1/21: Clyde & Schoolboy Sign, Frankie HoF, NYC Link, No TV; RIP Clyde, HBD Chase, Wil, Jeff, Danny, Fern & Jimmy
- 1895 – RHP Jimmy Zinn was born in Benton, Arkansas. Zinn worked three years for the Bucs (1920-22; 8-7-4/3.54), with the last year being his only full season with the club. But he was a minor league legend, tossing for nine different farm clubs over 25 campaigns (mostly with San Francisco and Kansas City), collecting 279 wins while compiling a 3.49 ERA.
- 1913 – OF Fernando “Fern” Bell was born in Ada, Oklahoma. He spent his brief MLB career in Pittsburgh from 1939-40, batting .283. Fern was a minor league lifer (he started in organized ball as an 18-year-old) when he got the call to Pittsburgh, and after cooling off from a red-hot start in ‘39, he was sold early in the 1940 season to the Toronto Maple Leafs club. Fore: After baseball, Fern continued to make his living by swinging a stick – he became a golf pro in California.
- 1927 – IF Danny O’Connell was born in Paterson, New Jersey. As a Buc rookie in 1950 he hit .292 and finished third in the NL-ROTY voting. He spent the next two years in the Army during the Korean War but came back strong for Pittsburgh in 1953, hitting .294. The Pirates traded him in the off season to the Milwaukee Braves in one of MLB’s biggest deals, netting six players (Sid Gordon, Sam Jethroe, Curt Raydon, Max Surkont, Fred Waters & Larry Lasalle) along with $100,000. O’Connell hit .279 for the Braves in ‘54, then never batted over .266 during the rest of his career, finishing with a career BA of .260 over 10 years.
- 1933 – Future Hall of Fame RHP Waite Hoyt was signed by the Pirates after being waived by the New York Giants. Working mostly out of the bullpen (156 outings, 45 starts), he went 35-31-18/3.08 in his five-year Bucco career before being sold to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1937. Hoyt was called “Schoolboy” because he signed with the Yankees as a 15-year-old. Waite was also known as “The Merry Mortician” – in the off season he was a funeral director by day and a vaudevillian by night, sharing the stage with the likes of Jack Benny, Jimmy Durante, and George Burns.
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| Schoolboy Hoyt – 1933 Goudey Big League |
- 1947 – The Baseball Writers selected Frankie Frisch to the Hall of Fame. Although the Fordham Flash spent his playing career with the Giants and Cardinals, he managed the Buccos from 1940-46. Five of his seven Pittsburgh clubs had winning records but finished higher than fourth just once when the team went 90-63 in 1944, coming in second to St. Louis, which won 105 games. 3B Pie Traynor fell short by two votes; he would be elected into the Hall the following year.
- 1949 – It was a busy day for the Pirates front office. First, they confirmed they would be the only MLB team to not televise any home games. They noted the decision could change for later seasons, but for now, they were sticking with WWSW Radio as their only outlet. Next, Danny Murtaugh announced that he rejected the FO’s first contract offer, saying “I feel I’m worth more to the club…” but adding “I feel I can adjust this matter in short order.” He did, agreeing to a deal 10 days later. On the bright side, 1B Clyde McCullough said he was “very happy” with his contract and signed it, so the day wasn’t totally shot.
- 1958 – After the departure of the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers to the west coast, the Pirates agreed to broadcast their games against the two former Gotham clubs back to New York City to provide a National League presence. It was the first time the Senior Circuit didn’t have a NYC-based squad since 1876; the hole was filled by the Mets in 1962. The St Louis Cards reached the same deal while the Phils one-upped both squads by airing 78 games in the Big Apple.
- 1970 – RHP Jeff McCurry was born in Tokyo. His dad was a serviceman stationed there before the family moved to Texas a few months later. A Pirate draft pick in 1990 out of San Jacinto JC, Jeff worked his 1995 rookie campaign in Pittsburgh, then returned for the 1998 season (he also pitched for Detroit, Houston and Colorado during his five big league seasons). McCurry was a big ‘un at 6’7”, but pitching downhill didn’t help his counting numbers noticeably as the reliever was 2-2-1/5.38 in 71 Bucco outings. At last check, he’s a coach at his alma mater, Houston’s St. Thomas HS, where his number was retired in 2024.
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| Jeff McCurry – 1995 Signature Rookie |
- 1980 – 3B/OF Clyde Barnhart died in Hagerstown, Maryland at age 84. Clyde spent his entire nine-year career as a Pirate, starting out as a third baseman and then moving to the outfield after Pie Traynor’s arrival at the hot corner. Clyde was a dependable hitter with a lifetime BA of .295 and collected 12 hits in the 11 World Series games he played in 1925 and ‘27. His most famous feat was being the last player credited with hits in three straight games – on the same day! The 24-year-old rookie, 10 days past his debut, got a knock in each of the three contests played against the Reds in 1920 during the last MLB tripleheader. His son, Vic, also played here. He was a backup SS for the Pirates from 1944-46.
- 1981 – LHP Wil Ledezma was born in Valle de la Pascua, Venezuela. Ledezma was entering his 11th campaign in pro ball with a spotty eight-year record in MLB when the Pirates signed him in the 2009-10 offseason. He looked like a steal when he tossed to a 0.94 ERA at Indianapolis w/1.017 WHIP to start 2010, but the tables turned when he got the call back up – he went 0-3/6.86, in 27 Bucco outings. He was DFA’ed and claimed by Toronto where he ended his MLB days in 2011.
- 1987 – IF Chase d’Arnaud was born in Torrance, California. A fourth round pick of the Pirates in 2008 out of Pepperdine, he debuted for the Bucs in 2011. He got a good look but hit just .217 with some questionable leatherwork, afterward being given a couple of courtesy calls in 2012 and ‘14 before being DFA’ed and claimed by the Phils. Chase bounced around as a depth guy with Atlanta, Boston, San Diego, San Francisco, Texas and KC before retiring in 2020.
Source: https://oldbucs.blogspot.com/2025/01/121-clyde-schoolboy-sign-frankie-hof.html
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