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8/8: Bucs Sold to Galbreath Group, B-2-B-2-B, Cobra 5'er, Manny & Murry da Men, Hit Parades, 3x3 Brain, Zane Deal, Vern Retires, SI Groat, Posey Game; HBD Ross, Brett, Mark, Elzie & Billy

Friday, August 8, 2025 7:01

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1865 – RHP Billy Gumbert was born on Frankstown Avenue in Pittsburgh’s East End. He played for the Alleghenys in 1890 and the Pirates in 1892, with a pitching line of 7-8/3.93 and a .200 BA (he also played a little OF and 1B). Per John Dreker of Pittsburgh Baseball History, Billy was only available for home games because he owned & operated a business in Pittsburgh, so he worked “as needed” without a contract – he got a $15 game fee. His brother, Ad Gumbert, was also a major leaguer twirler and pitched for the Bucs from 1893-94.
1893 – Pittsburgh swept a DH from the Chicago Colts, 17-10 and 9-8, at Exposition Park. George Van Haltren, Denny Lyons and Joe Sugden (2B & 3B) each had three hits in the opener to give Ad Gumbert the win. In the nitecap, the Colts scored three times in the ninth to go up by four; the Pirates answered with a five spot, keyed by Lyons, who tripled with the bases loaded to tie the game and then scored the winning run. Lyons had six hits on the day. Red Ehret, who went the distance, got the victory. The fans were into the comeback victory; per the Pittsburgh Press “Not at Exposition Park this year has there been such a scene of excitement and enthusiasm…Lyon’s hit (the ninth inning triple in the second game) caused the wildest scene ever seen here for many a day. There were nearly 6,000 people and they all stood up and yelled themselves hoarse. Hats were flying in all directions.” The crowd had been stirred up by Colt manager Cap Anson, who “…indulge(d) in some very jeering talk” after Chicago took the lead per the Press, and then got to enjoy eating his own words as a post-game snack.
1903 – RHP Elzie Clise Dudley was born in Graham, North Carolina. He tossed for five years in the majors, putting up a line of 17-33-2/5.03, with his last MLB outing (and only appearance) with the Pirates in 1933, when he gave up five runs on six hits and a walk in 1/3 IP against Boston. He’s noted for two things: As a Pirate, his 135.00 ERA/21.000 WHIP are franchise records (not in a good way). A better standard was set as a Brooklyn Robin in 1929, when Dudley became the second player (and the first pitcher) to hit a homer on the first pitch thrown to him.

Dave Brain – 1909-11 American Tobacco

1905 – Second baseman Dave Brain, who hit three triples in a game for St. Louis against the Pirates earlier in the season, repeated the performance against Boston after being traded to Pittsburgh, becoming the only player to triple-triple twice in one season. Pittsburgh defeated the Beaneaters, 5-4, in 10 innings at Exposition Park, with Mike Lynch getting the win in relief of Sam Leever. Brain, who went 4-for-5, had the game winning knock, a single to score Tommy Leach. Davy had quite the day; the Pittsburgh Gazette wrote “Not only did Brain bat well, but he fielded in fine style, and some of the plays made by him were decidedly sensational.” 1905 was his only year with Pittsburgh; he hit .257 as a 3B/SS before being flipped to Boston as part of the Vic Willis trade.
1922 – The Pirates lined, drilled, dribbled and blooped a major league record 46 hits during a doubleheader sweep against the Phillies at Shibe Park. Bucco SS Rabbit Maranville made a record 13 plate appearances during the day. The team had 27 knocks, a franchise record, in their 19-8 rout in the opening match. Reb Russell went 5-for-5 with a homer, two doubles, five runs and seven RBI while Cotton Tierney had four hits, scored five runs and drove in five. Tierney went 4-for-5 in the nitecap with four RBI and Russell doubled three times as the Bucs banged out 19 hits in a 7-3 brooming of Philadelphia. Tierney and Russell each recorded eight hits during the twin bill.
1938 – A federal court ruled that KQV Radio could not broadcast games without the permission of the Pirates, who had sold game radio rights to KDKA/WWSW. The sly KQV broadcasters perched on Oakland rooftops, using that as their play-by-play roost and thus pirating the Pirates contests. The judge’s decision etched in stone that the controlling rights of game coverage belonged to the teams, a huge part of the clubs’ ka-ching today.
1946 – Bill Benswanger, representing the Dreyfuss family, sold the Bucs to a group headed by Frank McKinney, Tom Johnson and John Galbreath, with Bing Crosby as one of the minority investors. The price was reported to be $2.5M. The Galbreath group controlled the Pirates until 1985 when he sold the club to a group of local business and civic leaders, the Pittsburgh Associates, who baby-sat the club for another decade.

Pgh Press 8-8-1946

1946 – In a Forbes Field night game, the Homestead Grays topped the Baltimore Elite Giants, 7-4, in a Negro League game witnessed by 6,000 fans. It was dedicated to Cum Posey. The owner, who had died earlier in the year, was commemorated with a scholarship award in his name that the contest helped to fund. Two pups, the Grays’ 23-year-old Wilmer Fields and 22-year-old Joe Black of the Giants, faced off from the hill. The Homestead hitting stars were Luis Marquez, who was a homer shy of the cycle, and Buck Leonard, who added a pair of raps.
1952 – Murry Dickson did it all for the Bucs. He not only pitched a 10-inning, six-hit, 1-0 shutout against the Cubs at Forbes Field, but drove in the game’s only run. Joe Garagiola led off the 10th with a single, and Brandy Davis, who had just been called up from Waco and didn’t arrive at the park until 7:30, was sent in to pinch run. A grounder moved him up a station, and with two down, Dickson hit a ball toward the SS hole. Roy Smalley made a diving stop to knock the ball down, but that didn’t slow down the speedster Davis who raced home on the infield knock.
1957 – RHP Mark Ross was born in Galveston, Texas. Mark got six fairly brief stops in the show, two of them with Pittsburgh, in 1987 and his last go-around in 1990. In 10 Pittsburgh outings, he went 1-0/3.95. Ross pitched for Team USA in 1987 and served as a minor league coach in the Atlanta Braves system.
1960 – Dick Groat was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the story “Fiery Leader of the Pirates.” The team captain and All-Star became the first Pirate to be named MVP since Paul “Big Poison” Waner in their last pennant year of 1927 and led the league with a .325 BA.

1961 – The Bucs swept a twin bill against the Phils by 10-2, 3-2, scores at Connie Mack Stadium, running Philadelphia’s losing streak to 12 games. Harvey Haddix and Tom Sturdivant spun the ball nicely while Smoky Burgess went 5-for-5 in the opener with a homer and four RBI while Don Hoak added five hits during the afternoon, also launching a long ball. The frustrated Phillies didn’t go down without a fight – in the sixth inning of the nightcap, Roberto Clemente threw out the tying run, Tony Gonzalez, at the plate. Catcher Hal Smith was spiked high and applied a hard tag; Gonzalez took a poke at him and the fireworks erupted. The ensuing basebrawl went on for nearly 10 minutes, left both managers (Danny Murtaugh & Gene Mauch) battered (Mauch ended up with a shiner) and had seven different individual battles going on before peace was restored. The umps, who perhaps wisely stayed out of the fray and oddly didn’t toss a soul, had two of Philadelphia’s finest sit on each teams’ bench for the remainder of the contest.
1963 – Injuries drove RHP Vern Law to the voluntarily retired list. But the Deacon returned with a vengeance to win 12 games in 1964, and in 1965, at the age of 35, he led the Pirates with 17 victories and a 2.15 ERA. He was honored with the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award as comeback player of the year. But the injuries finally wore him down and the Deacon retired permanently after the 1967 campaign.
1963 – RHP Brett Gideon was born in Ozona, Texas. He was a sixth round pick of the Pirates in 1985 and made his debut in 1987. He worked in 29 games and posted a 1-5-3/4.46 line. He was traded to Montreal for Neal Heaton in 1989, and only got in five games in two Expo seasons. Brett worked in the minors until 1992 before hangin’ up the spikes, and now he’s a pharmo sales director.
1969 – Manny Sanguillen was a homer shy of the cycle and scored three times as he led the Pirates to a 7-1 win over the Padres at San Diego Stadium. The Roadrunner was on a hitting roll, collecting 13 hits in his last 26 at bats. Willie Stargell added a double and two RBI as Bob Veale gave up 11 hits but struck out 10 Friars to claim the win.

The Roadrunner – 1969 Pirates Autograph photo

1974 – Jon Matlock went to the well once too often against Richie Zisk, and paid the price when Zisk banged a walkoff homer in the ninth to drop the Mets, 4-3. Matlock had hung an 0-fer on Richie by starting him off with an inside fastball in his previous four at bats, getting a first-pitch out three times. This time, Zisk was sitting on the pitch and rocketed the heater into the left field stands at TRS. The match had been tied at three since the fourth, with Frank Taveras and Art Howe singles accounting for the Buc runs. It was Jerry Reuss’ 11th win; he gave up six hits in a complete game victory with all three New York runs being unearned.
1977 – The Pirates had jumped out to a 3-0 lead after an inning at TRS, but Chi-town All-Star Rick Reuschel, who would become a Bucco in 1985, settled in after that. By the seventh frame, the Cubs had banged their way back to take a 6-4 lead, but Reuschel struggled as he neared the finish line. In the seventh, he gave up a run after walking Frank Taveras, who stole second and scored on Dave Parker’s rap. Big Daddy got through the eighth inning, but couldn’t hang on in the final frame. Omar Moreno singled, Rennie Stennett doubled, and after a Jim Fregosi lineout, Dave Roberts got the call to face Ed Ott. Maybe they should have let Reuschel face one more batter as Otter drilled a triple off Roberts to walkoff a 7-6 victory. The first inning runs were chased home by Bill Robinson and Al Oliver with a later solo shot by Fernando Gonzalez. Grant Jackson got the win; Bruce Kison and Goose Gossage preceded him on the hill.
1978 – Dave Parker had the first five-hit day of his career with a home run, double, three singles & three RBI while John Milner added a grand slam and Willie Stargell chipped in a pair of raps to chase home the other two runs in a 9-5 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Milner’s big blow was made possible by Chuck Tanner’s timely intervention. After Milner and ump Joe West got into a debate over a call, Tanner stepped in to protect his player and got the heave-ho but saved Milner’s hide by shoving his aggravated outfielder away from West. Don Robinson got the win while Kent Tekulve posted the final five outs.

Phil Garner – 1979 Hostess

1979 – The Pirates survived a rare rough outing by Kent Tekulve in a 5-2, 10-inning win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Jim Bibby and Lynn McGlothen hooked up in a duel, with Teke called on to hold a 2-1 ninth inning lead, following Bibby, Enrique Romo and Grant Jackson. The Cubbies tied the score and Steve Dillard’s single into left looked like it would chase home Steve Ontiveras from second with the game winner. But Bill Robinson came up firing, and though his throw was high and a bit off line, Ed Ott made a leaping grab and came down with the ball, managing to swipe Ontiveras’ leg and keep the game alive. In the 10th, Phil Garner was at bat with two Bucs aboard and the bunt sign on. Skipper Chuck Tanner had a change of heart and had Scrap Iron swing away after the first pitch; two tosses later, he hit one into the left field seats. Teke still struggled to ice it, but Robinson saved his bacon again with a two-out, two-on, diving catch of a sinking liner that was running away from him to close the book. The Pirates extended their lead over Montreal to 1-1/2 games after the victory and eventually won the pennant by finishing two games ahead of the Expos.
1982 – RHP Ross Ohlendorf was born in Austin, Texas. Ohlie pitched for the Pirates from 2008-11 with a line of 13-27/4.60. Ohlendorf was a bit more than a jock; he graduated from Princeton and spent a summer as an intern in Washington for the Department of Agriculture. He also tossed an “immaculate inning” – nine pitches to strike out the side – on September 5th, 2009 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Ohlie tossed in the show for four years and four teams after leaving Pittsburgh, spinning the ball in Japan in 2017 to close out his pro career.
1988 – Rick Reed made his MLB debut memorable by tossing an eight-inning three-hitter to defeat the front-running Mets, 1-0, in front of 38,307 fans at TRS with Jim Gott finishing up with a 1-2-3 ninth. The Pirates’ run was manufactured by Jose Lind’s wheels – he opened the fourth inning with an infield single, stole second, went to third when the throw was off target and scored on a groundout. It was quite the rivalry – the set drew 171,435 fans, the largest four-game series attendance in TRS history. Reed would join New York a decade later and spend five years as a member of their rotation, earning a pair of All Star nods. Meanwhile, upstairs in the booth, Lanny Frattare was broadcasting his 2,000th Bucco game. He had a lot more contests to announce – his Pittsburgh career lasted 33 seasons and he was the Voice of the Pirates for over 5,000 games.

Rick Reed – 8/9/1988 Press photo/Marlene Karas

1990 – The Pirates sent IF Willie Greene, RHP Scott Ruskin and OF Moises Alou to the Montreal Expos for LHP Zane Smith. Greene was a #1 draft pick who played nine seasons, but with a career .234 BA. Ruskin was promising but only lasted through 1993. Alou was a highly regarded prospect who was deemed expendable as he was blocked by OFs Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla. He lived up to his hype. Alou played 17 years, made six All-Star teams while posting a .303 career BA. Smith spent six of his last seven seasons with the Pirates, winning 47 games behind a 3.35 ERA, and was a staff mainstay for the early nineties’ clubs, winning 16 games for the division champs of 1991.
1995 – Orlando Merced, Jeff King and Midre Cummings hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the second inning against the Giants at Candlestick Park, the first time a trio of Bucs had turned that feat in 25 years. King also became the first Bucco to homer twice in the same inning since Jake Stenzel in 1894 (Reggie Sanders matched it in 2003) when he went yard off starter Sergio Valdez and then reliever Terry Mulholland, a deed he’d do again the next season to join Willie McCovey and Andre Dawson as two-timers. The fence-bustin’ Pirates won by a tally of 9-5, scoring all nine runs in that explosive (the Bucs four homers in the inning set a team record) second frame.
2008 – The Bucs took a 2-0, 12-inning win from the Phils at Citizens Bank Park. Steve Pearce’s double and Freddy Sanchez’s two-out infield knock plated the Pittsburgh runs. Craig Hansen got the save for TJ Beam in dramatic fashion. LF Brandon Moss ran down and gloved Chase Utley’s opposite field gapper and his relay doubled Shane Victorino off first to end the game. Six Pirate pitchers allowed just a half-dozen hits, although nine walks led to a dozen stranded Phils.
2011 – The Pirates snapped a 10-game losing streak by beating the Giants, 5-0, at AT&T Park. Charlie Morton threw a six-hitter with ninth inning help from Jose Veras while Garrett Jones’ 4-for-5 day was the highlight of the Buc attack. The sad sack run took the Bucs from five games above .500 to five below, puncturing both their playoff hopes and a shot at finishing with a winning record for the first time since Jim Leyland’s 1992 squad won the flag.

Source: https://oldbucs.blogspot.com/2025/08/88-bucs-sold-to-galbreath-group-b-2-b-2.html

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