BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

April 3 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1926 Alex Grammas

1930 Wally Moon
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1963 Chris Bosio pitcher


1968 Mike Lansing infielder, 1993-2001 (Montreal Expos, Coloradao Rockies, Boston Red Sox)

1971 Quilvio Veras second baseman

1975 Koji Uehara pitcher

1975 Yoshinobu Takahashill player

1987 Jay Bruce,outfielder 3x All-Star (Cincinnati Reds, and 5 other teams)


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This Day in Baseball History
April 3rd​

1901 Although Christy Mathewson tried to return the money, A's owner Connie Mack accused him of reneging on his contract to play the 1901 season with the fledgling American League team. After meeting with the A's manager in January, 'Big Six' commits his services to Philadephia when he receives a signing bonus but uses the offer to get a richer contract from the Giants.

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1923 Happy Felsch and Swede Risberg file a suit against the White Sox for back salary and $400,000 in damages. Both expelled players, acquitted for allegedly fixing the 1919 World Series, were still banned from baseball by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, even though they were found not guilty of the wrongdoing in a much-publicized court case.

1950 Considered a well-guarded secret, Mel Parnell reveals he pitched all but three of his 39 games for Boston last season with a sore elbow. The 27-year-old 'Dusty' finished the season 25-7 with a 2.77 ERA for the second-place Red Sox.

1961 New York investors Jack P. Schleifer and Milton Schwartz take a title to Connie Mack Stadium, formerly known as Shibe Park, in hopes of developing the property as an industrial center with bowling alleys and a restaurant when the Phillies move to a proposed new ballpark in the northeastern part of the city. The 52-year-old ballpark, home for the A's (1909-1954) and Phillies (1938-1970) will eventually become the Deliverance Evangelistic Church's site in 1991.

1966 In his first at-bat against Juan Marichal since the pitcher's bat-yielding incident last season, Johnny Roseboro hits a three-run inside-the-park home run in the Dodgers' 8-4 victory over the Giants. Before starting the spring training contest, San Francisco GM Chub Feeney attempted to arrange a handshake between the combatants, with the Los Angeles catcher, who has a $110,000 lawsuit pending against the right-hander and the hurler's team, declining the offer.

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Amazon The Fight of Their Lives: How Juan Marichal and John Roseboro Turned Baseball's Ugliest Brawl into a
Story of Forgiveness and Redemption

1966 In a special lottery, Tom Seaver picks the Mets from names tossed in a hat that includes the Phillies and Indians, signing with New York for a reported $50,000 bonus. After MLB voided his son's contract with the Braves, Tom's dad threatened a lawsuit because the right-hander's college team had played two exhibition games, but signing a pro contract also prevented the future Hall of Famer from playing on the collegiate level.

1967 Al Jackson, competing for a spot in the Cardinals' rotation to replace an injured Steve Carlton, yields twenty hits over nine innings in an exhibition game. The southpaw's poor outing comes against the Tulsa Oilers, the Redbirds' Class AA minor league team in the Texas League.

1968 The Tigers trade left-hander Hank Aguirre to the Dodgers for minor leaguer Fred Moulder, the player to be named later. The All-Star southpaw, better known for being the worst hitter in major league history, will compile a .085 batting average during his 16-year major league career, striking out an astounding 236 times in his 388 at-bats (61%).

1969 The Phillies trade first baseman Bill White to the Cardinals for infielder Jerry Buchek and utility player Jim Hutto. White will retire after one season in St. Louis, eventually becoming the president of the National League after a 17-year stint as the Yankee broadcasting partner of the long-time legendary voice of the Bronx Bombers, Phil Rizzuto.

1974 The Indians trade Pedro Guerrero to the Dodgers for pitcher Bruce Ellingsen, who appears in only 16 games for Cleveland in his only year in the majors. The 17-year-old infielder/outfielder will compile a .309 batting average, becoming a five-team All-Star during his 11 seasons with the team.

1984 On Opening Day, Tiger rookie Barbaro Garbey becomes the first Cuban refugee to play in the majors when he grounds out in the seventh inning as a pinch-hitter for Dave Bergman. The 27-year-old utility player will stay in the game, playing first base in Detroit's 8-1 rout of Minnesota in the Metrodome.

1985 The Players' Association agrees to the owners' proposal of expanding the League Championship Series to best-of-seven. The LCS started as a best-of-five series in 1969 when the leagues divided into divisions, with the Orioles and Mets sweeping their opponents in three games.

1987 The Cubs trade starter Dennis Eckersley and prospect Dan Rohn to the A's for three minor leaguers who will never appear in a major league game. The future Hall of Famer known as 'Eck' becomes one of the game's top relievers, saving 320 games during his nine-year tenure with Oakland.

1989 In his first major league at-bat, Mariners' center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. doubles off Oakland's Dave Stewart. The 19-year-old 'Junior,' the son of an active major leaguer outfielder playing with the Reds, will establish himself as one of the game's superstars before retiring in 2010.

1989 The Mets win their 11th consecutive home opener, beating St. Louis at Shea Stadium, 8-4. The Amazins have won on Opening Day in 18 of the last 20 seasons.

1990 Billy Hatcher, who is in the delivery room with his pregnant wife when the phone rings, is informed by Pirates manager Jim Leyland that he has been traded but doesn't ask which team now has his services. After his daughter Chelsea is born, the former Buc outfielder gets a call at home from Cincinnati general manager Bob Quinn to welcome him to the Reds.

1994 The new season begins with the first Sunday night opener ever played in major league history, with a game not embraced by the local fans or Reds' owner Marge Schott. On a frigid Easter Sunday evening at Riverfront Stadium, the Cardinals beat the Reds in the controversial contest, 6-4, in front of the smallest Opening Day crowd in the ballpark's 24-year history.

2000 With their 8-0 and 21-1 victories over the Clafin Panthers, the Savannah State nine extends its consecutive-game winning streak to 42 games. The Tigers' twin sweep sets an NCAA record, eclipsing the Marietta College of Ohio record of 40 straight wins established by the Division II school last year.

2000 After missing last season due to undergoing treatments for lymphatic cancer, Braves' first baseman Andres Galarraga makes a dramatic return on Opening Day, homering in the seventh inning to break up a scoreless tie. The 38-year-old first baseman's home run, followed by Andruw Jones' back-to-back shot, gives Atlanta a 2-0 victory over the Rockies at Turner Field.

2002 Barry Bonds becomes the second player in baseball history to begin a season with consecutive two-homer games. Eddie Mathews also hit a pair of homers in the Braves' first two games against the Pirates to start the 1958 season.

2005 Alex Sanchez becomes the first major leaguer publicly identified under baseball's new steroid policy. The Tampa Bay outfielder receives a ten-day suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

2006 Seattle's Kenji Johjima becomes the first Japanese catcher to start a major league game. The Mariners' 30-year-old backstop homers in his debut in the team's 5-3 loss to the Angels.

2006 Sportsnet NY, the Mets' new team-owned network, broadcasts its first regular-season baseball game. During the third inning of New York's 3-2 victory over the Nationals, SNY experiences technical difficulties, blacking out the telecast for nearly twenty minutes.

2007 Marcus and Brian Giles bat first and second in San Diego's Opening Day lineup in the Padres' 7-0 victory over the Giants. Skipper Bud Black's batting order marks the first time brothers hit one and two in a game since Matty and Jesus Alou did it for San Francisco in 1965.

2008 A three-and-a-half pound red-tailed hawk, known to nest at the historic ballpark, attacks a Memorial Boulevard Middle School student during a Fenway Park tour. The 13-year-old from Bristol (CT), treated for a small scratch on her scalp at a local hospital, has a familiar name to Red Sox fans, Alexa Rodriguez, similar to the much detested third baseman of the Yankees, also is 13 (uniform number).

2008 Twenty minutes before their game, the Dodgers announce reliever Hong-Chih Kuo will start in place of Chad Billingsley, who, in turn, will be in the bullpen. The unusual move, made due to the threat of rain at the start of the contest, is also employed by the Giants, with Merkin Valdez beginning the game with the announced starter and eventual winner, Tim Lincecum entering the game in the fourth inning.

2008 At Comerica Park in Detroit, the Royals beat the Tigers, 4-1, completing a season-opening three-game sweep. The victories mark the first time Kansas City had started the year with a sweep on the road since 1977 when the team also won the first three away contests of the season in the Motor City.

2008 In a dazzling debut, Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto fans ten batters in an overpowering seven-inning performance when Cincinnati beats the visiting Diamondbacks, 3-2. Using a 96-mph fastball and devastating changeup, the 22-year-old rookie, who started pitching in the low minors last season, strikes out eight of the first 13 Arizona batters he faces.

2009 The Mets, obligated only to pay the major league minimum of $400,000, sign Gary Sheffield (.225, 19, 57), hoping to add a much-needed right-handed bat to the lineup. The Tigers unexpectedly released the 40-year-old offensively challenged outfielder with 499 career home runs earlier in the week despite having $14 million left on his contract.

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2009 On a damp and chilly New York night, the Mets and Yankees open their new stadiums with exhibition games. The double debut in the Big Apple sees each team win when the Amazins beat the Red Sox, 4-3, and the Bronx Bombers, launching three homers to defeat the Cubs, 7-4.

2010 Adam Lind (.305, 35, 114) and the Blue Jays agree to an $18 million, four-year contract that includes three additional years with a club option. The 26-year-old outfielder, flanked by several teammates, announces the deal at a press conference held before an exhibition game in Houston.

2011 Ranger teammates Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz become the first pair of players to homer in each of the first three games in a season playing for the same team. The duo's weekend of round-trippers contributes to Texas' sweep of their season-opening series against the visiting Red Sox.

2016 For the first time, teams from the previous World Series play each other on Opening Day when the Mets drop a 4-3 decision to the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. In pregame ceremonies, Kansas City, who defeated the Mets in the Fall Classic in five games, hoists the World Champion banner for the first time since the team beat the Cardinals in 1985.

2016 On Opening Day in Kansas City, with the team's theme "We Are The Champions" playing in the background, over 2,000 fans participate in the Relay the Way event, establishing a new record when they line up to complete the longest first pitch in baseball history. The ball, tossed hand to glove for four hours, travels a distance of nine miles and raises over $100,000 for the Royals' Urban Youth Academy charity.


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April 4 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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Tris Speaker(1888-1958) HOF outfielder (World Series 1912, 15, 20; AL MVP 1912; career batting average .345 [6th all-time]; Cleveland Indians) and manager (Cleveland Indians 1919-26)


1916 Mickey Owen catcher (4 × MLB All-Star 1941–44 Brooklyn Dodgers)


1924 Gil Hodges HOF 1st baseman (8 x MLB All Star; Brooklyn/LA Dodgers; NY Mets; World Series 1955, 59, 69; Gold Glove Award 1957–59) and manager (Washington Senators, NY Mets)


1938 Angelo Bartlett Giamatti MLB Commissioner

1947 Ray Fosse catcher, 1967-79 (All-Star, Gold Glove Award - 1970, 1971 Cleveland Indians; World Series Oakland A's 1973, 74; and 2 other teams) and broadcaster (Oakland A's, NBC)


1956 Tom Herr baseball player


1969 Carlos Reyes pitcher (Oakland A's)

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Today in Baseball History
April 4th​

1911 Hugh Chalmers, an auto manufacturer, introduces and sponsors the Most Valuable Player award. The first winners, selected by a vote of one baseball writer representing each franchise in the league, will be Tigers outfielder Ty Cobb and Cubs pitcher Frank Schulte.



1911 Cubs Outfielder Frank Schulte


1918 The Phillies trade infielder Bert Niehoff (.255, 2, 42) and send cash to the Cardinals for rookie right-hander Mule Watson. Niehoff will play just one more season before retiring, while Watson will pitch two seasons with Philadelphia, posting a 7-11 record before being traded to the Braves.

1948 Before an exhibition game in Orlando, with an ambulance driving the two participants, accompanied by a doctor and a pair of nurses, to the starting line, 84-year-old A's manager Connie Mack challenges Clark Griffith, the 78-year-old owner of the Senators, to a foot race. The sprint from third base to home plate will end in a tie, which Commissioner Happy Chandler, who officiated the affair, describes as "a dead heat."
1966 On the nationally-televised Hullabaloo, a program that showcases rock and roll groups, host Soupy Sales and his two sons, Tony and Hunt, perform Meet the Mets, with the unlikely tune accompanied by go-go dancers halfway through the song. The Sales' children appeared on the program as guest musicians, featuring their rock and roll band, Tony and the Tigers.

1968 Due to today's assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, most major league teams postponed their Opening Day games for five days, resuming after the reverend's funeral in five days. Surprisingly, at first, the Dodgers are the notable exception, even though the Phillies, their opponents on April 9, say they will forfeit rather than play on the national day of mourning.

1971 The Phillies dedicated the newly constructed Veterans Stadium, a name the Philadelphia City Council selected to honor United States veterans of all wars. The new ballpark will be harshly criticized for its upper deck's height and for many of its seats being so distant from the field that it is difficult to enjoy the game without binoculars.



Newly constructed Veterans Stadium


1974 On Opening Day in Cincinnati, Hank Aaron, in front of a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium, tied Babe Ruth's all-time home run record of 714 by hitting a first-inning two-run homer off Jack Billingham. The Atlanta front office had considered keeping 'Hammerin' Hank' on the bench during road games so the slugger could try to equal the mark in front of the hometown fans, but commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered the Braves to put the outfielder into the lineup for at least two of the three games against the Reds.




1978 The Expos reveal their new mascot, Souki, an odd-looking character wearing an Expos uniform below a giant baseball head with antennae. The Mr. Met-like figure, whose rights sell for fifty dollars, will be released after one season after proving unpopular with the fans due to his strange looks and quirky behavior.



Expos mascot Souki


1988 In a 10-6 victory over the Expos, Kevin McReynolds and Darryl Strawberry each hit a pair of home runs, helping the Mets establish an Opening Day record with six homers. The 'Strawman's' second shot, estimated at 525 feet, hits above the dome's light rim and is believed to be the longest dinger ever stroked at Olympic Stadium.
1988 Blue Jay designated hitter George Bell becomes the first player to hit three home runs on Opening Day, helping Toronto defeat Kansas City at Royals Stadium, 5-3. The second, fourth, and eighth-inning round-trippers are all given up by Bret Saberhagen.




1989 Tommy John ties a record on Opening Day by playing in 26 seasons. The Yankee veteran hurler beats the Twins, 4-2, for his 287th win, putting him 19th overall in career victories.
1994 A total of 56,706 fans attend Opening Day, making it the largest crowd ever at the new Yankee Stadium. The Bronx Bombers do not disappoint the faithful when Jimmy Key beats Kevin Brown and the Rangers, 5-3.
1994 In the inaugural game played at Jacobs Field, President Bill Clinton throws out the first ball, and 'El Presidente' Dennis Martinez throws the first pitch when the Indians defeat the Mariners in 11 innings, 4-3. With Bob Feller, the author of the only Opening Day no-hitter game in major league history, in attendance, Mariner southpaw Randy Johnson holds the Tribe hitless for the first seven innings.




1994 Eddie Murray becomes baseball's all-time leader in games played at first base, covering the bag in 2,369 major league contests to surpass the mark set by Jake Beckley, a Hall of Famer whose career spanned from 1888 to 1907. After the top of the first inning, the 38-year-old Indian infielder carries the bag off the field, keeping it as a souvenir.
1994 On Opening Day at Wrigley Field, in the Cubs' 12-8 loss to New York, Tuffy Rhodes, who had hit only five round-trippers in his first 280 major league at-bats, blasts three home runs on Opening Day, becoming the first player to homer in his first three at-bats of the season. The three solo round-trippers, all off Mets right-hander Dwight Gooden, will account for nearly half of the outfielder's total for the year when he finishes the campaign with only eight round-trippers.




1994 Before the Cubs' 12-8 Opening Day loss to the Mets at Wrigley Field, First Lady Hillary Clinton becomes the first wife of a sitting president to throw the season's ceremonial first pitch. Bill's spouse then joins Harry Caray in the broadcast booth and sings "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" with the beloved announcer during the seventh-inning stretch.




1998 En route to shattering the single-season mark for home runs, Mark McGwire homers in his fourth consecutive game to tie Willie Mays' 1971 mark for most homers to start a season. Big Mac's sixth-inning three-run Busch Stadium blast helps the Cardinals beat the Padres, 8-6.
1999 Opening Day starts in Mexico, making it the first time baseball's first pitch comes outside the U.S. or Canada when the Rockies defeat the National League's defending champs Padres, 8-2. Darryl Kile goes 6⅓ innings to win the Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey contest.
2000 At Safeco Field, Darren Lewis plays right field in Boston's 2-0 victory over Seattle. The 32-year-old outfielder is the 13th different Red Sox player to start in that position on Opening Day for the past thirteen years.
2001 For the first time since June 7, 1995, the Indians do not have a sellout crowd at Jacobs Field. The streak of 455 games of consecutive full houses, a major league record, will be broken by the Boston Red Sox in 2008.
2001 Hideo Nomo, throwing the earliest no-hitter in major league history, blanks the Orioles, 3-0 at Camden Yards in his first start in a Red Sox uniform. Second baseman Mike Lansing makes an outstanding play with one out in the ninth to preserve the Japanese-born hurler's second career no-hitter.




2001 Vinny Castilla launches the longest home run at Tropicana Field when he hits a Joey Hamilton pitch 478 feet over the domed stadium's left-field fence. The Devil Rays' third baseman's third-inning three-run blast is not enough to overcome the three round-trippers clobbered by Carlos Delgado in the team's 11-8 loss to the Blue Jays.
2003 At Cincinnati's new Great American Ball Park, Sammy Sosa becomes the first Latin American player and the 18th to hit 500 career home runs. 'Slammin' Sammy' reaches the milestone in the seventh inning when he drives a Scott Sullivan 1-2 pitch into the right-field seats.
2003 The Coneheads stage a reunion at Shea Stadium as David Cone returns to the mound after taking a year off and hurls an impressive five innings of shutout ball in the Mets' 4-0 victory over the Expos. In memory of one of the founders of this unique group, started in 1988 based on an SNL skit, the group hangs a banner featuring a picture of Scott Saber, killed during the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, wearing his Conehead.



Scott Saber - Conehead Founder


2005 Dmitri Young becomes the third major leaguer to hit three home runs on Opening Day, joining George Bell (Blue Jays, 1988) and Tuffy Rhodes (Cubs, 1994). The 31-year-old Tiger DH's hat trick contributes to the team's 11-2 rout of the Royals at Comerica Park.




2006 Rain postpones a Padres home game for the first time since May 12, 1998, a span of 635 consecutive home games, mostly played at Qualcomm Stadium. The 16th rainout in the franchise's 38-year history becomes the first washout at the club's new home, Petco Park, which opened two seasons ago.
2006 Kansas City voters approve a $250 million proposal to renovate Kauffman Stadium. The facelift of the 35-year-old home of the Royals will include the addition of dugout suites, new clubhouses, an exclusive restaurant, and the replacement of the orange seats throughout the stadium with new blue ones.
2007 Tuffy Rhodes becomes the first non-Japanese player in Nippon Pro Baseball history to drive in a thousand runs. Only two of the 28 players who have reached the milestone have accomplished the feat in fewer games.
2008 Carried by his momentum trying to avoid the pitch, Astros catcher J.R. Towles does a handstand at home plate after getting hit above the knee during the second inning in Houston's 4-3 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. In his next at-bat, the 24-year-old-backstop from Crosby (TX) hits a two-run homer, a feat he accomplishes standing on his feet.
2008 Before their home opener, the Blue Jays announce reaching agreements with outfielder Alex Rios (.297, 24, 85) and second baseman Aaron Hill (.291, 17, 78). With the contract extension that begins next season, the 26-year-old Toronto fly-catcher will earn nearly $70 million over the next seven years, the second richest deal in franchise history, and the club's newly signed infielder, also 26, inks a four-year contract worth $12 million.
2008 With fans chanting "Robbie, Robbie" before the home opener against Boston, the Blue Jays honor Roberto Alomar by inducting their former All-Star second baseman into the Toronto Level of Excellence. After the team plays a video montage of his career highlights in a darkened Rogers Centre, the dramatic pregame ceremony continues when a spotlight shines on second base, revealing the honoree.
2012 Joey Votto and the Reds agree to the longest guaranteed contract in major league history, a $251.5 million, 12-year deal. Second, only to A-Rod's $275 million and $252 million pacts with the Rangers and Yankees, the dollar amount easily surpasses Ken Griffey Jr.'s nine-year, $116.5 million deal signed in 2000 as the richest in franchise history.
2014 Charlie Blackmon ties a team record established by Andres Galarraga in 1995, collecting six hits in the Rockies' 12-2 rout of Arizona in the team's home opener at Coors Field. The 27-year-old platoon outfielder is the first major leaguer to collect three doubles, two singles, and a home run in a major league game.
2016 The Dodgers hand the Padres the worst Opening Day shutout loss since at least 1913, and most likely in the game's history, blanking the Friars at Petco Park, 15-0. The contest marked both skippers' managerial debut, with LA's Dave Roberts and San Diego's Padres Andy Green piloting their first major league game.
2016 Although Felix Hernandez limits the Rangers to just one hit, the Mariner right-hander loses for the first time on Opening Day, snapping a streak of six victories to start his team's season. Seattle had the opportunity to become the first franchise in modern baseball history to win ten consecutive season openers, but sloppy defense allowed three fifth-inning runs in the club's 3-2 defeat to Texas at Globe Life Park.
2016 Trevor Story becomes the first player to hit two home runs in his first regular-season game on Opening Day and the fifth rookie to accomplish the feat in his major league debut. The 23-year-old Rockies shortstop hit both round-trippers off Diamondbacks' ace Zack Greinke, a three-run home run in the third and a solo shot in the following frame of the team's 10-5 victory over Arizona at Chase Field.
2017 Stephen Piscotty's dangerous journey around the base paths ends when he crosses the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring the Cardinals' only run in the team's 2-1 loss to the Cubs at Busch Stadium. After reaching first due to being hit by a pitch, the outfielder, attempting to take second on a wild pitch, gets nailed in the elbow by the catcher's throw, and he is struck on the helmet, sliding into home plate with an errant throw by the second baseman. (Our thanks to J. Mahon for suggesting this entry.)




2021 In his major league debut, southpaw-swinging Akil Baddoo hits the first pitch he sees for a home run, becoming the ninth player in Tiger history to homer in his first at-bat. The 22-year-old rookie outfielder joins Hack Miller (1944), Sam Vico (1948), Gates Brown (1963), Bill Rowan (1964), Gene Lamont (1970), Reggie Sanders (1974), Daniel Norris (2015), and Sergio Alcantara (2020), with only Vico also going deep on the first pitch to accomplish the feat.
2021 Angels' right-hander Shohei Ohtani hits and pitches in the same game for the first time in his major league career, striking out seven White Sox players over 4.2 innings and blasting a 451-foot home run on the first pitch he sees in the opening frame. The 25-year-old Oshu (JP) native, the first hurler to bat second in the lineup since 1903, becomes the first starter to go yard against an American League opponent since the final day of the 1972 season, the Junior Circuit's last day without a designated hitter.
39 Fact(s) Found

• TDIB |

 

Dizzy Dean the announcer




Joe Pepitone
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1990 Cincinnati Reds Paul O'Neil, Barry Larkin, Lou Pinella, Chris Sabo, and Eric Davis
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April 4 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1938 Ron Hansen shortstop (MLB All Star 1960, 60²; AL Rookie of the Year 1960; Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox)

1949 Rennie Stennett, infielder (World Series 1979 - Pittsburgh Pirates; one of 3 players to collect 7 hits in a MLB game

1976 Ross Gload

1976 Ryan Drese pitcher (Olympic bronze 1996)


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• Today in Baseball History​
• April 5th​
• 1913 In an exhibition game against the Yankees, 25,000 fans watch the Dodgers play their first game in Ebbets Field. Brooklyn beats New York, 3-2, with Casey Stengel hitting the park's first home run, an inside-the-parker.​
• Brooklyn's Ebbets Field (1913)​
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1925 Babe Ruth collapses at a railroad station in Asheville (NC). The "bellyache heard round the world," so dubbed when a writer suggests that a hot dog and soda binge caused the illness, will require hospitalization and an operation, keeping the Yankees slugger out of the lineup forseven weeks.

The Yankee slugger returns to the lineup on June 1, the same day Lou Gehrig begins his historic consecutive-game streak)

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1934 Babe Ruth, sponsored by Quaker Oats, agrees to do a weekly show on NBC radio. The Sultan of Swat's broadcast salary for the 13-week series will be $4000 more than his reported Yankee contract of $35,000.



1934 Reds president Larry MacPhail hires 26-year-old Red Barber to broadcast the team games on WSAL. The not-so-old "Ol' Redhead" will spend the first five years of his Hall of Fame career in Cincinnati, calling the contests from Crosley Field's stands.The first major league game he watches will be his first MLB broadcast. - LP)


WSAL Broadcaster - Red Barber

1935

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The Braves, returning north from spring training, beat North Carolina State College, 6-2, in a contest that ended in the seventh inning because there were no baseballs to play with, having used the hundred put aside for the game. Olney Ray Freeman strikes out a 40-year-old Babe Ruth on a two-strike curveball, a feat the southpaw brags about until he died in 2008.

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1957 The Phillies trade five players, Ron Negray, Tim Harkness, Elmer Valo, Mel Geho, and Ben Flowers (the player to be named later), sending $75,000 to the Dodgers to obtain much-touted Cuban infielder Chico Fernandez. Philadelphia's new shortstop plays three seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, batting just .242 before being traded to the Tigers.


1966 Don Larsen, the last active major leaguer who played for the Browns, is released by the Orioles. As a rookie in 1953, the Michigan City, Indiana native posted a 7-12 record for the hapless franchise, which lost 100 games in its final season in St. Louis.


1971 At RFK Stadium, 45,000 fans watch the last Opening Day game the Senators will play in the District of Columbia. Dick Bosman goes the distance, blanking the A's on six hits in Washington's 8-0 victory over Oakland.

1972 The player strike, which started on April 1st, causes the cancellation of the season opener between the Astros and Reds. The work stoppage postpones Opening Day for the first time in major league history, with 86 games not played until both sides agree on increasing pension fund payments and the owners adding salary arbitration to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

1972 The Expos trade a stunned All-Star right fielder Rusty Staub to the Mets for outfielder Ken Singleton and infielders Tim Foli and Mike Jorgensen. The 28-year-old 'Le Grand Orange,' a fan favorite in Montreal, will miss most of the season due to injuries but will play a significant role in New York's 1973 'Ya Gotta Believe' pennant-winning team.

1976 In a deal negotiated in the groundskeeper's office under the third base stands at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, 31-year-old right-hander Tom Seaver agrees to a three-year contract with the Mets. The pact makes 'Tom Terrific,' who posted a 25-9 record last season while leading the league in strikeouts with 243, the first hurler in baseball history to earn $200,000 annually.

1979 At Memorial Stadium, Oriole manager Earl Weaver notches his 1,000th career victory when Baltimore beats Chicago on Opening Day, 5-3. The future Hall of Fame skipper will finish his 17-year managerial career, all with the Birds, with a 1480-1069 (.583) record.

1983 On Opening Day, Tom Seaver, making his first appearance with the Mets since 1977, combines with Doug Sisk to blank the Phillies at Shea Stadium, 2-0. 'Tom Terrific,' who will extend the record to 16, ties Walter Johnson's major league mark with his 14th Opening Day assignment.






1988 With a 6-3 Opening Day victory over the Padres, Houston wins its 2,000th game in franchise history. The Astros score five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, making starter Mike Scott the winning pitcher.

1989 At Riverfront Stadium, Dodgers' hurler Orel Hershiser's scoreless-inning streak ends at 59. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Todd Benzinger's single scores Barry Larkin, almost a pickoff victim after getting a base hit to lead off the game but was safe on the 'Bulldog's' throwing error.

1993 At Camden Yards, Bill Clinton becomes the first U.S. president to successfully throw the season's first pitch from the pitcher's mound. Orioles starter Rick Sutcliffe, giving up six runs in six innings, doesn't fare as well when the Birds lose to the Rangers, 7-4.






1993 At Shea Stadium, the Rockies lose their National League debut, dropping a 3-0 decision to the Mets and Dwight Gooden, who pitches a four-hit complete game for the victory. Right-hander David Nied starts the contest for Colorado, and Andres Galarraga collects the franchise's first hit with a second-inning single.

1993 In front of 42,334 fans at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, the Florida Marlins, making their major league debut, defeat the Dodgers, 6-3. Joe DiMaggio throws out the ceremonial first pitch, and the team retires uniform number 5 in tribute to their late president Carl Barger, the number of his favorite player, fittingly Joe DiMaggio.
(Ed. Note: In 2012, the Marlins took the unusual step of un-retiring a number, allowing Logan Morrison to don the digit in tribute to his dad, whose favorite player was George Brett, the former Royals' third baseman. -LP)



1993 On Opening Day, Greg Maddux, signed as a free agent in the offseason, allows no runs and scatters five hits to his former team over 8⅓ innings. Mike Stanton gets the last two outs in the Braves' 1-0 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

1993 Eric Fox, inserted into the game as a late-inning defensive replacement, hits a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving the A's an eventual 9-4 Opening Day victory before 43,370 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The round-tripper will be the outfielder's only homer of the season.

1997 At Olympic Stadium, the Rockies set a franchise record with seven home runs, including three by Larry Walker, pulled from the game in the eighth inning by Rockies manager Don Baylor. The Colorado skipper wanted to avoid running up the score against the Expos with his team ahead 15-1.

1998 After five attempts, the Diamondbacks win their first game in franchise history when Andy Benes pitches seven strong innings, with Matt Williams pacing the attack with three hits in the team's 3-2 victory over San Francisco at Bank One Ballpark. Arizona's 0-5 start is the second-longest season-opening losing streak for an expansion team in its first season, surpassed only by the 1962 Mets, who didn't record a victory until their tenth game.

2003 The Royals become the first major league team to begin the season 5-0, en route to nine consecutive victories after losing 100 games the prior year. Runelvys Hernandez, the winner of a coin toss, making him the Opening Day starter, gets his second victory, allowing two hits in seven innings to beat the Indians at Kauffman Stadium, 2-1.

2003 The White Sox announce that all active military members will be given free admission to most home games at U.S. Cellular Field to support the U.S. troops in Iraq. The free passes will not be available during the Cubs series scheduled for June.

2004 Braves' general manager John Schuerholz announces the team has exercised the option to retain Bobby Cox as the team's manager through the 2005 season. The 62-year-old skipper, ninth all-time in managerial wins with 1,906, has won 12 consecutive divisional titles.

2004
"This, I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. I’m going to live with this. Opening Day, a walk-off home run - it doesn’t get any better." - CARLOS BELTRAN, reflecting on his game-winning home run on Opening Day.

The Royals become the first team since 1901 to overcome a ninth-inning deficit of four runs on Opening Day when they rally to beat the White Sox at Kauffman Stadium, 9-7. Kansas City center fielder Carlos Beltran's two-run walk-off homer that bounces off the top of the wall is the keynote hit in the team's six-run final frame.



2005 The Nationals, formerly known as the Expos, lose their inaugural season opener, bowing to the Phillies, 8-4. The franchise, which played its initial 36 years in Montreal, becomes the first team to represent the nation's capital since the Senators left Washington to become the Texas Rangers in 1971.

2005 Johan Santana gets credited for the win in the Twins' 8-4 victory over Seattle at Safeco Field, but the southpaw's streak of 22 straight starts of allowing three or fewer runs ends. Last season's Cy Young Award winner has the second-longest span of giving fewer than four runs in consecutive outings, trailing only Dwight Gooden's 24 in 1985.

2006 Sluggerrr, the Royals' Mascot, celebrates his tenth birthday at Kauffman Stadium. The nearly seven-foot-tall lion with a crown built into his skull is active in the Kansas City community in the offseason, visiting local schools to encourage youngsters to excel in school and be good citizens.



Sluggerrr - Photo on Flickr
by Chris Murphy




2009 Jordan Schafer becomes the tenth Braves player in franchise history and the 99th overall to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat. The 22-year-old rookie center fielder, who never played in a level higher than Double-A, goes deep off Philadelphia's Opening Day starter Brett Myers in the second inning at Citizens Bank Park.

2010 Mainly receiving cheers from the standing-room-only crowd at Nationals Stadium, President Barack Obama, wearing a White Sox cap and a Nats jacket, continues a 100-year tradition when he throws the ceremonial first pitch before Washington's home opener against Philadelphia. The Commander-in-Chief's toss is high and wide, but third baseman Ryan Zimmerman makes a lunging grab of the ball.






2010 Jason Heyward becomes the eleventh Braves player in franchise history to homer in his first major league at-bat. The much-touted 20-year-old rookie, with the hometown fans chanting, "Let's go, Heyward!" hits a three-run homer in the first inning off Chicago's Carlos Zambrano at Turner Field.






2010 The Red Sox and their ace, Josh Beckett, agree on a $68 million, four-year contract extension. The agreement keeps the team's Opening Day starter in Boston, giving the club a potent 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation for the next five years with the recent free-agent acquisition of John Lackey.

2010 Matt Stairs plays for his twelfth major league organization when he flies out in a pinch-hitting role for the Padres in a 6-3 loss to Arizona at Chase Field, equaling Deacon McGuire's record (1884 to 1912) for the most teams ever played with by a position player. The 18-year veteran also joins pitchers Mike Morgan and Ron Villone for being on a dozen clubs.

2011 Nine different pitchers contribute a hitless inning when the High Desert Mavericks (Adelanto, California) no-hit the local Victor Valley Community College Rams, 12-0. Hurlers James Gillheeny, Tim Boyce, Nick Czyz, Austin Hudson, Johnathan Hesketh, Ogui Diaz, Jose Jimenez, John Housey, and Chris Kirkland share the equal workload for the California League's Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Mariners.

2012
"In memory of Shannon Stone and dedicated to all fans who love the game," -statue's inscription, honoring a fan who died at the stadium while attending a game last season.

Cooper Stone helps unveil the statue, which depicts him and his dad holding hands and conversing while wearing their baseball caps in front of a gate at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Bruce Greene's sculpture pays tribute to the six-year-old's father, who died last season when he fell twenty feet onto the concrete behind the left-field scoreboard, reaching for a ball thrown into the stands by Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton while attending a game with him.




Cooper Stone helps unveil the statue
of his dad, Shannon.




2012 J.P. Arencibia's three-run homer in the 16th inning, giving the Blue Jays an eventual 7-4 victory over the Indians, ends the longest opening-day game in major league history. The Progressive Field marathon surpassed the 15-inning Opening Day contests between Cleveland and the Tigers in 1960 and the A's and Senators in 1926.

2013 Joining Willie Mays (1971), Mark McGwire (1998), and Nelson Cruz (2011), Chris Davis, who collects a grand slam and five RBIs in the Orioles' home opener, becomes the fourth player in major league history to homer in his first four games of the season. The 27-year-old Baltimore first baseman also breaks the RBI mark for the same span, driving in 16 runs, four more than the previous record shared by three players.






2014 Ike Davis becomes the second player in franchise history to deliver a pinch-hit walk-off grand slam when he goes deep off J.J. Hoover in New York's 6-3 victory over Cincinnati at Citi Field. The only other Met who accomplished the feat is the team's current third base coach, Tim Teufel, who went yard off the bench with the bases loaded in 1986 against Philadelphia.

2015 A.J. Preller continues his makeover of the Padres, acquiring All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel and outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. from the Braves for outfielders Carlos Quentin and Cameron Maybin, minor league prospects, and the 41st overall draft pick. By pulling off the incredible deal the day before the season begins, the San Diego GM significantly increases the club's payroll, with most of the cost involving taking on the remaining $46.35 million still owed Upton, who will now join his brother B.J. as a teammate.

2016 For the first time in more than six decades, the Cubs and White Sox start the same season with two victories and no losses. The last time both Chicago teams were undefeated after two games occurred in 1951, two seasons before Ernie Banks played his rookie year.

2019 Rays left fielder Tommy Pham goes 1-for-5 in the team's 5-2 victory over the Giants at Oracle Park, extending his on-base streak to 40 games to set a new franchise record. Johnny Damon established the previous mark when he reached base in 39 consecutive games in 2011.

2021 A near-capacity crowd of 38,238, the largest to attend a U.S. sporting event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, watch the Blue Jays defeat the hometown Rangers, 6-2. Before the Globe Life Field contest, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declines to throw the ceremonial first pitch to protest MLB's decision to move the All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to Georgia's new election laws.

2023 Hunt Auctions announces the private sale of a bat used by Babe Ruth circa 1920-21 for $1.85 million, a record price for a baseball bat. The value grew exponentially thanks to photographic corroboration by PSA/DNA photo expert Henry Yee, who matched the priceless artifact known as 'Polo Ground bat' to a 1921 photo of the Yankee slugger.



Babe Ruth's 'Polo Ground Bat'.

 

BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS 4/6/25
1886 "Smokey" Joe Williams HOF pitcher (NgL, Mexico, Caribbean 1905-32; no-hitter 1919 NY Lincoln Giants)



1903 Mickey Cochrane player and coach who played as a catcher in Major League Baseball. Generally regarded as one of the best catchers in baseball history, Cochrane was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.
Cochrane played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1925-1933) and then the Detroit Tigers (1934-1937). He also served as a manager for the Detroit Tigers from 1934 to 1938.


1908 Ernie Lombardi, catcher (8 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1940; NL MVP 1938; Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, NY Giants


1951 Bert Blyleven Hall of Fame pitcher (World Series 1979, 87 Minnesota Twins; MLB All-Star 1973, 85)


1969 Bret Boone, infielder (Cincinnati Reds


1971 Lou Merloni


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ON THIS DATE IN BASEBALL
APRIL 6​

1971 : Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants hits a home run on Opening Day, marking the start of a historic streak. Mays will hit home runs in each of the Giants’ first four games.

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1972 : For the first time in history, the major leagues failed to open on schedule because of a player strike, which started on April 1. The traditional season opener between Houston and Cincinnati was canceled and a total of 86 games were lost before the strike was settled.

1973 : Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees became the first major league designated hitter. With the bases loaded in the first inning, he was walked by pitcher Luis Tiant, but the Red Sox won 15-5.

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1973 : At the Oakland Coliseum, Tony Oliva became the first designated hitter to homer. The Twins DH hit a two-run shot in the first inning off of Catfish Hunter to Minnesota to an 8-3 win.

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1974 : Due to renovations at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees’ home opener took place at Shea Stadium. It was their first home game outside Yankee Stadium since 1922.

1977 : The Seattle Mariners played their first regular-season game and lost 7-0 to the California Angels at the Kingdome.

1982 : A freak storm that brought subfreezing temperatures and dumped heavy snow from the Northeast to the Midwest forced the postponement of American League openers in New York, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and Milwaukee, and National League openers in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

 

1989 : The consecutive scoreless innings streak of Los Angeles Dodgers ace Orel Hershiser comes to an end at 59.

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1992 : The Baltimore Orioles play the first game in Oriole Park at Camden Yards history.



1996 : Chan Ho Park of the Los Angeles Dodgers becomes the first pitcher born in South Korea to win a major league game.

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2001 : On Opening Day at Veterans Stadium, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning’s number 14 jersey is retired.


2002 : Highly-touted Japanese pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii makes his major league debut and pitches 5 1/3 scoreless innings’ striking out 10’ in Los Angeles’s 9 - 2 win over the Rockies.

 

2005 : Brad Wilkerson hit for the cycle to lead Washington over Philadelphia 7-3.

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2009 : Tony Clark and Felipe Lopez each homered from both sides of the plate to lead Arizona to a 9-8 victory over Colorado.

2009 : Emilio Bonifacio hit the majors’ first inside-the-park homer on opening day since 1968, swiped three bases and had four hits in Florida’s 12-6 victory over Washington.

2009 : Alfonso Soriano hit his 50th career leadoff home run as Chicago beat Houston 4-2.

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2012 : Adam Dunn tied a major league record with his eighth opening-day home run. He led off the sixth inning for the Chicago White Sox when he pulled a ball into the second deck of seats in right field off Texas starter Colby Lewis. Frank Robinson and Ken Griffey Jr. are the other major leaguers who have eight homers in openers.

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2014 : Texas PITCHER Yu Darvish becomes the fastest starting pitcher to reach 500 strikeouts.


2016 : Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda homered in the second at-bat of his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers and beat the Padres 7-0, making San Diego the first team in major league history to be shut out in its first three games. The Padres were outscored 25-0 in the opening three games by their biggest rivals and set MLB marks for futility.

 

2016 : Rookie Trevor Story made baseball history by hitting a home run in each of his first three major league games and Colorado beat Arizona 4-3. Story also became the first player in baseball history to hit a home run for each of his first four hits. Story’s two-run homer off Patrick Corbin in the first inning gave him four for the season.

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2021 : A few days after withdrawing the organization of the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta, Ga., Major League Baseball identifies Denver, CO’s Coors Field as the game’s new site.
April 7

1925 : Babe Ruth collapsed in a railroad station in Asheville, N.C. He would be hospitalized in New York and operated on 10 days later for an ulcer.

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1964 : Shea Stadium in New York opened for the first regular season game. The Mets lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3.

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1969 : The Yankees spoiled the managerial debut of Ted Williams by defeating the Senators 8-4 in the opener at Washington’s RFK Stadium. President Nixon and a crowd of 45,000 attended.

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1969 : Dodgers relief pitcher Bill Singer was credited with the first official save. Los Angeles beat Cincinnati, 3-2. The game started with Cincinnati’s Pete Rose hitting Don Drysdale’s first pitch for a home run. Drysdale threw his next pitch to Bobby Tolan and Tolan hit it for a home run. After the first two pitches, Drysdale settled down and threw a shutout.

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1970 : Three weeks after moving from Seattle to Milwaukee, the former Pilots played their first game as the Brewers and lost 12-0 to the visiting California Angels.

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1973 : Cleveland set an attendance record for day games and opening-day games by attracting 74,420 fans. The Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 2-1.

1977 : The expansion Toronto Blue Jays began their major league odyssey with a 9-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium. Al Woods, pinch hitting for Steve Bowling in the fifth inning, became the 11th pinch hitter with a home run in his first at-bat.
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1979 : Ken Forsch of the Houston Astros pitched a no-hitter against Atlanta to duplicate the no-hitter tossed by his brother Bob of the Cardinals against the Phillies on April 16, 1978. They are the first brothers to pitch no-hitters.

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1984 : Detroit’s Jack Morris pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox despite giving up six walks. It was the first Tigers no-hitter since Jim Bunning’s in 1958.

1987 : Atlanta’s Rick Mahler pitched his third opening day shutout tying an NL record.

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1988 : Cincinnati Reds rookie third baseman Chris Sabo ties a major league record with eleven assists in one game.

1998 : On the same day that Major League Baseball returned to Wisconsin 28 years earlier, National League baseball returns to Milwaukee for the first time in 32 years.

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2000 : The Tampa Bay Devil Rays retire uniform number 12 in honor of Wade Boggs. Although the former Red Sox and Yankees third baseman only spent two seasons with Tampa Bay, he hit the franchise’s first home run and became the 23rd member of the 3,000-Hit Club as a member of the team.

2003 : Seven months before a November deadline, the Boston Red Sox exercise their 2004 contract option on Pedro Martinez, making him the highest-paid pitcher for a season in major league history.

2012 : J.D. Martinez homered and drove in three runs and Houston beat 49-year-old Jamie Moyer and Colorado 7-3. Moyer became the oldest player to appear in a game since 1980, when 54-year-old Minnie Minoso played in a game for the White Sox. Moyer became the second-oldest pitcher to start a major-league game and was the oldest starting pitcher ever on a team’s opening-day roster.

2013 : Will Middlebrooks hit three home runs and the Boston Red Sox roughed up Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey, routing the Toronto Blue Jays 13-0.

2013 : Matt Cain became the first Giants pitcher to allow nine runs in an inning since 1902 when Matt Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals tagged him in a 14-3 romp over San Francisco.

2022 : Opening Day of the 2022 season is finally here, having been delayed by a week by the 2021-2022 lockout.

 

Excluding his 583 HR, Mark McGwire logged 1,043 Hits He played 16 seasons
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Today In 1973: The great Roberto Clemente's number 21 is posthumously retired by the Pittsburgh #Pirates on Opening Day at Three Rivers Stadium. #MLB #Legend #Retire21 #Baseball #History

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Today In 1973: New York #Yankees player Ron Blomberg becomes the major league's first ever designated hitter in a game vs. the Boston #RedSox on Opening Day at Fenway Park! He draws a walk with the bases loaded in his first plate appearance!
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