Aug 5, 2022 3 min read

ON THIS DATE

Aug. 6

1954 – Mike Baker, a former star back for Waynesburg College in the 1930s, is named head football coach at Waynesburg High School. He replaces Vic Lapkowicz, who resigned to take an assistant coach position at Carmichaels.

1969 – Pittsburgh’s Willie Stargell becomes the first player to hit a ball over the bleachers at Dodgers Stadium — a shot measured as 512 feet — in the Pirates’ 11-3 victory.

1973 – Former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente is inducted in the Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

1978 – Tom Watson loses a five-shot lead in the final round and John Mahaffey rallies to win the PGA Championship at Oakmont Country Club.

1984 – Roger Kingdom of the United States races to a gold medal in a photo finish with teammate Greg Foster in the 110-meter hurdles at the Los Angeles Olympics.

1985 – For the second time in four years, major league baseball players walk out at midseason when a last-minute effort to settle a dispute over salary structure fails.

1998 – Owner Kevin McClatchy’s vision of a baseball-only stadium in Pittsburgh starts to become more of a reality when PNC Bank strikes a deal with the Pirates to call the Bucs’ new home PNC Park. The new ballpark will host its first game in 2001.

Aug. 7

1942 – Bob Scheible of the Washington Redbirds pitches both ends of a doubleheader, beating Oil City 2-1 in the opening game but losing 5-4 on a 10th-inning home run in the nightcap.

1947 – Wayne Moore of Washington sets a world record in rifle shooting as he retains his national title at Camp Perry, Ohio. Moore shoots 3,194 out of a possible 3,200 score.

1957 – Gus Brickner, a 45-year-old steelworker from Charleroi, gives up his attempt to swim the English Channel because of leg cramps after swimming five hours and 38 minutes out of Cap Griz Nez, France.

1965 – The Pennsylvania Mustangs make their debut in the new North American Football League and defeat the Wilmington Comets 28-26 in an exhibition game. Bob Stock and Charley Leigh each score two touchdowns for the Mustangs. The game draws an estimated crowd of 5,500 to Charleroi Stadium.

1971 – The West All-Stars roll to a 34-20 victory over the East in the Big 33 Football Classic in Hershey. John Reihner of Washington boots a 34-yard field goal and a pair of extra points for the West.

1985 – A two-day strike by major league baseball players ends with the announcement of a new five-year labor agreement between the players union and team owners.

1987 – The Pittsburgh Pirates retire Bill Mazeroski’s uniform No. 9 during a ceremony prior to a game against the Montreal Expos at Three River Stadium.

2005 – Dan Marino is one of four inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The others are Steve Young, Fritz Pollard and Bed Friedman.

2007 – San Francisco’s Barry Bonds hits home run No. 756 to break Hank Aaron’s storied record. Noticeably absent are commissioner Bud Selig and Aaron.