7/1 From the 40s Forward: Woody 1-Hitter; Rally Time; 21-Hits; Runaround Bucs & Game Stories

• 1940 - The Pirates scored once in the ninth to tie the game and added another in the 10th to nose past the Chicago Cubs 4-3 at Wrigley Field. Vince DiMaggio was the hitting star, going 3-for-5 with a homer, double, two RBI and two runs scored. Mace Brown, the third Buc hurler, got the win in relief after pitching scoreless ninth and 10th frames. 

Vince D 1941 (photo Ben Sakoguchi)

• 1960 - Speed kills, and the Bucs proved it to LA at Forbes Field when they raced to a 4-3, 10-inning victory in front of 27,312 fans. In the extra frame, Joe Christopher was on second with two outs and the Pirates down 3-2. Roberto Clemente rolled one to SS Maury Wills and it hung up in his webbing for just a tick, but that was enough to allow the Great One to beat the throw by a whisker. Meanwhile, Christopher kept flying around the bases and slid in just ahead of Gil Hodges toss to home to tie the game. C Johnny Roseboro jawed at ump Al Barlick, but the man in blue stuck to his call that Roseboro had missed the tag. Dick Stuart then blooped a single into short right and Frank Howard was a bit leisurely getting to the Texas Leaguer. Roberto, like Joe before him, had the pedal to the metal and the surprised Howard, seeing Clemente dashing plateward, gunned his throw up the third base line allowing Arriba to score standing up. In the clubhouse, Clemente said “My foot was sore...I didn’t want to play any more and I tried to end the game.” Mission accomplished, Roberto. Gino Cimoli drove home two runs in regulation while Fred Green earned the win in relief of Vern Law. 
• 1966 - Rookie Woodie Fryman one-hit the Mets at Shea Stadium on the way to a 12-0 win. Fryman faced the minimum 27 batters and came within a gnat’s eyelash of perfection. Ron Hunt, who led off the game with a single, was caught stealing by C Jim Pagliaroni and Fryman mowed down the next 26 NY hitters. Jose Pagan chipped in with three runs scored, four RBI and one of the Pirates’ four homers. 
• 1972 - Roberto Clemente’s seventh-inning homer helped the Bucs rally to take a 2-1 lead over the Cubs at TRS. After the Cubbies answered with a pair of their own to regain their edge 3-2, Clemente homered again in the ninth with Milt May aboard for a walk-off 4-3 win. Both homers came off Fergie Jenkins, who lost to Dave Giusti in relief of Bob Moose. 

Zane Smith 1992 Score

• 1992 - Zane Smith tossed a five-hit, complete-game gem in a 1-0 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. It was their second straight shutout of the Redbirds, the only time during the campaign that Bucco hurlers would put up consecutive zeros. Gary Varsho’s single in the fourth plated Andy Van Slyke, who had opened the frame with a double, for the game’s only tally. St. Louis’ Mark Clark was the tough-luck loser, giving up four knocks in eight frames. Back in the day when “pace of game” wasn’t a thing, the contest took just two hours and four minutes from opening pitch to the final out. 
• 1996 - During a 4-1 win over Chicago at TRS‚ RF Orlando Merced pulled off an unassisted DP‚ catching Mark Grace's liner and then beating Scott Bullett to 1B. He also started another DP, gloving a short pop and catching Doug Glanville off second with his throw to Jay Bell. Merced added a pair of hits, two RBI and a run scored to help Danny Darwin pick up the win. 
• 2006 - The Pirates and sponsoring PNC Bank took trinkets to a new level with the “Young Guns - Doumit, Duke and Duffy” (Ryan Doumit, Zach Duke, and Chris Duffy) triple bobblehead giveaway. 37,111 fans flooded PNC Park (playing the Detroit Tigers on a Saturday night may have helped the draw, too) to get theirs as the Bucs won 9-2. Jose Bautista and Sean Casey each had three hits and Matt Capps got the win in relief of Tom Gorzelanny. One bummer: manager Jim Tracy must have missed the memo as none of the “Young Guns” played. 

• 2014 - Down 2-0 in the ninth and held to two hits over eight innings by Arizona’s Wade Miley, the Bucs made up for lost time in the ninth at PNC Park. Neil Walker opened with a single to center, then pinch hitter Gregory Polanco dumped a knock to left. With an out, Starling Marte chased a pair of sliders away, then reliever Addison Reed hung one over the plate and Marte bombed it for a two-run double off the center field wall. He scooted to third when SS Nick Ahmed's throw to the plate got away, then Andrew McCutchen was walked intentionally. Ike Davis hit for Gaby Sanchez and dropped a broken bat jam shot into right to plate Marte as the Bucs rallied to take an improbable 3-2 victory. Ernesto Frieri picked up his first win as a Bucco after tossing a scoreless ninth, with his bacon being saved by Josh Harrison, who threw out a runner at home from short right field. 
• 2015 - The Pirates flexed their muscles against the Tigers at Comerica Field in a 9-3 win. The Buccos banged out 21 hits, their most since 2004, and drilled four homers. Two were by Neil Walker, and three were hit in one frame by Walker, Starling Marte and Pedro Alvarez. Every Pirate starter had a knock and seven had multi-hit nights against Detroit, led by The Pittsburgh Kid and Marte with four each while Gregory Polanco added three more. AJ Burnett coasted to his seventh victory.

Bucs Fail At Fundamentals; Rally Falls Short 4-3

Joey Lucchesi and Willy exchanged clean first frames. The Bucs drew a pair of two-out walks in the second that led to no damage. The Friars used a one-down double, single and grounder that the Pirates should have but didn't turn into a DP to score the game's opening tally. Pittsburgh drew another two-out walk in the third. Wil Myers added to the Padre lead with a two-out homer, ripping a fastball.
Freeser opened the fourth with an infield bleeder; an Eli twin-killing and AM whiff ended that quickly. SD went down quietly. Pittsburgh got a leadoff walk in the fifth followed by three bounce-outs; the Bucs haven't hit a ball out of the infield yet. Williams walked two (the eight hitter and a pinch hitter) and it hurt; a bunt moved them up and Myers' double chased them both home.

Willy's homecoming wasn't a party (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Richard Rodriguez came in to close the gate. Matt Strahm took over in the sixth. A J-Bell knock, Freeser double and Eli grounder got the Buccos on the board. Ric Rod was dented for a two-out two-bagger but no runs. Craig Stammen got the ball in the seventh and Gregory doubled to start, his ball almost but not quite snared by CF Travis Jankowski. He never moved. Tyler Glasnow picked up two K in a clean inning. Kirby Yates got the eighth and didn't break a sweat putting the Pirates away. Ty tossed another quiet frame.

Brad Hand came in for the kill in the ninth. Eli dropped a double into left to leadoff off an 0-2 slider, followed by an AM two-bagger also on an 0-2 pitch. Gregory got a two-strike fastball at the knees and banged a triple to right that withstood a tag challenge; back-to-back lefty bangs off the southpaw closer, hmmm... Jordy's fly to right wasn't deep enough for a tag. Joey O grabbed a stick and flew out foul to right. Gregory should have scored (the fielder banged into the Petco railing making the catch and then threw the ball nowhere near home), but Polanco wasn't on the bag, instead wandering down the baseline; both he and Joey Cora were asleep at the wheel. Starling got one pitch in the strike zone but still managed to fan. Pirates Pirating...

Hero and goat at the same time (image Positively Pittsburgh)

No use repeating the offense has tanked; Lucchesi was good, but the Pirates have no discipline, and they missed a million balls in the hitting zone. Add in giving up two runs by walking the 8-9 hitters, then Gregory's nap... It's kinda sad to watch games like this; a major league team should be better at the thinking game.

Notes:

• Gregory & Freeser each had two hits (El Coffee also walked twice); the team had seven raps total.
• Starling Marte batted .167 (17-for-102) in June.
• S-Rod (quad) is going to Indy to begin his rehab assignment.
• Mitch Keller didn't have a very hot debut at Indy. His line: eight runs in 2-2/3 IP, with 10 hits, two walks and three strikeouts on 70 pitches.

Bucs - Friars, Willy v Lucchesi & Notes

Today: The games starts at 10:10 and will be carried by AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. Perfect timing to carry you through to last call at the pub.

Pitchers: RHP Trevor Williams (6-5, 4.03) takes on LHP Joey Lucchesi (3-3, 3.57). Willy looks like he's getting back into his groove judging by his past two outings, and that would be some good news for a staff that has to be sharp while awaiting the offense to find some consistent thunder. He was quite meh in his only start against San Diego, allowing four runs in six innings on May 20th.  Lucchesi is making his third start since returning from a hip injury that sidelined him for over a month and is still showing some rust. His last outing was good albeit short: he tossed four innings and 70 pitches worth of shutout ball against the Rangers. It will be the 25-year-old rookie's first start against Pittsburgh.

Willy looking to let the good times roll (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Lineup: Starling Marte CF, J-Bell 1B, Josh Harrison 2B, David Freese 3B, Elias Diaz, Austin Meadows LF, Gregory Polanco RF, Jordy SS & Williams P. Another southpaw...

Notes:

• J-Clutch: Josh Harrison is hitting .439 (29-for-66) with runners on base this season and .433 (13-for-30) w/RISP.
• Not exactly cleaning up: Colin Morin has been hitting fourth for his past 13 starts and gone 11-for-44 (.250) with two home runs and four RBI. Freeser hasn't been an improvement. He's 4-for-22 (.182) with one RBI and no extra base hits from the cleanup spot.
• Bad trend: Corey D is hitting .263 in June after batting .307 in May and .323 in April/March.

6/30 Games: Forbes Field Opens; Stu & Smoky Explode; Drabek & Leiber Gems; 8-Hole; 8-Run Frame

• 1909 - A SRO crowd of 30,338 was on hand, to date the largest gathering to ever watch a baseball game, as the Pirates fell to the Chicago Cubs, 3-2, in the debut of Forbes Field. Ed Reulbach tossed a three-hitter to top Vic Willis. Mayor William Magee threw out the first ball. He was in the second tier and lobbed the ball to John M. Morin, Director of Public Safety, on the field below. Morin then went to the mound and threw the first pitch to open the festivities. The ball yard was one of the nation's first made completely of concrete and steel, featuring public phones, separate ladies room, ramps rather than stairs and even included a visitor’s clubhouse. FF’s firsts: the first radio broadcast in 1921, the first fan elevator installed in 1938, the first field tarps, the first pads to cushion the outfield wall in the forties and the first All-Star (1944) game played at night. It had a print shop (Banker’s Lithographing) in its interior and in the twenties, the space under the LF bleachers was used for car sales and repairs! It wasn’t exactly embraced at the beginning; it was often called "Dreyfuss' Folly" in its early years. Some folly; the yard was the Pirates’ home for 61 seasons. 

• 1960 - Dick Stuart bombed three consecutive HRs to key an 11-6 win as the Pirates split a DH with the second place Giants at Forbes Field. Stuart had seven RBI in the nitecap and joined Ralph Kiner as the second Pirate to hit three homers in a game at Forbes Field. Joe Gibbon worked 7-⅔ innings, giving up six hits and a run after Vinegar Bend Mizell was chased by the G-Men in the second frame. The Bucs were flattened in the opener, losing by an 11-0 count. 
• 1962 - The Pirates clobbered the Cards 17-7 at Busch Stadium. Smoky Burgess had two homers and a double, good for seven RBI. Roberto Clemente had a hot stick, too, going 4-for-5 with a homer, double and five runs driven in. Dick Groat, Bob Skinner and Dick Stuart added three knocks apiece as the Pirates drilled 22 hits against St. Louis. 
• 1992 - Pittsburgh eked out a 2-0 win v St. Louis at Busch Stadium. Doug Drabek was the man, tossing a three-hit, complete-game whitewash with nine strikeouts. It was the third time that Drabek went the distance on the way to a career-high 10 CGs during the season. The Bucs scored both runs in the sixth off Rheal Cormier when Cecil Espy and Chico Lind’s back-to-back singles plated Lloyd McClendon and Don Slaught. 

Jon Lieber 1997 Circa Rage

• 1997 - Jon Lieber tossed a five-hit, ten K, complete game 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox at TRS, backed by homers from Kevin Young and Dale Sveum. But the most memorable part of the afternoon was Lieber’s dominance of Albert Belle, whom he whiffed four times. The 28,070 fans loved it; Belle was in the first year of an $11M contract, while the “Freak Show” Pirates had a $9M payroll for the entire team. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette headline for Bob Smizik’s game story was “Pirates Clang Belle.” Lieber also held Frank Thomas, who was making a mere $7.15M, 0-for-2, though the Big Hurt did draw a walk and had a sac fly for Chi-town’s only RBI. 
• 1999 - The Bucs rode an eight-run fourth frame to a 9-1 win over the Phillies at TRS. Brian Giles had a three-run homer, Al Martin had a three-run bases-clearing double and Brant Brown doubled in another pair as the Bucs banged out six hits to go with three walks in their big frame. Jason Schmidt cruised to victory, with ninth inning help from Brad Clontz. 
• 2008 - The Pirates penciled a pitcher in the eight-hole for the first time in over 50 years when John Russell had Paul Maholm (.161) bat ahead of Jack Wilson (.312). Didn’t work as the Bucs went down 4-3 to the Reds at GABP after Matt Capps gave up a two-run homer in the ninth to Junior. Maholm went 0-for-3; Wilson 1-for-3. 

Vin Mazzaro 2013 Quarry

• 2013 - The Pirates won their ninth straight game, 2-1, in 14 innings over the Brewers at PNC Park. The game was delayed in the second inning for nearly 2-1/2 hours, and the bullpens took over with Milwaukee ahead 1-0. Andrew McCutchen tied the game in the eighth when his two-out knock drove in Starling Marte. The Pirates left the bases loaded in the 13th to miss a golden chance, but  in the following go-around, Russell Martin, the last position player remaining, singled home Gaby Sanchez, who had an infield knock and stolen base to open the frame, with the game winner. Tony Watson got the win after three scoreless innings. He followed five other Pirate relievers, and the ensemble tossed 12 innings of two-hit, shutout ball without issuing a walk, led by Vin Mazzaro’s perfect five-inning stint (it was the first Bucco five IP+ bullpen perfecto since Elmer Ponder did it in 1919). It was the first time in franchise history that the bullpen put up that many consecutive zeros in one game.

6/30 Happenings: Callahan Canned; Ouch; Barney Stone; McWilliams Deal; Fans For Change; Hanny Trade; Cutch PoM

• 1917 - Pirates skipper Jimmy Callahan was fired after the club staggered to a 20-40 start, and Honus Wagner took over as player-manager. The Wagner-led Bucs won 5-4 win over the Reds‚ with the Dutchman banging a two-run double. Wilbur Cooper went the distance for the win at Forbes Field. Wagner resigned after a five-game stint at the helm; he much preferred playing to filling out lineup cards, and business manager Hugo Bezdek took the reins. 

Glenn Wright (Harwell Collection/Detroit Public Library)

• 1927 - Sometimes ya just can’t win: Per BR Bullpen, SS Glenn Wright, sent home from St. Louis after being beaned batting against the Cards, was slightly injured when the train he was riding wrecked in Ohio. “Buckshot” lost two weeks to the twin traumas, not returning to the lineup until July 14th. Lee Meadows, who accompanied Wright on the trip home, escaped shaken but unscathed. 
• 1934 - A small stone monument dedicated to Barney Dreyfuss was unveiled outside Forbes Field’s RF gates, leading to Schenley Park, on the 25th anniversary of the ballyard. The monument was later displayed in TRS and it’s now located at PNC Park, on the concourse behind home plate. The ceremony didn’t help the Bucs, who were 4-2 losers to the Cubs. 
• 1982 - The Atlanta Braves traded LHP Larry McWilliams to the Pirates for RHP Pascual Perez and minor leaguer Carlos Rios. Both pitchers were solid starters for a spell (each won 33 games during his next three years) in an even up deal. 
• 2007 - To protest the team’s small payroll and general ineptitude, a group called “Fans for Change” staged a walkout at PNC Park. Estimates ranged from a few hundred to a few thousand of the 26,959 on hand who strolled out of the park after the third inning. They picked a bad day for it, as the Bucs beat the Nats 7-2 behind Tom Gorzelanny, who was supported by a three-run homer by Adam LaRoche. Though the sentiment was widespread, the boycott had little effect. 

Joel Hanrahan 2009 Topps Heritage

• 2009 - The Bucs traded LF Nyjer Morgan and LHP Sean Burnett to the Washington Nationals for RHP Joel Hanrahan and OF Lastings Milledge in a change-of-scenery swap. Hanrahan would become the major piece, eventually taking over as the Pirate closer. They also completed a minor deal the same day, shipping utilityman Eric Hinske to the Yankees for minor leaguers Eric Fryer and Casey Erickson. 
• 2017 - The Bucs were bombed by the Giants 13-5 at PNC Park to complete a SF sweep, but the G-Men couldn’t slow down Andrew McCutchen. He went 2-for-2 with a walk to close out a red-hot month. He slashed .411/.505/.689 with six homers, 23 RBI and 22 runs scored, taking the Player-of-the-Month Award for a franchise record fifth time.

6/30: Birthdays: HBD Jovo, Tin Can, Delwyn, Dave, Chan Ho, Drew, Cole, Don, Davy & Hal

• 1880 - OF Davy Jones was born in Manikota, Minnesota. After a 13-year career in the show, the 34-year-old Jones spent his last two campaigns (1914-15) with the Pittsburgh Rebels, where he hit .279 before an ankle injury led to his release. Jones had spent most of his MLB time fighting for a third outfield spot in Detroit between Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford, and saw considerable time as the leadoff hitter, scoring at a good pace with those two Hall-of-Fame bats behind him. He even homered in the 1909 Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. That he ended up with the Rebels was no surprise. Per SABR, “During his first years in the pros he jumped so many contracts that the press nicknamed him ‘The Kangaroo.’"

Johnny Miljus 1927 (Harwell Collection/Detroit Public Library)

• 1895 - RHP Johnny Miljus was born in Lawrenceville and went to Pitt, where he was a football and baseball star. Known as “Jovo” (short for Jovan, or John in Serbian) and “The Big Serb” (a nickname bestowed on him by Babe Ruth, per baseball lore), he got his start with an inning for the Pittsburgh Rebels of the Federal League in 1915, and later worked for the Bucs from 1927-28 (he fought in WW1 and was wounded in action, delaying his career), going 13-10-1 with a 3.53 ERA. He was multi-role hurler, and did everything from start to close. He’s best remembered for his wild pitch that allowed the Yankees to sweep the 1927 Series. Jovo struck out Lou Gehrig and Bob Meusel in the ninth of that game and got two strikes on Tony Lazzeri. But he muscled up on the next pitch (some say it was a spitter, tho Johnny never 'fessed up) and it got past C Johnny Gooch, allowing Earle Combs to score the winning run. Johnny was thought to be the first Serbian to play MLB. 
• 1902 - RHP Hal Smith was born in Creston, Iowa. Smith broke into the big leagues as a 30 year old, and spent his four year career (1932-35) as a Buc, although most of his twirling in the first and last year was done for the AA Kansas City Blues. He went 12-11-1 with a 3.77 ERA as a Pirate with his time split between starting and the bullpen. Hal played for the Blues again in 1936, then hung ‘em up. 
• 1909 - LHP Harry “Tincan” Kincannon was born in parts unknown. He pitched for the Pittsburgh Crawfords from 1930-36, being one of just three players to transition from the original independent club to the Negro National League. The curve-ball specialist made one All-Star appearance for the Crawfords before he was traded to the NY Black Yankees. He finished his career after the 1939 campaign. 

Dave Roberts 1966 Topps

• 1933 - 1B/OF Dave Roberts was born in Panama City, Panama. After a couple of years playing off the Colt .45’s (Astros) bench, Roberts spent a year on the farm and joined the Bucs in 1966 via the Rule 5 draft, going 2-for-16 in his last MLB shot while spending most of the campaign at AAA Columbus. Afterwards, he put in eight seasons in Japan (1967-74) 
• 1931 - LHP Don Gross was born in Weidman, Michigan. Gross pitched from the pen for the Bucs from 1958-60, going 6-8 with a 3.82 ERA. The Pirates made one of their “whatever was I thinking” deals when they got him from the Reds; they sent RHP Bob Purkey to Cincinnati, who won in double figures for eight seasons and made three All-Star teams. 
• 1973 - RHP Chan Ho Park was born in Kong Ju City, South Korea. He finished his 17-year MLB career in Pittsburgh in 2010 after being claimed off waivers from the Yankees, making 26 appearances and slashing 2-2/3.49. He tossed for two more years in Korea afterwards before retiring to focus on various children charities on behalf of his Chan Ho Park Dream Foundation. 
• 1982 - UT Delwyn Young Jr. was born in Los Angeles. A touted minor-league prospect, Delwyn was an AAA All-Star and played for Team USA, but the Dodgers outfield was loaded and he Young was sent to Pittsburgh for Eric Krebs & Harvey Garcia. He was the starting 2B for a spell, replacing the traded Freddy Sanchez. Delwyn began on fire but faded during the dog days, relegating him to a utility role in 2010. His bat slipped - he hit .238 following a .266 season - and he left at the end of the year as a free agent. Young had a couple of bites, but never caught on in the majors again. 

Delwyn Young 2010 Topps

• 1983 - UT Drew Sutton was born in El Dorado, Arkansas. Drew had a dizzy but brief Bucco stay. The Pirates purchased Sutton from the Braves on May 20th, 2012. Then Tampa Bay purchased Drew from the Bucs on the next day; the Pirates had let him go as a professional courtesy because the Rays were going to add him to their MLB roster. 18 games and a month later, Sutton was DFA’ed by Tampa and claimed by Pittsburgh. He became the stuff of local folklore when Drew hit his first career walk-off home run into PNC’s batter’s eye off the Astro’s Wesley Wright to give the Pirates a come-from-ahead win after a blown save by Joel Hanrahan. The victory gave the Pirates a share of first place. Drew left as a free agent after the year, spent one more season as a 30-year-old at AAA Pawtucket for Boston and then retired. 
• 1987 - IF Cole Figueroa was born in Tallahassee, Florida. He made three brief stops in the show between 2014-16 with his last hurrah in Pittsburgh. He got into 23 games in 2016, batting .154. He read the writing on the wall; he’s now with the Tampa Bay Rays, working in Baseball Research & Development and putting his Sports Management degree from Florida (he was selected to the All-SEC Academic Team) to good use.

Bucs Jump Out Early To Take A 6-3 Win v San Diego

J-Bell and J-Hay banged back-to-singles with an out, and a passed ball brought home a run against Eric Lauer, though the Bucs left Josh on third with one out. SD went 1-2-3 against Joe Musgrove with a very sweet play by Harrison. In the second, the Pirates got a bunt single from El Coffee, who advanced 90' on a balk, but couldn't move him around. The Friars got a leadoff knock from Wil Myers, who stole second and went to third on a bunt A two-out walk left runners on the corners and a whiff left them there. Starling opened the third with a rap and came all the way around on a J-Bell two-bagger, a huge hopper into left. J-Hay's single put Bucs at first and third. Freeser K'ed and Eli's hopper to short looked like it might 6-4-3 the inning, but a Friar throwaway saved the day, sending home a run. With two outs and an 0-2 count, Gregory battled until he got one he liked, doubling home two more runs tho getting tossed out trying for three.

J-Grove had a happy homecoming (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

A walk and two-out single again left Padres on the edges and again they stayed put. Jordy opened the fourth with a dinger to straightaway center after SD skipper Andy Green had been given the heave-ho by plate ump Angel Hernandez between innings for reasons unkown. J-Grove added a bloop bingle before Lauer settled down. Joe tossed a clean frame. The Pirates went down without a peep in the fifth; the Friars got an infield hit for their efforts. Kazuhisa Makita did the honors in the sixth. Jordy singled with an out and was bunted up, but Starling swung through a change to leave him at second. The Padres started with another infield knock and an out later, another rap put a pair aboard. J-Grove helped himself with some hustle, covering third on a ball Freeser knocked down to get a force, and a whiff put it to bed.

There was no Pirates action in the seventh. SD threatened with consecutive hits to open the frame, but a pop up and around-the-horn DP kept the zeros coming. Robert Stock took the ball in the eighth and bopped Eli, who got to second after a roller but no further. Steven Brault came in and was greeted by back-to-back raps; a wild pitch moved them up. A grounder scored one and Kyle Crick took over; he gave up a knock for a second run before closing the gate. Jose Castillo worked the ninth and Joey O opened with a triple, tho upon a SD challenge, it was downgraded to a double/tag-out at third, and the rest of the frame played out quietly. Edgar Santana was waved in, and was dented for a run after a leadoff double and one-out rap, bringing in Felipe Vazquez to face Eric Hosmer. He K'd him and then Myers to claim the save and RTJR.

J-Bell has thrived since being moved out of cleanup (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

It wasn't a real clean win as the Friars had 12 hits and stranded 10, but a win it was. Three out of four is a good start to any road trip and sure beats what the Bucs have been doing over the past few weeks.

Notes:

• Four Pirates had a pair of hits: J-Bell, J-Hay, El Coffee and Jordy.
• It's good to see Felipe back to using his whole toolkit - he got his K's on a slider and changeup.
• You can tell Angel Hernandez was behind the plate - the teams combined for 16 whiffs and just two walks.
• At the halfway point of their season, the Bucs are 39-42.

Pirates Open Against the Padres at Petco, J-Grove v Lauer & Notes - Kuhl to DL, Mad Max Back

Today: The first pitch is due at 10:10 with the game on AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan. The Padres won three of the four games played at PNC Park earlier in June.

Pitchers: RHP Joe Musgrove (2-3, 4.59 ERA) vs. LHP Eric Lauer (3-4, 5.05).. After a promising start, J-Grove is 0-3 in June, having given up 11 runs in 8-1/3 innings in his last two starts, so we're still trying to figure out his Bucco destiny. He was 4-8/6.12 in 15 starts for the Astros before being moved to the pen (where he excelled, slashing 3-0/1.44 in 23 outings) in 2017, so he's got to pick it up some unless he wants history to repeat. This will be Joe's first look at San Diego.  Lauer has gone 2-1/2.28 in June, so he's starting to turn it around. The Bucs scored four times on six hits in 4-2/3 IP against him in May in the 23-year-old's only career appearance against the Buccos.

J-Grove on the hill tonight (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Lineup: Starling Marte CF, Josh Bell 1B, Josh Harrison 2B, David Freese 3B, Elias Diaz C, Corey Dickerson LF, Gregory Polanco RF, Jordy SS & Musgrove P. Back-to-back lefties, soooo...

Notes:

• The Pirates placed Chad Kuhl on the 10-day DL with a right forearm strain (retro to June 27th) and have recalled Max Moroff from AAA Indy. Mad Max hit .216 with two homers and six RBI in 16 games in his earlier April-May stint.

Max is back in town (photo Joe Guzy/Pirates)

• Well, make up your mind - After going 3-for-28 in 11 games between June 3-16, Gregory Polanco is hitting .458 with a .590 OBP in his last 10 games.
• This is a homecoming for three Bucco hurlers - Joe Musgrove, Steven Brault and Trevor Williams are all from the area. J-Grove and Willy are slated to start during the trip home and Steven has a good chance to get a call from the pen, so the families should get to see their boys in action.
• Despite some local ties, SD hasn't been our kind of town. Pittsburgh was 1-2 in San Diego last year and haven't won a series here since 2014. Since the ballpark opened in 2004, the Pirates have gone 18-27 at Petco Park.
• Mark Feinsand of MLB.com thinks Ivan Nova is boosting his stock as a trade piece for the Bucs. 
• The Pirates average 17,138 fans per game at PNC Park, the fourth-lowest home attendance in MLB and their lowest per-game average since 1996 at TRS. The average gate in 2017 was 23,696.
• Altoona's 1B Will Craig, 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes, LHP Taylor Hearn (starter) and LHP Sean Keselica (reliever) were named to the Eastern League All-Star Game.
• Long-ago Bucco Steve Pearce was dealt to the Red Sox. He's now played with every team in the AL East.

6/29 Games: Expo Park Swan Song; Bye-Bye Ball; Wee Tommy, Howie, Max, Ralph, Pops, Kendall, Stairs, Steady Freddy Get Game Balls

• 1907 - The Pirates edged the Cubs 2-1 at West Side Park when CF Tommy Leach threw out Chicago’s Harry Steinfeldt at the plate in the ninth inning. Per the Pittsburgh Press: “...the wee outfielder (Leach)...was as active as a cat all afternoon. Tommie grabbed the bounding sphere and hurled it to catcher (George) Gibson at the plate. It was a perfect throw and had ‘Steiny’ beaten by 20 feet.” Deacon Phillippe was the winner over Ed Reulbach‚ who had a 17-game winning streak snapped. 

Tommy Leach 1911 Gold Border

• 1909 - The Pirates won the final game they played at Exposition Park by an 8–1 count from the Chicago Cubs in front of 5,543 people, moving on to Oakland and Forbes Field the next day. George Gibson banged the final big league hit in the ballpark and Lefty Leifield earned the win over Three Finger Mordecai Brown. Lefty ended the game dramatically, striking out Jim Archer. Tommy Leach and Dots Miller, with four RBI, each collected three hits, and three other Bucs had a pair of knocks. The Park was ushered out in appropriate style - “Commodore” Charles Zieg played Taps after the game concluded. 
• 1915 - The Bucs and Cards split a doubleheader at Robison Field in less than ideal conditions. It may shock today’s groundskeepers, but the St. Louis crew used 300 gallons of gas to “bake” the infield after rain had turned it to mush. Doc Johnson of the Redbirds and the Buccos Hans Wagner both suffered minor leg injuries (they returned the next day) on the torched surface. Left fielder Max Carey, who had three assists in the two games, collected one with an assist from the hitter: the Cards LF Cozy Dolan's drive hit his own glove in the grass behind third base (it was common practice to leave your glove on the field between innings). Carey took advantage of the hop and threw Dolan out at second. Pittsburgh won the opener, 8-6, by scoring four ninth-inning runs. They were led by Hans Wagner and Carey with two hits RBI each; Babe Adams pitched the last two frames for the win. The Cards took the nitecap, 6-4, holding off the Pirates after jumping out to an early 6-0 lead. 
• 1949 - Ralph Kiner had a feature article in the running in the current Saturday Evening Post and celebrated by driving in five runs with a grand slam (the fourth of his four-year career) and a double to lead the Bucs to a 7-3 win over the Reds at Forbes Field. Johnny Hopp led the hit parade with three knocks while Kiner, Pete Castiglione and Dino Restelli had a pair of raps. Vic Lombardi was given a six-run lead after two innings and coasted to the win, with a three-run dinger surrendered to Virg Stallcup his only major miscue. Kiner’s homer was his 19th of the year, tying him with Ted Williams for the MLB lead, but Ralph would run away with the title with 54 long flies, the still-standing Bucco record. 

1949 was a very good year for Ralph...(Eureka Sports Stamps)

• 1952 - The Bucs stopped the Cards 2-1 at Forbes Field behind Howie Pollet. The game went just five frames as a thunderstorm rained out the remainder. The rain also pulled the plug on local son (he was from Donora) Stan Musial’s 24-game hitting streak; he walked and lined out in his only two at-bats before the weather turned soggy. 
• 1977 - Pops Stargell became the first Pirates player to hit 400 career home runs when he connected in the fifth frame off Eric Rasmussen in a 9-1 win at Busch Stadium. Bill Robinson had a four-bagger and double while Phil Garner added a long ball against the Cards. Bruce Kison and Goose Gossage combined for a seven-hitter. Captain Willie finished his career with 475 bombs, far and away the most by a Bucco - Ralph Kiner is second with 301. 
• 2000 - Jason Kendall put on a show with two hits, including a homer, walk, two stolen bases, three RBI and two runs as the Bucs outlasted the Cubs 5-4 in 10 innings at TRS. He capped the game with a walk-off single to bring home Mike Benjamin for the extra-inning win.Marc Wilkins, the fourth Pirates pitcher,got the win in a game started by Jose Silva. 
• 2003 - Matt Stairs drove in four runs with a homer and double while Jason Kendall added four knocks to lead the Bucs to a 9-0 whipping of the Rockies at PNC Park. Jeff Suppan pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout for the win. 

Steady Freddy 2007 Topps Hobby Masters

• 2006 - The Pirates edged the White Sox at PNC Park 7-6, ending a club-record 13-game losing streak. Freddy Sanchez was the hero with four hits, including a walk-off ninth inning homer. He had help from the Joses - Bautista, Castillo and Hernandez had two hits - and Jack Wilson, who also rapped out a pair knocks. Mike Gonzalez got the win after Roberto Hernandez blew an eighth-inning lead. 
• 2012 - The Pirates pounded four homers on the way to a 14-5 win at Busch Stadium. Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones, Clint Barmes and Alex Presley all went yard. Cutch had a 4-for-5 day with four runs and three RBI; Alvarez added four RBI. Kevin Correia went five frames for the win; Brad Lincoln and Chris Resop covered the final four innings. It was an early leg of a 24-of-35 winning streak that put them 16 games above .500 in early August, though a dog-day’s free fall left them at just 79 wins at season’s end.

6/29 Happenings: Ollie Boot; Arriba Dedication; HBD Rock, Tony, Patsy, Heinie & Whitey

• 1867 - IF Henry “Heinie” Reitz was born in Chicago. Heinie had established himself as a dependable .290 hitter over his first five years and the Pirates sent three players to Washington to get him. Father Time won this deal. The 32-year-old Reitz played just 35 games for the Bucs, hitting a career low of .262 and was traded to Milwaukee of the American Association for Harry Smith, who spent six years with the Bucs as a back-up catcher. Heinie never played major league ball again after the deal and became a sad but historic footnote in baseball history when he died in 1914 at age 47, the first major league player to meet his Maker as the result of a car accident. 

Patsy Flaherty 1904 (photo Chicago History Museum/Getty)

• 1876 - LHP Patsy Flaherty was born in Mansfield (now Carnegie). The Flaherty and Wagner families were neighbors and Patsy & Hans were lifelong friends. Flaherty was a “quick-pitch” stylist and master of the pickoff (between pitching as soon as he got the ball back from the catcher and his deceptive pickoff move, it’s been said that he struck out at least two batters who swung at throws to first!) who was recommended to the Pirates twice by his homie Hans. He pitched for the Bucs in 1900 and then again from 1904-05. He went 29-19-1 in that span. When he retired after nine years of major league ball with a dead arm, he coached, managed and scouted for various clubs until 1940. 
• 1910 - Burgess “Whitey” Whitehead was born in Tarboro, North Carolina. A good glove, erratic hitting infielder, Whitey put in eight years with the Cards and Giants, winning a World Series, three NL pennants and an All-Star selection. After missing three seasons while in the military, he returned in 1946 for a last hurrah with the Pirates, hitting .220 at age 36 and then retiring after two more years in the minors. Whitehead was elected into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1981 and was the last surviving member of the Gas House Gang when he died in 1993 at the age of 83. 
• 1967 - John Wehner was born in Carrick. The Rock was drafted out of Indiana University by the Pirates in the seventh round of the 1988 draft and the infielder spent nine seasons (1991-96, 1999-2001) with the Bucs as a utilityman, hitting .250. On October 1st, 2000, Wehner hit the final home run smacked at TRS. He played every position except pitcher during his career. John shares the major league record of 99 consecutive errorless games at third base with Jeff Cirillo and has a 1997 World Series ring won with the Florida Marlins under Jim Leyland. After a couple of years as a Bucco hitting coach at Altoona, he became an analyst on the Pirates’ TV team. 

Tony McKnight 2002 Fleer Tradition

• 1977 - RHP Tony McKnight was born in Texarkana, Arkansas. Tony was a big righty who was a first round draft pick and pitched modestly well for Houston (5-1, 3.91 in nine starts) in limited work. The Pirates took a dice roll on the 24-year-old by swinging a deadline deal that sent reliever Mike Williams to the ‘Stros for him. They rolled snake eyes; Tony went 2-6/5.19 in 12 starts with a 1.572 WHIP, then spent two years in the minors before moving on. He’s now a coach at Texas A&M at Texarkana. 
• 2005 - LHP Ollie Perez was placed on the DL with a broken toe. He kicked a laundry cart in frustration after being pulled from a game in St. Louis on the 26th (an eventual 10-inning, 5-4 Pirate win) and was out of action for 10 weeks. 
• 2013 - A life-size statue of Roberto Clemente was unveiled at the 25-acre Roberto Clemente State Park along the Harlem River in the Bronx. The likeness, sculpted by Maritza Hernandez, was the first in New York to honor a person of Puerto Rican heritage, according to the park's director.