7/28 From 1980: JJ, Enrique Trades; Cobra Hurt; A-Ram Rocks; Record Rally; Norris No Deal; Arky HoF; Gems & Game Tales

• 1982 - The Pirates were dealt a heavy blow when Dave Parker ruptured a thumb ligament while legging out a hustle double against the Phils. The Cobra required surgery and was out of action until September 11th. Even then, he wasn’t much help - Parker only played two complete games and had little power, getting into just 12 contests and managing 20 at bats, hitting two doubles and no homers after his return. 
• 1985 - SS Arky Vaughan was enshrined at the Hall of Fame. After missing on the regular writers’ vote, the Veterans’ Committee gave Vaughan his just, if posthumous, dues. Arky was an MVP in 1935 when he hit .385, was a six-time All Star, hit .318 during his decade with the Bucs and never during that spell hit under .300. 
• 1987 - Barry Bonds hit 176 homers while wearing the Bucco colors, but only one was an inside-the-park job. In an otherwise blah 5-2 loss to the Phillies at TRS, rookie Bonds drilled a two-out liner to right off Shane Rawley that kicked around, allowing him and Junior Ortiz to score the only Pirates tallies of the day. "Glenn Wilson tried to cut the ball off and missed it," Rawley recalled for the AP. "It rolled around the corner and ricocheted all the way around. By the time he got the ball, there was no way to get Barry." The hit was payback for Bonds, who Rawley had plunked twice. It was the first of three Bonds’ homers that didn’t clear the fence among his 762 long flies, with the other two hit in 1997 with the Giants. 

Orlando Merced - 1996 Topps

• 1996 - Orlando Merced hit two home runs and tallied four RBI while Al Martin & Mark Johnson had four hits each as the Bucs beat the Phillies 12-8 at TRS. Reliever John Ericks took home the win of the nationally televised ESPN Sunday Night Baseball match. It would be the last SNB appearance for the Bucs until 2014. 
• 2000 - Aramis Ramirez drove in six runs with a pair of homers, Emil Brown went long to plate four more runners and John Vander Wal also went yard in a 16-5 romp over the San Diego Padres at TRS. A-Ram, Jason Kendall, Kevin Young and Vander Wal scored three times each. 
• 2000 - The Bucs sent OF Wil Cordero to the Indians for IF Enrique Wilson and OF prospect Alex Ramirez. Cordero played respectably through 2003 while Wilson was traded again in 2001 and Ramirez began a long career as a slugger in Japan after the 2000 season. 
• 2001 - Pittsburgh became only the second team in NL history (the Cubs were the first in 1952) to win a game by scoring seven runs with two outs and nobody on base in the ninth inning. Brian Giles capped the scoring with a walk-off grand slam off Astros ace Billy Wagner to win the game 9-8 after Pat Meares had hit a two-run shot earlier in the frame. The game was the opener of the first home day-night doubleheader in franchise history before a crowd of 32,977 at PNC Park. There was no drama in the nightcap as Houston rolled to a 12-3 victory. 
• 2003 - Jeff Suppan won his sixth consecutive start with a 3-0 decision over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, scattering seven hits. He was backed by Reggie Sanders’ homer and three hits from Randall Simon. Suppan was flipped to the Red Sox three days later as part of a deal for Freddy Sanchez and Mike Gonzalez. 

Ollie Perez - 2004 Topps wide

• 2004 - In one of their more frustrating losses, the Bucs collected 11 hits but were shut out by the Braves 1-0 at PNC Park as the Pirates stranded 11 runners. Ollie Perez threw a five-hitter with 10 K, but Chipper Jones’ fourth-inning homer was enough run support for the Bravos. John Smoltz came out of the bullpen to save the game for Russ Ortiz. 
• 2005 - The Bucs swapped with the San Diego Padres to get IF JJ Furmaniak in exchange for C David Ross. Furmaniak batted 52 times as a big leaguer with a .186 BA while Ross hit .229 but had a long shelf life ahead of him, playing through the 2016 season. He’s now the Cubs manager. 
• 2010 - Bucco first baseman Garrett Jones went 4-for-4 and homered twice as Pirates beat the Rockies 6-2 at Coors Field. Leadoff batter Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Sean Gallagher tossed three hitless innings for the win in relief of starter Ross Ohlendorf, who left the game in the first inning after being struck in the temple by a line drive off the bat of Troy Tulowitzki. Ohlie fortunately just suffered a bruise and made his next start, only to be pulled in the first inning after again being smoked by a bullet, this one taken off the leg. When it rains... 
• 2012 - The Pirates won for the ninth time in 11 games, taking a 4-3 decision from the Astros at Minute Maid Park. Alex Presley and Neil Walker had solo shots, and Rod Barajas singled in Andrew McCutchen with the game winner with two out in the eighth. Chris Resop got the win in relief of Wandy Rodriguez with Jason Grilli posting the save. The Bucs remained two games behind the Reds in the NL Central race. 

Chris Resop - 2012 Topps

• 2013 - The final page in a deal that didn’t happen was turned when the Astros passed on the Bucs last and best offer of Luis Heredia & a competitive balance pick for Bud Norris. The give and take was released as part of Astro emails leaked by St. Louis Cardinal staffers. The Pirates offered one of Heredia, Tyler Glasnow or Alen Hanson for Norris; Houston GM Jeff Luhnow wanted Glasnow and either Heredia or Nick Kingham as a package, offers that Neal Huntington rejected as ‘Stro overreach. (Thanks to Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review/The Athletic). 
• 2014 - The Pirates laid some small ball on Madison Bumgarner in the first inning, and it led to a big frame. The Bucs stirred together three hits, two walks, an error and a pair of sac flies to jump ahead of the SF Giants 4-0, and then added on a final run when Josh Harrison homered. The rest of the night at AT&T Park belonged to Vance Worley, who tossed his first MLB shutout and just his second career complete game. He allowed four hits, facing two batters over the minimum, just one of whom advanced past first thanks to three DPs and a caught stealing. It was the Bucs first complete game shutout since AJ Burnett turned the trick in 2012. 
• 2020 - So much for playing six-inning games and handing a lead off to the pen: after blowing a 5-1 ninth-inning lead the night before to the Milwaukee Brewers and losing 6-5 in 11 frames, the Bucs provided their own late lightning to overcome a four-run Brew Crew edge by scoring four times in seventh and twice in the eighth to rally for an 8-6 win at PNC Park. The Pirates' tying frame was fueled by some sloppy Brewer fielding; Phil Evans knotted the score with a two-out double a couple of batters after the Crew threw away a DP ball to allow two runs in. Adam Frazier bopped the game winner an inning later with a two-run homer to give Geoff Harlieb his first MLB win and Nick Burdi his first big league save.