7/3 From the 60s Forward: Bo Goes Both Ways; Drew Day; Locked In; Six HRs; Willie's Launch; Cover Boys; HBD Moises & Eddie,

• 1966 - OF Moises Alou was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Alou was the second overall pick of the 1986 draft by the Pirates and a good one, although his Pirate career consisted of just five at-bats in 1990. Moise was the PTBNL in the Zane Smith deal with Montreal later that season; Smith helped the Pirates win the pennant while Alou went on to a sterling MLB career. He played for 17 seasons with a BA of .303, 2,134 hits, 332 home runs, 1,287 RBI and six All-Star berths. Alou holds the record for stringing together a 30-game hitting streak for the Mets in 2007, the longest for a 40-year-old player in MLB history. Moises, a member of the storied Alou baseball family, also got to play under his dad, Felipe, who managed from 1992-96 with the Expos. 

Moises Alou 1990 Score Rookie

• 1967 - Willie Stargell’s estimated 500’ home run (it landed in the little league field behind the LC wall, which is still there today) helped the Pirates to a 5-2 win over Don Drysdale and the LA Dodgers at Forbes Field. Pops had two round trippers and three hits, Bill Mazeroski added a pair of knocks and three RBI and Gene Alley doubled twice. Tommie Sisk went the distance for the win, spinning a five hitter. 
• 1967 - Roberto Clemente was featured as the cover story of Sports Illustrated in an article titled “The Big Hitters Are Back.” Pretty good choice - The Great One had 209 hits and a league-leading .357 BA, with 23 HR, 110 RBI, 103 RS and an OPS of .954.  
• 1970 - The Bucs bashed six homers to outlast the Cubs 16-14 at Wrigley Field. Roberto Clemente and Gene Alley each had a pair of bombs and four RBI each, while Al Oliver and Bill Mazeroski also went yard. The two clubs banged out 40 hits and went through a dozen pitchers before Dave Giusti struck out Ron Santo to end it with the tying runs aboard for Chicago. Needless to say, the wind was blowing out in Chicago at 15 MPH. The Cubs added a pair of long flies and five doubles during the souvenir hunters happy hour. 
• 1972 - Steve Blass was featured as the cover story of Sports Illustrated in an article titled “League Leader.” Steverino had a great season, making the All-Star team and going 19-8 with a 2.49 ERA, but would be struck down by the "Blass disease" the following year. 

Eddie Volquez 2014 Topps

• 1983 - RHP Edinson Volquez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Eddie had a rebound season with the Buccos in 2014, going going 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA after signing a one year/$5M contract. As a free agent after the season, he landed a two-year deal with the Royals worth $20M, then moved to the Marlins and later, the Rangers on a minor-league deal.
• 1987 - Bobby Bonilla became the first Pirate to homer from both sides of the plate in a 6-0 win against Los Angeles at TRS, collecting five RBI. Rick Reuschel tossed a five-hit shutout for the victory. 
• 2012 - Journeyman Drew Sutton was the hero of the day. He hit a walk-off homer, his first long ball since 2010 and one of his three knocks on the day, off Wesley Wright’s hung slider to give the Bucs an 8-7 win over the Astros at PNC Park. Pittsburgh battled back from a sixth inning 6-2 deficit against their favorite whipping boys to take a late lead and earn the win for Joel Hanrahan, who had blown the save in the ninth when he gave up a two-out double to Jason Castro. The victory moved the Pirates into a tie for first in the NL Central. As for Drew, he went 3-for-4 and lifted his BA to .360. 

Drew Sutton (photo Jason Alter/Getty)

• 2013 - Jeff Locke won his eighth straight decision by a 6-5 score over the Phils at PNC Park. Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-3 with two walks while Pedro Alvarez hit a three-run homer in support. Locke put together his streak over 16 starts (the Pirates were 1-7 in the games he started w/o a decision) and lowered his ERA from 4.09 to 2.12 during his streak before losing his next outing to Oakland 2-1.

Dodgers Destroy Pirates 17-1

Alex Wood was bitten by a one-out error, but quickly recovered when Gregory's bullet to first was gloved and turned into a DP. LA also was gifted with a one-out boot; J-Hay made a great snatch & flip, then Kingham whiffed on the catch, allowing the runner to reach second. A balk moved him along and a swinging bunt single scored the run. Another knock put Dodgers on the corners; Eli threw the ball back to the King between pitches and Nick didn't catch that, either, allowing another run in. A walk and a whiff ended the frame. Eli got one back by leading off the second with a bullet homer to center. Corey D had a two-out rap, but was caught trying to advance on a ball in the dirt. LA got an infield knock from the pitcher but no other safeties. The Bucs went quietly in the third; LA added on when Cody Bellinger homered. A couple of walks after a double led to another score on a grounder. The Bucs went down in order in the fourth, and then it got downright ugly.

At least someone had a good day as Corey D collected three hits
(image AT&T SportsNet)

Back-to-back homers and a double got Kingham yanked for Tanner Anderson. He'll remember his debut, giving up three more runs on four hits to make it 10-1. Pittsburgh got two singles in the fifth and Tanner got tanned some more to the tune of three runs on four hits (one that he deflected) and two walks. Nada for the Corsairs but another DP in the sixth and Steven Brault got the dirty duty. He gave up everything from an infield hit to a Matt Kemp big fly and four more runs were on the board. Caleb Ferguson got the seventh inning call and stranded Bucs at second and third. LA went down quietly; poor things must be worn out. J-Bell singled in the eighth. He took himself out by oversliding second after a short wild pitch on a play successfully challenged by the Dodgers, so add another zero to the collection. Edgar Santana took the hill and struck out the side. Caleb put an end to it with a 1-2-3 ninth.

We stayed up til 1:30 for this? Good thing Primanti's is open.

Notes:

• The Pirates had nine hits. Corey D (3) and Jordy (2) had five of the knocks from the 7-8 holes.
• The Dodgers were the first team in MLB this season to have 20 hits in the first six innings of a game per ESPN Stats. They also had their season high in runs (17) and hits (21) by then, but ran out of gas trying to add on.
• Roberto Clemente III, Roberto's grandson, entered the world Sunday.  Congrats to Junior and Kailee.

Off to La-La Land, Kingham v Wood & Notes - Osuna to AAA, Romero DFA'ed, Shook Up Lineup

Today: Yah, more late night Buc'ing with a 10:10 start. The game will be on AT&T SportsNet and 93.7 The Fan.

Pitchers: RHP Nick Kingham (2-3, 3.82) opens against LHP Alex Wood (4-5, 4.00). Good thing the King doesn't suffer from motion sickness; he's been between Indy and Pittsburgh so often they've named the red eye flight after him. Nick has mostly pitched just OK with a couple of strong outings sprinkled in, but he's never gotten more than three consecutive starts (he'll be making his seventh) so it's been tough to build an MLB foundation. To boot, the Bucs were shutout in his last two outings. He's never faced the Dodgers. Wood's slash is skewed by three bad outings, but he's found a groove recently as his last three starts have all been solid. Wood hasn't faced the Bucs this year but has a strong resume against them - in eight career games (seven starts) his line is 2-2/2.86.

The King claims the hill tonight (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Lineup: Austin Meadows CF, Josh Harrison 2B, Gregory Polanco RF, Elias Diaz C, Colin Moran 3B, David Freese 1B, Corey Dickerson LF, Jordy SS & Kingham P. Geez, a lefty and Red Beard is playing (along with three other LH; Starling is down for some swing work), with quite a bit of order-shifting today.

Notes:

• Jose Osuna has been optioned to open a slot for Nick Kingham; the Bucs will go with a short bench, though Joey O could stand regular at bats again. Enny Romero was reinstated from the DL and then DFA'ed.
• Should be an interesting series as far as the lineups go; LA has three lefties slated to go against the Pirates.
• The Pirates believe that Chad Kuhl has a flexor strain and that rest should take care of it; hopefully they're right.
• S-Rod begins his rehab at Indy tonight; he's starting at third base.
• The Bucs are being left in the All-Star voting dust. Corey Dickerson is the only one that's vaguely in the running, and he's 14th among NL outfielders.
• Bristol Pirates OF Jonah Davis was named Appalachian League Player of the Week. He's a 15th-rounder from Cal who banged 10 x-tra base hits (3-HR, 1-3B, 6-2B) in the past five games.

7/2 Expo Park-Forbes Field Era: Poor Phils; Chippin' Away; Three-In-a-Row; Game Stories; HBD Fred, Tony, Dom & Ed

• 1859 - OF Ed Beecher was born in Guilford, Connecticut. Ed began his short but active MLB career with the Alleghenys in 1887, batting .210. He played for four years with four teams - Pittsburg, the Washington Statesmen (twice), Buffalo Bisons and Philadelphia Athletics - in three different leagues, the American Association, National League and Players Association. He got into 283 games as a career reserve with a lifetime .269 BA. 

Fred Carroll 1887 Buchner Gold Coin

• 1864 - C and utilityman Fred Carroll was born in Sacramento, California. In his seven years (1885-91) with Pittsburgh teams, he played for the Alleghenys, the outlaw Burghers and the Pirates, hitting .284 over his career. A bit quirky, at the beginning of the 1887 season Carroll buried his pet monkey, which had served as an unofficial team mascot for the squad, under home plate at Recreation Park in a pre-game ceremony. 
• 1889 - The Pittsburgh Press front page headline read “Poor Phillies” as Pittsburgh took their fifth straight win from their cross-state rivals by a 10-5 score. The Alleghenys scored nine times in the last two innings on six hits (five singles and a double), abetted by two walks, two “muffs” and two “wild throws,” per the Press. Fred Carroll and Jocko Fields had three hits each and Harry Staley got the win in front of 1,500 fans at Exposition Park. 
• 1925 - The Bucs edged the Cards 2-1 at Forbes Field as Tom Sheehan outpitched Dolf Luque. Kiki Cuyler tripled home Max Carey and was brought home by Clyde Barnhart in the sixth for the Pirate scores. It marked the last stand of a NL-record 150 game scoring streak that began on July 4th, 1924, as the Reds Pete Donahue shut them out the next day 8-0. 
• 1927 - Pittsburgh scored twice in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to beat the Reds 7-6 at Forbes Field after trailing 6-1. The clinching blow was Clyde Barnhart’s two-run homer to left in the ninth off Art Nehf. Mike Cvengros tossed six shutout innings of relief for the win.

Mike Cvengros 1927 (photo Harwell Collection/Detroit Public Library)

• 1949 - The Cubs and particularly Andy Pafko had a bad day at Wrigley Field, losing 8-3. Pafko hit into a bases loaded triple play in the third inning. He was called out in the dugout after Pete Castiglione at third knocked down his liner (actually, it popped out of his mitt), tagged the runner at third, then stepped on the base for the force. In the confusion, he then threw the ball home, and the catcher went to first for the force on Pafko, who thought his drive had been caught cleanly and was wandering his way to the bench. Even the umps had to step back to review the whole thing, but it stood. Ralph Kiner hit his 20th homer as Tiny Bonham picked up the win. 
• 1953 - OF Tony Armas was born in Puerto Piritu, Venezuela. The Pirates signed Armas in 1971 just before his 18th birthday and he spent six seasons in the minors before he got a September call-up in 1976, appearing in four games and going 2-for-6. He was traded in the off-season as part of the huge Phil Garner deal and developed into one of the AL’s top sluggers, leading the league in HRs twice and RBIs once playing for Oakland, Boston and California. He played for 13 seasons in the junior circuit, hitting 22+ dingers for six straight years and earning two All-Star slots. After Tony retired, he continued his career in Venezuela and continued to rake; he now coaches in the Venezuelan League. Tony is a member of the Venezuelan and Caribbean Baseball Halls of Fame. His son, Tony Armas Jr., pitched for 10 years in the majors, making a stop at Pittsburgh in 2007. 

Tony Armas 1977 Topps

• 1954 - Scout Dom Scala ws born in Astoria, New York. After a brief minor league career, Scala spent 1976-1986 as the bullpen catcher for the New York Yankees before becoming an advance scout of the Pirates from 1987-1990. After that, he embarked on a long career coaching college ball. 
• 1961 - In the eighth inning, pinch hitters Johnny Logan, Rocky Nelson and Smoky Burgess banged out consecutive hits, a Pirate record, to prime a four-run rally that led to a 7-6 win over the Giants at Forbes Field in the opener of a twin bill. Hal Smith added three RBI. The Bucs swept easily, rolling 9-0 in the nitecap behind Bobby Schantz’s five-hitter and three RBI each from Roberto Clemente with a bases-clearing triple and Don Hoak. The Pirates overcame a pair of pretty fair pitchers - Mike McCormack was the starter for the lidlifter and Juan Marichal in the closing match.

7/2 TRS-PNC Park Era: Big Blasts; Middle-of-the-Order Comes Through; 14-Inning Battle; HBD Sean & Nyjer

• 1974 - 1B Sean Casey was born in Willingboro Township, New Jersey and raised in Upper St. Clair. Casey played 12 years in the show and made a stop in Pittsburgh in 2006, batting .296 and lasting until the deadline when the Pirate wheelers-and-dealers moved him Detroit. Sean is known as “The Mayor” because of his affability - no runner at first or fan he’s run across has ever been given the silent treatment by Casey - and the time he’s dedicated to community causes. He now is with the MLB Network and is busy on the speaker’s circuit. 

• 1976 - Bill Robinson’s pinch-hit homer game in the 10th inning gave the Pirates a 10-9 win over Philadelphia on the first ever Fireworks Night at TRS. The Zambelli’s didn’t provide the only boomers. Robinson’s blast was one of three home runs for the Bucs as Willie Stargell connected for a homer in the first inning and Richie Hebner went deep in the eighth. The Bucs almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, blowing an early 6-0 lead before long-balling their way to the win. 
• 1980 - OF Nyjer Morgan was born in San Francisco. He hit .286 from 2007-09 for the Bucs and then became part of the Joel Hanrahan deal with Washington. “Tony Plush” (his alter ego’s self-given “gentleman’s name”) made the transition from junior hockey to the MLB. At last check, he was playing in Mexico after spending a season in Japan. 
• 1990 - The San Diego Padres took a 3-0 lead in the first inning but never scored again as the Pirates came back for a 4-3, 14-inning win at Jack Murphy Stadium. Jay Bell broke a 3-3 tie when he chased home Jose Lind with the winning run, his second RBI of the contest. Andy Van Slyke’s two-run homer in the sixth was the Buccos big blow. Bob Patterson earned the win in relief after tossing three scoreless frames. 

Bob Patterson 1990 Topps

• 2002 - The Pirates were run over by the Brewers at PNC Park by a 12-6 count, but did their share to help break the MLB record for homers hit in a day when 53 batters blasted 62 long balls. The Bucs hit four - Kevin Young, Jack Wilson, Abraham Nunez and Adam Hyzdu all went long in the loss. For Wilson, Nunez and Hyzdu, it was their first home run of the season. 
• 2004 - Jason Bay drove in eight runs with a homer and three doubles as the Bucs mashed the Brewers 13-2 in the nitecap of a DH sweep at PNC Park. Pittsburgh won the opener 8-1 behind Ollie Perez, who punched out 11, and four RBI from CF Tony Alvarez, who homered and doubled. 
• 2012 - The middle of the Pirate order was on fire against the Astros at PNC Park, leading the way to an 11-2 win. Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones, Neil Walker and Casey McGehee went 12-for-20 with five doubles, two homers, nine runs scored and 10 RBI. James McDonald got the win with help from Jared Hughes.

Moran Granny, Bullpen Lead Bucs to 7-5 Series Clincher at San Diego

Austin Meadows almost legged out an infield knock to open against Tyson Ross, but a challenge overturned the original safe call. J-Bell walked and a quick around-the-horn DP by J-Hay ended the frame. Eric Hosmer singled with two outs (one on a very nice play by Corey D in left) and stole second, but Jameson Taillon whiffed his way clear. Dickerson continued his roll by going boom in the second; Gregory walked but no more havoc was wreaked. With one gone, the Padres drew back-to-back free passes. A single brought home a run with the lead runner moving to third when Eli muffed the throw to the plate. It hurt; pitcher Ross lofted a sac fly to give SD the lead. The Pirates made not a peep in the third. Wil Myers opened with a full-count walk (all three have been on 3-2 pitches) that should been called strike three, and the missed call hurt when JT hung an 0-2 curve to Hunter Renfroe, who doubled Myers home.

Another bad day at the office for Jamo (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

The Bucs chipped back in the fourth; a single, wild pitch and Eli double cut the lead to one. Ross singled with two down and stole the first base of his career; Jamo focused and got the third out. AM spanked a two-out double in the fifth and J-Bell walked. A swinging bunt by J-Hay loaded the bases (after the batter ahead of him walked, he swung at two pitches a mile off the plate, getting a miss and a dribbler). Red Beard took a ball, then turned on belt-high heater, inside half, and drilled a grand salami. San Diego got one back when Hunter Renfroe launched a two-out bomb to make it 6-4. That was followed by consecutive hard knocks, and JT's day was done as Edgar Santana entered, whiffing Freddy Galvis. Well timed by Clint, who usually won't touch a starter with the lead until he's got his full five innings.

Eli opened the sixth with a big fly off a full-count slider, and that dinger brought in Jose Castillo who calmed the waters. Ric Rod took the ball and walked the first hitter, then gave up a single. An out later, an infield bleeder brought a run and Steven Brault in. He walked the bases loaded - the strike zone has been squeezed bloodless all day for both sides by ump Todd Tichenor - then got a short fly for the second out. Kyle Crick came in to get a righty-righty match with Christian Villanueva and fell behind 3-1, but came back to get a K. Robert Stock got in some early seventh inning hot water after an error and a rap put Pirates on the corners. He got J-Hay on a short fly, geez, lotta them going around lately, and lefty Robbie Erlin was flipped the ball. AM was cut down at home on the contact play when Red Beard grounded to first and Corey D fanned; the Bucs need work on that runner on third and no outs scenario.

Eli has a hot stick (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Crick walked the first guy after being ahead 0-2, and after two outs & 28 pitches, he walked another. Uncle Ray visited and Kyle got another batter; four tosses later, a fly ended the inning. The game is three hours old now. Adam Cimber answered the eighth inning bell and worked a calm frame. Tyler Glasnow took over and 1-2-3'ed the Friars. Craig Stammen got the ninth. AM bounced a one-out single but nothing came of it. Felipe Vazquez toed the slab. He got Travis Jankowski on a pop behind the dish after the fifth 3-2 toss in a great battle. That was followed by a pair of quick whiffs; RTJR.

Three homers, with one being a granny, should and did win the game. Jamo's inconsistency is a worrisome thing, though the bullpen came up aces. They could use a laugher for a break; Clint sure isn't making Clay Holmes and Tanner Anderson earn their paychecks. But live in today; the Bucs head to LA with 4-of-6 in the bag so far on the road trip.

Notes:

• Austin Meadows, Colin Moran and Elias Diaz each had a pair of hits today.
• Per Elias Sports, Colin Moran is the second Pirates rookie to hit two grand slams in a season. The other was Wally Westlake in 1947.
• Corey D's homer was his first since May 4th, his first RBI since June 1st and his first extra-base hit since June 16th.
• Big year for Kyle Crick - he earned his first MLB save in May and today got his first big league win.

Kyle looks like more than a throw-in (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

• This was Pirates' eighth three-homer game this season and they're 8-0 in those contests per Chris Mack.
• The Bucs walked seven Padres and only drew three walks with a super-tight strike zone; the difference was that SD adjusted and the Pirates kept on swinging.
• OK, now we can lay the Joey Cora decision to bed - he wanted Gregory on the bag yesterday but wasn't going to send him; he thought the fly was too shallow (it was just medium depth) for El Coffee to score. All Clint had to say today after offering Joey cover last night was that "if he gets that opportunity to make that call again, there'll be a tag and a go."
• Cervy has been moved from the seven-day concussion DL to the regular 10-day DL. It's a paper move as he wasn't ready to rejoin the club yet.

San Diego Rubber Match Finale, Jamo v Ross & Notes

Today: The afternoon delight kicks off at 4:10 and will aired by AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. It's the rubber match of the series as the Bucs try to come out on top for another set.

Pitchers: RHP Jameson Taillon (5-6, 3.96) closes the set against RHP Tyson Ross (5-5, 3.32). Jamo doesn't seem quite over the bump lately, but has put up a sweet slash of 3-2/3.15 over his last six outings, giving up 33 hits in 37-1/3 IP with 35 K. In two career starts against San Diego, he is 1-0/1.26, so he's been tough on the Padres. Ross is enjoying his return to San Diego and has been strong across the board this season, returning to his 2013-15 form. He beat the Pirates 3-2 in May, giving up two runs in six IP on five hits with four walks and two K; it was his highest walk total of the year paired with his lowest number of strikeouts and he still won.

JT looks for the series-winner (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Lineup: Austin Meadows CF, J-Bell 1B, Josh Harrison 2B, Colin Moran 3B, Corey Dickerson LF, Elias Diaz C, Gregory Polanco RF, Jordy SS & Taillon P. We thought Eli might get a blow today, but he's out there for his ninth straight start. We think it's curious, too, that the red-hot El Coffee remains in the seven-hole instead of percolating a little higher in the lineup; maybe Clint doesn't want to mess with success. Starling gets a second straight sit-down; Ross has a huge split between L/R this year, so loading up with lefties seems the ticket.

Notes:

• The no-tag flap of last night seems to fall on Joey Cora's lap as Gregory said he held him up. The company line is that Cora couldn't tell from third if the ball would be fair or foul; we're not really sure how much that would factor in re: the situation.
• When vampires sleep: In 17 career starts during the afternoon, Jamo has slashed 9-2/2.87 and the Pirates have won 13 of the 17, including nine of the last 11.
• The Bucs are off to LA to start a three-gamer against the Trolley Dodgers. Pittsburgh went 0-3 at Dodger Stadium last year, scoring just six runs on 14 hits in the series.
• Kenny Ducey of SI looks at the NL Central; his view on the Pirates is that it was fun but is done.

7/1 Through the 20s: Hans 2 Days-8 Hits; Bullet Joe Deal; Game Stories; HBD Gunner, Dutch, Red & Al

• 1891 - OF Fritz “Dutch” Sheeren was born in Kokomo, Indiana. Fritz’s family moved outside of Pittsburgh when he was young and opened a saloon; from those beginnings Sheeren went on to Lafayette College and a brief MLB career with the Pirates from 1914-15, hitting .265 in 15 games. He played through the 1916 season in the minors before getting on with his life’s work. It appeared he did remain a home boy; he died in Kittanning and is buried in Marienville outside the Allegheny National Forest. 
• 1901 - The Bucs were blanked by the Phillies 1-0 at the Baker Bowl, the only time during the 139-game season when Pittsburgh was shut out, a 20th century NL record. Jack Chesbro tossed a four hitter for Pittsburgh, while the Bucs banged nine hits off Red Donahue without denting home. 

Honus Wagner 1911 Topps Kimball

• 1903 - Honus Wagner swatted four hits for a second straight game, missing the cycle by a double (The Pittsburgh Press sidebar story was “Wagner is After Batting Honors” and he did take the ‘03 NL crown with a .355 BA) as the Pirates rolled over the Brooklyn Superbas 17-8 at the Washington Grounds. The game was never in doubt as the Bucs ran up a 13-0 lead before the Brooklynites got on the scoreboard. Fred Clarke and Ginger Beaumont also had four knocks as Pittsburgh banged out 19 hits, allowing Sam Leever to cruise to victory. 
• 1913 - RHP Frank “Red” Barrett was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Frank worked during the war years of 1944-46 and tried to make a comeback in 1950 with the Pirates, going 1-2/4.15 in five outings after being purchased from New Orleans. Red had a long pro career, lasting from 1935-50, and afterward he was a minor league player/manager through 1953. Barrett then moved back home and opened Red Barrett’s Drive In, a gas station/diner, in Leesburg, Florida, near Orlando. 
• 1915 - It was a mixed bag for the Fed League Pittsburgh Rebels against the Baltimore Terrapins at York Road Park. In the opener of a twin bill, the Pittsburgh Feds were shut out 6-0 by Jack Quinn. A little break between games did the Rebs bats a world of good; they took the nitecap by a 13-5 tally, becoming the first big league team to score in every inning since 1894. It was the end of a long road trip, with the Rebels winning 11-of-18 matches after dropping 7-of-10 on a western swing (in that era, the far west was St. Louis, KC and Chicago) that opened their trek. Sadly, they were rained out in Pittsburgh upon their return and had to hop a train for four more games, splitting a set with the Chicago Whales before spending most of the summer at home, where they had 59-of-85 remaining contests booked at Exposition Park. 

Bob Prince 1952 Topps

• 1916 - The Gunner, Bob Prince, was born in Los Angeles. Prince was an army brat and was always on the move; he graduated from Pittsburgh’s Schenley HS and went to Pitt, where he lettered in swimming. After gigs with WJAS and KDKA, he teamed with Rosey Rowswell in 1948 as a Bucco broadcaster, and became the main announcer in 1955 when Rowswell passed away. He and partner Nellie King were let go in 1975 after a long running dispute with KDKA management. The colorful and popular Prince returned to the booth in May, 1985, just weeks before he died of cancer. 
• 1916 - Behind a Honus Wagner homer and Ray O’Brien’s ninth-inning single, Al Mamaux’s four-hitter was enough to down the Reds and Elmer Knetzer 2-1 at Redland Field. Mamaux was pretty good with the stick, too, hitting a double and triple while scoring the winning run with two down in the ninth. Hans’ fourth-inning homer made him the oldest player, at 42 years and four months, to hit an inside the park four-bagger. 
• 1918 - RHP Al Tate was born in Coleman, Oklahoma. Al was a minor league hurler who lost three years to WW2 and returned to baseball in 1946. The Pirates inked him then and sent him to the minors; he got two Bucco appearances (one start) and went 0-1/5.00 in his only MLB duty. He spent 1947 as a Pirates farmhand at Albany, played one more year in the Pacific Coast League and retired. 

Hal Carlson 1921 (photo George Bain/Library of Congress)

• 1920 - The Pirates played St. Louis in the first game the Cards played at Sportsman’s Park (also the home of the AL's St. Louis Browns; the Cards rented it off them) after the Redbirds flew the outdated Robison Field coop, which was built in 1893. The Bucs took the debut game 6-2 in 10 innings, with Hal Carlson getting the W and Babe Adams picking up the save. The Pirate 10th had a little of everything - a walk, steal, error, two singles, a pair of doubles...the little things added up to a big inning and sent 20,000 plus St. Louis fans home disappointed. 
• 1926 - The Bucs broke an eight-game losing streak by spanking the Cards at Forbes Field 7-3 as Kiki Cuyler and Pie Traynor each drove in three runs. Don Songer got the victory with Babe Adams picking up a save. In spite of that losing string, they claimed first place three weeks later before eventually fading to third with an 84-69 slate, five games out. 
• 1926 - The Pirates signed Bullet Joe Bush, recently waived by the Washington Senators. Joe had won 107 games for three clubs from 1920-25, but the 33-year-old was in the midst of an 1-8/6.69 campaign for the Sens. The Bucs got their money’s worth as Bullet Joe went 6-6/3.01 for them the rest of the year, but fell apart in ‘27 and was released in June. He would appear in just 14 more games after that and was out of league by the summer of 1928.

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.