- 1882 - The Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the American Association, the forefathers of the Pirates, played its first major league (the AA was an early big league outfit) Home Opener at Exposition Park. Pittsburgh took a 9-5 decision from the St. Louis Cards. Harry Arundel scattered a dozen hits and went the distance for the win. The top of the order provided the spark as Ed Swartwood, Billy Taylor and Jack Leary combined for eight of the Alleghenys’ 12 hits. The Allies finished the year at 39-39, finishing fourth in the AA’s first season and jumped to the NL in 1887.
- 1913 - Utilityman Al Rubeling was born in Baltimore. Rubeling, who played for the Philly A’s in 1940-41, was with Pittsburgh from 1943-44 and batted .253. He was mostly a bench guy, getting some 70 starts over the two years, and his MLB career ended after his Pirates days with the return of the wartime players, although he played seven more seasons in the minors.
- 1914 - RHP Russ Bauers was born in Townsend, Wisconsin. He pitched for the Bucs from 1936-41, and in 1937-38 went 26-20, appearing in 74 games (53 starts) and working 430-2/3 IP with an ERA of 2.98. In 1939, he pitched well but only made 15 outings for 53-2/3 innings after hurting his arm in a car accident. The Pirates released him in 1941, and he became a minor league mainstay after the war - he was in the service from 1942 to ‘45 - pitching briefly at the MLB level in 1946 and again in 1950. Russ tossed in the minors until 1954, when he turned 40.
- 1918 - LHP Earl Hamilton had a sizzling start to the campaign, winning his sixth straight complete game start by a 4-2 tally at Forbes Field over the New York Giants while compiling an ERA of 0.83. But alas for the Bucs, it would be his last start of the season as Earl went off to join the Navy. Hamilton wasn’t marching alone on the drill field; 17 Buccos ended up serving in the Army or Navy before the 1918 season finished. He was back for the following year and tossed until 1923 for the Pirates, slashing 55-55-7/3.35 over his six-year Pittsburgh run before ending his MLB days with Philly the next year.
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| O'Brien twins - undated photo/Sports Collectibles |
- 1953 - Bonus baby IFs Eddie and Johnny O'Brien become the MLB’s first twins to play for the same team in the same game when Johnny entered the nitecap of a twin bill to play second base and Eddie later pinch ran (and scored). The sibling karma didn’t carry over as the Bucs were swept by the New York Giants, 4-0 and 3-2, at the Polo Grounds. The Pirates have had several same-season brother acts: Beside the O’Briens (1953, 55-58), there were Harry & Howie Camnitz (1909), Carson & Lyle Bigbee (1921), Johnny & Phil Morrison (1921), Paul & Lloyd Waner (1927-40), Gene & George Freese (1955) and Andy & Adam LaRoche (2008). The franchise's sibling tradition dates its beginning back to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys’ infielders Henry & John Gilbert in 1890.
- 1955 - RHP Alex Perinis, a local lad who lived on Dawson Street in Oakland and pitched for the Schenley HS Spartans, tossed a no-hitter for Class D Pirates affiliate Brunswick of the Georgia-Florida League, defeating Cordele, 1-0. It wasn’t exactly a thing of beauty; the 20-year-old K’ed 10 and walked 11. Alex went 6-4/2.04 that year, and while four pitchers from the Brunswick staff eventually appeared in the majors, Alex wasn’t one of them. He topped out at Class C and after four campaigns, 1957 was his last year of pro ball.
- 1964 - Steve Blass scattered two hits in five scoreless innings of relief while making his MLB debut in the back game of a doubleheader against Milwaukee at Forbes Field (he would make his first start on the 18th). Tommie Sisk started the game but was chased after giving up five runs in the first inning without retiring a batter. The Bucs scored once in the bottom of the first, twice in the eighth and three times in the final frame to rally for a 6-5 win, capped by a two-out, walk-off single by Willie Stargell. Roberto Clemente homered with three RBI and Al McBean claimed the win. The Braves bombed the Bucs in the opening match, 11-5.
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| Steverino - 1966 Topps |
- 1966 - The second place Bucs lost, 2-1, in 15 innings to the front-running Giants at Forbes Field. Tied in the 15th, the G-Men got a Tom Haller single to open the frame off Bob Purkey. A bunt put runners at first and second when the force at second was late, and they were loaded when a swinging bunt rolled into center. A one-out sac fly gave San Fran the lead. The Pirates tried to rally, putting runners on the corners with an out, but Andre Rodgers, pinch hitting for Willie Stargell (lefty & ex-Bucco Joe Gibbon was on the hill, and Pops’ early splits against same siders was pretty poor) banged into a 6-4-3 DP to end the game. It was so cold out that the Giant bullpen started a fire to keep warm. It also marked a rarity for that era: a now banned infield shift, as Harry Walker stationed three of his infielders between second and third against the Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays.
- 1969 - LHP Pete Schourek was born in Austin, Texas. He pitched for the Pirates toward the end of his 11-year career, slashing 4-7/5.34 in 1999 after signing a $2M free-agent deal. He was released during camp the following season and ended his big-league run with a two-year stint with the Red Sox after toeing the slab for five teams over 11 campaigns. Pete won 18 games for the Mets in 1995, but a set of nagging injuries left him as a journeyman hurler in ensuing campaigns.
- 1978 - Bert Blyleven had his hook working at Candlestick Park, tossing a complete game six-hitter (all singles) and fanning a dozen Giants on the way to a 5-1 victory. It was also a big day for 37-year-old Willie Stargell, who chased home a pair of runs with a double to tie Roberto Clemente for second in Pirate career RBIs with 1,305. Hans Wagner (1,475) was the only Bucco ahead of the pair, and Willie would bypass the Dutchman with 1,540 before his last swing in 1982.
- 1979 - OF Tony Alvarez was born in Caracas, Venezuela. A Top Bucco Ten prospect, Alvarez played in both the World Baseball Classic and the Futures Game. But his five-tool resume didn’t carry over in the show. He made two brief appearances in Pittsburgh in 2002 and again in 2004, hitting .250 in 38 games, and that was the sum of his big league career. Tony may have just had too many irons stuck in the fire, marrying three Miss Venezuela’s in succession, and in 2009 he became a noted reggae artist under the stage name of El Potro Alvarez. In 2014, he was named Venezuela’s Minister of Youth and Sports.
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| Tony Alvarez - 2003 Fleer Platinum |
- 1980 - Kent Tekulve was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Buc Stopper.” The article didn’t preface a great campaign but rather a workmanlike year by Teke standards. He was named to his only All-Star game while slashing a solid 8-12-21/3.39 line in 78 outings.
- 1984 - Pittsburgh defeated the Giants, 4-2, at TRS behind some clutch bullpen work. Don Robinson inherited a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the eighth from Cecilio Guante and got a pop up and DP. In the ninth, Robinson left the sacks juiced with two out for Teke, who retired Joel Youngblood on a fly to ice the win. Dale Berra homered and drove in three runs to spark the offense.
- 1989 - In a minor deal, the Pirates sent struggling infielder Ken Oberkfell (.125 BA) to the San Francisco Giants for Roger Samuels (1-2/3.47). Oberkfell was rejuvenated, hitting .319 for the G-Men before finishing his career in 1992 after stops at Houston and California. Samuels worked 3-2/3 IP for the Pirates and was shellacked, never appearing in the show again.
- 2000 - Wil Cordero, Kevin Young and Pat Meares teamed up to lead the Bucs to a 13-9 victory over the Mets at TRS. Cordero went 5-for-5 with four RBI and three runs; Young went 4-for-5 with two runs driven in and four runs scored and Meares went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and runs. Cordero had a HR and double, Young a long ball and Meares banged a three-bagger.
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