4/4 From 1980: Capps Signs; Junior, JT Traded; Double 0; Astro-Sweep; Posey Honored; Sell Out?; HBD Mitch & John

• 1986 - 1B Jason Thompson was traded to Montreal for a pair of PTBNL minor leaguers, Ron Giddens and Ben Abner. It ended up a very minor deal as Thompson fared poorly for the Expos in his last MLB campaign and neither prospect the Pirates got made it to the show. 
• 1900 - After spending parts of seven seasons with the Pirates around a year-and-a-half as a Met, C Junior Ortiz, along with minor league righty Orlando Lind (Chico’s bro) were sent to the Minnesota Twins for LHP Mike Pomerans. Junior’s problem was that he was blocked by the Mike Lavalliere/Don Slaught duo behind the dish and due $350K. He had some years left in the tank, staying in the AL and playing through 1994. Pomeranz advanced no further than A Ball and is now a sports broadcaster, while Lind made it to the upper levels of MiLB but not to the show. 
• 1993 - C John Bormann was born in Danville, Virginia. A 24th round pick in the 2015 draft from the University of Texas at San Antonio, the Class A Bradenton Marauder catcher got a call to the show in 2017 for a game while regular catcher Fran Cervelli was laid up briefly with a sore foot. He got one at bat and whiffed. Still, he was excited to get a chance to live the dream. As Clint Hurdle said "Imagine, when he woke up today, he was going to go on a bus to Port Charlotte..(and instead) ends up playing in a major league game.” 

Mitch Keller - 2021 Pirates Promo

• 1996 - RHP Mitch Keller was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Keller was drafted in the second round of the 2014 draft out of Xavier HS and signed for a $1M bonus, foregoing his commitment to North Carolina. He rose to the top of the Pirates pitching prospects list and after the 2018 campaign was added to the 40-man roster. He made his MLB debut in 2019 against the Reds, getting banged around in the first inning and then retiring 10-of-11 before calling it a night. He finished the year 1-5, though he did show his stuff worked (sometimes) with 12K per nine innings. Kells got five more starts in 2020 and broke camp the following year as part of the rotation.
• 2000 - The Bucs drew a record announced crowd of 54,399 as Jason Schmidt lost 5-2 to the Astros for TRS’s final home opener. Sadly, the butts in the seats didn’t match the attendance figure by a longshot even with Christina Aguilera on hand to sing the Anthem. There were an estimated 15,000 live fans on hand; the drizzly, 40-degree weather in Pittsburgh curbed most folks’ enthusiasm. 
• 2007 - The Pirates swept the Astros in Houston for the first time since 1991, winning 5-4 at Minute Maid Park behind Tom Gorzelanny. Jose Bautista banged out three hits including a double and drove in three RBI to prime the attack. 
• 2008 - Closer Matt Capps agreed to a $3.05M, two-year contract that ran through 2009 and covered his first year of arbitration. Capps wasn’t tendered when the deal ran out - he had 27 saves in 2009, but with a 5.80 ERA - and moved on to Washington. He hasn’t tossed over 50 IP in any season since 2010, and last pitched in the majors in 2012 for the Twins as he was plagued by a series of shoulder injuries. The Mad Capper was selected to be part of a three-man rotating color crew (Kevin Young and Michael “The Fort” McKenry were to join him) for Bucco broadcasts in 2020, but that plan was pushed back a year due to the shortened season. 

Matt Capps - 2009 Topps Heritage

• 2016 - Cumberland “Cum” Posey, the first black athlete at Penn State & Duquesne and a former player, manager, and owner of the Homestead Grays baseball team, was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He had been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006, and thus became the only member of both the professional basketball and baseball halls of fame. Posey, who was born in Homestead in 1890, played two hoop seasons at Penn State, then with the Loendi Big Five, an all-black basketball team that won multiple Colored Basketball World Championships, and later at Duquesne under the name "Charles Cumbert," leading the Dukes in scoring for three seasons from 1916-18. After Duquesne, he focused on baseball and helped build the Grays into a powerhouse club. 
• 2019 - The Pirates blanked the Reds 2-0 at PNC Park. It was Jordan Lyles first start as a Bucco, and he put up five zeros on the board. Pittsburgh stranded 10 runners and didn’t score until the seventh, when back-to-back singles and a bleeder pushed across the first run and three eighth-inning raps produced a second to give Nick Kingham the win. It was rinse, lather and repeat the next day. Joe Musgrove tossed seven scoreless, three-hit innings and Sonny Gray gave up a run in the seventh on Jung Ho Kang’s two-out double; the Bucs added an insurance run in the eighth on a bunt single, sacrifice, and Adam Frazier’s double to clinch Big Joe’s win. Bucco pitching put up a 30-inning line of zeroes against the Reds, shutting them out in three straight games, a streak that started in Cincy.

Cubs Even Series With 5-1 Win; Young Hayes Hurt

Today's Game: The Bucs struck in the first off Jake Arrieta, with a Ke'Bryan Hayes walk and back-to-back knocks by Colin Moran and Kevin Newman plating the game's first run. Tyler Anderson had an easy frame with a walk, K and DP. Pittsburgh went quietly in the second, but not the Cubs. Javy Baez singled, stole second and third (Anderson has a big leg kick; Jake Stallings had no chance on either swipe) and scored when Shelty pulled the infield in just to watch a soft bloop drop into short right to tie it. Another single and sac fly gave Chi-Town the lead. Erik Gonzalez singled in the third, but ended the inning doubled up on a Bryan Reynolds liner to third. The Cubbies added on when Kris Bryant dropped a high fly with the wind barely over the Wrigley wall. Gregory Polanco singled off a glove in the fourth for all of the Bucco action. Anderson did a good job, overcoming a pair of Buc boots to post a zero, but the five outs ran his pitch count to 73.

Adam Frazier tripled with two gone in the fifth on a ball that was lost in the sun, but Gonzalez's hard shot to deep short was backhanded by Baez to save a run for Arrieta. A walk and dink put Cubbies on the corners with an out (everyone takes an extra base on El Coffee), but Tyler was again equal to the task with a contact play out at home and K. B-Rey singled to start the sixth but nothin' else was cookin'. Clay Holmes took over and was behind every batter (all four Cubs had three balls on them); it cost him when Jason Heyward clobbered a 3-1 fastball into the seats. Brandon Workman got the seventh inning wave and fanned a pair in a clean frame. Wil Crowe got his feet wet, giving up a run on a hit, two walks and two wild pitches with two whiffs. Michael Feliz came in to get the final out on a strikeout looking.

Fraze's three-bagger was the Pirates only XB hit - 2020 Topps

Andrew Chafin toed the slab in the eighth and served a pop up  to go with two K. 21-year-old Rule 5 pick Luis Oviedo made his MLB debut and tossed a 1-2-3 inning, getting two bouncers and a fan. Craig Kimbrel put it away, striking out the side in the ninth.

The main positive from today is that Anderson didn't look as bad as his line; he lasted 91 pitches despite being squeezed, had seven punchouts, stayed composed and was hurt in the main by a couple of drop-in hits, though both sides banged into some hard outs. The Pirates attack remains pretty punchless; they had six hits (five singles) and the Cub pitchers didn't help them today, walking just one hitter.

Notes:

• Ke'Bryan Hayes tweaked his left hand at bat, then banged it again diving into first on a pickoff try in the opening frame; he was replaced in the third by E-Gon. No word on the injury yet - the Pirates announced wrist discomfort, but both Hayes and the medicos were checking the back of his hand, so obviously TBD. Hopefully it's not a hamate...
• It took two games for Shelty to use all nine of his relievers. 
• Both sides recorded 12 K

Tomorrow's Game: RHP Mitch Keller takes on RHP Zach Davies. The game starts at 2:20 and will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan.

Saturday: Anderson v Arrieta; Alternate Camp Roster Released

Today's Game: Round two begins at 2:20 at Wrigley Field. It'll be carried by AT&T SportsNet PIT 2 and 93.7 The Fan. It should be baseball weather, with a forecast in the mid-to-upper 60's and sunny.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B; Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B; Bryan Reynolds LF; Colin Moran 1B; Kevin Newman SS; Gregory Polanco RF; Jake Stallings C; Dustin Fowler CF; Tyler Anderson P. Tony Alford sits for Fowler against the righty Arrieta.

Pitchers: The Pirates send LHP Tyler Anderson to duel RHP Jake Arrietta. Tyler is making his first Pirates start while Jake is returning to Chicago after a three-year stint in Philly. Anderson has spent his career in the NL West, so has faced the Cubs just three times with a 2-0/4.05 line. In his 11 seasons, Arrieta has tamed the Bucs pretty well; he's 12-6/2.93 in 23 trips to the bump.

Tyler Anderson gets his first Pirates start - image 2021 Pirates

Notes:

• Shelty said that Kyle Crick could return to the roster tomorrow, so the team is already facing a roster move when he's cleared.
• Chris Archer is scheduled to pitch for Tampa Bay today; he's slated to piggyback on Rich Hill's start.
• The MLB announced it's relocating this year's All Star Game & draft from Atlanta to parts unknown; Pittsburgh is showing interest in hosting the events, led by State Senators Jay Costa and Wayne Fontana.

Alternate Camp: The Pirates announced their roster for the alternate training camp, based in Pittsburgh for the first month of the season before the minor league season starts - P Tyler Bashlor, Chase De Jong, Gandel Justave, Geoff Hartlieb*, Max Kranick, James Marvel, Nick Mears, Braedon Ogle, Sean Poppen, Edgar Santana, Chasen Shreve*, Shea Spitzbarth, Blake Weimann, Steven Wright & Miguel Yajure; C Jason Delay, Joe Hudson, Christian Kelley & Andrew Susac*; IF Ji-Wan Bae, Rodolfo Castro, Will Craig, Oneill Cruz, Wilmer Difo, Todd Frazier* & Connor Kaiser; OF Brian Goodwin*, Hunter Owen, Chris Sharpe, Troy Stokes & Travis Swaggerty. Five guys will form a taxi squad (*) for road games while the others will work out. They'll all be available for call up for home games and will also compete against other alternate camp teams. Brian Esposito (Indy manager), Joel Hanrahan (Indy pitching coach), Gary Green (Altoona bench coach) and David Newhan (Altoona hitting coach) will coach them. Three members of the 40-man roster were excluded: Cole Tucker, Jared Oliva and Roansy Contreras. Tuck and Jared are in Florida for developmental work and are expected to join the camp later. 

Tomorrow's Game: RHP Mitch Keller takes on RHP Zach Davies. The game starts at 2:20 and will be on AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan.

4/3 Through the 1970s: Pendleton Trade; HBD Bobby, Miguel, Alex, Dick, Larry & Guy

• 1856 - Manager and 1B Guy Hecker was born in Youngsville, in Warren County. He was the Alleghenys player-manager in 1890, and it wasn’t a great year for Guy’s resume - he hit .226 as the first baseman and the team finished 23-113, decimated by Player League roster raids. Guy compiled quite a resume, though. During his career he played for Louisville Eclipse prior to the Alleghenys and is considered by some baseball historians to be the best combination pitcher and hitter to play in the 19th century. Hecker remains as one of the only two pitchers in MLB history to hit three home runs in one game, along with Jim Tobin, and the only pitcher to win a batting title (in 1886). In addition, he is the only pitcher in baseball history to get six hits in a nine-inning game. He could toss it, too - Hecker was the second pitcher ever in the American Association to pitch a no-hitter and led that league in Ks in 1884. 

Larry Shepherd - 1968 Pirates promo shot

• 1919 - Manager Larry Shepherd was born in Lakeland Ohio. He managed in the Pirate system from 1953 to 1966, spanning the Sally to the International Leagues, and won three pennants along the road. He returned to the Bucs after a year off in 1968 to replace Harry the Hat Walker at the helm, and in almost two seasons put together a 164-155 record. Shepherd was replaced by Alex Grammas with a week to go in the '69 season despite an 84-73 slate. 
• 1921 - RHP Dick Conger was born in Los Angeles. The Rule 5 selection from Detroit got a pair of Bucco appearances in 1941 and two more in 1942, split between starts and relief appearances. In his 12+ IP, he had no record but posted a sharp 1.46 ERA. Small samples have their flaws, tho, and in 1943 he went 2-7/6.09 with Philadelphia. It was his last MLB go-around as he entered the service the following year and upon his return tossed in the minors until 1950. 
• 1926 - Coach Alex Grammas was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Grammas, who played as a major league infielder for a decade, served as a coach for the Pirates from 1965-69 and was the Bucs’ interim manager for five games in 1969 after Larry Shepard was fired. When Danny Murtaugh took over for 1970, Grammas caught on with Sparky Anderson at Cincinnati, and would eventually end up with a gig as the Milwaukee Brewers’ head man. He was later a long-time Tiger coach and retired from baseball in 1991. 
• 1957 - The Pirates swapped infielders, sending Dick Cole to the Milwaukee Braves for Jim Pendleton. Pendleton was a backup that got into 49 games in 1957-58, then was shipped to Cincy as part of the Smoky Burgess/Dick Hoak/Harvey Haddix deal. Cole played in 15 games for the Bravos; 1957 was his last MLB season. 

Miguel Garcia - 1989 Donruss

• 1967 - LHP Miguel Garcia was born in Caracas, Venezuela. The Pirates got him from the Angels as part of the Johnny Ray deal. Miguel had brief big league visits from 1987-89 with the Bucs, going 0-2/7.71 in 13 outings. ‘89 was his last stop in the show. After some time spent as a scout for the Marlins and Red Sox, he’s now Director of Latin American Operations for the Tigers. 
• 1978 - 2B Bobby Hill was born in San Jose. Part of the return from the A-Ram salary dump, he played in Pittsburgh from 2003-05. He hit .262 over that span and lost the second base job to Jose Castillo in 2005 after being the starter the year before, in what proved to be his last MLB season. Hill has been the head coach of Mission College Baseball since 2015.

4/3 From 1980: Frankie, Petey, RJ Opener Stars; Early Sweep; Patterson, Wilson Deals; TRS Woes; Walk Signs; Littlefield Extended; Belle Bucks; HBD Dewey

• 1981 - C Ryan Doumit was born in Moses Lake, Washington. Dewey was drafted by the Pirates in 1999 in the second round out of high school and caught ‘n’ stuff for the Pirates from 2005-11, with Bucco career numbers of .271, 67 HR and 266 RBI. Unfortunately, in those seven years he never stayed healthy and he only got into 100+ games twice for Pittsburgh. He retired after the 2014 season, taking his final spin with Atlanta. He will always be one of the great debates of Pirate evaluation. Despite a solid stick, defense and injuries kept him from becoming an everyday catcher, and the question is begged as to how his career may have turned out if he been converted to a different spot early in his career. 
• 1984 - After being released by the Braves, the Pirates signed RHP Bob Walk. Walk ended up spending 10 seasons as a Bucco twirler, going 82-61 with a 3.83 ERA and putting up a 2-1 record during the Bucs three NLCS series from 1990-92. 
• 1986 - RJ Reynolds became the second Bucco to lead off the Home Opener with a home run (Billy Cox was the first in 1947) and added a double, but it wasn’t enough as Doc Gooden and the Mets dropped the Pirates 4-2 at TRS. Rick Reuschel took the loss. 

RJ Reynolds - 1986 Leaf

• 1986 - The Pirates sent OF Marvell Wynne to the San Diego Padres for RHP Bob Patterson. It was a win-win deal. Patterson eventually was effective as a reliever for the Bucs (he came to the club as a starter) over six seasons, and Wynne played fairly regularly for SD for the next four seasons. He was replaced in Pittsburgh by Barry Bonds and a year later, Andy Van Slyke. 
• 1990 - The Bucs traded with the Reds, sending OF’er Billy Hatcher, whom they had picked up at the 1989 deadline, to Cincinnati for Glenn Wilson, IF Jeff Richardson, who got into six games as a Pirate in 1991, and RHP Mike Roesler, who appeared in five 1990 games. Hatcher, to add a little salt to the wound, helped the Reds sink the Bucs in the 1990 NLCS, hitting .333, and played six more MLB seasons as mainly a platoon outfielder. For Hatcher, the trade wasn’t the main event of the day. He was in the delivery room with his pregnant wife when he learned the news, and didn’t even ask what team he was traded to. Hatcher found out later, after his daughter Chelsea was born, when Cincy GM Bob Quinn called to welcome him aboard. 
• 1997 - Per the Associated Press, for the first time in major league history, the salary of one player was more than that of a team. The Chicago White Sox paid Albert Belle $10M for the season, which was $928,333 more than the entire Pirate “Freak Show” payroll. The Pirates won 79 games that year while the White Sox won 80 and neither made the postseason. 
• 2000 - The Pirates had a sold-out house for the home Opener, the final one for TRS, but Mother Nature didn’t cooperate. The team cancelled the game against the Astros because of rain, causing the fans to litter the field with various ballpark debris. Then, to make matters worse, the crowd left to a massive traffic jam; the police who had directed the flow into the park were gone, not scheduled to return until the game was over, so people trying to get back home were left to their own devices in navigating an escape route until the cops were recalled. The game was played the next night in a gray drizzle, and a smattering of fans were treated to a loss. 

Reggie Sanders - 2003 Spectrum SPx

• 2003 - The Pirates completed a season-opening three-game sweep of Cincinnati at The Great American Ballpark with a 7-5 win. Former Red Reggie Sanders went deep twice for Pittsburgh, going 4-for-5 and adding five RBI. Sanders went 7-for-10 in the series as the Pirates jumped out to their first 3-0 start to a season since 1993. 
• 2006 - GM Dave Littlefield received a one-year extension on his contract, carrying him through the 2008 season. Hired in 2001, he put together a 314-407 (.436) record, but owner Kevin McClatchy cited the forward progress the team had made under Littlefield’s tenure. It didn’t help as he was canned after the 2007 campaign. Brian Graham (Player Development director) replaced him as the interim GM before Neal Huntington was hired three weeks later. Graham was let go shortly thereafter, along with manager Jim Tracy and suits Ed Creech (Scouting director) and Jon Mercurio (Baseball Operations director). 
• 2011 - The Pirates plated a pair of runs in the ninth to down the Cubs at Wrigley Field 5-4. A walk to Garrett Jones, a single by Neil Walker and a Lyle Overbay bunt against Carlos Marmol left runners at second and third in the ninth for Pedro Alvarez, who rolled a ball softly to the left side hole. He beat it out for a hit as both Bucs scored, giving El Toro three RBI on the day. Jeff Karstens got the win in relief of Ross Ohlendorf, with Joel Hanrahan picking up the save. 
• 2016 - In the kickoff of the major league season shown on ESPN, the Pirates defeated the Cardinals 4-1 in front of a sellout crowd of 39,500 fans at PNC Park. Frankie Liriano struck out 10 batters in six scoreless frames and also drove in the game’s first run with a single off losing hurler Adam Wainwright. Josh Harrison managed to hit into a sac fly/double play combo when with runners on first and third and no outs, his fly plated a run although the runner at first was cut down trying to get to second (basepath gaffes like that were common during the season, costing 3B/baserunning coach Rick Sofield his job in October). Though the year started off on a high note for the Cisco Kid, he would be traded to Toronto at the deadline after posting a 6-11/5.46 slash during the campaign, returning to Pittsburgh for a bullpen role in 2019.

4/2: Redbeard Granny; Bonus Baseball; Sudden Sam, Zachary Deals; Strike Ends; Belle Worth More Than Bucs; NY Pirates?; Long Arm Of The Law; Bucs On WENS; TSN Poll; Cotton's Day; HBD Jon

• 1922 - Jim “Cotton” Tierney had his homecoming celebration spoiled by the minor league Kansas City Blues of the American Association by a 4-3 score. KC rallied for three eighth-inning runs and held off a ninth inning Bucco rally in the pre-season exhibition played at the KC Speedway. Cotton didn’t help himself much, going 0-for-3 at the leadoff spot. The KC battery had past ties to the barnstorming Bucs - Beltzhoover’s Otto Knabe did the Blue’s hurling (he also pitched in 1905 as a rookie for the Corsairs, then spent his last MLB season, 1916, as a Pirate) and Bill Skiff, who Pittsburgh had released, did the catching - and helped do in their barnstorming mateys. 35,000 plus turned out to honor local-boy-done-good Tierney, whose hometown was a stone’s throw across the river in Kansas City, Kansas. 
• 1942 - The Sporting News released a poll of 100 former major leaguers and managers voting for the best player of all time. Ty Cobb won easily, with Buc SS Honus Wagner second. The Flying Dutchman handily outpolled both Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby. 

Hans - 2020 Topps Archives

• 1954 - TV station WENS, the City’s first ABC affiliate, announced that it would broadcast 20-30 Pirates games during the season beginning with the April 17th Opener at Philadelphia. Bob Prince and Rosey Rowswell were the broadcast team; Joe Tucker would take over the WWSW radio mic when the usual radio duo switched over for TV games. 
• 1958 - Just in case you thought selling the Bucco franchise was a eighties/nineties thing, think again. Sportswriter Al Abrams in his Post Gazette “Sidelight on Sports” column asked club president John Galbreath about the rumors that New York interests wanted to buy the franchise to replace the Dodgers and Giants. Galbreath said “I didn’t get one offer, I got 20 offers. Some of them were tremendous (thought to be in the $8-10M range)...(But) I would like to put an end to this stuff once and for all...We didn’t sell the club or move out in our worst years when we could have without any trouble. I don’t see why we should now.” 
• 1963 - The Pirates made the decision to leave pitcher Vern Law at Daytona Beach to start the season for work on strengthening the lingering rotator injury he first suffered in 1960. What was hoped to be a two-week stay turned into a month, and Law made just 18 outings (12 starts) good for 76 IP and a 4-5/4.93 slash before he was shut down for good in early August. The long rest period paid off as he put together three solid seasons on the hill from ‘64-66, averaging a 14-10/3.20 line with 196 IP over that span and earning the NL Comeback Player of the Year award in 1965. 
• 1970 - RHP Jon Lieber was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Pirates picked him up at the 1993 deadline as part of a trade for Stan Belinda with KC, and he pitched his first five (1994-98) seasons with the Bucs, going 38-47/4.36. Pittsburgh sent him to the Cubs for Brant Brown after the 1998 campaign. He spent another nine workmanlike years in the show, winning 131 games in 14 seasons, including 20 in 2001 for the Cubs. 

Jon Lieber - 1995 Collector's Choice

• 1973 - The Pirates picked up RHP Chris Zachary from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for a reluctant C Charlie Sands. Sands refused to report to AAA Toledo, and the Tigers gave him permission to make another deal if he could. He couldn’t, and Motown traded him to California two weeks later. As for Zachary, he spent most of his time at Charleston, going 0-1-1/3.00 in his six Bucco outings. He was in the Philly system in 1974 before hangin’ ‘em up at age 30. 
• 1975 - The Pirates signed pitcher Sudden Sam McDowell, a 32-year-old free agent who started out at Central Catholic. It would be the last hurrah of a 15-year career that saw him win 141 games and K 2,453 batters, mostly with the Indians. Sudden Sam was The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year in 1970 when he worked 305 frames and punched out 304 batters. But his bouts with the bottle caught up with him; he pitched well for the Pirates but was released in June. McDowell later went through rehab and turned his life around. The character Sam Malone, the bartender on the TV show “Cheers,“ was said to be loosely based on Sudden Sam after the producers decided on Ted Danson rather than gridder-turned-actor Fred Dryer; they had to switch sports because of the difference in bulk. 
• 1995 - The players’ strike ended days after a court ruling undercut the owner’s position. Per Wikipedia, the 1994–95 strike was the eighth work stoppage in baseball history as well as the fourth in-season work stoppage in 22 years. The strike began on August 12th, 1994, and resulted in the remainder of that season being canceled, including the postseason and, for the first time since 1904, the World Series. After spending 232 days walking the picket lines, the walk-out was the longest such stoppage in MLB history. 948 games were lost and the MLB became the first major professional sports league to lose an entire postseason due to labor struggles. Because of the strike, neither the 1994 or 1995 seasons reached 162 games; the strike was called after most teams had played 113 games in 1994 and 144 games in 1995. 
• 1997 - Per BR Bullpen, for the first time in major league history, the salary of one player was more than that of a team. The Chicago White Sox paid Albert Belle $10M for the season, which was $928,333 more than the entire Pirate “Freak Show” payroll. 

Stolmy Pimentel - photo Pirates/MLB-dot-com

• 2014 - The Pirates and Cubs hooked up for the longest baseball game ever played in Pittsburgh, a 16-inning marathon that lasted five hours and 55 minutes before the Bucs could scrape out a 4-3 decision. Chicago tied it in the ninth and took the lead in the 12th, but the Bucs knotted the score again on a two-out single by Starling Marte. Tony Sanchez ended the longest day with a knock to drive home Jose Tabata. Stolmy Pimentel got his first MLB win while Carlos Villanueva dropped his second consecutive game as he was the losing pitcher on Opening Day. 
• 2018 - The Home Opener went the Buccos way thanks to an early grand slam by Colin Moran. It was his first at-bat in front of the home crowd, his second career homer, and his first curtain-call in Pittsburgh. The blast was only the third Home Opener granny by a Buc; Roberto Clemente (1962) & Ralph Kiner (1949) had the others. It gave the Buccos a 5-0 first inning lead over Minnesota, and the Pirates survived a four-run pitching meltdown in the sixth to hang on for a 5-4 win, their fourth without a loss. Jameson Taillon struck out nine Twinkies for the victory, with George Kontos earning his second career save. The game was played in front of 30,186, the smallest Opening Day crowd in PNC Park history, as a morning snowfall, low-40s temperatures and general malaise caused by the off season trades of fan favorites Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen took their toll.

Bucs Drop Cubs In Season Opener 5-3 As Bullpen Carries The Day

Today's Game:

The temps were better suited for a curling match than baseball game, but still they persevered... KeBryan Hayes got the Bucs off to a grand start when he went long off Kyle Hendicks after a Fraze walk. Two free passes around a double put the Cubbies in position against Chad Kuhl with an out, and a sac fly made it 2-1 after a frame. Pittsburgh added on when Gregory walked and Stalls singled to start the second. Fraze then came through with a two-out, 0-2 oppo single to put the good guys up 3-1. The key: Kuhl hustled out a slug bunt to keep the inning alive, even taking a tumble over the base to beat the rap. The Cubbies stranded another walk. The Pirates again opened strong in the third; Bryan Reynolds beat out an infield knock and Colin Moran walked, but they never moved up. Chicago was handed a run on a Fraze error, stolen base, Stall's misthrow and sac fly to trim the lead to 3-2.

Young Hayes launched a 410' bomb & the Bucs never looked back - 2020 Prizm

Brandon Workman got the Cub call in the fourth (both starters were at 63 pitches) and walked Alford, who was picked off breaking early, a Bucco issue all spring. It hurt when Dustin Fowler followed with a pinch-hit rap and Fraze walked, then pulled off a double steal. Hayes' liner to right should have scored Fowler, but he was halfway down the line as both he and Joey Cora were asleep at the switch. Rex Brothers took the ball and got the third out without damage. Duane Underwood climbed the hill against his old mates and struck out the  side. The Bucs got a Redbeard walk and K-Man single to open the fifth - the first two or three runners have reached every inning - before Polanco K'ed for the second time on a ball in the dirt. Jason Adam toed the slab, and Jake doubled home Moran. A bopped batter jammed the sacks with two away before Fraze bounced out. Clay Holmes took over and flipped a 1-2-3 frame. 

Pittsburgh led off the sixth with a free pass. A one-out walk got Dan Winkler waved in, and he left the Corsairs on base. Sam Howard struck out the side in his turn. Winkler walked Alford in the seventh. Tony stole second and scored on Fraze's two-out two-bagger to put the Pirates up 5-2. Dave Bednar took the ball and whiffed a pair in a quiet frame. Andrew Chafin was whistled in for the eighth. A walk and single left runners at second & third with two away before Ryan Tepera was tasked with getting the third out. Another walk juiced the bases; a K ended it. Chris Stratton gave up a manufactured run on a leadoff double, bouncer and sac fly. Alec Mills toiled in the ninth and threw the first clean Cub inning. Ric Rod looked for the save. He walked a guy with an out, but punched out the last pair of Baby Bruins to raise the Roger.

Ric Rod picks up his first save of the year - 2020 photo Pirates

So let's see...the Pirates were 3-of-20 with RISP, stranded 15 runners, ran themselves out of an inning and gifted the Cubbies a run...and won. Persistence coupled with a lights-out effort by the pen - six innings, one run on one hit with one walk and 11 whiffs - pays off sometimes.

Notes:

• Every Pirates position starter reached base, while Fraze, Kevin Newman and Stalls had two hits. Redbeard walked three times; Fraze and Tony Alford twice.
• Keeping good company: Per MLB Stats, Ke'Bryan Hayes is the youngest Pirate to homer on Opening Day since Barry Bonds in 1988 and the first Buc rookie since Johnny Ray in 1982.
• Cub pitchers walked 11 batters; the ninth was the only inning that they didn't issue a free pass. Overall, the two teams used 15 twirlers and the game lasted four hours.
• Perils of a four-man bench: C Michael Perez was the only position player left by the seventh inning, and he was used to pinch hit in the ninth. 
• Today's game was the first time these guys began the season on an Opening Day MLB roster: RHP Wil Crowe, OF Dustin Fowler, 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes, LHP Sam Howard and RHP Luis Oviedo.
• The Pirates five-man taxi squad for this road trip consists of IF Rodolfo Castro, IF Wilmer Difo, RHP Sean Poppen, LHP Chasen Shreve & C Andrew Susac.
• BTW, the elephant in the room waved its trunk today - the Nats Opener against the Mets was postponed when one of the Washington players had a positive Covid test. 

Tomorrow's Game:

There's no game scheduled; the Bucs and Cubs pick it up again Saturday afternoon when Tyler Anderson takes on Jake Arrieta.

Opening Day: Bucs & Cubs On The Clock

Today's Game: Play ball! Pittsburgh and Chicago start off the season at 2:20 at Wrigley Field. It will be carried by AT&T SportsNet, 93.7 The Fan, 100.1 FM/KDKA-1020 AM, and the Pirates Radio Network.

Lineup: Adam Frazier - 2B, Ke'Bryan Hayes - 3B; Bryan Reynolds - LF, Colin Moran - 1B; Kevin Newman - SS; Gregory Polanco RF; Jake Stallings - C; Tony Alford - CF; Chad Kuhl - RHP. No surprises in personnel or order.

Tony Alford claimed center - photo Gene Puskar/AP

Pitchers: RHP Chad Kuhl is making his first Opening Day trip to the hill after most pundits were debating whether he start or head to the pen a month ago. Chad has been a punching bag for Chicago with a 2-6/5.82 slash in 11 starts, ouch. He only tossed eight innings in the spring, so it may turn into a bullpenning opener for Pittsburgh. RHP Kyle Hendricks is getting his second consecutive Opening Day call for Chi-Town. He's spent his seven-year career as a Cubbie with a 69-48/3.12 slash in 174 starts. Hendricks has pitched well against the Buccos with a 3.02 ERA in 19 lifetime starts, but with a so-so 6-8 result. 

Notes:

• Opening Day 2021 - snowing and in the thirties in Chicago, and snowing and in the thirties in Pittsburgh...Santa should be throwing out the first pitch instead of the Easter Bunny.
• Couple of moves today: RHP reliever Kyle Crick is away from the team for the birth of his child and was replaced by RHP Clay Holmes. Holmes isn't on the 40-man; we assume he'll take Steven Brault's spot now that Brault has been officially placed on the 60-day IL. RHP Cody Ponce was moved to the 10-day IL. 
• C Tony Wolters signed a MLB contract with the Cubs yesterday.
• The teams are off tomorrow and continue combat on Saturday. That begins a six-day stretch of games for the Pirates.

4/1 Through the 1960’s: Watty Deal; Cro Sold; Double O; Perfect Vision; April's Fool; HBD Masumi, Willie, Jake, Hugo & Fred

• 1858 - OF Fred Mann was born in Sutton, Vermont. The center fielder played two of his six MLB years with the Alleghenys from 1885-86. He hit .251 over that span, spent one more season in the show, then left baseball after toiling for three more years in the bushes. He was the first major league ballplayer to hail from the Green Mountain state. 

Hugo Bezdek - 1917 photo Charles Conlon

• 1884 - Manager Hugo Bezdek was born in Prague, Bohemia, then part of Austria-Hungary empire and now part of the Czech Republic. While he coached at Oregon, he was also a Pirates scout covering the West Coast. When 1917 Pirates manager Nixey Callahan was let go, Hans Wagner became the interim manager (a job he did not particularly care for) before Barney Dreyfuss settled on Bezdek as skipper. The team went 30-59 the remainder of the year, but improved to 65-60 in 1918 and finished 71-68 the next campaign. Bezdek relied on his players' advice to overcome his lack of baseball experience, with two of them - Casey Stengel and Billy Southworth - becoming Hall of Fame field generals. Bedzek left the team after 1919 for his true love, football. He coached at Penn State where his football teams went 65-30-11 with two undefeated seasons and a Rose Bowl appearance. In addition, he was manager of the Nittany Lion nine, going 129-76-1 from 1920-1930. He spent a couple of seasons as the Cleveland Browns coach and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. 
• 1904 - In what was considered the first major deal between the AL & NL after their 1903 truce, the Pirates bought Wyatt “Watty” Lee from Washington for $3,000. The P/1B had three solid seasons for the Senators, but was a flop for the Bucs, appearing in just eight games, five as a pitcher and three as a pinch hitter. Watty went 4-for-12 at the plate, but his pitching record left much to be desired with a slash of 1-2/8.74. It was the end of Lee's major league days though he soldiered on with a long minor league career. 
• 1911 - Just to prove that umps’ eyesight has always been under suspicion, according to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology “NL president Tom Lynch reveals he had asked all umpires to produce certificates as to their eyesight; tests showed all have perfect vision.” Our only question is who tested the doctors? 
• 1926 - RHP Jake Thies was born in St. Louis. As a 28-year-old, he spent 1954 and one lackluster start in 1955 with the Pirates, slashing 3-10/3.90 overall. He was dealt to Kansas City where he spent two years at AAA, returning to the Buc system for three games to close his pro days before retiring to a long career as a salesman. 

Jake Thies - 1955 Topps

• 1928 - The April Fool’s victim this year was the Pirates, who sold SS Joe Cronin to KC of the American Association, which then flipped him to Washington in July. In Pittsburgh, he was blocked at SS by Glenn Wright and manager Donie Bush preferred vet George Grantham at second base, so the Pirates deemed him to be excess baggage. They deemed wrong; after a 20-year career, seven All-Star games and .301 BA, he earned a plaque in the Hall of Fame. 
• 1948 - 1B Willie Montanez was born in Catano, Puerto Rico. Willie spent part of 1981 and 1982 with the Pirates at the tail end of his 14-year career after he was swapped from the Expos for John Milner. He seldom made the lineup but hit .271 off the bench before the Bucs released him. He closed out his MLB stint in ‘82 with the Phils. Trivia Tidbit: Cardinal Curt Flood was traded to the Phillies in 1969 as part of the big Dick Allen deal but refused to go, retired, and then unsuccessfully sued MLB for free agency, eventually setting all sorts of player movement wheels in motion. Part of the blowback was that Montanez ended up as one of the guys (Jim Browning was the other) the Redbirds sent to Philly as his replacement. 
• 1957 - The Pirates and KC Athletics played an 18-inning, 0-0 exhibition game before darkness put an end to the match. The two teams collected a combined 18 hits, 16 of which were singles, and only used three pitchers each; there were almost as many players as fans; the crowd at Fort Myers was 432 warm fannies. The contest was just shy of lasting four hours before the managers called it a day. Ron Kline and Bob Purkey did most of the tossing for the Bucs, with long-shot Purkey winning a spot on the staff after his 10-inning whitewash performance. 
• 1963 - The Titusville Herald’s headline screamed “Pittsburgh Pirates To Move Club To Titusville.” The April Fools gag drew a chuckle but no interest from ownership and the Bucs remained firmly rooted in Forbes Field. Titusville’s population per the 1960 census was 8,356 souls; Forbes Field had an average attendance of 9,675 in 1963; maybe there was a match to be made. 

• 1968 - RHP Masumi Kuwata was born in Yao, Japan. He ended his 21-year stay with the Yomiuri Giants (173 wins, 3.55 ERA) after the 2006 campaign because at age 38, he wanted to take a shot at MLB. He drew some interest from the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, but chose the Pirates because he thought they offered the fastest track to the majors. He hurt his ankle in camp, went to Indy and got a call up in June. He lasted two months and 19 outings, tossing to a 9.43 ERA, and was outrighted. He refused the Indy assignment and returned to Japan, but then signed a minor league deal with the Bucs for 2008; apparently neither side believed that experience was a very good teacher. Kuwata didn’t make the 25-man out of camp and retired. The Pirates offered Kuwata a coaching job (he was a pro at preparation and a willing mentor to younger guys), but he declined and went back to Nippon for good. He did make the Bucco annals, though, as the first Japanese player for Pittsburgh.

4/1 From 1970: AVS, JT, Jones Deals; The Kid's Granny; Sheesh SS; Strike; Top 10; Parrot Hatched; RIP Jerry & Frankie; HBD Axman

• 1972 - The first players' strike in baseball history began and wiped six-to-eight games off the schedule, which were canceled upon settlement. This resulted in teams playing a different number of games during the 1972 season and led to the Detroit Tigers edging the Boston Red Sox by only one-half game (86-70 to 85-70) to win the AL East Division championship. The strike settlement required the team owners to add salary arbitration to the CBA and increased pension fund payments, per Wikipedia. 

The Parrot has its own card - 2007 Topps

• 1979 - The Pirate Parrot was “hatched” at Three Rivers Stadium as a response to the Phillie Phanatic, introduced the year before. The concept of a parrot came from Robert Louis Stevenson’s pirate tale “Treasure Island.” At first, the Parrot was a lean, mean bird dressed in pirate gear, but in the mid-eighties was transformed into the more child-friendly, goofy butterball in a team jersey and backward cap that we have today. The Green Machine is a mainstay of charity, community and childrens’ events and even hosts a Twitter account. The big bird has had its controversial moments, too, being involved in a drug scandal and showing up at a political event but has managed to escape the temporary bad press with its feathers unruffled. 
• 1980 - RHP Odell Jones was re-traded to the Pirates by the Seattle Mariners for a PTBNL and cash in a redo deal. Jones had pitched in Pittsburgh from 1975 & 77-78, then went to Seattle as part of the Enrique Romo swap. Pittsburgh later sent Larry Andersen (October 29, 1980) to Pacific Northwest to complete the trade. Anderson, who was lights out in AAA Portland after coming over from Cleveland, pitched through 1994 in the show. Jones yo-yo’ed between the minors and majors, appearing in 137 MLB games and 168 MiLB games through 1989; he pitched in Mexico after that except for a brief 1992 stop in the Angel’s organization. 
• 1981 - 1B Jason Thompson was traded by the California Angels to the Bucs for LHP Mickey Mahler and C Ed Ott. Thompson took control of a muddled first base situation in Pittsburgh, which was transitioning from Pops Stargell (Doe Boyland and Eddie Vargas, the organizational heir apparents, never panned out), and held the starting job through 1985 until Sid Bream replaced him. The 29-year-old Ott was taken by surprise by the swap - he and the Pirates had been close to finalizing (at least in Ott’s mind) a six-year/$275K per season deal. Steve Nicosia and rookie Tony Pena shared the load after Otter’s departure. The deal was originally to be a three-teamer. The Yankees were to send the Pirates 1B Jim Spencer, two minor league pitchers and $850,000 for Thompson, with $450,000 earmarked to pay Spencer's salary, but Commissioner Bowie Kuhn nixed that part of the swap because of the money involved; at the time, $400K was the max amount allowed to switch hands. That decision worked out bigly to the Pirates advantage - the 33-year-old Spencer hit .182 over 1981-82 and then retired. 
• 1983 - RHP John “The Axman” Axford was born in Simcoe, Ontario. Axford has 10 MLB campaigns on his resume, with two months spent as a Pirate in 2014. He was claimed off waivers from the Indians in August, where he had a workmanlike campaign, to strengthen the Bucco mid-inning pen during its playoff run. He slashed 0-1/4.14 and after the season signed with the Rockies; he’s now with Toronto. 

The Axman - 2015 Topps

• 1985 - The Pittsburgh Press speculated that the Pirates were in the market for a shortstop with a void in the lineup following Dale Berra’s trade to NY. The hot stove league stoked trade rumors for Johnny Lemaster as Tim Foli was on his last legs and Rafael Belliard was considered a good glove backup. The Giants, though, wanted an arm and leg for him, so the Bucs wisely passed. He ended up with the Indians, and Pittsburgh did grab him on May 30th in exchange for a career minor leaguer (Johnny had three hits in 23 games between the Bay and Tribe, which dropped his price considerably). A change of scenery didn’t help as he hit .155 here and the Pirates ended up with Sammy Khalifa taking the job. There were six SS’s that year - Khalifa, Lemaster, Foley, Belliard, Bill Almon and Jerry Dybzinski. Pittsburgh didn’t fill that hole until 1990 when they added Jay Bell to the lineup. 
• 1987 - St. Louis sent OF Andy Van Slyke‚ C Mike LaValliere‚ and RHP Mike Dunne to Pittsburgh in exchange for All-Star C Tony Pena. Van Slyke thought it was an April’s Fool joke when first told of the trade, and Pena cried at the press conference when the deal was announced. AVS ended up a key player in the Pirates early nineties resurgence and Spanky formed a solid catching combo with Don Slaught during the same era. Pena remained solid behind the dish but only hit above .263 once in his remaining 12 big league campaigns. 
• 1991 - Frankie Gustine died at the age of 71. The versatile infielder was a three-time All-Star who played a decade for the Pirates (1939-48) after signing as a 16-year-old, compiling a .268 BA. After his MLB career, Gustine coached at local Point Park College from 1968-74 (he’s in the school’s Hall of Fame). He became a successful local business owner, too, operating a popular Oakland restaurant on Forbes Avenue located just a Texas League bloop away from the ballyard; he also held part ownership of the Sheraton Inn at Station Square. 
• 2006 - The Pirates Top Ten prospects going into the year were IF Neil Walker, 1B Brad Eldred, CF Andrew McCutchen, 3B Jose Bautista, LHP Tom Gorzelanny, IF Yurendell DeCaster, C Ronny Paulino, RHP Josh Sharpless, CF Rajai Davis and OF Adam Bouve, a collection of youngsters who covered a full gamut of baseball achievement. Another riser with a bullet, RHP Matt Capps, who was expected to start the year by returning to AA Altoona, instead went north with the big team. 

Neil Walker - 2011 Topps

• 2011 - Neil Walker hit his first career grand slam on Opening Day at Wrigley Field off Ryan Dempster. He became the second player in team history to hit a grand salami on Opening Day, joining Roberto Clemente, who drilled one to start the 1962 season. It was the key blow in a 6-3 win over the Cubs, supporting the pitching of Kevin Correia and four relievers. 
• 2012 - One of the games great pinch-hitters, Jerry Lynch, died at the age of 82. He started and ended his career as a Pirate, spending seven seasons with the Bucs. He came off the bench to collect 116 pinch hits during his career, 18 of which were homers. Lynch lived in Allison Park when he passed away and was part owner of Champion Lakes GC, along with Dick Groat.