9/8 Through the 1940s: Grace, Williams Streaks; Clarke Resigns; One Price DH; Gems & Game Tales; HBD Jim, Frank, Buck, Val, Russ & Eli

• 1852 - OF Russ McKelvy was born in Swissvale. The local lad was on the Alleghenys first roster in 1877 when they were a member of the minor league International Association (the Alleghenys carried just 12 players and all of them made it to the majors) before moving on to the Indianapolis Blues. That move made McKelvy the first ballplayer from Allegheny College to make it to the show (Glenn Beckert of the Cubs/Padres and Josh Sharpless of the Pirates later joined him). He then spent a year with the short-lived NL Indianapolis Blues, and then Josh’s minor league record goes MIA (it seems he played in the local leagues, possibly as a semi-pro player), but he did get one more shot in the majors. His old club, the Alleghenys, now a big-league team in the American Association, played him on August 24th, 1882. Russ started in right field and went 0-for-4, taking his final bow in the show. He shuffled off to Omaha after that where he became a successful businessman and civic mover. 

Russ McKelvy - 1878 via SABR/OOTPD

• 1875 - LHP Eli Rosebraugh was born in Charleston, Illinois. Out of Oberlin College, he tossed briefly for Pittsburgh in 1898-99, working six games (four starts) with an 0-3/4.55 line. Eli, also known as Zeke (his middle name was Ezekiel although he later used Ethelbert) or Rosie, then spent the following campaign in Ohio, tossing for Dayton, Mansfield and Youngstown in the Interstate League. His trail grew cold after that until he shot himself at the age of 54 while living in Fresno. 
• 1886 - Alleghenys’ manager Horace Phillips decided to go against tradition and schedule a doubleheader at Recreation Park with one admission price; before this date, twin bills had been separate day-night games with stand-alone tickets. It wasn’t an artistic success, with the Alleghenys of the American Association getting whipped by 8-4 and 6-2 scores by the St. Louis Browns. But the Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette noted that “...every chimney top, roof, telegraph pole and fence within seeing distance of the diamond seemed to be covered with human beings” as the single ducat (and maybe the lure of the Great Western Band performing before and between the games) drew a then-record Pittsburgh crowd of 11,000 fans to the park and helped usher in an era of regularly scheduled doubleheaders that lasted for decades. The gathering was so large that the paper tipped its cap to the Allegheny skipper, adding “...it certainly proved to be one of the best experiments Manager Phillips has tried, from a financial point of view.” 
• 1896 - C Val Picinich was born in New York City. Picinich caught for 18 seasons, never cracking the 100-game mark in any one of them. Though he was mostly a caddy, during his five-year stint with the Senators he was Walter Johnson’s personal battery mate, catching all but two of his starts. Val finished his career with Pirates in 1933 at the age of 37 when the Bucs were looking for some relief for regular catcher Earl Grace who was battling nagging injuries. He hit .250 in 16 games to end his career. Picinich retired to become a chicken farmer after a couple of shots at managing in the minors, then later took on a job with the Bath Iron Works shipyard. 

Jimmy Williams - 1890 team photo snip

• 1899 - Pittsburgh's 3B Jimmy Williams, who earlier set a MLB rookie record by hitting in 26 consecutive games, ran his club record string to 27 games before he was stopped by Deacon Phillippe of Louisville, who had also ended his earlier streak, as Louisville won 5-3. Deacon joined the Pirates a year later, much to William’s relief. Kenny Lofton (2003) and Danny O'Connell (1953) also strung together 26 game streaks for the Pirates. His rookie mark lasted until 1987, when it was bested by Benito Santiago. Jimmy also set the franchise high water mark for RBIs by a rookie with 116, later matched by Maurice Van Robays in 1940. 
• 1905 - As written by the Pittsburgh Press “(Cincinnati pitcher) Charlie Chech was touched up for fifteen safeties, including six two-baggers, and allowed eight bases on balls, but still the Pirates could get but three little runs out of all that swatfest” as Pittsburgh lost 8-3 to the Reds at Exposition Park. The Bucs stranded a NL record 18 men in the loss. 
• 1907 - 1B Walter “Buck” Leonard was born in Rocky Mount, NC. He played 15 years for the Homestead Grays (1934-48), batting ahead of Josh Gibson, and the pair were often likened to Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. The Grays won nine consecutive Negro National League pennants (1937-1945) with Leonard and Gibson ("the Thunder Twins") in the middle of the order. Leonard finished his Grays’ career with a .320 BA and was selected to the HoF. In 1994, when the All-Star Game was held in Pittsburgh, the then 88-year-old Leonard was named an Honorary Captain. 
• 1908 - Howie Camnitz tossed a five-hitter with seven whiffs and made two first-inning runs chased home by Honus Wagner stand up as the Bucs swept a four-game set from the St. Louis Cards, 2-0, at Exposition Park. The Pirates set a major league record against the Redbirds with only two assists in the field, both by 2B Charlie Starr. 

Howie Camnitz - 1910 Tip Top

• 1912 - Long-time Pirate coach and minor league manager Frank Oceak was born in Pocahontas, Virginia. He was with the organization from 1942-1972 for all but one season, managing in the minors everywhere from Class D Oil City to AAA Columbus. Oceak also served for 10 seasons as Danny Murtaugh’s coach and finished his career on Bill Virdon’s staff, with the 1960 (he’s the coach wearing #44 who’s running down the third base line with Maz) and 1971 World Series teams part of his resume. 
• 1915 - Fred Clarke resigned as manager after leading the club to four pennants in 19 years, citing a desire for more family time (and probably nudged along by back-to-back losing seasons). He wanted to step down earlier, after the 1909 World Series campaign, but was talked out of it by owner Barney Dreyfuss. Jimmy Callahan replaced him in 1916. 
• 1916 - RHP Jim Bagby Jr. was born in Cleveland. Jim closed out his 10-year MLB run with Pittsburgh in 1947, going 5-4/4.67. Jim, a two-time All-Star earlier in his career, joined his dad to become the first father and son combo to pitch in the World Series when Jim Jr. appeared for the 1946 Red Sox; Jim Sr. had appeared in the Fall Classic with the 1920 Indians. In another feather in his cap moment, Jr. and Al Smith were the Cleveland pitchers who ended Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. Following his baseball career, Bagby became a professional golf player and in 1992 was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. One final Bagby trivia item via Wikipedia: he maintained a lifelong dislike of sports writers because he was born with a cleft palate and was often made fun of by them for his appearance. 
• 1932 - C Earl Grace had his errorless streak end at 110 games. The errant throw was his only miscue of the season out of 413 chances, a NL record. He did his penance by smacking a homer but it wouldn’t be nearly enough as the Brooklyn Dodgers embarrassed the Pirates 12-2 at Ebbets Field. But Earl needn’t have felt badly; the game itself was a slop-fest that featured seven boots between the two clubs. 

Earl Grace - 1933 Pittsburgh Press photo

• 1937 - The Bucs swept Cincinnati at Forbes Field. Pittsburgh had to score three times in the 10th inning to pull out a 7-6 win in the opener on a Tommy Padden walk-off single. The rap was an act of atonement for Padden; he threw away a bunt in the top half to allow the Reds two runs. Woody Jensen had four hits to lead Pittsburgh. The Pirates took the nightcap easily by an 8-2 count. Jensen had two more knocks to support Jack Tobin’s four-hitter. 
• 1940 - The Pirates brought their sticks to Sportsman’s Park, taking a doubleheader from the Cardinals by 16-14 and 5-4 tallies. Pittsburgh banged two homers (Maurice Van Robays & Debs Garms), and triple and seven doubles (two by Frankie Gustine) to overcome Johnny Mize’s three homers to take the opener. The Pirates scored five in the shortened five inning nitecap, tallying three times in the last frame for the win. Bob Elliott and Arky Vaughan went 4-for-6 in tandem, with a double, two triples and all five RBI, driving in Garms, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles, three times before darkness ended the second game.