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June 2, 1979: Win Streak Ends as Pirates Can’t Solve Gaylord Perry

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Gaylord Perry, the reigning Cy Young winner, was too much for the Pirates in a 3-1 win for San Diego.  The loss brought an end to the Bucs’ six-game winning streak.

Perry went the distance, holding the Pirates to four hits and a walk.  The home team’s only run came in the sixth, when Manny Sanguillen reached on a pinch-hit single, came around to third on a single by Omar Moreno and a wild pitch, and scored when Tim Foli grounded out.  The Pirates’ only other hits were a single by Moreno in the first and a double by Ed Ott in the seventh.

John Candelaria had a decent start, but was hurt by the longball.  He allowed five hits over six innings, but one was a home run by Fred Kendall leading off the third, and another a two-run shot in the top of the sixth by Gene Tenace.  Other than the gopher balls, nobody got past first against the Candy Man.

After Candelaria left for a pinch hitter, Enrique Romo threw two perfect innings.  Bruce Kison threw a scoreless ninth.

The loss leaves the Pirates in fourth place, five games behind Montreal.  They’re a game and a half out of third, occupied by the sinking Phillies.

Wilbur Miller
Wilbur Miller
Having followed the Pirates fanatically since 1965, Wilbur Miller is one of the fast-dwindling number of fans who’ve actually seen good Pirate teams. He’s even seen Hall-of-Fame Pirates who didn’t get traded mid-career, if you can imagine such a thing. His first in-person game was a 5-4, 11-inning win at Forbes Field over Milwaukee (no, not that one). He’s been writing about the Pirates at various locations online for over 20 years. It has its frustrations, but it’s certainly more cathartic than writing legal stuff. Wilbur is retired and now lives in Bradenton with his wife and three temperamental cats.

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