9/20 Through the 1960s: Moose, Maddox No-No's; Blass 2-Hitter; Friend K Mark; Pop's 1st Hit; Burleigh's Last Bow; Gems & Game Tales; HBD Randy, Dennis, Vic & Red

• 1907 - In his third big league start, Nick Maddox became the first Pirate pitcher to throw a nine-inning no-hitter (Lefty Leifield in 1906 and Howie Camnitz in ‘07 tossed shortened and thus unofficial no-nos) by defeating the Brooklyn Superbas, 2-1, at Exposition Park. At the age of 20 years and 10 months, Maddox was the youngest pitcher and the second rookie to throw a full-game no-hitter. Errors by Maddox and Honus Wagner gave Brooklyn their run; Fred Clarke had both Bucco hits, but neither figured in the scoring as the Pittsburgh runs were also unearned. 
• 1916 - IF Red Juelich was born in St. Louis. Red played four years in the Cards’ minor league system and then got his shot with the Pirates in 1939, where he was a bench 3B/SS, hitting .239 in 17 games. Juelich stayed in the Pirates system at AA for the next three campaigns before dropping off the roster after 1942. Red, as you may have guessed, was a ginger. 
• 1922 - LHP Vic Lombardi was born in Reedley, California. He put in three good years with the Dodgers and a workmanlike season with the Bucs in 1948 (10-9/3.70) but went downhill over the next two years to put up a slash line of 15-19/4.56 in Pittsburgh. Branch Rickey offered him a 1951 contract with a 25% cut; Lombardi didn’t take it and that was the end of his MLB career as he took his services to Hollywood of the Pacific Coast League. 
• 1924 - The Pirates edged Brooklyn, 5-4, in 11 innings at Ebbets Field to end Dazzy Vance's 15-game winning streak. Pie Traynor singled with two gone in the 11th‚ and Rabbit Maranville lined a ball to center that got past the Robins’ outfielder Eddie Brown, who whiffed on a shoestring effort to glove the ball. Pie came in with the game winner, touching home for the third time during the game. Wilbur Cooper went the distance for the win. It wasn't quite enough for the Bucs, though. They cut the front-running Giants' lead to 1-1/2 games, but finished three games off the pace as they followed the win by dropping an extra-inning game to da Bums and then being swept in a high stakes three-game set by New York. 

Pie Traynor - 1925 photo Bain/Library of Congress

• 1925 - Owner Barney Dreyfuss and the City announced a deal that would allow the Pirates to build temporary bleachers for the World Series at Forbes Field (The location around FF was considered dedicated parkland and needed a city OK for any changes in use). The ballyard had just added 10,000 seats in right field before the season and were permitted to add 6,000 more seats at the princely price of $1.10 for the Fall Classic, bringing the field up to a fan capacity of 41,000. 
• 1934 - In a 2-1 loss to the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, Burleigh Grimes made his last appearance, working a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a whiff. Not only did it mark the end of a 19-year career that led to the Hall of Fame, but also the end of an era. Grimes was the last legal spitballer standing after the pitch had been outlawed starting in 1921. 17 practitioners, including Grimes, were grandfathered into the ruling and allowed to serve a wet one at will. 
• 1941 - RHP Dennis Ribant was born in Detroit. The Pirates got Ribant in 1967 from the Mets in exchange for vet Don Cardwell, and Dennis got his last real rotation shot with the Pirates, getting the ball 38 times, 22 as a starter. His line was 9-8/4.08, and he was sent to Motown by the Bucs after the year, with the Tigers giving up Dave Wickersham. Ribant was flipped to reliever, had a couple of so-so seasons with four different clubs and his six-year career ended after 1969. 
• 1942 - In the only Negro League World Series game they would take from the powerhouse Kansas City Royals, the Homestead Grays added four new players to their roster for the game at Ruppert Stadium in Kansas City: pitcher Leon Day, RF Ed Stone, SS Bus Clarkson and 2B Lennie Pearson. They replaced four players the Gray lost for the series: SS Sam Bankhead (injury), OF Dave Whatley, IF Matt Carlisle (both entered the service) and pitcher Wilmer Fields (he returned to college), with pitcher Roy Partlow and corner IF Jud Wilson were playing hurt. The surprise additions carried the day, 4-1, to keep the series alive after the Grays had lost the three previous contests with Day the winning pitcher and player/manager Vic Harris the hitting hero. The Monarchs were not very good losers, protested the game and their beef was upheld to erase the first (and as it ended up, only) Homestead victory. Game 4 was replayed a few days later and resulted in a 9-5 series-sweeping win by KC. The Grays came back to take the next two titles. 

Bob Friend - 1956 Topps

• 1956 - The seventh place Pirates edged Milwaukee, 2-1, in 10 innings at Forbes Field. It was a classic spoiler win, as the Braves eventually lost the pennant on the last day of the season by one game to the Dodgers. Bob Friend held the Braves to four hits for the complete game victory. 
• 1958 - The Pirates won their seventh straight game with a 4-3 victory over the Phils at Connie Mack Stadium with the teams staging a wild and wooly ninth. The Bucs went ahead 4-2 on a one-out DP; the Phils 1B Ed Bouchee tagged first after fielding Bill Virdon’s grounder with Buccos on the corners; Ducky Schofield was heads up enough to get into a rundown after the force was removed to allow Dick Groat to score an insurance run that proved crucial. In the bottom of the ninth, ElRoy Face gave up a run and had the bases loaded with an out. He got a short pop for the second out and Danny Murtaugh waved Bob Smith in to match up against Bouchee, who had whacked three doubles during the day. Smith caught him looking to close the book. The Bucs clinched second with the win, the highest finish for the club since 1944. And good thing, too - they went on to lose the final five games of the campaign though they did finish 84-70. 
• 1960 - Bob Friend beat the Phillies, 7-1, as the opener of a doubleheader sweep at Connie Mack Stadium, and set a new club record for strikeouts in a season with 179 during the match (he ended the campaign with 183; Bob Veale's 276 in 1965 blew that mark away). The old high was held by RHP Claude Hendrix with 176, set in 1912. Friend tossed a complete game and fanned six. The nightcap was a 3-2 squeaker, with Hal Smith’s eighth-inning solo shot earning the dub for Clem Labine, who tossed three scoreless innings in relief of Harvey Haddix. Bob Skinner drove home the other tallies with a pair of two-out singles. 
• 1960 - RHP Randy Kramer was born in Palo Alto, California. Kramer was drafted by the Rangers in 1982, joining the Bucs in the 1986 off season for P Keff Zaske. He worked four seasons in the majors for the Pirates, Cubs, and Mariners. The righty spent most of his time as a Bucco long man/spot starter from 1988-90, slashing 6-12-2/4.22 in 52 outings. He retired after the 1994 campaign, then coached in the indie leagues, high school & college and scouted for the Blue Jays. 

Randy Kramer - 1989 Score Rising 100

• 1962 - Rookie Willie Stargell collected his first hit, a triple that scored Bob Skinner. Young Willie had youthful happy feet and was thrown out at home trying for an inside-the-park HR. The Bucs had to rally in the ninth to take a 4-3 win at Forbes Field against the Cincinnati Reds. Pittsburgh scored three times to come back, thanks to a two-out boot by 3B Eddie Kasko that allowed one run to score, followed by a two-run, game-winning double by the Tiger, Don Hoak. 
• 1966 - The Pirates turned four double plays against the Giants at Candlestick Park, helping Vern Law to a 6-0 win. The first twin killing set a NL record at 199, and the Bucs ended the year with 215 double plays. Bill Mazeroski and Gene Alley both won Gold Gloves that season, with Maz participating in 161 plays that turned two and Alley taking part in 128 of the two-fers. 
• 1968 - Steve Blass spun a two-hitter against Chicago at Forbes Field and Jose Pagan banged a two-run homer to carry the Pirates to a 5-0 win at Forbes Field. Blass went all the way for his 17th win, striking out eight and allowing just two Cubbies to reach second as he topped Fergie Jenkins. Pagan’s blast was the key to a four-run second inning while Maury Wills, who stole his 50th sack of the campaign, Roberto Clemente and Gene Alley each had two hits. 
• 1969 - At New York's Shea Stadium, Bob Moose stopped the pennant-bound Mets cold, 4-0, tossing a no-hitter, the third in club history. He walked three with six whiffs. The only ball hit hard enough to cause concern was a belt hit by Wayne Garrett in the sixth inning, but the wind held it up and Roberto Clemente took care of the rest, leaping against the wall to reel in the horsehide. Two of the Pirates’ four runs scored on wild pitches by Gary Gentry as the Bucs only collected six hits themselves; their big frame (a three-run fourth) consisted of two walks, a single, a bopped batter, stolen base, the wayward tosses and a productive bouncer.