7/12 From 1985: Francisco, Ricardo No-No; TRS - '97 ASG; Bay 5-Spot; Barry's #100; Bo's Big Blow; ASGs; Game Tales; HBD Chasen

• 1987 - The Bucs defeated the San Diego Padres, 4-2, at TRS with a combination of muscle and finesse. The muscle was provided by Bobby Bonilla’s blast into the upper deck of TRS, the first ball launched that far since 1979. The ball landed in yellow-seat territory previously reached only by Willie Stargell (four times), Bob Robertson and Greg Luzinski. The moon shot off Eric Show tucked itself inside the RF foul pole and if the seats hadn’t gotten in the way would have traveled an estimated 475-500’. The finesse was provided by four DPs turned by the Pirates (offsetting three errors) and two caught stealings by Spanky LaValliere. Bobby Bo was the offensive spark plug with two hits, two runs scored and two RBI while Felix Fermin & Johnny Ray took part in three DPs to help Mike Dunne to the victory. 

Bob Walk - 1988 Topps

• 1988 - The AL pitchers outdid their senior circuit counterparts in a 2-1 victory in the All Star game at Riverfront Stadium. 3B Bobby Bonilla went 0-for-4 and OF Andy Van Slyke was 0-for-2. Bob Walk pitched to one batter, Carney Lansford, with two outs in the seventh and a runner on second, getting him to ground out. 
• 1990 - Barry Bonds hit his 100th career home run off Andy Benes in the first inning in a 4-3, 15-inning win over the San Diego Padres. Jeff King drilled a two-out single to right to score Dan Bilardello for the walk off win at TRS after the Friars bullpen had tossed 9-2/3 innings without giving up a run. Bob Patterson got the victory after tossing three scoreless frames; the Bucco relief corps put up 7-1/3 frames of shutout ball. 
• 1990 - LHP Chasen Shreve was born in Las Vegas. He was drafted by the Yankees in 2011 in the 11th round from the College of Southern Nevada. Chase made his MLB debut in 2014 as an Atlanta Brave, and since has worked for the Yankees, Cards and Mets (career 17-8-2/3.74, FIP 4.17, and average 10.5 K per nine IP). He signed with the Pirates as an NRI in 2021 and was a late cut in camp, but was recalled in May and became a dependable middle-inning guy. Shreve signed with the Mets in 2022 and was released in July. 
• 1994 - The largest crowd in Pittsburgh baseball history, 59,568, turned out as Three Rivers Stadium played host to baseball's 65th All-Star Game. It was one of the most exciting All-Star games ever held. Fred McGriff’s two-run homer tied the contest in the ninth, then Tony Gwynn led off the 10th with a single and came around to score the game-winning run on a double by Moises Alou as the NL posted an 8-7 victory to snap a six-game losing streak. 2B Carlos Garcia was the Pirates lone representative, and went 1-for-2 with a single. Bucco legend Willie Stargell tossed out the ceremonial first ball. 

• 1997 - Mark Smith's pinch-hit, two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th off John Hudek capped a no-hitter by Francisco Cordova (nine innings) and Ricardo Rincon (one inning) against the Houston Astros. (Lanny Frattare’s call: "Home run! No hitter! You've got it all!") It was the first combined, extra-inning no-hitter in MLB history, and the first time that TRS was sold out for a regular season game other than a home opener since 1977, drawing 44,119 fans for Jackie Robinson/fireworks night. The feat was the first Pirates no-hit­ter since John Can­de­laria beat the Dodgers, 2-0, on August 9th, 1976. The victory kept the Pirates in a first-place tie with Houston in the NL Central. 
• 2005 - The AL whipped the NL at Comerica Park, 7-5, in the All Star Game. The Pirates Jason Bay was selcted as their rep, and he didn’t do much to enhance his resume. J-Bay was the only position player for either side not to get into the game, though he did get some swings in as a participant of the home run derby. He used up his 10 outs in that contest without swatting a long ball, the only player not to homer during the competition. 
• 2008 - The Pirates scored four times in the ninth and twice in the 10th to claw past the St. Louis Cardinals, 12-11, at PNC Park. They were losing, 9-3, going into the seventh inning, but scored in that frame, the eighth, ninth and 10th to rally for the victory. Nate McLouth hit a three-run homer and Jay Bay later drove in the tying run in the final frame on a first-and-third force out that the Cards couldn’t convert into a DP. Jason Michaels ripped a two-run shot in the 10th to walk off a winner. Bay had two long balls and five RBI to lead the offense. Adam LaRoche also had a dinger, as the Bucs launched five balls over the fence. 
• 2011 - The NL took a 5-1 decision from the AL All-Stars at Chase Field. OF Andrew McCutchen and pitchers Joel Hanrahan and Kevin Correia were members of the team. Cutch went 0-for-1, Hanny pitched to two batters with a strikeout and single, and KC didn’t get in the game. It was the first ASG in a NL ballyard to use a DH. 

Petey - 2013 Topps Allen & Ginter

• 2013 - Pittsburgh scored twice in the first on Pedro Alvarez’s homer (he had been selected to play in the All-Star Home Run Derby as an injury replacement just days before) and then went nine more frames before posting another run, but it all worked out as the Bucs took a 3-2, 11-inning win from the Mets. Jordy Mercer singled home Andrew McCutchen after two outs with the winning run to give the Pirates’ sixth pitcher, Vin Mazzaro, the victory. 
• 2014 - The Bucs blew a 4-0 lead to the Reds at GABP after Charlie Morton was touched up for a five-spot in the sixth inning, but managed to tie the game in the ninth on Andrew McCutchen’s solo homer off Jonathan Broxton and won it in the 11th when the clutch Cutch homered again, this time off JJ Hoover, to deliver a 6-5 victory. McCutchen had three hits, as did Jordy Mercer and Travis Snider. Six Pirates relievers shut the door on Cincinnati, with Justin Wilson picking up the win and Jeanmar Gomez earning his first MLB save. 
• 2015 - In a see-saw game that was tied 3-3 after nine, the Bucs prevailed in dramatic fashion to drop the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 in 10 innings at PNC Park on ESPN for their second straight walk-off, extra-inning victory over the Redbirds. Frankie Liriano, a .057 hitter, drove home a pair of runs, and Gregory Polanco one more, countered by a Jhonny Peralta homer and a pair of manufactured scores. In the 10th, things turned gloomy when Randal Grichuk banged a bases-loaded double off Arquimedes Caminero, scoring two Redbirds although a third was nailed at the plate. The Cutch-to-Jordy-to-Cervy relay and tag would prove huge. Trevor Rosenthal, who had thrown 27 pitches the day before, came on. He got two outs after Mercer’s leadoff blooper, and then the Pirates started coming on. A Starling Marte single brought in Jordy, Jung-Ho Kang’s knock moved him up, and Marte sprinted home on Fran Cervelli’s two-strike roller inside the first base line to even it up. A walk brought up Polanco, and he dropped the first pitch into right for the game winner and the Pirates second walk-off win in consecutive nights over St. Louis. Caminero, though battered, earned his first MLB win. 

Gregory Polanco - 2015 Topps Future Star

• 2016 - Both Bucco reps got in the ASG, a 4-2 AL victory at Petco Field in San Diego. Mark “The Shark” Melancon, in his third ASG, gave up a walk and then closed out his inning with a grounder while Starling Marte went 1-for-1 with a two-out pinch-hit single to right and played an inning in center field. In an oddity, the senior circuit was the visiting team because three straight games had gone to NL fields. This was also the last game that would decide home field advantage for the World Series, a rule which had been in effect since 2003. Future home field advantage would be earned by the team with the best regular season record.