BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

April 15 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1940 Willie Davis center fielder (LA Dodgers),


1937 Vince Naimoli MLB team owner (Tampa Bay Devil Rays)

1945 Ted Sizemore MLB infielder, 1969-80, Rookie of the Year (Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and 3 other teams)

1955 ROBIN YOUNT (AL MVP 1982, 89; 3 x MLB All Star; Milwaukee Brewers; 3,142 hits),


1958 Orel Hershiser pitcher (LA Dodgers, Cleveland Indians)


1959 Tim Raines HOF left fielder (7 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1996, 98, 2005; NL batting champion 1986; Montreal Expos, NY Yankees, Chicago WS)


1960 Mickey Tettleton catcher (Texas Rangers)

1961 Mark Parent catcher (Detroit Tigers)

1969 Jeromy Burnitz outfielder (MLB All Star 1999; Milwaukee Brewers)

1970 Paul Shuey pitcher (Cleveland Indians),

1972 Ricky Otero outfielder (Philadelphia Phillies

1975 Kip Harkrider, infielder (Olympic bronze 1996)


1979 Bobby Korecky
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This Day in Baseball History
April 15th​

1876 The Alleghenys bring professional baseball to Allegheny, a municipality that will be annexed into Pittsburgh in 1907, when they defeat the Xanthas at Union Park, 7-3. In February, the team, losing its bid to become part of the newly established National League, plays as an independent club this year before joining the minor league International Association next season, competing in the circuit for two campaigns until it disbands in 1878.

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1909 On Opening Day, 26-year-old Giants starter Red Ames keep the Superbas hitless until one out in the 10th inning when second baseman Whitey Alpermann doubles to left-center. The Polo Grounds contest, featuring Brooklyn's Kaiser Wilhelm tossing a complete game, goes thirteen frames, with the New York right-hander dropping a 3-0 decision to start the season.

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1911 At the age of 24, Grover Cleveland Alexander makes his major league debut, losing a 5-4 decision to the Rustlers on an unearned run in the tenth inning at Boston's South End Grounds. The Phillies rookie, who will become known as 'Old Pete,' will post a 28-13 (.683) record, including seven shutouts and 31 complete games.

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1915 After being called the Naps since 1903, Cleveland's American League ballclub plays its first game known as the Indians, a moniker selected from a contest to re-name the team run by a local newspaper. The franchise's former name, which honored their once-popular player-manager Nap Lajoie, needed to be changed when the 40-year-old second baseman was sold back to A's after feuding with the team's current skipper, Joe Birmingham.

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1915 In his first start of the season, the Giants' southpaw Rube Marquard , the team that will select him off waivers at the end of August. In his 2-0 complete-game victory, the 28-year-old faces 30 batters, striking out two and walking two in the 85-minute contest at the Polo Grounds.

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1921 At Redland Field, Pirates' right-hander Chief Yellow Horse makes his major league debut against the Reds. The Pittsburgh hurler, a member of a North American Plains Indian tribe called the Pawnees, is believed by many baseball historians to be the first full-blooded American Indian to play in the big leagues.

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1930 On Opening Day, Phillies' southpaw Les Sweetland throws a three-hitter at Ebbets Field. The 28-year-old southpaw doubles and scores the lone run in the eighth inning of his 1-0 complete-game victory over Brooklyn.

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1933 In his major league debut, Tigers rookie Schoolboy Rowe tosses a six-hitter, blanking the White Sox, 3-0. During his 15-year career, also playing with the Dodgers and Phillies, Lynwood will compile a 158-101 record, posting an ERA of 3.87.

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1942 At Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Hiram 'Hi' Bithorn becomes the first Puerto Rican to play major league baseball. The Cubs' right-hander from Santurce makes a relief appearance, allowing no runs or hits during his two innings of work in Chicago's 4-2 loss to the Redbirds.

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1947 A year before President Truman desegregated the military, Jackie Robinson debuts for the Dodgers, becoming the first black player to participate in a major league game this century. In front of 25,623 Ebbets Field fans, the 28-year-old first baseman is hitless in three at-bats but scores a run in the 5-3 Opening Day victory over the Braves.

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1947 In his National League debut, Hank Greenberg has the lone RBI in the Pirates' 1-0 win when his sixth-inning double off Cubs right-hander Hank Borowy plates Billy Cox from second base in the Forbes Field contest. Pittsburgh bought the slugging first baseman from the Tigers in the off-season for $75,000.


1954 In front of 46,354 fans, big-league baseball returns to Baltimore after a 51-year absence when the Orioles beat Chicago in the first game played in Memorial Stadium, 3-1. A Baltimore ownership group, including Clarence Mills, Jim Keelty, Jerry Hoffberger, and Zanvyl Krieger, bought the former St. Louis Browns and brought the franchise to the Charm City.

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1957 Before the Senators' 7-6 loss to Baltimore in 11 innings at Griffith Stadium, President Dwight Eisenhower throws the traditional ceremonial first pitch of the season. The horsehide Ike tosses is billed as the 10th millionth Spalding baseball used in a major league game.

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1958 On Opening Day, the transplanted New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers play the first major league game on the West Coast. The California contest sees Ruben Gomez blanking Los Angeles and Don Drysdale at San Francisco's Seals Stadium, 8-0.

 

1959 Cardinal right-hander Bob Gibson makes his major league debut at LA Memorial Coliseum, tossing the final two innings in a 5-0 loss to the Dodgers. The 23-year-old rookie becomes the first future Hall of Fame hurler to give up a home run to the first batter he faces in the major leagues when third baseman Jim Baxes takes him deep in the seventh inning.

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1962 With the Mets ahead 2-0 in the fifth game of their winless existence, snow begins to fall bottom of the fourth at the Polo Grounds. The umps call the game in the next frame before the Pirates complete their needed at-bats to make it an official contest, thus prolonging the expansion team's losing streak, eventually dropping their first nine decisions.

1967 At the age of 18, Gary Nolan makes his major league debut, striking out the side in the first frame en route to his first career victory when the Reds beat Houston at Crosley Field, 7-3. The hard-throwing teenager, who will give up six hits and three runs in 6.1 innings in his first outing, will be the runner-up to Tom Seaver and Dick Hughes for the Rookie of the Year honors this season.

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1968 The Astros defeat the Mets in 24 innings, 1-0, making it the longest scoreless game in major league history. The six-hour and six-minute contest, where each team had 79 at-bats and 11 hits, ends when Bob Aspromonte's grounder goes through the legs of shortstop Al Weis, scoring Norm Miller from third base with one out.

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1972 On Opening Day in Oakland, A's outfielder Reggie Jackson becomes the first player in fifty-eight years to wear a mustache during the regular season. The last time facial hair appeared in a major league game was in 1914 when Wally Schang had hair above his lip catching for Philadelphia Athletics.

1976 In the debut of the 'new' Yankee Stadium, 52,613 fans watch the Bronx Bombers shell Minnesota on Opening Day, 11-4. Bob Shawkey, the winner of the 1923 Stadium opener, throws out the ceremonial first pitch in the ballpark that has been completely rebuilt from top to bottom, replacing the fences, the seats, the roof, and the original grandstand.

 

1983 With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Jerry Hairston's clean pinch-hit single to center field spoils Milt Wilcox's bid for a perfect game. The 32-year-old Tigers right-hander retires the next batter, settling for a one-hit 6-0 victory over the White Sox at Comiskey Park.

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1985 In a 2-1 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Mike Schmidt plays in his 1,795th game wearing a Phillies uniform, breaking Richie Ashburn's franchise record. The first-ballot Hall of Famer will extend the streak to 2,404 contests before retiring in 1989.


1987 Juan Nieves becomes the first Brewer to toss a no-hitter, walking five batters and striking out seven en route to a 7-0 victory over the Orioles at Memorial Stadium. The 22-year-old Santurce native's no-no makes him the first Puerto Rican and second-youngest major leaguer to accomplish the feat.

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1990 ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball makes its debut, with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan behind the microphones, a broadcasting team that will remain in the booth for the next 21 seasons. The early stages of the sports network's coverage on Sunday evenings call for every ballpark to host a game, assuring each team at least one appearance on national television throughout the season.


1994 With only 115 fans in attendance on a cold and rainy night at Pohlman Field, Kelly Wunsch becomes the third player and first starting pitcher to strike out five batters in one inning in professional baseball. The Beloit Brewer hurler, Milwaukee's first-round pick (26th overall) of the 1993 amateur draft, makes this possible when two of those victims reached first base on wild pitches during a 7-3 loss to Springfield (IL) of the Midwest League.

 

1997 At Shea Stadium, with President Clinton and Rachel Robinson in attendance, Commissioner Bud Selig announces Jackie Robinson's No. 42 will be retired throughout Major League Baseball, an unprecedented tribute to the player who broke the color barrier fifty years ago on this date. There are presently 13 active players still wearing the number who will be allowed to keep it, including Mariano Rivera, who in 2013 will become the last player to don the digits.


2000 Orioles infielder Cal Ripken, in the 2,800th game of his career, lines a base hit to center off the Twins' Hector Carrasco, becoming the 24th player to reach the 3000th hit milestone. The single also makes the 'Iron Man' only the seventh player to get 3,000 hits and 400 home runs in major league history.
Cal Ripken Jr., the infielder for the Baltimore Orioles, achieved his 3,000th career hit on April 15, 2000. The milestone hit occurred during a game against the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome. Ripken needed three hits that day to reach the 3,000-hit mark, which he accomplished with three singles, including a Baltimore chop


2001 A swarm of bees nesting in the Coors Field's right-field auxiliary scoreboard makes their presence known when Todd Hollandsworth steps into the batter's box to start the bottom of the fourth frame. After a nine-minute delay, the game continues without incident to the players, fans, or the bees, with the Rockies' outfielder getting the crowd buzzing by hitting three home runs following the stoppage of play, including a three-run walk-off round-tripper in the tenth inning of Colorado's 10-7 victory over Arizona.

2004 Major league baseball begins the tradition of Jackie Robinson Day, an annual celebration commemorating the day in 1947 when the Dodger infielder broke the color line. Ceremonies occur across the country to honor the ground-breaking historical event, including baseball commissioner Bud Selig and Jackie's widow Rachel Robinson attending the Shea Stadium's festivities.

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2004 In the Astros' 6-2 loss to the Brewers at Minute Maid Park, Brandon Backe strikes out the three batters he faces in the eighth inning on nine pitches. The 26-year-old right-handed reliever retires Bill Hall and Scott Podsednik looking with Craig Counsell swinging at a third strike to end the frame.

 

2005 Right-hander Ben Sheets, who agreed to a one-year deal worth $6 million during the offseason to avoid salary arbitration, signs a $38.5 million, four-year contract to stay with Milwaukee. The contract is the richest in the history of the Brewers.

2005 The Dodgers, to commemorate the 58th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first game in the big leagues, wear replicas of the old road uniforms worn by the 1947 team, which played in Brooklyn. Right-hander Derek Lowe throws a three-hitter, blanking the Padres in San Diego, 4-0.

2005 In the first major league game in Washington, D.C., since September 30th, 1971, the Nationals beat Arizona at RFK Stadium, 5-3. President George W. Bush throws out the ceremonial first pitch after receiving the ball from Joe Grzenda, the former Washington reliever who threw the final pitch before the new Senators moved to Texas.


2005 A Fenway fan is ejected from the game after taking what appeared to be a swipe at Gary Sheffield as the Yankee outfielder fields a ball hit by Jason Varitek. The right fielder's response, which includes shoving the fan, making a fist, and exchanging words, will be investigated by major league baseball.

2007 In honor of the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut, Ken Griffey, Jr. wears the Dodger Hall of Fame infielder's retired uniform #42 after getting permission from Commissioner Bud Selig, who gives all major leaguers the option to wear the number individually. In 2009, all uniformed personnel will start wearing #42 every year on April 15th, the date designated annually as Jackie Robinson Day.

2007 The Indians become the first team in almost 55 years to notch a victory, getting their only hit in the team's first at-bat when Grady Sizemore doubles, leading off the first inning in Tribe's eventual 2-1 win over Chicago at Jacobs Field. The Tribe won with just one hit or less in 1992, posting a 2-1 victory in a no-hitter thrown by Red Sox right-hander Matt Young.

2007 To honor Jackie Robinson, major-league players, including Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter and Braves outfielder Andruw Jones, wear the Dodger immortal's uniform No. 42 on the 60th anniversary of his historic breaking the color barrier in baseball. In the Cardinals and Brewers contest at Busch Stadium, every player and coach on both teams dons Jackie's revered number.

2009 Texas infielder Ian Kinsler, having already collected a single, double, and home run, admits he was trying for a triple when he batted in the sixth inning of Baltimore's 19-6 rout. The Rangers' second baseman gets his three-bagger en route to a 6-for-6 cycle performance.

2010 Jorge Cantu establishes a major league record when he gets at least one hit and drives in one or more runs during the season's first ten games. The Marlins' infielder start also proves to be the longest streak at any point of the campaign.

2011 The Rangers tie an American League mark shared with 15 teams by turning six double plays in a nine-inning game, including a record-tying five DPs by Elvis Andrus for the most by a shortstop, in the team's 5-3 victory at Yankee Stadium. The first six batters in the Bronx Bombers' lineup, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Andruw Jones, and Nick Swisher, bounce into Texas twin killings.

2011 With a 7-6 defeat to Toronto at Fenway Park, the Red Sox lose their tenth game of the new campaign, making their 2-10 record the worst start in franchise history. Despite its record-setting first dozen contests, Boston will still be in contention for a playoff spot until the last day of the season.

2022 Angel manager Joe Maddon orders reliever Austin Warren to walk Corey Seager intentionally with the bases loaded, scoring Charlie Culberson and followed by Mitch Garver's sacrifice. The last time a deliberate free pass that scored in run occurred was when Maddon, then the Rays' skipper, gave Texas slugger Josh Hamilton first base with the bases full in 2008.

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Buck O’Neil tells a Jackie Robinson story on the David Letterman show.
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April 16 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1903 Paul Waner HOF right fielder (NL MVP 1927; NL batting champion 1927, 34, 36; MLB All-Star 1933–35, 37; Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Harrah, Oklahoma (d. 1965)


1938 Rich Rollins MLB third baseman, born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania


1942 Jim Lonborg MLB pitcher (AL Cy Young 1967), born in Santa Maria, California


1944 Bob Montgomery, last Major League Baseball player to bat without a helmet (1979), born in Nashville, Tennessee


1955 Bruce Bochy player and manager (San Francisco Giants), born in Landes de Boussac, Bussac-Forêt, France


1969 Fernando Viña infielder (Milwaukee Brewers), born in Sacramento, California


1983 Cat Osterman softball pitcher, born in Houston, Texas

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Today in Baseball History​

April 16th​

1895 The name Detroit Creams, inspired by owner George Vanderbeck, who boasted the Western League team would be the "cream of the league," lasts only a season. The club will become known as the Tigers after Detroit Cost-free Press editor Philip Reid headlines a story, Strouthers' Tigers Showed Up Very Nicely. .
The club's new moniker, still in use today, will carry over to the city's franchise in the new American League in 1901

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1928 Braves' pitcher Charlie Robertson has his glove removed from the game by umpire Charley Moran after the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers) complained the ball was acting strangely. The Boston hurler still manages to win, 3-2.

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1929 In a 5-4 Opening Day victory over Detroit at League Park, Indians' rookie center fielder Earl Averill homers on a 0-2 pitch off Detroit's hurler Earl Whitehill, becoming the first American Leaguer to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat. The Earl of Snohomish will also be the first future Hall of Famer to accomplish the feat.

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1929 On Opening Day, the Indians become the first team to wear numbers on their jerseys permanently when they edge Detroit at League Park, 5-4. The Tribe beat the Yankees in becoming the first team to regularly don digits when rain postpones the earlier-scheduled Bronx Bombers' contest against Boston in New York.

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1935 With the band playing Jingle Bells at Boston's Braves Field on a snowy day with near-freezing temperatures, Babe Ruth makes his National League debut, hitting a homer and a single off Giants' legend Carl Hubbell. The Braves beat New York, 4-2, but the team will win only 37 more games this season.

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1938 The Cardinals deal a declining Dizzy Dean to Chicago for RHP Curt Davis, LHP Clyde Shoun, outfielder Tuck Stainback, and $185,000. During his four years in the Windy City, the future Hall of Fame right-hander will compile a 16-8 record for the Cubs.

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1940 On a chilly day, the White Sox team's batting average does not change when Indian fireballer Bob Feller hurls an Opening Day no-hitter, beating Chicago at Comiskey Park, 1-0. Each Pale Hose batter starts and ends the game with a .000 BA.

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1940 On Opening Day at Griffith Stadium, Franklin D. Roosevelt's errant ceremonial first pitch smashes a Washington Post camera. After the Chief Executive tosses his wild throw, Red Sox hurler Lefty Grove shows more control, blanking the Senators, 1-0.

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1946 Before the Senators' 6-3 loss to the Red Sox at Griffith Stadium, Harry Truman becomes the first President to throw the ceremonial first pitch left-handed. On Opening Day in 1950, the southpaw Commander-in-Chief will make two tosses, one left-handed and one right-handed.

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1946 On Opening Day, Mel Ott hits the 511th and final home run of his career in the Giants' 8-4 victory over Philadelphia at the Polo Grounds, a ballpark in which he has hit 63% of his round-trippers. The 37-year-old player-manager, who has two hundred more homers than any other National Leaguer, will retire third on the all-time list, trailing only Babe Ruth (714) and Jimmie Foxx (534).


1946"An Apology to Braves Fans - The management will reimburse any of its patrons for any expense to which they might have been put for necessary cleansing of clothing as a result of paint damage." - LOCAL NEWSPAPER AD
As a result of the newly painted grandstand seats not yet wholly dried, about 5,000 fans attending Boston's home opener against the Dodgers left Braves Field with green paint covering much of their clothing. The team takes out newspaper ads to apologize to the affected patrons, agreeing to reimburse any expense caused by the mishap, an offer costing the team $6,000, after generating nearly 13,000 claims, including some from as far away as California and Nebraska.

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1948 The future superstation WGN-TV televises a baseball game for the first time. With Jack Brickhouse doing the play-by-play, the White Sox beat the Cubs 4-1 in the first game of the Windy City Classic played at Wrigley Field.


1953 In a Forbes Field contest in which Pittsburgh will prevail, 14-12, the Phillies score nine times, and the Pirates tally six runs in the fifth inning, tying the National League record when 15 batters cross home plate during the frame. Philadelphia's second baseman Connie Ryan establishes a new team record with six hits, four singles, and two doubles in six at-bats.


1954 The Indians refuse to play a game against the Tigers scheduled for Good Friday, a somber Holy Day observed by many Christian fans. The contest will be made up on August 19, setting up a rare Thursday afternoon doubleheader, one of ten twin bills the Tribe will play at Cleveland Stadium this season.

1957 Andre Rodgers becomes the first Bahamian to play in the major leagues, grounding into a 6-4 force play in the top of the second inning of the Giants' 9-2 loss at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field. The 22-year-old shortstop's roommate and fellow Caribbean, Valmy Thomas, entering the game in the sixth to replace catcher Wes Westrum, also becomes the first native of the Virgin Islands to play in a big-league game.

40 Fact(s) Found

• TDIB |

 

1957 Before the Phillies' home opener, the team dedicates a statue of eight-foot statue of Connie Mack as part of the Opening Day ceremonies. The 'Tall Tactician,' which depicts the A's long-time owner and manager with one foot in the dugout and one foot on the top step, waving his trademark scorecard to position his players, was created by well-known sculptor Harry Rosin.

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1959 Dave Philley, who established a big-league mark by getting his eighth straight pinch-hit on the campaign's final day last year, extends the remarkable streak when he doubles off Lew Burdette in his first pinch-hitting appearance this season. Although Rusty Staub of the Mets will tie his single-season mark in 1983, the Phillies' premier pinch-hitter will remain the leader for consecutive hits coming off the bench with nine, albeit over two years.

1962 Philadelphia's Cal McLish and Bob Gibson of the Cardinals fail to finish an inning when each starter allows six runs to score in the first frame. Tossing 8⅓ innings of shutout ball, Ernie Broglio gets credit for the win when the Redbirds beat the Phillies in the Connie Mack Stadium contest, 12-6.




1963 In the County Stadium home opener, Eddie Mathews hits his 400th career home run off Phillies' right-hander Jack Hamilton, propelling the Braves to their fifth consecutive win after starting the season with two losses. The Milwaukee third baseman's two-run shot puts him seventh on the all-time home run list, behind only Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Mel Ott, Lou Gehrig, and Stan Musial.

1964 Water from the Gowanus Canal found near the Dodgers' old home, Ebbets Field, and water from the Harlem River, located close to the Polo Grounds, once the Giants and the Mets' home ballpark, is blessed and used to christened Shea Stadium. The ballpark's namesake, Bill Shea, credited with bringing the National League back to New York, pours the water from two bottles, blessing the Flushing Meadow structure on the eve of its debut.

1966 On the second day of the season, Jack Fischer gives up just five hits in his complete-game effort, beating Atlanta at Shea Stadium, 3-1. The win represents the Mets' earliest victory in franchise history.

1972 On the second day of the season, 22-year-old Burt Hooton, making his fourth career start, no-hits the Phillies at Wrigley Field, 4-0. The Cubs right-hander, who pitched 21.1 innings for the team last season, becomes the 12th rookie to throw a no-hitter.

1972 On the second day of the season at the Astrodome, Dave Kingman completes a cycle with a seventh-inning three-run homer in the Giants' 10–6 victory over Houston. The 23-year-old sophomore debuted at third base yesterday, a position he will play at times for San Francisco, but playing mostly as an outfielder/first baseman during his 16-year career with seven teams.

1975 Juan Marichal, who signed with the team as a free agent, appears in his final major league game after making the second of two poor starts for the Dodgers. The 37-year-old 'Dominican Dandy' finishes his 16-year Hall of Fame career with more complete games (244) than the total of his victories (243).

1978 Cardinal Bob Forsch no-hits the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0. Less than a year later, Bob's brother Ken of the Houston Astros will pitch a no-hitter against Atlanta, making them the first siblings to throw no-hitters in the big leagues.

1983 Padres' first baseman Steve Garvey appears in his 1,118th straight game, breaking the National League record established by Hall of Fame outfielder Billy Williams playing for the Cubs in 1970. In his return to Dodger Stadium, the former LA infielder for 13 seasons sees his consecutive game streak end at 1,207, the third-longest span in major league history, suffering a dislocated thumb due to a collision at home plate in July.

1984 In his first three at-bats, A's Dave Kingman hits three home runs, including a grand slam, driving in eight runs against the Mariners in a 9-6 victory. 'Sky King' will compile five three-round-tripper games during his 16-year career, second only to Johnny Mize, who accomplished the feat six times from 1938 to 1950 while with the Cardinals and Yankees.

1988 The Braves establish a National League record for losses at the start of a season by losing their tenth consecutive game. With a 7-4 defeat to the Dodgers, Atlanta surpasses the mark previously owned by four teams, including the infamous 1919 Braves and the 1962 Mets.

1988

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Although better known for his contributions as a Dodger, the Padres retire the uniform #6 worn by Steve Garvey, who signed a $6.6 million five-year deal as a free agent in December 1982. The All-Star first baseman, the first to be honored by the franchise, enjoyed five solid seasons, batting .275, and hit the most dramatic home run in Friar's history, an elimination-staving walk-off homer in Game 4 of the NLCS for the eventual National League champs.

1989 Blue Jay third baseman Kelly Gruber becomes the first player to hit for the cycle in franchise history when he singles in the eighth inning of the team's 15-8 win against Kansas City. The 27-year-old All-Star infielder's Toronto teammates buy him a tricycle to recognize his accomplishment at Exhibition Stadium.

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1994 At Mile High Stadium, a Colorado National Guard contingent escorts a 'dinosaur egg,' 'uncovered' during the excavation for Coors Field that hatches, revealing a purple triceratops named Dinger, the Rockies' new mascot. The three-horned dinosaur, the team's good luck charm, results from fossils discovered throughout the new ballpark's construction site, including a seven-foot-long triceratops skull weighing half a ton.


1997 The Cubs set the record for the worst start in National League history with a 4-0 loss to Colorado at Wrigley Field, extending their losing streak to 12 games. Chicago surpasses the previous Senior Circuit mark of 0-11, established in 1884 by the Detroit Wolverines.

1999 Jim Leyland becomes the 45th manager to win 1,000 games when his Rockies beat San Diego, 6-4. The Colorado skipper won 851 games during his 11-year tenure with the Pirates, 146 victories, and a World Championship for the Marlins during his two seasons with Florida.


2000 Indian starter Chuck Finley, who was already the only pitcher to strike out four batters in one inning twice, does it for the third time. The southpaw whiffs Tom Evans, Royce Clayton, Chad Curtis (who takes first on a passed ball), and Rafael Palmeiro in the third inning, goes the distance in the complete-game victory when Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome hit back-to-back homers in the Tribe's 2-1 walk-off win over the Rangers.

2006 Thanks to the outstanding pitching of Brett Myers, and the Phillies bullpen, Philadelphia beats the Rockies, 1-0. The Colorado defeat marks the first time the team has lost a 1-0 decision during their decade of playing at Coors Field.

2009 Grady Sizemore's grand slam spoils the debut of the new Yankee Stadium, an eventual Cleveland 10-2 rout over the Bronx Bombers. The Indians outfielder's decisive blast off Damaso Marte is the keynote hit of the Tribe's nine-run seventh inning, starting with the score tied at 1-1.

2011 Johnny Damon's walk-off single accounts for the winning run in the Rays' 4-3 victory over Minnesota at Tropicana Field. The 37-year-old designated hitter's accomplishment marks the first time a batter has collected five consecutive game-winning RBIs in nine years.

2011 Owasso High School senior Dylan Bundy, who will finish the academic season with an 11-0 record, a 0.20 ERA, and 158 strikeouts/5 walks in 71 innings pitched, throws a fastball that clocked at 100 mph. The Orioles will select the 18-year-old Oklahoman as their first-round pick (4th overall) in the June MLB Amateur Draft.

2013 In tribute to the victims of yesterday's Boston Marathon bombings, the fans at Yankee Stadium sing Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline, the anthem of their American League East rivals. On an outside video board before the contest against the Diamondbacks, the words "United We Stand" are displayed with Bronx Bombers and Red Sox side-by-side.

2015 Giancarlo Stanton becomes the Marlins' all-time home run leader when he goes deep off Dillon Gee in the first inning of the team's 7-5 loss to New York at Citi Field. The 25-year-old right fielder's two-run blast, his 155th round-tripper for Miami, surpasses the franchise mark established in 2010 by Dan Uggla.

 

Lou Gehrig
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There's starting a season on a high note, and then there's Bob Feller.
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April 18 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1880 Sam Crawford HOF outfielder (MLB HR leader 1901, 08; AL RBI leader 1910, 14, 15; MLB record 309 career triples; Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers), born in Wahoo, Nebraska (d. 1968)


1888 Duffy Lewis left fielder (World Series 1912, 15, 16; Boston Red Sox), born in San Francisco, California


1917 Ty LaForest


1942 Steve Blass


1959 Jim Eisenreich outfielder


1970 Rico Brogna


1981 Brian Buscher third baseman


1983 Miguel Cabrera


1986 Billy Butler first baseman All-Star & Silver Slugger Award 2012; Kansas City Royals


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This Day in Baseball History
April 18th​

1899 John McGraw, 26, makes his debut as a major league manager when his Orioles enjoy a 5-3 victory over the Giants, a team he will later manage for 30 years. 'Mugsy,' a 1937 Hall of Fame inductee, will finish his 33-year managerial career with a 2763-1948 (.586) record, winning ten pennants and capturing three World Championships.


1923 Yankee Stadium opens in front of over 72,000 fans with Babe Ruth hitting the park's first home run, a two-run homer off Red Sox hurler Howard Ehmke, which helps beat Boston, 4-1. The new $2.5-million ballpark is the first to feature three decks.

1923 At South Field on Columbia's campus in New York City, a collegian hurler strikes out seventeen batters to establish a school record but loses the game due to wildness to Williams, 5-1. Lou Gehrig, the young southpaw, will become better known for his hitting prowess with the Yankees.


1925 At his Waldorf-Astoria apartment, 65-year-old Dodgers' owner Charles H. Ebbets dies of a heart attack. Later in the day, his team opens the home season in Brooklyn, losing to the Giants at Ebbets Field, 7-0.

1925 The Cardinals rout the Cubs, 20-5, in a game that sees Rogers Hornsby score five runs. Redbirds' third baseman Les Bell leads the Wrigley Field 22-hit attack, compiling 12 total bases with a pair of home runs and two doubles.

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1929 The Yankees will become the second team to wear numbers on uniforms when rain postpones their Opening Day game, giving the Indians the distinction of being the first to don the digits. The assignment of the numbers, Earle Combs #1, Mark Koenig #2, Babe Ruth #3, Lou Gehrig #4, Bob Meusel #5, Tony Lazzeri #6, Leo Durocher #7, Johnny Grabowski #8, Benny Bengough #9, and Bill Dickey #10 (#'s 8-10 are all catchers) is the result of the player's position in the lineup.


1929 In his first at-bat since his marriage yesterday, Babe Ruth hits a home run, a first-inning solo shot off Red Ruffing in the Yankees' eventual 7-3 victory over Boston. As the 'Bambino' rounds second base, he tips his hat to his new bride, Claire Hodgson.

1939 The five-year ban on broadcasting games played by the New York major league teams ends when Red Barber, hired away from the Reds by Larry McPhail, calls Brooklyn's 7-3 loss to the Giants at Ebbets Field. In 1934, the two National League teams and the Yankees agreed not to air their games on the radio, fearing the exposure would reduce the number of fans attending games.

1939 In Brooklyn, Red Barber calls the action in the first broadcast of a regular-season Dodger game, a 7-3 loss to New York at Ebbets Field. The future Hall of Fame announcer was brought in from Cincinnati by the team's new president, Larry MacPhail, who had hired the 'Ol Redhead' when he was in a similar post with the Reds.

1942 Due to the fear of a Japanese attack, General L. Dewitt, the Fourth Army Commander, asks the Pacific Coast League teams to limit night-game attendance to the previous year's average number of fans, 3,000 fans for most clubs. Later in the season, the commanding officer will prohibit all evening contests scheduled for ballparks within 15 miles of the Pacific Ocean, making San Diego the only club not having to shuffle their starting times.

1946 In a game against the Jersey Giants at Roosevelt Stadium, Montreal Royals' on-deck batter George Shuba congratulates Jackie Robinson with a handshake after his teammate hits his first professional home run. The gesture will become known as 'A Handshake for the Century' because the deed marks the first time a white player publicly acknowledges the accomplishment of a black teammate. Photo courtesy of Mike Shuba

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1947 Dodger president Branch Rickey names 62-year-old Burt Shotton, a team scout, to replace Leo Durocher, suspended by Commissioner Happy Chandler ten days ago for acts "unbecoming to a major league manager." Brooklyn's new skipper, the son of a sailor who operated freighters on Lake Erie, reluctantly takes over the team two games into the season and manages the club for one year in his street clothes while wearing the team's hat and jacket.

1950 Eddie Waitkus, who missed most of last season after being shot in June by a deranged fan in a Chicago hotel room, goes 3-for-5 in the Phillies' Opening Day 9-1 victory over the Dodgers at Shibe Park. The Philadelphia first baseman will be named the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year, scoring a team-high 102 runs while playing every National League Champions game.

1950 The Yankees defeat the Red Sox on Opening Day, 15-10, after trailing 9-0 after five innings. The Bronx Bombers take the lead when they score nine times in the top of the eighth frame at Fenway Park, thanks to eight hits, none being home runs, and three walks surrendered by Boston's starter Mel Parnell and four relievers.

1950 In the first Opening Day game scheduled as a night contest, the Cardinals beat the Pirates at Sportsman's Park, 4-2. Gerry Staley wins, and Stan Musial homers in the St. Louis contest.

1950 Former Cleveland Buckeyes star of the Negro American League, Sam Jethroe, becomes the first black player for the Braves. The 33-year-old highly-touted prospect, leading the majors with 35 stolen bases, will be named the National League's Rookie of the Year.

1950 Vin Scully calls the first game of his illustrious 67-year career with the Dodgers, detailing Brooklyn's 9-1 defeat to the Phillies on Opening Day at Philadelphia's Shibe Park. The 22-year-old broadcaster, who will become the team's primary announcer just three seasons later, will be awarded the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award by Bud Selig in 2014.

1950 The Phillies play their first game with the team's name officially changed back from Blue Jays, routing the Dodgers at Shibe Park, 9-1. Skipper Eddie Sawyer has his team wear red pinstriped uniforms, a design reminiscent of the club's look in the early 1900s.

1952 On Opening Day in Brooklyn, Willie Mays is knocked unconscious when he smashes into the Ebbets Field wall after chasing pinch-hitter Bob Morgan's seventh-inning, two-out base-loaded line drive into the gap in left field. All three Dodgers baserunners cross the plate but do not score when the motionless Giants center fielder comes to his feet and jogs into the dugout, apparently unhurt, having held onto the ball after making a fantastic catch for the third out to end the inning.

1952 In the Pirates' home Opener‚ Bob Friend tosses a five-hitter, blanking the Reds at Forbes Field‚ 3-0. After beating the Cardinals yesterday, Pittsburgh's second consecutive victory is an accomplishment not surpassed when the team does not have a winning streak longer than two games all season‚ setting a twentieth-century mark for futility.

1955 In his first major league appearance, 25-year-old Pirates reliever Al Grunwald, getting just one batter out, gives up a single to Don Mueller, a double to Monte Irvin, a triple to Willie Mays, and a homer to Whitey Lockman. The Giants' fourth-inning 'cycle' contributes to an eight-run frame in the team's eventual 12-3 victory over Pittsburgh at the Polo Grounds.

1956 Third base umpire Ed Rommel becomes the first major league arbitrator to wear glasses during the Yankees' 9-5 victory over Washington at Griffith Stadium. The bespectacled arbitrator, known as the father of the modern knuckleball, played 13 seasons with Philadelphia, compiling an impressive 171-119 record with the A's from 1920 to 1932.

1957 In the Indians' second game of the season, Roger Maris hits a game-winning, grand slam in the top of the 11th inning against Detroit at Briggs Stadium. In his major league debut two days ago, the 22-year-old rookie outfielder went 3-for-5 in the Tribe's 3-2 loss to Chicago at Cleveland Stadium.

1958 In front of a National League record crowd of 78,672, the Dodgers play their first home game on the West Coast. Carl Erskine wins, besting Al Worthington and the Giants, 6-5, in the LA Coliseum contest.

1959 Branch Rickey, former general manager of the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Pirates, is appointed the president of the Continental League. The third potential major league never materializes but helps accelerate the expansion of the existing clubs, including putting a National League team in New York to fill the void created by the departure of the Giants and the Dodgers to the West Coast last season.

1960 Ted Williams becomes the first major leaguer to homer in four different decades when he blasts a pitch from Senators' right-hander Camilo Pascual over the center-field wall for the only run in the Red Sox's 10-1 Opening Day loss at Griffith Stadium. In 1939, as a 20-year-old, the 'Kid' hit the first of his 521 career round-trippers, a first-inning two-run shot off Philadelphia's Bud Thomas at Fenway Park.

1964 In the top of the third inning, Los Angeles southpaw Sandy Koufax throws the second immaculate innings of his two career when he strikes the side out on nine pitches, quickly setting down Leo Cardenas, Johnny Edwards, and Jim Maloney. In the next frame, Cincinnati will score all of the game's runs, thanks to Deron Johnson's three-run homer, beating the Dodgers in the Chavez Ravine contest, 3-0.

1966 Dodgers shortstop Maury Wills becomes the first batter to collect a hit on artificial turf in a major league game when he singles to center off future Hall of Famer Robin Roberts. The Astrodome's new playing surface, initially called Chemgrass by the Monsanto Company, cannot be made quickly enough and will cover only the infield, with the outfield remaining painted dirt until July.

1970 Denny Doyle's first-inning single is the only hit allowed by Nolan Ryan when he blanks the Phillies at Shea Stadium, 7-0. The 23-year-old right-hander ties the Mets' mark established by Jerry Koosman in 1968 with 15 strikeouts, but Tom Seaver will break the short-lived record, whiffing 19 Padres later in the week.

1972 The Yankees play a night game at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day for the first time in franchise history. The Bronx Bombers, behind the three-hitter by thrown Steve Kline, beat the Brewers in the Bronx ballpark, 3-0.

1973 Dave Rader completes an unusual unassisted double play for a catcher in the top of the 11th inning in San Francisco's 4-3 victory over Atlanta at Candlestick Park. After catching an attempted popped-up sacrifice bunt with Braves runners on first and second base, the Giants' backstop races to second base and steps on the bag before Sonny Jackson, who had headed toward third on contact, can get back.

1978 Lyman Bostock, a highly-sought free agent in the offseason who hit .336 for the Twins last year, offers not to accept a salary for April if he doesn't begin producing after going 2-for-39 (.051) to start the season. The 27-year-old outfielder raises his batting average to .296, the club's highest, before being fatally shot near the end of the season as an unintentional victim while riding a passenger in a car.

1978 After getting ahead in the count 3-0, Reggie Jackson, knowing he has a green light to hit away, feigns to be upset by getting a bogus take sign from third base coach Dick Howser. Oriole right-hander Tippy Martinez, deceived by the batter's behavior, grooves a fastball down the middle of the plate that the Yankee slugger promptly puts over the fence, giving the Yankees a 4-3 walk-off victory.

1981 Joining Walter Johnson, Gaylord Perry, Bob Gibson, and Nolan Ryan, Reds' right-hander Tom Seaver becomes the fifth major leaguer to collect 3,000 strikeouts when he whiffs Cardinals' infielder Keith Hernandez in the team's 10-4 loss at Riverfront Stadium. Hernandez is the fourth first baseman to mark a milestone K for the future Hall of Fame hurler, with Donn Clendenon being strikeout victim number 1, followed by Willie Montanez at #1,000 and Dan Driessen at #2,000.

1981 In International League action at McCoy Stadium, the Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings begin the longest professional game ever played. At 4:07 am, the league suspends the 32-inning contest knotted at 2-2, completed later in the season, with the Red Sox scoring the winning run in the 33rd inning.

1982 Joe Torre's Braves set a National League record when they win their 11th straight game to start the season, beating Houston at the Astrodome, 6-5. The eventual NL West Division champs, finishing the campaign with an 89-73 record, will extend the mark to 13-0 when they add two more victories against Cincinnati at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

1987 Mike Schmidt becomes the 14th player in major league history to hit 500 career home runs. The Phillies' third baseman's three-run ninth-inning shot off Don Robinson is cheered by the Pirates fans and his teammates in the team's eventual 8-6 victory at Three Rivers Stadium.

1991 A sellout crowd of 42,191 watches the White Sox play their first game at new Comiskey Park and sees the home team get crushed by the Tigers, 16-0. Jack McDowell gives up the park's first homer to Cecil Fielder.

1997 Rangers' right-hander Roger Pavlik begins the game by walking the first four batters, equalling the dubious feat last accomplished in 1990 by Tiger right-hander Randy Nosek. The Blue Jays take advantage of the All-Star hurler's wildness by scoring five times in the frame en route to a 6-5 victory at the Ballpark in Arlington.

2000 Adam Kennedy ties a franchise mark by driving in eight runs during the Angels' 16-10 rout of Toronto. The Halo infielder's run-producing single, three-run triple, and grand slam account for his RBIs in the SkyDome contest.

2000 After serving a 12-game suspension for disrespectful comments about minorities, John Rocker pitches a scoreless ninth inning against the Phillies in a 4-3, 12-inning home victory. The outspoken Braves' reliever receives a standing ovation as he enters the game.

2000 During the Angels' 16-10 victory over the Blue Jays, a SkyDome promotion becomes a bit too frank when fans get hit with bits of hot dogs when the wieners fall apart after being shot by the 'Hot Dog Blaster.' Undaunted by the fallout, promoters continue to propel the missiles even though the hot dogs repeatedly splatter the onlookers.

2001 After a 4-10 start, former Royals' skipper Hal McRae replaces Larry Rothschild as the manager of the Devil Rays. Rothschild, the only pilot in the four-year existence of the team, finished in last place for three consecutive years, compiling a 205-294 record.

2002 After the Brewers' dismal start of 3-12, GM Dean Taylor releases manager Davey Lopes. The fired skipper, who compiled a 144-195 overall record with Milwaukee, will be replaced on an interim basis by bench coach Jerry Royster.

2004 At Wrigley Field, Sammy Sosa surpasses Ernie Banks as the Cubs' all-time home run leader when he goes deep off Reds right-hander Paul Wilson in the first frame in the team's 11-10 loss when he slugs his 513th dinger for the franchise. Slammin' Sammy adds another round-tripper in the third inning to bring his current career total to 543 homers en route to finishing with 609 during his 18-year tenure in the majors.

2007 At Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field, Mark Buehrle hurls the 16th no-hitter in White Sox history and the first home no-no since 1967. The South-side southpaw faces the minimum of 27 batters, thanks to picking off Sammy Sosa, who walked in the fifth inning.

2008 In his final season, Braves' right-hander Tom Glavine is put on the disabled list for the first time during his 22-year major league tenure. The 42-year-old southpaw's ailing right hamstring needs more time to heal before going after his 304th and next-to-last career win.

2008 The T-Bones, a minor league team in the independent Northern League, cancel the Michael Vick "Welcome to the Neighborhood Night" after receiving numerous complaints about the promotion. The plans for the event included the teams wearing black and white striped jerseys and orange jumpsuit-style uniforms to mock the former Falcons quarterback, who is serving a 23-month sentence in the nearby Leavenworth prison after pleading guilty to federal charges related to dogfighting.

2008 Conor Jackson, needing only a double to complete the cycle, hustles instead to get his second triple of the game. The Diamondbacks outfielder's unselfish offensive output helps pace the club to a 9-0 win over the Padres.

2008 The Dodgers announce the fans' selection of Joe Beimel in an online poll during spring training as the player whose likeness will appear in an August 12th bobblehead promotion. The 30-year-old southpaw reliever, considered a long shot for the honor, gets the nod due to an intense internet campaign orchestrated by his parents, Ron and Marge.



2011 Tiger outfielder Ryan Raburn becomes the first player to hit a ball off Seattle's Safeco Field's retractable roof when his first-inning pop fly strikes one of the trusses approximately 175 feet above the playing field. According to the rules, the redirected foul ball, which falls between Mariner catcher Miguel Olivo and third baseman Chone Figgins, would have been the second out of the inning if caught.

2012 Beginning with the second pitch of the fifth inning through the seventh pitch of the eighth frame, A's right-hander Bartolo Colon throws 38 consecutive strikes en route to winning the team's 6-0 decision over the Angels. The Oakland starter faces eleven straight batters who never see a pitch that is called a ball in the Anaheim contest.

2012 A memorable pitching duel between Cliff Lee, who throws ten innings of scoreless ball against San Francisco, and Matt Cain, who doesn't give up a run to the Phillies in his nine innings of work, ends with the Giants beating the Phillies, 1-0, in 11 innings at AT&T Park. The only run in the two-hours and 27-minute extra-inning contest scores thanks to Melky Cabrera's one-out RBI single off Antonio Bastardo.

2021 Shane Bieber becomes the first major leaguer to begin the season with at least ten strikeouts in his first four starts. The Indians' right-hander fans 13 in the team's 6-3 victory over the Reds at the Great American Ball Park.

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