The Pittsburgh Pirates franchise is known for great hitters (although not recently) but their pitchers have produced some highlights, too. Thus, I present a totally subjective, completely unscientific look at the top 10 single-game pitching performances in Pirates history. So, let\u2019s get to the first half without any further ado, without even bothering to question exactly what \u201cado\u201d is and why it\u2019s not needed any further.<\/p>\n
October 16, 1909, Pirates 8, Detroit Tigers 0, World Series Game 7 at Bennett Park, Detroit (GSc* 75).<\/strong> \u201cFar above all others on the tablet of baseball fame, marking the highest point ever reached in individual brilliancy and outshining the greatest previous achievements in the annals of the Nation\u2019s sport, must be written to-day [sic] in large and blazing capitals the name of ADAMS,\u201d trumpeted the October 17, 1909 Pittsburgh Daily Post<\/em>. Hyperbole? Perhaps, but how else to react when a 27-year-old rookie shuts out the mighty Tigers on the road in Game 7 of the World Series?<\/p>\n That\u2019s what left-hander Babe Adams<\/a> did. Adams, who was 12-3 with a 1.11 ERA and 0.854 WHIP in 1909, was 3-0 in that Series. In Game 7, he pitched nine innings and gave up just six hits and one walk. These were the Tigers of Ty Cobb<\/a>, Davy Jones<\/a>, and Wahoo Sam Crawford<\/a>, believed by many baseball historians to have been the greatest outfield in baseball history. In Game 7, they were a combined 1-for-12 against Adams. The trio combined to hit .335 during the season. It was Pittsburgh’s first World Series championship.<\/p>\n *The Game Score (GSc) was devised by influential statistician Bill James<\/a> as a way to evaluate a single performance by a starting pitcher. It\u2019s determined as follows: 50 + number of outs recorded + (2 x each inning completed after the fourth) + number of strikeouts \u2013 (2 x hits allowed) \u2013 (4 x earned runs allowed) \u2013 (2 x unearned runs allowed) \u2013 number of walks.<\/em><\/p>\n July 12, 1997, Pirates 3, Houston Astros 0 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh (GSc 95). <\/strong>The 1997 Pirates were dubbed the \u201cFreak Show\u201d by broadcaster Greg Brown and unexpectedly captured the hearts of Pittsburgh fans. During the 1996 season, owner Kevin McClatchy revised his budget and decided he needed to cut payroll. Established players were dealt for prospects and no-names. His future Hall-of-Fame manager<\/a>, Jim Leyland<\/a>, asked out of his contract. Under new manager Gene Lamont<\/a>, the 1997 Pirates and their $9 million payroll (less than the Chicago White Sox were paying Albert Belle<\/a>) were in the race for the National League Central Division crown until there were four games left in the season, due to a weaker division and a few wildly improbable Pirates wins. One of those wins occurred on this night before the Pirates\u2019 first non-Opening Day sellout crowd in 20 years.<\/p>\n Starter Francisco Cordova<\/a>, a right-hander from Mexico, held the Astros hitless through nine innings. He allowed just two walks and a hit batsman. No Astro got as far as second base. Cordova spoke no English. The Astros hitters spoke for him. \u201cHe didn\u2019t make many mistakes,\u201d Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell<\/a> told Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/em>. \u201cWhen he did make a couple, we were so surprised that we didn\u2019t hit them.\u201d Astros catcher Brad Ausmus<\/a> asked Cook, \u201cI don\u2019t think we hit a ball hard, did we?\u201d Nope.<\/p>\n The problem was that the Pirates hitters hadn\u2019t scored, either. After 121 pitches, Lamont decided Cordova was through for the evening. Left-handed Ricardo Rinc\u00f3n<\/a>, another Mexican who spoke no English, allowed a walk in the 10th but kept the no-hitter intact. Mark Smith<\/a>, a little-known reserve, won the game in the bottom of the 10th with a three-run home run against John Hudek<\/a>. The two Pirates pitchers had thrown the first combined extra-inning no-hitter in baseball history. Thanks to Smith\u2019s blast, this is the only game from this list to also appear on my Top 10 Pirates Home Runs<\/a> list.<\/p>\n9. Pirates Pitchers Combine for No-Hitter<\/h3>\n
\u201cHe Didn\u2019t Make Many Mistakes\u201d<\/h4>\n