Jan 27, 2022 3 min read

Former Pirates outfielder Clines dies

Gene Clines, part of the first all-minority lineup in Major League Baseball history and a line drive-hitting outfielder for the 1971 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates, died Thursday. He was 75.

Clines’ wife, Joanne, told the Pirates that Clines died at his home in Bradenton, Florida. No cause of death was given.

On Sept. 1, 1971, Clines batted second and played center field for the Pirates in a starting lineup comprised entirely of players of Black and Latino descent. He doubled, singled and scored twice as Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia 10-7 at Three Rivers Stadium.

Clines was at PNC Park last September when the Pirates celebrated the 50th anniversary of the occasion, with fellow starters Al Oliver, Dave Cash and Manny Sanguillen joining the festivities.

Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Rennie Stennett, Jackie Hernández and Dock Ellis also started for the Pirates on that historic night in 1971. A month later, they won the World Series, beating the Baltimore Orioles in seven games.

Clines batted .277 in 10 seasons. He hit only five home runs in 870 games, but connected in the 1971 NL Championship Series against the Giants.

Rohanna tied for 30th

Rachel Rohanna shot 2-under par 70 Thursday int he opening round fo the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio in Boca Raton, Fla.

Rohanna’s round included three birdies and one bogey. The Waynesburg native is seven shots behind leader Lydia Ko.

In the NFL

Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has agreed to become the Denver Broncos’ new head coach.

He replaces Vic Fangio, who was fired a day after the Broncos finished 7-10.

Hackett is the son of former Pitt coach Paul Hackett.

• Indianapolis defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is the new head coach of the Chicago Bears, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press, tasked with turning around a franchise mired in mediocrity for much of the past decade.

In golf

Top-ranked Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas made the birdies they needed to keep pace on the easier North Course at Torrey Pines on Thursday and shared the lead with hard-charging Adam Schenk after two rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open.

Schenk made eight straight birdies to shoot a career-low, 10-under 62, , and joined Rahm (65) and Thomas (63) at 13-under 131.

The 30-year-old Schenk, who grew up on an Indiana sod farm, started his impressive run of birdies on the fourth hole and ended it on No. 11. He also birdied Nos. 16 and 17 in his bogey-free round.

All three leaders opened Wednesday on the South Course, where Rahm won the U.S. Open last year for his first major.

Rahm also got his first PGA Tour victory in 2017 at Torrey Pines.