7/4 Through the 1940s: McBride-Brain; 1st FF Fireworks; Satch No-No; Splish-Splash; Twin Bills Galore; Game Tales; HBD Chuck, Wayne, Jim M, Jim N, Mel, Stump & Lou

• 1882 - The Alleghenys defeated the St Louis Brown Stockings, 6-5, in 11 innings at Sportsman's Park, scoring three times in the eighth and tying it in the ninth. It was thought to be the first Fourth of July match played by the American Association clubs, which would both later become MLB rivals as the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cards. (S/O DK Pittsburgh Sports). 
• 1884 - LHP Lou Manske was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Lou had a short MLB career, getting into two games (one start) for the 1906 Pirates, posting a no decision and a 5.63 ERA. He had been purchased in August from Des Moines of the Western League where he had put together consecutive 20-win campaigns. Manske went to the American Association for three seasons afterward and closed out his pro pitching days with St. Joseph of the Western League in 1910. 
• 1888 - The Alleghenys provided all the fireworks as they dropped the original Washington Nationals by a football-like score of 14-0 in front of 2,870 rooters at Recreation Park. Pittsburgh banged out 25 hits to give Ed “Cannonball” Morris, who spun a five-hitter, an easy holiday win. As stated in the Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette “It was hardly an exciting game but satisfying just the same.” The second game of the doubleheader was rained out after five frames. 
• 1891 - RF Jacob “Stump” Edington was born in Koleen, Indiana. He got into 15 games as a 21-year-old for the 1912 Pirates, batting .302 as one of seven right fielders who saw playing time, and that was his MLB career. He continued on his baseball journey, playing in the Central League from 1915-1917, the Pacific Coast League from 1919-1921 and the Texas League from 1922-1927. Stump managed Raleigh for one more campaign before retiring at age 36. 

Bones Ely - 1896 team photo snip

• 1899 - The Pirates celebrated the Fourth by sweeping a twin bill from the Cleveland Spiders at Exposition Park by 4-3 and 7-6 scores, both being walk-off, extra-inning triumphs. Pittsburgh fell behind 3-0 in the lidlifter before knotting it in the ninth and then winning in the 10th when Bones Ely’s two-out knock scored Ginger Beaumont. Bill Hoffer went the distance for the win. Ely was quite the hero; he scored the tying run and made a great, no-man’s-land grab in the field. The second game was a see-saw affair; the Spiders went ahead by a run in the 13th, but then mishandled a pair of bunts in the Pirates half to gift-wrap a Pittsburgh win. Jesse Tannehill claimed the victory in relief of Tully Sparks. The win set off some early Independence Day revelry - the Commercial Gazette wrote that “Men and women went fairly crazy, and there was enough noise to waken the dead. Firecrackers boomed and revolvers were fired into the air...” 
• 1902 - The Pittsburgh Press headline read “River Invades The Park.” During a doubleheader against Brooklyn, “...the Allegheny, which does not seem to know enough to keep its place, sneaked up…” backed up through a drain pipe, resulting in knee-deep water that flooded Exposition Park’s outfield. A special ground rule was created for the day: all outfield hits into the water were singles. Players occasionally caught a ball and dove into the water to splash around, providing “a source of pleasure to the crowd,” with over 20,000 pleased fans in attendance. The Pirates swept the Superbas as Jesse Tannehill tossed a 3-0 two-hitter in the opener and Tommy Leach collected two of his three hits on the day. Jack Chesbro spun a four-hit, 4-0 win in the nitecap with Lefty Davis banging out three raps to extend the team’s winning streak to eight games. 
• 1904 - The Bucs and Cubs played a holiday twinbill at Exposition Park and the Bucs swept, winning the lidlifter, 7-2, and taking the nightcap, 11-6, in a game that featured six Bucco doubles. Roscoe Miller won the first match, supported by Honus Wagner’s three hits and two-knock days from Fred Clarke, Claude Ritchey and Ed Phelps. Mike Lynch gave up 11 hits but cruised anyway in the late game as every Pirate had two hits except for Kitty Bransfield, who only managed one rap. 

Hans - Helmar T206

• 1904 - Pinch runner/OF Mel Ingram was born in Asheville, North Carolina. A multi-sports star at Gonzaga U - he won 15 letters in four sports - he signed with the Pirates in 1929. He was on the roster for one month and got into three games, all as a pinch runner. His lack of playing time wasn’t much of a surprise - he had signed with Pittsburgh as a short-term rental, with the understanding they would release him when the Wallace Bulldogs (an Idaho college) season opened so he could manage their team. He then moved on to coaching HS baseball in Oregon. 
• 1905 - The Pirates traded shortstop George McBride to the St Louis Cardinals for IF Dave Brain. Brain lasted in Pittsburgh, hitting .257 in 85 games, then packaged in the trade to get Vic Willis, who became a Bucco mainstay on the hill. McBride played for 14 more seasons in the majors. A good glove guy, he never batted higher than .235, with a lifetime .218 BA. 
• 1906 - There were no Bucco fireworks on this 4th of July as the Cubs took two from the Pirates by 1-0 scores at Exposition Park in front of 20,024 holiday rooters. In the opener, Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown beat Lefty Leifield with both pitchers firing one-hitters. It was the second double one-hitter in history, the first occurring in 1886. Leifield banged the only Buc hit off Brown while holding Chicago hitless until Jimmy Slagle's single in the ninth inning. The Cub came around on a sacrifice‚ error‚ and ground out. In the second game, Carl Lundgren won a duel against Vic Willis when Sheckard plated on player/manager Frank Chance’s knock in the eighth inning. Willis gave up 10 hits but ducked and dodged the raindrops until the end; Lundgren spun a five-hitter. The Pirates had only been shut out twice all season before the twinbill, but it was a very good Chicago team. They won 116 games (tied with 2001 Seattle for the most victories in one campaign) and finished the year with a team ERA of 1.76, although they lost the WS to their cross-town rivals, the White Sox. The Pirates were pretty good, too, but their 93 wins left them eating the Cubbies’ dust. 
• 1909 - Barney Dreyfuss started a Pirates tradition that’s carried on to this day: five days after Forbes Field opened in Oakland, he held a post-game fireworks display. Unlike today’s Zambelli exhibits, this was a separate event from the ballgame; after all, Barney had a new ballyard to pay for, and filled the house (and his pockets) again for fireworks. The show was the first time pyrotechnics, now a ballyard staple, had been featured in a baseball stadium. 

Clyde Barnhart - 1925 photo via Prewar Sports

• 1927 - The Pirates swept the World Champion Cardinals, 7-2 and 6-4, in a Forbes Field doubleheader. Lee Meadows took the opener behind Johnny Gooch’s bases-loaded triple. The Cards rallied to tie the second game in the top of the eighth, but Clyde Barnhart answered with a two-run double in the bottom half for the win. Carmen Hill went the distance for the win. 
• 1928 - Pirate skipper Chuck Tanner was born in New Castle. He managed the Pirates for nine years (1977–1985, 711-685 record) and won the World Series in 1979. He was also skipper of the White Sox, Athletics and Braves. Tanner was traded for Manny Sanguillen to the Pirates in 1977 by Oakland, only the second manager-for-player trade in history. He returned to the Pirates in 2007 as a special assistant to GM Neal Huntington, a spot he held until he passed away in 2011 at the age of 82. The Rotary Club of Pittsburgh hands out two awards in his name, the annual Chuck Tanner Major & Minor Baseball Managers of the Year, while the Pirates created the Chuck Tanner “We Are Family” Fund. Baseball was his life, saying “The greatest feeling in the world is to win a major-league game. The second greatest feeling is to lose a major-league game.” 
• 1934 - Satchel Paige of the Pittsburgh Crawfords tossed a no-hitter against the Homestead Grays at Greenlee Field on Bedford Avenue with the only runners reaching via an error and a walk. He struck out 17 Grays, establishing the all-time Negro League record and matching what was then the MLB whiff record for a single game in the 4-0 win against Frank Stewart. The Craw’s Oscar Charleston had two hits, including a triple. Josh Gibson was Paige’s catcher, making it the only documented time in Negro league history in which no-hitter battery mates were both members of the Hall of Fame, something which has never occurred in the majors. The no-no was the opening act of a holiday twinbill that drew 12,000 fans to the Hill District yard. The Grays took the nightcap, 4-3, with Joe Strong getting the win over Bert Hunter. Ray Brown homered for Homestead. 

Jim Nelson - 1972 Topps

• 1947 - RHP Jim Nelson was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Jim had a brief career but his fingerprints are all over the Bucco history books. Per Wikipedia: Nelson was a 31st round pick in the 1965 draft and made a dazzling debut in 1970. He relieved against the San Francisco Giants, struck out Willie Mays, and then got Willie McCovey to bounce into a twin killing. Jim spun three perfect innings with four strikeouts and also slapped a single (he was a good hitter, batting .269). Nelson started his career with a 4-0 record (and the team won his first seven starts), a feat not equaled by a Pirates starting pitcher until Zach Duke in 2005. Nelson also was the last Pittsburgh hurler to win his first three career starts until Gerrit Cole matched the feat in 2013. More trivia: Nelson also was the starting and winning pitcher in the final game played at Forbes Field on June 28th, 1970, a 4-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. But the next season saw him develop serious control issues and he was shipped to the minors in mid-July. Jim refused to report (he was 2-2/2.34 with the team, but had made only 17 appearances) and it cost him as his teammates voted him a half-share of their 1971 World Series money but the FO stiffed him when handing out World Series rings. It was a sort of messy way to end a relationship, especially as he later had rotator cuff surgery and never got back to the majors. His lifetime line was 6-4/3.01 as a Buc from 1970-71. Nelson became a salesman after baseball, and used to hand out $5 bills to the homeless in his Sacramento community as Christmas gifts until he passed away at the age of 57. 1947 - RHP Jim Minshall was born in Covington, Kentucky. A second round pick in the 1966 draft out of HS, he tossed six games for the 1974-75 Bucs and was 0-1, even though he never gave up an earned run. Jim was a Pirates lifer; he pitched in the Buc system from 1966-76, posting a 59-53-20/3.70 line before closing out his career at AAA Charleston. 
• 1948 - The Pirates took two from the Chicago Cubs by 5-1 and 6-2 scores at Forbes Field to reclaim second place in the National League, 2-1/2 games behind the front-running Boston Braves. Rip Sewell and Kirby Higbe gave up eight hits in the opener but only one run while Elmer Riddle tossed a four-hit complete game victory in the nightcap. Ralph Kiner and Stan Rojek led the way at the dish; each had five hits during the day. Ralph had a homer, a double and three RBI while The Happy Rabbit scored twice. As for the Pirates season, they finished in fourth place, 8-1/2 games behind the Braves, but did end up 83-71 in a competitive campaign. 

Ralph Kiner - 2005 Upper Deck Sweet Spot

• 1948 - OF Wayne Nordhagen was born in Three Rivers Falls, Minnesota. Wayne put up eight years off the bench in MLB, getting into one game as a Bucco in 1982 and doing pretty well, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Nordhagen was part of a fairly byzantine set of moves. The Blue Jays sent him to Philly for Dick Davis; the Phils quickly swapped him to the Pirates on the same day for Bill Robinson. Then a week or so later, the Bucs shipped him back to the Jays for Davis.

7/4 From 1950: Kendall Out; I-Mac Juan; B-Rey, Meek, Giles AS; Maz Up; $1M Arms; Gems & Game Tales; RIP Walter; HBD Jared & Brendan

• 1956 - After a quick start, the Pirates dropped 15-of-19 games after a doubleheader split with the Chicago Cubs and made some personnel moves. IF’s Gene Freese & Spook Jacobs, C Danny Kravitz and P Luis Arroyo were sent from Pittsburgh to Hollywood. In their place, the Bucs called up 20-year-old 2B Bill Mazeroski and pitchers Charlie Naranjo & Fred Waters. Six of the guys involved in the shuffle would be fringe players for the Bucs in the overall scheme of things, but Maz was a keeper, commencing his Hall of Fame career. He debuted on the 7th and never tasted the minors again, playing in seven All-Star games during his 17-year run with the Pirates. 
• 1971 - RHP Brendan Donnelly was born in Washington, DC. He didn’t break into the majors until 2002, when he was 30, and ended his days as a Bucco in 2010 with a 3-1/5.58 line before being released in late July. He did have a long and well-traveled pro road: In 20 seasons, Donnelly pitched for six MLB clubs in both American and National Leagues,18 minor league teams, two indie clubs and was the winning pitcher in the 2003 ASG before his 2011 retirement. 
• 1973 - C Walter Schmidt passed away in Modesto, California at the age of 86. He spent a decade in the show with his first nine seasons (1916-24) spent in Pittsburgh. Schmidt hit .257 during that span, with a fielding percentage of .980. In 1921, Walter led all NL catchers in fielding percentage with a .986 average in 111 games behind the plate. His older brother, Charles “Boss” Schmidt, was also a big league catcher (and a prizefighter), catching for Motown from 1906-11. 

Bert Blyleven - 1978 Hostess

• 1978 - The Pirates took both ends of a twinbill from the Montreal Expos at TRS by 3-1 and 4-3 scores. The first game was won on the strength of Bert Blyleven’s performance - he tossed an eight-inning five-hitter, allowing a run on Ellis Valentine’s dinger, and drove in all three Pirates runs with a two-out, bases-loaded double in the fifth. Dan Schatzeder was tough, too - he gave up four hits, but all of them were bunched together in the deciding fifth frame. Pittsburgh overcame an early 2-0 deficit with three homers - a two-run shot by Bill Robinson and solo drives by Willie Stargell and Omar Moreno - to allow Don Robinson to slip past Wayne Twitchell in the closing match. Kent Tekulve saved both ends of the double dipper. The wins put the Bucs within a game of .500, and they would finish the year with 88 victories, 1-1/2 games behind the Phils. 
• 1985 - RHP Jared Hughes was born in Stamford, Connecticut. The righty was a converted starter who began working out of the Pirates pen in 2011 until moving to Milwaukee in 2017 and the Reds next season (he seems to like the division). The Cal State alum was selected in the fourth round of the MLB draft in 2006 and slashed 15-13-3/2.82 for Pittsburgh while making 313 outings, mainly as a mid-inning trouble-shooter. He retired before the 2021 campaign. 
• 1987 - The Pirates beat the Dodgers, 4-2, at TRS in a game oddly slotted for a 10:35 AM first pitch; the game landed on La-La Land media at 7:35 AM, not exactly prime prime although leaving plenty of time to picnic and get to the fireworks. Early bird Andy Van Slyke had three raps and Sid Bream two more to collect half of the Bucco’s 10 hits. Bob Kipper took the game into the seventh and got the win, with Barry Jones and Jeff Robinson wrapping it up. 

Bob Kipper - 1978 Topps

• 1997 - The Bucs celebrated the 4th at Busch Stadium with some late fireworks. Jason Kendall’s two-bagger chased in a pair of runs in the seventh inning to tie the game, then St. Louis answered with two tallies of their own. Turner Ward’s solo homer in the eighth made it a one-run game at 5-4, and then with two outs in the ninth, Jose Guillen one-upped Dennis Eckersley by spanking an 0-2 pitch into right. Two pitches later, Tony Womack lined a ball into left for a game-tying two-base knock. In the 10th, Dale Sveum (Womack and Sveum both had two raps) doubled on an 0-2 offering and Mark Smith (he had three hits) banged the next delivery over the wall in right. Rick Loiselle came in to get the save of Marc Wilkins' win. It was the first (and last) time Eckersley was asked to get six outs during the campaign. Womack also set a team record with his 32nd consecutive steal in the first frame, breaking Max Carey’s 1922 mark; the streak ended later in the game when he was caught on a pitchout. The game was part of the Jackie Robinson/Negro League tribute weekend, with Pittsburgh wearing Homestead Gray uniforms while the Redbirds donned the colors of the St. Louis Stars. 
• 1999 - C Jason Kendall tore up his ankle in a 4-3 loss to the Brewers at Three Rivers Stadium. Kendall dragged a bunt in the fifth inning and hit first base awkwardly, ripping the ankle bone from the joint. He was out for the rest of the season, and many believed he was never quite the same after the gruesome injury. Even with that severe of an injury, JK remained an ironman and caught between 118-149 games for 11 of his remaining 12 campaigns.  
• 2000 - The Pirates scored seven times in the ninth, fueled by three homers, to drop the Cubs, 10-4, at Wrigley Field in front of 37,043 stunned Cubbie fans. Jason Kendall, Wil Cordero and Pat Meares had the final at-bat Bucco blasts that made a winner out of Marc Wilkins. Kendall and Cordero went back-to-back off Rick Aguilera with one down to give the Bucs the lead and Meares' long ball was the cherry on top, a three-run, two-out drive off Daniel Garibay. 

Pat Meares - 2000 Upper Deck

• 2001 - Brian Giles and Adam Hyzdu homered twice while Aramis Ramirez added a pair of doubles, all three hitters driving in three runs, as the Bucs put on their own fireworks display in cruising to a 14-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Cinergy Field. A-Ram had four hits, Giles had three and Jack Wilson went long to boost Joe Beimel to victory. It was a good news day all around: Giles was rewarded with his second All-Star berth as Pittsburgh’s sole rep. 
• 2009 - LHP Rinku Singh became the first Indian national to appear in a pro baseball game in the US when he pitched the seventh inning and countryman Dinesh Patel followed in the eighth frame as the “Million Dollar Arms” made their debut for the GCL Pirates. Patel tossed a scoreless frame while Singh was touched up for a run against the Yankee rookies in a 4-2 loss. 
• 2010 - The Bucs trailed Philadelphia, 5-2, before scoring six times in the seventh inning to rally for an 8-5 win at PNC Park. It was a double your pleasure day for Evan Meek, who picked up the win on the same day he was named to the NL All-Star team. The seventh inning fireworks featured a leadoff homer by Pedro Alvarez and two-run knocks by Garrett Jones & Delwyn Young. 
• 2015 - Jeff Locke and Cody Anderson put on a show for the sellout crowd at PNC Park with the Bucs taking home a 1-0 decision over the Cleveland Indians. The Pirates had a runner on third with an out twice without scoring, finally plating the game’s only run in the sixth when Neil Walker’s single brought home Josh Harrison. Mark Melancon worked the final frame for the save. The Tribe threatened but twice - with two on and nobody out in the second, a DP defused the situation, and Melancon let a pair of runners reach after two outs in the ninth before coaxing a tapper to seal the deal. Locke surrendered just two hits; Anderson six. 37,927 fans not only witnessed a great pitching duel, but got home early from the fireworks night - the game took 2:06 to play. 

Juan Nicasio - 2016 image via Positively Pittsburgh

• 2016 - Juan Nicasio became the third Pirate, along with Jeff Robinson and Ross Ohlendorf, to toss an immaculate inning (three strikeouts on nine pitches) while helping the Pirates to a 4-2 win over St Louis at Busch Stadium. The righty sat down Stephen Piscotty, Jhonny Peralta and Yadier Molina. Jon Niese got the win over Carlos Martinez, with a save by Neftali Feliz. Gregory Polanco banged two homers in a game for the first time and chased home three runs. 
• 2021 - Hurlers Tyler Anderson (seven IP, three hits, six whiffs), David Bednar and Richard Rodriguez (11th save) combined for a 2-0 shutout of Milwaukee and Freddy Peralta at PNC Park. The win reversed a pair of trends: the Pirates ended their six-game losing skid while the Brewers 11-game win streak went by the wayside. Pittsburgh eked out just enough offense on Kevin Newman’s first-inning solo shot and Wilmer Difo’s sixth-inning two-bagger that chased home Ben Gamel; both sides left the bases loaded one time, each having the pitcher end the frame. As an added bonus, OF Bryan Reynolds was added to the All Star roster, joining starter 2B Adam Frazier.

7/3 Through the 1960s: Chief Cycle; Willie Wallop; Hugo Takes Over; Clemente & Kiner Covers; Game Tales; HBD Moises, Luke, Chet & Bunny

• 1892 - OF Anthony John Greszkowski (“Bunny Brief”) was born in Remus, Michigan. He ended his four-year career as a bench player for the Pirates in 1917, hitting .217. Bunny wasn’t a major-league slugging threat, but he was a mini-Bambino on the farm. After the Bucs, Brief played in the minors until 1928. Though he never hit more than two home runs in any of his big league years, Bunny holds the all-time record for home runs in the American Association (by then, a minor league) with 256 and his eight AA home run crowns are tied for the most with Ken Guettler. How did Tony Greszkowski become Bunny Brief? The Bunny part is easy; it’s a take-off of his childhood nickname. As for the Brief, well, you can thank Ellis Island. According to Major-Smolinski’s “Favorite Baseball Nicknames,” his parents were immigrants and when they were processed by a clerk who wrestled with their long Polish name, Papa Greszkowski suggested that the registrar Americanize the name. "Just change it to something brief," he said. The official did literally as requested, explained Joe Brief, a great-nephew of the ballplayer. 
• 1897 - RHP Chet Nichols was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Chet, a three-sport star in high school, was a big-time prospect when the Bucs bought him from New Haven of the Eastern League, but his minor-league chops never carried over. He began his less-than-distinguished six year career (1-8/7.19) with the Bucs, tossing from 1926-27 and slashing 0-3/6.37. He spent his last three campaigns with Philadelphia, leaving the game after the 1932 season with a bum arm. Chet went on to coach at Woonsocket HS and the University of Rhode Island. 
• 1904 - RHP Luke Hamlin was born in Ferris Center, Michigan. Luke had been a 20-game winner for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939 and good for 40 outings/25 starts, but age caught up to him. The Pirates got him in 1942 as a 37-year-old, and he posted a line of 4-4/3.94 in 23 outings (14 starts) in Pittsburgh. Luke was sometimes called "Hot Potato" because he liked to juggle the ball while getting ready to pitch, much like a man handling a hot potato. 

Luke Hamlin - 1941 Play Ball

• 1910 - Owen “Chief” Wilson hit for the cycle at the Palace of the Fans in Cincinnati as the Pirates and Howie Camnitz took a 10-2 decision from the Reds. Howie was dented for 12 hits, but the Pirates answered with 14 of their own. Fred Clarke added three knocks while Hans Wagner, Tommy Leach and Bobby Byrnes chipped in a pair of hits to power the win. 
• 1917 - Bohemian-born Bucco scout Hugo Bezdek was named Pirate manager, replacing the short-lived skipper Honus Wagner. He managed the Pirates through 1919, compiling a 166–187 record, while also coaching Penn State football from 1918-29. He was known for his rigorous, gridiron-inspired workouts and open-minded leadership. Per Baseball Reference's Bullpen, he "...had a good rapport with his players, whom he relied upon to make some key decisions given his lack of baseball experience. Two of those players would go on to be among baseball's most famous managers - Casey Stengel and Billy Southworth." 
• 1926 - The Pirates scored eight times in the fourth inning and rolled over the St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field, 12-3. Pie Traynor had a homer and double to keep the big frame rolling and drove home four runs to help Vic Aldridge cruise to victory. All nine Pirates had at least a hit and run scored while a half-dozen Buccos chased home at least a run. 
• 1948 - Baseball Digest featured Ralph Kiner on its cover. The 25-year-old outfielder was on the way to his third straight home run title (he would claim seven straight NL crowns and six consecutive MLB championships) while on the road to becoming the 12th big league player/first Bucco to cross the 300 homer threshold. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1975. 

• 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 National League East 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 the Expos. 
• 1967 - Willie Stargell’s estimated 500’ home run (it landed in the little league field behind the left-center field wall by the Mary Schenley fountain, both of which are still there today) helped the Pirates to a 5-2 win over Don Drysdale and the Los Angeles 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.” That was certainly true of Arriba - The Great One had 209 hits and a league-leading BA of .357 BA with a .400 OBP, 23 HR, 110 RBI, 103 RS and an OPS+ of 171.

7/3 From 1970: Webster-Gonzalez; Cole Deal; Bo Blast; SI Blass; Locke-d In; GM Hunt; Game Tales; HBD Tuck & Eddie

• 1970 - The Bucs bashed six homers to outlast the Cubs, 16-14, at Wrigley Field (and yes, the wind was blowing out at 15 MPH). Roberto Clemente and Gene Alley each had a pair of bombs and four RBI each (Alley went 4-for-4 and also scored three times), while Al Oliver and Bill Mazeroski also went yard. Seven Pirates had multiple hits to tie a club record, five scored more than once and another five Bucs chased home multiple runs. The two clubs banged out 40 hits and went through a dozen pitchers before Dave Giusti struck out Ron Santo to end the drama with the tying runs aboard for Chicago. 
• 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 his career would be struck down by the "Blass disease" the following year. 
• 1983 - RHP Edinson Volquez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Eddie had a rebound season with the Buccos in 2014, going 13-7/3.04 after signing a one year/$5M contract. As a free agent after the season, he landed a two-year deal with the Kansas City Royals worth $20M, then moved to the Miami Marlins and last tossed for the Texas Rangers in 2020. 
• 1987 - Bobby Bonilla became the first Pirate to homer from both sides of the plate in a 6-0 win against Los Angeles at Three Rivers Stadium, collecting five RBI. He took Fernando Valenzuela deep while batting right-handed and Ken Howell while batting left-handed. Bonilla did the deed twice, with Dale Sveum (1999) and Bryan Reynolds (2019) to later join him. Rick Reuschel tossed a five-hit shutout for the victory. 24-year-old Bobby Bo, in his second big league season, was a year away from making the first of four straight All-Star outings for the Pirates. 

Mitch Webster - 1991 Topps Stadium Club

• 1991 - The Pirates traded bench outfielders, sending Mitch Webster to the LA Dodgers for Jose Gonzalez. The Dodgers won the swap: Gonzalez was waived in August after going 2-for-20 while Webster lasted five years in the City of Angels with a .256 BA over that span. In another news, Pittsburghers were in a huff as reigning MVP Barry Bonds and defending Cy Young winner Doug Drabek (pitchers were announced on the 4th) were left off the All-Star team, neither winning the fan vote nor getting the nod from manager Lou Pinella of the Reds. Bobby Bonilla and John Smiley were the only Bucs to make the cut. Oddly, Drabek was only named to one ASG in his 13-year career despite three top-5 Cy Young finishes. 
• 1992 - The Pirates sent minor leaguers OF Tony Mitchell, who led the Buc farm system in HRs, and 19-year-old RHP John Carter to Cleveland for OF Alex Cole. The time was ripe as the speedster had been on Pittsburgh’s radar for a while, Jim Leyland needed help at leadoff, and the price was affordable as he had dropped to the Tribes’ fifth OF spot, so GM Ted Simmons pulled the trigger. In a bit of a surprise, slumping 27-year-old Jeff King (.231) was sent to Buffalo to clear a roster spot for Cole, but played just seven games for the Bisons before being called back to Pittsburgh for good. Cole did fill the bill in his 64 games as a Pirate, batting .278 with an OBP of .335 and seven steals. The Pirates lost him in the 1992 expansion draft during the off season, and Cole never quite broke through as a MLB starter though he slashed .277 BA/.357 OBP over the final four years of his career (1993-96). Mitchell made it to Mexico and Japan, but not the show while Carter spent seven years in the bushes, reaching AAA for just 15 games. 
• 1996 - SS Cole Tucker was born in Phoenix, Arizona. A first round pick in 2014 from Mountain Pointe HS ($1.8M bonus), he rose steadily through the ranks when he was beckoned to the big team in late April of 2019 after starting SS Eric Gonzalez broke his collarbone. He was rushed to the bigs; his glove was ready, but he only had 13 AAA games before reaching the majors, and it showed at the dish. However, he did homer in his first MLB game, banging a two-run homer that proved the game-winner. He was sent back to Indy after an extended look in Pittsburgh, batting .211 after 159 PA’s, to sharpen his eye. His bat kept him yo-yo’ing between Indy and Pittsburgh; he was DFA’ed in 2022 and now is in his home-town system at Arizona. 

Cole Tucker - 2019 Topps Archives

• 2001 - The Atlanta Braves Assistant GM Frank Wren, considered a front runner to replace Cam Bonifay for the Pirates vacant GM job, told Kevin McClatchy that he was sticking with the Bravos; he was thought to be the heir apparent to current Atlanta GM John Schuerholz, and did eventually take over for him. Dave Littlefield, the Miami Marlins assistant GM, ended up with the Pittsburgh job, replacing interim GM Roy Smith, who was Bonifay’s assistant. 
• 2012 - Journeyman Drew Sutton was the hero of the day. He hit a walkoff 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 Houston Astros at PNC Park. Pittsburgh battled back from a sixth inning, 6-2, deficit against the ‘Stros to take a late lead for Joel Hanrahan, who had blown the save in the ninth when he gave up a two-out double to Jason Castro but thanks to Sutton took home the dub. The victory moved the Pirates into a tie for first in the NL Central, but they were still a year away from respectability.  
• 2013 - Jeff Locke won his eighth straight decision by a 6-5 score over the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park. Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-3 with two walks while Pedro Alvarez hit a three-run homer in support of the lefty. Locke put together his winning streak over 16 starts (the Pirates were 1-7 in the games he started w/o a decision to balance out) and lowered his ERA from 4.09 to 2.12 during that time before losing his next outing to the Oakland A’s, 2-1.

Notes: 4-2 Week; Player Shuffle Keeps On Keepin' On; Kells, Shelty All Stars; Pirates, Minors, MLB News

Halfway done...

Notes:

• The Bucs came home and whupped the Marlins, 9-4, to christen their City Connect unis. Game two was played under steel mill-type haze thanks to the Canadian wildfire smoke swirling south. The Pirates, with the input of MLB and the MLBPA, decided to play but offered a ticket exchange to those fans who prefer a clean-air contest. A lil' smog did the boys good as they took a 7-1 decision behind Mitch Keller. Same yucky air Thursday, and the Buc players wanted the game rescheduled, but they played on. Good thing, too - after a delayed start, they rallied from a 4-0 deficit to take a 5-4 win to sweep the series. The Brew Crew arrived for the weekend. The Bucs had lost nine straight games to Central foes, and the string ended there when the Pirates overcame a pair of four-run deficits to win the opener, 8-7, on Carlos Santana's walkoff homer. But the team showed its warts and dropped the next pair.
• The rehabilitation assignments of 1B/DH Ji-Man Choi and LHP Rob Zastryzny were bumped up to  Indy on Wednesday. OF Bryan Reynolds and RHP Colin Holderman are also at the end of their IL, so should be some weekend roster movement. And there was. On Friday, Holderman was activated and RHP Cody Bolton was optioned to Indy. Two days later, OF Bryan Reynolds came off the IL, and INF/OF Ji Hwan Bae went on it.

Bryan Reynolds is back - photo 2023 Pirates

• Movement works both ways - 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes, who missed a couple of days, went on the 10-day IL with back stiffness and IF Jared Triolo was called up. Triolo started, as per Shelty's MO, on his first day here and posted his first MLB hit.  
• IF Mark Mathias, recently DFA'ed, was claimed by the Seattle Mariners.
• John Perrotto notes that LHP Jarlin Garcia to says he'll play catch from 45 feet this week, the first time he will throw since sustaining nerve damage in his left arm in spring training.
• RHP Mitch Keller was named to the NL All-Star team. Kells is the first Pirates starting pitcher to be selected to the ASG since AJ Burnett and Gerrit Cole repped Pittsburgh in the 2015 Midsummer Classic. Keller ranked second in the NL in strikeouts (118), tied for third in wins (nine), sixth in WHIP (1.10), ninth in batting average against (.223) and 11th in ERA (3.34). Also, Skipper Derek Shelton was named to Philly manager Rob Thompson's NL All-Star Game Coaching Staff.
• Trivial Pursuit: Nick Gonzales' first four Bucco hits were a single, double, triple and home run. He and Ke'Bryan Hayes (2020) are the only Pirates since 1961 to hit for the cycle with their first four hits. 
• National pundits note that Andrew McCutchen would be a shiny trinket for the Bucs to move, although Cutch and the club both seem happy with him staying where he is. Mitch Keller's name has also popped up on a couple of radars. 

Anthony Solometo - 2022 photo/Bradenton

• In MLB Pipeline's new Top 100 Prospects list, the Pirates LHP Anthony Solometo has slipped in at # 100. Other Bucco prospects on the list include 2B Termarr Johnson (#30), C Henry Davis (#31), C/UT Endy Rodriguez (#39), and RHP Quinn Priester (#57). 
• Indy's Rodriguez and Greenboro's RHP JP Massey are headed to this year's future game in Seattle. Endy, interestingly enough, was selected as an infielder rather than catcher. The match will kick off All-Star week on July 8th. 
• RHP Beau Sulser is back in the system after being released by his Korean team. He tossed for the Bucs and Baltimore last year, with an 0-0/3.63 line in 10 outings
• Miami claimed RHP Eli Villalobos, recently waived by the Pirates, and assigned him to AA Pensacola. The Bucs had claimed him from the Fish earlier in the season, so it's a reunion for Eli.
• RHP Chad Kuhl has been unconditionally released by the Nationals.
• C Jose Godoy, who was a Buc for eight games last year, was waived by Baltimore to open a 40-man spot and went unclaimed. He was assigned back to AAA.

7/2 Through the 1970s: Kelley Joins; Thomas POTM; Scoring Streak; 1st Fireworks; In The Pinch; Game Tales; HBD The Mayor, Tony, Fred & 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 five teams - Pittsburgh, the Washington Nationals, Buffalo Bisons, Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Statesmen - in three different major leagues, the American Association, National League, and the Players Association. He got into 283 games as a career reserve with a lifetime .269 BA. 
• 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. Fred set a major league record with nine hits in a doubleheader on July 5th, 1886, against the Baltimore Orioles and was the first Pittsburgh player to hit for the cycle on May 2nd, 1887, versus the Detroit Wolverines. 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 per local Bucco lore. 
• 1889 - The Pittsburgh Press front page headline poked some fun at the “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. 

Joe Kelley - 1980 Perez/Steele Hall of Fame Collection

• 1892 - The Pirates bought the contract of minor league OF Joe Kelley from Omaha. Joe was a 20-year-old who had a cup of coffee with the Boston Beaneaters (Braves) in 1891. Kelley hit a lackluster .239 and in early September was traded, with cash, to the Baltimore Orioles for OF George Van Haltren. Kelley ended up in the Hall of Fame after 17 campaigns with a .317 BA while Van Haltren, another excellent player, stayed through 1893, hitting .338, and then was sold to the New York Giants where GVH played for a decade and hit .321. 
• 1925 - The Bucs edged the Cards, 2-1, at Forbes Field as Tom Sheehan outpitched Dolf Luque. Kiki Cuyler tripled home Max Carey and then was plated by Clyde Barnhart in the sixth inning for the Pirates scores. It marked the last stand of a NL record 150-game scoring streak by the Buccos that began on July 4th, 1924 when the Reds 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 after six frames. The clinching blow was Clyde Barnhart’s two-run, walkoff homer to left field in the ninth inning off Art Nehf. Mike Cvengros, the Pirates third twirler of the day, tossed six shutout innings of relief and was rewarded with the win. 
• 1949 - The Chicago Cubs and particularly Andy Pafko had a bad day at Wrigley Field, losing, 8-3, to the Pirates. Pafko hit into a Rube Goldberg 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 to home, and the catcher went to first for the force on Pafko, who thought his drive had been caught cleanly and was wandering to the bench. After the umpires had a confab (“A crazy quilt affair that had to be unraveled by Umpire-in-Chief Lou Jorda,” per the Pittsburgh Press), the calls stood. Ralph Kiner hit his 20th homer as Tiny Bonham picked up the win. 

Tony Armas - 1977 Topps Rookies

• 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 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. Tony then 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 Bucco stop in 2007. 
• 1958 - 3B Frank Thomas was named the National League Player of the Month for June. The 29-year-old had been named to his third All-Star team and hit .275 with seven homers and 29 RBI during June. This was the first year for the award; Willie Mays had won the initial honor in April and Stan Musial was next in May. Both cooled off as neither one got a POTM vote in June. 
• 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 SF Giants at Forbes Field in the opener of a twin bill. Hal Smith led the way with three RBI. The Bucs swept easily, rolling, 9-0, in the nitecap behind Bobby Shantz’s five-hitter and three RBI each from Roberto Clemente and The Tiger, Don Hoak. The Pirates overcame a pair of pretty fair pitchers, beating Mike McCormack and Juan Marichal. 

Al McBean - 1968 Topps

• 1968 - The Mets scored a first-inning run off Al McBean, and that would be it as the Bucs eked out a 2-1 decision at Shea Stadium. Pittsburgh knotted the score in the sixth frame when Willie Stargell opened with a double off Dick Selma and came around on a Billy Maz knock. The game-winner was thanks to a ninth-inning Met miscue. With two outs and Donn Clendenon on second base, Manny Mota rolled one to short; Bud Harrelson booted the ball and Clendenon came home. ElRoy Face came in to work a 1-2-3 ninth frame to save the Pirates’ win, the Bucs fifth straight. McBean earned the victory, tossing five-hit ball with seven strikeouts. 
• 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, lasting until the deadline when the Pirate wheelers-and-dealers moved him to the Tigers. Sean is known as “The Mayor” because of his affability - no foe nor 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, fittingly 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 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 to the win.

7/2 From 1980: Tomlin POTM; Sluggin' Sluggo; Bay Rolls 8 & Fraze 7; Middle Mashers; AS Kendall; Game Tales; RIP Tom; HBD Jared & Nyjer

• 1980 - OF Nyjer Morgan was born in San Francisco. He hit .286 from 2007-09 for the Bucs before becoming a part of the Joel Hanrahan deal with the Washington Nationals. “Tony Plush” (his alter ego’s self-given “gentleman’s name”) made the transition from junior hockey to the MLB. He played for the Pirates, Nats, Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Indians in the MLB with additional stops in Korea, Japan and Mexico before he took his last at bat in 2017 at age 36. 
• 1988 - A very wild pitch cost the Pirates a 2-1 decision against the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park. Doug Drabek was working on a two-hit shutout in the eighth inning when he gave up a leadoff single and was pulled by Jimmy Leyland after 112 pitches for Dave Rucker. A walk, bunt and intentional pass loaded the bases with an out, and Barry Jones climbed the hill. His 0-2 slider was in the dirt, hopped past C Junior Ortiz and allowed two G-Men to score when Junior couldn’t find the bouncing ball quickly enough. His relay home to Jones to catch the second runner was late, wasting Drabek’s start and Darnell Coles’ solo shot. 
• 1990 - RHP Jerad Eickhoff was born in Evansville, Indiana. A 15th round draft pick of Texas in 2011, he spent his first five MLB years (2015-19) with the Phils, making 80 starts and slashing 21-30-1/4.15. He got a brief stay with the Mets in 2021 and signed with the Pirates as a NRI for 2022. He was sent to Indy and called up in mid-June to take up the slack when Zach Thompson was injured. Eickhoff started and allowed 10 runs on 10 hits (two homers) in 4-1/3 IP, becoming the first Pirates pitcher to allow 10 runs in his first start. He was DFA’ed and went unclaimed, returning to Indy two days later and then became a free agent. 
• 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. Andy Van Slyke’s two-run homer in the sixth frame was the Buccos' big blow. Bob Patterson earned the win in relief after three scoreless frames. 

AVS - 1990 Topps

• 1992 - LHP Randy Tomlin was named the Pitcher of the Month. The southpaw went 5-1/2.22 in June on his way to a 14-9/3.41 campaign, the only year he posted double digit victories. His career was shortened by a bum shoulder, and now Tomlin’s the skipper of Liberty Christian, a prep school in Virginia, after coaching at Liberty University and for the Nat’s organization. 
• 1993 - Don Slaught had himself a day with two homers and seven RBI as he led the Pirates to a 10-9 win in the lidlifter of a twinbill with Cincinnati at Riverfront Stadium. Orlando Merced banged out four hits, scoring three times and plating a pair. Dave Otto got the win after relieving Zane Smith; Blas Minor earned a hold and Stan Belinda got the save. It was the first doubleheader for the Bucs since September of 1991; 1992 was the first season in the 20th century that the Buccaneers didn’t play two. The second game saw the Red bats continue the onslaught with a 9-1 decision over the Pirates and Tim Wakefield. 
• 1998 - C Jason Kendall was the only Bucco named to the National League All-Star team; it was his second selection in the past three seasons. He was strong from start to finish, ending the year batting .327 with 12 homers, 95 runs scored, 75 RBI and 26 stolen sacks. And although he was the only Pittsburgh player on the squad, he had plenty of acquaintances in the dugout - Florida’s Jim Leyland was the manager with his old Buc assistants Rich Donnelly, Tommy Sandt, Milt May and Bruce Kimm, along with Pirates pilot Gene LaMont, who was also named a coach. 
• 2001 - The Bucs bopped the Reds, 10-5, at Cinergy Field with the winning spread provided by Aramis Ramirez’s five RBI. A-Ram had three hits and a walk, falling a triple shy of the cycle, with Jack Wilson and Brian Giles also holding up their end by collecting three hits apiece. Jason Kendall chipped in with three runs scored on two hits and a free pass. For Cincy, home was anything but sweet; they dropped to 10-29 at Cinergy with the loss to Jason Schmidt. 

A - Ram - 2001 Fleer Tradition

• 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 as Kevin Young, Jack Wilson, Abraham Nunez and Adam Hyzdu all went long in the loss. It was their first home run of the season for Wilson, Nunez and Hyzdu. 
• 2004 - Jason Bay drove in eight runs for the second time as a Buc, slamming a homer and three doubles, as the Pirates mashed the Milwaukee Brewers, 13-2, in the nitecap of a twi-lite DH sweep at PNC Park. He fell one short of Johnny Rizzo’s 1939 franchise single-game RBI mark of nine. Josh Fogg worked into the seventh for the win. Pittsburgh took the opener, 8-1, behind Ollie Perez, who punched out 11 in seven frames, backed by Tony Alvarez, who homered & doubled to plate four runs, and Jack Wilson, who hit his only MLB inside-the-park homer. 
• 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, who mopped up the final two frames after Mac hit 110 pitches. 
• 2019 - Adam Frazier had a night at PNC Park. Back in his familiar leadoff spot after being dropped to the 7/8 spots in the order, he followed a 5-for-6 game with a 4-for-4 night, hitting a three-run homer and scoring three times to lead the Bucs to a 5-1 win over the Cubs. The game was just three innings old when a two-hour rain delay hit, forcing both teams to switch starters. The Pirates used six pitchers to get through the game, with Clay Holmes getting the win, his second MLB victory. Fraze became the first Buc to bang out seven straight hits since Freddy Sanchez in 2009 and the first to have back-to-back four+ hit games since Neil Walker in 2015. He also jumped his BA from June 30th’s .254 to .276 after the two-day hit barrage. 

Adam Frazier - 2019 Topps Big League

• 2021 - Early Pittsburgh player agent Tom Reich (Allderdice, Pitt, Duquesne) passed away in Los Angeles at age 82. He started his career in 1970, representing Dock Ellis, Dave Parker, John Candelaria and Manny Sanguillen of the Pirates. The feisty Reich also handled deals for stars like Joe Morgan, George Foster, Jack Clark and Sammy Sosa before branching into hockey.

7/1 Through the 1960s: Ponder-Robertson; Guy Signed; Zoom; Woodie 1-Hitter; Gems & Game Tales; HBD Al, Gunner, Red & Dutch

• 1891 - OF Fritz “Dutch” Sheeren was born in Kokomo, Indiana. Fritz’s family moved into the Pittsburgh area when he was young and opened a saloon; from those beginnings Sheeren went on to Lafayette College, where he starred in baseball and football, and had 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, setting a 20th century NL record. Jack Chesbro tossed a four-hitter for Pittsburgh, while the Bucs banged nine hits off Red Donahue but couldn’t dent home. 
• 1911 - The Pirates dropped a hard-fought 3-2 decision to the Cardinals, in part because they lost a fight with the umpire. The rhubarbs began with a tag play at second that the Pirates figured they had made; the ump begged to differ. Infielder Bill McKechnie slammed his glove in disgust and was banished; a new rule made that action an automatic ejection. Manager Fred Clarke put in his two cents worth later about St. Louis doctoring the ball and was given the thumb too. Dots Miller later joined the gang given the heave-ho for tossing his mitt. As a result, Hans Wagner ended up playing three positions as the Pirates tried to cobble together a lineup (Clarke was a player/manager, so the Pirates had three starters kicked out, and benches were short in that era). There had been a bottle-throwing incident the day before, and Clarke told the Pittsburgh Press that he believed that had influenced the umpires, who didn’t want to risk running a gauntlet of missiles launched from the Robison Field stands again. 
• 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 professional career, lasting from 1935-50 (he won 141 games in the minors), and afterward he was a farm league player/manager through 1953. He then moved back home and opened Red Barrett’s Drive In, a gas station/diner, in Leesburg, Florida, near Orlando. 

Rebel Oakes - Helmar Oasis

• 1915 - It was a mixed bag for the Federal 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 and they bounced back to take 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. 
• 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. 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-hit effort was enough to down the Cincinnati 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 and played one more year in the Pacific Coast League before he retired. 

Hal Carlson - 1921 photo Bain/Library of Congress

• 1920 - The Pirates played St. Louis in the Cards first game 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 win and Babe Adams picking up the save. The Pirates 10th had a little of everything - a walk, steal, error, two singles, a pair of doubles - and they added up to a big inning to send 20,000 plus St. Louis fans home disappointed. 
• 1921 - The Bucs sent 28-year-old RHP Elmer Ponder to the Cubs for 31-year-old OF Dave Robertson. Ponder was coming off an 11-win/2.42 campaign for Pittsburgh and Robertson posted a .300/10/75 line for Chicago in ‘20, but both were approaching the end of their MLB trails. Elmer had a 3-6/4.74 slash with the Cubs to finish the year. They traded him to the Pacific Coast League LA Angels, and he spent the next six years working in the PCL. Robertson was hot, hitting .322/6/48 for the Pirates, then held out in the spring. The Pirates released him, and he was signed by the Giants. Used mostly as a bench bat, it was his swan song in the show, and he spent the next six seasons on the farm, mostly with Norfolk of the Virginia League, serving as player/manager for four years. 
• 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 the league by the summer of 1928. 

Joe Bush - 1992 Conlon/TSN

• 1940 - The Pirates scored once in the ninth inning to tie the game and added another in the 10th frame to nose past the Chicago Cubs, 4-3, at Wrigley Field. Vince DiMaggio was the Corsairs' 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. 
• 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.

7/1 From 1970: Granny Redbeard; Bell Rolls 7; AS Adam; Fivers By Fraze & Colin; Short Season; Gems & Game Tales

• 1972 - Roberto Clemente’s seventh-inning homer helped the Bucs rally to take a 2-1 lead over the Chicago 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 inning 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. 
• 1978 - It was a pitcher’s duel between Jim Rooker and the Mets’ Kevin Kobel at TRS. With the score 0-0 in the bottom of the eighth, Skip Lockwood took the ball for NY. An infield knock by Manny Sanguillen and two-out walk to Duffy Dyer set up Willie Stargell, who lined a single over second to chase home the Road Runner with the game winner. Rooker got the win and Kent Tekulve came in for the save. The two combined for a four-hitter to post the 1-0 victory. 
• 1990 - LHP John Smiley came off the DL after breaking his hand in mid-May and was understandably rusty, giving up five runs in four innings against the Giants at Candlestick Park. But his teammates picked him up with homers from Barry Bonds, Jeff King, Sid Bream and Jay Bell (three of the blasts were two-run shots) as Pittsburgh rode the longball barrage to a 9-5 win against San Francisco and stayed a game up in the National League East standings. 
• 1992 - Zane Smith tossed a 97-pitch, five-hit, complete-game gem in a 1-0 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, walking one and fanning one (the last batter). St. Louis’ Mark Clark was the tough-luck loser, giving up just four knocks in eight frames. It was the Bucs second straight shutout of the Redbirds, the only time during the campaign that Pittsburgh hurlers would put up back-to-back zeros. The pitching for both teams was brilliant; the Pirates won the series two games to one, outscoring the Cards by four-runs-to-three during the set. Gary Varsho’s single in the fourth inning plated Andy Van Slyke, who had opened the frame with a double, for the game’s only tally. The contest took just two hours and four minutes from opening pitch to the final out. 

Orlando Merced - 1996 Metal Universe

• 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, whose fans travel well, on a Saturday night 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 missed the promo memo as none of the “Young Guns” played. 
• 2014 - Down 2-0 in the ninth and held to just two hits over eight innings by Arizona’s Wade Miley, the Bucs made up for lost time 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, 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 a 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 Buccos flexed their muscles against the Tigers at Comerica Field in a 9-3 win. The Bucs 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, going the distance. 

Neil Walker - 2015 Donruss

• 2018 - 3B Colin Moran became the second Pirates player to hit two grand slams in his rookie season after a two-out, bases-juiced long fly off Tyson Ross in the fifth frame as the Bucs defeated the San Diego Padres, 7-5, at Petco Park. (The first Bucco rook to hit two grannies in his debut year was Wally Westlake in 1947.) Kyle Crick earned his first MLB win as one of seven Corsair hurlers to work the contest. Corey Dickerson and Elias Diaz also homered for Pittsburgh. 
• 2019 - The Pirates put on a fireworks show a couple of days early by bashing the Chicago Cubs, 18-5, at PNC Park. Josh Bell, recently announced as a Home Run Derby contestant at the All Star Game, vouched for that decision by banging three homers, the first Bucco lefty since Wille Stargell against the Bravos in 1971 to loft three big flies, bringing his mid-season total to 25 dingers. He also added a personal best seven RBI. Adam Frazier had five hits, including four doubles, to tie an MLB record held by several; he’s the only Pirates player beside Paul Waner to accomplish that feat (later matched by Kevin Nerwman in 2021). Also drilling the ball all over the yard was Colin Moran, who also bopped out five hits, including a pair of two-baggers. The Pirates collected 23 hits, the most ever by them against the Cubbies, to allow Trevor Williams to claim a win on a day when he didn’t have his best stuff, although that flaw was neutralized by the lumber as the Bucs set season-high marks in runs (18), hits (23), doubles (seven) and homers (five).
• 2020 - The Pirates reported to Spring Training 2.0 at PNC Park for a proposed starting date of July 24th, with a 40-man roster to prepare for the coronavirus-shortened season, with 20 more top farmhands working out at PNG Park in Altoona (formal workouts began on the 3rd). And that was the Pittsburgh organization for the year; the minor league season was canceled, though the Bucs, like most of MLB, paid the farm hands under contract but without a team to play for a stipend of $400/week through July 31st. Spring training and the season had been on hold since March 24th before MLB struck a deal with the Player’s Association to play ball. 

Adam Frazier - image 2021 Pirates

• 2021 - Pittsburgh’s 2B Adam Frazier won a spot as a starter for the All Star Game by batting .326 with 50 runs and 28 RBI out of the leadoff spot. He easily beat out runner-up Ozzie Albies and third-place finisher Gavin Lux to earn his first Midsummer Classic nod. Fraze collected a hit in the game that night against the Brewers, but the team didn’t fare as well, losing 7-2. 
• 2022 - The Pirates hosted the Brewers at PNC Park, and ouch... The Crew won, 19-2, banging five homers, five doubles, and batting around not just once, but twice. Youngster Roansy Contreras, who would go on to have a pretty good campaign, was the first pitcher Milwaukee sent nine batters against. That was the second inning, and he was sent to the showers down 7-0. The eighth inning was worse. Rookie Cam Vieaux took the hill and was to bite the bullet for the bullpen...and he sure did have plenty to chew on. He faced 13 batters, and the first 10 reached base; it took him 48 pitches to get an out and 56 to close the frame, the most since Russ Ortiz of the Giants threw 62 second-inning balls to the Cards in 1999. In lieu of an MLB mercy rule, utilityman Josh VanMeter finished it up, giving up two runs on 18 offerings to finally close the book.