BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

1989 In his second start after coming back from cancer surgery, left-hander Dave Dravecky breaks his arm when he throws a wild pitch to Tim Raines in the sixth inning of the Giants' 3-2 victory over Montreal at Olympic Stadium. The 33-year-old Youngstown, Ohio native, credited with the win, collapses to the ground, clutching his left arm in severe pain after the humerus bone snaps midway between his shoulder and elbow, with the sound of the breaking bone heard throughout the ballpark.
1990 A dramatic game-winning grand slam by Mark McGwire gives the Oakland A's a ten-inning victory over the Red Sox, 6-2. 'Big Mac' becomes the first player to hit thirty home runs in each of his first four seasons.

​

1990 Phillies southpaw Terry Mulholland faces just twenty-seven hitters, no-hitting the Giants, 6-0, as a double play erases the only batter to reach base due to third baseman Charlie Hayes' throwing error. The gem is the first nine-inning no-hitter ever thrown at the Philadelphia ballpark and is the eighth no-no of the season, surpassing the previous record of seven, set in 1908 and tied in 1917.

​

1993 Nolan Ryan wins the 324th and last victory of his 27-year career when the Rangers beat Cleveland, 6-4. The 46-year-old right-hander, who will lose his next four games, sees his career come to an end two starts sooner than he planned when a torn ligament forces him to leave the mound in the first inning in what will prove to be his worst big league outing and final major league appearance.

​

1995 "For a huge portion of my generation, Mickey Mantle was that baseball hero. And for reasons that no statistics, no dry recitation of facts can possibly capture, he was the most compelling baseball hero of our lifetime. And he was our symbol of baseball at a time when the game meant something to us that perhaps it no longer does."- BOB COSTAS, delivering the eulogy at Mickey Mantle's funeral.
At the request of the Mantle family, Bob Costas delivers the eulogy at Mickey's funeral. The popular broadcaster, known for his love of the game and his admiration of the Yankee superstar, describes the Hall of Famer as "a fragile hero to whom we had an emotional attachment so strong and lasting that it defied logic."

​

1995 The Royals designated Vince Coleman for assignment, although he is hitting .287 and has 26 stolen bases in 75 games. The Mariners acquire the 33-year-old fleet outfielder, compiling a 26-14 record, with their new leadoff hitter being a key factor in the team capturing the American League Wild Card.

​

1999 In the first frame of Anaheim's 10-2 victory in Detroit, Chuck Finley becomes the first major league hurler in history to strike out four batters in one inning twice in his career. The Angels' southpaw also accomplished the feat against the Yankees earlier in the season on May 12.

​

 

2000 In the Giants' 7-3 victory over the Reds, Randy Winn becomes the twenty-first player in franchise history to hit for the cycle. The fleet flychaser, obtained from the Mariners two weeks ago, singles in the first, homers in the third, doubles in the fourth and completes the feat with a triple in the sixth inning in the Great American Ball Park.
2005 Felix Hernandez becomes the first teenager to strike out at least ten batters since Dwight Gooden accomplished the feat with the 1984 Mets. The 18-year-old Mariner rookie righty K's 11 batters as the Mariners rout the Royals, 11-3.

​

2006 The Dodgers, with their 4-0 blanking of the Marlins, win their sixth consecutive game and 17th in the last 18 contests. The stretch is the team's best run since the Brooklyn Superbas went 20-1 in 1899.
2006 Joining Jim Hickman (1965), Dave Kingman (1978), Caudell Washington (1980), Darryl Strawberry (1985), Gary Carter (1985), and Edgardo Alfonzo (1999), Jose Reyes, in an 11-4 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, becomes the seventh Mets player to hit three homers in a game. Like all his predecessors, his trifecta takes place on the road.

​

2006 In a contest that takes five hours and 21 minutes to complete, the Diamondbacks beat the Rockies at Coors Field, 2-1. The 18-inning game ties the D-Back franchise record for the most innings played in a contest and the longest in Colorado history for both frames played and the time of the game.
2007 The Devil Rays come to terms with their first overall selection in the June first-year player draft, left-handed pitcher David Price. The Vanderbilt University (11-1, 2.63) southpaw signs a six-year major league contract worth as much as $11.25 million if the college junior sticks in the bigs for the length of the deal.

​

2008 Buster Posey, the fifth overall pick in the June amateur draft, gets the largest up-front bonus in major league history when he agrees to a $6.2 million signing deal with the Giants. The highly touted catcher gets slightly more than infielders Tim Beckham (first pick/shortstop), who receives $6.15 million from the Rays, and Pedro Alvarez (second pick/third baseman), who gets $6 million from the Pirates.

​

 

2011 Jim Thome becomes the eighth player to reach the 600 career home runs plateau when he hits a two-run homer in the sixth (599), followed by a three-run blast an inning later off Detroit's Daniel Schlereth. Needing fewer at-bats to reach 600 than anyone except for Babe Ruth, the 40-year-old Twins slugger accomplishes the feat in his 8,167th at-bat, compared to the Bambino's 6,921.

​

2011 At Petco Park, Jason Isringhausen becomes the 23rd major league pitcher to record 300 career saves when the Mets defeat San Diego in 10 innings, 5-4. The 38-year-old right-handed closer is the third pitcher, along with John Franco (1996) and Billy Wagner (2006), to achieve his 300th save wearing a Mets uniform.

​

2012 Joining Philip Humber (White Sox) and Matt Cain (Giants), Felix Hernandez becomes the third hurler to throw a perfect game this season, marking the first time in major league history that three spotless gems occur in the same year. "King Felix's" 1-0 victory over the Rays at Safeco Field is the first perfect game and the fourth no-hitter in Mariner history, which includes hitless games tossed by Randy Johnson (1990) and Chris Bosio (1993) and the combined effort of six pitchers in June.

​

2012 Baseball suspends Giants' left fielder Melky Cabrera for 50 games for testing positive for high levels of performance-enhancing testosterone, causing the All-Star Game's MVP to miss the rest of the season. The second-leading hitter in the National League, 13 points behind Andrew McCutchen, is one plate appearance shy of qualifying for batting title but could win the crown if he were to have the circuit's best average after the addition of a theoretical at-bat.
2013 A proposal that would dramatically increase the number of reviewable plays is presented at the quarterly Owners Meetings by a committee consisting of Braves president John Schuerholz and former major league skippers Joe Torre and Tony La Russa. The rule change, to be formally voted on in November, allows a manager to ask an umpire to initiate a play review, with one challenge permitted in the first six innings and two more through the end of the game, without any provision to cover a missed call after a team uses all of its challenges.
2015 David Denson becomes the first active player affiliated with a major league organization to come out as gay, sharing his sexual orientation in an interview with the Journal Sentinel. The 20-year-old first-baseman/outfielder had previously shared his ground-breaking news with his Helena Brewers teammates and went public after much soul-searching and consulting with Billy Bean, a former big-leaguer who came out of the closet after he retired.
2020 Max Muncy hits the first leadoff sac fly in baseball history when he flies out to deep right field, scoring Chris Taylor, the Dodgers' ghost runner who stole third base on the second pitch of the tenth inning. Angels' reliever Keynan Middleton, who throws a perfect 1-2-3 inning, is tagged with the loss when the run proves to be the difference in the team's 6-5 loss in Anaheim.
***********
24,742

 

Today in Baseball History
Home | Contact | Baseball Almanac | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Advertise | Suppor​

Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths
On August 15 in Baseball History...

• • 1886 - Louisville's Guy Hecker scores seven runs in a game, establishing a major league record.
  • 1889 - The Cleveland Spiders win 19-8 over the Boston Beaneaters, and become the first team in National League history to score in all nine innings of a single game.
  • 1905 - Rube Waddell of the Philadelphia Athletics pitched a five-inning no-hit game to beat the St. Louis Browns, 2-0.
  • 1914 - Brooklyn's Jake Daubert set a National League record with four sacrifices in one game.
  • 1916 - In a classic pitching duel, Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox beat Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators, 1-0, in 13 innings at Fenway Park.
  • 1925 - Dickie Kerr, the southpaw who won two games for the White Sox in the 1919 World Series, makes his first major league appearance since 1921. He has been playing semipro ball rather than accept Charles Comiskey's salary offer. When he relieves Red Faber in the third inning against the Tigers, play is stopped while admirers present him with a floral horseshoe.
  • 1926 - Because of a running mix-up at third base with Chick Fewster, Dodger Babe Herman performs the unlikely feat of doubling into a double play against the Braves at Ebbets Field.
  • 1939 - The White Sox beat the Browns 5-2 in the first night game at Comiskey Park. Johnny Rigney is the winner.
  • 1945 - Commissioner Happy Chandler sells World Series radio rights for $150,000 to Gillette. Ford had been the World Series sponsor since 1934, paying $100,000 annually.
  • 1945 - The Chicago Cubs routed the Brooklyn Dodgers, 20-6, at Ebbets Field. Paul Gillespie knocked in six runs with two home runs and a single to lead the attack.
  • 1955 - Pitcher Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves hit a home run off Mel Wright of the St. Louis Cardinals to give Spahn a home run in every National League park.
  • 1964 - Mayor Daley declares "Ernie Banks Day" in Chicago and 26,000 fans cheer the Cubs' slugger. Banks then goes hitless as Pittsburgh wins 5-4.
  • 1965 - The Japanese community of San Francisco holds Masanori Murakami Day at Candlestick Park to honor the first Japanese player to have reached the American major leagues. Ordinarily a reliever, Murakami makes his first major league start as the Giants outslug the Phillies 15-9.
  • 1975 - Baltimore manager Earl Weaver was ejected twice by umpire Ron Luciano. Weaver was thrown out in the first game and was again before the second game of a doubleheader.
  • 1983 - Braves slugger Bob Horner, who was hitting .303 with 20 home runs and 68 RBI, breaks his right wrist sliding into second base during a 4-0 loss to the Padres and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. In Atlanta, the injury is widely attributed to the "Chief Noc-A-Homa Jinx," which seems to strike whenever the Braves remove their mascot's outfield teepee in order to sell more tickets.
  • 1987 - At the Pan American games in Indianapolis, the U.S.A. and Cuba are tied with two outs in the ninth when Ty Griffin hits a two-run home run to win it. For Cuba it is their first loss in twenty years of Pan Am competition.
  • 1989 - In his second start since returning to the major leagues after cancer treatment, Giants southpaw Dave Dravecky breaks his pitching arm while throwing to Tim Raines in the sixth inning of a 3-2 San Francisco win. Dravecky will not pitch again in the major leagues.
  • 1990 - Mark McGwire hits a game-winning grand slam in the bottom of the tenth inning to give Oakland a 6-2 win over Boston. He becomes the first player to hit 30 home runs in each of his first four seasons.
  • 1990 - Philadelphia's Terry Mulholland pitched the record eighth no-hitter of the season as the Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-0. The season's eighth no-hitter surpassed the modern record of seven set in 1908 and 1917.

Baseball Birthdays on August 15...

• • 1857 - Hackett, Walter
  • 1859 - Comiskey, Charlie
  • 1861 - Foster, Elmer
  • 1864 - Miller, Doggie
  • 1871 - Kissinger, Bill
  • 1872 - Carr, Lew
  • 1872 - Warner, John
  • 1875 - Becker, Bob
  • 1875 - Hess, Tom
  • 1877 - Mills, Willie
  • 1885 - Moyer, Ed
  • 1887 - Casey, Joe
  • 1888 - Van Dyke, Ben
  • 1889 - Smith, Harry
  • 1891 - Bowden, Tim
  • 1896 - Sherdel, Bill
  • 1896 - Rochefort, Ben
  • 1901 - Sweetland, Les
  • 1906 - Peery, Red
  • 1908 - Walter, Bernie
  • 1911 - Flohr, Mort
  • 1916 - Garriott, Cecil
  • 1919 - Pawelek, Ted
  • 1922 - McDonnell, Jim
  • 1924 - Whitman, Frank
  • 1926 - Schultz, Barney
  • 1926 - Goodwin, Jim
  • 1930 - Martyn, Bob
  • 1932 - Snyder, Jim
  • 1934 - Morehead, Seth
  • 1935 - Jay, Joey
  • 1940 - Brunsberg, Arlo
  • 1940 - Santiago, Jose
  • 1941 - Reynolds, Tommie
  • 1942 - Peterson, Cap
  • 1943 - Trevino, Bobby
  • 1944 - Compton, Mike
  • 1944 - Matias, John
  • 1945 - Dyer, Duffy
  • 1946 - Lis, Joe
  • 1946 - McAnally, Ernie
  • 1947 - Conigliaro, Billy
  • 1950 - Kelly, Tom
  • 1953 - Espinosa, Nino
  • 1958 - Cowley, Joe
  • 1958 - Johnson, Randy
  • 1958 - James, Bob
  • 1958 - Dodd, Tom
  • 1961 - Brown, Chris
  • 1963 - Fox, Eric
  • 1964 - Huson, Jeff
  • 1966 - Brosius, Scott
  • 1966 - Walters, Dan
  • 1967 - James, Mike
  • 1970 - Rodriguez, Tony
  • 1972 - Singleton, Chris
  • 1974 - Morel, Ramon
  • 1975 - Ford, Ben
  • 1977 - Levrault, Allen

Copyright � 2001-2007. All Rights Reserved.
Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs | Around the Horn | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Today in Baseball History.​

 

​

 

​

 

​

 

​

 

​

 

​

 

8/16
OTD
BIRTHDAYS
1925 Willie 'Puddin' Head' Jones third baseman (MLB All Star 1950, 51; Philadelphia Phillies), born in Dillon, South Carolina (d. 1983)

1948 Mike Jorgensen baseball player
1953 Nick Leyva Pitcher manager (Phillies 1988-91)

1965 Xavier Hernandez, Port Arthur TX, pitcher (Houston Astros)

1966 Terry Shumpert, infielder (Chicago Cubs), born in Paducah, Kentucky

1967 Bret Barberie, infielder (Chicago Cubs, Marlins ), born in Long Beach, California

1970 Quinton McCracken, outfielder (Colorado Rockies, Rays), born in Wilmington, North Carolina

1973 Damian Jackson baseball player
1974 Roger Cedeno outfielder (LA Dodgers, Mets), born in Valencia, Venezuela

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1890 Bill Phillips becomes the first pitcher to allow two grand slams in the same inning when Tom Burns and Malachi Kittridge take the Alleghenys' right-hander deep in the same frame of an 18-5 loss to the Chicago Colts. In 1999, Chan Ho Park will match the dubious feat, having the distinction of giving up both bases-full homers to the same batter, Fernando Tatis of the Cardinals.
1909 Red Murray's spectacular grab of Dots Miller's long drive becomes a truly electrifying catch on a gloomy and extremely overcast day at newly-opened Forbes Field. Just as the Giants' outfielder snags the ball on a full run in deep right-center field, a bolt of lightning illuminates the play, creating an eerie but unforgettable split-second image.

1920 On a dreary afternoon at the Polo Grounds in New York, popular Indians shortstop Ray Chapman suffers a fractured skull when hit in the head by a fastball thrown by Yankee right-handed submariner Carl Mays. The 29-year-old newlywed will die shortly before daybreak tomorrow, becoming be the first on-field player fatality in major league history.

1927 Babe Ruth, teeing off on a Tommy Thomas fastball, becomes the first player to hit a homer out of Comiskey Park. The Bambino's 37th homer of the season traveled over the new double-deck roof in right field, powering the Bronx Bombers past the Pale Hose at the Chicago Southside ballpark, 8-1.

1947 At Forbes Field, the Pirates beat the Cardinals 12-7 thanks to Ralph Kiner's three home runs, solo shots in the third and eighth, and a three-run blast in the fourth inning. The future Hall of Famer is the first Pirate player to accomplish this feat in the 65-year history of the franchise.

​

1948 At the age of 53, with his wife Claire and his two adopted daughters at his side, Babe Ruth dies of throat cancer at Memorial Hospital in New York City. The Bambino made his final public appearance at the premiere of The Babe Ruth Story three weeks ago in New York.

​

 

1950 At the Polo Grounds, Hank Thompson's two inside-the-park home runs off Don Bankhead and Carl Erskine contribute to the Giants' 16-7 drubbing of the Dodgers. The 24-year-old third baseman will hit 129 round-trippers in his 9-year career, three of which will be of the IPHR variety.

​

1954 The first issue of Sports Illustrated is available at the newsstands. The inaugural cover of the innovative new magazine features a Mark Kauffman photo of Braves slugger Eddie Mathews at-bat, Giants catcher Wes Westrum behind the plate, and umpire Augie Donatelli calling balls and strikes in Milwaukee County Stadium.

​

1961 Roger Maris hits two home runs off White Sox hurler Billy Pierce, giving the slugger 48 in his quest to break Babe Ruth's single-season mark. The Yankee outfielder has gone deep in sixth consecutive games, tying an American League record.

​

1964 St. Louis outfielder Curt Flood collects eight consecutive hits during a doubleheader against Dodgers pitching. The Cardinals split the twin bill in Los Angeles, losing the opener to Sandy Koufax, 3-0, but take the nightcap when Curt Simmons tosses a six-hitter to give the Redbirds a 4-0 victory.

​

1966 In a 3-1 Giants win over the Cardinals, Willie Mays hits his 534th career home run. The Say Hey Kid's third-inning round-tripper ties him with Jimmie Foxx for most career home runs hit by a right-handed batter in major league history.

​

1967 After retiring the first 19 Pirates he faces, Reds' starter Jim Maloney needs to leave the game when he hurts his ankle stepping in a hole in the Forbes Field turf. Billy McCool finishes the contest, giving up two hits in Cincinnati's 4-0 victory over the Pirates.
1968 Denny McLain, who compiles a 31-6 record at the end of the season, improves his undefeated decisions on the road to 16-0 when he blanks the Red Sox 4-0 at Fenway Park. The Detroit right-hander will finish 17-2 and an ERA of 1.44 in the 21 games he pitches away from Tiger Stadium.

1969 The Phillies post their fourth consecutive shutout, blanking the Astros at Connie Mack Stadium, 7-0. Rick Wise's four-hitter follows the complete-game performances by teammates Jerry Johnson, Woodie Fryman, and Grant Jackson.

 

1970 In late June, Milt Mason vowed not to leave his team-sponsored trailer on top of the County Stadium scoreboard until the Brewers drew a home crowd of 40,000, ends his 40-day boycott, descending from a 30-foot rope when 44,387 fans show up for Bat Day. As a tribute before he died in 1973, the team recognized retired aviation engineer as the original Bernie Brewer. Milwaukee introduced a costumed character with the same name as the team's official mascot same year.

​

1973 At the major league's annual summer meetings in Milwaukee, American League owners vote "yes," and National League owners vote "no" on a proposal introducing interleague play next season. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, favoring a limited number of interleague contests, does not cast a vote that could have broken the impasse, citing the possibility of doing so when the legality of his ballot, presently challenged by the Senior Circuit, is resolved.
1975 After a frustrating 9-1 loss in Minnesota, Indians manager Frank Robinson chews out his 52-65 team. The fiery skipper appears to have gotten the players' attention when the Tribe wins 27 of the remaining 42 contests, finishing the season just one game under .500.

​

1996 Due to a conflict with the Republican National Convention in San Diego, the first major league game ever played outside of the United States or Canada occurs in Monterrey, Mexico, with the 'home team' Padres out-slugging the Mets at Estadio de Beisbol, 15-10. Fernando Valenzuela, a native of the Mexican city of Navojoa, opens the three-game series and goes six innings to get the victory for the first-place Friars.
2000 The Astros, who clout six homers for the second time in four days in their 11-10 victory over Pittsburgh, set a National League record by hitting 18 home runs in four consecutive games. Enron Field will become known as 'Ten-Run' due to Houston's new ballpark's hitter-friendly dimensions, especially in left field.
2001 The Red Sox fire Jimy Williams after he pilots the team 13 games above .500 despite numerous injuries to key players. The club's well-respected pitching coach, Joe Kerrigan, replaces the ousted skipper, who finishes the season with a 17-26 record for the second-place club.
2001 Barry Bonds' second home run of the game and 53rd of the season breaks the franchise record established by his godfather, Willie Mays. With his first homer, the left fielder eclipses the National League record for home runs by a left-handed batter, established in 1947 by another Giant, Johnny Mize.

2002 Curt Schilling wins his 20th game of the season, striking out 12 Cubs in the Diamondbacks' 2-1 victory at Wrigley Field. The 35-year-old right-hander, who will finish the season with a 23-5 record, reaches the milestone for the second consecutive year, a feat that teammate Randy Johnson will also accomplish next month.

​

 

2002 After four days of delaying the decision, the executive board of the Major League Players' Association votes 57-0 to set an August 30 strike date. All eight previous negotiations since 1972 have resulted in work stoppages in the national pastime.
2002 At the opening ceremonies of the Little League Baseball World Series at Volunteer Stadium, the 1955 Little League team from Charleston, S.C., is honored when fourteen players from the Cannon Street YMCA Little League, 47 years after being banned from their own state's postseason tournament due to the color of their skin, are invited to Williamsport to be recognized. At the time of their banishment, Little League officials informed the other 61 all-white S.C. leagues that the winner of their state finals would not be permitted to participate in the tournament because they refuse to play against a duly franchised team.

​

2005 As skipper of the Fort Worth Cats of the Central League, Bobby Bragan becomes the oldest person to manage a professional baseball game. The 87 year-old's one day of employment, shortened by being ejected in the third inning for arguing balls and strikes, finds him eight days older than Connie Mack, who managed his last game for the 1950 Philadelphia A's.

​

2006 Before the Red Sox and Tigers game, the Red Sox honored Bruce Froemming during an on-field ceremony at Fenway Park. The 66-year-old home plate umpire works the 5,000th major league game of his 36-year career, second only to Bill Klem, who arbitrated 5,374 games from 1905-40.

2007 Jose Reyes becomes the first infielder and tenth player overall in the modern era (post-1898) to steal sixty bases in three consecutive seasons. The Mets shortstop, who will swipe 78 sacks this season, steals second base in the second inning for the second time in a 10-7 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park.

​

2007 With nine minutes left to the signing deadline, the Orioles and their top draft choice, fifth overall, come to terms when Georgia Tech standout Matt Wieters agrees to a minor league contract, including a $6 million signing bonus. The switch-hitting catcher's deal ranks second behind Justin Upton, who received $6.1 million in 2005 to play with the Diamondbacks.
2008 Francisco Rodriguez ties his own team record when he picks up his 47th save in the Angels' 4-3 win over Cleveland. After yielding a single to Jhonny Peralta, the right-handed closer records three quick outs--two with strikeouts--to match the mark he established in 2006.

2009 Derek Jeter, with his 3-for-4 performance in the Yankees' 10-3 loss in Seattle, passes Luis Aparicio for the most hits ever compiled by a major league shortstop. The New York infielder, collecting career hits #2,673 and #2,674 his first two at-bats, surpasses the Hall of Famer's total, who spent his 18-year career, ending in 1973, with the White Sox, Orioles, and Red Sox.

 

2011 Rangers president Nolan Ryan announces a bronze artwork depicting Shannon Stone and his six-year-old son attending a game will most likely reside outside the home plate entrance to the Arlington ballpark at the start of next season. The 39-year-old firefighter died after falling more than 20 feet while attempting to catch a ball tossed by Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton during a game in July.

​

2012 Clay Buchholz strikes out Adam Jones (looking), Matt Wieters (looking), and Chris Davis (swinging) on nine pitches in the bottom of the sixth inning of the Red Sox's 6-3 victory over Baltimore at Camden Yards. The immaculate inning thrown by the Red Sox right-hander marks the 47th occurrence of the feat in major league history and the first for a Boston hurler since Pedro Martinez turned the trick in 2002.

2012 With a unanimous vote, the Major League owners approve the transfer of the San Diego Padres from John Moores, who had owned the team for 18 years, to a group headed by longtime local businessman Ron Fowler. The new ownership group, the fifth in franchise history, also includes pro golfer Phil Mickelson, a San Diego native.
2013 The Phillies name Ryne Sandberg as the team's interim manager, replacing Charlie Manuel, the winner of more games than any other skipper in franchise history. During his nine seasons in the Philadelphia dugout, the 69-year-old, never selected as the NL Manager of the Year, led the club to five consecutive division titles and a world championship in 2008.

​

2020 Keibert Ruiz becomes the seventh player in the 131-year history of the Dodger's to homer in his first major league at-bat and the first since Garey Ingram accomplished the feat in 1994. On his first swing, the 22-year-old Venezuelan catcher deposits Julio Teheran's 1-1 fastball over the right-field fence in the team's 8-3 victory at the Angel Stadium of Anaheim.
2020 In a 7-2 victory over the Cardinals at Guaranteed Rate Field, the White Sox hit four consecutive home runs against Roel Ramirez, a 25-year-old right-hander making his major league debut. The quartet of round-trippers, with Yoan Moncada, Yasmani Grandal, Jose Abreu, and Eloy Jimenez, all going deep in the six-run fifth inning, marks the tenth time in a team homers in four straight at-bats, including the Southsiders accomplishing the feat for the first time in 2008.
2020 After striking out his first hitter, Cardinals' right-hander Roel Ramirez, making his major-league debut, gives up a single, another single, and a walk to the next three White Sox batters before allowing four consecutive home runs in a row. The 25-year-old Redbird rookie reliever becomes the ninth pitcher since at least 1901 to allow four or more round-trippers in his first visit to a big-league mound, but the only one of those to allow the homers consecutively.
***********
24,858

 

Today in Baseball History
Home | Contact | Baseball Almanac | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Advertise | Support
Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths​

On August 16 in Baseball History...

• • 1873 - At Baltimore's Newington Park, Baltimore Canaries outfielder Lip Pike races against a horse. Pike has a short lead after 75 yards when the trotter breaks into a run. Pike holds on to win in 10 seconds flat.
  • 
  • 1890 - It's a bad day for Pittsburgh's Bill Phillips as he becomes the first pitcher in major league history to give up two grand slams in one inning. Tom Burns and Malachi Kittridge each hit one in the fifth inning en route to an 18-5 victory at Chicago's West Side Park.
  • 1920 - At the Polo Grounds Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman, 29, is beaned by a Carl Mays pitch. A right-handed batter who crowds the plate, Chapman freezes and fails to get out of the way of the submarine delivery. He is carried from the field and he dies the next day from a fractured skull.
  • 1927 - Babe Ruth inaugurates the newly-constructed Comiskey Park grandstand roof by cranking a Tommy Thomas pitch over the addition.
  • 1947 - Ralph Kiner hits three successive home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates, for a 12-7 win over the Cardinals in a game in which the two clubs bang out 10 homers. Kiner matches the major league marks of seven home runs in four games, six in three games, five in two games, and four in consecutive at bats.
  • 1950 - Hank Thompson hit two inside-the-park home runs in the Giants' 16-7 rout of the Brooklyn Dodgers at the Polo Grounds.
  • 1954 - In a throwing contest between Jim Piersall and Willie Mays before a Red Sox-Giants charity game in Boston, Piersall hurts his arm. He starts the game but leaves midway. He wakes up the following morning with a sore arm that stays with him a year, and he will never throw quite as well again.
  • 
  • 1964 - Curt Flood of the St. Louis Cardinals had eight straight hits in a doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers won the first game 3-0 and the Cardinals took the second, 4-0.
  • 1964 - Sandy Koufax (19-5) hurts his elbow sliding into second base in a 3-0 win against St. Louis. He will miss the rest of the season. In the nightcap, Curt Simmons matches Sandy Koufax with a 4-0 shutout of the Dodgers. Cards center fielder Curt Flood has eight straight hits in the doubleheader split.
  • 1966 - Willie Mays hits his 534th home run, matching Jimmie Foxx's record for right-handed batters, as Gaylord Perry beats the Cardinals 3-1.
  • 1967 - Jim Maloney of Cincinnati retired 19 consecutive Pirates but had to leave the game after he injured his ankle by stepping in a hole at Forbes Field. Billy McCool allowed two hits over the final 2 2/3 innings to complete a 4-0 victory over Pittsburgh.
  • 1976 - With the help of three picked-off Oakland runners at first base, the first such occurrence in the American League since 1910, the Brewers beat Oakland 4-3. Another oddity happens when Oakland's Billy Williams is called out on strikes after refusing to enter the batter's box. He is then thrown out of the game.
  • 1984 - After nearly six years, Pete Rose is reunited with his hometown Cincinnati Reds when the Expos trade him for infielder Tom Lawless. The Reds immediately name him player-manager, replacing Vern Rapp.
  • 1996 - The Padres and Mets play the first regular season major league game ever played in Mexico, and it isn't pretty. The Padres take a big lead in support of Mexican native and starting pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, but the Mets close the gap with seven runs in the ninth inning in a 15-10 Padres triumph. The series is moved from San Diego because of a perceived conflict with the Republican National Convention. The Padres take two of three games in "La Primera Serie" in Monterrey, Mexico.

Baseball Birthdays on August 16...

• • 1854 - Landis, Doc
  • 1855 - Carpenter, Hick
  • 1866 - Mayer, Ed
  • 1872 - Steere, Gene
  • 1872 - Clark, Willie
  • 1884 - Hovlik, Joe
  • 1885 - Northen, Hub
  • 1889 - Robinson, Hank
  • 1890 - Jacobson, Baby Doll
  • 1892 - Keen, Bill
  • 1893 - Wright, Cy
  • 1895 - Bailey, Fred
  • 1897 - Fothergill, Bob
  • 1900 - Rhiel, Billy
  • 1901 - Higbee, Mahlon
  • 1908 - Bednar, Andy
  • 1911 - Besse, Herman
  • 1913 - Bonham, Tiny
  • 1913 - Carpenter, Lew
  • 1922 - Woodling, Gene
  • 1925 - Jones, Willie
  • 1929 - Roberts, Curt
  • 1931 - Rudolph, Don
  • 1938 - Rodgers, Buck
  • 1941 - Edgerton, Bill
  • 1941 - Brabender, Gene
  • 1941 - Loughlin, Larry
  • 1945 - Dukes, Jan
  • 1948 - Jorgensen, Mike
  • 1952 - Holland, Al
  • 1958 - Maler, Jim
  • 1960 - Mooneyham, Bill
  • 1961 - Scott, Donnie
  • 1961 - Jelks, Greg
  • 1964 - Reed, Rick
  • 1965 - Hernandez, Xavier
  • 1966 - Foster, Steve
  • 1966 - Shumpert, Terry
  • 1967 - Barberie, Bret
  • 1973 - Jackson, Damian
  • 1974 - Cedeno, Roger
  • 1974 - Snyder, John
  • 1975 - Coleman, Michael
  • 1975 - Cho, Jin Ho

Copyright � 2001-2007. All Rights Reserved.
Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs | Around the Horn | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Today in Baseball History.​

 

​