- 1970 - Willie Stargell became the first player to hit a homer into the RF upper deck at the freshly minted Three Rivers Stadium, drilling a shot off the Mets Ron Taylor. Pops would reach the top tier four times, with Bob Robertson and Bobby Bonilla also joining him from the Pirates. The Bucs won, 8-3, with Luke Walker getting the victory. Willie and Manny Sanguillen, with a pair of doubles, each had two hits as the Pirates sent Nolan Ryan to defeat.
- 1970 - RHP Pat Mahomes was born in Bryan, Texas. He began his 11-year career as a starter before being converted into a bullpen arm/spot starter and finished it in Pittsburgh in 2003, going 0-1/4.84 in nine outings, with most of his time spent in AAA Nashville. Pat got around; he worked for six teams in both leagues, pitched in the WS with the Mets in 1999, tossed a couple of seasons in Japan and closed out his career in the indie leagues. His son, Patrick II, is also using his arm, but as an NFL quarterback. Young Mahomes was a multi-sports star in high school like his pops and sported a mid-90s heater before opting for the gridiron.
- 1974 - RHP Matt Morris was born in Middletown, NY. Matty Mo was at the end of a solid career when the Pirates took over his hefty contract in 2007 by sending Rajai Davis to the SF Giants for him. Mo went 3-8/7.04 in 16 Bucco starts from 2007-08 and was cut, leaving the Pirates approximately $10M in dead money and greasing the skids for then GM Dave Littlefield.
- 1976 - The 500th game in TRS history turned out to be one of its more memorable contests as John Candelaria threw the first no-hitter by a Pirates' pitcher in Pittsburgh since Nick Maddox in 1907 at Expo Park, a 2-0 win over the LA Dodgers. The Candy Man gave up a walk with a couple of errors committed behind him, and survived his only jam, a bases-loaded pickle (on a walk and two boots) in the third inning while dishing out 101 pitches. It was “Candy Nite” with the fans (all 9,860 of them) getting a Clark Bar before the ABC National Game of the Week.
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| Cobra - 1981 Topps All-Star sticker |
- 1981 - The NL squeaked out a 5-4 win over the AL in the All-Star game at Cleveland Stadium. Dave Parker went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, Mike Easler was 0-1 with a walk and a run, Bill Madlock 0-for-1 and Phil Garner came in as a defensive sub. The game was held at this late date (it was scheduled originally for July 14th) because of a six week players’ strike, but the fans held no grudges and were happy to see the boys of summer back as 72,086 jammed the ballyard.
- 1983 - Dave Parker snapped a few streaks when his two-run, 450’ homer in the eighth inning off Al Holland carried the Bucs to a 3-1 win over the Phils at Veterans Stadium. He broke a personal 0-for-10 slump, a Bucco five-game losing streak, the Phils five-game win streak and Holland’s string of 95 straight appearances without a loss. The two mirrored streaks saw the Phils take over first from the Pirates; the win moved Pittsburgh back within 1-1/2 games of the top spot. Rick Rhoden started the game and dodged some raindrops (Philly stranded 12 runners during the game) and Kent Tekulve worked the final 2-2/3 IP for the win.
- 1984 - The Pirates romped over the Mets at Shea Stadium by a 11-0 count. The Bucs iced the game early with an eight-run second frame, with just five singles as their ante. The Mets filled the rest of the pot with four walks and an error (to go with a wild pitch and stolen base). Pittsburgh did have the bats going, banging out 14 hits over the game with every starter, including hurler Rick Rhoden, collecting at least a knock. Johnny Ray posted four raps and Tony Pena chased home three runs in a case of overkill while Rhoden tossed a complete game two-hitter.
- 1986 - The Pirates pounded out six doubles, and led by Johnny Ray, they outpunched the St. Louis Cards, 8-5, at Busch Stadium. Ray had three hits, including a homer and double, scored twice and drove in three runs. Bobby Bonilla, Mike Diaz and Ray touched the plate six times, and Barry Bonds, Tony Pena and Ray chased seven runs home to give Bob Walk the win. The victory was hidden vigorish at its best - the Pirates hadn’t won at Busch Stadium since September 14th, 1984, while the Cardinals had an 11-game home winning streak on the line.
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| Johnny Ray - 1986 Fleer Star sticker |
- 1987 - The Expos’ Neal Heaton was in charge, entering the eighth with a 3-1 lead over the Bucs at TRS. Then Al Pedrique singled and Darnell Coles doubled him home, bringing on Jeff Parrett. The first batter he faced was pinch hitter Andy Van Slyke, who drilled his third offering into the RF stands. Jim Gott made it hold up to give Mike Dunne the 4-3 win. Lotta firsts: it was AVS first pinch hit homer, Coles’ first hit as a Pirate and the first four-hit day of Pedrique’s career. Heaton, who got no decision, would become a Bucco before too long, joining the club in 1989.
- 1995 - A little fun factoid from BR Bullpen: The Giants defeated the Pirates, 4-3, at Candlestick Park, with the winning pitcher being William Van Landingham and the loser Jason Christiansen. The 25 letters in the surnames of the two pitchers of record were the most ever to factor in a major league decision. Christiansen had a chance to ice the game and avoid becoming a trivia answer but gave up a pair of runs in the seventh to earn a blown save/loss.
- 2000 - RHP Jason Schmidt, who had been bothered by a sore shoulder since May and last pitched in early June, was scheduled for surgery by Dr. James Andrews. He missed the rest of the season and was traded to the Giants in 2001; his shoulder and later elbow issues would dog him toward the end of his pitching career and he retired in 2009 after 10 starts in three years.
- 2002 - The Bucs, behind Aramis Ramirez’s homer and four RBI, defeated the Giants, 4-3, at Pacific Bell Park. Kip Wells defeated former Bucco Jason Schmidt for the win, but not before giving up Barry Bonds’ 600th home run. Barry’s first 176 dingers had come while wearing a Pirates jersey.
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| Clint Barmes - 2012 Topps |
- 2012 - It was a big day for a couple of Bucco batters as Pittsburgh ran away from the San Diego Padres with an 11-5 victory at PNC Park. Light-hitting Clint Barmes drilled a grand slam and Neil Walker was unstoppable at the plate, going 5-for-5 with a walk and falling a triple shy of the cycle. Erik Bedard was credited with the win, even though he lasted just five frames (four relievers put up zeroes behind him), and ex-Buc Ross Ohlendorf suffered the loss.
- 2012 - Pitching for the AAA Indy Indians, lefty Justin Wilson tossed his second no-hitter of the season, a rain shortened eight inning gem against the Charlotte Knights. He walked one, K’ed five and was efficient, using only 86 pitches. Wilson was called up that year by the Pirates as a reliever and spent three seasons with Pittsburgh with a slash of 9-5/2.99. He’s plying his bullpen trade with his seventh MLB club, the Milwaukee Brewers but has been injured the past two years.
- 2013 - It wasn’t a very good day for the Bucs, who gave up nine runs in the first two innings on the way to a 10-1 drubbing at the hands of the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. But it did plump up the pitching resume of utilityman Josh Harrison, who came in the eighth with two out and two runners aboard to get the last out, coaxing a fly out from future teammate Corey Dickerson. Harrison related to Bill Brink of the Post Gazette that Clint Hurdle told him “All right, I never thought I would have to have this talk with you here on the mound. Go get them."
- 2015 - In front of a sellout crowd of 37,094 at PNC Park and a national ESPN “Sunday Night Baseball” audience, the Bucs roared back from a 5-1 deficit by scoring nine times in the seventh inning to earn a 13-6 victory over the NL-West leading LA Dodgers. Andrew McCutchen homered and had four RBI; Jung-Ho Kang and Fran Cervelli (who had three hits) also went long as the Pirates banged out 16 knocks. Arquimedes Caminero got the win in relief of Charlie Morton. The Bucs swept the three game set against LA for the first time since 2000.
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