Eight former Pittsburgh Pirates players have been born on this date, including a member of the 1909 World Series champs.
Alan Storke, infielder for the Pirates from 1906 until 1909. The Pirates acquired him in the 1906 Rule 5 draft, after he put up a .290 average and 14 extra-base hits in 57 games for Providence of the Class-A Eastern League, which was the highest level of the minors at the time. The draft results were announced on September 2, 1906, and Storke (whose first name was listed as Allen), was said to have been a prime target of Connie Mack and the Philadelphia A’s, so the Pirates felt lucky to get his services. He was a college star in baseball at Amherst College, who signed to play pro ball with Auburn of the Class-D Empire State League when he graduated in 1906. That league quickly folded, so he joined Providence, which was a jump of three levels in the minor league system. That 1906 season was his first year in pro ball, and he finished the year playing five games for the Pirates. The Pirates played an exhibition game against Providence on August 5, 1906, so they were able to scout him first-hand against big league competition. He got a hit off of star pitcher Deacon Phillippe that game. The Pirates also got to see him on the day he joined the club, as Providence and Pittsburgh played another exhibition game on September 23rd. Storke played shortstop, where he went 0-for-4 against Howie Camnitz in a Pirates 12-0 win. Storke was playing third base and batting sixth the next day for the Pirates. The timing of him joining the team coincided with the Pirates making a trip to play the Boston Beaneaters (Braves), so they played Providence on the off-day before the series started against Boston. He ended up going 3-for-12 in his five games for the 1906 Pirates, with one run, a double, RBI, stolen base and walk.
Storke was a utility infielder for the 1907 Pirates, seeing time at all four infield spots, though more than half of his time was spent at third base. He batted .258 over 112 games, with 24 runs, 13 extra-base hits, 39 RBIs, six steals and a .612 OPS during his first full season in the majors. The National League’s combined OPS was just .616 during that deadball era season, so he was basically an average hitter. Storke had similar results at the plate in 1908, though his playing time was cut in half. He hit .252 over 64 games, with 20 runs, nine extra-base hits, 12 RBIs and a .606 OPS, with a large majority of his playing time that season coming as a first baseman. He was playing sparingly in 1909 when the Pirates won their first World Series title. He hit .254 over 37 games, with 12 runs, seven extra-base hits, 12 RBIs and a .632 OPS, while seeing all of his playing time at the two corner infield spots. He wasn’t around during the World Series celebration, as Pittsburgh traded him (and Jap Barbeau) to the St Louis Cardinals in August for third baseman Bobby Byrne. Storke batted .282/.328/.310 in 48 games with the Cardinals after the trade, with 11 runs, five extra-base hits (all doubles) and ten RBIs. He was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds as part of a deal that included Hall of Famer Miller Huggins in February of 1910, right before tragedy struck. During a lung operation on March 18, 1910, Storke passed away at the age of 25, with the cause being described as empyema. In an interesting side note, he had not signed his 1910 contract yet due to differences in the salary he wanted/was offered. He was a third-year student at Harvard Law School at the time and graduating in the spring. He hit .255 in 218 games for the Pirates, with 57 runs, 17 doubles, 11 triples, two homers and 64 RBIs. Both of his homers were inside-the-park home runs, with the second one coming against Hall of Famer Joe McGinnity.
Vin Mazzaro, pitcher for the 2013-14 Pirates. He was a third round pick of the Oakland A’s out of high school in 2005. He didn’t debut until 2006, playing his first season at 19 years old. He went 9-9, 5.05 that year, with 81 strikeouts and a 1.58 WHIP in 119.1 innings for Kane County of the Low-A Midwest League. Mazzaro spent the 2007 season with Stockton in the high-offense High-A California League, where he had a 9-12, 5.33 record, 115 strikeouts and a 1.50 WHIP over 153.2 innings. That was followed by a breakout season in 2008, when he went 12-3, 1.90 in 137.1 innings for Midland the Double-A Texas League, with 104 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP. He was promoted to Sacramento of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League to end the season, where he had a 6.15 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP in 33.2 innings over six games (five starts). He had a total of 131 strikeouts that season in 171 innings. He had a 2.38 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and 44 strikeouts in 56.2 innings at Sacramento during the 2009 season. That was followed by 17 starts with the A’s after being promoted in early June. He went 4-9, 5.32 in 91.1 innings for the A’s that season, with 59 strikeouts and a 1.74 WHIP. Mazzaro spent part of 2010 back in the minors, going 3-1, 3.13 in 37.1 innings for Sacramento. Most of that year was spent in Oakland, where he had a 6-8, 4.27 record in 122.1 innings over 18 starts and six relief appearances, finishing with 79 strikeouts and a 1.45 WHIP. Mazzaro was traded to the Kansas City Royals before the 2011 season. He spent two years there, splitting his time between starting and relief, while seeing more time in the minors each season.
Mazzaro went 1-1, 8.26 in 28.1 innings over four starts and three relief appearances for the 2011 Royals. He also went 7-2, 4.29 in 123.2 innings over 22 starts for Omaha of the Pacific Coast League, with 107 strikeouts and a 1.62 WHIP. He made 22 appearances/eight starts for Omaha in 2012, going 2-2, 3.63 in 67 innings, with 62 strikeouts and a 1.33 WHIP. He had a 4-3, 5.73 record in six starts and 12 relief appearances for the 2012 Royals, with 26 strikeouts and a 1.68 WHIP over 44 innings. The Pirates acquired Mazzaro in a four-player trade on November 28, 2012. He was the main player involved in the deal that included the Pirates sending two lower level players to the Royals. He was outstanding in his first year with the Pirates, but he barely pitched for the team during his second year in the organization, spending most of the season in Triple-A. He had an 8-2, 2.81 record in 73.2 innings over 57 appearances with the 2013 Pirates, putting up 46 strikeouts and a 1.21 WHIP. His minor league time that year was limited to three appearances with Indianapolis of the Triple-A International League. He then he pitched just 10.1 innings over five appearances for the Pirates during the 2014 season, with all of that time coming in May. He pitched well in Indianapolis that season, posting a 2.52 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in 50 innings over 33 appearances. Despite the success in the majors in 2013 and minors in 2014, he was let go by the Pirates after the 2014 season. Mazzaro signed a free agent deal with the Miami Marlins for 2015, then put up a 3.75 ERA in ten appearances, with six strikeouts and a 1.75 WHIP over 12 innings. He was released in June of 2015, then signed with the Atlanta Braves to finish out the season. Once again he put up strong results in Triple-A, but he didn’t make it back up to the majors that season. He had a 2.70 ERA, 40 strikeouts and a 1.31 WHIP over 46.1 innings in Triple-A, split between New Orleans of the Pacific Coast League (Marlins) and Gwinnett of the International League (Braves).
Mazzaro’s last two big league outings were with the 2016 San Francisco Giants. He allowed nine runs over one inning total between those two outings, though all nine of those runs came in his final big league appearance. He finished the 2016 season for the Giants back in Sacramento, going 2-2, 3.22 in 67 innings over 38 games (four starts), with 43 strikeouts and a 1.31 WHIP. He then pitched twice for Louisville of the International League with the Cincinnati Reds in 2017, allowing 13 runs in 4.1 innings. Since that point, he’s played seven seasons of independent ball and one year of winter ball, staying active into 2023. Mazzaro threw six shutout innings for Somerset of the Atlantic League in 2017. He had a 1.76 ERA, an 0.93 WHIP and 44 strikeouts over 46 innings for New Jersey of the Canadian-American Association in 2018. He gave up 12 runs over eight innings over winter ball in Puerto Rico during the 2018-19 off-season. He went 11-6, 3.61 over 92.1 innings with Long Island of the Atlantic League in 2019, finishing with a 1.32 WHIP and 84 strikeouts. He pitched just two games for Sussex County of the All-American Baseball Challenge during the interrupted 2020 season. Mazzaro then returned to Long Island in 2021, where he went 1-5, 7.68 in 41 innings, with 21 strikeouts and a 2.10 WHIP. He played for Sussex County of the Frontier League during the 2022 season, going 5-6, 4.99 in 83 innings over 16 starts, with 72 strikeouts and a 1.62 WHIP. He played for New Jersey of the Frontier League during the 2023 season, going 4-1, 3.27 in eight starts, with 56 strikeouts and a 1.04 WHIP over 41.1 innings. In his big league career, he went 24-23, 4.79 in 383 innings over 45 starts and 95 relief appearances, with a 1.55 WHIP and 233 strikeouts.
Pedro Ciriaco, shortstop for the 2010-11 Pirates. He signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks as an international free agent out of the Dominican at 17 years old in early 2003. He first two seasons were spent in the Dominican Summer League (no stats available), before debuting in the United States in 2005. Ciriaco hit .240 during that 2005 season with Missoula of the short-season Pioneer League, finishing with 28 runs, 15 extra-base hits, 31 RBIs and a .595 OPS in 69 games. He spent the 2006 season with South Bend of the Low-A Midwest League, where he hit .264 over 128 games, with 77 runs, 22 extra-base hits, 32 RBIs, 19 steals and a .629 OPS. The 2007 season saw him move up to Visalia of the High-A California League for the first of two full seasons with the team. He hit .251 over 119 games in 2007, with 61 runs, 22 extra-base hits, 39 RBIs, 20 steals and a .608 OPS. He improved to a .741 OPS over 124 games in 2008, finishing that year with a .310 average, 85 runs scored, 36 extra-base hits, 61 RBIs and 40 steals. Ciriaco spent the 2009 season at Mobile of the Double-A Southern League, where he hit .296 over 121 games, with 56 runs, 22 extra-base hits, 54 RBIs, 38 steals and a .686 OPS. He played in the Arizona Fall League after the 2009 season, where he hit .258/.296/.318 in 15 games. He then batted .320/.333/.400 over 14 games of winter ball in the Dominican.
Ciriaco started the 2010 season playing in the high-offense baseball environment at Reno of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He hit .259 over 87 games, with 44 runs, 28 extra-base hits, 51 RBIs, 14 steals and a .670 OPS. Ciriaco was acquired by the Pirates from the Diamondbacks at the 2010 trade deadline in a five-player deal. He went to Indianapolis of the Triple-A International League, where he hit .281/.288/.372 in 32 games. He then made his Major League debut five week after the trade, playing eight September games for the 2010 Pirates. He batted just six times in those eight games, though he collected a single, a double and a triple. He played winter ball in the Dominican over the 2010-11 off-season, hitting .247/.264/.294 through 27 games. He spent most of 2011 in the minors, while getting into 23 games in Pittsburgh. He went back-and-forth between Indianapolis and the Pirates during the season, seeing at least one big league game in every month from May until September. Ciriaco batted .231/.243/.300 in 71 games with Indianapolis, with 31 runs, 12 extra-base hits, 24 RBIs and 13 steals. He hit .303/.324/.424 in 34 plate appearances for the Pirates, with four runs, three extra-base hits and six RBIs. He played in the Dominican again during the 2011-12 off-season, posting a .238/.250/.276 slash line over 28 games.
Ciriaco was released by the Pirates after the 2011 season. He signed quickly with the Boston Red Sox, where he had his best season in 2012. He spent the first half of the season with Pawtucket of the International League, hitting .301/.318/.406 in 64 games, before joining the Red Sox in July. He hit .293 over 76 games for the 2012 Red Sox, with 33 runs, 19 extra-base hits, 19 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and a .705 OPS. He saw time at six different positions that year, playing all three outfield spots, second base, third base and shortstop. Ciriaco put up a .192 average over nine games in the Dominican during the 2012-13 off-season. The 2013 season ended up being split between Boston, the San Diego Padres and the Kansas City Royals. He combined to play 56 big league games that season, putting up a .224 average between all three stops, with nine runs, four doubles, two homers, eight RBIs, a .615 OPS and nine steals in ten attempts. Part of that year was spent at Omaha of the Pacific Coast League (Royals), where he had a .281 average and a .672 OPS in 43 games. He put up a .292/.311/.365 slash line over 25 games in the Dominican during the 2013-14 off-season.
Ciriaco batted .213/.229/.255 in 49 plate appearances over 25 games with the 2014 Royals, seeing most of his playing time at second base. The rest of the year was spent with Omaha, where he had a .302 average and a .766 OPS in 62 games. He put up a .303 average and a .697 OPS over 31 games in the Dominican during the 2014-15 off-season. Ciriaco saw his most big league time in 2015 with the Atlanta Braves, which also ended up being his final big league season. He hit .261 over 84 games, with 14 runs scored, eight doubles, one homer, 15 RBIs and a .627 OPS. Most of his time came off of the bench, with just 24 starts all season, which were split between all four infield spots. He played with five teams over six seasons in the majors, hitting .268 in 272 games, with 70 runs, 32 doubles, five homers, 51 RBIs and 35 steals in 42 attempts. He remained in pro ball through the winter of 2017-18. Ciriaco’s 2015-16 winter was limited to 22 games, in which he had a .239 average and a .549 OPS. He played in Triple-A with the Miami Marlins (New Orleans of the Pacific Coast League), Texas Rangers (Round Rock of the Pacific Coast League) and Detroit Tigers (Toledo of the International League) during the 2016 season. He put up a .255 average and .581 OPS in 88 games that season, with the low OPS coming from having one homer and five walks. He had a .608 OPS over 15 games in the Dominican during the 2016-17 off-season. His 2017 season was split between two teams in Mexico, hitting .287/.288/.320 over 27 games for Laguna, while posting a .267/.287/.361 slash line over 46 games for Quintana Roo. That was followed by his final winter league season in the Dominican, where he went 1-for-8 at the plate in five games. He played nine seasons of winter ball.
Dave Wickersham, reliever for the 1968 Pirates. He was originally signed by the Pirates as an amateur in 1955. They lost him in the 1959 minor league draft to the Kansas City Athletics. Wickersham debuted in pro ball at 19 years old during the 1955 season. He played Burlington-Graham of the Class-B Carolina League, where he had a 4.50 ERA in 36 innings, with a 1.89 WHIP, 32 walks and 16 strikeouts. He moved down a level to Grand Forks of the Class-C Northern League in 1956, where he went 13-9, 4.53 over 177 innings. He had 83 strikeouts and a 1.45 WHIP, while cutting his walk rate from 8.0 per nine innings down to 3.3 per nine innings. He spent most of 1957 at Beaumont of the Class-B Big State League, going 15-8, 1.95 in 217 innings, with 48 walks, 150 strikeouts and a 1.04 WHIP. He also saw limited time with Lincoln of the Class-A Western League, where he posted a 2-1 record in four appearances. Wickersham spent most of 1958 with Lincoln, where he had a 16-9, 3.87 record, a 1.35 WHIP and 136 strikeouts in 193 innings. He also saw five games with Columbus of the Triple-A International League that season, allowing two runs over eight innings during that brief time. He split 1959 evenly between Gastonia of the Class-A South Atlantic League and Salt Lake City of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He had much better results at the lower level, with a 2.69 ERA in 97 innings as a starter, compared to a 4.79 ERA in 47 innings of relief work at the higher level. He combined to go 8-7, 3.38 over 144 innings, with 79 strikeouts and a 1.30 WHIP. After the A’s selected him in the minor league draft, he spent most of the 1960 season with Shreveport of the Double-A Southern Association. He had a 10-7, 2.65 record, a 1.20 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 187 innings. He made five late-season appearances in the majors that year, allowing one run in 8.1 innings.
Wickersham had a 5.73 ERA in ten early season appearances with the 1961 A’s, before being sent back to the minors. He posted a 14-11, 2.45 record, a 1.11 WHIP and 111 strikeouts in 121 innings over 57 relief appearances for Shreveport that year. He returned to the A’s in September, then remained in the majors full-time until 1968. He had a 5.14 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP in 21 innings over 17 games for the 1961 A’s. Wickersham had an 11-4, 4.17 record during the 1962 season, with 61 strikeouts and a 1.35 WHIP in 110 innings over nine starts and 21 relief appearances. He was a full-time starter in 1963, going 12-15, 4.09 in 237.2 innings over 38 games (34 starts), with 118 strikeouts and a 1.36 WHIP. He was part of a five-player/cash trade with the Detroit Tigers in November of 1963. Wickersham went 19-12, 3.44 in 254 innings during the 1964 season, with a 1.20 WHIP and a career high of 164 strikeouts. He completed 11 of his 36 starts, while also pitching four times in relief. He received mild MVP support for the only time in his career that year, finishing 30th in the voting. The 1965 season saw him post a slightly higher ERA on a better Detroit team, but his record was well off the 19 wins from the previous year. He went 9-14, 3.78 in 195.1 innings over 27 starts and seven relief appearances, with 109 strikeouts and a 1.23 WHIP. Wickersham managed to pick up three of his five career shutouts that season. While he only had 19 career saves, that was the only season that he didn’t have at least one save. He split 1966 between starting and relief, going 8-3, 3.20 in 140.2 innings, with 14 starts and 24 relief outings. He had 93 strikeouts and a 1.37 WHIP. His 6.0 strikeouts per nine innings that year was his highest career rate.
Wickersham became a full-time reliever in 1967 before joining the Pirates. He succeeded in that role, going 4-5, 2.74 in 85.1 innings, with 44 strikeouts and a 1.23 WHIP. He picked up five saves in 36 games (four starts). He was reacquired by the Pirates after the 1967 season in a trade for pitcher Dennis Ribant. Wickersham had a 3.48 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP in 20.2 innings over 11 appearances during his only season in Pittsburgh. The rest of the year was spent back in Columbus, where he played briefly ten years earlier. He had a 5-7, 4.75 record, 46 strikeouts and a 1.42 WHIP in 91 innings for Columbus during the 1968 season, making 16 starts and two relief appearances. The Pirates sold him to the expansion Kansas City Royals shortly after the 1968 season ended. He had a 2-3, 3.96 record, five saves, a 1.44 WHIP and 27 strikeouts in 50 innings over 34 appearances for the 1969 Royals, in what ended up being his final big league season. He also had a 1.38 ERA and five save over 13 innings for Omaha of the Triple-A American Association that year. Wickersham was traded to the Atlanta Braves over the 1969-70 off-season, but he decided to retire instead of reporting to the team for Spring Training in 1970. He finished up with a 68-57, 3.66 big league record in 1,123 innings over 124 starts and 159 relief appearances, with a 1.30 WHIP and 638 strikeouts.
Dick Hall, outfielder for the 1952-55 Pirates and pitcher for the 1955-57 and 1959 Pirates. He was signed as a position player in late 1951, then debuted in the majors less than a year later at 21 years old. Hall spent parts of three seasons trying to make it as a position player, before he was shifted to the mound in 1955. He debuted in the majors before playing his first minor league game. He had a .138 average and a .309 OPS in 26 games with the 1952 Pirates, then spent most of the year with Burlington-Graham of the Class-B Carolina League. He hit .242 during that minor league time, with 56 runs, 18 extra-base hits, 47 RBIs and a .621 OPS in 101 games. Hall’s 1953 season was also spent in Class-B ball, seeing time with Burlington-Graham and Waco of the Big State League. He played 95 of his 102 games with Waco that season, where he had a .246 average, 54 runs, ten doubles, nine triples, six homers, 50 RBIs and a .699 OPS. He played seven games for the Pirates in September of 1953, when he went 4-for-24 at the plate. He was with the Pirates for all of 1954, batting .239/.304/.310 over 112 games, with 38 runs, eight doubles, four triples, two homers and 27 RBIs. He made the switch to pitching with Lincoln of the Class-A Western League in 1955, then excelled right away to the new position. He went 12-5, 2.24 in 153 innings, with 137 strikeouts and a 1.03 WHIP. He was back in the majors by late July of 1955. Hall went 6-6, 3.91 in 13 starts and two relief appearances for the 1955 Pirates, with 46 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP. He had a .175 average and a .558 OPS in 47 plate appearances.
The Pirates may have had second thoughts about switching Hall in 1956, when he went 0-7, 4.76 in 62.1 innings over nine starts and ten relief appearances. He had 27 strikeouts and a 1.36 WHIP. He also hit .345 in his limited time at the plate, going 10-for-29 with five walks. They stayed with him as a pitcher, which turned out to be the right move for his career. Hall saw limited mound time for the 1957 Pirates, allowing 12 runs in ten innings over eight appearances. He spent half of the year down at Columbus of the Triple-A International League in a starting role, posting a 4.15 ERA in 91 innings, with a 1.27 WHIP and 65 strikeouts. He then missed the entire 1958 season due to illness. Hall returned to the majors briefly in 1959, pitching two late September games for the Pirates, after going 18-5, 1.87 in 217 innings with Salt Lake City of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, where he had 128 strikeouts and an 0.88 WHIP. The Pirates sent him to the Kansas City A’s in a four-player trade after the 1959 season. Hall never played in the minors again after leaving the Pirates. He pitched until 1971, while going to the World Series four times with the Baltimore Orioles.
Hall went 8-13, 4.05 for the 1960 A’s, putting up a 1.21 WHIP and 79 strikeouts in a career high 182.1 innings. He also set career highs with 28 starts and nine complete games. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles right before the 1961 season started. He had a 7-5, 3.09 record, a career high 92 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP in 122.1 innings that year, with 13 starts and 16 relief appearances. While saves weren’t an official stat until 1969, he’s now credited with four saves that year. He adapted well to the long relief role, going 6-6, 2.28 during the 1962 season, with six saves, 71 strikeouts and a 1.02 WHIP in 118.1 innings over 43 appearances (six starts). He had a 5-5, 2.98 record over 111.2 innings during the 1963 season, with 74 strikeouts, an 0.96 WHIP and 12 saves in 47 appearances. Hall never cracked the century mark again in innings, but he pitched just as often. He went 9-1, 1.85 for the 1964 Orioles, with 52 strikeouts, an 0.84 WHIP and nine saves in 87.2 innings over 45 appearances. Hall had a career high 48 appearances in 1965, when he finished with an 11-8, 3.07 record, 12 saves, 79 strikeouts and a 1.01 WHIP over 93.2 innings. His workload decreased during the 1966 season, when he went 6-2, 3.95 in 66 innings over 32 games, while putting up seven saves, 44 strikeouts and a 1.02 WHIP. He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in December of 1966 for a player to be named later.
Hall went 10-8, 2.20 in 86 innings for the 1967 Phillies, with nine saves, 49 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP over 48 appearances. He was released by the Phillies after going 4-1, 4.89 in 46 innings over 32 appearances during the 1968 season. He had 31 strikeouts and a 1.26 WHIP. That ERA was extremely high for the season, which was a low point for offense around baseball. That lack of offense led to changes regarding the height of the mound. Hall re-signed with the Orioles, where he had an outstanding 1969 season. He had a 5-2, 1.92 record, 31 strikeouts, six saves and an 0.88 WHIP in 65.2 innings over 39 games. He faced four batters in the postseason that year, which was the year they expanded to two rounds. He went 10-5, 3.08 in 32 games during the 1970 season, with 30 strikeouts, an 0.93 WHIP and three saves over 61.1 innings pitched. He was dominant in the postseason that year, throwing seven shutout innings on one hit and no walks in his two long relief outings. The Orioles went to their third straight World Series appearance in 1971, while Hall went 6-6, 4.98 in 43.1 innings that year, with 26 strikeouts and a 1.45 WHIP. His last big league appearance was in the 1971 World Series, and it came almost 20 years to the day that he signed with the Pirates. He had a 4.57 ERA in 23 starts and 21 relief appearances while with the Pirates. Hall pitched 175.1 innings for Pittsburgh and 1,259.2 innings over his 19-year career, finishing 93-75, 3.32 in 495 games (74 starts), with 71 saves, 741 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP. He was a career .210/.271/.259 hitter in 821 plate appearances. He pitched five postseason games without an earned run, totaling 8.2 innings worth of work. Hall passed away at 92 years old in June of 2023.
Dick Lanahan, lefty pitcher for the 1940-41 Pirates. He debuted in pro ball during the 1935 season. He played until 1948, but he only saw action in the majors during four of those seasons, while spending just one full season in the majors. He was already 23 years old when he debuted with Chattanooga of the Class-A Southern Association, where he went 7-11, 3.27 in 146 innings, while posting a 1.27 WHIP. Lanahan debuted in the majors with the Washington Senators that September. He made three starts, in which he went 0-3, 5.66 in 20.2 innings, with ten strikeouts and a 2.13 WHIP. He was back in Chattanooga for the 1936 season, going 13-11, 4.21 over 35 games, with 129 strikeouts and a 1.45 WHIP in 218 innings. He was with the Senators to start and end the 1937 season, but the majority of the year was spent back with Chattanooga. Lanahan went 9-10, 4.40 over 139 innings in the minors that season, with 65 walks, 57 strikeouts and a 1.48 WHIP. He had a 12.71 ERA and a 2.56 WHIP in 11.1 innings with the Senators, making two starts and four relief appearances. All of 1938-39 was spent back in Chattanooga. He went 14-19, 4.36 in 225 innings in 1938, finishing with 86 walks, 20 hit batters, 76 strikeouts and a 1.54 WHIP. Lanahan had his best minor league season in 1939, when he went 19-11, 2.95 in 232 innings over 30 starts and 14 relief appearances. He had a 1.33 WHIP and 86 strikeouts. The Pirates acquired him in the winter Rule 5 draft shortly after the 1939 season ended.
Lanahan had a 4.35 ERA in eight starts and 39 relief outings with the Pirates over the 1940-41 seasons. Most of that time came during the 1940 season, when he had a 6-8, 4.25 record, 45 strikeouts and a 1.51 WHIP, while setting a career high with 108 innings. The Pirates sold him outright to St Paul of the Double-A American Association on May 13, 1941, which wound up being the end of his big league career. He had a 5.25 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 12 innings over seven appearances for the 1941 Pirates. He spent the rest of 1941 with St Paul, as well as all of the 1942 season. He got roughed up a bit during this time. He had a 5-14, 5.37 record and a 1.66 WHIP over 134 innings in 1941, with more walks (66) than strikeouts (49). Lanahan had a 4-14, 4.72 record in 124 innings over 17 starts and eight relief appearances during the 1942 season. He had 61 walks that season, 31 strikeouts and a 1.64 WHIP. He then spent two years (1943-44) helping with the war effort, before returning to baseball during the 1945-46 seasons with St Paul. With competition at a low point in 1945 due to so many players serving in the war, he went 11-9, 3.73 over 152 innings, with 97 walks, 68 strikeouts and a 1.66 WHIP. He had a a 5-1, 3.66 record, 24 strikeouts and a 1.54 WHIP over 59 innings for St Paul in 1946. He also played back in Chattanooga for a short time that year, going 0-3, 4.06 in 31 innings over five games, finishing with 13 strikeouts and a 1.48 WHIP. Lanahan didn’t play in 1947, but he saw brief time with San Antonio of the Texas League in 1948 before retiring from baseball. He went 6-13, 5.15 in 152 big league innings, spread over 13 starts and 43 relief appearances. He had 62 strikeouts, a 1.66 WHIP, four complete games and two saves.
Marty Lang, lefty pitcher for the 1930 Pirates. He had a 54.00 ERA in two games with the 1930 Pirates, giving up 10 runs in 1.2 innings. He debuted during a July 4th doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs, when he allowed six runs in the ninth inning. It was a 4-1 deficit when he came in to start the inning, then reliever Leon Chagnon had to come on to get the final out when Lang couldn’t get through the inning. Lang got his second chance in the sixth inning against the Brooklyn Dodgers ten days later. He came in with the Pirates down 8-3, then allowed four runs in his lone inning of work. The Pirates actually rallied later, but still lost 12-8. Lang spent nine seasons in the minors, debuting in 1926 and 20 years old with Omaha of the Class-A Western League. He saw limited playing time in each of his first three seasons with Omaha, playing a total of 35 games. No pitching records are available from 1926 (he played 11 games and went 1-for-11 as a batter). He allowed 18 runs (not all earned) over 24 innings in 1927, when he had a 1-1 record and a 1.79 WHIP. A story from 1930 noted that he also played that year for Corsicana of the Class-D Lone Star League, though no stats are available. That was followed by 60 runs allowed over 53 innings in 1928, when he had a 2-1 record and a 2.04 WHIP. He made a total of 22 appearances spread over those two years. He had a 14-9 record and 210 innings pitched over 35 games in 1929 for Wichita of the Western League. He was there on loan from Omaha. Despite the success that year, he had 113 walks and 93 strikeouts. The Pirates purchased his contract from Omaha on November 6, 1929.
Lang pitched an exhibition game on March 24th against the San Francisco Seals of the Double-A Pacific Coast League during Spring Training of 1930, in which he allowed two runs over six innings. The reports from the game said that his changeup and breaking balls baffled the opposing hitters. He pitched another game eight days later with the same results, allowing two runs over six frames. He was with the Pirates on Opening Day (April 15th), but plans were already in place to find him a suitable minor league team for more seasoning. He was optioned just three days later to Baltimore of the Double-A International League, which was the highest level of the minors at the time. After six weeks with Baltimore, he was transferred to New Haven of the Class-A Eastern League (no stats available from his New Haven time). He had an 0-1 record over five appearances for Baltimore. He then rejoined the Pirates on July 1st. The day after his final appearance with the Pirates, he was sent back to Pittsburgh from Boston to report to Forbes Field, which the local papers assumed was bad news. Their guess turned out to be true, as Lang was sent to Wichita of the Western League on July 19th. He was sent there on option, but the Pirates decided to let that option lapse in September, which officially ended his time in Pittsburgh.
Lang had a 4-5, 3.84 record and a 1.46 WHIP in 82 innings for Wichita to finish out the 1930 season. He spent the entire 1931 season with Wichita, going 17-9, 4.14 in 211 innings, with a 1.46 WHIP. He was with Tulsa of the Western League in 1932, where he had a 12-5 record and a 1.58 WHIP in 180 innings. His ERA isn’t available from that year, but it’s known that he allowed 5.50 runs per nine innings. The 1933 season was split between Topeka of the Western League, Oklahoma City of the Class-A Texas League, and he played briefly for Tulsa, which was also in the Texas League that season. He’s credited with going 11-9 in 159 innings over 24 games that season. Most of that time came with Topeka, where he had a 1.23 WHIP over 90 innings. He was signed to play for Topeka in 1934, but he ended up playing semi-pro ball in Oklahoma instead. His only pro experience after 1933 was a stint in 1938 with Bartlesville of the Class-C Western Association, where he went 8-12, 4.25 in 182 innings, while posting 128 strikeouts and a 1.61 WHIP. He also played briefly that season for Mayfield of the Class-D Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League, though no stats are available. He played semi-pro ball in Wichita for the 1939-41 seasons.
Doug Baird, utility player for the 1915-17 Pirates. Baird began his pro career by spending the 1912-13 seasons playing for Springfield of the Class-B Three-I league. At 20 years old during his first season of pro ball, the limited available stats show him hitting .287 in 73 games. He batted .288 during the 1913 season, with 24 doubles, six triples and eight homers in 135 games. There were talks about the Pirates purchasing Baird in July of 1913, although multiple newspapers at the time hinted at the Pirates already have a string attached to him, so they could call him up at any time. The announcement of his contract being purchased came in early August of 1913. He was with the Pirates at the end of the 1913 season, but he didn’t get into any games. He went to Spring Training with the 1914 Pirates, before getting cut eight days before Opening Day. He played for Souix City of the Class-A Western League in 1914, where his manager was Josh Clarke, the brother of Pirates manager Fred Clarke. The Pirates purchased his contract back in September of 1914, then he debuted in the majors during the 1915 season. It was originally noted that he would join the Pirates at the end of the Sioux City season in mid-September, but Fred Clarke noted that he already saw Baird and knows what he has, so he wanted to give other new players a look. Baird hit .321 in 158 games for Sioux City that season, collecting 102 runs, 35 doubles, ten triples, six homers, 64 steals and 68 walks.
Baird was the starting third baseman for the 1915 Pirates, hitting .219 over 145 games, with 49 runs, 26 doubles, 12 triples, 53 RBIs, 29 stolen bases and a .599 OPS. He led the National League with 88 strikeouts as a rookie. He played more of a utility role in 1916, when he finished with a .216 average, 41 runs scored, ten doubles, seven triples, one homer, 28 RBIs and a .542 OPS over 128 games. Baird had 20 steals that year, but he was also caught stealing 16 times. He made 71 starts at third base, 26 at second base, and another 12 split between the three outfield spots. His batting picked up early in 1917, when he hit .259 over 43 games, with 17 runs, seven extra-base hits, 18 RBIs and a .673 OPS. He was traded to the St Louis Cardinals in June of 1917 for pitcher Bob Steele. Baird would go on to play three more seasons in the majors, seeing time with four different clubs during those 3 1/2 years. He hit .223 in 316 games for the Pirates, while spending time at five different positions. He finished out the 1917 season by hitting .253 as the everyday third baseman for the Cardinals, with 38 runs, 19 doubles, 12 triples, 24 RBIs and 18 steals in 104 games. His .672 OPS during that time was one point lower than his mark that season with the Pirates. He also finished 40 points over the league average OPS during that deadball era season.
Baird hit .247 over 82 games with the 1918 Cardinals, collecting 41 runs scored, 22 extra-base hits, 25 RBIs, 25 steals, 25 walks and a .659 OPS. He split the 1919 season between St Louis, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers). He batted .236 between the three stops, with 43 runs, 20 extra-base hits, 42 RBIs and a .613 OPS in 102 games. He played his final 13 big league games in 1920, seeing six games with Brooklyn and seven games with the New York Giants. Baird had a .603 OPS over 19 plate appearances that year. He was back in the minors at age 29 in 1921, playing two years with Indianapolis of the Double-A American Association (highest level of the minors at the time), three years with Columbus of the American Association and two years with Birmingham of the Class-A Southern Association. He also played with Little Rock of the Southern Association during his final season. Baird hit .300+ in four of those last seven seasons. Baird played 160 games for Indianapolis during the 1921 season, finishing the year with a .310 average, 28 doubles, 14 triples and three homers. He had a .272 average during the 1922 season, with 20 doubles, 16 triples and five homers in 160 games. He batted .306 over 89 games for Columbus in 1923, with 18 extra-base hits. Baird hit .281 in 1924, with 28 extra-base hits over 129 games. That was followed by a .300 average and 19 extra-base hits over 117 games in 1925. He batted .311 during the 1926 season, with 32 extra-base hits in 95 for Birmingham. His final season saw him put up a .288 average and 22 extra-base hits in 133 games, which were split between Birmingham and Little Rock. Baird went by his middle name during his baseball days. His actual first name was Howard.
The Game
On this date in 1992, the Pittsburgh Pirates won their third straight National League East title at Three Rivers Stadium in front of 31,217 fans. Danny Jackson helped the Pirates to a 4-2 win over the New York Mets, as they moved to 93-63 on the season. He tossed seven innings, while giving up one run. Jay Bell drove in two runs, and Barry Bonds collected his 101st RBI of the season. Jeff King drove in his 64th run. The two pitchers for the Mets were Pete Schourek, a future Pirates pitcher at the time, and Barry Jones, a former Pirates pitcher. Here’s the boxscore.
