4/9 TRS-PNC Park Era: PNC Opener, RIP Cap'n Willie, Kris' Gem, Fence Bustin', Doc Dusted, Cobra on SI

• 1979 - Dave Parker was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the story “Who’s Best?” The Cobra wasn’t the best, but he was good, with a slash of .310/25/94. He followed with a .341 BA in the postseason as the Pirates did end up best.

• 1990 - The Bucs turned Doc Gooden every which way but loose as they won 12-3 at Shea Stadium behind Doug Drabek’s arm and homers by Andy Van Slyke (2 HR, 2B) and Bobby Bo. That pair plus Jay Bell and Jose Lind collected three hits each. At 0-1, Gooden had a losing record for the first time in nine seasons. It was also the first time in 21 years that the Mets lost a home opener.
• 1999 - Rookie RHP Kris Benson beat the Cubs 2-1 in his first MLB start. He became the second #1 draft pick to win his debut, following Texas’ David Clyde who did the deed in 1973. Benson went six innings, giving up a run on two hits with three walks and three K.
• 2001 - PNC Park, the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1887, opened for business along the North Shore of the Allegheny River when its first regular season game was held just hours after Pirate icon Willie Stargell passed away. Local boy Sean Casey had four hits and five RBI to lead the Reds to an 8-2 win in the park’s debut match against Todd Ritchie. The game was played in summerlike 77-degree weather and 36,954 came out to catch the action. Team owner Kevin McClatchy threw out the first pitch.

PNC Opening Day (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

• 2001 - Willie Stargell, who suffered from a host of medical conditions, passed away at the age of 61. Cap’n Willie spent his career (1962–1982) as a Pirate. Over his 21 years, he batted .282 with 2,232 hits, 423 doubles, 475 home runs and 1,540 RBI, helping his team to six NL East division titles, two pennants and two World Series titles (1971, 1979). Willie was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
• 2014 - The Pirates hit five homers at Wrigley Field but lost the game 7-5 to the Cubs. Pedro Alvarez and Russ Martin each had a pair of long balls while Travis Snider added a dinger. All, sadly, were solo shots. It was the first time since 2004 that two Bucs had multi-homer games during the same contest. It was a case of go long or go home - the Pirates had only one other hit and never put a runner in scoring position.

4/9 Forbes Field Era: Ol' Stubblebeard, Big Poison, Jeep, The Mick & Rally Time

• 1930 - After a contract clash and spring holdout, spitballer Burleigh Grimes was sent to the Boston Braves for lefty Percy Jones and “a considerable amount” of cash. Grimes was then flipped to the Cards later in the season. St. Louis made to the Series in ‘30, losing to the Philadelphia Athletics and Lefty Grove. They took it all the following year as Grimes won 17 games for them and another pair in the Series as the Cards dethroned the Athletics in the rematch. Grimes had an oddball relationship with the Pirates; he started, spent the middle, and then ended his career with Pittsburgh, spending five of his 19 MLB seasons with the Bucs.

Paul "Big Poison" Waner 1936 Goudey

• 1937 - The 1936 batting champ‚ Paul Waner‚ ended his holdout and signed his 1937 contract. No official announcement was made of the amount, believed to be in the ballpark of $16,000. Big Poison went on to hit .354 and earn his last All-Star berth at age 34.
• 1939 - The Bucco preseason wound down on a sour note when starting 3B Lee “Jeep” Handley was felled by a bean ball and taken to the hospital during a spring training game played three days before the opener. “The beaning caused an uproar in the Pirate camp that hasn’t been equaled in many years…” wrote Pittsburgh Press beatman Les Biederman as the Bucs boiled over the “intentions” of White Sox hurler Johnny Allen, who caught Jeep in the temple with a sidearm fastball. Allen had just given up a homer, and his next pitch nailed Lee. The Pirates believed it was a purpose pitch, although the Chicago catcher defended his guy by saying Jeep was crowding the plate. Handley recovered to hit .285 during the campaign but missed the first 10 games of the season while recurring complications from the incident caused him to sit out 52 games in total during the year. A couple of other events transpired during the day - Pittsburgh pitcher Cy Blanton tossed a complete game no-hitter in the 6-0 win, and Paul Waner, who had again held out during spring training, agreed to a new contract that reportedly cut his previous salary by $5,000. Big Poison was 35 and had his worst year as a Bucco in 1938, hitting .280 w/.331 OBP. He responded well, batting .328, but would be released by the Pirates after the 1940 season.
• 1953 - In an exhibition game at Forbes Field‚ Mickey Mantle crushed a Bill MacDonald curve and launched it over the RF roof‚ joining the Babe and Ted Beard as the only hitters at the time to accomplish that since the upper deck was added in 1925. In all, 18 balls would fly over the roof, seven put in orbit by Willie Stargell. Mantle cleared the stands again during the 1960 World Series.

Bob Bailey 1963 IDL Drug Store promo photo

• 1963 - The home season kicked off in grand style as the Benny Benack band provided the music, Jeanne Baxter sang the Anthem and Mayor Joe Barr was present. The game was pretty good too as the Bucs and Braves traded ninth inning runs with the Pirates rallying for a 3-2 walk-off win in front of 29,615 Forbes Field faithful. With two down in the ninth, Pittsburgh got back-to-back-to-back hits from Bill Virdon, Bob Bailey and pinch-hitter Ted Savage to win the game for ElRoy Face, who had worked out a bases-loaded, no out pickle in the Milwaukee ninth. The first two Pittsburgh scores came on solo shots by old dawg Smokey Burgess and frisky pup Bailey.

4/9: PNC Opens; Burleigh Traded, Big Poison Signs, Over-the-Roof, Cobra Cover, Big Games

• 1930 - After a contract clash and spring holdout, spitballer Burleigh Grimes was sent to the Boston Braves for lefty Percy Jones and “a considerable amount” of cash. Grimes was then flipped to the Cards later in the season. St. Louis made to the Series in ‘30, losing to the Philadelphia Athletics and Lefty Grove. They took it all the following year as Grimes won 17 games for them and another pair in the Series as the Cards dethroned the Athletics in the rematch. Grimes had an oddball relationship with the Pirates; he started, spent the middle, and ended his career with Pittsburgh, spending five of his 19 MLB seasons with the Bucs.
• 1937 - The 1936 batting champ‚ Paul Waner‚ ended his holdout and signed his 1937 contract. No official announcement was made of the amount, believed to be in the ballpark of $16,000. Big Poison went on to hit .354 and earn, at age 34, his last All-Star berth.

Paul Waner 1934 Goudey

• 1953 - In an exhibition game at Forbes Field‚ Mickey Mantle crushed a Bill MacDonald curve and launched it over the RF roof‚ joining the Babe and Ted Beard as the only hitters at the time to accomplish that since the upper deck was added in 1925. In all, 18 balls would fly over the roof, seven put in orbit by Willie Stargell. Mantle cleared the stands again during the 1960 World Series.
• 1963 - The Bucs and Braves traded ninth inning runs during the season opener, with the Bucs rallying for a 3-2 win in front of 29,615 faithful. With two down in the ninth, Pittsburgh banged back-to-back-to-back hits from Bill Virdon, Bob Bailey and pinch-hitter Ted Savage to win the game for ElRoy Face, who had worked out a bases-loaded, no out pickle in the Milwaukee ninth.
• 1979 - Dave Parker was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the story “Who’s Best?” The Cobra wasn’t the best, but he was good, with a slash of .310/25/94. He followed with a .341 BA in the postseason as the Pirates did end up best.

• 1990 - The Bucs turned Doc Gooden every which way but loose as they won 12-3 at Shea Stadium behind Doug Drabek’s arm and homers by Andy Van Slyke (2 HR, 2B) and Bobby Bo. That pair plus Jay Bell and Jose Lind collected three hits each. At 0-1, Gooden had a losing record for the first time in nine seasons. It’s also the first time in 21 years that the Mets lost a home opener.
• 1999 - Rookie RHP Kris Benson beat the Cubs 2-1 in his first MLB start. He became the second #1 draft pick to win his debut, following Texas’ David Clyde who was the first in 1973. Benson went six innings, giving up a run on two hits with three walks and three K.
• 2001 - PNC Park, the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1887, opened along the North Shore of the Allegheny River hours after Pirate icon Willie Stargell passed away from a stroke in Wilmington, NC at the young age of 61. Local boy Sean Casey had four hits and five RBI to lead the Reds to an 8-2 win in the park’s debut match against Todd Ritchie. The game was played in summerlike 77 degree weather and 36,954 came out to catch the action. Kevin McClatchy threw out the first pitch.

PNC Park Opening Day handout via Pittsburgh Post Gazette

• 2014 - The Pirates hit five homers at Wrigley Field but lost the game 7-5 to the Cubs. Pedro Alvarez and Russ Martin each had a pair of long balls while Travis Snider added a dinger. All, sadly, were solo shots. It was the first time since 2004 that two Bucs had multi-homer games during the same contest. The Pirates had only one other hit and never put a runner in scoring position.

4/9: PNC Opens As Cap'n Willie Passes; Grimes, Big Poison, The Mick, 5 Homers -And Lost...

• 1930 - After a contract clash and spring holdout, spitballer Burleigh Grimes was sent to the Boston Braves for lefty Percy Jones and “a considerable amount” of cash. Grimes was then flipped to the Cards later in the season. St. Louis made to the Series in ‘30, losing to the Philadelphia Athletics and Lefty Grove. They took it all the following year as Grimes won 17 games for them and another pair in the Series as the Cards dethroned the Athletics in the rematch. Grimes had an oddball relationship with the Pirates; he started, spent the middle, and ended his career with Pittsburgh, spending five of his 19 MLB seasons with the Bucs. 
• 1937 - The 1936 batting champ‚ Paul Waner‚ ended his holdout and signed his 1937 contract. No official announcement was made of the amount, believed to be in the ballpark of $16,000. Big Poison went on to hit .354 and earn, at age 34, his last All-Star berth. 

Paul Waner 1931 W517 series

• 1953 - In an exhibition game at Forbes Field‚ Mickey Mantle crushed a Bill MacDonald curve and launched it over the RF roof‚ joining the Babe and Ted Beard as the only hitters at the time to accomplish that since the upper deck was added in 1925. In all, 18 balls would fly over the roof, seven put in orbit by Willie Stargell. Mantle cleared the stands again during the 1960 World Series. 
• 1963 - The Bucs and Braves traded ninth inning runs during the season opener, with the Bucs rallying for a 3-2 win in front of 29,615 faithful. With two down in the ninth, Pittsburgh banged back-to-back-to-back hits from Bill Virdon, Bob Bailey and pinch-hitter Ted Savage to win the game for ElRoy Face, who had worked out a bases-loaded, no out pickle in the Milwaukee ninth. 
• 1990 - The Bucs turned Doc Gooden every which way but loose as they won 12-3 at Shea Stadium behind Doug Drabek’s arm and homers by Andy Van Slyke (2 HR, 2B) and Bobby Bo. That pair plus Jay Bell and Jose Lind collected three hits each. At 0-1, Gooden had a losing record for the first time in nine seasons. It’s also the first time in 21 years that the Mets lost a home opener. 

Andy Van Slyke 1988 Donruss Diamond Kings series

• 1999 - Rookie RHP Kris Benson beat the Cubs 2-1 in his first MLB start. He became the second #1 draft pick to win his debut, following Texas’ David Clyde who was the first in 1973. Benson went six innings, giving up a run on two hits with three walks and three whiffs. 
• 2001 - PNC Park, the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1887, opened along the North Shore of the Allegheny River hours after Pirate icon Willie Stargell passed away from a stroke in Wilmington, NC at the young age of 61. Local boy Sean Casey had four hits and five RBI to lead the Reds to an 8-2 win in the park’s debut match against Todd Ritchie. The game was played in summerlike 77 degree weather and 36,954 came out to catch the action. Kevin McClatchy threw out the first pitch. 
• 2014 - The Pirates hit five home runs at Wrigley Field but lost the game 7-5 to the Cubs. Pedro Alvarez and Russ Martin each had a pair of long balls while Travis Snider added a dinger. All, sadly, were solo shots. It was the first time since 2004 that two Bucs had multi-homer games during the same contest. The Pirates had only one other hit and went 0-for-0 with RISP!

4/9: Burleigh Grimes, Big Poison, ElRoy To the Rescue, The Mick, PNC Park Opens and More...

Burleigh Grimes, Big Poison, ElRoy To the Rescue, The Mick, PNC Park Opens and More...

• 1930 - After a contract clash and spring holdout, spitballer Burleigh Grimes was sent to the Boston Braves for lefty Percy Jones and “a considerable amount” of cash. They in turn flipped him to the Cards later in the season. St. Louis made to the Series in ‘30, losing to the Philadelphia Athletics and Lefty Grove, but took it all the following year as Grimes won 17 games for them and another pair in the Series as the Cards dethroned the Athletics in the rematch. Grimes had an oddball relationship with the Pirates; he started, spent the middle, and ended his career with Pittsburgh, spending five of his 19 MLB seasons with the Bucs. 
• 1937 - The 1936 batting champ‚ Paul Waner‚ ended his holdout and signed his 1937 contract. No official announcement was made of the amount, believed to be in the ballpark of $16,000. 

 Image from Dan Austin's Virtual Card Collection

• 1953 - In an exhibition game at Forbes Field‚ Mickey Mantle crushed a Bill MacDonald curve and launched it over the RF roof‚ joining the Babe and Ted Beard as the only hitters at the time to accomplish that since the upper deck was added in 1925. In all, 18 balls would fly over the roof, seven put in orbit by Willie Stargell. Mantle launched another during the 1960 World Series. 
• 1963 - The Bucs and Braves traded ninth inning runs during the season opener, with the Bucs rallying for a 3-2 win in front of 29,615 faithful. With two down in the ninth, Pittsburgh banged back-to-back-to-back hits from Bill Virdon, Bob Bailey and pinch-hitter Ted Savage to win the game for ElRoy Face, who had worked out a bases-loaded, no out pickle in the Milwaukee ninth. 
• 1990 - The Pirates turned Doc Gooden every which way but loose as they won 12-3 at Shea Stadium behind Doug Drabek’s arm and homers by Andy Van Slyke (2 HR, 2B) and Bobby Bo. That pair plus Jay Bell and Jose Lind collected three hits each. At 0-1, Gooden had a losing record for the first time in nine seasons. It’s also the first time in 21 years that the Mets lost a home opener. 
• 1999 - Rookie RHP Kris Benson beat the Cubs 2-1 in his first MLB start. He became the second #1 draft pick to win his debut, following Texas’ David Clyde who was the first in 1973. Benson went six innings, giving up a run on two hits with three walks and three K. 
• 2001 - PNC Park, the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates since their inception in 1887, opened along the North Shore of the Allegheny River hours after Pirate icon Willie Stargell passed away from a stroke in Wilmington, NC at the young age of 61. Local boy Sean Casey had four hits and five RBI to lead the Reds to an 8-2 win in the park’s debut match against Todd Ritchie. The game was played in lovely 77 degree weather and 36,954 came out to catch the action. Kevin McClatchy threw out the first pitch.

April 9th - Buc Dates In History

PNC Opens, Holdouts Come and Go, Notable Games:

• 1930 - After a contract clash, spitballer Burleigh Grimes was sold to the Boston Braves. They in turn flipped him to the Cards later in the season. St. Louis made to the Series in ‘30, losing to the Philadelphia Athletics and Lefty Grove, but took it all the following year as Grimes won 17 games for them plus a pair in the Series as the Cards dethroned the Athletics in the rematch. Grimes had an oddball relationship with the Pirates; he started, spent the middle, and ended his career with Pittsburgh, spending five of his 19 MLB seasons with the Bucs.
• 1937 - The 1936 batting champ‚ Paul Waner‚ ended his holdout and signed his 1937 contract. No official announcement was made of the amount, believed to be in the ballpark of $16,000.
• 1953 - In an exhibition game at Forbes Field‚ Mickey Mantle crushed a Bill MacDonald curve and launched it over the RF roof‚ joining the Babe and Ted Beard as the only hitters to accomplish that since the upper deck was added in 1925. In all, 18 balls would fly over the roof, seven put in orbit by Willie Stargell.
• 1963 - The Bucs and Braves traded ninth inning runs during the season opener, with the Bucs rallying for a 3-2 win in front of 29,615 faithful. With two down in the ninth, Pittsburgh banged back-to-back-to-back hits from Bill Virdon, Bob Bailey and pinch-hitter Ted Savage to win the game for ElRoy Face, who had worked out a bases-loaded, no out pickle in the Milwaukee ninth.
• 1990 - The Bucs turned Doc Gooden every which way but loose as they won 12-3 at Shea Stadium behind Doug Drabek’s arm and homers by Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bo. At 0-1, Gooden had a losing record for the first time in nine seasons. It’s also the first time in 21 years that the Mets lost a home opener.
• 1999 - Rookie RHP Kris Benson beat the Cubs 2-1 in his first MLB start. He became the second #1 draft pick to win his debut, following Texas’ David Clyde who was the first in 1973. Benson went six innings, giving up a run on two hits with three walks and three K.
• 2001 - PNC Park, the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1887, opened along the North Shore of the Allegheny River hours after Pirate icon Willie Stargell passed away from a stroke in Wilmington, NC. Local boy Sean Casey had four hits and five RBI to lead the Reds to an 8-2 win in the park’s debut match against Todd Ritchie. The game was played in lovely 77 degree weather and 36,954 came out to catch the action, started when Kevin McClatchy tossed out the first ceremonial pitch.