On May 12, 1955, Sam “Toothpick” Jones of the Chicago Cubs pitches a 4-0 no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jones becomes the first black pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the major leagues. It’s also the first no-hitter at Wrigley Field in 38 years.
“Clemente’s Brilliant Catch in 9th Kills Rally by Braves.” So reads the New York Times headline but that’s not the whole story. Clemente’s game-ending circus catch not only secures Pittsburgh’s 5 – 4 victory, it also bails out the main protagonist after his errant throw put the tying and go-ahead runs on 2nd and 3rd base. And who should walk to the plate at this moment but George Crowe, Clemente’s teammate and fellow Caribbean Champion with the Santurce Crabbers just three months earlier. As the Milwaukee Journal tells it: “Crowe, who had replaced the slump-ridden Joe Adcock at first base, pasted the ball against the remote grandstand not far from the right field foul line, only to have young Roberto Clemente race over and time his leap perfectly as he scraped the ball off the wall with his gloved hand.”
On April 17, 1955, At Forbes Field, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 20-year-old rookie Roberto Clemente makes his major league debut, playing both ends of a doubleheader, ironically but perhaps fittingly, against the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team that first signed him but left him unprotected in the 1954 Rule V draft. In his first at-bat, the future Hall of Famer rifles one back through the originator, Johnny Podres, and…
December 26, 1953 – In the first six-players-for-one deal in baseball history, the Braves acquired infielder Danny O’Connell from the Pittsburgh Pirates. O’Connell, a third baseman, was used as a second baseman by the Braves. He will hit .279 in 1954 but fall of quickly after that. He was traded for Larry Lassalle (minors), Sid…
The Pittsburgh Pirates open at home for the first time in 61 years and defeat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4 – 2, before 32,294 spectators. Curt Roberts, the Pirates’ first black player, hits a triple against Robin Roberts in the 1st inning.
1954 – Veteran pitcher Murry Dickson is traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher Andy Hansen and infielder Jack Lohrke. Dickson led the National League in losses the past two years (21 and 19) and will lead it again in 1954 (20).
1953 – The Pittsburgh Pirates send flashy 2B Danny O’Connell to the Milwaukee Braves for 3B Sid Gordon, OF Sam Jethroe, P Max Surkont, and four minor league pitchers. Pittsburgh also get $100,000 from the Braves. This is the only six-for-one trade in major league history and will be surpassed only by the seven-for-one deal that will send Vida Blue from the Oakland A’s to the SF Giants in 1978.
On December 25, 1953, Patrick Joseph “Patsy” Donovan, one of the most succesful Irish-born big leaguers, died at the age of 88 in Lawrence, MA. Donovan batted .300 eleven times and was a star outfielder from 1890 to 1907, most notably with the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.
September 22, 1953, Ebbets Field, only 2,365 fans see Jackie Robinson’s only career appearance at shortstop, at his request (1st SS start since Negro Leagues). Jackie had 3 assists and 2 putouts (Photo: snaring liner in 5th off the bat of Danny O’Connell below) as Brooklyn wrapped up a 60-17 home record in ‘53…
Led by OF Jim Pendleton’s three home runs, the Braves tie the Yankees’ 1939 major-league record for the most homers in a game with eight in their 19 – 4 win over Pittsburgh in the first game of a doubleheader. Pendleton is only the second rookie in history to hit three home runs in one game. In game two of the doubleheader, the Braves hit four more long balls to win 11 – 5. The 12 homers in a doubleheader shatter the previous mark of 9. Eddie Mathews’s four dingers for the day give him a National League-leading 43; he will end the season with 47 home runs, 30 of them on the road to set a major-league record.
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