7/26: Holmes-Castillo/Park, '08 NYY Deal, Kendall Contract; Star-ling Debut, Jerry Meals Game, Game Tales; Shelty's #1, Gunner & Possum; HBD Ji-Hwan, Joaquin, Jose, Tom, Eddie & Jimmy

• 1889 - The Alleghenys defeated the Cleveland Spiders, 8-4, at Recreation Park despite giving up a three-run infield homer to ex-Allegheny Jay Faatz, whose hot shot to 3B Jim White bounced off his foot and went into the “free seats” - temporary stands - and couldn’t be dug out in time to stop Faatz from circling the bases. Fred Carroll, Ned Hanlon and Doggie Miller each had three knocks to spearhead a 16-hit Buc attack that easily carried Harry Staley to the win. Miller homered over the left field wall, and the Pittsburgh Press wrote “The crowd went wild as little George trotted over the circuit and lifted his cap at the plate. An enthusiast threw a silver dollar at him, which (Miller) accepted with a smile.” Who said there was no bonus money in early baseball? 
• 1911 - The Brooklyn Infants put as many Pirates on base as the Pirates did themselves (Brooklyn dished out eight walks, a bopped batter and error to match the Buccos 10 hits) and the result was a 12-1 romp by Pittsburgh at Forbes Field. Three of the Buc hits were triples, and Bill McKechnie’s four RBI led the pack; McKechnie would later go on to manage the Pirates for five years (1922-26). Howie Camnitz worked the first seven innings (one run, five hits, one walk, three K) to earn the win; 24-year-old Harry Gardner mopped up the final two frames. 
• 1917 - 2B Jimmy Bloodworth was born in Tallahassee, Florida. Jimmy played for 11 seasons and was a member of the 1950 NL champ “Whiz Kids” Phillies team. Like many of his era, he spent time in the Army from 1944-46. Bloodworth put in one season with the Pirates in 1947, batting .250, just about his career average, appearing in 88 games. 1951 was Bloodworth’s last season in the major leagues. He played in the minors for the following three years, managed in the bush leagues for two more years and then served as a deputy sheriff in Florida. 
• 1920 - IF Joe “Eddie” (his middle name) Bockman was born in Santa Ana, California. He had a brief four-year MLB stay, spending his last two campaigns in 1948-49 with the Pirates, playing second and third while batting .230 in 149 games. He then spent a decade as a Bucco player/coach in the minors, then served for another 30 years as a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies, where he signed Bob Boone, Larry Bowa, Joe Charboneau, Buck Martinez, Ricky Jordan, Randy Lerch, Dick Ruthven, John Vukovich and Bob Walk. In 1992, he became a scout for the expansion Florida Marlins. Eddie passed away in 2011. 

Eddie Bockman - 1949 Eureka Sports Stamp

• 1921 - OF Tom Saffell was born in Etowah, Tennessee. He played for the Bucs from 1949-51, then after spending the next three seasons in the minors, returned in 1955. The speedy OF’er hit .239 for the Bucs. He was a minor celeb, though, as he was the pitcher for the 1960 syndicated TV show “Home Run Derby” that was hosted by Mark Scott. That program was said to inspire the All Star Game’s home run derby and was also part of ESPN’s Classic series. 
• 1927 - The Pirates pushed across two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to edge the Brooklyn Robins, 6-5, at Forbes Field to remain tied with the Cubs for the National League lead. They were almost derailed by former matey Max Carey (he moved on to Brooklyn in 1926), who had three hits, three runs, and three stolen bases. But he was countered by the Waner brothers, as Lloyd had three hits and scored twice, both times driven home by Paul. Little Poison’s lumber work allowed him to take over the league lead in hits while Lee Meadows went the distance. 
• 1928 - NY Giant future Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell made his MLB debut against the Pirates at the Polo Grounds. He pitched a scoreless first inning, but the Bucs scored five times in the second to knock him out of the game, winning, 7-5, behind Burleigh Grimes. Paul Waner had three hits and two RBI to lead a balanced Bucco attack. But King Carl persisted: he left MLB after 16 years, with 253 wins under his belt and a slash of 49-21/3.07 lifetime against Pittsburgh. 
• 1942 - Utilityman Jose Martinez was born in Cardenas, Cuba. Jose was signed by the Bucs in 1960 and spent 1969-70 with the Pirates, his only stop in the show as a player, hitting .245 in 96 games. He put in 14 years on the farm before his MLB career took off as a bench boss and team administrator. Jose served as a minor league manager and major league coach for the Kansas City Royals from 1980-88 and then coached with the Chicago Cubs from 1988-94. He joined the Atlanta Braves front office in 1995 and worked for them until his death in 2014. 

Dick Groat - 1952 Topps

• 1952 - The Pirates used the power of persistence to overcome Boston at Braves Field, 6-4. Falling behind 3-0 after an inning, the Bucs, led by rookie Dick Groat’s 5-for-5 day (he broke out of an 0-for-19 funk), chipped away at the Brave lead. Pittsburgh, behind two RBI from Groat and a two-run homer by Gus Bell, climbed back into a tie in the seventh. They went ahead in the ninth inning on George Metkovich’s two-run, two-out double, set up by Clem Koshorek, who had the ball waiting on him as he went from first-to-third on a single but kicked it out of 3B Sibby Sisti’s mitt. Howie Pollet recovered from the rocky first frame (and it didn't get much easier; Boston had runners aboard in eight of the nine frames) for the win, and added three knocks to the attack. 
• 1977 - The Bucs dodged a bullet when John Candelaria took a liner just below his pitching elbow but only suffered a bruise in a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros at Three Rivers Stadium. He was replaced by Goose Gossage, who was pitching for the first time in eight days after a rib pull, and The Goose nailed down the final five outs, one a spectacular leaping catch by Dave Parker at the wall. It was Candy Man’s best season, ending at 20-5/2.34. He led the league in ERA and enjoyed his only 20-win season and sole All-Star selection. Candy’s stellar season wasn’t enough to push the Bucs to the top, though - they won 96 games, but still finished five behind the division-winning Phillies. 
• 1977 - RHP Joaquin Benoit was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The last stop in his 16-year career was with the Pirates in 2017 after a deadline deal with the Phils, getting Benoit for a minor leaguer. He was a season-ending warm body and went 0-2/7.56 in eight games as a 39-year-old. He signed with the Nats for 2018, but spent the season on the DL and was done. 
• 1979 - The Gunner was briefly united with old mate Jim Woods on the United Artists Satellite radio system for a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Three Rivers Stadium. The Possum was a regular broadcaster for the network (they featured national Thursday Night games), and it was a one-time deal for Prince. There was plenty of action to keep the pair from any dead air, but the Bucs fell short, losing, 9-7, as Dave Roberts and Joe Coleman gave up eight runs in three innings, outings that Willie Stargell and Bill Robinson homers couldn’t overcome. 

Sid Bream - 1988 Score

• 1988 - Doug Drabek carried a two-hit shutout into the ninth inning against the Cards at Busch Stadium, but was banged for a two-out homer by Willie McGee to cut the score to 2-1 and add a little drama to the affair. Jimmy Leyland yanked him for Jim Gott (“I’ve seen too many guys give up a home run like that, lose a little concentration and boom, someone else has got them” the skipper told Bob Hertzel of the Pittsburgh Press after the game). Gott added to the final theatrics by giving up a single, but closed it out by blowing a fastball past Tom Brunansky to book the victory. The Bucs scored twice in the fourth frame on a wild pitch and Sid Bream knock that scored Jose Lind & Andy Van Slyke, to snap a four-game losing streak and stay two games behind the New York Mets in the division race. Another notable feat occurred during the game: C Spanky LaValliere stole his first MLB base, one of a single-season high of three swipes in ‘88. He stole two more sacks in 1991 and those five bags were his total big league. 
• 1992 - The Braves were on a 13-game winning streak and weren’t planning on it ending. Down 4-1 in the eighth inning at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Lonnie Smith banged a three-run homer off Stan Belinda to tie the contest. But the Bucs hitters of the hour came through. Jeff King opened the ninth frame with a single, was bunted up and beat the throw home on Orlando Merced’s single. Jeff had two hits, two runs scored and an RBI on the day; Orlando, who came in as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and stayed on at 1B, went 2-for-2 with two runs chased home (King both times with two outs). Belinda sucked it up and locked it down with a 1-2-3 ninth for the win. 
• 1997 - C Jason Kendall signed a four-year/$7.2M contract extension covering his arbitration years that carried him to the 2001 campaign. It was well worth the price; the young backstop hit .317 over the life of the deal, earned two All-Star bids and his play was amply rewarded later with a club record six-year, $60M deal. 
• 1999 - IF/OF Ji-Hwan Bae was born in Daegu, South Korea. Signed by the Bucs as an international FA in 2018 for $1.25M, he caused a storm when he was suspended 30 days for domestic violence committed in 2017. But he toed the line afterwards, worked through the system and debuted in 2022. Ji-Hwin was versatile, playing some outfield and 2B (his usual spot) while batting .333 in a small sample size. He also showed some speed as he was 3-for-3 on steals, aggressive on the basepaths and could cover center. With the Pirates short of leadoff types and OF’s, Bae was called up to the big team in '23, flashed hot-and-cold on the field and is now at Indy. 

Ji-Hwan Bae - 2024 Topps

• 2008 - OF Xavier Nady & LHP Damaso Marte were traded to the NY Yankees for OF Jose Tabata and RHPs Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen & Ross Ohlendorf. During their Bucco careers, Karstens tossed for five years (23-35/4.31), McCutchen made 109 appearances in four seasons (8-11/4.77) and Ohlie tossed for four years (13-27/4.61). Tabata was the key prospect; the Pirates locked him up to a long-term deal guaranteed for five years/$14.5M. Although he hit .275 over six years, injuries and lack of power were his undoing and he was shipped to LA. 
• 2011 - This was the black day of the Jerry Meals game in Atlanta, heralding the end of the Bucco's improbable pennant (and .500+ season) run. The ump blew a call at home in the 19th inning, giving the Braves a 4-3 win and starting a downward spiral of epic proportions for Pittsburgh. At 6 hours and 39 minutes, it was the longest game in club history. The Pirates filed a protest (at 2:30 in the morning) but the judgment call was upheld, even though the League Office admitted it was wrong. To add salt to the wound, Meals was born in nearby Butler. 
• 2012 - In a rookie-on-rookie match, Starling Marte homered to left center against Houston’s Dallas Keuchel, hammering the first MLB pitch he saw. Pittsburgh won the contest, 5-3, at Minute Maid Park as Garrett Jones and Clint Barmes also went long while AJ Burnett took home the victory against the ‘Stros behind the big boomers. Marte became the third Bucco to send his first major league pitch over the wall, joining Walter Mueller (1922) and Don Leppert (1961). 
• 2020 - It took three tries, but new Bucco skipper Derek Shelton won his first MLB game by a 5-1 count over the St. Louis Cardinals in Busch Stadium. Mitch Keller went five innings, giving up a run, before JT Brubaker, in his first big league outing, Michael Feliz and Nick Burdi nailed it down. Jose Osuna and Colin Moran homered while Phil Evans collected three hits. In a sidebar, with no fans in attendance due to the Covid 19 crowd ban, pitcher Derek Holland decided to soak up some sun and catch the game from the box seats, from whence he was ejected for jawing at the plate umpire. Dutch Oven became the first player given the thumb in 2020. 

Clay Holmes - 2021 photo/Pirates

• 2021 - The New York Yankees acquired RHP Clay Holmes from the Pirates in exchange for IFs Diego Castillo, 23, and Hoy Jun Park, 25. Park was playing AAA ball, went to Indy briefly and was called up on 7/31, while Castillo was in AA and assigned to Altoona; both played 2B/SS (Park also had some time in the pasture). The pair showed some pop on the farm with the sticks, and both were up-and-down, filling in as utilitymen. Park now plays in the Oakland system and Castillo is a Minnesota farmhand. Holmes straightened up and became the Yankees closer. 
• 2023 - The Pirates had lost all six series in July, were minus their skipper, Derek Shelton, for the day (suspension), starting a pitcher, Johan Oviedo, who hadn’t won since mid-May and fully committed to their young blood, starting five players with less that two moths MLB experience. But thanks to three solo homers and a steely comeback by David Bednar in the ninth frame, they took two out of three at San Diego’s Petco Park by claiming the finale, 3-2, to hand bench coach Don Kelly his first win at the helm. The Bucco blasts were provided by Ji Man Choi, Bryan Reynolds & Carlos Santana and the drama by The Renegade. Bednar came in with a two-run lead and got the first out before two walks (the first one scored; the second forced the run home), a hit batter and single made it 3-2, with the bases jammed. But it ended well as he closed it out with a pop and a whiff, and though it took 37 pitches, he notched his 20th save to clinch Oviedo’s dub. The Pirates last series win was a sweep at PNC Park in late June, also against the Friars.