BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

5/9
BIRTHDAYS
1927 Ray Katt Catcher


1936 Floyd Robinson (White Sox, Reds, A's), born in Prescott, Arkansas


1939 Herbert Hippauf

1957 John Stuper, pitcher (St Louis Cardinals)


1960 Tony Gwynn HOF outfielder (15 x MLB All Star; 8 x NL batting champion; 5 × Gold Glove Award; SD Padres), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2014)


1978 Aaron Harang
1979 Brandon Webb
1983 Tyler Lumsden

1984 Prince Fielder first baseman (6 x MLB All Star, NL HR leader 2007, MLB RBI leader 2009, Milwaukee Brewers), born in Ontario, California

*********

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1871 Esteban Enrique 'Steve' Bellán becomes the first Hispanic player to appear in a major league game. The 21-year-old Cuban plays the infield for the Troy Haymakers of the National Association in a 9-5 loss to the Boston Red Stockings. The Havana-born Bellan also became one of Cuba’s first great baseball player-managers, having learned how to play the game while he was a student at Fordham University from 1863-1868

​

1888 Colonels' right-hander Elton 'Icebox' Chamberlain, a natural right-hander, throws left-handed for the final two innings during his complete-game victory against the visiting Kansas City Cowboys. Louisville wins the American Association contest in Eclipse Park, 18-6.

​

1901 Indians' rookie hurler Earl Moore holds the White Sox hitless for nine innings before giving up two hits in the tenth inning to lose, 4-2. 'Crossfire' will compile a 16-14 record in his first year in the big leagues.

​

1937 Reds' starter Peaches Davis gives up 15 hits but goes the distance in the Reds' 21-10 rout of Philadelphia. The right-hander's batterymate, Ernie Lombardi, goes 6-for-6 in the Baker Bowl ballgame, collecting five singles and a double.

​

1943 Due to the poor grade of rubber cement used to make baseballs because of wartime rubber shortages, a different type of ball is put into play today, with dramatic results. In eight games, six home runs are hit, compared to nine homers tallied in the season's first 72 games.

1947 Philadelphia manager Ben Chapman, admitting he had been 'kinda loud' leading his team in verbally abusing Jackie Robinson with racial slurs, asks to make amends by posing with the Dodger first baseman for the newspaper photographers. The orchestrated gesture, which Robinson agrees to, admitting later that it was one of the hardest things he ever had to make himself do, is prompted by the bad press created by the Phillies manager's intolerance and the wrath of Commissioner Chandler.

​

 

1950 In a 10-5 victory over Brooklyn at Forbes Field, Pirates slugger Ralph Kiner hits two home runs, including his second grand slam in four games. The future Hall of Famer, who will collect eight career homers with the bases juiced, also cleared the bases with a round-tripper on May 6 off Giants' right-hander Clint Hartung.

​

1961 In a 13-5 victory over the Twins, Jim Gentile becomes the fourth major leaguer to hit two grand slams in the same game. The Orioles' first baseman, the first to accomplish the feat in consecutive at-bats, goes deep in the first two innings of the contest.

​

1967 Wearing his familiar uniform #9, Roger Maris hits his first National League home run on the ninth day of the month in seat 9 of section 9. The right fielder's sixth-inning round-tripper off Woodie Fryman contributes to the Cardinals' 6-3 victory over Pittsburgh at Forbes Field.

​

1971 A gathering of 43,307 fans watches the Orioles drop a twin bill to the A's at Memorial Stadium, 6-2 and 2-1. The unscheduled doubleheader draws a record walk-in crowd of 31,626 (73%), the largest in Baltimore's history.

1973 For the second time in his career, Johnny Bench hits three homers off Steve Carlton. The Reds' backstop's seven RBIs help Cincinnati beat the Phillies, 9-7.

​

1977 At Exhibition Stadium, the Blue Jays beat the Mariners, 10-4, when the two new American League teams meet for the first time. Toronto will win their inaugural season series with Seattle, taking six of the ten games against their West Coast rival.

1979 Substitute umpire David Pallone ejects the entire Cardinal bench when the players throw helmets and bats onto the field to protest a call. Due to the umpire strike, the minor league arbitrator works second base in the Astrodome contest.

 

1984 The first eight-hour major league game, which started last night before being suspended in the 17th inning because of a curfew, finally ends when Harold Baines homers with one out in the 25th inning, giving the White Sox a 7-6 victory over the Brewers. Tom Seaver, who will also start and pitch 8.1 innings in the nightcap, gets the win by pitching one inning of relief.

​

1986 The Phillies release 29-year-old Dave Stewart after the right-hander compiles a 6.57 ERA appearing in eight games as a reliever. At the end of the month, the free-agent signs with Oakland, where he'll average 21 victories each season from 1987 to 1990.

​

1987 Eddie Murray becomes the first major leaguer to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in consecutive games when he connects off left-handed Bob James in the sixth inning of the Orioles' 9-6 victory over Chicago at Comiskey Park. In yesterday's contest, the Baltimore first baseman also homered off southpaw Ray Searage and righty Jose DeLeon.

​

1988 With the White Sox' 3-0 victory over Baltimore at Memorial Stadium, 38-year-old Jerry Reuss becomes the 86th pitcher to record his 200th major league career win. The southpaw joins Milt Pappas as the only other hurler to reach the milestone without the benefit of a 20-win season.

​

 

1993 During the Cubs' 5-4 loss to the Padres at Wrigley Field, Mark Grace becomes the tenth play in franchise history to hit for the cycle. The 29-year-old first baseman, sometimes called Amazing by his teammates, accomplishes the feat when he blasts a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom ninth inning off Rich Rodriguez.

​

1995 The Indians tie a major league record by scoring eight runs in the first inning before making an out. Seven of the tallies are the results of home runs, including Kenny Lofton's leadoff round-tripper, Paul Sorrento's grand slam, and Carlos Baerga's two-run blast.

1999 In the Florida State University 26-2 win over the Maryland Terrapins, 22-year-old college junior Marshall McDougall hits six home runs in his next six at-bats after singling in the first inning. The Seminole's second baseman, who plays his brief 18-game major league career with the Rangers, finishes the College Park (MD) contest 7-for-7 with six homers, 16 RBIs and 25 total bases, all NCAA single-game records.

​

1999 After 552 relief appearances, Mike Stanton starts a major league game, breaking Gary Lavelle's record for most appearances before starting a game. The southpaw shuts out Seattle for four innings, giving up two hits in New York's 6-1 victory at Yankee Stadium.

​

 

2002 Mariano Rivera establishes a new franchise record when he saves his 225th game, preserving the Yankees' 3-1 victory over the Devil Rays at Tropicana Field. The right-handed reliever hurls 1.1 innings to surpass the previous mark set in 1990 by Dave Righetti.

​

2006 After 1,914 games behind the plate, Ivan Rodriguez plays first base, making it the first time in his career he is at a position other than catcher. Later in the season, 'Pudge' also appears at second base, filling in for injured Tiger infielder Placido Polanco.

​

2006 Delmon Young, the brother of Tiger star Dmitri Young, is suspended for fifty games by the International League for throwing a bat, which hit a replacement umpire in the chest. The Devil Rays' top prospect was selected as the minor league player of the year by Baseball America in 2005.

2010 Dallas Braden, recently made infamous due to his words with Alex Rodriguez when the Yankee third baseman cut across the diamond via the pitcher's mound, throws the 19th perfect game in baseball history, a 4-0 victory over the Rays in Oakland. In attendance for the 26-year-old left-hander's Mother's Day gem is his grandmother, who raised him after his mom died of melanoma during his senior year at Stagg High School in Stockton, California.

​

2011 The Mariners cut Milton Bradley, who is still owed the remainder of his $13 million deal for this season from the team, the eighth club he played for since his 2000 Expos debut. Although no one incident prompted the decision, the outfielder was recently suspended one game after bumping an umpire, ejected from another for contesting a third strike, and a few days ago became the target of the Seattle fans' wrath for their perception of his lack of hustle.

2015 With runners on second and third, the Pirates turn the first recorded 4-5-4 triple play in baseball history, recording all three outs entirely on the left side of the infield. The oddity occurs when Yadier Molina lines out to second baseman Neil Walker, who throws to third baseman Jung Ho Kang doubling up Jhonny Peralta of the third, and then fields the third baseman's return throw to triple up Jason Heywood at second base.

2019 Albert Pujols, with a solo homer in the top of the third inning in the Angels' 13-3 victory over the Tigers at Comerica Park, joins Hank Aaron and Alex Rodriguez in becoming just the third player in baseball history to record 2,000 career RBIs. Babe Ruth and Cap Anson also reached the plateau

​

********
76,225

 

​

 

​

 

​

 

​

 

5/10
BIRTHDAYS
1868 Ed Barrow HOF manager (World Series 1918 Boston Red Sox) and executive (10 x World Series NY Yankees), born in Springfield, Illinois (d. 1953)


1923 Herb Carneal broadcaster (Minnesota Twins 1962-2006; Ford C. Frick Award 1996), born in Richmond, Virginia (d. 2007)

1937 Jim Hickman utility (MLB All Star 1970 Chicago Cubs; 1st NY Met to hit for cycle), born in Henning, Tennessee (d. 2016)


1938 Merritt Ranew

1941 Ken Berry (White Sox, Angels, Brewers, Indians), born in Kansas City, Missouri


1962 Joey Meyer

1962 Robby Thompson, infielder (SF Giants), born in West Palm Beach, Florida


1965 Mike Butcher

1968 Julie Smith, softball infielder (Olympic gold 1996), born in Glendora, California


1969 Pete Schourek, pitcher (Cincinnati Reds), born in Austin, Texas

1984 Edward Mujica. Venezuelan baseball player

*********

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1909 Church bells ring when Fred Toney completes the longest no-hitter in organized baseball history, a 1-0 victory over the Lexington Colts of the Blue Grass League. As word spread around town about the Class D Winchester Hustlers right-hander's performance on the mound, fans continued to stream into the ballpark before the lone run of the contest scored on a squeeze play in the bottom of the 17th.

​

1910 Bill Purtell gets the dubious distinction of becoming the first player in major league history to strike out two times in the same frame. During the sixth inning of the White Sox' 10-3 victory over Washington, the Chicago third baseman is victimized twice by future Hall of Famer Walter Johnson.

​

1934 Ben Chapman, who will lead the protest against Jackie Robinson in 1947, harasses a Jewish fan during a Yankees' 13-3 victory over the White Sox at the Bronx ballpark. The New York left fielder shouts disparaging epithets and taunts the team's supporters with Nazi salutes.

1934 In an 11-3 rout over the White Sox at Comiskey Park, Lou Gehrig ties a big-league record, stroking four extra-base hits, including two doubles and two home runs. The Yankee first baseman accumulates the 12 total bases and seven RBIs in just five innings when he benches himself due to having a severe cold.

​

1939 In front of thousands of onlookers gathered to watch the bizarre publicity stunt, Phillies' backstop Dave Coble catches a ball thrown from the top of Philadelphia's City Hall. The 26-year-old rookie catcher, wearing a leather football helmet, handles the 521-foot dropped ball cleanly but likens the experience of a man jumping into his arms.

 

1953 With a double and home run, Roy Campanella drives in all the runs in the Dodgers' 5-0 victory over the Phillies at Ebbets Field. Campy's 40+ RBIs in the first 30 games stay unequaled until Tino Martinez accomplishes the feat in 1997 with the Yankees.

​

1955 Dodger right-hander Don Newcombe faces only 27 batters when he one-hits Chicago at Wrigley Field, 3-0. Gene Baker, who ruins Newk's bid for perfection with a fourth-inning single, is thrown out trying to steal second base.

​

1958 The Tigers name Bill Norman, the field boss of their Triple-A American Association Charleston Senators affiliate, as the team's manager. The second-division club will finish in fifth place, posting a 56-49 record for the rest of the season under the tutelage of their new skipper.

1967 Braves' outfielder Hank Aaron hits an inside-the-park homer off future Hall of Fame right-hander Jim Bunning in the team's 4-3 loss to the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium. The eighth-inning round-tripper will be Hammerin' Hank's only homer, which doesn't clear the fence out of his record-setting 755 round-trippers.

​

1968 Denny McLain wins his fifth consecutive start, all complete games, going the distance in the Tigers' 12-1 rout of the Senators at D.C. Stadium. With the victory, Detroit takes possession of first place, a position the eventual world champs will maintain for the remainder of the season.

​

1969 In the bottom of the ninth inning, Orioles hurler Jim Hardin goes deep off Royals' reliever Moe Drabowsky, giving the Birds a 6-5 walk-off win at Memorial Stadium. Besides earning a victory with his one-out solo blast, the right-hander becomes the last hurler to end a game with a home run for 25 years until weak-hitting Padres southpaw Craig Lefferts accomplishes the feat in 1986 against the Giants.

​

 

1981 Expos' hurler Charlie Lea no-hits the Giants, 4-0, becoming the first French-born pitcher to accomplish the feat. The 24-year-old right-hander was born in Orleans, France.

​

1993 Marlins right-hander Ryan Bowen hurls the first complete game in franchise history. The 25-year-old gives a lone run on three hits but loses the Shea Stadium contest, 1-0, to the Mets' Bret Saberhagen, who also goes the distance.

​

1999 Nomar Garciaparra hits two grand slams in the same game and adds a two-run homer in a 12-4 rout of the Mariners at Fenway Park. The Red Sox shortstop becomes the first American League player to drive in 10 runs in a game since Fred Lynn, also playing for Boston, accomplished the feat in 1975.

​

 

2001 An MRI reveals White Sox's first baseman and two-time Most Valuable Player Frank Thomas has a right tricep tear, which will require surgery. The injury caused by diving for a ground ball will keep the 'Big Hurt' out of action for the rest of the season.

​

2002 The Devil Rays lose a franchise-record 15 games in a row, dropping a 6-5 decision to the Orioles at Tropicana Field. The 9-and-25 last-place team started their season with a three-game sweep of the Tigers at Tropicana Field, marking the best start in its five-year history.

2005 Tony Pena, the 2003 American League Manager of the Year, resigns when the Royals get off to a slow start. Bob Schaeffer, the team's bench coach, will try to improve the worst record in the big leagues (8-25) when he becomes Kansas City's skipper on an interim basis.

2006 At Safeco Field, the Devil Rays beat the Mariners, 1-0, with the lone run crossing the plate due to a fifth-inning balk committed by Jamie Moyer. The Seattle southpaw's body sways when he tries to adjust his grip on the ball without removing his foot from the rubber, allowing Toby Hall to cross the plate on the miscue.

​

2008 With the Padres' 3-2 victory over the Rockies at Petco Park, Greg Maddux, on his fifth attempt, wins the 350th game of his career. The 42-year-old right-hander gives up three hits in six innings to become the ninth pitcher in major league history to reach the milestone, and only the third hurler, along with Warren Spahn and Roger Clemens, to accomplish the feat since 1928.

​

2010 The Tigers, to honor the request of the late Ernie Harwell, ask Jose Feliciano to return to Detroit to perform the national anthem, 42 years after many fans were upset by his original rendition at Tiger Stadium. The legendary broadcaster asked Puerto Rico-born musician to perform during the pregame ceremony in 1968 before Game 5 of the Fall Classic, not knowing the singer's guitar-based, bluesy interpretation of the national anthem would become very controversial

​

 

2011 Bill Gallo, the creator of colorful characters such as General Von Steingraber, a caricature of the late George Steinbrenner, and Basement Bertha, a rooter of the hapless Mets who radiated good-humored optimism for the fans of the fledgling team, dies from complications of pneumonia at the age of 88. The cartoonist's final published drawing, which appeared last month in the Daily News, his employer for seven decades, featured Bertha window shopping with the hope of being invited to the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine.

​

2012 At Camden Yards, the Orioles start the game with back-to-back-to-back home runs when Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy, and Nick Markakis give the team a 3-0 lead on the first eight pitches thrown by Rangers starter Colby Lewis. The Birds' first-inning trio of round-trippers is the fourth occurrence in major league history but marks the first time in the American League.

2013 In front of their home crowds, Cardinal rookie Shelby Miller and Red Sox southpaw Jon Lester throw a one-hitter against the Rockies and Blue Jays, respectively. Each hurler faces only 28 batters, allowing no walks or hit-by-pitches in their errorless complete-game shutout performances.

​

2013 Tampa Bay starter Alex Cobb strikes out 13 San Diego hitters but doesn't make it out of the fourth inning in the Rays' 6-3 victory at the Trop. The right-hander records 12 of his 14 outs with K's, including four in the third frame, when a wild pitch on strike three allows the batter to reach first.

​

2015 On Mother's Day, 29-year-old Felix Hernandez becomes the fourth-youngest player to strike out 2,000 batters when he whiffs A's outfielder Sam Fuld in the Mariners' 4-3 victory at Safeco Field. Only Walter Johnson, Bert Blyleven, and Sam McDowell have accomplished the feat at a younger age than the Seattle right-hander, known as King Felix.

​

********
76,409