7/31 Deadline Deals: Coming - Corey, Archie, Cruz, JA, J-Mac, X-Man, Jody, The Mayor, Freddy, Gonzo, Lieber, Mickey ; Going - Glasnow, Watson, Jay Bay, Matty Mo, Ollie, Matt, Supe, Belinda, Robby

• 1987 - The Pirates traded RHP Don Robinson to the San Francisco Giants for C Mackey Sasser and $50K. Robinson did everything from starting to closing for the Giants from ‘87-91, with a slash of 42-33-14/3.56. Sasser played a dozen games for the Buccos and then was traded to the New York Mets after the season as part of the deal for 1B Randy “Moose” Milligan. 
• 1993 - RHP Jon Lieber was traded by the Kansas City Royals along with reliever Dan Miceli to the Bucs for closer Stan Belinda. Lieber won 38 games in five seasons with Pittsburgh before being traded to the Cubs for Brant Brown, Miceli had 24 saves/10 holds/5.41 ERA in four Pirates campaigns and Belinda lasted two years for KC, settling into a bridge role out of their bullpen. 
• 2001 - The Pirates traded the well-traveled LHP Terry Mulholland to the LA Dodgers for pitchers Mike Fetters and Adrian Burnside. Mulholland, from Uniontown, pitched for 11 teams in a 20-year major league career with a pair of stints with the Cubs, Phils and Giants. The FO also swapped RHP Mike Williams to the Astros for RHP Tony McKnight. It was actually worked out as more like a lend-lease, as Williams signed with the Bucs again as a free agent after the season. 
• 2002 - The Bucs sent first round bust OF Chad Hermansen, 24, to the Cubs for 35-year-old OF Darren Lewis, who refused to report to the Pirates (he was ticketed as outfield depth) and retired instead. Chad hit .209 for the Cubs before moving on. The deal’s personnel package was restructured; along with Chad, the Pirates sent OF Aron Weston to Chicago (he topped out at AA) and the Cubs shipped pitchers Ricardo Palma (he reached AAA and pitched for the Venezuelan WBC team) and Tim Lavery, who was sent to A ball and retired at age 23, to replace Lewis.
• 2003 - Pitchers Brandon Lyon, Anastacio Martinez and Jeff Suppan were traded by the Bucs to the Red Sox for LHP Mike Gonzalez, 2B Freddy Sanchez and cash in a redo deal. Originally, Gonzalez had gone to Boston for Lyons and Martinez a few days earlier, but Lyons flunked the physical, causing a reworking of the swap. The mulligan panned out pretty well for the Bucs. 

Mike Gonzales - 2005 Topps Total

• 2005 - The Cubs sent young OF Jody Gerut to Pittsburgh for vet OF Matt Lawton. Chi-town shipped Lawton to the Yankees for a minor leaguer in August. Gerut, hampered by a bum knee, barely played and was released after 2006, appearing in just four games as a Pirate. 
• 2006 - Busy at the deadline: The Pirates traded pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez to the New York Mets for OF Xavier Nady. Pittsburgh also sent RHP Kip Wells to the Texas Rangers for RHP Jesse Chavez, traded OF/1B Craig Wilson to the New York Yankees for RHP Shawn Chacon and acquired RHP Brian Rogers from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for 1B Sean Casey. Nady hit .301 in three Pittsburgh seasons, Chavez was flipped in the 2009 offseason for 2B Aki Iwamura, Chacon gave the Bucs two workmanlike campaigns (7-7-1/4.44) and Rogers was ineffective, getting into 13 games over two years and posting a 9.28 ERA/7.66 FIP. 
• 2007 - The Bucs traded OF Rajai Davis and IF Stephen McFarland to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Matt Morris, who was being paid $7.5M in 2007 and under contract to make $9.5M in 2008 with a $1M buyout for 2009. He was released on April 27th of 2008 after going 3-8/7.04 in 16 Pirate starts, costing the club piles of dead money; many believed this deal was the final nail in GM Dave Littlefield’s coffin. Rajai finished in the Mexican League and now has a position in MLB Baseball Operations. Another rumored shuffle didn’t get done; there were hot and heavy talks with the Tigers to send SS Jack Wilson to Motown, but the deal fell through although Detroit agreed to take on his contract and offered one of pitchers Jair Jurrjens/Dallas Trahorn; Littlefield wanted Craig Monroe, per Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette. The Bucs had already chased Toronto away by asking for Troy Glaus straight up for Wilson. Relievers Damaso Marte, Salomon Torres and Shawn Chacon were also dangled without success (all were on contractual short leashes: Chacon left as a free agent while Torres was traded during the offseason and Marte lasted until the 2008 trade deadline).
• 2008 - Jason Bay and Josh Wilson were traded to the Boston Red Sox in a three-team deal that sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Andy LaRoche & Bryan Morris to the Pirates from LA, and Brandon Moss & Craig Hansen shipped to the Bucs from Beantown. None of the prospects panned out for Pittsburgh, and Bay’s career was hamstrung by injury. Reports were that Tampa Bay offered SS Reid Brignac & RHP Jeff Niemann for Bay, but the Bucco FO wanted Wade Davis, David Price or Jeremy Hellickson instead of Niemann, ending that talk in a hurry. Miami was also a player for Bay and offered a package anchored by OF Jeremy Hermida and RHP Ryan Tucker, but the Pirates didn’t bite; they were focused on an 18-year-old outfielder named Mike Stanton. 

J-Mac - 2011 Topps

• 2010 - A lot of wheeling and dealing: RHP James McDonald was traded to Pittsburgh with OF Andrew Lambo by the LA Dodgers for RHP Octavio Dotel and cash. The Bucs also flipped LHP Javier Lopez to the SF Giants for RHP Joe Martinez and OF Joe Bowker. In a bigger house cleaning/change of scenery deal, SS Bobby Crosby, RHP D.J. Carrasco and RF Ryan Church were sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash, C Chris Snyder and SS Pedro Ciriaco. J-Mac had a promising start but crashed in 2013 while Lambo couldn’t overcome a spate of injuries; the other players were given MLB auditions but didn’t leave much of an impression with the organization. 
• 2011 - OF Ryan Ludwick was sent to the Pirates by the San Diego Padres for cash as the Bucs hoped to make a late push for respectability. He hit .232 with two homers during the dog days and then signed with the Cincinnati Reds in the off season, with 2014 being his last MLB season. 
• 2012 - 1B Gaby Sanchez and RHP Kyle Kaminska went from the Marlins to the Pirates for OF Gorkys Hernandez and 2013’s sandwich compensation draft pick five minutes before the deadline expired. Gaby stayed as a platoon 1B and bench bat through 2014 with Pittsburgh, hitting .241, and then went to Japan to play. Before that trade, the Bucs dealt 3B Casey McGehee to the Yankees for RHP Chad Qualls; both ended up as stretch run rentals for their respective clubs. 
• 2015 - The Bucs picked up 1B/OF Michael Morse, who had just been traded to and DFA’ed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, for OF Jose Tabata and cash. The Beast hit .275 with a .390 OBP in 45 games during the stretch, mainly off the bench. Morse was released the next year, then signed with the Giants in 2017, which was his final MLB campaign while Tabata played in the Latino and indie leagues through 2021. In a late deal spurred by AJ Burnett’s trip to the DL due to elbow inflammation, Pittsburgh then sent minor league RHP Adrian Sampson to Seattle for veteran lefty JA Happ, who turned in a masterful slash of 7-2/1.85. Sampson is in the Nats’ system while Happ retired following the 2021 campaign after toeing the rubber for eight teams over 15 MLB seasons. 

JA Happ - 2015 Pirates Promo

• 2017 - LHP Tony Watson (5-3-10, 3.66) was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a pair of prospects, SS Oneil Cruz and RHP Angel German. Tony joined the club in 2011 and was seventh in franchise history with 450 appearances, but had lost his closer job to Felipe Rivera and was in his walk year. He retired in 2022. Cruz went from the Pirates starting SS to CF while German topped out at AA. The Pirates picked up 40-year-old rental RHP Joaquin Benoit from the Phillies for 23-year-old Bradenton Marauders closer RHP Seth McGarry. Both are now out of baseball. 
• 2018 - Busy day. First, they sent a ton of potential talent in OF Austin Meadows, RHP Tyler Glasnow, both at one time the top-rated Pirates prospects, and a PTBNL (RHP Shane Baz, the Pirates 2017 first-rounder, #12 overall) to Tampa Bay for RHP Chris Archer. Archie, 29, joined Jameson Taillon at the head of the rotation, a spot he wouldn’t hold for long. He injured his thoracic nerve and won just six games in Pittsburgh in two seasons and some change. He left to rejoin his old club as a FA for 2021, but injured his forearm after one start for the Rays and went to the Twins. Archie took a job in baseball ops for the Dodgers in ‘24. Austin has had anxiety issues and is currently a free agent. Glasnow later was dealt to the LA Dodgers and Baz is part of the Tampa Bay rotation. The Pirates also snagged RHP Keone Kela, 25, from the Texas Rangers for minor league LHP Taylor Hearn, 23, and a PTBNL, who ended up being 3B Sherten Apostel, 19, a Low-A prospect who played for the Rangers, then in Japan and is an FA now. Kela was the Rangers’ closer, but the Bucs added him for depth to their bullpen’s back end. He was effective but injury prone, and left for the Padres as a free agent after the 2020 season. He had TJ surgery in 2021 and is now throwing in Mexico. Hearn was having a breakout campaign at Altoona and was the top-ranked Pirate organizational southpaw starter before being traded. He’s now pitching in Japan. 
• 2019 - OF Corey Dickerson was traded to Philly for $250K in international bonus credit. Corey came over from Tampa for RHP Daniel Hudson and minor league IF Triston Gray. He hit .303 with a 121 OPS+ in 2018-19 and won a Gold Glove in his first season, but injured his shoulder in ‘19, got into just 44 games for Pittsburgh and was moved in the walk year of his contract. Injuries have plagued him throughout his career; he played for eight teams before retiring to coach prep ball in 2024. Huddy retired after the 2024 campaign and Gray made his debut in ‘24 and is now playing for Tampa Bay.

7/31 Through 1964: Ump Bashing, Gee Joins, Buc Crew In '61 ASG, No Interleague - Yet; 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.’” 

Lefty Killen - 1896 Team Photo Snip

• 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. 
• 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. 

Johnny Gee - 1937 World Archives

• 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. 
• 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. 

Mike Bielecki - 2017 Topps Heritage Rediscover

• 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. 
• 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.

7/31 From 1965: AJ 1-Hitter, 5-For-Neil, Wakefield Debut, Duelin', TSN Scoops, Strike Ends, '24 Class & JVW Sign, Pops In HoF; HBD JJ

• 1968 - The Pirates used a triple play to squelch a Reds comeback in a tight contest and then turned it on to run away from Cincinnati at Crosley Field, 10-1. Up 2-1 with Dock Ellis on the mound, the pair of Reds aboard on walks were off and running on a 3-2 pitch to Tommy Helms. He lined the ball to Gene Alley, who flipped it to Bill Mazeroski and then on to Donn Clendenon to defuse the jam. Roberto Clemente and Clendenon homered in a victory that wasn’t iced until the Bucs scored six times in the last two frames. It secured a twin bill split as Bob Moose and the Buccos were dusted, 8-2, in the opener. Clendenon had five hits and Manny Mota collected four during the day. 
• 1969 - Five Pirates pitchers (Luke Walker, Joe Gibbon, Bob Moose, Lou Marone and winner Chuck Hartenstein) held the Los Angeles Dodgers to six hits over 15 innings and kept the Buccos alive until Al Oliver’s sinking liner found grass to score Matty Alou for a 2-1 victory at Forbes Field. The teams exchanged runs in the seventh inning on LA’s Bill Sudakis’ solo shot and Jose Martinez’s pinch-hit single that plated Freddie Patek. The Bucs banged out 15 hits, 14 of which were singles, hit into three twin killings, had a runner thrown out at home plate, and left 13 ducks on the pond until Scoops’ walk-off game winner. Roberto Clemente had four hits while Oliver and Freddie Patek banged out three each. 
• 1976 - Al Oliver was featured as the cover story of The Sporting News in an article titled “Batting Demon.” It was his third All Star year, and he finished the season with a.323 BA and .839 OPS. He played 18 years of MLB ball and finished up with a .303 lifetime BA and seven ASG games. 
• 1979 - IF Jason Joseph “JJ” Furmaniak was born in Naperville, Illinois. A three-time All-Star in the minors, Furmaniak had a cup of coffee with the Bucs in 2005, getting into 13 games and hitting .192 after being dealt to Pittsburgh by the San Diego Padres in exchange for C David Ross. He signed with Oakland in 2007 and played 16 games for them before going to Japan for a season. JJ then finished out his career in the minors, with 2011 being his last campaign. 

JJ Furmaniak - 2006 Bowman Rookie

• 1981 - The player’s strike ended after 42 days of headbutting. In the settlement, teams that lost a top free agent would be compensated from a pool of players left unprotected from all of the clubs (who could protect 26 players) rather than just the signing club, a procedure that lasted until 1985. The union agreed to restrict free agency to players with six or more years of major league service. Reportedly, the negotiations were so bitter that after the deal, Players Association rep Marvin Miller and the owners' negotiator Ray Grebey refused to pose with each other for the traditional “done deal” photo. The year became split season, with first-half winners meeting second-half titleists to determine the champs. It was a weird campaign and the schedule never came close to catching up - the Pirates and Cards played 102 games during the season while the Giants got in 111 contests. 
• 1983 - Rookie Jose DeLeon held the Mets hitless for 8-1/3 innings before Hubie Brooks singled, but Mike Torrez countered with 11 shutout innings as New York won, 1-0, in 12 frames. In his previous start, DeLeon had held the San Diego Padres hitless for 6-1/3 innings. Manny Sarmiento took the loss when the Pirates opted to go for a double play with an out in the 12th, but George Foster hustled up the line to beat the relay to first. The day was a double dose defeat for the Bucs as they lost the twin bill’s lidlifter, 7-6, after blowing a 6-1 lead. Jim Bibby took the loss in the 11th to waste Jason Thompson’s first-inning grand slam. 
• 1985 - The Pirates scored twice in the bottom of the 10th frame to rally past the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3, at Three Rivers Stadium. Cecilio Guante picked up the win in spite of himself, allowing a home run in the top of the 10th and tossing a wild pitch in the ninth inning that tied the game. Former Bucco Kent Tekulve suffered the loss after Steve Kemp lined a two-out walkoff single to left to bring home Larry McWilliams, pinch running for Jason Thompson. The prior batter, Marvell Wynne, hit into a force that plated Lee Mazzilli and knotted the score again.
• 1988 - Willie Stargell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as the sole honoree that year. Stargell played his entire 21-year career (1962-1982, playing 2,360 games) with the Pirates, batting .282 with 2,232 hits, 475 home runs and 1,540 RBI. Captain Willie’s home run and RBI totals remain first on the club’s all-time list, as are his 937 walks and 953 extra-base hits. 

Bob Patterson - 1990 Fleer Update

• 1990 - Bob Patterson came in cold and still tossed five shutout innings after Bob Walk bruised his finger trying to handle a first-inning comebacker. The Buc bats broke loose to make it an easy day for Patterson by taming the Cubs, 9-1, at Three Rivers Stadium. Wally Backman, Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla combined for eight hits and six runs scored while Sid Bream homered and drove in three Pirates. The win moved the Bucs into a first place tie with the Mets and they eventually won the pennant by four games with 95 victories, their first flag since 1979. 
• 1992 - Knuckleball specialist Tim Wakefield made his debut against the Cards at TRS, replacing Zane Smith, who was hurt, and pitched his way to a 3-2 win over former Bucco Jose DeLeon. He was in hot water early, giving up a couple of unearned runs in the fifth inning after working his way out of earlier jams; he stranded nine Redbirds during the course of the day. He left the bases full of Redbirds to close out the frame and cruised afterward. The flutter ball hurler posted a line of six hits, five walks and 10 whiffs - and three wild pitches. He got all his support from a pair of bombs, a two-run shot by Barry Bonds and a solo homer off Jay Bell’s bat, and made the three scores stand up. The Bucs moved into first place after the victory and never looked back. 
• 1997 - Kevin Young played through a case of the flu, and the pregame chicken soup worked its magic as his three-run, eighth-inning homer on a two-out, full-count pitch carried the Bucs to a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies at TRS. Jason Schmidt went eight frames for the win with Rick Loiselle earning the save by striking out the side in the ninth around a single. 
• 2000 - 1B/OF John Vander Wal, 34, signed a two-year contract extension valued at $3.7M with another $300 K available in bonus money. JVW ended the year slashing .299/11 HR/94 RBI and hit .278 the next season until he was traded to the San Francisco Giants at the 2001 deadline. He finished his career in 2004, playing for five different teams over his final four campaigns. 
• 2012 - AJ Burnett held the Cubs hitless through 7-2/3 innings before giving up his only knock, a single to right by Adrian Cardenas, as the Bucs won, 5-0, at Wrigley Field. Burnett tossed a 108-pitch complete game while Neil Walker chased home all five runs with a granny and sac fly. 

Neil Walker - 2013 Topps Heritage

• 2013 - The Pirates won their fourth straight in a five-game series (they would lose the next day, 13-0) over St. Louis Cardinals with a 5-4 win at PNC Park. With Card ace Adam Wainwright on the hill, Pittsburgh rallied three times to tie the game, 4-4, in the fifth inning. The score stayed that way until the bottom of the eighth frame. Neil Walker opened with a single and tagged to second after Pedro Alvarez’s drive to left died in the corner for the second out. Russell Martin turned on a slider and lined it into short left center for the game winner. The Pirate bullpen tossed five scoreless innings in the victory, with Tony Watson getting the win and Mark Melancon earning the save. The Pirates extended their National League Central Division lead to 2-1/2 games with the decision. 
• 2015 - Behind Starling Marte’s ninth-inning defensive prowess and Jung-Ho Kang’s stick, the Pirates snapped a six-game losing streak at GABP by hanging on to beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-4. Marte threw out Brandon Phillips at home for the second out of the ninth, then made a tumbling, grass-top grab of Todd Frazier’s low, hooking liner to end the game, giving Mark Melancon his 31st straight save conversion. JHK ripped three straight doubles, scored twice (once on a heads-up sprint home following a short wild pitch) and drove in a run. Kang finished July with a .379 BA & 13 extra-base hits, the most productive month for a Pirate rookie since Paul Waner hit .381 with 14 multi-base whacks in September, 1926. Jeff Locke got the win for the Bucs to even his record at 6-6. 
• 2024 - All the Bucs drafted pool-eligible players were signed, sealed and delivered when the last holdout, top pick Konnor Griffin, inked his contract. The 2024 Top-10-Picks: CF/SS Konnor Griffin (1st round/Jackson Prep - MS). $6,532,025/slot $6,216,600. Konnor was the Gatorade High School Player of the Year, RHP Levi Sterling (Comp Round A - Notre Dame HS - CA) $2,511,400 (full slot), SS Wyatt Sanford (2nd round/Independence HS - TX), $2.5M/slot $1,984,800. His dad, IF Chance, was also drafted by the Pirates and made his MLB debut here in 1988, LHP Josh Hartle (3rd round/Wake Forest) $850,000/slot $920,800, 3B Eddie Rynders (4th round/Wisconsin) $649,700 (full slot), OF Will Taylor (5th round/Clemson) $500K/slot $471,400, RHP Matt Ager (6th round/UC-Santa Barbara) $357,400/slot $359,900, LHP Connor Wietgrefe (7th round/Minnesota) $247,500/slot $281,500), RHP Gavin Adams (8th round/Florida State) $172,500/slot $224,500. He missed the 2024 college season following TJ surgery, SS Duce Gourson (9th round/UCLA) $187,500/slot $196,100, & C Derek Berg (10th round/Army) $172,500/slot $183,800.

7/30 Deadline Deals: Bring In - Vazquez, Soria, Blanton, Lunchbox, Lee, J-Hay, Joey Bats & Wilson; Shipped Out - Rick Rod The Shark, Lincoln, Gorzo, Benson & Schmidt

• 2000 - The Pirates announced a deal after a 9-8 loss to the San Diego Padres: the St. Louis Cardinals sent young SS Jack Wilson to the Bucs for LHP Jason Christiansen. Wilson became the Bucs starting SS from 2001-09, winning an All Star berth and Gold Glove in 2004, while Christiansen tossed through 2005, but with only one strong year during that span. Even though trade talks were in the final stages, Jimmy Leyland broke with usual protocol and used Christiansen during the contest, as the swap wasn’t finalized until late in the game. He was hammered for four runs in 1/3 IP, which fortunately didn't deter the Redbirds. 
• 2001 - The Bucs sent RHP Jason Schmidt and OF John Vander Wal to the Giants for OF Armando Rios and RHP Ryan Vogelsong. Schmidt went 7-1 the rest of the year for San Francisco and then signed a big four-year contract. Vander Wal played on four teams in the following four years, retiring in 2004. Rios tore his ACL on August 1st and got into 78 games over two years before he was released. Vogelsong underwent Tommy John surgery in September. When Vogey returned after missing all of 2002, he went 10-17/5.82 over four years and then left for Japan, where he tossed for three years before making another MLB comeback. 
• 2004 - The Pirates traded RHP Kris Benson and IF Jeff Keppinger to the NY Mets for 3B Jose Bautista (who they had lost in the 2003 Rule 5 draft), IF Ty Wigginton and RHP Matt Peterson. Bautista became the 10th major leaguer to play for four teams in a season, having been on the rosters of Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Kansas City. In fact, he was actually on five teams, as he was acquired by the Mets from the Royals but sent to Pittsburgh the same day. Benson, the other key player in the deal, won just 27 more games in his career. Interestingly, GM Dave Littlefield reportedly rejected an offer for Benson made by the Phillies for a power-hitting prospect named Ryan Howard, who would eventually become a National League MVP. The Bucs thought they had a Howard clone already in their system with Brad Eldred. After falling domino was 3B Chris Styne, who was released the next day as his roster spot was made redundant by Wigginton. 

Gorzo - 2009 O-Pee-Chee

• 2009 - The Pirates shipped lefties Tom Gorzelanny and John Grabow to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for IF Josh Harrison and RHPs Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio. Gorzo was converted to a bullpen guy for several clubs, Grabow’s last MLB season was 2011, Hart & Acasio succumbed to injuries and J-Hay ended up the keeper of the deal. For the Pirates, it was the end of a 10-day purge. Besides Gorzo and Grabow, they had earlier dealt away Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, Ian Snell and Adam LaRoche. Harrison and Ronny Cedeno were the only prospects netted from those three deals to become starting players for Pittsburgh, who flipped a rebuild into a veteran purge. 
• 2011 - The Pirates traded minor league 1B Aaron Baker to the Orioles for 1B Derrek Lee, the first time that Pittsburgh was a buyer at the trade deadline since dealing for SS Shawon Dunston in 1997 to bolster the “Freak Show” lineup. Baker never made it past the AA level while Lee hit .337 with seven long balls for the Pirates in 28 games (he missed a month with a wrist injury) as Lyle Overbay’s replacement before retiring at the end of the year at age 35. 
• 2012 - In a trade of 2006 first rounders, Pittsburgh sent RHP Brad Lincoln to Toronto for OF Travis Snider. The change of scenery didn’t help either player much - Lincoln’s MLB career ended after the 2014 season and Lunchbox bounced around before retiring in 2022.
• 2015 - Keep the phone charged: The Pirates acquired veteran RHP Joe Blanton, 34, from the Royals for $660K after he had been DFA’ed. Blanton went 5-0/1.57 for the Pirates during the dog days. RHP Vance Worley was released to make room for him; 2017 was the last MLB season for both. In another deal, RHP Joakim Soria was picked up by the Pirates from the Tigers for Altoona SS prospect JaCoby Jones. The Detroit closer, slotted to work the back end of the bullpen behind Mark Melancon and Tony Watson, made 29 Bucco appearances with a 2.03 ERA, one save and 11 holds. Soria retired in 2022; Jones was released by Kansas City in 2022. Finally, IF Justin Sellers, who had been DFA’ed, was sent to the Chicago White Sox for cash and played into 2016. 

Joe Blanton - 2015 Topps Update

• 2016 - The Pirates sent closer Mark Melancon and $500K to the Washington Nationals for a pair of hard throwing lefties (both touched 100), reliever Felipe (Rivero) Vazquez and prospect Taylor Hearns. The Shark was a bullpen back-ender that came over in the Joel Hanrahan deal with Boston. In four years w/Pirates, he went 10-10-174/1.80. Vazquez was on his way to becoming one of the league’s elite back-end relievers after taking over the closers’ job in 2017 from Tony Watson until he was arrested for child porn. Hearns was a 21-year-old lanky southpaw with an upper 90s heater and control issues who was already on the Bucco radar; he was the Pirates 22nd-round pick in 2012, but didn’t sign and went to Oklahoma Baptist. He’s currently tossing in Japan after a stint with the Rangers and Braves. Melancon turned into a costly Nats rental, later signing with the Giants, then with the Braves, moving on to the Padres and was last with the D-backs. He hasn’t pitched since 2022 after missing all of the ‘23 campaign with a shoulder injury. In ‘24, he retired and took a college coaching job. 
• 2021 - Righty closer Richard Rodriguez (4-3-14/2.82 in 37 appearances) went to the Braves for RHPs Bryse Wilson, 23, (2-3/4.83 w/Atlanta) and Ricky Devito, 22. Wilson is a starter who once was a Top 100 prospect and is now in the White Sox system while Devito is with the Marlin organization. Ric Rod was banged with a drug suspension and is currently hurling in Mexico. Then LHP Austin Davis (0-1/5.59 in 10 outings) was dealt to Boston for UT Michael Chavis, 25. Chavis played 1B, 2B and LF and is currently in Japan while Davis is out of work after San Diego let him go in May ‘25. Finally, a minor league swap: Indy LHP Braeden Ogle, 24, (2-2-1/3.18) went to the Phillies in return for C Abrahan Gutierrez, 21, who was part of a deal that fell apart with the Phils a couple of days earlier. Ogle tossed in the indie leagues and is currently a FA while Gutierrez is at Indy. 
• 2024 - The Bucs landed OF Bryan De La Cruz (.245/18/51) from Miami; the Marlins received UT Garrett Forrester and RHP Jun-Seok Shim in return. DLC has power and is under arb control through 2027. So far in his career he's been a .250 BA/20 HR guy but below par with the mitt as a corner OF'er but was a flop here; he’s now with the Yankees. Forrester was a third round pick from 2023 who was at Bradenton while Shim, a 2023 Korean signee, was among the Pirates Top 30 prospects but has only tossed eight innings since his deal. He hadn't pitched in ‘24 due to shoulder problems. Toronto IF Isiah Kiner-Falefa also joined the Bucs OTD, with the Corsairs sending OF Charles McAdoo to the Jays. Kiner-Falefa has hit .292/.338/.420 with seven home runs in a breakout year for a guy who had been noted for his glove rather than stick and claimed the SS job in ‘25 as Oneil Cruz transitioned to CF. McAdoo was a rising-with-a-bullet Pirates prospect and one of the few pure hitters in the system who’s playing AA this year. In further action, San Diego sent 18-year-old LHP Ronaldys Jimenez to the Bucs for LHP Martín Pérez (2-5/5.20) and cash. Jimenez was a lottery ticket now in the Rookie League while the ineffective Perez was more or less a Bucco salary dump.

7/30 Through 1954: Wally Cycle, Duelin', Max Muscle, Bill Replaces Foxy, Pud Umps; HBD Mickey, Vic, Bill, Johnny, Hal, Chuck, Casey & Bill

• 1870 - C/1B Bill Merritt was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. The reserve played for the Pirates from 1894-97, with a brief stop in Cincinnati (Pittsburgh was one of Bill’s six MLB outposts during his eight-year MLB stay). He hit .280 while with the Bucs, close to his .272 career average. 
• 1886 - Enjoying an off day between games against the Metropolitans in New York, Allegheny pitcher Gentleman Jim Galvin took in the NY Giants-St. Louis match at the Polo Grounds, and ended up with the best seat in the house. Steaming over some verbal blasts unleashed during the prior day’s game, ump John Gaffney demanded a pre-game apology from the Giants. With none forthcoming, he stormed off the grounds, and Pud was pulled from the stands to umpire. He must have done OK; the Giants edged the Maroons, 2-1, and he escaped in one piece. 
• 1890 - OF Casey Stengel was born in Kansas City, Missouri. The Ol’ Perfesser spent 1918-19 as a Pirate outfielder, posting a .280 BA, and performed his famous “bird in the hat” stunt as a Bucco. He’s much more associated with the Big Apple, of course, than the Steel City. Between playing and managing, the Hall-of-Famer is the only person to have worn the uniforms of all four of New York's major league clubs - the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees and Mets. 
• 1891 - The Pirates (it was their first season after dropping the Alleghenys brand) got off to a 31–47 start following a disastrous 23–113 season, demoted captain/manager Ned Hanlon (who had left the team in 1890 for the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players' League before returning after that outfit folded) and hired Bill McGunnigle as skipper. McGunnigle managed the club to a 24–33 record over the remainder of the year and was replaced in turn by Tom Burns, who didn’t make it through the 1892 season before losing his job to Al Buckenberger. 
• 1894 - IF Chuck Ward was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He started his six-year MLB career with the Pirates, playing 125 games and hitting .236 in 1917. The next five campaigns were spent with the Brooklyn Robins, where he became the backup shortstop, playing off the bench through the 1922 season. Ward started pro ball in 1912 as a 17-year-old at Falls City and retired after the 1924 campaign with Toledo. He later managed the Rutgers nine for a dozen years. 

Wee Tommy Leach - Helmar Cigars

• 1904 - Baseball had some pretty rowdy roots. Per BR Bullpen: “Cardinals pitcher Jack Taylor walked seven and tossed three wild pitches to help the Pirates beat St. Louis, 5-2 at Exposition Park. The outcome was viewed suspiciously because several local gamblers had bet heavily on Pittsburgh before the game, but the real reason was Taylor and teammate Jake Beckley's late-night public drinking.” Pittsburgh Press writer Ralph Davis did note dryly that “Taylor was not hit hard, but he was inclined to be wild.” Bucco hurler Roscoe Miller’s five-hit performance from the hill played a role, too. It was the opener of a twin bill; the Pirates also took the nitecap behind Sam Leever, 2-1. “Old Sam” chipped in with a pair of hits, outdone only by Tommy Leach’s three knocks. 
• 1905 - C Hal Finney was born in Lafayette, Alabama. He was a reserve that played for the Bucs from 1931-34 & 1936. He spent his MLB career in Pittsburgh, finishing with a .203 BA. Finney came by that BA honestly - he held the MLB record for most at bats in a season without a hit by a non-pitcher from 1936, when he went 0-for-35, until 2011. His OBP was .000 as well.
• 1909 - The Bucs ended New York Giant’s Christy Mathewson’s 13-game winning streak by a 3-1 count at Forbes Field. Tommy Leach doubled in Fred Clarke & Alan Storke, and Wee Tommy in turn was chased home by Dots Miller, all in the opening frame. That early burst was all the support Vic Willis would need, scattering nine hits for the complete game win over Matty. 
• 1912 - OF Johnny Rizzo was born in Houston. He burst on the scene in 1938, hitting .301 with 23 HR and 111 RBI as a rookie; his HR mark for a first-year Pirate stood until Jason Bay bettered it in 2006 (Ralph Kiner tied the mark in 1946). Rizzo drove in nine runs against the Cardinals in 1939, and that’s still the team’s single-game record. He cooled off considerably after that red hot start, and early in 1940 was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Vince DiMaggio after putting up a line of .283 with 29 HR and 168 RBI while in Pittsburgh. Johnny joined the Navy in 1943 and played minor league ball after his discharge, then worked in the sporting goods business. He passed away in his hometown in 1977 at the age of 55. 
• 1922 - Max Carey went yard twice and Reb Russell homered once before a Sunday crowd of 22,000 at the Polo Grounds as the Pirates beat the New York Giants, 7-0. The dinger duo accounted for six of the Pirates' runs with their trio of long balls. Jughandle Johnny Morrison went the distance on the bump for the Pirates, allowing seven hits and going 4-for-4 at the dish. 

Bill Hall - 1959 Topps

• 1928 - C Bill Hall was born in Moultrie, Georgia. Hall signed as an amateur with the Pirates for the 1947 season. He got cups of coffee in 1954 and ‘56, with a longer look in 1958. Those three campaigns marked his MLB career, hitting .262 in 57 games before retiring after the 1960 season. 
• 1937 - The Pirates snapped a 15-inning scoring drought in the bottom of the ninth to take a 1-0, walk-off victory from the Boston Bees at Forbes Field. Ed Brandt of the Bucs and Hub City’s Guy Bush hooked up in a twirler’s duel until an Al Todd hustle double opened the final frame. Johnny Dickshot ran for him, and an intentional walk and a sac bunt that was beat out loaded the bases. After an out, pitcher Red Lucas hit for Brandt and lifted a fly to right that scored Dickshot easily. Pittsburgh Press beat writer Claire Burcky wrote that “...(RF Gene) Moore just stuck the ball in his tobacco pocket and jogged off through the clubhouse tunnel.” Bush scattered seven hits while Brandt gave up just two raps, both doubles to Ray Mueller, the only Bee to get past first base. 
• 1939 - OF Vic Davalillo was born in Churuguara, Venezuela. (caveat emptor; his b-day has been reported as on the 31st and in 1936, so it’s more or less around this date). He played for the Bucs from 1971-73, hitting .290 as a lefty-hitting platoon player, seeing time in the outfield and first base. Vic played on two Pirate playoff clubs and when he was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 1973, he joined a third. Davalillo was a motherland hero who played 30 seasons in the Venezuelan Winter League and still holds a handful of career records, including a .325 BA. In 2003, Vic was selected in the inaugural class of the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame.
• 1948 - Pittsburgh unleashed a four-homer barrage against Brooklyn to take a 10-5 win at Ebbets Field. Wally Westlake hit for the cycle, while Max West, Monty Basgall and Clyde Kluttz went deep to chase Ralph Branca. Bob Chesnes was on the hill and went the distance for the win.
• 1952 - LHP Mickey Mahler was born in Montgomery, Alabama. Mickey had an eight-year MLB career and signed a free agent deal with the Pirates in 1980. He spent two September games with the Bucs, giving up seven runs in one frame though he did go 14-8/2.65 for AAA Portland of the PCL. In the off season, he was sent to the California Angels as part of the Jason Thompson deal. In all, Mahler tossed for seven big league teams, slashing 14-32/4.68.

7/30 From 1955: Bunt-2-Bomb, Big Dogs Bark, Manny Loves Lady's Day, Vic HoF, Groat Shines In ASG; HBD Josh P, Josh B, Shelty & Clint

• 1956 - Bing Double Dips: Sports Illustrated wrote that “Bing Crosby, one of the 11-man syndicate that made the winning $5,500,000 bid for the Detroit Tigers, is also 16% owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates. When baseball Commissioner Ford Frick ruled that Crosby could own an interest in only one club at a time, the Groaner said he would keep the Pirates.” 
• 1957 - Clint Hurdle was born in Big Rapids, Michigan. After a 10-year stint as a player and later manager of the Colorado Rockies from 2002–2009 with a World Series appearance, Hurdle took over the Pirate reins in 2011, replacing John Russell. He broke the Pirate 20-year losing season streak in 2013 when he guided the club to 94 wins and the playoffs, with two more wild card postseason appearances in 2014-15. His tenure lasted through the 2019 season (he finished with a 735-720 slate with Pittsburgh), when he was replaced by Derek Shelton. 
• 1958 - The Pirates got to .500 for the first time in five weeks with a 7-1, rain-shortened victory over the Cubs at Forbes Field. Winner George Witt scattered seven hits and fanned 10 before getting some eighth inning help from Bob Porterfield; the rains fell after Porterfield squelched a Cubbie rally, and 36 minutes later, the umpires called it a night in Oakland. The attack was carried by Hank Foiles’ three-run homer and a three-RBI night from Dick Stuart. 
• 1962 - In the second All-Star game of the year, this one played at Wrigley Field, the Americans bashed the National League nine, 9-4. Dick Groat went 2-for-3 and was HBP while driving home two runs. Roberto Clemente went 0-for-2 and Bill Mazeroski was 0-for-1. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy tossed out the Midsummer Classic’s ceremonial first pitch. 
• 1968 - The Bucs swept the Milwaukee Braves, 8-5 and 5-4, at Forbes Field. In the opener, Donn Clendenon’s error led to three unearned runs, but the battery (and 8-9 hitters) of the Bucs, Milt May and Steve Blass, drove in a combined five runs to overcome the boot. There was a memorable bit of glovework to help make up for the error when Roberto Clemente robbed Mike Lum. Les Biederman of the Pittsburgh Press wrote “Clemente took off in pursuit and ran as hard and as fast as he could. Just as he approached the wall, Clemente reached up and caught the ball, still with his back to the diamond. He crashed into the wall...and was stunned for a second but held the ball." The Great One didn’t start the evening match, but entered in the eighth inning. The game went 10 innings before Manny Mota’s roller scored Matty Alou from third. Maury Wills and Clendenon each went 4-for-5 to help Ronnie Kline tossed 4-1/3 innings of shutout relief for the victory. 

Steve Blass - 1968 MLB Showdown

• 1970 - Pirates Manager Derek Shelton was born in Carbondale, Illinois. He replaced Clint Hurdle as skipper following the 2019 campaign after serving as a bench coach for the Twins for two seasons. Before that, Derek was a quality control coach at Toronto, the Tampa Bay Rays’ hitting coach from 2010-16 and worked as the Cleveland Indians’ hitting coach for five years before that. Shelton started out managing in the Yankees system for three years (GCL, Class A short-season) and won two league championships after serving as a minor-league catcher in the NYY organization in 1992-93, with elbow surgery derailing his career. He played at Southern Illinois University. The Pirates let him go early in the ‘25 season after the Bucs stumbled coming out of the gate with a 12-26 mark. 
• 1975 - The Pirates had to delay the start of the game at Three Rivers Stadium by 18 minutes to let the Ladies’ Day promotion crowd of 43,260 get their fannies into their seats. It was worth the wait as the Bucs pounced on the Phils’ Steve Carlton and rolled to an 8-1 win. Jerry Reuss went the distance for the dub and Manny Sanguillen had a big day, going 5-for-5 with a homer. Al Oliver (HR, 2B), Willie Stargell (2B) and Dave Parker (2B) each had two-hit days. There were 21 knocks banged out between the two clubs, but the game still took just 2:25 to play. 
• 1978 - IF Josh Bonifay was born in Macon, Georgia. The son of Bucco GM Cam Bonifay, the Pirates drafted Josh in 1999. He had a long and successful minor league career, mainly at Altoona. He hung up the spikes after the 2007 season and became a coach in the Pirates system. In 2011, he moved to the Houston organization and is now the Texas Rangers farm director. 
• 1995 - RHP Vic Willis, who spent 1906-09 with the Bucs with a slash of 89-46-3/2.08, was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn, Leon Day and William Hulbert. Vic won 249 games in a 13-year major league career with eight 20+ win campaigns. 

Josh Palacios - 2023 Topps Now

• 1995 - OF Josh Palacios was born in Brooklyn. He was a 2016 draft pick (4th round) of the Blue Jays and saw time with them in 2021 and with the Nats the following year. The Bucs selected him in the minor league portion of the 2022 Rule 5 draft and sent him to Altoona, then to Indy, where he was named International League Player of the Week. Josh was called to the big club and swatted his first MLB homer in June. He became a FA in ‘25 and is now in the White Sox system. 
• 2006 - Pittsburgh concluded a five-game winning streak by taking a 2-1, 10-inning victory from the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park. Jose Castillo’s leadoff homer in the ninth frame forced the game into extras, and Jose Hernandez’s single in the 10th scored Jack Wilson with the walkoff run. Both starters, Zach Duke and Matt Morris, put up zeroes but were gone before the seventh inning was done, and it took 11 more pitchers to finish up the contest that they had begun. 
• 2013 - Lucky Bounces: The Pirates swept a doubleheader from the Cards by 2-1 and 6-0 scores at PNC Park to vault over them into first place in the NL Central. The opener went 11 innings, with the winning run scoring after Alex Presley’s apparent DP ball deflected off pitcher Kevin Siegrist’s glove and into left field to plate Russ Martin. Vin Mazzaro got the win. The big blow in the nitecap was Andrew McCutchen’s two-run homer, aided by Lady Luck, that bounced off Matt Holliday’s glove and into the second row of seats in left. Rookie Brandon Cumpton went seven frames for the win, tossing three-hit ball. C Tony Sanchez took his MLB bow behind the dish and became one of seven Pirates to call a shutout in his first game; the last was Jason Kendall in 1996. 
• 2014 - The San Francisco Giants broke a six-game losing streak largely thanks to a DP via a walk. The Pirates, who had won three in a row, led 5-4 in the sixth when Chris Stewart drew a one-out walk with runners on second and third. Giant hurler Jean Machi got the ball back from the catcher and noticed Travis Snider had drifted off second base, apparently thinking it was a bases-loaded walk (he admitted after the game that was the case). Machi picked the wanderer off, and Gaby Sanchez, who was at third, was baffled in the backwash and caught napping, too. The Bucs lost, 7-5, at AT&T Park, wasting long balls by Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer. 

Cutch - 2017 Topps Salute

• 2017 - The Pirates were in a four-game losing streak that had dropped them from 2-1/2 to 5-1/2 games off the National League Central lead when a pair of the Bucs big dogs, Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole, got off the leash. Cutch was up five times; he homered during three of them and walked the other two while Cole Train tossed seven innings of one-run ball with eight whiffs as the Pirates took a much-needed 7-1 win from the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The runaway was further fueled by Josh Bell’s pinch-hit dinger and Jose Osuna’s two-run triple. 
• 2021 - The Bucs were on a four-game losing streak and had given up 34 runs in that span while scoring just four times. They sent Wil Crowe (2-5/5.89) against the Phils at PNC Park, and he proved he had some stopper stuff in him by spinning six innings of one-hit, shutout ball. Chasen Shreve and Duane Underwood Jr. closed out with three more hitless frames as the Bucs snapped out of their doldrums, 7-0. The offense was balanced from top to bottom, as five guys collected two hits, six different Bucs scored and five more added RBI. 
• 2023 - On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, 34,515 fans poured into PNC Park for the rubber match between the Phils and Bucs. Pittsburgh overcame a pair of two-run deficits to take the series with a 6-4 win in 10 frames. Philly jumped ahead 2-0, the Pirates tied it on Bryan Reynolds two-run blast, and then the Phils came back to retake the lead at 4-2. The Bucs closed in when Reynolds’ seventh inning single scored Connor Joe and tied it in the eighth after Nick Gonzales sac fly brought home Jared Triolo, who had singled and moved to third on birthday boy Josh Palacios’ double. In the extra frame, the Phils opened against Angel Perdomo by putting runners at second and third with no outs. The next batter flew out short of the track in right and Bryce Harper on third faked a tag. The Phil on second was caught off the base, misreading Harper, and Henry Davis’ relay to C Endy Rodriguez was zipped to second. That caused Harper to try to plate, and Gonzales fired the ball home to catch Bryce, a tricky but well executed DP to squelch the rally. Palacios continued to party on his 28th b-day by pounding a walkoff dinger to leadoff the frame, scoring himself and the ghost runner for the victory. The long ball came the pitch after an attempted bunt that almost got Josh beaned, and was just Pittsburgh’s second hit w/RISP in 13 tries as they stranded 10 runners.

7/29 Through 1964: 4-For-Frankie, Never Too Old, Big Five, Ed's Demons, Otto Dealt; RIP Harry, HBD Tommy, Dave, Four Sack & George

• 1886 - 2B George Cutshaw was born in Wilmington, Illinois. He came to the Bucs in exchange for Burleigh Grimes and manned second base for four seasons (1918-21). Cutty hit .275 as a Pirate, with his best year being his last, when he hit .340. But he was injured in August, and the 35-year-old was sold to the Detroit Tigers, where he spent his last two MLB years. 
• 1902 - The first five Pirates in the lineup (Fred Clarke, Ginger Beaumont, Wee Tommy Leach, Hans Wagner and Kitty Bransfield) went a collective 16-for-26, with two walks, two bopped batters & a half-dozen extra-base whacks, four stolen bases, a dozen runs scored and nine RBIs to ignite a 14-1 thumping of Brooklyn at Washington Park. Deacon Phillippe ran his record to 12-6 with a complete game six-hitter; the only Superba run plated against him was unearned. 
• 1903 - LHP Ed Doheny, it was announced in the Pittsburgh Press, “..had left the team under a mental hallucination (he believed detectives were tailing him) and returned home.” His mental state had slowly unraveled as the season went on, made worse by a lingering arm injury, and owner Barney Dreyfuss told the paper “If it is true that Doheny is mentally deranged, I am certainly sorry to hear of it. (Manager) Fred Clarke told me that there was something wrong with the pitcher before the team started West, but I laughed at him. Now it seems that Fred was right.” Ed was wrestling with real demons. After resting at home, he returned to the Pirates briefly before being escorted home again by his brother in September. After some violent episodes there, he was declared insane and sent to the Danvers State Asylum, where he died in 1906. 
• 1905 - The Bucs put it away early by crossing home plate nine times in the second inning and ran roughshod over the Brooklyn Superbas at Expo Park by the lucky (for Pgh) score of 13-0. The Pirates banged away for 18 hits, 15 of which were singles. Every Pittsburgh starter had a rap and scored except for Fred Clarke, who seemed happy enough to just keep the game moving along rather than piling on points. Deacon Phillippe posted his 13th win, spinning a complete game two-hitter with a walk and three Ks, and even added three hits to the offensive jackpot. 

Deacon Phillippe - Helmar T206

• 1909 - Harry Pulliam committed suicide in New York City. A writer in Louisville, he joined Barney Dreyfuss in Pittsburgh as the team president, akin to today’s general manager title. In 1903, he was elected president of the National League. He made the ruling to support umpire Hank O’Day’s call in the famous “Merkle” misadventure, which eventually cost the New York Giants the championship in a playoff against the Chicago Cubs. He took several months off following that episode after having a nervous breakdown. He never really recovered - the following year, he took his life, with the suicide blamed by many as a result of depression caused by the pressures of the president’s office. 
• 1915 - Honus Wagner hit a grand slam in the eighth inning off Brooklyn Dodger Jeff Pfeffer (It was “a dandy drive” per the Pittsburgh Press) during the Pirates 8-2 victory at Forbes Field. The inside-the-park round tripper made the 41-year old infielder the second oldest player ever to hit a homer with the bases juiced, a record set by 42-year old Cap Anson in 1894. (Cap's mark stood until 1985 when 44-year-old Tony Perez of the Reds claimed the graybeard honor.) Erving Kantlehner scattered nine hits while going the distance for the win, helped by an unassisted DP when RF Bill Hinchman snared a short line drive and then raced to first base to double off Pfeffer. 
• 1916 - The Pirates sent 2B Otto Knabe and C Art “Dutch” Wilson to the Chicago Cubs for OF Frank Schulte and C Bill Fischer. Schulte batted .239 during his Bucco stint and was waived to the Philadelphia Phillies in mid-season 1917; 1918 would be his final major league season. Fisher hit .274 in 1916-17 but couldn’t beat out Walter Schmidt behind the dish, and hung on by playing off-and-on in the minors until he was 38. Otto was approaching the end of his road and finished out the year, ending his MLB days. Wilson lasted until 1921, playing as a reserve, before ending a 14-year MLB stay. 
• 1920 - Jack of all trades Erv “Four Sack” (a nickname picked up after hitting a game-winning homer in the minors) Dusak was born in Chicago. He joined the Bucs in 1951 from the St. Louis Cardinals along with Rocky Nelson and the utility guy played six positions, including pitcher, until he was released by the club in June of 1952, hitting .273 in 41 games. He spent the next three campaigns on the farm and retired from pro ball in 1955 at the age of 34. 
• 1922 - Max Carey (2), Reb Russell, Cotton Tierney and pitcher Wilbur Cooper all homered at the Polo Grounds as the Pirates whipped the league-leading New York Giants, 8-3. Cooper went the distance for the win. Charlie Grimm had four hits while Carey & Russell banged out three knocks. It was a sweet victory over their heated rivals, but at the final bell, the G-Men took the National League flag while Pittsburgh finished in third place, eight games off the pace. 

Wilbur Cooper - 1922 Exhibits

• 1940 - The Bucs scored six times in their final at-bat, with the lead run thrown out at the plate as Frank Gustine tried to score from first on Vince DiMaggio’s single. It was a pivotal play; the Dodgers pushed across a two-out run in the bottom half to down the Pirates, 7-6, at Ebbets Field. The game was marked by a ninth inning brawl that started when Brooklyn’s Babe Phelps (who joined the Bucs in 1942) spiked Mace Brown at first. Bucco manager Frankie Frisch was fined $100 and ejected while three of his players were hit with $25 fines for their actions. 
• 1947 - Frank Gustine went 4-for-5 against the Boston Braves to lead Pittsburgh to a 6-5 win at Forbes Field, running his hitting streak to 21 games before it was snapped the next day. Tiny Bonham went the distance for the win behind a balanced offense - six Pirates scored and six posted RBI while eight of the nine starters, including Tiny, collected at least a hit against the Braves. 
• 1959 - LHP Dave LaPoint was born in Glen Falls, New York. The 12-year veteran spent part of 1988 with the Pirates, coming over from the Chicago White Sox in August for reliever Barry Jones. He made eight starts for the Bucs, slashed 4-2/2.77 and signed with the New York Yankees in the off-season, almost doubling his salary from $425K to $800K. He’s bounced around several baseball-themed activities since his retirement after the 1991 campaign, coaching minor & indie league ball, hosting a talk show and running baseball academies. Dave now describes himself, tongue-in-cheek, on twitter as a “Former MLB Pitcher with a face made for radio and a body made for bowling” 
• 1963 - OF Tommy Gregg was born in Boone, North Carolina. A seventh-round pick of the Pirates in the 1985 draft from Wake Forest, Gregg spent the first two years of his nine-season career with the Buccos in 1987-88. He hit .217 in as a seldom-used bench guy before being shipped to the Atlanta Braves as part of the Ken Oberkfell deal. Tommy spent several seasons as a reserve for the Bravos, then made stops in Florida and Cincinnati, playing through 1997. Tommy later coached in the Kansas City and Miami systems and is now an indie league batting coach.

7/29 From 1965: Quinn, Jordan, Freddy, Jack & Ian Dealt, Fannin' Frankie, Young Guns, Giles & Clines Rock, Duelin', RIP Robby, HBD Jack & Mike

• 1968 - Henry Aaron was caught red-faced thanks to some smoke and mirrors trickery by the Bucs. On a hit-and-run, Gene Alley and Bill Mazeroski decoyed Hammerin’ Hank into believing Joe Torre had hit a grounder between them; the reality was he had lifted a fly to Roberto Clemente in right. When Aaron stopped at second to try to find the ball, it was way too late; it was already on its way to first for the double play. It wasn’t one of his better days on the bases as he was also picked off first base in the Pirates 3-2 win at Forbes Field. In addition to his Emmy performance, Maz also homered to help Bob Veale to the win. Henry wasn’t the only guy with happy feet; the Bucs' Maury Wills misread a fly he thought was dropping and was doubled up off second base. 
• 1968 - RHP Mike Williams was born in Radford, Virginia. In six seasons (1998-2003), he went 15-23 and saved 140 games for Pittsburgh with a 3.78 ERA. His mark of 46 saves in 2002 set a team standard (topped in 2015 by Mark Melancon with 51), but fame is fleeting - his 12-year baseball career closed after the 2003 season following a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies. 
• 1983 - John Candelaria and Tom Seaver exchanged four-hitters at Shea Stadium, with the Candy Man prevailing over Tom Terrific, 2-1. Two of the hits off Seaver were solo shots by Mike Easler and Tony Pena; Candelaria gave up a run in the first inning followed by goose eggs. Cecilio Guante finished up with a seven-up, seven-down performance to save the game for Candy. 
• 1971 - Gene Clines was the hero of the Pirates 8-5 win over Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium. His three-run homer was the big blow in a six-run sixth inning, and the center fielder went 4-for-4 with four RBI and a pair of runs. Bob Robertson and Willie Stargell also went yard in the win that was cemented by 5-2/3 scoreless frames tossed by the Bucco bullpen. 
• 1988 - There were nearly 50,000 fans packed into Shea Stadium, and they got their money’s worth as John Smiley and Bob Ojeda traded three-hitters, with the hometown nine taking the game, 1-0, on a Kevin Elster solo shot in the eighth inning; in another decade, he would be a Buc. The Pirates never threatened; they had three runners reach second, all three with two outs. 

Jack Suwinski - 2024 Pirates image

• 1998 - OF Jack Suwinski was born in Chicago. The Pirates got him from San Diego in 2021 as part of the Adam Frazier return. He cracked the lineup in 2022 and flexed for the Pirates with 19 homers in 372 at bats. He developed into the Pirates top power source in 2023, but his low BA, high K rate and performance against southpaws have kept him yo-yoing between MLB and AAA ball. 
• 2000 - Brian Giles went 5-for-5 with a pair of doubles while Warren Morris and Emil Brown homered as the Bucs ran up a 10-2 count against the San Diego Padres at TRS. Francisco Cordova got the win as three Buc pitchers scattered six hits in front of a Saturday night crowd of 30,118. 
• 2007 - Bucco outfielder Bill Robinson passed away in Las Vegas. The local boy (he was from McKeesport and went to Elizabeth-Forward HS) spent eight years as a Pirate from 1975-82, hitting .276 with 109 homers. He played five positions as a Pirate (1B/3B, every OF spot) and while a regular for only one year, he got into 100+ games six times in his eight seasons here. 
• 2009 - 2B Freddy Sanchez was traded to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Tim Alderson. The Bucs also traded RHP Ian Snell and SS Jack Wilson to the Mariners for RHP Aaron Pribanic, RHP Brett Lorin, 1B Nathan Adcock, SS Ronny Cedeno and 1B Jeff Clement. Snell was out of baseball by 2010 while Freddy & Jack were snake-bitten by injury. Most of the new gang failed their auditions as Pirates; the only regular contributor was Cedeno, and he wore out his welcome after 2011. 
• 2014 - The Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants, 3-1, at AT&T Park behind Francisco Liriano’s 11 whiffs and homers by Travis Snider and Josh Harrison. It was the third straight game that Harrison and Snider went long. After an April-May slump that saw them fall nine games behind in the National League Central Division race and eight games below .500, the Bucs pulled within a game of first and even up in the loss column while moving into the second wild card spot. 

Frankie Liriano - 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter

• 2019 - The Bucs sent RHP Jordan Lyles to the Brewers for AA RHP Cody Ponce. Lyles, a free agent signing from the off season, had a Jekyll and Hyde stay with Pittsburgh, posting a 4-1/1.97 mark in mid-May, then crashing to a 1-6/9.57 slash from that time forward. He slashed 7-1/2.45 with the Brew Crew to continue his roller coaster campaign, and is now with the KC Royals. Ponce, a second-round draft pick, played for the US Team and at one point was on the Bucs 40-man roster, but since 2022 has been tossing in Japan for the Ham Fighters. 
• 2023 - A sold-out PNC Park was rockin’ on this Saturday night. Outside on Federal Street was a Yinzerpalooza pregame party, everybody coming through the yard’s gates got a David Bednar bobblehead (and music box; it played “Renegade”) and a large bloc of Philly fans made the trip only to be trolled by the park video scoreboard operator. The 38,483 rooters got an impromptu fireworks show thrown in as the Bucs outlasted the Phils, 7-6. Philadelphia got to Quinn Priester for four runs in the third; the Pirates answered with a pair of tallies in their half and then four more in the fourth. The Brotherly Love nine pulled within a run in the eighth, and it was time for David Bednar, who came on to earn a five-out close on his give-away night for his 21st save of the campaign. The young Bucs were big boys against the Phils; Endy Rodriguez doubled in a run, then banged a bases-loaded triple while Liover Peguera added some slick mittwork to go with three hits, including a homer, to chase home a pair of teammates and Alika Williams posted his first MLB knock to drive in a run. Priester rode the bats and bullpen to his second win in three decisions. 
• 2024 - The Pirates sent RHP Quinn Priester, 23, to Boston for UT prospect Nick Yorke, 22. Quinn was a first-rounder in 2019 but his MLB work hasn't been very inspiring, with a line of 5-9/6.46 in 20 games (14 starts). A change of scenery was thought needed to wake him up. And it did - not in Boston, but in Milwaukee, where the Red Sox later dealt him. Yorke has spent most of his time at second with work in left field, too. He was a 2020 first prep round pick who had an up-and-down minor league record, though he was hitting .310 in AAA. He got a quick '24 look in Pittsburgh when Nick Gonzales went down, but has spent 2025 at Indy, getting some OF time mixed in. In another swap, the Rockies dealt reliever Jalen Beeks to the Pirates for Altoona pitcher Luis Peralta in a lefty-for-lefty deal as the Bucs looked for a replacement for the injured Ryan Borucki. 
• 2024 - The Bucs got what looked like an early break at Minute Maid Park when starter Jake Bloss was traded shortly before the game. Some break; two ‘Stro relievers spun five perfect innings, and Paul Skenes, thanks to a Ke’Bryan Hayes error, was down, 2-0. But the Pirates kept chippin’ away. Yasmani Grandal homered in the sixth frame and Connor Joe’s eighth-inning double tied the score. In the ninth, Houston’s pitching didn’t require a scorebook search as All-Star closer Josh Hader took the hill. A pair of walks sprinkled around two outs came home when Michael Taylor, a mid-game injury replacement, went yard. At the end, Dave Bednar did a tap dance, giving up a run but saving a 5-3 victory for Aroldis Chapman. The Pittsburgh MASH ward continued to pile up wounded warriors as Josh Palacios and Ji Hwan Bae, both recent recalls, left the game with leg injuries.

Weekly Notes: No Deals Yet, Bucs Take 5-of-6, Most Draftees Signed

Summertime, summertime...

Pirates Stuff 

• Paul Skenes picked up his first victory since May 28 and his first at PNC Park win since April 14 on Monday. He's 5-8/1.91 overall, and in the nine starts it took to get win #5, he's given up more than two runs once. 
• Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the Pirates are the first team to get swept by the worst team in a league (the White Sox) and broom the best team in a league (the Tigers) in back-to-back series since the 1980 Padres swept the #1 NL team, the LA Dodgers, then were broomed by worst NL team, the St. Louis Cards.

Johan Oviedo - 2024 Topps

• With an off day from Altoona, where he's rehabbing from a lat strain, RHP Johan Oviedo stopped in PNC Park on Monday. He threw a bullpen for the coaches and was checked over by Buc docs; he's hoped to return to action by the weekend. 
• OF Esmerlyn Valdez, who's having a breakout year, injured his leg making a sliding catch on Tuesday. He was taken from the field via cart with a left lower leg contusion. Happy ending: X-rays came back negative and he was back in the lineup on Friday. 
• Jack Brannigan, 3B prospect at Altoona and the Pirates #11 prospect, is done for the year after shoulder surgery. He's a good glove, low BA/high K guy, but in the past coupla years has flashed power potential, a pretty rare commodity in the Bucco system. He's expected to be ready to roll for the 2026 season.
• CF Hudson Head, 24, who was the featured player in the multi-prospect 2021 Joe Musgrove-to-San Diego deal, was released after fizzling out at Altoona. He hit .221 in his five seasons of minor league ball and just .116 at Altoona this year.
• Greensboro's CF/SS whiz Konnor Griffin is the new #1 Prospect in baseball per the draft-updated MLB Pipeline ratings.

Game Stuff

• Paul Skenes was called upon to right the ship against the AL-Central leading Tigers on Monday. He did his job, going six frames while giving up three hits, fanning six and leaving with a 3-0 edge. And that's how it ended. Bryan Reynolds had a huge two-out, two-run knock, Spencer Horwitz had three hits and the other RBI and the bullpen held tight. Back to .500...

Pham on fire - 2025 Pirates image

• And holy moly, two in a row...and this one won by the sticks, 8-5. Spencer Horwitz, Bryan Reynolds and Tommy Pham went 9-for-14 with five doubles, six RBI and five runs scored. Mitch Keller got the win and the Renegade earned his 15th save. 
• The U-Turn continued as Bailey Falter fanned a career-high eight batters, Horwitz hit a grannie (his MLB first) and the Pirates broomed El Tigres, 6-1.
• After a day off, the D-Backs came to town to end the so-far schizo homestand. The Bucs got one hit! in 11 innings and dropped the opener, 1-0. The Pirates had moved the ghost runner to third with an out in both extras, but couldn't push either runner home.
• Saturday started with a rain delay (spoiler alert: it didn't rain, guessin' it was just a force of habit call by management) and the bats stayed icy. But the pitching remained red hot, and Andrew Heaney and company took home a 2-0 dub, powered by Oneil Cruz's two-run, second-inning blast and the Renegade's 100th career save.
• Paul Skenes kept doing Paul Skenes things on Sunday, like spinning six shutout frames with nine K. The attack was strong for a change, and the Bucs took the game, 6-0, and the series. The pitching was silly good - two runs in the last four games (38 IP).

Draft Stuff 

• Signed: 1st round - RHP Seth Hernandez ($7.25M/slot $7,558,600), the highest bonus ever paid for a high school pitcher. 2nd rd (comp) - SS Murf Gray ($997,500/slot $1.13M), 3rd rd C Easton Carmichael, 4th rd - SS Gustavo Melendez ($674,300 slot value), 5th rd - C Adonys Guzman, 6th rd - 3B Matt Anker ($347,500/slot $380,500), 7th rd - 3B Brent Iredale, 8th rd - OF Josh Tate, 9th rd  -1B Jared Jones, 10th rd - RHP Matt King ($22,500/slot $193,100), 11th rd - 2B Dylan Palmer, 12th rd - RHP Cameron Keshock, 13th rd - RHP Dylan Mathiesen, 15th rd - RHP McLane Moody ($463,100), 16th rd - OF Eddie King, 17th rd - 1B/OF/LHP Carter Gwost ($497,500), 18th rd - OF Canon Reeder & 19th rd - RHP Brandon Cain.  
• The Pirates second round pick, prepster RHP Angel Cervantes, said he'll honor his UCLA commitment and not sign a pro deal now. Pittsburgh will receive the No. 51 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft as compensation if he follows through.

MLB Stuff 

• LHP Rich Hill, 45, is back in the majors for a 21st season and a record-tying 14th team as the KC Royals called him up from AAA Omaha. He dropped his start on Tuesday, going five innings and giving up three runs (one earned) in a 6-0 loss to the Cubs.
• RHP Jesse Chavez, 41, who started with the Pirates back in 2008, has hung 'em up. He announced his retirement after pitching 18 MLB seasons for nine clubs.
• 1B/OF Matt Gorski, released earlier in the month by the Pirates, signed a minor league deal with the LA Dodgers.
• IF Tristan Gray, 29, a then-prospect the Pirates traded to Tampa Bay in 2018 as part of the Corey Dickerson deal who has bounced around since, returned to Tampa when his contract was bought from the White Sox by the Rays.