5/14: Six Hits For Jake & Johnny, Cutch Gets Five, Brewer String Snapped, More...

• 1853 - Horace Phillips, manager of the Pittsburgh Alleghenys from 1884-89, was born in Salem, Ohio. He coached the club to a 294-316 record with a couple of winning campaigns, but in the end lost his battle with mental illness and died at the young age of 42.
• 1889 – Wonder why players want contracts that are guaranteed and why in many cases GM’s get them insured? Because in the founding days, pennies ruled and contracts often weren’t worth the paper they were printed on. The Pittsburgh Alleghenys suspended Ed Morris and Pete Conway on this date to dodge paying the salaries of the sore-armed pitchers. Morris returned in three weeks although he was never again effective while Conway never pitched again. Conway had won 30 games in 1888 and Morris 29.
• 1896 - Jake Stenzel collected six singles and added a stolen base in a 20-4 pounding of the Boston Beaneaters at Expo Park. The Bucs collected 27 hits during the day.
• 1950 - All-Star Johnny Hopp went 6-for-6 with a pair of homers, three runs and three RBI in a 16-9 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in the second game of a DH. The Pirates scored two in the ninth of the opener to win 6-5 and earned Bob Chesnes a victory for his four inning, two hit shutout relief stint. It took another decade before a Buc batter matched that line, when Dick Groat went 6-for-6 in 1960 against the Braves.

Johnny Hopp 1950 Bowman

• 1973 - President Richard Nixon presented the Presidential Citizen’s Medal to Vera Clemente for her husband Roberto in the Oval Office. The bill was sponsored by Western Pennsylvania House member William Moorhead and co-sponsored by a rep from North Carolina, Wilmer “Vinegar Bend” Mizell, a teammate of Clemente’s on the 1960 World Series squad and through 1962.
• 1978 - Don Robinson struck out seven batters in a four-hit shutout in Pittsburgh’s 1-0 win at San Diego. Frank Taveras drew a leadoff walk in the sixth inning and eventually came around on a Dave parker bouncer to score the only run (and it was unearned) of the game. For Robinson it was the first of six shutouts he would record in his career. Randy Jones and Mark Lee of the Friars were both sharp, too, allowing the Bucs just five hits.
• 1982 - Lee Lacy banged a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the eighth but got carried away with happy feet when he passed Omar Moreno between 1B and 2B. Lacy was called out and credited just a single and three RBI‚ leaving the Bucs just enough runs to top the Reds 8-7 at TRS.

Lee Lacy 1982 Donruss

• 1989 - OF Benny Distefano became the first left-handed catcher in a major league game since White Sox 1B Mike Squires in 1980 when he caught the ninth inning of a 5-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves at TRS. He came in after Jimmy Leyland had removed starter Tom Prince and sub Junior Ortiz for pinch hitters. Distefano missed the first pitch Bill Landrum tossed on a cross-up over signs and then did a bang-up job for the rest of the frame. 1B Dale Long, then with the Cubs, is thought to be the only other LH catcher in the modern era; he caught two games in 1958.
• 1997 - Kevin Young's two-run pinch double gave Pittsburgh the lead and Al Martin finished off a nine-run eighth inning with a grand slam as the “Freak Show” Pirates beat Colorado‚ 15-10 at TRS. Every Pirate starter except the pitcher had a knock. Rox pitchers surrendered 13 hits, a dozen walks and blew leads of 6-3‚ 7-5 and 9-6.
• 2005 - Lefty Mark Redman tossed his first shutout and his second straight complete game in a 2-0 win against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park. Redman faced three batters over the minimum and threw 113 pitches while allowing just one runner to reach second base. Jose Castillo had two hits, one a game-deciding two-run double off Victor Santos in the fifth inning.

Mark Redman 2005 Topps

• 2010 - Andrew McCutchen went 5-for-5 with two RBI and five runs scored in a 10-6 win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Garrett Jones also banged out five hits, making McCutchen and Jones the first Pirate pair since Willie Stargell and Bob Robertson in 1970 to have five hits in a game. The dynamic duo also added a homer each.
• 2013 - The Bucs snapped a five game home losing streak to the Brewers at PNC Park, thanks to six innings of shutout work from the bullpen and Andrew McCutchen’s walk off homer off Mike Fiers in the twelfth frame to take a 4-3 victory over Milwaukee. Cutch ended a frustrating night that saw two of his balls caught at the fence with the breeze from the river blowing in. That wasn’t nearly as frustrating as the Pirate hitters, who went 0-for-15 with RISP. Vin Mazzaro picked up the W with two innings of scoreless ball.

3/14: HBD Bunker, Earl; Roberto Injured; Kenny Lofton Signs

• 1869 - RHP Billy “Bunker” Rhines was born in Ridgway, Elk County. He tossed for the Bucs at the end of his career in 1898-99, going 16-20 with a 3.95 ERA after twice leading the NL in ERA as a Cincinnati Red. Bunker did have one league leading stat as a Bucco in 1898 - he tossed 258 frames without allowing a homer. Couldn’t find any explanation for his nickname; perhaps it’s a corruption of his alma mater, Bucknell.
• 1928 - OF Earl Smith was born in Sunnyside, Washington, and had a brief career in the show with the Bucs, going 1-for-16 in April 1955 before being sent back to the minors, never to return. But he is the answer to a trivia question. Smith was the last player to wear #21 on the Pittsburgh Pirates' roster before Roberto Clemente. The Great One was a rookie that year and began the season wearing #13, but he flipped to #21 (the number of letters in his full name, Roberto Clemente Walker) when Smith was sent down.

Earl Smith (Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

• 1969 - After recovering from a right shoulder injury, Roberto Clemente banged his left wing chasing a foul pop during a spring game. He started the year 0-for-12, but roared back with a .345 BA, second to Pete Rose’s .348 in a race that went down to the last day. Roberto was hitting .363 in August, but a cranky back kept him on the bench for much of September and likely cost him the crown.
• 2003 - OF Kenny Lofton inked a one year, $1.025M deal with the Pirates. He didn’t last quite that long, as he was traded to the Cubs on July 23rd with Aramis Ramirez for not much in Dave Littlefield’s most infamous salary dump.

5/14: Stenzel & Hopp - 6 Hits, Cutch & GI - 10 Hits, Mark Redman, Lacy's Happy Feet...

• 1853 - Horace Phillips, manager of the Pittsburgh Alleghenys from 1884-89, was born in Salem, Ohio. He coached the club to a 294-316 record with a couple of winning campaigns, but in the end lost his battle with mental illness and died at the young age of 42. 
• 1889 – Wonder why players want contracts that are guaranteed and why in many cases GM’s get them insured? Because in the founding days, pennies ruled and contracts often weren’t worth the paper they were printed on. The Pittsburgh Alleghenys suspended Ed Morris and Pete Conway on this date to dodge paying the salaries of the sore-armed pitchers. Morris returned in three weeks although he was never again effective while Conway never pitched again. Conway had won 30 games in 1888 and Morris 29. 

Ed Morris - Old Judge Cigarette series (undated)

• 1896 - Jake Stenzel collected six singles and added a stolen base in a 20-4 pounding of the Boston Beaneaters at Expo Park. The Bucs collected 27 hits during the day. 1950 - All-Star Johnny Hopp went 6-for-6 with a pair of homers, three runs and three RBI in a 16-9 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in the second game of a DH. The Pirates scored two in the ninth of the opener to win 6-5 and earned Bob Chesnes a victory for his four inning, two hit shutout relief stint. It took another decade before a Buc batter matched that line, when Dick Groat went 6-for-6 in 1960 against the Braves.
• 1973 - President Richard Nixon presented the Presidential Citizen’s Medal to Vera Clemente for her husband Roberto in the Oval Office. The bill was sponsored by Western Pennsylvania House member William Moorhead and co-sponsored by a rep from North Carolina, Wilmer “Vinegar Bend” Mizell, a teammate of Clemente’s on the 1960 World Series squad and through 1962. 1982 - Lee Lacy banged a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the eighth but got carried away with happy feet when he passed Omar Moreno between 1B and 2B. Lacy was called out and credited just a single and three RBI‚ leaving the Bucs just enough runs to top the Reds 8-7 at TRS. 
• 1989 - OF Benny Distefano became the first left-handed catcher in a major league game since White Sox 1B Mike Squires in 1980 when he caught the ninth inning of a 5-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves at TRS. He came in after Jimmy Leyland had removed starter Tom Prince and sub Junior Ortiz for pinch hitters. Distefano missed the first pitch Bill Landrum tossed on a cross-up over signs and then did a bang-up job for the rest of the frame. 1B Dale Long, then with the Cubs, is thought to be the only other LH catcher in the modern era; he caught two games in 1958. 

Benny DiStefano (1989 Fleer series)

• 1997 - Kevin Young's two-run pinch double gave Pittsburgh the lead and Al Martin finished off a nine-run eighth inning with a grand slam as the “Freak Show” Pirates beat Colorado‚ 15-10 at TRS. Every Pirate starter except the pitcher had a knock. Rox pitchers surrendered 13 hits, a dozen walks and blew leads of 6-3‚ 7-5 and 9-6. 
• 2005 - Lefty Mark Redman tossed his first shutout and his second straight complete game in a 2-0 win against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park. Redman faced three batters over the minimum and threw 113 pitches while allowing just one runner to reach second base. Jose Castillo had two hits, one a game-deciding two-run double off Victor Santos in the fifth inning. 
• 2010 - Andrew McCutchen went 5-for-5 with two RBI and five runs scored in a 10-6 Pirates win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Garrett Jones also banged out five hits, making McCutchen and Jones the first Pirate pair since Willie Stargell and Bob Robertson in 1970 to have five hits in a game. The dynamic duo also added a homer each. 

GI & Cutch had a big day (Topps Heritage series - 2010)

• 2013 - The Bucs snapped a five game home losing streak to the Brewers at PNC Park, thanks to six innings of shutout work from the bullpen and Andrew McCutchen’s walk off homer off Mike Fiers in the twelfth frame to take a 4-3 victory over Milwaukee. Cutch ended a frustrating night that saw two of his balls caught at the fence with the breeze from the river blowing in. That wasn’t nearly as frustrating as the Pirate hitters, who went 0-for-15 with RISP. Vin Mazzaro picked up the W with two innings of scoreless ball.

5/14: Jake Starzel, Johnny Hopp, Lee Lacy, Nine-Run Frame, Garrett Jones, Cutch & More...

Jake Starzel, Johnny Hopp, Lee Lacy, Nine-Run Frame, Garrett Jones, Cutch & More...

• 1853 - Horace Phillips, manager of the Pittsburgh Alleghenys from 1884-89, was born in Salem, Ohio. He coached the club to a 294-316 record with a couple of winning campaigns, but in the end suffered from mental illness and died at the young age of 42. 
• 1889 – Wonder why players want contracts that are guaranteed and in many cases GM’s get them insured? The Pittsburgh Alleghenys suspended Ed Morris and Pete Conway to dodge paying the salaries of the sore-armed pitchers. Morris returned in three weeks although he was never again effective while Conway never pitched again. Conway had won 30 games in 1888 and Morris 29. 
• 1896 - Jake Stenzel collected six singles and added a stolen base in a 20-4 pounding of the Boston Beaneaters at Expo Park. The Bucs collected 27 hits during the day. 
• 1950 - All-Star Johnny Hopp went 6-for-6 with a pair of homers, three runs and three RBI in a 16-9 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in the second game of a DH. The Pirates scored two in the ninth of the opener to win 6-5 and earned Bob Chesnes a victory for his four inning, two hit shutout relief stint. 
• 1973 - President Richard Nixon presented the Presidential Citizen’s Medal to Vera Clemente for her husband Roberto in the Oval Office. The bill was sponsored by Western Pennsylvania House member William Moorhead and co-sponsored by a rep from North Carolina, Wilmer “Vinegar Bend” Mizell, a teammate of Clemente’s on the 1960 World Series squad and through 1962. 
• 1982 - Lee Lacy banged a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the eighth but got carried away with happy feet when he passed Omar Moreno between 1B and 2B. Lacy was called out and credited just a single and three RBI‚ leaving the Bucs just enough runs to top the Reds 8-7 at TRS.
• 1989 - OF Benny Distefano became the first left-handed catcher in a major league game since White Sox 1B Mike Squires in 1980 when he caught the ninth inning of a 5-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves at TRS. He came in after Jimmy Leyland had removed starter Tom Prince and sub Junior Ortiz for pinch hitters. Distefano missed the first pitch Bill Landrum tossed on a cross-up over signs and then did a bang-up job for the rest of the frame. 1B Dale Long, then with the Cubs, is thought to be the only other LH catcher in the modern era; he caught two games in 1958. 

 Topps series 1987

• 1997 - Kevin Young's two-run pinch double gave Pittsburgh the lead and Al Martin finished off a nine-run eighth inning with a grand slam as the “Freak Show” Pirates beat Colorado‚ 15-10 at TRS. Every Pirate starter except the pitcher had a knock. Rox pitchers surrendered 13 hits, a dozen walks and blew leads of 6-3‚ 7-5 and 9-6. 
• 2010 - Andrew McCutchen went 5-for-5 with two RBI and five runs scored in a 10-6 Pirates win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Garrett Jones also banged out five hits, making McCutchen and Jones the first Pirate pair since Willie Stargell and Bob Robertson in 1970 to have five hits in a game. The dynamic duo also added a homer each. 
• 2013 - The Bucs snapped a five game home losing streak to the Brewers at PNC Park, thanks to six innings of shutout work from the bullpen and Andrew McCutchen’s walk off homer off Mike Fiers in the twelfth frame to take a 4-3 victory over Milwaukee. Cutch ended a frustrating night that saw two of his balls caught at the fence with the breeze from the river blowing in. That wasn’t nearly as frustrating as the Pirate hitters, who went 0-for-15 with RISP. Vin Mazzaro picked up the W with two innings of scoreless ball.

Buc History 5/14

Stenzel and Hopp go 6-for-6, Nixon honors Arriba, a couple of grannies, a LH catcher and five hit tag teams...

• 1896 - CF Jake Stenzel collected six singles and added a stolen base in a 20-4 pounding of the Boston Beaneaters at Expo Park.
• 1950 - All-Star 1B Johnny “Hippity” Hopp went 6-for-6 with a pair of homers, three runs and three RBI in a 16-9 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in the second game of a DH. The Pirates scored two in the ninth of the opener to win 6-5 and earned Bob Chesnes a victory for his four inning, two hit shutout relief stint.
• 1973 - President Richard Nixon presented the Presidential Citizen’s Medal to Vera Clemente for her husband Roberto in the Oval Office. The bill was sponsored by House member William Moorhead and co-sponsored by a rep from North Carolina, Wilmer “Vinegar Bend” Mizell, a teammate of Clemente’s on the 1960 World Series squad and through 1962.
• 1982 - Lee Lacy banged a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the eighth but got carried away with happy feet when he passed Omar Moreno between 1B and 2B. Lacy was called out and credited just a single and three RBI‚ leaving the Bucs just enough runs to top the Reds 8-7 at TRS.
• 1989 - OF Benny Distefano became the first left-handed catcher in a major league game since White Sox 1B Mike Squires in 1980 when he caught the 9th inning of a 5-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves at TRS. He came in after Jimmy Leyland had removed starter Tom Prince and sub Junior Ortiz for pinch hitters. Distefano missed the first pitch Bill Landrum tossed on a cross-up over signs and then did a bang-up job for the rest of the frame. Dale Long, then with the Cubs, is thought to be the only other LH catcher in the modern era; he caught two games in 1958.
• 1997 - Kevin Young's two-run pinch double gave Pittsburgh the lead and Al Martin finished off a nine-run eighth inning with a grand slam as the “Freak Show” Pirates beat Colorado‚ 15-10 at TRS. Every Pirate starter except the pitcher had a knock. Rox pitchers surrendered 13 hits, a dozen walks and blew leads of 6-3‚ 7-5 and 9-6.
• 2010 - Cutch went 5-for-5 with two RBI and five runs scored in a 10-6 Pirates win against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Garrett Jones also banged out five hits, making McCutchen and Jones the first Pirate pair since Willie Stargell and Bob Robertson in 1970 to have five hits in a game. The dynamic duo also added a homer each.