5/26: Kitten Klassic; 7 Straight Long Balls; Ward Cycle; Max-imum; Field Fireworks; Flashing Feet; Game Tales; HBD Dann, Chuck & Jack

• 1874 - RHP Jack Cronin was born in West New Brighton, New York. He tossed four games for the Pirates as a 24-year-old, slashing 2-2/3.54 after being purchased from Fall River of the New England League in July of 1898. He was released and ended up with the Reds the following year. Jack had a long pro career lasting from 1895 until he tossed his last inning for Reading of the United States Baseball League in 1912, including seven years in MLB, although he was only part of a regular big-league rotation twice in that span and appeared a dozen or fewer times in the other five campaigns. 
• 1894 - The Pirates were thumping Cleveland, 12-3, in the top of the ninth when the crowd of 6,200 at League Park began to riot after being taunted by the 500 rooters who had made the trip from Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Press wrote “A more disgraceful affair never occurred upon a ball field...when the disappointed Forest City fans, unable to endure the disgrace of defeat, attacked the Pittsburg club, the rivalry at white heat...In a second, cushions and pop bottles were flying in all directions...the crowd swarmed out of the stands...” and rushed the field. The two teams had exchanged accusations of dirty play the day before; after today’s donnybrook, 50 fans escorted the Pittsburgh club to its train as some added Steel City muscle. Red Ehret got the win, backed by an 18-hit Bucco attack. 
• 1925 - Max Carey walked and then swiped second, third, and home (he led the league in steals 10 times and stole home 33 times) during the Bucs 7-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. Kiki Cuyler added a two-run homer and Al Neihaus drove in two more scores as Ray Kremer coasted to the win at Forbes Field. 

Chuck Hartenstein - 1970 Topps

• 1942 - RHP Chuck Hartenstein was born in Seguin, Texas. After three years with the Cubs, he came to Pittsburgh in a minor deal and worked from the pen in 1969, slashing 5-4-10/3.95. He got off to a rough start in 1970 and was released, playing for the Cards and later Red Sox during the campaign. Chuck spent from 1971-76 in AAA before making a brief comeback in 1977 with the expansion Blue Jays. He coached and scouted afterward, finally leaving the game in 1995. The 5’ 11”, 150 lb. Hartenstein went by the nickname “Twiggy” for fairly obvious reasons, bestowed on him by the Cubs’ Billy Williams. 
• 1946 - Josh Gibson launched another long blast, this one 440’ into the Yankee Stadium bleachers, as the Homestead Grays whipped the NY Black Yankees, 11-8. It was the Grays’ fourth straight win and propelled them into first place in the Negro National League. It was familiar territory as the Grays won the league title nine times, although this season the Newark Eagles ran away with the crown. 
• 1952 - The Pirates were a pretty poor excuse for a baseball team this season, but they were feisty. Bucco P Ron Kline whizzed one over Cincy C Andy Seminick’s noodle in the second inning of the game at Forbes Field, which led to words between the backstop and Pirates coach Bill Posedel. They were close to blows and a crowd gathered, but peace was restored. Kline batted in the second and escaped without wearing a baseball, but Seminick and Posedel kept at it, started brawling, and both gangs joined in. George “Catfish” Metkovich was exchanging love taps with various Reds when he was wrestled to the ground by Cincinnati trainer Dr. Wayne Anderson (it ends up they were old buds and the doc was trying to keep his friend out of harm’s way, per Catfish). The doc, Metkovich, Seminick and Posedel were all shown to the door. The Bucs won, 6-3, with the win going to Bob Friend, in relief of Kline. Ralph Kiner paid a price, getting ticked by pitches twice after the melee, but he had the last laugh with a homer. 

Catfish - 1952 Topps

• 1956 - Dale Long became the first player to go deep in seven straight games when he took the Phillies' Ben Flowers deep in the eighth inning during his final at-bat as the Bucs dropped Philadelphia, 6-2, at Connie Mack Stadium. Frank Thomas and Hank Foiles also homered to give Vern Law the complete game win. Dale also doubled, and still wasn’t quite done with his historic home run streak. 
• 1959 - In baseball's ultimate pitching performance, Harvey Haddix threw 12 perfect innings against the Braves in Milwaukee’s County Stadium, only to lose the game, 1-0, in the 13th on a Dick Hoak error, sacrifice bunt, intentional walk and double that was a homer. (NL prez Warren Giles ruled that the final score should be 1-0, as runners Henry Aaron and Joe Adcock were ruled out, Aaron for leaving the field‚ and Adcock for passing him on the basepath. Adcock was credited with a double and not a HR.) In 1993‚ Bob Buhl admitted that the Braves pitchers were stealing the signs from C Smoky Burgess‚ who could not crouch down all the way because of his achy knees, and signaled the coming pitch, making Haddix's effort even more remarkable. The only player who wasn’t impressed was Haddix, who told the Post Gazette afterward "My main aim all night long was to win. The perfect game would have meant something to me then. It's just another loss.” 
• 1959 - C Dann Bilardello was born in Santa Cruz, California. He spent most of his Pirates time at AAA Buffalo, hitting just .171 for Pittsburgh in 52 games between 1989-90. Dann got some MLB time at San Diego in 1991-92 and played out his time in pro ball at indie Winnipeg in 1994. 
• 1971 - Steve Blass carried the Pirates to 2-0 victory over Cincinnati at Three Rivers Stadium, recording a career-high 11 strikeouts while tossing a five-hitter for his second shutout of the season. Willie Stargell hit a two-run homer off Reds starter Tony Cloninger in the sixth inning that proved to be the game winner. 

Manny - 1978 Topps Update

• 1978 - Montreal’s Steve Rogers spun a four-hitter at TRS, but he gave up two of them back-to-back in the seventh, Rennie Stennett’s single was followed by Manny Sanguillen’s homer off a hung curve, and that was enough to carry John Candelaria and the Buccos to a 2-1 victory. Candy Man dodged raindrops throughout the contest, stranding 11, with the only blemish a Larry Parrish solo shot. Sangy, who was playing off the bench, manned first base (he got into 40 games at the spot in ‘78), replacing Willie Stargell, who had a sore back. 
• 1980 - Lots of baseball fireworks as the Phils rallied to beat the Bucs 7-6 at Veterans Stadium. Bert Blyleven brushed back a couple of Phillies early on; Philadelphia reliever Kevin Saucier later plunked Pops to even the score. Then he went one better, bopping Blyleven, who charged the mound, bat in hand. A donnybrook ensued, and as it was breaking up, Phil’s coach Mike Ryan reignited things. Philly had the last laugh, scoring twice in the ninth off Kent Tekulve, who gave up four straight hits, to claim the victory. 
• 1997 - For the first time in twenty years, two inside-the-park home runs were hit in the same inning when Sammy Sosa of the Cubs and Tony Womack both circled the bases five minutes apart in the sixth frame of Chicago’s 2-1 victory at Three Rivers Stadium. Womack’s homer was a legit gapper with a copacetic bounce; Sosa got his when Jose Guillen ran into Adrian Brown, who had briefly gloved the ball; after the collision, it rolled away into right field and Sosa won a bang-bang call at the plate. Francisco Cordova took the loss. 
• 2000 - Behind Francisco Cordova and a double steal gone awry, the Pirates bested the Colorado Rockies at Coors Stadium, 2-1, in the second lowest scoring game played to date at the mile-high field. In a 1-1 game, the Rox tried a double steal; the lead runner, Tom Goodwin, stopped between second and third, and the back runner, Mike Lansing, turned and retreated to first as catcher Jason Kendall ran the ball toward him. The nimble backstop tagged Lansing and then threw to third to catch the slow-reacting Goodwin. Cordova celebrated by singling home Mike Benjamin with the game winner in the seventh. He was supposed to bunt, but the third baseman crept in too close, and Francisco took advantage by swinging away for the hit. Luis Sojo made a nice pair of plays at third in the final two frames to seal the deal, and the Pirates ended a five-game losing streak behind Cordova’s four-hitter. 

Daryle Ward - 2004 Topps Total

• 2004 - Daryle Ward hit for the cycle with a career single-game high of six RBI against St. Louis at Busch Stadium as the Bucs won, 11-8. Ward and his dad Gary became the first father-son team to hit for the cycle. The Pirates used six pitchers to close out the game, with the win going to starter Kris Benson. 
• 2012 - The Cubs lost their 11th straight game, 3-2, to the Pirates, their longest losing streak since opening the 1997 season with 14 consecutive losses. The teams were tied in the bottom of the ninth at PNC Park when Jose Tabata led off with a single off Rafael Dolis. Two walks and two outs later, the aptly named “Hit Man” Matt Hague took a pitch in the ribs for a walk-off plunk. Joel Hanrahan earned the win in a game started by Kevin Correia.

5/25 Through the 1950s: Abrams-Littlefield; Brawl Ball; Dale Dingers; Kiner #300; Babe's Last Blast; Coo-Coo Casey; Game Tales; HBD Jim, Jimmie, Chet, Martin & John

• 1863 - RHP John Hofford was born in Philadelphia. His MLB career consisted of two short stays with the Alleghenys in 1885-86, posting a 3-9/4.16 line in 12 starts. Though he didn’t play the field, John was pretty handy with a stick, hitting .262 with five runs, five RBI, four extra-base hits and even stealing a couple of sacks in his dozen outings. Hofford was a minor league hotshot; the Alleghenys got him from the Southern League’s Augusta after the season ended in 1885 where he had slashed 38-13/0.59 with 389 strikeouts, and he tossed for several more seasons after leaving Pittsburgh for a smorgasbord of minor league clubs. 
• 1877 - The International Association Pittsburgh Allegheny hosted the League Alliance Athletics of Philadelphia in a minor league match at Union (later Recreation) Park in Allegheny City. It was an exciting contest for the 700 fans, with the local nine scoring twice in the final frame to claim a 9-8 win, but a thing of beauty it wasn’t. Banging out 24 hits wasn’t enough; the two teams combined to commit 29 errors (13 by the Alleghenys), and as the Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette wrote “The spectators at Union Park certainly got a very strong dose of poor playing yesterday afternoon...It was an exhibition of miserable muffing by both sides.” 

Lefty's luck ran out - 1896 team photo snip

• 1897 - The police had to escort umpire Tim Hurst to his hotel after a missed call cost the Alleghenys a 6-2 loss at Recreation Park to the Baltimore Orioles. Mugsy McGraw, the Birds third baseman, was clearly thrown out at second, but in the days of one ump, Hurst missed the call and the O’s went on to score five two-out runs off Lefty Killen to claim the game. 500 fans waited for Hurst to come out of the locker room (tempers were high as the Baltimore and Pittsburgh were 1-2 in the standings) and a melee ensued when he did; his bacon was saved when the Allegheny players managed to get him into the dugout and safety. It took a 10-man police posse to get Hurst back to his hotel in one piece. 
• 1906 - Martin Dihigo was born in Matanzas, Cuba. Best known for his play in the Mexican League, he spent time in the Negro Leagues and in 1927-28, he played with the Homestead Grays. Dihigo was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1977. The multi-talented Dihigo played all nine positions as a pro, usually as a pitcher or second baseman. He’s the only player ever to be inducted to the American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican and Venezuelan Halls of Fame. 
• 1906 - IF Chester “Chet” Williams was born in Beaumont, Texas. Chester’s beginnings are misty; he also has Lake Charles, New Orleans and rural Mississippi cited as birthplaces. But his Negro League career is certain when the infielder played from 1931-39 for the Pittsburgh Crawfords. It was tough at first to make a name for himself (and that was literally true - when he joined the team, other infielders on the roster were Bobby Williams, Harry Williams and Bucky Williams! He, Harry and Buck stayed together throughout his Crawford years.) He overcame that, earning several All-Star spots with the Crawfords and was a starter for the 1935 championship club, considered by many to be the best Negro League team ever assembled. Chet turned down an offer to skip to the Dominican in 1937 (though many of his teammates did take the money), but he did jump ship in 1940 to play in the Cuban League. He returned locally in 1941-42 to play for the Homestead Grays and retired after the 1943 campaign. Known as a free spirit, he opened a Lake Charles night spot after he hung up the spikes. Tragically, on Christmas Day, 1952, he was shot to death in the club. 

Chet Williams photo via Seamheads

• 1910 - OF Jimmie Crutchfield was born in Ardmore, Missouri. He played for the Pittsburgh Crawfords from 1931-36 (with a brief stop with the Homestead Grays in 1932), jumping when the Crawfords offered him $150 per month, after he was pulling down just $90 per month with the Indianapolis ABCs. The lil’ guy (he was 5’7”) combined speed, defense and clubhouse leadership, and according to the StateMaster Encyclopedia “Teamed with Ted Strong and Cool Papa Bell, they formed what is considered the best outfield in the Negro Leagues. During this time, his performance earned him three appearances in the East-West All-Star game.” He played until he was 45 before retiring and taking a job with the Post Office. 
• 1919 - Casey Stengel, who had been traded to Pittsburgh by the Brooklyn Dodgers, returned to Ebbets Field and his old fans gave him the raspberries for sporting a different uniform. Bowing to the grandstand in a seventh-inning at bat, he doffed his cap to the 18,000 present, and out flew a sparrow (described as "irate but much relieved") that he had somehow corralled. That prank lightened the crowd, and was the highlight of Stengel’s day as he went 0-for-4 against Sherry Smith in a 5-0 loss. 
• 1931 - 1B Jim Marshall was born in Danville, Illinois. Jim spent five years in MLB as a bench 1B/OF, closing out his career in 1962 as a Pirate with a .220 BA. He played in Japan for three years before returning stateside to manage farm clubs for the Cubs, Expos, A’s, Yankees and White Sox. He also grabbed the brass ring by earning a couple of big league managing gigs with the Cubs (1974-76) and Oakland (1979) in between minor league jobs. He’s now a senior advisor for the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Pgh Press front page 5/26/1935

• 1935 - Babe Ruth hit his 714th and final home run off Guy Bush at Forbes Field in an 11-7 Boston Braves loss to the Pirates, a career record that would stand for almost 40 years before Hammerin' Hank claimed the crown. The Bambino went 4-for-4, hitting three home runs (the first off Red Lucas, the next off Bush) and driving in six runs. The final drive, launched in the seventh inning, cleared the right field roof, the first time that feat was ever done. Per local lore, the Babe’s ball landed on Joncaire Street and from there, its fate is debated although it did eventually make its way to the Hall of Fame for display. But the Bambino couldn’t outpace Tommy Thevenow and Pep Young, who combined to chase eight runs home. 
• 1940 - The Bucs broke an 18-for-21 losing spell with a 12-7 win over the Cubs at Forbes Field. Arky Vaughan had a homer, triple, four runs scored and three RBI to lead the Pirate charge, and although roughed up, Joe Bowman went the distance for the win. Despite the dismal streak, the Pirates did end up with a 79-74 record at season’s end. 
• 1947 - Pittsburgh got two very different pitching performances in splitting a twin bill against St Louis at Sportsman Park. Hank Behrman, who the Bucs had recently obtained from Brooklyn, gave up two homers in a 10-5 loss, making it five gopher balls surrendered in the 12-1/3 IP as a Pirate. He gave up one more in his next 12-1/3 frames, and was returned to Brooklyn with a 0-2/9.12 line. The Pirates then snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 win in the nightcap as 39-year-old lefty Fritz Ostermueller fired a three-hitter, backed by an Eddie Basinski homer and Frankie Gustine RBI knock. 
• 1953 - Ralph Kiner became the 12th MLB player to hit 300 HRs with a three-run, fifth-inning blast off the NY Giants Al Corwin in a 6-3 loss at Forbes Field. The Hall of Famer would swat 369 long balls in an injury-shortened 10-year career. 

Ralph's #300 - Topps 2021 Turn Back the Clock

• 1954 - Pittsburgh traded 30-year-old outfielder Cal Abrams to the Baltimore Orioles for LHP Dick Littlefield. Abrams was a good-hitting ball chaser, batting .273 for Pittsburgh in a year and some change; he hit .272 in his two-season stay with the Birds before hanging up the spikes a year later. In two years with Pittsburgh, Littlefield went 15-23/4.26 before becoming a piece of the Bill Virdon deal in 1956. 
• 1956 - Dale Long tied the longest HR streak in MLB history at six games by homering, going 3-for-5 and driving in three runs in an 8-5 win over the Phils at Connie Mack Stadium. His fourth-inning blast helped make a winner of Nellie King, with George Munger closing it out. He wasn’t done; he would go on to set the record at eight straight games. 
• 1958 - One of the largest bench clearing brawls in Bucco history erupted when manager Danny Murtaugh charged after Giants hurler Ruben Gomez, who was the flash point of a 15-minute brawl after he beaned Maz earlier. Gomez grabbed a bat, but coach Herman Franks stepped in. Then Orlando Cepeda, the Baby Bull, joined the melee, also waving a bat, before he was tackled by teammate Willie Mays, helping to quiet the war drums. Murtaugh was ejected and Mays got an ovation. The bad blood started the year before when Gomez drilled Vern Law, rupturing his eardrum, and the animosity carried over, most recently during a Candlestick Park up-and-in duel between pitchers Curt Raydon and Marv Grissom. It apparently fired up the G-Men more than Pirates as they swept the doubleheader at Forbes Field, 5-2 and 6-1.

5/25 From 1960: Locke+Long Balls; Freddy 6-for-6; Clint #475; Kendall #1,000; Bunning #200; Rhoden #100; Game Tales; HBD Brad, Randall & Will

• 1968 - OF Will Pennyfeather was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Pennyfeather turned down a football scholarship with Syracuse to play baseball for the Orangemen, and after his sophomore year signed with the Pirates in 1988. Will played in short stints for the Bucs in 1992-94, getting into 40 games and batting .196. Afterward he played in the minors, in Taiwan & Mexico, and notably in the indie leagues, where he carved out a long local career before retiring after the 2006 season. He now runs the Sweet Spot Baseball and Softball Academy in his native New Jersey. 
• 1969 - Jim Bunning won his 200th game, scattering five hits and striking out eight in a 2-1 victory over Gaylord Perry and the Giants at Candlestick Park. It was a good day for the Bucs as they also took the twin bill's nightcap by a 6-2 score behind Bob Moose. Matty Alou was the catalyst in both games. He scored the winning run in the eighth inning of the opener, chased home by a Willie Stargell double, and had three hits, including a double and triple, while scoring twice in the nightcap. Carl Taylor added a two-run long fly and Bill Mazeroski poked a solo shot in the second game. 

Jim Bunning - 1969 Topps

• 1975 - 1B Randall Simon was born in Willemstad, Curaçao. He played for six teams in eight big league seasons, including stops in Pittsburgh in 2003 and 2004. He hit .245 as a Bucco and received more acclaim for his sausage-swat in Milwaukee than he did on the field. He played briefly for the Rays and Phils after his Pirates days, finishing his career with stops in the minors, Mexico, Japan and the indie leagues. 
• 1979 - Due to fog, the Buc-Met match ended in a 3-3 tie after 11 innings and a 73-minute delay. The umps gave up when Bill Robinson lost a routine fly ball in the Shea Stadium mist. The runner ended up on third, Robinson chewed out second base umpire Billy Williams over the playing conditions, and the boys in blue called everyone in. After a long wait, they declared it a tie to be replayed in its entirety. 
• 1983 - In the third inning of an eventual 6-0 loss to the Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Pirates' starter Jim Bibby (4) and reliever Jim Winn (3) combined to walk seven consecutive batters to tie a major league mark set back in 1909 by Washington’s William Gray and establish the NL high water mark. The free passes all came after two were out and accounted for four of the Bravos’ six tallies. 
• 1985 - Rick Rhoden won his 100th career game and SS Bill Almon hit his first grand slam while driving in five runs as the Pirates thumped the Braves, 8-2, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Rick tossed a seven-hitter with three whiffs, earning his fourth victory of the year and lowering his ERA to 3.12. As for the Pirates eighth hitter’s big day, Almon had entered the game with no homers and seven RBI in 108 bats. 

Brad Lincoln - 2002 Upper Deck

• 1985 - RHP Brad Lincoln was born in Lake Arthur, Texas. A first round (fourth overall - $2.75M bonus) draft pick of the Bucs in 2006 with Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum and Max Sherzer selected behind him, his career was detoured by TJ surgery in 2007. He came back to toss for the Pirates from 2010-12, slashing 7-9-1/4.62 for Pittsburgh before being traded to Toronto for Travis Snider, both highly rated prospects (he was also a 2006 #1 pick) in need of a change of scenery. It didn’t help Brad much, and in the next three years he made 48 appearances before his MLB career ended in 2014. He tried to come back with the Bucs and spent 2015 at Indy where he had pedestrian numbers. He hasn’t tossed professionally since. 
• 1993 - Steve Cooke threw the first shutout of his big league career, only giving up four hits, in the Pirates 2-0 victory over the Florida Marlins at TRS. It was truly Cooke’s day as he also hit a two-run double, providing his own margin. 
• 1993 - A bronze bust in memory of Carl Barger was unveiled at TRS’ Allegheny Club during Florida’s visit to the ‘Burgh. Barger helped keep the Pirates in Pittsburgh as John Galbreath’s attorney and served as Bucco prez from 1987-91, when he left to join long-time friend and Marlin owner Wayne Huizenga as their first president. Barger died of an aneurysm at the GM meetings in December. 
• 2003 - Aramis Ramirez drove in three runs and St. Louis committed a bases-loaded error which led to a four-run sixth inning and an 8-7 comeback win for Pittsburgh in front of nearly 26,000 at PNC Park. Jason Kendall appeared in the 1,000th game of his career and banged out a pair of hits. Kenny Lofton’s double in the seventh inning plated the game winner while extending his hitting streak to 23 games. Birthday boy Randall Simon had three hits, including two doubles, to help Brian Boehringer earn the win, saved by Mike Williams. 

Jonah Bayliss - 2007 Upper Deck

• 2007 - The Pirates, mired in a hitting slump and losers of five straight games, used some small ball, soft raps and Cincy gifts to score eight runs in the 10th inning as they collected six hits and took advantage of a hit batter, walk and error to sent twelve players to the plate in a 10-4 victory over the Reds at Great American Ballpark. Ronny Paulino and Xavier Nady each had a pair of RBI in the extra frame, while Nady and Jay Bay added regulation homers. Jonah Bayliss picked up the win after facing two batters in the ninth. 
• 2008 - The Bucs came from behind to take a 6-5 win from the Cubs at PNC Park, scoring with two outs in the ninth to knot the score when Nate McLouth’s two-bagger plated Brian Bixler, and then again in the 11th on Jason Bay’s two-out knock scoring Chris Gomez with the winner. To add insult to injury, the Cubs intentionally walked McLouth to get to Bay for a righty matchup. There were lots of hitting heroes - McLouth had three hits, Bay two, Luis Rivas homered twice, Adam LaRoche had two doubles, Jose Bautista added two more raps and Xavier Nady went deep, although with 11 stranded, the Pirates left a lot of ducks on the pond. Damaso Marte got the win; Frankie Osorio and Paul Maholm worked ahead of him. It was the Bucs second straight walk-off win against the Cubs; both times the Baby Bears were done in by Bay after a McLouth intentional walk. 
• 2009 - The Pirates beat the Cubs, 10-8, at Wrigley Field. Freddy Sanchez went 6-for-6 with four runs, three RBI, a double and a homer to become the first Pirate in 19 years (since Wally Backman in 1990) to have six hits in a game. The Bucs had just finished an interleague set against the White Sox, and became the first team in major league history to play back-to-back series against the Cubs and White Sox in Chicago.
• 2013 - The Bucs hit four homers, two by Pedro Alvarez, and Jeff Locke ran his scoreless streak to 14 frames in a 5-2 win at Milwaukee’s Miller Field. For Locke, it was his sixth start out of the last seven giving up three or fewer hits. 

David Freese - 2016 Topps Heritage

• 2016 - David Freese’s two-run homer capped a four-run fifth inning and proved the game-winner as the Pirates squeaked past the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-4, at PNC Park, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit in front of 20,696 fans. Clint Hurdle earned his 475th win as manager of the Pirates, tying him with skipper (and Hall of Fame 3B) Pie Traynor for the sixth-most victories in franchise history. Gregory Polanco had three hits and Sean Rodriguez also homered for the Pirates, while Mark Melancon earned his 16th save to ice Jeff Locke’s win. 
• 2017 - The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame unveiled a statue of the 1955 NL Rookie of the Year, 1960 World Series Champion and West Plains native CF’er Bill Virdon on its Legends Walkway. The Springfield HoF statue was created by St. Louis artist Harry Weber, depicting Virdon as a Bucco making a catch of a Yogi Berra drive during the 1960 WS.

5/24 Through the 1960s: TSN Richie; Walk Off DH; Roberto #21; Canny Connie; Archer, Kuehne Glove 'Em; Game Tales; HBD Jeff, Sam & Giant Killer

• 1859 - 2B Sam Barkley was born in Wheeling. After a contract kerfuffle (he had signed with Baltimore, but had been sold by his old club to the Alleghenys), he played for Pittsburgh from 1886-87. In his opening year, he hit .266 with 31 doubles and stole 22 bases while playing in 122 games. His performance slipped in 1887, playing in 89 games and hitting .224. After the season, Pittsburgh sold him to the Kansas City Cowboys of the American Association. Sam retired back to Wheeling after the 1889 campaign to become a cigar maker. 
• 1878 - LHP Jack “The Giant Killer” Pfiester was born in Cincinnati. Jack spent eight years in the show with his first two (1903-04) as a seldom-used Bucco. In six games, he slashed 1-4/6.69 and spent 1905 in Omaha before he took off as a Cub from 1906-09, winning 63 games in four years before arm woes ended his career two seasons later; the curve-baller ended his days with a 2.02 ERA. He got his nickname for his success against the NY Giants, going 11-5 against them (he was only 1-5 against his old mates in Pittsburgh). 

Ed Swartwood - 1887 Goodwin/Old Judge

• 1884 – Al Atkinson of the Philadelphia Athletics retired the final 27 batters in pitching a no-hitter over the Pittsburgh Alleghenys at the Jefferson Street Grounds. Atkinson hit leadoff batter Ed Swartwood, who stole second, moved to third on a grounder and scored on a wild pitch, the only blemish of the 10–1 Philly victory. 
• 1889 - Bill Kuehne converted 13 chances at the hot corner, handling three putouts and 10 assists without an error (“...a remarkable game” per the Pittsburgh Press) for a MLB record. His work in the field helped Harry Staley and the Alleghenys to a 9-7 win over Washington at Swampoodle Grounds. It was an outlier; Kuehne committed 34 errors that season and finished with a .908 fielding average, making his feat remarkable indeed. Jake Beckley led the hit parade with three knocks including a pair of doubles while Billy Sunday and Pop Smith, who homered, collected a pair of hits each. 
• 1893 - Before the days of the infield fly rule, C Connie Mack intentionally allowed a popup in front of home plate to fall and then started a triple play against the Browns. The play was one of several around the league that eventually led to an infield fly rule in 1895, with the current version adopted in 1901. He later drove in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth to lead Pittsburgh to an 8-7 win over St. Louis at Exposition Park. Mack was a backup catcher who hit .286 for the Pirates that year, and later entered the Hall of Fame as a manager, notably of the Philadelphia Athletics, although his first player/manager gig was with the Bucs for three years. 
• 1894 - The Pirates rallied to beat the Cleveland Spiders and Cy Young, 6-5, at League Park. Down 4-0 early and 5-2 late, the Bucs scored twice in the seventh and twice more in the eighth for the win. Red Ehret (“Ehret never pitched better ball in all his life” gushed the Pittsburgh Press) went eight innings for the victory in relief of Lefty Killen, who was rocked for four first-inning runs. Jake Stenzel had two hits and scored three runs while Jake Beckley added three knocks. 

Red Ehret - Ars Longa series

• 1918 - Ol’ vet Jimmy Archer set a record with seven assists from the catcher’s spot against the Boston Braves, but it didn’t help as the Pirates went down, 6-3, at Forbes Field. Boston hit the ball on the ground all day; the Pirates ended up with 27 assists as a team, with first baseman Fritz Mollwitz registering 17 putouts. 
• 1955 - The Bucs broke an 11-game losing streak in style by pounding the Brooklyn Dodgers, 15-1, at Forbes Field. Jack Shepard had four hits, Preston Ward had a single, triple & homer while Gene Freese added three raps to lead the attack. Ward, Freese and Roberto Clemente each had three RBI with Bob Friend getting the win in relief of Vern Law by tossing 4-1/3 innings of no-hit ball. One of the Dodger relievers the Corsairs tortured was future manager Tommy Lasorda, who gave up five runs in two innings of work. The Pirates had 19 hits and batted around three times. However, the good times were fleeting; the club lost six of its next seven games. A highlight: it was the debut of Roberto Clemente wearing #21; he had been #13 but claimed OF Earl Smith’s old number after Smith was sent down. 
• 1959 - The Bucs swept a pair from the Reds at Forbes Field by 2-1 and 5-4 scores; both games were won by walk-off, pinch hit doubles. Danny Kravitz drove home Don Hoak to give Ron Kline. who went the distance, the win . Pittsburgh had tied the game a batter before when Bill Mazeroski beat Johnny Temple’s throw home to knot the score. The Pirates were down, 4-2, in the nightcap and down to their last out when Rocky Nelson tied the game with a two-run homer. Pittsburgh won it in the 10th when Smoky Burgess doubled home Roman Mejias to give Ron Blackburn the win. The Bucs took the four game series from Cincinnati, winning each game by a run. 
• 1961 - Roberto Clemente homered in back-to-back at bats against Dick Ellsworth and drove in four runs to lead the Pirates to a 7-3 win at Wrigley Field. Dick Stuart also went long and added a triple to help Vinegar Bend Mizell to the victory, closed by a Clem Labine save. The Bucs needed Clemente’s big day; they were their own worst enemy as they hit into three twin killings and committed a pair of errors during the afternoon.

Roberto Clemente - 1961 Topps

•  1966 - Coach Jeff Livesey was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Livesey was a catcher in the Yankees system for eight years, retiring in 1995 and spending two years with Montreal as a minor league coach. He joined the Pirates as an organizational hitting coach, becoming the skipper of the GCL club in 2005. After that, he went to Japan for five years as a bench coach, returning to the Pirates in 2011. After three seasons as the Minor League Hitting Coordinator, he was called up to the big team as an assistant hitting coach in 2013 until he was replaced after the 2018 campaign. He’s with Miami now. 
• 1969 - Richie Hebner was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Pirates Pin-Up Prize.” In his first full season as a Pirate, he hit .301 after inheriting the hot corner from Maury Wills. The Gravedigger would play through 1976 for Pittsburgh, then return again in 1982-83 during his 18-year career.

5/24 From 1970: Hot El Coffee; K-K-K; Road Blues; Wilkins Bops Tabaka; Arribathon; Late Bursts; Game Tales

• 1978 - The Mets banged out 13 hits and had the lead three times, but couldn’t hold off the Pirates at TRS. Pittsburgh scored twice in the 10th inning to flip Kent Tekulve from a loser after giving up a dinger to a winner in a 6-5 victor. Rennie Stennett’s bases-loaded bloop into right was the game winner; Frank Taveras scored the final run uncontested as RF’er Bruce Boisclair inexplicably threw the ball to second instead of home; coach Joe Lonnett and Taveras were both expecting a close play at the dish. Stennett had three RBI on the day and Dave Parker added two doubles to chase home a pair of runs, offsetting two homers by NY’s Willie Montanez. 
• 1981 - A lot of little oddities occurred in the Bucs 7-1 win over the Phils at TRS: the Pirates drew four intentional walks, stole five bases in six tries and got a two-run homer from pitcher Jim Bibby. With all that, they didn’t put the game away until the eighth when one of the intentional walks backfired. They went into the frame up, 2-1, on the strength of Bibby’s bomb and then added another on Phil Garner’s one-out triple and a Dale Berra single. With runners on second and third and two gone, Philadelphia put Lee Lacy aboard to get to Omar Moreno. The Antelope singled home a pair off Sparky Lyle and Bill Madlock followed with a two-run two-bagger to ice the game. Bibby got the win and Victor Cruz earned a two inning save in front of 21,771 fans. 
• 1983 - The Bucs built a 6-0 lead on the strength of Larry McWilliams arm and two-run shots by Lee Mazzilli and Jason Thompson (Lee’s left the yard; Jason’s was a two-bagger), then hung on as the Braves scored five times in eighth after blowing earlier chances when they left the bases loaded with an out in the second and fourth frames. Kent Tekulve nailed it down in the ninth thanks more to the baseball gods than good stuff; Atlanta ripped three bullets off him, but two of them found gloves to send the 17,447 fans at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium home frustrated by the baseball gods. 

Lee Mazzilli - 1983 Topps Traded

• 1991 - WPPT, in conjunction with San Francisco and New York stations hooked up by satellite, held a Roberto Clemente Sports City telethon with Vera Clemente, Bob Prince, Bill Mazeroski, Manny Sanguillen, Nellie King, Steve Blass, Bob Friend, Dick Groat, Jerry Lynch, Jim Rooker, Nellie Briles, Dave Giusti and Willie Stargell leading a variety of active players to the studio after the Pirates game at TRS. 
• 1998 - Relievers Marc Wilkins (who was on the DL) and Jeff Tabaka, road roomies, allegedly got into an argument over a card game while tippling postgame at Milwaukee’s Pfister Hotel. The discussion grew heated, and Wilkins punched Tabaka. He broke his jaw, sending him to the DL until early July. The two were buds who shared an apartment in Pittsburgh during the season, and made up shortly after the brawl. GM Cam Bonifay brushed it off, telling the Associated Press that “Each other took a stance, as manly gentlemen sometimes do.” 
• 2006 - When Craig Wilson flew out to the fence with Freddy Sanchez on first base in the ninth, it was the frustrating end to an 8-7 Pirates loss to Arizona at Chase Field. Pittsburgh finished two months of being baseball’s sacrificial lamb on the road - although a competitive 10-11 at PNC Park, the Bucs were 4-22 away from the Allegheny. They played more respectably as visitors after that set, but still finished 24-57 away from the North Shore and finished the year 67-95, despite a winning slate (43-38) at home. 

Phil Dumatrait - 2008 photo Jonathan Daniel/Getty

• 2008 - The Pirates blew a late lead, rallied to tie the contest in the ninth and eventually claimed the win after 14 innings by a 5-4 tally at PNC Park. Phil Dumatrait and two relievers had left Tyler Yates a two-run lead in the eighth, but he was rattled for three scores by the Cubs. Pittsburgh tied it in the last frame when Doug Mientkiewicz led off by being bopped, worked his way to third and scored on Luis Rivas’ sac fly. Matt Capps and John Grabow, the ultimate winner, took over and each tossed three scoreless frames before the Pirates finally plated in the 14th. Freddy Sanchez reached when a soft roller was thrown away; a wild pitch and grounder moved him to third. Nate McLouth was intentionally walked and Jason Bay’s gapper chased Steady Freddy home with the game winner. That duo came up big; the Buccos’ early lead was largely the result of a Bay homer that scored Nate the Great ahead of him. 
• 2015 - Francisco Liriano capped a sweep of the Mets by K’ing 12 batters in six innings on the way to a 9-1 win at PNC Park, aided by homers off the bats of Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte. It was historic work at the franchise level, as Liriano followed Gerrit Cole and AJ Burnett, who both fanned 10 in the series first two games, to become the first trio of Pirate starters to notch three straight double-digit strikeout games since September 11-12th, 1969, when Bob Veale, Bob Moose and Dock Ellis put together three K-fests. It's only the third time since 1900 that Pittsburgh put together such a stretch. The swing-and-miss fest also set an MLB record, per Elias Sports: "It is the only time in modern major league history (from 1900 to date) that a team's starting pitchers won three straight games within one series while recording a double digit strikeout total in each game." 
• 2016 - The Pirates romped over the Diamondbacks, 12-1, at PNC Park as Gregory Polanco homered, doubled, scored twice, and had five RBI. The first 11 Bucs in the lineup that got at bats had hits, with the streak ending after Arquimedes Caminero, in his first MLB at-bat, grounded out in the seventh inning. Frankie Liriano got the win, but was a wild child, giving up just four hits but walking five. He wasn’t as wild as Caminero, who hit two Snakes in the head as a reliever, not as a matter of bad blood but of bad control. After the game, Arizona manager Chip Hale questioned if Arquimedes should even be in the league with command that poor. 

Gregory Polanco - 2016 Topps Bunt

• 2017 - It looks like a runaway score, but the Bucs 12-5 win at SunTrust Park came down to the last out of the ninth. The Pirates jumped ahead, 3-0, on Adam Frazier’s second-inning homer, but Atlanta rallied for four runs in the sixth and carried a 5-3 lead into the ninth. With two outs and the bases filled, rookie Jose Osuna laced a two-run knock into left to knot the game. In the 10th, Josh Collmenter had a nightmare frame as the Buccos rang up a seven-spot on the Bravos, with the cherry on top being back-to-back-to-back homers by David Freese, Osuna and Jordy Mercer. Adam Frazier reached base six times on two hits and four walks. He became the first Pirates leadoff man with at least three walks and two hits that included a homer since Barry Bonds on May 28th, 1988, against the Reds at Riverfront Stadium. Fraze also was the first Buc to reach base six times in a game via hit/walks since Neil Walker (5-for-5, walk) on August 12th, 2012, v the Padres at PNC Park.

5/23 Through the 1950s: Meadows-Glazner Trade; Sid Sold; 1-Hit Win; Streaks Snapped; Swipe-fest; Game Tales; HBD Deacon, Nelson, Clyde, Hugh & Bill

• 1872 - RHP Charles “Deacon” Phillippe was born in Rural Retreat, Virginia. The Deacon spent 12 years with Pittsburgh (1900-11), posting a line of 189-109/2.59. He went 3-2 in the 1903 World Series with a 3.07 ERA and closed out two games in the 1909 World Series, pitching six scoreless innings. Phillippe was perhaps the top control pitcher of the modern era, won 20 games six times, and was voted by Buc fans as the greatest right-handed pitcher in Pirates history. He came about his nickname honestly, being a devout Lutheran and clean living guy in an era noted for its rowdy ballplayers. He also went by “The Great Phillippi” due to his pitching prowess. Trivia: The outlaw league Pittsburg Filipinos of 1912 took their name from their manager - Deacon Phillippe. 

Deacon Phillippe - 1931 cartoon Berger/Pgh Press

• 1879 - OF Bill Miller was born in Bad Schwalbach, Germany. 23-year-old Miller was called up in 1902 to help bolster a thin roster on the recommendation of Tommy Leach. He played right field on August 23rd against the Brooklyn Superbas at Exposition Park. He went 1-for-5 with two RBI, and played a fair right field, although he misplayed the first ball hit to him (“He ran in for it when he should have hiked in the other direction...Being a newcomer, his mistake gave the crowd a bad impression from the start” per the Pittsburgh Press). It was his only MLB game. 
• 1885 - 1B Hugh Bradley was born in Grafton, Massachusetts. After three years with Boston (he was the first player to homer at Fenway Park), he spent a season in the minors and then signed with the Pittsburgh Rebels. He was the starting 1B in 1914, hitting .307, but was bumped to reserve duty when Ed Konetchy joined the team the next season. Spending time in the pasture and not happy about it, he was released and moved on to the Brooklyn Tip-Tops. They likewise let him go and he became a member of a third Federal League club, the Newark Peppers. Brad spent from 1916-23 in the minors and umpired before getting on with his life. Fun factoid: for a while, Bradley spent the off seasons with a vaudeville act of Boston players called the “Red Sox Quartette,” a barbershop quartet. 
• 1890 - During a 17-10 New York victory at the Polo Grounds, the Giants swiped a record 17 sacks against the battery of rookie P Fred “Crazy” Schmit and veteran C George “Doggie” Miller. The Alleghenys added three steals of their own to set a game record of 20. Crazy was thought nuts by the other players because he was the first pitcher to keep a book on hitters, warmed up at 75' rather than 60’ by tossing a water-soaked ball to make it heavier and used other quirky personal tricks of the trade to get ready for a game. He also answered to “Germany” for more obvious reasons. The 1890 Alleghenys, it should be noted, may have been baseball’s worst team ever, winning just 23 games and allowing 447 stolen bases, nearly four per game - and the catchers had a 31% toss-out rate! 

Mark Baldwin - 1888 Yum Yum

• 1892 - The Pirates ended the Chicago Colts 13-game winning streak with a 5-4 win at Southside Stadium in front of 2,000 Windy City fans. The Pirates overcame an early 4-0 deficit, behind extra base knocks by Jake Beckley, Doggie Miller, Mike Smith and Lou Bierbauer, generating just enough offense to push Mark Baldwin to victory. As recapped by the Pittsburgh Press: “The Pittsburgs defeated the Chicagos in a very close and exciting game. The Pittsburgers were outbatted, but their hits were more timely and counted more than those made by the Colts.” Part of the excitement was the fielding; each side surrendered just one earned run, with the clubs combining to boot five balls. 
• 1923 - Pittsburgh sent 2B Cotton Tierney and P Whitey Glazner to the Phils for 2B Johnny Rawlings and P Lee Meadows. Meadows went 87-51 over the next five years as Glazner's rotation replacement, winning 20 games once and 19 twice while Rawlings lasted four Bucco seasons, batting .272. Whitey was out of baseball after slashing 14-30 for Philly through 1924 and Cotton was done following the 1925 campaign after playing for the Phils, Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers.  
• 1924 - Coach Clyde King was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina. King never played for the Bucs, but after hangin’ up the mitt, he managed the Hollywood Stars in 1957 and the Columbus Jets in 1958, both Pirate farm clubs. After coaching outside the organization, he returned as a member of Harry Walker’s staff from 1965 to 1967. He continued to coach in the minors and the MLB as manager of the SF Giants, Atlanta Braves and NY Yankees, also serving as the Gotham GM. 
• 1943 - The Pirates only had one hit during the match but it was enough. Vince DiMaggio’s fourth-inning double scored Elbie Fletcher, who had walked, for a 1-0 win at Forbes Field against the Chicago Cubs. Bob Klinger went the distance for Pittsburgh, tossing a four-hitter to hand Dick Barrett a tough loss. The Pirates wouldn’t win another game with just one hit again until 2017 when they defeated the Dodgers, 1-0, at PNC Park. In that contest, Josh Harrison’s walk-off homer in the 10th broke up both the no-no and shut-out bids of LA pitcher Rich Hill.

Bill MacDonald - 1951 Bowman

• 1950 - After traveling a twisted trail (he was signed out of high school by the Tigers, granted free agency by the league with a handful of other Detroit farmhands due to some contractual hanky-panky, then signed with the Pirates for $20,000 to become their first “bonus baby” to reach Forbes Field) Bill MacDonald made his first major league start. It was a good one as he shut out the Phillies, 6-0, twirling a complete game three-hitter against the future NL champs. “Whalin’ Willie” (his bread-and-butter was the fastball) went 8-10-1/4.29 for the last-place Bucs, making 32 outings (twenty starts) with two shutouts and six complete games to his credit. His major drawback was a wild streak; he averaged over five walks per nine. MacDonald then missed the 1951–52 seasons when he was in the service during the Korean War years, and when he returned in 1953, he had lost it. Bill pitched poorly in four more games (12.27 ERA), was sent to the PCL and retired after the 1954 campaign. 
• 1952 - It took 13 frames, but Johnny Merson’s double scored Gus Bell with the game winner to end an eight-game losing streak as the Bucs topped the Cubs, 6-5, at Forbes Field. The Pirates scored four times in the opening inning, but Bob Friend couldn’t hold on. Ted Wilks spun the last 5-2/3 frames without yielding a run to end the drought. 
• 1955 - 3B Sid Gordon was sold to the New York Giants for “considerably over the $10,000 waiver price,” thought to be in the $25K range. Despite hitting .306 in 1954, the 36-year-old Gordon was a seldom-used backup third baseman (he lost his job to Gene Freese) and pinch hitter, providing not a lot of value as their highest-paid player at $27,500. The Pittsburgh Press said he was “...understandably happy and excited when called into Branch Rickey’s office to get the glad news...” The NY gig didn’t do much to extend his career; he got into 66 games and hit .243, ending his career. 

Sid Gordon - 1955 Bowman

• 1958 - IF Nelson Norman was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. In six MLB years, Nelson got into 198 games; three were for Pittsburgh in 1982 when he went 0-for-3. But he had some Bucco history. The Pirates originally signed him in 1975 as a 16-year-old. He went to Texas a couple of years later as part of the Bert Blyleven deal. The Rangers acquired Mario Mendoza in 1981, bumping Nelson out of a job, and after the season, the Rangers traded Norman back to the Pirates for Víctor Cruz. He played mostly for Portland (AAA), Lynn (AA) and Hawaii (AAA) through 1984, finishing out his career in the minors for Baltimore and Montreal in ‘87. He’s coached for several organizations since retiring and is now a scout/head of Dominican Operations for the O’s.

5/23 From 1960: Skinner-Lynch Trade; Vogey Beaning; Pete Axed; Mound Gems; Game Tales; HBD Beedah, Gonzo & Vic

• 1960 - Sandy Koufax was doing Sandy Koufax things all night at Forbes Field, topping the Bucs, 1-0, at Forbes Field. The southpaw gave up one hit, a single to his mound opponent Bennie Daniels, and offset a wild streak of six walks by fanning 10 while going the distance. The second frame was the Pirates' best chance when they loaded the bases with two outs, but couldn’t cash in; only one other Bucco runner reached second. Daniels was pretty sharp himself, giving up four hits and whiffing six in seven frames before Roy Face finished up. It was scoreless into the seventh, when Norm Larkin led off with a two-bagger and scored two outs later on Tommy Davis’ double. It was a frustrating loss, but proved to be a minor bump on the road to the World Series for the Bucs. 

Bob Skinner - 1963 Topps

• 1963 - The Bucs sent OF Bob Skinner to the Reds for Jerry Lynch, who started his career in Pittsburgh. Lynch spent his last four years as a Pirate and set the MLB pinch hit home run record of 18 (since surpassed by Matt Stairs) while in a Bucco uniform. Skinner spent nine seasons with Pittsburgh, compiling a .280 BA, and lasted five more years in the show. 
• 1965 - The Pirates came to Milwaukee in the throes of an eight game losing streak and left with a three-game sweep of the Braves at County Stadium, taking a 10-1 victory in the series finale, with the match iced by an Andre Rogers grand slam. Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski each had three hits to back Bob Veale’s complete game, four-hit performance. The combo of the sad sack Pirates and some chilly weather didn’t do much to line the owners’ pockets - the set drew just 7,394 fans for the three contests, with the biggest crowd being 2,679 for the Friday night series opener. Of course, the fact that the Braves announced their move to Atlanta just a week or two prior probably didn’t help spin the turnstiles, either. After the relo, Milwaukee went without MLB ball until 1970 when the Brewers (nee Seattle Pilots) arrived. 
• 1978 - Reliever Mike Gonzalez was born in Corpus Christi. He was drafted by the Pirates and pitched his first four seasons (2003-06) in Pittsburgh. Gonzo became a rare LH closer in 2006, earning 24 saves before being sent to Atlanta in the off season as part of the Adam LaRoche deal. He worked for six teams and last pitched in the majors in 2013 for the Brewers. 
• 1984 - Bucco lefty John Candelaria struck out 12 batters in eight innings of work as the Pirates beat Cincinnati, 7-2, at TRS. It was Candy Man’s fourth win of the year. The Pirates took the lead with six runs in the fifth inning and never looked back. Catcher Tony Pena went 3-for-4 with a triple, but lineup balance was the game story - eight Bucs had hits, seven scored, and six drove in runs. 

Candy Man - 1984 Donruss

• 1985 - The Pirates fired GM Pete Peterson and replaced him with former GM Joe Brown; ironically, Peterson had taken Brown’s spot back in 1976. Pittsburgh was in last place in the division and last in attendance, too, prompting owner John Galbraith to pull the trigger. Joe steered the club until November, when Syd Thrift was named GM and Jim Leyland replaced Chuck Tanner. Pete eventually caught on with the Yankees, then joined the Padres and Blue Jays before retiring in 1995. 
• 1988 - RHP Vic Black was born in Amarillo, Texas. The Bucs first round pick in 2009 (49th overall) from Dallas Baptist University, he made the show briefly for Pittsburgh in 2013 before being traded to the Mets as part of the Marlon Byrd deal. He looked like a steal for NY with a two-year line of 5-3-1/2.63 in 56 outings, but injuries to his neck and shoulder derailed his career. 2014 was his last MLB season; he retired in 2018 after minor/indie league stints, returning as a minor league pitching mechanics coordinator for the Pirates in 2020. 
• 1989 - John Smiley struck out nine batters and tossed a complete game in a 5-2 victory over Zane Smith and the Braves in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Glenn Wilson had two hits, including a two-run homer, to lead the attack. The win was Smiley’s fifth in a row en route to winning 12 games for the Bucs that year. The 24-year-old’s 1989 campaign would see him set personal full-time bests in ERA (2.81) and WHIP (1.086). 
• 1993 - RHP Tyler Beede was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. A first round pick of the Giants in 2014 (14th overall) from Vanderbilt, the highly regarded prospect never lived up to his hype at the Bay (5-11/5.39) and was converted from starter to the pen after 2020 TJ surgery. “Beedah” was DFA’ed in 2022 after serious control issues and claimed by the Pirates as a change of scenery candidate. 

Jason Kendall - 1998 Topps Tek 

• 1998 - Jason Kendall had a big if somewhat painful day at Pro Players Stadium against Florida in Pittsburgh’s 10-4 victory. After his first inning single knocked in a run, he was rewarded with a pair of HBPs. JK responded to the bruise cruise with a double & single to plate two more runs and touch the dish once with his following pair of swings, going 3-for-3 with three RBI. Turner Ward also drove in three runs and Tony Womack scored three times. Jon Lieber got the win and Ricardo Rincon was credited with the save. 
• 1999 - Jason Schmidt left after two innings, with the Florida Marlins up, 5-0 (he missed the next start with “dead arm”). But the Bucs came all the way back at Pro Player Stadium to win, 6-5. They did it the hard way, too. They plated their runs on a sac fly, a grounder, an single/error followed by a rap, a wild pitch/missed catch, a double play and then scored the winner in the ninth when Mike Benjamin singled off a glove, went to second on a balk, tagged to third and scored on Al Martin’s blooper that barely cleared short. But the victory was made possible by a great bullpen effort: Jeff Wallace got the win, the save went to Mike Williams and goose eggs were tossed by relievers Chris Peters and Brad Clontz. 
• 2010 - Ryan Doumit had a day as the Bucs walked off with a 3-2, 10-inning win over Atlanta in front of 23,045 fans at PNC Park. The Pirates left the bases loaded in the seventh, failing to add to a 2-1 lead, before former Bucco Eric Hinske homered off Evan Meek to tie the game in the eighth. The game went on quietly when with two outs in the 10th, Dewey jumped on Takashi Saito’s first pitch and knocked it over the RF wall. The blast gave Octavio Dotel the win in a match started by Zach Duke. Doumit’s three hits led the parade; Aki Iwamura and Andrew McCutchen added a pair of knocks apiece. 
• 2016 - In one of PNC Park’s scarier moments, witnessed by 34,529 shaken fans, Pirates pitcher Ryan Vogelsong was hit in the face with an 0-2 fastball by the Rockies Jordan Lyles in the second inning and was carted off the field with facial fractures. Ryan was temporarily blinded in one eye, but his vision slowly recovered to nearly normal. He had surgery and against the odds returned to the mound on August 4th and pitched well (six innings, one run, three hits) in his return. The Bucs, btw, won the match against Colorado by a 6-3 score (Wilfredo Boscan got his first MLB win) and Lyles was introduced to instant karma - he lost the game and then was sent to the minors the next day. 

Vogey - 5/23/2016 photo Gene Puskar/AP

• 2019 - Colorado had run away with the first two games of the series at PNC Park and were threatening to sweep, but today the worm turned. The Pirates scored four runs in the first and had an 8-0 lead after four frames with their unlikely early season ace, Jordan Lyles, on the hill. But with two outs in the sixth (he had retired his 14th Rox in a row to start the inning), the wheels came off - the Rocky Mountain gang banged out five hits with a pair of walks against Lyles and Geoff Hartlieb to close the count to 8-6. It made the fans reach for the nitroglycerine tabs, but proved to be the Rockies last hurrah as the Pirates swatted three long balls in the seventh (Bryan Reynolds, Josh Bell, Starling Marte) and cruised to a 14-6 win. Lyles got the win, though his ERA jumped from 1.97 to 2.81. The Pirates collected 15 hits (three each from Colin Moran and Bell) with Gregory Polanco also going deep. It was the biggest offensive output of the season for Pittsburgh and its largest margin of victory.

Notes: Perez Out For the Year/Catcher Shuffle; Report: Roansy/Yerry Called Up; MiLB Injuries

And the scuffle goes on...

Notes:

• The Pirates opened the week by dropping two-of-three to the Cubs at Wrigley, losing 9-0 & 7-0 before taking a 3-2 victory. Mitch Keller made his first ever MLB appearance out of the bullpen during the series finale, so we'll see where that leads. The Cards then swept the Pirates, with Adam Wainwright leading the charge. The 37 consecutive scoreless innings by Wainwright against the Pirates is the longest stretch of the expansion era (since 1961) v Pittsburgh. Jack Baldschun (1961-64/Phils) and Phil Niekro (1969-71/Atlanta) had 36-inning streaks. In addition, he's allowed one or zero  runs in each of his last nine starts against the Pirates. That's the longest streak by any MLB pitcher against any opponent in the modern era per Stats by Stats.
• Pittsburgh went 42 straight at bats/13 innings before collecting a hit (a Michael Chavis single) on Monday and scored their first run after twenty zippo frames on Wednesday.

Roansy Contreras - 2022 Topps/35th Anniversary

• It's been reported by Hector Gomez of Z101 Digital (a Dominican news station) but not yet confirmed by the Pirates although by other media sources, that RHP Roansy Contreras will be called back to Pittsburgh from Indy. If so, he last started on Thursday, so a Tuesday call up would keep him on schedule. The report also said righty reliever Yerry De Los Santos, who currently isn't on the 40-man, will join him
• On Monday night, C Tyler Heineman became the 41st different player to appear in a game for the Pirates this season. The Bucs had a club-record 64 different players appear in a game last season, including 35 pitchers (plus three position players who also tossed); they've used 21 hurlers so far this year & IFs Diego Castillo & Josh Van Meter with four months+ yet to go.
• SS Kevin Newman began his rehab at Indy on Tuesday. He suffered what the Pirates describe as a a minor hammy issue while there, delaying his return by an undetermined period.
• The Pirates claimed C Tyler Heineman, 30, off waivers from the Blues Jays and DFA'ed C Andrew Knapp, also 30, who couldn't step up after Roberto Perez's injury and lost the seat-warmer spot to Michael Perez. Getting ejected for yapping in the game R Perez was hurt in certainly didn't help his cause, nor did his .129 BA. (Knapp cleared waivers and elected free agency, signing a minor league deal with Seattle) Heineman has a .221 BA over 30 MLB games with Miami, San Francisco and Toronto and has mostly served as an upper level insurance policy. And get used to the pair; Roberto is done - he had season-ending surgery on his hamstring for a ruptured tendon.

Blake Cederlind down again - 2021 photo Mike Carlson/Getty

• RHP Blake Cederlind was just shut down for 4-6 weeks and got a PRP shot. He had Tommy John surgery in 2021 and had started a throwing program in April. 
• RHPs Max Kranick and Miguel Yajure have been placed on the 7-day IL by Indy. Yajure has lower back/hip issues; no clues as to what's ailing Max, although in April he was on the IL with forearm tightness.
• Recently promoted Altoona C Henry Davis was also placed on the 7-day IL with a wrist contusion, later found to be a fracture; recovery time is TBD. The Curve's RHP Carmen Mlodzinski is back in action now, being activated off the IL on Thursday.
• RHP Trevor Cahill signed a minor league deal with the Mets. He tossed in nine games (1-5/6.57) before sitting out the rest of the year with a calf strain as a Pirate last year.

5/22 Through the 1940s: Josh Jolt; Steve's Streak; Expo Fires; Game Tales; HBD Jim, George, Terris the Terrible, Hooks & Tom

• 1884 - RHP Tom McCarthy was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Tom makes today’s list as one of the Bucs flipped so quickly that hardly anyone knew he was here. He started the year as a Red, had one terrible outing and was sold to the Pirates in May. He pitched twice for the Buccos, once as a starter and once in relief, and reversed his fortune by giving up one unearned run and three hits in six frames. Then in mid-June, he was part of a deal with the Boston Doves for Irv Young, joining his third team in a span of 39 days. Tom tossed pretty well for the Beaneaters into 1909, then was traded to the minor league Hartford club (then independent clubs rather than affiliates) for Chick Evans. That was the end of Tom’s baseball road for all intents and purposes - he had two good minor league seasons, then had to retire due to a balky back. 

Hooks Warner - 1919 photo Charles Conlon/RMY Auctions

• 1894 - 3B Hoke “Hooks” Warner was born in Del Rio, Texas. Hooks played for the Bucs in 1916 as the starting third baseman after being purchased from Dayton in August and returned for cups of coffee in 1917 and 1919 (he spent 1918 in the army). Warner hit .232 over that span, and would play just 14 more MLB games with the Chicago Cubs in 1921. In retirement, he managed a local restaurant. 
• 1900 - Exposition Park was plagued by a series of fires set in the stands. The Pittsburgh Press wrote that “It is believed the fires were started by persons who formerly held passes but whom the new management refuses to recognize,” referring to small stockholders who were cut out of the action by new owner Barney Dreyfuss and apparently took the loss of their perks to heart. 
• 1910 - RHP Terris McDuffie was born in Mobile, Alabama. Originally a speedy but poor-hitting outfielder, he later converted to pitching and won over 170 games. He played baseball for 25 years in the Negro, Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Venezuelan and California Winter leagues with some time in the minors. He pitched for the Homestead Grays in 1941, going 12-8/3.12 and starting in the All-Star game (he was a three-time Negro League AS). McDuffie was a flashy player; he wore a jacket that had “McDuffie the Great” embroidered across the back and went by the nicknames of Speed, Elmer the Great, Terris the Terrible, Schoolboy and Payaso (a person who likes to clown around). 
• 1921 - In their initial meeting of the season, the first place Pirates defeated the second place NY Giants, 8-6, at the Polo Grounds. After trailing for most of the game, the Pirates scored twice in the eighth and six times in the ninth. Possum Whitted went 3-for-3 with a homer, George Cutshaw went 4-for-5 with two doubles, Cotton Tierney added three knocks and Max Carey belted a four-bagger. Wilbur Cooper went the distance for the win. It was a 2-0 game in favor of Gotham going into the eighth; the G-Men had no quit in them either and scored once in the eighth and three times in the ninth to keep it competitive. NY lost that battle but won the war; the Giants took the 1921 NL title by four games from the Bucs. 

Glenn Wright - 1925 photo National Photo Co./Library of Congress

• 1925 - The Bucs scored five times in the first inning, keyed by Glenn Wright’s three-run homer, and then didn’t score again until the 10th, but it was enough to edge the NY Giants, 6-5, at the Polo Grounds. Pie Traynor shot a liner off pitcher Wayland Dean’s shin that ricocheted into short RF for a double and scored on a two-out knock by George Grantham for the game winner. Vic Aldridge got the win; Dean was a hard luck loser, working 9-2/3 innings of one-run relief only to get tagged with the loss (and a bruise). 
• 1932 - Mt. Pleasant’s Steve Swetonic, a Pitt grad, had his scoreless innings streak snapped at 26 frames when Pepper Martin hit a seventh inning solo homer, but ended up with a three-hit, 5-1 win over Dizzy Dean and the St. Louis Cardinals at Sportsman’s Park. Steve would finish 11-6/2.86 for the year, but a bum arm short-circuited his career; he would have only one more healthy season left, missing all of 1934 and retiring in 1935. 
• 1937 - OF George Spriggs was born in Jewell, Maryland. The Bucs signed the speedy Spriggs from the fading Negro Leagues and he led the AA Southern and AAA International League in stolen bases from 1964-66. In 56 games for the Pirates from 1965-67, Spriggs hit just .182 though he was 5-for-5 in stolen bases. He got two more MLB years as a bench guy for the Kansas City Royals. George also logged time in Mexico, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and independent leagues in addition to his 10-year minor league stint. 
• 1946 - Josh Gibson hit a homer that traveled an estimated 490’ over the left center wall at Forbes Field to lead the Homestead Grays to an 11-8 victory over the New York Black Yankees. Gibson hit .379 that season and led the Negro League with 16 homers in 49 games. It was the opener for the defending Negro National League champion Grays, played in front of 5,000 fans. Homestead CF’er Jerry Benjamin led both teams with four hits. 

Josh Gibson - 1993 Ted Williams

• 1946 - Coach Jim Colborn was born in Santa Paula, California. He pitched for a decade in the show - he was the Brewers first 20-game winner and tossed a no-hitter for KC - then went to LA as a pitching coach after his playing days. Colborn followed Jim Tracy to the Pirates in the 2006 offseason. He got into an infamous shouting match with Jack Wilson on a ball that dropped between three Buccos, didn’t have much luck in developing the Pirates young pitchers, and was let go after the 2007 campaign. He caught on with the Texas Rangers as a bullpen coach and then as their Pacific Rim coordinator.