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8/6 Through the 1960s: Danny's 1st, Bats Bang, Bud Gifts Self, Fore, Game Days, Fred To Philly, TSN Woodie, HBD Stan, Steve, Clem, Bud H, Bud S, Brownie & Jim

Thursday, August 6, 2026 7:33

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1860 – Utilityman Jim McDonald was born in San Francisco. He spent most of his brief career with the Alleghenys in 1884, batting .159 while playing 2B, 3B and the outfield. Though he only got into 43 big league games for three teams between 1884-85, he did have a long minor league career on the coast, mostly playing in the California League from 1878-94. When he was done, he stayed in the game as an umpire, spending four years as an NL arbiter.

1875 – LHP John “Brownie” Foreman was born in Maryland. He tossed for two big league campaigns, spending 1895-96 with the Pirates before being released and finishing out his second year with the Reds where he joined his brother Frank, also a hurler. Brownie, who came up as a 19-year-old, went 11-9-2/4.25 with the Bucs. He played pro ball from 1893-1900, with nine different stops in the minors, and after his baseball days he became a policeman.

1881 – 1B Bayard “Bud” Sharpe was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Bud played in the majors in 1905, then again in 1910 for three teams, and one of the clubs was the Pirates. He opened 1910 with them and went 3-for-16 in four games before being traded to Boston as part of the Kirby White deal. The Penn Stater was also a noted soccer player, spending his off season as a booter. Sharpe was a player and manager in the minors along as a scout for Boston, but he was plagued by health problems and eventually succumbed to tuberculosis at age 34.

1902 – The Pirates shut out the Giants 2-0 to sweep a four-game set against New York at Exposition Park, as Jack Chesbro beat Dummy Taylor in five innings of a rain-shortened affair. Ginger Beaumont and Tommy Leach scored first-inning runs on a hit by Kitty Bransfield and a Giant error. Tempers did flare, although not between players. The Giants’ Jimmy Jones knocked the mask off umpire Bob Emslie while arguing a strike call and was suspended for the season. The Pirates beat a lot of teams that year; they won the NL pennant by 27-1/2 games with a record of 103-36.

Bud Hafey – 1979 Diamond Greats

1912 – OF Bud Hafey was born in Sacramento, California. He spent three years in the show, hitting .222 as a Pirate in 1935-36. His cousin, OF Chick Hafey of the Cards/Reds, apparently inherited the deep end of the Hafey baseball gene pool and was elected to the Hall of Fame. Bud only got one full season of major league ball, spending most of 1930-41 in the minors.

1913 – Christy Mathewson was tagged for nine runs on 10 hits in five innings at Forbes Field as the Pirates took a 9-1 victory from New York. One Giants player speculated that manager John McGraw left his ace in so long because Matty had gone golfing at Schenley Park before the game, a sport that Muggsy thought was bad for pitchers’ arms. Ralph Davis of the Pittsburgh Press wrote “Whether golf or something else was responsible, it is certain that Mathewson took the drubbing of his long career.” George McQuillan went the distance for the win.

1926 – RHP Clem Labine was born in Lincoln, Rhode Island. The 13-year vet spent his last full-time days with the Bucs in 1960-61. The Pirates signed him in mid-August after the Tigers released him as a complement to ElRoy Face. In 15 games through the remainder of the season, he slashed 3-0-3/1.48, helping the Pirates to the pennant. After the ‘61 season (4-1-8/3.69), he finished out his MLB days, appearing in three games for the New York Mets in 1962 at the age of 35. One of the early closers who bloomed in the 50’s, his 96 career saves ranked fourth in major league history when he retired. Clem went on to work in the sporting goods business and died at the age of 80 in Florida, where he was still baseballin’ by taking part in a Dodger fantasy camp.

1930 – In a roundabout manner, the Bucs sent 23-year-old OF Fred Brickell to Philadelphia for 26-year-old OF Denny Sothern. The trade deadline had passed, so both centerfielders had to be waived past the Boston Braves and Cincinnati Reds as both sat beneath the Pennsylvania clubs in the standings. But Boston had a young CF’er waiting in the wings and the Reds weren’t looking to add any late season payroll, so the waiver gambit worked as hoped. It was much ado about nothing – Southern was a fizzle, hitting .176 for the rest of the year for Pittsburgh before being sent to the minors; he played 19 games for Brooklyn in 1931 to finish his MLB career. Brickell was given through 1931 to earn a starting spot in Philly, but hit just .250. He got into 53 more games over the next two years and was released; he retired from baseball in 1936.

Fred Brickell – 1927 Conlon Collection/Detroit Public Library

1935 – OF Bud Hafey became one of three Pirates to hit his first homer on his birthday (Howie Camnitz & Konnor Griffin are the others), but he was the only Bucco to cross the plate this day as Pittsburgh fell to the Chicago Cubs 2-1, posting eight hits but stranding nine runners at Wrigley Field.

1941 – The Bucs banged out 13 hits and drew nine walks to romp over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, 13-3. Every Bucco starter sent at least a run home and 8-of-9 scored. Maurice Van Robays smacked a pair of doubles and had three RBI; Bob Elliott had a day with three hits, three runs scored and a pair of runs chased home. Rip Sewell stole the show – he went the distance, posted two hits including a homer and scored three times.

1954 – The Pirates took both games of a doubleheader against the Cardinals at Forbes Field behind an unexpected surge by OF Preston Ward. He homered and pushed across three runs in the opener, a 7-3 win. Frank Thomas also went deep. Then Ward added three knocks, including a triple, and three more RBI in the nightcap, a 6-5 victory. Dick Littlefield went tape-to-tape to win game one; Johnny Hetki took the game two victory after relieving starter Laurin Pepper.

1955 – C Steve Nicosia was born in Paterson, NJ. A platoon and reserve catcher, he was with Pittsburgh for six years (1978-83) after being selected in the first round of the 1973 draft. He wasn’t much of a lumberjack, hitting .248 as a Buc and getting just one knock in the 1979 World Series, though he did call and catch the seventh game victory. He also had an inexplicable knack for hitting against Steve Carlton (.339 as a Buc). Steve caddied for Ed Ott/Tony Pena and was traded to San Francisco for Milt May in 1983 before retiring in 1985.

Steve Nicosia – 1980 Topps

1957 – The third time was the charm as rookie manager Danny Murtaugh won his first MLB game when the Pirates snapped an eight-game losing streak by taking a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Forbes Field. Gene Freese belted a two-run homer and Bob Skinner chased home a pair of runs, providing Ronnie Kline enough support to go the distance for a five-hit victory while breaking his personal seven-game losing string. Murtaugh, who was hired on an interim basis after first base coach Clyde Sukeforth was offered the job but turned it down (Clyde recommended Danny), led the Bucs to a 26-25 record. The “Whistling Irishman” was named full-time manager for 1958, finished second and won the Associated Press Manager of the Year award.

1959 – The Pirates started off on fire, scoring three times in their opening frame, took a little snooze and then erupted for 14 more runs in the last two innings, including 10 tallies in the ninth on 10 hits, to roll over the Cards 18-2 at Busch Stadium. Smoky Burgess went 5-for-6 with a homer, two doubles and six RBI, Bill Virdon went deep and pushed five runs across the plate and Rocky Nelson doubled twice and scored four times. In all, the Bucs banged out 23 hits against five Redbird hurlers and made Harvey Haddix’s complete game, seven-hit win a breeze, at least for the final two frames.

1966 – RHP Stan Belinda was born in Huntingdon, PA. The sidewinder started his career as a Buc (1989-93) after being a 10th round draft pick in 1986, posting a slash of 19-15-61/3.52 in Pittsburgh. Stan went on to have a 12-year MLB stay, mainly pitching in a set-up role. His stay here is mainly remembered for him being the guy who gave up Francisco Cabrera’s single to score Sid Bream with the winning run in the 1992 NLCS loss to Atlanta. He was traded at the 1993 deadline to Kansas City and tossed for six different clubs through the 2000 campaign.

1966 – Woodie Fryman was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Pride of the Pirates.” It was Fryman’s rookie campaign, and he put up a 12-9/3.83 slash during a year the Bucs won 92 games to finish the year third behind the Los Angeles Dodgers by three games.

Source: https://oldbucs.blogspot.com/2026/08/86-through-1960s-dannys-1st-bats-bang.html

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