7/9 Through 1984: Nick Signs; McW Gem, Roof-Top Pops, Bru, Waners Roll, Game Tales; 3 At-A-Time, Rip's AS Blooper, Bene Games, ASGs; HBD Coot

• 1885 - The Allegheny put a big hurt on the New York Metropolitans, thrashing them, 22-0, at Recreation Park before 1,000 fans. Cannonball Ed Morris didn’t need much help, whiffing nine Big Apple boys. He was backed by four hits from 3B Bill Kuehne and three each by C Fred Carroll and 2B Ed Whitney. The North Side nine was helped by some Gotham gifts - three walks, a bopped batter and six errors - to help augment the home side’s 18 hit attack. 
• 1912 - In a duel of young guns, the Pirates Marty O’Toole bested the Phils Eppa Rixey, 2-0, at Forbes Field. Max Carey provided the big blow, a sixth-inning triple that was sandwiched around a pair of singles to account for the tallies off Rixey. 23-year-old O’Toole was in the midst of his best season, winning 15 games with a 2.71 ERA and a league-leading six shutouts. 
• 1932 - IF Orville “Coot” Veal was born in Sandersville, Georgia. He spent six seasons playing MLB, with a short stay in Pittsburgh in 1962, when he struck out in his only Bucco at bat as a pinch hitter. The Pirates bought the sweet-fielding Veal’s contract from Washington during the off season, but he spent most of the spring at AAA Columbus before being traded to the Detroit Tigers for a minor leaguer. His last big league year was 1963, and he retired to Macon to become a salesman. Veal’s high school coach gave him the “Coot” tag, telling Veal that he reminded him of a player with that moniker who was on a barnstorming team. 
• 1936 - It was just another day at the office for Paul Waner. He went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a triple, drove in six runs and scored three times as the Bucs blasted the Phils, 16-5, at Forbes Field. It was a wild start; the Pirates were up, 8-5, when they came to bat in the bottom of the third, and their starter, Red Lucas, was done for the day. But they added four more runs in their half and Ralph Birkofer took care of business from the bump the rest of the way. 3B Bill Brubaker was hot, too, as he posted three hits, including a pair of two-baggers, chased five runners home and tallied twice while four more Corsairs chipped in with a pair of knocks. Big Poison went on to take the batting title with a .373 BA and 157 OPS+. 

Lloyd & Paul Waner - Helmar French Silks

• 1937 - The Waner brothers combined for seven hits as the Bucs rolled over the Chicago Cubs, 13-1, at Forbes Field. They had lots of help in a true team effort; everyone in the lineup had at least one hit and four of them had a pair of knocks. Of the 10 Pirates that played, seven both scored and knocked in a teammate or two while the other three either touched home or chased in a tally. Joe Bowman tossed a seven-hitter to coast to a complete game win. 
• 1940 - Pittsburgh was represented by SS Arky Vaughan in the All-Star Game at St. Louis’ Sportsman’s Park. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run in a 4-0 Senior Circuit victory over the Americans. 
• 1942 - The Bucs drew 29,488 fans to Forbes Field on Army-Navy Relief Fund Night, raising over $36,000 in donations with an extra $10,000+ from the gate, and rewarded the patriotic crowd with a 9-0 win over the Phils. It was 1-0 after seven innings, but Philadelphia starter Frank Melton was lifted for a pinch hitter and Pittsburgh then rattled the Philly second line moundsmen for eight more runs during their two innings. Rip Sewell tossed a five-hitter for the win. 
• 1946 - Bucco Rip Sewell's most famous blooper pitch came in the All-Star game against Ted Williams at Fenway Park. Sewell warned Williams before the game he was going to throw him the blooper (eephus). With the AL ahead 8–0, Williams came to bat, and Sewell nodded to let him know the blooper was coming. Williams fouled it off. Sewell nodded again, threw another blooper and then another. With the count 1–2, Williams smacked the next one for a home run, the only homer ever hit off Sewell's trick pitch. As The Kid rounded the bases, Sewell followed him, saying, "the only reason you hit it was because I told you it was coming." Williams laughed back, the fans loved it, and Sewell received a standing ovation when he walked off the mound. (from Donald Honig’s 1975 book "Baseball When the Grass Was Real") The kicker was that The Splendid Splinter took a running start toward the pitch before he blasted it and was out of the batter’s box when he made contact, but there were no rules sticklers to carp about it on that day. 3B Frank Gustine was the other Pirate All-Star and he went 0-for-1 with a walk.

Rip Sewell's 1946 ASG Blooper - photo via MLB.com

• 1951 - The Pirates played an exhibition against their alumni as a fundraiser for Hazelwood native Moose Solters, who played in the American League for nine seasons before being blinded when he was hit with a ball during warmups. Organized by Lee Handley & Frankie Gustine, the game featured players like Bullet Bob Feller, Wally Westlake, Stan Rojek, Cliff Chambers, Dixie Howell, Preacher Roe, Billy Cox, Red Ruffing, Johnny Hopp, Bob Elliott, Gene Woodling and others. The Bucs beat the alumni, 1-0, in front of 9,553 at Forbes Field and raised around $17,500 for Moose, who left baseball before there was a pension and ran a bar to make ends meet. The prelim was a three-inning match between the Greenfield Cubs and Highland Little Leaguers. 
• 1953 - Soon-to-be-18-year-old C Nick Koback, out of Hartford HS, was signed by the Pirates as a bonus baby via scout Ed McCarrick, with his contract guestimated to be worth $20K. Per the rules of the era, his contract value mandated that he go straight to the majors. Koback played from 1953-55 (when he debuted on July 29th, he was the youngest Pirate to ever play at 18-years, 10-days old), and in his first career start, Koback caught a complete game shutout tossed by Murry Dickson. But he only hit .121 in 16 career games and then toiled in the minors through the 1960 season. He went home to Connecticut after he retired and switched sports to become a local golf pro. 
• 1957 - C Hank Foiles was the Pirate’s rep at the All-Star Game at Busch Stadium, a 6-5 win for the Junior Circuit. Hank hit once, and he singled and scored. 
• 1959 - Starting his first game since injuring his shoulder on May 19th, Roberto Clemente's 10th-inning leadoff single helped Elroy Face to his 18th consecutive win after the Baron of the Bullpen blew a save chance with two outs in the ninth. A bunt by Roman Mejias moved Clemente to second and a single by pinch-hitter Harry Bright sent Arriba home to complete the Bucs 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs at Forbes Field and keep Face’s string alive; it would reach 22 games. 

Roberto Clemente - 1959 Nabisco

• 1963 - The NL beat the AL, 5-3, at Cleveland Stadium in the All-Star game. Roberto Clemente came in as a late sub, never batting, and Bill Mazeroski was injured and didn’t play. The NL’s middle infield combo consisted of ex-Bucs Dick Groat and Julian Javier, who was traded because Maz blocked him as a Pirate, both sporting Redbird logos across their chest. 
• 1967 - Willie Stargell hit a walk-off homer against Reds’ reliever Jim Maloney that carried over the right field roof at Forbes Field to take a 2-1 win. Dennis Ribant tossed a complete game six-hitter to earn the Bucco victory. Cincinnati’s Gary Nolan was working on a seven-inning one-hitter when he was lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth. The Pirates only score before Pop’s pop was when Cincy botched a two-out grounder to allow Donn Clendenon to plate in the fifth frame. The Reds tied it in the top of the ninth on a two-out single by Vada Pinson. 
• 1968 - All-Star pitching duels don’t get much better than the National League’s 1-0 win over the American League in the ASG at the Astrodome as the only run scored in the first inning on a double play grounder. The Bucs didn’t have much to do with the outcome, as Matty Alou singled in his only at bat and Gene Alley, who was nursing a shoulder injury, occupied the pine 
• 1971 - The Pirates turned the first triple play of the 1971 season when Atlanta’s Leo Foster banged a grounder to 3B Richie Hebner, who stepped on the hot corner, threw to Dave Cash at second and his relay to Bob Robertson at first nipped Foster to complete the play as the Pirates rolled past the Braves, 11-2, at Three Rivers Stadium. Willie Stargell went 3-for-4 with a homer, three runs scored and four RBI while Manny Sanguillen went 3-for-5 with a triple and four RBI. Richie Hebner also homered as Nellie Briles went the distance for the win. 

The Roadrunner - 1971 Arco

• 1972 - The Bucs raced out to a 6-0 lead over the Braves and took home a 7-4 victory from Atlanta Stadium. All the Pirates' runs were the result of long balls swatted by Willie Stargell, Al Oliver, Manny Sanguillen and Bob Robertson, giving Nellie Briles all the support he needed for the complete game win; July 9th was a good day to send Briles against the Bravos (see above). 
• 1977 - SS Mario Mendoza smacked the only walk-off hit of his career, a two-out single to right in the 12th off Gene Garber at TRS, for a 9-8 Pirate win over the Phillies. Phil Garner had a good day, going 3-for-6 with a homer, double, two runs and two RBI, while Dave Parker also went downtown. Mendoza, btw, was batting under his own line, hitting just .182 at game time. The run-fest was surprising; the starters were John Candelaria and Lefty Carlton, who gave up 14 runs and 22 hits combined in 13-2/3 IP while Teke blew a two-run, ninth inning lead. The game’s hot sauce was provided when The Kissing Bandit, Morganna, ran onto the field and planted a wet one on the Candy Man. 
• 1982 - John Candelaria, closing in on free agency, told the Pirates that he would not sign a new contract, saying “I’m not happy here. I don’t want to stay here.” He backtracked on that thought, signing for four years at close to $700,000/season after the campaign. However, he soon soured on that deal (he wanted it renegotiated after Kent Tekulve got more than Candy Man did in his 1983 FA season contract) and was dealt to the California Angels in early August of 1985. 
• 1983 - Larry McWilliams continued his strong season with a two-hit, 3-0, win over LA at Dodger Stadium with nine whiffs to run his record to 9-5/3.02. It was well tossed by both sides; Alejandro Pena gave up just six singles, and two of the runs against him were unearned. McWilliams ended the year 15-8/3.25 with eight complete games, four shutouts and 199 K. He was solid again in 1984 but not so much in ‘85 & ‘86 and was released before the 1987 season.

7/9 From 1985: Cutch, Big Daddy AS, Dovy, Paul Sign; Cervy, Bell, Jack Grannies, Bay Day, Game Tales; '23 Draft; Sausage Slam, ASGs; RIP Bill

• 1987 - RHP Rick Reuschel (7-4/2.32), the National League’s ERA leader, was selected as the Pirates sole rep in the All-Star contest by manager Davey Johnson. It was Reuschel’s second ASG, and he was called on to work 1-1/3 innings, giving up a hit and picking up a whiff. 
• 1991 - The AL took home a 4-2 win from the Nationals in the All-Star game played at the Skydome. Bobby Bonilla started at DH and went 2-for-4 with an RBI while pitcher John Smiley faced one batter, Joe Carter, who singled off him. 
• 1993 - Two Pirates pitchers were let go, and for John Candelaria, it was the end of his MLB road. He was a Bucco for 11 years, then went on an eight-year, seven-team odyssey before returning to Pittsburgh as a 39-year-old. The Candy Man slashed 0-3-1/8.24 in 24 relief outings and was waived. Wakefield was on the opposite end of his journey. The knuckleballer was sent to AA Carolina (the team wanted Spin Williams, the Mudcats pitching coach, to tinker under Tim’s hood) and would get a final look as a Buc in September, ending 1993 with a line of 6-11/5.61. The converted infielder was released by Pittsburgh in April of 1995 after spending all of 1994 with the AAA Buffalo Bisons (5-15/5.84) and was signed a few days later by the Boston Red Sox. Wakefield kicked off a 17-year, 3,000+ IP, 186-win run in Beantown. To replace them, starter Randy Tomlin was recalled from the DL and reliever Tony Menendez was promoted from AAA Buffalo. 
• 1996 - The National League shut down the American League nine, 6-0, at Veterans Stadium to claim the ASG victory. C Jason Kendall was the Pirates All-Star and came in to catch the ninth. 

Mike Williams - 2002 Upper Deck 40-Man

• 2002 - This was the day of the infamous Nationals-Americans tied 7-7 All-Star game, when Commissioner Bud Selig and the managers, Joe Torre & Bob Brenly, threw in their towels after burning through the pitchers and accepting an 11-inning draw at Miller Park despite the crowd’s howls of “let them play.” MLB decided the following year to award the World Series home field advantage to the winning league, partially to assure the fans that games would be played to a conclusion and partially to provide an impetus for a game effort by the players. That format survived through 2016. The Buccos’ only ASG rep, reliever Mike Williams, worked the third inning cleanly, striking out a pair. 
• 2003 - Inexplicably during a 2-1 Pirate loss, 1B Randall Simon swatted a racing sausage with his bat from the dugout at Miller Park in Milwaukee as it waltzed around the stadium, causing a collision that left the mascots looking like a heaping plate of schnitzel. Simon was questioned by police and later fined $432.10 for disorderly conduct, stupidity not being a crime. Additionally, MLB suspended him for three games and fined him $2,000 while the Bucs traded him away a few weeks later. He issued an apology and gave an autographed bat to Mandy Block, the college student stuffed into the sausage costume. She ended up with a scraped knee, but it ended well for her. Mandy received a free trip to Curaçao, (Simon's home island) for two from the Curaçao Tourism Board. When Simon returned to Miller Park later that season as a Chicago Cub, he purchased Italian Sausages as munchies for an entire section, and during the wurst race, his teammates playfully held him back until all the sausages had safely raced past the dugout. 
• 2003 - The Pirates signed LHP Paul Maholm, their first-round pick and the eighth overall selection in the draft from Mississippi State to a contract with a $2.2M bonus. He worked from 2005-11 for the Bucs, making 185 starts and posting a 53-73/4.36 slash. He won 77 games for four teams with a 4.30 ERA during his career, which ended after the 2014 season. 
• 2004 - Jason Bay went 4-for-5 with two homers, a double, four RBI and four runs scored as the Pirates blanked the Expos, 11-0, in San Juan’s Estadio Hiram Bithorn, the Expos’ part-time home until their migration to Washington. Sean Burnett scattered 10 hits for a complete game shutout (his only MLB CG and zippo as he went to the pen the next season) in front of 8,780 fans. 

Jack Wilson - 2005 Fleer Ultra

• 22005 - Sparked by Jack Wilson’s first career grand slam, the Bucs broke open a tight game against the New York Mets with a seven-run seventh inning to take an 11-4 win at PNC Park in front of a Saturday night sellout crowd of 36,708. Dave Williams got the win with the finishing touches applied by Ian Snell and Soloman Torres. The two teams played in throwback Negro League uniforms, donning the colors of the Pittsburgh Crawfords and New York Cubans. 
• 2009 - Joel Hanrahan won his first game of the year while sitting in a hotel room in Philadelphia. He was credited with the dub when Washington won a game suspended on May 5th by defeating the Houston Astros, 11-10. Hanrahan, later traded to Pittsburgh, was the pitcher of record when the game was postponed. The winning Nat run was scored by Nyjer Morgan, who was one of the players that the Pirates sent to Washington as part of the Hanny deal. 
• 2009 - RHP Dovydas Neverauskas was signed by the Bucs and international scout Tom Randolph as a 16-year-old. On April 24th, 2017, he became the first Lithuanian-born player to appear in a MLB game. In four years with the Bucs, he slashed 1-4/6.81, was DFA’ed after the 2020 campaign and is now pitching indie ball. At least three other Lithuanians have played in the show - Joe Zapustas, who was born in Latvia and raised in Boston, reached the majors in 1933 for two games, pitcher Joe Krakauskas (1937-42, 1946) was born in Quebec and 1B Eddie Waitkus (1941, 1946–1955) was the child of immigrant parents. 
• 2011 - Andrew McCutchen, passed over in the ASG voting, was named as a first-time NL All-Star, replacing the injured Ryan Braun. The Pirates announced the honor on the PNC Park jumbotron during the fourth inning, drawing an ovation and a curtain call from the crowd of 39,235. Unfortunately, he suffered through an 0-fer night as the Bucs fell to the Cubs, 6-3. 
• 2016 - Former Pirates public relations director Bill Guilfoile passed away at the age of 84. Starting with the Yankees in 1960, Guilfoile worked for the Pirates from 1970-78 before leaving for greener pastures as the head of the National Baseball Hall of Fame's PR office from 1979 to 1996. Bill was part of many memorable moments, from the World Series to the 1961 Mantle/Maris home run chase, Roberto Clemente’s 3,000th hit and the Hall of Fame’s 50th anniversary. 

Josh Bell - 2016 Topps Now

• 2016 - The Pirates pounded out four homers as they took a 12-6 decision from the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. Pinch hitter Josh Bell, in his second MLB at-bat, crushed a hung change over the right field stands and into the Allegheny River for a grand slam as his first MLB long ball while Andrew McCutchen, Sean Rodriguez and Jordy Mercer also left the yard. Starter Chad Kuhl only lasted 2-1/3 frames for Pittsburgh and reliever Juan Nicasio was also bumped around (Chi-town starter Jon Lester was also hit hard, managing just three frames before being chased), but game winner Arquimedes Caminero and Jared Hughes with the save combined for 4-2/3 shutout innings to close the book. During a miserable June stretch, the Pirates had fallen 15-1/2 games behind the Cubs; this win cut the lead to 6-1/2 with Pittsburgh on a roll of winning 12-of-15 games. 
• 2017 - The Pirates ruined Jon Lester’s day by scoring 10 runs in the first inning off the lefty on the way to a 14-3 victory at Wrigley. The Bucco vibe was shaky before the game when scheduled starter Jameson Taillon was scratched a half-hour before first pitch with the flu, but the bats, sparked by Fran Cervelli’s two-out grand slam, were hale and hearty. Cervy's five RBI tied his career-best for a single game. Every Pirates starter reached base safely and scored and/or drove in runs as Pittsburgh collected 14 hits, seven walks and a pair of plunks to go with two Cubbie errors. AJ Schugel, the third of four Pirates pitchers, got the win. Game notes: The last time the Pirates had a 10-spot in an inning was against the Rox in 2007 during an 11-4 win. The last time they plated 10 in the first frame was in 1989 against the Phils; that's the game that Jim Rooker said he'd walk home if they lost. They did, so Rook took a charity walk between Pittsburgh and Philly after the season. The contest topped the Bucs' previous first-inning mark against the Cubs of nine runs in 1975, when Rennie Stennett collected seven hits during a 22-0 romp. Over 12 years and 334 starts, this was the first time Jon Lester didn't make it through the first inning. He was just the fourth pitcher in the last 100 years to allow 10+ runs and not make it out of the first inning. 
• 2019 - The American League hung on to take a 4-3 victory over the Nationals in the All-Star game at Progressive Field. The Pirates reps were 1B Josh Bell and LHP Felipe Vazquez. J-Bell started at DH and went 1-for-2 with an infield single; he was in the Home Run Derby the night before, losing his first-round match to Ronald Acuna, 24-18, in a slugfest. The NL was never ahead in the Midsummer Classic, and closer Vasquez wasn’t called on from the pen. 
• 2021 - The Bucs went through a long rain delay and a 10-run New York inning while being shellacked, 13-2, by the Mets at Citi Field, but there were a couple of bright rays poking through the gloom. Altoona injury call up Rodolfo Castro, 22, became just the second Bucco to bang a pinch-hit homer for his first MLB hit, joining Craig Wilson, who was the first to do the deed in 2001. Newly acquired John Nogowski, who was hitting .096 when the Pirates purchased his contract, tied a franchise record first set in 1913 with his 10th hit in his first four games with the team as the fresh blood provided a couple of positive short-term sidebars to an otherwise dismal game story. 

Rudy Castro - 2022 Panini

• 2023 - The Pirates selected LSU RHP Paul Skenes (12-2/1.69 with 209 strikeouts in 122 2/3 IP) with the first pick in the MLB amateur draft. He was an enlightened pick and an All-Star starter the following year. Next, they selected SS Mitch Jebb from Michigan State in the second round (#42 overall). He hit .337 with 14 steals for the Spartans. In the Competitive Balance B Round (#67), they picked RHP Zander Mueth from Belleville East (IL) High. A Mississippi commit who hit the mid-90s, the 6'6" Mueth opted to go pro. The Pirates chose Oregon State 1B Garret Forrester (3rd round - #97). The 21-year-old hit 10 HRs/12 2Bs/w 52 RBIs in 61 games. The bonus deals for the first five rounds: Skenes signed for $9,200,000, which breaks the 2020 MLB draft bonus record of $8,416,300 of the Tigers' Spencer Torkelson, but is still under the slot value $9,721,000; Mueth signed for $1.8M (slot value $1,128,200), and Forrester signed for $775K (slot value $990,300). They followed with RHP Carlson Reed (4th round - #104), West Virginia’s closer with a line of 2-1-7/2.61 with 60 strikeouts in 38 innings who signed for $646,900 and RHP Patrick Reilly of Vandy, (5th round - #140), who signed for $455,600. All were inked without drama. 
• 2023 - The Bucs had a good day on the field before the draft began, whipping the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-2, as Ji Man Choi, a couple of days removed from a 60-day IL stint and rehab assignment, homered, doubled and drove in two runs. In a bullpen game going into the All-Star break (seven different Pirates hurlers gave up just four hits), Carmen Mlodzinski made his first MLB start, Osvaldo Bido won his first big league game and David Bednar posted his 17th save.

7/8 Through the 1960s: Walk-Off Granny, Satch No-No, Al Gem, Game Tales; Souvenirs, Arky - 2 AS-HRs, TSN Bob, ASGs; HBD Rosario, Kip, Johnny, Jay & Hank

• 1859 - Umpire and RHP Hank O’Day was born in Chicago. He tossed one year for the Alleghenys, in 1885 (5-7/3.67). Later, he became noted as an arbitrator, calling plays for 30 years, most famously the controversial “Merkle Bonehead'' decision. He wore the blue for 10 World Series and worked 2,710 major league games. O’Day also managed a couple of times, and for his long service to early baseball, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012. 
• 1874 - RHP Jay Parker was born in Theresa, New York. Jay had one MLB outing as an 1899 Bucco in late September against the Chicago Orphans; he walked two batters and plunked another. Two of them eventually scored and so he has a lifetime ERA of infinity. In fairness, it should be noted that he was a 1B/C by trade and that was the first time as a pro that he had ever stepped on the slab; it was the second game of a twinbill and ended up a 7-7 draw. He did have a long career in organized ball, starting in 1895 and playing through the 1914 campaign. Jay did pitch again, briefly, going 1-1 for Evansville in 1905. 
• 1915 - Al Mamaux authored a 2-0 shutout, his fifth whitewash of the year, over the Phils at the Baker Bowl. He struck out nine, and the Bucs tied a record by recording only two assists the entire game, both by 2B Jim Viox. Mamaux had to fight to the last out; the Phils loaded the bases with one out in the ninth on three singles before a whiff and CF Eddie “Zip” Collins' running grab at the wall to ice the victory. Mamaux finished the year 21-8/2.04 with eight shutouts. 
• 1921 - A ruling by the City of Pittsburgh allowed fans to keep balls hit into the stands as souvenirs in Forbes Field. Robert Alderdice, the Director of Public Safety, made the call following threatened lawsuits against police who had earlier arrested three fans for refusing to return balls to the team in an era when a game ball was expected to last for, well, the game. 

Johnny Gooch (1939) - 1991 Conlon/TSN

• 1927 - Johnny Gooch’s two-out single in the seventh inning was the only hit the Bucs got off the Cubs’ Charlie Root as he outdueled Lee Meadows for a 1-0 win at Forbes Field. Meadows scattered eight hits, giving up an unearned score in the second frame, when 3B Pie Traynor threw wildly to first with two outs to allow Charlie Grimm to score from second base. 
• 1929 - OF Johnny Powers was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Johnny was a legendary minor league masher with 298 long balls during his six-year farm career, but with Pittsburgh between 1955-58, he hit just .190 with four homers in 160 PA. He played two more seasons for three more MLB teams, hit two more long balls during that span and called it a career. 
• 1932 - In the nightcap of a twin bill, Satchel Paige tossed his second no-hitter of the year and the first ever at Greenlee Field as the Pittsburgh Crawfords defeated the New York Black Yankees, 6-0. Three Hall of Famers took the field with Paige and the Craws: Oscar Charleston at 1B, Judy Johnson at 3B, and Josh Gibson in LF (Josh occasionally played corner infield and some outfield, too). Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe lived up to his nickname by pitching in the first game (a 9-7 loss) and then going behind the plate to backstop Paige's no-no. Per Aaron Tallent of Athlon Sports, “Paige is estimated to have pitched more than 50 no-hitters during his time in the Negro leagues, but this is one of only two that are recorded.” 
• 1935 - SS Arky Vaughan and RF Paul Waner repped the Pirates in the All-Star game at Cleveland Stadium. Vaughan doubled, walked and scored in three at-bats while Waner was 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter in the ALs 4-1 win over the Nationals. 
• 1941 - At Detroit's Briggs Stadium, SS Arky Vaughan became the first player to hit two home runs in an All-Star Game, cracking a pair of two-run homers in the NL's 7-5 loss. Unfortunately for Vaughan, Ted William’s three-run homer in the ninth made the Splendid Splinter the man that year. Arky went 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBI in his eighth straight (and final) ASG appearance. 3B Bob Elliott and C Al Lopez also played, both going 0-for-1. 

Arky Vaughan - Helmar Big League Brew

• 1946 - Per BR Bullpen, a special meeting of clubs was held to deal with player demands (desertions to the Mexican League were beginning to dilute the MLB product), and the owners did make some concessions. The results were a $5,000 minimum salary, $25-per-week training-camp expenses, a fixed time period for spring training, 25 days for post-season barnstorming, and a maximum pay cut of no more than 25 percent from season-to-season. A pension fund aimed at providing $100 a month for retired 10-year players was agreed upon, to be funded by World Series broadcast rights and net proceeds from All-Star Games. Each league also got to name a player rep to attend the baseball councils in the days before the MLBPA spoke for the players. 
• 1947 - Pittsburgh’s All-Star at Chicago’s Wrigley Field was 3B Frank Gustine, who went 0-for-2 in the NL’s 2-1 Midsummer Classic loss to the Junior Circuit. 
• 1950 - The Bucs beat St. Louis, 7-6, at Forbes Field. The Pirates rallied in the ninth inning when pinch-hitter Jack Phillips' long fly ball just eluded Stan Musial’s leap, grazing off his glove at the 376’ mark and landing in the Kiner’s Korner bullpen for a walk-off grand slam, his first ever, to erase a 6-3 deficit. It was also the first time in major league history that a pinch-hit grand slam overcame a three-run deficit to end a game; that particular walk-off scenario wouldn’t be repeated again until 2010. Ralph Kiner and Stan Rojek also homered. 
• 1952 - For the fourth straight year, OF Ralph Kiner was the sole Pirate rep for the All-Star Game. The NL won, 3-2, in a rain-shortened, five-inning game at Shibe Park. Kiner was scheduled to enter the game in the seventh, but Mr. Swat's appearance, like the game, was washed out. 
• 1958 - The Pirates sent a full contingent of RHP Bob Friend, 2B Bill Mazeroski, OF Bob Skinner and 3B Frank Thomas to the All-Star Game at Memorial Stadium, a 4-3 AL win. Friend took the loss, giving up two runs in 2-1/3 innings, with the last score unearned thanks to a boot by teammate Thomas. Skinner went 1-for-3 with an RBI, Thomas 1-for-3 and Maz 0-for-4. 

Bob Kipper - 1991 Topps Stadium Club

• 1964 - LHP Bob Kipper was born in Aurora, Illinois. The lefty tossed for seven seasons (1985-91) for the Bucs. He spent his first three years as a starter and then was converted to the pen. Kipper slashed 24-33-11/4.34 with the Pirates, appearing 195 times in his last four seasons and was part of Jim Leyland’s 1991 NLCS club. After retirement, he began coaching for indie teams and in 1999 joined the Red Sox organization, serving in a variety of positions. 
• 1967 - Bob Veale was featured as the cover story of The Sporting News in an article titled “Bread and Butter Buccaneer.” He went 16-8/3.64 during the campaign and worked 203 innings, a down year by Veale's standards as nagging injuries began to take their toll on the big lefty. 
• 1969 - Roberto Clemente launched a homer over the no-righties-need-apply 436’ mark in right center field at Forbes Field, his third hit of the day, in an 8-1 win over the Expos. Montreal was held to three hits by Steve Blass, while Roberto and Freddie Patek banged out three hits each. 
• 1969 - LHP Rosario Rodriguez was born in Los Mochis, Mexico. He spent parts of three seasons in the majors, the first two with the Reds. 18 of his 34 big league appearances were with the Pirates in 1991 as a left-on-left specialist with a line of 1-1-6/4.11. He had an outing during the 1991 NLCS against the Braves, allowing three runs in one inning, and that was his last MLB call. He opened for AAA Buffalo in 1992 but spent three stints on the DL with shoulder issues. His year was shut down in June, and the bum wing ended his career at age 23.

7/8 From 1970: Max Joins, Kurt Goes; Neil & Cutch Clutch, Buster #1, Game Tales; Roberto Statue, Quakin' & Dancin', ASGs; HBD Josh & John

• 1971 - Bruce Kison made his second start and earned his first MLB victory, going into the eighth inning while defeating the Reds, 7-1, at TRS. His teammates helped to chase away the butterflies by scoring four times in the opening frame. His plate support came from Dave Cash and Gene Clines at the top of the order, who reached base eight times and tallied five runs, Roberto Clemente, who chased the pair home four times, and Bob Robertson’s two-run homer. Buster slashed 81-63-6/3.49 with the Pirates in nine seasons (1971-79), went 4-1 in the postseason, and won 115 games during his 15-year big league career. 
• 1973 - The Pirates bought SS Dal Maxville from Oakland with the intention of making him their starting shortstop. “We didn’t get him for his bat,'' said manager Bill Virdon. “We felt we needed to stabilize our infield.” Good glove or no, Dal hit just .189 for the Pirates in ‘73 and was released in April of 1974 after going 4-for-22; 1975 was his last MLB campaign. 
• 1974 - The Pirates sent IF Kurt Bevacqua, who was hitting .114, to the KC Royals for AA IF Calvin Meier after the Bucs had shipped Nellie Briles and Fernando Gonzalez to the Royals for Bevacqua, Ed Kirkpatrick and Winston Cole (who never made it past Class A ball) during the winter. Shaler grad Art Howe was called up to take Bevacqua’s place on the roster; after a couple of challenging years as a Buc, he went on to have a solid career with the Astros and later managed Houston, Oakland and the Mets. Kurt played through 1985, even returning to Pittsburgh in 1980-81, but he never reached the 300 at bat mark in his 15 MLB campaigns. 
• 1977 - The Bucs and Phils had a pair of bench-clearing dances after Mike Schmidt and Willie Stargell were beaned. Per Chuck Tanner, after Kison hit Schmidt in the back, Mike said, while heading to first, “Next time that happens I’ll come and get you.” Kison replied, “Why wait til next time?” They didn’t; Schmidt missed with a roundhouse, then Kison landed a couple of jabs before Ed Ott finished it by tackling Schmidt and keeping him pinned to the ground until peace was restored. Pop's confrontation was better policed; the umps got between him and Tug McGraw before any fists flew. Pittsburgh won the slugfest that counted, 8-7, overcoming a 7-3, eighth-inning deficit at TRS. The victory was anticlimactic; after tying the game in the eighth, the Pirates won when pinch hitter Jim Fregosi drew a bases-loaded, ninth inning walk off Warren Brusstar to earn a hard-fought victory for Pittsburgh and Goose Gossage. 

Pgh Press 7/8/1977

• 1980 - The Nationals topped the Americans, 4-2, at Dodger Stadium in the All Star game with Chuck Tanner as manager. 2B Phil Garner went 1-for-2 with a run, walk and stolen base while RF Dave Parker went 0-for-2. Ex-Buc Jerry Reuss earned the win while Jim Bibby pitched a clean seventh inning, as teammate Kent Tekulve watched the game from the bullpen. 
• 1982 - The Reds entered the ninth trailing the Pirates, 4-2, at TRS, and rattled off a six-spot against Manny Sarmiento and Kent Tekulve to take an 8-4 lead and seemingly snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. But the Pirates didn’t mail it in - they answered with a two-run homer by pinch hitter Willie Stargell and a bases-clearing double by Jason Thompson to take home a pulse-pounding 9-8 win. Between Pop's long ball and Thompson’s double, the Pirates banged out five straight one-out hits against Tom Hume and Joe Price. Dave Parker had three hits, including two big flies, and Bill Madlock also went deep. Teke got the blown save/win combo after being roughed up for three runs in 2/3 of an inning. Post Gazette writer Charlie Feeney called it “...the wildest ninth inning in the 12-year history of Three Rivers Stadium.” 
• 1983 - OF/1B John Bowker was born in Sacramento. A third-round pick of the Giants, he played for the Bay Bombers from 2008-10 and was traded to the Pirates at the deadline, along with Joe Martinez, in return for Javier Lopez. He hit .233 as a Bucco and was flipped in late 2011 to the Phillies. John spent 2012-14 in Japan, with a stint in the Mexican League. The Bucs brought him back in 2015, but he never got past AAA Indy and retired after the campaign. 
• 1986 - The Pirates were shaken but not stirred in San Diego when a 2:15 AM earthquake rocked them. Jim Leyland, trainer Kent Biggerstaff, sportswriter Ron Cook and nine Bucco players made it down to the hotel lobby while the 30-second, 6.0 Richter Scale tremor shook, rattled and rolled. But it caused minimal damage and no injuries as the Bucs went on to play that night, dropping a 4-2 decision to the Friars to fall 13 games (34-47) under .500. 

Josh Harrison - 2018 Topps

• 1987 - Jack-of-all-trades Josh Harrison was born in Cincinnati. The utility guy was up-and-down with the Bucs since 2011 after coming over in the John Grabow/Tom Gorzelanny deal with the Cubs in 2009. But in 2014, playing LF and later third base, he broke out, winning an All-Star berth with a .315 BA, second best in the NL (he won a second nod in 2017). He inherited second base after Neil Walker was traded to the Mets, and later signed with the Tigers as a free agent in early 2019 after being bumped by Adam Frazier. J-Hay collected his 1,000th hit with the White Sox in ‘22; now he’s with the Phillies. 
• 1994 - The statue of Roberto Clemente, located in front of Roberto Clemente Bridge and designed by sculptor Susan Wagner, was dedicated outside of Gate B at Three Rivers Stadium. When PNC Park opened in 2001, it was reinstalled just beyond center field. A neat factoid: under glass blocks representing first, second, and third base is soil from Puerto Rico, Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium, the three places most closely associated with Arriba. 
• 1997 - The junior league short circuited the NL by a 3-1 score at the All-Star game played at Jacobs Field. 2B Tony Womack was the Bucs’ sole representative and grounded out in his only at bat. Ex-Pirates on the NL side were Barry Bonds, Denny Neagle and Moises Alou. 
• 2003 - The Bucs nosed the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-7, in 10 innings at Miller Park to win their fifth game in six outings. Wes Helms hit a two-run homer off Mike Williams in the ninth to send the game to overtime; Jack Wilson answered with a two-run shot in the 10th frame. It wasn’t quite done; John Vander Wal singled to left center with two outs and two on in the Brew Crew half to chase a run home, but Geoff Jenkins was thrown out at third by Kenny Lofton to end the game. Matt Stairs and Jason Kendall had three hits. Stairs, Wilson and Lofton also homered. 

Jack Wilson - 2003 Donruss Champion

• 2005 - Pittsburgh scored four times in the ninth to send the game into extras, then took a 6-5 win against the Mets in 10 frames at PNC Park. With two gone in the ninth, Tike Redman singled home a pair and Matt Lawton followed with a two-bagger to tie it. Humberto Cota lined a knock to left after a pair were gone in the 10th, scoring Rob Mackowiak who had reached second on an error. The Mets were just a pitch away; both Redman and Cota’s hits came with two strikes. 
• 2008 - The Pirates tallied three times after two outs and the bases empty in the eighth to top the Houston Astros, 4-3, at PNC Park. Adam LaRoche started with a homer, then a HBP, single and walk set up Nate McLouth. He dropped a liner into short right to plate Jose Bautista and Luis Rivas with the tying and winning runs. Damaso Marte saved the win for John Grabow. 
• 2011 - Pinch hitter Mike McKenry broke a tie with the Cubs in the eighth inning when he took an 0-2 pitch deep with two outs off Carlos Marmol for a three-run bomb to give the Bucs a 7-4 win at PNC Park. It was The Fort’s first MLB homer and set the fans to rockin’ - they demanded (and got) a quick curtain call. Joel Hanrahan notched his 26th straight save of the season (although he did suffer a couple of losses in non-save situations) when he pitched a perfect ninth against the Cubs, striking out a pair. He would blow his next save opportunity 10 days later (the Pirates didn’t have many leads to protect in the second half of the 2011 season) but it was a great year - Hanny was named an NL All-Star and slashed 1-4-40/1.83 over the year. The Bucs entered the All-Star break above the .500 mark for the first time since 1992 although the good times didn’t last. 
• 2012 - The Pirates kept sole possession of first place in the NL Central for the last time with a 13-2 thumping of the Giants at PNC Park. Neil Walker went 5-for-5 with a double and a home run, drove in a pair and scored four times; Andrew McCutchen homered twice while collecting three hits, four RBI and three runs while Casey McGehee added three knocks to give AJ Burnett his 10th win. It was also the club’s 10th win in the past 12 games. The elation was short-lived as the Bucs collapsed in the dog days to finish with another losing record, but at last, wait ‘til next year wasn’t an empty slogan as the Corsairs won 94 games in ‘13 and made it to the Promised Land of the postseason.

Week's Notes: All-Stars Skenes & Reynolds Entertain Sellout Crowd During Meh 2-4 Week, Jared Jones & Bailey Falter On IL

 Summertime, summertime...

First things first: RHP Paul Skenes and LF Bryan Reynolds were named to the NL All-Star team Sunday. Skenes (5-0/2.12), with just 10 MLB starts, is the first Pirates rookie pitcher picked for an ASG and the first Bucco rookie period chosen since Tony Womack in 1997. It's Reynolds’ (.281/16/54) second All-Star selection (he also made the team in 2021).

The All-Stars/Pirates image

The Bucs had Monday off before entertaining St. Louis for a three-game set. Kells got clocked and the Pirates dropped the opener, 7-4. In the middle match, the Bucs lost a two-run lead in the eight, fell behind in the 10th, then rallied behind Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz to even the set, 5-4. The tiebreaking game also went 10 innings, with the Pirates dropping a 3-2 decision with two of the Redbird scores due to Bucco miscues.

Then the Mets came callin' for a four-day visit. The opener was something to behold - it was a sellout, Paul Skenes fanned eight in seven frames and the Bucs banged seven homers (B-Rey and Rowdy Tellez each had a pair, including grannies) in a 14-2 runaway. The second game, well...Bailey Falter got hurt, the Bucs failed to cash in late, the umps had another ooops day, and it all added up to a 5-2 loss. In the third game, Luis Ortiz went six shoutout innings and Nick Gonzales singled home a pair of two-out runs in the eighth for the Pirates to take a 2-1 lead. Aroldis Chapman got within a strike of closing it out, but didn't, and Pittsburgh lost, 3-2. The fourth match of the set takes place today.

Moves/Injuries:

• Rookie RHP Jared Jones left Wednesday's game with lat tightness and was put on the 15-day IL. He'll serve at least two no-throw weeks before being reevaluated. OF Josh Palacios was recalled from Indy. 
• LHP Bailey Falter was removed from Saturday’s game due to left arm discomfort. He was placed on the 15-day IL with L triceps tendonitis. RHP Brent Honeywell Jr. was called up and LHP Justin Bruihl was DFA'ed.
• LHP Daulton Jefferies went on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation over the weekend. RHP Ryder Ryan was recalled to take his spot.

Joey Bart - Pirates image

• C Joey Bart came off the 10-day IL and C Jason Delay was optioned to Indy. 
• LHP Marco Gonzales began his rehab assignment Monday at Indianapolis.
• Reliever David Bednar (L oblique) tossed live BP and Hunter Stratton (R triceps) did some soft throwing. Their ETA is sometime around All-Star break.
• The rehab routine for C Henry Davis was put on hold for a few days while he recovered from a concussion, then was optioned on Thursday to Indy.

Other Stuff:

• LF Bryan Renolds' 25-game hitting streak ended last Sunday; it was the team's longest for a switch-hitter and tied for sixth-longest in franchise history.
• The Pirates put together a winning record (14-12) during the month of June for the first time since going 17-9 in 2015.
• Don't hold your breath awaiting a new bat. GM Ben said on his radio show that “We have more players that can improve by far than we can acquire.” It makes sense if he's looking for a piece to fit into the core; it's smarter to deal for a bat under contract control in the off season than a costly rental.
• The Pirates’ top two prospects, RHP Bubba Chandler and 2B Termarr Johnson, will rep the Bucs at this year’s Futures Game in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, July 13th. IF Mitch Jebb, 22, of Greensboro was selected as the Sally League PoW. Mitch went 9-for 17, scoring 11 times with three RBI. LHP Hunter Barco, 23, made it a clean sweep as he won the league's Pitcher of the Week award after working five innings of no-hit, shutout ball with a walk and nine K.
• C Roberto Perez was released by the Red Sox after being on the IL the entire season. The Pirates signed him back in 2021 and he played 21 games before hammy surgery cost him the season.

7/7 Through the 1950s: B-2-Bx2, Maz Debut, Pie Cycle, Max-imum, Game Tales; ASGs; HBD Dybber, Chuck, Nonny, Billy, Satch, Merry, Ted & Harry

• 1868 - 2B Harry Gilbert was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. A semi-pro infielder, he played in two games for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys on June 23rd, 1890, starting both ends of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies and going 2-for-8. His brother John was also picked up for the game and went 0-for-8 while playing SS; they both fielded cleanly. They became the first brother act in Pittsburgh franchise history, and neither ever played pro ball again. 
• 1902 - P/C Theodore Roosevelt “Double Duty” Radcliffe was born in Mobile, Alabama. He stopped briefly in Pittsburgh, playing for the 1931 Homestead Grays and the 1932 Pittsburgh Crawfords. Writer Damon Runyon gave him the nickname "Double Duty" because Radcliffe performed as a catcher one game and as a pitcher the next during a 1932 Negro League championship doubleheader between the Crawfords and the Monroe Monarchs at Yankee Stadium. Radcliffe caught a Satchel Paige shutout in the first game and then pitched a shutout. 
• 1902 - Art “Merry” Merewether was born in East Providence, Rhode Island. The Brown grad got into one big league game in 1922 as a 20-year-old Pirate, unsuccessfully pinch-hitting. He left the Buccos to attend MIT (the only MLB player to get a sheepskin from that school), serving as captain of the college's baseball team, played minor league ball in 1926 and then went on to his true calling, meteorology, and he was an All-Star at it. Merry became the chief meteorologist for United Airlines, president of the American Meteorological Society and discovered a Canadian lake which was named after him. 
• 1906 - Leroy “Satchel” Paige was born in Mobile, Alabama. He pitched in the early-to-mid thirties for the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords. At 42, Paige became the oldest rookie in major league history when he joined the Cleveland Indians in 1948, and in 1971 became the first Negro League star inducted into the Hall of Fame. Paige is on the short list of the game’s great pitchers and one of pitching’s great showmen: One of his favorite acts was to have his fielders sit down nonchalantly at their positions while he’d strike out the side. According to Paige, his nickname originated from a childhood job carrying bags at the train station, although his long-time friends suggested it was because he’d swipe the satchels. 

Billy Herman - undated photo via Sportsworld

• 1909 - IF/MGR Billy Herman was born in New Albany, Indiana. The Hall-of-Famer came to Pittsburgh in 1947 as a player/manager, the last one that the Pirates would ever have. Billy played a little, hitting .213, and after compiling a 61-92 record, he resigned as the manager on the last day of the season. That was also his last season as a player; he went on to coach, manage, and work in player development for decades after his playing days, finally retiring in 1978. 
• 1910 - OF Leo “Red”/”Nonny” Nonnenkamp was born in St. Louis. Nonny started his four-year MLB career with one at bat for the Bucs in 1933 (he struck out as a pinch hitter); he’d return to the show for Boston in 1938-40. He played pro ball from 1930-46, with three years off for military duty in the Navy. He retired to Little Rock, his minor league home and became a mailman. Nonny was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and passed on in 2000. 
• 1921 - The Bronx Bombers visited Forbes Field for an exhibition tilt. The Pittsburgh Press wrote “Thousands of fans who attended the exhibition match between the New York Yankees and the Pirates were disappointed when Babe Ruth failed to deliver a circuit clout.” The Bambino, who had 31 homers on his way to swatting 59 on the year, flew out twice and fanned two times in the Bucs 5-2 win as Pirates RF Dave Robertson was the only player to go long. 
• 1922 - OF Max Carey earned his paycheck in an 18-inning, 9-8 loss to the Giants at Forbes Field. He got on base nine times in nine at-bats with six hits, three walks, three stolen bases (including home), scored three times, drove home a pair of runs and caught seven flies, several that were hauled in “...after long spectacular runs” per the New York Tribune game coverage. Johnny Gooch was hot, too, going 6-for-8 with a double despite catching the equivalent of a double header, except without the break. Gooch and Carey both set career-bests with their six hits. 

Reb Russell - 1923 photo Conlon Collection/TSN

• 1923 - Bucco bats erupted at the Baker Bowl as the Philadelphia Phillies were swamped by an 18-5 tally. Pie Traynor hit for the cycle, driving in six runs and scoring four times. Reb Russell had four hits, scored five times and chased home four runners while Charlie Grimm doubled and collected four RBI. Max Carey and Carson Bigbee touched the plate three times each during the contest as Lee Meadows cruised on the hill to claim the victory. In other hardball news, a City Police “Flying Squad” broke up a downtown baseball betting ring. 
• 1928 - The Pirates held a Pie Traynor Day at Forbes Field. The ceremony was in between games of a doubleheader against the Giants, and Pie, an avid reader, was gifted with a 51-volume Harvard Classics collection. He made his big haul at a testimonial dinner held the night before at the Hotel Schenley with 500 guests, including the entire New York Giants squad, when the team gave him a chest that contained $2,000 worth of gold. His day had a perfect ending as the Bucs swept both games, 8-6 and 5-2, while Pie went 2-for-6 with a walk and sac bunt. 
• 1936 - The Pirates sent 1B Gus Suhr and SS Arky Vaughan to the All-Star Game at Boston Braves Stadium. Neither got in as the National League squeaked out a 4-3 win over the Americans. 
• 1937 - P Cy Blanton, SS Arky Vaughan and RF Paul Waner were selected as Pittsburgh All-Stars for the game at Griffith Stadium. Vaughan went 2-for-5, Waner 0-for-5 with an RBI, and Blanton faced one batter, Joe DiMaggio, whom he whiffed during the American League’s 8-3 romp. 
• 1945 - IF Chuck Goggin was born in Pompano Beach, Florida. Chuck began his brief career (he played for four campaigns) in Pittsburgh in 1972-73, going 3-for-9. Goggin was a good hitter, but his major league journey was filled with injury-related hurdles: he had knee surgery, broke his ankle, and later ruptured a disc. He also suffered shrapnel wounds to his legs and back in 1966 when a mine blew up under him in Vietnam. The Marine was one of only two MLB players to earn a Purple Heart in ‘Nam. He also had one great Bucco moment - he collected his first major league hit in his first major league start on the same day that teammate Roberto Clemente collected his 3,000th hit, on September 30th, 1972. After his back problem, Chuck played in the minors and Latino leagues for a while, coached and then took a job as a US Marshall.

Chuck Goggin - photo via Mainline Autograph

• 1955 - Jerry “The Dybber” Dybzinski was born in Cleveland. He closed out his six-year career in Pittsburgh, getting into five games and going 0-for-4 as a 30-year-old in 1985. The Bucs had signed him during the off season as a depth guy, and he spent most of his days at AAA Hawaii. Dybzinski was released after the season, failed to catch on elsewhere in the league, and moved to Chicago to begin his post-baseball career as a financial/business analyst. 
• 1956 - Bill Mazeroski made his Pirate debut. He went 1-for-3 and turned a twin killing (Dick Groat - Maz - Bob Skinner) against the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds during a 3-2 Pirate loss. He got his ticket to Pittsburgh to replace Spook Jacobs, who was sent to Hollywood as part of a seven-man roster reshuffling that eventually culminated in the 1960 crown. 
• 1957 - The Pirates swept the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds by 10-6 and 8-1 scores. Frank Thomas and Dick Groat became the first pair of teammates to hit back-to-back home runs in both games of a doubleheader. In the opener, Thomas had two long flies and four RBI; Dick Rand also went deep as Red Swanson got the win and Nellie King picked up a save. In the nightcap, Groat was the man - he was a double short of the cycle and chased home five runs; Hank Foiles also added a homer. Bob Friend went the distance for the victory, tossing a four-hitter. Foiles was named the team’s lone All-Star player, with Bill Mazeroski and Frank Thomas left off the squad. It was a temporary snub; both Maz and Frank were selected to the 1958 AS roster. 
• 1959 - The All-Star Game became a double feature when a new, two-game format was adopted. The first game was played at Forbes Field following the first pitch, tossed by Veep Richard Nixon. The National League won, 5-4 with C Smoky Burgess, RHP Elroy Face, SS Dick Groat and 2B Billy Mazeroski repping the Buccos. Maz went 1-for-1 with a single, Groat batted once and sacrificed, and Smoky didn’t make an appearance. The Baron did, and probably wishes he hadn’t. He gave up three runs in 1-2/3 IP with three hits, two walks, and two K.

7/7 From 1960: AVS-AS; Jerry Signs; Smiley-in', Sluggo & Milt Fivers, Roberto Whack, Game Tales; Blow Me Down, Maz's Corner, ASGs; HBD Vinny & John

• 1964 - The National League defeated the Junior Circuit at Shea Stadium in the All-Star game by a 7-4 score, best remembered because of Johnny Callison’s dramatic three-run ninth-inning homer. Roberto Clemente batted 1-for-3 with a run scored, Willie Stargell went 0-for-1, and Bill Mazeroski and Smoky Burgess were bench players for the Senior Circuit. 
• 1970 - Roberto Clemente's blast to the roof of Connie Mack Stadium's double-decker left field seats was his fifth long ball in five days, breaking a tie score and leading the Bucs to a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Bob Veale got the win with help from Dave Giusti. 
• 1972 - In the Pirates' 10-2 win over the Braves at Atlanta Stadium, C Milt May went 5-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Gene Alley homered and had four RBI while Al Oliver, Gene Clines and Dave Cash added three knocks each to pace a 20-hit attack. May added two more hits in the nitecap of the twin bill, but the team’s bats cooled off and Pirates lost, 3-2. Luke Walker won the opener while Bruce Kison took the second game loss. Both pitchers went the distance. 
• 1980 - C John Buck was born in Kemmerer, Wyoming. The 10-year vet was part of the Marlon Byrd/Dilson Herrera deal with the Mets in 2013. He was tabbed to provide some depth behind Russ Martin and did get five starts with a .333 BA in his six-week Bucco stint. He left as a free agent after the season, played for two teams (Seattle & the Angels), and then the 33-year-old retired before the 2015 campaign when he failed to make Atlanta’s roster as an NRI. 
• 1988 - John Smiley struck out nine in 6-1/3 innings for his sixth straight win on the hill, then Jeff Robinson and Jim Gott brought it home as the Bucs defeated San Diego, 2-0, at Jack Murphy Stadium. Andy Van Slyke singled home the first run; the insurance marker came on a bases-loaded walk to Spanky LaValliere. AVS was named to the All-Star game, joining starter Bobby Bonilla, while hopefuls John Smiley, Bob Walk and Barry Bonds were left in the cold. Walkie did get the AS call later as a replacement player for the injured SF Giant Robby Thompson. 

John Smiley - 1988 Fleer

• 1990 - LHP Jerry Reuss was signed as a free agent after Houston had cut him loose. The 41-year-old was sent to Buffalo to knock off the rust - he had a two month layoff between the Bucco signing and ‘Stro release - and came back in September for four outings lasting 7-2/3 IP with a 3.52 ERA; the Pirates saw him out with class by giving him the final start of the season (and also his last start in the majors) on October 3rd against the Mets, a 6-3 loss. 
• 1992 - Andy Van Slyke became the first outfielder in nearly 18 years to record an unassisted double play in the Pirates' 5-3 win over the Astros at TRS. Van Slyke charged in from center field to catch a looper and kept on trucking to double up Ken Caminiti off first. AVS also had two hits, an RBI and a run scored, but the batting hero was Steve Buechele, who went 3-for-4 with three runs driven home. Bob Walk got the win in relief of Jeff Robinson. 
• 1993 - Starter Tim Wakefield didn’t factor in the decision, but he connected off Houston’s Mark Portugal at The Astrodome for a 420’ home run in the 5-2 Bucco win to help the cause. The blast was his only career homer during 19 years in the show; of course, 17 of those seasons were with Boston, and he got just 40 ABs/50 PAs with them. Paul Wagner was credited with the victory, Jeff King had four hits and Orlando Merced drove in three runs to lead the club. 
• 1993 - OF Andy Van Slyke was voted onto the All-Star roster, but didn’t play as his collar bone was broken, though he did bat .310 in 83 games for the year. SS Jay Bell made his first of two AS appearances when he was later named as a reserve. He was hitting .302 at the time to become the first Bucco SS since Gene Alley in 1968 to play in the Summer Classic, and in the offseason, he snapped Ozzie Smith’s 13-year run as the NL Gold Glove shortstop. Disappointed was OF Orlando Merced, who was batting .359/.455 OBP with 48 RBI but left in the cold. 
• 1994 - C Don Slaught went 5-for-5 with two runs and a pair of doubles, but the Bucs lost to the Reds at Riverfront Stadium, 8-7. Jay Bell added three hits, three RBI and a pair of runs scored. The Bucs scored twice in the top of the 10th, but Blas Minor couldn’t hold the lead, giving up a two-run homer. Then in the 11th, he walked two and gave up a single to absorb the loss. 

Vinny Capra - 2023 photo Getty Images

• 1996 - Utilityman Vinny Capra was born in Melbourne, Florida. The Pirates picked up Vinny in an April, 2023 trade with Toronto in exchange for C Ty Heineman. He hit .350 at Indy and was called up on August 1st after some deadline deals created roster openings on the big club. 
• 1998 - Coors Field lived up to its hitter-friendly rep as the AL outslugged the NL, 13-8, in the All-Star game. C Jason Kendall was the sole Pirates All Star and singled in his only at bat. There were a couple of nice local touches, though - Vera Clemente was named the National League’s honorary captain, the first woman to receive that honor, while Jim Leyland, now the Florida bossman, was the skipper and named Gene Lamont as a bench coach on his All-Star staff. 
• 2006 - A state historic marker was dedicated during All-Star week at the remaining bit of Forbes Field, the left field wall in Schenley Park. It was the outcome of a decades-old mud match that the City, Pitt and the Oakland community had fought since 1972 over that corner parcel of land, with the final result being that the left center field wall, flagpole and home plate (sited in nearby Posvar Hall) were saved. Now it’s a spot best known as the annual gathering place for the Bill Mazeroski 1960 home run celebration, held every October 13th by the Game 7 Gang. 
• 2015 - During a rain delay that featured 40+ MPH winds, the PNC Park ground crew was pulling a tarp across the infield when a gust sent it flying; it came back to earth on top of an unlucky member of the work gang. But Andrew McCutchen and Sean Rodriguez, watching from the dugout, sprinted out and uncovered him before he became part of the infield dirt. Gregory Polanco joined in the rescue, and a cadre of Bucco players helped the groundskeepers wrestle the tarp into place. The good vibes carried over; the Bucs beat San Diego, 3-2. Afterward, the field gang outlined an infield silhouette of their flattened coworker with the message “RIP.”

7/6 Through the 1960s: Skinner Slam, B-2-B-2-B, Big 3, Game Tales; ASGs & Bucs 1st AS Hit, Ump Shows; HBD Omar, Willie, JT, Cy & Ed

• 1896 - The Pittsburgh Press described the game, played in the rain at Washington’s Boundary Park, as “...a farce. But it was not without excitement, however, for Umpire Tim Hurst threatened to whip half a dozen players.” Hurst reportedly socked Pirates Jake Stenzel and Pink Hawley in the jaw for the guff they had given him during the game. They accepted their fate like men according to the New York Clipper as "neither player resented the attack." The Pirates not only lost the fights with Mother Nature and Hurst, but also the game to the Sens, 6-2. 
•   1879 - SS Ed Holly was born in Chicago. Ed had a yo-yo career - he spent eight years in the minors, then two seasons with the National League Cardinals. After that taste, he built up a rep on the farm as a defensive whiz over the next half dozen years and in 1914, at age 34, joined the Pittsburgh Rebels, hitting .246 in 100 games and then batting .262 in a bench role behind Marty Berghammer, who had jumped leagues the following campaign. After that, he did some minor league managing and was a long-time scout. As a recognition of his days in the bushes, Ed was selected as a member of the International League Hall of Fame in 1949. 
• 1901 - New York manager George Davis said he would pull his team off the Polo Grounds rather than allow ump Harry Colgan to call the game, and he got his wish. Colgan avoided the drama by not showing up, and under the threat of a forfeit and fine by the league if the blustering Giants didn’t play the match, the two teams each selected a player - Giants infielder Charlie Buelow and Pirates catcher Jack O'Connor - to ump the contest. Davis might have been better off with Colgan as his club lost, 6-2, but at least there weren’t any rhubarbs. There were only two bang-bang plays during the match, and sportsman O’Connor called them both in favor of the Giants. The Pittsburgh Press gloated that “The delusion of manager Davis that the umpires were the cause of the New York’s club failure to take first place away from Pittsburg was dispelled…” Jack Chesbro got the win while Ginger Beaumont led the attack with two hits, including a homer. 

Cy Blanton - 1936 World-Wide Gum

• 1908 - RHP Darrell Elijah “Cy” Blanton was born in Waurika, Oklahoma. He twirled for Pittsburgh from 1934-39, going 58-51-4/3.28 and earning an All Star spot in 1937 with a dazzling array of breaking pitches. In 1935, his 2.58 ERA was the lowest in MLB, besting Lefty Grove. But his promising career was shortened by a steady stream of elbow injuries and physical woes, aggravated by alcoholism, and he died at the age of 37. Throwing the curve and screwball was the likely cause of his arm issues (some believe his chronically aching arm may have driven him to the bottle), and as SABR’s Gregory Wolf posted, the pitch-until-you-drop ethos of the era didn’t help. “Ranking among the most dubious decisions in big-league history, (Pirates manager Pie) Traynor permitted Blanton, coming off an injury-riddled season, to pitch a nine-inning no-hitter in a pointless exhibition game... just days before the regular season. Blanton subsequently tore ligaments in his elbow in his third start of the season, effectively ruining his career.” 
• 1933 - CF Paul Waner and 3B Pie Traynor represented the Bucs in the first-ever All-Star Game held at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, won by the American League, 4-2. Pie delivered a pinch-hit double in the seventh inning off Lefty Grove to become the first Pirate to collect an ASG knock while Big Poison appeared in the final frame of the Classic, playing right field. 
• 1938 - The Bucs sent P Mace Brown, SS Arky Vaughan and CF Lloyd Waner to the All-Star Game at Crosley Field. Brown was the only one to take the field; he worked three innings, giving up a run on five hits with two strikeouts, and was credited with a save in the 4-1 NL win. 
• 1940 - Arky Vaughan, Elbie Fletcher and Maurice Van Robays each homered and combined as a duo for 10 RBI and six runs as the Bucs romped over the Cards, 15-8, in the lidlifter of a Sportsman’s Park doubleheader. Bob Klinger got the win with Johnny Lanning mopping up at the finish. Pittsburgh took the second match from St. Louis by a 4-3 count, pushing across a 10th inning run on a Frank Gustine knock for the overtime win. Van Robays had a two-run homer and Mace Brown, who pitched five innings of one hit, shutout relief, earned the victory. 

Bob Elliott - 1942 Play Ball

• 1942 - 3B Bob Elliott was the sole Bucco invited to the All-Star Game at the Polo Grounds. He singled in his only at-bat during a 3-1 loss to the AL’s top guns. 
• 1945 - A doubleheader couldn’t begin any better as Pete Coscarart and Jim Russell smoked back-to-back leadoff homers for the first time in franchise history (it wouldn’t happen again until 1982). But Boston regained its composure and swept the Buccos, 13-5 and 14-8, at Braves Field. 
• 1954 - 1B Jason Thompson was born in Hollywood. He played for the Pirates for five years (1981-85) and hit .253 with 93 HR, with a particularly sharp eye that led to a .376 OBP. Thompson was an All-Star in 1982, batting .284/31/101, and spent 11 years with four clubs in MLB before knee injuries ended his playing days. In his early career while with Detroit, Thompson earned the nickname "Roof Top" due to his knack of hitting balls to the top of Tiger Stadium’s right field roof. JT now operates the Jason Thompson Baseball Academy in Auburn Hills, Michigan. 
• 1954 - Willie Randolph was born in Holly Hill, South Carolina. The Pirates selected him in the seventh round of the 1972 draft straight out of high school. He made his major league debut in 1975 at age 21, getting in 30 games and batting .164. He was traded in that off-season with Ken Brett and Dock Ellis to the Yankees for Doc Medich, as the Pirates had the 24-year-old 2B Rennie Stennett blocking him. All Willie did after that deal was play 17 more years, win two World Series rings with the Yankees, appear in six All-Star games, bang out 2,210 hits (.276 lifetime BA, .373 OBP) and gain a rep as a solid glove and great pivot man. After he hung up the spikes, he managed the Mets and coached, mostly for the Yankees, then gigged as an ESPN talking head. 

Willie Randolph - 1975 SSPC

• 1955 - Jerry Lynch, Frank Thomas and Dale Long hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the sixth inning against the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Carl Erskine during a 10-5 loss of a doubleheader lidlifter at Forbes Field. The Bucs didn’t homer in the nitecap, but won, 4-1, behind Vern Law. The game was knotted in the eighth when the Pirates scored three times, keyed by Gene Freese’s triple and The Deacon’s two-out double. The second game was the first MLB start by Sandy Koufax. He went 4-2/3 innings and fanned four Bucs. The Hall of Fame lefty gave up a run on three hits despite eight walks; the Pirates stranded eight runners and hit into two DPs. 
• 1960 - Ex-Bucco Bob Purkey had his former mates eating out of his hand for seven innings, spinning a two-hit shutout and hanging on to a 1-0 lead at Crosley Field. But the bane of all knuckleballers, the walk, bit him and the Reds in the eighth. Three free passes with a single mixed in tied the game, and then unlikely speedster Bob Skinner iced the game when his sinking liner to left off reliever Bill Henry eluded Wally Post’s dive and bounded to the fence for a stand-up, inside-the-park grand slam. Paul Geil worked the eighth inning and into the ninth, giving up a homer and bringing up the tying run with two outs. No problem; Danny Murtaugh waved to the bullpen for ElRoy Face and the Baron coaxed a grounder to save the win for Tom Cheney. 
• 1967 - RHP Omar Olivares was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Omar closed out his eight-team, 12-year big league run as a Pirate in 2001 with a 6-9-1/6.55 line, dealt for as a starter but ending up in the pen by early June. The 33-year-old had a good run at the beginning of his career and in the late nineties, but he finished with back-to-back 6+ ERA campaigns.

7/6 From 1970: Fetter-Sanchez, AJ-AS, Brad Signs; Zane Gem, 20 Frames, Game Tales; Kevin Goes, ASG, Freak Show, Dock Streaks; HBD Ryan

• 1971 - Dock Ellis won his 12th straight game to run his record to 14-3, the most wins ever by a Pirates pitcher before the All-Star break, when he whipped the Cincinnati Reds, 5-2, at Three Rivers Stadium. Roberto Clemente had two hits and a walk, scoring twice, Al Oliver added a pair of raps, touching the dish once and chasing home a pair, while Manny Sanguillen added two RBI. Dock went seven innings with Mudcat Grant and Dave Giusti finishing up. Ellis would end the year 19-9/3.06 and was selected as an All Star for the only time in his career. 
• 1977 - OF and coach Mike Ryan was born in Indiana, PA. Ryan played for parts of five MLB seasons, and he made a stop at AAA Indianapolis in 2007. In 2013, Ryan was named the manager of the West Virginia Power in the Sally League and after a couple of campaigns there, he was chosen as skipper for the Pirates' High-A club, the Bradenton Marauders. Two seasons later in 2016, Mike was named as the boss man for the AA Altoona Curve, replacing Joey Cora who joined the big team’s coaching staff. After the 2019 campaign, Ryan was let go without explanation despite 500 career wins as a minor-league manager for the Pirates, with 221 of those victories and two titles as the Curve skipper. He currently manages the Cubs’ AA Tennessee Smokies. 
• 1980 - The Pirates went an astounding 45 consecutive batters without a hit against the Chicago Cubs at TRS, yet five hours and 31 minutes later, they had taken a 5-4 win in 20 innings, the longest game, inning-wise, ever played at Three Rivers. Between John Milner’s two-out single in the sixth inning and Lee Lacy’s one-out rap in the 19th frame, eight Pirates walked (two were later caught stealing) and another reached on catcher's interference; they threatened once with runners on second and third with two outs in the 11th. The Cubs also threatened a couple of times after tying the game on a two-out, ninth-inning homer by Cliff Johnson, but ran up 11 consecutive zeros after that blast, unable to dent Kent Tekulve, Rick Rhoden, Grant Jackson and Jim Bibby in overtime after Bert Blyleven had worked the opening 10 frames. Pittsburgh finally cashed in when Ed Ott (who caught all 20 innings) drew a walk from Dennis Lamp, was bunted up and scored on Omar Moreno’s slap to left. The Cubs used 23 players (eight pitchers) and the Pirates burned through 20 in the marathon on the day before All-Star break; Bibby got the win, but his three innings on the bump took him out the running to start in the Midsummer Classic. As for the Cubs, not only did they lose, but their AS weekend break got off to a late start after their charter had to sit on the tarmac for an extra three hours waiting for them after the game. 

Bill Madlock - 1983 Donruss Action All-Star

• 1983 - The American League broke out of a two-decade long slumber and pummeled the Senior Circuit, 13-3, at Comiskey Park in the All-Star game, keyed by Fred Lynn’s grand slam, the first ever in AS competition. 3B Bill Madlock, the only Bucco selected, went 0-for-1. 
• 1985 - The Pirates blew a three-run lead at Three Rivers Stadium, allowing the Padres to tie the game in the ninth inning, but came back in their half to take an 8-7 decision. Steve Kemp homered (he lost another hit when Tony Gwynn threw him out from right for the always embarrassing 9-3 putout) and the Bucs added a triple & five doubles during the contest, but Pittsburgh needed three consecutive two-out singles against Craig Lefferts, with the game-winner from Marvell Wynne, to walk off the victory. Rick Reuschel was credited with the win. 
• 1992 - If you like pitching, this was your kind of game. Zane Smith and Houston’s Jimmy Jones started in a game that ended up 1-0, with Orlando Merced’s sixth inning homer the only run scored in front of the 15,385 fans at TRS. Smith worked 8-1/3 innings of five-hit ball with Stan Belinda coming on to record the final two outs. Belinda inherited Jeff Bagwell at second base and walked the first hitter he faced, but then served a pair of pop ups to ice the game. 
• 1997 - The Pirate “Freak Show” completed a four-game sweep of St. Louis, 6-3, at Busch Stadium to go into the All-Star break with a one-game lead in the National League Central standings after winning seven straight. Steve Cooke won the game, backed by Jose Guillen’s first big league homer and four RBI. It was the first multi-RBI game of Jose’s career. 

Bobby Bradley - 2001 Bowman Auto

• 1999 - The Pirates signed RHP Bobby Bradley (their #1 pick and eighth overall in the draft) to a contract worth an estimated $2.3M, with potential college money offered as a sweetener. The 18-year-old was a Wellington (FL) HS grad who had committed to Florida State. Bradley was a Top 20 Prospect and pitched in the Futures Game on the farm, but two TJ surgeries derailed his career. He was out of baseball by 2006 without having reached the big leagues. 
• 2001 - Pittsburgh put up a five spot in the eighth inning to rally past the Chicago White Sox, 10-6, at Comiskey Park. Jack Wilson had three hits and John Vander Wal added a homer with two stolen bases to pace the attack. Josias Manzanillo was the beneficiary of the offensive outburst; he was charged with a blown save and then credited with the comeback win. 
• 2002 - Houston's Daryle Ward became the first player to put a baseball in the Allegheny on the fly from PNC Park when he homered off Kip Wells during a 10-2 Astro win. The ball traveled an estimated 465-480'. Ward joined the Pirates a little later, playing for Pittsburgh from 2004-05. 
• 2002 - The Pirates traded RHP Mike Fetters to the Arizona Diamondbacks for RHP Duaner Sanchez in a swap of relievers. Sanchez pitched poorly for the Bucs and was released after the 2003 season, but later found success with the Dodgers and Mets until a mid-season car accident in 2006 caused career-wrecking shoulder damage. Fetters was approaching the end of his big league road; he pitched through 2004 for the D-Backs and Twins before retiring at age 39. 

Duaner Sanchez - 2003 Upper Deck

• 2007 - Kevin McClatchy announced that he would step down as CEO after the 2007 MLB season, resulting in the September hiring of his replacement, Frank Coonelly. He told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Dejan Kovacevic that “You start to get burned out a little bit...in all honesty, it’s a natural time for a change. It’s the right thing to do for the team and for me.” 
• 2015 - 17-year vet AJ Burnett, who was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his 17-year career a half hour before game time, and James Shields hooked up in an epic pitching duel at PNC Park that was eventually decided by the bullpens. Both starters went into the eighth inning, leaving a 1-1 match for the relievers to decide. Jared Hughes tossed the final 1-1/3 frames to earn the win after Brandon Mauer gave up a two-out, full-count, pinch hit single to Pedro Alvarez that scored Andrew McCutchen, who had walked and moved up on Jung-Ho Kang’s single. It was El Toro’s second career walk-off hit; the first was back in 2010. As for AJ, he got to join teammates Andrew McCutchen, Mark Melancon and Gerrit Cole on the National League All-Star roster.