Moments of Joy and Heartbreak: 66 Significant Episodes in the History of the Pittsburgh Pirates (Sabr Digital Library)

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a long history, peppered with moments significant both to Pirates fans and Major League Baseball. While the Pirates are recognized as fielding the first all-black lineup in 1971, the 66 games in this book include one of the first matchups in the majors to involve two non-white opening hurlers (Native American and Cuban) in June 1921. We relive no-hitters, World Series-winning homers, and encounter the story of the last tripleheader ever played in major-league baseball. Some of the games are wins; some are losses. All of these essays provide readers with a sense of the totality of the Pirates’ experiences: the joy, the heartbreak, and other aspects of baseball (and life) in between. This book is the work of 37 members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), including JEFF BARTO, JOHN BAUER, ROBERT E. BIONAZ , THOMAS J. BROWN JR., FREDERICK C. (RICK) BUSH, ALAN COHEN, PAUL E. DOUTRICH, DOUG FELDMANN, JEFF FINDLEY, T.S. FLYNN, GORDON J. GATTIE, TOM HAWTHORN, ROCK HOFFMAN, PAUL HOFMANN, MIKE HUBER, JORGE IBER, FRANK ITTNER, MATT KEELEAN, RUSS LAKE, BOB LEMOINE, LEN LEVIN, MARK MILLER, SETH MOLAND-KOVASH, BILL NOWLIN, RICHARD “PETE” PETERSON, STEPHEN PETERSON, RICHARD J. PUERZER, ELIZA RICHARDSON, C. PAUL ROGERS III, HARRY SCHOGER, BLAKE W. SHERRY, WAYNE STRUMPFER, JOSEPH WANCHO, BOB WEBSTER, STEVEN C. WEINER, GREGORY H. WOLF, JACK ZERBY. Contents:MAY 10, 1882: First Major-League Game in PittsburghAPRIL 22, 1891: Opening Day 1891OCTOBER 4, 1892: Pirates Set Wins RecordOCTOBER 13, 1903: First World SeriesSEPT 20, 1907: Maddox First Bucs No-HitterJUNE 29, 1909: Farewell to the Old YardJUNE 30, 1909: Forbes Field Opening DayJULY 3, 1910: Chief Hits for the CycleAUGUST 22, 1912: “Wagner Wields Willow,” Hits for the CycleOCTOBER 2, 1920: Only Major-League TripleheaderJUNE 30, 1921: “Chief” Yellow Horse Defeats LuqueJUNE 20, 1925: Cuyler, Carey, and Co. Steamroll BrooklynOCTOBER 15, 1925: Game 7 1925 World SeriesJUNE 24, 1933: Arky Vaughan Hits for the CycleJUNE 19, 1934: Traynor as Pirates ManagerAPRIL 27, 1938: Vaughan Slams CubsMAY 4, 1938: Lloyd Waner’s Big GameMAY 30, 1939: Rizzo’s Nine RBIsAUGUST 27, 1949: Tiny Bonham’s Last GameJUNE 25, 1950: Kiner Hits for the CycleSEPT 23, 1951: Dickson’s 20th WinJUNE 6, 1952: Bucs Shave The BarberAPRIL 13, 1954: Law Return from MilitaryMAY 16, 1954: Rookie Roberts Collects 3 HitsSEPT 24, 1955: Friend Clinches ERA TitleJULY 25, 1956: Clemente Grand Slams JULY 18, 1957: Arroyo’s Final VictoryMAY 1, 1958: Frank Has A Big DayMAY 26, 1959: Haddix Pitches 12 Perfect InningsAUGUST 6, 1960: “We Had 'em All the Way”OCTOBER 13, 1960: Mazeroski’s HomerAPRIL 15, 1961: Friend Bests DrysdaleSEPT 21, 1963: Gene Baker: First African American ManagerJULY 22, 1964: Mazeroski, Lynch, and Stargell Rout CardinalsJUNE 1, 1965: Veale’s 16 StrikeoutsOCTOBER 2, 1966: Matty Alou Batting TitleMAY 15, 1967: Clemente Blasts 3 HomersSEPT 20, 1969: A Trophy No-Hitter: Bob MooseJUNE 12, 1970: Dock Ellis No-HitterJUNE 28, 1970: Human Locusts DayAUGUST 14, 1971: Gib No-HitterAUGUST 23, 1971: Best Game for Al OliverSEPT 1, 1971: First All-Black LineupOCTOBER 17, 1971: World Series Game 7SEPT 30, 1972: Clemente Collects Number 3,000 in Last At-BatAPRIL 6, 1973: No Clemente in RightJUNE 13, 1973: Blass Loses ControlSEPT 16, 1975: Stennett Leads RoutSEPT 25, 1976: The Tragic Death of Bob MooseOCTOBER 3, 1976: Murtaugh’s Final GamesOCTOBER 17, 1979: Pirates Win the SeriesMAY 19, 1981: Bibby’s Near No-HitterSEPT 25, 1985:Reuschel Inspires BucsOCTOBER 13, 1992: Pirates Back Wakefield in NLCSJULY 12, 1997: Cordova, Rincon, & Smith FireworksJULY 28, 2001: Pirates' ComebackJULY 2, 2010: Ohlendorf WinsJULY 26, 2011: A Really Bad CallSEPT 9, 2013: Pirates End the StreakOCTOBER 1, 2013: NL Wild Card GameJUNE 20, 2015: Scherzer No-HitterOCTOBER 7, 2015: NL Wild Card GameAPRIL 26, 2016: McCutchen 3 Home Runs