8/6 Through the 1970s: Brickell-Sothern; Arriba HoF; Swattin' Starg; Irishman's #1; TSN Woodie; Fore!; Game Tales; HBD Stan, Steve, Clem, Bud, Brownie & Jim

• 1860 - Utilityman Jim McDonald was born in San Francisco. He spent most of his brief career with the Alleghenys in 1884, batting .159 while playing 2B, 3B and the outfield. Though he only got into 43 big league games for three teams between 1884-85, he did have a long minor league career on the coast, mostly playing in the California League from 1878-94. When he was done, he stayed in the game as an umpire, spending four years as an NL arbiter. 
• 1875 - LHP John “Brownie” Foreman was born in Maryland. He tossed for two big league campaigns, spending 1895-96 with the Pirates before being released and finishing out his second year with the Reds where he joined his brother Frank, also a hurler. Brownie, who came up as a 19-year-old, went 11-9-2/4.25 with the Bucs. He played pro ball from 1893-1900, with nine different stops in the minors, and after his baseball days he became a policeman. 
• 1881 - 1B Bayard “Bud” Sharpe was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Bud played in the majors in 1905, then again in 1910 for three teams, and one of the clubs was the Pirates. He opened 1910 with them and went 3-for-16 in four games before being traded to Boston as part of the Kirby White deal. The Penn Stater was also a noted soccer player, spending his off season as a booter. Sharpe was a player and manager in the minors along as a scout for Boston, but he was plagued by health problems and eventually succumbed to tuberculosis at age 34. 
• 1902 - The Pirates shut out the Giants, 2-0, to sweep a four-game set against New York at Exposition Park, as Jack Chesbro beat Dummy Taylor in five innings of a rain-shortened affair. Ginger Beaumont and Tommy Leach scored first-inning runs on a hit by Kitty Bransfield and a Giant error. Tempers did flare, although not between players. The Giants’ Jimmy Jones knocked the mask off umpire Bob Emslie while arguing a strike call and was suspended for the season. The Pirates beat a lot of teams that year; they won the NL pennant with a record of 103-36. 

Happy Jack Chesbro - 1902 TSN

• 1912 - OF Bud Hafey was born in Sacramento, California. He spent three years in the show, hitting .222 as a Pirate in 1935-36. His cousin, OF Chick Hafey of the Cards/Reds, apparently inherited the deep end of the Hafey baseball gene pool and was elected to the Hall of Fame. Bud only got one full season of major league ball, spending most of 1930-41 in the minors. 
• 1913 - Christy Mathewson was tagged for nine runs on 10 hits in five innings at Forbes Field as the Pirates took a 9-1 victory from New York. One Giants player speculated that manager John McGraw left his ace in so long because Matty had gone golfing at Schenley Park before the game, a sport that Muggsy thought was bad for pitchers’ arms. Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press wrote “Whether golf or something else was responsible, it is certain that Mathewson took the drubbing of his long career.” George McQuillan went the distance for the win. 
• 1926 - RHP Clem Labine was born in Lincoln, Rhode Island. The 13-year vet spent his last full-time days with the Bucs in 1960-61. The Pirates signed him in mid-August after the Tigers released him as a complement to ElRoy Face. In 15 games through the remainder of the season, he slashed 3-0-3/1.48, helping the Pirates to the pennant. After the ‘61 season (4-1-8/3.69), he finished out his MLB days, appearing in three games for the New York Mets in 1962 at the age of 35. One of the early closers who bloomed in the 50’s, his 96 career saves ranked fourth in major league history when he retired. Clem went on to work in the sporting goods business and died at the age of 80 in Florida, where he was still baseballin’ by taking part in a Dodger fantasy camp. 
• 1930 - In a roundabout manner, the Bucs sent 23-year-old OF Fred Brickell to Philadelphia for 26-year-old OF Denny Sothern. The trade deadline had passed, so both centerfielders had to be waived past the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds as both sat beneath the Pennsylvania clubs in the standings. But Boston had a young CF’er waiting in the wings and the Reds weren’t looking to add any late season payroll, so the waiver gambit worked as hoped. It was much ado about nothing - Southern was a fizzle, hitting .176 for the rest of the year for Pittsburgh before being sent to the minors; he played 19 games for Brooklyn in 1931 to finish his MLB career. Brickell was given through 1931 to earn a starting spot in Philly, but hit just .250. He got into 53 more games over the next two years and was released; he retired from baseball in 1936. 

Denny Sothern - 1930 TSN/Conlon Collection/Getty

• 1943 - Rip Sewell lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-3, at Sportsman’s Park, snapping his win streak at 11. Rip and his Eephus pitch would end up 21-9 that season, but he faded after the loss, finishing 4-5 for the remainder of the year, although he did post three saves to keep busy. 
• 1955 - C Steve Nicosia was born in Paterson, NJ. A platoon and reserve catcher, he was with Pittsburgh for six years (1978-83) after being selected in the first round of the 1973 draft. He wasn’t much of a lumberjack, hitting .248 as a Buc and getting just one knock in the 1979 World Series, though he did call and catch the seventh game victory. He also had an inexplicable knack for whacking Steve Carlton (.339 as a Buc), but despite that oddity, he was injury plagued and was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Milt May in 1983 before retiring in 1985. 
• 1957 - The third time was the charm as rookie manager Danny Murtaugh won his first MLB game when the Pirates snapped an eight-game losing streak by taking a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Forbes Field. Gene Freese belted a two-run homer and Bob Skinner chased home a pair of runs, providing Ronnie Kline enough support to go the distance for a five-hit victory while breaking his personal seven-game losing string. Murtaugh, who was hired on an interim basis after first base coach Clyde Sukeforth was offered the job but turned it down (Clyde recommended Danny), led the Bucs to a 26-25 record. The “Whistling Irishman” was named full-time manager for 1958, finished second and won the Associated Press Manager of the Year award. 
• 1966 - RHP Stan Belinda was born in Huntingdon, PA. The sidewinder started his career as a Buc (1989-93) after being a 10th round draft pick in 1986, posting a slash of 19-15-61/3.52 in Pittsburgh. Stan went on to have a 12-year MLB stay, mainly pitching in a set-up role. His stay is mainly remembered locally as being the guy who gave up Francisco Cabrera’s single to score Sid Bream with the winning run in the 1992 NLCS loss to Atlanta. He was traded at the 1993 deadline to Kansas City and tossed for six different clubs through the 2000 campaign, his last. 

• 1966 - Woodie Fryman was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Pride of the Pirates.” It was Fryman’s rookie campaign, and he put up a 12-9/3.83 slash during a year the Bucs won 92 games to finish the year third behind the Los Angeles Dodgers by three games. 
• 1972 - The Bucs swept a twin bill from the Montreal Expos by 8-0 and 7-2 tallies at Parc Jarry. Willie Stargell had two bombs and five RBI in the opener while Richie Hebner added three hits, easing the way for a complete game, seven-hit victory for Bob Moose. Pops and The Gravedigger were at it again in the nightcap as Willie homered and scored three times while Richie had three more hits, including a long ball, scored twice and chased home four runs. Bob Johnson got the dub with Ramon Hernandez taking over in the seventh inning to claim a save. The wins put the Pirates up by eight games over the New York Mets; they won the National League East by 11 games over the Cubs. 
• 1973 - Roberto Clemente was inducted into the Hall of Fame after the mandatory five-year waiting period was waived, with the ceremony shown live on Pittsburgh TV. His wife Vera delivered the acceptance speech. The Great One finished his career with 3,000 hits, a career average of .317 and won the National League batting title four times. He was presented with the Gold Glove Award 12 times and made the All-Star team 15 times. Arriba played in 14 World Series games and had at least one hit in each of those games, was the first Latin-born player to enter the Hall, has an MLB day and a campaign to “Retire #21." 
• 1974 - The Pirates were losing to the Mets 4-0 going into the seventh, then 7-3 going into the eighth, and were down 8-5 going into the ninth, but overcame each deficit to rally for a 9-8 victory in 11 innings at TRS. Their three runs in the seventh were the result of Rennie Stennett’s homer; the two in the eighth were chased home via a Bob Robertson blast, and the three in the ninth came after two were out and the bases empty. The Pirates then ran off five straight hits, with Manny Sanguillen’s two-run single taking it into extra innings. There wasn’t much drama for the walk off in the 11th - Gene Clines reached via an error and scored on another made on Mario Mendoza’s misplayed bunt to first. Daryl Patterson got the win for Pittsburgh after a pair of shutout frames; the Bucs chased Jerry Koosman and then hung the loss on Tug McGraw.