A look back at events that you’ve either forgotten about or never heard of in the first place.
May 28, 1956
Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Dale Long sets a major-league record for the most home runs in consecutive games when he launches his eighth in as many games in front of 31,000 fans at Forbes Field. The crowd’s cheers were so raucous that Long came out of the dugout for one of baseball’s first curtain calls.
May 28, 2004
Pirates outfielder Rob Mackowiak celebrates the birth of his first child before going out to play a doubleheader at PNC Park against the Chicago Cubs. In the first game, Mackowiak hits a ninth-inning walk-off grand slam for the win. In the second, he hits a two-run homer that was the 500th dinger in PNC Park history.
May 29, 1895
The Schenley Park Casino opens its doors. The multi-use arena is believed to have had the first artificial ice surface in North America. It was also home to the semi-pro Pittsburgh Keystones ice-hockey squad.
May 30, 1925
The Pirates crank eight doubles, a then MLB record, against St. Louis at Forbes Field.
May 30, 1964
Roberto Clemente makes Dodger Stadium look tiny when he blasts a 500-foot home run that hits the centerfield lights.
May 31, 2007
Sidney Crosby is named captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins at age 19, becoming the youngest NHL player to hold that honor.
June 1, 1992
The Penguins finish off the Chicago Blackhawks to win their second straight Stanley Cup.
June 3, 1937
Negro Leagues star Josh Gibson, of the Homestead Grays, may have hit a 580-foot home run out of Yankee Stadium. The homer has become a bit of lore over the years, but because records weren’t well kept, the exact truth isn’t known. However, reports from that time document the titanic blast, and some claim it flew more than 500 feet, which would be a record.
