12/9 Deals: Purkey, Hall, Blyleven & Walker Dealt; Hernandez Inked

• 1957 - The Pirates traded RHP Bob Purkey to the Cincinnati Reds for LHP Don Gross. Gross won six games in three years as a Pirate while Purkey, a Pittsburgh kid who went to South Hills HS, won 124 games after the deal, appearing in a World Series and three All-Star games. GM Joe Brown later called it “the worst trade I ever made.” Purkey pitched his final season (1966) for the Pirates and then retired to Bethel Park, where he became a successful insurance broker. He died in 2008 at age 78 and was buried at Queen of Angels Cemetery.

Bob Purkey 1954 Topps

• 1959 - The Bucs sent RHP Dick Hall, IF Ken Hamlin and a PTBNL (C Hank Foiles) to the Kansas City Athletics for C Hal Smith. The deal paid dividends when Smith’s three-run homer in the eighth inning of the seventh game of the 1960 World Series set the stage for Bill Mazeroski’s legendary blast.
• 1980 - The Pirates traded RHP Bert Blyleven and C Manny Sanguillen to the Indians for P Bob Owchinko‚ P Victor Cruz‚ C Gary Alexander‚ and minor league P Rafael Vasquez. Hall of Famer Blyleven was the key figure, and he went on to pitch 11 more seasons and win 148 more games. Blyleven requested the trade, saying that manager Chuck Tanner didn’t show any confidence in him by not letting him go deeper into games, although the Frying Dutchman (named because he loved setting teammates’ shoelaces on fire - the “hotfoot” prank - not his temperament) averaged 233 IP per season under Tanner’s watch.
• 2005 - The Pirates agreed to sign free agent reliever RHP Roberto Hernandez, 42, to a one year‚ $2.75M contract (it was finalized a week later, on the 15th). The set-up man was flipped to the NY Mets, his old club, at the 2006 deadline as part of the Xavier Nady trade.

Roberto Hernandez 2006 Upper Deck

• 2015 - The Pirates traded 2B Neil Walker to the New York Mets for LHP Jon Niese. The Pittsburgh Kid (he went to Pine-Richland HS) had been a Bucco since he was selected in the first round (#11 overall) of the 2004 draft and took over the second base spot in 2010. Along with Robinson Cano, he was the only 2B with double-digit dingers for six straight seasons. From 2009-15, Walker put up a .272/.338/.431 slash for the Bucs, with 93 HR.

12/9: HBD Adam, Hank; Purkey, Blyleven Deals; Hernandez Inked

• 1905 - OF Adam Comorosky was born in Swoyersville, in Luzerne county. He played eight years (1926-33) for the Pirates with a line of .285/26/363. In 1929 and ‘30, he was one of the hot NL bats. Over that period, he hit .317 with 216 RBI and 198 runs scored, banging out 73 doubles, 34 triples (he led the NL with 23 in ‘30) and 18 homers. Adam is the only NL outfielder to register two unassisted double plays in a season, both within the span of a week in 1931.

Adam Comorosky 1927 (via UK BaseballFan/Out of the Park Developments)

• 1914 - C Henry Camelli was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Camelli was a reserve during the war years (he only got three at-bats in 1945 due to service obligations) with a Bucco BA of .229 between 1943-46. Hank played just 159 games in his MLB career, but paid his dues with 13 minor league campaigns. He once caught six straight doubleheaders while on the farm.
• 1948 - RHP George “Doc” Medich was born in Aliquippa. For a local boy (he played football and baseball at Pitt), he didn’t get much Pirate love, pitching just one of his 11 big league season in Pittsburgh, going 8-11/3.52 in 1976. Doc lived up to his name. Twice as a player (once as a Pirate) he went into the stands to perform CPR on a fan, saving one of them.
• 1957 - The Pirates traded RHP Bob Purkey to the Cincinnati Reds for LHP Don Gross. Gross won six games in three years as a Pirate while Purkey, a Pittsburgh kid who went to South Hills HS, won 124 games after the deal, appearing in a World Series and three All-Star games. GM Joe Brown later called it “the worst trade I ever made.” Purkey pitched his final season (1966) for the Pirates and then retired to Bethel Park, where he became a successful insurance broker. He died in 2008 at age 78 and was buried at Queen of Angels Cemetery.

Bob Purkey 1957 Topps

• 1980 - The Pirates traded RHP Bert Blyleven and C Manny Sanguillen to the Indians for P Bob Owchinko‚ P Victor Cruz‚ C Gary Alexander‚ and minor league P Rafael Vasquez. Hall of Famer Blyleven was the key figure, and he went on to pitch 11 more seasons and win 148 more games. Blyleven requested the trade, saying that manager Chuck Tanner didn’t show any confidence in him by not letting him go deeper into games, although the Frying Dutchman (named because he loved setting teammates’ shoelaces on fire - the “hotfoot” prank - not his temperament) averaged 233 IP per season under Tanner’s watch.
• 2005 - The Pirates signed free agent reliever RHP Roberto Hernandez, 42, to a one year‚ $2.75M contract. The set up man was flipped to the NY Mets, his old club, at the 2006 deadline as part of the Xavier Nady trade.

12/9: Adam Comorosky, Hank Camelli, Doc Medich, Bob Purkey, Bert Blyleven, Roberto Hernandez...

Adam Comorosky, Hank Camelli, Doc Medich, Bob Purkey, Bert Blyleven, Roberto Hernandez...

• 1905 - OF Adam Comorosky was born in Swoyersville, in Luzerne county. He played eight years (1926-33) for the Pirates with a line of .285/26/363. In 1929 and ‘30, he was one of the hot NL bats. Over that period, he hit .317 with 216 RBI and 198 runs scored, banging out 73 doubles, 34 triples (he led the NL with 23 in ‘30) and 18 homers. Adam is the only NL outfielder to register two unassisted double plays in a season, both within a week in 1931. 
• 1914 - C Henry Camelli was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Camelli was a reserve during the war years (he only got three at-bats in 1945 due to service obligations) with a Bucco BA of .229 between 1943-46. Hank only got to play 159 games in his MLB career, put paid his dues with 13 minor league campaigns. He once caught six straight doubleheaders while on the farm.

Hank Camelli - 1943 photo via Out of the Park Development

• 1948 - RHP George “Doc” Medich was born in Aliquippa. For a local boy (he played football and baseball at Pitt), he didn’t get much Pirate love, pitching just one of his 11 big league season in Pittsburgh, going 8-11/3.52 in 1976. Doc lived up to his name. Twice as a player (once as a Pirate) he went into the stands to perform CPR on a fan, saving one of them. 
• 1957 - The Pirates traded RHP Bob Purkey to the Cincinnati Reds for LHP Don Gross. Gross won six games in three years as a Pirate while Purkey, a Pittsburgh kid who went to South Hills HS, won 124 games after the deal, appearing in a World Series and three All-Star games. GM Joe Brown later called it “the worst trade I ever made.” Purkey pitched his final season (1966) for the Pirates and then retired to Bethel Park, where he became a successful insurance broker. He died in 2008 at age 78 and was buried at Queen of Angels Cemetery. 

Bob Purkey - undated Associated Press photo

• 1980 - The Pirates traded RHP Bert Blyleven and C Manny Sanguillen to the Indians for P Bob Owchinko‚ P Victor Cruz‚ C Gary Alexander‚ and minor league P Rafael Vasquez. Hall of Famer Blyleven was the key figure, and he went on to pitch 11 more seasons and win 148 more games. Blyleven requested the trade, saying that manager Chuck Tanner didn’t show any confidence in him by not letting him go deeper into games (although Kent Tekulve and a deep Pirate bullpen may have had something to do with that.) 
• 2005 - The Pirates signed free agent reliever RHP Roberto Hernandez, 42, to a one year‚ $2.75M contract. The set up man was flipped to the NY Mets, his old club, at the 2006 deadline as part of the Xavier Nady trade. 

Roberto Hernandez 2006 Topps series

12/9: Adam Comorosky, Doc Medich, Bye-Bye Bert, Roberto Hernandez

Not a busy day: Adam Comorosky, Doc Medich, Bye-Bye Bert, Roberto Hernandez...

1905 - OF Adam Comorosky was born in Swoyersville, in Luzerne county. He played eight years (1926-33) for the Pirates with a line of .285/26/363. For two years running in 1929 and ‘30, he was one of the hot NL bats. Over those two seasons, he hit .317 with 216 RBI and 198 runs scored, banging out 73 doubles, 34 triples and 18 homers.
1948 - RHP George “Doc” Medich was born in Aliquippa. For a local boy (he played football and baseball at Pitt), he didn’t get much Pirate love, pitching just one of his 11 big league season in Pittsburgh, going 8-11/3.52 in 1976. Doc lived up to his name. Twice as a player (once as a Pirate) he went into the stands to perform CPR on a fan, saving one of them.

Topps series 1977

1980 - The Pirates traded RHP Bert Blyleven and C Manny Sanguillen to the Indians for P Bob Owchinko‚ P Victor Cruz‚ C Gary Alexander‚ and minor league P Rafael Vasquez. Hall of Famer Blyleven would pitch 11 more seasons and win 148 more games.
2005 - The Pirates signed free agent reliever RHP Roberto Hernandez, 42, to a one year‚ $2.75M contract.