4/11 Through the 1970s: Rally Cap Wins, Pirates Logo, Doc On Call, Willie Wins Clemente Award, HBD Turner, Hank, Red & Pop

• 1858 - OF John “Pop” Corkhill was born in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. For the last two seasons of his 10-year MLB career (1891-92), Pop played the pasture for the Bucs, hitting .200. His ball playing days effectively ended after an 1891 beaning. He tried to come back but the Bucs released him in July of 1892; he retired and became a businessman. Pop, a converted infielder, was a golden glove guy before it was a thing, winning five fielding titles for outfielders in his decade of ball. He was also a roster handyman, returning to the infield when needed and pitching several times during his career. Corkhill went bald as a young man; hence his nickname. 
• 1892 - C Williard “Red” Smith was born in Logansport, Indiana. Red’s MLB career consisted of two seasons (1917-18) with the Pirates as a reserve catcher; his .156 BA may help explain his brief stay. Red did have a decade-long minor league career, hanging up the spikes at age 36 after catching 36 games for Class B Quincy of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. 
• 1912 - Pittsburgh finally gave in to the inevitable and used “Pirates” on their uniforms, displayed in capital letters down the jersey’s button lapel, replacing the old PBC (Pittsburgh Baseball Club) logo. They had picked up the moniker in 1891 for “pirating” Lou Bierbauer from the Athletics, but more officially (and often) were called the Pittsburgh Nationals. It didn’t appreciably improve the club as they were drubbed 7-0 on opening day by St. Louis at Robison Field. They finished the year strong, though, ending up with a 93-58 record and a second place finish. 

Mike Donlin sporting his Pirates logo - 1912 photo/Conlon Collection/TSN

• 1919 - IF Hank Schenz was born in New Richmond, Ohio. He was with the Bucs in 1950 & ‘51 after four years with the Cubs. He hit .222 before being sold to the Giants during the 1951 campaign, and according to Dave Finoli’s Pirates By the Numbers, became the guy that stole and relayed opposing catcher’s signs from behind the Polo Grounds scoreboard by using a telescope. 
• 1961 - Bill Virdon smacked a two-out, three-run HR to right off reliever Mike McCormick to give the Pirates a ninth-inning, 8-7, win over the Giants in San Francisco’s Home Opener. Roy Face was credited with the win and Clem Labine claimed the save. Dick Groat and Bob Skinner added four hits and scored four runs while Roberto Clemente drove in a pair to rev the attack. 
• 1965 - OF Turner Ward was born in Orlando, Florida. The journeyman played in Pittsburgh from 1997-99, hitting .281 in a fourth outfielder role and becoming an early meme when he crashed through the TRS outfield fence in 1998. After his career, he returned to the Bucco system for a year, managing Low-A State College in 2007. Turner moved on to the D-Backs organization, eventually becoming their hitting coach, a position he also later held with the Dodgers and Reds. 
• 1967 - The Pirates scored three runs in the ninth inning to break open a tie game and take the Season Opener, 6-3, over the Mets at Shea Stadium. Pittsburgh had a balanced attack with all eight position starters reaching base, but were helped mightily by NY as the Metropolitans made five errors that gifted the Buccos three runs. Bob Veale tossed eight innings for the win (he was 16-8 over the year) and Pete Mikkelsen closed it out, retiring the side 1-2-3 in the final frame. 

Bob Veale - 1967 Topps

• 1974 - Willie Stargell won the Roberto Clemente Award and was presented his trophy by Bowie Kuhn. Willie said “Of all the awards, this ranks number one with me.” Pops was involved in many causes, from the Willie Stargell Foundation that funded Sickle Cell research to community projects. He was the first Buc to earn the honor; Andrew McCutchen in 2015 is the only other Pirate to take the trophy home.
• 1975 - There were 43,880 fans on hand at TRS to watch the Bucs on Opening Day, and they were three outs away from disappointment as Jerry Koosman and the Mets were cruising, 3-0, heading into the ninth. But the Pirates refused to mail it in; Richie Zisk, Dave Parker and Manny Sanguillen started it off with singles to send home a run and chase Koosman. Rick Baldwin came in and walked Paul Popovich, then an out later Rennie Stennett bounced a game-tying rap up the middle. Lefty Mac Scarce was waved in to face Richie Hebner, who fought him off to drop a flare single the opposite way to score Popovich with the winner. Larry Demery got the win in relief of Jerry Reuss. 
• 1976 - At Philadelphia‚ Doc Medich, walking in from the bullpen, spotted a man having a heart attack in the stands. He jumped over the railing and applied CPR to revive him. Sadly, the fan later passed away in the hospital. Doc didn’t get into the game, an 8-3 win for the Pirates at Veterans Stadium, though he did come that close to making the save of the day.