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3/30: Openers; Ross, Ricardo Join; Brian, Omar Sign; Operation Shutdown Ends; '21 Club Picked; RIP Deacon; HBD Jake; Dan, Mike, Ripper, Happy, Hal, Ed, Dutch, GVH & Tom

Saturday, March 30, 2024 7:01

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1857 – IF/manager Tom Burns was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. After spending the first 12 years of his career playing for Chicago clubs, he spent his final campaign as a player/manager of the Pirates in 1892. Though the team was considered a contender with two future Hall of Famers on the roster in Joe Kelley and Jake Beckley, it started slowly and after putting up a 25–30 record, Burns was axed in favor of Al Buckenberger, who led them to a 53-41 slate. Tom then moved on to manage in the minors, spent a couple of seasons as the skipper of the Chicago Orphans and finished his baseball career in 1901 as a farm club boss.
1866 – OF George Van Haltren was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He played for the Pirates in 1892-93, hitting .325, but was deemed expendable because of a deep Pittsburgh outfield. A borderline HoF player, Van Haltren was sold to the New York Giants, where he spent the next decade posting a .321 BA. He began his career as a pitcher, and in 1888 tossed a rain-shortened no-hitter against the Allies.
1879 – Utilityman Arthur “Dutch” Meiers was born in St. Louis. A two-sport star at Princeton, Dutch spent just one year in the show, playing behind Honus Wagner and Fred Clarke in 1906. He hit a respectable .256 and got into 82 games. He earned his spot during the previous off-season when Meier showed his stuff by joining the team for exhibition and barnstorming games. After his Pittsburgh stint, he played for a variety of semi-pro clubs and served as baseball coach for his alma mater. And maybe even for his old team – it’s speculated that Meier may have played a few more times with the Pirates on an as-needed basis since he appears in team pictures as late as the 1912 season.
1897 – IF Ed Sicking was born in St. Bernard, Ohio. Ed spent four years in the show as a backup infielder for four different clubs, then spent six years with Indianapolis of the American Association. He opened the 1927 campaign with the Bucs, got into six games, went one-for-seven, and was sent back to Indy in early May. Though he didn’t leave much of a mark in MLB, Sicking was a pro ball lifer, spending 17 years fielding hot shots (12 seasons in the AA) before retiring in 1933 at age 36 from Class B Keokuk.

Hal Rhyne – 1926 photo World Wide Sports/Conlon Collection/TSN/Getty

1899 – IF Hal Rhyne was born in Paso Robles, California. He began his career in Pittsburgh (1926-27), coming over with Paul Waner from the San Francisco Seals, and hit .258. He was a .250 batter in his seven MLB years and a minor league mainstay, spending 20 years on various farm clubs. Rhyne came to the majors with a reputation as a hitter. The back of a 1926 photo carries a caption that claimed his “magnetic eyes” made a ball look twice as large as normal. He might have been better off with a magnetic bat instead, although he did finish with a .291 career BA on the farm, playing until he was 41.
1899 – IF Bill “Happy/Gray Ghost” Evans was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He played semi-pro and indie league black ball from 1924 until the late 30s, with his longest stop being with the Homestead Grays from 1930-33. Happy played everywhere, mainly at short, second and the outfield, and was a solid stick guy with one of the strongest arms in baseball. He spent his last pro campaign in 1937 with Homestead’s crosstown rivals, the Pittsburgh Crawfords. He was called the Gray Ghost because of his speed & defense and Happy due to his disposition. Evans is still in the news today, or at least his bloodline is – he’s the great-great uncle of Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s better half.
1904 – 1B Jim “Ripper” Collins was born in Altoona. He made his name as a hard-hitting prankster of the Gas House Gang and spent his last MLB campaign as a Pirate in 1941 after taking a two-year hiatus in the PCL at Los Angeles. The Bucs brought him in to share some of Elbie Fletcher’s workload at first, but at age 37 Collins’ best days were behind him and he batted just .211 in 49 games, mostly pinch-hitting. He stayed with the organization as a player/manager at Class A Albany. Cort Vitty of SABR, citing The Sporting News, wrote “The nickname Ripper developed during an on-field incident that occurred when Jimmy was a young player. A ball rocketed off his bat and struck a nail protruding from the outfield fence; it caused the cover to partially tear. When asked who hit the ball, the retrieving outfielder saw the ball hanging and said, ‘It was the ripper.’”
1952 – Deacon Phillippe, 79, passed away peacefully in his Avalon home, watching TV. The righty tossed 12 seasons (1900-11) for the Bucs with a 168-92-11/2.50 line, winning 20 games six times and never suffering through a losing season. He won three World Series games against Boston in 1903, beating Cy Young in the opener and tossing five complete games. Toward the end of his career, he worked six shutout innings in the 1909 Series against Detroit. In 1969, Pirates fans voted him as Pittsburgh’s top all-time right-handed pitcher. After he retired, he became a Allegheny County Courts bailiff after several other jobs. The Rural Springs native was posthumously selected as a member of the Virginia Hall of Fame in 1982.

Omar Moreno – 1982 Fleer

1969 – Panamanian OF Omar Moreno was signed by scout Howie Haak as a 16-year-old amateur free agent to launch a 12-year MLB career. Moreno, who was with the Pirates from 1975-82, posting a .255 BA, led the 1979 World Series club in runs and hits. The speedster, aptly nicknamed The Antelope, set the single-season Pirates record for stolen bases with 96 in 1980, and his 412 steals with the team ranks third overall behind Max Carey and Honus Wagner. Omar still works in a Florida academy and as a special assignment coach/spring tutor for the Bucs.
1979 – LHP Mike Johnston was born in Philadelphia. A 20th round pick in the 1998 draft, he made his big league debut on April 7th, 2004, along with fellow farmhand Jose Castillo, against the Phils; Mike got his first whiff and Jose his first hit. Johnston made it until June with the big club, being sent down after going 0-3/4.37. He made one more appearance in 2005 and that was his last MLB outing. He tore his labrum in 2006 at Indianapolis, missed 2007-08 and was released by the White Sox in 2009. Mike gave indie ball a final shot at age 33 in 2012 to close his career.
1985 – LHP Dan Runzler was born in Santa Monica, California. He signed with the Bucs for the 2017 season and was a September call up, getting in eight games with no decisions and a 4.50 ERA after spending the summer at Indy. That was his last MLB duty. After tossing in minor/indie league ball for a couple of years, he’s now a minor league pitching coach in the San Francisco system.
1991 – OF Jake Marisnick was born in Riverside, California. The nine-year vet had played for five teams and the Pirates became his sixth when they signed him after he was released late in 2022 camp by the Rangers. Marisnick’s rep was as a good glove, weak bat (.228 lifetime BA) guy who could play all three pasture positions and slotted as the Bucs fourth outfielder after injuries to Anthony Alford and Greg Allen. But he was hurt here, played in 31 games and was waived in early August. He’s now in the Los Angeles Angels system.

Ricardo Rincon – 1998 Pacific

1997 – The Pirates officially purchased LHP Ricardo Rincon from the Mexico City Reds, completing the deal after he made the team in camp. In 1997-98, he went 4-10-18/3.17 for the Bucs and was then traded to Cleveland for Brian Giles in one of Pittsburgh’s better baseball deals. He’ll be remembered here for combining with Francisco Cordoba on a 10-inning 1997 no-hitter. Ricardo played on the Mexican WBC teams in 2006 and 2009, last pitching major league ball in 2008, then retiring from the Mexican League in 2012.
2002 – “Operation Shutdown” OF Derek Bell, who had already packed his bags and left camp, was officially released after clearing waivers. The Pirates ate $4.5M in guaranteed money, after Bell told the media that he would sail into the sunset on his yacht rather than be forced to compete for a starting spot. In the first year of his deal, he was nagged by injuries and hit .173 in 46 games, which to many seemed a good enough reason to open the competition. His voyage as a ballplayer was scuttled after he hoisted his anchor: he never appeared in another MLB game. As Mark Madden of the Post Gazette wrote “Derek Bell becomes the ultimate Pirate: Lives on a boat and steals money.”
2002 – RHP Brian Meadows signed as a minor league free agent with the Pirates. He was called up mid-season and lasted four years with the club, converting from a starter to a reliever who made 133 appearances in his last two seasons with Pittsburgh. Meadows went 8-12-2 with a 4.20 ERA from 2002-05. He lasted one more year with Tampa Bay before retiring.
2005 – The Bucs bought C David Ross from the Dodgers. Ross got into 40 games (35 behind the dish) and hit .222. It was fairly early in his 15-year career and he was just 28, but that still made him the graybeard of the backstop brigade, behind 26-year-old Humberto Cota & a pair of 24-year-old up-and-comers, Ryan Doumit and Ronny Paulino. Ross was sent to San Diego at the deadline for SS JJ Furmaniak to help break the logjam. He played through 2016 and then joined the Cubs as a special assistant. He was the Chi-town manager through 2023, in between skippers Joe Maddon and Craig Counsell.

Gregory Polanco – Topps Now 3/30/2018

2018 – In their earliest-ever season opener (it was eclipsed the following campaign), the Pirates see-sawed to a 13-10 win over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Ivan Nova twice worked out of bases-loaded, no-out jams, but relievers Michael Feliz and Felipe Rivero were bashed for four runs each, Feliz in 2/3-IP and Rivero failing to get an out in the ninth, blowing a 10-6 lead and sending the game into extra innings. Josh Smoker and game-winner Steven Brault held off Motown until Gregory Polanco mashed a three-run homer in the 13th, set up by two-out singles by Adam Frazier and Josh Harrison. Frazier, Polanco and Josh Bell each had three hits; Harrison, Starling Marte and Fran Cervelli collected a pair of raps. El Coffee had four RBI while Bell and Cervy each knocked home three while Harrison and Polanco scored three times apiece. It was, unsurprisingly, the longest Opener in Bucco history, lasting five hours and 27 minutes.
2021 – Derek Shelton picked his first full-season roster. The only real surprise was camp standout Dave Bednar, a righty reliever who came to Pittsburgh as part of the Joe Musgrove trade package. He joined a boatload of new faces – P Tyler Anderson, P Trevor Cahill, P Wil Crowe, OF Dustin Fowler, P Luis Oviedo, C Michael Perez & P Duane Underwood Jr. Among those who didn’t make the cut were a mix of FA vets and prospects: IF Wilmer Difo, 3B Todd Frazier, P Carson Fulmer, OF Brian Goodwin, P Geoff Hartlieb, P Clay Holmes, P Chasen Shreve, SS Cole Tucker, P Steven Wright & C Tony Wolters.
2023 – The Bucs opened the season at GABP in Cincinnati in front of a record regular season crowd of 44,063 and came away 5-4 victors. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but by the fifth the contest was tied and starter Mitch Keller yanked. The Pirates attack was led by two middle-of-the-infield youngsters – SS Oneil Cruz, with a pair of RBI and runs, homered and his sac fly in the eighth plated 2B Ji-Hwan Bae, who had two hits, two runs, a run driven in, two stolen bases and a walk, with the game winner. The Buc bullpen, a spring question mark, spun 4-1/3 scoreless frames, surrendering two hits and two walks while collecting seven whiffs. Rob Zastryzyn won his first big league game since 2018, Colin Holderman earned a hold and David Bednar put it to bed. Also shining was returning hometime hero Andrew McCutchen, who reached base four times. The Pirates won with only six hits; Cincy pitchers helped the cause by adding nine walks.

Source: https://oldbucs.blogspot.com/2024/03/330-openers-ross-ricardo-join-brian.html

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