9/18 From 1940: All-1900s; BB 30/30; Deac's #20; State Honor; Gems & Game Tales; HBD Donnie, Jody, Ken & Roger

• 1948 - LHP Ken Brett was born in Brooklyn. The 14-year vet spent 1974-75 in Pittsburgh, earning an All-Star berth in ‘74 as the Pirates sole rep and then winning the game. He went 22-14/3.32 for the Bucs and hit .281 with three homers before being sent to the Yankees as part of the package for Doc Medich. After his career, Ken was an announcer, college coach and minor-league team owner. Sadly, after a six-year battle with brain cancer, he died in 2003 at age 55. 
• 1957 - RHP Roger Mason was born in Bellaire, Ohio. The nine-year vet rejuvenated his career in Pittsburgh from 1991-92, slashing 8-9-11/3.82. He worked for two World Series clubs and seven teams in his career while setting the dubious record of having the first three batters he faced in a game homer off him (They were San Diego Padres Marvell Wynn, Tony Gwynn and John Kruk. But that was just a bump in the road; Mason’s Giants won the game.) He retired to his hometown after the 1994 season. 

Roger Mason - 1992 Fleer Ultra (reverse)

• 1960 - Vern Law picked up his 20th win with a complete game, 5-3 victory in the lidlifter of a Sunday doubleheader at Cincinnati's Crosley Field. The Deacon won the 1960 Cy Young award with a 20-9 record and 3.08 ERA; the Bucs didn’t have another 20 game winner until John Candelaria went 20-5 in 1977. His support came from Dick Stuart and Don Hoak, both of whom homered, doubled and drove in two runs. The Pirates took the nitecap, 1-0, as Vinegar Bend Mizell tossed a three-hitter against the Reds and Bob Purkey. Ducky Schofield drove in the game’s only run. 
• 1971 - The Bucs clinched at least a tie for the Eastern Division title (they sewed it up two games later) with a 4-0 win against the New York Mets and Ray Sadecki at TRS. Richie Zisk smacked his first career home run to drive in a pair of runs and Dave Cash’s two-bagger plated the other two. Steve Blass tossed a two-hitter for the win, his 15th of the year, and his fifth shutout of the campaign. The 20,470 fans barely had time to gulp down a hot dog; the game was the fastest played contest of the year, taking 1:42 from the first pitch to the last out. 
• 1977 - OF Jody Gerut was born in Springfield, Illinois. A touted outfield prospect, the Bucs got him at the 2005 deadline from the Cubs for Matt Lawton. He barely played for the Bucs (four games & 18 at-bats) as he haggled with the FO over a knee injury and sat out most of 2005; he wanted surgery that the Pirates felt unnecessary, and a grievance was filed. Though the two sides settled, Gerut didn’t play in 2006, was released and after a season in the Dominican League returned with the Padres in 2008. By 2010, he was done; his numbers were good but he never got to 300 PAs for a season. A Stanford grad, he went into financial advising for MLB players and later became a player agent. 
• 1979 - The Pirates scored three times in the first inning against the Expos at Olympic Stadium, then laid goose eggs for nine frames before finally solving Montreal pitching in the 11th to pull out a 5-3 victory. Willie Stargell had the game-deciding blow, a two-run homer in extras to win the game for Grant Jackson. 

Donnie Veal - 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter

• 1984 - LHP Donnie Veal was born in Jackson, Mississippi. Veal was a second-round pick of the Cubs in 2005 and the Pirates took him in the Rule 5 draft of 2008. He stuck on the roster in 2009, being used as a reliever rather than starter, and put up a line of 1-0/7.16 with 16 K in 16-1/3 IP but also issued 20 BB. He missed 2010 with TJ surgery, spent a year on the farm and then he was signed by the Chicago White Sox where he had two decent seasons in 2012-13 before arm troubles again laid him low. 
• 1987 - In a wild west shootout at TRS that took over 3-1/2 hours to play, the Pirates outhit the Mets to take a 10-9 victory. Mike Diaz went 4-for-5 with a 2B, 3B and four RBI, Junior Ortiz knocked in a pair, Felix Fermin had three hits and John Cangelosi homered, providing enough firepower for John Smiley to get the win in relief of Brian Fisher, with Jim Gott closing it out thanks to a game-ending strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play. 
• 1992 - Barry Bonds hit his 30th homer of the season off Philadelphia's Terry Mulholland in the Pirates' 5-2 win at TRS. Bonds became the fifth MLB player to date with a pair of 30 HR/30 SB seasons, his first being in 1990. The others were his dad Bobby, his godfather Willie Mays, Howard Johnson, and Ron Gant. The contest was a rain-shortened 5-1/2 inning affair, with Tim Wakefield surviving five walks for the win. 
• 1998 - A state historical marker was dedicated outside TRS to honor the first World Series, with games 4-7 played at Exposition Park between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Americans in 1903. It’s now located on the North Shore Riverwalk. 

Expo state marker - Brian Merzbach Baeball Review

• 1999 - The Pirate “Team of the Century,” voted on by fans, was announced. The winners were: C Jason Kendall, 1B Willie Stargell, 2B Bill Mazeroski, SS Honus Wagner, 3B Pie Traynor, LF Ralph Kiner, CF Lloyd Waner (barely over Andy Van Slyke), RF Roberto Clemente (leaving Paul Waner off the club), LHP Harvey Haddix (his perfect game eliminated the Pirates’ winningest pitcher, Wilbur Cooper), RHP Vern Law, RP Kent Tekulve (in a close race with ElRoy Face) and MGR Danny Murtaugh. 
• 2000 - The Pirates ended a nine-game losing streak by topping the Phils, 6-5, at Veterans Stadium. It wasn’t easy; Philly jumped ahead 3-0 after an inning. The Pirates took the lead in the eighth, 6-4, scoring four times on three doubles, an intentional walk, suicide squeeze and a strikeout/wild pitch. The Phils scored once in the eighth to cut the lead to one, and Mike Williams had a runner on third with one gone in the ninth, but got a grounder and soft liner to escape with the save of Rick Loiselle’s win. The attack was balanced; seven of the eight starters either scored, chased home a run or both. It was a record day for Jason Kendall, too - he stole his 20th base, becoming the first NL catcher with 20+ swipes in three seasons.