BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2008 In the sixth inning of the Dodgers' 3-2 victory over the Giants, Ed Montague tosses Larry Bowa for not staying in the third-base coaching box after warning him to follow the new rule established following the tragic death of Tulsa Drillers first-base coach Mike Coolbaugh. LA manager Joe Torre and bench coach Bob Schaefer need to restrain the former infielder and skipper during his "inappropriate and aggressive" behavior towards the umpires, leading to a three-game suspension.
2008 Kevin Youkilis establishes the longest errorless streak by a first baseman, playing the field flawlessly for 194 games. The Red Sox infielder, who hasn't committed an error at first base since July 4, 2006, breaks Steve Garvey's mark set with the Padres from 1983-85.
2011 Ian Kinsler leads off the bottom of the first with a round-tripper off Red Sox' Jon Lackey to become the first major leaguer ever to hit leadoff homers in each of his team's first two games. On Opening Day, the Texas second baseman also took Boston's Jon Lester deep as the Rangers' first batter of the season.
2011 Ichiro Suzuki breaks the Mariner's franchise record with an infield single off A's reliever Brian Fuentes in the team's 5-2 victory over Oakland. The Seattle right fielder, beginning his 11th season with the M's, surpasses the total of 2,247 hits established by Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez, Seattle's designated hitter from 1987 to 2004.
2011 David Ortiz breaks the major league record for RBIs by a designated hitter, established by Seattle's Edgar Martinez. 'Big Papi,' who hit a two-run homer in the second to tie the mark, drives in Alex Gonzalez for his record-setting 1,004th career run batted in as a DH with a fourth-inning groundout to first base in the Red Sox' 12-5 loss to Texas.
2012 Matt Cain, the longest-tenured Giant, comes to terms with the team on a five-year extension that will keep the 6'5" Tennessean with San Francisco until 2017. The 27-year-old right-hander has been the staff's workhorse, averaging 32 starts in each of the last six seasons.
2013 Marwin Gonzalez's two-out, ninth-inning single, a grounder that goes through the box between the pitcher's legs, spoils Yu Darvish's bid for a perfect game. The 26-year-old Ranger starter is removed from the Minute Maid Park contest after giving up the hit and watches reliever Michael Kirkman close the Texas 7-0 victory over Houston.
2014 With the score tied 3–3 in the bottom of the 13th inning and the bases loaded with no outs, the Cubs turned a 7-2-3 double play against the Pirates. Chicago defensively placed left fielder Junior Lake in the infield near the third baseline, who fielded Clint Barmes' grounder throwing home for one out, with the catcher relaying the ball to first base to complete the unusual twin-killing in the Pirates' eventual 4-3 walk-off victory three innings later at PNC Park.
2014 Rookie catcher Tony Sanchez, pinch-hitting in the bottom of the 16th inning, singles in the winning run to end the 5-hour and 55-minute marathon, now the longest game in Pittsburgh history by time. The 4-3 victory over Chicago took six minutes longer to play than when the Bucs beat the Astros, 8-7, in an 18-inning contest played in 2006.
2017 In the Diamondbacks' 6-5 Opening Day walk-off victory over the Giants, Madison Bumgarner becomes the first pitcher to hit two home runs in the first game of the season. The 27-year-old southpaw retires the first 16 batters he faces, striking out 11 with no walks in seven innings of work at Chase Field.
2019 The Braves and Ronald Acuna Jr. come to terms on an eight-year, $100 million extension, keeping the 2018 Rookie of the Year under contract through the 2026 season. The 21-year-old All-Star outfielder becomes the youngest player in baseball history to sign a deal worth at least $100 million.
2021 In his second game and first in the starting lineup, White Sox DH Yermín Mercedes goes 5-for-5, collecting his first five career hits, in the team's 12-8 victory at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The 28-year-old catcher, who stroked four singles and a double, becomes the third major leaguer to get five hits in his first major league start, joining Cecil Travis (1933 Senators) and Fred Clarke (1894 Louisville Colonels).
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Today in Baseball History
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On April 2 in Baseball History...

• • 1908 - After a two-year investigation, the Mills Commission, formed on the recommendation of Al Spalding and headed by the former N.L. president A. G. Mills, declares that baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839. Overwhelming evidence to the contrary is ignored, but the designation makes James Fenimore Cooper's town the most likely site for a Hall of Fame and museum when these establishments are conceived some 30 years later.
  • 1972 - Mets manager Gil Hodges dies of a heart attack at West Palm Beach, Florida, two days shy of his 48th birthday. Yogi Berra is named manager.
  • 1976 - The A's trade prospective free agents Reggie Jackson and Ken Holtzman, together with a minor league pitcher, to the Orioles for outfielder Don Baylor and pitchers Mike Torrez and Paul Mitchell.
  • 1982 - In an exhibition game against the Padres, A's pitcher Steve McCatty steps to the plate wielding a 15-inch toy bat on the instructions of manager Billy Martin, who was upset that his club was not allowed to use a designated hitter in spring training games at N.L. parks. Home plate umpire Jim Quick refuses to let McCatty use the bat, and McCatty takes three called strikes.
  • 1996 - Lumbering Tigers slugger Cecil Fielder steals the first base of his career in his 1,097th game. He'll steal another before season's end.

Baseball Birthdays on April 2...

• • 1856 - Bond, Tommy
  • 1868 - Boyd, Frank
  • 1869 - Jennings, Hughie
  • 1877 - Siever, Ed
  • 1878 - Harper, Jack
  • 1881 - Stanley, Joe
  • 1884 - Wakefield, Howard
  • 1889 - Taylor, Ben
  • 1889 - Moran, Harry
  • 1889 - Demott, Ben
  • 1894 - O'Donnell, Harry
  • 1895 - Pruess, Earl
  • 1906 - Way, Bob
  • 1907 - Appling, Luke
  • 1911 - Pippen, Cotton
  • 1919 - Johnson, Earl
  • 1924 - Avila, Bobby
  • 1927 - Pierce, Billy
  • 1930 - Jones, Gordon
  • 1930 - Ceccarelli, Art
  • 1937 - Radatz, Dick
  • 1938 - Weis, Al
  • 1945 - Kekich, Mike
  • 1945 - Smith, Reggie
  • 1945 - Sutton, Don
  • 1950 - Ramirez, Milt
  • 1951 - Johnson, Tom
  • 1953 - Cruz, Hector
  • 1955 - Sample, Bill
  • 1958 - Howard, Mike
  • 1959 - Nipper, Al
  • 1960 - Barrett, Tom
  • 1964 - Incaviglia, Pete
  • 1968 - Leskanic, Curtis
  • 1969 - Hosey, Steve
  • 1970 - Lieber, Jon
  • 1970 - Hocking, Denny
  • 1973 - Kroon, Marc

Copyright � 2001-2007. All Rights Reserved.
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4/3
OTD
BIRTHDAYS
1926 Alex Grammas player, born in Birmingham, Alabama

1930 Wally Moon player, born in Bay, Arkansas (d. 2018)

1963 Chris Bosio pitcher (Seattle Mariners), born in Carmichael, California

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

1971 Quilvio Veras second baseman, born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

1975 Yoshinobu Takahashi, Japanese professional baseball player, born in Chūō-ku, Chiba, Japan

1975 Koji Uehara, Japanese professional baseball pitcher, born in Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan
1987 Jay Bruce outfielder, since 2008; 3x All-Star (Cincinnati Reds, and 5 other teams) player, born in Beaumont, Texas

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

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

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

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

 

1961 New York investors Jack P. Schleifer and Milton Schwartz take a title to Connie Mack Stadium, formerly known as Shibe Park, in hopes of developing the property as an industrial center with bowling alleys and a restaurant when the Phillies move to a proposed new ballpark in the northeastern part of the city. The 52-year-old ballpark, home for both the A's (1909-1954) and Phillies (1938-1970), will eventually become the Deliverance Evangelistic Church's site in 1991.
1966 In his first at-bat against Juan Marichal since the pitcher's bat-yielding incident last season, Johnny Roseboro hits a three-run inside-the-park home run in the Dodgers' 8-4 victory over the Giants. Before starting the spring training contest, San Francisco GM Chub Feeney attempted to arrange a handshake between the combatants, with the Los Angeles catcher, who has a $110,000 lawsuit pending against the right-hander and the hurler's team, declining the offer.

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


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

 

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

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

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

 

1984 On Opening Day, Tiger rookie Barbaro Garbey becomes the first Cuban refugee to play in the majors when he grounds out in the seventh inning as a pinch-hitter for Dave Bergman. The 27-year-old utility player will stay in the game, playing first base in Detroit's 8-1 rout of Minnesota in the Metrodome.
1985 The owners' proposal of expanding the League Championship Series to best-of-seven is agreed to by the Players' Association. The LCS started as a best-of-five series in 1969 when the leagues divided into divisions, with both the Orioles and Mets sweeping their opponents in three games.
1987 The Cubs trade starter Dennis Eckersley and prospect Dan Rohn to the A's for three minor leaguers who will never appear in a major league game. The future Hall of Famer known as 'Eck' becomes one of the game's top relievers, saving 320 games during his nine-year tenure with Oakland.

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

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

 

1990 Billy Hatcher, who is in the delivery room with his pregnant wife when the phone rings, is informed by Pirates manager Jim Leyland that he has been traded but doesn't ask to which team. After his daughter Chelsea is born, the former Buc outfielder gets a call at home from Cincinnati general manager Bob Quinn to welcome him to the Reds.
1994 The new season begins at Riverfront Stadium, in a game that is not embraced by the local fans or Cincinnati owner Marge Schott, with the first Sunday night opener ever played in major league history. On a frigid Easter Sunday evening, the Cardinals beat the Reds in the controversial contest, 6-4, in front of the smallest opening day crowd in the ballpark's 24-year history.
2000 With their 8-0 and 21-1 victories over the Clafin Panthers, the Savannah State nine extends its consecutive-game winning streak to 42 games. The Tigers' twin sweep sets an NCAA record, eclipsing the Marietta College of Ohio record of 40 straight wins established by the Division II school last year.

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

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



2005 Alex Sanchez becomes the first major leaguer to be publicly identified under baseball's new steroid policy. The Tampa Bay outfielder receives a ten-day suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
2006 Seattle's Kenji Johjima becomes the first Japanese catcher to start a major league game. The Mariners' 30 year-old backstop homers in his debut in the team's 5-3 loss to the Angels.
2006 Sportsnet NY, the Mets' new team-owned network, broadcasts its first regular-season baseball game. During the third inning of New York's 3-2 victory over the Nationals, SNY experiences technical difficulties that blacks out the telecast for nearly twenty minutes.

 

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

2008 A three-and-a-half pound red-tailed hawk, known to nest at the historic ballpark, attacks a Memorial Boulevard Middle School student during a Fenway Park tour. The 13-year-old from Bristol (CT), treated for a small scratch on her scalp at a local hospital, has a familiar name to Red Sox fans, Alexa Rodriguez, similar to the much detested third baseman of the Yankees who also is 13 (uniform number).
2008 Twenty minutes before their game, the Dodgers announce reliever Hong-Chih Kuo will start in place of Chad Billingsley, who, in turn, will be in the bullpen. The unusual move, made due to the threat of rain at the start of the contest, is also employed by the Giants, with Merkin Valdez beginning the game with the announced starter and eventual winner, Tim Lincecum entering the game in the fourth inning.
2008 At Comerica Park in Detroit, the Royals beat the Tigers, 4-1, completing a season-opening three-game sweep. The victories mark the first time that Kansas City had started the year with a sweep on the road since 1977, when the team also won the first three away contests of the season in the Motor City.
2008 In a dazzling debut, Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto fans ten batters in an overpowering seven-inning performance when Cincinnati beats the visiting Diamondbacks, 3-2. Using a 96-mph fastball and devastating changeup, the 22-year-old rookie, who started last season pitching in the low minors, strikes out eight of his first 13 Arizona batters he faces.

2009 The Mets, obligated only to pay the major league minimum of $400,000, sign Gary Sheffield (.225, 19, 57) in hopes of adding a much-needed right-handed bat to the lineup. The 40-year-old offensively challenged outfielder, who has 499 career home runs, was unexpectedly released by the Tigers earlier in the week despite having $14 million left on his contract.
2009 On a damp and chilly New York night, both the Mets and Yankees open their new stadiums with exhibition games. The double debut in the Big Apple sees each team come away with a victory when the Amazin's beat the Red Sox, 4-3, and the Bronx Bombers launch three homers to defeat the Cubs, 7-4.

 

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

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

2016 For the first time, teams from the previous World Series play each other on Opening Day when the Mets drop a 4-3 decision to the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. In pregame ceremonies, Kansas City, who defeated the Mets in the Fall Classic in five games, hoists the World Champion banner for the first time since the team beat the Cardinals in 1985.
2016 On Opening Day in Kansas City, with the team's theme "We Are The Champions" playing in the background, over 2,000 fans participate in the Relay the Way event, establishing a new record when they line up to complete the longest first pitch in baseball history. The ball, which is tossed hand to glove for four hours, travels a distance of nine miles and raises over $100,000 for the Royals' Urban Youth Academy charity.

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Today in Baseball History
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Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths
On April 3 in Baseball History...

• • 1923 - Two Black Sox sue the White Sox. Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch seek $400,000 damages and $6,750 in back salary for conspiracy and injury to reputation in the aftermath of the scandalous 1919 World Series court case. Their suit will be unsuccessful.
  • 1966 - University of Southern California pitcher Tom Seaver signs with the Mets for a reported $50,000 bonus. A selection of the Braves in the January free-agent draft, Seaver signs with Atlanta's Richmond farm club a month later, after the start of USC's baseball schedule. A ruling on the violation nets Richmond a $500 fine and forbids Atlanta from signing Seaver for three years. However, Seaver is also declared ineligible at the college level, so an unprecedented special draft is held. Three clubs willing to match Richmond's $40,000 contract � the Indians, Phillies, and Mets � participate. New York's name is drawn from a hat as the winner.
  • 1985 - The Players' Association agrees to the owners' proposal to expand the 1985 League Championship Series from the best-of-five games to best-of-seven.
  • 1987 - The Cubs trade veteran pitcher Dennis Eckersley and minor leaguer Dan Rohn to the A's for three minor leaguers.
  • 1989 - The Mets win their 11th consecutive home opener, an 8-4 decision over St. Louis at Shea Stadium. They've now won on Opening Day in 18 of the last 20 seasons.

Baseball Birthdays on April 3...

• • 1854 - Ellick, Joe
  • 1856 - Hecker, Guy
  • 1860 - Lynch, Tom
  • 1864 - Schwartz, Bill
  • 1867 - McSweeney, Paul
  • 1875 - Pappalau, John
  • 1879 - Frill, John
  • 1886 - Graham, Bert
  • 1892 - Kingman, Harry
  • 1896 - Seibold, Socks
  • 1905 - Hinkle, Gordie
  • 1921 - Conger, Dick
  • 1926 - Grammas, Alex
  • 1929 - Ditmar, Art
  • 1930 - Moon, Wally
  • 1936 - Rowe, Don
  • 1939 - Taylor, Hawk
  • 1940 - Vidal, Jose
  • 1943 - Moore, Barry
  • 1944 - Hodge, Gomer
  • 1946 - Gaspar, Rod
  • 1954 - Littleton, Larry
  • 1956 - Jackson, Darrell
  • 1958 - Pettis, Gary
  • 1960 - Conroy, Tim
  • 1961 - Crews, Tim
  • 1961 - Baker, Doug
  • 1962 - Clary, Marty
  • 1963 - Bosio, Chris
  • 1967 - Leon, Danilo
  • 1967 - Garcia, Miguel
  • 1968 - Lansing, Mike
  • 1971 - Veras, Quilvio
  • 1972 - Soderstrom, Steve
  • 1974 - Pittsley, Jim
  • 1978 - Rivera, Juan

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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