STATE COLLEGE - The State College Spikes tribute to the 30th anniversary of the Pittsburgh Pirates' 1979 World Series championship club just got a lot sweeter.
Legendary Bucco starting pitcher John Candelaria - "The Candy Man'' - will make an appearance during the Spikes' home game against the Aberdeen Ironbirds at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Aug. 5 at 7:05 p.m.
The appearance will highlight an evening of entertainment which will celebrate Pittsburgh's last World Series appearance and title.
Appropriately, the Spikes, an affiliate of the Pirates, will be hosting the Aberdeen Ironbirds, an affiliate of Baltimore Orioles, as part of the celebration. The Pirates defeated the Orioles in seven games to win the 1979 Fall Classic.
Candelaria will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game and then will sign autographs and take pictures with fans on the mainconcourse during the game from 7:30 from 8:30 p.m. Autographs and pictures will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
In addition, Candelaria will be a guest on "The Spikes Zone" pre-game show, which can be seen at the ballpark and heard on flagship radio station 95.3 3WZ and the Spikes Radio Network.
Candelaria enjoyed a 19-year major league career with eight different clubs, but is best known for the 11 seasons he spent anchoring the Pirates starting rotation from 1975-85. The 6-foot-7 left-hander broke into the big leagues with Pittsburgh in 1975 and immediately became the ace of the staff, going 8-6 with a 2.76 ERA in 18 starts during his rookie campaign.
He followed hisexceptional debut season by winning 16 games in 1976, including a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 9, 1976 which is still the last individual no-hit effort by a Pirate pitcher.
Candelaria was a key part of the Bucs' 1979 World Series team, going 14-9 with a 3.22 ERA in 33 regular season contests before winning a pair of post-season games, including a victory in the critical Game 6 at Three Rivers Stadium, which forced the seventh and deciding contest. On that night, Canderlaria outdueled Orioles' ace Jim Palmer by tossing six scoreless innings in a 4-0 Bucco victory.
A native of New York City, Candelaria finished his big league career with 177 wins and a solid 3.33 ERA. His 124 victories as a Pirate ranks him as one of the 10 winningest pitchers in club history and his 1,159 strikeouts ranks him among the top five.
His career ended in 1993, when he returned to Pittsburgh and appeared in 24 games out of the bullpen.
Candelaria won't be the only participant from the 1979 World Series in attendance next Wednesday. Former Orioles' lefty Scott McGregor, who took the loss in the deciding Game 7 of the '79 Fall Classic, serves as Aberdeen's pitching coach.
Spikes game postponed
JAMESTOWN, N.Y. - Wednesday's scheduled game between the State College Spikes and the Jamestown Jammers at Russell Diethrick Park was postponed due to rain.
The two teams will make up the game as part of a doubleheader starting at 6:05 p.m. on Thursday. Per minor league baseball rules, both games will be seven innings in duration.
Pitching matchups for the two games are not yet determined.
