9/3 From 1970: DD - POTM; Hit Man, Orlando Clutch; Rubber Band Man; Solly Back; Gems & Game Tales; RIP Clyde & Rip; HBD Matt & Juan

• 1972 - It took the Pirates 10 innings, but they held off the San Francisco Giants at TRS by a 2-1 score. Bob Moose carried a 1-0 lead into the ninth, but Gary Maddux’s two-out knock knotted the game. Maddux was also key in the Pirates comeback; with Bob Robertson at first base, Ken Henderson tried to make a shoe-string grab of Richie Hebner’s sinking liner and missed, the ball scooted past him and Maddux failed to back up, allowing Big Red to come all the way around with the winning run to hand Dave Giusti the win in relief. Giants reliever Jerry Johnson took it hard - on his way back to the clubhouse, “fuming and cursing” per Post Gazette beat man Charley Feeney, he kicked the water cooler, tore the thermostat off the wall, scattered the bats and splintered a stool. Giant manager Charlie Fox read the riot act to his troops after the game, no doubt frustrated after his gang had outhit the Bucs for the third straight game - they had 13 hits and stranded 13 on this day - yet were swept. The Bucco room was notably more lighthearted as they had just won their sixth straight and were 12 games up in the pennant race with 29 contests to go (they took the crown with an 11-game cushion). 

Juan Perez - 2007 Topps

• 1978 - LHP Juan Perez was born in Villas Rivas, Dominican Republic. Perez was signed by Boston out of high school in 1998, becoming their Minor League Pitcher of the Year and was a member of the World Futures team. He was sold to the Mets in 2006, waived in August and claimed by the Bucs, who called him up for September. He also got some work the next year, but was 0–1/8.10 and released after spending 2008 on the farm. Juan worked in the show from 2011-13, and finished his career (he had 61 MLB outings with a line of 2-4/4.25) in the Mexican League in 2016. 
• 1978 - Dale Berra’s three-run, walk-off homer off Gene Garber in the ninth gave the Pirates a 6-3 win over the Braves at TRS. Atlanta manager Bobby Cox had intentionally walked Bill Robinson to get to Berra. Phil Garner tied the game in the seventh with a two-out, three-run bomb, the same frame that Willie Stargell collected his 2,000th hit. Kent Tekulve got the victory in relief of Bert Blyleven. The win was their 19th in 22 games and put them just two games behind the first-place Phils, a margin that held up as the Bucs fell 1-1/2 games short of Philadelphia. 
• 1979 - It took 11 tries, three months, a couple of blown saves by the bullpen, and a visit to the DL with a cranky back, but almost-37-year-old Jim Rooker finally got win #100, defeating the Phils, 7-3, in the nightcap of a doubleheader at TRS. To make it more memorable, Rook took the win on his daughter Jaime Elizabeth’s first birthday. Dale Berra drove in three runs and Phil Garner two more to grease the attack before Kent Tekulve came on to earn his 25th save. The Bucs had a six-game winning streak stopped in the opener by a 2-0 count as Steve Carlton bested Bert Blyleven. 
• 1983 - The Braves took an early 2-0 lead against Rick Rhoden at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, built around a Chris Chambliss double, and the game stayed that way until the seventh inning. The Pirates tied the score thanks to a couple of walks and knocks by Bill Madlock and Johnny Ray. An intentional pass packed the sacks for Mike Easler, making his first appearance in 25 days after a thumb injury had sent him to the DL. His first at bat back was against relief ace Steve Bedrosian, taking over from Phil Niekro. The Hit Man missed nary a beat, drilling a grand slam to center on the first pitch to carry the Bucs to a 6-2 victory. Jim Bibby got the win in relief of Rhoden while Cecilio Guante picked up a save. 

Matt Capps - 2007 Upper Deck First Edition

• 1983 - RHP Matt Capps was born in Douglasville, Georgia. The closer spent five years (2005-09) in Pittsburgh, putting up a record of 19-19-67/3.61. Though he converted 27 of 32 save opportunities in 2009, his 5.80 ERA led the Pirates to non-tender him after the campaign. After stints in Washington and Minnesota, he’s been out of MLB since 2013, signing several minor league deals and hanging ‘em up after the 2016 campaign. He now works in the Pirates TV/radio booth. He went by the nicknames of "The Mad Capper" and "Big Bull Rider," both integral parts of his scoreboard vid intro at PNC Park. 
• 1987 - Second-year RHP Doug Drabek, 24, was named the NL Pitcher of the Month. DD went 5-0/2.79 in six August starts, his last one being his first complete game and first shutout in the majors, a 7-0, three-hit win against the Astros. He finished the year with a line of 11-12/3.88 and then broke out in 1988. 
• 1989 - The Pirates held a pregame celebration of Kent Tekulve’s career. The righty fireman was driven onto TRS by a classic red fire engine to the strains of “Rubber Band Man.” Carl Barger, Chuck Tanner, Willie Stargell, Dave Giusti and Jim Gott were there, paying honors and bearing gifts (the opponents, the Reds, even had a gift for him), along with Teke’s wife, college coach Don Schaly and the Pirate scout who signed him, Dick Coury. 
• 1989 - Truett "Rip" Sewell passed away in Plant City, Florida, at the age of 82. Rip was a three-time All-Star who led the NL in wins, winning percentage, and complete games. A workhorse (eight years w/175+ IP), he posted four 15-wins seasons (w/two 21-win campaigns), and logged 200 or more IP four years in a row. A cousin of big league stalwarts brothers Joe and Luke Sewell, he is best known for the eephus pitch. The righty pitched virtually his entire career in Pittsburgh from 1938-49, starting 243 games, winning 143 (with 15 saves tossed in) while posting a 3.43 ERA. 

Orlando Merced - 1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier

• 1992 - Orlando Merced drove in five runs on three hits including a double to help the Pirates complete a three-game sweep of the Giants with a 9-3 victory at TRS. Alex Cole also helped the cause with a personal-high four hits, tripling twice. Doug Drabek worked into the seventh for the win. 
• 2000 - Longtime Pirates coach and scout Clyde Sukeforth passed away in Waldoboro, Maine, at the age of 98. He caught for 10 years with the Reds and Dodgers and then became a Brooklyn coach, moving to Pittsburgh to join Branch Rickey in 1952, where he coached, managed in the minors (he turned down the Pirates reins in 1957, bringing on Danny Murtaugh), served as a super scout (he was one of several who bird-dogged Roberto Clemente) until 1965, then beat the bushes as an Atlanta scout to close out his career. 
• 2002 - Salomon Torres pitched his first MLB game since July 20th, 1997, and went 8-1/3 scoreless innings against the Braves, also collecting his first hit since 1994, in the Pirates 3-0 win. Torres, 30, retired as an active player in 1997 and served as Montreal's pitching coach in the Dominican Summer League before he signed with Pittsburgh in January. Torres now runs three training complexes for minor leaguers in the Dominican Republic to prep them for baseball and life in the US. 
• 2007 - Jack Wilson had a big game, going 4-for-5 with a homer and double, scoring twice and driving in three as the Bucs beat the St. Louis Cards 11-0 at Busch Stadium. Ronnie Paulino was hot, too, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs and two RBI while Ian Snell and Juan Perez combined on a six-hit shutout. 

Jumping Jack Flash - 2007 Topps Co Signer

• 2013 - Travis Snider’s ninth-inning homer lifted the Pirates to a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park and gave Pittsburgh a two-game lead in the NL Central. It also was Pittsburgh’s 81st win and snapped a 20-year losing streak by the franchise, unmatched by any other major professional sports team in North America. There were more contributors than Snider, though - Andrew McCutchen, Justin Morneau and Marlon Byrd combined to go 7-for-10 with three RBI and three runs scored, Mark Melancon picked up the save for winner Vin Mazzaro, and Gerrit Cole, who gave up a pair of first inning runs after just three batters, came back to put up zeroes through six innings and retired the last 12-of-13 hitters he faced. Cutch’s homer was his 100th, putting him in the Bucco 100 HR/100 steal club along with Barry Bonds, Al Martin, Andy Van Slyke, Dave Parker and Paul Waner. And in a final bit of irony, the Brewers had broken their club record 12-season losing streak at PNC Park in 2005, so it was fitting the Bucs returned the favor at Miller Park. 
• 2017 - Jordy Mercer hit his 13th home run of the season to set his personal single season high during the Pirates’ 3-1 win over the Reds at PNC Park. Rookie Trevor Williams threw seven shutout innings while scattering eight hits and fanning five. Starling Marte added a solo homer and rookie Jordan Luplow chipped in with an RBI single. The Bucs needed the power burst as they could only muster five hits. Daniel Hudson and Felipe Vazquez finished out the game, with Vazquez picking up the save.