7/31 Through 1964: Gee Whiz Johnny; Game Tales; Interleague Nixed, '61 ASG, Bobby Bounced, 19 Innings; HBD Mike, Frank, Elmer, Peanuts & Joe

• 1870 - C/1B Joe Sugden was born in Philadelphia. Sugden spent the first five seasons (1893-97) of his 13-year big league career with Pittsburgh, hitting .277. He also played for the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Spiders, the White Sox and Detroit Tigers. Joe went on to become a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals before passing away at age 88 in his hometown. 
• 1892 - LHP Erv ”Peanuts” Kantlehner was born in San Jose. Working mostly as a starter for the Bucs from 1914-16, he slashed 13-29-7/2.85. He made the Bucco record books by tossing a shutout in his first start on 4/17/1914, a 2-0, four-hit, complete-game win over St. Louis (Paul Maholm and Nick Kingham matched the feat, but neither went nine innings). Erv later coached high school baseball. Thought to have gotten his nickname while in the minors, Diamonds In the Dusk said in his bio that it was “...because all southpaws are considered a little bit nuts.” 
• 1896 - Per Gregory Wolf of SABR: “In a game against Cincinnati at League Park, (Pirates pitcher) Lefty Killen charged home plate to argue a decision made by umpire Bud Lilly, who had changed his call on a fly down the left-field line from foul ball to fair.” According to the Pittsburgh Daily Post, Lilly “let go at” Killen, apparently under the impression that the pitcher would strike him. Killen retaliated by landing “a couple of blows on (Lally’s) face” before a melee erupted with players, spectators, and police rushing onto the field. When order was finally restored, Killen was under arrest, escorted to the local police station, and ultimately fined $25 while team owner William Kerr publicly condemned the umpire for provoking the incident. Pittsburgh won the contest in spite of the rhubarb, 9-7. The incident was typical of the short-fused Killen. Wolf noted “The ‘grave objection to Killen is his temper,’ per Sporting Life. ’He is as obstinate as a mule.’” 
• 1912 - The Pirates scored three runs in the 19th inning and then barely held off Boston to take a 7-6 decision at the South End Grounds. 38-year-old Honus Wagner was the man of the hour, stealing home and later driving in the game-winning run for Pittsburgh against the Braves. The game was a duel turned into a slugfest - it was 2-2 going into the 18th when both clubs scored twice, and five more runs were scored in the 19th. Otto Hess of the Braves had an excuse; he went all 19 frames. For the Bucs, Hank Robinson and Howie Camnitz faded in relief of Marty O’Toole, who called it a day after 12 innings. Camnitz got the win despite giving up two runs in the last frame. 

Honus Wagner - 1912 Plow's Candy

• 1913 - Hank Robinson won his 12th game, defeating the Brooklyn Superbas at Forbes Field by a 3-2 count with Dots Miller chasing home a pair of runs and Fred Kommers plating twice. It was early in a stretch that saw the Bucs win 8-of-9 games and put Pittsburgh’s record at 47-46; they remained above .500 for the rest of the campaign and finished the season in fourth place with a 78-71 slate. It kept a franchise-high 15-year streak of winning records, begun in 1899, intact, although it would end in 1914 when the Pirates came in seventh with a mark of 69-85. 
• 1914 - RHP Elmer Riddle was born in Columbus, Georgia. The 10-year veteran tossed his last two campaigns (1948-49) in Pittsburgh, winning an All-Star berth the first season while posting a 12-10/3.49 line. He faded badly in ‘49, winning just one game in his final year while hobbled by a bum wheel. He toiled briefly as a scout for Kansas City afterward. He passed away there at the age of 69. 
• 1939 - The Pirates obtained 6'9" LHP Johnny Gee from Syracuse of the International League for $75,000 and four players. Nicknamed “Gee Whiz,” he lasted parts of four seasons (1939, 1941, 1943-44) with the Bucs, winning five games. Also known as “Long John” (and less kindly, as the “$75,000 Lemon,” the price paid for his contract), he never fully recovered from a 1940 arm injury. Gee was the tallest person to play MLB until 6’10” Randy Johnson debuted for the Montreal Expos in September, 1988. Not too surprisingly, Long John also played pro hoops for the NBA Syracuse Nationals (1937-39). Gee later became a teacher, coach, and high school principal. 
• 1944 - RHP Frank Brosseau was born in Drayton, North Dakota. A first-round pick of the Bucs in the 1966 secondary draft, he was inked from the U of Minnesota as an OF’er. When his bat proved weak, he was converted to the mound. That got him a shot in the show with the Pirates, albeit just for three games in 1969 and 1971, working 3-2/3 IP and giving up two runs on two hits with two walks and two whiffs. He finished his pro career in 1971 at AAA Charleston. 

Murry Dickson - 1953 Redman

• 1953 - Murry Dickson broke a personal five-game losing streak and the team’s four-game skid by scattering eight hits to defeat the Chicago Cubs, 4-0, at Forbes Field. Although Bruins had runners aboard in every frame but one, only three Cubs reached second and just one made it as far as third. C Nick Koback had a memorable day; not only did the rookie collect his first MLB hit, a ninth-inning single, but he called a shutout in his first big league start behind the dish. 
• 1957 - Manager Bobby Bragan was ejected for arguing a call (actually, he held his nose) during a 4-2 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. After being tossed, he went slightly bonkers. Bobby got an orange drink from the stands and he offered them all a sip while ordering hot dogs for the boys in blue, but they weren’t placated. After their report to the league, Bragan was fined $100 and threatened with suspension if he didn’t clean up his act. After the game, Bragan was quoted by the Pittsburgh Press’ Les Biederman as saying “My only regret is that the hot dog didn’t arrive in time.” Bragan was fired three days later and replaced by Danny Murtaugh on a temporary basis. The fill-in Murtaugh managed until 1964 and was brought back as skipper three more times. 
• 1959 - RHP Mike Bielecki was born in Baltimore. His first four big league years (1984-’87) were spent in Pittsburgh, where he went 10-17/4.57. He was the Pirates first round pick in the 1979 draft (secondary phase) and went on to have a workmanlike 14-year MLB career. 
• 1961 - C Smoky Burgess, OF Roberto Clemente, RHP ElRoy Face and 1B Dick Stuart repped the Bucs in the second All-Star game of the year at Fenway Park, a 1-1 tie called after nine innings because of rain. The next ASG tie wouldn’t be until 2002 when the game was controversially called after the sides ran out of pitchers. Clemente went 0-for-2, Burgess & Stu 0-for-1, and the Baron of the Bullpen was given the day off by manager Danny Murtaugh. 

Smoky Burgess - 1961 Topps

• 1962 - The National League owners unanimously rejected a proposal by Commissioner Ford Frick to include inter-league play at the annual scheduling meeting held in Chicago. The idea dated back to 1903 when the NL and AL first made peace, but wouldn’t come to fruition until 1997. 
• 1964 - It happens to the best. The San Francisco Giants took advantage of three errors by Bill Mazeroski and three more by his teammates to edge the Bucs, 8-6, at Forbes Field. Maz's last error, a dropped catch on a potential around-the-horn DP ball in the ninth, would have ended the game with the Pirates on top 6-5 had he held on to turn the pivot. Other Pirates miscues were owned by 3B Bob Bailey, who committed two errors on one play, and C Jim Pagliaroni’s misthrow.