7/10 From 1970: Brown Deal; Willie With 30; Five For Cutch; Jones Jolt; ASGs; Game Tales

• 1971 - The Pirates bested the Braves, 5-4, at Three Rivers Stadium behind Willie Stargell's 30th home run of the season and his 10th off Atlanta pitching; it was a two-run blast in the eighth that turned a deficit into the lead. Pops also doubled and was joined in the two-knock club by Vic Davalillo, who scored twice, and Bob Robertson while Al Oliver drove in a pair of runs. Dave Giusti saved the game with Mudcat Grant getting the win for a contest Steve Blass started. Captain Willie would go on to have a career year in long flies, knocking 48 balls out of the yard. 
• 1984 - The NL was used to the windy confines of Candlestick Park and breezed to 3-1 win over the AL in the All Star game. The senior circuit got some terrific tossing. Fernando Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden combined to whiff six batters in a row for a new All-Star Game record. Valenzuela K’ed Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson, and George Brett in the fourth inning. Then Doc, the youngest All-Star ever at age 19, punched out Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon, and Alvin Davis in the fifth. C Tony Pena was Pittsburgh’s only AS selection and caught the ninth inning. 
• 1987 - The Pirates gave away the lead with two outs in the ninth inning but bounced back to claim a 6-5 win over San Diego at TRS in 11 innings. The Bucs rallied to take a 5-4 lead after Bob Kipper had been chased, with Doug Drabek, Doug Jones and John Smiley holding the fort (the starters were available for duty because of the upcoming All-Star break). Jim Leyland yanked Smiley with two outs in the ninth frame and the bases empty for Don Robinson (the skipper didn’t like the looming Smiley/Bruce Bochy matchup in a bit of overthinking), and he gave up a game-tying homer to pinch-hitter John Kruk as the boos rained down from the 13,109 on hand. Johnny Ray saved Robby’s bacon when he doubled home Bobby Bonilla for the walkoff win. Andy Van Slyke had a homer and four RBI while Barry Bonds had four raps to lead the Bucco hit parade. 

Andy Van Slyke - 1988 Parker Brothers Starting Lineup

• 1990 - Pitching dominated as the Americans dropped the Nationals, 2-0, in the All Star game at Wrigley Field. Outfielders Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla both went 0-for-1 and LHP Neal Heaton didn’t get in. Bobby Bo was shut out in his appearance in the Home Run Derby. 
• 2001 - The American League nine took a 4-1 All Star victory from the Senior Circuit at Safeco Field. OF Brian Giles, the Pirates sole rep, grounded out in his visit to the plate. C JR House played in the Classic’s opening event as a member of the USA nine in the Futures Game. 
• 2001 - The Pirates traded OF Emil Brown to the Padres after DFA’ing him for OF Shawn Garrett and RHP Shawn Camp, both San Diego farm hands. Brown played nearly 200 games as a Bucco from 1997-2001, but despite having the rep as a five-tool guy, hit just .205. After the year, he spent three seasons in the minors before winning a starting gig with KC and Oakland from 2005-2008, with 2009 being his MLB swan song. Camp was a late bloomer, but after being released by Pittsburgh, he eventually made the majors in 2004 as a 28-year-old and carved out an 11-year career in the big leagues, with 541 relief outings and a slash of 29-33-12/4.41. Garrett was a long-time minor leaguer and Latin League player who never got a shot in the show. 
• 2007 - The American League eked out a 5-4 win over the Nationals in the All Star game played at AT&T Park. 2B Freddy Sanchez was the only Pirate selected and didn’t get into the game. 

GI Jones - 2009 Topps Heritage

• 2009 - Garrett Jones joined Ryan Howard as the only players to launch blasts that cleared the batter’s eye at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. He mashed the two-out, first-pitch shot off Joe Blanton in the opening frame. It wasn’t enough, though, as the Pirates fell to the Phillies, 3-2. 
• 2011 - In the Pirates final game before the All-Star break, they defeated the Chicago Cubs, 9-1. Andrew McCutchen drove in five runs, highlighted by a three-run homer, while Neil Walker pounded out three hits, two doubles and a triple. Paul Maholm got the win with help from Chris Resop and Jose Veras to take Pittsburgh’s record to 47-43 record into the break.
• 2012 - The Senior Circuit blasted its way to an 8-0 win over the American League’s All Stars at KC’s Kauffman Stadium. OF Andrew McCutchen went 1-for-2 after taking part in the home run derby the night before (he hit four homers and bowed out in the opening round) and RHP Joel Hanrahan faced one batter, Billy Butler, striking him out after first tossing a wild pitch. 
• 2021 - Tyler Anderson entered the Pirates record book during a 6-2 win over the Mets at Citi Field in the opener of a day-night twin bill when he unwittingly became the last Buc pitcher to homer as a lineup player (or perhaps ever) as the universal Designated Hitter rule was adopted the following season. Bryan Reynolds also went deep. Pittsburgh dropped the nitecap, 4-2. 

David Bednar - 2022 Topps Bunt 

• 2022 - RHP David Bednar was selected as the Bucs lone rep for the All Star Game with a slash of 3-2-15/2.25 and 53 K in 40 IP. It was the cherry on top for the Pirates, who had earlier rode four homers by Oneil Cruz, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Michael Chavis and Daniel Vogelbach to drop Milwaukee at American Family Field by an 8-6 count, with Chris Stratton getting credit for the win. The bad news: CF Bryan Reynolds was bypassed on the AS roster. To add injury to insult, he was pulled from the Bucs 8-6 victory over the Brew Crew with a strained oblique and landed on the 10-day IL. Blasts from the past: A crew of ex-Bucs were chosen for the Midsummer Classic: P’s Gerrit Cole, Joe Musgrove and Clay Holmes, along with OF Starling Marte, made the team.