6/7 Through the 1960s: Manny's 1st, Bloop & Blast, Big Bob Deals, MVR Hot, Klein Signs, Game Day, No Walk; HBD Bill, Roy, Les & Bones

1863 – SS William “Bones” Ely was born in North Girard, just outside Erie. If you’ve ever wondered who held down the shortstop position before Honus Wagner, wonder no more – Bones is the man. Ely played for the Alleghenys/Pirates from 1896-1901, and was a good glove man who hit .256 for Pittsburgh. He was released in the summer of 1901, the Bucs first pennant-winning year, at the age of 38 and his spot was taken by Hans. If you saw Ely, his nickname’s origin would be apparent – Ely was 6’1” and 155 pounds soaking wet.

1907 – Les Biederman was born in Wilkinsburg. He was the Pittsburgh Press Pirates beat reporter for 31 years (1939-69), penned “The Scoreboard” column and served as The Sporting News’ Pittsburgh correspondent. Les was also president of the BBWAA and named “Sportswriter of the Year” in 1960 by a couple of national organizations. He passed on in 1981.

1911 – Talk about pitching to contact: Pirates hurlers had the Giants beating the ball into the dirt all day as Pittsburgh fielders handled 55 total chances for a MLB record 28 assists and 27 putouts. Unfortunately, there were more than a couple that got away, as the Bucs committed seven errors (it was contagious; the Giants chipped in five boots of their own) with miscues charged to five different Pirates on their way to a 9-4 loss to New York at Forbes Field. The Pittsburgh Press lede was “The Pittsburgh Pirates were defeated by the New York Giants…in a genuine comedy of errors. The Buccaneers made as many bungles as bingles while the Giants ran a close second in the foozle column.” Both teams straightened out – John McGraw’s G-Men won the NL with 99 victories while Fred Clarke’s Pirates finished third with an 85-69 slate, 16 games in the dust. 

1926 - C Leroy “Roy” Jarvis was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The Bucs took Jarvis from Brooklyn in the 1944 Rule 5 Draft. He served in the Navy for two years, coming back for two games in 1946 and spending most of 1947 at AA Indianapolis, getting into 18 Pirates games and swatting his first and only MLB home run against the Cincinnati Reds on April 18th, but batting just .156. After that stint, he played for six organizations in the minors through 1955 before retiring at age 29. Per John Dreker of Pirates Prospects, he was given the nickname “Sweet Milk” in the minor leagues after a teammate decided he had to be “nursed” in the ways of a pro ballplayer.

1939 – The Bucs signed former All-Star/triple crown winner and future Hall-of-Famer OF Chuck Klein, who was released by Philadelphia. Klein, 34, hit .300 in 85 games for Pittsburgh and then returned to the Phils as a free agent. The Bucs released another future Hall of Famer at the end of his career, Heinie Manush, to make roster room for Klein.

Chuck Klein – 1939 Play Ball

1940 – LF Maurice Van Robays went 4-for-5 with a 2B, 3B and five RBI to lead Pittsburgh to a 10-5 win over Philadelphia at Forbes Field. Paul Waner and Arky Vaughan added three hits apiece as every Pirates starting position player had a hit plus run scored and/or RBI. Mace Brown, the starter, was chased early and gave up all the Phil scores; Johnny Lanning finished out the final 7-1/3 innings surrendering just three hits; neither Buc hurler registered a K.

1946 – An hour before the game, the Pirates voted against a walkout in support of the American Baseball Guild, which was pushing for a minimum salary of $7‚500‚ arbitration of salary disputes‚ and players sharing in 50 percent of any team sale price. The motion actually carried by a 20-16 vote, but needed a 2/3 majority. The Bucs took out their frustrations on the New York Giants, 10-5, behind a 15 hit attack. Every Pittsburgh starter, including winning pitcher Ed Bahr, reached base via hit/walk and all the boys but C Bill Salkeld either scored and/or chased runs home.

1955 – Ump Bill Hohn was born in Butler. He spent a decade calling games in the minors with a couple of part-time MLB shots, and was hired by the NL full time in 1989. He worked the 1994 All-Star Game, three NLDS sets and was the plate umpire for Hideo Nomo’s 1996 no-hitter. Hohn took a hiatus from 1999-2001 when he was part of the umpire gang that resigned in an effort to get a new labor deal, and didn’t get reinstated until the 2002 season. Bill’s last campaign was in 2010; he sat out 2011 with back/neck injuries and retired in 2012. 

1964 – Bob Veale tied Babe Adam’s 1909 record with 12 K against Houston at Forbes Field, but watched the bullpen implode in the ninth inning to give the Colt .45’s a 6-3 win, with the big blows a pair of two-run raps, a single by Rusty Staub followed by John Bateman’s homer, both off Fred Green. Veale’s reaction – “I’m angry at myself for not finishing.” Veale would later shatter his record with 16 strikeouts in 1965. It was the first game of a twin bill, and Vern Law did finish the nightcap, winning 6-1 behind Bill Virdon’s three hits and a Bill Mazeroski homer.

Roberto – 1966 Kahn’s Wieners

1966 – Bob Gibson K’ed four Pirates in the fourth inning – Jerry Lynch, Jim Pagliaroni, Bill Mazeroski and Don Cardwell – to tie a record held by several (Maz reached on a wild pitch third strike). Gibson had the Bucs eating out of his hand, going into the eighth with 12 K and a 1-1 score, dueling with Don Cardwell. But that was the end of his rope; the Pirates plated eight times on the way to a 9-1 victory. Roberto Clemente was the boss man with three hits, including a homer, two runs scored and three RBI to back Cardwell, who went the distance by tossing a four-hitter. The game involved a couple of streaks: it was the first time Cardwell had whipped the Redbirds since 1962, and Gibby ended Willie Stargell’s batting streak at nine straight hits, one shy of tying the NL record.

1967 – Roberto Clemente called a team meeting in New York after a twin bill loss left the Pirates six games out of first place. The Great One told Les Beiderman of the Pittsburgh Press: “I called this meeting to talk things out. If you have any gripes about the manager, about me or anybody else now speak up. We can settle it here.” The clan gathering was presumably to smooth the roiling waters between the players and manager Harry Walker, of whom Clemente said “We must stop blaming others and blame ourselves. It’s one thing not to like the manager and another not to play your best for him.” It helped in the short-term as the Pirates won 4-of-5, but not in the long run. The team finished 81-81 and in sixth place, 20-1/2 games behind St. Louis. 

1967 – Tommie Sisk spun a five-hit, complete game 3-0 shutout against the Mets at Forbes Field, backed by a bloop and a blast. The bloop was a two-run flare dropped by Manny Mota in the second and the blast was Willie Stargell’s 100th homer in the sixth, a shot that cleared the 436’ mark in right center field. Though Tommie only had one whiff, he was masterful – three of the hits were infield knocks, another a bad-hop chop and the fifth a line-hugging grounder. It was the third time that Sisk went the distance for the Bucs in eight starts.

1969 - Manny Sanguillen hit his first MLB homer and added a double to drive in three runs as the Bucs dusted the Braves 10-2 at Atlanta Stadium. Roberto Clemente stepped up, too, going  4-for-5 with a three-run homer and triple while Matty Alou chipped in with three raps. Steve Blass went tape-to-tape on the bump, dishing out a six-hitter with six whiffs.