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

Sunday, July 7, 2024 7:35

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

Billy Herman – undated photo via Sportsworld

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

Reb Russell – 1923 photo Conlon Collection/TSN

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

Chuck Goggin – photo via Mainline Autograph

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

Source: https://oldbucs.blogspot.com/2024/07/77-through-1950s-b-2-bx2-maz-debut-pie.html

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