BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1911 Cy Young wins his 511th and final career game when he blanks the Pirates at Forbes Field, 1-0. The 35-101 Rustlers have won only three contests in 22 attempts against Pittsburgh this season, with two of the victories coming on shutouts thrown by the 44-year-old veteran right-hander, who was obtained by Boston on waivers from Cleveland in late July.

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1912 At Sportsman's Park against the Browns, Eddie Collins becomes the first player to steal six bases in one game for the second time. The Philadelphia A's second baseman's feat of thievery continues to be the major league mark.

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1925 Robins starter Burleigh Grimes accounts for seven outs in just three plate appearances in the team's 3-2 loss to Chicago, a 12-inning game played at Cubs Park. The Brooklyn right-hander follows grounding into two double plays by hitting into a 6-4-3-2 triple play.

1926 At Ebbets Field, the aging 18-year veteran outfielder Zack Wheat hits his last homer as a Dodger but severely pulls a muscle nearing second. The future Hall of Famer needs to rest nearly five minutes before reaching home plate, making his trip around the bases the most extended home run trot in major league history.

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1936 The Tigers record the most one-sided pair of shutouts in a doubleheader, sweeping St. Louis at Navin Field, 12-0 and 14-0. Both Detroit starters go the distance, with Elden Auker throwing a five-hitter in the opener and Tommy Bridges limiting the Browns to three hits in the nightcap.

1947 On an off day, the Dodgers clinched the National League pennant when Chicago beats the Cardinals in the nightcap of twin bill's nightcap. Although it is past midnight when the good news about their beloved team reaches the borough, Brooklynites begin to gather on Flatbush for an impromptu celebration.

1948 Stan Musial, for the fourth time this season, has five hits in five at-bats to set a National League record and ties the major league mark established by Ty Cobb. Stan the Man's hits, including a double and home run, come off five different pitchers on five consecutive pitches in the Cardinals' 8-2 victory at Braves Field in Boston.

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1954 Karl Spooner, in his major league debut, blanks the Giants at Ebbets Field, 3-0. The 23-year-old Dodger southpaw fans 15 batters, including six straight, recording the most strikeouts in a rookie's first appearance.

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1957 Ted Williams hits a home run in his fourth consecutive at-bat over a span of four games. In his other plate appearances during those contests, the opposing pitchers issue six bases on balls to the Splendid Splinter until he follows today’s fourth-inning round-tripper with a single in the sixth.

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1957 Duke Snider, with his second round-tripper in the Dodgers' 7-3 victory over Philadelphia, hits his 40th home run, tying Ralph Kiner's National League record of five consecutive seasons with forty or more homers. The Duke of Flatbush's seventh-inning homer off future Hall of Famer Robin Roberts will prove to be the last one ever hit at Ebbets Field.

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1959 After the White Sox clinch the pennant by beating the second-place Indians at Cleveland Stadium, 4-2, Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley orders the city air raid sirens to blast. The flag marks the South-siders' first American League championship since the notorious Black Sox's title 40 years ago.

 

1961 In the Orioles' 8-5 victory over the White Sox at Comiskey Park, Jim Gentile hits his fifth grand slam of the year to tie the major league record established in 1955 by Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks. Each of the first baseman's four-run homers has come with Chuck Estrada pitching for Baltimore.

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1962 Al Jackson suffers his 20th loss when Chicago beats the Mets at the Polo Grounds, 8-2. The New York southpaw joins Roger Craig in reaching the dubious number of defeats, making the pair the first teammates since Bucky Walters and Joe Bowman of the 1936 Phillies to become 20-game losers on the same National League team.

1964 Larry Dierker, who will have a long relationship with the franchise, including stints as a broadcaster and manager, becomes the last rookie to make his major league debut as a Colt .45. On his 18th birthday, the right-hander starts, taking the loss when San Francisco defeats Houston, 7-3.

1966 With only 413 patrons in attendance to see New York's 4-1 loss to the White Sox, the team's head of media relations denies veteran broadcaster Red Barber's request for a camera to scan the empty stands. The Ol' Redhead reportedly loses his job when he tells his audience, "I don't know what the paid attendance is today, but whatever it is, it is the smallest crowd in the history of Yankee Stadium, and this crowd is the story, not the game."

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1966 The Orioles clinched their first pennant representing Baltimore when Jim Palmer goes the distance, beating Lew Krausse and the A's at Municipal Stadium, 6-1. The franchise's last flag was raised in St. Louis in 1944 when the team was known as the Browns.

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1968 Utility player Cesar Tovar becomes the second major leaguer to play one inning at each position when he plays right field in the ninth in the Twins' 3-2 victory over Oakland at Metropolitan Stadium. A's shortstop Bert Campaneris was the first to field all of the positions in a 1965 contest against California

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1969 Willie Mays, joining Yankee legend Babe Ruth, becomes the second major leaguer to hit 600 career home runs. The historic two-run homer is delivered as a pinch-hitter in the top of the seventh inning off Padres hurler Mike Corkins and proves to be the difference in the Giants' 4-2 victory at Qualcomm Stadium.

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1969 During the team's 4-2 victory over the Padres, Giant outfielder Bobby Bonds establishes a big-league record when he strikes out for the 176th time this season. The California native will finish the year with 187, extending the dubious mark next season with two additional strikeouts.

 

1971 The Pirates clinch their second consecutive National League Eastern Divisional flag when they defeat the second-place Cardinals at Busch Stadium, 5-1. Luke Walker and Dave Giusti combine to toss a six-hitter to best the future Hall of Fame right-hander Bob Gibson, who no-hit the Bucs last month in his only other start against the team.
1976 Right-hander Don Sutton goes the distance to become a twenty-game winner for the first and last time when Los Angeles beat the Giants at Candlestick Park, 3-1. The future Hall of Famer will compile a 324-256 (.559) record during his 23-year big-league tenure, playing for the Dodgers, Astros, Brewers, Angels, and the A's.

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1977 Bert Blyleven no-hits the Angels, 6-0. A batter reaching on a third-inning error, erased on a double play, and a walk, issued with two outs in the ninth, account for the only two baserunners in the game for Anaheim.

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1986 Dodger hurler Fernando Valenzuela (20-10) two-hits Houston en route to a 9-2 victory at the Astrodome. The 25-year-old southpaw becomes the first Mexican to win 20 games in the major leagues.

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1987 Future Hall of Famer Wade Boggs collects his 200th hit for the fifth straight season. The Red Sox third baseman will reach the 200-hit mark for the next two years before the streak ends in 1990.

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1987 Chicago sends Dickie Noles to the Tigers for a player to be named later. Next month, the right-handed pitcher is returned to the Cubs as that player to be named later.
1988 The Mets clinch their fourth NL East title when Ron Darling goes the distance, defeating Philadelphia at Shea Stadium, 3-1. The Amazins also copped the division flag in 1969, 1973, and 1986.

 

1990 Andre Dawson becomes the second player to hit 300 home runs, steal 300 bases, and collect 2,000 hits. The Cubs’ outfielder joins Willie Mays in accomplishing the feat when he swipes his 300th career bag in an 11-5 loss to the Mets at Wrigley Field.

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1993 The long career of Ranger right-hander Nolan Ryan, who had announced his plans to retire at the end of the season, comes to an abrupt end when the Texas starter leaves the game in the first inning after injuring his right elbow. The future Hall of Famer, who gives up five runs without retiring a batter, will throw just one more pitch after giving up a grand slam to Dann Howitt in the 7-4 loss to Seattle at the Kingdome.

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1993 The Rockies establish the major league home attendance record with 4,483,350 patrons attending games at Denver's Mile High Stadium. The expansion team will average 55,350 fans per game during their inaugural season.
Amazon Colorado Rockies: The Inaugural Season
1996 Barry Larkin becomes the first shortstop to become a member of the 30-30 club when he goes deep off Donovan Osborne in the fifth inning in the Reds' 6-3 victory over St. Louis. The future Hall of Fame infielder joins teammate Eric Davis as only the second Cincinnati player to accomplish the feat.

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1997 Thanks to the Mets beating the Marlins, the Braves, before their 3-2 win over the Expos, capture the National League East title. The title is the sixth straight division flag for Atlanta, which breaks the major league record.
1998 Jose Canseco, in the Blue Jays' 7-3 victory over Baltimore at the SkyDome, hits his 45th and 46th home runs, setting a new career-high. The Toronto DH will finish his 17-year major league career with 462 round-trippers, but his admitted use of steroids will taint his accomplishment.
1998 Mariner Ken Griffey Jr., with his American League-leading 54th and 55th home runs of the season, joins Babe Ruth (Yankees, 1930-32) and Lou Gehrig (Yankees, 1926-34) as the only players to drive in 140 or more runs in at least three consecutive seasons. During his 22-year tenure in the major leagues, Junior will average 111 runs batted in per season.

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1998 Braves backup backstop Eddie Perez's solo home run in Atlanta's 4-1 win over Florida is the team's 208th round-tripper this season, breaking a 32-year-old franchise record. Atlanta will finish the season with 215 homers, with Andres Galarraga being the club leader with 44.

1998 John Olerud ties Barry Bonds' National League record of reaching base 15 consecutive times when he walks in the first inning. The Mets' first baseman will ground out in the third, falling one short of the 1957 major league mark set by Ted Williams.

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1998 Tony Clark becomes the first Detroit player since Rudy York (1940-41) to collect 100 RBIs in his first two full seasons in the Motor City. The Tigers' first baseman finishes the season with 103 runs batted in after driving in 117 last season.

 

2000 The Astros, surpassing the 1997 Rockies, establish a new National League team single-season home run mark, hitting their 240th in a 12-5 loss to Cincinnati at Cinergy Field. The slugfest features nine home runs, with the home team hitting six and Houston going deep three times.

2000 At Cinergy Field, Astros' Jose Lima gives up his 47th home run of the season, passing the National League record established in 1956 by Robin Roberts. Bert Blyleven holds the distinction of serving up 50 gopher balls as a Twin in 1986 to set the major league mark.

2000 Mets' closer Armando Benitez blanks the Phillies in the ninth for his 39th save, breaking southpaw John Franco's club record. The left-handed bullpen veteran also appeared in the Mets' 9-6 win.

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2002 Chicago's first baseman Fred McGriff becomes the first player to hit 30 home runs in a season for five different teams (Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays, and Cubs). The Crime Dog's first inning PNC poke also sets a record for being the 42nd major league park in which he's gone yard, one more than Ellis Burks of the Indians.

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2002 In the last game ever played at Cinergy Field, the Phillies complete a three-game sweep, defeating the Reds, 4-3, in front of many of the team's former superstars except for the banished Pete Rose. The popularity of the all-time hit leader becomes obvious when Tom Browning paints Rose's uniform number 14 on the mound after the game, along with the crowd chanting, "Pete, Pete" as home plate gets ready for delivery next door to Great American Ball Park.

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2002 Greg Maddux pitches seven innings of four-hit ball as the Braves beat the Marlins, 4-1. 'Mad Dog' joins Cy Young as one of only two pitchers in baseball history to win at least 15 games in 15 consecutive seasons.

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2003 The Tigers established a new mark for futility in the American League, recording their 118th loss of the season. The 1916 A's (36-117) had held the record before Detroit's 12-6 defeat to the Royals.

2003 Alfonso Soriano hits his 13th leadoff home run of the season to establish a new major league mark. The Yankee second baseman shared the record with Brady Anderson, who led off with 12 round-trippers for the 1996 Orioles.

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2003 For only the third time in major league history, a Korean pitcher and a Japanese pitcher oppose one another as Expos' hurler Tomo Ohka faces Jae Weong Seo as starters at Shea Stadium. Both Pacific Rim right-handers throw well, but neither gets the decision as Montreal beats the Mets on misplayed fly balls in the ninth, 4-2.
2004 When he whiffs Albert Pujols in the 3-2 loss to the Cardinals, Ben Sheets breaks the Brewers' single-season strikeout record. The 26-year-old Louisiana native surpasses Teddy Higuera's mark of 240 established in 1987.

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2005 On the day he is scheduled to return to the team after rehabilitating his right knee and left ankle at home, the Orioles inform Rafael Palmeiro not to report to the team. The first baseman/DH, who tested positive for steroids earlier in the season, continues to stir up more controversy as the 40-year-old veteran states the reason for failing the drug test is due to a vitamin B-12 shot given by his teammate, Miguel Tejada.

2005 An American Society of Microbiology's study of the number of people washing their hands after using a public restroom reports 83 percent of patrons take advantage of the available soap and water. Of the 6,300 bathroom users monitored, the data reveals Turner Field to have the worst hygiene showing nearly a quarter of the patrons (37% male and 16% female) did not wash their hands after using the facilities during a Braves game.

2006 In the Nationals’ 3-2 victory over the Mets, Alfonso Soriano hits his 40th double and steals his 41st base of the season. The Washington outfielder, with 45 homers, becomes baseball’s first 40-40-40 player with his offensive performance at Shea Stadium.

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2009 Diamondback slugger Mark Reynolds establishes a new single-season strikeout mark for the second year in a row when he misses a 1-2 breaking ball from Madison Bumgarner, his 205th K of the campaign. Before breaking his own dubious mark and extending it with another whiff in the sixth inning, the 26-year-old third baseman collected his 100th RBI of the season in Arizona's 10-8 Chase Field victory over San Francisco.

2010 Jose Lopez hits three home runs in the Mariners’ 6-3 victory over the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The third baseman’s trio of round-trippers, collected off three different pitchers, accounts for nearly a third of his ten homers this season.

2010 The Diamondbacks hire Kevin Towers as the team's general manager, bypassing the interim GM Jerry Dipoto, a highly-regarded administrator within the organization and throughout baseball for the job he did replacing Josh Byrnes. During Towers' 14-year tenure in the same position with the Padres, San Diego won four division titles and played in the 1998 World Series against New York.

2011 Thanks to Shane Victorino's million-dollar pledge, the renovated 105-year-old Nicetown Boys & Girls Club celebrates its grand opening. The inner-city facility, now named after the Phillies' All-Star center fielder, is only the second club in the country to bear the name of a major leaguer, with the 'Flying Hawaiian' sharing the distinction with Willie Mays.

2011 According to the Associated Press, Leo Nunez, placed on the Marlins' restricted list without the club listing a reason, needs to return to the Dominican Republic to deal with legal issues concerning fake identification documents. The 29-year-old right-handed closer, whose real name is Juan Oviedo, used his childhood friend's ID to receive a more lucrative deal due to being believed only to be 16 years of age instead of 17 when signing his first major league contract.



2012 Gio Gonzalez becomes the second pitcher in franchise history to win 20 games when Washington beats Milwaukee at Nationals Park, 10-4. The 27-year-old southpaw joins Ross Grimsley, who accomplished the feat in 1978 when the club played in Montreal as the Expos.

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2013 Felix Hernandez, making his first appearance since suffering a strained oblique, sets a record for strikeouts in a start lasting four or fewer innings when he whiffs ten batters before the fifth frame in the Mariners' 3-2 victory at Angel Stadium. The fans aren't the only ones buzzing during King Felix's performance, as a swarm of bees in the outfield delays the contest for 23 minutes during the third inning.

2018 The Dodgers establish a franchise record for team home runs hit in one season for the second consecutive year when Yasmani Grandal goes deep in the bottom of the sixth inning in the team's 7-2 victory over the Padres. The catcher's round-tripper was the club's 222nd of the campaign, surpassing last year's total with seven games left on the schedule.

2019 En route to clinching a playoff spot, the Cardinals beat the Cubs 3-2, completing the team's first four-game sweep at Wrigley Field in 98 seasons. The series marks the first time in a century a home team has dropped four consecutive one-run decisions against the same opponent, with Chicago losing five straight one-run contests for the first time since 1915.

2019 After dropping a 12-8 decision to the Twins, the Royals (100) join the Tigers (109), Marlins (101), and Orioles (105) in breaking the 2002 mark for the number of 100-loss teams playing in the major leagues in the same season. Conversely, the Dodgers (100), Yankees (102), and Astros (102) have won a hundred or more games, marking three straight years three teams have posted triple-digit victories.
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Today in Baseball History
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On September 22 in Baseball History...

• • 1911 - Cy Young, forty-four, beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 for his 511th and final Major League victory.
  • 1920 - A Chicago grand jury convenes to investigate charges that eight White Sox players conspired to fix the 1919 World Series.
  • 1935 - The Boston Braves lose their 110th game for a new National League record. They will lose 115, which remains the record until the 1962 expansion New York Mets lose 120 in a 162-game schedule. The Braves' winning percentage of .248 is a Twentieth Century low in the National League.
  • 1936 - The Detroit Tigers swept the St. Louis Browns 12-0 and 14-0 to record the biggest double shutout in Major League history.
  • 1947 - The Dodgers win the pennant while idle. The Cards lose to the Cubs to clinch the Dodgers' first title since 1941, this time with a five-game margin.
  • 1953 - The Dodgers tie the record for the most wins in a home park, beating Pittsburgh 5-4. They go an incredible 60-17 at Ebbets Field, tying the record of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1942. Only the 61 wins of the San Francisco Giants in 1962 in an 81-game home season will surpass the mark.
  • 1954 - Karl Spooner of Brooklyn became the first in the majors to strike out 15 in his first game, and the Dodgers beat the New York Giants 3-0.
  • 1957 - Duke Snider's 39th and 40th home runs are the last that will be hit at Ebbets Field. The Duke of Flatbush ties Ralph Kiner's National League mark of hitting at least 40 home runs in five consecutive seasons. Phillies pitcher Robin Roberts, who has a penchant for throwing home run balls, is the loser, 7-3.
  • 1959 - The White Sox clinch their first pennant in 40 years with a 4-2 win over the second-place Indians. Early Wynn gets the win, with Gerry Staley saving the game in the ninth.
  • 1961 - Jim Gentile's fifth grand slam of 1961 ties the Major League single-season record in Baltimore's 8-6 win over Chicago. Each of Gentile's slams comes with Chuck Estrada pitching for the Orioles.
  • 1966 - The BaltimA's. Their last pennant came in 1944 when they were the St. Louis Browns.
  • 1968 - Cesar Tovar played one inning at each position for the Minnesota Twins, becoming only the second Major Leaguer in history to do it. Bert Campaneris of the Oakland A's was the other.
  • 1969 - Willie Mays joins Babe Ruth in the 600-homer club with a blast off Mike Corkins while batting for rookie George Foster. Bobby Bonds sets a Major League record with his 176th strikeout as San Francisco beats San Diego 4-2.
  • 1985 - One night after scuffling with a patron in the bar of the Yankees' Baltimore hotel, manager Billy Martin has his right arm broken by pitcher Ed Whitson in an early-morning brawl in the same bar.
  • 1986 - Fernando Valenzuela of Los Angeles became the first Mexican to win 20 games, beating the Houston Astros 9-2 while allowing just two hits.
  • 1987 - Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox reached the 200-hit mark for the fifth straight season in an 8-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
  • 1989 - Dave Stewart becomes the first pitcher since Jim Palmer (1975-78) to win twenty games in three straight seasons by beating the Twins 5-2. It is also Stewart's 100th Major League win.
  • 1990 - Andre Dawson of the Chicago Cubs stole his 300th base in an 11-5 loss to the New York Mets, becoming only the second player with 300 homers, 300 steals and 2,000 hits. Willie Mays was the other.
  • 1993 - Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers faced just three Seattle batters before hurting his right elbow. Ryan finished his career with 324 wins, 5,714 strikeouts and seven no-hitters.
  • 1993 - The Colorado Rockies played their final game of their first season and finished with a Major League home attendance record. The Rockies played before 4,483,350.
  • 1997 - The Braves become the first team in Major League history to win six consecutive division titles (not counting the 1994 strike season) after the Mets knock off the second-place Marlins. The announcement is made in the last Braves home game of the year at Turner Field in the eighth inning of a tie game with the Expos. The Braves keep the champagne on ice until the bottom of the 11th inning when Mike Mordecai strikes out, but the ball gets away and Tony Bautista crosses home plate with the winning run.

Baseball Birthdays on September 22...

• • 1862 - Keating, Bob
  • 1869 - Stephenson, Dummy
  • 1870 - Powers, Doc
  • 1875 - Marshall, Doc
  • 1878 - Himes, Jack
  • 1879 - Conn, Bert
  • 1880 - Flater, Jack
  • 1882 - Sitton, Carl
  • 1884 - Land, Grover
  • 1885 - Lonergan, Walter
  • 1885 - Walsh, Jimmy
  • 1885 - Stem, Fred
  • 1888 - Scott, Jim
  • 1889 - Dauss, Hooks
  • 1890 - Wilie, Denney
  • 1893 - French, Pat
  • 1893 - Flagstead, Ira
  • 1894 - Walker, Frank
  • 1895 - McHenry, Austin
  • 1900 - Heine, Bud
  • 1902 - Marquardt, Ollie
  • 1903 - Hostetler, Chuck
  • 1905 - Bettencourt, Larry
  • 1908 - Holloway, Jim
  • 1915 - Diggs, Reese
  • 1917 - Moore, Anse
  • 1920 - Eschen, Larry
  • 1920 - Lemon, Bob
  • 1923 - Wright, Tom
  • 1927 - Lasorda, Tom
  • 1929 - Bright, Harry
  • 1930 - Harrison, Bob
  • 1931 - Aspromonte, Ken
  • 1934 - Johnson, Lou
  • 1936 - Camilli, Doug
  • 1939 - McIlwain, Stover
  • 1944 - Fairey, Jim
  • 1946 - Dierker, Larry
  • 1952 - Alston, Dell
  • 1954 - Dues, Hal
  • 1955 - Leonard, Jeffrey
  • 1958 - Sax, Dave
  • 1959 - Stefero, John
  • 1959 - Graham, Lee
  • 1959 - Backman, Wally
  • 1961 - Coleman, Vince
  • 1961 - Geren, Bob
  • 1962 - Stephens, Ray
  • 1963 - Peterek, Jeff
  • 1965 - Guthrie, Mark
  • 1967 - Forbes, P.J.
  • 1967 - Lindsey, Doug
  • 1967 - Howard, Matt
  • 1967 - Briscoe, John
  • 1969 - Barry, Jeff
  • 1969 - Devarez, Cesar
  • 1970 - Matheny, Mike
  • 1975 - Klassen, Danny

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.​

 

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9/23
OTD
BIRTHDAYS
1895 Johnny Mokan (d. 1985)


1957 Tony Fossas (St Louis Cardinals)


1966 Pete Harnisch, pitcher (NY Mets), born in Commack, New York


1969 Jeff Cirillo, infielder (Milwaukee Brewers), born in Pasadena, California


1984 Matt Kemp outfiekder, 2006-20, 3X All-Star, 2X Gold Glove (Los Angeles Dodgers, and four other teams), born in Midwest City, Oklahoma


1985 Joba Chamberlain

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1901 The Superbas establish a new franchise record for runs scored in a game when routing the Reds, 25-6. Brooklyn tallies 11 times in the fifth inning during the League Park contest played in Cincinnati.

1905 In Detroit's 8-5 loss to Washington, 18-year-old Tiger rookie outfielder Ty Cobb hits a three-run homer off Washington's Cy Falkenberg. The American League Park inside-the-park round-tripper becomes the first of the 117 home runs for Georgia Peach, who will lead the league just once during his 24-year career, hitting 9 in 1909.

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1908 When Fred Merkle fails to touch second base after an apparent game-winning hit, scoring McCormick from third costs the Giants a 2-1 win over the Cubs with the ump calling him out and ruling the game a tie. The play, dubbed 'Merkle's Boner,' will eventually cost the Giants the flag.

1916 Allowing only one walk during a twin bill with the Cincinnati Reds, Grover Cleveland Alexander of the Phillies wins both ends of a doubleheader, 7-3 and 4-0, to establish a National League record. The future Hall of Famer will repeat the feat on September 3, 1917, against the Brooklyn Robins at Ebbets Field.

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1930 In a slugfest played at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl, the Cardinals set a franchise record, collecting 26 hits in a 19-16 victory over the Phillies. It will be another seventy-eight years before the Redbirds have an equal amount of hits in a game.

1933 Tom Oliver strikes out as a pinch-hitter in his final major league at-bat, ending his four-year career with 2,073 homerless plate appearances. The 30-year-old Red Sox outfielder's long-ball drought sets a modern record, but nineteenth-century catcher Bill Holbert, who also never went deep throughout his entire career, made 2,396 trips to the plate without hitting a home run.

1939 In the first game of a twin bill, Brooklyn's third baseman Cookie Lavagetto reaches base seven consecutive times as the Dodgers rout the Phillies, 22-4. The 26-run Shibe Park contest takes only two hours and five minutes to complete.

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1947 Before the game against the Giants in a sold-out Ebbets Field, the Dodgers staged Jackie Robinson Day. The Brooklyn rookie, who endured much grief this season as the game's first black player in modern times, is touched when his teammates crowd around home plate to participate in the ceremony.

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1949 With the Indians eliminated from the pennant race, team owner Bill Veeck and a few players, serving as pallbearers, hold funeral services for the 1948 pennant, using a horse-drawn hearse to take the casket containing the 14-by-20-foot flag for burial behind the center-field fence. The buried item at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium disappeared, causing some superstition fans to believe the missing pennant explains why the Tribe hasn't won a World Series since the ceremony.

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1950 In the sixth inning of the A's 16-5 rout of the Senators, Joe Astroth drives in six runs with a grand slam and a two-run single. The Philadelphia backup catcher collects a third of his RBIs for the season in the one frame of the Griffith Stadium contest.

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1952 The Dodgers clinch the National League pennant with a 5-4 victory over the Phillies in the opener of a twilight twin bill at Ebbets Field. Brooklyn becomes the first team since 1948 to capture the Senior Circuit flag before the season's final game.

1955 The Yankees clinch their 21st American League pennant by beating Boston in the nightcap at Fenway Park, 3-2. The team, who will lose the World Series to Brooklyn in seven games, will finish the season three games ahead of Cleveland.

1956 Ozzie Virgil, who will see his son Ozzie catch in the big leagues, becomes the first Dominican to play in the majors. The 23-year-old Monte Cristi native plays third base in the team's 6-2 loss to Curt Simmons and the Phillies at the Polo Grounds.

1956 Due to the enforcement of a curfew, the Sunday contest between the Dodgers and Pirates is postponed with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, sending the 44,932 fans, the largest crowd in Forbes Field's history, home. The game will be completed tomorrow with Brooklyn maintaining their 8-3 advantage over Pittsburgh.

1957 Ted Williams extends his consecutive on-base streak to a major league record 16 when he reaches base five straight times in the Red Sox' 9-4 victory over Washington at Griffith Stadium. During his run, the 'Splendid Splinter' has collected two singles, four home runs (in consecutive at-bats), and nine walks and reaches base when hit by a pitch.

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1957 The Braves clinch the National League pennant, defeating the Cards 4-2 thanks to Hank Aaron's 11th inning home run. Milwaukee's accomplishment marks the first time since 1950 that a New York team hasn't finished first in the National League.

 

1962 In his first major league start, 17-year-old first baseman Ed Kranepool gets his first hit, an eighth-inning double at the Polo Grounds in the Mets' 2-1 walk-off victory over Chicago. When the former James Monroe High School standout retires, he will be the franchise leader in eight offensive categories, including collecting 1418 hits during his 18 seasons with the team.

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1965 In an 11-5 complete-game victory at Wrigley Field, Jim Bunning breaks the Phillies' season record for strikeouts when Cubs shortstop Jimmy Stewart becomes his 242nd victim of the year. The right-hander, who finishes the campaign fanning 268 batters, surpasses the mark established in 1915 by Pete Alexander.

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1969 In an 8-3 win over the Yankees at Fenway Park, Red Sox's first baseman Carl Yastrzemski hits his 200th career home. Yaz, who will hit 452 homers during his 23-year tenure in the major leagues, blasts Yankee starter Mel Stottlemyre's third-inning pitch to reach the milestone and then adds #201 in the eighth off Lindy McDaniel.

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1969 Exactly one year after their manager suffered a heart attack, the Mets give Gil Hodges a reason to relax a bit when the team clinches a tie for the NL East flag, beating the Cardinals, 3-2, on a Bud Harrelson's11th inning walk-off single off Bob Gibson. Before the Shea Stadium victory, Linton H. Bishop, Jr., the skipper's cardiologist, had sent him a telegram that read, "Happy to see you're No. 1. Hope your team does as well as your heart."

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1969 In his last major league at-bat, John Miller homers, making the Dodger only the second player, joining Cubs' backup catcher Paul Gillespie's accomplishment in 1945, to hit a home run in his first and last plate appearance in the major leagues. In 1966, as a Yankee, he went deep in the first of only 61 big league career at-bats in which he would collect only ten hits, including the two memorable round-trippers, to start and end his 32-game career.

 

1973 The A's clinched their third straight AL West division title, beating Chicago at Comiskey Park, 10-5. Vida Blue notches his 20th victory, joining teammates Ken Holtzman (21) and Catfish Hunter (21) as a 20-game winner, with White Sox right-hander Wilbur Wood suffering his 20th defeat, bringing the knuckleballer's record to 24-20.

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1975 At San Diego Stadium, Randy Jones becomes the first 20-game winner in the franchise's seven-year history when the Padres beat the Dodgers, 6-5. Two seasons ago, the 26-year old southpaw led the National League in losses with 22 defeats hurling for the Friars.

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1977 Reds' outfielder George Foster becomes the tenth major leaguer to hit 50 home runs in a season and the first since Willie Mays accomplished the feat in 1965 with the Giants. The National League's eventual MVP, en route to finishing with 52, hits the milestone blast off Buzz Capra with two outs in the ninth inning in the team's 5-1 win over the Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

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1978 While riding as a passenger in a car, Lyman Bostock is killed by the estranged husband of Barbara Smith, who mistakenly shoots the 27-year-old Angel outfielder in the right temple while attempting to murder his wife. After the first trial results in a hung jury, Leonard Smith, the perpetrator, is found not guilty by reason of insanity and will serve only seven months after the verdict, prompting the Indiana legislature to change the state's laws regarding insanity.

1979 In a ten-inning 7-4 Cardinal victory over New York, Lou Brock steals his 938th and final base to surpass Billy Hamilton's mark established last century. In 1977, the St. Louis outfielder broke Ty Cobb's modern major league record of 892 thefts.

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1983 With a 6-2 win over the team that traded him, Phillies' southpaw Steve Carlton records his 300th victory, beating the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The Redbirds traded the future Hall of Fame left-hander to Philadelphia for Rick Wise.

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1984 At Tiger Stadium, Willie Hernandez establishes a franchise record when he converts his 32nd consecutive save opportunity, holding the Yankees to one run over two innings in Detroit's 4-1 victory. The closer's mark will last for 27 years until it is broken in 2011 by Jose Valverde.

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1984 The Tigers defeat the Yankees, 4-1, making Sparky Anderson the first manager to win 100 games in a season in each league. As skipper of the 'Big Red Machine,' his team won 108 games in 1975 and 102 in 1976.

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1986 Astros rookie southpaw Jim Deshaies, en route to tossing a two-hit shutout with ten strikeouts, sets a major league record by striking out the game's first eight batters. The 26-year-old left-hander streak ends in the top of the third inning when Dodger pinch-hitter Larry See, batting for the opposing pitcher, pops out to second baseman Bill Doran.

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1987 Albert Hall, needing a three-bagger to complete the cycle, hits a bases-empty, two-out triple in the bottom of the ninth inning and will score the decisive run on Dave Smith's wild pitch, giving Atlanta a 5-4 walk-off victory over the Houston. The 29-year-old outfielder is the first Braves' player to hit for the cycle since 1910, when Bill Collins accomplished the rare feat.

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1988 Jose Canseco of the A's becomes baseball's first 40-40 player when he swipes his 39th and 40th base in a 14-inning victory over the Brewers, 9-8. The Oakland slugger, finishing the season with 42 homers and 40 stolen bases, never achieves a 30-30 season in his 17 years in the major leagues.

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1992 Leadoff hitter Bip Roberts ties the National League record with his tenth consecutive hit, a first-inning single in the Reds' 3-0 victory over Los Angeles at Chavez Ravine. The Cincinnati left fielder's streak ends when he grounds out in the fifth inning, facing Dodger starter Pedro Astacio.

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1996 Atlanta beats the Expos, 8-2, to clinch the National League East. The Braves become the first National League team to take five straight division titles.

1997 The Mariners break the record for the most home run by a major league team when Jay Buhner goes deep for the club's 258th round-tripper of the campaign in the first inning of the 4-3 victory over Anaheim at the Kingdome. The eventual AL Division Champs will have six players hit at least 20 homers, breaking the record established last year by the Orioles, and extends the mark to 264 round-trippers by the end of the season.

1997 The Marlins, with a 6-3 victory over the Expos at Montreal's Olympic Stadium, clinch their first-ever postseason berth. Florida, which reaches the playoffs in just its fifth year of existence, becomes the youngest franchise ever to win a World Championship.

1998 With an 8-4 victory over the Indians, the 1998 Yankees tie the 1927 team for the most wins in franchise history. The Bronx Bombers' 110 victories pull them within one game of the American League's 111 wins by the 1954 Indians.

1998 With his team ahead 7-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases full of Brewers and two outs, Cubs' outfielder Brant Brown drops Geoff Jenkins's routine long fly ball to left field, allowing three runs to score, giving Milwaukee an 8-7 walk-off win at County Stadium. The infamous error will be immortalized by Ron Santo's radio call when the broadcaster mournfully exclaims, "Nooooooooo!!!!!" as the ball rolls toward the ivy-covered wall.

1998 Craig Biggio becomes the first player since Tris Speaker in 1912 to accumulate 50 stolen bases and 50 doubles in the same season. The Astros second baseman reaches the milestone when he swipes second in the top of the sixth inning in the team's 7-1 victory over St. Louis in Busch Stadium.

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1998 In Chicago's 8-7 loss at Milwaukee, Cubs' outfielder Sammy Sosa goes deep, hitting his 64th and 65th homers to tie Mark McGwire in the historic home run race. After both sluggers blast their 66th in two days to stay even, 'Big Red' will collect four more round-trippers in the final two days of the season to finish with 70.

1999 In a 12-4 Orioles victory over the A's at Camden Yards, Albert Belle becomes only the third player in baseball history to hit four doubles in one game twice during his career, and the first one to do so in one season. Along with the Baltimore designated hitter, Gavvy Cravath and Bill Werber are the two other major leaguers to accomplish the feat.

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1999 With a crowd of 27,549 fans, the Yankees break the New York City season attendance record with a total of 3,072,009. The Mets had previously held the record when 3,047,724 turned the turnstiles in 1988.

 

2000 Joining Frank Robinson, Devil Rays' Fred McGriff becomes only the second player in major league history to hit 200 homers in the American and National League. The Crime Dog reaches the milestone when he goes deep off Roy Halladay in the team's 7-6 loss to the Blue Jays at the SkyDome.

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2000 Surpassing the major league team mark shared by the 1997 Braves and the 1999 Indians for grand slams in a season, Ben Grieve's seventh-inning home run with bases loaded gives the A's a record-breaking 13 grand slams. The four-run homer off Mariner's right-handed reliever Jose Paniagua fuels the team's 8-4 victory at Safeco Field.

2000 Rafael Palmeiro becomes the 32nd major leaguer to hit 400 career homers as he hits a three-run shot in the fifth inning of a 15-4 defeat to the Angels at the Ballpark in Arlington (TX).

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2001 Sammy Sosa sets a major league record with his third three-homer game of the season, hitting #'s 56, 57, and 58 off Astros' rookie Tim Redding. Slammin' Sammy also accomplished the feat against the Rockies (August 9) and the Brewers (August 22).

2001 Alex Rodriguez's 48th home run breaks Ernie Banks' major league record for most in a season by a shortstop, which 'Mr. Cub' established in 1957. The homer also ties the Rangers' infielder with Frank Howard (1969 as a Senator) for the franchise record for home runs in a season.

2001 At Camden Yards, Yankee closer Mariano Rivera establishes a franchise single-season record when he saves his 47th game, a 5-4 victory over Baltimore in 10-innings. Dave Righetti set the previous set the mark in 1986.

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2001 In the Giants' 11-2 rout of the Padres, Barry Bonds ties Sammy Sosa for the second-most home runs in a season, hitting his 66th round-tripper off San Diego's rookie Jason Middlebrow in the second inning of the Qualcomm Stadium contest. The left fielder also sets a major league record with 34 road homers, passing Babe Ruth (1927) and Mark McGwire (1998), who had 32 dingers away from home.

2002 In the last public event in 32-year-old Cinergy Field, over 40,000 fans attend a softball game featuring Reds greats of the 'Big Red Machine' against an all-star team of players made up from the same era. Banned by major league baseball, Pete Rose participates in the non-affiliated MLB game, receiving a tremendous ovation from the Cincinnati fans.

2005 Jimmy Rollins' first-inning single makes the shortstop's 28-game hitting streak the longest by a Phillies player in over one hundred years. Ed Delahanty got at least one hit in 31 consecutive contests for the National League franchise during the 1899 season.

2005 As a result of the merger of Bank One and JP Morgan Chase & Company, the Diamondbacks' home field, Bank One Ballpark, is renamed Chase Field. Arizona fans, who have affectionately come to call the stadium 'Bob,' will be comforted to know the team will continue to employ D. Baxter Bobcat as the team's mascot.

2006 In Milwaukee's Miller Park, Barry Bonds hits his 734th career homer, surpassing Hank Aaron, and establishes a new all-time National League home run mark. The historic long ball hit by the unpopular 42-year-old Giants slugger receives little fanfare in the city where 'Hammerin' Hank,' a former player for the Braves and Brewers, is a local legend.

2006 With one home game left on the schedule, the Dodgers break their single-season attendance record established in 1982 as the team sells 3,708,723 tickets to its games played in Chavez Ravine. The actual turnstile count set the previous record of 3,608,881, the method formerly used by the National League to count fans.

2006 At Camden Yards, Orioles outfielder Jay Gibbons hits a foul ball straight back over the screen that hits a fan in the rib cage. The injured patron is the batter's wife, Laura.

2007 At Petco Park, the Rockies beat the Padres, 7-3, for their 84th win of the season to break a club record. Jeff Francis, who gives up seven hits and two runs in his eight innings of work, ties Kevin Ritz (1996) and Pedro Astacio (1999) for club victories and establishes a new franchise mark for left-handers, winning his 17th game of the campaign.

2007 Mike Mussina becomes the 45th pitcher in major league history to win 250 games when the Yankees beat the Blue Jays in the Bronx, 7-5. 'Moose' insists that the game ball goes to Joba Chamberlain, the rookie phenom who picks up his first career save.

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2007 In front of the largest crowd of the season, the Nationals, in the last major league game played at RFK, beat Philadelphia, 5-3, to finish their three-year stay at the 41-year-old Washington, D.C. stadium with a home win-loss record of 122-121. The ballpark, the former home of the expansion Senators and the NFL's Redskins, had served as the Nats' home since 2005 when the franchise shifted from Montreal to the District of Columbia.

2007 Milton Bradley tears an anterior cruciate ligament when his manager Bud Black spins him to the ground, preventing him from going after umpire Mike Winters in the eighth inning of a 7-3 loss to the Rockies. The Padres' left fielder will miss the rest of the season due to the injury, and baseball suspends the first base ump for the remainder of the season without pay for his actions during the confrontation.

2008 With a 5-4 victory over the Indians at Fenway Park, the Red Sox earn at least a wild-card playoff berth. Boston's win eliminates the Yankees, who had appeared in 13 consecutive postseasons, spanning Derek Jeter's entire career.

2008 The Tigers, bowing to the Royals, 5-0, fall into last place in the American League Central Division, getting blanked for the 13th time this season. After making significant moves in the offseason, Detroit appeared to be one of the best teams in baseball.

2008 For the third consecutive season, the Marlins have established a new franchise record for home runs. Josh Willingham's second inning round-tripper, the club's 202nd, sets the new mark in Florida's 9-4 loss to the Nationals.

2008 Tim Lincecum sets the Giants' single-season record with 252 strikeouts. The San Francisco right-hander whiffs nine Colorado batters in 4.1 innings to surpass Jason Schmidt, who had 251 K's in 2004.


2008 Jose Reyes collects his 200th hit of the season with a bases-loaded triple in a much-needed Mets 6-2 victory over the Cubs at Shea Stadium. The 25-year-old shortstop joins Lance Johnson (1996) as one of the only two players in franchise history to reach the esteemed plateau.

2009 After signing him to a one-year contract extension for 2010, the Braves announce Bobby Cox will retire as the Braves' manager after next season. The 68-year-old skipper has led the team to a string of 14 consecutive postseason appearances and a world championship during his 24-year tenure in Atlanta.

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2009 Trailing 8-0 at Dodger Stadium, the Giants take the lead, scoring nine runs in the top of the seventh inning. Although L.A. will come back twice to tie the score with clutch two-out hits in the eighth and ninth, San Francisco tallies four runs in the top of the tenth frame for the 14-10 victory