Detroit Series Rubber Match w/Nova v Fulmer, Notes

Today: It's a 7:05 start with the game on AT&T SportsNet, MLB Network (out-of-market) and 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Gregory Polanco RF, Starling Marte CF, J-Bell 1B, Corey Dickerson LF, Fran Cervelli C, Colin Moran 3B, S-Rod SS & Ivan Nova P. Clint just can't stand a stable lineup; but this is Sean's birthday, so...

HBD S-Rod! 2016 Topps

Pitchers: RHP Ivan Nova (2-1, 4.20) closes the set against RHP Michael Fulmer (1-2, 3.47). Ivan's been tossing the ball pretty solidly the past two or three starts, so he looks like he's settling into a rhythm. He earned no decision on Opening Day although he went six IP and gave up two runs on six hits; his bugaboo that day was three walks, his season high. Fulmer isn't quite into his groove yet as the Tigers main gun, but it'd be tough to tell from his outing against the Bucs - he went eight innings and gave up a run on four hits, but lost to Trevor Williams and the Three Musketeers 1-0.

Notes:

• As a pair, Bucco backstops Fran Cervelli and Eli are hitting .357 with five homers, 21 RBI and a Major League best 1.070 OPS.
• Earl Weaver would be so proud - the Pirates hit a pair of three-run homers in yesterday’s doubleheader (Cervy in game one and Joey O in game two). Pittsburgh is tied with Atlanta for the most three-run homers hit in the majors this season w/six. Individually, Amore is tied with Atlanta’s Preston Tucker for the most with three.
• Sunday's starter is still up in the air - Tyler Glasnow is available so far, and Nick Kingham's Saturday start at Indy has been left open as a TBD, so stay tuned.
• Nope, they didn't change colors. The Pirates are wearing new alt jerseys and caps that feature green trim and hats during all Thursday home games as part of the team’s Military Appreciation Program.

4/26 TRS-PNC Park Era: False Alarm; Kiner Statue; Gift Debut; 5 Homers; Hack Day, Game Stories; HBD Francisco & S-Rod

• 1972 - RHP Francisco Cordova was born in Cerro Azul, Mexico. He spent his five year MLB career (1996-2000) as a Pirate, first as a reliever who notched 12 saves in his rookie year before becoming starter. His slash was 42-47-12/3.96. He was part of one of the great Pirate moments on July 12th, 1997 at a sold out Three Rivers Stadium when he pitched nine innings of a combined 10-inning no-hitter, with Ricardo Rincón closing it out. The Pirates won the game on a three-run, pinch hit home run in the bottom of the 10th by Mark Smith. 

Ed Ott 1979 Hostess

• 1978 - Ed Ott hit an 11th-inning home run at Shea Stadium to give the Bucs and Bert Blyleven, who pitched a complete game six-hitter, a 1-0 win. It took 35 years for another Pirate, Neil Walker, to homer for the only run in a Bucco extra inning victory. 
• 1980 - The Pirates scored five times in the first inning and cruised to a 9-2 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Pittsburgh pounded out 17 hits, led by three apiece from Mike Easler and Dave Parker. John Candelaria went the distance, allowing two runs on eight hits as the Pirates split a brief two game series with Chicago. 
• 1985 - Utilityman Sean Rodriguez was born in Miami. In his career, S-Rod has played every position but pitcher and catcher. The Bucs traded for him during the 2014 off season and he played around the field for Pittsburgh. He was signed up again for 2016 after hitting .246 and playing six different spots in 2015. The super-sub had a super year, batting .270 w/18 HR and turned that into a nice FA deal with Atlanta. He missed much of the 2017 campaign due to a shoulder injury suffered in an off-season car accident and returned to the Bucs via the trade route in August. 

HBD S-Rod!

• 1995 - 34,841 fans at TRS disrupted a delayed Opening Day by throwing whatever was handy (mainly giveaway day Bucco pennants) on the field to show their displeasure with the freshly resolved player’s strike and some shoddy play by the Bucs. The game was delayed for 17 minutes until the announcer told the unruly crowd that the contest was about to be forfeited. It might as well have been; Montreal won the game 6-2, chasing Jon Leiber in the fifth. The team was lucky they weren’t wrapped in Jolly Rogers and tossed overboard after one of the worse innings in their history. Going into that fateful frame, it was a 1-1 game between Pittsburgh and Montreal before the floodgates opened. There were two outs, Expos on the corners (the runner on first reached when his right side, shoulda-been inning-ending nubber was fielded but nobody covered the sack) and one run in when Roberto Kelly bled another soft roller, this one up the left side. 3B Jeff King flipped the ball into the outfield; RF Orlando Merced missed the mark on the throw home, and all three Montreal runners scored. Montreal added another run on a hit batter, single and wild pitch. Jason Christiansen added a throwing error to the pot before the Bucs got back into the dugout (and the ground crew picked up a field littered with pennants tossed by frustrated fans). So instead of being out of the inning, it ended up game, set and, match for Montreal, 6-2 winners. C Mark Parent told the Post Gazette’s Paul Meyer “That whole fifth inning was a fiasco. It was like Murphy’s Law.” 
• 1995 - As the Pirates were bungling away at the North Shore, Mayor Tom Murphy and Vince Sarni, chairman of the Pittsburgh Associates, left the Duquesne Club and announced that they had reached a framework to sell the Pirates and keep the team in Pittsburgh with Chambers Development Company chairman John Rangos, saying that an agreement could be reached within a week. Wrong; the deal was never finalized and the PA held on to the team until selling it to the McClatchy group in 1996. 

Kiner Statue (photo Kenny Muz/Flickr)

• 2008 - Alhambra, California, dedicated a bronze statue to honor of its native son Ralph Kiner for his "accomplishments and contributions to the game of professional baseball and sports broadcasting.” The former Pirates slugger, a member of the Hall of Fame, grew up in Alhambra and graduated from its high school in 1940 before moving on to Southern Cal and the Buccos. 
• 2010 - The Brewers romped over the Bucs 17-3 for their 22nd straight win over Pittsburgh at Miller Park after they had already taken the opening series by 8-1, 8-0 and 20-0 tallies. The curse, dating back to 2007, was snapped the next day 7-3 by the Pirates, who also took the third game of the series for good measure. 
• 2016 - Pittsburgh pounded five home runs in the thin air of Coors Field to claim a 9-4 win over the Colorado Rockies. Andrew McCutchen hit three long balls and chased home five runs. With his second career three-dinger match, Cutch joined Ralph Kiner (four), Willie Stargell (four) and Roberto Clemente (two) on the list of players who have multiple three-homer games as Pirates. Starling Marte and David Freese added to the fence busting party, propelling Gerrit Cole to victory. 

Gift's first hit (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

• 2017 - IF Gift Ngoepe made his first MLB appearance, going 1-for-2 (he singled in his first big league at-bat) with a walk and turning the game-ending DP as the Pirates hung on to beat the Cubs 6-5 at PNC Park. Ngoepe was the first African native (he’s from South Africa) to ever play in the majors, and it took the 27-year-old eight-plus minor league seasons to get the call. Pittsburgh jumped off to a 5-1 lead, started off by Josh Harrison’s lead-off homer in the first. Josh Bell later went long (both Joshes collected a pair of hits), but the Cubs kept chipping away. After an error on a potential inning-ending DP ball in the ninth left two Cubbies aboard, Tony Watson served up another grounder that did the trick to save Wade LeBlanc’s win. 
• 2017 - Ellwood City’s Hack Wilson, who banged 56 home runs and drove in a major league record 191 runs in 1930, was recognized before the Cubs game at PNC Park. It was it the 117th anniversary of Wilson’s birth, who put up those big 1930 numbers as a Cubbie (he spent half his 12-year career in Chicago from 1926-31), the night’s opponents. It was a nice touch by the Ellwood City Area Historical Society to recognize a local boy that made good, even if the Cubs didn’t opt to participate in the celebration. Proving once again that karma is a beach, Chicago lost 6-5.

4/26 Expo Park-Forbes Field Era: Don't Run; SRO; Game Stories; HBD Fire Trucks, Ron, Amos & Curtis

• 1900 - The Bucs drew 11,000 to the newly expanded Exposition Park, the biggest Pittsburgh baseball turnout to date, with a couple of thousand more fans trying to get in. The Pirates were fortified by the recent influx of Louisville players like Honus Wagner, but dropped a 12-11 slugfest to Cincinnati as the Reds lit up Rube Waddell and Jack Chesbro. The Bucs made a game of it by rallying for seven ninth-inning runs. 
• 1905 - The Cubs beat Pittsburgh at Exposition Park, 2-1 as Chicago’s Jack McCarthy became the only major league OF’er to throw out three runners trying to score in one game, with all three assists were on tag-up tries following triples. The game story in the Pittsburgh Press stated simply in the headline that “McCarthy Made the Throws.” 

Virgil Trucks 1963 (photo Associated Press)

• 1917 - Coach Virgil “Fire” Trucks was born in Birmingham, Alabama. After a long pro career, he became the bullpen coach/batting practice pitcher for Pittsburgh in 1960 and stayed with the Pirates until 1963. Trucks later operated baseball camps for the Bucs. Jack House, sportswriter for the Birmingham News, gave him the apt moniker “Fire,” not because he chased red engines but because of his blazing heater; Trucks tossed two no-hitters for Detroit in 1952. 
• 1920 - Coach Ron Northey was born in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, near Hazelton. A big guy, Northey played 12 MLB seasons, missing some time for WW2, and after his playing days spent three years as a coach on Danny Murtaugh’s staff from 1961-1963 before becoming a White Sox scout. 
• 1940 - After putting up four runs in the eighth the day before and falling just short, the Bucs crossed home seven times in the eighth this day to roll over the St. Louis Cardinals 10-4 at Forbes Field. Debs Garms and Joe Bowman both had homers with three RBI to spark the rally and earn Mace Brown his second relief win in four days. 
• 1947 - OF Amos Otis was born in Mobile, Alabama. He played the final year of his 17-season career with the Pirates in 1984, coming over after 14 campaigns with the KC Royals. (He actually had been dealt to the Bucs during the 1976 off season, but as a 5 & 10 year player vetoed the trade of him and Cookie Rojas for Al Oliver.) His TRS season wasn’t much of a swan song for the 37-year-old: in 97 at-bats, he hit .165 and he was released in August. Amos worked briefly for the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies as a hitting instructor after he left the playing field and then retired to Las Vegas. 

Amos Otis 1984 Topps

• 1958 - With Pittsburgh and Cincinnati knotted 4-4 at Crosley Field heading into the eighth, Bill Mazeroski took over. First, he drilled an eighth-inning solo shot to put the Pirates on top, then his three-run bomb in the top of the ninth sealed the deal, 8-4. It was the first of eight multi-homer games in his career, with his next coming less than a month later on May 10th. 1958 was also the year Maz earned his first of seven All-Star spots. Billy’s heroics gave Don Gross the win after he spun four innings of one-hit relief, with Roberto Clemente, Bob Skinner and Ted Kluszewski adding three hits apiece to aid the cause. 
• 1961 - IF Curtis Wilkerson was born in Petersburg, Virginia. Wilkerson spent 11 years in the show as mainly a bench guy, getting into 85 games for the Pirates in 1991 and hitting .188. After he retired, he managed for three years in the Rangers system and then three more years (1999-2001) for the Buccaneers squads in Williamsport and Lynchburg. He closed out his skipper career in 2012 with an indie club.

Chad, Joey O & Company Earn 8-3 Split In Nightcap

Quick start - Cool Chad struck out the side and Matt Boyd fanned two. In the second, a Motown walk was erased the hard way - stealing second and then getting gunned by Starling trying to stretch to third, making it a 1-2-3 frame for Chad.  And maybe they did know what they were doing when they called up Jose Osuna; after opening knocks by J-Bell and Freeser, he went long to put the Bucs up 3-0. Eli and Max singled and were bunted up, but S-Rod K'ed, seeing just one strike, and Jordy flew out. The Tigers got a single and steal in the third but a zero on the board. Ditto for the Pirates, who managed a walk. Jeimer Candelario opened the fifth with a three-bagger and was singled home. That was followed by a flare double thanks to Starling's late break. A 4-6 DP on a liner to Mad Max eased the throttle and a fly got him out of it.

Yep, good work, Chad (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

With two gone, Chad rolled one into center, S-Rod walked and Jordy's single loaded 'em; Kuhl's baserunning leaves something to be desired. No diff; Starling got the easy RBI with a walk and that brought in Alex Wilson. 3B Candelario made it an easy outing by running down J-Bell's foul pop to finish a plus play while tumbling over the tarp; the Bucs have had a couple of chances to open some space, but... Motown opened the sixth with a bloop to right. Chad almost got out of it; with two outs, Leonys Martin dug out a change and sent a towering no-doubter over the Clemente Wall. Daniel Norris toed the slab and put up a zippo. Chad finished the sixth for the second straight start, and the Pirates needed him to go that long and hand a lead to the back end of the pen. He gave up three runs on six hits with a walk and eight K after 101 pitches; job well done. S-Rod singled and went to second on a wild pitch. He cruised home on Starling's two-out two-bagger.

Joey O making the most of his day in Pittsburgh (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Michael Feliz came out for the seventh. After a one-out walk, S-Rod made a nice stab of a laser, kissing the fence of The Notch to keep the heat on low. Victor Martinez nevertheless almost tied it with a foul that missed the pole by inches before popping out. Buck Farmer took the ball and shot himself in the foot. Joey O singled with an out and Eli hit a soft comebacker; Farmer muscled up on the throw and launched it into the outfield, allowing Osuna to come all the way around; it was ruled a single and error. George Kontos took his eighth-inning spot; seven pitches, three grounders. Artie Lewicki climbed the hill and Jordy welcomed him with a knock. Two outs later, Freeser swung through two pitches, fouled off four more and then rapped a high heater to right for an RBI double, with Mercer's twisty slide slipping the tag. Colin Moran singled him in, Eli followed with another knock and Max walked before the music stopped. Felipe Vazquez spun the ball in the ninth - two-out action, plus he hasn't worked since the 21st seem like good enough reasons for him to close an 8-3 game - and he gave up a hit but otherwise no damage. RTJR!

The Bucs snapped a five-game losing streak and it looks like the offense maybe coming out of its slumber, though one day does not a season make. Chad and Joey O did the heavy lifting early, and the Three Musketeers did what the middle pen couldn't; put up zeroes. So tomorrow is a chance to take another series (w/o much of a nap; it's a 12:35 getaway game) before the Cards come to town for their first dance of the year.

Eli's been a hitting machine for the Bucs in April (image Positively Pittsburgh)

Notes:

• Eli had three hits today; two were infield singles. Who sez 215 lb. catchers can't run? Joey O, Freeser and Jordy each had two knocks. Every Pirates starter, including the pitcher, had a hit.
• Cool Chad's eight K's ties his personal best; he did it by mixing in a goodly portion of sliders and curves, with the slider being particularly effective tonight.
• The twin bill attendance: 9,396. There may have been 1,000 in the stands.
• Rehab report: AJ Schugel is at Indy with the clock ticking; Joe Musgrove will begin his rehab shortly if he survives his two-inning sim game from earlier in the day, and Bo Schultz is close to starting his own stint. So a little more calvary is getting ready for boots and saddles in the next couple of weeks.

Game #2: Kuhl v Boyd & Notes

Today: First pitch will be a half hour after the lidlifter, and the game will be carried by AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Sean Rodriguez LF, Jordy SS, Starling Marte CF, J-Bell 1B, David Freese 3B, Jose Osuna RF, Elias Diaz C, Max Moroff 2B & Chad Kuhl P. Just the lineup to shake the cobwebs from the Buccos.

Mad Max gets the start (photo Joe Guzy/Pirates)

Pitchers: RHP Chad Kuhl (2-1, 4.57) opens against LHP Matt Boyd (0-1, 1.40). Chad was projected by many, including moi, to be the Pirates breakout hurler this season. So far, he's been making "fake news" charlatans of us all. Chad started in the Opening series against El Tigres; the Bucs won 8-6 as Cool Chad went 5-2/3 IP and was charged with four runs. Boyd has gotten no help from his supporting cast; he's given up three runs (one in each start) on nine hits in 19-1/3 IP, so he's been plenty tough, though his .132 BABIP/98% strand rate (two of his three runs have been solo homers) are mirages, and his past record suggests that he's due to regress back to his not-so-sterling career norms of 5.21 ERA/1.424 WHIP. He faced the Pirates once last year and was chased after four innings, giving up six runs (five earned).

Notes:

• Bad omen - the Bucs beat the Tigers 13-10 to open their three game sweep in March; hope karma isn't returning the favor.
• Next big question: because of today's doubleheader, the Pirates will need a spot start from someone on Sunday against the Cards. So let the speculation begin - Tyler Glasnow? Nick Kingham? 
• The rainout yesterday, the last of three games pushed back, was the 28th MLB postponement this season, the most related to weather through April since the commissioner's office started keeping records in 1986.

Jamo & Enny Rocked; Bucs Bumble Ball As Tigers Win 13-10

Well, the house was almost empty as the game started; losing streaks and gray skies will do that to a stadium. Loenys Martin led off by fouling a ball, well, someplace where no man wants to get smashed by a baseball, but shook it off and eventually drilled a 3-2 heater from Jamo into the CF shrubbery. That was followed by a gift double when a high chop went off J-Bell's glove; it should have been out #1. Taillon almost worked out if it; with two outs he got ahead of JaCoby Jones 0-2, missed low with a couple and then watched a curve get spanked for another two-bagger. So much for the rest helping the cause. Jordan Zimmerman had no probs with a 1-2-3 opener. After a clean second frame from JT, Corey D singled and with two gone, Colin Moran dumped a first-pitch heater into the RF stands. Jordy followed with a knock to turn the order over. The Tigers got three straight one-out singles in the third, with the last off of Jameson's leg, to regain the lead.

Another bad day at the office (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Fraze singled, and Starling sliced an end-of-the bat knock an out later. J-Bell's grounder (the Tigers lost the force at second after a challenge; the 2B'man came off the bag) knotted the score. Cervy made that muffed force hurt when he yanked a three-run, two-out dinger 466' into the LF rotunda. The Tigers came back in the fourth with a leadoff homer and single, followed by a bunt hit an out later. The Bucs had two chances at turning a DP and couldn't; it cost when Miggy drilled a 1-2 fastball right down the middle for a two-out, game-tying double off the Clemente Wall. That ended Jamo's night as Kyle Crick got the call. His first pitch left the yard - he didn't have a lot of time to warm up, but still - and it's 8-6 Jungle Cats. Warwick Saupold took the hill for Detroit and gave up a harmless knock. Richard Rodriguez came in the fifth and gave up a leadoff double but a couple of whiffs froze him there. Corey D singled, went to second and came in on Amore's knock to make it 8-7, with Daniel Stumpf finishing the frame for Motown.

Edgar Santana answered the sixth inning bell and gave up a leadoff homer, sheesh, and the Bucs went quietly. El Tigres got a hit but no more points in the seventh. Buck Farmer claimed the mound and gave up a leadoff double to Corey D followed by a walk. Alex Wilson came in and a force put Bucs on the corners with an out, but neither Jordy nor S-Rod could close the gap. Enny Romero became the fifth Pirate hurler, and an error (J-Bell & Fraze, SMH) and double greeted him. A passed ball and single scored them and was followed by a walk, still w/o an out. Another knock and a couple of walks (one intentional) put up another marker. Joe Jimenez got into his own mess in the Bucco half as a walk, a couple of knocks and Fran's two-run, two-out double made it 12-10; Red Beard put a charge into a ball, but Jones made a sweet grab in LF to end the frame.

Corey had three hits (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Romero stayed on for the ninth. After a 10-pitch K (nine straight fastballs, with a swing & miss on an at-last slider) he was tapped for a double followed by an intentional walk. A whiff later, Fran threw away a swinging bunt and another run crossed. Shane Green came in for the save and 12 pitches later, had it.
Poor pitching and poor defense go hand-in-hand. And if Tyler Glasnow is the pick to start Sunday against the Cards (that's uncertain at this point) and was being saved from pen duty, then calling up Jose Osuna instead of a pitcher for the extra man looks to be a pretty derelict decision.

Notes:

• Vita Bella! Cervy's six-RBI day is a career high. Fran had three hits, as did Corey D while Starling and Colin Moran added a pair. The Bucs had 14 hits on the day.
• This was the first time in five starts that Jamo had given up a first-inning hit.
• The Pirates had a video tribute to Bruno Sammartino before the game.

Game #1: Jamo v Zimmerman & Notes

Today: The game is at 4:05 and will be carried by AT&T SportsNet & 93.7 The Fan.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Gregory Polanco RF,Starling Marte CF, J-Bell 1B, Corey Dickerson LF, Fran Cervelli C, Colin Moran 3B,Jordy SS & Jameson Tailon P. Back to the A-Team; Clint said Jordy & Colin would have been benched last night for a rest day, but the rainout made it moot.

Pitchers: RHP Jameson Taillon (2-1, 2.86) will toe the slab v RHP Jordan Zimmerman  (1-0, 7.71). Jamo's last couple of outings have been struggles as his control hasn't been there, so we'll see if he can get back on track tonight after beginning the year with a couple of ace-like performances. This will be his first outing against Motown. Zimmerman is following a lousy 2017 campaign with a lousier 2018 season; he was the starter in March when the Pirates whupped the Tigers by a 13-10 count, giving up four runs in six frames.

Jose is back for the day (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Notes:

• Jose Osuna got the call as the Bucs' 26th man for the doubleheader. Jose is the extra dude for the second game only - the rules requires a doubleheader be scheduled 48 hours prior for the added player to be eligible for both games.
• The Bucs have lost four straight games and have dropped six of their last seven.
• The weather has been double-dipping the two clubs. This marks the second twin bill between the teams this season; the Bucs swept a day/night doubleheader in Detroit on April 1st, although officially and for ticketing purposes they were considered separate games.
• Joe Musgrove threw a 45-pitch sim game before the doubleheader. If he gets the OK after this outing, it's likely that he'll be a rehab game or two from joining the rotation in May.
• RHP Daniel Hudson was called up from AAA by the Dodgers after being moved by the Bucs and released by the Rays.

4/25 TRS-PNC Park Era: Kip & Petey Flex; X-Tra Man; Game Stories; HBD Brad & Willy

• 1971 - RHP John “Brad” (Bradley was his middle name) Clontz was born in Stuart, Virginia. Brad worked six MLB seasons, with the last two (1999-2000) in Pittsburgh, where the submarine-style sidearm reliever appeared in 61 games, going 1-3-2/3.04. It would be his last stop in the show, although he hung in through the 2006 season at the AAA level until retiring. His claim to fame: Clontz led the NL in games pitched in 1996 with 81 while with the Braves. 

Brad Clontz (photo via All Star Cards)

• 1992 - In the Pirates 1-0 win over the host Cubs‚ the Bucs were helped by a wayward hat. With Kirk Gibson on first‚ Jay Bell hit a potential DP grounder that struck Gibson's helmet which had flown off as he headed to second, and the Cubs had to settle for a force. Andy Van Slyke noted‚ “the play goes 7-1/2 to 4 to 5 to 6" on your scorecard. Bell then scored when Van Slyke followed with a double for the game’s only run. Randy Tomlin was the winner over Greg Maddux. 
• 1992 - RHP Trevor Williams was born in San Diego. His brief initial cruise in 2016 wasn’t all that smooth; after mowing down hitters in AAA, he went 1-1/7.83 for the Pirates in a handful of outings. In 2017, he broke camp with the team after a strong spring and slashed 7-9/4.07 in 25 outings as a solid back-end starter. He was a second round draft pick of the Marlins in 2013 and came to Pittsburgh for a career minor-league player, Richard Mitchell. Many thought the seemingly one-sided deal was actually compensation for the Fish signing the Pirates pitching assistant Jim Benedict earlier. 
• 2003 - Kip Wells became the second player and first pitcher to homer into the batter’s eye at PNC Park with a third inning, 457’ blast off the Dodgers Odalis Perez. LA had the last laugh when they rallied for five ninth inning-runs off Wells and Mike Williams to take a 5-2 victory. 

Pedro Alvarez 2014 Topps Triple Threat

• 2012 - Pedro Alvarez homered in both games of Pittsburgh’s doubleheader split against Colorado, becoming the second Pittsburgh player to hit home runs for the Pirates in each end of a twinbill at PNC Park. El Toro joined Rob Mackowiak, who also went long twice in a DH on 5/28/04 against the Cubs on the memorable day his wife gave birth to their first child. Pittsburgh set a MLB record by playing its 18th straight game starting the season in which neither team scored more than five runs, passing the mark set by the 1943 Detroit Tigers with a 2-1 opening loss, with Chris Resop taking the L in relief of James McDonald. They finally showed some spunk by claiming the nightcap, 5-1, with Petey’s homer sparking a five-run fifth frame to back Charlie Morton on the hill. 
• 2012 - The Pirates and the Rockies became the first teams in MLB history to add an extra player to the roster for their twin bill at PNC Park. The new CBA permitted teams to carry 26 on the active roster for doubleheaders to save the paper shuffling that calling up an extra pitcher entailed. The Bucs brought up Jared Hughes as an extra arm and he got in, tossing a scoreless frame. 
• 2013 - The Bucs beat the Phillies for the third straight time at Citizen’s Bank Park by a 6-4 score. It was the first time in the eighteen outings that Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee threw back-to-back-to-back games that the Phils lost all three matches. The Pirates lost the first outing of the four game set, beaten 3-2 by an unheralded Jonathan Pettibone who was making his first MLB start.

4/25 Expo Park-Forbes Field Era: Wally, Roberto, Willie & Hans Big Days; HBD Fred, Bob, Ed, Jimmy, Dutch & Tom

• 1864 - C Tom Quinn was born in Annapolis, Maryland. He played three years in the show, getting a cup of coffee with the Alleghenys in 1886 (0-for-11) and finishing with the outlaw Pittsburgh Burghers (.213) in 1890. Tom got a job with the state after he was done with baseball and lived in Swissvale the remainder of his days. 
• 1868 - 3B Fred “Dutch” Hartman was born in Allegheny City (Northside). He began his career as a Pirate in 1894 and hit a strong .319. After a couple of years of seasoning, he returned to the big leagues in 1897 after a trade to the Browns, where he was considered a highly touted addition to the club. But his career never blasted off and Dutch ended up pretty much a league-average player, hitting .278 during a six-year career. After baseball he remained in the area, living in McKeesport. 

Fred Haney 1954 Topps

• 1896 - Fred Haney was born in Albuquerque. He managed the Bucs as a favor to Branch Rickey from from 1953-1955. His record reflects the fact that he was brought in during the early stages of a youth movement, losing 104, 101 and 94 games for a 163-299 (.353) slate, although he was used to the drill after managing the sad-sack St. Louis Browns from 1939-41. But he delivered when finally given some players. He moved on to Milwaukee and won back-to-back NL titles and the 1956 World Series. Later, he was the LA Angels first GM. 
• 1899 - In a sign of things to come, Pittsburgh lost to Louisville 2-1 at Eclipse Park as future Bucco SS Honus Wagner went 4-for-4 with 2 HRs‚ the second being a ninth-inning game winner. The Colonels were managed by future Pirate skipper (and player) Fred Clarke. The following season, most of Louisville’s top players followed owner Barney Dreyfuss to Pittsburgh. 
• 1910 - IF Jimmy Brown was born in Jamesville, North Carolina. A seven-year major league vet with an All-Star game under his belt, he was signed by the Bucs in 1946 after a two-year hiatus in the Army Air Force. He played three infield spots and hit .241 off the bench in his last hurrah. In 1947 he became a manager in the Pirates farm system at Indianapolis and New Orleans before returning to the NL as a coach for the Boston Braves in 1949. After leaving Beantown in 1952, he managed minor league teams for the Cardinals, Braves and Reds. 

Ed Vargo (photo via Ancestry.com) 

• 1930 - Umpire Ed Vargo was born in Butler. He was a NL ump from 1960-1983 and the umpire supervisor from 1984-1997. Vargo worked the first night World Series game in 1971, two of Sandy Koufax's no-hitters, the last games at Forbes Field/the Polo Grounds, four All-Star Games, four NLCS, four World Series, the first game at Candlestick Park and the game in which Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth's career home run record. Ed was inducted into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame 1994. 
• 1943 - RHP Bob Johnson was born in Aurora, Illinois. He pitched for the Bucs from 1971-73, beginning as a starter and ending in the bullpen. He went 17-16-7/3.34 as a Pirate and appeared in a pair of NLCS games - he beat Juan Marichal in 1971 - and in the World Series. Out of MLB since 1977, Johnson operates a construction company and works with kids as an American Legion coach and umpire. 
• 1948 - Wally Westlake homered, doubled, and drove in six runs while Ed Stevens added five more RBI to lead the Bucs to a 13-10 win over the Reds in the second game of a twinbill at Crosley Field. Pittsburgh lost the opener 7-6 in the ninth. 

Wally Westlake (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

• 1958 - Roberto Clemente was in fine form as he led the Bucs to a 4-3 win against Cincinnati at Crosley Field. He scored in the sixth after a leadoff double and then smacked his first long ball of the year, a two-out, three-run shot in the seventh that stood as the game-winner. Vern Law claimed the win after an ElRoy Face save while future Bucco Harvey Haddix took the loss. 
• 1970 - Willie Stargell homered over the RF roof at Forbes Field off Hoyt Wilhelm‚ the second time he'd done it in a week‚ as the Pirates edged the Braves‚ 8-7. Eighteen balls carried over the Oakland yard’s roof, with seven launched by Stargell. No one else hit more than a pair. Roberto Clemente had three hits (two were doubles) and four RBI as he shared some of the offensive thunder with Cap’n Willie. Dave Giusti got the win in relief of Dock Ellis and Joe Gibbon, with Al McBean claiming the save.

Game Rained Out - Twin Bill Tomorrow

The drizzle continued through the day but the optimistic Bucs announced a rain delay; it was four minutes before opening pitch was due. By 8:40, with it still coming down, the Pirates finally gave up the ghost and announced a 4:05 twin bill (an actual DH, not a split admissions thingie) tomorrow. It's things like this that really irk the fans; this game could have been rescheduled at 4:30 and saved everyone a headache. C'est la vie; let's play two tomorrow!

Notes:

• Apparently the beer stands were open even as it rained: a fan took a jog across the outfield, tried and failed to escape by climbing the CF fence, then gave up quietly by loping toward the infield, laying down and putting his hands behind his back. We're not sure what parts of the book he'll get hit with, but at least resisting arrest won't be one. 
• The Pirates and Tigers did have mutual off days if they decided not to go the doubleheader route on July 30th and August 2nd.