5/19 From 1975: Giles Contract; Kendall Cycle; Bibby 1-Hitter; Pedro Launch; Hot Jose; Smiley Pouting; Game Tales; HBD Ji-Man & Brandon

• 1976 - The Pirates scored six runs in the last two innings to defeat the Cardinals, 7-6, at Busch Stadium. Richie Zisk had a double and a homer in the final two frames, giving him three hits, three RBIs and two scores to help Bob Moose claim the win in relief. Manny Sanguillen added three hits and walked twice. 
• 1977 - IF Brandon Inge was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. The Bucs grabbed him in 2013 in his 13th season, hoping that he could provide some bop off the bench. Instead, he hit .181 with one long ball and was released in July. He retired to raise his boys and work his 400-acre farm in Lynchburg. 

Brandon Inge - 2013 Topps Update

• 1981 - Jim Bibby tossed a near perfecto, giving up an end-of-the-bat blooper that fell between 2B Phil Garner and RF Mike Easler to Braves’ leadoff hitter Terry Harper and then retiring the next 27 batters in a 5-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves at TRS. There was a rain delay shortly after the knock and after the clouds quit crying, Bibby was perfect as he coaxed Atlanta to hit ‘em where they were; he only whiffed three Bravos. C Steve Nicosia called the game and had a pair of runs driven in while Mike Easler scored twice. Bibby single-handedly outhit the Braves with a pair of doubles. Just 5,514 slightly damp fans witnessed Big Jim’s gem. 
• 1990 - LHP John Smiley broke his finger when he closed a cab door on it in Atlanta and missed the next few weeks, not returning until July 1st. He had been 3-3/3.35 before the accident; he went 6-7/5.21 afterwards. But the lefty returned to his dominating ways in 1991, winning 20 games w/a 3.08 ERA, earning an All Star spot and finishing third in the Cy Young vote. 
• 1991 - 1B Ji-Man Choi was born in Incheon, South Korea. Signed by Seattle in 2010, Choi had played seven seasons for the Angels, Yankees, Brewers and Rays, who traded him to Pittsburgh in the 2022 offseason for minor league RHP Jack Hartman. Though Ji-Man can also play left field, he was brought in to at least temporarily cover a gaping vacancy at first base, with a career slash of .239/115 OPS+. He slumped at the plate in the second half of the season and had off season clean-out elbow surgery. His physical woes continued, though, as an Achilles injury landed him on the 60-day IL early in the season. 
• 1998 - Jose Silva won his third straight game, spinning an eight-inning, four-hit shutout over the Padres to take a 3-0 win at TRS, with Ricardo Rincon and Rich Loiselle closing it out. It was the Pirates league-leading sixth shutout of the year. Jose Guillen had a pair of hits, scoring once and chasing home a run. Jermaine Allensworth tripled and scored while making the big play of the game by running down a Steve Finley gapper at the track and turning the ticketed hit into a DP. Only one runner reached second against Jose, with two gone in the eighth. 

Jose Silva - 1998 Donruss Rookie

• 2000 - Jason Kendall hit for the cycle, the first and only one at TRS by a Bucco, and added five RBI as the Bucs beat the Cards, 13-1. He did his deed against three different St. Louis hurlers. The last Bucco cycle was by Gary Redus in 1989 at Riverfront Stadium. Kris Benson tossed a three-hitter and struck out 11 Redbirds in the win; four Pirates had two hits and Kevin Young went deep. 
• 2000 - Before the game, the Bucs and Brian Giles agreed on a five-year contract worth $45M. He got a $5M signing bonus to be paid in 2001, originally an option year, and the remainder, minus deferred payments, paid out in $8M+ parcels through 2005. Giles was very good during that time, hitting 20+ homers with an OPS+ that never dropped under 145, but he was dealt before the deal expired when he was sent to San Diego in August of 2003 for Jason Bay and Ollie Perez. 
• 2009 - Washington rallied from a 5-0 deficit to tie the Bucs in the ninth but lost, 8-5, when future National Adam LaRoche doubled home a pair in the 10th off Joe Beimel, who became a Pirate reliever in 2011. Brandon Moss had three RBI and Andy LaRoche added two more in the win at Nationals Park. Tom Gorzelanny, who also made a later stop in DC, earned the victory. 
• 2015 - Pedro Alvarez became the third player, after Daryle Ward and Garrett Jones, to reach the Allegheny on the fly at PNC Park when his 461’ drive landed in a docked boat. Otherwise, the night didn’t go so well as Minnesota whipped the Bucs, 8-5. Frankie Liriano gave up seven runs in two innings, and the Bucs chipped away but could never put together a big inning. Pittsburgh had 13 hits but 11 K, 10 stranded runners and a 4-for-17 RISP performance. 

Jhan Marinez - 2017 photo/Pirates

• 2017 - The Pirates claimed RHP Jhan Marinez off waivers from the Brewers. Marinez had a solid 2016 campaign working for Tampa Bay and Milwaukee (3.18 ERA in 46 appearances/62-1/3 IP) but after a slow start in 2017, the Brew Crew let him go. The multi-role reliever reacted well to the change of scenery, going 0-1/3.18 as a Bucco. But his peripherals weren’t that shiny, so the Bucs released him in August and he finished the year with the Rangers. He then twirled in the Mexican and Dominican Leagues, and is now an unsigned free agent.