6/7 Through 1964: Klein Signed; Veale Fans 12; Bucs Play; MVR Hot; Dirt Balls; Game Tales; HBD Bill, Roy, Les & Bones

• 1863 - SS William “Bones” Ely was born in North Girard, just outside Erie. And if you’ve ever wondered who held down the SS position before Honus Wagner, wonder no more - Bones is the man. Ely played for the Alleghenys/Pirates from 1896-1901, and was a good glove man who hit .256 for Pittsburgh. He was released in the summer of 1901, the Bucs first pennant-winning year, at the age of 38 and his spot was taken by the Flying Dutchman. If you saw him, you’d understand his nickname - Ely was 6’1” and 155 pounds soaking wet. 
• 1907 - Les Biederman was born in Wilkinsburg. He was the Pittsburgh Press Pirates beat reporter for 31 years (1939-69) and served as The Sporting News' Pittsburgh correspondent. Les was also president of the BBWAA and named “Sportswriter of the Year” in 1960 by a couple of national organizations. 

Les Biederman - 1964 Press photo

• 1911 - Talk about pitching to contact: Pirates hurlers had the Giants beating the ball into the dirt all day as Pittsburgh fielders handled 55 total chances for a MLB record 28 assists and 27 putouts. Unfortunately, there were more than a couple that got away, as the Bucs committed seven errors (it was contagious; the Giants chipped in five boots of their own) with miscues charged to five different Pirates on their way to a 9-4 loss to New York at Forbes Field. The Pittsburgh Press lede was “The Pittsburgh Pirates were defeated by the New York Giants...in a genuine comedy of errors. The Buccaneers made as many bungles as bingles while the Giants ran a close second in the foozle column.” Both teams straightened out - John McGraw’s G-Men won the NL with 99 victories while Fred Clarke’s Pirates finished third with an 85-69 slate. 
• 1926 - C Leroy “Roy” Jarvis was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The Bucs took Jarvis from Brooklyn in the 1944 Rule 5 Draft. He served in the Navy for two years, coming back for two games in 1946 and spending most of 1947 at AA Indianapolis, getting into 18 Pirates games and swatting his first and only MLB home run against the Cincinnati Reds on April 18th, but batting just .156. After that stint, he played for six organizations in the minors through 1955 before retiring at age 29. Per John Dreker of Pirates Prospects, he was given the nickname “Sweet Milk” in the minors after a teammate decided he had to be “nursed” in the ways of a pro ballplayer. 
• 1939 - The Bucs signed former All-Star/triple crown winner and future Hall-of-Famer OF Chuck Klein, who was released by Philadelphia. Klein, 34, hit .300 in 85 games for Pittsburgh and then returned to the Phils as a free agent. The Bucs released another future Hall of Famer at the end of his career, Heinie Manush, to make roster room for Klein. 

Chuck Klein - 1939 Play Ball

• 1940 - LF Maurice Van Robays went 4-for-5 with a 2B, 3B and five RBI to lead Pittsburgh to a 10-5 win over Philadelphia at Forbes Field. Paul Waner and Arky Vaughan added three hits apiece as every Pirates starting position player had a hit plus run scored and/or RBI. Mace Brown, the starter, was chased early and gave up all the Phil scores; Johnny Lanning finished out the final 7-1/3 innings surrendering just three hits; neither Buc hurler registered a K. 
• 1946 - An hour before the game, the Pirates voted against a walkout in support of the American Baseball Guild, which was pushing for a minimum salary of $7‚500‚ arbitration of salary disputes‚ and players sharing in 50 percent of any team sale price. The motion actually carried by a 20-16 vote, but needed a 2/3 majority. The Bucs took out their frustrations on the poor baseball, beating the New York Giants, 10-5, behind a 15 hit attack. Every Pittsburgh starter, including winning pitcher Ed Bahr, reached base via hit/walk and all but C Bill Salkeld either scored and/or chased runs home. 
• 1955 - Ump Bill Hohn was born in Butler. He spent a decade calling games in the minors with a couple of part-time MLB shots, and was hired by the NL full time in 1989. He worked the 1994 All-Star Game, three NLDS sets and was the plate umpire for Hideo Nomo's 1996 no-hitter. Hohn took a hiatus from 1999-2001 when he was part of the umpire gang that resigned in an effort to get a new labor deal, and didn’t get reinstated until the 2002 season. Bill’s last campaign was in 2010; he sat out 2011 with back/neck injuries and retired in 2012. 

Bob Veale - 1964 Kahn's Wieners

• 1964 - Bob Veale tied Babe Adam’s 1909 record with 12 K against Houston at Forbes Field, but watched the bullpen implode in the ninth inning to give the Colt .45’s a 6-3 win, with the big blows a pair of two-run raps, a single by Rusty Staub followed by John Bateman’s homer, both off Fred Green. Veale’s reaction - “I’m angry at myself for not finishing.” Veale would later shatter his record with 16 strikeouts in 1965. It was the first game of a twin bill, and Vern Law did finish the nightcap, winning 6-1 behind Bill Virdon’s three hits and a Bill Mazeroski homer.