6/5: Moonshot Blasts, Shutout Ball, Stargell's 9-In-A-Row, Bill's Big Day, HBD Happy Jack & Ray, Hard Loss

• 1874 - RHP Jack Chesbro (nee John D. Cheesbro) was born in Houghtonville, Massachusetts. The righty spent the first four years (1899-1902) of his career as a Pirate, going 70-38/2.83 with a pair of 20+ win seasons. He jumped from the NL Pirates to the AL New York Highlanders in 1903, and won 41 games in 55 appearances (41-12/1.82 with a 14 consecutive wins streak) in 1904, a record that will never be overtaken. The Old Timers’ Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame in 1946 on the strength of that superb season. Chesbro picked up the nickname “Happy Jack” while working at the Middleton NY state mental hospital (he was playing amateur ball for the house team, The “Asylums”) after a patient noted his cheery disposition and friendly grin, per SABR.

Happy Jack Chesbro 2011 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions

• 1895 - OF Ray Rohwer was born in Dixon, California. Ray’s MLB career lasted from 1921-22 with the Bucs as a back-up outfielder, hitting .284 over that span. Ray was a west coast kinda guy, playing college ball at the U of California at Berkeley before serving in the Army during WW1. After the Pirates, Rohwer spent nine seasons in the PCL, playing for Seattle, Portland and Sacramento where he compiled a career .299 BA. When he retired, he stayed in California working for the Federal Land Bank.
• 1903 - The Pirates banged out 17 hits against Boston at Exposition Park to take a 9-0 victory and Pittsburgh's fourth straight shutout‚ setting a new MLB record. Fred Clarke went 5-for-5 and Ginger Beaumont 4-for-5 to lead the attack. The Buc pitchers would run their shutout streak to six games before finally yielding a run.
• 1951 - Buc rookie knuckler Paul “Lefty” LaPalme hurled a 8-0 shutout against Boston at Braves Field in his first major league start. It was his only win of the year, but he lasted seven MLB seasons, four with the Pirates, with a 24-45/4.42 line.

Lefty LaPalme 1952 Topps

• 1959 - Dick Stuart hit a massive homer over the 457’ mark of Forbes Field center field wall, the longest home run in the history of the ballpark, traveling between 475-500’ by various estimates. Dr. Strangeglove's blast came in the first inning off Glen Hobbie during the Pirates' 10-5 loss to Chicago. The local papers claimed it was the first ball hit over the center field wall. That may have been true of MLB players (although Rogers Hornsby hit the CF flagpole, keeping his moonshot from clearing the wall) but Josh Gibson was said to have launched balls that left the yard in center twice during his Negro League career.
• 1966 - In a 10-5 Bucs win over Houston at Forbes Field‚ Willie Stargell went 5-for-5 with two HR, a double and four RBI‚ ringing up nine straight hits in two days against the ‘Stros. Roberto Clemente added a 500’ shot off Turk Farrell, hit the opposite way over the 436’ mark and landing in Plaza Field, a little league diamond behind the ballyard. Bob Veale struck out 11 batters in his six frames of work, but Pete Mikkelsen picked up the win in relief, pitching the final three innings.

Willie Stargell 1967 Topps

• 1968 - The Bucs lost a tough one when Zoilo Versalles slid home, was called out and then a second later ruled safe as plate ump Bill Jackowski reversed himself to give the LA Dodgers a 2-1 win. The umpire said he saw the ball loose on Zoilo’s leg after the tag; catcher Jerry May claimed it was in his glove all the time. Versalles didn’t hang around for the argument but sprinted straight into the Dodger dugout after the reversal, later explaining “...the umpire not sure, he says out and I yell ‘No, no, safe.’ The ump says ‘Oh, he drop ball, you safe.’” Afterward, Larry Shepard darkly told the media that “This ballpark seems to do something to an umpire,” referring to the number of calls the home team seems to have fall its way at Dodger Stadium. LA’s Bill Singer was probably more to blame for the loss than Jackowski as he tossed a six-hit gem against the Bucs with 12 K. Roberto Clemente was the only Pirate who could solve him with three hits and the only run scored while Alvin McBean, who also tossed a six-hitter, took the disputed, hard-luck loss.
• 1976 - McKeesport’s Bill Robinson hit three homers and drove home four runs, but the Pirates lost in fifteen innings to the San Diego Padres at TRS 11-9 after scoring three times in the ninth, the rally built around Dave Parker’s triple, to send the game into overtime.

6/5: HBD Happy Jack, Big Days For Stu, Lefty, Willie, Bill, Fred & Ginger

• 1874 - RHP Jack Chesbro (nee John D. Cheesbro) was born in Houghtonville, Massachusetts. The righty spent the first four years (1899-1902) of his career as a Pirate, going 70-38/2.83 with a pair of 20+ win seasons. He jumped from the NL Pirates to the AL New York Highlanders in 1903, and won 41 games in 55 appearances (41-12/1.82 with a 14 consecutive wins streak) in 1904, a record that will never be overtaken. The Old Timers’ Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame in 1946 on the strength of that superb season. Chesbro picked up the nickname “Happy Jack” while working at the Middleton NY state mental hospital (he was playing amateur ball for the house team, The “Asylums”) after a patient noted his cheery disposition and friendly grin, per SABR.

Jack Chesbro 1900 The Sporting News

• 1903 - The Pirates banged out 17 hits against Boston at Exposition Park to take a 9-0 victory and Pittsburgh's fourth straight shutout‚ setting a new MLB record. Fred Clarke went 5-for-5 and Ginger Beaumont 4-for-5 to lead the attack. The Buc pitchers would run their shutout streak to six games before finally yielding a run.
• 1951 - Buc rookie knuckler Paul “Lefty” LaPalme hurled a 8-0 shutout against Boston at Braves Field in his first major league start. It was his only win of the year, though he lasted seven MLB seasons, four with the Pirates, with a 24-45/4.42 line.
• 1959 - Dick Stuart hit a 457’ homer over the Forbes Field center field wall, the longest home run in the history of the ballpark. Dr. Strangeglove's blast came in the first inning off Glen Hobbie during the Pirates' 10-5 loss to Chicago.

Dick Stuart 1959 Topps

• 1966 - In a 10-5 Bucs win over Houston at Forbes Field‚ Willie Stargell went 5-for-5 with two HR, a double and four RBI‚ ringing up nine straight hits in two days against the ‘Stros. Roberto Clemente added a 500’ shot off Turk Farrell. Bob Veale struck out 11 batters in his six frames of work, but Pete Mikkelsen picked up the win in relief, pitching the final three innings.
• 1976 - McKeesport’s Bill Robinson hit three homers and drove home four runs, but the Pirates lost in fifteen innings to the San Diego Padres at TRS 11-9 after scoring three times in the ninth, the rally built around Dave Parker’s triple, to send the game into overtime.

6/5: Chesbro B-Day, Stu's Bomb, Pedro Drafted, First Rounders, Shutouts & Homers...

• 1874 - RHP John D. Cheesbro, better known as Jack Chesbro, was born in Houghtonville, Massachusetts. The righty spent the first four years (1899-1902) of his career as a Pirate, going 70-38/2.83 with a pair of 20+ win seasons. He jumped from the NL Pirates to the AL New York Highlanders in 1903, and won 41 games in 55 appearances (41-12/1.82) in 1904, a record that will never be overtaken. The Old Timers’ Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame in 1946 on the strength of that superb season. 
• 1903 - The Pirates banged out 17 hits against Boston at Exposition Park to take a 9-0 victory and Pittsburgh's fourth straight shutout‚ setting a new MLB record. Fred Clarke went 5-for-5 and Ginger Beaumont 4-for-5 to lead the attack. The Buc pitching staff would run their shutout streak to six games before finally yielding a run.
• 1951 - Buc rookie knuckler Paul “Lefty” LaPalme hurled a 8-0 shutout against Boston at Braves Field in his first major league start. It was his only win of the year, though he lasted seven MLB seasons, four with the Pirates, with a 24-45/4.42 line. 
• 1959 - Dick Stuart hit a 457’ homer over the Forbes Field center field wall, the longest home run in the history of the ballpark. Dr. Strangeglove's blast came in the first inning off Glenn Hobbie during the Pirates' 10-5 loss to Chicago. 

Dick Stuart  (1960) - 1977 TCMA series

• 1966 - In a 10-5 Bucs win over Houston at Forbes Field‚ Willie Stargell went 5-for-5 with two HR and a double‚ giving him nine straight hits in two days against the ‘Stros. Roberto Clemente added a 500’ shot off Turk Farrell. 
• 1973 - The Pirates selected HS catcher Steve Nicosia first (#24) in the draft. He spent eight years in the show, six as a Bucco reserve, with a Pittsburgh BA of .248. In the third round, they chose 1B Mitchell Paige, who had a couple of strong years in Oakland. 
• 1974 - The Bucs selected high school lefty Rod Scurry as their top pick (#11) in the draft. He began a battle with drug addiction during the eighties when the Pirate clubhouse was nose candy central and became the centerpiece of the Pittsburgh coke trial, and died addicted at 36. The Bucs also added some fringy pieces that year - RHP Ed Whitson (sixth round), IF Mike Edwards (seventh round) and LHP Bryan Clark (10th round). 
• 1976 - McKeesport’s Bill Robinson hit three homers and drove home four runs, but the Pirates lost in fifteen innings to the San Diego Padres at TRS 11-9 after scoring three times in the ninth, the rally built around Dave Parker’s triple, to send the game into overtime.

Bill Robinson 1979 (photo: Associated Press)

• 1979 - The Bucs spent their second round pick (they didn’t have a first rounder) on prep lefty Scott Fiepke, who was injured in the minors and never rose above AA ball. They had better luck in the next round with RHP Jose DeLeon, using a pick they got from the Expos as compensation for FA Duffy Dyer. RHP Mike Bielicki was their top selection in the secondary phase of the draft. 
• 1989 - The Pirates picked high school SS Willie Greene first (#18) in the draft. He played nine years in the show, though not for Pittsburgh, and was a four-year starter for the Reds, ending up with a .234 lifetime BA. They also signed starting pitchers Paul Wagner and Steve Cooke along with reliever Jeff McCurry, whom all spent considerable time as MLB players. 
• 2000 - High school lefty Sean Burnett was the Pirates top choice (#19 - $1.65M signing bonus) in the draft. He rose quickly and was named the Pirates Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2001 and 2002. In 2002 he was named the Carolina League's Pitcher of the Year.Pittsburgh signed some nice players - RHP Chris Young (third round), OF Jose Bautista (20th round), OF Nate McLouth (25th round), RHP Ian Snell (26th round) and RH reliever Scott Baker (36th round) in one of their better draft days.

Sean Burnett 2005 Fleet Authentix series

• 2001 - The Pirates selected RHP John Van Benschoten of Kent State first in the draft (#8 overall) and signed him to a $2.3M bonus. LHP Zach Duke, the twentieth selection, was the only long time Bucco (9 yrs, 49-75/4.60) chosen that year. Other notable players signed from that draft were Jeff Keppinger, Rajai Davis, Chris Shelton and Chris Duffy. The Pirates selected a SS out of Georgia’s Lowndes County HS, Stephen Drew, in the 11th round, but couldn’t sign him; he instead went to Florida State and was drafted by Arizona in 2004. They lost their third round pick, Stanford RHP Jeremy Guthrie, who didn’t sign and went in the first round to Cleveland the following season. 
• 2008 - Pedro Alvarez was drafted by the Pirates in the first round as the second pick overall of the draft. He signed on September 24th at the midnight hour as Scott Boras and the FO locked horns until the last minute (and maybe beyond), settling on a $6.335M bonus. SS Jordy Mercer was selected in the third round and LHP Justin Wilson in the fifth. 
• 2014 - The Pirates had four picks of the top 73 in the draft, starting at #24, and selected SS Cole Tucker, OF Connor Joe, and prep pitchers Mitch Keller & Trey Supak.

6/5: Jack Chesbro, Shutdown City, Lefty, Stu, Pops, Bill Robinson, Drafts - Scurry, Burnett, Pedro - & More...

Jack Chesbro, Shutdown City, Lefty, Stu, Pops, Bill Robinson, Drafts - Scurry, Burnett, Pedro - & More...

• 1874 - RHP John D. Cheesbro, better known as Jack Chesbro, was born in Houghtonville, Massachusetts. The righty spent the first four years (1899-1902) of his career as a Pirate, going 70-38/2.83 with a pair of 20+ win seasons. He jumped from the NL Pirates to the AL New York Highlanders in 1903, and won 41 games in 55 appearances (41-12/1.82) in 1904, a record that will never be overtaken. The Old Timers’ Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame in 1946 on the strength of that superb season. 
• 1903 - The Pirates banged out 17 hits against Boston at Exposition Park to claim a 9-0 victory and Pittsburgh's fourth straight shutout‚ setting a new MLB record. Fred Clarke went 5-for-5 and Ginger Beaumont 4-for-5 to lead the attack. The Buc pitchers would run their shutout streak to six games before finally yielding a run. 

Fred Clarke - Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1911 series

• 1951 - Buc rookie knuckler Paul “Lefty” LaPalme hurled a 8-0 shutout against Boston at Braves Field in his first major league start. It was his only win of the year, though he lasted seven MLB seasons, four with the Pirates, with a 24-45/4.42 line. 
• 1959 - Dick Stuart hit a 457’ homer over the Forbes Field center field wall, the longest home run in the history of the ballpark. Dr. Strangeglove's blast came in the first inning off Glenn Hobbie during the Pirates' 10-5 loss to Chicago.
• 1966 - In a 10-5 Bucs win over Houston at Forbes Field‚ Willie Stargell went 5-for-5 with two HR and a double‚ giving him nine straight hits in two days against the ‘Stros. Roberto Clemente added a 500’ shot off Turk Farrell. 
• 1973 - The Pirates selected HS catcher Steve Nicosia first (#24) in the draft. He spent eight years in the show, six as a Bucco reserve, with a Pittsburgh BA of .248. In the third round, they chose 1B Mitchell Paige, who had a couple of strong years in Oakland. 
• 1974 - The Bucs selected high school lefty Rod Scurry as their top pick (#11) in the draft. He began a battle with drug addiction during the eighties when the Pirate clubhouse was nose candy central and became the centerpiece of the Pittsburgh coke trial, and died addicted at 36. The Bucs also added some fringy pieces that year - RHP Ed Whitson (sixth round), IF Mike Edwards (seventh round) and LHP Bryan Clark (10th round). 
• 1976 - McKeesport’s Bill Robinson hit three homers and drove home four runs, but the Pirates lost in fifteen innings to the San Diego Padres at TRS 11-9 after scoring three times in the ninth, the rally built around Dave Parker’s triple, to send the game into overtime. 
• 1979 - The Bucs spent their second round pick (they didn’t have a first rounder) on prep lefty Scott Fiepke, who was injured in the minors and never rose above AA ball. They had better luck in the next round with RHP Jose DeLeon, using a pick they got from the Expos as compensation for FA Duffy Dyer. RHP Mike Bielicki was their top selection in the secondary phase of the draft. 
• 1989 - The Pirates picked high school SS Willie Greene first (#18) in the draft. He played nine years in the show, though not for Pittsburgh, and was a four-year starter for the Reds, ending up with a .234 lifetime BA. They also signed starting pitchers Paul Wagner and Steve Cooke along with reliever Jeff McCurry, whom all spent considerable time as MLB players.

 Steve Cooke - 1997 Upper Deck Collector's Choice series

 

• 2000 - High school lefty Sean Burnett was the Pirates top choice (#19 - $1.65M signing bonus) in the draft. Pittsburgh signed some nice players - RHP Chris Young (third round), OF Jose Bautista (20th round), OF Nate McLouth (25th round), RHP Ian Snell (26th round) and RH reliever Scott Baker (36th round) in one of their better draft days. 
• 2001 - The Pirates selected RHP John Van Benschoten of Kent State first in the draft (#8 overall) and signed him to a $2.3M bonus. LHP Zach Duke, the twentieth selection, was the only long time Bucco (9 yrs, 49-75/4.60) chosen that year. Other notable players signed from that draft were Jeff Keppinger, Rajai Davis, Chris Shelton and Chris Duffy. The Pirates selected a SS out of Georgia’s Lowndes County HS, Stephen Drew, in the 11th round, but couldn’t sign him; he instead went to Florida State and was drafted by Arizona in 2004. They also lost their third round pick, Stanford RHP Jeremy Guthrie, who didn’t sign and went in the first round to Cleveland the following season. 
• 2008 - Pedro Alvarez was drafted by the Pirates in the first round as the second pick overall of the draft. He signed on September 24th at the midnight hour as Scott Boras and the FO locked horns until the last minute (and maybe beyond), settling on a $6.335M bonus. SS Jordy Mercer was selected in the third round and LHP Justin Wilson in the fifth.

6/5 - Pitchers, Pounders, Draft Classes

Jack Chesbro, shutout streak, Lefty LaPalme, Stu, Pops, Bill Robinson, drafts: Rod Scurry, Willie Greene, Sean Burnett, JVB, Pedro

• 1874 - John D. Cheesbro, better known as RHP Jack Chesbro, was born in Houghtonville, Massachusetts. The righty spent the first four years (1899-1902) of his career as a Pirate, going 70-38/2.83 with a pair of 20+ win seasons. He jumped from the NL Pirates to the AL New York Highlanders in 1903, and won 41 games in 55 appearances (41-12/1.82) in 1904, a record that will never be overtaken. The Old Timers’ Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame in 1946 on the strength of that superb season. 
• 1903 - The Pirates banged out 17 hits against Boston at Exposition Park to take a 9-0 victory and Pittsburgh's fourth straight shutout‚ setting a new MLB record. Fred Clarke went 5-for-5 and Ginger Beaumont 4-for-5 to lead the attack. The Bucs would run their shutout streak to six games before finally yielding a run. 
• 1951 - Buc rookie knuckler Paul “Lefty” LaPalme hurled a 8-0 shutout against Boston at Braves Field in his first major league start. It was his only win of the year, though he lasted seven MLB seasons, four with the Pirates, with a 24-45/4.42 line. 
• 1959 - Dick Stuart hit a 457’ homer over the Forbes Field center field wall, the longest home run in the history of the ballpark. Dr. Strangeglove's blast came in the first inning off Glenn Hobbie during the Pirates' 10-5 loss to Chicago.
• 1966 - In a 10-5 Bucs win over Houston at Forbes Field‚ Willie Stargell went 5-for-5 with two HR and a double‚ giving him nine straight hits in two days against the ‘Stros. Roberto Clemente added a 500’ shot off Turk Farrell. 
• 1974 - The Bucs selected high school lefty Rod Scurry as their top pick (#11) in the draft. He lost his battle with drug addiction during the eighties when the Pirate clubhouse became the centerpiece of the Pittsburgh coke trial, and died addicted at 36. The Bucs also added some fringy pieces that year - RHP Ed Whitson (sixth round), IF Mike Edwards (seventh round) and LHP Bryan Clark (10th round). 
• 1976 - McKeesport’s Bill Robinson hit three homers, but the Pirates lost in fifteen innings to San Diego at TRS 11-9 after scoring three times in the ninth to send the game into overtime. 
• 1989 - The Pirates picked high school SS Willie Greene first (#18) in the draft. He played nine years in the show, though not for Pittsburgh, and was a four-year starter for the Reds, ending up with a .234 lifetime BA. They also signed starting pitchers Paul Wagner and Steve Cooke and reliever Jeff McCurry, whom all spent considerable time as MLB players. 
•  2000 - High school lefty Sean Burnett was the Pirates top choice (#19 - $1.65M signing bonus) in the draft. Pittsburgh had some nice selections that they signed - RHP Chris Young (third round), OF Jose Bautista (20th round), OF Nate McLouth (25th round), RHP Ian Snell (26th round) and RH reliever Scott Baker (36th round) in one of their better draft days. 
• 2001 - The Pirates selected RHP John Van Benschoten of Kent State first in the draft (#8 overall) and signed him to a $2.3M bonus. LHP Zach Duke, the twentieth selection, was the only long time Bucco (9 yrs, 49-75/4.60) chosen that year. Other notable players signed from that draft were Jeff Keppinger, Rajai Davis, Chris Shelton and Chris Duffy. The Pirates selected a SS out of Georgia’s Lowndes County HS, Stephen Drew, in the 11th round, but couldn’t sign him; he instead went to Florida State and was drafted by Arizona in 2004. They lost their third round pick, Stanford RHP Jeremy Guthrie, who didn’t sign and went in the first round to Cleveland the following season. 
• 2008 - Pedro Alvarez was drafted by the Pirates in the first round as the second pick overall of the draft. He signed on September 24th at the midnight hour as Scott Boras and the FO locked horns until the last minute (and maybe beyond), settling on a $6.335M bonus. SS Jordy Mercer was selected in the third round and LHP Justin Wilson in the fifth.