9/7 Through the 1950s: Bob's Beauty, 8 & 11-Run Frames, Hot Hans, Lefty Debut, Game Tales; 17-of-20, HBD Fred, John, Charlie & Ed

• 1874 - RHP Ed Poole was born in Canton, Ohio. Ed was with the Bucs off-and-on from 1900-02, going 6-4/3.22 on the hill and batting .221 with a couple of homers (he saw a little action at 2B, 3B and the OF). He was sold to the Reds and lasted two more years with Cincy and Brooklyn. He became somewhat famous as the defendant in The People of New York v. Poole when he was arrested for pitching for Brooklyn on a Sunday, in violation of the state’s Blue Laws. 
• 1879 - RHP Charlie Case was born in Smiths Landing, Ohio. Charlie had a four-year MLB career with the final three seasons (1904-06) spent in Pittsburgh, posting a line of 22-17-1/2.81, compiled mostly as a starter. Charlie worked in the minors afterward through the 1914 season and tossed a no-hitter in 1909 for the Nashville Volunteers of the Southern Association. 
• 1883 - 1B John Flynn was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Flynn had a three-year MLB run, with 1910-11 spent with the Pirates. He was solid in '10, batting .274 with 52 RBI, but faded the following campaign. John toiled in the minors during the next 15 years as a player and manager. 
• 1891 - C Fred Blackwell was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Fred got into 35 games from 1917-19, all with the Pirates, and hit .205. His career was interrupted as he was in the service in 1918-19; 1921 was his last year of organized ball with Kansas City of the American Association. 
• 1901 - The Pirates had their 10-game winning streak ended by Philadelphia, who was equally hot and on a nine-game undefeated string of their own, by a 5-1 count at the Baker Bowl. 20-game winner Al Orth shut down Pittsburgh on four hits in his battle against Deacon Phillippe. But the Bucs bounced back to take the next pair of games from the Phils behind Jesse Tannehill (with a Jack Chesbro save) and Sam Leever on their way to a 90-49 record and NL title. Two teams with nine-or-more game winning streaks wouldn’t clash head-on again until 2021, when the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees met. 

Jack Chesbro - 2014 Upper Deck/Goodwin Champions

• 1905 - In his home debut, rookie Lefty Leifield gave up three runs in the first, then settled into a groove until tiring and surrendering three more runs in the ninth frame as the Bucs rolled to an 11-7 win over the Reds at Exposition Park. Fred Clarke banged out four hits while Honus Wagner and Heinie Peitz added three apiece, with Hans swatting a double and triple. 
• 1908 - Led by Honus Wagner’s 6-for-7 day at the plate, including five straight hits with a double, triple and sacrifice, the Pirates swept St. Louis, 9-7 and 7-1, on Labor Day at Exposition Park to move to 1/2 game behind the league leading NY Giants. Sam Leever won the opener while Vic Willis scattered eight singles to claim the dub for the second match. 
• 1925 - Pittsburgh won for the 17th time in 20 games when they defeated the Chicago Cubs 8-5 at Forbes Field in the opener of a twin bill. Kiki Cuyler went 4-for-5 with a double and triple while every Pirate in the lineup had a hit. Red Oldham gave up 15 hits, but went the distance for the win. The Cubs banged out 16 more hits in the second game to gain a 9-8 split. 
• 1930 - For the sixth time during the season, the Pirates overcame a three-run deficit to rally past the Cubs, 9-7, at Wrigley Field. It looked like the Bucs were going to do the romping, jumping out to a 3-0 lead before Chicago even got to bat, but by the fifth frame, Glenn Spencer had surrendered the lead and fallen behind, 6-3. Pittsburgh started to chip away in the seventh; they scored six times in the final three innings to outlast the Windy City club by a 9-7 finale. Paul Waner had three hits, including two triples, and drove in four runs to lead the comeback. Erv Brame, the Buccos last twirler, stranded three Cubbies over the last two innings to earn the win. The Pirates joined seven other modern era clubs that overcame a three-run hole against a single opponent in a season. 

Paul Waner - 1930 photo Pgh Press

• 1931 - The Pirates swept a Labor Day twinbill at Forbes Field from the Reds, 6-1 and 4-3. Woody Jensen homered and was one of five Corsairs with two hits to back Larry French’s mound work in the lidlifter. The news wasn’t all good, though, as the Bucs lost SS Tommy Thevenow, who fractured his ankle in two places sliding in the sixth frame, to end his season. Pittsburgh scored three times in the eighth inning of the nightcap to sew up the double dipper when George Grantham & Tony Piet singled around Pie Traynor & Paul Waner doubles to make Erv Brame a complete-game winner. Brame had two hits and a run scored to help himself. 
• 1940 - The Bucs scored eight runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth to rally past the Cardinals 14-9. Arky Vaughan, Terry Moore, and Vince DiMaggio all homered as Vaughan and DiMaggio combined for seven RBI at Sportsman’s Park. 
• 1942 - The Pirates scored 11 runs in the sixth inning, reaching safely 10 straight times with two outs to top the Cards, 11-6, in the first game of a Forbes Field twin bill. The Bucs had a runner on third when the seven-hit, three-walk outburst erupted, setting the franchise mark for most runs in a frame, and Pittsburgh didn't have an inning that big again until 1992. Bud Stewart led the attack with two hits in the frame, three RBI and a pair of runs. Rip Sewell was the fortunate recipient of the big frame, leaving the game on the wrong end of a 5-0 count for a pinch hitter. Apparently the barrage wore them out - they only had three hits during the rest of the game, and then dropped the nightcap, 6-4, for a Labor Day split. 
• 1948 - The Bucs chased Jim Hearn after two innings on the way to a 6-2 win at Forbes Field. Stan Rojek had twos across the board - two hits, two doubles, two runs, two RBI - to support Fritz Ostermueller. The game was noteworthy as it took Pittsburgh six more years and a dozen losses before they claimed another win against the St. Louis righty. 

Stan Rojek - 1949 Bowman

• 1953 - The Pirates swept a twinbill for the first time during the year, beating the NY Giants, 9-7 and 5-3, at the Polo Grounds. Eddie Pellagrini had four hits, including a HR‚ to back Bob Friend in the opener. Lefty LaPalme was the winner in the nitecap as the Bucs beat Jim Hearn after 12 straight defeats at his hands. His last loss to the Bucs was exactly six years ago to the day. 
• 1955 - Bob Friend allowed only one baserunner via a fourth-inning infield single by Frank Baumholtz in a 2-0 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, striking out eight and facing just 28 batters. The righty was a one-man show; he also broke up a scoreless tie with a two-out single in the seventh, with Johnny O’Brien’s ninth-inning double adding an insurance run. For Friend, it was the highlight of his first double-digit win season with the Pirates as he finished the year 14-9/2.83 for a Pirates team that went 60-94 and finished in last place in the National League.