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Forbes Field

Forbes Field Highlights

Ball Park First Game
Date – 07/05/1909 (6)
Starting Pitchers – vs. Cubs: 06/30/1909
Final Score 3-2 (CHN)
Attendance – 30,338
Starting Pitchers Vic Willis (PIT); Ed Reulbach (CHN)
First Batter – Johnny Evers (CHN) Result – Hit By Pitch
First Hits – Frank Chance (CHN),Singled to CF (1st)
First Run – Johnny Evers (CHN)
First RBI – Frank Chance (CHN)
First Homerun – Mike Mitchell (CIN) vs. Vic Willis (PIT) on 07/05/1909 (9th inning)
First Grandslam – Tommy Leach (PIT) vs. Kaiser Wilhelm (BRO) on 07/21/1910 (5th inning)
First Inside Park Homerun – Rebel Oakes (CIN) vs. Vic Willis (PIT) on 07/27/1909 (4th inning)
First No Hitter – None

Ball Park Lasts
Last Game – vs. Cubs: 06/28/1970, Final Score – 4-1 (PIT)
Attendance – 40,918
Starting Pitchers – Jim Nelson (PIT); Milt Pappas (CHN), Winning Pitcher – Jim Nelson (PIT) Losing Pitcher – Milt Pappas (CHN)
Last Batter – Don Kessinger (CHN), result – Grounded to 2B
Last Hit – Willie Smith (CHN), Singled to CF (9)
Last Run – Al Oliver (PIT), Last RBI – Bob Robertson (PIT)
Last HR – Al Oliver (PIT) vs. Milt Pappas (CHN) on 06/28/1970 (1st inning)
Last Grand Slam – Orlando Cepeda (ATL) vs. Chuck Hartenstein (PIT) on 04/23/1970 (8th inning)
Last Inside The Park Homerun – Gene Alley (PIT) vs. Jim Maloney (CIN) on 08/24/1969 (2nd inning)
Last No Hitter – None

TRIVIA –
Forbes Field was named for General John Forbes, a British officer who captured Fort Duquesne in 1758 during the French and Indian War; Babe Ruth hit his 714th and final homer on May 25, 1935 and became the first player to hit one over the right field roof; On July 10, 1936 Phillies slugger Chuck Klein became only the second modern day player to hit four homers in a game (Lou Gehrig, 1932).

1931 – Three days before his 35th birthday, Chicago’s player-manager Rogers Hornsby is again undaunted by Forbes Field’s forbidding expanse. Hornsby hits three consecutive home runs to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10 – 6. This is the final season in which Hornsby will allot himself significant playing time – 357 at-bats in 100 games. The hyphenate portion of his career will extend through 1937, but his on-field appearances will come primarily off the bench and never again will he amass as many as 100 at-bats in a season. Regarding today’s display, Fred Wertenbach of the Pittsburgh Press reports: “For the enlightenment of those fans not among the 15,000 at yesterday’s slaughter, the great Rogers crashed three successive long, legitimate and unsullied homers over the distant Forbes Field ramparts, two off Larry French and the third off Claude Willoughby. Mr. French tried to southpaw Hornsby in the 3rd Ă  la screw ball. Two men were on at the time. He pitched a bit low. Hornsby drove it over the left field wall, about the seventh panel up from the scoreboard. The score then became Cubs 3, Pirates 5. In the 5th, Larry faced Hornsby again with two on. ‘Huh! He hits ’em low; I’ll try one high outside,’ Larry reasoned. Bang! The ball cleared the screen in right, and the score in a trice became 6 – 5, Cubs. The 6th frame saw Willoughby, a right-hander, ready to benefit from French’s experience, the latter having left the scene. ‘This guy hits ’em low, he hits ’em high – my play is to curve him to death,’ was the ex-Phillie’s logic. Kiki Cuyler was on second. Wham! A curve, waist high, was interrupted as it came up to the plate, and diverted over the scoreboard in left. Two more runs added to the Cub total, making eight driven in by Rogers.”

Josh Gibson - Biography

Josh Gibson – Biography