6/6: Golden Jubilee, 27 Run Game, 8 Run Inning, D-Day & More...

• 1894 - The Pirates set a club record by scoring 27 runs, a franchise record, when they routed the Boston Beaneaters, 27-11, at Exposition Park in the North Side. Boston actually led 2-0 in the second inning and was tied 3-3 going into the bottom of the third, until Pittsburgh scored 21 runs in the third and fourth innings. Jake Stenzel homered twice in the third inning off Henry Lampe, a Bucco feat that wouldn’t be duplicated again until 1995 by Jeff King. The Bucs hit four homers and scored 12 times in the third frame, sending 15 players to the dish and setting a HR record of seven bombs in a single game that wouldn’t be matched until 1947.
• 1925 - The Pirates held their Golden Jubilee celebration, bring back old stalwarts like Jack Chesbro, Honus Wagner, Fred Clarke, Kitty Bransfield, Deacon Phillippe, Ginger Beaumont, CL Zimmer, Tom McCreedy, Jess Tannehill, George Yeager, Jimmie Burke, Tommy Leach and Claude Ritchey. The 1901 team played the 1925 in a special, pre-game exhibition that lasted three innings, with the current club beating the old timers by a 5-3 score. Pittsburgh went to work afterwards, beating the Phils 9-3 at Forbes Field behind Emil Yde in the game that counted. Eddie Moore homered, Pie Traynor had a double and triple and Glenn Wright contributed a pair of knocks, including a two-bagger, to lead the Pirate attack.

Golden Jubilee squad 1925 (photo Pgh Press)

• 1940 - The Bucs fell behind Boston 5-0 in the second, then put up a six-spot of their own in the third and hung on for a 7-6 win at Forbes Field. It was a steady-as-she-goes performance, with six of the eight Pirate position players having hits with runs and/or RBI on the score sheet. Rip Sewell tossed eight innings for the win in relief; he gave up 10 hits but just two runs.
• 1941 - The New York Giants became the first team to wear headgear in a game against the Pirates at the Polo Grounds as Pittsburgh swept the doubleheader, 5-4 and 4-3. They really didn’t need the protection; no one was beaned in either contest. The Pirates made batting helmets mandatory a decade later under Branch Rickey’s direction. In the nitecap of the twin bill, Rip Sewell set a NL record with 11 assists as a pitcher.
• 1944 - The Pirates joined Brooklyn (which hosted the only other MLB game scheduled for the day) by cancelling their game against the Reds at Forbes Field in tribute to D-Day. Pirates president William Benswanger said “...merely asking the audience to rise and offer silent prayer for the Allied armies who have just invaded the enemy’s stronghold would scarcely be sufficient for such a solemn occasion.” The game was pushed back 24 hours, with the Bucs taking a 4-2 decision behind Rip Sewell’s seven hitter and Vince DiMaggio’s two-run single in the eighth. The win cemented the Pirates hold on second place, where they would finish the year with a 90-63 record, 15 games behind the St. Louis Cards. The Redbirds won the “Streetcar Series” against the St. Louis Browns.

Rip Sewell 1946-49 Sports Exchange

• 1956 - Three Bucco batters (Dale Long, Frank Thomas and Roberto Clemente) went deep in the Pirates 8-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Clemente and Thomas each had three hits and three RBI on the day while Ron Kline went the distance for the win.
• 1959 - Ron Blackburn had a good day even if his team didn’t. The reliever smacked the only longball of his MLB career off Moe Drabowsky and tossed four innings of perfect ball in an 8-2 loss to the Cubs at Forbes Field.
• 1959 - OF Doug Frobel was born in Ottawa, Ontario. He played for Pittsburgh from 1982-85. Frobel looked ready to break out after hitting .286 in limited at-bats in 1983, but couldn’t match that pace in following campaigns, ending his Bucco career with a .213 BA.

Doug Frobel 1984 Topps

• 2014 - The Pirates scored eight times in the sixth inning to hand the Milwaukee Brewers a 15-5 thumping at PNC Park, the biggest Bucco frame since 2012 when they accomplished the feat against San Diego. The 15 runs were the most scored since 2010, also against Milwaukee. The Bucs parlayed six hits and four walks into their big inning. Seven Pirates had multi hit outings, led by Russ Martin, who had three hits, four RBI and three runs scored to prime the 16 hit attack.

Little Things Add Up To Late 5-4 Loss To Halos

Given the splish-splash morning, the game started pretty much on time (and it would end up a very nice afternoon). Not much luck for Cole Train in the first. A couple of loopy singles put Halos on the corners, and Albert Pujols' sac fly made it 1-0. The Bucs evened it up off Hector Santiago. Jordy walked, Gregory singled and with two gone, the red hot Starling's flare to right made it 1-1.

It was a clean second for Cole, thx to an infield hit being overturned upon challenge. Pittsburgh opened with a Matt Joyce walk and Stew single. They were bunted up, and Jordy, in an 0-2 hole, worked another walk to juice the sacks. A Josh pop gave Santiago some hope, but he followed by losing Gregory and plunking JHK on the foot on an 0-2 pitch to plate a pair. He escaped further damage when Starling banged a bullet to center that hung up for Mike Trout. Gerrit gave up a Kole Calhoun double in the third, but put up another zero, abetted by a diving grab by Joyce. Stew turned the order over with a two out knock.

The Cole Train ran out of gas an out too soon (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Cole wasn't hurt by a walk/SB in the fourth while the Pirates went down quietly. Gerrit tossed a clean fifth. Santiago was hit for after 90 pitches, and Javy Guerra took his spot on the hill. JHK welcomed him with a single, moving up a notch on a wild pitch. A fly moved him to third. An out later, MJ was intentionally walked and it worked as Stew flew out. Cole Train cruised through the sixth, assisted by a couple of hard hit balls that didn't find grass. Cole singled and Jordy doubled him to third off Jose Alvarez to start up the Bucs. Josh knocked in one run. Gregory whiffed on a full count on a borderline call, then JHK hit into a DP on a comebacker. The Bucs apparently haven't gotten the productive out memo.

A one out infield single broke up Gerrit's streak of eight straight retired in the seventh. It cost an out later when CJ Cron drilled a low slider that caught too much plate for an RBI double (ball hit the wall but was catchable; Marte showed his inexperience in center on that play) and that was followed by another two bagger that brought in Neftali Feliz. He stopped the bleeding when Starling atoned by making a web gem, diving grab to preserve the lead. Ol' Bucco Deolis Guerra climbed the bump and struck out the side.

Tony Watson is also looking for some redemption in the eighth after yesterday's clunker, and he was tossed to the meat of the Angel order. Calhoun singled to open. Tony worked Mike Trout tight and got a pop, corralled over the shoulder nicely by Jordy. But no atonement today; he tried some high cheese on an 0-2 pitch to Pujols, and Sir Albert dropped it into the LC seats. He whiffed the next pair, but now it's 5-4 LA. Guerra got a pair of grounders, then the Angels went into full tilt boogie subbing, swapping out a couple of players and bringing on Huston Street to face Jordy, who became the third ground ball out of the frame.

Stew had a pair of knocks today (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Jared Hughes toed the rubber and surrendered a two down double that didn't hurt; a couple of well hit balls by the Halos were turned into outs (one very nicely snared by Jordy) as three of the four batters Jared faced had 100 MPH+ exit speeds on the balls they hit. Gregory walked with an out, and JHK followed with a double to left, chasing El Coffee to third. Fly ball, plz! Well, not quite yet. Figgy came in to run for Jung Ho and Starling, pretty wisely, was intentionally walked to get to S-Rod. He got a slider away on the first toss, a ball begging to be lifted to right, but he rolled over on it, and the 6-4-3 DP ended the day.

The Pirates had bases loaded with one out and first and third with no outs, and neither resulted in a run. Tony Watson couldn't get the ball down and paid for it again. The Halos had a runner on first with two outs and plate a pair thanks to a misplayed fly. A lot of little things added up to a loss that shouldn't have been, as they have during the current 7-of-9 loss streak. Pittsburgh went 2-for-12 with RISP and stranded 11; those aren't very predictive numbers, but do point out that there was sufficient opportunity to put it away.

Part of it, of course, is health and to a degree, circumstance. Stew and S-Rod are depth, but they're not Fran and JJ, who has been AWOL due a recent spate of lefties without Freeser available this series. The bullpen has been better, but while some starters are in the minor league pipeline, the FO has been curiously quiet addressing the pen, which has the third highest xFIP in baseball at 4.51, with an ERA of 4.12 (3.56/3.23 in 2015).

Tony is living dangerously at the top of the strike zone (photo J Meric/Getty)

So we'll see where they stand at the All-Star beak. They have 33 games to go, and against a very chippy schedule - Mets (home and home), Cards (seven games), Cubs (two series), Giants, Dodgers, and Mariners, with Oakland as the only soft spot (and that's an away series) and the turnaround game at Colorado. So this stretch may make or break their post season chances.

• JHK and Stew each had a pair of hits today.
• A must see: Marte's catch in the seventh. 
• This is the Pirates first loss of the year after leading after seven innings (now 27-1); they also lost only one seventh inning lead last year.
• S-Rod whiffed twice and left six runners aboard. JHK, Starling and Josh each left four runners on, though they at least picked an RBI apiece.
• Albert Pujols padded his visiting players HR lead at PNC Park when he hit his 30th bomb out of the yard.
• The Pirates offered no updates on the conditions of Cutch, Fran and Freeser.
• For those on the Jameson Taillon watch, Neil Huntington said on his Sunday radio show that JT will start at least once more for Indy; he's due on the hill 6/8.
• Deolis Guerra is the only 2015 Buc on the Angels; the Pirates have a pair of last year's Halos with Matt Joyce and David Freese.

Sunday: Gerrit Cole v Hector Santiago, Lineup (Cutch, Fran Out), Notes

Today: The close out begins at 1:35 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan. The Pirates are looking to take the series with a victory in the rubber match. Unfortunately, the weather doesn't look all that promising; maybe the gray skies are God's way of letting the Bucco bruises heal up.

Pitchers: Gerrit Cole (5-4, 2.72) meets Hector Santiago (3-3, 4.96). Cole Train has been rolling recently. Although he's given up some hits and not piled up many whiffs, he's 2-1/1.37 in his past four games. Santiago has given up 14 HR in 61-1/3 IP, with seven leaving the yard in his last three starts, which have lasted just 11-1/3 frames. Only three of his 11 outings have been quality starts, and this is from a guy who was a 2015 All-Star but has been pretty much in meltdown mode since. Caveat emptor - he can bring it on a good day, as two of his three QS have been two hit shutouts. So we'll see if Jekyll or Hyde shows up today.

Cole Train is slated to take the hill (image Positively Pittsburgh)

Lineup: Jordy SS, Josh 2B, El Coffee LF, JHK 3B, Starling CF, S-Rod 1B, Matt Joyce RF, Stew C, Cole Train P. Interesting that Cutch gets a blow against a lefty, but not surprising that Fran and Freeser are on the pine; we're not sure that David is even available for action today.

Looked up a couple of fun facts: DYK that...

• In 10 starts, Gerrit Cole has given up more than three runs in an outing just once? 
• In 26 appearances, Mark Melancon has been scored on in just four of them?
• In 51 starts, Starling Marte has gone back-to-back games without a hit just twice?
• In 49 starts, Josh Harrison has 18 multi-hit games?
• In 11 games as the lead off hitter (10 starting), Jordy is slashing .304/.360/.435 w/seven runs?
• In 18 PA against southpaws, LH Matt Joyce's line is .357/.500/.643?

6/5 Pirates Draft: Pedro, Jordy, Nate, Zach, Joey Bats, Sean, Jose...

• 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.

Steve Nicosia 1981 Donruss

• 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).
• 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.

Jose Bautista 2002 Topps

• 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 ($508K) was selected in the third round after SS Chase d’Arnaud and LHP Justin Wilson was snatched in the fifth round for $195,000, signing his deal just two days before the deadline.
• 2014 - The Pirates had four picks among the top 73 in the draft, starting at #24, and selected SS Cole Tucker ($1.8M), OF Connor Joe ($1.25M), and prep pitchers Mitch Keller($1M) & Trey Supak ($1M). Supak is already gone as part of the Jason Rogers deal with the Brewers. 

Cole Tucker 2014 (image via MLB.com)

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.

Pirates Hang On To Take See-Saw Battle 8-7

Not an inspiring opening frame. Kole Calhoun launched a drive into the batter's eye off Jeff Locke (Cutch made a great effort at the wall and just missed bringing it back) , while Jhoulys Chacin tossed a three grounder (his specialty) frame. Jeff came back with a neat second inning, while Starling opened with a double for Pittsburgh. JHK put the next pitch into the bullpen, and the Bucs had the lead. Josh legged out an infield knock, and Stew walked an out later. A bunt moved them up, but JJ couldn't bring them home.

Jeff is now 5-3 on the year (photo Denis Poroy/Getty)

Jeff gave up an opening bloop to center to Chacin in the third and moved up on a grounder. Then Locke fell behind Yunel Escobar 3-1, left him a heater down Broadway, and the ensuing double (Josh couldn't handle Marte's throw, or Yunel was DOA at second) tied the game. No diff; a deep fly to right turned into a 9-4-6 DP when Escobar inexplicably headed toward third; maybe he thought there were two outs. Still, too many fly balls given up by Jeff so far. With two gone, Starling got a center cut heater and tripled; it might have been gone if he hadn't lasered it to The Notch. Jung Ho left him there.

Albert Pujols singled with one gone in the fourth, a great grab by JHK started an around-the-horn DP to finish the frame. Josh & Jordy led off with a singles, and an out later Jeff bunted them along. JJ walked, and so did Cutch (after falling behind 0-2) for a bloodless RBI and the lead. Jeff tossed a clean fifth. JHK walked, but no damage resulted despite a couple of smoked balls that found gloves. Shane Robinson tied the match again, turning on a inside heater and sneaking it just inside the foul pole in left. After a knock, Jeff settled in and retired the Halos. Cam Bedrosian took the hill for LA. JJ walked with two away, but Cutch was rung up on pitch that wasn't close.

The Angel's opened the seventh with a single and bunt, but Jeff left the Halo at second. Fernando Salas got the call, and Gregory greeted him with a 451' crush job into the top of the Clemente Wall bleachers. Starling followed with a infield single and went to second after a rushed throw went astray. JHK lined out, but Josh brought home the insurance run with a knock to left. Jordy walked, and with two gone, Matt Joyce grabbed a bat; the Angels countered with lefty Greg Mahle. The matchup didn't work; Joyce lost a baseball in the shrubbery 439' away to make it an 8-3 game.

Tony Watson took over in the eighth and walked the first hitter on four pitches, followed by an RBI double by Escobar. Another run scoring knock followed. After an out, the Angels blooped another hit, putting Halos on the corner after Cutch couldn't handle the flare cleanly. Clint waved in Neftali Feliz. A grounder that was too weak to turn and a two bagger made it 8-7 before he mopped up.

It was J-Hay all day (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Joe Smith walked Cutch to open the Pirate half, but he was picked off on his way to second 1-3-6; the pickoff move looked a lot like a balk. Gregory was rung up on a pitch that wasn't near the zone; mama said there'd be innings like this. Starling walked and stole second, followed by JHK getting plunked without, so far as we can tell, injury. J-Hay ended a frustrating frame by drilling an at 'em ball to third. It was Shark time in the ninth and he returned some sanity to the game with a 1-2-3 frame to finally get the win in the books.

The losing streak was snapped at four, but not without drama. A big lead almost loss, umps being ornery, 10 stranded runners...but it worked out. Now for the series rubber match tomorrow.

• Starling Marte in the past two games: two singles, two doubles, triple, homer and walk.
• Josh had a day, too, going 3-for-5 with two runs and a RBI.
• Matt Joyce has hit four pinch hit homers for the Bucs with just 31 PAs as a PH. In that role, he's gotten eight hits, drawn eight walks and has 13 RBI to go with eight runs scored.
• And let's not forget JHK - in 20 starts and 77 AB, he has eight homers and 21 RBI.
• Jeff Locke has changed his style to go after hitters. He may be giving up fly balls and homers thx to the change, but he's also walked just one batter in his last 20-1/3 innings. It's also kept him in loner. In his last eight starts, he's only failed to go six innings once and gone seven or more four times.
• The game drew 31,505 to the ballyard.

Saturday: Jeff Locke v Jhoulys Chacin, Lineup (Hello, Curtis & Cory, Bye Rob & Wilfredo), Notes

Today: The middle game starts at 4:05 and will be carried by Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan. For the dapper fans amongst us, today's giveaway swag is a Pirates fedora.

Pitchers: Jeff Locke (4-3, 4.33) battles Jhoulys Chacin (1-1, 3.42). Jeff has answered the bell lately. He almost always puts together a strong stretch of starts at some point during a season, and looks like he's currently in the middle of one now. Locke has gone six innings or more in six of his last seven starts. Chacin is pitching in place of Nick Tropeano, who was scratched for undisclosed medical reasons. Jhoulys will be working his regular turn, though; he was originally slated for an extra day off and the Sunday start. He was recently acquired from the Bravos to shore up a rotation plagued by injury and features five pitches with a 53% ground ball rate. He's coming off his best performance of the year, a one run, four hit, 10 K complete game victory over Justin Verlander and the Tigers.

Jeff will try to halt the Bucco skid this afternoon (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Lineup: John Jaso 1B, Cutch CF, Gregory Polanco RF, Starling Marte LF, Jung Ho Kang 3B, Josh Harrison 2B, Jordy SS, Stew C, Locke P. Jordy's back a little sooner than expected and Fran must be getting close as Clint was debating whether he should go today (Stew is bruised up, too). Still, with Cutch, Gregory & Jordy in the ineup, that's three down and just two more (Freese & Fran) to go.

Should be interesting today, with both veterans coming off complete game gems. The Pirates sure should could use another Locke-Down performance today. They could also use some runs; the offense lately seems to have one big game per series, then fall into snooze mode. With the Mets and their young gun staff coming to PNC Monday, it would behoove the Bucs to make hay while the Halos are in town.

• Freese is definitely out as he can't grip a bat, while Jordy is back in the saddle. To make the picture a little murkier, both catchers are banged up: Fran is still recovering from a foot bruise while Stew caught a pitch on the arm last night.
• Jeff has put together a modest but personal best three game winning streak
• The Pirates have optioned Wilfredo Boscan and Rob Scahill to Indy and called up Cory Luebke and Curtis Partch. The move isn't much of a surprise, as the pen needed replenished after Frankie's short stint on the heels of a 12 inning game and Rob/Wil worked extended outings last night. Ryan Vogelsong was put on the 60-day DL to make room for Partch on the 40-man roster.
• Ryan Fagan of The Sporting News thinks the Bucs might make a move for Julio Teheran.
• SS Kevin Newman (.346/.414/.444), C Taylor Gushue (.240/5/18) and reliever Luis Heredia (3-0-3, 0.76) rep Bradenton on the Florida State League All-Star roster. Heredia is especially interesting; he was a big Latin signing and Top 100 Prospect early in his career, hit a bump, and has reinvented himself as a closer.

6/4 Draft - The Cobra, Kris Benson, Matt Capps, Kevin Young, Mark Appel

• 1970 - The Pirates selected HS pitcher John Bedard with their first pick (#13) of the draft. While Bedard never made it past A ball, the FO did OK later, picking OF Dave “The Cobra” Parker in the 15th round and C Ed Ott in the 23rd.
• 1971 - The Pirates selected SS Craig Reynolds (#22) first in the draft, followed by RHP Doug Bair (#46) in the second round. It was slim pickings that year; they were the only two selected who saw any big league time.

Craig Reynolds 1976 Topps

• 1975 - Yogi’s son Dale, a high school SS, was the Bucs first pick (#20) in the draft. They also signed RHPs Don Robinson and Ernie Camacho, the only other picks to play in the majors.
• 1980 - SS Rich Renteria (#20) was the Bucs first selection in the draft; he ended up with 186 MLB games, mostly with Seattle. OF Joe Orsulak, picked in the sixth round, had a pretty good career as a reserve OF’er, and third-round RHP Tim Burke carved out a nice career in the bullpen with Montreal and later NY.
• 1990 - The Bucs picked HS righty Kurt Miller in the first round (#5) of the draft; he went on to win 2 games in his career. Other guys they signed were 1b Kevin Young (seventh round), RHP Brian Shouse (13th round), RHP Rick White (15th round), 1B Mark Johnson (20th round; he was first selected in 1989) and C Keith Osik (24th round).
• 1996 - Clemson RHP Kris Benson was the Bucs top pick and the overall number one selection in the draft, signing for a $2M bonus. They also inked OF Tike Redman (fifth round), IF Willie Harris (28th round) and OF Rob Mackowiak (53rd round). One that got away was LHP Chris Capuano (45th round), who went to college and signed with Arizona in 1999. LHP Mike “Gonzo” Gonzalez (17th round) was also selected, but didn’t sign. The Pirates tried again and got him in the following draft.

Kris Benson 2001 Fleer Tradition

• 2002 - The Pirates selected RHP Bryan Bullington with the first overall pick of the player draft, bypassing BJ Upton, Prince Fielder, Zack Greinke, Khalil Greene, Nick Swisher, Matt Cain, Cole Hamels, David Wright and Jeff Francoeur. Bullington received a $4M signing bonus after four months of negotiations. RHP Matt Capps (seventh round) and OF Nyjer Morgan (33rd round) were also members of that draft class.
• 2012 - The Pirates had pre-draft favorite RHP Mark Appel drop in their laps at the eighth spot because of perceived signability issues. Well, those issues weren’t perceived; they were real as he and agent Scott Boras turned down the Pirates reported bonus offer of $3.8M, the biggest deal they could tender without losing a first-round draft pick the next year. Appel was the only unsigned first rounder of the draft. His pick nullified a reported pre-draft deal with OF David Dahl, who was selected tenth by the Colorado Rockies. The Pirates received a bonus pick for 2013 (which became prep OF’er Austin Meadows the following year), and used their 2012 sandwich pick (#45) to select Texas Tech OF Barrett Barnes, who signed for $1M.

6/4: Kiner Trade, Cutch Debut, Suhr's Streak, FF Under the Lights, Bell Cycle & More...

• 1908 - RHP Bob Klinger was born in Allenton, Missouri. He was a multi-roled pitcher who could start or close, and went 62-58-9 with a 3.74 ERA in Pittsburgh from 1938-43. Klinger was in the service for two years before closing out his career with the Red Sox between 1946-47.

Bob Klinger 1939 Play Ball

• 1925 - Kiki Cuyler hit for the cycle plus a walk, driving in three runs and scoring four as the Bucs rolled over the Philadelphia Phillies 16-3 at Forbes Field. Every Pirate starter, including pitcher Lee Meadows, had a hit & scored and/or drove home a run.
• 1930 - Charlie Engel, Fred Brickell and George Grantham batted 1-2-3 for the Bucs, going 8-for-13 with a homer, two doubles, a walk, three RBI and 10 runs scored to propel Pittsburgh to a 12-6 win over the Brooklyn Robins at Ebbets Field. Larry French went the distance for the victory.
• 1937 - First baseman Gus Suhr set the Pirates and then-NL record by playing in his 822nd consecutive game, going 1-for-4 in a loss to Boston at Braves Field. The streak ended when Suhr attended his mother’s funeral the next day, flying to San Francisco for the services.
• 1940 - The Pirates played their first home game under the lights at Forbes Field, beating the Boston Bees 14-2 behind Joe Bowman’s five-hitter in front of 20,310 fans. Maurice Van Robays and Frankie Gustine combined for seven RBI on FF’s opening night. 

Maurice Van Robays 1940 (photo Retro Images/Getty)

• 1943 - Up by a run in the eighth, the Bucs’ Vince DiMaggio singled and New York P Bill Sayles’ next pitch got past C Ernie Lombardi. The Giant receiver was slow chasing the ball, Sayles didn’t cover home, and DiMag kept running to score from first on the passed ball. It ended up the winning run as the Pirates held on for a 9-8 victory at Forbes Field.
• 1951 - Gus Bell hit for the cycle to lead the Pirates to a 12-4 victory over the Phillies at Shibe Park. Bell, Rocky Nelson and Wally Westlake had three RBI apiece; Nelson and Westlake also collected three hits each. Rookie Bob Friend got the win, his first in the majors, going 6-⅓ IP with help from Murry Dickson, who closed out the game after that.
• 1953 - General Manager Branch Rickey traded future Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner, the only man to lead the league in home runs for seven consecutive seasons, as a the salary dump centerpiece of a huge deal with the Cubs. (After several acrimonious contract battles, Rickey reportedly told the slugger "We finished last with you, we can finish last without you.") At least he didn’t have to travel far. The Cubs were at Forbes Field, and the trade was announced after batting practice. The players involved from Pittsburgh were Kiner, C Joe Garagiola, P Howie Pollet, and OF Catfish Metkovich, who were sent to the Cubs for C Toby Atwell, P Bob Schultz, 1B Preston Ward, 3B George Freese, OF Bob Addis, OF Gene Hermanski, and $150,000.

Ralph Kiner 1953 Topps

• 1953 - RHP Larry Demery was born in Bakersfield, California, the son of Negro League outfielder/pitcher Artist Demery. He broke into the Pirate rotation a few days after turning 21 in June of 1974. Demery was mostly a long man, going 29-23-7/3.72, though he did start 46 times. An arm injury in 1977 ended his career after a four year run with the Bucs.
• 1957 - C Tony Pena was born in Monte Christi, in the Dominican Republic. Signed in 1975 as an international FA, he spent his first seven years (1980-86) in Pittsburgh, hitting .286 and earning spots on four All-Star teams before he was traded in the 1987 preseason to the St. Louis Cards for P Mike Dunne, C Mike LaValliere and OF Andy Van Slyke. The trade caught Pena, a life-long Pirate, by surprise; he teared up at the press conference announcing the deal.
• 1967 - Roberto Clemente hit two home runs and drove in all four runs in a 4-1 Pirate victory at Dodger Stadium. Both blasts were hit off Don Drysdale, the first he surrendered this season. The last four baggers he gave up were against Clemente and Willie Stargell, who went back-to-back on him on September 15th, 1966. Bob Veale threw a five-hitter for the win, saved by ElRoy Face.

Roberto Clemente 1966 Topps

• 1968 - The Bucs were on the wrong end of a record or two during a 5-0 loss at LA. Tossing his sixth consecutive shutout‚ Don Drysdale topped Doc White's 64-year-old mark of five shutouts‚ and with 54 scoreless innings, he broke Carl Hubbell's NL string of 49 goose egg frames. In his next game, Drysdale would set the MLB mark at 58-2/3 scoreless frames.
• 1986 - Barry Bonds went 4-for-5 and hit his first MLB home run off Craig McMurtry to lead the Bucs to a 12-3 romp over Atlanta at Fulton County Stadium.
• 2009 - Andrew McCutchen made his first MLB start against the NY Mets. He singled off Mike Pelfrey in his first at bat and went 2-for-4 with a RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base in an 11-6 win at PNC Park.
• 2014 - The Pirate pitchers gave up one hit, a first inning bunt single, but still managed to lose to San Diego at Petco Park by a 3-2 count. The Padre runs came on a miscommunicated sac pop fly, an error and a bases loaded walk, one of nine that Pirate hurlers issued. Francisco Liriano took the loss, walking six batters with a HBP in his first four frames (he went six innings). The last time the Pirates threw a one-hitter and lost was July 25th, 1992 at Atlanta. The hit in that contest was a second inning homer by David Justice to give the Bravos a 1-0 victory.

Angels Bedevil Frankie, Bucs 9-2 As Skid Continues

Bad Frankie at the start - a single, walk, and single plated a run; that was followed by another walk. Sheesh! Then another knock made it 3-0. Finally, an out - and a very timely DP at that, 4-6-3. An intentional walk (after falling behind 3-1) brought up the pitcher, who K'ed; gotta love those AL hurlers at the dish. Still, three runs on 31 pitches (18 balls) does not auger well. Jered Weaver, showing an 84 MPH heater and 67 MPH curve, struck out a pair in a clean frame.

A single and error put the leadoff runner at second in the second; a fly and grounder brought him home while a two out walk was left aboard. Starling made up for his throwing error in the top half by lining the folk in the second row of the LF seats a souvenir, and JHK followed with another bomb; same spot, but with a second balcony landing, a 436' shot. S-Rod added a single and steal, but was stranded. If your child aspires to pitch, turn off the TV now before your lil' darling is scarred for life.

Frankie was rocked tonight (photo Associated Press)

After an out in the third, a Halo single and double (on an 0-2 pitch) made it 5-2. Another double, another run. The Bucs challenged the call at second, and won (don't run on Marte), stopping the carnage temporarily at 6-2. El Coffee walked with two down, but was caught stealing after an Angel challenge of the original safe call. With an out in the fourth, Kole Calhoun went deep, followed by back-to-back singles. That ended Frankie's night (wonder how long until he ends up on the DL with some discomforted body part?) and brought in Rob Scahill, who shut it down. Jung Ho doubled with an out and was stranded at third.

LA got a two out walk/stolen base combo in the fifth off Scahill, but that was it. The Bucs went down 1-2-3. Rob surrendered another two out walk in the sixth, followed by a bloop to right.That brought Wilfredo Boscan to the hill for the last out; it was a good outing for Rob, who hadn't worked longer than an inning during the campaign before tonight. Cutch and Marte singled, but an at 'em ball by JHK and a K by Josh ended the fun.

The Halos got back-to-back walks in the seventh (one was on blue for missing a third strike, the other on Wilfredo for missing the dish) and they were bunted up. A single brought them both home; score one for small ball. A wild pitch and two walks put Boscan in hot water, but he coaxed a DP ball out of Sir Albert to calm the turbulent waters. Cam Bedrosian took the ball and tucked the Bucs away.

JHK banged his seventh HR (photo Dan Kubis/Pirates)

Wil stranded a one out double, and Greg Mahle gave up a two out single to Gregory and a double to Starling, but JHK went down looking at a change up. The Angels picked up a couple more singles in the ninth but left them aboard while the Bucs went quietly in their last at bats.

Frankie has tossed five strong games for the Pirates, and four were at home. Even PNC didn't help tonight, and there's no answer other than being able to locate his fastball; his slider plays off it like love and marriage. And the Bucco bats are still too quiet; Weaver left a number of pitches hanging over the plate and largely got away with it. Tonight was Pittsburgh's sixth loss in seven games and fourth in a row; it's time to batten the hatches and right the ship.

• Starling had three hits (homer, double, single) and JHK a pair (homer, double) ; the rest of the team had three singles.
• This was the third time this year that the Bucs have gone long back-to-back.
• The Pirates walked 10 batters tonight - Frankie (4), Scahill (2), and Wilfredo (4). They also gave up 15 hits (10 off Frankie) and the Halos stranded 13 runners.
• Tonight drew 27,643 fans to the ballyard.
• Ya think your work sked is screwy? The Pirates didn't land until after 3AM from Miami, and Clint didn't even have a lineup until after 6PM.  
• Ugh. John Dreker of Pirates Prospects reported that "Arquimedes Caminero made his rehab debut w/ Indy and gave up three walks before allowing a game-tying grand slam with two outs in the 9th."