7/23 From 1970: A-Ram Contract Dump & Return; Bo Back For DeLeon; Guillen-Cota, Darwin-Loiselle; Streakin'; TRS & ASGs; Gems & Game Tales

• 1974 - TRS hosted the 45th All-Star Game, drawing 50,706 fans. The National League romped, 7-2, with Pirate lefty Ken Brett, the Bucs only All Star, credited with the win. He tossed a pair of scoreless frames, giving up a hit and a walk. It was the third time the Pirates hosted the All-Star Game (the first two were at Forbes Field in 1944 and 1959). It was the first of two times that the game was played at Three Rivers Stadium, with TRS hosting the ASG again in 1994. 
• 1977 - With some clutch two-out at-bats and a bit of legerdemain from Chuck Tanner, the Bucs scored four times in the seventh to beat Cincinnati, 5-4, at Three Rivers Stadium. Down 4-1, the Bucs cut the lead to a run on doubles by Dave Parker and Rennie Stennett around a Bill Robinson knock. Two righty pinch-hitters, Fernando Gonzalez and Jerry Hairston, reached on a walk and infield single to load the bases with two outs. Sparky Anderson saw Willie Stargell with a helmet and bat, so he kept lefty starter Frank Capilla in to instead face Jim Fregosi, who banged out a two-run single to put Pittsburgh up by a run. It was a little chicanery on Tanner’s part as unknown to Sparky, Pops had an elbow problem that was so severe that he couldn’t swing a bat; otherwise Pedro Borbon would have faced Fregosi. Grant Jackson did yeoman’s work when he squelched a bases-loaded threat left by Kent Tekulve in the eighth and then tossed a 1-2-3 ninth frame against Pete Rose, Ken Griffey and Joe Morgan to save the win for Jim Rooker. 
• 1979 - The Bucs won their ninth game in a row by a 7-1 count over the Atlanta Braves at Three Rivers Stadium in the lidlifter of a twin bill. Tim Foli went 3-for-5 with four RBI to lead the attack while Bert Blyleven tossed a four hit complete game. The Bucs pulled off the 500th triple play in MLB history in the second inning of the nitecap when Braves’ pitcher Phil Niekro bounced into a 5-4-3, Bill Madlock-to-Phil Garner-to-Willie Stargell triple killing at TRS, but he had the last laugh as he spun a two-hitter in an 8-0 Atlanta romp, ending the Bucco winning streak. 

Bert Blyleven - 1979 Topps

• 1982 - Pittsburgh dropped Atlanta, 6-0, at TRS as Rick Rhoden did it all. He tossed a six-hit, complete game shutout with only two Braves reaching second, banged out two hits and chased home a pair of runs. Dale Berra had a big day too, making two great plays in the field and scoring three times, one on a swipe of home as part of a double steal with Omar Moreno. 
• 1986 - The Bucs sent RHP Jose DeLeon to the Chicago White Sox for OF Bobby Bonilla. DeLeon had a long and workmanlike career while Bobby Bo earned four All-Star berths with the Pirates, hitting .284 with 114 HR and 500 RBI for the Pirates from 1986-91. The Pirates had originally signed Bonilla out of high school in 1981, but the White Sox claimed him in 1985’s Rule 5 draft after a FO braincramp. The move ended Lee Mazzilli’s three-year run with the Pirates; he was released to make roster space for Bonilla and signed with his old team, the Mets. 
• 1991 - A couple of milestones: Longtime Buc coach Jeff Banister made his MLB debut and singled off Atlanta’s Dan Petry in his only big league at bat. Banister was a Pirate lifer after being drafted in 1986 until landing the skipper job in Texas, returning to Pittsburgh's FO when that gig was up (he’s now the bench coach for Arizona). In the same game, rookie John "Rock" Wehner, now a Pirates broadcaster, went 5-for-5 to become the first 'Burgh rook since Richie Zisk in 1973 to collect five hits; he single handedly outhit the Bravos 5-to-4. The Bucs beat the Atlanta Braves handily, 12-3, at TRS; Gary Redus, who banged a grand slam, and Spanky LaValliere combined to drive in seven runs while Bobby Bonilla homered to help Doug Drabek cruise to victory. 

John Wehner - 1992 Score Rising Star (reverse)

• 1996 - The Pirates traded RHP Danny Darwin to the Astros for minor league RHP Rich Loiselle. Loiselle spent his six-year MLB career (1996-2001) as a Pirate and claimed 29 saves in 1997 after being converted from a starter to the pen. He finished 9-18-49/4.38, going steadily downhill after fairly strong 1997-98 campaigns. The veteran Darwin won 16 more games before hangin’ the spikes up after the 1998 season, closing out 21 years with 171 wins in the show. 
• 1999 - The Pirates traded OF Jose Guillen and RHP Jeff Sparks to Tampa Bay for catchers Joe Oliver and Humberto Cota, scuffling for help behind the plate after Jason Kendall broke his ankle. Guillen, who had 28 homers and 154 RBI in his first two seasons, was having a down year after arriving at spring training a month late due to visa problems but proved to be an overpay. He went on to have a half dozen 20+ HR campaigns, including a 31-bomb season in 2003. 
• 2003 - The Pirates traded 3B Aramis Ramirez, OF Kenny Lofton, and cash to the Cubs for SS Jose Hernandez, RHP Matt Bruback, and 2B Bobby Hill in Dave Littlefield's darkest day of salary dumping. It was speculated that RHP Kris Benson, not Ramirez, was who the Cubs were after, but he missed his prior start and Chicago passed on him. The Bucs also dealt Scott Sauerbeck & Mike Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox for Brandon Lyon & Anastacio Martinez. Ten days later, Gonzo was traded back to Pittsburgh with Freddy Sanchez & cash for Brandon Lyon (who had flunked his Pirates physical), Anastacio Martinez & Jeff Suppan, basically making the new Rube Goldberg deal a swap of Sauerbeck & Suppan for Sanchez and one big headache for the traveling secretaries. 

A-Ram - 2015 photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates

• 2015 - 3B Aramis Ramirez, who began his career as a Bucco, was traded back to the ‘Burg by the Milwaukee Brewers along with cash for minor league reliever Yhonathan Barrios exactly 12 years after he was originally dealt away in a contract dump. A-Ram, who retired at the end of the year, filled a gap on the left side of the infield caused by injuries to Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer and also manned first base for the first time in his career after 2,100+ games at the hot corner. 
• 2018 - In between scattered rain storms, the Pirates licked Corey Kluber and the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Park by a 7-0 count for their 10th straight win, the team’s longest string since 2004. Trevor Williams tossed his first MLB shutout, a four-hitter cut short after six innings because of the wet weather. Starling Marte extended his hitting streak to 16 games with two hits and two RBI while Josh Harrison cracked a two-out, three-run homer; Marte and Josh Bell also went deep. Jordy Mercer added two hits to the pot and Gregory Polanco banged a two-out, two-run triple. The Bucs’ victory streak ended at 11 games, snapped by Trevor Bauer, 4-0, two days later. 
• 2022 - Rumored to be making his final Pittsburgh start before the trade deadline (Q lasted until August 2nd when he was dealt to the Cards), Jose Quintana tossed seven innings of four-hit, shutout ball, and with help from Wil Crowe and David Bednar, put away the Miami Marlins, 1-0, at PNC Park. Yoshi Tsutsugo drove in the only run with a two-out single in the sixth as the Bucs stubbed their own toe repeatedly, leaving 10 runners aboard while going 1-for-11 with RISP.