Sep 29, 2022 3 min read

ON THIS DATE

Oct. 1

1903 – The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Pilgrims, 7-3, in the first World Series game. Jimmy Sebring hits the first Series homer, Deacon Phillippe is the winning pitcher and Cy Young the loser.

1961 – Roger Maris hits his 61st home run of the season, off Tracy Stallard of the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The blast gives New York a 1-0 victory and eclipses Babe Ruth’s 34-year-old single-season home run record.

1975 — In the “Thrilla in Manila,” Muhammad Ali beats Joe Frazier in 14 rounds to retain his world heavyweight boxing title.

1976 – Manager Danny Murtaugh, who managed the Pittsburgh Pirates to two World Series championships and four division titles in six years, announces his retirement for the fourth time.

1976 – John Unice, a former player at Washington & Jefferson College and head coach at Washington High School, is named head basketball coach at W&J. Unice had been head boys coach at McKeesport High School. Unice replaces Jim Harris, who resigned after seven seasons as the Presidents’ coach.

1976 – Doug Wade catches an 80-yard touchdown pass from Dave Glod with 1:27 remaining to give Mapletown a 12-6 win over visiting Bentworth, knocking the Bearcats out of the Tri-County South Conference lead. Mapletown scores all of its points in the fourth quarter on passes from Glod to Wade.

2000 – The Chicago Cubs overcome a three-run deficit and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-9, in the final baseball game at Three Rivers Stadium. Pittsburgh’s John Wehner hits the last home run in the stadium, a three-run shot in the fifth inning that gives the Pirates an 8-5 lead.

2012 – Jefferson-Morgan’s Gillian Alexander shoots 6-over par 78 at 3 Lakes Golf Course in Penn Hills to win the WPIAL Class AA girls individual golf championship by two strokes over runner-up Macky Fouse of Central Valley.

Oct. 2

1920 – The major league’s last tripleheader is played in Pittsburgh between the Pirates and Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati wins the first two games and Pittsburgh wins the finale, which is shortened to six innings.

1965 – Allen McCune passes for five touchdowns and runs for another score as West Virginia outscores Pitt, 63-48, in one of the highest-scoring games in the Backyard Brawl series. West Virginia gains 624 yards.

1970 – Mark Kurinczak scores on a two-yard run late in the fourth quarter and John Chambers throws a two-point conversion pass to Tony Mayer to give Carmichaels a 16-14 victory over visiting Frazier.

1974 – Manny Sanguillen’s infield single in the 10th inning scores Al Oliver with the winning run as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Chicago Cubs 5-4 and win the National League East Division championship. The Pirates trail 4-2 entering the ninth inning and tie the score when Chicago catcher Steve Swisher turns a game-ending strikeout into a run-scoring passed ball. The ninth inning is delayed several times by rowdy Pittsburgh fans, who toss whiskey bottles onto the Three Rivers Stadium field.

1979 – Willie Stargell hits a three-run homer off Cincinnati reliever Tom Hume in the top of the 10th inning to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 5-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at Riverfront Stadium.

1985 – The Galbreath family sells the Pittsburgh Pirates to a private-public investor group headed by Pittsburgh mayor Richard Caliguri, Malcolm Prine and Carl Barger.