7/13 Through 1974: Roberto Sixer, Law-Man, Double-0, Game Tales; Hurler Honus, Pops, Deac, Vin DiMag & ASGs; HBD Clint, Rich, Frank, Jeep, Jiggs & John

• 1866 - 2B John O’Brien (and no, he’s not one of the O’Brien twins who played in the ‘50s) was born in St. John, New Brunswick. He finished his six-year big league run with the Pirates in 1899, batting .226 after being bought from the Orioles in mid-June. His pro career stretched from 1889-1904 when he played his last campaign for Lawrence in the New England League. 
• 1879 - 1B/C John “Jiggs” Donahue was born in Springfield, Ohio. He started his nine-year MLB career with Pittsburgh as a LH catcher from 1900-01, going 2-for-10 before being released and moving on to the Milwaukee Brewers. Donahue had his best years from 1904 to 1908 after switching to first base for the Chicago White Sox. His glove work was a key to the Sox 1906 World Series championship team (aka the “Hitless Wonders”) as he led AL-1B in fielding %, assists, and putouts from 1905-07; he was by consensus as the best fielder at first of his era and among the best at the spot all-time. He wasn’t lost at the plate, either, batting .267 during that span. Per Mark Miller of SABR, here’s how his moniker came about: As a teen, John worked at a cigar store and when the store wasn’t busy, he stepped outside and did dance steps. Customers started calling him Jiggers, after the sand flea known as a jigger (apparently because of the hopping around he did while dancing). The nickname was later shortened to Jiggs. Donahue died at age 34, the victim of syphilis he had contracted while living in Chicago’s fast lane. 
• 1888 - Harry Staley and Pud Galvin of the Alleghenys became the first pitchers to toss a doubleheader shutout by blanking the Boston Beaneaters, 4-0 and 6-0, at Recreation Park in front of 3,000 fans. It was the fifth shutout in six games for the Alleghenys as Staley fired a three-hitter and Galvin gave up just an eighth-inning knock. The Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette wrote that “If the Hubbys came up on a goose egg hunt, they were eminently successful.” The paper carried a pair of sidebar stories - before the matches began, the Boston mascot/bat boy was found outside the park by Galvin and Mike Donlin, who tossed him over the fence into the field, no reason given. The paper added that “The only mishap was reported by umpire Daniels who says some gentleman, or something else, stole his mask, thus leaving him exposed to the cold charity of the pitchers.” 

Hans - 2018 Topps Hall of Fame Gallery

• 1900 - The Philadelphia Athletics took BP against Sam Leever and Jack Chesbro at Exposition Park and pounded their way to a 20-4 lead after five innings. Fred Clarke then sent his right fielder to the mound, Hans Wagner, to save some Bucco arms. Wagner, who wouldn’t claim the shortstop spot until the following season, had pitched a bit as a semi-pro and did OK for his first MLB outing. He tossed two shutout frames before giving up three runs in the eighth inning (all unearned) and the game was called with the scoreboard reading 23-8. The Flying Dutchman would make one more appearance on the hill in 1902, spinning 5-1/3 IP and giving up two unearned runs. His line wasn’t bad at all for a mop-up guy: 8-1/3 IP, seven hits, six walks and six K. The five unearned scores left him with a 0.00 ERA; he’s the only Hall of Famer with a career zero ERA. 
• 1913 - IF Lee “Jeep” Handley was born in Clarion, Iowa. He was signed to a $20,000 bonus contract by the Pirates and played eight years (1937-46, with 1942-43 off for war duty) for the team. A slick fielder, he played third and some middle infield, hitting .269 for Pittsburgh. A tough guy, Jeep survived a serious beaning, injury, illness and a car accident during his career. As for his nickname, the Uniontown Morning Herald in 1938 noted that “Lee (Jeep) Handley came to the National League in 1936, the year of (Eugene the) Jeep's appearance in Thimble Theatre (the original name of the Popeye cartoon strip).” Just a coincidence? 
• 1930 - Brooklyn’s Jumbo Elliot tossed a four-hitter against the Bucs, but Larry French scattered nine knocks to earn a 1-0 win over the Robins at Ebbets Field. Charlie Engel opened the seventh with a single, went to third on a hit-and-run and scored on Paul Waner’s bouncer to second for the game’s only run. Brooklyn stranded 12 runners and had two more thrown out on the bases. 
• 1940 - LHP Frank Bork was born in Buffalo. He spent his one MLB campaign in Pittsburgh in 1964, getting into 33 games with a slash of 2-2-2/4.07. Bork had been signed by the Bucs in 1960 and remained in the Pirate organization throughout his pro career, last pitching in AA Macon in 1967. He was just 26 but had torn a muscle in his back and opted not to have surgery, effectively ending his career. He retired to Dublin, Ohio and became a sales rep. 

Frank Bork - 1964 Topps

• 1943 - The American League defeated the Nationals in the first night All-Star game, 5-3, which was broadcast to GIs via shortwave radio from Shibe Park. Pirates' OF Vince DiMaggio starred for the Senior Circuit with a single, triple and home run while scoring twice and driving in a run. P Rip Sewell and 1B Elbie Fletcher were also on the squad; Sewell pitched a perfect sixth inning and Fletcher went 0-for-2. A couple of other Pirates repped the City: manager Frankie Frisch was a coach while Spud Davis was the bullpen catcher. 
• 1948 - The Bucs sent 3B Frank Gustine, LF Ralph Kiner and RHP Elmer Riddle to Sportsman’s Park for the All-Star Game. The American League jumped ahead of the Nationals quickly and won, 5-2, as Gustine and Kiner each went 0-for-1 and Riddle never got in the game. 
• 1954 - OF Frank Thomas was the sole Buc representative in the All-Star Game at Cleveland Stadium, an 11-9 Junior Circuit victory, and struck out in his only at bat for the National League side. The teams combined for an ASG record of 20 runs on 31 hits, which included six home runs. 
• 1958 - There was some heavy hitting as the Bucs swept the St. Louis Cardinals, 10-8 and 8-6, in a Busch Stadium twinbill. The first game featured 10 pitchers and 24 hits, with Pittsburgh surviving a ninth-inning rally by the Redbirds when Vern Law got Curt Flood, who represented the winning run, to bounce out to second to save the win for Ron Blackburn. Bob Skinner had three hits, including a homer, and three RBI while C Bill Hall added two knocks, one a long ball. Maz also had a pair of hits. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 5-0 first inning lead in the nitecap but by the fourth St. Louis had taken the lead at 6-5. Once again it was the Deacon to the rescue, coming on to spin five shutout frames to earn the win. Dick Groat, Mazeroski and Skinner were the batting stars, going 9-for-12 as a group; Maz homered while Groat & The Dog smacked doubles. The trio chased home six runs and touched the dish six times to power the Pirates game #2 attack. 

Vern Law - 1958 Hires

• 1960 - Vern Law became the second Pirate to win a 1960 All-Star Game, working two scoreless, one-hit innings in a 6-0 National League victory at Yankee Stadium. He matched Bob Friend, who won the first game two days earlier at Municipal Stadium and then sat this game out. OF Bob Skinner went 1-for-3, OF Roberto Clemente drew a walk in his only at bat, SS Dick Groat went 0-for-1 and C Smoky Burgess & 2B Bill Mazeroski both went 0-for-2 against the Americans. 
• 1965 - The NL beat the AL, 6-5, at Minnesota’s Metropolitan Stadium in the 36th All-Star game. OF Willie Stargell, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, homered in the second, and recalled it as one of his most memorable long balls, not because of distance or the game situation, but because of its landing spot. He hit the ball into the bullpen area, where the band was seated, and it dropped over the fence and right into a tuba bell. OF Roberto Clemente went 0-for-2 and LHP Bob Veale didn’t get a call to work. 
• 1968 - Roberto Clemente banged out five hits and drew a walk, but it was to no avail as the Pirates lost, 3-2, to the Phils at Forbes Field. The Bucs were barren when given a chance; they went 1-for 15 w/RISP and stranded 17 runners. The Great One wasn’t involved in any of the runs as Matty Alou/Maury Wills went 3-for-16 ahead of him and Manny Mota/Gene Alley were 1-for-13 behind him in the order. Dock Ellis took the loss in relief; the run posted against him was unearned thanks to an Alley error. It wasn’t a good month for Pittsburgh; the loss was their eighth straight and the string eventually built to 10 consecutive defeats. 
• 1971 - 1B/OF Rich Aude was born in Van Nuys, California. Aude began his pro career as a second-round pick of the Pirates out of Chatsworth (CA) Charter HS in 1989, signing for $80K. A big kid at 6’5”, Rich flashed some power in the minors, but during his stints with the Bucs (1993, 1995-96) he hit just two homers in 151 AB, with a .225 BA. He remained in the minors until 1999 and then became a scout for Tampa Bay, with Delmon Young among his discoveries. 

Rich Aude - 1994 Bowman

• >1971 - The American League jumped on top early, scoring four times off Dock Ellis in the third inning (Reggie Jackson hit a 520’ HR off the Docktor) and then held on to take a 6-4 win from the Nationals in the All-Star game held at Tiger Stadium. It was the first AL win since the second All-Star Game of 1962, and their last until the 54th All-Star Game in 1983. The AL went 1-19 during that span but came back with a vengeance afterward. OF Roberto Clemente went 1-for-2 with a solo homer (he hit the long ball in what would be his final AS at bat; he didn’t play in the 1972 ASG because of injury), 1B Willie Stargell 0-for-2 with a run scored after a HBP and C Manny Sanguillen didn’t get into the game. It’s thought that Dock talked his way into the start. At a presser the day before the game, Ellis told the media that NL manager Sparky Anderson wouldn't start two "brothers" (Vida Blue was the AL starter), verbally backing the skipper into a corner. 
• 1972 - RHP Clint Sodowsky was born in Ponca City, Oklahoma. He tossed for the Bucs in the middle of a five-year MLB career, going 2-2/3.63 in 45 appearances in 1997. It was his best big league season, and after struggling with the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals, he soldiered on in the minors and indie ball through 2006 but never tossed in the show again