4/16: Browne-Bowman; Mr. Swat Debut; Game Tales - Orlando & Jay Grannies, Jose's 14Ks, Roberto Redemption, Barnburning, Dazzy Start, Sneak DP, Openers; HBD Bash, Keone, Babe, Big Poison & Piggy

• 1867 - Utilityman Frank “Piggy” Ward was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He made his first big league appearance at age 16 and played in 221 games over six years in the majors; six of them were with Pittsburgh in 1891 when he went 6-for-18 with three runs scored. Piggy set a record (since tied) in June of 1893 - he reached base a record 17 times (errors & force-outs not counted) in 17 consecutive plate appearances, with eight hits, eight walks and one hit by a pitch. To top it off, his three-day spree started as an Oriole and ended as a Red. Ward's overall pro career ran from 1883 to 1906, and he didn’t last many moons beyond it. A fall off a telephone pole he was working on in 1909 left him paralyzed and he finally passed away in 1912. 
• 1903 - The Pirates started the season off right, defeating the Reds, 7-1, behind a Deacon Phillippe two-hitter. Playing before 12‚000 fans at Cincinnati’s Palace of the Fans, it was the first of four straight wins over Cincy to open a season that would eventually take the Bucs to the first World Series against the Boston Americans. The team arrived with an entourage of 50 Pittsburgh rooters who came for the games and the action - one fan was said to have offered $1,000 wager on the game; there was no report on whether he found a Cincinnati taker. 
• 1903 - Hall-of-Fame RF Paul "Big Poison" Waner was born in Harrah, Oklahoma. He had a 20-year big league career, with the first 15 spent in Pittsburgh. As a Pirate, Waner compiled a line of .340/.407/.490. He was also the elder half of a legendary Bucco brother act, spending 14 years in the pasture with his baby bro “Little Poison” Lloyd, who was also Cooperstown-bound; they became the second pair of bros, behind George and Harry Wright, to enter the Hall. 

Paul Waner - 1960 Fleer

• 1908 - C Ernest “Babe” Phelps was born in Odenton, Maryland. Babe, a 10-year vet, joined former teammate Al Lopez with the Pirates in 1942 as part of the Arky Vaughan deal with Brooklyn and shared the backstop duties with Lopez, hitting .284 in 95 games. Babe was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for yet another Babe, veteran first sacker Babe Dahlgren, at the end of the year, but the 34-year-old Phelps never reported to his new club, instead retiring to end his MLB career. Babe batted .310 in the show with a .362 OBP & .472 slugging %, joining the NL All-Star Team from 1938-1940. He passed away in 1992 after being inducted into the Dodgers Hall of Fame (he played seven seasons for Brooklyn and was a fan favorite), the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame and the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame. And yes, our Babe did get his nickname from that slightly more noted Babe: Phelps was 6’2”, 235 pounds, and bore a passing resemblance to the Bambino, who he would become tight with later in his career. Cort Vitty of SABR wryly noted that “Later in his career, as his physique matured, Phelps would also be referred to as ‘Blimp.’" 
• 1912 - The Bucs booked the rare 5-3-7 DP at Redland Field, with LF Max “Scoops” Carey sneaking behind second base after a sac bunt to finish a twin killing after the lead runner took a wide turn. The Pirates claimed an 8-2 decision for their first victory after four defeats while handing Cincy its first loss. Marty O’Toole got the win, giving up five hits although walking seven; three DPs helped keep him out of trouble. Carey, Honus Wagner and George Gibson each had two hits. 
• 1915 - The Pirates gave 24-year-old rookie Dazzy Vance his first and only Pittsburgh start; he lost 4-2 to the Cincinnati Reds, facing 14 batters and walking five of them. They quickly sold him to the Yankees, who also gave up on him. But Dazzy was a classic late bloomer: when he was 31 and after arm surgery, he hit his stride with Brooklyn, winning double-digit games 10-of-11 years. Vance tossed until he was 44 on the road to 190 victories and a spot in the Hall of Fame. 

Pie Traynor - 1960 Fleer Greats

• 1929 - The Chicago Cubs drew their largest Opening Day crowd to date, an estimated 46,000 fans, but they didn’t help as the Cubbies lost to the Buccos, 4-3, at Wrigley Field. Burleigh Grimes went the distance for the win while Pie Traynor banged out three hits and scored twice. 
• 1935 - The Reds lobbied to have their Home Opener moved up to this day (the two teams were the only NL clubs not scheduled to open on the 16th), and the league office agreed. In a classic case of being careful what you wish for, Pittsburgh clocked Cincinnati, 12-6, in front of 27,400 at Crosley Field. Sam Byrd homered for the Bucs and Waite Hoyt picked up the win. The game was played on a cold, raw day that the Pittsburgh Press said was “...better suited for football than baseball.” The next day, the two teams caught a train and met again at Forbes Field for the Pirates Home Opener, and the Reds returned the favor, taking a 7-4 decision. 
• 1937 - The Pirates traded 1B/RF Earl Browne to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for LHP Joe Bowman. Bowman worked five years for the Bucs with a 33-38/4.35 record, splitting his time between starting and the pen while Browne’s last big league season was 1938. Bowman swung a good stick, too, batting .281 for the Pirates as an often-called-upon pinch hitter with 322 PA. 
• 1946 - 23-year-old Ralph Kiner made his MLB debut on Opening Day at St. Louis’ Sportsman Park, a 6-4 Bucco win. Ralph played center field (he was in the middle 75 times in ‘46 and then never again played the position, spending the rest of his big league days in left field) and went 1-for-4 with a walk. Mr. Swat hit .247 with a league-leading 23 long balls as a rookie. The future Hall-of-Famer led the NL in homers for a record seven straight seasons and Kiner’s 301 dingers during his eight-year Pirates career ranks second in club annals, behind Willie Stargell. 

Ralph Kiner - 2002 Fleer Greats

• 1953 - The Pirates beat the Phils in a 14-12 barnburner on Opening Day at Forbes Field. The Phillies scored nine runs in the top of the fifth and the Pirates came back with six in the bottom half to tie the NL record for runs in an inning. The Bucs added five more in the sixth to pull ahead. It was a team effort; all nine members of Pittsburgh’s starting lineup had at least one hit. Cal Abrams led the pack with three knocks while Danny O’Connell had three RBI. The last of five Bucco pitchers, Murry Dickson, got the win by working four scoreless frames to stop the bleeding. 
• 1958 - The Bucs opened the season by edging the defending World Series champs, the Milwaukee Braves, 4-3, at County Stadium. It took 14 innings before RC Stevens’ single chased home Dick Groat with the eventual winning tally. The game was started by Warren Spahn and Bob Friend, with the Bucs holding a 3-2 lead after scoring in the ninth frame, but the Braves tied it against ElRoy Face in their half. Rookies Ron Blackburn and Curt Raydon tossed zeroes over the final four frames, with Blackburn getting the win and Raydon the save. 
• 1962 - Roberto Clemente's three-run homer in the fifth propelled the Bucs to a 6-5 win over Chicago at Wrigley Field, redeeming himself for a first-inning error that allowed a run to plate. Diomedes Olivo was credited with the win over the Cubs in relief of starter Bob Veale. Bill Virdon had three knocks while Dick Groat, Dick Stuart and Don Hoak each chipped in a pair of hits. 
• 1985 - Jose DeLeon tied the Bucco record for most strikeouts thrown in a game by a right-handed pitcher (Bob Moose set the mark in 1969) as he whiffed 14 Mets at TRS. He gave up four hits without a run or walk in eight innings of work. The effort fell short, though, as the Pirates went down, 1-0, victims of a Ron Darling/Jesse Orosco one-hitter. John Candelaria took the loss in relief. 

Jose DeLeon - 1986 Fleer

• 1993 - RHP Keone Kela was born in Los Angeles. The Texas closer joined the Bucs at the 2018 deadline, coming east in return for minor league LHP Taylor Hearn and PTBNL. He quickly stepped in as the Pirates eighth inning arm, going 0-1/2.93 in 16 appearances before being shut down in mid-September with a case of dead arm. KK continued to be hounded, first by Covid 19 and then arm woes, in 2020 before moving on to San Diego the following season. After a brief stop with the Dodgers in ‘22, then signed in Japan and is now tossing in Mexico. 
• 1993 - RHP Tyler “Bash” Bashlor was born in Springfield, Georgia. After two years with the New York Mets (0-6/5.33, 48 games), he was sold to Pirates in early August and called up to the big club two weeks later. Bash featured a mid-nineties fastball and control problems. He was released in April, 2021, spent ‘22 in the Minnesota Twins system and has been a FA since. 
• 1996 - Orlando Merced and Jay Bell both hit grand slams at Busch Stadium to lead the Bucs to a 13-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Pittsburgh banged out 20 knocks, led by Jeff King with four raps while Merced, Carlos Garcia, Al Martin and Keith Osik added three hits apiece. Zane Smith coasted to the victory and Jon Lieber worked the final three frames for the save.