10/4 From 1975: '15 Home Clincher, 2-of-3 in Playoffs; JR, Syd Canned; Booth Shakeup; Gems; HBD Oneil, Shea & Lonnie

• 1975 - Don Gullett hurled a complete game, then added a HR, a single, and three RBI at the dish to lead Cincinnati to an 8-3 win over Pittsburgh in the opening game of the NLCS at Riverfront Stadium. The Pirates took an early 2-0 lead, when with two gone in the second, Dave Parker was HBP, Richie Hebner doubled him home and Frank Taveras’ single scored the Gravedigger. But then the Reds chased Jerry Reuss and ran up a four-run fifth inning off Larry Demery to leave Pittsburgh in the dust. Bob Robertson’s knock in the ninth chased home Parker with the Bucs last run. 
• 1988 - The Pirates fired GM Syd Thrift. He and his Buc bosses weren’t often on the same page during his 1985-88 stint, but he hired Jim Leyland and helped lay the foundation for the successful early nineties teams, flipping veterans for young talent. Thrift was ambitious and said to have his eye on Carl Barger’s club presidency, and that was a battle he lost. He would be replaced a month later by Larry Doughty. 

Lonnie Chisenhall - 2019 Topps Heritage

• 1988 - RF/3B Lonnie Chisenhall was born in Morehead City, North Carolina. The Pirates signed him to a $2.75M deal in the 2018 off season with another $3M available in bonus money based on at bats. He had spent seven years with Cleveland, compiling a .262 BA/102 OPS+. He was having a breakout year in 2017 when a strained calf laid him low; it continued to haunt him in 2018, as he got into just 111 games over those two years but put up a strong .272 BA/127 OPS+ line when healthy. But par for the course, he was hit by a pitch the day before the 2019 camp ended and broke a finger, then aggravated his calf during rehab. Chisenhall never played an inning for Pittsburgh, retiring after the season. 
• 1990 - The Reds wasted no time jumping on the Pirates, taking a 3-0 first inning lead at Riverfront Stadium in the opener of the NLCS. But the Bucs had the last laugh, chipping their way to a 4-3 victory. Bob Walk, who got the win, settled down to toss shutout ball after a rocky start, handing the ball off to the bullpen in the seventh (Ted Power nailed down the save). The Pirates tied the game in the fourth inning thanks to Sid Bream’s two-run homer. Andy Van Slyke drove home the winner in the seventh when he banged a two-out, ground rule double to left off Norm Charlton to score Gary Redus. 
• 1992 - Tim Wakefield and three other Pirate pitchers spun a three-hitter to win a pitching battle against Bret Saberhagen and the Mets by a 2-0 count at Shea Stadium, ending the season with the Bucs easy pennant winners in the NL East. Barry Bonds’ solo homer and Alex Cole’s sac fly drove in the runs. 
• 1993 - The Pirates let go of half their broadcasting team when Jim Rooker and Kent Derdivanis didn’t have their deals renewed. Neither had particularly caught on with the fans, and the Bucs said they wanted guys who would be more involved with promotions and ticket sales. Rooker, the color analyst, had worked in the booth for 13 years and Derdivanis, the #2 play-by-play voice behind Lanny Frattare, had put in four seasons. Rook caught on with ESPN from 1994-97 before he left broadcasting while Kent returned to Arizona and a variety of on-air gigs. Greg Brown and Bob Walk were hired to replace them. 

Shea Spitzbarth - 2021 image Pgh Pirates

• 1994 - RHP Shea Spitzbarth was born on Staten Island. He was undrafted out of Molloy College, but showed well in the summer leagues and was signed by the Dodgers. He was dominant in the lower levels, but his AAA numbers were not so good (4-2/5.01).The Pirates selected him from LA in the 2020 minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, and lo and behold, the light went on at Indy (3-2/1.41) as he became more of a contact than strikeout pitcher. He was rewarded with an August call up to the big team, debuting the same night (8/3). 
• 1998 - SS Oneil Cruz was born in Nizao, Dominican Republic. One of the Pirates touted minor league young guns and a Top 50 MLB Prospect, he was acquired in 2017 from the Dodgers as part of the Tony Watson deal. He played in three levels in 2021, breaking out at AA Altoona, promoted for an eye-popping week at AAA Indy (six games/five HRs) and then called up to Pittsburgh to start the final two games of the year. He had three hits, homered and plated three RBI for a pretty good debut. 
• 2010 - John Russell was fired as manager of the Pirates. He equaled a franchise record for most losses by a manager in three seasons, compiling an 186-299 record to join Fred Haney, who posted a 163-299 record from 1953-55. JR was replaced by Clint Hurdle on November 14th. JR then coached at Baltimore through 2018 and now is an IMG Academy director. 
• 2013 - After being trounced in the opener of the NLDS by the Cards, rookie Gerrit Cole fired two-hit ball for six innings in a 7-1 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium to square the series. Pedro Alvarez and Starling Marte cracked home runs while Russell Martin added a pair of RBIs. Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a homer and a double, scoring twice and driving in a pair of runs. El Toro became the first Pirate since Willie Stargell in 1974 to go yard in back-to-back playoff games. 

Gerritt Cole - 2013 Panini Hometown Hero

• 2015 - It went to the last day of the season, but the Pirates clinched home field advantage for the wild card game with a 4-0 win against the Reds. JA Happ went six frames giving up three hits, three walks and collecting seven K’s. Josh Harrison went 3-for-4 with an RBI and run while Pedro Alvarez crushed a homer 479’ to right center. The Pirates ended with a 98-64 record, but finished second in the NL Central behind the 100-win St Louis Cardinals and barely nosed out the 97-win Chicago Cubs in a heart-thumping pennant race.