BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

1962 Philadelphia's Cal McLish and Bob Gibson of the Cardinals fail to finish an inning when each starter allows six runs to score in the first frame. Tossing 8.1 innings of shutout ball, Ernie Broglio gets credit for the win when the Redbirds beat the Phillies in the Connie Mack Stadium contest, 12-6.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1988 Although better known for his contributions as a Dodger, the Padres retire the uniform #6 worn by Steve Garvey, who signed a $6.6 million five-year deal as a free agent in December 1982. The All-Star first baseman, the first to be so honored by the franchise, enjoyed five solid seasons, batting .275, and hit the most dramatic home run in Friar's history, an elimination-staving walk-off homer in Game 4 of the NLCS for the eventual National League champs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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On April 16 in Baseball History...

• • 1929 - Cleveland outfielder Earl Averill becomes the first A.L. player to hit a home run in his first major league time at bat when he blasts an 0-and-2 pitch off Detroit's Earl Whitehill in the Indians' 5-4, 11-inning victory.
    
  • 1935 - Babe Ruth's N.L. debut draws 25,000 to Braves Field. The Babe's two-hit debut includes a 430-foot home run off Carl Hubbell, as Boston beats New York 4-2. The Babe's contract includes a share in the team's profits.
    
  • 1940 - Working in 47-degree weather, Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians throws an Opening Day no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox, winning 1-0 at Comiskey Park. It's the first Opening Day no-hitter since Leon Red Ames pitched one for the Giants in 1909.
    
  • 1948 - A Major League baseball game was televised for the first time, by WGN-TV. It was an exhibition game at Wrigley Field with Jack Brickhouse doing the play-by-play. The White Sox defeated the Cubs, 4-1.
    
  • 1972 - In Chicago, 22-year-old rookie Burt Hooton of the Cubs no-hits the Phillies 4-0. It is Hooton's fourth major league game over two seasons. He has allowed just eight hits in 30 innings with his knuckle-curve.
    
  • 1977 - Regulations force Oakland pitcher Vida Blue to discard his old, discolored lucky cap because it is no longer identical in color, trim and style to those of his teammates.
    
  • 1978 - Bob Forsch of the St. Louis Cardinals no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-0. Less than a year later, Bob's brother, Ken, of the Houston Astros pitched a no-hitter against Atlanta. They are the only brothers to throw no-hitters.
    
  • 1983 - Padres first baseman Steve Garvey plays in his 1,118th consecutive game, breaking Billy Williams' N.L. record. Garvey goes 2-for-4 in an 8-5 Padres loss at Los Angeles.
    
  • 1984 - Dave Kingman of the Oakland A's hit three home runs, including a grand slam, in his first three at-bats. He drove in a total of eight runs in a 9-6 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
    
  • 1989 - Kelly Gruber becomes the first member of the Blue Jays to hit for the cycle as Toronto beats Kansas City 15-8.

Baseball Birthdays on April 16...

• • 1866 - Devlin, Jim
  • 1867 - Ward, Piggy
  • 1870 - Swett, Pop
  • 1874 - Belden, Ira
  • 1875 - Murphy, Frank
  • 1880 - Heismann, Crese
  • 1880 - Stremmel, Phil
  • 1881 - Ford, Gene
  • 1883 - Gagnier, Ed
  • 1891 - Torres, Ricardo
  • 1892 - Leonard, Dutch
  • 1900 - Schulz, Walt
  • 1903 - Waner, Paul
  • 1906 - Sewell, Tommy
  • 1916 - Suder, Pete
  • 1925 - Brown, Alton
  • 1929 - Winceniak, Ed
  • 1938 - Rollins, Rich
  • 1939 - Allen, Bernie
  • 1940 - Roggenburk, Garry
  • 1942 - Lonborg, Jim
  • 1943 - Fernandez, Frank
  • 1944 - Montgomery, Bob
  • 1946 - Robles, Sergio
  • 1953 - Taylor, Bruce
  • 1953 - Reynolds, Don
  • 1954 - Robinson, Bruce
  • 1955 - Jones, Rick
  • 1955 - Bochy, Bruce
  • 1958 - Grapenthin, Rick
  • 1960 - Young, Curt
  • 1969 - Vina, Fernando
  • 1971 - Sagmoen, Marc
  • 1972 - Alfonseca, Antonio
  • 1975 - Dransfeldt, Kelly

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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4/17
BIRTHDAYS
Alexander Cartwright HOF pioneer (recognised as inventor of modern baseball, "father of baseball"), born in NYC, New York

1852 Cap Anson HOF first baseman (NL batting champion 1881, 88; 8 × NL RBI leader; Chicago White Stockings/Colts) and manager (Philadelphia A's, Chicago White Stockings/Colts, NY Giants), born in Marshalltown, Iowa (d. 1922)


1923 Solly Hemus infielder (St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies) and manager (St. Louis Cardinals 1959–61), born in Phoenix, Arizona (d. 2017)


1947 Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Japanese baseball player, born in Rumoi, Hokkaidō, Japan

1967 Marquis Grissom outfielder (MLB All-Star 1993, 94; World Series 1995; Gold Glove Award 1993–96; Montreal Expos, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians), born in Atlanta, Georgia


1972 Gary Bennett, born in Waukegan, Illinois


1981 Ryan Raburn, born in Tampa, Florida

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1822 Alexander Cartwright, considered by many the 'father' of the national pastime, celebrates his second birthday in New York City. After reviewing journals that reveal many of his contributions to baseball, the banker, given credit for establishing three strikes for an out and three outs for each half inning, will be elected into the Hall of Fame in 1938.


1869 In baseball's first professional game, Cincinnati Red Stockings defeat Amateurs, 24-15. Team captain Harry Wright put all of his players under contract, making the club, which will become known as the Reds, the first pro team in sports history.

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1904 By not charging admission but requiring fans to buy a scorecard, the Superbas find a way to play their first Sunday game at home, beating the Beaneaters, 9-1, at Brooklyn's Washington Park. The strategy attempts to circumvent legislation, known as the Blue Laws, designed to enforce religious edicts, including the observance of Sunday as a day of worship.

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1912 In front of a larger than usual crowd at the Polo Grounds of over 14,000 patrons that includes Broadway legend George M. Cohan, the Giants beat the new-look Yankees, now sporting pinstripes, in an unscheduled exhibition game, 11-2, to raise money for the survivors of the HMS Titanic. The charity contest, the first Sunday game ever played between major league teams at the Coogan's Bluff ballpark, raises over $9,000 when each fan donates the price of an admission ticket to purchase a special program for the event.

 

1925 Babe Ruth undergoes an operation for an intestinal abscess at St. Vincent's Hospital, where he will remain for six weeks. The 30-year-old Yankee outfielder will miss the first forty games of the season due to his "bellyache heard 'round the world," a popular misconception that blamed the consumption of an abundance of hot dogs and soda for his illness.

1929 In a five a.m. ceremony on Opening Day, to avoid crowds, Claire Hodgson, a divorced actress and model from Athens (GA), becomes the second Mrs. Babe Ruth. The Yankee outfielder's first wife, Julia Woodford, died in a house fire in Watertown (MA) three months ago.

1929 On a cold and dreary day at Griffith Stadium, President Herbert Hoover throws out the first ball and then stays for the entire game, watching the A's beat the hometown Senators, 13-4. The loss spoils the managerial debut of Washington legend Walter Johnson.

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1932 Giants' first baseman Bill Terry records 21 putouts, tying a National League mark. The future Hall of Famer's defense helps New York beat the Braves, 6-0, at the Polo Grounds behind Hal Schumacher's two-hit gem.

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1934 On Opening Day at the newly-named Crosley Field, Reds' announcer Red Barber calls his first play-by-play for a major league team. The 26-year-old future Hall of Fame broadcaster had never attended a major league game before today's 6-0 loss to the Cubs.

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1939 On the morning of Opening Day in Washington, D.C., President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Yankees visit Abner Doubleday's grave at Arlington National Cemetery. A rain cancels FDR's ceremonial first pitch at Griffith Stadium, with Vice President John Nance Garner doing the honors in the season opener four days later when the Bombers return from New York, having played Boston to start their campaign.

 

1945 Browns outfielder Pete Gray, playing with one arm, makes his major league debut with one hit in four at-bats in a 7-1 victory over Detroit at Sportsman's Park. The 30-year-old St. Louis outfielder, who lost his right arm in a childhood accident, batted .333 last season as a minor leaguer.

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1951 Before the Cubs' home opener, Sam Snead tees off from home plate, sending a golf ball soaring over the 89-foot Wrigley Field scoreboard in center field. 'Slammin' Sammy' won three Masters, three PGA Championships, and one British Open during his nearly 40 years as a professional golfer.


1951 Mickey Mantle, batting third, grounds out to second base in his first major league at-bat. The 19-year-old right fielder will hit a sixth-inning run-scoring single, going 1-for-4 in the Yankees' Opening Day 5-0 victory over Boston in the Bronx.

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1951 For the first time, in a career that will span more than half of a century, public address announcer Bob Sheppard announces the Yankees' lineup. The 'Voice of God's introduction of the team includes the memorable names of Mickey Mantle, playing his first game, Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra, but the first player's name announced will be DiMaggio - Dom DiMaggio, the leading off for the visiting Red Sox.

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1953 Mickey Mantle blasts a 'reported' 565-foot homer off southpaw Chuck Stobb in the Yankees' 7-3 victory over Washington at a windy Griffith Stadium. The distance of the historic round-tripper hit by the 21-year-old Yankee outfielder will become the subject of much debate, with later research debunking its original tape-measure status.

1954 Leading off the seventh inning at Milwaukee's County Stadium, Puerto Rican native Nino Escaper pinch-hits a single, becoming the first black player to appear in a Reds' game. Pinch-hitter Chuck Harmon, the next batter, pops out to first base in the team's 5-1 loss to the Braves to become the second black player in franchise history.

1955 In his first major league at-bat, Roberto Clemente singles off Dodger pitcher Johnny Podres. The Pirates' rookie, who will die in a plane crash attempting to bring relief aid to earthquake-stricken Nicaragua in 1972, will collect precisely 3,000 hits during his 18-year major league career, all with Pittsburgh.

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1956 White Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio, Dodger right-hander Don Drysdale, and Reds outfielder Frank Robinson play in their first major league games. The trio's debut marks the first time three future Hall of Famers have made their initial appearance on the same day.

View attachment 129071 View attachment 129073 ​

1960 The Tigers and Indians swap fan favorites when Detroit trades Harvey Kuenn, last season's batting champ, for Cleveland's 26-year-old slugger Rocky Colavito, the AL's home run champ. Detroit's new outfielder puts together four consecutive solid seasons batting .271 with 139 homers, with their former fly chaser hitting .308 in his only season in Cleveland before being traded by the Tribe to the Giants for Johnny Antonelli and Willie Kirkland.

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1964 After spending the first two years of their existence at the Polo Grounds, the Mets play their first game at Shea Stadium in front of 50,312 fans in Queens. The Amazins drop the stadium opener to Pittsburgh, 4-3, with Willie Stargell hitting the first homer in the Flushing facility.

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1968 In their first game at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, the newly arrived A's lose to the Orioles, 4-1. Baltimore southpaw Dave McNally shut down the team on two hits, which played in Kansas City last season.

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1969 In only the ninth game of the franchise's history, Expos hurler Bill Stoneman, who had never thrown a complete game in the major leagues, tosses a no-hitter, defeating the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium, 7-0. The 25-year-old right-hander, the future GM of the Angels, will throw another no-hit game in 1972 against the Mets.

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1976 At Wrigley Field, Mike Schmidt hits four home runs in one game, including the game-winner, when the Phillies come back from an 11-run deficit to beat the Cubs in ten innings, 18-16. The Phillies' slugging third baseman is the first National Leaguer, third overall, to hit the homers consecutively.

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1976 At Yankee owner George Steinbrenner's insistence, Thurman Munson is named the team captain. The reluctant backstop is the first player to assume the role since the Bronx Bombers honored Lou Gehrig with the position in 1935.

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1977 At Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the umpires walk off the field in the fourth inning to protest the Braves showing a controversial play on the ballpark's massive instant replay screen that involves Houston's Bob Watson scoring on a close play at the plate. Team executive Bill Lucas persuades the crew, including Terry Tata, Ed Sudol, Dick Stello, and Bruce Froemming, to return to the field after assuring the arbitrators the incident would not occur again.

1977 Mike Pazik posts his first and last major league win when he hurls eight innings in the Twins' 10-2 victory over Oakland at Metropolitan Stadium. The 27-year-old former Yankees farmhand's career will suddenly end on April 25 when his van is hit head-on by a car driving the wrong way on a freeway entrance, resulting in the southpaw fracturing both legs.

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1988 The Braves beat the Dodgers, 3-1, after breaking the National League record with ten losses to start the season. The team will drop 27 of its first 39 decisions, costing Chuck Tanner his job as the Atlanta manager.

1995 The Devil Rays and the City of St. Petersburg come to terms on a 30-year lease for the new American League expansion team to play their home games at the ThunderDome. The covered stadium, now known as Tropicana Field, was built originally as the Florida Suncoast Dome to coax the White Sox to leave their aging ballpark in Chicago and relocate to the Tampa Bay/St. Pete area.

 

2001 Barry Bonds becomes the 17th major leaguer and the fourth Giant to join the 500 home run club when he hits a Terry Adams' 2-0 heater into McCovey Cove at Pac Bell Park. The San Francisco left-fielder is joined at home plate by two other members of the elite fraternity, Willie Mays (660) and Willie McCovey (521), for a brief ceremony.

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2006 In front of 36,867 Shea Stadium patrons, Pedro Martinez becomes the 103rd pitcher in major league history to win 200 games when the Mets beat the Braves, 4-3. The Dominican ace has lost only 84 contests at the time of reaching the milestone, putting him behind only Bob Caruthers (74), Whitey Ford (79), and Lefty Grove (83).

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2006 In the bottom ninth inning, Mark Loretta hits a two-out, two-run home run over the left-field wall, giving the Red Sox a dramatic 7-6 victory over the Mariners at Fenway Park on Patriots' Day. The only other player to end a game with a homer on Boston's special day of celebration is Frank Malzone, who gave the team a 5-4 walk-off victory over the Yankees in 1959, the year the New England baseball tradition began.

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2007 After the second inning of an eventual 6-4 loss to the Braves at RFK Stadium, the Nationals take the field wearing Virginia Tech baseball caps as a tribute to the 32 victims of the shooting rampage which took place on the Blacksburg campus yesterday morning. Nearly a dozen of the burgundy caps signed by the players who wore them will be sent to the nearby college, while the hat worn by the Nationals' last batter of the game, Chris Snelling, will reside in the Hall of Fame.

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2008 In the longest game in franchise history, the Rockies beat the Padres, 2-1, in a 22-inning marathon played at Petco Park. The game, which ends at 1:31 am, takes 6 hours, 16 minutes to complete, falling one minute shy of San Diego's record for the length of a game, but goes into the team record books for the most innings played to complete a contest.

2009 At Citi Field, Gary Sheffield becomes the 25th player to hit 500 career home runs. Joining Ty Cobb and Rusty Staub as the only major leaguers to homer as a teenager and a forty-year-old, the recently released Tiger DH becomes the first to reach the milestone as a pinch-hitter and the first to accomplish the feat in a Mets uniform.

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2009 Washington's right fielder Adam Dunn and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman start the game against Florida with the word "Nationals" misspelled on the front of their uniforms. Majestic Athletic, the jersey manufacturer, takes full responsibility for the missing "O" and apologizes for the mistake to the organization, the players, and their fans.


2009 Jason Kubel blasts a grand slam to become the ninth Twins player to hit for the cycle, the first to do it at the Metrodome since 1986 when Kirby Puckett accomplished the feat in front of the home crowd. The left fielder's bases-full homer caps a seven-run eighth inning in Minnesota's 11-9 comeback victory over the Angels.

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2010 In a nationally televised afternoon game at Busch Stadium, the Mets need 20 innings to beat the Cardinals, 2-1. The 6-hour-53 minute contest ends when Jose Reyes plates the eventual winning run with a sac fly off outfielder-turned-hurler Joe Mather and Mike Pelfrey, usually a starting pitcher, gets the final three outs to record his first career save.

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2010 The 26-year-old Rockies' right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, striking out seven and walking six, hurls the first no-hitter in the 18-year history of the franchise. The 4-0 historic victory over Atlanta at Turner Field is saved in the seventh inning with a spectacular catch by center fielder Dexter Fowler.

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2012 Throwing seven strong innings in the Rockies' 5-3 victory over San Diego, Jamie Moyer becomes the oldest pitcher to win a major league contest. The 49-year, 150-day old southpaw surpasses Brooklyn's Jack Quinn, who was almost three months younger when he got the victory, pitching five frames in relief against St. Louis in 1932.

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2012 After agreeing on a $1.25 million deal last week, Johnny Damon signs a minor league contract en route to joining the Indians, possibly becoming their regular left fielder. The 38-year-old career .286 hitter, who needs 277 knocks to reach the 3,000-hit plateau, will bring intangibles to the club by providing veteran leadership for the struggling Tribe and mentoring the team's younger stars.

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2012 Mark Melancon allows six earned runs without recording an out in the eighth inning, a frame that features three home runs to the six Rangers he faces in the 18-3 rout of the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Boston reliever yields a double to Ian Kinsler, walks Elvis Andrus, gives up a three-run blast to Josh Hamilton, followed by Adrian Beltre's round-tripper, before David Murphy walks and Nelson Cruz homers before ending his historic outing.​

2013 Clayton Kershaw becomes the second-fastest Dodger to strike out 1,000 batters when he throws a second-inning 93-mph fastball past San Diego first baseman's Yonder Alonso. The 25-year-old southpaw reaches the milestone in 970 career innings, 15.2 more than needed by Hideo Nomo, who established the team mark in 2003.

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2015 Mike Trout, at the age of 23 years and 253 days, becomes the youngest major league player to compile 100 career home runs and 100 career stolen bases when he homers in the sixth inning off Roberto Hernandez in the Angels’ 6-3 victory over the Astros at the Minute Maid Park. The Melville Millville Meteor surpasses the mark previously set by Alex Rodriguez, who was 56 days older when he reached the 100/100 mark.

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2015 Kris Bryant makes his much-anticipated major league debut for the Cubs, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the team's 5-4 loss to the Padres at Wrigley Field. Chicago had delayed the start of his season to extend the club's control on the highly-touted freshman, who will be named the National League's Rookie of the Year.

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Today in Baseball History
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Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths
On April 17 in Baseball History...

• • 1892 - In the first Sunday game in National League history, Cincinnati defeated St. Louis 5-1.
    
  • 1929 - Babe Ruth and actress Claire Hodgson are married at 5:00 AM to avoid crowds. The next day, in his first at bat against Red Ruffing, the Babe will hit a home run. Rounding second base, he'll doff his cap to Claire in the stands.
    
  • 1934 - At Ebbets Field, Casey Stengel makes his managerial debut, but his Dodgers lose 8-7 to the Braves.
    
  • 1947 - The Dodgers win 12-6 over the Braves at home as Jackie Robinson gets his first major league hit � off Glenn Elliot.
  • 1951 - In his first major league game, Mickey Mantle went 1-for-4 as the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox 5-0.
    
  • 1953 - Mickey Mantle hits the longest home run in Griffith Stadium history, a 565-feet shot off of Chuck Stobbs of the Washington Senators. The Yanks win 7-3.
    
  • 1960 - On Easter Sunday, Frank Lane brings A.L. batting champ Harvey Kuenn to Cleveland and sends co-home run champ Rocky Colavito to Detroit. Colavito, an unparalleled fan favorite in Cleveland, will hit 173 home runs before returning to the Tribe on January 20, 1965. Kuenn will be traded to the Giants after one season.
    
  • 1964 - The New York Mets lost their first game at Shea Stadium, 4-3 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell hit the first homer at Shea.
    
  • 1968 - The A's debut at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum by losing 4-1 to Baltimore. During the game, the dirt covering a shallow metal dome under the pitching mound, is kicked aside exposing the steel frame, so the mound is covered between innings.
    
  • 1969 - Bill Stoneman of Montreal pitched a 7-0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies in only the 10th game of the Expos' existence.
    
  • 1976 - Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies hit four consecutive home runs and added a single in an 18-6, 10-inning victory over the Cubs in Wrigley Field. Hitting .167 going into the game, Schmidt connected twice off Rick Reuschel, once off Rick's brother, Paul, and once off Mike Garman. He drove in eight runs. (Box Score)
    
  • 1979 - At Oakland, only 653 fans show up to watch the A's beat the Mariners 6-5.
    
  • 1983 - Nolan Ryan fans seven Expos in a 6-3 Houston win to become only the second pitcher to record 3,500 career strikeouts.
    
  • 1988 - After ten consecutive losses the Braves win their first game of the season 3-1 over the Dodgers.
    
  • 1989 - Kent Tekulve pitches two shutout innings in the Reds 3-2, ten-inning win over the Dodgers to pass Hoyt Wilhelm as the major leagues' all-time leader in relief appearances with 1,019.
    
  • 1993 - Three Orioles end up on third base after Chad Curtis traps a line drive in center with the bases loaded. Angels catcher John Orton walks over to the bag and tags all three runners. Only one is entitled to the bag and the double play ends the inning. California third baseman Rene Gonzales observes, Harry's Radiator was the last team I was on where I saw something stupid like that happen.

Baseball Birthdays on April 17...

• • 1863 - Ferguson, Charlie
  • 1864 - Bakely, Jersey
  • 1869 - Grimes, John
  • 1870 - Yale, Ad
  • 1875 - Jaeger, Charlie
  • 1891 - Perry, Scott
  • 1892 - Schick, Morrie
  • 1903 - Osborn, Bob
  • 1903 - Miller, Elmer
  • 1906 - Delker, Eddie
  • 1907 - Stevens, Bobby
  • 1909 - Sheerin, Chuck
  • 1914 - Smoll, Lefty
  • 1917 - Andrews, Stan
  • 1923 - Hemus, Solly
  • 1937 - Pena, Roberto
  • 1945 - Paepke, Dennis
  • 1950 - Garcia, Pedro
  • 1954 - Walling, Denny
  • 1955 - Runnells, Tom
  • 1957 - Huppert, Dave
  • 1965 - Worthington, Craig
  • 1967 - Grissom, Marquis
  • 1969 - Ball, Jeff
  • 1971 - Johnson, Keith
  • 1972 - Bennett, Gary

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.