1959 Pittsburgh Pirates Season
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1959 Pittsburgh Pirates Season
The 1959 Major League Baseball season saw the Pittsburgh Pirates finish in fourth place in the National League at 78–76, nine games behind the NL and World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Pirates set the record for most extra innings victories in a season, winning 19 of their 21 extra inning games. Offseason * January 30, 1959: Whammy Douglas, Jim Pendleton, Frank Thomas, and John Powers were traded by the Pirates to the Cincinnati Reds for Smoky Burgess, Harvey Haddix and Don Hoak. * Prior to 1959 season: Dick Rand was traded by the Pirates to the St. Louis Cardinals for Tom Burgess. Regular season * May 26, 1959: Harvey Haddix took a perfect game into the 13th inning of a game against the Milwaukee Braves. Haddix retired 36 consecutive batters in 12 innings, but lost the game 1–0. Braves pitcher Lew Burdette also pitched a shutout for 13 full innings, giving up 12 hits. NOTE: On September 4, 1991, MLB redefined no-hitters to no longer include game ...
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Forbes Field
Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland (Pittsburgh), Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to June 28, 1970. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League (NFL) franchise. The stadium also served as the home American football, football field for the University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Panthers football, "Pitt" Panthers from 1909 to 1924. The stadium was named after its adjacent street, Forbes Ave., itself named for British general John Forbes (British Army officer), John Forbes, who fought in the French and Indian War and named the city in 1758. The US$1 million ($ million today) project was initiated by Pittsburgh Pirates' owner Barney Dreyfuss, with the goal of replacing his franchise's then-current home, Exposition Park (Pittsburgh), Exposition Park. The stadium was made of concrete and steel, the first such stadium in the N ...
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1959 Los Angeles Dodgers Season
The 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers finished in a first-place tie with the Milwaukee Braves, with each club going 86–68. The Dodgers won the pennant as they swept the Braves in a best-of-three playoff series. They went on to defeat the Chicago White Sox in the 1959 World Series in just their second season since leaving Brooklyn. The Dodgers led all 16 Major League Baseball clubs in home attendance, drawing 2,071,045 fans to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Offseason * December 4, 1958: Gino Cimoli was traded by the Dodgers to the St. Louis Cardinals for Wally Moon and Phil Paine. * December 23, 1958: Sparky Anderson was traded by the Dodgers to the Philadelphia Phillies for Rip Repulski, Jim Golden and Gene Snyder. While training in Vero Beach, the Dodgers played their home spring training games at Payne Park in Sarasota, Florida in 1959. Regular season Season standings Record vs. opponents Opening Day lineup Notable transactions * June 15, 1959: Dick Gray was tr ...
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Milwaukee Braves (1953–65)
This article details the history of the Atlanta Braves, which concerns the evolution of the Major League Baseball team Atlanta Braves over time. The Braves played in Boston from their inception in 1871 until 1953, when owner Lou Perini relocated the franchise to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During the franchise's 13-year tenure in Milwaukee, aided by Hall of Famers Warren Spahn, Eddie Mathews, and Hank Aaron, the Braves reached the World Series in and , winning in the former year. They also finished second in the National League five times from 1953 to 1960. In the early-to-mid-1960s, however, the Braves failed to play World Series-caliber baseball, and in 1962, Perini sold the team to William Bartholomay, who relocated the team to Atlanta, Georgia in 1966. With the exceptions of National League West division titles in 1969 and 1982, the Braves were a largely mediocre team from the late 1960s through the 1980s. In 1976, media magnate Ted Turner purchased the Braves from Bartholomay a ...
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Perfect Game (baseball)
In baseball, a perfect game is a game in which one or more pitchers complete a minimum of nine innings with no batter from the opposing team reaching any base. To achieve a perfect game, a team must not allow any opposing player to reach base by any means: no hits, walks, hit batsmen, uncaught third strikes, catcher's or fielder's interference, or fielding errors; in short, "27 up, 27 down" (for a nine-inning game). A perfect game, by definition, is also a no-hitter, a win, and a shutout. A fielding error that does not allow a batter to reach base, such as a misplayed foul ball, does not spoil a perfect game. Games that last fewer than nine innings, regardless of cause, in which a team has no baserunners do not qualify as perfect games. Games in which a team reaches first base only in extra innings also do not qualify as perfect games. The first known use of the term ''perfect game'' was in ; its current definition was formalized in . In Major League Baseball (MLB), the ...
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Tom Burgess (baseball)
Thomas Roland Burgess (September 1, 1927 – November 24, 2008) was a Canadian professional baseball player, coach and manager. An outfielder and first baseman, Burgess had two trials in Major League Baseball (MLB); a 17-game stint with the St. Louis Cardinals in , and a full season with the Los Angeles Angels in . He then forged a long career as a minor-league manager, and served as a major-league third base coach for the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves. In his playing days, he threw and batted left-handed and stood tall and weighed . Biography A native of London, Ontario, Burgess attended the University of Western Ontario. He first signed with the Cardinals in 1946, making his debut with the Hamilton Red Wings of the Class D Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League (PONY League). Despite compiling a robust .350 batting average in 1947 in the Class C Interstate League, by 1949 Burgess was voluntarily retired and spent three seasons with the London Majors of the Canadian In ...
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Dick Rand
Richard Hilton Rand (March 7, 1931 – January 22, 1996) was an American professional baseball catcher who appeared in 72 games in Major League Baseball during all or part of three seasons (, and ) for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. Born in South Gate, California, he threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed . Rand's pro career stretched over 12 seasons (1949–1959 and 1961). Signed initially by the Cardinals, he had two late-season trials with the Redbirds, collecting 12 hits in 41 at bats ( .293) in a dozen games—all of them as the club's starting catcher."Dick Rand"
St. Louis traded him to Pittsburgh after the 1956 minor-league season, and Rand spent all of 1957 with the Pirates, ...
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Don Hoak
Donald Albert Hoak (February 5, 1928 – October 9, 1969), nicknamed "Tiger", was an American professional baseball third baseman and coach. He played eleven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (–) for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Redlegs, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia Phillies. Early career Hoak broke into the professional baseball in 1947 after a stint in the United States Navy towards the end of World War II. He signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization and worked his way up the organization based almost solely on his glove, speed on the bases and tenacity. In 1954, Hoak's patience was rewarded by a spot on the Dodgers' roster. During his two seasons with the Dodgers, Hoak shared third base duties with Jackie Robinson and Billy Cox. In 1955, the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series to win their only championship in Brooklyn. Hoak played third base in place of Robinson in the seventh and deciding game of that Series—the o ...
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Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix, Jr. (September 18, 1925 – January 8, 1994) was an American professional baseball left-handed pitcher and pitching coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1952–1956), Philadelphia Phillies (1956–57), Cincinnati Redlegs (1958), Pittsburgh Pirates (1959–1963), and Baltimore Orioles (1964–65). Haddix was born in Medway, Ohio, located just outside Springfield. He was nicknamed "The Kitten" in St. Louis for his resemblance to Harry "The Cat" Brecheen, a left-hander on the Cardinals during Haddix's rookie campaign. Haddix is most notable for pitching 12 perfect innings in a game against the Milwaukee Braves on May 26, 1959; the Pirates lost the game in the 13th inning. Haddix enjoyed his best season in 1953, pitching for the Cardinals. He compiled a 20-9 record with 163 strikeouts, a 3.06 earned run average (ERA), 19 complete games, and six shutouts. After five-plus seasons with the Cardinals, Haddix was traded to th ...
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Smoky Burgess
Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess (February 6, 1927 – September 15, 1991) was an American professional baseball catcher, pinch hitter, coach, and scout, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to . A nine-time All-Star, Burgess became known, later in his career, for his abilities as an elite pinch hitter, setting the MLB career record for career pinch-hits with 145.George Vass
Baseball Digest, November 2004, Vol. 63, No. 11,
He stood tall, weighing . Burgess batted

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Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of the American Association (19th century), American Association in 1881 before joining the NL in 1890. The Reds played in the NL National League West, West division from 1969 to 1993, before joining the Central division in 1994. For several years in the 1970s, they were considered the most dominant team in baseball, most notably winning the 1975 World Series, 1975 and 1976 World Series; the team was colloquially known as the "Big Red Machine" during this time, and it included National Baseball Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame members Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez. Overall, the Reds have won five World Series championships, nine NL pennants, one AA pennant and 10 division titles. The team plays its home games at Great American Ball Park, ...
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John Powers (baseball)
John Calvin Powers (July 8, 1929 – September 25, 2001) was an American professional baseball player, an outfielder who played for all or parts of six seasons in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians. The native of Birmingham, Alabama, batted left-handed, threw right-handed, stood tall and weighed . Although he hit only .195 in 151 MLB games played and 215 at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ..., Powers was a feared batsman in minor league baseball, smashing 39 home runs in 1950 for the Class B Waco Pirates and in 1956 for the Double-A New Orleans Pelicans. He belted 298 home runs in his minor league career (1949–1951; 1954–1957; 1960–1965). He died at age 72 in Birmingham. Ex ...
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Frank Thomas (outfielder)
Frank Joseph Thomas (born June 11, 1929) is an American former professional baseball left fielder, first baseman and third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (–), Cincinnati Reds (), Chicago Cubs (1960–1961, 1966), Milwaukee Braves (1961, 1965), New York Mets (–), Philadelphia Phillies (1964–1965) and Houston Astros (1965). He batted and threw right-handed and was listed as tall and . Born in Pittsburgh and of Lithuanian descent, he attended high school at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School of Mississauga, Ontario. As a teenager he attended a seminary in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and he studied for the Roman Catholic priesthood for 4 years before entering pro baseball. Career Thomas signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1947. He debuted with the Pirates in 1951. With the Pirates, he made three All-Star Games, and finished fourth in the voting for Most Valuable Player in 1958, when he batted .28 ...
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