8/9 Happenings: Rabbit HoF, HBD Roman & Matty Mo, ASG, Justin's No-No, Casey-For-Possum

• 1919 - The Pirates traded OF Casey Stengel to the Philadelphia Phillies for utilityman Possum Whitted when Stengel’s contract demands got him a ticket out of Pittsburgh. Possum batted .286 in 277 games for the Bucs through 1921, playing 1B, 3B & OF. The Old Professor lasted until 1925, but only started two more seasons.

Possum Whitted (photo via Retro Image Archives)

• 1930 - OF Roman Mejias was born in Abreus, Cuba. Mejias was a spare OF’er and pinch hitter for six seasons (1955, 1957-61) in Pittsburgh, hitting .245 over that span. He earned his way to Pittsburgh with a 55 game hitting streak for Class B Waco of the Big State League in 1954, where he ended the year with a .354 BA. Mejias couldn’t break into the Pirate OF of Bob Skinner, Bill Virdon, and Roberto Clemente, but was selected by the Houston Colt .45s in the expansion draft and had his best season for them in 1962, batting .286 with 24 HR.
• 1954 - SS Rabbit Maranville was inducted into the Hall of Fame after a 14-year wait. The sweet fielder played for Pittsburgh from 1921-24, hitting .283. Rabbit sadly passed away in January, so his long anticipated moment was posthumous. Rabbit’s given name was Walter; he earned his moniker because he was quick as a bunny thx to his speed and size (5’5”).
• 1974 - RHP Matt Morris was born in Middletown, NY. Matty Mo was at the end of a solid career when the Pirates took over his hefty contract in 2007 by sending Rajai Davis to the SF Giants for him. Mo went 3-8, 7.04 in 16 Bucco starts from 2007-08 and was cut, leaving the Pirates approximately $10M in dead money and greasing the skids for then-GM Dave Littlefield.

Matt Morris 2008 Topps Heritage

• 1981 - The NL squeaked out a 5-4 win over the AL in the All-Star game at Cleveland Stadium. Dave Parker went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, Mike Easler 0-1 with a walk and a run, Bill Madlock batted 0-for-1 and Phil Garner came in as a defensive sub. The game was held at this late date because of a brief two-day players’ strike, but the fans held no grudges and were happy to see the boys of summer back as 72,086 jammed the ballyard.
• 1995 - A little fun factoid from BR Bullpen: The Giants defeated the Pirates, 4-3 at Candlestick Park. The winning pitcher was William Van Landingham and the loser was Jason Christiansen. The 25 letters in the surnames of the two pitchers of record were the most ever in a major league game. Christiansen had a chance to ice the game and avoid becoming a trivia answer but gave up a pair of runs in the seventh to earn a blown save/loss.
• 2012 - Pitching for the AAA Indianapolis Indians, lefty Justin Wilson tossed his second no-hitter of the season, a rain-shortened eight inning gem against the Charlotte Knights. He walked one, K’ed five and was efficient, using only 86 pitches. Wilson was called up that year by the Pirates as a reliever and spent three seasons with Pittsburgh. He’s now plying his bullpen trade in the AL.

8/9 TRS-PNC Era: Pops Pops One; Candy Man Can, ESPN Rally & More...

• 1970 - Willie Stargell became the first player to hit a homer into the RF upper deck at the freshly minted TRS, drilling a shot off the Mets Ron Taylor. Pops would reach the top tier four times, with Bob Robertson and Bobby Bonilla also joining him from the Pirates. The Bucs won 8-3, with Luke Walker getting the victory. Willie and Manny Sanguillen, with a pair of doubles, each had two hits as the Pirates sent Nolan Ryan to defeat.
• 1976 - The 500th game in Three Rivers Stadium history turned out to be one of its more memorable contests as John Candelaria threw the first no-hitter by a Pirates' pitcher in Pittsburgh, a 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Candy Man gave up a walk with a couple of errors committed behind him, and survived his only jam, a bases-loaded pickle in the third. It was a fitting showcase performance; the Pirate promotion for the game was “Candy Nite” with all the fans getting a candy bar for the ABC National Game of the Week.

John Candelaria 2014 Leaf Memories

• 1986 - The Pirates pounded out six doubles, and led by Johnny Ray, they outpunched the St. Louis Cards 8-5 at Busch Stadium. Ray had three hits, including a homer and double, scored twice and drove in three runs. Bobby Bonilla, Mike Diaz and Ray touched the plate six times, and Barry Bonds, Tony Pena and Ray chased seven runs home to give Bob Walk the win. The victory was hidden vigorish at its best - the Pirates hadn’t won at Busch Stadium since September 14th, 1984 while the Cardinals had an 11 game home winning streak on the line.
• 2002 - The Bucs, behind Aramis Ramirez’s homer and four RBI, defeated the Giants 4-3 at Pacific Bell Park. Kip Wells defeated former Bucco Jason Schmidt for the win, but not before giving up Barry Bonds’ 600th home run. Barry’s first 176 dingers had come as a Pirate.
• 2012 - It was a big day for a couple of Bucco batters as Pittsburgh ran away from San Diego with an 11-5 victory at PNC Park. Light-hitting Clint Barmes drilled a grand slam and Neil Walker was unstoppable at the plate, going 5-for-5 with a walk and falling a triple shy of the cycle. Erik Bedard got the W, even though he lasted but five frames (four relievers put up zeroes behind him), and ex-Buc Ross Ohlendorf took the loss.

Clint Barmes 2012 Topps

• 2013 - It wasn’t a very good day for the Bucs, who gave up nine runs in the first two innings on the way to a 10-1 drubbing at the hands of the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. But it did plump up the resume of utilityman Josh Harrison, who came in the eighth with two out and two runners aboard to get the last out, coaxing a fly out from Corey Dickerson. Harrison related to Bill Brink of the Post-Gazette that Clint Hurdle told him “All right, I never thought I would have to have this talk with you here on the mound. Go get them."
• 2015 - In front of a sellout crowd and a national ESPN “Sunday Night Baseball” audience, the Bucs roared back from a 5-1 deficit by scoring nine times in the seventh inning to earn a 13-6 victory over the NL-West leading LA Dodgers. Andrew McCutchen homered and had four RBI; Jung-Ho Kang and Fran Cervelli (who had three hits) also went long. Arquimedes Caminero got the win in relief of Charlie Morton. The Bucs swept the three-game set against LA for the first time since 2000.

8/9 Expo Park-Forbes Field Era: Scwall-McBean, Tight Pitching, Ump Show & More...

• 1905 - The Bucs lost an error-filled game to the Boston Americans by a 5-3 count at Exposition Park. The Pittsburg Press wrote that “Both teams played stupid, dopey ball...” Ump Bill Klem joined the comedy routine by performing an early era ump show. In the ninth inning he threw eight Pirates (and for good measure, the mascot, too) out of the game for mocking his calls, fining the whole lot $10 per man. BR Bullpen added that he had to spend the post-game hiding in a ladies’ room; gamblers who had bet on the heavily favored Pirates were looking for a piece of his hide after the contest for tossing the team.

Ump Bill Klem 1980 TCMA Baseball Immortals

• 1910 - It wasn’t the prettiest shutout ever twirled, but Babe Adams scattered 11 hits to beat Boston 10-0 at the South End Grounds, helped by no walks, a pair of DP and some hot sticks. Owen “Chief” Wilson drove in four runs, Jack Flynn homered with three RBI, & Honus Wagner had three hits, a walk, and scored four times.
• 1924 - The Pirates swept a pair from the Phils at the Baker Bowl by 16-4 and 7-0 scores. Kiki Cuyler went 6-for-6 in the opener with a triple and two doubles, while Glenn Wright went 4-for-5 with four RBI and a pair of runs to back Wilbur Cooper. Ray Kremer won the nitecap. He tossed a five-hitter and got all the support he needed from Max Carey, who homered, doubled, scored twice and drove home three runs.
• 1928 - The Pirates won their eighth game in a row and 10-of-11 by a 5-4 score over St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field. Carmen Hill got the win and Burleigh Grimes the save by retiring the last batter. George Grantham drove in two runs and Paul Waner scored a pair.

George Grantham (photo The Sporting News Collection)

• 1935 - Rookie CF Bud Hafey lined an eighth-inning homer over the scoreboard at Forbes Field to give Bill Swift a four-hit, 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds' Al Hollingsworth. The Pirates only had seven hits, with Tommy Thevenow leading the pack with a pair. The well-tossed game took 1:32 to play.
• 1940 - Pittsburgh won its eighth game in a row by whipping the Chicago Cubs 6-2 at Forbes Field. Vince DiMaggio went 3-for-3 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs to lead the attack, while Rip Sewell tossed a four-hitter for the win.
• 1959 - The Pirates‚ down by a pair to the Cubs in the ninth‚ tied the game and then won 5-3 in the tenth at Wrigley Field. Roberto Clemente singled home Dick Groat in the ninth and touched home to tie the game on Smoky Burgess’ sac fly. Groat’s knock in the 10th scored Roman Mejias with the go-ahead run and Rocky Nelson’s bases-loaded walk added an insurance tally. Elroy Face got the W to go 15-0. The win was the 11th extra inning victory in a row for the Pirates; their only loss in their past 16 overtime games was Harvey Haddix's 12-inning perfect game against the Braves in May.

ElRoy Face 1958 Topps

• 1963 - It was a long day at the yard. A twin bill between the Colt 45's and the Pirates was delayed an hour by rain‚ and then both games went into extra innings. Houston took the opener 7-6 in 15 innings; the Bucs claimed the nitecap by the same score in 11 innings. Only 300 hardy fans remained at Forbes Field when the curtain finally fell at 2:30 AM. Roberto Clemente picked up five RBI in the two contests; Don Schwall lost the first match while Al McBean won the second game.
• 1964 - Don Schwall and Al McBean combined on a four-hitter to shut out the Chicago Cubs 2-0 at Forbes Field. Battery mate Jim Pagliaroni launched a two-run homer off Bob Buhl in the fourth to back his hurlers. Schwall started and didn’t give up a hit until there were two outs in the sixth inning.

8/9: Candy No-Hitter; Rabbit In HoF; Pops Goes Upper Deck; 8 In-A-Row;

• 1905 - The Bucs lost an error-filled game to the Boston Americans by a 5-3 count at Exposition Park; the Pittsburg Press wrote “Both teams played stupid, dopey ball...” But ump Bill Klem was the main show. In the ninth inning he threw eight Pirates (and for good measure, the mascot, too) out of the game for mocking his calls, fining the whole lot $10 per man. BR Bullpen added that he had to spend the post-game hiding in a ladies’ room; gamblers who had bet on the heavily favored Pirates were looking for a piece of his hide after the contest for tossing the team.
• 1910 - Babe Adams scattered 11 hits to beat Boston 10-0 at the South End Grounds, helped by no walks, a pair of DP and some hot sticks. Owen “Chief” Wilson drove in four runs, Jack Flynn homered with three RBI, & Honus Wagner had three hits, a walk, and scored four times.

Chief Wilson (via Baseball Roundtable)

• 1919 - The Pirates traded OF Casey Stengel to the Philadelphia Phillies for utilityman Possum Whitted. Stengel’s contract demands got him a ticket out of Pittsburgh. Possum batted .286 in 277 games for the Bucs through 1921, playing 1B, 3B & OF. The Old Professor lasted until 1925, but only started two more seasons.
• 1924 - The Pirates swept a pair from the Phils at the Baker Bowl by 16-4 and 7-0 scores. Kiki Cuyler went 6-for-6 in the opener with a triple and two doubles, while Glenn Wright went 4-for-5 with four RBI and a pair of runs to back Wilbur Cooper. Ray Kremer won the nitecap, tossing a five hitter and getting all the support he needed from Max Carey, who homered, doubled, scored twice and drove home three runs.
• 1928 - The Pirates won their eighth game in a row and 10th-of-11 by a 5-4 score over St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field. Carmen Hill got the win and Burleigh Grimes came on to earn a save by retiring the last batter. George Grantham drove in two runs and Paul Waner scored a pair.
• 1930 - OF Roman Mejias was born in Abreus, Cuba. Mejias was a spare OF’er and pinch hitter for six seasons (1955, 1957-61) in Pittsburgh, hitting .245 over that span. He earned his way to Pittsburgh with a 55 game hitting streak for Class B Waco of the Big State League in 1954, where he ended the year with a .354 BA. Mejias couldn’t break into the Pirate OF of Bob Skinner, Bill Virdon and Roberto Clemente, but was selected by the Houston Colt .45s in the expansion draft and had his best season for them in 1962, batting .286 with 24 HR.

Roman Mejias 1960 Topps series

• 1935 - Rookie CF Bud Hafey lined an eighth inning homer over the scoreboard at Forbes Field to give Bill Swift a four hit, 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds' Al Hollingsworth.
• 1940 - Pittsburgh won its eighth game in a row by whipping the Chicago Cubs 6-2 at Forbes Field. Vince DiMaggio went 3-for-3 with a homer, two RBI and two runs to lead the attack, while Rip Sewell tossed a four hitter for the win.
• 1954 - SS Rabbit Maranville was inducted into the Hall of Fame after a 14 year wait The sweet fielder played for Pittsburgh from 1921-24, hitting .283.
• 1959 - The Pirates‚ down by a pair to the Cubs in the ninth‚ tied the game and then won 5-3 in the tenth at Wrigley Field. Roberto Clemente singled home Dick Groat in the ninth and touched home to tie the game on Smoky Burgess’ sac fly. Groat’s knock in the 10th scored Roman Mejias with the go-ahead run and Rocky Nelson’s bases loaded walk added an insurance tally. Elroy Face got the W to go 15-0. The win was the 11th extra inning victory in a row for the Pirates; their only loss in their past 16 overtime games was Harvey Haddix's 12 inning perfect game against the Braves in May.

Dick Groat 1962 (via Jay Publishing)

• 1963 - It was a long day at the yard. A DH between the Colt 45's and the Pirates was delayed an hour by rain‚ and then both games went into extra innings. Houston took the opener 7-6 in 15 innings; the Bucs claimed the nitecap by the same score in 11 innings. Only 300 hardy fans remained at Forbes Field when the curtain finally fell at 2:30 AM. Roberto Clemente picked up five RBI in the two contests; Don Schwall lost the first match while Al McBean won the second game.
• 1964 - Don Schwall and Al McBean combined on a four hitter to shut out the Chicago Cubs 2-0 at Forbes Field. They got all their runs in the fourth when Jim Pagliaroni launched a two run homer off Bob Buhl.
• 1970 - Willie Stargell became the first player to hit a homer into the RF upper deck at TRS‚ off the Mets Ron Taylor. Pops would reach the top tier four times, with Bob Robertson and Bobby Bonilla also joining him from the Pirates. The Bucs won 8-3, with Luke Walker getting the victory. Willie and Manny Sanguillen, with a pair of doubles, each had two hits.
• 1976 - The 500th game in Three Rivers Stadium history turned out to be one of its more memorable contests as John Candelaria threw the first no-hitter by a Pirates' pitcher in Pittsburgh, a 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Candy Man gave up a walk with a couple of errors committed behind him. It was a fitting showcase performance; the Pirate promotion for the game was “Candy Nite” with all the fans getting a candy bar for the ABC National Game of the Week.

The Candy Man (via Pittsburgh Pirates)

• 1981 - The NL squeaked out a 5-4 win over the AL in the All Star game at Cleveland Stadium. Dave Parker went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, Mike Easler 0-1 with a walk and a run, Bill Madlock batted 0-for-1 and Phil Garner came in as a defensive sub.
• 2002 - The Bucs, behind Aramis Ramirez’s homer and four RBI, defeated the Giants 4-3 at Pacific Bell Park. Kip Wells defeated Jason Schmidt for the win, but not before giving up Barry Bonds’ 600th home run.
• 2012 - Pitching for the AAA Indianapolis Indians, lefty Justin Wilson tossed his second no-hitter of the season, a rain shortened eight inning gem against the Charlotte Knights. He walked one, K’ed five and was efficient, using only 86 pitches.
• 2013 - It wasn’t a very good day for the Bucs, who gave up nine runs in the first two innings on the way to a 10-1 drubbing at the hands of the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. But it did plump up the resume of utilityman Josh Harrison, who came in the eighth with two out and two runners aboard to get the last out, coaxing a fly out from Corey Dickerson. Harrison related to Bill Brink of the Post Gazette that Clint Hurdle told him “All right, I never thought I would have to have this talk with you here on the mound. Go get them."

8/9: Candy No-No, John Galbreath, Ump Show, Kiki, 8-In-A-Row, Rabbit HoF, ElRoy 15-0, Pops Launch & More...

Candy No-No, John Galbreath, Ump Show, Kiki, 8-In-A-Row, Rabbit HoF, ElRoy 15-0, Pops Launch & More...

• 1897 - Owner John Galbreath was born in Derby, Ohio. In 1946, Galbreath, along with Bing Crosby, Tom Johnson, and Frank McKinney, bought the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team won three World Series during his ownership: 1960, 1971, and 1979. He passed the presidency on to his son, Dan Galbreath in 1970. 
• 1905 - The Bucs lost an error-filled game to the Boston Americans by a 5-3 count at Exposition Park; the Pittsburg Press wrote “Both teams played stupid, dopey ball...” But ump Bill Klem was the main show. In the ninth inning he threw eight Pirates (and for good measure, the mascot, too) out of the game for mocking his calls, fining the whole lot $10 per man. BR Bullpen added that he had to spend the post-game hiding in a ladies’ room; gamblers who had bet on the heavily favored Pirates were looking for a piece of his hide after the contest for tossing the team. 
• 1910 - Babe Adams scattered 11 hits to beat Boston 10-0 at the South End Grounds, helped by no walks, a pair of DP and some hot sticks. Owen "Chief" Wilson drove in four runs, Jack Flynn homered with three RBI, and Honus Wagner had three hits, a walk, and scored four times. 

Owen "Chief" Wilson 1911 Piedmont series

• 1919 - The Pirates traded OF Casey Stengel to the Philadelphia Phillies for utilityman Possum Whitted. Stengel’s contract demands got him a ticket out of Pittsburgh. Possum stayed with the Bucs until 1922, batting .286 and playing first, third and the OF. 
• 1924 - The Pirates swept a pair from the Phils at the Baker Bowl by 16-4 and 7-0 scores. Kiki Cuyler went 6-for-6 in the opener with a triple and two doubles, while Glenn Wright went 4-for-5 with four RBI and a pair of runs to back Wilbur Cooper. Ray Kremer won the nitecap, tossing a five hitter and getting all the support he needed from Max Carey, who homered, doubled, scored twice and drove home three runs.
• 1928 - The Pirates won their eighth game in a row and 10th-of-11 by a 5-4 score over St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field. Carmen Hill got the win and Burleigh Grimes came on to earn a save by retiring the last batter. George Grantham drove in two runs and Paul Waner scored a pair. 
• 1930 - OF Roman Mejias was born in Abreus, Cuba. Mejias was a spare OF’er and pinch hitter for six seasons (1955, 1957-61) in Pittsburgh, hitting .245 over that span. He earned his way to Pittsburgh with a 55 game hitting streak for Class B Waco of the Big State League in 1954, where he ended the year with a .354 BA. Mejias couldn’t break into the Pirate OF of Bob Skinner, Bill Virdon and Roberto Clemente, but was selected by the Houston Colt .45s in the expansion draft and had his best season for them in 1962, batting .286 with 24 HR. 
• 1935 - Rookie CF Bud Hafey lined an eighth inning homer over the scoreboard at Forbes Field to give Bill Swift a four hit, 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds' Al Hollingsworth. 

Tom "Bud" Hafey (1935) - Diamond Greats 1979 series

• 1940 - Pittsburgh won its eighth game in a row by whipping the Chicago Cubs 6-2 at Forbes Field. Vince DiMaggio went 3-for-3 with a homer, two RBI and two runs to lead the attack, while Rip Sewell tossed a four hitter for the win. 
• 1954 - SS Rabbit Maranville was inducted into the Hall of Fame after a 14 year wait The sweet fielder played for Pittsburgh from 1921-24, hitting .283. 
• 1959 - The Pirates‚ down by a pair to the Cubs in the ninth‚ tied the game and then won 5-3 in the tenth at Wrigley Field. Roberto Clemente singled home Dick Groat in the ninth and touched home to tie the game on Smoky Burgess’ sac fly. Groat’s knock in the 10th scored Roman Mejias with the go-ahead run and Rocky Nelson’s bases loaded walk added an insurance tally. Elroy Face got the W to go 15-0. The win was the 11th extra inning victory in a row for the Pirates; their only loss in their past 16 overtime games was Harvey Haddix's 12 inning perfect game against the Braves in May. 
• 1963 - A long day at the yard. A DH between the Colt 45's and the Pirates was delayed an hour by rain‚ and then both games went into extra innings. Houston took the opener 7-6 in 15 innings; the Bucs claimed the nitecap by the same score in 11 innings. Only 300 hardy fans remained at Forbes Field when the curtain finally fell at 2:30 AM. 
• 1964 - Don Schwall and Al McBean combined on a four hitter to shut out the Chicago Cubs 2-0 at Forbes Field. They got all the runs they needed in the fourth when Jim Pagliaroni launched a two run homer off Bob Buhl. 

Al McBean 1968 Topps series

• 1970 - Willie Stargell became the first player to hit a homer into the RF upper deck at TRS‚ off the Mets Ron Taylor. Pops would reach the top tier four times, with Bob Robertson and Bobby Bonilla also joining him from the Pirates. The Bucs won 8-3, with Luke Walker getting the victory. Willie and Manny Sanguillen, with a pair of doubles, each had two hits. 
• 1976 - The 500th game in Three Rivers Stadium history turned out to be one of its more memorable contests as John Candelaria threw the first no-hitter by a Pirates' pitcher in Pittsburgh, a 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Candy Man gave up a walk with a couple of errors committed behind him. It was a fitting showcase performance; the Pirate promotion for the game was “Candy Nite” with all the fans getting a candy bar for the ABC National Game of the Week. 
• 1981 - The NL squeaked out a 5-4 win over the AL in the All Star game at Cleveland Stadium. Dave Parker went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, Mike Easler 0-1 with a walk and a run, Bill Madlock batted 0-for-1 and Phil Garner came in as a defensive sub. 
• 2002 - The Bucs, behind Aramis Ramirez’s homer and four RBI, defeated the Giants 4-3 at Pacific Bell Park. Kip Wells defeated Jason Schmidt for the win, but not before giving up Barry Bonds’ 600th home run. 

Kip Wells 2004 Donruss Elite Extra series

• 2012 - Pitching for the Indianapolis Indians, Justin Wilson tossed his second no-hitter of the season, a rain shortened eight inning gem against the Charlotte Knights. He walked one, K’ed five and was efficient, using only 86 pitches.
• 2013 - It wasn’t a very good day for the Bucs, who gave up nine runs in the first two innings on the way to a 10-1 drubbing at the hands of the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. But it did plump up the resume of utilityman Josh Harrison, who came in the eighth with two out and two runners aboard to get the last out, using his 60-something MPH heat to coax a fly out from Corey Dickerson. Harrison related to Bill Brink of the Post Gazette that Clint Hurdle told him “All right, I never thought I would have to have this talk with you here on the mound. Go get them."