BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

6/23
BIRTHDAYS
1894 George Weiss, Hall of Fame executive (NY Yankees GM 1947-60, 7 x World Series; NY Mets President 1961-66), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 1972)


1966 Barbara Jordan, US softball outfielder (Olympic gold 1996)


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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1915 In his major league debut, Bruno Hass tosses a complete game but loses to the Yankees at Shibe Park, 15-7. The 24-year-old southpaw, known as Boon, issues 16 walks during the nine-inning contest, establishing a post-1900 major league record.

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1917 After Red Sox starter Babe Ruth walks leadoff man Ray Morgan on four pitches, home plate umpire Brick Owens ejects him when their shouting match concerning called ball and strikes digresses into a physical confrontation. Ernie Shore comes into the contest, retiring 26 consecutive batters, with Morgan thrown out trying to steal second on the reliever's first delivery in the team's 4-0 victory over the Senators at Fenway Park, a game considered baseball's first combined no-hitter.

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1930 The Dodgers get twelve consecutive hits in a 19-6 win over the Pirates at Forbes Field. Two of the dozen hits in the eight-run sixth inning include a pair of homers hit by Brooklyn outfielder Babe Herman.

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1933 With his 2-for-5 performance at the plate in Washington's 7-3 victory over Chicago, Joe Cronin sets a major league record by collecting 15 hits in four consecutive games. The Senators' player-manager's recent offensive output includes two four-hit games and another with five.

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1943 Due to the civil unrest in Detroit, government officials deploy 350 armed troops at Briggs Stadium during a twin bill between the Indians and hometown Tigers. The recent race riots in the Motor City have claimed 29 lives, prompting an investigation by the House Un-American Activities Committee, looking for evidence of subversive and racial propaganda spread by the Axis nations.

1946 At the Polo Grounds, Eddie Waitkus and Marv Rickert hit back-to-back inside-the-park home runs in the fourth inning. However, the Cubs still lose to the Giants, 15-10.

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1950 Luke Easter, obtained by Indians' owner Bill Veeck from the Kansas City Monarchs last season, blasts the longest home run ever hit in Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. The 34-year-old first baseman's 477-foot shot into the upper right deck will be one of two round-trippers he hits in the team's 13-4 rout of Washington.

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1950 The game's eleventh round-tripper, a ninth-inning home run by Hoot Evers, gives the Tigers an eventual 10-9 victory over the Yankees. The decisive four-bagger in the Bronx sets the major league record for the most homers ever hit in a single game.

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1961 During the Twins' first season in Minnesota, Sam Mele replace Cookie Lavagetto as the manager of the ninth-place team. As a coach, the Astoria (NY) native filled in as the club's skipper while Lavagetto took a seven-game leave of absence earlier in the month.

1962 Larry Doby becomes one of the first players with major league experience to sign with a Japanese team. The future Hall of Famer will play with Chunichi in the Nippon Professional Baseball League, but the former Indians' outfielder will hit only .225 for the Dragons.

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1963 The Colt .45s' forty consecutive innings without scoring a run end with Howie Goss's second-inning RBI-single in an 8-1 loss to Cincinnati at Crosley Field. Houston will immediately begin another scoreless streak of 30 innings before scoring again.

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1963 After taking Phillies right-hander Dallas Green deep, Jimmy Piersall runs around the bases in the correct order, but backward, to celebrate his 100th career home run. The Mets' outfielder, who thought of the stunt after being disappointed by the lack of attention Duke Snider's 400th round-tripper received, will be released two days later by manager Casey Stengel.

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1971 In addition to hitting two home runs and driving in three runs, Rick Wise throws only 95 pitches to 28 batters to no-hit the Reds, 4-0. The Phillies' hurler will hit two home runs in the same game again this season against San Francisco in August.

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1973 Jesse Jefferson loses his shutout in his major league debut when Red Sox's third baseman Rico Petrocelli's two-out, ninth-inning solo home run ties the Fenway Park contest. However, the 24-year-old rookie right-hander will hang on to get the complete-game victory after the Orioles score a run in the tenth to beat Boston, 2-1.

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1973 In a complete-game 7-2 victory over Montreal at Parc Jarry, Phillies' hurler Ken Brett hits a home run in the fourth consecutive game he pitches during June. The right-hander will end his 14-year career with ten round-trippers, 307 less than his brother George.

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1977 Eddie Stanky, Frank Lucchesi's replacement when the former Ranger skipper got off to a 31-31 start, quits after being at the helm for only one game, a 10-8 victory in Minnesota. The 60-year-old 'Brat' cites homesickness for his short tenure with Texas, returning to Mobile (AL) to rejoin his family and resume his baseball coaching duties for the University of South Alabama Jaguars.

1984 In a game best remembered for Ryne Sandberg's two late-inning game-tying home runs, Willie McGee hits for the cycle in St. Louis' 12-11 loss in 11 innings to the Cubs. With his triple in the second inning, a fourth-frame single, a sixth-inning home run, and an RBI double in the tenth, the Cardinals center fielder drives in six runs in the Wrigley Field contest.

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1984 The Roger Maris Museum opens in the West Acres Shopping Center in Fargo (ND). Nearly 2,000 visitors are attracted to the 72-foot showcase, which features memorabilia from the slugger's 12-year big league career, including a ticket stub from the 162nd game of the 1961 season, the contest he hit his historic 61st home run.

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1984 In a nationally televised game, Cubs' second baseman Ryne Sandberg hits a leadoff solo home run in the ninth off Cardinal reliever Bruce Sutter to tie the score 9-9, then hits a two-run, two-out homer in the tenth, knotting the game at 11. Chicago wins the Wrigley Field contest, 12-11, in the next frame on an RBI single by Dave Owen.

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1986 Including leaving the bases full in four of the nine innings, the Braves establish a National League record, stranding 18 runners. However, enough Atlanta players cross the plate to give the team a 6-5 victory over L.A. at Dodger Stadium.

1993 At the Kingdome, Jay Buhner becomes the first player in Mariners' history to hit for the cycle. The right fielder triples in the 14th inning to complete the task, scoring the winning run in the team's 8-7 victory over the A's.

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1994 Former major league first baseman Marv Throneberry, best known for appearing in Miller Lite beer commercials in the 1970s and 1980s, dies from cancer at his home in Fisherville (TN) at 60. 'Marvelous' Marv's blunders on the field, including missing first and second base while legging out a triple, symbolized the 1962 Mets, the hapless new National League franchise.

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1996 The Yankees score nine sixth-inning runs en route to an 11-9 victory over the Tribe at Jacobs Field. The win marks the first time the Bronx Bombers have completed a four-game sweep of the Indians since 1964.

1996 In a 5-4 Cubs loss in San Diego, Brant Brown continues his torrid pace at the plate, collecting two hits in three at-bats at Jack Murphy Stadium. The rookie first baseman has collected 15 hits, including four home runs, in his first 34 career major league at-bats.

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2000 Bret Boone drives in six runs when he hits three home runs in the Padres' 10-7 victory over Cincinnati. Ruben Rivera's three-run homer in the top of the tenth inning off Scott Williamson proves to be the difference in the Cinergy Field contest.

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2003 Stealing second base at Pacific Bell Park in the 11th inning, Barry Bonds becomes the first player to hit 500 homers and steal 500 bases. Many people believe, including Giants' left fielder, he may not only be the charter member of the 500-500 club but most likely be the only member, as no one else may ever reach this plateau.

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2005 Making his professional debut, Yakima Bears hurler Ryan Doherty pitches a perfect sixth and seventh, striking out three of the six batters he faces during a 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canadians. At 7'1", the right-hander from Toms River (NJ), who signed a free-agent contract with the Diamondbacks after pitching for Notre Dame, becomes the tallest pitcher in professional baseball history, surpassing six feet-11 inches Jon Rauch.

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2006 White Sox starter Jose Contreras establishes a franchise mark, surpassing LaMarr Hoyt and Wilson Alvarez, winning his 16th consecutive decision when Chicago beats the Astros 7-4 in a matchup of last year's World Series rivals. The Cuban right-hander, whose previous defeat occurred on August 15th last season against the Twins, hasn't been beaten in his past 21 starts.

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2006 The Mets, defeating the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre, 6-1, set a club record, winning their ninth straight decision on the road. The team had won eight decisions on a ten-game road trip, including stops in Los Angeles, Arizona, and Philadelphia.

2006 University of Washington right-hander Tim Lincecum, the Giants' #1 pick (tenth overall in the June draft), wins the Golden Spike Award, an honor bestowed on the country's best college baseball player. The 22-year-old Huskie, a two-time Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year, posted a 12-4 record with a 1.94 ERA, striking out a nation-high 199 batters in 125⅓ innings this season.

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2007 During a Class AA Southern League contest against the Montgomery Biscuits, Mobile BayBears right-hander Matt Elliott cannot return to the mound to pitch the ninth inning when he locks himself inside a Riverwalk Stadium bathroom. The relief pitcher, who broke the lock after he angrily slammed the door, upset about giving up the tying run on a sac fly in the previous inning, will be stuck in the restroom for 47 minutes, missing the rest of the game.

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2008 In an interleague contest against the Mets at Shea Stadium, Mariners' right-hander Felix Hernandez becomes the first pitcher in the 31-year history of the franchise to hit a home run. The round-tripper, which comes off fellow Venezuela ace Johan Santana, is also the first grand slam hit by an American League pitcher since Steve Dunning of the Indians homered off A's moundsman Diego Segui in 1971.

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2010 In a move that surprises its players, the fourth-place Marlins (34-36) fire their manager, Fredi Gonzalez, bench coach Carlos Tosca, and hitting coach Jim Presley. Edwin Rodriguez, the skipper of the team's Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans, is named as an interim to fill the position.

2011 Upset by the management's lack of commitment about his future with the team, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman resigns abruptly after the team beats Seattle, 1-0. Having won 11 of their last 12 games, the club is 38-37 at the time of their skipper's departure.

2012 Jim Thome sets a major league mark with his 13th career walk-off home run, a solo shot over the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Phillies a dramatic 7-6 victory over Tampa Bay. Before today's historic round-tripper at Citizens Bank Park, the 41-year-old five-time All-Star Thome had shared the record with five Hall of Famers: Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, and Frank Robinson.

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2014 Devin Mesoraco becomes the first major leaguer to hit a solo, two-run, three-run, and grand slam homer sequentially in consecutive games when he blasts a ninth-inning four-bagger in the Reds' 6-1 victory over Chicago at Wrigley Field. The backstop extends his streak to five straight games, hitting a solo shot tomorrow to accomplish the unusual feat of homering at PNC Park (solo HR), Great American Ball Park (two and three-run HRS), and Wrigley Field (grand slam).

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2017 The Red Sox retire David Ortiz's uniform number 34, making Big Papi the 11th player to be honored along with Bobby Doerr (No. 1), Joe Cronin (4), Johnny Pesky (6), Carl Yastrzemski (8), Ted Williams (9), Jim Rice (14), Wade Boggs (26), Carlton Fisk (27), Pedro Martinez (45) and Jackie Robinson (42). The MVP of the 2004 ALCS and the 2013 Fall Classic played a pivotal role in the three World Series championship teams during his 14-year tenure in Boston.

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6/24
BIRTHDAYS
1907 Rollie Hemsley catcher (5-time MLB All Star), born in Syracuse, Ohio (d. 1972)


1938 Don Mincher 1st baseman, born in Huntsville, Alabama (d. 2012)


1951 Ken Reitz third baseman (MLB All Star 1980; Gold Glove Award 1975; St. Louis Cardinals), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2021)


1957 Doug Jones relief pitcher (5 x MLB All Star; Milwaukee Brewers, Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies), born in Covina, California (d. 2021)



1986 Phil Hughes Yankees


2001 Mo'ne Davis Little League baseball pitcher, 1st girl to pitch a shutout, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1868 The Forest Citys, an amateur team organized by the Forest City Baseball Club in 1865, endure a devastating defeat when the Philadelphia A's pummel them, 85-11. A professional Forest City team will take the field next season, losing Cleveland's first pro baseball game when they drop a 25-6 decision to the Cincinnati Red Stockings at Case Commons.

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1911 Red Sox owner John I. Taylor announces he plans to lay out his new ballpark on slightly more than eight acres of land in the Fenway section of Boston. James McLaughlin serving as chief architect and the Cleveland-based Osborn Engineering Company, a well-respected firm involved in designing Yankee Stadium, Forbes Field, and Tiger Stadium, responsible for the civil engineering services for the $650,000 project, scheduled to begin in September.

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1936 Joe DiMaggio becomes the first Yankee and fifth player in major league history to hit two home runs in one inning. The 21-year-old rookie outfielder's homers come in the fifth frame in an 18-11 rout of the White Sox at Comiskey Park.

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1946 Traveling at dusk in light rain en route to Bremerton, eight Spokane Indians players and skipper Mel Cole die when their team bus veers off a Cascade Mountain pass road to avoid an oncoming car approximately sixty miles east of Seattle. Jack Lohrke, a future infielder with the Giants and Phillies, will become known as 'Lucky,' having left the bus at its last stop to report to San Diego 15 minutes before the accident at Snoqualmie Pass on Washington's Highway 10.

1947 At Forbes Field, Jackie Robinson steals home in the Dodgers' 4-2 victory over the Pirates. It is the Brooklyn infielder's first thievery of the dish, something the rookie will accomplish 19 times during his ten-year career.

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1948 Salisbury Cardinals manager Gene Corbett, previously tossed from the game, instructs batboy Paul Murrell to tell the umpire to "get in the game and keep your eyes open." After relaying the message, the arbitrators also ejected the 13-year-old from the Class D Eastern Shore League contest.

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1950 Giants' catcher Wes Westrum hits three home runs and a triple, scoring five times and driving in four runs. The 27-year-old cleanup hitter's fifteen total bases help New York defeat Cincinnati at the Polo Grounds, 12-2.

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1950 Willie Mays makes his professional baseball debut, playing centerfield for Trenton, the Giants' farm team in the Class B Inter-State League. The 19-year-old outfielder from Alabama goes hitless in the game against Hagerstown in Maryland but will hit .353 in 81 games before being promoted to the Minneapolis Millers, the Triple-A affiliate of the parent club.

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1953 The Braves sign right-hander Joey Jay from Middletown, Connecticut as an amateur free agent. The 17-year-old bonus baby will become the first former Little Leaguer to play in the major leagues.

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1955 Senator third baseman Harmon Killebrew hits his first major league home run in Washington's 18-7 loss to the Tigers. The 18-year-old rookie, who becomes known as 'Killer,' will finish his 22-year Hall of Fame career with 573 homers.

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1960 Stan Musial returns to the Cardinals' lineup after being benched by skipper Solly Hemus, who tried to implement a youth movement at the start of the season. The 39-year-old future Hall of Famer responds with a single in the team's 4-3 loss to Philadelphia.

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1962 The longest game ever played in Yankee history ends thanks to a home run hit by Jack Reed in the 22nd inning. The Mississippi native's lone big league career homer helps the Bronx Bombers beat Detroit in Tiger Stadium, 9-7.

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1968 After striking with the bases loaded in the first inning, Jim Northrup becomes the sixth big leaguer to hit two grand slams in the same game. The 'Slammer's' power surge in the fifth and sixth frames enable the Tigers to rout the Indians at Cleveland Stadium, 14-3.

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1969 Phillies skipper Bob Skinner suspends Dick Allen indefinitely after the slugger fails to appear for a twilight doubleheader at Shea Stadium against New York. Philadelphia reinstates the 27-year-old first baseman, who got stuck in traffic after watching a horse race in New Jersey on July 20.

 

1970 In the last game played at Crosley Field, Lee May and Johnny Bench hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth to give the Reds a 5-4 win. After the game, home plate is presented to Mayor Eugene Ruehlman and then flown by helicopter to the Reds' new home, Riverfront Stadium.

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1970 After fouling off a "Folly Floater" Steve Hamilton threw in the ninth inning of the eventual 7-2 Cleveland victory at Yankee Stadium, Tony Horton asks the New York hurler to throw him the pitch again. The Indians' first baseman crawls back to the dugout when backstop Thurman Munson catches his second foul ball.


1977 Bob Watson becomes the first player to complete a cycle in both leagues when he hits an eighth-inning RBI single, leading Houston to a 6-5 victory over the Giants at the Astrodome. The 31-year-old first baseman, duplicated by John Olerud (Mets, 1997, and Mariners, 2001) and Michael Cuddyer (Twins, 2009, and the Rockies, 2014), also collected a single, double, triple, and a home run while wearing a Red Sox uniform in 1979.

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1977 After White Sox outfielder Ralph Garr hits what appears to be a three-run homer in the third inning at Metropolitan Stadium, the umpire calls him out when he passes teammate Jim Essian, who waited at first base to make sure the ball cleared the fence. The arbitrators award the 'Road Runner' a two-run single, but the mistake proves costly when Chicago loses the game in Minnesota, 7-6.

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1979 In a 5-1 defeat to Texas, future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson makes his major league debut with the A's. The 20-year-old outfielder singles and doubles and swipes the first of his 1,406 stolen bases, a major league record.

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1983 Don Sutton becomes the eighth hurler to strike out 3000 batters when he fans Alan Bannister to end the eighth inning in the Brewers' 6-2 victory over the Indians. The 38-year-old right-hander, who will end his 23-year career with 3574 K's, whiffs eight en route to throwing a complete-game three-hit gem at Milwaukee's County Stadium.

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1988 In one of the longest games ever played, it takes 27 innings for the Bluefield Orioles to beat the hometown Burlington Indians, 3-2. The Appalachian League contest, which ended at 3:27 in the morning, lasted eight hours and 15 minutes.

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1992 Much to the protest of the Yankees brass, Fay Vincent permanently suspends pitcher Steve Howe for repeated drug offenses after the authorities arrest the left-handed reliever for buying a gram of cocaine. However, an arbitrator will overturn the lifetime ban in November, allowing the former Rookie of the Year to enjoy one of his best seasons when he saves 15 games with a 1.80 ERA for the Bronx Bombers in 1994.

1993 The Padres trade Gary Sheffield and Rich Rodriguez to the Marlins for Andres Berumen, Jose Martinez, and a little-known rookie reliever named Trevor Hoffman. The 25-year-old rookie right-hander will save 552 games during his fifteen and half years with the franchise.

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1997 Randy Johnson (11-2) breaks Ron Guidry's 1978 American League record for strikeouts in a game by a left-hander. The Mariners southpaw whiffs 19 A's, 13 swinging and eight looking, losing the Kingdome contest, 4-1, while giving up 11 hits, including Mark McGwire and George Williams solo home runs.

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