5/22 From 1960: Ducky-Jose; Frankie Afire; Swattin' Starg; Workin' OT; Game Tales; Erin Go Danny; Pete v Chuck; HBD Corey, Rick, Julian & Jose

• 1965 - The Pirates sent IF Dick Schofield to the Giants for IF Jose Pagan. Pagan spent seven years with Pittsburgh, hitting .263 as a jack-of-all-trades and driving in the winning run in the seventh game of the 1971 World Series before coaching for the Bucs. Ducky played until 1971, but the light-hitting utilityman only batted above .221 twice during that span, most notably in 1960 when he swatted .333 replacing the injured SS Dick Groat late in the season. 
• 1966 - RHP Jose Mesa was born in Pueblo Viejo, Dominican Republic. The two-time All-Star and 1995 Reliever of the Year (he had 46 saves for Cleveland with a 1.13 ERA) signed with the Pirates late in his 19-year major league career, looking for a place where he could again compete as a closer. He won the job in Pittsburgh and during the 2004-05 campaigns, Jose picked up 70 more saves to carry him past 300 career saves, although with a 3.93 ERA and 12 blown saves. He played two more seasons as a set-up man for the Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, and Philadelphia Phillies before retiring in 2007. 
• 1968 - With the wind blowing out at Wrigley Field, the Pirates came from four runs down to defeat the Chicago Cubs, 13-6. Willie Stargell hit three home runs and just missed a fourth, drilling a double that bounced off the left field top railing. Pops also smacked a single for 15 total bases and seven RBI on the day. Bill Mazeroski had three hits and scored twice; Jerry May had two knocks and a walk, scoring three times. Tommie Sisk was credited with the win in relief of starter Jim Bunning, but Dave Wickersham did the heavy lifting in Wrigleyville, spinning five innings of three-hit ball and yielding one unearned run, taking the long road to earn a save. 
• 1971 - Willie Stargell was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Streaking Slugger.” The Captain wasn’t all that streaky but solid as a rock: he hit .295 w/48 HR and 125 RBI, and finished second in the National League MVP race to the St. Louis Cardinals’ Joe Torre. 

Julian Taveras - 2003 photo Ezra Shaw/Getty

• 1973 - RHP Julian Tavarez was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Tavárez had been a starter, but suffered a shoulder injury in 2002 as a Marlin that he tried but couldn’t pitch through. The 30-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Pirates the following season. They converted him to the bullpen (where he had started his career) and he put up a career-high 11 saves, going 3-3-11/3.63. The Bucs lost him to free agency the next year when he signed with the Cards. Julian had a 17-year MLB run, playing for 11 teams before his final campaign in 2009. 
• 1976 - In a 16-inning marathon, the Pirates defeated the Cubs at TRS, 4-3, in the longest game of the season. With one out in the 16th, an unlikely duo cashed in: Mario Mendoza lofted a sac fly to left field to score Willie Stargell from third base with the winning run. The score had been tied since the fifth inning as starter Bruce Kison along with relievers Dave Guisti and game-winner Bob Moose shut out the Cubs for 10 straight frames. Pops banged out three hits, including a homer, scored twice and drove in a pair. Richie Zisk also went long. 
• 1985 - The Post Gazette reported that there was a “rift” between GM Pete Peterson and manager Chuck Tanner. Both claimed it was just the usual give-and-take, denying that it was a big deal (Chuck said “Pete’s the boss...no two people always agree” and Pete saying “...there will be disagreements...it happens.”) Still, the bickering cost both guys - Pete was dismissed in May and his spot was taken by Joe Brown temporarily, then Syd Thrift in 1986, while Tanner was ushered out after the season, replaced by Jim Leyland. Better to sing from the same hymnal... 
• 1985 - RHP Henricus "Rick" van den Hurk was born in Eindhoven, Netherlands. He was signed as a 17-year-old international FA by the Marlins and spent parts of four seasons with the Fish. Rick moved on to Baltimore for two more campaigns, ending his MLB chapter in 2012 with the Bucs, where in four outings he lasted 2-2/3 innings, giving up four runs. He later was signed by the Japanese League in 2015, where Rick pitched through 2021 for three teams. 

Corey Dickerson - 2018 Pirates graphic

• 1989 - OF McKenzie Corey Dickerson was born in McComb, Mississippi. Dickerson, who had played five seasons for the Rockies and Rays, came to Pittsburgh in a 2018 deal for RHP Daniel Hudson, minor league 2B Tristan Gray and cash. He was an All-Star in 2017, batting .280 with 27 HR, but had a Jekyll and Hyde campaign, hitting .312 at the halfway post and then slumping to .241 through the dog days. He was penciled into LF, filling in the hole left by the Andrew McCutchen trade, and started from Opening Day until a shoulder injury sidelined him at the start of the 2019 campaign. He was moved to the Phils at the deadline and then signed with the Marlins in 2020. Corey played for Toronto in ‘21, the Cards in ‘22, then the Nats. He’s an FA this year. 
• 1990 - Trying to punch up his lineup against lefties, Jim Leyland flipped the batting spots of Jeff King and Barry Bonds, leading off with King and batting Bonds fifth. It was kind of a wash for Jeff, who walked and scored, but it paid off for Barry, whose grand slam - his first MLB grannie, and the Bucs first in the Astrodome since Roberto Clemente’s 1969 grand salami - was one of two big blows that led the Bucs to an 8-4 win over the Astros. The other key shot was Jay Bell’s bases loaded triple, one of three knocks by Jay on the day. Winner Neal Heaton started and lasted into the seventh, with Bill Landrum finishing the job.  
• 2013 - Francisco Liriano outdueled the Cubs Jeff Samardzija, 1-0, at PNC Park. The only run scored in the first, when with two outs Andrew McCutchen doubled and Garrett Jones singled him home. Liriano gave up two hits, a walk, and K’ed nine in seven innings with Tony Watson and Mark Melancon closing it out. It was only the second time in Pirates history that a pitcher began his career by allowing a run or less in his first three outings, the other being Dave LaPoint in 1988. 
• 2023 - The Pirates rode a couple of firsts to a 6-4 victory over the Texas Rangers at PNC Park. 24-year-old righty Luis Ortez won his first MLB game, going 7-2/3 innings while giving up two runs on five hits and fanning four. The Pittsburgh attack was carried by Tucupita Marcano, who banged his first big league grand slam in the seventh frame while Carlos Santana & Connor Joe also chipped in RBIs. It took Ortiz seven starts over two seasons to claim win #1.

Luis Ortiz - 2023 Topps

• 2024 - Long-time off and on Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame at PNC Park during pre-game ceremonies celebrating Irish Heritage Night on the North Shore. The Whistlin’ Irishman hit .264 in his four seasons as a Pirates infielder, and his record as the field general through four Bucco stints (1957-76) was 1,115-950/.540 in 15 campaigns with a pair of World Series titles and five pennant flags.