5/19: Giles Contract; Jhan Claimed; Petey Pop; JK Cycle; Jose Hot; Jim Gem; Arriba At Bat; Dale Starts It; Game Tales; John, Roberto Hurt; Clarke Shades; RIP Sam; HBD Ji-Man, Brandon, Ed, Fireball, Newt & Bud

• 1890 - As Pirates Prospects John Dreker noted in “This Date In Pirates History,” this day was a tough one for Pittsburgh baseball fans. Not only did the Alleghenys go down by an 18-2 score, but the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Player’s League lost big, too, 16-3. It launched the Alleghenys on an 11-game losing streak; the Burghers lost seven in a row. It was an omen for the Alleghenys, a club that finished at 23-113 in one of the worst campaigns in baseball history, while the Burgers muddled along, finishing sixth with a record of 60-68 in their only season. 
• 1897 - RHP Bernard Aloysius “Bud” Culloton was born in Kingston, New York. His big league time consisted of 13 outings (one start) for the Pirates from 1925-26 with a line of 0-1/3.28 in 24-2/3IP. He spent most of his last campaign at Class A New Haven before calling it a career. 
• 1901 - 2B Newt Allen was born in Austin, Texas. He spent over two decades playing in the Negro Leagues, almost entirely (17 of 20 pro seasons w/three All Star nods) with the Kansas City Monarchs. He spent the 1932 campaign suited up with the Homestead Grays and batted .250. 
• 1913 - RHP Theolic “Fireball” Smith was born in Wabbaseka, Arkansas. He began his career with the Pittsburgh Crawfords from 1936-38, going 4-11 in 16 starts. It was the start of a well-traveled career that lasted until the 1955 season with stops in the Negro, Mexican and Pacific Coast Leagues. Fireball was not only an All-Star pitcher several times over, but hit well enough to be used as an outfielder. His nickname described both his fastball and his quick temper. 
• 1915 - Player-manager Fred Clarke filed a patent application for flip down sunglasses that he designed to be used in the outfield that was granted on May 2nd, 1916. In addition to the shades, which the future Hall of Famer believes are "good for motorists, too", he also created and was issued patents for a sliding pad and a mechanical field tarpaulin. 

Fred Clarke - Helmar

• 1953 - RHP Sam Leever, who spent his entire 13-year career in Pittsburgh (1898-1910) died in his hometown of Goshen, Ohio. Leever went 194-100/2.43 and won 20+ games four times. Leever wasn’t a hard thrower, but his curve and outstanding control made him one of the era’s better hurlers. Mark Armour of SABR passed on this Leever tale: “In 1924 Leever was startled to discover that he was dead, or believed to be so. As reported in The Sporting News, "he had a great deal of enjoyment out of reading his own obituary, and he appreciates all the nice things that were said about him, but he insists that he is not even half-dead. In fact, Sam says he never felt better in his life, and he had no thought whatever of cashing in." The misinformation was due to the passing of a distant relative with the same name; Sam didn’t shuffle off this mortal coil until three decades later. 
• 1955 - RHP Ed Whitson was born in Johnson City, Tennessee. He never worked a full season during his 1977-79 tenure in Pittsburgh, compiling an 8-9-5/3.73 slash. But he lasted 13 years in the show as a fairly durable starter, even making an All-Star appearance as a SF Giant. He’s also noted for his stormy stretch as a Yankee, highlighted by an altercation with manager Billy Martin. 
• 1956 - Dale Long's ninth-inning home run against the Cubs’ Jim Davis was the first of eight consecutive games in which he homered, triggering an MLB record-setting power spree. The Bucs won the game, 7-4, at Forbes Field. Long also doubled and had four RBI while Nellie King picked up the victory. 
• 1959 - Roberto Clemente came out of the game with St. Louis at Busch Stadium complaining of elbow pain. He had been achy since camp (he believed it was an old battle scar that was acting up) and aggravated the injury with a hard landing while making a diving catch earlier against LA. The Great One missed several weeks of the campaign, not returning until July 9th, still sore but able to throw again. Clemente played in only 105 games and batted .296 that year, but recovered enough to play winter ball and was at 100% by the spring. 

Roberto Clemente - 1959 Nabisco

• 1970 - The Philadelphia Phillies snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Bucs with a 2-0 victory at Forbes Field. Lefty Chris Short fanned 10 and held the Bucs to four hits; two were by Manny Sanguillen, who found second base a sack too far when was thrown out stealing and nailed trying to stretch a long single into a double. Dock Ellis went the distance, giving up seven hits and a couple of small ball, two-out runs: a walk followed by two singles in the opening frame and a steal of home in the second set up by a forceout, steal and wild pitch. 
• 1971 - 36-year-old Roberto Clemente drilled Riverfront Stadium's first-ever inside-the-park home run off Gary Nolan. Clemente added a triple and two singles with three RBI and three runs to lead Pittsburgh to a 6-1 decision over the Reds, helping Bob Moose to the victory. 
• 1976 - The Pirates scored six runs in the last two innings to defeat the Cardinals, 7-6, at Busch Stadium. Richie Zisk had a double and a homer in the final two frames, giving him three hits, three RBIs and two scores to help Bob Moose claim the win in relief. Manny Sanguillen added three hits and walked twice. 
• 1977 - IF Brandon Inge was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. The Bucs grabbed him in 2013 in his 13th season, hoping that he could provide some bop off the bench. Instead, he hit .181 with one long ball and was released in July. He retired to raise his boys and work his 400-acre farm in Lynchburg. 
• 1981 - Jim Bibby tossed a near perfecto, giving up an end-of-the-bat blooper that fell between 2B Phil Garner and RF Mike Easler to Braves’ leadoff hitter Terry Harper and then retiring the next 27 batters in a 5-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves at TRS. There was a rain delay shortly after the knock and after the clouds quit crying, Bibby was perfect as he coaxed Atlanta to hit ‘em where they were; he only whiffed three Bravos. C Steve Nicosia called the game and had a pair of runs driven in while Mike Easler scored twice. Bibby single-handedly outhit the Braves with a pair of doubles. Just 5,514 slightly damp fans witnessed Big Jim’s gem. 

John Smiley - 1990 Kenner Starting Lineup

• 1990 - LHP John Smiley broke his finger when he closed a cab door on it in Atlanta and missed the next few weeks, not returning until July 1st. He had been 3-3/3.35 before the accident; he went 6-7/5.21 afterwards. But the lefty returned to his dominating ways in 1991, winning 20 games w/a 3.08 ERA, earning an All Star spot and finishing third in the Cy Young vote. 
• 1991 - 1B Ji-Man Choi was born in Incheon, South Korea. Signed by Seattle in 2010, Choi had played seven seasons for the Angels, Yankees, Brewers and Rays, who traded him to Pittsburgh in the 2022 offseason for minor league RHP Jack Hartman. Ji-Man was brought in to at least temporarily cover a gaping vacancy at first base, with a career slash of .239/115 OPS+. He slumped at the plate in the second half of the season for Tampa and had off season clean-out elbow surgery. His physical woes continued, though, as an Achilles injury landed him on the 60-day IL early in the season. He got into 23 games as a Bucco, hitting six homers but with a .205 BA. He and Rich Hill were packaged at the deadline and dealt to San Diego. He's now in the Mets system. 
• 1998 - Jose Silva won his third straight game, spinning an eight-inning, four-hit shutout over the Padres to take a 3-0 win at TRS, with Ricardo Rincon and Rich Loiselle closing it out. It was the Pirates league-leading sixth shutout of the year. Jose Guillen had a pair of hits, scoring once and chasing home a run. Jermaine Allensworth tripled and scored while making the big play of the game by running down a Steve Finley gapper at the track and turning the ticketed hit into a DP. Only one runner reached second against Jose, with two gone in the eighth. 
• 2000 - Jason Kendall hit for the cycle, the first and only one at TRS by a Bucco, and added five RBI as the Bucs beat the Cards, 13-1. He did his deed against three different St. Louis hurlers. The last Bucco cycle was by Gary Redus in 1989 at Riverfront Stadium. Kris Benson tossed a three-hitter and struck out 11 Redbirds in the win; four Pirates had two hits and Kevin Young went deep. 

Jason Kendall - 2000 SP Authentic

• 2000 - Before the game, the Bucs and Brian Giles agreed on a five-year contract worth $45M. He got a $5M signing bonus to be paid in 2001, originally an option year, and the remainder, minus deferred payments, paid out in $8M+ parcels through 2005. Giles was very good during that time, hitting 20+ homers with an OPS+ that never dropped under 145, but he was dealt before the deal expired when he was sent to San Diego in August of 2003 for Jason Bay and Ollie Perez. 
• 2009 - Washington rallied from a 5-0 deficit to tie the Bucs in the ninth but lost, 8-5, when future National Adam LaRoche doubled home a pair in the 10th off Joe Beimel, who became a Pirate reliever in 2011. Brandon Moss had three RBI and Andy LaRoche added two more in the win at Nationals Park. Tom Gorzelanny, who also made a later stop in DC, earned the victory. 
• 2015 - Pedro Alvarez became the third player, after Daryle Ward and Garrett Jones, to reach the Allegheny on the fly at PNC Park when his 461’ drive landed in a docked boat. Otherwise, the night didn’t go so well as Minnesota whipped the Bucs, 8-5. Frankie Liriano gave up seven runs in two innings, and the Bucs chipped away but could never put together a big inning. Pittsburgh had 13 hits but 11 K, 10 stranded runners and a 4-for-17 RISP performance. 
• 2017 - The Pirates claimed RHP Jhan Marinez off waivers from the Brewers. Marinez had a solid 2016 campaign working for Tampa Bay and Milwaukee (3.18 ERA in 46 appearances/62-1/3 IP) but after a slow start in 2017, the Brew Crew let him go. The multi-role reliever reacted well to the change of scenery, going 0-1/3.18 as a Bucco. But his peripherals weren’t that shiny, so the Bucs released him in August and he finished the year with the Rangers. He then turned to the Latin Leagues, and is now pitching for the Conspiradores de Querétaro of the Mexican League.