9/3 Through The 1960s: Starg Specs, Deans Down, 9-For-9, Bunny Hop, Cards Ides, Duelin', Game Days, Connie Hired, HBD Dave, Ed & Harry

1864 - C Harry Decker was born in Lockport, Illinois. Harry spent most of his fourth and final MLB season (1890) with the Pirates, hitting .274. Decker was all-around; he also played 1B, 2B, SS and OF for Pittsburgh. Per SABR, Decker is on the short list as an inventor of the modern catcher's mitt, winning a patent in 1906. Harry’s later years are a mystery - in the 1910s, he was serving time at San Quentin prison under the name Earl Henry Davenport (and playing ball for the prison team, which is how he was outed by The Sporting Life). His criminal ways involved forgery, larceny and bigamy (he was also said to be a womanizer) while several of his crimes victimized other ballplayers. The string of aliases he used made documenting his life beyond baseball impossible; baseball historians lost track of him after 1915 when he was released from The Q.

1885 - 1B Ed Konetchy was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He stopped in Pittsburgh in the middle of his 15-year career, hitting .249 for the Pirates in 1914 and .314 for the Federation League Pittsburgh Rebels in 1915. Konetchy was noted for his speed, consistency with the stick (.281 career BA plus he broke up four no hitters during his career) and solid glovework along with his friendly demeanor (His SABR bio noted that “He was the kind of player that even the umpire liked.") Ed was a man of many monikers: the Candy Kid (his first job was in a candy factory), Big Ed (he was 6-2, 195 lb), the LaCrosse Lulu (hometown), the Big Bohemian (he was Czech), Edward the Mighty (600+ career extra-base hits) and he was listed in box scores simply as Koney. He was posthumously inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1961. 

1890 - Pittsburgh played the Cleveland Spiders in Altoona, one of four regular season home games in the Alleghenys/Pirates history that wasn’t played in Pittsburgh (Wheeling and two at Williamsport were the other sites). The Alleghenys lost to a 23-year-old rookie named Cy Young, 10-6. The Pirates self-destructed during the game by committing 10 errors, leaving the Altoona fans “somewhat disappointed” per the Pittsburgh Press. The game’s actual status confused later baseball historians, who were baffled whether it was a make-up of a rainout or an exhibition, such was the state of record-keeping back in the day. The Press called it a “championship” game - ie, the result counted towards determining the league champion - and we’ll leave its status to you.

Connie Mack - 2024 Topps Archive

1894 - Replacing fired skipper Al Buckenberger, C Connie Mack took the helm to lead the Pirates to a 22-1 win (“...the Pittsburgs were in brave form against the visiting Senators” said the Pittsburgh Press) over his former Washington team at Exposition Park. Mack was a Bucco for six years, batting .242 from 1891-96 while compiling an 149–134 (.527) record as a player/manager (1894-96). Mack (real name: Cornelius McGillicuddy) later went on to a Hall-of-Fame career as the long-time skipper of the Philadelphia Athletics.

1905 - Deacon Phillippe and Chicago's Bob Wicker hooked up in a 10-inning scoreless duel, each allowing three hits, before the Colts scored an unearned run in the 11th following a triple. That runner scored a batter later when with the infield in, 1B Del Howard threw the ball away going for the out at home. In the nitecap, Paul “Lefty” Leifield made his MLB debut and whitewashed Chicago 1-0 on a three-hitter in a game stopped after six innings at West Side Park because both teams had to catch a train to their next series. The Buc run scored in the final frame when Fred Clarke doubled to lead off and scored on a pair of grounders. In a show of synchronicity, all four pitchers threw three-hitters. The opening loss broke an 11-game winning streak by the Bucs. They went on to win 8-of-9 afterward on the way to a 96-win, second-place finish.

1914 - In a rare early example of a guaranteed contract being upheld, Pittsburgh Rebel Harry Gessler reached a final settlement with the Federal League club after he was fired as player/manager two weeks into the season. He rebuffed the ownership’s proffered settlement and hired an attorney to collect his pay and a separation bonus, as stipulated in his “ironclad” contract. Gessler, from Indiana and Greensburg HS, then left baseball and went to medical school, where Harry picked up the moniker “Doc” and started a hometown practice.

1914 - The Pirates had a big day in an otherwise dismal season when they swept the Cards, 11-6 and 10-3, at Forbes Field. Wilbur Cooper won the opener with relief help from “Hickory Bob” Harmon while Erv “Kanty” Kantlehner went the distance in the nitecap. The offensive hero was Max Carey, who scored five times in the opener. The Bucs swept a four-game set from St. Louis without the injured Honus Wagner. Pittsburgh ended the season with a 69-85 slate, finishing in seventh place, 25-1/2 games off the pace of the Boston Braves with a roster that was badly deflated by defections to the upstart Federal League.

Rabbit Maranville - 1924 photo Conlon Collection/Detroit Public Library

1924 - The Bucs gave the 4,500 fans at Forbes Field a day to remember by whomping the Cards by a 14-1 score as every Pirates starter drove in at least a run and 8-of-9 scored (the table-setter, leadoff man Eddie Moore, was the only guy not to cross home - and he was hitting .400+!). Rabbit Maranville had four hits, three RBI and two runs scored while Kiki Cuyler posted a homer among his three knocks, driving in three runners and plating twice. Max Carey added three raps and tallied three times. Wilbur Cooper tossed a seven-hitter to collect his 19th dub of the year.

1925 - Pittsburgh won their ninth in a row with a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field. Glenn Wright went 3-for-4 with two RBI to back Ray Kremer’s pitching. The Bucs upped their league lead to nine games. The gap would never drop below seven games as they won the crown by 8-1/2 games and whipped the Senators in the World Series.

1927 - The Pirates bombed the Cards 14-0 at Forbes Field. George Grantham went 4-for-4 while Paul Waner and Pie Traynor each went 3-for-4. Carmen Hill tossed a five-hit winner as the Pirates began to pull away from the Cards and NY Giants, taking a two game lead in the NL race, a position that they would never surrender on their way to meeting Murderer’s Row in the Series.

1928 - The Bucs broke out the bats at Forbes Field, clobbering the Chicago Cubs 16-1 in the opener of a Forbes Field twin bill and taking the nitecap 6-3. Five Pirates had multiple RBI in the first game as Lloyd Waner led the 19-hit outburst with four knocks behind Erv Brame’s five hitter. Paul Waner, Adam Comorosky and Dick Bertell added three hits each. Big Poison homered and had a pair of RBI to back Ray Kremer in the finale. Comorosky was a busy boy; he tied an NL record for right fielders with nine putouts in the second contest.

Big Poison - 1928 Exhibits

1934 - The Pirates beat the Dean brothers, Daffy (Paul) and Dizzy (Jay), by 12-2 and 6-5 scores during a Forbes Field doubleheader. Freddie Lindstrom had four hits in the lid lifter, Pie Traynor and Gus Suhr knocked in three runs each and Larry French cruised to the victory. The Bucs put it away with their biggest inning of the season, an eight-run third. The second game had its action in the ninth. The Cards scored three times to take a 5-3 lead; the Pirates came back with a three spot of their own in the bottom half, ripping three hits off reliever Dizzy Dean and claiming the win when Pie Traynor singled to right to score Lindstrom, who had seven hits during the day. Howie Meine got the win after coming in to relieve Waite Hoyt in the final frame. Volney Walsh of the Pittsburgh Press wrote “the customers had come to see Dizzy pitch, no doubt about it, but when he left the mound, thousands stood and gave a tremendous ‘boo’ that could be heard for blocks. Even the Carnegie Museum seemed to rock from that razzberry.”

1944 - The Pirates took both ends of a twin bill from the Cardinals, 6-5 and 8-2, to sweep the four-game set from St. Louis. The brooming ended the Cards’ amazing MLB record of 132 consecutive series without a sweep. Rip Sewell and Jumbo Strincevich were the complete game winners, putting on a show for the largest Forbes Field crowd of the season of 34,927.

1945 - The Bucs took a double dipper from St. Louis, 6-5 and 6-2. The Bucs banged four homers in the opener, two by C Bill Salkeld. Fritz Ostermueller got the win while Ted Wilks took the loss; Wilks wouldn’t lose again until 1948, after 77 more appearances. In the nitecap, Preacher Roe scattered seven hits while fanning 11, and his battery mate Al Lopez caught his 1‚793rd game‚ a then-MLB record for catchers, to eclipse Gabby Hartnett, who set the mark in 1941.

1950 - The Pirates gave up a pair of runs in the 10th to the Cards, then rallied to score three in their half to beat St. Louis 12-11 at Forbes Field. Bob Dillinger and pinch hitter Pete Castiglione hit back-to-back homers off Harry Breechen to tie the game. After Breechen walked Ralph Kiner intentionally with two outs, Gus Bell doubled him home with the game winner.

Dave Clark - 1995 Upper Deck

1962 - OF Dave Clark was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. He played for the Pirates for five seasons (1992-96) as a reserve OF’er and bench bat. Clark’s Pittsburgh line was .278/35/158 with an OPS+ of 111 in 940 AB. He went on to coach in Pittsburgh, Houston (where he served as interim manager) and Detroit. Dave also managed several seasons for Licey in the Dominican League.

1966 - The Bucs showed off their muscle in a 9-1 win over the Cubs at Forbes Field. All eight position players had at least one rap and either scored or drove in a run, while seven of the Pirates 14 hits went for extra bases (two doubles, three triples, two homers). Tommie Sisk appreciated the support and more than held up his end by tossing a complete-game four-hitter.

1968 - Willie Stargell took off the glasses he had been wearing for 10 days (he was 1-for-25 with 11 K while wearing them) and returned to his normal ball-banging self, hitting a solo homer in the sixth that was the game winner in a 3-2 win over the Astros at Forbes Field. His play wasn’t the big one, though - Larry Dierker, who limited the Bucs to four hits, walked the bases loaded in the second inning, and Jose Herrera booted a DP ball that should have ended the inning. Instead, Stargell scored on the error and Bill Mazeroski came in a batter later on a short Freddie Patek sac fly. Dock Ellis got the win - he was in almost constant hot water, giving up 11 hits, but for the most part dodged the raindrops - finished off by Luke Walker, who struck out the final four ‘Stros. The crowd was a dismal 3,003 as the Pirates sat in sixth place, 21 games off the lead.

9/3 From 1970: Cutch 100/100, Solly Back, 5 For O, Teke Night, Derrek & Hit Man Slams, Rook #100, Game Days, Drabek POTM, Pgh HoF, RIP Clyde & Rip, HBD Matt & Juan

1971 - The Pirates purchased C/OF Carl Taylor from the Kansas City Royals. It was a homecoming of sorts; Taylor played with the Pirates during the 1968-69 campaigns, hitting .315 over 148 games. His stay was considerably shorter this time around as he went 2-for-12 and was sold back to the Royals during 1972 spring training, where he finished his career after the 1973 season; Carl spent five of his six MLB years with either Pittsburgh or Kansas City. 

1972 - It took the Pirates 10 innings, but they held off the San Francisco Giants at TRS by a 2-1 score. Bob Moose carried a 1-0 lead into the ninth, but Gary Maddux’s two-out knock knotted the game. Maddux was also key in the Pirates comeback; with Bob Robertson at first base, Ken Henderson tried to make a shoe-string grab of Richie Hebner’s sinking liner and missed, with the ball scooting past him. Maddux didn’t get over to back up, allowing Big Red to come all the way around with the winning run to hand Dave Giusti the win in relief. Giants reliever Jerry Johnson took it hard - on his way back to the clubhouse, “fuming and cursing” per Post Gazette beat man Charley Feeney, he kicked the water cooler, tore the thermostat off the wall, scattered the bats and splintered a stool. Giant manager Charlie Fox read the riot act to his troops after the game, no doubt frustrated after his gang had outhit the Bucs for the third straight game - they had 13 hits and stranded 13 on this day - yet were swept in the series. The Bucco room was notably more lighthearted as they had just won their sixth straight and were 12 games up in the pennant race with 29 contests to go; they took the National League East crown with an 11-game cushion.

1973 - The Pirates and Cards battled in the first game of a TRS twin bill, with Richie Hebner walking it off in the 13th with his 21st dinger - a leadoff, inside-the-park homer, the only one of his career, to earn a 5-4 win. The drive missed clearing the fence by inches and caromed over RF’er Jose Cruz; Luis Melendez in center backed up late (he admitted he thought the blast would clear the wall in defense of his delayed arrival) and The Gravedigger buried the Redbirds by easily plating as Melendez handled the ball like a hot potato after he finally ran it down. Dave Giusti worked 3-1/3 scoreless frames for the win. The Cards took revenge in the nightcap, running away with an 8-3 victory over a struggling Luke Walker to salvage a split for the day’s action.

Hebner's Homer - 9/3/1973, story Bob Smizik, photo Edwin Morgan

1978 - LHP Juan Perez was born in Villas Rivas, Dominican Republic. Perez was signed by Boston out of high school in 1998, becoming their Minor League Pitcher of the Year and tossed for the World Futures team. He was sold to the New York Mets in 2006, waived in August and claimed by the Bucs, who called him up for September. He also got some big league time the next year, but was 0–1/8.10 and released after spending 2008 on the farm. Juan returned to work in the show from 2011-13 (61 MLB outings with a line of 2-4/4.25/9.7 K per nine innings), and finished his pro career in the Mexican League in 2016.

1978 - Dale Berra’s three-run, walkoff homer off of Gene Garber in the ninth gave the Pirates a 6-3 win over the Braves at TRS after Atlanta manager Bobby Cox had intentionally walked Bill Robinson to get to Berra. Phil Garner tied the game in the seventh with a two-out, three-run bomb, the same frame that Willie Stargell collected his 2,000th hit. Kent Tekulve got the victory in relief of Bert Blyleven. The win was their 19th in 22 games and put them just two games behind the first-place Phils, a margin that held up as the Bucs fell 1-1/2 games short of Philly.

1979 - It took 11 tries, three months, a couple of blown saves by the bullpen, and a visit to the DL with a cranky back, but almost-37-year-old Jim Rooker finally got win #100, defeating the Phils 7-3 in the nightcap of a twin bill at TRS. To make it more memorable, Rook took the win on his daughter Jaime Elizabeth’s first birthday. Dale Berra drove in three runs and Phil Garner two more to grease the attack before Kent Tekulve came on to earn his 25th save. The Bucs had a six-game winning streak end in the opener 2-0, as Steve Carlton beat Bert Blyleven.

1983 - The Braves took an early 2-0 lead against Rick Rhoden at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, built around a Chris Chambliss double, and the game stayed that way until the seventh inning. The Pirates tied the score on knocks by Bill Madlock and Johnny Ray. An intentional pass packed the sacks for Mike Easler, making his first appearance in 25 days after a thumb injury had sent him to the DL. The Hit Man returned to face ace Steve Bedrosian, who took over from Phil Niekro, and didn’t waste any time by drilling a grand slam to center on the first pitch to carry the Bucs to a 6-2 victory. Jim Bibby got the win and Cecilio Guante the save.

Matt Capps 2007 Upper Deck First Edition

1983 - RHP Matt Capps was born in Douglasville, Georgia. The closer spent five years (2005-09) in Pittsburgh, putting up a record of 19-19-67/3.61. Though he converted 27 of 32 save opportunities in 2009, his 5.80 ERA led the Pirates to non-tender him after the campaign. After stints in Washington and Minnesota, he was out of MLB since 2013, signing several minor league deals and hanging ‘em up after the 2016 campaign. He now works in the Pirates TV/radio booth. 

1987 - Second-year RHP Doug Drabek, 24, was named the NL Pitcher of the Month. DD went 5-0/2.79 in six August starts, his last one being his first complete game and first shutout in the majors, a three-hit 7-0 win against the Astros. He finished the year with a line of  11-12/3.88 and then broke out in 1988, starting a six-year string of 30+ starts/200+ IP.

1989 - The Pirates held a pregame celebration of Kent Tekulve’s career. The righty fireman was driven into TRS by a classic red fire engine to the strains of “Rubber Band Man.” Carl Barger, Chuck Tanner, Willie Stargell, Dave Giusti and Jim Gott were there, paying honors and bearing gifts (the opponents, the Reds, even had a keepsake for him), along with Teke’s wife, his college coach Don Schaly and the Pirate scout who signed him, Dick Coury. The Bucs won the game v Cincy 3-1 behind Doug Drabek’s arm and Andy Van Slyke’s homer.

1989 - Truett "Rip" Sewell passed away in Plant City, Florida, at the age of 82. Rip was a three-time All-Star who led the NL in wins, winning %, and complete games. A workhorse (eight years w/175+ IP), he posted four 15-wins seasons (w/two 21-win campaigns), and logged 200 or more IP four years in a row. A cousin of big league brothers Joe and Luke Sewell, he was noted for the eephus “blooper” pitch. The righty pitched virtually his entire career in Pittsburgh - he had a five game stop in Detroit as a rookie - from 1938-49, starting 243 games, winning 143 (with 15 saves tossed in) with a 3.43 ERA.

1992 - Orlando Merced drove in five runs on three hits to help the Pirates complete a three-game sweep of the Giants with a 9-3 victory at TRS. He had just begun to wear glasses after noticing night vision problems while driving home and it apparently improved more than his steering skills. Alex Cole added a personal-high four hits, tripling twice. Doug Drabek worked into the seventh for the win in a late-starting game that was delayed 42 minutes by a passing rainstorm. In other news, LHP Zane Smith said he was considering season-ending surgery for his achy shoulder, having barely pitched since July 11th. He delayed it until November, but only appeared twice more during the season and missed the playoffs.

Orlando Merced - 1992 Topps

2000 - Longtime Pirates coach and scout Clyde Sukeforth passed away in Waldoboro, Maine, at the age of 98. He caught for 10 years with the Reds and Dodgers and then became a Brooklyn coach (he was involved in Jackie Robinson’s recruitment), moving to Pittsburgh to join Branch Rickey in 1952, where he coached, managed in the minors (he turned down the Pirates reins in 1957, bringing on Danny Murtaugh), served as a super scout (he helped bird-dogged Roberto Clemente) until 1965, then beat the bushes as an Atlanta scout.

2002 - Salomon Torres pitched his first MLB game since July 20, 1997, and went 8-1/3 scoreless innings in the Pirates 3-0 win against the Braves, also collecting his first hit since 1994. Torres, 30, retired as an active player in 1997 and served as Montreal's pitching coach in the Dominican Summer League and a Korean League pitcher before he signed with Pittsburgh in January. Torres did hang ‘em up for good after 2008 and now runs three training complexes for minor leaguers in the Dominican Republic.

2007 - The Pirates pummeled the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, pounding out 16 hits on the way to a 11-0 victory. Jack Wilson led the way with four hits, including a dinger & double, with three RBI and two runs. Freddy Sanchez and Ronny Paulino each had three knocks, including a pair of doubles apiece while Jose Bautista had two hits with a long ball and two runs plated. Ian Snell went seven innings for the win with the dub closed by Juan Perez and Romulo Sanchez.

2011 - Former Cub Derrek Lee hit a game-winning grand slam in the ninth inning off Carlos Marmol to give the Pirates a 7-5 victory over Chicago at Wrigley Field. Lee went 3-for-3 with five RBI while Alex Presley added three more hits. Joel Hanrahan sealed the deal with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to save the win for Chris Resop, the fourth Bucco pitcher of the day.

Travis Snider - 2013 Topps

2013 - Travis Snider’s ninth-inning homer lifted the Pirates to a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park and gave Pittsburgh a two-game lead in the NL Central. It was also Pittsburgh’s 81st win and snapped a 20-year losing streak by the franchise, unmatched by any other major professional sports team in North America. It was a team effort, though - Andrew McCutchen, Justin Morneau and Marlon Byrd combined to go 7-for-10 with three RBI and three runs scored, Mark Melancon picked up the save for winner Vin Mazzaro, and Gerrit Cole, who gave up a pair of first inning runs after just three batters, came back to put up zeroes through six innings and retired the last 12-of-13 hitters he faced. Cutch’s homer was his 100th, putting him in the Bucco 100 HR/100 steal club along with Barry Bonds, Al Martin, Andy Van Slyke, Dave Parker and Paul Waner. And in a final bit of irony, the Brewers had broken their club record 12-season losing streak at PNC Park in 2005, so it was fitting the Bucs returned the favor at Miller Park.

2020 - Bryan Reynolds celebrated his first game back with the team after his son Reese was born with a double, home run and three RBI as the Pirates beat the Cubs 6-2 at PNC Park. Cole Tucker also had two hits and plated two runs while JT Brubaker claimed the win.

2022 - After being delayed by the Covid era - the project was first planned to become a thing in 2020 - the Pirates Hall of Fame, which included members of the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays, was unveiled at PNC Park with pre-game festivities and a postgame drone exhibition. The Steel City’s first class included Jake Beckley, Honus Wagner, Fred Clarke, Max Carey, Paul Waner, Lloyd Waner, Oscar Charleston, Pie Traynor, Ray Brown, Arky Vaughan, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Ralph Kiner, Bill Mazeroski, Danny Murtaugh, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Steve Blass, and Dave Parker. It was a pretty clear-cut group - 17 of the 19 inductees were already in the National HoF.

2025 - The Pittsburgh Pirates inducted Lanny Frattare into their Media Wall of Fame; his 33 years as their play-by-play announcer made him the Bucs longest-tenured broadcaster. If you missed the display, the “Media Wall of Fame” is fittingly a feature of the Press Box at PNC Park. Started in 1989, other honorees include Charles “Chilly” Doyle, Charley Feeney, Art McKennan, Sally O’Leary, Bob Prince, Rosey Rowswell, Al Abrams, Les Biederman, Stan Savran and Bob Smizik.

9/2 Through The 1960s: Roberto's #2,000, Stu Will Do, Vern's 1st 0, In 1st, 8 Straight, Lovey-Doves, Game Days, HBD Luke, Milo & Ben

 1907 - IF Ben Sankey was born in Nauvoo, Alabama. His MLB career lasted for 72 games from 1929-31, mainly at SS and all as a Bucco, and he hit .213 over that span. Ben stuck at it, playing minor league ball until 1941, waiting until he was 33-years-old before unlacing the spikes. After his Pittsburgh stay, the slick fielder spent six years with Montreal and three more with Baltimore of the International League, earning a spot in the IL Hall of Fame in 1947.

1909 - Boston's Cliff Curtis pitched his first MLB game and beat the Pirates 1-0 to give the Doves their only win against Pittsburgh that year. The Pirates, who would claim the NL pennant with 110 victories and then win the World Series, took the twin bill’s nightcap at the South End Grounds, 5-3. Pittsburgh swept all the remaining September games against Beantown and finished the season 20-1 against last-place Boston. Indeed, the only team that could compete with them that year was the NY Giants, who finished 11-11 against the Buccos. 

1917 - The Pirates won a wild one at Redland Field as they held off the Cincinnati Reds by an 8-7 count. Hans Wagner had three hits, including his final MLB two-bagger to send home Max Carey in the ninth with what proved to be the game-winning run. Bill Evans got the win in relief of Burleigh Grimes with Bob Steele saving it by working the final two frames. 

1925 - The Pirates won their eighth straight game by defeating the Cincinnati Reds 8-2 at Forbes Field. It was scoreless going into the sixth inning when the bats woke up. The Redlegs put up a pair and the Bucs answered in spades with seven tallies of their own. George Grantham led the attack, going 4-for-4 and falling a homer short of the cycle while Eddie Moore chipped in with three raps. Glenn Wright added two hits, two runs and two RBI to the cause. Johnny Morrison went the distance; he was touched up for 12 hits but stranded 11. The Pirates streak ended at nine against the Cardinals, who rallied in the ninth two days later to top the Bucs. Pittsburgh took the National League pennant and then the World Series in seven games from the Washington Senators.

Ray Kremer - 1927 Exhibits

1927 - The Pirates took over first place with a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Cards at Forbes Field. Ray Kremer won the day against Grover Cleveland Alexander, and added an RBI to aid the effort. The Waner brothers went 7-for-10 with two runs scored and two RBI. The Bucs never relinquished first place after the victory, and nosed out the Cards for the title by a 1-1/2 game margin.

1927 - Leland Milo Hamilton was born in Fairfield, Iowa. Milo had the unenviable and ultimately untenable job as Bob Prince’s replacement in the booth. His smooth “broadcast school” delivery was a stark contrast to the Gunner’s homespun boosterism; it didn’t take long for the gig to wear thin on both Hamilton and the City. He moved on to the Cubs job in 1980 and discovered that working with Harry Caray wasn’t much easier than replacing Prince. Milo finally found a home in Houston in 1985, where he broadcast for 28 years until his retirement in 2012. Hamilton was the 1992 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award and was also inducted into the National Radio and Texas Radio Halls of Fame.

1933 - Pittsburgh won its eighth straight game by a 4-1 tally over the St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field. Woody Jensen and Tommy Thevenow each had a pair of hits with a triple each and together drove in three runs to give Heinie Meine enough backing to claim the win. The Cincinnati Reds ended the streak convincingly the next day at Redland Field by a 9-3 score.

1943 - LHP Luke Walker was born in DeKalb, Texas. He worked eight years (1965-66, 1968-73) for the Bucs, with a line of 40-42-9/3.47. Walker had a breakout 1970, going 15-6 with a 3.04 ERA and was a member of the 1970-72 championship teams. He started, closed and did everything in between for Danny Murtaugh and Bill Virdon. The lefty worked just one more MLB campaign after leaving Pittsburgh after being sold to the Tigers before the 1974 season.

1944 - The Pirates slid by the first-place St. Louis Cards 5-4 at Forbes Field, giving the Redbirds’ Ted Wilks his first loss following a string of 11 straight victories. The Bucs walked it off in the bottom of the ninth when Bob Elliott, who was 4-for-5 with a homer, singled home Jim Russell to give Max Butcher the victory. The lead switched hands several times during the game; Dick Fortune of the Pittsburgh Press called the contest “...a ding dong battle all the way.”

Bob Elliott - 1944 Exhibits

1948 - The Bucco hand was caught in the cookie jar... Commissioner Happy Chandler fined the Pirates $2‚000 for violating the NL bonus rule when the Pirates signed ML Lynch as a scout while offering his son Danny a $6,000 contract. Chandler saw the deal (and probably rightly so) as an attempt to sway the second baseman's decision. Lynch was declared a free agent and signed with the Cubs. It ended up much ado over nothing; he played just seven MLB games.

1950 - 20-year-old rookie Vern Law tossed the first of his 28 career shutouts, a 6-0 whitewash of the St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field. The Deacon surrendered five hits with four whiffs and no walks to the Redbirds. He got all the offense he needed in the third inning when Wally Westlake banged a grand slam, the seventh of his career, and Law took care of business from there.

1958 - Bob Friend and the Pirates held off the Phils at Forbes Field by a 3-2 count. The Bucs built an early lead via homers by Bill Virdon & Frank Thomas, along with a Ted Kluszewski rap that chased home Roberto Clemente after a triple. Philadelphia scored singletons in the eighth and ninth, but Friend fanned the last two batters to nail down his 19th win. Friend won 22 games before the campaign ended, the only time in his career that he would post twenty victories. The victory moved the once sad-sack Buccos into second place, albeit eight games behind Milwaukee, and that’s how they’d finish the season as they went through the growing pains of a young lineup that paid off in 1960.

1961 - Dick Stuart had a pair of homers, but his biggest hit was a broken-bat single that went off the pitcher’s mitt in the eighth to plate Dick Groat. That knock proved the game winner in a 5-4 Buc victory over the St. Louis Cards at Busch Stadium. Big Stu had all five RBI and ElRoy Face shut the door in the last two frames to earn the win. OF’er Joe Christopher threw out Stan Musial in the sixth, trying to go from first-to-third on a single to right. That toss-out was followed by a pair of knocks, so Joe’s arm may have saved the game for the Buccaneers.

1966 - The Pirates claimed first place by topping the visiting Cubs 7-5 on Roberto Clemente’s homer off Fergie Jenkins, his 2,000th career hit. Roberto's long fly gave him 101 RBI for the year, the first time he reached the century mark. He ended up with a career high of 119 RBI in 1966, and collected 110 the next season, the only other time he drove in 100+ runs. Arriba won the MVP and the Bucs finished third with 92 wins, three games behind the LA Dodgers.

9/2 From 1970: Martin Mash, Dunston Debut, Pops Pounders, Roberto Hits Leader, Game Days, Bye Bob, Jim Jeremiad, BA Konnor, HBD Gaby, Yamid & Sean

1970 - LHP Sean Lawrence was born in Oak Park, Illinois. Drafted by the Pirates in the 6th round of the 1992 draft out of the College of St. Francis, his seven games in 1998 as a Bucs was the extent of his big league career, finishing with a slash of 2-1/7.32. He later pitched in the San Diego and Arizona systems, retiring in 2002 to become a crime closer as a police officer.

1970 - The Pirates AAA team, the Columbus Jets, announced this would be their last season due to attendance woes. The Jets franchise relocated to Charleston and the Charlies became the Bucs top farm club through 1976. In 1977, the Columbus Clippers were organized and the yo-yo Pittsburgh franchise returned to Columbus again, although for only two seasons. 

1972 - With his 2,971st knock as a Bucco (he ended up with 3,000), Roberto Clemente broke Honus Wagner's record for the most hits in the history of the franchise. The record-setting blow was a single off Giant hurler Sudden Sam McDowell. Roberto then chased Sam from the game with a three-run homer in the fourth during a 6-3 victory at Three Rivers Stadium.

1972 - LHP Bob Veale, 36, was sold to the Boston Red Sox after an 11-year career in Pittsburgh that saw him win 116 games and save six more, starting 255 times in his 341 Pirates outings. His 1,652 strikeouts are still the Pirate mark for a southpaw and second overall in Bucco franchise history.

1974 - The first-place Pirates broomed the Phillies in a twin bill at TRS, 7-4 and 11-1. Willie Stargell went 4-for-4 with two dingers in the opener and added a double in the second game, posting four RBI on the day. Bob Robertson also homered and drove in three runs as Jerry Reuss bested Lefty Carlton. Richie Zisk hit a granny while Al Oliver went 3-for-3 with three runs scored in the nitecap to help Bruce Kison to victory and push the Bucs 2-1/2 games up on the Cards.

Willie Stargell - 1974 Kelloggs 3-D

1977 - C Yamid Haad was born in Cartagena, Colombia. He got into one game with the Pirates in 1999 as a pinch hitter; he was called up after Jason Kendall broke his ankle. Yamid also got a taste with the Giants in 2005, but mostly served as depth because of an inconsistent bat. He spent 13 years in the minors (nine in AAA) and ended his career in 2016 in Mexico. 

1978 - Willie Stargell blasted a three-run homer in the first, but the Braves chipped away to tie the game at TRS and send it into extra innings before Dave Parker’s 12th-inning rap past a drawn-in infield gave the Pirates and Grant Jackson a 4-3 win. Phil Garner was on third with an out when the Braves worked around Frank Taveras and intentionally walked Omar Moreno to get to The Cobra (Atlanta manager Bobby Cox feared the squeeze was on with Frankie & Omar, and so took his shot with Parker, who had hit into two DPs during the contest). Kent Tekulve & Stargell almost became the goats in the 10th. With pinch-runner Rod Gilbreath on, Teke threw wildly to first. Gilbreath made it all the way to third, but held up as 1B Pops ran the ball down and Rod decided not to challenge his arm. Good thing - as Willie went to turn and throw home, he slipped and fell, but the runner had already hit the brakes. It was the Pirates sixth straight win over the Bravos and their 11th-of-12 at TRS.

1983 - 1B Gaby Sanchez was born in Miami, went to the U of Miami and played for the Marlins til the Bucs traded for him in 2012 as the right-hand half of a first base platoon with Garrett Jones and then with Ike Davis. He played for the Bucs through 2014, hitting .241, before going to Japan. He spent a year there and then dropped off the pro ball radar after the Mariners released him in camp the following spring, and now is an analyst for the Fish and the ESPN-ACC Network.

1988 - After a 2-1 loss to the Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Jim Leyland lit into his players in a 15-minute scolding of which “...six minutes were spent throwing nachos all over the place, three minutes were devoted exclusively to expletives and six minutes were the sermon” per Press beat man Bob Hertzel. Vet Andy Van Slyke, for one, thought it was overdue, telling the Post Gazette's Paul Meyer "After the way we've played the last month, you can tell the people of Pittsburgh to start following the Steelers." The tirade centered on playing the game the right way and to quit listening to their agents. It didn’t particularly light the fire Leyland hoped it would, as the team muddled to the finish line, going 14-12 during the rest of the season to finish a distant second to the Mets.

Jim Leyland - Not Always Smilin'/1988 Pirates promo

1991 - “The game had a little bit of everything...” wrote Press beat man Bob Hertzel “...except good baseball.” The Pirates blew three-run-or-better leads three times and a one-run edge in the eighth, but had the last comeback of the night in the ninth when a two-out, two-strike wind-blown fly by Lloyd McClendon kept drifting and clanged off a glove to score Jay Bell. Mac got to be the hero because ump Eric Gregg had run Bobby Bonilla earlier in the game (BB was hot, claiming Gregg brought up his contract during their debate; Bo even flung Barry Bonds halfway to LA when Bonds tried to restore some calm) and so Lloyd was batting in his spot. Stan Belinda and Rosario Rodriguez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, with Belinda getting the 9-8 win and Rodriguez the save at Candlestick.

1992 - Rookie Tim Wakefield, who tossed 129 pitches, came one out away from a complete game win as the Pirates beat the Giants 3-2 at TRS. Bob Patterson came in to get the final out while picking up his ninth save. The Bucs took the lead for good in the sixth inning on a two-run homer from Barry Bonds after Don Slaught’s blast in the fifth provided the first score. The victory was in the midst of a seven game Pirate winning streak and kept the Bucs comfortably in first place by a three game margin; they won the Eastern Division by nine games over the Nats. The game had a little extra spice as two strippers, wearing just G-strings while serving drinks in a private box during a bachelor-party, were escorted out after peep-show complaints from the baseball-only fans in the stands. 

1993 - Jim Leyland returned from a five-game suspension for “provoking a melee” in the last series against LA just in time for a TRS visit from the Dodgers. For his part, Tommy LaSorda didn’t quite get suspended during the prior hubbub, but umpire Eric Gregg did give him the heave-ho this time around as the Pirates rode Paul Wagner and Al Martin to a “welcome home Jimmy” victory, 5-1. Wagner tossed his third complete game (the team had just eight), giving up a run in the opening frame before settling in for an eight-hit complete game win. Martin provided most of the Pirates' points with a three-run homer and four RBI as Tom Candiotti lost for the first time in 16 starts.

Shawon Dunston - 1998 Fleer Tradition

1997 - In front of 43,380 at TRS, newcomer Shawon Dunston (he had been acquired from the Cubs two days earlier and was making his Bucco debut) hit a pair of homers to lead the Freak Show Bucs to a 6-4 win over the Cleveland Indians. His four RBI powered Jose Silva, with help from the bullpen, to his first MLB victory and helped pull the Pirates to within 1-1/2 games of first, the closest they would come to the top spot during the last month of the campaign.

2009 - The Pirates were swept in a four-game set by the Reds 5-3, the first time they were broomed in Cincinnati since 1975. But it wasn’t all gloom as Garrett Jones hit the club's 10,000th home run since the Bucs joined the NL in 1887. It was a brutal stretch, though - the Pirates were in a 4-22 summer swoon on the way to a 99-loss season. 

2024 -  The Bucco ship was taking on water; they had gone 9-19 since August 1, lost five of their last six games and had their ninth-inning fireman, Dave Bednar, demoted, to be replaced by a closer committee. And they were at Wrigley Field after the Cubs had just buried them three days before, scoring 41 runs and sweeping a three-game set at PNC Park. They went into the eighth inning looking like the same ol’ Buccos, down to Chicago by a 3-0 count. But the baseball gods smiled; a bloop, a bleeder and a Bryan Reynolds blast tied the game, and Cutch followed B-Rey with a long ball of his own to give Pittsburgh the lead (and to keep his 14-game hitting streak alive). Nick Gonzales added an insurance run in the ninth and Dennis Santana, following a scoreless eighth tossed by Aroldis Chapman, put the game to bed for the second save in three days by the reshuffled bullpen now w/o the Renegade.  

2025 - CF/SS Konnor Griffin, the Pirates #1 pick of the 2024 draft (#9 overall) out of Jackson (Mississippi) Prep, was the cover boy for Baseball America’s summer magazine. As BA’s top-ranked prospect (KG was also #1 per MLB Pipeline), he was featured by the article “Bang For The Bucs. In his first year of pro ball, Konnor jumped three minor-league levels and ended the year at AA Altoona; he would be on the big team the following season.

2025 - The Pittsburgh Pirates unveiled a permanent marker at the former site of Three Rivers Stadium (General Robinson Street/Gold Lot 1) to commemorate the first all-minority lineup in MLB history v the Phils on September 1, 1971. The event brought out Greg Brown, Travis Williams, Roberto Clemente, Jr., Dave Cash, Al Oliver, Manny Sanguillen, Steve Blass, Danny Murtaugh’s family, the Heinz History Center, state & local politicos and the PA Historic & Museum Commission.

9/1 Through 1964: Quail Bake, On Top, 5-Game Sweep, 3-A-Day, Pud Run, Game Days, HBD Dave, Vic, Jim, Joe L, Shoemaker & Sam

1877 - Jim “Pud” Galvin and the Alleghenys edged St. Louis in 15 innings, 1-0. Two days earlier, they had beat Milwaukee by the same score in 12 innings. Both games were played in the International Association, making the Alleghenys the first local minor league club; the other area nines were independent/sandlot teams. The Alleghenys finished the season with a 13-6 record, the second best record in the league. The club rostered twelve players in 1877, all of whom later made it to the majors, and was managed by Denny McKnight, a lifelong Pittsburgh native who also served as the International Association's president. The team folded the next season, not to return in name until the 1882 campaign as an American Association club, unrelated to the old Alleghenys but the forebears of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

1890 - On Labor Day at Washington Park, the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, who later became the Dodgers, won all three games against Pittsburgh in the first tripleheader ever played. The home team swept the visiting Alleghenys, who were rebranded as the Pirates next season, 10-9 (The Alleghenys scored nine times in the ninth inning with Doggie Miller tossed out at home trying to stretch a triple into a game-tying homer), 3-2, and 8-4. Allegheny hurler Dave Anderson went the distance for games two and three and took both losses (ouch). The Alleghenys then lost to them the next day 5-4 to run their losing streak to 23 games. The Pittsburgh franchise would also play MLB’s last tripleheader in 1920 against the Cincinnati Reds, doing a bit better by winning one of the contests.

1890 - C Olaf “Sam” (his middle name was Selmar) Brenegan was born in Galesville, Wisconsin. He caught a couple innings for the 1914 Pirates, not long enough to get an at bat but long enough to allow a passed ball. Per Paul Dickson’s “Baseball Dictionary,” his passed ball came about when he was hit in the hand with the pitch, which popped out and allowed a baserunner to advance. For some time afterwards, any catcher who took a ball off his bare hand was said to have "pulled a brenegan." Even with that rep, he played pro ball until 1919, closing out his baseball days at St. Joseph’s in the Western League.

Pgh Dispatch 9/2/1892 via W. Pa History

1892 - The Homestead Messenger’s headline was “Baldwin Bagged - Pirates Prize Pitcher Charged With Riot.” The Pirates Mark "Fido" Baldwin was arrested in his hometown of Homestead (his dad sold real estate & insurance there) on charges of riot and providing the Carnegie Steel strikers with weapons. Baldwin posted a $2‚000 bond and claimed to be an innocent onlooker, not a participant, in the mill melee. Fido was indicted on the charges but never brought to trial. On the diamond, he finished the year with a 26-27/3.47 slash, pitching 440-1/3 IP in 56 games, but had a contract squabble and was released the following season after making just one outing. Following baseball, Fido became a MD and worked out of North Side’s Passavant Hospital.

1894 - OF Fred “Shoemaker” Nicholson was born in Honey Grove, Texas. Claimed from the Detroit Tigers, he played for the Bucs from 1919-20 as a platoon outfielder and pinch-hitter, putting up a .342/.389/.505 slash during those seasons. Nicholson left the team as part of the 1921 Rabbit Maranville deal and spent a couple of years with the Boston Braves before settling into a minor league career that lasted through 1935, when he was 40-years-old.

1905 - Per the Pittsburgh Press, on this date Honus Wagner gave Hillerich & Bradsby permission to brand his name on their Louisville Slugger bat. The Louisville-based company knew all about Hans and his rep as he had spent his first three seasons with the Colonels. This is thought to be the first equipment endorsement ever made by a player and opened a lucrative side gig for athletes.

1917 - The Pirates lost their third straight 1-0 game to the St. Louis Cardinals at Robison Field. The Cards, behind the pitching of Red Ames, Oscar Horstmann and Milt Watson, won their tag team match against Bob Steele, Wilbur Cooper and Hal Carlson. The back-to-back-to-back 1-0 wins tied the Redbirds for the MLB mark and set a new National League standard.

Joe Brown - 1985 photo George Gojkovich/Getty

1918 - GM Joe L Brown was born in New York City. Brown served as the general manager from November 1st, 1955, through the end of the 1976 season, replacing mentor Branch Rickey. Under his watch, the Pirates became world champions in 1960 and 1971. Ever a loyal Pirate, after a decade of serving as a Southern California-based scout for the Bucs, Brown was called back in 1985 to serve as acting GM when the Pirates, rocked by a drug scandal, poor play and falling attendance, were sold by the Galbreath family to a local group. He oversaw the transition and acted as a bridge between GMs Pete Peterson and Syd Thrift.

1919 - RHP Jim Hopper was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. His MLB career was spent with the 1946 Pirates; he gave up five runs in four innings. Jim could be forgiven - he won 30 games in two minor league seasons, but lost his edge after serving two years in the military, returning in ‘46. He was done with pro ball after the 1949 season, spent in Class D.

1922 - IF Vic Barnhart was born in Hagerstown, Maryland. Vic got cups of coffee in 1945 & 1947, seeing almost all of his playing time in 1946 for the Pirates. That was his MLB career - 74 games and a decent .270 BA. He spent five years in the minors (he refused a 1947 trade to the Dodgers) before retiring. He then worked for the Maryland Correctional Institute where he was the Athletic Director. Vic’s dad was Clyde Barnhart, who played nine years for the Bucs through the 1920s.  

1925 - The Buccos defeated the Philadelphia Phils 10-3 to sweep a five-game series at the Baker Bowl. The Pirates outscored Philadelphia 54-18 during the set, scoring 10 or more runs in every game. Pie Traynor had four hits while Earl Smith (w/four RBI) and winning pitcher Vic Aldridge added three knocks and a homer apiece. That Pittsburgh club won the National League title, the World Series and their 912 runs scored were the most tallied by the franchise in the modern era. (their predecessors, the Alleghenys of 1893-94, put up 970 & 965 runs, averaging over seven runs per game!)

Earl Smith - 1925 Pgh Press

1927 - The Pirates tied for the NL’s top spot by beating the Cubs 4-3 at Forbes Field. Joe Harris homered and doubled with two runs & two RBI to back Lee Meadows. The Waner brothers cut down Chicago runners at home and third. The Bucs whipped the Cards the next day to take sole possession of first place and never looked back, winning a sizzling pennant race by 1-1/2 games.

1942 - IF Burgess Whitehead was traded by Toronto of the International League to the Bucs for a PTBNL (RHP Dick Conger). Whitehead was to finish out the season in the IL. But he joined the Army Air Corps in the offseason, and the Pirates lost him until 1946, after his service obligation ended. Burgess played one more season, batting .200 after his three-year layoff, and that dropped the curtain on his MLB days. Conger was a minor league ace but only had 19 games in the big leagues over four seasons for three teams; he was a Marine from 1944-46.

1950 - The sad-sack Pirates (they finished 57-96, last in the NL) had a rare day of dominance by blasting the St. Louis Cardinals by a 10-4 tally at Forbes Field in front of a crowd of 12,589 rooters. Bill Werle scattered nine hits with eight whiffs and was amply backed by a 14-rap attack. Johnny Berardino hit the only Pittsburgh homer of his career while Wally Westlake, Bob Dillinger and Jack Phillips (Wally, Jack & Johnny batted back-to-back-back in the 5-6-7 spots) joined Berardino with three hits during the day. It was the start of a sweep; the Redbirds were the only team that the Bucs claimed a winning record against in ‘50 at 12-9.

1957 - LHP Dave Rucker was born in San Bernardino, California. Rucker was a seven-year MLB vet who tossed his last campaign in 1988 for the Pirates with an 0-2/4.76 slash in 31 games. He joined Dan Quisenberry and Ewell Blackwell as LaVerne University Leopards that made it to the show. The hurler also tossed for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies, becoming a baseball/softball instructor after he hung ‘em up.

1963 - The “Quail,” CF’er Bill Virdon, hit a two-out walkoff grand slam, set up by a single sandwiched between two walks, to defeat the Reds 6-4 at Forbes Field. Al Worthington, Cincy’s third pitcher of the inning, was the victim of Virdon’s dramatic shot. Willie Stargell drove in the earlier tallies with a homer and double while Earl Francis, the third Buc pitcher, got the win.