3/31 From 1980: Bielecki Traded; Solly & KY Sign; Bucs Open PNC & GABP; To-The-Wire Opening Wins; Tenace Ends Career

• 1984 - C Gene Tenace ended his 15-year career when he was released by the Pirates in spring training after batting .177 for the Bucs in 1983 as a 36-year old. Tenace featured a great eye - his career BA was just .241, but he had a .388 OBP and drew nearly 1,000 walks. Even in his last season with the Bucs, he had more walks than hits. 
• 1988 - The Chicago Cubs traded minor league LHP Mike Curtis to the Pirates for RHP Mike Bielecki. Bielecki turned into a workmanlike journeyman pitcher, working 14 years in MLB (he had one big season for the Cubs, going 18-7/3.14 in 1989) while Curtis never got out of AAA, ending his career in the indie leagues. 

Mike Bielecki - 1988 Score

• 1997 - The Pirates lured FA 1B Kevin Young back to Pittsburgh from KC with a $400K contract. He would sign two more deals with the Bucs worth $28M covering the following six seasons before retiring after the 2003 campaign. The 1B hit .259 over 11 years with the Pirates and is back with the club as a special instructor. The team also signed undrafted Puerto Rican middle infielder Luis Figeroa, who got a cup of coffee with the Bucs in 2001, Toronto in 2006 and San Francisco in 2007. He played in 18 MLB games overall, batting .125. 
• 2001 - PNC Park hosted its first MLB game when the Pirates and Mets played an exhibition. The game was a sellout that NY won, 4-3. The Mets won the next day’s spring game too, 3-2, notable mainly because Aramis Ramirez hit the first HR in the park’s history. 
• 2003 - Pittsburgh helped the Reds christen Great American Ballpark. President George Bush tossed out the first ball in front of 42,000+ fans, but Cincy played second banana during the yard’s opening act. The Bucs spoiled the inauguration, winning 10-1 behind homers from Reggie Sanders, Kenny Lofton and Jason Kendall, all launched during a six-run second inning. Kris Benson got the win.
• 2006 - RHP Salomon Torres agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $6.5M pending a physical, extending his current deal through 2008. He worked in 94 games in 2006 (3-6-12/3.28), but after a subpar 2007 campaign, he was shipped to Milwaukee for Marino Salas and minor leaguer Kevin Roberts. Torres considered retirement over relocation, but did join the Brewers for the season before hanging up his mitt after posting a final 7-5-28/3.49 slash. Salas’ only MLB work came in 2008 for the Bucs (13 games, 1-0/8.47) while Roberts never climbed past Class AA Altoona. 

Xavier Nady - 2008 Upper Deck Series 1

• 2008 - In an Opening Day shootout at Turner Field, the Bucs beat the Braves, 12-11, in 12 innings. Damaso Marte and Matt Capps blew a 9-4 ninth inning lead, capped by a fly ball dropping between LF Jason Bay and CF Nate McLouth with two outs that tied the score. Pittsburgh reclaimed the lead in the top of the 12th on a Xavier Nady three-run bomb, but Atlanta almost tied it again with two runs in their half before Franquelis Osario nailed down the win, his first MLB victory. The X-Man had four hits while McLouth, Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Doumit had three to prime a 17-hit attack. 
• 2014 - Neil Walker blasted a 10th-inning, 3-2 changeup from Carlos Villanueva deep over the Clemente Wall to give the Bucs and Bryan Morris a 1-0 Opening Day win over the Cubs at PNC Park. The Kid’s longball was only the fourth 1-0 walk off homer in Bucco history: Bob Bailey (1965) Bill Virdon (1958), and 1958 Ted Kluszweski (1958) had the others. Francisco Liriano and Jeff Samardzija started the game, leaving it for the bullpens to decide. It also marked the first use of expanded replay, which had been rolled out in the Arizona Fall League, when Cubs manager Rick Renteria challenged a double play in the top of the fifth inning. It was to no avail as the original call on the field of out at first was confirmed.