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10/24: Maz Released, Trevor Deal, Williams Signed & Swapped, CBA Ok'ed, Nellie On Stage, Stretch Music; HBD Colin, Chris, Arthur, Rafe, Dave, Junior, Reggie, Omar, John, Bill, Cal, Pete, Heinie, Chicken, Jay, Bill & Ned

Thursday, October 24, 2024 7:05

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1857 – IF Ned Williamson was born in Philadelphia. Ned launched his career as a 19-year-old with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1877, when the club’s first incarnation began in the minor league International Association. They were pretty good as the Alleghenys won the league title, albeit with a 13-6 record, and all 12 players on the roster eventually ended up in MLB, notably Williamson, Pud Galvin and Chick Fulmer. Ned hit .173 in 19 games for Pittsburgh and then jumped to the NL Indianapolis Blues the next year. In 1879, he began a 11-year run with the Chicago White Stockings, ending his playing days in 1890 with the Chicago Pirates after a knee injury. He also took part in Al Spalding’s famous World Tour of 1888. Ned died in 1894 at age 36 from tuberculosis.
1858 – 3B Bill Kuehne (his surname was an Ellis Island special; in Germany, it was Knelme) was born in Leipzig, Germany. He played every position but pitcher and catcher, hitting .240 in Pittsburgh (he was with the Alleghenys 1885-89; the Burghers in 1890). His best years were with the Allies, where he batted .299 in 1887 and led the NL with 138 games played in 1888.
1859 – 1B Jacob “Jay” Faatz was born in Weedsport, New York. He began his four-year MLB career with a 29-game audition with the 1884 Alleghenys, batting .241 and then spending the next three years in the minors before getting another big-league opportunity. Faatz was an argumentative player with a knack for sticking out an elbow or knee and getting plunked, and that fiery temperament led him to become a ringleader in the Players League movement, which put an end to his career. He retired in 1894 after spending some time in the minors and moved to Syracuse to become a sales rep. His highlight came against his old Allegheny teammates in 1889 when he smoked a grounder to third that glanced off the fielder’s foot and kicked into temporary stands along the baseline; by the time the Pittsburgh infield could recover the ball, Jay had a three-run homer (one of three career four-baggers) on a hit that never left the infield.

Jay Faatz (Cleveland) – 1887 Goodwin/Old Judge

1870 – OF Phil “Chicken” Routcliffe was born in Frontenac, Ontario. Routcliffe got into one MLB game as an Allegheny in 1890, going 1-for-4 and HBP, scoring once, driving in a run and swiping a sack while corralling three balls in the pasture as the left fielder. Just 19 when he played (although his 1870 birthdate is questionable), he was thought to be a contender for a starting role, but was released shortly thereafter. The Alleghenys must have sensed something; he hit just .213 in the Western League and was out of baseball two years later, working as a newspaper pressman and later as a policeman before being claimed by the 1918 flu epidemic at age 47. His nickname dates back to his youth.
1871 – 2B Heinie Smith was born in Pittsburgh. Heinie played for six MLB campaigns and spent 1899 with the Pirates, batting .283 in 15 games (a deceptive small sample; his career BA was .238). Smith had a disastrous turn as big league skipper, losing 27-of-32 games as the Giants player/manager in 1902. That didn’t deter him when his playing days ended; he was the minor league Buffalo Bisons’ manager for a decade and then coached the U of Buffalo for a couple of seasons.
1906 – PH Pete McClanahan was born in Coldspring, Texas. His only big league time came in 1931 as a 24-year-old Pirate, getting into seven games as a pinch-hitter and pinch-runner. He went 2-for-4 with two walks and scored twice, so he fit right into that role. Pete’s calling card was his stick. In six farm seasons in the Texas, Lone Star and Dixie Leagues, he hit .317 before swinging the bat for a final time after the 1933 campaign, giving up the sport at the age 26.
1908 – Edward Meeker recorded “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” for the Edison Phonograph Company, the first recorded version of the tune (it was quickly covered and popularized by Billy Murray & the Haydn Quartet on Victor Records, who turned the song into a 1908 chart-topper). The melody was written earlier in the year by Tin Pan Alley vets Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer (“Shine On, Harvest Moon”) and became a vaudeville hit. Though it remained popular and was updated lyrically in 1927, it was first played in a major league venue at the 1934 World Series and in 1976 became a big league ballyard standard per baseball lore when then-Chicago White Sox announcer Harry Caray began singing it during the stretch, accompanied by organist Nancy Faust, at the urging of Sox owner Bill Veeck. Norworth and Von Tilzer, incidentally, had never seen a ballgame before writing the song, and wouldn’t until decades later.

Cal Hogue – 1953 Topps

1927 – RHP Calvin “Cal” Hogue was born in Dayton, Ohio. His MLB career spanned 1952-54, all spent as a Bucco, with a line of 2-10/4.91 in 25 games (16 starts). He got a decent shot in his first campaign after a July call up while the next two seasons were cup of coffee stops. Cal’s issue was finding the dish – he issued 96 bases on balls in 113-2/3 innings as a Pirate. He stayed in the system through the 1957 season before retiring and returning home to work as a pipefitter.
1933 – RHP Bill “Ding Dong” Bell was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Bell was one of two professional pitchers to throw three no-hitters in the same season (1952), doing the deeds as a member of Pirates affiliate Bristol in the Class D Appalachian League. Success there didn’t translate into much of a MLB career, though. Ding Dong was given a September call up at age 18 in ‘52 and resurfaced again briefly in 1955, going 0-1/4.32 lifetime for the Bucs. The hiatus was because Bill was drafted by Uncle Sam in 1953 and lost two years to the Army. When he came back, he popped his shoulder while practicing and tried to pitch through a sore wing from that time forward. Bill died at age 28 in 1962, from injuries he had sustained in a January car wreck.
1944 – OF Johnny Jeter was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. Johnny began his six-year MLB run with the Pirates, which had signed him out of Grambling, playing here between 1969-70. He hit .252 in 113 games (30 starts) and got a couple of at-bats against the Reds in the 1970 NLCS. JJ put in a pair of seasons with the Padres and played for the White Sox and Indians before he retired.
1952 – Pirate CF Omar Moreno was born in Puerto Armuelles, Panama. “The Antelope” played eight years in Pittsburgh (1975-82) and led the league in stolen bases twice, swiping 487 sacks as a Buc. Moreno played every game of the 1979 and 1980 seasons, led the National League in at bats both years and hit .333 against the Orioles in the 1979 World Series (he also won a ring with KC in 1985). Known as “The Antelope” for his speed, both on the base paths and in center field, his bat never quite caught up to his wheels and he ended his Pirates career with a .255 BA/80 OPS+. One of the good guys of the game, he and his wife Sandra began the Omar Moreno Foundation, a youth baseball charity for underprivileged kids in Panama, and the Antelope is still active in Pirates alumni and PR work. Moreno was inducted into the Latino Hall of Fame in 2014.

Omar Moreno – 1983 Topps

1952 – OF Reggie Walton was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Reggie had a 12-year pro career in the majors, on the farm and in Mexico, finishing his big league time with the Pirates in 1982, hitting .200 in a bench role. Reggie was a good stick guy with a .291 minor league batting average, but half of his time was spent swinging in the hitter-friendly PCL and he didn’t show much plate patience. He hung ‘em up after the 1983 campaign at age 30 after playing for AAA Hawaii.
1959 – C Adalberto “Junior” Ortiz was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Junior caught for the Bucs from 1982-83 (.264 BA), spent a year with the Mets, and came back again between 1985-89. In seven seasons, the reserve hit .262 during his career. We’re not sure where Junior picked up his moniker (he’s not a junior by name, but he did start stateside in the minors at age 17 and reached the Bucs as a 22 year-old, so perhaps it’s just a jab at his youth) but Ortiz embraced it; he even joked after the birth of his son, Adalberto Jr, that he was going to call him “Junior Junior.”
1959 – RHP Dave Johnson was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Dave got his first pro shot with Pittsburgh in 1987, giving up seven runs in 6-1/3 IP. He bounced back to have a couple of solid stints for Baltimore before calling it quits after five years of MLB duty following the 1993 season. His son, Steve, also worked in the show, tossing for Baltimore O’s and Seattle Mariners.
1961 – SS Rafael Belliard was born in Pueblo Nuevo, Dominican Republic. He played his first nine seasons (1982-90) in Pittsburgh as a good glove shortstop, hitting .218 during that time but ranking first in the NL in fielding percentage in 1988. Belliard went on to play the second half of his career in Atlanta, and was part of the ‘91-92 teams that eliminated the Bucs in the NLCS. He’s coached for the Tigers in the majors & farm, and been a minor-league coach for Atlanta. Since 2019, Rafe has worked for KC as a special assistant of baseball operations.
1969 – LHP Arthur Rhodes was born in Waco, Texas. Rhodes spent 20 years in the show and pitched for nine teams. He was also a Bucco for a brief winter visit. The Pirates got him from Oakland in late November of 2004 along with Mark Redman for Jason Kendall; two weeks later he was on his way to Cleveland for Matt Lawton. His last MLB gig was in 2011 before he retired officially prior to the 2015 campaign and now coaches for the indie Cleburne Railroaders.

Nellie Briles – 10/26/1971 Press/Lenny Litman

1971 – Pitcher Nellie Briles converted from the mound to the stage as he opened an eight-day run at the Holiday House in Monroeville. His act was well received, with a set list of pop hits and, of course, “Take Me Out To the Ballgame.” He cracked wise between tunes, and dedicated the song “We Almost Made It This Time, Didn’t We?” to Earl Weaver. Briles actually was a fairly talented performer, working the local night club circuit (and Mr. Kelly’s in Chicago) for a couple of years with a song & comedy routine and even recording a novelty disk (“Hey Hank, I Know You’re Gonna Do It,” inspired by Henry Aaron). He then became a TV voice before passing away in 2005.
1972 – Bill Mazeroski was officially released from the Pirates after 17 seasons, becoming Bill Virdon’s third base coach. He only played 34 games and hit .188 in his final campaign as a bench infielder (.260 lifetime). The Hall-of-Famer left a legacy of 10 All-Star games, eight Golden Gloves and two World Series championships. His number #9 was retired in 1987 and his statue was erected at PNC Park in 2010. He still shows up in the spring to mingle with the boys as health allows. Also, IF Jose Pagan was released after eight years in Pittsburgh with a .263 BA in 625 games. He caught on for a final campaign with Philly and then returned to the flock as a Bucco coach.
1978 – RHP Chris Bootcheck was born in LaPorte, Indiana. Chris worked parts of seven big league seasons (2007 with the LAA was his only full season in the show) and made a stop in Pittsburgh in 2009, earning no decisions while putting up an 11.05 ERA in 13 outings. Bootcheck did earn a paycheck for 14 professional seasons, including a couple in Japan, before retiring after the 2014 campaign at the age of 35. He’s now coaching the Georgia State University Panthers.
1997 – RHP Colin Selby was born in Chesapeake, Virginia. He was drafted in the 16th round of the 2018 draft by the Bucs and worked through the system, converting from a starter to the bullpen. Selby’s a high strikeout, high walk guy who showed well in the Arizona Fall League and was called up from Indy (0-0-6/3.86; 41 K & 22 BB in 30-1/3 IP) in early August, 2023. He slashed 2-2/9.00 in 21 outings, struggling with long ball and control issues. Colin was traded to KC in ‘24, and the Royals sold his contract to the O’s; he spent most of his time in AAA.

Colin Selby – 2024 Topps Heritage

2005 – LHP Dave Williams avoided arbitration and signed a one-year/$1.5M deal with the Pirates. Williams had slashed 10-11/4.41 for the Bucs in ‘05 in his fourth campaign with the club, then after signing was swapped to Cincinnati for 1B Sean Casey. That was just his first move; the Reds sent him to the Mets early in the ‘06 campaign. He underwent surgery for a herniated disc in 2007, and that ended his MLB career. Dave pitched in the minors, Japan and an indie league, coached a bit for Toronto and at last check owns a Georgia pharmacy.
2006 – The Players Association and MLB announced that they had agreed on a new CBA (two months early!) that would run for five years through the 2011 season. It jiggled some items and finances, but there were no major changes except that the winning All-Star team would host the World Series and the removal of MLB’s chief threat to the union, contraction. The players voted on and ratified the new deal in December, continuing labor peace since 1995.
2015 – The Miami Marlins traded RHP Trevor Williams to the Pirates for Rookie League hurler Richard Mitchell. The Fish had earlier hired Pirates pitching assistant Jim Benedict, and it was thought that swapping a potential MLB back-ender for a long shot prospect was de facto compensation for the signing. Willy made 109 Bucco outings (94 starts) with a line of 31-37/4.43. His last couple of seasons were rough and he signed with the Cubs as a FA in 2021, then was traded to the Mets the following year, and is now working on a two-year deal with the Nats covering the 2023-24 campaigns. The 20-year-old Mitchell never advanced past Rookie League ball.

Source: https://oldbucs.blogspot.com/2024/10/1024-maz-released-trevor-deal-williams.html

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