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8/2 Through 1974: Big Red Sixer, Grays-KC, Wright On, Game Tales; Pops On SI, TSN Mateo, Roman Romp, Shutout Sweeps, Hot Hans, Run/Inning; HBD Tim, Wilmer & Bucky

Friday, August 2, 2024 7:35

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1881 – RHP Frederick W. “Bucky” Veil (he went to Bucknell) was born in Tyrone. He only pitched two MLB seasons (1903-04), both for the Bucs, as his career was cut short by malaria bouts. He did have a good arm; Honus Wagner predicted “…A brilliant future for the promising star…” in the Pittsburgh Press, although his health held him to just five career victories. He holds the distinction of being the first relief pitcher in a World Series, when he tossed seven innings against Boston in 1903 after replacing an injured Sam Leever in game two, giving up just one run. He finished his career in the minors, tossing through 1909. He stayed in baseball as player/manager for the Cresson RR team and coach of St. Francis College.
1894 – The Pirates set a club record by scoring in 14 straight innings during a 7-4 loss to the St. Louis Browns when they plated a run in the first. They started the streak on July 31st, beating Cincinnati, 11-10, while scoring in the last five frames, and then tallied in all eight frames on August 1st against the Reds, winning by a 15-5 count. The games were played at Expo Park. One footnote to the game: the infield fly rule was new, and what the Pittsburgh Press called “a puzzling play” occurred when pitcher Red Ehret missed an infield pop (not intentionally) that had been called an infield fly by the ump. The runner on first took off (the original rule stated he had to remain on first), the pitcher threw the ball into center field and all sorts of hilarity broke out until the Pirates had, per the Press, “a sudden awakening” and tagged first for the forceout.
1905 – Temper, temper, Hans: In the course of a 3-1 loss to the New York Giants, Honus Wagner was called out on a bang-bang play at first. Hot at the decision, he fired a baseball past umpire George Bausewine’s noggin during warmups the next inning. The Flying Dutchman was ejected, then later suspended by the league for three games and banged with a $40 fine.
1907 – The Big Train, Walter Johnson, lost his debut outing, 3-2, to Ty Cobb’s Tigers. But before then, he was this close to being a Buc instead of a Senator: the Pittsburgh Pirates had wanted to try him out, but refused to guarantee his $9 train fare back home if he didn’t make the team. Instead, Johnson signed with the DC nine for $350 a month, a $100 bonus and a train ticket according to Biography.yourdictionary.com. The Big Train went on to win 417 games for the Senators during his Hall of Fame career and went on to manage the club.

Harry Pulliam – 1906 Sporting Life

1909 – National League President Harry Pulliam was buried in Louisville. In his honor (and for the first time in baseball history) both National and American League games were postponed and the teams wore black armbands in his memory for the remainder of the season. Harry had been the Pirates team president prior to that, and is widely credited with convincing Honus Wagner to leave Louisville and join him in Pittsburgh among his other accomplishments.
1922 – RHP Wilmer Fields was born in Manassas, Virginia. Fields was a 6’3”, 220 lb. quarterback at Virginia State when the Homestead Grays discovered him and his fastball. Wilmer spent from 1940-48 with the team as a two-way player: not only did he win 102 games from the hill, but he was used as a utility man off the bench, playing 2B, 3B, SS, catcher and the OF. After the Grays folded he went on to win an amazing seven MVP awards in four different Latin and indie leagues. Though in the right era, he never played MLB ball, turning down several offers because the pay was too low ($4,500 was the going rate for rookies in those days) and also because as an indie player his wife could attend all his games, an impossibility for a major-league spouse. A Wilmer factoid: He was variously known as Bill, Red and Chinky. They were in reference to his light skin color, which led him to become known jokingly among his teammates as “the man who integrated the Homestead Grays.” He also continued his college education during the off-season, and after his playing days became an alcohol abuse counselor, wrote his autobiography and served as the first president of the Negro League Baseball Players Association.
1928 – The Pirates scored 12 runs in the first three innings and ran away with an 18-4 laugher over the Phillies at the Baker Bowl. Glenn Wright (five RBI) and George Grantham (who scored four times) cranked out early three-run homers to pace the attack. Three more runs were driven in by both Pie Traynor and Fred Bickell, setting the table for an easy Burleigh Grimes win.
1930 – Playing at night under Kansas City’s portable light system, the Homestead Grays’ 44-year-old hurler, Smokey Joe Williams, spun a one-hitter (an eighth-inning bloop) and struck out 27 batters to defeat the Monarchs’ Chet Brewer, who gave up four hits & fanned 19, including 10 in a row starting in the seventh inning, by a 1-0 count in a fiercely contested 12-inning matchup. Oscar Charleston scored the game’s only run when he walked – the first free pass of the game – and eventually scored on Chaney White’s single. Not only were the pitchers masterful, but both were also masters of doctoring the horsehide, an especially effective ploy at night. Per the Pittsburgh Courier “The opposing pitchers were cheating without the question of a doubt. An emery ball in daylight is very deceptive but at night it is about as easy to see as an insect in the sky.” Still, Grays’ owner Cum Posey later called it “the greatest pitching battle of the Grays’ history…”

Erv Brame – 1930 photo TSN Collection/Getty

1931 – The Pirates stopped the Cincinnati Reds, 3-0, at Forbes Field behind Erv Brame to sweep the series. It was the team’s third straight shutout over the Redlegs and its’ fourth whitewash in a row. Paul Waner posted three hits, scored two times and drove in a run while Tommy Thevenow also kicked in with three knocks and chased a pair of Bucco teammates home.
1954 – Roman Mejias, a 23-year-old second-year Cuban outfielder in the Pirates system (Class B Waco), had his 55-game hitting streak snapped. Mejias’ streak was the third-longest in minor league ball; the record is held by Joe Wilhoit, who collected a hit in 69 straight games with Wichita of the Western Association 1919. During the streak, Mejias batted .419 with 19 doubles, five triples and seven home runs while driving home 67 runs and plating 56 times. He hit .358 on the year and was called up the following season, spending six campaigns with the Buccos as a back-up outfielder. His MLB stick never matched his minor league performance; he hit .245 as a Bucco and .254 over his nine-year career.
1960 – The Pirates defeated the Dodgers, 3-0, at Forbes Field behind Vern Law’s five-hitter. Roberto Clemente’s arm was a game breaker. He threw behind Norm Larker at first to catch him rounding the base too aggressively after a single, and then played Johnny Roseboro’s ball into the RF corner perfectly, holding the Dodgers to a single that was followed by a DP. The Bucco glovework was contagious; earlier in the game, Frank Howard was nailed going to third on a Bill Virdon to Dick Groat to Don Hoak trifecta with the Tiger climbing the ladder on a high relay and coming down with the tag. Pittsburgh took the lead in the seventh when Bill Mazeroski rolled a single up the middle to score Joe Christopher. But the play of the game came in the next frame when Dodger hurler Stan Williams mishandled a bunt, leading eventually to a two-out, two-run double by Dick Groat that kept Pittsburgh three games ahead of Milwaukee and four up on LA.
1966 – Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield was born in Melbourne, Florida. The RH spent his first two seasons (1992-93) as a Buc and went 14-12 with a 4.17 ERA. After a fairly terrible year in AAA Buffalo in 1994, he was released and then spent the next 17 years in Boston, winning 187 games and making an All-Star appearance before hangin’ ‘em up after the 2011 season at the age of 44. Tim is now the NESN studio analyst for the Boston Red Sox.

1969 – Matty Alou was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Pirate Treasure.” He was a treasure in his second All-Star season, leading the league in hits (231), plate appearances (746), at-bats (698) and doubles (41). His .331 BA was the fifth highest in the majors.
1970 – Pittsburgh outslugged the Braves, 10-7, at Atlanta Stadium behind the hot sticks of Bob Robertson and John Jeter. Robertson went long twice and drove home six runs; the other four runs were chased home by Jeter, who also went yard. Dock Ellis was credited with the win, although Dave Giusti made it interesting in the ninth by giving up three runs on back-to-back Bravo home runs. The victory moved the Bucs back into first place, a game ahead of the Mets.
1971 – Willie Stargell was the cover boy for Sports Illustrated as part of the feature article “Pittsburgh Overpowers the East.” The Bucs did just that, taking the division crown, National League title and World Series championship with 31-year-old Captain Willie leading the way with 48 long balls, 125 RBI, .295 BA and a .628 slugging % as he lifted his game to another level.
1974 – The Bucs took advantage of a couple of Redbird miscues to take a 3-2, 14-inning match from St. Louis at Three Rivers Stadium, snapping a six-game Cardinal winning streak. The Bucs legit run scored on an Al Oliver solo homer. Pittsburgh scored a second run when the Cards muffed a double play. The winner came home after the Cards had already cut down one run at the plate but blew the chance at a second. Richie Hebner singled with two outs and Ed Kirkpatrick at second; he scored uncontested when C Ted Simmons (a future Pirates GM) drifted up the line to track the throw home when he should have covered the plate. 1B Joe Torre had slid over to cut the offline peg and spun to relay the ball only to find Simmons nowhere near the dish, but still 10’ up the baseline. Ramon Hernandez got the win, following Larry Demery and Dave Giusti.

Source: https://oldbucs.blogspot.com/2024/08/82-through-1974-big-red-sixer-grays-kc.html

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