4/12 From 1960: Game Tales - Jim & Chuck's #1, Big Bob Gem, Otto 1sts, Trips, Openers, Sammy Smash; HBD DJ, Jeff & Jerry

• 1964 - C Jerry Goff was born in San Rafael, California. The journeyman spent the middle of his six-year MLB career (1993-94) as a Pirate, batting .210 in 22 games, doing most of his Bucco backstopping at AAA Buffalo. Jerry’s now a fireman in California. Sports chops run deep in the Goff genes - his son, Jared, was drafted first overall in the 2016 NFL draft and is a QB for the Detroit Lions. 
• 1965 - Bob Bailey hit a lead-off, walk-off homer to give Bob Veale a 1-0 win in 10 innings over the Giants’ Juan Marichal at Forbes Field in the Bucco Opener. The two twirlers were spectacular, going the distance while combining to surrender just eight hits and a walk while whiffing 19 batters; Big Bob gave up three singles and fanned 10. The 28,189 fans witnessed the first time in club history that the Pirates won a walk-off Home Opener by a score of 1-0. 
• 1966 - The Pirates helped christen Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium by beating the Braves, 3-2, in 13 innings before a crowd of 50,671 on Opening Day. The game-winning blow was a two-run dinger by Willie Stargell off Tony Cloninger to give Don Schwall the win behind starter Bob Veale and fireman ElRoy Face. The Baron in the ninth and Schwall in the 11th had to work their way out of bases-loaded jams to secure the victory. All five runs were driven in by homers; Jim Pagliaroni went long for the Pirates and Joe Torre hit a pair of solo shots for Atlanta. 
• 1976 - LHP Jeff Wallace was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He tossed for the Bucs in 1997 and 1999-2000 after sitting out a year due to injury. His slash with the Bucs was 3-0/4.67, and control was his stumbling block - as a Pirate, he walked 80 batters in 86-2/3 IP. Wallace worked 90 games with the Pirates without picking up a loss, the most outings without a defeat in team history. He spent 2001 with the Tampa Bay Rays in his last MLB gig and retired the following year after a stint in Boston’s minor league system, returning home to Wheeling. 

Jeff Wallace - 1998 Bowman

• 1977 - It took four tries, but new Bucco skipper Chuck Tanner finally claimed his first win at the Pittsburgh helm when the Pirates took a 2-1 win from the Expos at TRS. Duffy Dyer’s fifth-inning single scored Phil Garner to give Jerry Reuss a 1-0 lead, but two old Buccos, Dave Cash and Tim Foli, singled to chase home the tying run in the seventh. Kent Tekulve and Goose Gossage took over after that to keep Montreal off the board, and Rennie Stennett’s one-out double in the bottom of the ninth plated Dave Parker with the walk-off game winner. It was a sadly typical April crowd for the Buccos; the afternoon contest drew just 4,042 fans although game-time temperatures were in the 80’s. 
• 1977 - RHP DJ Carrasco was born in Safford, Arizona. He worked part of the 2010 campaign for Pittsburgh after signing on as a free agent and was solid, going 2-2/3.88 in 45 outings before being flipped to Arizona. The Bucco stint was a homecoming of sorts as DJ had spent four seasons in the Pirates system before being lost to the KC Royals in the 2002 Rule 5 Draft. He tossed his last MLB game in 2012 for the Mets, closing out a nine-year career. 
• 1983 - In the eighth inning of the Home Opener, Bill Madlock took a long lead off first with 1B Keith Hernandez playing well behind him. Bruce Sutter checked the runner and spun off the mound to chase him back - and beat him to the bag for an unassisted pickoff! The Bucs lost to the Cards, 4-3, in 10 innings. Pittsburgh had the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the 10th, but Madlock hit a comebacker 1-2-3 double play and Gene Tenace flew out to turn out the lights. They blew another golden chance in the sixth with the bases juiced and one out when Tony Pena banged into a 4-6-3 DP. 
• 1985 - In their first night Home Opener, the Bucs prevailed over the Cards, 6-4, at TRS. A crowd of 47,335 watched Maz (in a tux!) throw out the first pitch and Jason Thompson mash a two-run homer. Starter John Candelaria came on to save Don Robinson’s win; the game was started by Larry McWilliams. Doug Frobel and Tony Pena led the attack with a pair of hits each. 

Jason Thompson - 1984 Nestles

• 1986 - The Pirates beat the Cubs at TRS, 3-1, behind Rick Rhoden, whose effort gifted Jim Leyland his first MLB win as skipper. Matt Keough was also sharp; the game wasn’t decided until the eighth when Johnny Ray banged a two-out, three-run shot off Lee Smith. The milestone was witnessed by just 5,623 fans thanks to both chilly weather and a chilly reception to the drug trials.
• 1993 - Dave Otto won his first start as a Buc (he was a minor league draft pick claimed from the Indians) by a 4-2 count over San Diego at Jack Murphy Stadium. He gave up two runs and four hits over six innings after being staked to an early 3-0 lead, keyed by a Kevin Young triple. Dave also got his first MLB hit and RBI to help himself. He started off strongly while place-holding the injured Zane Smith’s rotation spot, but ended the year 3-4/5.03 in his only Pirates campaign. 
• 2002 - Cubbie Sammy Sosa set the PNC Park long-distance record with a three-run, 484’ home run in the sixth inning off Dave Williams to break a tie and key a 7-3 Chicago victory. The box score told the game’s tale; the Pirates managed just five hits while the Cubs cranked out three homers. 
• 2009 - With runners on the move from first and second base, the Reds' Edwin Encarnacion's liner to Pirates' SS Jack Wilson was turned into a triple play (Wilson-Freddy Sanchez-Adam LaRoche), the Bucs' first since 1993. Pittsburgh still lost at Great American Ball Park by a 2-0 score on Aaron Harang’s three-hitter w/nine whiffs, the first MLB shutout of the year. The game’s only runs came on a first-inning, two-out, two-run homer by Brandon Phillips off Ian Snell.