4/3: Openers, Game Tales, Sweep & RJ, Wynn - Patterson, Cole - Pendleton, Littlefield & Walkie Sign, Hatcher Dealt, Belle Outbucks Bucs; HBD Dewey, Bobby, Miguel, Alex, Dick, Larry & Guy

• 1856 - Manager and 1B Guy Hecker was born in Youngsville, in Warren County. He was the Alleghenys player-manager in 1890, and it wasn’t a great year for Guy’s resume - he hit .226 as the first baseman and the team finished 23-113, decimated by Player League roster raids. Guy compiled quite an overall resume, though. During his career he played for Louisville Eclipse prior to the Alleghenys and is considered by some baseball historians to be the best combination pitcher and hitter to play in the 19th century. The do-it-all Hecker remains as one of the only two pitchers in MLB history to hit three home runs in one game, along with Jim Tobin, and the only pitcher to win a batting title (.341 BA in 1886). In addition, he is the only pitcher in baseball history to get six hits in a nine-inning game. He could fling it, too - Hecker was the second pitcher ever in the American Association to pitch a no-hitter and led that league in Ks in 1884. 
• 1919 - Manager Larry Shepherd was born in Lakeland Ohio. He managed in the Pirate system from 1953 to 1966, spanning the Sally to the International Leagues, and won three pennants along the road. He returned to the Bucs after a year off in 1968 to replace Harry the Hat Walker at the helm, and in almost two seasons put together a 164-155 record. Shepherd was replaced by Alex Grammas with a week to go in the '69 season despite an 84-73 slate. He then became the pitching coach for Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine and coach/scout for San Francisco. 
• 1921 - RHP Dick Conger was born in Los Angeles. The Rule 5 selection from Detroit got a pair of Bucco appearances in 1941 and two more in 1942, split between starts and relief appearances. In his 12+ IP, he had no record but posted a sharp 1.46 ERA. Small samples have their flaws, though, and in 1943 he went 2-7/6.09 with Philadelphia. It was his last MLB go-around as he entered the service the following year and then tossed in the minors until 1950 after his discharge. 

Alex Grammas - photo Steiner Sports

• 1926 - Coach Alex Grammas was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Grammas, who played as a major league infielder for a decade, served as a coach for the Pirates from 1965-69 and was the Bucs’ interim manager for five games in 1969 after Larry Shepard was fired. When Danny Murtaugh took over for 1970, Grammas caught on with Sparky Anderson at Cincinnati, and would eventually end up with a gig as the Milwaukee Brewers’ head man from 1976-77. He was later a long-time Tiger coach who retired from baseball in 1991. Alex passed on in 2019. 
• 1957 - The Pirates swapped infielders, sending Dick Cole to the Milwaukee Braves for Jim Pendleton. Pendleton was a backup that got into 49 games in 1957-58, then was shipped to Cincy as part of the Smoky Burgess/Dick Hoak/Harvey Haddix deal. Cole played 15 games for Milwaukee and 1957. It was his last MLB season; he finished his days playing in AAA. 
• 1967 - LHP Miguel Garcia was born in Caracas, Venezuela. The Pirates got him from the Angels as part of the Johnny Ray deal. Miguel had brief big league visits from 1987-89 with the Bucs, going 0-2/7.71 in 13 outings, with ‘89 being his last stop in the show. After some time spent as a scout for the Marlins and Red Sox, he’s now Director of Latin American Operations for the Tigers. 
• 1978 - 2B Bobby Hill was born in San Jose. Part of the return from the A-Ram salary dump, he played in Pittsburgh from 2003-05. He hit .262 over that span and lost the second base job to Jose Castillo in 2005 in his last MLB season after being the starter the year before. After nearly a decade spent as head coach of Mission College, he’s now the skipper for West Valley College. 

Bobby Hill - 2004 Topps Total

• 1981 - C Ryan Doumit was born in Moses Lake, Washington. Dewey was drafted by the Pirates in 1999 in the second round out of high school and caught ‘n’ stuff for the Pirates from 2005-11, with Bucco career numbers of .271, 67 HR and 266 RBI. Unfortunately, in those seven years he never stayed healthy and he only got into 100+ games twice for Pittsburgh. He retired after the 2014 season with 10 MLB campaigns, taking his final spin with Atlanta. 
• 1984 - After being released by the Atlanta Braves, the Pirates signed RHP Bob Walk, sending him to AAA Hawaii. The Whirly Bird (a nickname dubbed by his ‘80 Philly teammates because of his antics) ended up spending 10 seasons as a Bucco twirler, going 82-61-5 with a 3.83 ERA and putting up a 2-1 record during the Bucs three NLCS series from 1990-92. He then made the transition to the Pirates’ broadcast booth, where he’s been a fixture since his retirement. 
• 1986 - RJ Reynolds became the second Bucco to lead off the Home Opener with a home run (Billy Cox was the first in 1947) and later added a double, but it wasn’t enough muscle as Doc Gooden and the Mets dropped the Pirates, 4-2, at TRS. Rick Reuschel took the loss. 
• 1986 - The Pirates sent OF Marvell Wynne to the San Diego Padres for LHP Bob Patterson. It was a win-win deal. Patterson was effective as a reliever for Pittsburgh (25-21-17/3.97 w/32 holds) after the Bucs converted him from starter, and Wynne played fairly regularly for SD for the next four seasons. He was replaced in Pittsburgh by Barry Bonds and a year later, Andy Van Slyke. 

Billy Hatcher - 1990 Upper Deck

• 1990 - The Bucs shipped OF’er Billy Hatcher, an 1989 deadline pick-up, to Cincinnati for IF Jeff Richardson, who got into six games as a Pirate in 1991, and RHP Mike Roesler, who appeared in five 1990 games. Hatcher, to add a little salt to the wound, helped the Reds sink the Bucs in the 1990 NLCS by hitting .333 and played six more MLB seasons as mainly a platoon outfielder. For Hatcher, the trade wasn’t the main event of the day. He was in the delivery room with his pregnant wife when he learned the news, and didn’t even ask what team he was traded to. Hatcher found his new destination after his daughter Chelsea was born, when Cincy GM Bob Quinn called to welcome him to the Reds. 
• 1997 - Per the Associated Press, for the first time in major league history, the salary of one player was more than that of a team. The Chicago White Sox paid Albert Belle $10M for the season, which was $928,333 more than the entire Pirate “Freak Show” payroll. The Pirates won 79 games that year while the White Sox won 80 and neither made the postseason, so pick your poison. 
• 2000 - The Pirates had a sold-out house of over 50,000 fans for the Home Opener, the final one for TRS, but Mother Nature didn’t cooperate. The team canceled the game against the Astros because of rain at the last minute, causing the fans to litter the field with various ballpark debris. Then, to make matters worse, the crowd left to a massive traffic jam - the police who had directed the flow into the park were gone and not scheduled to return until the game was over, so people trying to get back home were left to their own devices in navigating an escape route until the officers could regroup. The game was played the next night in a 42-degree gray drizzle, and a smattering of 14,810 fans were treated to Maz's first pitch, post-game fireworks and a 5-2 loss. 
• 2003 - The Pirates completed a season-opening three-game sweep of Cincinnati at The Great American Ballpark with a 7-5 win. Former Red Reggie Sanders went deep twice for Pittsburgh, going 4-for-5 and adding five RBI. Sanders went 7-for-10 in the series as the Pirates jumped out to their first 3-0 start to a season since 1993. The quick start wasn’t much of an omen - Pittsburgh finished the campaign with 75 wins, 13 games off the Cubs’ division-winning pace. 

Reggie Sanders - 2003 SPx Spectrum

• 2006 - GM Dave Littlefield received a one-year extension on his contract, carrying him through the 2008 season. Hired in 2001, he had put together a 314-407 (.436) record, but owner Kevin McClatchy cited the forward progress the team had made under Littlefield’s tenure. The endorsement didn’t have very long legs as he was canned after the 2007 campaign. Brian Graham (Player Development director) replaced him as the interim GM before Neal Huntington was hired three weeks later. Graham was let go shortly thereafter, along with manager Jim Tracy and suits Ed Creech (Scouting director) and Jon Mercurio (Baseball Operations director). 
• 2011 - The Pirates plated a pair of runs in the ninth to down the Cubs at Wrigley Field, 5-4. A walk to Garrett Jones, a single by Neil Walker and a Lyle Overbay bunt against Carlos Marmol left runners at second and third in the ninth for Pedro Alvarez, who rolled a ball softly to the left side hole. He beat it out for a soft single as both Bucs scored, giving El Toro three RBI on the day. Jeff Karstens got the win in relief of Ross Ohlendorf, with Joel Hanrahan picking up the save. 
• 2016 - In the kickoff of the major league season shown on ESPN, the Pirates defeated the Cardinals, 4-1, in front of a sellout crowd of 39,500 fans at PNC Park. Frankie Liriano struck out 10 batters in six scoreless frames and also drove in the game’s first run with a single off losing hurler Adam Wainwright. Josh Harrison managed to hit into a sac fly/double play combo when with runners on first and third and no outs, his fly plated a run although the runner at first was cut down trying to retreat back to second after taking a wide turn to draw the throw. Though the year started off on a high note for the Cisco Kid, he would be traded to Toronto at the deadline after posting a 6-11/5.46 slash during the campaign, returning to Pittsburgh for a bullpen role in 2019.

4/2: Openers, Big Blasts & A Long Day; Sands - Zachary, Joey Bart Joins, Sudden Sam Makes Club, Law Hurt, Hans Honored, WENS & NY Bucs; RIP Larry, HBP Nick, Wilmer, Hisanori, Jon & Cotton

• 1922 - Jim “Cotton” Tierney had his homecoming celebration spoiled by the minor league Kansas City Blues of the American Association. KC rallied for three eighth-inning runs and held off a ninth inning Bucco rally in the pre-season match played at the KC Speedway to take a 4-3 victory. Cotton didn’t help himself much, going 0-for-3 at the leadoff spot. The KC battery had past ties to the barnstorming Bucs - Beltzhoover’s Otto Knabe did the Blue’s hurling (he also pitched in 1905 as a rookie for the Corsairs, then spent his last MLB season, 1916, as a Pirate) and Bill Skiff, who Pittsburgh had released, did the catching - who helped do in their ol’ mateys. 35,000 plus turned out to honor local-boy-done-good Tierney, whose hometown was just across the river in Kansas City, Kansas. 
• 1942 - The Sporting News released a vote of 100 former major leaguers and managers tasked with selecting the best player of all time. Ty Cobb won easily, with Buc SS Honus Wagner second. The Flying Dutchman handily outpolled both Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby. 
• 1954 - TV station WENS, the City’s first ABC affiliate, announced that it would broadcast 20-30 Pirates games during the season beginning with the April 17th Season Opener at Philadelphia. Bob Prince and Rosey Rowswell were the TV broadcast team with Joe Tucker taking over the WWSW radio mic when the Rosey-Gunner radio duo switched over for TV games. 
• 1958 - Just in case you thought rumors of selling the Bucco franchise started as an eighties/nineties thing, think again. Sportswriter Al Abrams in his Post Gazette “Sidelight on Sports” column asked club president John Galbreath about the rumors that New York interests wanted to buy the franchise to replace the Dodgers and Giants. Galbreath said “I didn’t get one offer, I got 20 offers. Some of them were tremendous (thought to be in the $8-10M range)...(But) I would like to put an end to this stuff once and for all...We didn’t sell the club or move out in our worst years when we could have without any trouble. I don’t see why we should now.” 

Vern Law - 1963 Fleer

• 1963 - The Pirates left pitcher Vern Law at Daytona Beach to start the season so he could work on strengthening the lingering rotator injury he first suffered in 1960. What was hoped to be a two-week stay turned into a month, and Law made just 18 outings (12 starts), good for 76 IP and a 4-5/4.93 slash before he was shut down in early August. The long rest period paid off as he put together three solid seasons on the hill from ‘64-66, averaging a 14-10/3.20 line with 196 IP over that span and earning the NL Comeback Player of the Year award in 1965. 
• 1970 - RHP Jon Lieber was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Pirates picked him up at the 1993 deadline as part of a trade for Stan Belinda with Kansas City, and he pitched his first five (1994-98) seasons with the Bucs, going 38-47-2/4.36. Pittsburgh sent him to the Windy City for Brant Brown after the 1998 campaign. He spent another nine workmanlike years in the show for four clubs, winning 131 games in 14 seasons, including 20 dubs in 2001 for the Cubs. 
• 1973 - The Pirates picked up RHP Chris Zachary from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for a reluctant C Charlie Sands. Sands refused to report to AAA Toledo, and the Tigers gave him permission to make another deal if he could. He couldn’t, and Motown traded him to California two weeks later. As for Zachary, he spent most of his time at Charleston, going 0-1-1/3.00 in his six Bucco outings. He was in the Philly system in 1974 before hangin’ ‘em up at age 30. 
• 1975 - LHP Hisanori Takahashi was born in Tokyo. Takahashi spent a decade with the Yomiuri Giants before being signed by the Mets, where he was converted to the bullpen. He came to the Pirates thanks to Zack Greinke, then an LA Angel. Grienke came off the DL in 2012, Takahashi was released to clear roster room for him, and then was claimed by the Bucs in August. It wasn’t a very high octane move as Hisanori had no decisions and an 8.64 ERA in nine Pirates outings and was set free by Pittsburgh after the year. He made brief stops with the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies the following season before returning to Japan as a 38-year-old and retired from pro ball two years later. 

Sudden Sam - 1975 Topps

• 1975 - The Pirates told pitcher Sudden Sam McDowell, a 32-year-old free agent who started out at Central Catholic, that he made the big league roster (a minor league deal had been agreed upon in January). It would be the last hurrah of a 15-year career that saw him win 141 games and fan 2,453 batters, mostly with the Indians. Sudden Sam was The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year in 1970 when he worked 305 frames and punched out 304 batters. But his bouts with the bottle caught up with him; he pitched well for the Pirates but was released in June. McDowell later went through rehab and turned his life around. The character Sam Malone, the bartender on the TV show “Cheers“ played by Ted Danson, was said to be loosely based on Sudden Sam. 
• 1992 - Utilityman Wilmer Difo was born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. After spending six years with the Washington Nats, the Pirates signed him to a NRI contract for 2021. He didn’t break camp with the team but was called up during the first week of the season to replace the injured Ke’Bryan Hayes. He’s an FA after spending ‘24 in the White Sox system and Dominican Winter League.
• 1994 - The Pirates and Indians christened Cleveland’s Jacobs Field with the Bucs winning the park’s first-ever MLB game, an exhibition match played before the Pittsburgh season opened at TRS, by a 6-4 count. A bases-loaded walk to Jay Bell in the ninth sent the game into extras and two unearned runs in the 10th sealed the deal with Will Pennyfeather’s sac fly plating the lead run. Rick White worked two frames for the win while Dave Clark collected three hits during the final tune-up outing. Mayor Tom Murphy led a posse of civic movers to the game, and was talking up Cleveland’s effort while selling Pittsburgh’s plans for a new ballyard. 
• 1995 - The players’ strike ended after a court ruling undercut the owner’s position. The 1994–95 strike was the eighth work stoppage in baseball history as well as the fourth in-season work stoppage in 22 years. The strike began on August 12th, 1994, and resulted in the remainder of that season being canceled, including the postseason and, for the first time since 1904, the World Series. After spending 232 days walking the picket lines, the walk-out was the longest such stoppage in MLB history. 948 games were lost and the MLB became the first major pro sports league to lose an entire postseason due to labor struggles. Because of the strike, neither the 1994 or 1995 seasons were played in entirety; the strike was called after most teams had played 113 games in 1994 and 1995’s schedule was reduced to 144 games to accommodate the late settlement. 

Carlos Garcia - 1996 Topps Gamer

• 1996 - Carlos Garcia banged a two-out, two-strike, three-run homer in the ninth to break a 1-1 tie with Florida at Joe Robbie Stadium. The inning was kept alive thanks to a Marlin error. Jason Christiansen earned the win while Dan Miceli retired all three batters he faced to earn the save. Denny Neagle started and went six frames with Francisco Cordova and Jon Lieber behind him. 
• 2002 - IF/OF Nick Yorke was born in Newport Beach, California. A first-round pick of Boston in the 2020 draft (#17 overall) from Archbishop Mitty HS, he was advancing through the BoSox system when he was dealt to the Bucs at the 2024 deadline for RHP Quinn Priester. Nick had gone through a couple of blah seasons, but was still Boston’s #8 prospect and got hot for Beantown at AAA Worcester (.310) and continued at Indy (.355), earning a mid-September call to the big team. He mainly played second with corner OF/3B time and hit .216 in 11 games/42 PA in Pittsburgh. He had a sluggish camp at the dish (.206 BA) and began the 2025 campaign at Indy to find his eye. 
• 2014 - The Pirates and Cubs hooked up for the longest baseball game ever played in Pittsburgh, a 16-inning marathon that lasted five hours and 55 minutes before the Bucs could eke out a 4-3 decision. Chicago tied it in the ninth and took the lead in the 12th, but the Corsairs knotted the score again on a two-out single by Starling Marte. Tony Sanchez ended the longest day with a knock to drive home Jose Tabata. Stolmy Pimentel got his first MLB win while Carlos Villanueva dropped his second straight game - he was the losing pitcher on Opening Day, another extra-inning affair played two days earlier. 
• 2018 - The Home Opener went the Buccos way thanks to an early grand slam by Colin Moran. It was his first at-bat in front of the home crowd, his second career homer, and his first curtain-call in Pittsburgh. The blast was only the third Home Opener granny by a Buc; Roberto Clemente (1962) & Ralph Kiner (1949) had the others. It gave the Buccos a 5-0 first inning lead over Minnesota, and the Pirates survived a four-run pitching meltdown in the sixth to hang on for a 5-4 win, their fourth without a loss. Jameson Taillon struck out nine Twinkies for the victory, with George Kontos earning his second career save. The game was played in front of 30,186, the smallest Opening Day crowd in PNC Park history, as a morning snowfall, low-40s temperatures and general malaise caused by the off season trades of fan favorites Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen took their toll. The Bucs sprinted out of the box with a mark of 11-4 by mid April, but finished up with an 82-79 slate, good for fourth place in the division and well out of the wild card race. 

Joey Bart - 2024 Topps Update

• 2024 - With Endy Rodriguez out for the year and Yasmani Grandal’s foot injury landing him on the 10-day IL, the Pirates picked up C Joey Bart from the Giants, who had been DFA’ed, in exchange for RHP Austin Strickland, last year's 8th round pick from Kentucky. In four years of yo-yo’ing between the Giants and AAA Sacramento, Bart got into 162 MLB games and hit .219. He has a .274 BA in the PCL, so he carries the slash lines of either a Quad-A poster boy or a guy badly in need of a change of scenery, both a far cry from the days of being touted as Buster Posey’s replacement when he was selected second overall in the 2018 draft out of Georgia Tech. Out-of-options Bart went on the MLB roster and Indy’s RHP Colin Selby was DFA'ed while C Jason Delay was placed on the 10-day IL. The move was made official two days later. Joey liked his new digs; he got into 80 games in ‘24 (.265 BA/13 HR) and started behind the dish in 2025. 
• 2024 - Larry Lucchino passed away at the age of 78. Though he wasn't involved with the Pirates, Larry was Greenfield born-&-raised, and graduated from Allderdice HS. From there, he went to Princeton and Yale, got a law degree and went to work for Edward Bennett Williams firm. That link eventually led Lucchino into the president's role of the Baltimore Orioles (1988-93), San Diego Padres (1995-2001), and Boston Red Sox (2002-15). As an exec, he won four World Series and was key in building both the Camden Yards and Petco Park ballyards.

4/1 Through the 1970s: Watty Deal, Cro Goes, Lotta 0's, Moving?, Strike, Hatchling, Vision-ary; HBD Masumi, Willie, Jake, Hugo & Fred

• 1858 - OF Fred Mann was born in Sutton, Vermont. The center fielder played two of his five-team, six MLB years with the Alleghenys from 1885-86. He hit .251 over that span, spent one more season in the show, then left baseball after toiling for three more years in the bushes to operate a hotel. He was the first major league ballplayer to hail from the Green Mountain state. 
• 1884 - Manager Hugo Bezdek was born in Prague, Bohemia, then part of Austria-Hungary empire and now part of the Czech Republic. While he coached at Oregon, he also moonlighted as a Pirates scout covering the West Coast. When 1917 Pirates manager Nixey Callahan was let go, Hans Wagner became the interim manager (a job he did not particularly care for and quickly gave up) before Barney Dreyfuss settled on Bezdek as the full-time skipper. The team went 30-59 the remainder of the year, but improved to 65-60 in 1918 and finished 71-68 the next campaign. Bezdek relied on his players' advice to overcome his lack of baseball experience, with two of them - Casey Stengel and Billy Southworth - becoming Hall of Fame field generals. Bedzek left the team after 1919 for his second love, football. He coached at Penn State where his football teams went 65-30-11 with two undefeated seasons and a Rose Bowl appearance. In addition, he was manager of the Nittany Lion nine, going 129-76-1 from 1920-1930. He spent a couple of seasons as the Cleveland Browns coach and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. 
• 1904 - In one of the earliest interleague player moves (some considered it the first major deal) between the AL & NL after their 1903 truce, the Pirates bought Wyatt “Watty” Lee from Washington for $3,000. The P/1B had three solid seasons for the Senators, but was a flop for the Bucs, appearing in just eight games, five as a pitcher and three as a pinch hitter. Watty went 4-for-12 at the plate, but his pitching record left much to be desired with a slash of 1-2/8.74. It was the end of Lee's major league days though he soldiered on with a long minor league career. 

Watty Lee (Newark) - 1911 T205

• 1911 - Just to prove that umps’ eyesight has always been under suspicion, according to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology “NL president Tom Lynch reveals he had asked all umpires to produce certificates as to their eyesight; tests showed all have perfect vision.” Wonder who tested the docs? 
• 1926 - RHP Jake Thies was born in St. Louis. As a 28-year-old, he spent 1954 and one lackluster ‘55 start with the Pirates, slashing 3-10/3.90 overall. He was dealt to Kansas City where he spent two years at AAA, returning to the Buc system for three games to close his pro days. 
• 1928 - The April Fool’s victim this year was the Pirates, who sold SS Joe Cronin to Kansas City of the American Association, which then flipped him to Washington in July. In Pittsburgh, he was blocked at SS by Glenn Wright and manager Donie Bush preferred vet George Grantham at second base, so the Pirates deemed him to be excess baggage. They deemed wrong; after a 20-year career, seven All-Star games and .301 BA, he earned a plaque in the Hall of Fame. 
• 1948 - 1B Willie Montanez was born in Catano, Puerto Rico. Willie spent part of 1981 and 1982 with the Pirates at the tail end of his 14-year career after he was swapped from the Expos for John Milner. He seldom made the lineup but hit .271 off the bench before the Bucs released him. He closed out his MLB stint in ‘82 with the Phillies, the last of nine clubs he played for. 
• 1957 - The Pirates and KC Athletics played an 18-inning, 0-0, exhibition game before darkness put an end to the match. The two teams collected a combined 18 hits, 16 of which were singles, and only used three pitchers each; there were almost as many players as fans; the crowd at Fort Myers was 432 warm fannies. The contest was just shy of lasting four hours before the managers called it a day. Ron Kline and Bob Purkey did most of the tossing for the Bucs, with long-shot Purkey winning a spot on the staff after his 10-inning whitewash performance. 

Bob Purkey - 1957 Topps

• 1963 - The Titusville Herald’s headline screamed “Pittsburgh Pirates To Move Club To Titusville.” The April Fools gag drew a chuckle but no interest from ownership and the Bucs remained firmly rooted in Forbes Field. Titusville’s population per the 1960 census was 8,356 souls; Forbes Field had an average attendance of 9,675 in 1963; maybe there was a match to be made. 
• 1968 - RHP Masumi Kuwata was born in Yao, Japan. He ended his 21-year stay with the Yomiuri Giants (173 wins, 3.55 ERA) after the 2006 campaign because at age 38, he wanted to take a shot at MLB. He drew some interest from the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, but chose the Pirates because he thought they offered the fastest track to the majors. He hurt his ankle in camp, went to Indy and got a call up in June. He lasted two months and 19 outings, tossing to a 9.43 ERA, and was outrighted. He refused the Indy assignment and returned to Japan, but then signed a minor league deal with the Bucs for 2008; apparently neither side believed that experience was a very good teacher. Kuwata didn’t make the 25-man out of camp and retired. The Pirates offered Kuwata a coaching job (Masumi’s performance may have been slack, but he was a pro at preparation and a willing mentor to younger guys), but he declined and went back to Nippon for good. He made the Bucco annals as the first Japanese player for Pittsburgh. 
• 1972 - The first players' strike in baseball history began and wiped six-to-eight games off the schedule, which were canceled upon settlement. This resulted in teams playing a different number of games during the 1972 season and led to the Detroit Tigers edging the Boston Red Sox by only one-half game (86-70 to 85-70) to win the AL East Division championship. The strike settlement required the team owners to add salary arbitration and increase pension fund payments. 
• 1979 - The Pirate Parrot was “hatched” at Three Rivers Stadium as a response to the Phillie Phanatic, introduced the year before. The concept of a parrot came from Robert Louis Stevenson’s pirate tale “Treasure Island.” At first, the Parrot was a lean, mean bird dressed in pirate gear, but in the mid-eighties was transformed into the more child-friendly, goofy butterball in a team jersey and backward cap that we have today. The Green Machine is a mainstay of charity, community and childrens’ events and even hosts a Twitter account. The big bird has had its controversial moments, too, being involved in a drug scandal and violating team neutrality by showing up at a political event, but has managed to escape the occasional bad press with its feathers unruffled.

4/1 From 1980: Openers & Walker Grannie, Pena - AVS, Ott - Thompson, JVM & Odell Deals, SS Search, '06 Top Pups; RIP Jerry & Frankie, HBD Axman

• 1980 - RHP Odell Jones was traded back to the Pirates by the Seattle Mariners for a PTBNL and cash after spending a season in the Great Northwest. Jones had pitched in Pittsburgh from 1975 & 77-78, then went to Seattle as part of the Enrique Romo swap. Pittsburgh eventually sent Larry Andersen to the M’s in October to complete the trade. Anderson, who was lights out in AAA Portland after coming over from Cleveland, pitched through 1994 in the show. Jones yo-yo’ed between the minors and majors, appearing in 137 MLB games and 168 MiLB games through 1989; he pitched in Mexico after that except for a brief 1992 stop in the Angel’s organization to cap his 21-year pro career. 
• 1981 - 1B Jason Thompson was traded by the California Angels to the Bucs for LHP Mickey Mahler and C Ed Ott. Thompson took control of a muddled first base situation in Pittsburgh, which was transitioning from Pops Stargell (Doe Boyland and Eddie Vargas, the organizational heir apparents, never panned out), and held the starting job through 1985 until Sid Bream replaced him. The 29-year-old Ott was taken by surprise by the swap - he and the Pirates had been close to finalizing (at least in Ott’s mind) a six-year/$275K per season deal. Steve Nicosia and rookie Tony Pena shared the load after Otter’s departure eased the catching logjam. The deal was originally structured to be a three-teamer. The Yankees were set to send the Pirates 1B Jim Spencer, two minor league pitchers and $850,000 for Thompson, with $450,000 earmarked to pay Spencer's salary, but Commissioner Bowie Kuhn nixed that part of the swap because of the money involved; at the time, $400K was the max amount allowed to switch hands. That no-go decision worked out bigly to the Pirates advantage - the 33-year-old Spencer hit .182 over 1981-82 and then retired while JT lasted five seasons with the Pirate, posting a .259 BA with 93 HR and a 125+ OPS during that span. 
• 1983 - RHP John “The Axman” Axford was born in Simcoe, Ontario. Axford has 10 MLB campaigns on his resume, with two months spent as a Pirate in 2014. He was claimed off waivers from the Indians in August, where he had a workmanlike campaign, to strengthen the Bucco mid-inning pen during its playoff run. He slashed 0-1/4.14 and after the season signed with the Rockies; he was called up by Milwaukee very briefly in 2021 to end his MLB days. 

John Axford - 2015 Topps

• 1985 - The Pittsburgh Press speculated that the Pirates were in the market for a shortstop with a void in the lineup following Dale Berra’s trade to NY. The hot stove league stoked trade rumors featuring Johnny Lemaster as Tim Foli was on his last legs and Rafael Belliard was considered to be no more than a good glove backup. The Giants, though, wanted an arm and leg for Lemaster, so the Bucs wisely passed. He ended up with the Indians, and Pittsburgh did grab him on May 30th in exchange for a career minor leaguer (Lemaster had three hits in 23 games between the Bay and Tribe, which dropped his price considerably). A change of scenery didn’t help as he hit .155 here and the Pirates ended up with Sammy Khalifa taking the job. There were six SS’s who started that year - Khalifa, Lemaster, Foley, Belliard, Bill Almon and Jerry Dybzinski. Pittsburgh didn’t fill that particular infield hole until 1989 when they added Jay Bell to the lineup. 
• 1987 - St. Louis sent OF Andy Van Slyke‚ C Mike LaValliere and RHP Mike Dunne (reports said the Pirates had their choice between him and another 20-something pitching prospect, LHP Joe McGrane) to Pittsburgh in exchange for All-Star C Tony Pena. Van Slyke and Dunne both thought it was an April’s Fool joke when first told of the trade, and Pena cried at the press conference when the deal was announced. AVS was one of the core players during the Pirates early nineties resurgence, Spanky formed a solid catching combo with Don Slaught and Dunne started strong (TSN named him the NL Pitching RoY for ‘87) before injuries derailed his career. Pena remained solid behind the dish but only hit above .263 once in his remaining 12 big league campaigns. 
• 1991 - Frankie Gustine died at the age of 71. The versatile infielder was a three-time All-Star who played a decade for the Pirates (1939-48) after signing as a 16-year-old, compiling a .268 BA. After his MLB career, Gustine coached at Point Park College from 1968-74 (he’s in the school’s Hall of Fame). He became a successful local business owner, too, operating a popular namesake Oakland restaurant on Forbes Avenue located just a Texas League bloop away from the ballyard (now Hemingway’s); he also held part ownership of the Sheraton Inn at Station Square. 
• 1996 - The Pirates Paul Wagner beat Kevin Brown (who was the ‘96 Cy Young runner up with 17 wins and an ERA of 1.89) and the Florida Marlins in the Season Opener at Joe Robbie Stadium, 4-0, before a crowd of 41,815. C Jason Kendall made his MLB debut, not only calling a shutout but going 3-for-4 at the plate with 2 RBI; the 22-year-old would go on to the All Star Game in his rookie campaign while batting .300 during the year. Jay Bell doubled home the other pair of runs. Wagner went 6-2/3 innings for the win with Jon Lieber and Dan Plesac finishing up. 

Paul Wagner - 1996 Fleer

• 2006 - The Pirates Top Ten prospects going into the year were IF Neil Walker, 1B Brad Eldred, CF Andrew McCutchen, 3B Jose Bautista, LHP Tom Gorzelanny, IF Yurendell DeCaster, C Ronny Paulino, RHP Josh Sharpless, CF Rajai Davis and OF Adam Bouve, a collection of youngsters who covered the full spectrum of baseball achievement. Another riser with a bullet, RHP Matt Capps, who was expected to start the year with AA Altoona, instead went north with the big team. 
• 2011 - Neil Walker hit his first career grand slam on Opening Day at Wrigley Field off Ryan Dempster. He became the second player in team history to swat a grand salami on Opening Day, joining Roberto Clemente, who drilled one to start the 1962 season. It was the key blow in a 6-3 win over the Cubs, supplying enough offense to carry Kevin Correia and four relievers to victory. 
• 2012 - One of the games great pinch-hitters, Jerry Lynch, died at the age of 82. He started and ended his career as a Pirate, spending seven seasons with the Bucs. He came off the bench to collect 116 pinch hits during his career, 18 of which were homers. Lynch lived in Allison Park when he passed away and was part owner of Champion Lakes GC, along with Dick Groat. 
• 2021 - The Pirates got just three innings from their starter, Chad Kuhl, gifted the Cubs a run, ran themselves out of an inning, stranded 15 runners during a 3-for-20 w/RISP afternoon and still beat the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Opening Day by a 5-3 score. Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a two-run homer (he became the second Pirates rookie to go long on Opening Day, joining Johnny Ray who first did the deed in 1987) while Adam Frazier, Kevin Newman and Jake Stallings had two hits each, with the Cub pitchers helping by walking 11 Buccos. But the key to the win was a shutdown bullpen. In its six innings, six Pittsburgh relievers (Duane Underwood Jr., Clay Holmes, Sam Howard, David Bednar, Chris Stratton and Richard Rodriguez) gave up a run on a hit and walk with 11 whiffs to help the Pirates overcome their own shoot-myself-in-the-foot antics to start the season on a winning note. Howard claimed the victory and Ric Rod earned the save. 
• 2022 - The Pirates traded 20-year old RHP Listher Sosa to Arizona for IF Josh VanMeter. The infielder had four years in the show, split between Cincinnati and the D-Backs with a .210 career BA. The move, though minor, was widely panned when JVM was added to the active roster as the Bucs were already knee-deep in upper level infield prospects jousting for attention. Josh played in 67 games, filling six positions and DH'ing while batting .187. He was DFA’ed in early September, spent a couple of years in the minors and retired in 2025.