11/5 Through the 1970s: Manny-Chuck, Groat Signs, Jim Sr & Sure Shot In, Gunner Parade, HBD Gunboat, Lefty, Jack, Mac, John & Tommy

1877 – 2B Fred “Sure Shot” Dunlap was purchased by the Pittsburgh Alleghenys from the Detroit Wolverines for $4000-5000 (the final figure is up for debate); he also got $2K personally to agree to the deal. Sure Shot remained a slick fielder, but his batting eye disappeared after he hit .266 in 1888, stroking the ball at a .235 clip the following season and hitting just .172 in 1890 after 17 games before being released (carrying a low average, a big salary and occupying manager Guy Hecker’s doghouse made him expendable) and he was claimed by the NY Giants. His career ended the next year with Washington after he broke his leg sliding in April. Dunlap, who had amassed a considerable nest egg as a player, was bankrupt a decade later. Some say his frittered finances were due to poor stock market decisions and others blamed horse-racing debts. Either way, the arguably top second baseman of his era passed away penniless in 1902 of consumption.

1888 – Umpire John Mullin was born in Pittsburgh and lived in Brookline. John umpired in the NL in 1909, the AL in 1911-12 and the Federal League in 1915, spending most of his arbitrator time in the minors with the American Association, although he also wore the blue in six other farm leagues. John was just as quick tempered as the early baseball players who he joined on the field. In one of his first major league gigs, two days after he had been called up from the bushes in 1909, he threw out three players during an argument and after they refused to leave, he waited the allotted one-minute of grace time they had been given and forfeited the game. 

1895 – OF Tom McNamara was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. His MLB stay consisted of one June pinch-hitting appearance in 1922 for the Buccos, resulting in a ground out. The 26-year-old Princeton grad was sent to Flint for the rest of the year, hitting .313 and dropped off baseball’s radar.

Jack Wisner – photo via Find-A-Grave

1899 – RHP “Big Jack” (he was 6’3”) Wisner was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jack’s first two major league campaigns consisted of 21 outings for the Bucs from 1919-20 and he was solid, going 2-3/2.70. He got four years off after that, tossing for Rochester, before getting the call to serve 1925-26 as a NY Giant. Big Jack was sent down during the ‘26 season, tossed in the minors through 1929 and hung ‘em up to work as a minor league coach.

1908 – LHP Ralph “Lefty” Birkofer was born in Cincinnati. Lefty worked for the Bucs from 1933-36 and slashed 31-26-2/4.04, splitting time between starting & the pen, then finishing his career in 1937 as a Brooklyn Dodger.

1909 – RHP Harry “Gunboat” Gumbert was born in Elizabeth. Harry tossed for 15 big league seasons (and that’s with missing a year, 1945, while in the service), closing out his run in his hometown in 1949-50 (1-4-3/5.83) before retiring at age 40. Gunboat joined his great-uncles Ad and Billy Gumbert (also pitchers) as Pittsburgh hurlers. During his career, he slashed 143-113/3.68 with 235 starts (94 CGs), 13 shutouts and 48 saves, working 200+ IP in a season five times before transitioning into a reliever. His nickname doesn’t have much of a backstory behind it; Harry said it came about because a sportswriter thought ”Gunboat Gumbert” sounded good together and ran with it. 

1922 – RHP Jim Bagby Sr. was claimed by the Pirates after being waived by the Indians. Bagby won 31 games for Cleveland in 1920 and 122 games for the Tribe over the last six years, but at age 33, he was done. He finished 3-2/5.24 in 23 appearances for Pittsburgh in his final MLB bow, spending the next seven years toiling in the minors. His son, RHP Jim Bagby Jr., also played for the Pirates with a slash of 5-4/4.67 in his final big league hurrah at age 30 in 1947.

Dick Groat signs – 11/6/1955 Press Les Biederman

1955 – Dick Groat became the second Buc to agree to his 1956 contract, joining Frank Thomas, who had signed a week earlier, as Joe Brown began locking up his core players. Groat signed for a reported $17,500 after hitting .267 following a two-year hitch in the Army at Fort Belvoir.

1975 – After KDKA fired Pirate announcers Bob Prince and Nellie King days earlier, rival station WEEP organized a downtown parade in their honor that drew thousands of fans and featured both Pirates & City politicos as supporters. While the parade was a success, it didn’t move the station or team off their position. The Gunner wouldn’t broadcast a Bucco game again until 1985, after he had been diagnosed with throat cancer, and he died a few days later. 

1976 – The Pirates sent catcher Manny Sanguillen and $100,000 to Oakland to land manager Chuck Tanner. It was the second player-for-skipper deal in MLB history (excluding player/managers), the first being in 1967 when the Mets sent RHP Bill Denehy and cash to the Washington Senators in exchange for manager Gil Hodges. Chuck, who was signed, sealed and announced as skipper in an evening presser, had a good run in Pittsburgh. During his nine-year tenure, he posted a 711-685 (.509) record and won a World Championship in 1979. Manny returned home after a year in exile in a trade, spending his last three campaigns in Pittsburgh. On the same day, the Bucs sold IF Tommy Helms to Oakland; the A’s sent him back to the Pirates in March as part of the nine-player Phil Garner deal. He got 15 PAs and was released in June. Boston claimed him and after 21 more games, the 36-year-old’s MLB days were done.