4/1 - TRS/PNC Park Era: Thompson & Van Slyke Deals, Players Strike, Parrot Hatched, Neil Slam, RIP Frankie & Jerry

• 1972 - The first players' strike in baseball history wiped six-to-eight games off the schedule, which were canceled upon settlement. This resulted in teams playing a different number of games during the 1972 season and led to the Detroit Tigers edging the Boston Red Sox by only one-half game to win the AL East Division championship. The strike settlement required the team owners to add salary arbitration to the CBA and increased pension fund payments, per Wikipedia.

From an egg to his own baseball card (2016 Topps)

• 1979 - The Pirate Parrot was “hatched” at Three Rivers Stadium as a response to the Phillie Phanatic, introduced the year before. The concept of a parrot came from Robert Lewis Stevenson’s pirate tale “Treasure Island.”
• 1981 - 1B Jason Thompson was traded by the California Angels to the Bucs for LHP Mickey Mahler and C Ed Ott. Thompson took control of a muddled first base situation in Pittsburgh and held the starting job through 1985 (Sid Bream replaced JT in 1986).
• 1987 - St. Louis sent OF Andy Van Slyke‚ C Mike LaValliere‚ and RHP Mike Dunne to Pittsburgh in exchange for All-Star C Tony Pena. Van Slyke thought it was an April’s Fool joke when first told of the trade, and Pena cried at the press conference when the deal was announced.
• 1991 - Frankie Gustine died at the age of 71. The versatile infielder was a three-time All-Star who played a decade for the Pirates (1939-48), compiling a .268 BA. After his MLB career, Gustine coached at local Point Park College from 1968-74 and owned a popular Oakland restaurant on Forbes Avenue located just a Texas League bloop away from the ballyard.

Frankie Gustine 1947 W461 Exhibits

• 2011 - Neil Walker hit his first career grand slam on Opening Day at Wrigley Field off Ryan Dempster. He became the second player in team history to hit a grand salami on Opening Day, joining Roberto Clemente, who drilled one to start the 1962 season. It was the key blow in a 6-3 win over the Cubs behind the pitching of Kevin Correia and four relievers.
• 2012 - One of the games great pinch-hitters, Jerry Lynch, died at the age of 82. He started and ended his career as a Pirate, spending seven seasons with the Bucs. He came off the bench to collect 116 pinch hits during his career, 18 of which were homers. Lynch lived in Allison Park when he passed away and was part owner of Champion Lakes GC.

4/1 - Expo Park/Forbes Field Era: HBD Fred, Jake & Wille; Cronin & Watty Deals; Purkey Shines; Umps OK; Titusville April Fools

• 1858 - OF Fred Mann was born in Sutton, Vermont. The centerfielder played two of his six MLB years with the Alleghenys from 1885-86. He hit .251 over that span, spent one more season in the show and left baseball after spending the following three years in the bushes. He was the first major league ballplayer to hail from the Green Mountain state.
• 1904 - In what was considered the first major deal between the AL & NL after their 1903 truce, the Pirates bought Wyatt “Watty” Lee from Washington for $3,000. The P/1B had three solid seasons for the Senators, but was a flop for the Bucs, appearing in just eight games, five as a pitcher and three as a pinch hitter. Watty went 4-for-12 at the plate, but his pitching record was abysmal, putting up a slash of 1-2/8.74. It was the end of Lee's major league days though he went on to enjoy a long minor league career.

Steve Moore "In the Bleachers" 1992 Universal Press Syndicate

• 1911 - Just to prove that umps’ eyesight has always been under suspicion, according to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology “NL president Tom Lynch reveals he had asked all umpires to produce certificates as to their eyesight; tests showed all have perfect vision.” Our only question is who tested the doctors?
• 1926 - RHP Jake Thies was born in St. Louis. As a 28-year-old, he spent 1954 and one start in 1955 with the Pirates, slashing 3-10/3.90. He was dealt to Kansas City where he spent two years at AAA, returning to the Buc system for three games to close the campaign and then retired.

Jake Thies 1955 Topps

• 1928 - The April Fool’s victim this year was the Pirates, who sold SS Joe Cronin to KC of the American Association, which then flipped him to Washington in July. In Pittsburgh, he was blocked at SS by Glenn Wright and manager Donie Bush preferred vet George Grantham at second base, so the Pirates deemed him to be excess baggage. They deemed wrong; after a 20 year career, seven All-Star games and .301 BA, he earned a plaque in the Hall of Fame.
• 1948 - 1B Willie Montanez was born in Catano, Puerto Rico. Willie spent part of 1981 and 1982 with the Pirates at the tail end of his 14-year career after he was swapped from the Expos for John Milner. He seldom made the lineup but hit .271 off the bench before the Bucs released him. He closed out his MLB stint in ‘82 with the Phils.
• 1957 - The Pirates and KC Athletics played an 18 inning, 0-0 exhibition game before darkness put an end to the match. The two teams collected 18 total hits, 16 of which were singles. The contest was just shy of lasting four hours before the managers called it a day. Ron Kline and Bob Purkey did the tossing for the Bucs, with long-shot Purkey winning a spot on the staff after his 10-inning whitewash performance.

Bob Purkey 1957 Topps

• 1963 - The Titusville Herald’s headline screamed “Pittsburgh Pirates To Move Club To Titusville.” The April Fools gag drew a chuckle but no interest from ownership and the Bucs remained firmly rooted in Forbes Field. Titusville’s population per the 1960 census was 8,356 souls; Forbes Field had an average attendance of 9,675 in 1963; maybe there was a match to be made.

4/1: AVS, Spanky Deal; Strike Starts; Thompson Joins Bucs; Guistine, Lynch Pass On & More...

• 1904 - In what was considered the first major deal between the AL & NL after their 1903 truce, the Pirates bought Wyatt “Watty” Lee from Washington for $3,000. The P/1B had three solid seasons for the Senators, but was a flop for the Bucs, appearing in just eight games, five as a pitcher and three as a pinch hitter. Watty went 4-for-12 at the plate, but his pitching record was abysmal, putting up a slash of 1-2/8.74. It was the end of Lee's major league days, though he went on to enjoy a long minor league career.
• 1911 - Just to prove that umps’ eyesight has always been under suspicion, according to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology “NL president Tom Lynch reveals he had asked all umpires to produce certificates as to their eyesight; tests showed all have perfect vision.” Our only question is who tested the doctors?
• 1928 - The April Fool’s victim this year was the Pirates, who sold SS Joe Cronin to KC of the American Association, which then flipped him to Washington in July. In Pittsburgh, he was blocked at SS by Glenn Wright and manager Donie Bush preferred vet George Grantham at second base, so the Pirates deemed him to be excess baggage. They deemed wrong; after a 20 year career, seven All-Star games and .301 BA, he earned a plaque in the Hall of Fame.

Joe Cronin 1927 (photo via Out of the Park/tnfoto)

• 1957 - The Pirates and KC Athletics played an 18 inning, 0-0 exhibition game before darkness put an end to the match. The two teams collected 18 total hits, 16 of which were singles. The contest was just shy of lasting four hours before the managers called it a day. Ron Kline and Bob Purkey did the tossing for the Bucs, with long-shot Purkey winning a spot on the staff after his performance.
• 1963 - The Titusville Herald’s headline screamed “Pittsburgh Pirates To Move Club To Titusville.” The April Fools gag drew a chuckle but no interest from ownership, as the Bucs remained firmly rooted in Forbes Field.
• 1972 - The first players' strike in baseball history wiped six-to-eight games off the schedule, which were cancelled upon settlement two weeks later. This resulted in teams playing a different number of games during the 1972 season and led to the Detroit Tigers edging the Boston Red Sox by only one-half game to win the AL East Division championship. The strike settlement required the team owners to add salary arbitration to the CBA, and increased pension fund payments.
• 1979 - The Pirate Parrot was “hatched” at Three Rivers Stadium as a response to the Phillie Phanatic, introduced the year before. The concept of a parrot came from Robert Lewis Stevenson’s pirate tale “Treasure Island.”

The first Pirate Parrot 1979 (photo Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

• 1981 - 1B Jason Thompson was traded by the California Angels to the Bucs for LHP Mickey Mahler and C Ed Ott. Thompson took control of a muddled first base situation in Pittsburgh and held the starting job through 1985 (Sid Bream replaced JT in 1986).
• 1987 - St. Louis sent OF Andy Van Slyke‚ C Mike LaValliere‚ and RHP Mike Dunne to Pittsburgh in exchange for All-Star C Tony Pena. Van Slyke thought it was an April’s Fool joke when first told of the trade, and Pena cried at the press conference when the deal was announced.
• 1991 - Frankie Gustine died at the age of 71. The versatile infielder was a three-time All Star who played a decade for the Pirates (1939-48), compiling a .268 BA. After his MLB career, Gustine coached at local Point Park College from 1968-74 and owned a popular Oakland restaurant on Forbes Avenue located just a hop, skip and jump away from the ballyard.

Frank Gustine (photo via The Sporting News)

• 2011 - Neil Walker hit his first career grand slam on Opening Day at Wrigley Field off Ryan Dempster. He became the second player in team history to hit a grand salami on Opening Day, joining Roberto Clemente, who drilled one to start the 1962 season. It was the key blow in a 6-3 win over the Cubs behind the pitching of Kevin Correia and four relievers.
• 2012 - One of the games great pinch-hitters, Jerry Lynch, died at the age of 82. He started and ended his career as a Pirate, spending seven seasons with the Bucs. He came of the bench to collect 116 pinch hits during his career, 18 of which were homers. Lynch lived in Allison Park when he passed away, and was part owner of Champion Lakes GC.

4/1: The Kid's Grand Slam; Gustine & Lynch Die; Pena Trade; Good Deals, Bad Deals & More...

• 1904 - In what was considered the first major deal between the AL & NL after their 1903 truce, the Pirates bought Wyatt “Watty” Lee from Washington for $3,000. The P/1B had three solid seasons for the Senators, but was a flop for the Bucs, appearing in just eight games, five as a pitcher and three as a pinch hitter. Watty went 4-for-12 at the plate, but his pitching record was abysmal, putting up a slash of 1-2/8.74. It was the end of Lee's major league days, though he went on to enjoy a long minor league career. 
• 1911 - Just to prove that umps’ eyesight has always been under suspicion, according to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology “NL president Tom Lynch reveals he had asked all umpires to produce certificates as to their eyesight; tests showed all have perfect vision.” 
• 1928 - The April Fool’s victim this year was the Pirates, who sold SS Joe Cronin to KC of the American Association, which then flipped him to Washington in July. In Pittsburgh, he was blocked at SS by Glenn Wright and manager Donie Bush preferred vet George Grantham at second base, so the Pirates deemed him to be excess baggage. They deemed wrong; after a 20 year career, seven All-Star games and .301 BA, he earned a spot in the Hall of Fame. 

Joe Cronin 1927 via Out of the Park Development

• 1957 - The Pirates and KC Athletics played an 18 inning, 0-0 exhibition game before darkness put an end to the match. The two teams collected just 18 total hits between, 16 of which were singles. The contest was just shy of lasting four hours before the managers called it a day. Ron Kline and Bob Purkey did the tossing for the Bucs, with long-shot Purkey winning a spot on the staff after his effort. 
• 1972 - The first players' strike in baseball history began, wipeing six-to-eight games off the schedule, that were never made up. This resulted in teams playing a different number of games during the 1972 season and led to the Detroit Tigers edging the Boston Red Sox by only one-half game to win the AL East Division championship. The strike settlement required the team owners to add salary arbitration to the CBA, and increased pension fund payments, per Wikipedia. 
• 1979 - The Pirate Parrot was “hatched” at Three Rivers Stadium as a response to the Phillie Phanatic, introduced the year before. The concept of a parrot came from Robert Lewis Stevenson’s pirate tale “Treasure Island.” 

The Parrot is hatched in 1979 (photo Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

• 1981 - 1B Jason Thompson was traded by the California Angels to the Bucs for LHP Mickey Mahler and C Ed Ott. Thompson took control of a muddled first base situation in Pittsburgh and held the starting job through 1985 (Sid Bream replaced JT in 1986). 
• 1987 - St. Louis sent OF Andy Van Slyke‚ C Mike LaValliere‚ and RHP Mike Dunne to Pittsburgh in exchange for All-Star C Tony Pena. Van Slyke thought it was an April’s Fool joke when first told of the trade, and Pena cried at the press conference when the deal was announced. 
• 1991 - Frankie Gustine died at the age of 71. The versatile infielder was a three-time All Star who played a decade for the Pirates (1939-48), compiling a .268 BA. After his MLB career, Gustine coached at local Point Park College from 1968-74 and owned a popular Oakland restaurant on Forbes Avenue located just a hop, skip and jump away from the ballyard. 

Frank Gustine (photo The Sporting News Collection)

• 2011 - Neil Walker hit his first career grand slam on Opening Day at Wrigley Field off Ryan Dempster. He became the second player in team history to hit a grand salami on Opening Day, joining Roberto Clemente, who drilled one to start the 1962 season. It was the key blow in a 6-3 win over the Cubs behind the pitching of Kevin Correia and four relievers. 
• 2012 - One of the games great pinch-hitters, Jerry Lynch, died at the age of 82. He started and ended his career as a Pirate, spending seven seasons with the Bucs. He came of the bench to collect 116 pinch hits during his career, 18 of which were homers. Lynch lived in Allison Park when he passed away, and was part owner of Champion Lakes GC.

4/1: Player's Strike, Pirate Parrot, Pena-AVS, Frankie Gustine, The Kid's Grand Slam, more...

Player's Strike, Pirate Parrot, Pena-AVS, Frankie Gustine, The Kid's Grand Slam, more...

• 1911 - Just to prove that umps’ eyesight has always been under suspicion, according to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology “NL president Tom Lynch revealed he had asked all umpires to produce certificates as to their eyesight; tests showed all have perfect vision.” 
• 1928 - The April Fool’s victim this year was the Pirates, who sold SS Joe Cronin to KC of the American Association, which then flipped him to Washington. In Pittsburgh, he was blocked at SS by Glenn Wright and manager Donie Bush preferred vet George Grantham at second base, so the Pirates deemed him to be excess baggage. They deemed wrong; after a 20 year career, seven All-Star games and .301 BA, he earned a plaque in the Hall of Fame. 
• 1957 - The Pirates and the KC Athletics played an 18 inning, 0-0 exhibition game before darkness put an end to the match. The two teams collected just 18 total hits between, 16 of which were singles. The contest was just shy of lasting four hours before the managers called it a day. Ron Kline and Bob Purkey did the tossing for the Bucs, with long-shot Purkey winning a spot on the staff after his effort.
• April 1-13, 1972 - The first players' strike in baseball history wiped six-to-eight games off the schedule, which were cancelled upon settlement. This resulted in teams playing a different number of games during the 1972 season and led to the Detroit Tigers edging the Boston Red Sox by only one-half game to win the AL East Division championship. The strike settlement required the team owners to add salary arbitration to the CBA, and increased pension fund payments, per Wikipedia. 
• 1979 - The Pirate Parrot was “hatched” at Three Rivers Stadium as a response to the Phillie Phanatic, introduced the year before. The concept of a parrot came from Robert Lewis Stevenson’s pirate tale “Treasure Island.”

• 1987 - St. Louis sent OF Andy Van Slyke‚ C Mike LaValliere‚ and P Mike Dunne to Pittsburgh in exchange for All-Star catcher Tony Pena. Van Slyke thought it was an April’s Fool joke when first told of the trade, and Pena cried at the press conference when the deal was announced. 
• 1991 - Frankie Gustine died at the age of 71. The versatile infielder was a three-time All Star who played a decade for the Pirates (1939-48), compiling a .268 BA. After his MLB career, Gustine coached at local Point Park College from 1968-74 and owned a popular Oakland restaurant located on Forbes Avenue that was a hop, skip and jump from the ballyard.
•  2011 - Neil Walker hit his first career grand slam on Opening Day at Wrigley Field off Ryan Dempster. He became the second player in team history to hit a grand salami on Opening Day, joining Roberto Clemente, who drilled one to start the 1962 season. It was the key blow in a 6-3 win over the Cubs behind the pitching of Kevin Correia and four relievers. 
•  2012 - One of the games great pinch-hitters, Jerry Lynch, died at the age of 82. He started and ended his career as a Pirate, spending seven seasons with the Bucs. He came of the bench to collect 116 pinch hits during his career, 18 of which were homers. Lynch lived in Allison Park when he passed away, and was part owner of Champion Lakes GC.

Past Blasts: Bucco History 3/31-4/1

A little bit of past blasts:

• March 31, 1895 - OF Carson Bigbee was born. He played eleven years for Pittsburgh, his only MLB club, from 1916-26, and hit .287 lifetime. His best seasons where 1921-22, when he batted .323 and .350, scoring 213 runs over that span and leading the NL in singles both years.
• March 31, 2002 - “Operation Shutdown” OF Derek Bell was released, telling the media he would sail into the sunset on his yacht.
• March 31, 2003 - Pittsburgh helped the Reds christen Great American Ballpark. Cincy played second banana for the yard’s opening act; the Bucs won 10-0 behind homers from Reggie Sanders, Kenny Lofton and Jason Kendall.
• March 31, 2008 - In an Opening Day shootout at Turner Field, the Bucs beat the Braves 12-11 in 12 innings. Damaso Marte and Matt Capps blew a 9-4 ninth inning lead, capped by a fly ball dropping between Jason Bay and Nate McLouth with two outs to tie the score. Pittsburgh reclaimed the lead in the top of the 12th on a Xavier Nady three-run bomb, but Atlanta almost tied it again with two runs in their half before Franquelis Osario nailed down the save. The X-Man had four hits while McLouth, Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Doumit had three to prime a 17-hit attack.
• April 1, 1979 - The Pirate Parrot was “hatched” at Three Rivers Stadium as a response to the Phillie Phanatic, introduced the year before. The idea of a parrot came from Robert Lewis Stevenson’s pirate tale “Treasure Island.
• April 1, 1987 - St. Louis sent OF Andy Van Slyke‚ C Mike LaValliere‚ and P Mike Dunne to Pittsburgh in exchange for All-Star catcher Tony Pena. Van Slyke thought it was an April’s Fool joke when first told of the trade, and Pena cried at the press conference when the deal was announced.