Tomorrow afternoon, we are going to post our second Pirates Memorabilia article. In case you missed it, the first one featured a 1946 team signed baseball, with four Hall of Fame autographs, including Honus Wagner and Ralph Kiner. That article was a reader submission. The second one is coming from a long-time friend of mine, who has only read a handful of articles on this site (yet we are still friends), so I can’t really call it a reader submission. Without giving away tomorrow’s item, I’ll say that he collects items from another team and one of those items also has Pittsburgh Pirates history attached to it.
I’m interested to hear what Pirates memorabilia our readers collect and maybe your item can be a future submission to the site.
I personally collect cards, from the 1887 set featured here, up until some random new cards that catch me eye, such as this Roberto Clemente and this Josh Bell. I bought both of them before writing those articles.
I do have a few autographs and items that I will share here in the future in a Pirates Memorabilia article, but I’d like to keep it open to the readers for the most part. I also plan on letting readers submit some Card of the Day articles in the future. Letting them talk about why they enjoy that particular card. The Memorabilia articles won’t feature any cards, but it’s basically open to anything else related to the Pirates.
Here’s the question though. What Pittsburgh Pirates iteams do you collect? Please leave your answers in the comments below.
SONG OF THE DAY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8zmkzshUvE
DAILY QUIZ
RANDOM STUFF OF THE DAY
THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY
By John Dreker
Three former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date and one game of note. Also, Steven Brault is celebrating his 28th birthday.
Rookie Davis, pitcher for the 2019 Pirates. He was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in 2011. Davis made his Major League debut for the 2017 Cincinnati Reds, getting six starts and one relief appearance. He posted an 8.63 ERA in 24 innings. After not pitching in the majors in 2018, Davis was signed as a free agent by the Pirates. He made five appearances mid-season, starting one game. He had a 6.75 ERA in 10.2 innings. Davis missed about half of the season due to multiple injuries. He left via free agency in October.
Tony Armas, pitcher for the 2007 Pirates. He was a highly rated prospect, who never quite reached his potential in the majors. Armas spent his first eight seasons in the majors with the Expos/Nationals, going 48-60, 4.45 in 151 starts. His best season came in 2001, when he recorded 176 strikeouts in 196.2 innings and posted a 4.03 ERA in 34 starts. The Pirates signed him as a free agent on February 1, 2007. He started off very slowly in Pittsburgh, going 0-3, 8.46 in seven starts before he was moved to the bullpen. In August, Armas moved back to a starting role and won four of his eight starts. He finished with a 4-5, 6.03 record in 31 games, 15 as a starter, with 97 innings pitched on the year. Following the season, Tony signed as a free agent with the Mets, where he pitched three games in the majors during that 2008 season. Those games would be the last of his big league career. Armas last pitched for the Braves in the minors during the 2009 season before he was released in late July. He never pitched a complete game in 167 Major League starts. His father, who was also named Tony, began his career with the Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1971. He played four games for the 1976 Pirates before being traded away in a nine played deal with the A’s in March of 1977. The younger Tony also had an uncle named Marcos Armas, who played for the 1993 A’s.
John Vander Wal, outfielder for the 2000-01 Pirates. The Pirates acquired him as one of three players they got in return from the Padres in a trade for outfielder Al Martin on February 23, 2000. Vander Wal had hit .272 with 41 RBIs in 246 at-bats for the Padres in 1999. The Pirates used him often in right field in 2000, but he also saw time at first base, left field and was used frequently as a pinch-hitter, a role he had been used in often during his career. Vander Wal had a career year at the plate in 2000, hitting .299 with 72 walks, 24 homers and 94 RBIs in 384 at-bats. He was used in the same role the following season, hitting .278 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs through the end of July when he was dealt to the San Francisco Giants, along with Jason Schmidt, in return for Ryan Vogelsong and Armando Rios. Vander Wal ended up playing three more seasons, for three different teams, before retiring after the 2004 season. He had a career average of .261 in 1,372 games, with 97 homers and 430 RBIs. He pinch-hit over 600 times in his career, collecting 129 hits and 17 homers. His 28 pinch-hits in 1995 is a Major League record.
1934: First Sunday Game
While long-time Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss was alive, he refused to play baseball in the city of Pittsburgh on a Sunday, citing state Blue Laws of the day which did not allow pro games to be played that day. After Dreyfuss passed in 1932, the Phillies and Pirates appealed to the state to allow Sunday baseball and in 1934 the law was repealed. The first Sunday home game was scheduled for April 29, 1934. On that day, the Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds by a 9-5 score in front of 20,000 fans at Forbes Field. On the mound that day for Pittsburgh was Red Lucas, making his Pirates debut against the team that traded him during the off-season. The Pirates lineup had four Hall of Fame players at the top, including their entire outfield.
Lloyd Waner, CF
Paul Waner, RF
Freddie Lindstrom, LF
Arky Vaughan, SS
Gus Suhr, 1B
Cookie Lavagetto, 2B
Tommy Thevenow, 3B
Pat Veltman, C
Red Lucas, P
The Pirates collected twelve hits during the game, including three each by Lloyd Waner and Gus Suhr. Paul Waner and Suhr both homered, and the latter drove in four runs. The Waner brothers each had two RBIs apiece. The Reds that day had two future Hall of Fame hitters in their lineup, Jim Bottomley at first base and Chick Hafey in center field. The also had two more come in as substitutes that day, catcher Ernie Lombardi pinch-hit and veteran pitcher Dazzy Vance, who began his career with the 1915 Pirates, finished off the game on the mound.
