7/19 From 1970: Cesar Joins; Dewey Duo, Candy, Brett Gems, Game Tales; Rafe Streak, ASG; HBD Ernesto, Phil & Brian

• 1972 - RHP Brian Smith was born in Salisbury, North Carolina. The Pirates picked Smith up as a 26-year-old Rule 5 player in 1999 from the Toronto Blue Jays, and after shoulder surgery, he had a strong comeback campaign at AA Altoona in 2000. He got a three-game cup of coffee with the Bucs in September (0-0/10.58), was released, re-signed and spent two more seasons toiling in the Pirates system. Smith then pitched in 2003 with the Colorado Rockies organization and in the indie Atlantic League before hangin’ ‘em up and retiring from baseball at age 30. 
• 1974 - Ken Brett worked 8-1/3 frames while leading the Pirates to a 2-0 shutout victory against the Braves at Atlanta Stadium. The Pirates scored first in the fifth inning when Frank Taveras led off with a triple and scored on Brett’s sacrifice fly, and the Buccaneers added an insurance marker in the ninth frame on Bob Robertson’s two-out double that plated Ed Kirkpatrick. The five-hit win upped Brett’s record to 12-6 while Dave Giusti picked up his fifth save. 
• 1977 - The National outslugged the AL, 7-5, at Yankee Stadium during the All-Star game. Dave Parker went 1-for-3, while Bucco closer Goose Gossage made it interesting by giving up a two-run homer in the ninth. John Candelaria was also on the squad, but didn’t see any action. 
• 1982 - LHP Phil Coke was born in Sonora, California. Phil was a Bucco target early in his career as a Yankee in 2008, but remained in pinstripes when a medical question went unresolved. After bouncing around the league for nine years, he ended up back with New York, and they sold him to the Pirates in 2016. The 33-year-old tossed four scoreless innings in three outings, but walked four to go with three hits, and that ended his MLB days. He toiled in Japan the following year and then in Mexico in 2018 to finish his playing days atop the hill. 

Phil Coke - 2016 photo/Pirates

• 1983 - The Pirates won their eighth in a row in workmanlike fashion over the Dodgers, 4-1, at TRS. Brian Harper went 2-for-3 with a homer to lead the attack while John Candelaria notched the win with relief help from Rod Scurry. The streak ended later that night when Alejandro Pena and the LA bullpen edged the Bucs in 11 innings, 3-2, in the nitecap of a twilight twin bill. 
• 1984 - John Candelaria pitched a three-hitter and connected off Tim Lollar for his first and only MLB home run to do it all for the Pirates in a 5-1 win against the San Diego Padres at TRS. Tony Pena and Dale Berra also homered for the Bucs. The 7-8-9 hitters (Berra, Marvell Wynne and Candy) went 5-for-10 with two homers, a double, a triple, three runs scored and four RBI. 
• 1985 - RHP Ernesto Frieri was born in Arjona, Colombia. He was the Angels closer who hit on hard times and in June, 2014, Frieri was traded to Pittsburgh for another change-of-scenery candidate, Jason Grilli. Frieri gave up 12 runs in 10-2/3 innings for the Pirates and was DFA’ed & outrighted to AAA Indianapolis in August, then released three weeks later. Frieri then bounced around, making a couple of big league stops, and his last season was spent in Mexico in 2018. 
• 1988 - Rafael Belliard enjoyed the last day of an eight-game hitting streak that started on July 8th. In true Raffy style, his first eight hits were infield singles. He went 13-for-31 during that span, with two grounder-through-the-infield knocks, a bloop, a liner, and his only extra base hit, a triple, following his eight leg hits. It didn’t help a whole lot; he still hit just .213 during the season. The Bucs split a doubleheader with San Diego, and Raffy’s string ended in the second game. The Pirates had their own streak of nine straight wins snapped in the first-game. 
• 1997 - The Pirates jumped out to an 8-0 lead at Veterans Stadium and kept the petal to the metal, pounding the Philadelphia Phillies, 13-3. All eight Bucco position players hit safely, and seven had multiple hits. All eight also plated and six of them had RBIs. Three was the day’s magic number: that’s how many hits Jason Kendall had, how many runs Kevin Young and Dale Sveum chased home, and how often Turner Ward crossed home plate. It was also how many tallies Steve Cooke surrendered as he cruised for six frames on the way to his eighth win of the year. 

A-Ram - 2001 Fleer Tradition

• 2001 - The Pirates overcame a 2-0 deficit by scoring three times in the sixth and seventh innings, ending a five game losing streak by defeating the Cubs, 3-2, at PNC Park. The key blow was a two-out, two-run single by Aramis Ramirez off a 1-2 pitch from Julian Taveras. It came with the bases loaded in the sixth following an intentional walk to John Vander Wal to set up A-Ram. 
• 2002 - Adam Hyzdu went 3-for-5 with a homer, four RBI and three runs to lead the Bucs to a 12-9 slugfest win over St. Louis at PNC Park. After the Cardinals tied the game with five runs in the seventh, Rob Mackowiak countered with a two-run pinch hit homer in the Pirates half. Brian Giles and Pokey Reese also had three hits to help Scott Sauerbeck win his third game. 
• 2005 - The sad sack Pirates were swept by the Astros, 9-3 and 6-4, in a PNC Park twin bill, but it was a coming out day for 24-year-old rookie C Ryan Doumit, who slugged his first two MLB homers in the lidlifter. Dewey spent seven campaigns toiling with Pittsburgh, though he never developed into a big bopper despite that promising start, swatting just 67 long flies as a Bucco. 
• 2006 - As the deadline approached, the Pirates had several irons in the fire per Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette. They were one of four teams lined up for 26-year-old Rox prospect 1B Ryan Shealy; no specific details were leaked, but the Bucs matched up with Colorado, which was thought to be looking for bullpen help. The reliever payback was on target, although not Bucco arms: Shealy went to KC for Jeremy Affeldt and Denny Bautista. The Yankees, who missed out on signing Roberto Hernandez as a FA in the offseason, were in talks to get him to the Bronx; the Pirates were looking to perhaps shuffle some of Jeremy Burnitz’s contract to the Big Apple. Right city; wrong team - the Bucs couldn’t unload Burnitz, but Hernandez, with Ollie Perez, was enough to reel Xavier Nady in from the Mets. Finally, it was rumored that they were dangling Sean Casey on the market. That rumor bore fruit; The Mayor went to Motown for RHP Brian Rogers. 

Cesar Izturis - 2008 Topps

• 2007 - The Pirates purchased SS Cesar Izturis from the Chicago Cubs, firing up the rumor mill concerning Jack Wilson’s future in Pittsburgh where he was reportedly barely holding off Brian Bixler. As it ended up, it was Izturis who left at the end of the year when Pittsburgh didn’t renew his contract. Jack also outlasted BB and made it to 2009 before the Buccos’ FO sent the 32-year-old to Seattle to usher in the Ronnie Cedeno era. He retired after the 2012 campaign, worn down by injuries and age. He now coaches for a variety of developmental leagues. 
• 2011 - The Bucs shut out the Reds for the second straight game, beating Mike Leake, 1-0, at PNC Park to claim sole possession of first place in the NL Central for the last time. James McDonald, with help from Joe Beimel, Chris Resop and Joel Hanrahan, got the win when a soft roller to short by Cutch in the first inning cashed in Josh Harrison, who was on third after Neil Walker doubled. Charlie Morton and Joel Hanrahan teamed up for a 2-0 victory the game before. 
• 2014 - It took 11 innings, but the Bucs finally topped the Colorado Rockies, 3-2, at PNC Park on Jordy Mercer’s walk-off double. Charlie Morton and Brett Anderson were hooked up in a duel, both lasting seven innings with the Rox up, 2-1. The Bucs tied it in the eighth when Gaby Sanchez’s double plated Neil Walker and the bullpen took over. Ernesto Frieri, Mark Melancon, Justin Wilson and Jared Hughes needed just 33 pitches to cover the last four frames. Hughes got the win, but had the baseball gods on his side when with runners on the corners, a one-hop bullet back to the box stuck in his mitt and he turned it into an inning-ending double play. 

Jordy Mercer - 2014 Topps

• 2016 - Josh Harrison scored on a throwing error in the ninth inning to post his sixth career walk-off hit as the Pirates beat the Brewers, 3-2, at PNC Park. Harrison led off the ninth with a triple to center field off Milwaukee’s Tyler Thornburg. Second baseman Scooter Gennett’s relay throw skipped into the Pittsburgh dugout as J-Hay slid into third, sending him home for the club’s second walkoff of the year. Mark Melancon got the blown save/win combo after giving up a run in the ninth (he was dinged by a two-out, two-strike rap by Hernan Perez). The Shark had followed Tony Watson, Neftali Feliz and rookie starter Jameson Taillon on the bump.
• 2022 - Giancarlo Stanton (MVP) and Byron Buxton went long back-to-back in the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium to propel the AL to a 3-2 win in the Midsummer Classic. Closer David Bednar was the Bucs only rep, and he worked the ninth inning, giving up a walk amid three bouncers. The night before, Juan Sota won the Home Run Derby, topping Julio Rodriguez.