Pirates Early Push Enough To Win Opener Against Rox, 11-8

K-Man got the game off to a rollicking start with a second-pitch homer off Chi Chi Gonzalez. B-Rey and Starling followed with back-to-back knocks and J-Bell walked. Redbeard banged a two-run two-bagger, and an out later, Fraze singled home another run. So did Jake. Willy bunted, Newman's rap plated another pair, and that was it for Chi Chi; Yency Almonte took the ball and got the third out with the count 7-0. Willy gave up three straight raps with one away to make it 7-2; might be a hold-on-to-your-seatbelts night. With two gone in the second, a Moran rap and Joey O double put up another score, then Fraze knocked Osuna home. The Rox went down in order. K-Man doubled with one away for his third hit in three innings and moved to third on a fly, but the first Buc zero was posted. Colorado banged a couple of doubles to make it 9-3. With two down in the fourth, Joey O got the run back with a first-pitch dinger, then Fraze collected his third knock of the night before it ended. The Rox stranded a single.

Fraze picked his BA up to .272 with his four hit night - photo Pittsburgh Pirates

Jesus Tinoco was waved on in the fifth. K-Man likes the Rocky Mountain High; he swatted another homer. Starling was plunked and J-Bell walked before the third out. The Rockies got a single, DP and bit of robbery at the wall by Starling, taking away a long fly bid by Nolan Arenado. Fraze got his fourth one-bagger in the sixth to turn the order over. Colorado was quiet. Jake McGee answered the seventh inning bell. He bopped Newman to open, but a DP and whiff quickly calmed the waters. Willy fired a clean frame. No noise from the Pirates in the eighth. Montana DuRapau gave up a two-out triple and walk. Consecutive doubles allowed a trio of Rockies to cross the dish, and in came Michael Feliz. He gave up a homer to pinch hitter Sam Hilliard on a 3-2 fastball; it's 11-8. That was followed by another free pass and a single. Frankie Liriano was called in and got a whiff *whew*. Wade Davis put the Bucs away in the ninth and Felipe Vazquez came in and earned another save nine pitches later. Raise the Roger.

It's a win, but it shows why the Pirates can't have nice things when you turn an eight-run lead in the eighth into a save situation. Maybe it's the thin air or the thin bullpen, but it's already lookin' like it might be one of those series...

Notes:

• Kevin Newman had four hits and HBP to reach all five PA's, with two homers and four RBI. Fraze also had four knocks. Joey O and Redbeard had a pair of raps; between the three, they scored five times and chased home six runs. Pittsburgh was 5-for-10 w/RISP and plated five two-out runs. The Rox did even better, going 5-for-8 w/RISP and pushing six runs across with two gone.
• Just before gametime, it was announced that Chris Stratton went on the 10-day IL with right side inflammation, joined by Yefry Ramirez with a right calf strain. Parker Markel and Montana DuRapau have been recalled from Indy.
• The Pirates have called up 14 pitchers from Indy at one time or another. Only three have an ERA under six - Ric Rod (3.91), Michael Feliz (4.05) and Dario Agrazal (4.41).

Willy v Chi Chi Gonzalez, Lineup & Notes

Game: The opening match starts at 8:05 at Coors Field, and will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Kevin Newman SS, Bryan Reynolds LF, Starling Marte CF, Josh Bell 1B, Colin Moran 3B, Jose Osuna RF, Adam Frazier 2B, Jake Stallings C, Trevor Williams P. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Willy works tonight - image via Positively Pittsburgh

Pitchers: RHP Trevor Williams (6-6/5.35) starts the set against RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez (0-5/6.43). Willy had a long, dark stretch, but snapped out of it in his last start against the Reds, so hopefully he's ready to kick it into gear. He faced Colorado once in 2018, giving up two runs on four hits in six innings in a losing effort. Gonzalez missed 2017-18 to TJ surgery. Chi-Chi's biggest issues involve true outcomes; he gives up two homers and five walks per nine innings with only five K to counter. He's never faced the Pirates.

Notes:

• The Pirates lost 2-of-3 against Colorado at PNC Park earlier in the year. They've also now lost 32 of 44 since the All-Star break.
• Indy 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes was named the International League POTW after hitting .522. He put up four straight multi-hit games to tie a career high. He picked it up in August after a slow start to the campaign, batting .326 over the month so far
• Michael Ryan, Altoona's manager, won his 500th minor league game as a skipper last night. 
• Lots of Dominican Summer League love: CF Randy Romero was the player of the year and was named to the all-star team; other AS's were 2B Juan Jerez, 3B Alexander Mojica, RHP Sergio Umaña, and LHP Francisco Hodge. Shawn Bowman was selected as manager of the year. They're miles away from the show, of course, but it's good to see young talent in the system, which needs some new blood to fill in at the upper levels.

8/29 Through the 1950’s: Byrne Trade; WENS-TV; Friend-ly Day; HBD Pep, Woody, Dode, Billy, Jimmy & Ensign

• 1883 - UT Jimmie Savage was born in Southington, Connecticut. Savage appeared in the show for three seasons, including 1914-15 when he played for the Pittsburgh Rebels of the Federal League. Jimmie, then 30-years-old, played mostly in left but filled in at short and third base as needed. He finished his Rebel days with a .278 BA. He stayed local, dying in New Castle, but returned to his family roots and was buried in Southington.
• 1888 - LHP Ensign (his given name) Cottrell was born in Hoosick Falls, New York. He started his five-year career in the majors in 1911 with the Pirates after leaving Syracuse University, giving up four runs in his inning of work, and was released later in the season without any more action. His last game was tossed in 1915, and he went off to RPI to finish his schooling, becoming a self-employed civil engineer and surveyor.
• 1892 - OF Roy “Woody” Wood was born in Monticello, Arkansas. Roy started his three-year career with the Pirates after playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He hit .286 in a short stint and left baseball after the 1916 season to become a naval aviator in WW1. Woody went back to Fayetteville afterward, opened a dry goods store and was a mover in the town’s civic affairs before passing away at home in 1974.

Pep Young - 1940 Play Ball

• 1907 - IF Lemuel Floyd “Pep” Young was born in Jamestown, North Carolina. He played eight years (1933-40) for the Bucs, hitting .264 and playing mainly second, but with some short and third thrown in. The high tide of his career was in 1938, when he received some votes for the NL MVP after hitting .278 in 149 games. As fate would have it, he hurt his knee the next season, and played just 93 games over the final three years of his career (1940-41; 1945). He came by his nickname honestly. Per the Harrisburg Daily Independent, "He is the sort of player...who is on his toes all the time, chock full of life and ginger. It was his great display of energy in the minors that earned him the nickname of 'Pep.'"
• 1909 - The Pirates traded 3B Jap Barbeau, 2B Alan Storke, and cash to the Cardinals for 3B Bobby Byrne. Byrne had his best years as a Buc, playing through the 1913 season and hitting .277 while helping the Pirates to the 1909 World Series title. Barbeau and Storke finished the year strong but both were near the end; Storke was done after 1909 and Barbeau in 1910.
• 1918 - C Joe “Dode” Schultz Jr. was born in Chicago. He played for the Bucs from 1939-41, hitting .231 as a seldom used reserve and pinch hitter. His dad, Joe Sr., was also a Pirate, donning the Bucco uni in 1916. Dode went on manage the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and replaced Billy Martin as the Tigers skipper in 1973 to cap a long minor league coaching career. As for his nickname, Rory Costello of SABR wrote “As a child, Joe’s parents nicknamed him Dode, although the boy (Joe) ‘had no idea what it meant, if anything.’” The book “Detroit Tigers Lists and More” by Mark Pattison & David Raglin claims Dode is shorthand for “Dodo.” No wonder Joe pleaded ignorance.
• 1919 - SS Billy Cox was born in Newport, located in central Pennsylvania. He got a September call-up in 1941, spent four years in the service and became the starting Bucco shortstop in 1946-47, batting .280. He was traded to Brooklyn, moved to the hot corner, and played seven seasons for them and in three World Series.

Billy Cox - photo Pirates promotional

• 1953 - TV station WENS (Channel 16) kicked off its entry into the Pittsburgh market by being the first to televise a Pirate game from Forbes Field. There were two high cameras (one behind home, the other on the first base line; eventually, a third field-level camera was added) while the radio announcers, Rosey Rowswell and Bob Prince, did the play-by-play. Oh, the Bucs lost to the St. Louis Cards 5-4 in front of 3,145 that Saturday afternoon despite 2B Johnny O’Brien’s three hits. WENS chose the ballgame to start as they were heavily into sports, televising not only the Bucs but Duquesne basketball and Pittsburgh Hornet hockey. WENS (W-Entertainment, News, Sports) was an ABC affiliate and went off the air in 1957 after Channels 4 & 11 were licensed.
• 1959 - Bob Friend helped himself by driving in three runs with a two-out, bases-loaded double and tossed a nine-hitter against the Phils in an 11-1 romp at Forbes Field. Smoky Burgess also chased home a trio of runs with a pair of homers while Dick Groat added four hits.

8/29 From 1960 Through the 1980’s: TSN Dave; Ray Trade; Game Stories; RIP Big Poison

• August 29, 1965 - Hall of Fame OF’er Paul “Big Poison” Waner died in Sarasota, Florida at age 62. Among his many marks were a .333 lifetime BA, 3,152 hits with eight 200+ hit seasons, and a 1927 MVP award. His #11 was retired by the Pirates in 2007. After his playing days, he owned a batting cage establishment in Harmarville. One of the guys he helped develop there was rookie shortstop Dick Groat of Wilkinsburg. 

• 1970 - Dave Giusti was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Pirate Cutthroat.” He finished his “cutthroat” season 9-3 with 26 saves and a 3.06 ERA, working 66 games/103 IP as a multi-inning finisher.  
• 1978 - Despite a 36-minute rain delay, Bert Blyleven spun a five-hit, complete game shutout with eight strikeouts in a 5-0 win over the Reds at Riverfront Stadium. Willie Stargell led the attack with three hits, including a homer, and three RBI while Dave Parker & Ed Ott anted up a pair of knocks. It was Bert’s 39th whitewash; he would go on to toss 60 over his career. 
• 1983 - The Pirates Rick Rhoden, with late help from Kent Tekulve, edged the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 at Riverfront Stadium to increase the Bucs division lead to 1-1/2 games over the Phils and Expos. Rhoden scattered six hits and fanned nine while helping himself with an RBI knock; the other run came courtesy of a Marvell Wynne homer. Teke tossed two innings of one-hit ball after Rhoden left with a “twinge” in his arm. 
• 1984 - God helps those who help themselves: RHP Don Robinson pitched two scoreless innings of relief, knocked in the go-ahead run and scored the insurance marker as the Pirates beat the Astros, 4-2, at The Astrodome. Robinson broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the 9th inning with a two-out single and touched home for the fourth run after Tony Pena followed with a double. 
• 1987 - Lotta firsts: Andy Van Slyke hit his first (and only) grand slam off Larry Andersen with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to ice an 8-2 win against the Houston Astros at TRS, extending the Bucco win streak to five games. Mike LaValliere went deep for the first time on the season and Mike Bielecki picked up his first win of the campaign while tossing the first complete game of his career. His six-hitter topped Nolan Ryan and Larry Anderson. Bobby Bonilla added three hits, including a double, and chased home three runs. Not all the goodies were first-timers: Ryan passed the 200+ K mark for a record 11th year. 

Johnny Ray - 1987 Topps Sticker

• 1987 - The Pirates traded 2B Johnny Ray to the Angels for two minor leaguers, 3B Bill Merrifield and LHP Miguel Garcia. With Jose Lind in the wings, the Pirates thought Ray, whose range had diminished noticeably at age 30, was expendable after seven years and a .286 BA. Maybe he was, but they Bucs sure didn’t get much - Merrifield never played for Pittsburgh and Garcia made 13 Pirate appearances with a 7.71 ERA. Meanwhile, Ray won an All-Star berth and hit .296 in four seasons for the Halos before closing his career in Japan. Ray’s agent said that the 2B had demanded the trade after GM Syd Thrift brought up Lind, claiming that Chico would cut into Ray’s playing time and cost him bonus money. The two sides had been cool since spring training when an expected (by Ray) contract extension didn’t happen. 
• 1988 - LHP Dave LaPoint became the first Pirate starter to begin his Pittsburgh career with three one-run or fewer starts when he whipped the Reds 8-1 at Riverfront Stadium. He was obtained for reliever Barry Jones in August from the White Sox, finished the year 4-2, and then signed with the Yankees as a FA the following season.

8/29 From 1990: J-Hay Day; S-Rod Cut; 11,000 Bombs; Wagner 1-Hitter; Game Stories

• 1990 - Barry Bonds went 3-for-4 with five RBI to lead the Bucs to a 10-0, rain-shortened seven inning win over the Braves at Atlanta-Fulton Stadium. Jeff King added three RBI, two off sac flies, as Doug Drabek won his 17th game. The game ended a four-game losing streak and followed a clubhouse meeting held by manager Jim Leyland after a lackadaisical 9-0 loss the night before. 

Paul Wagner - 1995 Fleer

• 1995 - RHP Paul Wagner came within one strike of a no-hitter with a one-hit, 11K, 4-0 win over the Rox at TRS. With two away in the ninth, 1B Andres Galarraga chopped a 3-2 pitch past the mound and over second, where Nelson Liriano made the grab but couldn’t beat The Big Cat to first with his throw. For Wagner, it was just his third win against 13 losses, and the victory snapped a six game Pittsburgh losing string. 
•  2000 - Kris Benson shutout the Giants 8-0 at TRS. He gave up one hit in eight frames, a first inning single to Barry Bonds. The Pirates banged four doubles (two by Enrique Wilson), a triple and a homer (John Vander Wal) off Livian Hernandez, who only managed six outs before getting the hook. 
• 2003 - Julian Tavares blew a ninth-inning lead, but the Bucs came back at PNC Park to top the Bravos 6-5. Taveras gave up three singles to allow Atlanta to tie the game, but the Pirates had a rally left in them after blowing an early 5-2 lead. They loaded the bases with an out, but after Jason Bay’s pop to short left looked like they had blown a golden chance when Jack Wilson failed to score on Carlos Rivera’s earlier single, taking a header after rounding third. But Jose Hernandez was the hero, bouncing a two-out single up the middle to give Taveras the blown save/win. Four Buccos had two hits, led by Rob Mackowiak who had a three-run homer to provide some instant offense. 
• 2006 - The Pirates scored twice in the 11th on an error and a bases loaded walk to defeat the Cubs 7-6 at PNC Park. Matt Capps, the sixth Pirate pitcher, picked up the win while Xavier Nady went 3-for-5 with a double and a couple of runs scored. The Cubs had jumped out to a 4-0 lead; the Bucs tied it in the sixth, then the clubs exchanged tallies in the seventh to set up some bonus baseball.

Wandy Rodriguez - 2012 Topps Update

• 2012 - The Pirates made their last push of the year by dropping the Cards by a 5-0 score behind Wandy Rodriguez at PNC Park. Pedro Alvarez banged a three-run homer to lead the attack. The Bucs moved within a game of the wildcard, having shut out the Redbirds 9-0 the day before with Petey adding another pair of homers and four RBI in support of James McDonald. It was just a tease; Pittsburgh finished September 7-21 and ended the season with just 79 wins. 
• 2014 - It was Josh Harrison day at PNC Park against the Cincinnati Reds. Presented with the Heart & Hustle Award before the game, J-Hay had the key hit in the Pirates come-from-behind, 2-1 win. His triple off Jonathan Broxton scored Andrew Lambo to tie the game in the eighth inning, and Josh came home with the game winner on Jose Tabata’s chopper through a drawn-in infield. Not only did J-Hay have three hits, but made several web-gem plays during the contest, the best of the bunch being a diving stop that he turned into a 5-3 DP and a hustling chase of a bad relay that led to a cut down runner at home. Edinson Volquez had a no-hitter through six frames, but was in line for a loss after Tony Watson, in relief with two outs in the eighth, allowed a soft single to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. Watson got the win (funny game sometimes) and Mark Melancon tossed a perfect ninth for the save. The game was played before a sellout crowd of 37,209 fans. 
• 2016 - Gregory Polanco blasted a three-run opposite field home run off the Cubs Jake Arrieta at Wrigley Field for the 11,000th homer in Pirates history. Josh Bell added his second career home run with another oppo taco, a solo shot in the fourth inning off Arrieta in a 5:03, 13-inning contest that the Bucs eventually lost 8-7. Pittsburgh loaded the bases with no outs in the final inning, but could only chase home one run on a Josh Harrison sac fly. It didn’t hold up long - Jeff Locke couldn’t get an out in his second inning of relief, and Chicago used four singles around an intentional walk to take home the bacon. 
• 2018 - Trevor Williams went six innings of three-hit, scoreless ball with a career-high eight strikeouts and the bullpen (Edgar Santana, Keone Kela and Felipe Vazquez) took care of the rest as the Pirates dropped the Cards 2-0 at Busch Stadium. A little small ball paid off in the fifth, using a bunt, bloop and hit-and-run to generate the scores with Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco driving in the runs. Polanco, Corey Dickerson and Adam Frazier each had a pair of hits while Marte and Jordy Mercer scored. 

S-Rod 2018 - photo Pittsburgh Pirates

• 2018 - Utilityman Sean Rodriguez, in his second go-around with the Pirates, was DFA’ed when Jordy Mercer came off the DL. S-Rod joined the Pirates in the winter of 2014 after a trade with Tampa Bay for P Buddy Borden, hit .246, and signed for another season at $2.5 M. He hit .270 w/18 HR and was a NL Player of the Week in 2016, then signed a two-year, $11.5 M deal with the Atlanta Braves. He injured his rotator cuff in a car accident and was traded back to the Pirates in 2017 for 1B/OF Connor Joe. In his first game back with the Pirates, he hit a walk-off home run, but it went downhill after that. S-Rod hit .168 for the Bucs over the remainder of the campaign and .167 the following year before he was let go. He played every position except pitcher/catcher while with the club. He's now with the Phils.

Pirates Pounded In Finale 12-3

Vince Velasquez and Mitch Keller traded clean first innings. Redbeard and Joey O started off the second with raps, but were left on the pond. Rhys Hoskins opened with a three-bagger and a single brought him home. Three more knocks plated a second run; Mitch got a pair of K to end the frame and strand Phils at second and third. There was no Bucco noise in the third. Bryce Harper legged out a tapper to short; Hoskins doubled him home; the ball actually rolled across the top of the wall for several feet, a Philly first, allowing Harper to score easily. Starling singled in the fourth and trotted home ahead of J-Bell's homer, making it 3-2. It was a clean frame for Kells. K-Man singled with two away for all the Pittsburgh fifth inning action; Corey Dickerson continued his "Revenge is Mine" tour by homering. That began a barrage against Keller, and he left down 8-2 before Yefry Ramirez doused the flames.

Another good day for Starling - image Pittsburgh Pirates promo

Austin Davis took the mound in the sixth and gave up a dinger to Starling; JT Realmuto got it back with a long ball in the Philadelphia half. A walk, steal, thrown away pickoff try and rap added another point to the Philly total. Jake singled in the seventh to no avail. The Phils dribbled a soft single to start, and that run plated after an infield knock and passed ball. Edgar Garcia tossed the ball in the eighth, and Starling's one-out hit was erased on a J-Bell DP. Philly banged a pair of two-out two-baggers to plate another run; after 90 pitches, Yefry's arm was no doubt dragging. Fraze doubled with two outs in the ninth to briefly prolong the misery.

Another day on the evaluation trail for 2020. Too bad everyone isn't following the example of Marte and Bell.

Notes:

• Starling had three hits and J-Bell a pair; each homered.
• Per Jayson Stark of The Athletic: "(Mitch Keller) is the first pitcher since ER became an official stat to cram 8+ strikeouts and 8+ ER into an outing that short!"
• Gregory is working out but not ready for a rehab assignment while Archie is doing site-specific exercise, but with no throwing. JT Brubaker is also back to regular throwing after a brief shutdown.
• The Pirates' Arizona Fall League roster was mostly announced: Oneil Cruz, SS; Jared Oliva, OF; Blake Cederlind, RHP; Jason Delay, C; Nick Mears, RHP; Cody Ponce, RHP. The Bucs have seven slots, sop there's one PTBNL. They'll play for the Peoria Javelinas.
• The rookie GCL season and Florida State League Bradenton Marauders (maybe) are both ending their campaigns a little bit early because of Hurricane Dorian. The GCL is cancelling its playoffs while the FSL will hold theirs post-Dorian (Bradenton didn't make the field).

Mitch v Vince Velasquez, Lineup & Notes

Game: The getaway game starts at 6:05 and will be carried by AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan. Today's match decides the series winner.

Lineup: Kevin Newman SS, Bryan Reynolds LF, Starling Marte 1B, Josh Bell 1B, Colin Moran 3B, Jose Osuna RF, Adam Frazier 2B, Jake Stallings C, Mitch Keller P.  Jake swapped in for Eli while Joey O keeps getting daily looks. And with a 130 OPS+, why not?

Mitch on the mound - 2019 Bowman 30th Anniversary

Pitchers: RHP Mitch Keller (1-2/7.24) closes out the set against RHP Vince Velasquez (5-7/4.93). Mitch is serving his apprenticeship, and two of his last three games have been quite solid. With 33 punch outs in 27-1/3 IP, he's got the stuff. Kell showed much better command last game and the Bucs let him dip into his toolkit early and often to mix it up (he had been on fastball regimen before, mostly as a control issue), helping the cause. This will be his first outing against Philadelphia. Velasquez is mostly a five-inning arm with lots of ups and downs in performance. This will be the first time he's seen the Pirates since 2017.

Notes:

• Worries about Fraze at second have been way exaggerated - he has a +6 DRS, compared to -2 for J-Hay last year. He's second in MLB-DRS, behind only Kolten Wong, among qualified second sackers.
• The Altoona Mirror wonders if Uncle Ray could be replaced by Cousin Hanny?
• Old Bucco update - IF Gift Ngoepe and RHP Vin Mazzaro are still playing, albeit in the indie Atlantic League. Gift is with Lancaster while Vinnie is playing for Long Island. 
• After the game, the Bucs travel to Colorado to take on the Rockies in a four-game set.

8/28 Through the 1920’s: Bush Goes; Hangin' On; HBD Howie, Jolly Cholly, Chauncey & Wally

• 1873 - IF Bill “Chauncey” Stuart was born in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. Bill was a two-sport star, playing halfback for Penn State. He got into 19 games and collected 77 at-bats in 1895 with the Pirates, batting .247; he would get one more major league plate appearance in 1899 with the NY Giants. He retired after that and went into oil speculation. He died in Fort Worth, but was buried at State College. 

Jolly Cholly 1923 - Bains/Library of Congress

• 1898 - Charlie “Jolly Cholly” Grimm was born in St. Louis. The 1B played six years (1919-24) in Pittsburgh, hitting .286, but made his reputation with Chicago in the following dozen years after a big 1924 trade sent him to the Windy City. Charlie became a manager after his playing days with stops in Boston/Milwaukee and the Cubs. He earned his nickname for his cheerful, upbeat manner, ala Chuck Tanner. 
• 1902 - OF Wally Roettger was born in St. Louis. Wally ended his eight-year MLB career (mostly with the Cards and Reds) in Pittsburgh in 1934, hitting .245. A college hoopster beside ballplayer, Wally went on to become the baseball skipper at the University of Illinois from 1935-51 and an assistant basketball coach from 1936-49; he started on that trail when he coached hoops at Illinois Wesleyan during the baseball off-season. His tale had a sad ending; at age 49, with heart problems and failing eyesight, he took his own life. 
• 1911 - Pirate super scout Howie Haak was born in Rochester, NY. Pittsburgh discovered much of its legendary Latino talent from the mid-1950s through the 1980s thanks to Haak's efforts. He recommended that Pittsburgh draft Roberto Clemente from the Brooklyn system and signed Manny Sanguillen, Omar Moreno and Rennie Stennett of Panama; Julian Javier, Tony Pena, Jose DeLeon, and Cecilio Guante of the Dominican Republic; Al McBean of the Virgin Islands and Roman Mejias of Cuba. 
• 1925 - The Pirates hung on to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 10-9 at the Baker Bowl. Kiki Cuyler had four hits, including a pair of inside-the-park homers, Eddie Moore and Clyde Barnhart added three knocks apiece and George Grantham homered. Babe Adams and Tom Sheehan gave up five runs in the bottom of the ninth and Ray Kremer had to come on to get the final out with the bases juiced. He retired pinch hitter Nelson “Chicken” Hawks, who was batting for the second time in the inning and already had a hit and run under his belt. 

Donie Bush 1927 - Harwell Collection/Detroit Public Library

• 1929 - Donie Bush resigned as the Pirate manager, replaced by coach Jewel Ens. Bush took the team to the World Series in 1927, where they were swept by the Murderer’s Row Yankees and played without Kiki Cuyler, who Bush had benched. The Pirates had lost 8-of-9 when Bush resigned and were 14-½ games behind the eventual titlists, the Chicago Cubs.

8/28 From 1930 Through the 1960’s: Shep's New Deal; Brown's Streak; Game Stories

• 1930 - The Pirates scored in double figures for the third straight game, beating the Cincy Reds 11-2 at Forbes Field in the second game of a twin bill after winning 16-12 in the lid lifter. The club started the streak at Wrigley Field with a 10-8 win over the Chicago Cubs. Gus Suhr went 7-for-13 with six runs, eight RBI, two homers, two triples and a double over that span. 

Ray Brown - Negro League Magnet Card

• 1940 - Homestead Grays RHP Ray Brown earned his 27th consecutive victory over a two year span when he shut out the Baltimore Elite Giants 5-0 on three hits, bringing his record to 12-0 (he finished 15-4). Brown played for Cum Posey's Grays from 1932-45 and again in 1947-48 (in fact, he married Posey’s daughter Ethel), winning 109 games in his career. He was selected for the Hall of Fame in 2006. 
• 1951 - The Bucs ended the New York Giants winning streak at 16 games, the longest since 1935, when LHP Howie Pollet tossed a six-hit shutout for a 2-0 win at the Polo Grounds. The Pirates only had three hits (two by rookie Frank Thomas), but were issued eight free passes (three to Ralph Kiner), and both Bucco runs were unearned.
• 1956 - The Bucs spotted Warren Spahn and the first place Milwaukee Braves a four-run lead at County Stadium, then scored four times in the seventh to tie the game on the back of Dale Long’s three-run homer. The Pirates took command the next frame when Dick Groat’s two-out infield knock to the SS hole plated Frank Thomas. A tag team sixth-inning catch may have ignited the Bucs: per the Milwaukee Journal's Cleon Walfoort "Clemente and Bill Virdon robbed Spahn of an extra-base hit and the Braves of one or more runs. Clemente got his glove on the ball against the fence and Virdon grabbed it as it squirted out. It was just after this remarkable catch that the Pirates came to life." 
• 1959 - Vern Law whitewashed the Philadelphia Phillies 9-0 on five hits at Forbes Field, striking out seven and supported by three solo homers off the bats of Roberto Clemente, Smoky Burgess and Rocky Nelson. Clemente’s was an inside-the-park four-bagger that hit off the flagpole in left center 457’ away on one hop, the deepest part of FF. Pittsburgh banged out 10 hits and drew nine walks. 

Vern Law - 1959 Topps

• 1964 - Joe Gibbon and the Phils’ Jim Bunning traded zeroes for the first seven innings at Forbes Field. Then Bunning led a charge of four straight Philadelphia hits in the eighth as the Brotherly Love nine pulled ahead 2-0 before Tommie Sisk and Roy Face could quiet their bats. The score stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth. A Bill Virdon knock and one-out Jerry Lynch walk was followed by a Willie Stargell single to make it 2-1, and then old Shake, Rattle and Roll, Smoky Burgess, lifted an Ed Roebuck offering into the seats to walk off a 4-2 win. 
• 1967 - Roberto Clemente had three hits, including two homers, to lead the Bucs to a 4-3 win over the Braves. He hit the game winner with two outs in the 10th at Atlanta Stadium. Denny Ribant got the win, and Juan Pizarro the save. 
• 1968 - The Bucs gave Larry Shepard a new contract. GM Joe Brown said “I’m making the announcement now to give the players an incentive to finish higher, knowing Larry will be back.” Guess they weren’t all that gung ho...Larry managed the Pirates to an 80-82 record in 1968, and the Pirates were 84-73 when the team fired him late in the 1969 campaign and replaced him with Alex Grammas, who was bumped by Danny Murtaugh in 1970.

8/28 From 1970: Neagle-Schmidt; Petey Launch; Byrd Bomb; Game Stories; HBD TJ

• 1972 - Willie Stargell single handedly carried the Bucs to a 5-3 win over San Diego at TRS with a pair of two-run blasts off Mike Caldwell. He gave Bob Moose a 5-1 lead to work with, and until the ninth he was cruising before the Padres banged back-to-back long balls with one out; he then gave up a single. Ramon Hernandez was waved in; he gave up another knock to bring the winning run to the plate. Ramon settled down and a whiff & a pop into short right closed the book. Pops’ blasts were big; the Pirates only had six hits during the contest. 

Ed Kirkpatrick - 1974 Topps

• 1974 - The Giants banged out 14 hits at Candlestick Park, but the Bucs took home the win 3-1 in 11 innings on Ed Kirkpatrick’s two-out double. San Francisco stranded 16 runners as Jerry Reuss and game winner Dave Giusti bent but didn’t break. It was Pittsburgh’s sixth straight win and nudged them 1-½ games ahead of the Cardinals. 
• 1978 - John Candelaria, pitching through a bad elbow (he had to skip some starts to let it calm down), went six innings of two-hit, one-run, six strikeout ball and Ed Whitson followed with three no-hit frames as the Bucs tossed their way past the Reds 3-1 at Riverfront Stadium. It wasn’t much of an attack by the Pirates - Dave Parker’s triple sent home Omar Morena while Bill Robinson had a sac fly & blooper to plate Parker and Steve Brye. Pittsburgh stranded 10 runners during the contest, leaving the bases loaded twice 
• 1980 - RHP TJ Beam was born in Scottsdale, Arizona. TJ put his second and last MLB campaign in with the Pirates in 2008, slashing 2-2-1/4.14 in 32 appearances. He afterward inked a couple of minor league deals and closed out his playing days in an indie league. Beam served as a pitching coach for Ole Miss for two seasons when he returned to campus to complete his degree. 
• 1996 - LHP Denny Neagle was traded to the Atlanta Braves for RHP Jason Schmidt, OF Corey Pointer and 1B Ron Wright. Schmidt continued the series of starters who would be developed by the Bucs (like Neagle) just to blossom elsewhere because of salary constraints in Pittsburgh. Schmidt went 44-47/4.39 in six Bucco seasons before breaking out as a Giant (three All-Star nods & a World Series); Neagle had gone 43-35/4.02 for his five seasons as a Pirate before five strong campaigns with the Braves (All-Star) and Reds, with two World Series. 
• 2003 - Josh Fogg tossed a four-hitter - he didn’t give up a hit until the sixth inning - en route to a 5-0 win over the Marlins and Dontre Willis at TRS. Jack Wilson had four RBI, with the game’s key blow a two-out, bases loaded double in the fourth to give Fogg a cushion to work with. Mike Lincoln and Julian Taveras got the final four outs to preserve the whitewash. Kip Wells had shutout the Fish in the previous game as the Pirates swept the three-game series. 

Josh Fogg - 2003 Donruss Studio

• 2012 - Pedro Alvarez hit the longest homer by a Pirate to date at PNC Park, bombing a sixth inning Brandon Dickson delivery 469’. The shot cleared the seats in center and bounced onto the Riverwalk beside the Allegheny River during the Bucs 9-0 win over St. Louis. El Toro also added a 422’ shot in the third off Jake Westbrook as James McDonald got the win. 
• 2013 - Newly acquired Marlon Byrd hit a homer and tallied three RBI in his first game with the Bucs to ice Pittsburgh’s 7-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park, with Charlie Morton getting the victory. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Byrd was the third Pirate player to hit a home run and have at least three RBI in his first game with the team after playing for another MLB team earlier in the season. Derrek Lee hit two dingers and had three RBI on August 1st, 2011 after being traded by the Orioles and Shawon Dunston hit two long balls and drove in four runs on September 2nd, 1997 after being acquired from the Cubs.