There have been ten former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, including two Hall of Famers.
Arky Vaughan, shortstop for the 1932-41 Pirates. Vaughan was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985, exactly 32 years longer than it should have taken him to get elected. He is arguably the second best shortstop of all-time behind Honus Wagner. Vaughan is one of the greatest Pirates players ever, ranking among the top ten in numerous team categories for career stats and single seasons. He is fourth in WAR (64.0) behind only Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente and Paul Waner, who all played many more games in a Pirates uniform. Vaughan ranks seventh in batting average (.324), third in OBP (.415), ninth in OPS (.887), tenth in runs scored (936), ninth in hits (1,709), ninth in total bases (2,484), tenth in doubles (291), eighth in triples (116), ninth in RBIs (764), sixth in walks (778), tenth in extra-base hits (491), and eighth in times on base (2,527). On the single season lists, his .385 batting average in 1935 is the team record. He also set records that year with his .491 OBP and a 1.098 OPS. We posted an article here titled Pittsburgh Pirates Seasons, which took an in depth look at Vaughan’s 1935 season. The following season he reached base 313 times, which is a team record. He has two top ten offensive seasons in team history, with a 9.2 WAR during his huge 1935 season, and 8.6 WAR during the 1938 season. He made nine straight All-Star appearances (1934-42) and led the league in both OBP and walks for three straight years (1934-36).
Vaughan debuted in pro ball in 1931 at 19 years old and hit from the start, batting .338 with 21 doubles, 16 triples and 21 homers in 132 games for Wichita of the Class-A Western League. That ended up being all of the minor league time he needed. The Pirates brought him to the majors in 1932 and he batted .318 as a rookie, with 29 extra-base hits, 61 RBIs and 71 runs scored in 129 games. He finished 23rd in the MVP voting that year. His OPS went from .787 that year to .866 in his second season, as he hit .314 with a league leading 19 triples, to go along with 29 doubles, nine homers, 97 RBIs, 64 walks and 85 runs scored. He finished 23rd in the MVP voting again. That OPS continued to rise, getting up to .942 in 1934, when he batted .333 with 41 doubles (career high), 12 triples and 11 homers. He led the league with 94 walks and a .431 OBP. Vaughan also had 94 RBIs and scored 115 runs. For the third straight year, he finished 23rd in the MVP voting.
During his incredible 1935 season, Vaughan led the league in average, OBP, slugging (.607) and walks (97), while scoring 108 runs and picking up 99 RBIs. He also had 34 doubles, ten triples and a career high 19 homers, leading to 303 total bases, which was his career high. He finished third in the MVP voting that year. Vaughan set a since-broken team record with 118 walks during the 1936 season, while striking out just 21 times. He batted .335 that year, while leading the league in walks, as well as leading with a .453 OBP, 122 runs scored and 156 games. Even in a down year for him according to WAR (“only” 5.7), Vaughan still hit .322 in 1937, while leading the league with 17 triples. The lower than normal WAR total was due in part to a leg injury he suffered in an outfield collision with Johnny Dickshot, which put Vaughan out of action for much of July and limited his usage in August. He played 126 games that year, and he finished with 71 runs, 72 RBIs and 54 walks.
Vaughan put up a league best 9.0 WAR in 1938 due partly to his incredible season on defense. He wasn’t a strong defensive shortstop when he joined the Pirates, but he worked hard with Honus Wagner as his mentor and turned into a Gold Glove caliber defender. Vaughan put up 2.8 dWAR that season, to go along with an .876 OPS, .332 average, 35 doubles, 68 RBIs, 104 walks and 88 runs scored. Just like in 1935, he finished third in the NL MVP voting. Vaughan finished out his time in Pittsburgh with three more .300+ seasons. He hit .306 with 30 doubles, 11 triples, 62 RBIs, 70 walks and 94 runs scored in 1939. His .808 OPS that year was his lowest since his rookie season. He then batted .300 in 1940, leading the league in triples (15), runs (113), plate appearances (689) and games played (156). He had 95 RBIs, 88 walks and 40 doubles. In his final season with the Pirates, injuries started to limit his action, yet he still put up a .316 average in 106 games, with 69 runs, 33 extra-base hits and 50 walks.
The Pirates believed that Vaughan was on the downside and they also wanted to protect themselves against player losses due to service in the war. They traded Vaughan to the Brooklyn Dodgers for four warm bodies who they believed were all safe from being drafted. They tried to fill needs with bench type players and the trade worked out awful. They were giving up a 30-year-old perennial All-Star before high salaries and free agency were things teams had to worry about. The only thing that kept the deal from looking worse was that Vaughan quit baseball during the 1944-46 seasons. He ended up playing four years for the Dodgers, two after the war ended. The Pirates got almost nothing from their returns, and Vaughan likely wouldn’t have left them during the war, since his quitting was partially due to a disagreement with manager Leo Durocher. So not only did he outplay the rest in his first season alone, he would’ve have added to his numbers by staying in Pittsburgh.
Vaughan was an All-Star for the final time during his first season in Brooklyn. He hit .277 that year in 128 games, with 82 runs, 18 doubles, 49 RBIs and 51 walks. He was better in 1943, hitting .305 in 149 games, with a league leading 112 runs scored, as well as leading the league with his career best 20 stolen bases. He also had 39 doubles, 66 RBIs and 60 walks, with 13 strikeouts in 685 plate appearances. After returning from his three-year retirement, he was a part-time player for the Dodgers at 35 years old in 1947. He hit .325 that year in 64 games, with 24 runs, 25 RBIs and 27 walks. In his final season he batted .244 in 65 games, with 22 RBIs and 21 walks. He started 55 games total over those final two seasons. His career ended in 1949, playing for San Francisco in the Pacific Coast League. His name was Joseph Floyd Vaughan, but he was better known as Arky, a nickname based on being born in Arkansas. His nephew Glenn Vaughan played for the 1963 Houston Colt .45’s (Astros) and Arky’s older brother Kenneth tried out for the 1933 Pirates, playing for the team during Spring Training that year. For more on Vaughan, check out our article from December, where author Frank Garland talks about his book on the life of Vaughan.
Billy Southworth, outfielder for the Pirates from 1918-1920 and a Hall of Fame manager. He started his minor league career in 1912 at the age of 19, and just one year later he made his big league debut for the Cleveland Naps. Southworth’s debut season was spent with Portsmouth of the Class-D Ohio State League, where he hit .278 in 134 games, with 28 extra-base hits. He was back in Portsmouth in 1913, where he hit .306 in 77 games, with 21 extra-base hits. He was purchased by Cleveland in late July and played one game as a late replacement in left field on August 4th, then finished the season with Toledo of the Double-A American Association, where he hit .222 in 37 games. In 1914, he played for Cleveland of the American Association, hitting .255 in 139 games, with 78 runs, 12 doubles, 11 triples and 87 walks. He remained there to start 1915, hitting .336 in 40 games before joining the Naps for 20 more games. After hitting .220 with 25 runs and 36 walks in 60 games, he was sold to Portland of the Pacific Coast League (Double-A) in September. Southworth would bat .320 with 11 extra-base hits in 25 games to finish out the season. His next trip to the majors came three years later for the Pirates.
Southworth spent the 1916 season with Portland and hit .300 in 171 games, with 31 doubles, eight triples and 12 homers. He spent the 1917-18 seasons with Birmingham of the Class-A Southern Association. He batted .285 with 19 extra-base hits in 103 games in 1917. After hitting .314 in 67 games for Birmingham to start 1918, he joined the Pirates on June 18th when Barney Dreyfuss purchased his contract, as well as his teammates Ralph Comstock and Cy Slapnicka. The Southern Association was closing down for the season due to the war and those players became available earlier than usual. Southworth did great for the Pirates over the rest of the season, debuting on July 2nd and hitting .341 with 43 RBIs in 64 games. The next season, the 26-year-old outfielder hit .280 with 56 runs, 14 doubles, 61 RBIs, 23 steals and a league leading 14 triples in 121 games. After hitting .284 with 64 runs scored, 17 doubles, 13 triples, 53 RBIs and 52 walks in 146 games in 1920, the Pirates traded him and two other players (plus cash) to the Boston Braves for future Hall of Famer Rabbit Maranville. Southworth stole 23 bases during the 1920 season, but he also was caught 25 times, which led the league.
Southworth went on to play eight more seasons in the majors and was part of a deal after the 1923 season between the Braves and New York Giants that included two other future Hall of Famers, Casey Stengel and Dave Bancroft. Southworth hit .308 in 141 games in 1921, with 86 runs, 25 doubles, 15 triples, seven homers, 79 RBIs and 36 walks. Once again he ran a lot, but was very unsuccessful, going 22-for-42 in steals. He was limited to 43 games in 1922 due to a knee injury, but he hit .323 in 182 plate appearances, with just one strikeout all season. He returned to bat .319 in 1923, setting career highs with 195 hits, 29 doubles, 16 triples, 61 walks and 153 games played. Southworth struggled after his trade to the Giants, posting a .667 OPS in 94 games in 1924, finishing the year with a .256 average, 40 runs, 36 RBIs and 32 walks. He attempted seven steals and was successful once. He rebounded to bat .292 in 1925, while posting a 51:11 BB/SO ratio, along with 79 runs and 30 extra-base hits. Amazingly, he was allowed to try to steal bases, but he went 6-for-19 in steals that year.
During the 1926 season, split between the Giants and St Louis Cardinals, Southworth hit .320 with 28 doubles, seven triples, 16 homers, 99 RBIs and 99 runs scored. St Louis acquired him on June 14th for veteran outfielder Heinie Mueller. Southworth helped the Cardinals to the World Series, then batted .345 in the postseason with a double, triple and homer. He hit .301 in 92 games during the 1927 season, with 52 runs, 22 extra-base hits and 39 RBIs. He became a player-manager for Rochester of the Double-A International League in 1928, then served as a player-manager during the first half of the 1929 season for the Cardinals, in what was his last experience as a big league player. He batted .188 in 19 games that year, and had a 43-45 record at the helm. He went back to Rochester as a player-manager and held that role until mid-season in 1932, when he then finished out the season in the same role for Columbus of the Double-A American Association. His final minor league games came as a player-manager at 42 years old for Asheville of the Class-B Piedmont League. Southworth was a .297 career hitter in 1,192 big league games, with 173 doubles, 91 triples, 52 homers, 561 RBIs and 661 runs scored. He stole 138 bases, but was consistently thrown out stealing more times in a season (his caught stealing records aren’t all available, but he was caught 85 times in the seasons available). Including his minor league stats, he compiled 2,498 hits. With the Pirates, he hit .294 in 331 games, with 157 runs and 157 RBIs.
As a manager he won two World Series titles, taking the crown with the 1942 and 1944 Cardinals. He also had two other World Series appearances, winning National League pennants with the 1943 Cardinals and 1948 Boston Braves. He started as a player-manager in 1929 for the Cardinals, then took over St Louis during the 1940-45 seasons. That was followed by spending the 1946-51 seasons with the Braves, though he was let go for the end of the 1949 season due to multiple issues with the team at the time, then he resigned during the middle of the 1951 season. He finished with a 1,044-704 record over 13 seasons. He also put in 11 seasons as a minor league manager. Southworth was elected to the Hall of Fame as a manager by the Veteran’s Committee in 2008. Despite that honor, he might not be the most famous baseball player born on March 9, 1893. Also born that day was Lefty Williams, one of the main players in the 1919 Black Sox scandal made famous by the movies Eight Men Out and Field of Dreams. Southworth had a cousin, who was also named Billy Southworth, and he played in the majors for the 1964 Braves.
Daniel Hudson, pitcher for the 2017 Pirates. Hudson was a fifth round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2008, taken out of Old Dominion at 21 years old. He was a starting pitcher during his entire time in the minors. He made 14 starts in short-season ball in 2008 for Great Falls of the Pioneer League, where he went 5-4, 3.36 in 69.2 innings, with 90 strikeouts. He then managed to work his way through all four full-season levels in 2009, pitching so well that he was up in the majors by September for six appearances (two starts). Between his four minor league stops, he went 14-5, 2.32 in 26 starts, with 166 strikeouts in 147.1 innings. He had a 1.23 ERA in four starts for Low-A Kannapolis of the South Atlantic League, and a 1.60 ERA in nine starts with Double-A Birmingham of the Southern League. He had a 3.38 ERA in 18.2 innings for the White Sox. Hudson spent the first half of the 2010 season in Triple-A with Charlotte of the International League, before getting three July starts for the White Sox. He went 11-4, 3.47 in 93.1 innings with Charlotte, with 108 strikeouts, then had a 6.32 ERA in 15.2 innings for Chicago. At the July 31st trading deadline, he was sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Edwin Jackson. Hudson was put right into the Arizona rotation and he went 7-1, 1.69 in 11 outings.
In 2011, he made 33 starts for the Diamondbacks, going 16-12, 3.49 in 222 innings, with 169 strikeouts. Nine starts into 2012, he had a 7.35 ERA in 45.1 innings and he needed Tommy John surgery. During his rehab in 2013, Hudson needed a second Tommy John surgery. He returned long enough in 2014 to pitch six rehab innings in the minors and make three appearances for Arizona, allowing four runs in 2.2 innings. He pitched a total of 10.2 innings over a 2 1/2 year span. The Diamondbacks moved him to the bullpen in 2015, where he made 64 appearances. He had a 3.86 ERA, four saves and 71 strikeouts in 67.2 innings. He struggled in 2016, but still made 70 appearances that year. Hudson posted a 5.22 ERA in 60.1 innings, with five saves and 58 strikeouts. He became a free agent after the season and signed a two-year deal with the Pirates. In his one year in Pittsburgh, he went 2-7, 4.38 with 66 strikeouts in 61.2 innings over 71 appearances. In February of 2018, the Pirates traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Corey Dickerson. The Rays released Hudson a month later and he signed a free agent deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Hudson had a 3-2, 4.11 record, with 44 strikeouts in 46 innings over 40 games for the 2018 Dodgers. Hudson signed with the Los Angeles Angels for 2019, but he got cut during Spring Training. He signed three days later with the Toronto Blue Jays and stayed there until he was traded to the Washington Nationals on July 31st. Between both teams, he had a 9-3, 2.47 record in 73 innings over 69 appearances, finishing with eight saves and 71 strikeouts. He helped the Nationals to the World Series by pitching shutout ball in the first three rounds of the playoffs. The Nationals won the title, though Hudson gave up four runs in four innings of work during the World Series. He pitched 21 games during the shortened 2020 season for the Nationals, posting a 6.10 ERA in 20.2 innings. He re-signed for the 2021 season with the Nationals and pitched well during the first half of the year, posting a 2.20 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. He was traded to the San Diego Padres for two players on July 30th and struggled to finish the season, posting a 5.21 ERA in 19 innings over 23 appearances. Just before the lockdown in December of 2021, he signed a free agent deal to rejoin the Dodgers. Hudson has a career 57-40, 3.86 record, with 27 saves in 454 games (61 starts) and 765 innings.
Benito Santiago, catcher for the 2005 Pirates. Santiago signed with the San Diego Padres as an amateur free agent out of Puerto Rico at 17 years old in 1982. He debuted in full-season ball in 1983 with the Class-A Miami Marlins of the Florida State League, where he hit .247 in 122 games, with 25 doubles, five homers and 56 RBIs. He was with Reno of the Class-A California League in 1984, where he hit .279 with 64 runs, 20 doubles, 16 homers and 83 RBIs. He moved up to Double-A in 1985, and put up a .298 average for Beaumont of the Texas League. In 101 games, he had 55 runs, 27 extra-base hits and 52 RBIs. That was followed by Triple-A in 1986 with Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League, where Santiago established himself as a legit prospect, hitting .286 with 55 runs, 26 doubles, 17 homers, 71 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. He came up to the Padres in September of 1986 and batted .290 in 17 games. He was in the majors for good in 1987, cementing that spot with the Rookie of the Year award and a Silver Slugger award. He batted .300 in 146 games, with 64 runs, 33 doubles, 18 homers, 79 RBIs and 21 steals. His OBP was just 24 points higher than his average due to drawing just 16 walks all season. Santiago really slumped in his second season, yet his .248 average and .643 OPS were good enough for his second Silver Slugger award. He also won his first Gold Glove award, despite leading all National League catchers in errors (he led in errors and passed balls as a rookie). His OPS dropped 148 points during his second full season, including a 105-point drop in his slugging over his rookie year.
Santiago didn’t rebound with the bat in 1989 either, posting a .664 OPS in 129 games, yet he still picked up his first All-Star appearance and he won his second Gold Glove. He hit 16 homers that season and drove in 62 runs. While he was limited to 100 games in 1990, his bat came back, which led to an assortment of honors. He had a .270 average, with 24 extra-base hits, 53 RBIs and a .741 OPS, which was enough for a third Silver Slugger award. He also made the All-Star team, won the Gold Glove and received mild MVP support. Healthy for 1991, Santiago hit .287 in a career high 152 games (he started 148 games behind the plate), with 60 runs, 22 doubles, 17 homers and a career high 87 RBIs. He received his perennial All-Star nod and accompanying Silver Slugger award. He was limited again in 1992, playing 106 games, while putting up a .671 OPS. He had a .251 average, with 21 doubles, ten homers and 42 RBIs. He made the All-Star club again, making it four years straight for that honor.
The Florida Marlins came into existence in 1993 and Santiago signed with them as a free agent. He had an identical .671 OPS as his previous season, though he played 139 games. His average dropped to .230, but his OBP and slugging were both almost exactly the same as the previous year. He had 19 doubles, 13 homers and his six triples were a career high. He did better during the strike-shortened 1994 season, putting up a .746 OPS in 101 games, with a .273 average, 14 doubles, 11 homers and 41 RBIs. He signed with the Cincinnati Reds as a free agent for 1995 and had a career best .836 OPS in 81 games, but he missed two full months due to an elbow injury. The season was already shortened to 144 games that year due to the strikeouts from August of 1994. In 1996, Santiago moved on the Philadelphia Phillies for one year and nearly matched his career best OPS, falling one point short, though he played 136 games. He hit a career high 30 homers, which was 12 more than his second best season. He also set career highs with 71 runs and 49 walks, while driving in 85 runs, which fell just short of his career best. He signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as a free agent in 1997 and was limited to 112 games over two years, with most of that time coming in 1997, when he hit .243 with 13 homers and a .667 OPS in 97 games. He batted .310 with an .816 OPS in 15 games in 1998, missing the first five months of the season after suffering a knee injury in an accident in January of that year.
Santiago continued to move around, signing one-year deals with the Chicago Cubs in 1999 and the Cincinnati Reds in 2000, before moving on to the San Francisco Giants for the 2001-03 seasons. He batted .249 in 109 games with the Cubs, finishing with 18 doubles, seven homers and 36 RBIs. For the 2000 Reds, he batted .262 in 89 games, with 22 runs, 20 extra-base hits and 45 RBIs. He had a rough first season with the Giants, posting a .664 OPS in 133 games, with a .262 average, 25 doubles, six homers and 45 RBIs. Santiago regained some past glory in 2002 by making the All-Star team for the first time in ten years. He batted .278 with 56 runs, 24 doubles, 16 homers and 78 RBIs in 126 games that season. He saw less playing time in 2003, but still managed to put up a .753 OPS, thanks to a .279 average, with 21 doubles and 11 homers in 108 games. He scored 53 runs and had 56 RBIs that year.
Santiago signed with the Kansas City Royals on December 11, 2003, getting a two-year deal for $4.3 M. He was limited to 49 games in 2004 due to a fractured hand suffered in June. He batted .274 with ten doubles, six homers and 23 RBIs in 175 at-bats. The Pirates acquired the 40-year-old Santiago from the Royals in December of 2004 for the pitcher formerly known as Leo Nunez (Juan Carlos Oviedo) and cash. He played just six games in Pittsburgh before he was placed on the disabled list, then got released on May 8th before he ever made it back to the majors, ending his 20-year Major League career. He signed with the New York Mets in June, but got released in July without playing a big league game. Santiago went 6-for-23 with a double and triple in his brief time with the Pirates. He was a five-time All-Star, who won four Silver Slugger awards and three Gold Gloves. He finished with 1,917 games caught, which ranks 12th all-time, and fell one short of tying Pirates catcher Al Lopez for 11th place. In 1,978 big league games, Santiago hit .263 with 755 runs, 323 doubles, 217 homers and 920 RBIs. Despite stealing 47 bases in his first three full seasons, he had 44 more steals over his final 16 years, and he was caught 43 times during that stretch. He played 28 postseason games during his career and hit .250 with three homers and 19 RBIs.
Terry Mulholland, pitched for the 2001 Pirates. Mulholland pitched 20 years in the majors and saw time with 11 different teams. He threw over 2,500 innings in the majors and had 124 big league wins, and that’s with spending more than half of his time in the bullpen. He was traded seven times during his career between 1989 and 2002. Mulholland was a first round pick in 1984 by the San Francisco Giants, taken 24th overall out of Marietta College. He debuted in the majors almost exactly two years to the day he was drafted. His pro debut came with short-season Everett of the Northwest League, where he went 19 innings over three starts without an earned run. He also pitched that season for Class-A Fresno of the California League, posting a 2.95 ERA in 42.2 innings over nine starts, with 35 walks and 39 strikeouts. In 1985, Mulholland pitched for Shreveport of the Double-A Texas League, where he posted a 9-8, 2.90 record in 26 starts, with 122 strikeouts in 176.2 innings, throwing eight complete games and three shutouts. A little more than half of the 1986 season was spent with Phoenix of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, where he went 8-5, 4.46 in 111 innings over 17 starts. He made his big league debut on June 8th, though he didn’t remain in the majors for the entire final four months. For the 1986 Giants, he made ten starts and five relief appearances, going 1-7, 4.94 in 54.2 innings. Mulholland went back to the minors in 1987 and didn’t return until a brief stint in May of 1988.
Mulholland spent the entire 1987 season with Phoenix, going 7-12, 5.07 in 172.1 innings over 29 starts and eight relief appearances. He spent most of 1988 with Phoenix, where he 7-3, 3.58 in 100.2 innings. He pitched three games in relief for the Giants in May and six times as a starter in July, putting together a 2-1, 3.72 record in 46 innings. His first start was a shutout, followed by allowed one run in a complete game in his second start. Mulholland started the 1989 season in the minors before coming up in late May for five games. The Giants traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he got regular starts for the rest of the season, despite a 5.00 ERA. He was a full-time starter for the Phillies over the next four seasons. Between both stops in 1989, he went 4-7, 4.92 in 115.1 innings. He went 9-10, 3.34 in 180.2 innings in 1990, with 26 starts and seven relief appearances. In 1991, he set career bests in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched, finishing the year 16-13, 3.61 in 232 innings, with 142 strikeouts. Mulholland made 34 starts, threw eight complete games, and he had three shutouts.
Mulholland went 13-11, 3.81, with 125 strikeouts in 229 innings over 32 starts in 1992, leading the National League with 12 complete games. He was an All-Star for the only time in his career in 1993, when he went 12-9, 3.25 in 191 innings, with seven complete games and two shutouts. He had 116 strikeouts that year, the third and final time he topped the century mark in strikeouts for a season. The shutouts were also the last of his career. Mulholland was traded to the New York Yankees in February of 1994 in a five-player deal. During the strike-shortened 1994 season, he went 6-7, 6.49 in 120.2 innings over 19 starts and five relief appearances. He signed with the Giants as a free agent for 1995 and struggled there as well, going 5-13, 5.80 in 24 starts and five relief outings, totaling 149 innings. He returned to the Phillies in 1996, though his stay was somewhat brief, as they dealt him to the Seattle Mariners in July. He made a total of 33 starts that year, going 13-11, 4.66 in 202.2 innings. He had a 4.66 ERA in Philadelphia and a 4.67 mark in Seattle. He signed with the Chicago Cubs in 1997 and stayed there until August when he was lost on waivers to the Giants, his third stint with the club. Mulholland made 27 starts and 13 relief appearances in 1997, going 6-13, 4.24 in 186 innings. After the season, he re-signed with the Cubs and switched to relief, which was a highly successful move. He had a 2.89 ERA in 112 innings over 70 appearances (six starts) in 1998. He had a 6-5 record and three saves that year.
The Cubs traded Mulholland to the Atlanta Braves mid-1999. He saw starting and relief work in both spots, but he pitched much better in Atlanta (2.98 ERA vs 5.15 in Chicago). He finished with a 10-8, 4.39 record in 170.1 innings, with 24 starts and 18 relief outings. Mulholland had the swing role again in 2000 with Atlanta and did not do well, posting a 5.11 ERA (9-9 record) in 156.2 innings, making 20 starts and 34 relief appearances. He was signed as a free agent by the Pirates on December 10, 2000. He pitched 22 games (one start) for the 2001 Pirates, and posted a 3.72 ERA in 36.1 innings before he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31st in exchange for Mike Fetters. He had a 5.83 ERA in 19 appearances after the deal. He struggled with the Dodgers in 2002 as well, posting a 7.31 ERA in 21 games (all in relief), before being traded to the Cleveland Indians. In 1 1/2 seasons in Cleveland, Mulholland went 6-6, 4.81 in 146 innings, making six starts and 55 relief appearances. He improved drastically after the deal, going from that 7.31 ERA in Los Angeles, down to a 4.60 ERA in 47 innings with Cleveland. For the 2003 Indians, he went 3-4, 4.91 in 99 innings. He signed with the Minnesota Twins for 2004-05, getting 15 starts and 24 relief outings in 2004, before pitching strictly in relief in 2005. He went 5-9, 5.18 in 123.1 innings in 2004, followed by a 4.27 ERA in 59 innings over 49 games in 2005. Mulholland wrapped up his big league career with five relief appearances for the 2006 Arizona Diamondbacks at 43 years old, allowing three runs over three innings. He finished with a 124-142, 4.41 record in 332 starts and 353 relief games, throwing a total of 2,575.2 innings. He had 46 complete games, ten shutouts and five saves.
Ed Acosta, pitcher for the 1970 Pirates. He signed his first pro deal out of Panama in 1965 at 21 years old with the Pirates, but he was released before he debuted, despite staying around for two seasons. The Houston Astros then signed him prior to the 1967 season. Acosta pitched two years of A-Ball in the Houston Astros system before they released him. Pitching for Cocoa of the Florida State League in 1967, he went 2-6, 3.67 in 81 innings, with 48 walks and 70 strikeouts. With Cocoa again in 1968, he went 8-12, 2.56, with 155 strikeouts in 158 innings. Those were strong numbers, yet they still got rid of him at the end of the season. Acosta pitched for an independent team in Quebec City in 1969, getting convinced by the team owner to sign after he had already returned home to Panama, planning to give up pro ball. During that time in indy ball, he was scouted by the Pirates again, who signed him to a minor league contract in September of 1969. He began the 1970 season by making five starts in Double-A with Waterbury of the Eastern League, going 1-4, 5.25 in 24 innings. He was then was promoted to Triple-A Columbus of the International League on June 1st, where he pitched mainly out of the bullpen, posting a 5-2, 2.96 record and four saves in 82 innings over seven starts and 21 relief appearances. Acosta was called up on August 31st to make his MLB debut after the Pirates failed to acquire a veteran pitcher to replace the injured Dock Ellis. Acosta pitched three games in September, allowing four runs over 2.2 innings. He debuted on September 7th and served up a home run to Hall of Fame pitcher Fergie Jenkins during his first inning of work. Acosta was dropped from the submitted 25-man playoff roster on September 28th to make room for Dock Ellis returning from the disabled list, but he still made two regular season appearances after that day.
After not making the club out of Spring Training in 1971, Acosta spent most of the season in Triple-A (Charleston of the International League) for the Pirates, where he went 12-11, 2.72 in 172 innings, while completing ten of his 26 starts, three by shutouts. On August 17, 1971, the Pirates sent him and Johnny Jeter to the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitcher Bob Miller, who was acquired seven days earlier for two players to be named later. Both players had to pass through waivers before they could be traded. Acosta spent the rest of 1971 and all of 1972 with the Padres in the majors. He went 3-3, 2.74 in 46 innings after the deal, with six starts, three complete games, two relief appearances and a shutout. In 1972, he had a 3-6, 4.45 record in 89 innings, making just two starts, while pitching 44 times in relief. He then played two seasons in the minors for the Padres before finishing his career in the Mexican League in 1976. Acosta went 14-12, 3.98 in 190 innings for Hawaii of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in 1973. He remained with Hawaii in 1974, going 8-7, 4.91 in 163 innings. He’s credited with pitching 221 innings in Mexico in 1975, but his 1976 records show only a 7.50 ERA in four starts. When Acosta was first called up to the majors, the local papers tried to get information on him and none of the big league players on the Pirates knew anything about him, with multiple players saying that they had never heard the name before.
Ron Kline, pitcher for the Pirates in 1952, 1955-59 and 1968-69. Pittsburgh signed him as an amateur free agent prior to the 1950 season. In his first season of pro ball, he posted a 5-2, 3.81 record in 78 innings for Bartlesville of the Class-D Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League (KOML). He got four starts for New Orleans of the Double-A Southern Association in 1951, and had a 3.86 ERA in 28 innings. That was a huge jump in competition from the KOML, but the rest of 1951 was spent back with Bartlesville, where he went 18-4, 2.33 in 209 innings, with 145 strikeouts. He made his Major League debut with the Pirates in 1952 after winning an Opening Day roster spot that spring. He went 0-7, 5.49 in 78.2 innings over 27 games, 11 as a starter. He had a rough time with his control that year, finishing with a 66:27 BB/SO ratio. Kline spent seven weeks in the middle of the 1952 season back in the minors, pitching for Burlington-Graham of the Class-B Carolina League, where he had a 3.51 ERA in 82 innings. After spending the next two years (1953-54) serving in the military, he rejoined the Pirates in 1955 and posted a 6-13, 4.15 record in 136.2 innings over 19 starts and 17 relief appearances. His control was much better in his second big league stint, though he still had more walks (53) than strikeouts (48). In 1956, he had a 3.38 ERA in 264 innings, but the Pirates lost 88 games that year and his record showed, going 14-18 in his 39 starts and five relief appearances. Kline’s 18 losses that year led the National League, a stat he would lead in again just two years later. He had 125 strikeouts that year, a career high.
Kline had a 9-16, 4.04 record in 205 innings over 31 starts and nine relief appearances during the 1957 season. The Pirates went 62-92 that year and Vern Law was the only starter with a winning record, though he also finished with a 2.87 ERA. Kline pitched well in 1958, despite the losing record for a second place team (84-70 record). He had a 13-16, 3.53 record in 237.1 innings, ranking second among Pittsburgh starters in both ERA and innings, but first among all NL pitchers in losses. He had 109 strikeouts that year, the second (and final) time he topped 100 strikeouts in a season. He also had 11 complete games, tying a career high he set one season earlier. Kline had a rough 1959 season, going 11-13, 4.26 in 186 innings over 29 starts and four relief outings. At the end of December 1959, the Pirates traded him to the St Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitcher Tom Cheney and outfielder Gino Cimoli. Kline’s stay there lasted one disastrous season, with a 6.04 ERA in 117.2 innings, making 17 starts and 17 relief appearances. It was made worse by the fact that the Pirates won the World Series that year. The Cardinals sold him to the expansion Los Angeles Angels at the start of the 1961 season, and he went 3-6, 4.90 in 104.2 innings over 12 starts and 14 relief appearances before being lost on waivers to the Detroit Tigers, where he stayed through the end of the 1962 season. He pitched well after joining Detroit, finishing off 1961 with a 5-3, 2.72 record in eight starts and two relief appearances, throwing 56.1 innings. In 1962, he went 3-6, 4.31 in 77.1 innings, with four starts and 32 relief outings.
Kline was sold to the Washington Senators prior to the 1963 season and he had a 2.79 ERA and 17 saves in 93.2 innings over 62 appearances (one start, which was the final one of his career). Despite the strong ERA and success in the closer role, he finished with a 3-8 record. Kline went ten seasons in the majors without a winning record before he went 10-7 for the 1964 Washington Senators. He was used strictly in relief and managed to also pick up 14 saves, while posting a 2.32 ERA in 81.1 innings. After finally cracking the .500 mark, he would then reel off five straight seasons with a winning record. He went 7-6, 2.63 in 99.1 innings over 74 games in 1965, finishing the year with 29 saves. While saves weren’t an official stat at the time, that total still led the American League. He received mild MVP support for the only time in his career that year. In 1966, he went 6-4, 2.39 with 23 saves in 63 games, throwing a total of 90.1 innings. Kline pitched four years total in Washington, posting a 2.54 ERA and 83 saves in 364.2 innings over 260 appearances. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins in December of 1966, then the Pirates acquired him 364 days later in exchange for first baseman/outfielder Bob Oliver.
In his only season in Minnesota, Kline had a 7-1, 3.77 record and five saves, with 71.2 innings pitched over 54 appearances. He had an outstanding season in 1968 for the Pirates, going 12-5, 1.68 in 112.2 innings. He had seven saves and he made 56 appearances. After his big 1968 season, the Pirates traded Kline to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Joe Gibbon on June 10, 1969. At the time of the deal, Kline had a 1-3, 5.81 record and three saves in 31 innings. After the deal, he went 0-2, 4.09 in 11 innings over seven games with the Giants, who sold him to the Boston Red Sox after just 25 days. He went 0-1, 4.76 in 17 innings and 16 games for Boston. Kline pitched two months with the 1970 Atlanta Braves, putting up a 7.11 ERA in 6.1 innings, which marked the end of his 17-year big league career. His pro career ended in Triple-A for the California Angels later that season. He had a record of 114-144 with 108 saves in 736 games pitched and 2,078 innings. He had 203 starts, 44 complete games and eight shutouts. During his eight seasons in Pittsburgh, he went 66-91, 3.77 in 161 starts and 127 relief appearances, throwing 1,251.1 innings
Paul Martin, pitcher for the 1955 Pirates. He pitched just seven games for the Pirates before tearing a ligament in his arm which ended his career. He was signed as an amateur free agent, and due to the rules of the time his large signing bonus meant he had to stay on the Major League roster that first season (and the next), so Martin never pitched in the minors. Martin was working towards becoming an ordained minister before joining the Pirates, but at 23 years old decided to give baseball a try with no experience outside of sandlot ball, because his family needed money at the time. The deal he signed with the Pirates covered three years, with a $30,000 bonus and $6,000 in salary per year, which made him a Bonus Baby. He was discovered by former Pirates pitcher Ron Necciai, who said that Martin threw fast, which was enough to get multiple teams interested. Before signing with the Pirates on June 27, 1955, he worked out with the team in May as both a pitcher and a hitter. He was scheduled to work out with the Milwaukee Braves the next day, but the Pirates decided not to let him pass and signed him up. Martin, who was listed at 6’6″, 240 pounds when he signed, was also said to have tremendous raw power at the plate, but he was groomed as a pitcher due to his velocity.
Martin’s stats during his brief time in baseball were forgettable, allowing 30 base runners in seven innings of work and finishing with a 14.14 ERA. His appearances with the Pirates spanned from July 2nd until August 16th, included two games in which he failed to record an out, and just one game without a run allowed. In his debut, he threw two shutout innings, despite giving up two hits and three walks. The Pirates won 8-7 and he pitched the seventh and eighth innings. They didn’t win in any of his other six outings. In his next outing he faced four batters, walking three and hitting the other. Martin’s third appearances consisted of five hitters, four walks and one strikeout. His final game was four hits, four walks and five runs in two innings. He was actually healthy for the rest of 1955, but did not appear in any games. Martin batted seven times in the majors without a hit, though he avoided striking out. After the season, he pitched winter ball in the Dominican Republic.
Martin was with the Pirates in Spring Training of 1956, seeing normal work through March 16th until he revealed a sore arm that he injured while playing in the Dominican. On March 30th, he put himself on the voluntary retired list because he felt he would be no use to team. The Pirates would have held his rights in retirement, but a month later they worked out a deal with him to settle his bonus payment at a lower amount, then they gave him his unconditional release, so he would have been free to sign with any other team if he returned to baseball. His settlement amount wasn’t announced, but it was said that he received $10,000 of his bonus when he signed and was due to get another $10,000 in two months. Despite announcing the settlement, Martin decided to sue the Pirates to get $19,000 he thought was still owed to him. While the case was ongoing, he was involved in a serious automobile accident in Mid-August of 1956. By mid-1958, the lawsuit was on again, though there wasn’t a future update of the case in the local papers.
Joe Dawson, pitcher for the 1927-29 Pirates. He served in the military before starting his baseball career, finally making his pro debut at the age of 25 in the minors in 1922. He started off at the highest level of the minors at the time, pitching his first two full seasons for Kansas City of the Double-A American Association. He did decent in his first season, putting up an 11-8, 4.14 record in 148 innings, with an ERA that was in line with a group of future and former big league pitchers on the staff that year. In 1923, he went 7-7, 3.73 in 135 innings over 31 games. He saw time with Kansas City and Louisville of the AA in 1924, while also making four July starts for the Cleveland Indians, his first experience in the majors. He went 1-2, 6.64 in 20.1 innings, with 21 walks, during his first big league shot. It was said that Dawson threw a spitball, a pitch that was outlawed in the majors a few years earlier, so he had to develop into a fastball pitcher before he worked his way back to the majors. Dawson found a home with the Louisville team, pitching for them for all of 1925-26, as well as the first part of the 1927 season. He went 11-8, 3.75 in 187 innings in 1925, then had a 17-7, 3.27 record in 215 innings in 1926. He next appeared in the majors as a member of the Pirates on June 17, 1927. When he joined the Pirates, he was 5-3, 4.35 in 60 innings according to stats on Baseball-Reference, though newspaper articles from the day before note that he was on a consecutive shutout streak of 30 innings. His contract was purchased on June 15th (reportedly for $25,000) and he debuted two days later, giving up two runs in three innings of relief work. Dawson replaced veteran pitcher Bullet Joe Bush, who was released unconditionally that same day. The Pirates made the World Series that year, so they were obviously a strong team, but Dawson managed just a 3-7, 4.46 record in 80.2 innings over his 20 appearances, seven of them as a starter. He pitched one scoreless inning against the Yankees in the World Series.
Dawson spent the entire 1928 season with the Pirates, his only full season in the majors. He made seven starts and 24 relief appearances, going 7-7, 3.29 in 128.2 innings. While his walk rate was acceptable, he was a pitch-to-contact guy, who finished that year with a 56:36 BB/SO ratio. He had two poor relief outings to begin the 1929 season, allowing five runs over two innings. He went 19 days without pitching before throwing a scoreless inning on May 30th. Dawson then got a start on May 31st that he lost, allowing four runs (three earned) in 5.2 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies. After that game, he did not pitch again in organized baseball until reappearing in the minors in 1932. On June 8, 1929, the Pirates sold Dawson outright to the Baltimore Orioles of the International League. At the time, the local papers said that he was considering retirement because he had recently established an aviation school. He announced three days later that he was retiring after he couldn’t convince owner Barney Dreyfuss to give him a percentage of his purchase price by Baltimore. Dawson played some semi-pro ball when he could for the North Side Civics in the Pittsburgh area during the 1930 season. He went 11-10 that year in 172 innings over 27 games, while playing back with Kansas City of the American Association. After that 1932 season, he never played pro ball again. His real name was Ralph Fenton Dawson, but he was referred to a majority of the time in Pittsburgh as Joe. In an interview in 1931, he said that he never threw a curveball, and he relied on a fastball, changeup and screwball. He also noted that the new baseballs they used in 1929 were harder for the pitchers to throw, but the new baseballs for 1931 were much better to grip. That checks out with what went on around baseball, as offense was huge in 1929-30, then settled down in 1931.
Tom Delahanty, shortstop for the 1896 Pirates. He played for four different teams in the majors over three seasons, yet played just 19 total games, 16 of them with one team. He played one game at second base for the Philadelphia Phillies during his first season of pro ball in 1894, debuting on September 29th at 22 years old. He went 1-for-4 with a single in that lone game with the Phillies. He was with Peoria of the Class-A Western Association to begin the year, though no stats are available for his time with the team. The 1895 season shows him playing for Detroit of the Western Association and Atlanta of the Class-B Southern Association, though only Detroit stats are available, and they show a .409 average in 16 games. He began the 1896 season back in the majors with the Cleveland Spiders, before joining the Pirates via purchase in mid-May after hitting .232 with four doubles and eight walks in 16 games. He was immediately loaned to Toronto of the Class-A Eastern League. In August, he received praise for “putting up a fine game at short” for Albany of the Eastern League (Toronto folded and the team finished in Albany). That was despite multiple people saying early in 1896 that he was a fine second baseman, who was out of place at shortstop (and also third base in one quote). In his only game for the Pirates on September 17th against Louisville, Delahanty batted second and he went 1-for-3 with a run scored and an error in the field. After the 1896 season ended, Pirates catcher/manager Connie Mack became the player-manager for Milwaukee of the Western League. Delahanty was still Pirates property until Mack completed a purchase for his contract in late November of 1896.
Delahanty played his final big league game for the Louisville Colonels on June 29, 1897, going 1-for-4 with a double, run scored and two RBIs. He left the Colonels right before Honus Wagner joined the team for his Major League debut. Delahanty played a total of 13 seasons in the minors, and he moved around a lot as well, playing for 15 different minor league teams in addition to his four big league stints. During the 1897 season, he played for four minor league teams, in addition to his brief stint with Louisville. His stay in Milwaukee with Connie Mack lasted just 12 games. He also hit .314 in 22 games with Newark of the Class-B Atlantic League, then stayed there for a time during the 1898 season. He played for Allentown of the Atlantic League for part of 1898, then remained there in 1899 and hit .333 with 38 runs in 54 games. He played part of 1900 for Allentown as well, but also saw time with two other teams, including the Cleveland Lake Shores from the Class-A American League, one year before the league reached Major League status. He didn’t stick around though, moving after just three games. The 1901 season saw him play for three teams, though he settled into one spot again once he joined Denver of the Western League. That’s a bit surprising, because he hit .154 in 18 games with Denver in 1901. That was followed by a big 1902 season in which he hit .350 with 19 doubles, 13 triples and four homers in 137 games. While still with Denver in 1903, Delahanty batted .310 with 21 extra-base hits in 113 games. He played for Seattle of the Class-A Pacific Coast League in 1904, where in their extended schedule, he hit .275 with 44 extra-base hits in 205 games. In 1905, he was with Colorado Springs of the Western League, where he batted .304 in 72 games. His career wrapped up in 1906 with 27 games and a .168 average in 27 games for Williamsport of the independent Tri-State League.
Delahanty is from a family that produced five brothers who all made the majors, including Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty, who was his teammate on the 1894 Phillies. A quote by veteran teammate Patsy Tebeau in Cleveland in 1896 said that “Tom will be equal to his elder brother”. He was referring to Ed, who was five years old. They had a brother named Jim, who was between them in age, but he didn’t debut in the majors until five years later. Jim Delahanty gets lost in his brother’s shadow, but he was a .283 hitter in 13 big league seasons. Ed is one of the greatest hitters of the 19th and early 20th century, a no doubt Hall of Famer who died tragically during the 1903 season. There was also Frank Delahanty, who played six seasons in the majors between 1905 and 1915, as well as Joe, who debuted in the majors at 31 years old in 1907, and spent three years with the St Louis Cardinals.
