4/27 Through the 1970s: Pops April Showers; B-2-B Twice; Gems, Openers, Game Tales; HBD Paul, John & Phil

• 1893 - The Pirates opened the season against the Cleveland Spiders and were spanked by Cy Young, losing, 7-2, in front of 7,600 fans at Exposition Park. The team had a strong season despite that sluggish start, finishing second in the National League with a 81-48 mark, behind the Boston Beaneaters. Lou Bierbauer had two hits, as did Jake Beckley and Denny Lyons. Frank “Lefty” Killen took the loss (The Pittsburgh Press, somewhat unkindly, noted that “Killen was an easy mark for the visitors”) after surrendering four first inning runs. But it was a noteworthy game - it was the last time a season-opening game was played in Pittsburgh until 1954, a 61-year streak of road kickoff trips. 
• 1902 - Pittsburgh whipped Chicago, 2-0, at Exposition Park, as Deacon Phillippe bested rookie Jim St. Vrain. St. Vrain only gave up a single to Ginger Beaumont, but it came after the Pirates had loaded the bases on an error between a pair of plunked batters in the eighth inning. Phillippe fanned seven while the other outs were recorded by the infield, with 1B Kitty Bransfield recording 16 putouts. St. Vrain wasn’t quite as sure of himself in the box as he was on the mound. He grounded a ball to Honus Wagner in the seventh and lost his bearings; the confused 19-year old ran toward third base as the bemused Hans threw him out rather easily, per Gene Alston’s Journal column. 
• 1912 - The Pirates walloped Cincinnati, 23-4, at Forbes Field, and without a home run (although they had five doubles and three triples among their 27 hits). Reds reliever Hanson “Hans” Horsey surrendered 14 hits and 12 runs in four innings in what would be his only MLB appearance. Dots Miller went 5-for-6 w/five RBIs, Hans Wagner went 4-for-5 w/five RBIs & three tallies, and Bobby Bryne went 5-for-6 with four runs scored & three stolen sacks. Every position player had at least two hits (winning pitcher Howie Camnitz was the only hitless Pirate). To add some salt to the wound, the Bucs also swiped eight bases. Vice President James “Sunny Jim” Sherman, a big baseball fan, attended the game along with PA Congressman Jim Burke, Lieutenant Governor JM Reynolds and an assortment of politicos, generals and coat-tailers. In a sidebar, manager Fred Clarke put up with some grief from Barney Dreyfuss when a new order of bats arrived before the game, imported from Cuba and costing the princely sum of $2/stick. We assume after the hit parade that Barney had no problems OK’ing the invoice. 

Phil Coyne - 2018 Topps Allen & Ginter

• 1918 - Usher Phil Coyne was born in Oakland. He started out by dusting seats at Forbes Field in 1936 at the age of 18 and continued to serve the fans through the TRS era and at PNC Park until 2017. He retired after 81 years as a Pirates employee and goodwill ambassador at age 99 for health reasons, but came back to the old ballyard as the Buccos’ guest to be honored pre-game during his 100th birthday. Phil passed on in 2021 and now handles the seating for St. Peter. 
• 1918 - Umpire John Rice was born in Homestead. After serving in the Marines during WW2 (Rice fought in Guadalcanal and Peleliu), he began his umpiring apprenticeship in 1948. Rice graduated to the American League in 1955, working through 1973, and arbitrated four World Series, including the 1971 Pirates-Orioles clash, and three All-Star Games. He made his home in Chicago after the war and was inducted into the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. 
• 1930 - The Pirates won their seventh straight game, 9-5, over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. OF Adam Comorosky went 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI. Gus Suhr drove home three more and Ira Flagstead homered. Larry French got the win with Steve Swetonic notching the save. The Bucs were off to an 8-1 start on the campaign before Chi-town derailed them the next day. Pittsburgh didn’t live up to its streak, winning 80 games and finishing fifth. 
• 1954 - Toby Atwell and Jerry Lynch hit homers in back-to-back at-bats in the sixth and eighth innings, the first Pirates to accomplish the feat in the 20th century (Neil Walker & Gaby Sanchez matched the B-2-B x2 deed on April 14th, 2014). It wasn’t quite enough as Pittsburgh lost to the Reds, 8-7, at Crosley Field (the game was suspended after six innings due to rain with the score tied, 7-7, and finished the next day) as Ted Kluszewski hammered a pair of long balls for Cincy. 

Paul Miller - 1992 Bowman

• 1965 - RHP Paul Miller was born in Burlington, Wisconsin. Miller’s MLB career lasted 10 games (two starts), tossed between 1991-93 for the Bucs, with a line of 1-0/4.10. Paul Miller spent his entire pro career in the Pirates organization, selected in the 53rd round of the 1987 draft and remaining a Bucco until retiring in 1994 after a final campaign with AAA Buffalo. 
• 1970 - Steve Blass lost a pitching duel to Joe Decker and the Chicago Cubs, 1-0, at Forbes Field. Blass surrendered just four hits over eight innings. One was a two-out triple by Glenn Beckert; he tried to stretch it into an inside the park HR and was dead at home, but Manny Sanguillen whiffed on the Roberto Clemente-to-Bill Mazeroski relay to allow the unearned, and only, run of the game to score. Roberto was thrown out at the plate twice during the game, once trying to score on a Willie Stargell double and again in the ninth when he tripled but was caught in a rundown a batter later, trapped following a comebacker. The Cubbies ran their winning streak to 11 games with the victory, a string the Pirates snapped the next day. 
• 1971 - Willie Stargell set a then-MLB record with his 11th homer in the month of April, a shot over the TRS center field wall against LA’s Pete Mikkelsen, in a 7-5 loss. The record stood for 36 years until it was broken by Albert Pujols, who hit 14 opening-month bombs in 2006. Pops made quite a few baseballs homeless that season as he hit a career-high 48 long balls.