rotation start. He has 15 MLB outings (10 starts) for three teams; this will be his Bucco debut after signing as a FA. He was impressive in camp and solid at Indy (2-0/3.60) to earn a look today. We expect he'll get an extended opportunity, as he's out of options. Freeland just came off the IL (shoulder strain), working four solid innings against the Mets in his first start of the campaign. He hasn't faced the Bucs since 2018.

Notes:

• Well, that didn't last long: UT Ildemaro Vargas was DFA'ed to accommodate Ka'ai Tom's return. De Jong replaced JT Brubaker, who went on the bereavement list. It's not certain how long Bru will miss.
• Colin Moran and Phillip Evans will reportedly start rehab assignments early this week. Ke'Bryan Hayes and Austin Davis are already at Indy. Chad Kuhl, who just finished two rehab starts, and De Jong need permanent roster room. Looking ahead, there's going to be quite a bit of personnel churn when the guys start coming back over the coming week.
• Yesterday was the first time Pirates have had two shutouts in a doubleheader since Oct. 3, 1976 against the Cardinals at TRS behind Jim Rooker and Jerry Reuss. They were both 1-0, complete game wins. Of course, they were nine-inning games back in the day, but hey...

Tomorrow's Game: The Bucs will spend Memorial Day in Kansas City. The 8:10 game will be on ESPN, AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan, with Chad Kuhl expected to take on Mike Minor.

5/30 Through the 1960s: Leach/Lefty Deal; Rizzo Plates 9; Fido Twin Wins; Hidden Ball; Triples & Triple Plays Galore; Game Tales; HBD Turkey & Al

• 1878 - OF Mike “Turkey” Donlin was born in Peoria, Illinois. Mike played one of his 12 big league campaigns in Pittsburgh, hitting .316 as a 34-year-old in 1912. Known as "Turkey Mike" because of his strut, Donlin’s baseball career was held back by his bid for stage stardom. While a player, he spent three off seasons touring in a play called “Stealing Home” and after his retirement moved to Hollywood, where he appeared in 50+ films but as a bit player. 
• 1892 - Mark “Fido” Baldwin, a native Pittsburgher alleged to have the best fastball in the league, tossed both ends of a Pirates doubleheader sweep of the Baltimore Orioles at Exposition Park, winning 11-1 and 4-3. Baldwin went 26-27/3.47 with 45 complete games and 440 IP in ’92. 

Fido Baldwin - 1888 Yum Yum

• 1893 - From Baseball Chronology: "Jake Beckley successfully pulls the 'ancient’ hidden-ball trick on Baltimore Oriole Joe Kelley as Pittsburgh wins 9-1.” The Bucs swept a doubleheader from the Birds (they were managed by former Pittsburgh field general Ned Hanlon, who in a three-year span skippered the Alleghenys, Burghers and Pirates) at Exposition Park, also claiming a 10-3 victory. It was a pretty good Pirates club; the team finished 81-48, five games behind the NL champs, the Boston Beaneaters. 
• 1894 - RHP Al Mamaux was born in Pittsburgh. He went to Duquesne University and pitched for the Pirates from 1913-17. Mamaux was 49-36/2.61 during that time, and had strong seasons in 1915-16, going 42-23 with back-to-back 21 win campaigns. He spent the off-season as a crowd pleaser of another sort, touring as a vaudeville singer touted as "The Golden Voice Tenor.” 
• 1912 - In a not-so-sweet deal, the Pirates sent veteran 3B/OF Tommy Leach and P Lefty Leifield to Chicago for UT Solly Hofman and P King Cole. Leach, 34, started the next two years for the Cubs and came back to retire as a Pirate in 1918. Lefty pitched five more seasons, going 57-25. Cole lasted one year in Pittsburgh, going 2-2/6.43 while Hoffman played two years for the Pirates, getting into 45 games and hitting .246. 
• 1921 - There were four NL doubleheaders on this date, and all four resulted in a sweep. The Pirates did their part by taking two from the Chicago Cubs at Forbes Field, 13-0 and 6-3. Jimmy Zinn tossed a five-hitter in the opener, backed by four RBI from George Cutshaw and Possum Whitted, with Max Carey scoring four times. The nitecap was led by Whitted and Walter Schmidt who both went 3-for-4, with Possum scoring three times and Schmidt driving in a pair. Chief Yellow Horse, the third Pirate pitcher, went 7-⅔ shutout innings for the win and recorded the only strikeout of the day by Pittsburgh’s moundsmen. 

Possum Whitted - 1921 Exhibits

• 1925 - The Pirates set a MLB record by hitting eight triples against the St. Louis Cardinals in spacious Forbes Field during the nitecap of a twinbill. Max Carey and Clyde Barnhart each banged out a pair of three-baggers while Kiki Cuyler, Pie Traynor (who added two doubles), Glenn Wright and Eddie Moore each had one. Barnhart had four hits, four runs and five RBI in the game as the Bucs ran their win streak to seven with a 15-5 romp. The Bucs took the opener 4-1 behind Emil Yde and four DPs. Max Carey had a pair of RBI and George Grantham had three hits, including two doubles, in that match. Every Pirates starter reached base safely; the club stranded 12 runners and had two more tossed out on the basepaths. The Pirates collected 32 hits during the day. 
• 1927 - The Bucs lost the opener of a Forbes Field Memorial Day doubleheader to the Cubs 7-6 in 10 innings, ending the Pirates 11-game win streak. The big play was made by Cubs’ SS Jimmy Cooney, who snared Paul Waner's liner, stepped on second to double up Little Poison, and then tagged Clyde Barnhart coming from first for an unassisted triple play. Pittsburgh came back to win the nitecap‚ 6-5‚ also in 10 innings. Lloyd Waner collected seven hits during the twin bill. 
• 1939 - Johnny Rizzo set a club record that still hasn’t been matched by driving in nine runs against the St. Louis Browns in a 14-8 win at Sportsman's Park, gaining a doubleheader split for the Bucs. He banged a pair of homers and two doubles. 
• 1958 - The Milwaukee Braves beat the Bucs and ElRoy Face 7-4 at Forbes Field, scoring four times in the ninth to rally for victory. The Baron of the Bullpen, Elroy Face, gave up the runs, two of which were unearned, but came back strong; he wouldn’t lose again until September 1959, claiming 22 straight wins. The game hinged on two muffed pop ups, both fully weaponized by the Braves. The second game went the Bucs way 12-6; Pittsburgh banged out 18 hits w/five doubles and two three-baggers to overcome four solo homers by Milwaukee. Dick Groat and Bill Mazeroski each had four Pirate knocks, combining to score seven times and chase four runs home. Howie Goss got the win; Curt Rayburn started while Ron Blackburn worked in between the two. The Memorial Day twin bill drew 32,428 fans. 

Al Oliver wasn't called Scoops for nothing - 2005 Topps Rookie Club

• 1969 - Al Oliver started a triple play that saw him get two putouts and two assists during the action against Houston at Forbes Field. With Jesus Alou at first and Doug Rader at second, Johnny Edwards grounded to Scoops, who took the out and then relayed the ball to Gene Alley at second. Alley chased Alou back and flipped to Oliver for the tag. Meanwhile Rader, who had stayed on second thinking Edwards had hit a line drive, broke for third late when the light went on but Oliver gunned him down with Richie Hebner slapping the tag. The Bucs won the twinbill opener 9-3. Al had two of the Bucs 17 hits as Jim Bunning cruised to victory. The nightcap didn’t go so well as Bob Moose and Chuck Hartenstine got roughed up in a 9-6 defeat. Matty Alou and Billy Maz each had three hits but the Pirates couldn’t outgun the ‘Stros in a shootout.

5/30 From 1970: 26 For Kenny; Roofer Pops; Moose Surgery; AVS - CF; Mondesi Mishap; Hot Jose; Zippos; Locked In; Cobra Cover Boy; RIP Max; HBD Tony & Luis

• 1971 - Willie Stargell launched a Ken Holtzman pitch into the upper deck in right field, the third of four that he’d ship to the top tier at TRS in his career, to cap a 10-0 win over the Cubs. Roberto Clemente and Bob Robertson also went long. Bob Moose didn’t need much help; he fired a three-hitter and fanned seven. 
• 1974 - Bob Moose had surgery to remove a blood clot from his arm after it had swollen to double its size. The clot wasn’t thought to be baseball related, but it cost Moose the rest of the season as one of his ribs also had to be removed. He was having an outlier year anyway, with a 1-5 record and 7.57 ERA, easily the worst numbers of his career and related to his arm woes. Moose never again reached the 100 IP mark after averaging 213 IP and 30 starts in 1972-73 before meeting a tragic end in a car wreck after the 1976 campaign. 
• 1976 - OF Max Carey passed away in Miami. In 17 Pirates seasons, he hit .287 (a strong average for the deadball era; his OPS+ was 111) with 688 stolen bases and a reputation as the best center fielder in the game who was nicknamed “Scoop” for his ability to catch balls hit in front of him. Max won a NL-record 10 stolen base titles and ranks among the top ten all-time in outfield chances per game (6,937 total), seventh in assists (339), and third in double plays (87). After he retired following the 1929 campaign, Carey went on to be a Pirates coach in 1930, then was the skipper of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932-33. After baseball, he was involved in Florida real estate, wrote a book & several sporting articles, was a horse racing commissioner, and dabbled in politics. Carey was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1961 by the Veterans Committee. 

• 1977 - Dave Parker was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the story “Battle Royale In the East.” The Buccos finished second in the NL East race with 96 wins, five games behind the Phils. The Cobra played in a team-high 159 games with 21 HR and a .338 BA. 
• 1985 - LHP Tony Watson was born in Sioux City, Iowa. The ninth round pick of the 2007 draft was a converted starter that moved to the pen, and made his debut with the Bucs in 2010, evolving into a solid bridge man for the Pirates and then taking over the eighth inning role in spectacular fashion, posting a 1.63 ERA with a couple of saves, 34 holds and 9.4 K per nine innings to earn a spot on the 2014 All-Star team. The media coined the phrase "It's elementary, Watson" to describe his consistent excellence. Tony took over the closer’s role in the summer of 2016 and held it until he was traded to the Dodgers at the deadline in 2017 (he notched 30 saves as a Bucco) and was replaced by Felipe Rivero (Vazquez). He then spent three years with the Giants before returning to LA. 
• 1987 - The Pirates lost, 6-2, to the Cincinnati Reds at TRS, powered by red-hot Eric Davis’ third-inning grand slam off Dorn Taylor. But one notable move was made by Jimmy Leyland that would pay dividends over the upcoming years: it was the first time he played Andy Van Slyke in centerfield, bumping Barry Bonds to left. AVS had started the ‘87 season, his first as a Bucco, as the right fielder, but after today spent the remainder of his Pirates career as the middle man (Baltimore played him in right for one game in 1995). 
• 1996 - RHP Luis Escobar was born in Cartagena, Columbia. He signed with the Pirates as an international free agent, and despite having played just 20 or so games combined at the AA & AAA levels, was briefly called to Pittsburgh in 2019. Luis, 23, tossed goose eggs in his first three outings while dodging raindrops (he ended up with a 2.471 WHIP) before the Cards roughed him up, and after that he was returned to Indy. 

Jason Kendall - 1998 Topps Tek-52

• 1998 - Jason Kendall hit a walk-off, bases-loaded single to cap a three-run ninth and give the Pirates an 8-7 win over the Montreal Expos at TRS. It was Kendall’s third hit of the day and his second RBI. Manny Martinez hit a two run homer and Kevin Young banged out four hits. Three Pirate relievers tossed four goose eggs, with Jason Christiansen earning the victory. 
• 2003 - Kenny Lofton homered against the Cards in a 7-3 win by Jeff Suppan to keep his 26-game hitting streak alive, tying Danny O’Connell’s modern-day mark set in 1953. He would go 0-fer the next day against the Cards Woody Williams and Jeff Fasaro, falling a game short of tying the club record, set by Jimmy Williams in 1899, during a 5-4 Pirate victory tossed by Kip Wells. 
• 2004 - The Raul Mondesi saga officially ended when the outfielder signed a $1.75M deal with the Anaheim Angels. He left the Pirates on May 7th after signing as a free agent ($1.15M) to return home to deal with a lawsuit and family safety issues. He never came back; it was all a ploy to get out of the Pirates agreement and head for greener pastures. Pittsburgh could have opted to keep him on the restricted list until the cows came home (and in hindsight, should have; that way they might have gotten some compensation for his flip) but instead washed their hands of him when he failed to report on the team-mandated “drop dead” date of May 18th, terminating his contract the next day. 
• 2006 - The Bucs walloped the Milwaukee Brewers 12-1 at PNC Park behind a pair of Jose Castillo homers. Jose added a single & double to chase home six runs while scoring three times. Freddy Sanchez also had four knocks and Jack Wilson added three as the Pirates collected 17 raps, seven for extra bases, to help Victor Santos to victory. 

Jose Castillo - 2006 Topps Heritage

• 2013 - For the second time in three days, the Pirates defeated the Detroit Tigers, 1-0, in 11 innings. The Bucs used four pitchers - Mark Melancon got the W - and a Neil Walker homer to win at Comerica Park on the 28th, then came home to PNC Park and won with Bryan Morris and five other pitchers, cinched by a Russell Martin walk-off single off the wall in left center field. This one was a stolen victory as the Tigers stranded 11 runners during the game. The squeaker was the club’s fourth 1-0 win in an 11 game span and their 16th win in the past 20 contests. 
• 2016 - The Pirates rolled over Miami at Marlins Park 10-0. Gregory Polanco hit his first MLB grand slam, Sean Rodriguez added a two-run blast, and David Freese went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored. The big story was lefty Jeff Locke, who pitched a complete game shutout, the first time he had gone the distance in 101 career starts. It was the Bucs first CG since 2014, when Vance Worley went wire-to-wire. Locke gave up three hits without a walk, and thanks to two DPs, faced the minimum number of batters until two were gone in the ninth when he was touched for a bloop single. It was a textbook example of pitching to contact; the Pirate southpaw had just one K.

Game Two: Bucs Sweep Twin Bill Behind Keller, Fraze & Tom Solo Shots, 4-0

Game #2: Good start for Mitch Keller - a walk, two whiffs and a goose egg. Adam Frazier gave the Bucs the early lead when he knocked Austin Gomber's first pitch over the Clemente fence. The second was quiet again for the Rox, who managed a two-out dink single. Pittsburgh also wasted a two-out  Erik Gonzalez rap. Colorado went down in order in the third. Kells opened for the Bucs with an infield knock deflected off the pitcher, followed by a Fraze rap. An out later, Bryan Reynolds walked; the runners were going and old Bucco backstop Elias Diaz inexplicably whipped the ball to third and into left to allow a gift run. The help was appreciated as the next pair of Pirates fanned. Mitch cruised through the fourth; Ka'ai Tom celebrated his 27th trip around the sun with a two-out, first-pitch homer to make it 3-0.

Mitch had one of is alternating good days - image Pgh Pirates

A walk and two-down two-bagger in the fifth put Keller in his first pickle of the day, but a bouncer got him safely back into the dugout with the zippo intact. Mychal Givens toed the slab and flipped a clean frame. Sam Howard got the call in the sixth, and gave up a harmless walk with two away. Robert Stephenson took the ball and was greeted by a Jake Stallings triple (his first in the show, a liner that got past a lunging CF'er) and Will Craig flare to make the count 4-0. Dave Bednar worked the seventh and walked the first two Rox, then got to work and routinely sat down the next trio. Raise it - again!

Back-to-back shutouts, a functional offense, adding on at the end...it was a good day to be a Bucco. As for Kells, we're waiting for him to get off the roller coaster and into a groove where he follows a good start with another. 'Til then - Happy Memorial Day weekend and spend a moment or two to remember those who gave their lives to protect this nation.

Game #2 Notes:

• Adam Frazier's two hits give him 67 knocks, tops in MLB. He also has swatted 10 lifetime leadoff homers, tied with Al Martin for second in Pirates' history. Barry Bonds leads the pack with 20.
• Fraze and Ka'ai were the first lefties to homer off Gomber this year in nine games; he entered this afternoon with a .140 BA against posted by LH hitters, yielding just two doubles.
• 7,183 was the announced attendance for the second game. It was a quickie contest, lasting just 2:03 between seven innings and good pitching.

Tomorrow's Game: It's a 1:05 start with AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan carrying the game. The Pirates haven't announced tomorrow's starter yet; the Rockies will send out Kyle Freeland.

Saturday Nitecap: Mitch Keller v Austin Gomber

Today's Game: The game starts at 4:05 and will be carried by AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. Again, it's a seven-inning game as part of a twin bill, and a separate ticket to enter.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B; Kevin Newman SS; Bryan Reynolds CF; Jake Stallings C; Will Craig 1B; Ben Gamel RF; Erik Gonzalez 3B; Ka'ai Tom LF; Mitch Keller P. 

Ka'ai back in action - Charles Arbogast/AP

Pitchers: RHP Mitch Keller (2-6/7.41) get game two against LHP Austin Gomber (3-4/4.56).  All we can project about Mitch's start is that if he sticks with his every-other-game routine, today should be a good outing. This is his first career dance with the Rox. Gomber had two pretty bad smack-downs in 10 starts to blow up his ERA; the former Card has hurled seven times when he's given up two or fewer earned runs. He made three relief outings against the Bucs last year and was tagged for four runs in 5-1/3 innings, though he did earn his first MLB win against the Pirates as a Redbird rook in 2018.

Notes:

• Pittsburgh snapped a six-game losing streak in the opener. The Pirates have now won six straight games against the Rockies and have gone 23-11 in the last 34 meetings, dating back to 2015. As an extra albatross to bear, the Rockies are 3-21 on the road.

Tomorrow's Game: It's a 1:05 start with AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan carrying the game. The Pirates haven't announced tomorrow's starter yet; the Rockies will send out Kyle Freeland.

Double Dip Kickoff: Bucs Take Opener 7-0

Game 1: JT Brubaker shut down a first-inning, two-out rally by the Rox, and the bottom of the Buc order used a Wilmer Difo walk and consecutive knocks by Cole Tucker and Michael Perez off Jon Gray to draw first blood in the second. A Bru walk (he wanted to bunt but Gray wouldn't cooperate) loaded the bases with no outs, and productive outs manufactured two more runs. Tyler Kinley replaced Gray in the fourth and fanned a pair. JT kept cruisin' in the fifth and Jhoulys Chacin spun for the Rox. A Ben Gamel rap and Bryan Reynolds blast spread the margin to 5-0. Gregory Polanco's triple and a Difo walk left Bucs on the corners with an out, where a bouncer brought a hard-sliding El Coffee home. A Rockies single/double combo dunked Bru in his first real hot water with an out in the sixth, then he plunked a guy to jam the sacks. JT hung in: a short pop and fly were both corralled by Polanco, preserving the zero. Lucas Gilbreath gave up a double to Adam Frazier; a grounder and Gregory sac fly to the track in dead center added another tally. Chasen Shreve was called in the seventh to put it to bed, and he shook off an opening boot with a pair of whiffs to preserve the shutout. Raise it.

Gregory looks back in the groove - photo Pittsburgh Pirates

The Bucs mitigated a 1-for-10 RISP day with a two-run homer, two run-producing grounders and a pair of sac flies. It's good to see small-ball guys moving guys along instead of wasting runners. The Rox don't have much of an attack, and so it was equally good to see Bru back in charge, tossing a four-hitter.

Game 1 Notes:

• Gregory Polanco had two hits; every Pirates starter had one knock except for Wilmer Difo, who walked twice, and Bru, who also drew a free pass. The seven runs were scored by seven different Buccos; six Corsairs had RBI.
• First game damp, drizzly but entertained attendance was 5,279, more or less (we're betting the under).

Next Game: The game is scheduled to start at 4:05 and will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. Mitch Keller takes on Austin Gomber.

Saturday Lidlifter v Rox: JT Brubaker v Jon Gray; Tom Back

Today's Game: The game starts at 12:05 and will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. It's part of a split rainout doubleheader, so it's scheduled for seven innings and its own ticket. The Bucs and Rox would like to get this series in; it's Colorado's only scheduled visit to Pittsburgh.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B; Ben Gamel LF; Bryan Reynolds CF; Gregory Polanco RF; Will Craig 1B; Wilmer Dido 3B; Cole Tucker SS; Michael Perez C; JT Brubaker P.

Will's back in the saddle; good move by Shelty - photo Around the Curve blog

Pitchers: RHP JT Brubaker (3-4/4.20) faces RHP Jon Gray (4-4/3.43).  Bru has hit the earth hard in his last two outings, giving up 12 runs on 15 hits in 11 IP. Homers have been a factor; he gave up three during his last start against the Bravos and has a six-game streak of yielding at least one gopher ball. This is his first meet up with the Rox. Gray is an extreme Colorado Jekyll and Hyde, with a 2.36 ERA at Coors Field (he's made seven of his 10 starts there) and small sample 6.36 road ERA. He hasn't had much luck against the Bucs, going 1-1/7.78 in four lifetime starts, with the most recent appearance in 2019.

Notes:

• OF Ka’ai Tom has been reinstated from the IL and will serve as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader. The Bucs delay making a roster cut by a day.
• Per Shelty, Phil Evans and Colin Moran will be sent on rehab assignments before returning to action while Chad Kuhl's next start will be with the big club, date yet to be decided although he does lineup for Sunday's game.
• OF Travis Swaggerty (shoulder dislocation) has been placed on the 60-day IL by Indy, which pretty much deep-sixes this season.
• Jose Tabata, who's been out of baseball since 2018, is back - the 32-year-old signed with the West Virginia Power, no longer a Pirates affiliate but a member of the Atlantic League, a "partner league" of MLB, whatever that means. He doubled in his first at bat back last night.

Next Game: The game is scheduled to start at 4:05 and will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. Mitch Keller takes on Austin Gomber.

5/29 Through the 1920s: Big Bill Visits; Stuffy Signed; Trip Triples For Dave; Antitrust; Game Tales; HBD Jim

• 1884 - The Pittsburgh Alleghenys were no-hit by Columbus Buckeyes hurler Ed “Cannonball” Morris at Recreation Park during a 5-0 whitewash. Morris walked just one in a near perfect performance. The Alleghenys had been no-hit just five days earlier by Al Atkinson of the Philadelphia Athletics, who hit the first batter and was perfect the rest of the way. Cannonball joined the Alleghenys the following year and won 129 games over the next five seasons. He played a final year with the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players League in 1890 before retiring to run his Northside bar. 
• 1895 - Jake Beckley blasted a three-run homer in the ninth to give the Pirates an 8-6 win over the Washington Senators at Boundary Park. The 1B ended the year with five homers, second on the team to Jake Stenzel’s seven, with a club-leading 111 RBI. The win left the Pirates in first with a 22-8 slate, but it wouldn’t last. They had a piece of the top spot last on July 18th, then finished the rest of the year at 30-34 and in seventh place, 17 games behind the Baltimore Orioles (the NL version of the O’s were contracted out in 1899 when the league cut teams and was then reorganized and resurrected in 1901 as an AL franchise). 

Jake Beckley - artwork Dick Perez

• 1901 - 3B Jim Stroner was born in Chicago. Jim hit .367 w/42 HR for Wichita in 1928 and the Pirates brought him to camp the following season to take Pie Traynor’s place; manager Donie Bush wanted to move Pie to SS to replace Glenn Wright. Despite the bona fides and the tutelage of Traynor, Stroner only lasted six games (he was 3-for-8 hitting, but made three errors in seven chances at the hot corner) before he was sent to the minors. He had a convergence of tough luck - he wasn’t nearly at 100% physically, having undergone an appendectomy in the off season, and he wasn’t quite there mentally either, still recovering from the loss of his mother and wife, both who had passed away in the past year. Stroner never got another shot at the ring; he played in the minors through 1939 before retiring. As for Pie, the SS thing didn’t work out; he hurt his back and moved back to third. 
• 1905 - Dave Brain tied a modern-day MLB record with three triples in the same game when the Pirates lost a 6-3 decision to the St. Louis Cardinals at Exposition Park. Brain would repeat the feat in a game against Boston later during the season, becoming the first player to accomplish the triple-triple twice in one season. Oddly enough, it was feast or famine in regards to three-baggers for the infielder; they were the only six triples he hit during his sole campaign with Pittsburgh. 
• 1909 - President William “Big Bill” Taft visited Exposition Park (Forbes Field would open a month later) to catch a Bucs-Cubs match, and made himself at home in the cheap seats, delighting the 14,091 fans. The Pirates weren’t so delighted, though, as they went down to Three Finger Brown in 11 innings, 8-3, with Lefty Leifield taking the loss. The Prez must have made the Buccos nervous as the loss was the only time the team was defeated in a 19 game stretch. 
• 1921 - At Redland Field, Clyde Barnhart hit a ninth inning inside-the-park homer to tie the game with the Reds 2-2. He scampered to his first ITPHR after his ball was swallowed up by the right field tarp, considered in-play by the ground rules. It didn’t help in the long run as Pittsburgh lost 4-3 in 13 frames. But the freaky dinger did spoil what would have been the longest no-homer streak of the modern era - it was the only four-bagger that Cincy twirler Eppa Rixey allowed in 301 IP. 
• 1922 - In a decision that was pretty big for the Pirates as well as MLB, the US Supreme Court ruled that organized baseball was a sport, not a business, and exempted it from antitrust and interstate commerce laws. 

Stuffy McInnis - 1925 George Bain/Library of Congress

• 1925 - 1B Jack “Stuffy” McInnis was signed as a free agent. The veteran was a reserve, getting into 106 games over two seasons, starting 64 of them. But his bat still held up; in 1925-26, he hit .337 for Pittsburgh, and .286 in the 1925 World Series against the Washington Senators. He played one more game after leaving Pittsburgh for his original club, Philadelphia, in 1927 before hanging ‘em up. 
• 1928 - 2B Norma “Hitch” Dearfield Whitney was born in McKeesport. She played fast-pitch softball as a youth and after tryouts at the hometown Renziehausen Park, Hitch got to play with the All American Girls Professional Baseball League’s Chicago Colleens in 1949 and the South Bend Blue Sox in 1950 (no stats available). An injury while with South Bend in 1950 forced her to retire. She returned home, coached girls softball and was a member of the board of directors of the McKeesport Softball League. 
• 1929 - The Pirates leapfrogged the Cubs into a first place tie with the Cards after a 7-2 win at Forbes Field, their eighth victory in a row. Paul Waner had a triple, two runs scored, and two RBI. Pie Traynor added a pair of knocks with a three-bagger and three runs chased home; Dick Bartell also had two hits. Rookie Steve Swetonic held the Cubs scoreless for seven frames before fading and got the W with help from Carmen Hill. Though the Bucs would jockey for first throughout July, they finished the campaign with 88 wins, 10-½ games behind the Cubs. A blah August (13-16) dropped them out of contention.

5/29 From 1930: Grace Trade; 1,000 For Chuck; Roberto Doubles Fun; Big Bat, Big Arm Game Tales; HBD Ka'ai & Old Hayes

• 1931 - C Earl Grace was traded by the Cubs with cash to the Pirates for C Rollie Hemsley. Grace caught five years for the Bucs and hit .275 over that span, retiring after 1937. Hemsley ended up playing 15 more seasons for five teams, hitting .262 and playing on five All-Star teams. 
• 1955 - At the age of 20 years and 284 days, Roberto Clemente became the second youngest player to hit three doubles in a game in MLB history, behind the Braves’ Eddie Mathews (ironically against the Pirates in 1952). The Bucs beat the Phillies 11-5 at Forbes Field; the young Clemente was the leadoff hitter, and banged his two-baggers off three different pitchers while going 5-for-5. Every Pirate starter had a hit in the nightcap: Dick Groat had four knocks, Frank Thomas went long and Max Surkont got the win after relieving in the first match. It was the back end of a doubleheader. The Buccos dropped the opener 5-2; Thomas had a home run in that contest, too. 
• 1965 - Despite allowing three runs in the first inning, the Pirates rallied to defeat the New York Mets 7-4 at Shea Stadium. The Buccos were led by Roberto Clemente, who went 4-for-5, collected two RBI, scored three runs, and finished a home run shy of the cycle. The Pirates put the game away in the seventh when a two-out walk followed by four singles plated three runs. Don Schwall took the win and Al McBean got the save. 

Charlie Hayes - 1996 Upper Deck

• 1965 - 3B Charlie Hayes was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Charlie manned the hot corner and played a little first base for 14 big league seasons for seven teams (and three of them he played for twice), spending most of 1996 with the Pirates. He hit .248 as a Bucco starter before being sent to the NYY for a minor-league guy. The deadline deal worked out great for Charlie; he ended up a member of the Yankees ‘96 World Championship club after leaving the Buccos, a Central Division bottom feeder that campaign. Hayes now runs the Big League Baseball Academy in Texas, and his son Ke'Bryan was selected 32nd overall by the Pirates in the 2015 draft and has taken over his dad’s old spot at 3B. 
• 1979 - Don Robinson scattered five hits over eight innings to lead the Bucs to an 8-0 win over the Cubs at TRS. Dave Parker led the offense with three hits, a dinger and two two-baggers, and three RBI. Phil Garner had two knocks, also going deep, while Omar Moreno, Tim Foli, Willie Stargell and even hurler Robby had two knocks each as part of a 15-hit attack. 
• 1983 - Chuck Tanner claimed his 1,000th win as a manager (his skipper career began in 1970 with the White Sox) after an 8-5 victory over the Reds at Riverfront Stadium. The game wouldn’t make any coaching textbooks - the Bucs committed three errors and ran the bases like ninnies - but behind a 15-hit attack, the Pirates left themselves a lot of wiggle room. Tony Pena went 4-for-4 and four other Corsairs (Lee Mazzilli, Bill Madlock, Jason Thompson & Dave Parker) had two knocks while Manny Sarmiento tossed three shutout innings to seal the deal in relief of Larry McWilliams. 
• 1991 - The Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-0 at Busch Stadium as Zane Smith threw the second one-hitter of his career, striking out five to earn his seventh win of the season. The hit was “a parachute,” per Press writer Bob Hertzel, that fell between RF’er Mitch Webster & 2B Chico Lind, and it snapped an 0-for-31 streak by Card’s batter Jose Oquendo. Orlando Merced led the attack with two hits and two RBI for the Bucs. And there were no pace of play issues to distract Zane; the game took a tidy 2:12 to complete. 

Zane Smith clip - Bob Hertzel Press

• 1992 - Pittsburgh rocked the San Francisco Giants 13-3 at TRS to break out of a five-game tailspin. Barry Bonds went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, Jose Lind chipped in with three runs driven in and Andy Van Slyke had three hits. Vicente Palacios got the win and Bob Patterson earned a save after he tossed the final three frames. The Pirates used a 13-hit, 10-walk attack and an eight-run seventh inning to pull away. 
• 1996 - OF Blaze Ka’ai Tom was born in Honolulu. A 2015 Cleveland draftee who Oakland claimed in the Rule 5 draft, he was DFA’ed after going 1-for-16 and claimed by the Pirates in 2021. He made his Bucco debut in late April as a pinch hitter and later as regular left fielder before a wrist injury landed him on the IL. Trivia tidbit: he got his first MLB hit off David Price. 
• 2000 - The Pirates put on a show for the 17,282 fans at TRS in a 10-4 romp over the Florida Marlins. Every Bucco starter reached base safely, including winning pitcher Jason Schmidt, who walked. John Vander Wal, Kevin Young and Pat Meares combined for eight RBI and every starter but Meares scored. Pittsburgh had 13 hits and the Fish hurlers aided the cause by issuing seven walks.

5/28 Through the 1960s: Long Goes Long For Record; Roberto Run By Ump; Game Tales; HBD Kirk, Sarge, Steve & King

• 1881 - RHP James “King” Brady was born in Elmer, New Jersey. King worked two of his five MLB seasons with the Bucs in 1906-07, and didn’t get much work, going 1-1/2.16 in four starts but giving up an average of 11.5 hits every nine innings, and was shipped to the minors early in 1907 after taking a liner off the bean. He spent eight years on the farm, winning 85 games. The source of his nickname is uncertain, although it’s thought that a Pittsburgh writer gave it to him after a good outing. 
• 1903 - OF Romer “Reddy” Gray, brother of author Zane Grey (they were both originally Grays; their dad changed the spelling allegedly to dodge some bills), made his MLB bow as a Buc. He went 1-for-3 in his only big league game as the Pirates beat Boston 7-6. Gray scored a run, knocked in another, drew a walk, and caught the only ball hit his way in the OF. He played on loan from the nearby Worcester minor league club as the Pirates, due to some injuries and personal issues, found themselves short handed for the game against the Beaneaters at the South End Grounds. Gray was an early AAAA ballplayer; he never found a home in MLB but had a career .311 minor league BA. His author brother was also a ballplayer in his younger days; he even played at Pitt briefly. They were teammates on both the Jaxons and Findlay Sluggers of the Interstate League in 1895, and Zane went on to pen several baseball themed stories. 

Steve Nagy - undated photo Baseball Hall of Fame

• 1919 - LHP Steve Nagy was born in Franklin, New Jersey. Steve was teammates with a couple of famous folk, notably TV star Chuck “The Rifleman” Connors (who played for the Dodgers and the Cubs before going on to Hollywood) at Seton Hall University and Jackie Robinson as a Montreal Royal, but their fame didn’t provide him with any coattails. He pitched briefly in the majors for two years, spending 1947 as a Pirates reliever and going 1-3/5.79. Steve missed some time during WW2 while in the navy, but still managed to play 14 minor-league campaigns before he retired from the game after the 1958 season. 
• 1921 - Pittsburgh protested their 4-3‚ 10-inning loss to the Reds and won. After Reds P Dolf Luque misfired the ball into the Cincinnati dugout, Clyde Barnhart was called out going to third when the ball was tossed back into the field. The Pirates said no way; it was a dead ball, and NL president Heydler agreed. The game was later replayed from that point (it was 3-3), and the Bucs took full advantage of their second chance, turning the table to win 4-3 on June 30th. 
• 1923 - LHP Bob “Sarge” Kuzava was born in Wyandotte, Michigan. Bob spent 10 years in MLB, stopping in Pittsburgh for four appearances lasting two innings and giving up two runs in 1957. It was the last big league season for the 34-year-old; he was sold to the Cards and got three final outings. He began his career as a starter and finished it as a reliever/spot starter, with his highlights in 1952 when he went 2-2/3 no-hit innings for the Yankees to save the seventh game of the World Series against Brooklyn, a 4-2 win after closing out the clinching sixth game the year before with a perfect ninth inning to defeat the Giants, 4-3. Kuzava was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He got his nickname of Sarge after spending three years during WW2 in Burma. 
• 1956 - First baseman Dale Long added to his major league record by hitting a home run in his eighth consecutive game, a 3-2 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers at Forbes Field. The liner was hit off of Carl Erskine in front of 32,221 Forbes Field fans who didn’t settle down until the big first baseman made a curtain call, said to be the first in MLB history. He was even lauded in the US Senate by Carnegie Senator James Duff for his feat. The record was later tied by Don Mattingly (1987) and Ken Griffey, Jr. (1993). Brooklyn’s Don Newcombe closed out the string the following day as Long went 0-for-4. Dale finished the season with a career-high 27 long balls, the first of four 20+ HR seasons in five years, not a bad mark for a guy who didn’t get a chance to play every day until he was 29 years old. Oh, and Bob Friend helped, tossing a complete game two-hitter. 

Kirk Gibson - 1992 Stadium Club

• 1957 - OF Kirk Gibson was born in Pontiac, Michigan. He spent 1992 as a Pirate toward the end of his 17-year MLB run, coming over from KC in a swap for P Neal Heaton, and the 35-year-old was released in May after hitting .196. He closed out the final three years of his career with the Tigers after Sparky Anderson talked him out of retirement. The 1988 World Series hero has since worked as a coach, manager and announcer. 
• 1960 - More Destiny’s Darlings lore: Roberto Clemente was on third and Hal Smith on first with two outs in the eighth with Maz up at Forbes Field. He fanned on a ball that hit in the front of the plate, ricocheted off umpire Al Barlick and straight to Phillies pitcher Jim Owens. Maz froze, Smith jogged to second and Clemente went halfway down the baseline. Owens chased Roberto as his bench called for him to throw to first, which he either didn’t hear or ignored. In the run-down, Clemente knocked the ball out of C Jim Coker's glove to score the tying run. The Pirates won 4-2 in the 13th on Don Hoak's two-run HR. 
• 1963 - Called out at first on a close play for the second time in the game, Roberto Clemente twice jostled umpire Bill Jackowski while arguing the decision. Clemente was ejected, and skipper Danny Murtaugh got his Irish up, challenging the man in blue to duke it out until he was pulled away. The Great One was fined $250 and suspended for five days by the league. To top the day off, the Pirates lost 5-1 to the Phils at Forbes Field.

5/28 From 1970: Mack Celebrates Daddy-hood; Bay Six Pack; Candy Shopped; Game Tales; HBD Alex

• 1977 - OF/1B Alex Hernandez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Alex was taken by Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 1995 draft and spent two campaigns in Pittsburgh, getting into 27 games and hitting .183 from 2001-02. He spent his last couple of seasons playing indie ball and in the Puerto Rican Winter League before retiring in 2006. 
• 1985 - Bob Hertzel of the Pittsburgh Press wrote that the Pirates recently deposed GM, Pete Peterson, was talking trade with the Detroit Tigers to ship them lefty John Candelaria, who was approaching his 5-and-10 year veteran trade status. While the return package was just speculation, it was thought that Pirates were interested in OF Larry Herndon, RHP Juan Berenguer and 3B/C Marty Castillo in some combination. The deal had some legs; scouts for both sides were visiting one another’s farms and the brass said they’d continue to talk even with Pete gone. Candy Man was being shopped hard; he ended up with the Angels as part of a six-man deal on August 2nd. 
• 1988 - The Pirates whipped the Reds 5-2 at Riverfront Stadium behind an unstoppable leadoff man Barry Bonds. BB went 2-for-2 and walked three times, scoring three runs with an RBI to rev the Bucco engine. Bobby Bonilla and Darnell Coles both added a single and double to help Bob Walk to the win with a Bob Kipper hold & Jeff Robinson save. 

Barry Bonds - 1988 Fleer

• 1990 - Memorial Day seemed like it was going to be more memorable for Dodger pitcher Tim Belcher, who was working on a one-hitter through eight innings at TRS, than anything the Bucs would do. But in the end, the Pirates provided the holiday fireworks, scoring five times in the ninth off two Dodger relievers to take an improbable 6-5 win from LA. The Bucs trimmed the lead to 5-3 and loaded the bases with two down in the final frame. With the runners going, Chico Lind spanked a 3-2 liner through the right side. Bobby Bo scored and RF’er Hubie Brooks tried to cut down the tying run, Gary Redus, at the plate. The throw was up the line and C Mike Scioscia tried to snatch the ball and swipe the runner while still blocking the dish. It didn’t pan out; he missed the throw entirely and it rolled to the back wall, allowing Don Slaught to lumber in from first to plate the game winner for Bill Landrum, who had worked the ninth for Pittsburgh. The game did have a hot sidebar; a continuation of a beanball war, although denied by the several pitchers involved, led to a couple of shouting matches and the ejection of the Pirates Randy Kramer. 
• 2001 - The Pirates didn’t need a big ninth inning to drop the Marlins at PNC Park; their seven-spot in the eighth was enough to erase a 5-1 deficit and send the fans home happy with an 8-5 victory on Memorial Day. The big frame featured a little of everything, from two Fish errors to a three-run bomb by Pat Meares, before Mike Williams sealed the deal with a scoreless ninth to save Jose Mesa’s win. Pirates starter Omar Oliveras was long gone by the end while the Miami loss was absorbed by former Bucco reliever Dan Miceli. 
• 2004 - In the lidlifter of a twin bill, utilityman Rob Mackowiak smacked a two-out, walk-off grand slam for a 9-5 Pirates victory barely nine hours after his wife, Jennifer, gave birth to their first child, Garrett Matthew. Chicago’s Matt Clement had a tough outing with a wild pitch and plunks of Bobby Hill, Jason Kendall and Craig Wilson in the fifth frame of the opener (the three HBP in an inning tied the modern era MLB record), opening the gates to a four-run frame. In the second game, Mack drilled a two-run shot in the ninth, the 500th homer at PNC Park, into the same right center field seats as the one he hit three hours earlier to send the nitecap into extra innings, later won by Craig Wilson’s 10th inning homer, for a 5-4 sweep of the Cubs. It was the first time since 1967 that a doubleheader was won by walk-off homers. 
• 2006 - The Pirates lost to the Astros 5-4 at PNC Park. Houston scored four times in the ninth off three different Pirate pitchers to tie the game, then won it in the 10th on a Preston Wilson knock off Salomon Torres. The game did have a bright side. Jason Bay homered off Fernando Nieve in the fourth inning to run his consecutive game HR streak to six contests, the second longest in Pirate history after Dale Long’s 1956 eight-game streak, that started on the 22nd against Arizona’s Orlando Hernandez. Bay had a pair of bombs on the 20th, too, giving him nine home runs in eight games.

Paul Maholm - 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen

• 2011 - Four Pirates (Andrew McCutchen, Lyle Overbay, Chris Snyder and Ronnie Cedeno) went long as Pittsburgh whipped the Cubs 10-1 at Wrigley Field. Paul Maholm tossed a three-hitter for the complete game victory. 
• 2013 - The Bucs rode strong pitching and an 11th-inning home run by Neil Walker off Jose Ortega to edge the Tigers at Comerica Park 1-0, despite striking out 14 times. Jeanmar Gomez and Rick Porcello started the game while Jason Grilli finished it in style with swinging strikeouts of Motown’s Torii Hunter, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder in order to earn his 21st save and Mark Melancon’s first win as a Pirate.

Buc Miscues Hand Cubs 5-3 Win, Series Sweep

Today's Game: Well, that didn't take long - the Cubs second batter, Kris Bryant, homered off Tyler Anderson, sending a meatball changeup into the shrubs. The Pirates went down in order to Kyle Hendricks. The Cubs went quietly in the second. Erik Gonzalez doubled with an out for the Bucs, legging out the extra base on a deflected groundball that died in center. There he stayed. Chicago's third was interesting - a single and steal set up a run when E-Gon didn't convert the third out (grab a beer & watch the vid; the play at first, btw, ended up being ruled a fielders choice). Actually, Will Craig was the Twilight Zone character of the play. He caught the throw slightly down the line and instead of stepping on the bag, he chased Javy Baez home. Wilson Contreras, who had started at second, kept running and Craig's flip to Perez was high, allowing the runner to cross the dish headfirst. Perez misfired the ball on a peg to first to send Baez, who had reversed fields, to second, where a bloop single plated him. That was followed by another Craig error before Anderson escaped, stifling the homicidal thought or three that surely crossed his mind. Pittsburgh went down in order.

Michael had a mixed bag kinda day - photo MLB.com

The off-the-wall stuff continued; Anderson plunked Patrick Wisdom to open the fourth; the Pirates challenged and won, getting a foul ball ruling. So Wisdom hit the next pitch over The Notch to make it 4-0. The lead was cut in half when Bryan Reynolds and Gregory Polanco banged back-to-back one-out dingers. Tyler and Kyle each spun a clean fifth. Sam Howard got the sixth and gave up a two-out two-bagger with no added damage resulting. Adam Frazier opened with a rap but was caught stealing. B-Rey hustled out an infield knock with two outs in another scoreless frame. Dave Bednar worked the seventh, striking out the side around a knock. With two gone, Perez homered in the Pittsburgh half and suddenly it was a 4-3 game. Kyle Crick was waved on for the eighth. A single and wild pitch put him in a bit of a jam, but a K got him out of it. Dan Winkler took the hill. Wilmer Difo worked a walk, then Fraze singled. He was tossed out trying to stretch it, and that gift out impacted the inning. Gamel's fly wasn't deep enough to score Difo before B-Rey got bopped and Gregory walked to juice the sacks. Ryan Tepera was called in and retired E-Gon on a bouncer; the Bucs are still ISO a big hit.

Richard Rodriguez ran into ninth-inning problems with Cubbies on second and third with an out. A grounder added an insurance run although the middle runner was nailed trying to reach third to end the frame. The Cubs gave the Bucs some life when Craig reached on an error to start it off, but two whiffs and a bouncer later, Chicago clinched the sweep.

Notes:

• Fraze and Ben Gamel had two hits; Gregory had a homer and walk.
• Pirates pitchers have given up long balls in 15 of the past 16 games (31 big flies in all); eight of those contests have featured opponent multi-homer games.
• There were 7,202 in the yard today.

Tomorrow's Game: The Rockies come to town for three games. The opener starts at 6:35 and will be aired by AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. Mitch Keller goes for the Pirates.