BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1890 The Brooklyn Bridegrooms, who will later be known as the Dodgers, play their first National League game. The former American Association team loses to the Beaneaters, who will become known as the Braves in 1912, at Boston's South End Grounds, 15-9.

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1900 The Beaneaters score nine runs in the ninth to send the game into extra innings, but the Phillies recover to beat Boston in 10 innings, 19-17. The 36 runs crossing the plate in the South End Grounds set a major league record for most runs scored by two clubs on Opening Day.

1912 Due to a rainout on Opening Day, the Red Sox schedule a two-admission twin bill with games starting at 10:30 am and 3:15 pm to give morning fans the chance to see the end of the Boston Marathon and race watchers the opportunity to attend the afternoon contest. Although a Patriots' Day game will not become an annual event until 1959, the pairing of the holiday and the big crowd gathered for the 26.2-mile run almost occurred a half-of-a-century sooner if inclement weather hadn't also washed away today's Fenway Park doubleheader.

1912 At Griffith Stadium, before the Senators' 6-0 victory over the A's, James S. Sherman becomes the first U.S. Vice President to throw the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day. William Howard Taft does not attend the game due to the death of Archibald Butt, a friend lost in the sinking of the Titanic.

1927 Calling the play-by-play in the Tigers' 8-5 victory over the Indians, Edwin Tyson becomes the first person in club history to broadcast a game. The radio personality will begin the game by saying, "Good afternoon, boys and girls, this is Ty Tyson speaking to you from Navin Field," which will become his familiar refrain on WWJ.

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1938 During the first inning, both Dodgers' Ernie Koy and Phillies' Heinie Mueller homer in their first major league at-bats. The rookies will collectively hit 53 home runs during their nine seasons in the major leagues.

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1939 At an informal press conference arranged by Universal Pictures, actress Dorothy Arnold tells wire service reporters that she and Joe DiMaggio are engaged and plan to marry sometime this summer. Upon hearing the news, the somewhat surprised Yankee center fielder clarifies that no ceremony will occur during the baseball season, but the couple will exchange vows in November.

 

1944 Mel Ott hits the first National League round-tripper of the season, the 464th of his career, helping the Giants defeat the Braves, 2-1. Next season, Master Melvin will become the first National Leaguer to amass 500 career home runs.

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1948 Yankee starter Allie Reynolds, thinking the Senators are trying to trick him, refuses to leave second base after hitting his first and only career home run, which is unbeknownst to him because he did not see the ball clear the left-field fence. In front of an amused President Truman, New York skipper Bucky Harris finally convinces the skeptical baserunner to round the bases to continue the Opening Day contest at Griffith Stadium.

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1948 The Pirates, wearing their black and gold color scheme for the first time, lose baseball's traditional opener in Cincinnati, 4-1, in a game that features scuffles between opposing players, an ump, a photographer, a fan who jumps on the field, and the police. Becoming the first team to change their original colors permanently, the Bucs abandoned the familiar patriotic look of red, white, and blue, choosing to use hues that match the Flag of Pittsburgh.

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1948 The Red Sox become the first team to hit three consecutive homers on Opening Day when Stan Spence, Vern Stephens, and Bobby Doerr go deep in the second frame. The long ball proves not to be enough with the A's 5-4 victory over Boston in 11 innings.

1949 In front of 53,000 fans on Opening Day, Johnny Groth hits home runs in two of his first three at-bats at Tiger Stadium. The 22-year-old rookie's performance enables Hal Newhowser and Detroit to beat Chicago, 5-1.

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1949 On Opening Day, the Yankees unveil a monument in centerfield in memory of Babe Ruth eight months after his death. The legendary "Bambino" joins Lou Gehrig and Miller Huggins, also honored posthumously with cenotaphs, the team's highest honor.

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1949 Pirates right-hander Rip Sewell establishes a National League record when he throws his third Opening Day shutout, blanking the Cubs, 1-0, at Wrigley Field. Rick Mahler (Braves, 1982, 1985,1987) and Chris Short (Phillies, 1965, 1968, 1970) will match the record of the 42-year-old veteran hurler, who also threw zeros to start the 1943 and 1947 seasons.

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1956 In the first major league game ever played in New Jersey, the Dodgers begin their Jersey City home game experiment with a 10-inning 5-4 victory over the Phillies at Roosevelt Stadium. A sparse crowd of 12,214, limited by inclement weather, sees Brooklyn backstop Roy Campanella tie the score in the tenth inning with his 1000th career hit, a double down the left-field line.

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1960 A record Opening Day crowd at Chicago's Comiskey Park enthusiastically greets their American League champs and warmly welcomes Minnie Minoso to the team after his three-year exile to Cleveland. The 34-year-old outfielder doesn't disappoint the South Side fans when, in addition to hitting a grand slam in the fourth, he blasts a ninth-inning walk-off home run, giving the White Sox a 10-9 victory over Kansas City.

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1960 Roger Maris, obtained from the A's in the offseason, goes 4-for-5 batting leadoff in his first game as a Yankee. The 25-year-old right fielder's 11 total bases, including two home runs and a double, contribute to the Bronx Bombers' Opening Day 8-4 victory over Boston at Fenway Park.

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1961 At Comiskey Park, Bill Veeck employs eight Little People to work in the stands during the White Sox home opener against Washington. The Chicago owner's hiring decision responds to complaints that fans sitting in the box seats couldn't see over the vendors.

1963 Willie Mays becomes the all-time National League right-handed home run leader when he connects for his 371st career round-tripper, a fourth-inning solo shot off Chicago's Larry Jackson in the Giants' 5-1 victory at Candlestick Park. The San Francisco center fielder surpasses Gil Hodges, who established the mark last season.

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1968 Nolan Ryan makes quick work of the Dodgers when he strikes out the side on nine pitches in the top of the third inning of the Mets' 3-2 loss at Shea Stadium. The 21-year-old New York fireballer, who will also accomplish the feat with the Angels in 1972, strikes out 11 batters in 7.1 frames, including Claude Osteen, Wes Parker, and Zoilo Versalles, the victims of his immaculate inning.

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1969 Along with Dick Ellsworth and Juan Pizarro, Ken Harrelson is traded by the Red Sox to the Indians for Joe Azcue, Vicente Romo, and Sonny Siebert. The 27-year-old 'Hawk' decides to retire but reluctantly returns to the game after a conversation with commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who will later say, "the loss of Ken Harrelson would be a tragedy for baseball."

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1972 The demolition of Crosley Field begins when two-year-old Pete Rose, Jr. pulls a lever that sends a wrecking ball into the side of the former home of the Reds. The left-field terrace area will become a parking lot but is still distinguishable due to its slope and proximity to York Street.

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1972 Sparky Lyle becomes the first reliever to come into a game with a signature entrance song when the Yankee Stadium PA system plays Pomp and Circumstance as the closer approaches the mound. Although the southpaw secures the last out of the team's 3-2 victory over Milwaukee, the reliever believes the Edward Elgar's march, selected by PR man Marty Appel, adds more pressure to his closer role and asks the public relations department to put the tradition on hold.

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1979 The Mets trade Tim Foli and minor league prospect Greg Field to the Pirates for second baseman Frank Taveras. Foli, appearing in 133 games, will play a significant role in the club's world championship this season, batting .291 and providing solid defense at shortstop for the Bucs.

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1979 After a 6-3 loss to the Orioles in New York, Goose Gossage sustains a sprained ligament in his left thumb due to a clubhouse brawl with Yankee teammate Cliff Johnson. The reliever will be out of action until mid-July, and Johnson, due to the altercation, will be traded to the Indians in June for southpaw Don Hood.

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1987 In the 4000th game in franchise history, the Mets drop a 4-2 decision to St. Louis at Busch Stadium. The reigning World Champs, who started as an expansion team in 1962, have won exactly half of their last 1000 games, posting a 500-498-2 record during the span that began on July 19, 1980.

1987 Thanks to Rob Deer's three-run homer to tie the score and Dale Sveum's two-run winning shot, the Brewers rallied for five runs in the ninth inning, beating the Rangers, 6-4. The Milwaukee victory sets an American League record as they win their 12th straight game to start the season.

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1996 In the eighth, the Rangers fall one run short of setting a modern major-league mark, scoring 16 runs in one inning in their 26-7 rout of the Orioles. In 1952, the Red Sox tallied 17 times in the seventh frame in a 23-3 rout of Detroit at Fenway Park.

1997 The Cubs lose their 13th consecutive game to match the longest losing streak in their 122-year history. Reliever Turk Wendell, wearing #13, is tagged with the loss when Chicago drops a 6-3 decision to the Mets at Shea Stadium.

1997 In the first major league game ever played in Hawaii, the Cardinals edge the Padres, 1-0, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. The three-game set, known as Padres Paradise Series, find the hosts dropping two of three contests to the Redbirds.

1998 Equaling their largest margin of victory when keeping an opponent scoreless, the Mets rout Cincinnati at Cinergy Field, 14-0. Outfielder Bernard Gilkey crosses the plate in the first, third, fifth, seventh, and eighth inning, becoming only one of four players in franchise history to score five runs in one game.

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1998 The Devil Rays, en route to finishing last in the AL East, improve their record to 10-6, beating the Angels at Anaheim, 6-0, becoming the first expansion team to be four games over .500 at any point in their inaugural season. In contrast, the 1962 Mets posted a 3-13 mark in their first 16 games.

1999 A sore back puts Oriole third baseman Cal Ripken, Jr. on the disabled list for 22 games. The injury marks the first time the Iron Man, who, in 1995, broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive game record by playing in 2,131 straight games, has been placed on the DL during his 19-year career.

 

2000 Veteran hurler Orel Hershiser ties a major league mark, equaled by 19 others, hitting four batters in one game. Astro Richard Hidalgo also ties a modern major league record when hit three times, twice by the 41-year-old Dodger starter and a third time by reliever Matt Herges.

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2002 Mariners' third baseman Jeff Cirillo ties the major league record for consecutive errorless games at the hot corner by playing his 99th contest without a miscue. John Wehner, a journeyman infielder with the Dodgers, Pirates, and Marlins, established the mark during a span of eight-plus seasons.

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2004 After faking a throw to third base before throwing to first, A's right-hander Justin Duchscherer is called for a balk by umps Paul Emmel and Mike DiMuro as the result of stepping toward home plate before beginning his pick-off move. The Oakland hurler's mound miscue ends the 14-inning contest, giving the Mariners a 2-1 balk-off victory at Safeco Field.

2005 David Wright's seventh-inning grand slam at Citizens Bank Park establishes a club record for home runs hit in a game. The Mets go deep seven times (Reyes-2, Diaz-2, Piazza, Wright, and Mientkiewicz) when they rout the Phillies, 16-4.

2009 Daniel Cabrera puts the ball in play when he grounds out to first and then reaches base safely for the first time in his six-year career when he walks on four straight balls thrown by Marlins' Hayden Penn. The Diamondbacks' right-hander had previously struck out in all of his 18 major league at-bats, including one in today's game, setting a major-league mark for consecutive strikeouts.

2009 For the third successive day, the Marlins rally in the top of the ninth, completing a three-game sweep against the Nationals. The last team to win three consecutive times after trailing in the ninth inning were the 1998 Tigers, coming back dramatically in a trio of mid-September contests to beat Toronto and Minnesota.

 

2012 Jose Altuve, Brian Bogusevic, and Matt Downs hit three-baggers in Houston's five-run first frame, marking the first time the Astros collect three triples in one inning. The triple-triple helps Houston coast to an easy 11-4 victory over the Nationals in Washington.

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2013 After stealing second, Jean Segura changes his mind about swiping third and returns to the bag, but thinking he's out because Ryan Braun occupies the base, he starts to head for the dugout, scrambling back to first when realizing he is safe. Two pitches later, the bewildered Brewer baserunner tries to steal second base again, becoming the first player to have taken second base once and then out stealing the same bag in the same inning.

2013 According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Matt Harvey becomes the first pitcher in modern major league history to win his first four games while giving up less than ten hits. The 24-year-old Mets right-hander easily outduels his mound opponent, Washington's former phenom, Stephen Strasburg, prompting the Citi Field crowd to start chanting, "Har-vee's be-tter, "Har-vee's be-tter."

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2019 When right-hander Adam Ottavino faces the Royals' Terrance Gore in the seventh inning of New York's 6-2 victory at Yankee Stadium, the matchup becomes the first zero vs. zero confrontation to take place in a big-league game. The 33-year-old reliever, whose the first Bronx Bomber to wear the uniform #0, strikes out the Kansas City outfielder, the second Royals player ever to don a cipher, and the first since George Scott wore it in 1979.

2020 Once considered one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the history of the game, Steve Dalkowski, a nine-year minor league veteran, playing mostly in the Orioles organization in the 1950s and '60s, dies from COVID-19 at 80. After beaning a mascot, the New Britain (CT) native became the inspiration for the character of Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh, a hurler with a blazing but uncontrollable fastball played by Tim Robbins in the 1988 classic baseball movie Bull Durham.
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On April 19 in Baseball History...

• • 1900 - The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Braves, 19-17, in 10 innings, to set a major league record for most runs scored by two clubs on Opening Day. The Braves scored nine runs in the ninth inning to put the game into extra innings.
    
  • 1920 - Al Schacht, who later became the "Clown Prince of Baseball," was all business as he pitched the Senators to a 7-0 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.
    
  • 1928 - The Yankees are out of first place for the first time since May 1926 as they lose the morning Patriots Day game in Boston.
    
  • 1938 - In the top of the first inning at Philadelphia, Ernie Koy of the Dodgers homers in his first major league at-bat. In the bottom of the inning, leadoff man Heinie Mueller also hits a home run in his first time up in the major leagues.
    
  • 1949 - At pre-game ceremonies marking the season opener in Yankee Stadium, a granite monument to Babe Ruth is unveiled in center field. Plaques honoring Lou Gehrig and Miller Huggins are also presented.
    
  • 1950 - Sid Gordon of the Braves hits the first N.L. grand slam of the season, as Boston beats the Giants 10-6 at the Polo Grounds. There will be 35 in the league and 68 in all in 1950. Both are records but both are later topped.
    
  • 1956 - The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4, in 10 innings at Roosevelt Stadium in the first major-league game ever held in New Jersey.
    
  • 1965 - At a cost of $20K, the outer Astrodome ceiling is painted because the sun's glare makes fielding fly balls hazardous. This will cause the grass to die and spur the introduction of artificial turf.
    
  • 1966 - In the first regular season game at Anaheim Stadium, California drops a 3-1 decision to the White Sox before 31,660 fans. Rick Reichardt hits the Angels' first regular-season home run in the new facility.
    
  • 1979 - Following a 6-3 loss to the Orioles, Yankees Rich Gossage and Cliff Johnson brawl in the clubhouse. Gossage sustains a sprained ligament in his left thumb and will be sidelined until July 12.
    
  • 1981 - In an International League night game, the Rochester Red Wings and Pawtucket Red Sox played to a 2-2 tie through 32 innings before play was suspended at 4:07 a.m. The game was completed later in the season with Pawtucket scoring the winning run in the 33rd inning of the longest game in professional baseball history.
    
  • 1981 - In the first game of a doubleheader the Oakland Athletics set a major league record for consecutive wins at the start of the season, running their record to 11-0 with a 6-1 win over Seattle. The Mariners win the nightcap 3-2 on Richie Zisk's solo home run in the eighth inning.
    
  • 1984 - Kansas City's Bret Saberhagen picks up his first major league victory as the Royals beat the Tigers 5-2. It is the first loss of the season for the red-hot Tigers, who began the year 9-0 and will never fall out of first place in the A.L. East.
    
  • 1986 - Oakland's Jose Rijo sets a club record with 16 strikeouts in eight innings as the A's beat Seattle 7-2. The two clubs combine for 30 strikeouts overall, setting the modern major league record for a nine-inning game.
    
  • 1987 - Dale Sveum's two-run home run off Greg Harris caps a five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning and gives the Brewers a 6-4 win over Texas and a 12-0 record, breaking the 1981 A's record for the best start in A.L. history.
    
  • 1996 - The Rangers explode for 16 runs in the eighth inning of a 26-7 demolition of the Orioles. The eighth-inning outburst comes within one run of the record for most runs in an inning this century and raised Jesse Orosco's ERA from an ugly 9.82 to an almost unfathomable 27.00. Orosco is relieved by infielder Manny Alexander, who gets the last two outs but walks off the mound with a 67.50 ERA.
    
  • 1997 - The first major league game is played in Hawaii. The Padres, who gave up three home games to further baseball relations and to further renovations at their stadium, play host for a doubleheader against St. Louis at spacious Aloha Stadium. The Cardinals win the doubleheader 1-0, and 2-1.

Baseball Birthdays on April 19...

• • 1845 - Hicks, Nat
  • 1861 - McKeever, Jim
  • 1885 - Mitchell, Roy
  • 1886 - Ingerton, Scotty
  • 1887 - Martin, Jack
  • 1889 - Jacobs, Otto
  • 1890 - Mitterling, Ralph
  • 1892 - Black, Dave
  • 1892 - Shorten, Chick
  • 1892 - Morris, Bugs
  • 1894 - Donahue, John
  • 1901 - DeViveiros, Bernie
  • 1907 - Ferrazzi, Bill
  • 1908 - Phelps, Babe
  • 1909 - Walters, Bucky
  • 1915 - Craft, Harry
  • 1915 - McQuillen, Glenn
  • 1918 - Kurowski, Whitey
  • 1920 - O'Neil, John
  • 1935 - Wyatt, John
  • 1935 - Maestri, Hector
  • 1935 - Gile, Don
  • 1939 - Gil, Gus
  • 1942 - Pointer, Aaron
  • 1945 - Gramly, Tommy
  • 1948 - Miller, Rick
  • 1955 - Colbern, Mike
  • 1958 - Hodge, Ed
  • 1959 - Reynolds, R.J.
  • 1960 - Viola, Frank
  • 1961 - Owen, Spike
  • 1964 - Kamieniecki, Scott
  • 1968 - Mayne, Brent
  • 1971 - Whiteside, Sean
  • 1973 - Murray, Heath
  • 1973 - Otanez, Willis
  • 1974 - Cruz, Jr., Jose
  • 1975 - Leroy, John
  • 1975 - Billingsley, Brent
  • 1977 - Reyes, Dennys
  • 1977 - Beimel, Joe

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4/20
BIRTHDAYS
1891 Dave Bancroft HOF shortstop (World Series 1921, 22 NY Giants) and manager (Boston Braves), born in Sioux City, Iowa (d. 1972)


1961 Don Mattingly 1st baseman (6 x MLB All-Star; AL MVP 1985; 9 x Gold Glove; 3 x Silver Slugger; AL batting champion 1984; NY Yankees) and manager (LA Dodgers, Miami Marlins), born in Evansville, Indiana


1973 Todd Hollandsworth outfielder (LA Dodgers,Reds,Marlins), born in Dayton, Ohio

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1903 On Opening Day, before 8,376 fans at Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds, the Americans defeat the A's in the morning game of a Patriot's Day twin bill, 9-4. In front of 27,658 spectators, Connie Mack's Athletics split the twin bill, winning the matinee match-up, 10-7, featuring two future Hall of Fame hurlers, Eddie Plank and Cy Young.

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1910 Indians hurler Addie Joss throws his second career no-hitter, beating the White Sox, 1-0. Two seasons ago, facing fellow future Hall of Fame pitcher Ed Walsh, the right-hander tossed a perfect game against the Pale Hose.

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1912 After two days of rain, the first major league game finally occurs at Fenway Park in front of 27,000 enthusiastic fans, the largest crowd in Boston to attend a game. The inaugural contest is memorable, with the Red Sox staging an eleven-inning 7-6 walk-off victory over the Highlanders when Tris Speaker, following a game-saving catch in the top of the frame, singles, plates Steve Yerkes, who reached base on an error, and advanced on a passed ball.

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1912 In Detroit, the Tigers play their first game in Navin Field, later to known as Tiger Stadium, defeating Cleveland, 6-5. The ballpark at the corner of Trumbull and Michigan, which will serve as the team's home for the next 87 years, replaces Bennett Park, located on the same site since 1896.

1916 In Chicago, the Cubs play their first game at Weeghman Park, beating the Reds in 11 innings, 7-6. In 1926, the ballpark will become known as Wrigley Field in honor of William Wrigley, the chewing gum mogul who gained full ownership of the team seven seasons ago.

1920 Phillies player-manager Gavvy Cravath calls upon himself to pinch-hit against the Giants. The Philadelphia slugger responds with a three-run homer, the last round-tripper of his career, to beat New York, 3-0.

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1927 The Indians spoil the White Sox debut at the newly-expanded Comiskey Park, edging the Pale Hose, 5-4. The new upper deck in the outfield allows 23,200 additional fans to enjoy the game.

 

1937 Gee Walker strokes a homer, triple, double, and a single to become the first player to hit for the cycle on Opening Day. The 29-year-old Tigers outfielder's performance helps Detroit beat the Indians at Navin Field, 4-3.

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1938 Throwing the first of his twelve career one-hitters, 19-year-old Indians right-hander Bob Feller beats the Browns on Opening Day, 9-0. The only St. Louis hit in the League Park contest is a sixth-inning bunt laid down by backstop Bill Sullivan, who is called safe by rookie ump Ed Rommell on a very close play at first base.

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1939 For the first time in club history, the A's wear numbers on their uniforms. Connie Mack, the owner/ manager of the team, believed the sale of scorecards would suffer because their jerseys could identify players.

1939 In the only game he'll ever play with Lou Gehrig in the field, Ted Williams strikes out in his first major league at-bat. The 20-year-old Red Sox rookie, last season's American Association Triple Crown winner, will finish the day 1-for-4 with the first hit of 2,654 he will collect during his 19-year career, a 400-foot double in a 2-0 loss at Yankee Stadium.

Ted, Lou & Joe

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1944 During a World War II mission, Elmer Gedeon is killed when his plane is shot down over France, becoming the first of two major leaguers to die in World War II. The B-26 bomber pilot, who played five major league games as an outfielder for the Senators at the end of the 1939 season, will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

1946 The Cubs are shut out by Cardinal southpaw Harry Brecheen in their home opener at Wrigley Field, 2-0. The game is the first in the club's history to be televised, with 'Whispering' Joe Wilson doing the play-by-play on Chicago's WBKB.

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1948 On Opening Day, George Vico homers on the first pitch he ever sees in the major leagues, becoming only the fifth player to accomplish the feat. The home run, given up by White Sox hurler Joe Haynes, is the first of only a dozen the Tigers rookie first baseman collects in his brief two-year career.

1948 In the first big-league game he ever attends, Richie Ashburn makes his major league debut, going 1-for-5 in the Phillies' Opening Day victory over Boston at Shibe Park. The 21-year-old rookie left fielder replaces holdout Harry Walker, last year's National League batting champ, batting leadoff in the Phillies' lineup.

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1951 Nine days after firing the very popular General Douglas MacArthur from his post as Commander of the Far East, U.S. President Harry S. Truman throws out the ceremonial first pitch at the Senators' home opener against New York at Griffith Stadium. The Air Force Band tries to drown out the boos from the crowd directed at the Commander in Chief by loudly playing "Ruffles and Flourishes" and "Hail to the Chief" during the pregame ceremonies.

1955 Humberto Robinson, a native of Colon, becomes the first player from Panama to appear in a major league game when he comes out of the Braves' bullpen in a 9-5 victory over the Cubs. The 24-year-old right-handed reliever earns a save, striking out Hank Sauer, the only batter he faces in the Wrigley Field contest.

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1967 Tom Seaver, a right-hander the Mets obtained in a lottery drawing that included the Braves, Phillies, and Indians, gets his first major-league win when the team beat the Cubs, 6-1. The 22-year-old rookie, who will become known as the 'Franchise,' goes 7.2 innings, giving up eight hits and one run in the Shea Stadium contest.

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1968 Jon Warden, the last man to make the team in spring training, makes his third appearance and wins for the third time in relief when Detroit beats the White Sox at Comiskey Park in 10 innings, 4-1. Due to a torn rotator cuff injury after being selected by the Royals in the expansion draft, the rookie sensation, who will be the only Tiger not to appear in the World Series, will pitch only one season, finishing with a 4-1 win-loss record and a 3.62 ERA.

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1978 Padres' rookie Ozzie Smith, a future Hall of Famer due to his defensive prowess at short, makes what he will rate as his best play ever when he dives to his left to field a grounder hit by Jeff Burroughs of Atlanta. Although the ball takes a bad hop, scooting behind his head, the 'Wizard's' promptly sticks out his bare right hand, snagging the ball before popping to his feet to get the out at first base.

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1982 The Braves record their 12th consecutive win, a 4-2 decision over the Reds, to establish a modern major-league record for the most victories from the beginning of the season. The previous mark had been set a year earlier by the Oakland A's.

1985 Matt Panetta's timely hitting and outstanding defensive play help Katz defeat MIC, 6-2, in South Meriden Little League action. The 11-year-old is awarded the game ball as a result of his efforts.

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1988 The Orioles break a major league record for consecutive losses at the start of a season, a mark the team shared with the 1904 Senators and 1920 Tigers when they lose their 14th straight contest since Opening Day, an 8-6 loss to Milwaukee. The Birds will drop 21 games before registering their first victory of the season.

1988 Yankees outfielder Claudell Washington, appearing as a pinch-hitter, hits the 10,000th round-tripper in franchise history, the most in the major leagues. The historic home run comes off Jeff Reardon in the top of the ninth inning in New York's eventual 7-6 extra-inning victory over the Twins at the Metrodome.

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