7/12 From 1985: Rincon/Cordova No-No; Barry #100; Jay Bay Day; Cutchin'; TRS & ASGs; Game Tales; HBD Chase

• 1987 - The Bucs defeated the San Diego Padres, 4-2, at Three Rivers Stadium with a combination of muscle and finesse. The muscle was provided by Bobby Bonilla’s bomb into the upper deck of TRS, the first ball launched upstairs since 1979. The blast 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 three 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 twin killings to help carry Mike Dunne to the victory. 
• 1988 - The American League pitchers outdid their Senior Circuit counterparts to claim a 2-1 victory in the All Star game at Riverfront Stadium. 3B Bobby Bonilla went 0-for-4 at the plate and OF Andy Van Slyke was 0-for-2. Bob Walk pitched to one batter, Carney Lansford, with two outs in the seventh inning and a runner on second, getting him to ground out. 
• 1990 - Barry Bonds hit his 100th career home run off Andy Benes in the opening frame of 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 walkoff win at Three Rivers Stadium after the Friars bullpen had tossed 9-2/3 innings without giving up a run to the Pirates. Bob Patterson earned the victory after tossing three scoreless frames; the Bucco relief corps put up 7-1/3 IP of zippos during the bullpen battle. 
• 1990 - LHP Chasen Shreve was born in Las Vegas. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2011 in the 11th round from the College of Southern Nevada. Chase made his MLB debut in 2014 as Atlanta Brave, and since has worked for four other clubs (career 17-8-2/3.74, FIP 4.17, 10.5 K per nine IP). He inked a deal with the Pirates as an NRI in 2021 and was a late cut in camp, but was recalled from Indy in May and became a dependable middle-inning guy. Shreve signed with the NY Mets in 2022, was released, and is now a Detroit Tiger. 

Chasen Shreve - 2021 photo/Pirates

• 1992 - The Reds had an early 5-0 lead at Riverfront Stadium and carried a 5-2 edge into the ninth inning. Norm Charleton was a strike away ending it, but Barry Bonds tore into a 2-2 pitch with the bases juiced, not stopping until he was perched on third base and the game was knotted. The Bucs took command in their half of the 10th after Gary Redus swatted a two-run long fly off Tim Belcher, but there was more drama to come. With an out and runners on second and third, Stan Belinda gave up a deep sac fly, scoring one run and putting the tying score on third. But he came through for his 13th save with a swinging strikeout, saving the win for Bob Patterson in a total team pitching effort. The bullpen, reinforced by Denny Neagle, served goose eggs to Cincy for 6-1/3 frames. That allowed the bats time to do their thing and take home the 7-6 win to enter the All Star break in first place, 4-1/2 games up on the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL East. 
• 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 Midsummer Classics ever held. Fred McGriff’s two-run homer tied the contest in the ninth inning, then Tony Gwynn led off the 10th frame 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. Meat Loaf sang the National Anthem and Bucco legend Willie Stargell tossed out the ceremonial first ball to kick off the Midsummer Classic. 
• 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 Three Rivers Stadium was sold out for a regular season game other than a home opener since 1977, drawing 44,119 fans for Jackie Robinson/fireworks night. It was the first Pirates no-hit­ter since John Can­de­laria beat the Dodgers, 2-0, in 1976, and kept the Bucs in a first-place tie with Houston in the NL Central. 
• 2005 - The American League whipped the Nationals at Comerica Park, 7-5, in the All Star Game. The Pirates Jason Bay was selected 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. 

Jason Michaels - 2009 Topps Black Border

• 2008 - The Pirates scored four times in the ninth and twice in the 10th inning to claw past the St. Louis Cardinals, 12-11, at PNC Park. They were down, 9-3, going into the seventh frame, but scored then and in the eighth, ninth and 10th innings to rally for the victory. Nate McLouth hit a three-run homer and Jay Bay drove in the tying run in the final frame by bouncing into a first-and-third force out that the Redbirds couldn’t convert into a DP. Jason Michaels ripped a two-run shot in the 10th with the walkoff winner. Bay had two long balls and five RBI to lead the offense. Adam LaRoche added a dinger, as the Bucs launched five homers. 
• 2011 - The Nationals took a 5-1 decision from the American League All-Stars at Chase Field. OF Andrew McCutchen with pitchers Joel Hanrahan and Kevin Correia were the Bucco 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 National League yard to use a DH. 
• 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 New York 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 bounced back to tie the game in the ninth on Andrew McCutchen’s solo homer and then won it in the 11th when the clutch Cutch homered again to post a 6-5 victory. Andrew had three hits, as did Jordy Mercer and Travis Snider. Six Pirates relievers shut down Cincy, with Justin Wilson the winner and Jeanmar Gomez earning his first MLB save. 

Cutch - 2014 Bowman Premium

• 2015 - In a see-saw game that was tied 3-3 after nine innings, 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 sent home one more, countered by a Jhonny Peralta homer and a pair of manufactured scores. In the 10th frame, 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, and that Cutch-to-Jordy-to-Cervy relay & 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 followed with a knock, and Marte sprinted home on Fran Cervelli’s two-strike roller inside the first base line to even it up. A walk brought El Coffee to the dish, and he dropped the first pitch into right for both the game winner and the Pirates second walk-off win in consecutive nights over St. Louis. Caminero earned his first MLB win. 
• 2016 - Both Bucco reps got in the Midsummer Classic, a 4-2 American League 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 then 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, as it had been before the All Star sweetener.