7/24 Through the 1960s: Little Poison HoF Day; Hans Hunt; Josh Jolt; Grace-ful; Chief 3X3; Happy Crowd; Game Tales; HBD Barry, Joe, Preston & Germany

• 1893 - IF and exec Joe “Germany” Schultz Sr. was born in Pittsburgh. He spent one year (1916) of his 11-year MLB career at home, hitting .260. After retiring and managing in the Cards minor league system, Schultz became the farm system director of the Pirates in 1939. Sadly, in 1941, while on his way to one of the Pittsburgh farm clubs, he suddenly passed away at the young age of 47. His legacy carried on, as his son Joe Jr. was a Buc reserve catcher from 1939-41. 
• 1899 - The Pirates swept a pair from Philadelphia at Exposition Park, winning both games on ninth-inning walkoff bops by rookies. After the Phils scored five in the ninth in the opening contest, Jimmy Williams hit a three-run homer in the bottom half to win, 9-8. In the nitecap, Ginger Beaumont tripled with the bases loaded and two away in the last go-around to cap a 5-4 victory. In both games, the Pirates entered the final frame down by a pair of runs. The crowd of 5,200 was more than appreciative. The Pittsburgh Press noted that the hometown fans had “...showered money upon “Buttons” Williams and...carried Beaumont to the clubhouse.” 
• 1899 - A small blurb in the Pittsburgh Press sports section reported that “St. Louis, as well as Brooklyn, is after Hans Wagner, the third baseman, but the Louisville club officials now declare that he is off the market.” Louisville, at the time, was a National League club, but the notice made little impact on local fans. But it soon would prove to be good news for the Steel City rooters; Barney Dreyfuss had machinations afoot to combine the Colonels roster with the Pirates in the off season, and thanks to the virtual merger added Honus, Fred Clarke, Deacon Phillippe, Tommy Leach, Patsy Flaherty, and Claude Ritchey to Pittsburgh’s roster, creating the early 1900’s powerhouse squad. 

Jesse Tannehill - photo via SABR

• 1901 - The Pirates scored in every inning while defeating the Reds, 11-2, at Exposition Park. Jesse Tannehill tossed a seven-hitter for the win. Ginger Beaumont had four hits and Claude Ritchey tripled twice as the Bucs banged out 14 hits, four for triples. The Pittsburgh Press opined that “The Reds as they are now made up should not be able to win from the Pirates in a hundred years.” 
• 1911 - The Pirates pounded the Brooklyn Superbas, 8-2, at Forbes Field behind the hot-hitting “Chief” Owen Wilson who went 4-for-4 with three triples. Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press wrote that “...Wilson came through the contest without a blot on his batting escutcheon. The Chief also played a grand fielding game and was in the battle up to his neck in all departments.” Babe Adams went the distance for the win, helping himself with three hits including a triple. 
• 1927 - OF/1B Preston Ward was born in Columbia, Missouri. Ward came to Pittsburgh as part of the Ralph Kiner deal, and was a back-up/platoon guy from 1953-56, hitting .240 in 305 games. He spent nine years in MLB, mostly serving as bench depth for five teams. 
• 1931 - The Brooklyn Dodgers banged out 21 hits during the game (Babe Herman hit for the cycle) and scored three times in the ninth, but reliever Larry French put down the rally as the Bucs hung on for an 8-7 win at Forbes Field. The Pirates had 13 knocks, seven for extra bases, and jumped out to an early 8-1 lead behind Pie Traynor’s three RBI, Eddie Phillips’ homer and Lloyd “Little Poison” Waner’s three hits/three runs scored and then outlasted the Brooklynites. 

Earl Grace - 1934 Goudey

• 1932 - C Earl Grace set an MLB mark with his 285th chance handled without an error as he added three more putouts during a 7-2 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Cubs, his first big league club, at Wrigley Field. He made 444 plays in 121 games from 1931-32 without a miscue before a bad throw ended the flawless fielding streak in September. He finished the campaign with just one error in 413 chances (.998) to set an National League record that lasted until 1946. 
• 1938 - Josh Gibson, playing for the Homestead Grays, hit the second-longest home run of his career at 538’ (reportedly measured by game officials and Monessen’s then-Mayor James Gold) at Page Park, the home yard of the minor league Monessen Indians, against the Memphis Red Sox . The drive was reported to bounce high off of a neighboring mill building. Monessen, along with MLB, the Pirates and the Gibson Foundation, marked the moment with a ceremony and Historical Marker in 2021 after a decade of research. His longest tater is a much debated 580’ shot at Yankee Stadium, and the Black Babe Ruth was said to have several 500’+ homers to his credit. 
• 1956 - Honored at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon before the game, Roberto Clemente proved his plaudits were well earned by leading the Bucs to a 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Forbes Field. Roberto drove in four RBI on three shots to left center: a sacrifice fly, a triple off the wall, and a homer into Schenley Plaza. Ron Kline got the win with help from Howie Pollet. 
• 1964 - Barry Bonds was born in Riverside, California. The slugger, a first round pick in the 1985 draft, spent seven summers in Pittsburgh, putting up a line of .275/176/556 with two All-Star appearances before really busting out with San Francisco, where he became the all-time home run leader. Bonds ended up with seven MVPs, 14 All-Star selections, is the major’s home run leader with 762 bombs (73 in 2001) and is second only to Babe Ruth in career WAR. His standing has been forever debated by his association with BALCO and PEDs by both the fans and the Hall of Fame committee. 

Barry Bonds - 1991 Upper Deck Collectors Choice

• 1965 - C Joe Oliver was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Joe spent 13 years in the majors, mainly as a reserve catcher, with a 1999 stop in Pittsburgh where he hit .201 at age 34. He took a ball break after retiring, but the bug bit again and he’s been a Red Sox minors manager since 2014. 
• 1967 - With his induction into the Hall of Fame, Lloyd “Little Poison” Waner joined Paul to become the first pair of brothers to be enshrined at Cooperstown. Little Poison played for 18 seasons, collecting 2,459 hits (.319 lifetime BA). Per the Hall of Fame: “Lloyd played 1,993 major league games, 1,803 of them with the Pirates. He was known for his good eye at the plate. Only three times in the majors did he strike out more than 15 times in a season. Waner had four 200-hit seasons and led the National League in hits in 1931 but was an all-star just once, in 1938. He had very good speed and was an excellent defensive center fielder.” Also inducted was Branch Rickey, Pirates GM during the early 50’s, who put together the farm system that fed the 1960 champions.