BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

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8/2 Posting early ~~~appt at 0 Dark 30 Tuesday
OTD
BIRTHDAYS
1943 Tom Burgmeier, American baseball player, born in Saint Paul, Minnesota

1978 Matt Guerrier, American baseball player, born in Shaker Heights, Ohio

1982 Grady Sizemore, American baseball player, born in Seattle, Washington

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1881 With his team already ahead in the eighth inning, 5-0, White Stockings (Cubs) outfielder Abner Dalrymple becomes the first player to be intentionally walked with the bases loaded. Buffalo Bisons' right-hander Jack Lynch gives up the run-producing free pass in an eventual 11-2 Chicago victory.
1906 The White Sox, with their 3-0 victory over Boston at Chicago's South Side Park, begin an American League record 19-game winning streak. In this century, the 'Hitless Wonders' streak will be equaled only by the 1947 Yankees.
1907 The Senators' 19-year-old rookie right-hander Walter Johnson makes his major league debut, losing to the Tigers, 3-2. Ty Cobb gets the first hit off of the future Hall of Famer with a bunt single, who will finish with a 417-279 (.599) record while compiling an ERA of 2.17 during his 21-year big-league tenure, all with Washington.

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1919 Fred Luderus, playing in his 479th straight contest since June 2nd, 1916, breaks Eddie Collins's consecutive-game record. The Phillies' first baseman will extend his major league mark to 533 before the streak ends in the 1920 season opener.

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1921 With the jurors lifting the men onto their shoulders, the jury acquits the eight White Sox players accused of throwing the 1919 World Series. The next day, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis will banish all the 'innocent' defendants from playing professional baseball again, stating the overwhelming evidence clearly shows the Black Sox fixed the games with gamblers.

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1922 Ken Williams homers in his sixth straight game, setting an American League record. The left fielder's round-tripper isn't enough to prevent the Browns from bowing to the A's at Sportsman's Park, 8-4.
1931 In a contest played at a National League ballpark, the Red Sox shuts out the Yankees at Braves Field, 1-0. The next time the Bronx Bombers fail to score in a game will be another two years and a day, spanning a major league record of 308 contests.
1932 Cubs GM Bill Veeck, Sr. announces Charlie Grimm will take over for Rogers Hornsby, who was fired today as the skipper of the second-place club. The popular 'Jolly Cholly,' who inherits the job partly due to his predecessor's indebtedness to his players to cover gambling debts, starts by winning 20 of 25 games as the team's player-manager and will lead the team to the National League pennant this season.
1933 In a 16-3 win over the Yankees in New York, A's catcher Mickey Cochrane hits for the cycle for the second time in his career. The Philadelphia backstop also accomplished the rare feat last season.

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1936 At Comiskey Park, the White Sox overcome deficits of 9-1 in the fifth and 11-3 in the seventh inning to defeat the Red Sox in extra innings, 12-11. With two outs in the 12th inning, Jack Hayes's single plates Larry Rosenthal, who had doubled earlier in the frame, giving the Pale Hose an incredible come-from-behind victory in the second game of their twin bill sweep over Boston.
1938 Bright yellow baseballs designed by Frederick Rah, who believes the visibility of the dandelion-hue sphere will help players avoid getting hit by a pitch, are used in the first game of a doubleheader. The one-game experiment draws mixed reactions, and the Dodgers complete their sweep of the twin bill from the Cardinals, 6-2 and 9-3, using the traditional white ball in the nightcap.
1939 In the ninth inning of New York's 7-2 loss to Detroit, Joe DiMaggio makes one of the most memorable catches in Yankee Stadium history when he grabs a Hank Greenberg drive 455 feet from home plate. The 24-year-old center fielder, who seldom displays emotion, is so thrilled with the amazing catch he enthusiastically heads toward the dugout, forgetting there is still a man on base with only two outs, a rare mental error by the 'Yankee Clipper.

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1959 In the ninth inning of a 5-4 loss to Boston at Detroit's Briggs Stadium, Jim Bunning, tossing a frame in relief, strikes out three batters on nine pitches, sending Sammy White, Jim Mahoney, and Ike Delock back to the dugout with bats in their hands. The Tiger right-hander becomes only the tenth pitcher in major league history to accomplish the feat.

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1959 Bill Bruton, in both the first and the sixth inning of the nightcap of a twin bill at County Stadium, hits a three-run triple. The Braves center fielder's pair of three-baggers with the bases loaded contributes to the team's 11-5 victory over St. Louis.

1970 At Memorial Stadium, the Orioles score five times in the first inning and hold on to beat the Royals, 10-8. The win marks Baltimore's 23rd consecutive victory against Kansas City over two years, setting a major league mark.
1970 Trailing by three runs entering the bottom of the ninth inning, the Phillies score four times in the bottom of the frame without recording an out in their unlikely 7-6 victory over the Giants. Tony Taylor ends the Connie Mack Stadium contest with a walk-off grand slam off of Mike Davison.

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1970 The Royals sign Frank White as an amateur free agent after he attends a team tryout camp. The 19-year-old infielder, one of the few successful graduates from the Baseball Academy the team operated in the early 1970s, will play his entire 18-year career in Kansas City, having his number retired by the franchise in 1995.

1972 Woody Fryman is selected off waivers by the Tigers from the Phillies. The 32-year-old southpaw, who posted a 4-10 record before being released by Philadelphia, will post ten victories in 13 decisions for Detroit, helping his new team win a division title.
1973 Mets outfielder Cleon Jones becomes the first player in franchise history to collect 1,000 hits when he doubles off Jim Rooker in the team's 5-1 victory over the Pirates at Shea Stadium. The Mobile (AL) native will add another 196 hits before being traded in 1975 to the White Sox.

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1979 At the age of 32, Thurman Munson dies when the Cessna Citation I/SP jet he is learning to fly clips a tree and crashes 1,000 feet short of the runway at Akron-Canton Regional Airport. The Yankee catcher took lessons for over two years to get home more easily on off-days to be with his family in Ohio.

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1981 The Hall of Fame inducts Cardinal ace right-hander Bob Gibson, ten-time All-Star first baseman Johnny Mize (Cardinals/Giants, Yankees), and Negro League pioneer Rube Foster. The BBWAA selected the right-hander in the first year of his eligibility, with Mize and Foster getting the Veterans Committee's nod.

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1981 As a recipient of the Ford C. Frick award for his "major contributions" to baseball" as a broadcaster, Ernie Harwell becomes the fifth honoree to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Tigers' play-by-play announcer, who describes himself as a 'tongue-tied kid from Georgia,' is overcome with joy as he shares his heartfelt appreciation for the game with the Cooperstown crowd.

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1982 During a ceremony held in Cooperstown, NY, the United States Postal Service unveils a 20-cent stamp commemorating baseball great Jackie Robinson as part of its annual Black Heritage series. The Dodger infielder becomes the first individual baseball player depicted on a U.S postage stamp.

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1985 With the score knotted at 3-3 at Yankee Stadium, White Sox backstop Carlton Fisk tags two Yankees out at home plate during the same play. The unusual 8-6-2-2 double play results when the runners on first and second attempt to score on Rickey Henderson's double, but outfielder Luis Salazar's perfect throw to shortstop Ozzie Guillen, who in turn throws a strike to the plate, and the Chicago catcher tags out both Bobby Meacham and a sliding Larry Berra.

1987 On a day the temperature exceeds 102 degrees, Kevin Seitzer has a sizzling day at the plate, going 6-for-6 and driving in seven runs. The Kansas City rookie third baseman's offensive output, which includes a pair of homers, paces the team to a 13-5 victory over the Red Sox at Royals Stadium.
1987 Eric Davis becomes the seventh and earliest player to join the 30-30 club when he hits a walk-off home run leading off the bottom of the eleventh off Jeff Robinson in the Reds' 5-4 victory over the Giants at Riverfront Stadium. No one had ever accomplished the feat with still nearly two months left to play in the season.

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1993 A crowd, with many fans chanting, "U.S.A., U.S.A.," during the team's batting practice, becomes obnoxious and unruly at the Yankees' 4-0 loss to the Blue Jays in New York. After rudely booing the Canadian national anthem at the beginning of the game, the bad behavior continues when some fans throw bottles from the right-field bleachers onto the field in the direction of Toronto outfielder Joe Carter.
1995 Longtime coach Jimmie Reese, whose 23 years in an Angels uniform equal the longest in club history, is inducted into the Angels' Hall of Fame. The former roommate of Babe Ruth began his career as a batboy for the Pacific Coast League's Los Angeles Angels in 1917.

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1998 The Cuban national team extends its winning streak at the World Baseball Championships, which began in 1986, to 41 games. The team's latest victory, a 7-1 defeat of South Korea in the final round, brings the island nation its twenty-second gold medal.
2002 Commissioner Bud Selig fines Jim Bowden for the comments the Reds general manager made to reporters before yesterday's contest against the Dodgers when compared a baseball strike to the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Quickly realizing such an analogy was inappropriate and insensitive, the Cincinnati GM issues an immediate apology after the game.
2007 After giving up eight runs in the top of the second inning, the Yankees storm back in the bottom of the frame to tie the score with eight tallies of their own in an eventual 13-9 loss to the White Sox in New York. The combined offensive onslaught marks only the second time in major league history that eight or more runs are scored in the same inning by each team.
2008 In the first game after the Manny Ramirez trade to the Dodgers, the Fenway Faithful enthusiastically welcome Jason Bay, the player replacing the Boston icon. The former Pirates outfielder doesn't disappoint, tripling and scoring the winning run in the 12th inning of the Red Sox's 2-1 victory over the A's.
2009 Melky Cabrera completes a cycle with a ninth-inning triple during an 8-5 victory in Chicago to become the first Yankee in 14 years to accomplish the feat. Tony Fernandez had been the last Bronx Bomber to collect a single, double, triple, and a home run in the same game with his four hits against Oakland on September 3rd, 1995.

2010 The Brewers and Corey Hart agree to a $26.5 million, three-year contract extension keeping the All-Star outfielder in Milwaukee through the 2013 season. The 28-year-old fly chaser, who had an unproductive 2009 season and a poor spring training, had been the subject of recent trade rumors.

 

2010 Washington backstop Ivan Rodriguez becomes the fifth player to collect 300 home runs while catching when he goes deep off Rodrigo Lopez, leading off the second inning of the Nationals' 3-1 victory in Arizona. Pudge joins Hall of Famers Mike Piazza, Carlton Fisk, Johnny Bench, and Yogi Berra as the only catchers in baseball history to reach the plateau while playing behind the dish.
2011 Mark Teixeira homers from both sides of the plate for the 12th time to set a new major league record during the Yankees' rain-shortened 6-0 victory in Chicago. The New York slugging first-baseman surpasses switch-hitters Eddie Murray and Chili Davis, who went yard from both sides of the dish 11 times during their careers.

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2011 After intentionally throwing a pitch at Alex Avila two days ago, Jered Weaver, who will appeal the ruling, is suspended for six games and fined an undisclosed amount of money. The Angels right-hander threw the seventh-inning pitch over the Tigers catcher's head after being annoyed by Carlos Guillen, the previous Detroit batter, who stayed at home plate to admire his home run before starting to trot around the bases.
2013 Two days after his 21st birthday, Jose Fernandez establishes a franchise rookie record, striking out 14 batters in the Miami 10-0 victory over Cleveland in Marlins Park. The Miami right-hander becomes the first pitcher with at least 13 strikeouts in consecutive games since Randy Johnson accomplished the feat in 2004.

2014 The Tigers scored in each of the eight innings they come to bat in their 11-5 victory over Colorado at Comerica Park. Detroit, which also accomplished the feat in 1912, becomes the first team not to have a zero in their line score since the Yankees tallied a run in every frame against Toronto in 2006.
2014 "Jim Thome's journey to become a member of the elite six hundred home run club is a story built on consistency, dependability, professionalism, power and character." - Inscription on Jim Thome's statue at Progressive Field in Cleveland. The Indians unveil a statue near Heritage Park at Progressive Field honoring Jim Thome, the team's all-time career home run leader (337), who spent 13 seasons with Cleveland. The eight-foot bronze sculpture location marks the spot where the longest homer ever hit in Progressive Field landed, a 511-foot blast launched in 1999 by the Tribe's first baseman/DH.

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2016 Astros rookie Joe Musgrove makes his first major league appearance, coming in relief of injured starter Lance McCullers. The 23-year-old right-hander has an impressive debut when he completes the game, striking out eight and yielding just a single in his 4.1 innings of work in Houston's 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays at Minute Maid Park.

2020 For the first time in major league history, teams play a doubleheader consisting of two seven-inning games when the Reds sweep the Tigers at Comerica Park, 4-3 and 4-0. The shorten twin bills, enabling teams to put less strain on their rosters and reducing contact between players in the clubhouse, resulted from the recent disruptions in the schedule due to the pandemic.
2020 Entering the game in the top of the third inning, Tigers' southpaw Tyler Alexander fans the first nine Reds he faces in the team's 4-3 loss at Comerica Park. The 26-year-old reliever's feat ties the American League record for consecutive strikeouts established in 2012 by Doug Fister, starting for Detroit against the Royals.

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Today in Baseball History
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On August 2 in Baseball History...

• • 1906 - Doc White launches the White Sox on a 19-game winning streak (longest in AL history) with a 3-0 win over Boston. The streak, interrupted only by a tie with New York, catapults Chicago from fourth place to first in ten days.
  • 1907 - Walter Johnson, 19, debuts with Washington and loses 3-2 to Detroit. The first hit off him is a bunt single by Ty Cobb.
  • 1921 - A Chicago jury brings in a verdict of not guilty against the Black Sox. That night, jurors and defendants celebrate with a party in an Italian restaurant. Ignoring the verdict, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis bans all eight defendants from baseball for life.
  • 1938 - Larry MacPhail has official baseballs dyed dandelion yellow, and they are used in the first game of a doubleheader between the Dodgers and Cardinals at Ebbets Field. The Dodgers win 6-2. The Dodgers will use up their yellow balls in three more games in 1939.
  • 1959 - Bill Bruton of Milwaukee hit two bases-loaded triples to lead the Braves to an 11-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the nightcap of a doubleheader.
  • 1959 - Giants first baseman Willie McCovey hits the first of his 521 major league home runs, off Ron Kline, as San Francisco downs the Pirates 5-3. Johnny Antonelli wins his 15th game.
  • 1970 - In their last meeting of the year, Baltimore defeats Kansas City 10-8. It is the Orioles' 23rd straight win over the Royals over a two-year span, a major league mark.
  • 1979 - Yankees catcher Thurman Munson, 32, perishes at Canton, Ohio, in a crash of the plane he was piloting. A crowd of 51,151 will attend the memorial tribute at Yankee Stadium the following day.
  • 1982 - Oakland's Rickey Henderson steals his 100th base of the season in a 6-5 win over Seattle, tying the American League record he set last season. Henderson is the first player ever to steal 100 bases twice.
  • 1986 - Dodgers Alejandro Pena and Tom Niedenfuer combine to one-hit the Reds, 7-1, allowing only Eddie Milner's leadoff home run off Pena in the sixth inning. It is the fifth time Milner has collected the only hit in a one-hitter, tying Cesar Tovar's Major League record.
  • 1987 - Eric Davis led off the bottom of the 11th inning with his 30th home run of the season, giving the Cincinnati Reds a 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Davis' homer made him the seventh player with 30 homers and 30 steals in the same season.
  • 1987 - Kevin Seitzer went 6-for-6 with two homers and drove in seven runs to pace a 20-hit Kansas City attack as the Royals beat the Boston Red Sox 13-5 in 102-degree heat.
  • 1990 - Yankees rookie Kevin Maas hits his tenth home run in just 77 at bats, the fastest any player has ever reached that mark. But the Yanks lose to Detroit 6-5 in 11 innings.
  • 1991 - Mike Jeffcoat becomes the first American League pitcher to get an RBI since 1972 in a 15-1 Rangers rout of Milwaukee.
  • 1992 - Tom Seaver, Rollie Fingers, Hal Newhouser and Bill McGowan are enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
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  • 1993 - An investor team of Baltimore lawyer Peter Angelos and Cincinnati businessman William DeWitt submit a winning bid for the Orioles during a bankruptcy court auction in New York City. Also on the winning team are popular author Tom Clancy and ABC broadcaster Jim McKay.

Baseball Birthdays on August 2...

• • 1874 - Hill, Bill
  • 1876 - Nance, Doc
  • 1877 - Sanders, War
  • 1881 - Veil, Bucky
  • 1882 - Holmes, Jim
  • 1882 - Ames, Red
  • 1886 - Stone, Dwight
  • 1890 - Aragon, Angel
  • 1898 - Bowles, Emmett
  • 1899 - Riviere, Tink
  • 1901 - Caldwell, Charlie
  • 1902 - Klinger, Joe
  • 1906 - Posedel, Bill
  • 1909 - Phebus, Bill
  • 1924 - Merriman, Lloyd
  • 1935 - Pregenzer, John
  • 1943 - Burgmeier, Tom
  • 1944 - Coletta, Chris
  • 1952 - James, Art
  • 1952 - Rivera, Bombo
  • 1954 - LaFrancois, Roger
  • 1955 - Dorsey, Jim
  • 1956 - Botelho, Derek
  • 1961 - Sheaffer, Danny
  • 1964 - Young, Cliff
  • 1965 - Marak, Paul
  • 1966 - Wakefield, Tim
  • 1967 - Taylor, Scott
  • 1968 - Cimorelli, Frank
  • 1971 - Sinclair, Steve
  • 1973 - Venafro, Mike
  • 1974 - Miller, Matt
  • 1979 - Riley, Matt

Copyright � 2001-2007. All Rights Reserved.
Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs | Around the Ho

 

8/3
OTD
BIRTHDAYS
1894 Harry Heilmann HOF outfielder (4 × AL batting champion, Detroit Tigers) and broadcaster (WXYZ), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1951)s

1964 Kevin Elster infielder (Texas Rangers), born in San Pedro, California

1968 Rod Beck pitcher (MLB All-Star 1993, 94, 97; San Francisco Giants), born in Burbank, California (d. 2007)

1976 Troy Glaus infielder (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Tarzana, Los Angeles

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1906 Senator right-hander Tom Hughes becomes the first pitcher to post a 1-0 victory in an extra-inning game with his own home run. Long Tom's solo shot off Fred Glade in the top of the tenth frame proves to be the difference in the team's victory over the Browns at Sportsman's Park.

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1914 In the seventh inning of the 4-1 loss to Detroit at the Polo Grounds, Yankees' catcher Les Nunamaker has three assists to become the first catcher to accomplish the feat since 1887. The 25-year-old guns down Sam Crawford and Bobby Veach trying to steal and picks off Hugh High leading off second base in the frame, marking the only time a backstop has three assists in the same inning this century.

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1933 A's southpaw Lefty Grove limits New York to five hits, going the distance in Philadelphia's 7-0 victory at Yankee Stadium. The left-hander's shutout marks the first time that the Bronx Bombers have not scored a run a game since August 2, 1931, a span of 309 games.

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1940 During the Reds' road trip in Boston, backup catcher Willard Hershberger is found dead in his room after taking his own life at the Copley Plaza Hotel. Having talked with his fragile player for hours after the game, Cincinnati skipper Bill McKechnie thought he had consoled the worn-out backstop, who was distraught about leaving runners on base in every at-bat with his 0-for-5 performance at the plate.
1948 Negro League legend Satchel Paige makes his first major league start, hurling seven innings, leading the Indians over the Senators, 5-3. Before today's game, the future Hall of Famer made eight appearances in relief, compiling a 1-1 record for the Tribe.

Satch and Rapid Robert

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1957 Pirates manager Bobby Bragan hears he has been fired on the radio and replaced by Philadelphia third-base coach Danny Murtaugh. Pittsburgh general manager Joe L. Brown leaked news of the hiring before informing his disposed skipper.
1959 For the first time in major league history, a second All-Star Game occurs in the same season. The American League post a 5-3 victory at the Los Angeles Coliseum when White Sox second baseman Nellie Fox singles in Tony Kubek with the decisive run in the top of the seventh inning.

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1959 In the third inning of the second All-Star Game this summer, Yogi Berra's two-run home run off Dodgers right-hander Don Drysdale at the LA Memorial Coliseum proves to be the difference in the American League's 5-3 victory over the Senior Circuit. The home run will be the last one hit by a Bronx Bomber in a Midsummer Classic game for 41 years until Derek Jeter goes deep in 2001.

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1961 In the largest shutout score in a National League night game, the Pirates beat the Cardinals at Sportsman's Park, 19-0. Harvey Haddix throws a four-hit complete game for the Bucs in a game that takes only two hours and thirty-six minutes to play.
1962 With his sixth home run in three consecutive games, Frank Thomas ties a National League record when he goes deep off Cincinnati's Joey Jay in the bottom of the seventh inning of a Mets 8-6 loss at the Polo Grounds. The right-handed slugger, who equaled the mark with a pair of round-trippers in each game, will add another homer to his club leading total in tomorrow's contest.

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1967 Charlie Finley fires his manager Alvin Dark after the two disagree over the owner's handling player discipline. 'Charlie O' had fined and suspended Lew Krausse, Jr. for the pitcher's reported rowdy behavior on a team flight, prompting the team's first baseman Ken Harrelson, who will also be released, to call the A's owner a menace to the sport.
1967 The Red Sox obtain catcher Elston Howard from the Yankees for cash and two players to be named later, with pitchers Peter Magrini and Ron Klimkowski being sent to New York to complete the trade. The 38-year-old backstop will hit only .147 for his new team, but his veteran presence will contribute to Boston capturing the American League pennant.

1967 The Braves set a club mark by hitting seven home runs in a 10-3 victory over the Cubs, thanks to Tito Francona, Joe Torre (2), Clete Boyer (2), Denis Menke, and Hank Aaron all contributing to the record. Atlanta's round-trippers come during the first five frames of the Wrigley Field contest, and all are solo shots, except for Boyer's two-run blast in the third inning.
1967 "The pennant should be decided in the traditional manner." - Warren Giles, National League President.
A joint meeting held in Chicago, foreseen as a formality, turns into a four-hour fierce debate when American League and National League owners strongly disagree on implementing divisional play for next season. The AL owners unanimously agree to the plan, but the Senior Circuit brass makes it clear they will oppose any effort by the American League to implement the change by itself, citing the possibility an AL division winner could be a fourth-place club could play a first-place team in the World Series.
1969 Rich Reese's pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh inning helps the Twins beat the Orioles and Dave McNally at Metropolitan Stadium, 5-2. The defeat is the southpaw's first loss of the season, ending his fifteen-game winning streak.

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1975 Denny Doyle, acquired from California in June for a player to be named (Chuck Ross) later and cash, extends his hitting streak to 22 games with a first-inning home run in the Red Sox's 6-4 victory over Detroit at Fenway Park. The usually light-hitting infielder will bat .310 for Boston after playing a pivotal role in Boston's successful pennant drive.

1978 In a 5-4 victory against the Dodgers at Candlestick Park, Giants' first baseman Willie McCovey hits his 504th home run off Don Sutton, establishing him as the National League all-time left-handed home run leader. Southpaw swinger Eddie Mathews had previously led the NL, collecting 503 round-trippers playing for the Braves and Astros, adding another nine for Detroit in the American League at the end of his 17-year career.

1979 At Yankee Stadium, over 51,000 mourners attend a memorial service for Thurman Munson. The Bronx Bombers' captain died yesterday, piloting a plane that crashed 1,000 feet short of the runway at Akron-Canton Airport.

1979 The Yankees purchase Lenny Randle from Pittsburgh to fill the roster spot of Thurman Munson, who died in a plane crash yesterday. The 31-year-old former Pirates utility outfielder and designated hitter will appear in only 20 games for the Bronx Bombers, with Jerry Narron replacing the Captain as the team’s backstop.
1982 Frank White hits for the cycle for the second time in his career. The second baseman completes the feat with a two-out triple in the ninth inning, giving Kansas City a 6-5 walk-off victory over Detroit at Royals Stadium.
1982 At the request of the players, the Angels retire their first number in franchise history, honoring Gene Autry with the #26 to commemorate the team's first owner as the 26th man on the club's roster. The 'Singing Cowboy,' well-known for his roles in Hollywood westerns, acquired the American League expansion club in 1960, owning it for 38 years until he died in 1998.

1986 First ballot inductee Giant first baseman Willie McCovey, the BBWAA's only choice, is enshrined in the Hall of Fame, along with the Veterans Committee's selections of Red Sox second baseman Bobby Doerr and the late Ernie Lombardi, a catcher best known for his playing days with the Reds and Giants. Pirates announcer Bob Prince and Cincinnati beat writer Earl Lawson, respectively, accept the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence and the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.

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1987 Home plate umpire Tim Tschida throws out Joe Niekro after discovering an emery board on the Twins' starting pitcher. The 42-year-old knuckleballer will receive an automatic ten-day suspension from the American League for defacing the ball.

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1987 After his ejection in the bottom of the 12th inning for arguing a close call at first, the Columbia Mets manager Butch Hobson yanks the base out of the ground and brings it into the clubhouse in protest. The bounced skipper is convinced to return the stolen property to the field because the team has only one set of bases, but not before he sprays the bag orange to make it easier to see for the umpire.

1989 The Reds set a major league record for the most hits in the first inning with 16 as they score 14 runs at Riverfront Stadium off woeful Astro pitching. The half of an inning lasts 38 minutes, with the Reds eventually winning the contest, 18-2.

 

1995 Making his first start for the Rockies since being acquired from the Mets, Brett Saberhagen gives up 13 hits and walks three batters but gets the win in the team's 9-4 win over the Dodgers. The sellout crowd gives their new hurler an enthusiastic standing ovation when he departs with one out in the seventh inning.
1997 Jeromy Burnitz, coming off the bench in the Brewers' 6-5 loss to Seattle at County Stadium, homers as a pinch-hitter for the second consecutive time, tying an American League record. The major league mark for consecutive pinch-hit appearances with a home run is three, shared by Lee Lacy (Dodgers - May 2, 6, and 17, 1978) and Del Unser (Phillies - June 30, July 5 and 10, 1979).
1998 In the eighth inning of the Astros' 11-3 loss to Florida, C.J. Nitkowski hits three consecutive batters, becoming only the third hurler to accomplish the rare feat in major league history since 1900. The Houston southpaw shares the dubious distinction with two other hurlers who also spent time in Columbus (OH) as minor leaguers, Dock Ellis (1974 Pirates) and Wilbur Wood (1977 White Sox).
1998 In the team's 14-1 loss to the Yankees at Network Associates Coliseum, A's starter Mike Oquist gives up fourteen earned runs, becoming the first pitcher to give up that many runs in an appearance since 1977 when Bill Travers accomplished the dubious feat hurling for the Brewers. The 30-year-old right-hander, giving up 16 hits to the 32 batters he faces in five innings, sets a franchise record for runs allowed, staying in the game to save the bullpen for tomorrow's doubleheader against the Bronx Bombers.
2000 After looking at the artists' renderings of the new proposed enlarged Fenway Park that includes a monstrous 3,000-car garage, Diane White suggests the Red Sox, New England's team, relocate to Hartford, Connecticut. The Boston Globe columnist believes the gigantic ballpark complex will dominate the quaint neighborhood, riling against the "bunch of rich and powerful guys" who will ask for taxpayer assistance to fund their "multi-million-dollar playground."
2000 The independent Western Baseball League expells Kevin Mitchell of the Sonoma County Crushers for the rest of the season for punching the owner of an opposing team. The former National League MVP allegedly hit Solano Steelheads owner Bruce Portner, who had come on the field after a brawl caused by a pitch thrown behind Mitchell had ended.
2002 Darin Erstad agrees to a four-year contract extension worth $32 million to stay in Anaheim through 2006. The Angels' center fielder joins Troy Glaus, Garret Anderson, and Tim Salmon as one of the key players the organization has signed at least through the 2004 season.
2002 In just the first four innings, Edgar Martinez ties the major league record for sacrifice flies in a game with three. The Mariners' designated hitter becomes the 11th player in history to accomplish the feat, doing it in his first three at-bats in Seattle's 12-4 victory over the Indians.

2004 In a game that Cardinal first baseman Albert Pujols becomes the first player in history to hit at least 30 homers in each of his first four big-league seasons, Tony Batista goes deep twice, knotting the score with a two-run blast in the ninth and hitting a grand slam in the 12th. The Expos' third baseman's 199th and 200th career blasts help Montreal beat St. Louis in extra innings, 10-6.

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2006 The home run ball hit by Barry Bonds to pass Babe Ruth for second place on the all-time career list fetches $220,100 during a ten-day eBay auction. The money, which will go to Andrew Morbitzer, the fan who caught #715, is much less than the $800,000 dished out in 2004 for the ball the Giants' left fielder hit for his 700th career homer.
2008 Francisco Liriano, sent down to the minors after an 0-3 start in April attempting to come back from Tommy John surgery, blanks the Indians for six innings in his return to the Twins' rotation. The right-hander's performance propels Minnesota into first place in the American League Central with the eventual 6-2 victory over the Tribe along with a White Sox loss.
2010 Alex Herrnberger bats for two different teams in two other cities on the same day, when he first pinch-hits a double for the Reno Aces in the ninth inning against the Rainiers. Then, after the team's loss in Tacoma, the Diamondbacks' minor leaguer take a 30-minute plane flight to Yakima (WA) to play in the Bears game, where he pinch-hits again, popping out in the short-season affiliate's 8-0 win over the Eugene Emeralds.
2011 The Jamestown (New York) Jammers wear special game jerseys during their NY-Penn League game against Tri-City to commemorate Lucy Ball's 100th birthday and in conjunction with the Festival of Comedy being held in her honor in Jamestown this week. The uniforms, featuring Lucy and Desi on the front and the event logo on the back, will be autographed by the players and auctioned to benefit the Lucy-Desi Center.
2011 After driving in the winning run yesterday, Jacoby Ellsbury, who never had a walk-off hit, does it in consecutive contests when he blasts a two-out ninth-inning homer, giving the Red Sox another dramatic victory over Cleveland. The center fielder becomes the first Red Sox player with game-ending hits on consecutive days in the regular season since Butch Hobson accomplished the feat in 1978.

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2012 The Upton brothers go deep each record their 100th career homer hours apart in different ballparks when Diamondback outfielder Justin goes yard at Citizens Bank Park, and his older sibling B.J. hits a Tropicana Field round-tripper for the Rays. On July 20, the boys from Norfolk (VA) also hit their 99th homers on the same day.

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2013 Max Scherzer becomes only the third pitcher in the last 44 years to begin the season with a 16-1 record when the Tigers beat the White Sox, 3-0, at Comerica Park. Detroit's 29-year-old right-hander joins Roger Clemens (2001 Yankees) and Dave McNally (1966 Orioles) in getting off to a historically fast start.

2013 The first-place Dodgers set a franchise record, winning their 13th consecutive game on the road with their 3-0 victory over the Cubs in Chicago. The Giants established the National League mark in 1916 when the team won 17 straight games away from the Polo Grounds.
2015 Mike Hessman breaks the minor league home run record with the 433rd round-tripper of his nearly 19-year career, a grand slam against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the Mudhens' 10-8 extra-inning International League (AAA) loss at Toledo's Fifth Third Field. The 37-year-old first baseman, who played parts of five seasons with the Braves, Tigers, and Mets, surpasses Buzz Arlett, who established the mark in 1936 while playing for the Minneapolis Millers.

2015 Adrian Beltre becomes only the fourth player in baseball history to hit for the cycle three times and the first to accomplish the feat since 1933 when Babe Herman collected four different hits for the Cubs. The Rangers' third baseman, who also joins Bob Meusel (1928) and John Reilly (1890), completed the task with a fifth-inning home run in the team's 12-9 victory over Houston.

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Today in Baseball History
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On August 3 in Baseball History...​

• • 1888 - Kansas City Cowboys rookie Billy Hamilton, recently purchased from Worcester, steals his first base in the major leagues. Before returning to the minors in 1902, Sliding Billy will amass 912 stolen bases, a record broken by Lou Brock in 1979.​
  • 1906 - Tom Hughes of the Washington Nationals becomes the first pitcher to win a 1-0 extra-inning game with his own home run when he homers in the tenth for a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Browns.
  • 1933 - The Yankees are shut out by the A's and Lefty Grove 7-0. It is their first scoreless game since August 2, 1931. They had tallied in 308 games in a row, during which they scored 1,986 runs (6.5 per game) to 1,434 for the opposition.
  • 1940 - With Ernie Lombardi hurt, Reds catcher Willard Hershberger is hitting .309 after taking over. However, depressed in recent weeks, Hershberger commits suicide by slashing his throat in Boston's Copley Plaza Hotel. Hershberger blamed himself for calling wrong pitches in the 5-4 loss to New York July 31. Hershberger's father had also committed suicide, in 1928.
  • 1941 - The Browns Johnny Niggeling gets Joe DiMaggio in four at bats to stop DiMaggio's streak of 74 games in reaching base.
  • 1948 - Cleveland's Satchel Paige made his first major league start and went seven innings to lead the Indians to a 5-3 victory over the Washington Senators.
  • 1959 - For the first time, there are two All-Star Games in the same year. With the managers picking the starting lineup, the American League wins this second contest 5-3 at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
  • 1961 - The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 19-0 for the largest shutout margin in a National League night game.
  • 1969 - Pinch-hitter Rich Reese hit a grand slam to power the Minnesota Twins to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Baltimore Orioles and end Dave McNally's 15-game winning streak. McNally's two victories at the end of 1968 had given him 17 straight wins.
  • 1980 - Al Kaline, Duke Snider, Chuck Klein, and Tom Yawkey are inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
  • 1982 - The White Sox sweep a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, 1-0, and 14-2, prompting Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to fire manager Gene Michael and replace him with pitching coach Clyde King. King is the Yankees' third manager this season.
  • 1986 - Willie McCovey, Bobby Doerr, and Ernie Lombardi are inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
  • 1987 - Twins pitcher Joe Niekro is caught with a file on the mound and is ejected during Minnesota's 11-3 win over the Angels. He will be suspended for ten games by American League president Bobby Brown, who doesn't buy Niekro's story that he had been filing his nails on the bench and stuck the file in his back pocket when the inning started.
  • 1989 - The Reds score fourteen runs in the first inning of an 18-2 demolition of the Astros. Major league records set during the onslaught include most hits in an inning (16), most players with two hits in an inning (7), and most singles in an inning (12).
  • 1997 - Knuckleball pitcher Phil Niekro, former Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda, second baseman Nellie Fox, and Negro League shortstop Willie Wells are inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York

Baseball Birthdays on August 3...

• • 1849 - Snow, Charlie
  • 1855 - Flint, Silver
  • 1869 - Wheeler, George
  • 1870 - Brown, Stub
  • 1874 - McFarland, Ed
  • 1884 - Reilly, Tom
  • 1885 - Ralston, Doc
  • 1886 - Kaiser, Al
  • 1888 - Rogers, Jay
  • 1889 - Getz, Gus
  • 1894 - Heilmann, Harry
  • 1894 - Hale, George
  • 1902 - Taitt, Doug
  • 1902 - Sprinz, Joe
  • 1909 - Meyer, George
  • 1911 - Evans, Art
  • 1912 - Wilshere, Whitey
  • 1917 - Candini, Milo
  • 1920 - Johnson, Vic
  • 1920 - Hegan, Jim
  • 1921 - Lafata, Joe
  • 1925 - Hoskins, Dave
  • 1927 - Welteroth, Dick
  • 1928 - Ross, Cliff
  • 1928 - Hyde, Dick
  • 1940 - Repoz, Roger
  • 1952 - Meyer, Dan
  • 1959 - Gott, Jim
  • 1959 - Jeffcoat, Mike
  • 1960 - Bream, Sid
  • 1962 - Sasser, Mackey
  • 1964 - Elster, Kevin
  • 1968 - Beck, Rod
  • 1968 - Morton, Kevin
  • 1969 - Dixon, Steve
  • 1971 - Sexton, Chris
  • 1972 - Magee, Wendell
  • 1973 - Stein, Blake
  • 1975 - Brown, Roosevelt
  • 1976 - Glaus, Troy

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1997 HOF Class
Lasorda, Wells, Fox
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