This day in baseball: 1925 Chicago Cubs finish last

The 1925 season ended on October 4th of that year, and for the first time in franchise history, the Chicago Cubs finished in eighth and last place in the National League. Managed by Bill Killefer, Rabbit Maranville, and George Gibson, the team compiled a 68-86 record to finish 27.5 games behind the first-place Pirates.

1927-1936 Chicago Cubs logo (public domain)

This day in baseball: Harry Danning hits for the cycle

On June 15, 1940, New York Giants catcher Harry Danning hit for the cycle in a game against Pittsburgh. His home run was an inside-the-park home run that landed 460 feet on the fly in front of the Giants’ clubhouse, wedged behind the Eddie Grant memorial at the Polo Grounds. Pittsburgh center fielder Vince DiMaggio was not able to free it in time to catch Danning rounding the bases.

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Harry Danning, 1947 (public domain)

This day in baseball: The Pirates’ start 10-0

On April 22, 1962, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the New York Mets to bring their record to 10-0 to start the season. This hot start matched a Major League record at the time for an undefeated record to open the year. For the Mets, meanwhile, the loss meant they fell to 0-9, matching a National League record at the opposite end of the spectrum.

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Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, c. 1909 (Library of Congress / public domain)

This day in baseball: Three Rivers Stadium imploded

On February 11, 2001 at 8:03 a.m., Three Rivers Stadium was imploded using 4,800 pounds of dynamite in 2,500 spots placed throughout the former home of the Pirates and NFL’s Steelers. Over 20,000 people viewed the implosion from Point State Park, and thousands more watched from various points throughout Pittsburgh.  Roberto Clemente’s 3,000th hit and Mike Schmidt’s 500th career home run are part of the historic legacy of the 30-year-old sports venue.

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Three Rivers Stadium (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

This day in baseball: Preacher Roe fights a basketball ref

While coaching a high school basketball team on February 9, 1946, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Preacher Roe got into a fight with the referee that resulted in him hitting his head on the floor and fracturing his skull. As a result, the southpaw would report to spring training a month late, and his pitching suffered during the season, with his record falling to 3–8 and posting an ERA of 5.14 in 1946.

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Preacher Roe, 1953 (public domain)

This day in baseball: The Pirates’ last game at Exposition Park

The Pittsburgh Pirates played their final game at Exposition Park against the Chicago Cubs on June 29, 1909. The Pirates won the game 8–1 in front of 5,545 spectators, with George Gibson collecting the final National League hit in the ballpark. The very next day, the Pirates once again played the Cubs, this time with the team opening up Forbes Field.

Exposition Park in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
Exposition Park in 1915 (public domain)