7/29 Through the 1950s: Cubbie Swap; On Fire Frankie; Hans' Granny; Ed's Demons; Game Tales; RIP Harry; HBD Four Sack & George

• 1886 - 2B George Cutshaw was born in Wilmington, Illinois. He came to the Bucs in exchange for Burleigh Grimes and manned second base for four seasons (1918-21). Cutty hit .275 as a Pirate, with his best year being his last, when he hit .340. But he was injured in August, and the 35-year-old was sold to the Detroit Tigers, where he spent his last two MLB years. 
• 1903 - LHP Ed Doheny, it was announced in the Pittsburgh Press, “..had left the team under a mental hallucination (he believed detectives were tailing him) and returned home.” His mental state had slowly unraveled as the season went on, made worse by a lingering arm injury, and owner Barney Dreyfuss told the paper “If it is true that Doheny is mentally deranged, I am certainly sorry to hear of it. (Manager) Fred Clarke told me that there was something wrong with the pitcher before the team started West, but I laughed at him. Now it seems that Fred was right.” Ed was wrestling with real demons. After resting at home, he returned to the Pirates briefly before being escorted home again by his brother in September. After some violent episodes there, he was declared insane and sent to the Danvers State Asylum, where he died in 1906. 
• 1909 - Harry Pulliam committed suicide in New York City. A writer in Louisville, he joined Barney Dreyfuss in Pittsburgh as the team president, akin to today’s general manager title. In 1903, he was elected president of the National League. He made the ruling to support umpire Hank O’Day’s call in the famous “Merkle” misadventure, which eventually cost the New York Giants the championship in a playoff against the Chicago Cubs. He took several months off following that episode after having a nervous breakdown. He never really recovered - the following year, he took his life, with the suicide blamed by many as a result of depression caused by the pressures of the president’s office. 

Harry Pulliam - Helmar Cabinet II

• 1915 - Honus Wagner hit a grand slam in the eighth inning off Brooklyn Dodger Ed Pfeffer (It was “a dandy drive” per the Pittsburgh Press) during the Pirates 8-2 victory at Forbes Field. The inside-the-park round tripper made the 41-year old infielder the second oldest player ever to hit a homer with the bases juiced, a record set by 42-year old Cap Anson in 1894. (Cap's mark stood until 1985 when 44-year-old Tony Perez of the Reds claimed the graybeard honor.) Erving Kantlehner scattered nine hits while going the distance for the win, helped by an unassisted DP when RF Bill Hinchman snared a short line drive and raced to first base to double off Pfeffer. 
• 1916 - The Pirates sent 2B Otto Knabe and C Art “Dutch” Wilson to the Chicago Cubs for OF Frank Schulte and C Bill Fischer. Schulte batted .239 during his Bucco stint and was waived to the Philadelphia Phillies in mid-season 1917; 1918 would be his final major league season. Fisher hit .274 in 1916-17 but couldn’t beat out Walter Schmidt behind the dish, but hung ion by playing off-and-on in the minors until he was 38. Otto was approaching the end of his road and finished out the year, ending his MLB days. Wilson lasted until 1921, playing as a reserve, before ending a 14-year MLB stay. 
• 1920 - Jack of all trades Erv “Four Sack” (a nickname picked up after hitting a game-winning homer in the minors) Dusak was born in Chicago. He joined the Bucs in 1951 from the St. Louis Cardinals along with Rocky Nelson and the utility guy played six positions, including pitcher, until he was released by the club in June of 1952, hitting .273 in 41 games. He spent the next three campaigns on the farm and retired from pro ball in 1955 at the age of 34. 
• 1922 - Max Carey (2), Reb Russell, Cotton Tierney and pitcher Wilbur Cooper all homered at the Polo Grounds as the Pirates whipped the league-leading New York Giants, 8-3. Cooper went the distance for the win. Charlie Grimm had four hits while Carey & Russell banged out three knocks. It was a sweet victory over their heated rivals, but at the final bell, the G-Men took the National League flag while Pittsburgh finished in third place, eight games off the pace. 

Wilbur Cooper - 1922 Fleischman

• 1940 - The Bucs scored six times in their final at-bat, with the lead run thrown out at the plate as Frank Gustine tried to score from first on Vince DiMaggio’s single. It was a big play; the Dodgers pushed across a two-out run in the bottom half as the Pirates went down, 7-6, at Ebbets Field. The game was marked by a ninth inning brawl that started when Brooklyn’s Babe Phelps (who joined the Bucs in 1942) spiked Mace Brown at first. Bucco manager Frankie Frisch was fined $100 and ejected while three of his players were hit with $25 fines for their actions. 
• 1947 - Frank Gustine went 4-for-5 against the Boston Braves to lead Pittsburgh to a 6-5 win at Forbes Field, running his hitting streak to 21 games before it was snapped the next day. Tiny Bonham went the distance for the win behind a balanced offense - six Pirates scored and six posted RBI while eight of the nine starters, including Tiny, collected at least a hit against the Braves. 
• 1959 - LHP Dave LaPoint was born in Glen Falls, New York. The 12-year veteran spent part of 1988 with the Pirates, coming over from the Chicago White Sox in August for reliver Barry Jones. He made eight starts for the Bucs, slashed 4-2/2.77 and signed with the New York Yankees in the off-season, almost doubling his salary from $425K to $800K. He’s bounced around several baseball-themed activities since his retirement after the 1991 campaign, coaching minor & indie league ball, hosting a talk show and running baseball academies. Dave now describes himself on twitter as a “Former MLB Pitcher with a face made for radio and a body made for bowling”