9/26 From 1970: Key Fiver; Cutch - 8RBI/4RS; Booth Back; PNC Packs 'Em In; Scoops Swats; Game Tales; HBD Jordan, Archie; Daniel & Yurendell

• 1972 - Steve Blass scattered eight hits to defeat the Phils and win his 19th game by a 5-1 score at Veterans Stadium. Al Oliver and Manny Sanguillen had a pair of RBI, and Blass added a hit and drove in the other run. He missed his only chance for 20 victories in his final start against the Mets, when he couldn’t get through the first inning after taking a line drive off the elbow. 

Steve Blass - 1972 Topps

• 1974 - Al Oliver smacked five hits, including two homers and a double, during the Pirates’ 11-5 win at New York’s Shea Stadium. Scoops scored four times and had five RBI. Willie Stargell added four RBI with a long ball of his own as 37-year-old Juan Pizzaro, making just his second start of the year, won. It was his only W of the season and was the 131st & final victory of Juan’s 18-year career. That win moved the Pirates into a first place tie with St. Louis, a race that the Pirates would take by 1-1/2 games by winning 6-of-7 contests in the season’s final days. 
• 1979 - IF Yurendell deCaster was born in Brievengat, Curacao. deCaster became Bucco property in 2000 when he was taken from the Twins in the minor league draft. He made it to AAA Indianapolis, spending most of 2005-07 with the Indians. He got his MLB cup of coffee in 2006, getting into three Pirates games and going 0-for-2, fanning twice. Yurendell was part of the Nats and Yankees farm system before moving on to the indie, Nicaraguan, Mexican and Netherland Leagues. He also played for three WBC Netherland teams, repping Curacao. 
• 1982 - RHP Daniel McCutchen was born in McKinney, Texas. He came to Pittsburgh in 2008 as part of the Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte deal with the NYY. Daniel worked from 2009-12 for the Pirates, seeing most of his action in 2011 with 73 of his 108 Bucco appearances and going 8-11/4.77 overall. He got a cup of coffee with Texas in 2014 and his last pro campaign was in 2016. 
• 1988 - RHP Chris Archer was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. The two-time All-Star for Tampa was the Pirates big addition at the 2018 deadline, coming over for a prize prospect package of OF Austin Meadows, RHP Tyler Glasnow and a PTBNL (RHP Shane Baz). He was a risk; in seven years, he’d only won more than 10 games once, but the Bucs hoped to tap into his potential and wipe-out slider. Arch was pretty much a bust in the ‘Burg, with two visits to the IL in 2019 and then thoracic outlet surgery in 2020, costing him his final contract season. Archie got into just 33 games as a Pirate with a line of 6-12/4.92. He returned to Tampa Bay as a free agent in 2021 where injuries continued to plague him and then signed with Minnesota in 2022.

Chris Archer - 2019 Topps Fire

• 1991 - The Pirates took their 10th win in 12 games, defeating the Mets in the opener of a twin bill at Shea Stadium by a 4-3 count in 15 innings. Bill Landrum, the fifth Buc pitcher, gave up a tying run in the 14th but worked a scoreless 15th frame for a blown save/win daily double. Lloyd McClendon singled in the 14th for the lead; pinch hitter Todd Hundley homered in the Met half to knot the score. Don Slaught doubled home Barry Bonds in the next set of at-bats, and the Mets ran out of responses. The Bucs had plenty of opportunities to run away and hide, but went 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position. They dropped the nitecap, 2-1, again wasting a boatload of runners by going 1-for-12 with RISP. Roger Mason, the third Pirates pitcher, took the loss. 
• 1992 - The Bucs laid a 19-2 hurtin’ on the NY Mets at TRS. Andy Van Slyke went 3-for-5 with a homer, triple, four runs and two RBI. Barry Bonds doubled and went long, scoring three times and chasing home three more tallies. Lloyd McClendon added a grand slam in the first frame to trigger the 20-hit onslaught, featuring five 2Bs, two 3Bs and three HRs. Bob Walk got the win, with Steve Cooke and Paul Wagner mopping up after him. The Mets used a position player to pitch for the first time in their history when IF Bill Pecota took the mound for the ninth. 
• 1993 - OF Jordan Luplow was born in Visalia, California. He was drafted by the Pirates in the third round of the 2014 draft out of Fresno State, and made his Bucco debut in 2017. Luplow yo-yo’ed between Indy and the big club again in 2018 before finally being given a chance to show his stuff regularly in September after Gregory Polanco was injured. He was sent to Cleveland as part of the Erik Gonzalez deal during the ‘18 offseason, then to Tampa and is now with Arizona. 
• 1993 - It was a good day to end some bad mojo. For the first time since September of 1990, the Pirates swept a twin bill, winning by 5-1 and 1-0 tallies against the Cubs at TRS. Paul Wagner won the opener by tossing five-hit ball over eight innings before Mark Dewey finished up. The deciding blow was Jeff King’s eighth-inning bases loaded, bases-clearing double. The lidlifter saw another long streak come to an end when Jerry Goff homered for the Bucs, the first long ball he swatted since August of 1990. The second game was all Tim Wakefield, who made a first inning run hold up by going the distance with another five-hitter. It also ended a long, dark stretch for him, too - it was the first start he won since April 27th; he had gone 13 starts without a victory. 

Paul Wagner - 1993 Topps Stadium Club

• 2001 - During an 8-4 loss to the Cubs in their final home game of the season, the Pirates drew 25,564 to PNC Park, its first-year ballyard, and set a franchise attendance record of 2,464,870, an average of 30,430 fans per contest. It took until 2012 to reach the 2M mark again, and the attendance record stood until 2015 when 2,498,596 rooters spun the turnstiles. 
• 2003 - The Pirates announced that they had renewed the contracts of their broadcast team - Lanny Frattare, Greg Brown, Bob Walk and Steve Blass - who had already been together for the past decade. The extensions were for three years, with Lanny being the senior member with 28 years behind the mic. Steverino had 21 years in the booth, with Brownie and Walkie being the pups with 10 years under their belts and still going strong on the airwaves. 
• 2011 - It took seven Bucco hurlers, but the Pirates held off the Brewers, 9-8, at Miller Park, with Daniel McCutchen getting the win and Joel Hanrahan earning the save, his 40th on the year and fourth-highest total for the franchise. The big men with the bats were Alex Presley with a homer, double and single, generating three RBI, and Pedro Alvarez, who drove in three runs. 
• 2015 - The Bucs defeated the Chicago Cubs, 4-0, at Wrigley Field. The big blow was delivered by Jordy Mercer, who banged a three-run homer in the fifth inning, his first long ball since early June (he only hit three dingers during the season). For the Pirates, it capped an eight-game road winning streak, the first since 1938. Frankie Liriano claimed the victory while picking up strikeout #200, joining Gerrit Cole (who got his 200th whiff the night before) to become the first pair of Pirate pitchers to punch out 200 batters in the same season. 

Jordy Mercer - 2015 Topps Heritage

• 2017 - The Pirates and Orioles were counting the days until the season ended (both finished with 75-87 records), but Andrew McCutchen wasn’t booking tee times yet. He went 4-for-4 with two homers, a double, eight RBI and four runs scored to complement Trevor Williams and Steven Brault’s pitching as the Bucs prevailed, 10-1, at PNC Park. Cutch was the first Pirate with at least four runs and eight RBI in a game since Ralph Kiner in 1950, with the deed first done by Johnny Rizzo in 1939. Andrew’s eight runs chased home was a feat that hasn't been done by a Buc since Jason Bay in 2004 (Rizzo had nine, Bay drove in eight twice and Kiner & Dave Robertson each did it once). Cutch also hopped over Al "Scoops" Oliver and Max Carey for 11th in all-time Bucco RBIs w/724 (Dave "The Cobra" Parker is 10th w/758; Andrew never caught up, being traded to the Giants in the off season). Trevor struck out six, making the 2017 staff one of four in Pirates history (and the first since 1984) with five pitchers with at least 115 K (Gerrit Cole-196, Chad Kuhl-142, Ivan Nova-131, Jameson Taillon-125 and Williams-117.) 
• 2020 - With a game left in an otherwise dismal season, Ke’Bryan Hayes banged out five hits, including three doubles and three runs scored, in an 8-0 walloping of the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Hayes became the first Pirates rookie to have five hits in five plate appearances since Neil Walker in 2010. Colin Moran homered and had four RBI while Bryan Reynolds and Jose Osuna also went deep against the Tribe. Joe Musgrove started the whitewash, giving up three hits in seven innings before Dovy Neverauskas and Nick Tropeano finished up.

Notes: Another Bad Week; More Moves; Pirates & MLB News

Approaching the finish line:

Notes:

• The Bucs opened the week visiting the Yankees and in a solid gesture, Charlie Hayes threw out the first pitch to son Ke'Bryan. Then Pittsburgh blew a four-run, ninth-inning lead to lose, 9-8, as Wil Crowe gave up two homers and got no outs to offset big games by Bryan Reynolds and Rodolfo Castro. The NY nine took the second game, 14-2. Then it was back home to face the Cubs. The Pirates dropped that opener, chalking up an immaculate inning (nine pitches, three Ks: victims Jack Suwinski, Zack Collins, Jason Delay) and the next one before snapping their eight-game losing streak behind Johan Oviedo's arm and Suwinski's stroke. Didn't last too long; they got pummeled again on Fan Appreciation Day; the fans actually would appreciate a bullpen. 
• RHP David Bednar (back) was activated from the 15-day IL and LHP Eric Stout took his place on the 15-day IL.

Ji-hwan Bae - 2021 Bowman Platinum 

• 2B Ji-hwan Bae was called up to Pittsburgh on Friday with C Tyler Heineman placed on the seven-day concussion list. Bae hit eighth and played second that night to become the 65th different player used by Pittsburgh in 2022, breaking the team record for the most players used in a single season. The old mark was set last year. It was a good debut; he singled, walked and stole two bases.
• On Sunday, the Bucs claimed 3B/LF Miguel Andújar, who had been DFA'ed by the New York Yankees. He's also played a couple of games at first, and the Bucs may try to plug him in there.
• 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes' back is still sore; he missed Thursday - Saturday. 
• CF Bryan Reynolds set a personal best for homers in a season with 26.
• Nine games remain - three at PNC Park against the Reds and a home & home series v St. Louis.
• RHP Tyler Beede has been outrighted to Indy. He was DFA’d last week and went unclaimed.
• With Altoona's campaign concluded, the Bucs promoted RHPs Quinn Priester & Colin Selby, C Endy Rodriguez, OF Matt Gorski (who was quickly returned to the IL), 1B Malcolm Nunez and IF Aaron Shackelford to Indy. To clear roster room, RHP Eric Hanhold, C Taylor Davis, 1B/3B Kevin Padlo and IF Josh VanMeter were placed on the development list. The Indians season ends on the 28th.

Endy Rodriguez - 2021 Topps Inception Autograph

• Tampa Bay's RHP Shane Baz will undergo TJ surgery which is expected keep him out of action through the 2023 campaign.
• IF Maury Wills, banjo picker and base-swiper extraordinary, passed away on Monday. He was with the Pirates from 1967-68 and ran a jazz club (Maury Wills' Stolen Base) in downtown Pittsburgh.
• Congrats to Albert Pujols; he cranked out homer #700 on Friday. He joins Barry Bonds (762), Henry Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) in the 700 homer club.

9/25: Westlake Deal; NH Hired; Save Mark; Craig 6-For-6; '92, '60 Clinchers; Two-Timer; Hans Heist; Dutch Half Dozen; Big Crowds; Game Tales; HBD Vanimal, Tony, Dick & Dave

• 1890 - Boston defeated the Alleghenys by a 4-3 score at Recreation Park in front of 240 fans, the usual home crowd for the sad-sack Allies. The team was gutted before the season when most of their better players defected to the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players League. It wasn't enough that the team wasn't very good. On this day, the ump called the game from behind the mound, and that positioning led him to miscall a ball hit down the line, ruling it foul when it appeared to be a game-tying two-bagger. Even Beaneaters’ manager Frank Seelye agreed, calling the win “a fluke” in the Pittsburgh Press. John “Phenomenal” Smith took the tough loss. Poor attendance accompanied the poor play, with Pittsburgh drawing just 16,604 fans during the year, an average of 236 rooters per game. That led to the squad to playing 97 of their 136 games away. They finished with a road record of 9-88, and their .093 road winning percentage is the worst in MLB history. The 1906 New Castle News wrote tongue-in-cheek (we think) that the term 23 Skidoo came about in reference to the Allies’ 23 wins.

Dave Robertson - 1921 photo Bain/Library of Congress

• 1889 - OF Dave Robertson was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. He played nine big league seasons, stopping in Pittsburgh near the end in 1921 where he started 58 games and hit .322. The Pirates picked him up from the Cubs for RHP Elmer Ponder and then released him at the end of the year. Both were near the end of their roads - Robertson played through 1922; Ponder was done after ‘21. 
• 1901 - The Dutchman, Hans Wagner, drove in six runs against Christy Mathewson at Exposition Park with a double and triple as the Pirates defeated the NY Giants for the 12th straight time during the season by a 10-5 score. The top three men in the lineup - Lefty Davis, Fred Clarke and Ginger Beaumont - banged six hits, walked four times and scored seven runs as a trio. Jesse Tannehill was touched for 13 hits but was never really threatened as Pittsburgh scored three runs in the opening frame and was up 10-1 after six to make the livin’ easy for Jesse. 
• 1907 - Honus Wagner swiped four bases at Forbes Field, including second, third, and home in the second inning, against the New York Giants during a 14-1 victory, a deed the Flying Dutchman duplicated four times in his career. Fred Clarke scored three times and also swiped four bags; only Tony Womack would join the pair in stealing four bases in a single game for Pittsburgh. The game itself was a laugher after the Bucs put up a seven-run second inning, with Nick Maddox coasting on a six-hitter. It was the first time since 1901 that the Pirates had taken the season series from their Big Apple rivals. Umpire Bill Klem had his work cut out, though, ejecting three Giants during the game; Klem ended up giving the heave-ho to eight G-Men during the three-game set. 

Jimmy Zinn - 1920 photo via tnfoto/Out of the Ballpark Developments

• 1920 - Jimmy Zinn went the distance in the Pirates 12-inning, 2-1, victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field. Zinn gave up six hits in just his second MLB start; before the game, he had 10 big-league innings under his belt. Zinn’s only full season came the following year, when he went 7-6 for the Pirates. He was the epitome of a AAAA player and spent 25 years hurling in the minors. Elmer Riddle wasn’t quite as sharp in the nightcap as the Cards rallied for a 3-1 win and a split. 
• 1923 - The Pirates turned the Phillies every which way but loose in an 18-5 romp at Forbes Field. SS Eddie Moore made his MLB debut at the leadoff spot, and had three hits, drew two walks, and scored five times. Pie Traynor had chased home four runs and Johnny Rawlings went 4-for-5. Ray Steineder got the win, and chipped in with two hits, two runs, two RBI and a sac bunt. 
• 1927 - The Pirates took a pair from the Cubs at Wrigley Field by 2-1 and 6-1 counts. It was a big sweep as the St Louis Cards, breathing down the Buccos’ necks, also claimed a doubleheader win. The Bucs lead remained at two games with the NY Giants 2-1/2 back with five games to go, and Pittsburgh would hang on to win the NL crown by a game. Vic Aldridge and Ray Kremer got the wins for Pittsburgh. Aldridge helped his own cause with an RBI in the opening squeaker while the Pirates banged out 13 hits in the second game to smooth Kremer’s road. 
• 1932 - Paul Waner stroked a pair of two-baggers at Sportsman's Park to set the Senior Circuit mark for doubles (62) during Pittsburgh’s 7-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a twin bill. Big Poison and Arky Vaughan each had three hits, Gus Dugas homered and Bill Harris scattered seven hits for the win. The Redbirds took the second game, 7-4, overcoming the still-hot bat of Dugas, who banged another long ball and added three hits during the defeat. 

Elbie Fletcher - 1941 Goudey Big League

• 1941 - Max Butcher and Elbie Fletcher eliminated the St. Louis Cards from the NL race with a 3-1 win at Forbes Field. Butcher tossed a five-hitter, and the only run he was allowed was when he surrendered a bases-loaded walk in the seventh; he came back to strike out the next two Redbirds to limit the damage. Fletcher drilled a two-run, inside-the-park homer to straight center, with Billy Cox scoring the other tally with a triple followed by Arky Vaughan’s sac fly. 
• 1946 - The Pirates traded with the Pacific Coast League’s Oakland Oaks for OF Wally Westlake, sending them a PTBNL (RHP Johnny Hutchings) and $35,000. In five years with the Bucs (1947-51), Westlake slashed .281/97 HR/378 RBI in 580 games; Hutchings never tossed in the majors again. 
• 1953 - OF Dick Davis was born in Long Beach, California. He closed out his six-year career in 1982 with Pittsburgh, the third team he played for that season, hitting .182 in 39 games. The Pirates acquired Davis from Toronto in exchange for C Wayne Nordhagen in late June. 
• 1960 - Although the Pirates lost, 4-2, to the Braves, a St. Louis defeat clinched the pennant for Pittsburgh (The NY Yankees clinched their title on the same day). The City celebrated by holding a giant midnight torchlight parade in the Golden Triangle. It was the first time since 1927 that the Pirates were headed for the World Series, and it was front page news in the City, with the ensuing Fall Classic and its seventh game still celebrated to this day in Pittsburgh. 

A happy bunch of Bucco fans - Pgh Press 9/26/1960

• 1969 - Tony Womack was born in Danville, Virginia. Womack was drafted by the Pirates in 1991 (seventh round) and became their everyday second baseman in 1997. Tony led the NL in stolen bases that year with 60 and did it again in 1998 with 58 swipes. The speedster played his first five seasons (1993-94; 1996-98) with the Bucs, hitting .278 and earning an All-Star berth. After the 1998 campaign, he was traded to the D-Backs for Jason Boyd and Paul Reichard (it was a salary dump - there was no heir apparent; Warren Morris took over the spot) and he played a key role in Arizona’s 2001 World Series title. He lasted 13 seasons in the show, posting a .272 BA with 363 stolen bases. 
• 1974 - Trying to sweep the Cards and hang on to their slim 1/2 game lead, the Bucs instead squandered a wild one at Busch Stadium by a 13-12 count. The Pirates scored five times in the first, keyed by a three-run shot by Manny Sanguillen. The Cards came back with a six run third; starter Ken Brett yelled at manager Danny Murtaugh when he was yanked during the frame, and again after the contest. The game settled down, and went into the 11th inning tied at 10. The Pirates scored twice; the Cards rallied for three runs to take the game, scoring off September call-ups Juan Jimenez and Jim Minshall. The fielders didn’t help much; Rennie Stennett’s error allowed the tying run to score, and the infield played Bake McBride’s bunt into a hit. The loss stung, but Pittsburgh would eventually take the pennant, although losing the NLCS to the LA Dodgers. 
• 1987 - RHP Vance Worley was born in Sacramento. Vanimal hit the show running in 2011, as he was elected to Baseball America’s All-Rookie Team and finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, behind winner Craig Kimbrel and Freddie Freeman. Alas, bone chips derailed his 2012 campaign, and he was moved to Minnesota, where mechanical problems caused by the injury led to some very forgettable outings. The Bucs bought him in the 2013 off season, called him up in June of 2014, and he went 8-4/2.25. He started 2015 in the pen, claimed a spot in the rotation when Charlie Morton was hurt, and went back to relief upon Morton’s return, finishing with a 4-6/4.02 slash. He was released after the 2015 season & claimed by the Orioles. Vance spent 2021 primarily in the Mets organization and this season is tossing for the indie Kane County Cougars. 

Doug Drabek - 1990 Donruss

• 1990 - It was a good day at TRS. First, Doug Drabek, who had fallen into an early 3-0 hole on the scoreboard, righted himself against the Cubs to win, 5-3, and record his 21st victory of the season (he would go on to win 22 games and the Cy Young). And Doug did more than just pitch his squad to victory - he doubled, singled and scored twice to help fuel a pair of Pirates rallies. Next, the crowd of 21,644 pushed the attendance at the yard to 1,870,640, setting a new single-season record while on the way to Pittsburgh’s first 2M+ home gate. And finally, it nudged the magic number for a division title to six; the Bucs would eventually win the East by four games over the New York Mets, claiming Pittsburgh’s first divisional pennant since 1979. 
• 1992 - The Pirates clinched their third straight NL East title by whipping the NY Mets, 4-2, at TRS in front of 31,217 fans. Danny Jackson went seven innings for the win, with Stan Belinda closing to earn the save. Smacking two hits each, Jay Bell drove in a pair of runs and Gary Redus scored twice to generate the Bucco attack; Pittsburgh led from the first inning onward. 
• 2001 - Craig Wilson collected hits in each of the final three innings of Pittsburgh's last game and got hits in each of the first three frames against Chicago‚ giving him knocks in six consecutive innings against six different pitchers‚ an MLB mark. The Bucs won 13-1, but the Cubbie pitchers got a little glory, too. They fanned 10 Pirates, giving them 1,250 Ks for the year for a new MLB mark. 
• 2002 - Mike Williams set the Bucco single season save record when he earned his 46th against the Mets at PNC Park with a 1-2-3 ninth, closing out a 4-3 win for Ron Villone. His ERA wasn’t overwhelming at 2.93 (w/a FIP of 3.91) and he K’ed just six guys per nine, but he only blew four saves during the campaign. Williams’ mark would last until 2015, when it was eclipsed by Mark “The Shark” Melancon who posted 51 saves, which is still the current Pirates record. 

Mike Williams - 2002 Upper Deck 40-Man

• 2007 - 37-year-old Neal Huntington was officially named as the Pirates new GM, replacing Dave Littlefield, although the news had been leaked earlier in the week. He spent six years with the Expos and a decade with the Indians in various executive positions prior to coming to Pittsburgh, primarily in the player development area. Huntington, per the Associated Press’ Alan Robinson, was among the newer breed of executives who rely heavily on statistics and number-crunching before making decisions and was expected to provide some data-driven direction to the club. His debut was successful as the Pirates snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 6-5 win over Arizona. The Bucs also took the next game from the Snakes before ending the season on a four-game losing snap. He lasted through the 2019 season, when he was replaced by Ben Cherington.

9/24 Through 1974: SI Irishman; Willie Wrecking Crew; Blass-0; Bye Ebbets; Grays Win '44 Crown; Game Tales; HBD John, Jim, Dixie, Paddy & Doc

• 1881 - RHP Bob “Doc” Vail was born in Linneus, Maine. He started in the New England League in 1906 and then spent the remainder of his pro career in the Virginia League from 1907-12. His big-league career was a four-game stop in Pittsburgh in 1908 where he went 1-2/6.00 with a couple of good and a couple of not-so-good appearances. He was cut from camp in 1909 with a sore arm and spent the rest of his career as a minor leaguer, pitching through 1912. 

Paddy Ziglin - 1917 Portland Zee Nut

• 1891 - 2B Peter “Paddy” Siglin was born in Aurelia, Iowa. Paddy was hitting .320 for Waterloo in 1914 when he was purchased by the Pirates. He was mostly stashed in the minors by the Bucs, but appeared in 23 MLB games from 1914-16, going 9-for-56 (.180) at the plate. In 1917 he took his services to the Pacific Coast League where he spent the next decade on five different squads before hanging up the spikes in 1926. Paddy did set a benchmark - in his debut on September 12th, 1914, in a doubleheader sweep of the Cubs, he became the first Bucco to have two hits and a stolen base in his first outing; three other Pirates (Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata & Austin Meadows) have since matched the feat. 
• 1910 - OF Fred (“Dixie”/“The People's Cherce”) Walker was born in Villa Rica, Georgia. He’s often remembered as the guy who fought Jackie Robinson’s arrival in Brooklyn, though he eventually accepted him both as a ballplayer and person. However, his initial negativity was said to be part of the impetus for the Dodgers to deal him to Pittsburgh in 1948 (Brooklyn got Preacher Roe back, another pretty fair reason). He played two seasons, batting .316 in his first campaign, then posting a .282 BA with 13 pinch hits in 1949 as a bench piece. After the ‘49 season, he hung ‘em up and went on to a long career in scouting and coaching. Fred came by the “Dixie” moniker honestly, as a Georgia boy whose father Ewart was also known as Dixie. (His dad had pitched for the Senators, and his brother Harry “The Hat” Walker managed the Pirates from 1965-67.) His popularity with the Ebbets Field fans in the forties earned him the other nickname "The People's Cherce," as spelled (or at least pronounced) in Brooklynese. 
• 1929 - C Jim Mangan was born in San Francisco. He graduated from the U of San Francisco and the Pirates signed him in 1949. Jim played briefly for the Bucs in 1952 and 1954, batting .179. Reports are that he got into a spat with Branch Rickey in 1955, and was sent down to Hollywood before being optioned to El Paso. From there he was sold off waivers to the Giants in 1956, where he got his final MLB licks (he feuded there with manager Bill Rigney, and guys that hit under the Mendoza Line don’t win many debates with their field bosses). Following his petulant baseball career, Mangan became a high school teacher, golf coach and small business owner in San Jose. 

Cookie Cuccurullo - photo via Detroit Public Library

• 1944 - The Pirates outlasted the Giants, 6-4, at the Polo Grounds in 13 sloppy innings. Max Butcher had a 4-0 lead for the Buccos, but gave up a pair in the seventh before three errors and a walk tied it in the eighth. The Pirates put their first two runners on in the 13th but were almost stymied by a pair of nice defensive plays by the G-Men. A two-out walk loaded the bases - can’t defend against that - and pinch hitter Tommy O’Brien singled on the next pitch to plate a pair. Art Cuccurullo tossed a quiet closing frame and Rip Sewell picked up his 20th win in relief. The Pirates left 19 runners aboard and the Giants 15 as the game featured 25 hits, 19 walks (Butcher issued seven himself) and five errors. 
• 1944 - The Homestead/Washington Grays, playing in their fifth Negro World Series game and fourth city of the championship (Birmingham, New Orleans and Pittsburgh hosted the prior matches) closed it out against the Birmingham Barons, 4-2, to defend their title at Griffith Stadium, four-games-to-one. Lefty Roy “Snookie” Welmaker, who had already won Game #1, went the distance, giving up eight hits while fanning six. The top three Grays in the lineup - Cool Papa Bell, Jerry Benjamin and Sam Bankhead - each had a pair of hits while Jud Wilson’s two-out, two-run single gave Homestead a 3-0 first inning lead they never relinquished. 
• 1956 - The Pirates temporarily derailed the Brooklyn Dodgers pennant express with a 6-5 win at Forbes Field after losing a suspended game earlier in the day (they had to play the ninth, and the Bucs were already down, 8-3, the ultimate final). After a wild first inning, with both clubs scoring three times, Bob Friend settled in and the Bucs took a 5-3 lead. The Bums tied it in the eighth, but Frank Thomas came back with the game winner in the Bucco half, a two-out single that scored Bill Virdon, to cap a four-hit, three-RBI contest that included a homer. Friend went the distance to win his 17th game, dropping Brooklyn 1/2-game behind the Braves after losing three-of-four to the seventh place Buccos. But they eventually prevailed, winning the NL by a game over Milwaukee before going on to lose their second straight Subway Series to the Yankees. 

Frank Thomas - 1956 Topps

• 1957 - Bucco 1B Dee Fondy grounded out to end the game to become the last MLB player to swing a bat at Ebbets Field. Da’ Bums Danny McDevitt blanked the Bucs, 2-0, on five hits with nine whiffs in the final major league game played in Brooklyn before the Dodgers relocated to Los Angeles, defeating Benny Daniels, who was making his MLB debut. The organist played “Until We Meet Again” and “Auld Lang Syne” as the teams left the field. Ebbets Field had been the Dodgers home ballyard for 45 years but only 6,702 fans showed up to say goodbye. 
• 1966 - Roberto Clemente connected for a two-run, go-ahead homer to cap off a five-run seventh inning in Pittsburgh’s 8-6 win over the Braves at Atlanta Stadium. Bob Bailey had a two-run bomb and Gene Alley chased home two more with a double. Steve Blass worked two innings of relief (nine of his 34 appearances in ‘66 were in relief) for the win; Pete Mikkelsen got the save. The win moved them 1-1/2 games behind the Dodgers, but that’s as close as the Pirates would get, finishing three games off the pace after going 2-5 during the season’s last week.
• 1968 - Steve Blass tossed his third consecutive shutout, defeating the Reds, 2-0, at Forbes Field. Steverino won his ninth straight victory and recorded a NL high seventh shutout on his way to an 18-6 season. The game against Gary Nolan was scoreless until the seventh when Willie Stargell led off with a homer. The Bucs added an insurance run in the eighth when Maury Wills singled, was bunted to second and came home on Matty Alou’s two-bagger. 
• 1970 - Luke Walker spun a seven-hit shutout as his teammates made it easy for him with a 15 hit attack to drop the Mets, 8-0, at TRS. Gene Alley was the unlikely batting hero, with three hits including a triple and four RBI. Manny Sanguillen also had three knocks and scored twice. Matty Alou, Dave Cash, Richie Hebner and Bob Robertson each added a pair of hits. 

Clemente Day at Shea - photo 9/24/1971 Jack Kanthal/AP

• 1971 - Shea Stadium hosted a Roberto Clemente Day. Clemente was gifted with a Cadillac, which he accepted, and cash, which he directed to be sent to three children’s charities in Puerto Rico. The event was put together by New York City’s Puerto Rican community, and the gifts came via donations from the “small people.” The Bucs won the game, 3-2, on their way to a division title. The Great One celebrated the day with two hits and drove in a pair of runs. 
• 1973 - LF Willie Stargell robbed Ken Singleton of a homer in the fifth, went long himself in the sixth, and threw out Tony Scott at home in the seventh inning during a 3-0 defeat of the Expos at Jarry Park in the second half of a double dipper. Nellie Briles and Dave Giusti kept Montreal off the board, scattering eight hits for the shutout. The Bucs lost the opener 5-4 despite Willie’s 43rd dinger. Starg was a tired man after playing back-to-back twin bills - “I won’t be waking up too early tomorrow,” he told Pittsburgh Press writer Bob Smizik - but not too tired to lead the majors in homers (44), doubles (43), RBI (119) and slugging % (.646). 
• 1973 - Danny Murtaugh was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the story “Frenzy In the East.” The Pirates, winners of three consecutive titles, finished third behind the Mets, 2-1/2 games out. Five of the six NL East teams were separated by five games. 

• 1974 - IF John McDonald was born in New London, Connecticut. The “Prime Minister of Defense” spent 16 years as a glove-first player, stopping in Pittsburgh for part of 2013. He came to the Pirates on a conditional deal from the D-Backs, hit .065 in 16 games, went on the DL and when he recovered was sent to the Indians on another conditional deal as John ended up on four different rosters that season. He retired before the 2015 campaign, then joined the Cleveland organization as a farm league coach and is now the Guardians minor league field coordinator.

9/24 From 1975: Starling Lucky 13; #10,000; Pedro Deal; Wilson Whack; Sweet Candy; O-Mark; Game Tales; HBD Mike, Travis & Jeff

• 1977 - OF Omar Moreno swiped his 50th base of the season to surpass Sonny Jackson's rookie record set with the Astros in 1966. The Antelope swiped a pair of sacks and was caught once by Cubs C George Mitterwald during a 7-3 Pirates win at Wrigley. The Padres’ first-year speedster Gene Richards matched him with 50 later on the same day and ended the campaign with 56 thefts, three more than the Bucs' outfielder, to overtake Moreno for the rookie record. 
• 1982 - RHP Jeff Karstens was born in San Diego. He was sent to Pittsburgh by the Yankees in 2008, and the oft-injured righty worked as a multi-role pitcher for the Pirates until 2012, with most of his outings as a starter. He retired in 2015 after failing to recover from 2013 shoulder surgery. In his five Pirates years, Jeff’s slash was 23-25/4.31 in 123 appearances. 

Jeff Karstens - 2013 Topps Heritage

• 1983 - John Candelaria’s elbow was bothering him, but he hoped to give the Bucs five good innings against the Expos, and did he ever. He shut out Montreal on three hits, all surrendered in the first two frames, before turning the ball over to Cecilio Guante, who finished up by allowing two hits over the final four innings to nail down a 1-0 win over the Expos at Olympic Stadium. Candy did more than toss; he drove in the Bucs only run when he yanked a Bryn Smith curve into right for a single to chase home Dale Berra, who had doubled ahead of him; both hits came after two were away in the fifth. Candy and Cecilio kept the Pirates on a roll, helping the club to its 10th win in 13 games. The press couldn’t get Candelaria to comment on his big day, though; he reminded them postgame that “I stopped talking to the media two months ago...” 
• 1983 - 1B/OF Travis Ishikawa was born in Seattle, Washington. He started the 2014 campaign with the Pirates, lost his job to Ike Davis and was DFA’ed. He was claimed by the Giants and paid them off by hitting a three-run homer to propel them into the World Series. The Pirates got him back in mid-2015 as a bench player. He bounced to-and-fro between the MLB and AAA before retiring after the 2016 campaign; he’s now a hitting coach in the San Francisco organization. 
• 1984 - RHP Mike Crotta was born in Fort Lauderdale. He was drafted in the 17th round of the 2006 draft by the Bucs out of Florida Atlantic. He got his only MLB taste in 2011, going 0-1 for the Pirates and giving up 11 runs in 10-2/3 IP, appearing in 15 outings. He pitched in Japan from 2014-15 and tossed his last pro campaign in 2016 for the Tigers organization. 

Mike Crotta - 2011 Topps

• 1991 - Bob Walk and the Mets’ Frank Viola both were both chased after four frames on a rainy night during the Pirates 10-8 win over New York at Shea Stadium. Andy Van Slyke and Lloyd McClendon each had three knocks to lead the Pirates 17-hit attack. Lloyd had a pair of RBIs and scored twice; Don Slaught drove home three runs and touched the plate once. The game featured three of the top five MVP finishers - Barry Bonds (2nd), teammate Bobby Bonilla (3rd) and the Mets’ Howard Johnson (5th). The Pirates were killing time until the postseason; they were 13-1/2 games up on the division with a 92-59 record and had already clinched the title. 
• 2001 - Rookie utilityman Craig Wilson tied the MLB record for pinch hit homers in a season by pounding his seventh in the Pirates' 7-6 win over the Cubs. He remained in the game and banged out two more hits. Gary Matthews Jr. also went long as reliever Mike Lincoln, the Pirates fifth pitcher, was credited with the win and Rich Loiselle earned the save against Chicago. 
• 2006 - A little bit of MLB history involving the Bucs: Trevor Hoffman retired the Pirate side in order to close out a 2-1 San Diego victory at Petco Park. It was his 479th career save, surpassing Lee Smith and making the 38-year-old reliever the all-time leader in saves. 
• 2008 - The Pirates came to a verbal agreement with Pedro Alvarez, their first round draft pick and second selection overall, for $6M after an MLB negotiating extension. Not everyone thought that was kosher - Alvarez’s agent Scott Boras claimed the deadline deal between the club and third baseman was finalized too late, the MLBPA filed a grievance that was headed for arbitration, and El Toro was placed on the restricted list by MLB until the smoke cleared. Petey finally put his John Hancock on a $6.355M MLB deal in late September. 

Pedro Alvarez - photo Jared Wickersham/Getty

• 2015 - The Pirates won their 10,000th NL game by defeating the Colorado Rockies, 5-4, at Coors Field on the strength of a two-out, three-run homer by Pedro Alvarez in the eighth inning. Joe Blanton got the win while Mark Melancon became the first Pirate reliever to notch 50 saves. The club won its sixth straight game and completed its first four-game road sweep since 1997. Starling Marte was red hot; he tied Pie Traynor’s 1928 club record for most hits (13) in four-game series. History debate: The Bucco franchise started its major league days in 1882 (they didn’t join the NL until 1887) as the Alleghenys of the American Association and based on that time frame, this was major league win #10,236 by the club. So take your pick; both are sweet numbers. 
• 2018 - The Pirates thumped the Cubs, 6-1, behind two-run homers from Fran Cervelli and Adam Frazier sandwiched around a two-run two-bagger by Jose Osuna. Jameson Taillon got the victory, tossing his 21st straight “quality start” game. In their last five games played against Chicago, the Pirates surrendered just one run in each game, with all the scores coming by way of a solo shot. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that marked the first time in MLB history that a team has held an opponent to one run in five straight games with all the runs being scored via the long ball.

9/23 Through 1954: Murry #20; Ralph #51; Craws Champs; '25 Clincher; Clarke Day; Picky Pud; Game Tales; HBD Dennis, Jim, Rook, Dino, Lino, Johnny, Joe & Cy

• 1880 - LF Cecil “Cy” Neighbors was born in Fayetteville, Missouri. Cy’s MLB career consisted of one inning in the pasture without a fielding chance for the 1908 Pirates. He was a minor league mainstay, though, batting .302 in 15 seasons on the farm (1905-20). He was a player manager for Tacoma in 1921 before settling into a post-baseball gig as a carpenter. 
• 1886 - According to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology and Wikipedia, Alleghenys’ pitcher Pud Galvin walked the first three Brooklyn Bridegrooms he faced, and then picked them all off for a 1-2-3 inning! Pittsburgh won the game at Washington Park by an 8-2 score. The Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette made no mention of the feat, but did note that “Galvin...showed up well. To-day he not only twirled with great effect but showed remarkably good judgment when men were on base.” 

Pud Galvin - 2012 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions

• 1886 - OF Joe Kelly (not to be confused with Bucco “Handsome Joe” Kelly of earlier years) was born in Weir, Kansas. He played regularly during his rookie campaign as a Pirate in 1914, hitting .222, and spent parts of five seasons in the show. Joe had a long career in minor league ball that spanned 23 seasons (1908-30), spending the last five years as a player/manager. 
• 1895 - OF Johnny Mokan was born in Buffalo, New York. He started his seven-year career with the Bucs in 1921-22, hitting .262 off the bench, then spent the next five campaigns with Philadelphia where he blossomed. He spent the last two years of his playing days with the local farm clubs at Buffalo and Rochester and later worked as an equipment operator for NY State. 
• 1904 - The Pirates downed the runaway NL leaders, the NY Giants, by a 7-0 score at the Polo Grounds. Charlie Case tossed a two-hitter, and didn’t give up a knock after the second frame. His opponent wasn’t quite up to snuff; the Pittsburgh Press said that “Leon Ames...was as wild as a March hare and issued six free passes. Besides, the Pirates stung his delivery at a lively rate and practically sewed up the game in the second inning, when three free passes turned into tallies.” The New York Herald was a little less kind - "Pittsburg Plays All By Itself" was its headline. 
• 1907 - The Pirates dropped the NY Giants, 2-1, at Exposition Park. Vic Willis tossed a six-hitter with six K to outgun Hooks Wiltse. Bill Hallman had three hits and a run scored for the Bucs, Honus Wagner added two knocks and a stolen base, and Ed Abbaticchio doubled and scored. The game had a little added spice when umpire Bill Klem and Giant manager John McGraw argued during the lineup exchange, priming the pump for McGraw’s ejection in the sixth inning. 

Vic Willis - 1906 Fan Craze

• 1915 - It was “Fred Clarke Day” in Pittsburgh, and player/manager Cap suited up one last time in his only on-field appearance of his final season. He played four innings and went 1-for-2 against Dick Rudolph of the Boston Braves in an 8-4 win at Forbes Field with Wilbur Cooper on the hill. For farewell gifts, Clarke received an eight-day grandfather clock from his players and a leather binder containing the names of several thousand supporters as a keepsake. 
• 1922 - LHP Lino Donoso was born in Havana (Seamheads has his b-day as February 23 but most sources agree on this date). Donoso was a star in the Mexican League (and for a few seasons with the Negro League NY Cubans) although it didn’t quite translate in MLB. The Pirates brought him up on the strength of his 19-8/2.37, Pitcher of the Year performance in 1954 for Hollywood in the PCL; the only problem was that Lino came to Pittsburgh as a 33-year-old and was losing steam on his fastball. He worked 1955-56 as a Bucco, going 4-6/5.21 and returned south of the border. He posted 100+ wins and was elected to the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. 
• 1924 - OF Dino Restelli was born in St. Louis. He had just a two-year MLB career (1949, 1951) spent with the Pirates, but has a legit claim to fame: he hit a record seven home runs in his first ten games. He, along with Jose Abreu (White Sox - 2014) and Mark Quinn (KC - 1999), are the only players since 1914 to have a pair of multi-HR outings in their first 10 career games. But his star dimmed quickly. In parts of two seasons (1949-50), he hit .242 with 13 HR and was nagged by a series of injuries. The theories as to why he fizzled seem to focus on two issues - one was fear of the Lord, instilled in him by the Reds’ Ewell Blackwell who drilled him high with a fastball as a rookie. The other was his eyesight - he wore glasses that fogged up and he would often back out of the box to wipe them clean with an ever-present red hankie (which precipitated his incident with Blackwell). After his baseball career ended in 1955, he became a San Francisco police officer briefly before another injury caused him to leave that job. But he found work in nearby San Carlos where his parents lived. There he became a civic mover and the local Mr. Baseball, coaching and working as a member of the local Parks Department. 

Emil Yde - 1924 photo Conlon Collection/TSN/Getty

• 1925 - The Pittsburgh Press wrote “The Phillies gave the Pirates a merry tussle in the game that clinched the pennant for the Smoky City…” as the Bucs turned six DPs and edged the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1, at Forbes Field to claim the NL flag for the first time since 1909. It was the ninth straight victory for the Pirates. Emil Yde tossed a seven-hitter for the victory with late help from Tommy Sheehan. Max Carey and Pie Traynor contributed a pair of knocks. 
• 1935 - Behind the four-hit pitching of Jim Weaver and Pep Young’s three knocks/seven RBI, the Bucs left the St. Louis Cardinals pennant hopes on life support, winning 12-0 over the Redbirds at Sportsman’s Park. The loss dropped the Redbirds four games behind the Cubs in the loss column with four games to go. Woody Jensen had four hits, including a pair of doubles, while Lloyd Waner and Arky Vaughan added three hits and runs apiece. 
• 1935 - The Pittsburgh Crawfords beat the New York Cubans to win the Negro NL Championship, 3-0. Lefty curveballer Leroy Matlock, who went 18-0 during the regular season, tossed a three-hitter. He was backed by Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Judy Johnson and Oscar Charleston, all future Hall of Famers. Pittsburgh took the hard fought seven-game series after falling behind three-games-to-one to New York for its only undisputed Negro League title. 
• 1942 - LHP Jim Rooker was born in Lakeview, Oregon. Rook pitched eight years (1973-80) for the Bucs with a line of 82-65-6/3.29, which he equalled in playoff time with a 3.20 ERA, including a strong start in Game #5 of the 1979 Series, a crucial match that the Pirates, down three-games-to-one, won. He was also a Pirate TV color analyst from 1981 through 1993, and worked for ESPN from 1994 to 1997. Rooker’s most memorable TV moment came when he said on air that he’d walk home from Philadelphia if the Pirates lost. They did, and he did. True to his word, he staged a cross-state charity walk after the season. Retired now, he’s an author of children’s books. 

Ralph Kiner - 1947 Exhibits

• 1947 - Ralph Kiner hit his franchise record 51st homer (he would break that mark in 1949) against Jim Kearns of the Cards at Forbes Field in an 8-4 loss to the Redbirds. It was the only strike saw that night; he walked on four pitches in three other at-bats and was ahead 2-0 before his swat. 
• 1951 - Murry Dickson tossed a five-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field to win his 20th game, 3-0. Gus Bell had a pair of hits and two RBI to back Dickson. Murry was the only Bucco pitcher to win more than eight games that season; the team only won 64 contests. 
• 1952 - IF Jim Morrison was born in Pensacola, Florida. He spent half (1982-87) of his 12-year career as a Pirate, hitting .274 as a Bucco with a standout 1986 campaign, posting a line of .274/23/88 as Pittsburgh’s starting third baseman. He had his most memorable outing on June 1st, 1986, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when Jim chased home seven runs with a double, a triple and a grand slam, the only granny of his career. After he quit playing, he managed in the Phillies system for a couple of years and has been with Tampa Bay since 2007. 
• 1952 - RHP Dennis Lamp was born in Los Angeles. He worked in Pittsburgh in 1992 as a 40-year-old, finishing out his 16-year MLB career going 1-1/5.14 in 21 appearances until his June release. At last look, Dennis works behind the seafood counter at Bristol Farms in Newport Beach. According to his store manager, "He talks sports. He sells fish. He works hard." Lamp, for his part, shrugs and says he doesn’t really need the money, but just likes to work and stay busy.

9/23 From 1955: Pud Dedication; '13-'14-'15 Playoff Clinchers; Leyland Contract; TSN - Cobra; Scoops Debut; Game Tales; HBD Chris & Jim

• 1956 - With the Dodgers leading the Pirates, 8-3, 44,932 fans, the largest crowd in Forbes Field's history (with several thousand turned away at the gates) who were lured by a “prize day” promotion, left early when a ninth-inning rain delay postponed the game with two outs, triggering the Sunday curfew with the Dodgers up, 8-2. Brooklyn officially won the game the next day. Don Newcombe got the win in a match that saw seven Bucco hurlers take the bump. 
• 1958 - Pittsburgh loves a parade, and they threw one for their Buccos. Finishing in second place after being cellar-dwellers the year before was plenty enough reason, and a motorcade rode through town at lunchtime bearing various Pirates, coaches, suits and announcers. An estimated 75-100,000 people lined the streets, with others watching from their office windows, all the while cheering and showering their baseball heroes with roses and confetti. Lee McInerney of the Post Gazette wrote ”Caesar, returning victorious from the Gallic Wars, couldn’t have had a sweeter reception than the one given at noon time to the Pirates.” The hour-long affair featured the players tossing baseballs to the crowd and some speechifying at the City-County building portico by team members and Mayor Dave Lawrence. It was the first time since 1944 that the Bucs finished that high in the standings and presaged the bedlam that would occur in town a couple of years later. 

Manager Danny & Mayor Davey - 9/24/1958 Press photo

• 1959 - RHP Jim Winn was born in Stockton, California. A first round draft pick (14th overall) of Pittsburgh in 1981, the reliever never quite panned out, plagued by a series of injuries. He tossed from 1983-86 for the Bucs with a 7-11-4/4.47 line, then spent a couple of years in the AL to end his career, which was short-circuited by TJ surgery back in the day when it was a new and not always successful procedure. After his baseball days were done, he became a salesman. 
• 1968 - In his Bucco debut, Al Oliver spanked his first MLB hit in the second game of a twilight doubleheader at Forbes Field, singling and scoring off Clay Carroll in the fourth inning of a 2-1, 10-inning win over the San Diego Padres. He started in right field and got into four games that season after a September call-up. Al would spend a decade in Pittsburgh and collect 1,490 hits with a .296 BA here. In all, Scoops put together an 18-year, seven-team MLB run and piled up 2,743 hits, a lifetime .303 average, seven All-Star caps and a World Series ring (1971). 
• 1974 - Jim Rooker threw nine shutout frames as the Bucs beat the St. Louis Cards, 1-0, in 10 innings at Busch Stadium, with Dave Giusti working the last frame for the save. The Bucs scored when pinch hitter Paul Popovich singled and was replaced by Miguel Dilone on the basepaths. He was bunted to second and came around on Richie Hebner’s single. The win moved the club to just 1/2 game behind the Cards in a see-saw pennant race that Pittsburgh eventually eked out. 
• 1978 - Dave Parker was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Peerless Pirate.” He would win the MVP and his second batting crown (.334) despite playing with a football-like mask on his helmet after breaking his jaw in a plate collision in late June.

• 1986 - Barry Bonds hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Philadelphia’s Steve Bedrosian to give Pirates a 6-5 walkoff win at TRS. The slumping Bonds (he hit .223 in his rookie ‘86 campaign) had tried to lay one down to set up Bobby Bonilla (Jim Leyland told Bob Hertzel of the Pittsburgh Press that “I almost passed out when he tried to bunt.”) before he decided to swing away. The Bucs scored five times in the last two frames. Mike Diaz was the other hitting hero, with a two-out, two-run single in the eighth to give him three RBI on the night. Four Pirate relievers tossed 6-2/3 innings of shutout ball, with Barry Jones getting the win. 
• 1986 - RHP Chris Volstad was born in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. A first-rounder of the Marlins in 2005, he worked seven MLB seasons with a 37-58/5.00 line as a starter. His Bucco career was two scoreless relief innings in 2015 after serving a 2014 stint in Korea. His last 100+ IP big league season was 2012, although he lasted into  2018 with the White Sox. 
• 1988 - Manager Jim Leyland asked for a two-year contract (he had been working season-to-season from ‘86-88) with two requirements. He wanted $250 K/year (a bit under the average manager’s salary but double his ‘88 paycheck) and that all his coaches be rehired (Rich Donnelly, Gene Lamont, Milt May, Ray Miller & Tommy Sandt). GM Syd Thrift agreed to the terms. The Pirates would hit a bump in the first year of the new deal with just 74 wins, but followed with three straight division titles and Manager of the Year honors in 1990 & ‘92 for Leyland. 

Charlie Morton - 2013 Topps Update

• 2013 - For the first time in 21 years (their last playoff squad was fielded in 1992 with Jim Leyland at the helm), the Pirates clinched a playoff spot with a 2-1 win over Chicago at Wrigley Field. Charlie Morton tossed seven innings of three-hit ball and was up, 1-0, on Neil Walker’s first inning homer. The Cubs tied the contest in the eighth on a ball that scooted through a drawn up infield, but the Bucs retook the lead in the ninth on Starling Marte’s two-out, two-strike homer deep into the bleachers. The drama wasn’t quite over; with two outs and Nate Schierholtz on first, Ryan Sweeney blooped a ball into right that bounced off Marlon Byrd’s mitt. Schierholtz was waved around, but an Andrew McCutchen-to-Justin Morneau-to-Russ Martin relay and tag beat his dash to the dish. Mark Melancon earned the win and Jason Grilli was credited with the save. 
• 2014 - The Pirates guaranteed themselves a playoff berth with a 3-2 win over Atlanta at Turner Field, but it wasn’t easy. Down 2-0 after two innings, and saved from a bigger hole thanks only to bad Brave baserunning and a bases loaded, no-out DP, Gerrit Cole belatedly found his rhythm and retired 17 straight Bravos. Andrew McCutchen scored on a delayed steal of home when the catcher’s throw to second was high in the fourth, then Travis Snider tied it with a leadoff homer in the fifth. Doubles by Cutch and Starling Marte gave the Pirates their first lead in the sixth. Cole worked seven innings and struck out eight for the win, with Jared Hughes picking up a hold and Tony Watson earning the save. To earn their playoff spot, the Pirates won 15-of-18 games after being written off following a sweep by the Cardinals in early September.
• 2015 - The Bucs defeated the Colorado Rockies, 13-7, at Coors Field to clinch a postseason spot not only for the third straight year, but on the same 9/23 date, too. The Pirates jumped out to a 7-1 lead after a first inning bloop and third inning blast by Neil Walker, who ended up going 4-for-5 with career best six RBI. But Charlie Morton couldn’t stand prosperity and was yanked in the fifth after a homer cut the lead to 7-6. The Buc bullpen took over, putting up zeros until the batsmen put up a six spot in the ninth, keyed by Sean Rodriguez’s bases loaded, bases clearing double on an 0-2 pitch. Joe Blanton, one of five Buc twirlers, claimed the win. 

S-Rod - 2015 Topps Heritage

• 2016 - Pittsburgh rallied to defeat the Washington Nationals, 6-5, in 11 innings at PNC Park on a pair of do-or-die knocks. With two gone in the ninth and down by a run, Sean Rodriguez doubled home Pedro Florimon to send the game into extras. The hit was off former Bucco closer Mark Melancon, making his first appearance versus Pittsburgh since a deadline trade, only to earn his first blown save as a Nat. With the bases loaded and two away in the 11th, the Pirates sent up their last bench player, September call-up Jake Stallings. He fell behind 0-2, worked the count full and then singled home the winning run for his first MLB walkoff hit on just the second knock of his career. The game lasted 4:36 and featured 44 players, 17 of which pitched, leading Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle to quip "That's your snapshot of a September, expanded-roster game." 
• 2017 - SABR held a remembrance of the life of Hall of Famer Pud Galvin. The event was at Calvary Cemetery in Hazelwood (Greenfield Jimmy Smith and Crawford Bucky Williams are also interred there), where Pud’s flat stone marker was replaced by a headstone. Galvin’s resting spot was the third grave topped with a new tombstone by the SABR 19th Century Grave Baseball Marker Project. The dedication ceremony featured the life story of Galvin, prepared by his biographer Chip Martin, as well as a gathering of other baseball notables, members of the Galvin family and fans. 
• 2020 - Adam Frazier and Ke’Bryan Hayes went long to open the game against the Cubs at PNC Park, the fifth time in franchise history that the Pirates have led off a game with back-to-back dingers. The last time the deed was done was in September of 2013 when Jose Tabata and Neil Walker lost balls to open a contest. The blasts answered Anthony Rizzo, who banged a ball over the fence in the Chicago first. It ended up that solo shots were key; the 2-1 score held up, with Trevor Williams notching the win and Richard Rodriguez picking up the save.

9/22 Through the 1940s: Murtaugh Walk Off; No Rest Red; Wheeling Dealin'; Game Tales; HBD Harry & Ira

• 1890 - The Pittsburgh Alleghenys moved their home game with the New York Giants to Wheeling, West Virginia, due to attendance issues at home (they couldn’t draw flies; they went 23-113). The game at Island Grounds, home of the Wheeling Nailers, drew 1,500 fans and it remains the only major league game ever played in the state of West Virginia. According to the Wheeling Daily Register, “The game was played under some slight disadvantages, as the outfield was unkempt and unshaven, the grass being so tall that the ball, and almost the players, frequently got lost. (The Giants Mike) Tiernan knocked one into the tall grass, and while some seven or eight players were still on the hunt, he modestly crossed the home plate...” for a ninth-inning inside-the-park homer. The Alleghenys lost, 8-3, and the Pittsburgh Press wrote “to be sure, the local team lost to be in keeping with its record and (team owner) Mr. McNeill may rest assured that his team will establish a world record in time (for losing).” The paper was right; they were baseball’s worst until the Cleveland Spiders of 1899 finished 20-134, bumping the Alleghenys to runner-up. It would also be the last regularly scheduled Pittsburgh home game moved to a neutral site until 2017 when the Pirates played St. Louis in Williamsport to help celebrate youth baseball. 

1890 Allies - Dab Studio Card

• 1893 - OF Ira Flagstead was born in Montague, Michigan. Ira closed out his 13-year career in Pittsburgh from 1929-30, a journey that had begun with the Detroit Tigers and blossomed with the Boston Red Sox where he was a top shelf CF’er with a good stick and rifle arm. He signed with the Pirates on July 8th, 1929, fostered by both his acquaintance with Pittsburgh manager Donie Bush, whom Ira played with in Detroit, and the suspicion that Washington, which had signed him earlier, wanted to dump his contract. He hit .257 and was released in August, 1930. Ira closed out his pro ball in the Pacific Coast League in 1931. He retired to Olympia, where he grew up, and managed the local semi-pro Timber League nine. “Flaggy” (he was also known as “Pete” from his teen days) was elected to both the Red Sox and Washington State Halls of Fame. 
• 1894 - After tossing 12 innings in a tie contest, Phil “Red” Ehret took a day off and threw a complete game four-hitter to salvage a doubleheader split with the NY Giants by a 4-1 score at Exposition Park. His opponent was Les German, the same pitcher whom he had met in the draw in a redux matchup. Despite collecting nine hits, Pittsburgh lost the day’s opener, 6-2. 
• 1903 - Pittsburgh's 16-game winner Ed Doheny, suffering from bouts of paranoia, was escorted home by his brother. After the World Series, Doheny was committed to the Danvers Insane Asylum and at the age of 26, his major league career was over. Not only was this a tragic turn of events for Doheny, but it cost the Bucs dearly in their World Series loss to the Boston Americans as they were short of pitching for the series. He, Deacon Phillippe and Sam Leever formed the Pirate rotation, and with Leever nursing an injury, Phillippe was forced to start five of the seven games, eventually wearing down. Poor Doheny, whose mental issues were said to be triggered after he developed that dead arm during the season, never returned to normalcy. He had some violent episodes at home and was committed full-time to the Danver asylum. He was later transferred to another institution but never recovered and passed away at 43-years-old. 

Alan Storke - 1909 American Caramel

• 1908 - The Brooklyn Superbas cashed in a run in the ninth, scoring when no one covered first on a two-out grounder to the right side, but Pittsburgh and Nick Maddox prevailed, 3-2, in 11 innings at Washington Park. Alan Storke tripled home Hans Wagner with the go ahead run and scored himself on a wild throw home. Maddox gave up a homer in Brooklyn’s half, but hung on for the win as the Pirates stayed alive in their late drive for the flag, which fell a game short. 
• 1911 - Cy Young, pitching for the Boston Rustlers (they didn’t “rustle” players like the Pirates had “pirated” them; the moniker was a play on the name of team owner William Russell), earned his 511th and final career victory by defeating the Pirates, 1-0. Cy scattered nine hits and fanned three at Forbes Field to best Babe Adams. Although 20 games above .500 at the time, the Bucs were deep in third place, drawing just 1,208 fans. The Pirates feasted on Boston during the season: the Rustlers (they became the Braves in 1912) won only 3-of-22 against Pittsburgh, with two of the victories coming on shutouts thrown by the 44-year-old Cyclone. 
• 1929 - Utilityman Harry Bright was born in Kansas City. He played for eight seasons, with the first three (1958-60) in Pittsburgh. Bright hit .237 and was traded to the expansion Washington Senators after the ‘60 season as part of the Bobby Shantz package. Harry had a long pro career, playing 20 years and in nearly 2,000 games between the show and the farm. Bright managed the PCL’s Sacramento club and in the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers & Atlanta Braves organizations, then scouted for the Montreal Expos. 
• 1931 - The Phillies overcame a 2-0 ninth-inning deficit to send the game to overtime, but the Pirates pushed home a run in the 13th to claim a 3-2 win at Forbes Field. Heinie Meine went the distance for the victory, tossing a four-hitter. It was his 19th win, which led all NL pitchers that season. The Bucs left 20 men on base as Philadelphia pitchers allowed 10 hits and 13 walks. Workhorse Meine logged 284 IP in 35 starts by season’s end, with both marks Senior Circuit highs. 

Heine Meine - 1933 Goudey

• 1932 - Rookie Hal Smith recorded a six-hit shutout in his first MLB start in a 7-0 win at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. The Bucs got all the runs they would need by scoring five times in the third inning. Arky Vaughan and Adam Comorosky led the way with two RBI apiece while Paul Waner banged out three hits and scored twice. Former (and future) Pirate pitcher Burleigh Grimes took the loss. 
• 1938 - Pittsburgh swept a twinbill from the Brooklyn Robins by 6-0 and 11-6 scores at Ebbets Field to take a 3-1/2 game lead in the race for the pennant. Jim Tobin tossed a four-hitter in the opener. Arky Vaughan had four hits, with three doubles and three RBI to go with Pep Young’s four runs driven home to power the win in the nitecap. But the 1938 NL crown would go to Chicago, which won their last 10 games while the Bucs stumbled to a 3-7 finish in a September swoon. 
• 1949 - Danny Murtaugh had the game-winning knock to hand a walkoff defeat to Johnny Sain and the Boston Braves, 1-0, at Forbes Field. The Irishman’s two-out, ninth-inning rap brought home Wally Westlake, who had singled and then stole second. It was Murtaugh’s only at bat; he was subbed into the game after manager Billy Meyer burned through a pair of pinch hitters and a pinch runner trying to squeeze out a run in the seventh. Murray Dickson labored to go the distance for the victory, giving up seven hits and six walks but stranding 11 Braves.