- 1962 - Big Bob Veale gave a glimpse of the future when he set the still-existent International League standard for whiffs in nine innings by fanning 22 hitters while tossing for AAA Columbus at the Buffalo War Memorial. Bob struck out the Bison side in the first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and ninth innings, and led the IL with 208 K that season. He was called up to the big team in September and spent 11 years here before closing out his career in Boston.
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| Roberto Clemente - 1959 Nabisco |
- 1964 - Coaches drill “don’t step into the bucket” into batters' minds at an early age, yet one of baseball’s greatest hitters, Roberto Clemente, incorporated the move often. He explained why he used the bucket step in an AP story written by Ed Schuyler, Jr. ("Clemente Unorthodox?" Well, He Gets Results") and released on this day. It had been an early flaw corrected by Puerto Rican League Santurce manager Buster Clarkson ("He put a bat behind my left foot and made sure I didn’t drag my foot") but Clemente later resurrected it as a work-around for back injuries he later suffered. “In 1956 I was doing good until I hurt my back. Since then I step to the side with my left foot faster so I don't have to twist my body so much.” The Great Ones adapt.
- 1971 - The Pirates traded prospects RHP Ed Acosta and OF Johnny Jeter to the San Diego Padres for RHP Bob Miller to bolster their stretch run/playoff bullpen. Miller pitched well for the Bucs in 1971-72, compiling a 6-4-6 slate and 2.19 ERA. Jeter ended up a journeyman whose career ended after the 1974 season while Acosta pitched two years for the Padres.
- 1971 - This is a big day for Pirates fans who can’t satisfy themselves with counting numbers like wins, ERA, batting average and RBI. SABR - The Society for American Baseball Research - was born in Cooperstown, New York. It was the brainchild of L. Robert Davids, who gathered together 15 other baseball researchers at the National Baseball Hall of Fame to form the organization and birth the era of Sabermetrics.
- 1977 - The Pirates edged the Cubs, 2-1, in 18 innings at TRS. Ed Ott drove in Phil Garner with the winning run on a sac fly; the other Buc run was scored by Dave Parker following a Bill Robinson knock. Larry Demery picked up the win. The two bullpens were brilliant, going 21-2/3 innings, giving up one run on seven hits. For Pittsburgh, Grant Jackson tossed five innings of scoreless relief and Goose Gossage put up four zeroes.
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| AVS - 1992 Classic-2 |
- 1992 - The Bucs were their own worst enemies, stranding 21 runners, but persevered to take their 11th game in a row with a 4-2, 16-inning win over the NY Mets at Shea Stadium. Pittsburgh scored three times in the final frame on four singles and a walk; Jeff King’s single plated the game winner. Andy Van Slyke homered and later scored the winning run while Steve Cooke got the win. During that span, the Bucs went from tied for first to a 3-1/2 game lead and kept the pedal to the metal by finishing the last two months of the season with a 40-16 slate to run away with the division, although the Braves would frustrate them in the NLCS.
- 1993 - LHP Anthony Banda was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Brewers drafted him in the 10th round of the 2012 draft from San Jacinto College, and the reliever made his debut with the D-Backs in 2017 (they originally drafted him in 2011 but couldn’t get him to sign). The Bucs claimed him off waivers from the New York Mets in August, 2021 and within a few days, he was moved from Indy to Pittsburgh, his sixth MLB organization. He was DFA’ed by Pittsburgh in 2022, claimed and then also DFA’ed by Toronto and is now in the Seattle system.
- 2001 - The Avenue of the Pirates was renamed Mazeroski Way. The cul-de-sac runs from General Robinson to the RF gate and was dedicated by Mayor Tom Murphy and owner Kevin McClatchy. Apparently the dedication ceremony didn’t inspire the Pirates very much as the club then dropped a 3-2 decision to the San Diego Padres in front of 36,588 fans.
- 2004 - The Bucs defeated the Giants, 8-7, at PNC Park, scoring three times in the eighth and then walking off with the win in the ninth. The Bucs tied it in the eighth (it was the third time they had rallied from behind during the contest) when Tike Redman doubled home a pair and took the lead when Humberto Cota brought him home. San Francisco tied it in the ninth when Michael Tucker cracked a two-out long ball off Jose Mesa. With two down and the bases empty, Jack Wilson singled off a glove and came all the way around on Rob Mackowiak’s drive off the right field wall. The Giants’ Barry Bonds set a MLB record during the game when he reached 30 HRs for the 13th straight season, connecting off John Grabow.
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| Dewey - 2008 Topps Heritage |
- 2007 - The Pirates erased a 6-2 deficit with a six-run eighth inning to defeat the Giants, 8-7, at AT&T Park. The first four Bucs singled in the eighth, and they banged six hits total during the frame, with Freddy Sanchez’s two-out, two-run single being the difference. Matt Morris made the no-decision start against the team that had traded him away 10 days before. The Giants used eight pitchers in the game, including five in the eighth inning. Ryan Doumit fell a homer shy of the cycle while John Grabow got the win and Matt Capps earned the save.
- 2011 - Andrew McCutchen put on a show against the Giants with just one hit, as the Bucs won, 9-2, at AT&T Park. Cutch homered, walked three times, was HBP, scored four runs, drove in two and stole a pair of bases. Jeff Karstens went six innings for the win, striking out nine.
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