BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

1958 At Comiskey Park, White Sox hurler Billy Pierce retires 26 consecutive batters before pinch-hitter Ed Fitzgerald doubles weakly inside the right-field line for the Senators' only hit. The 31-year-old southpaw goes on to strike out Albie Pearson on three pitches to one-hit Washington, 3-0, en route to completing his third consecutive shutout.

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1962 Monroe High School standout Ed Kranepool, an Opening Day guest seated in the owners' box with Mrs. Joan Payson and M. Donald Grant, signs a contract with an $85,000 bonus as an amateur free agent with the Mets. The 17-year-old Bronx teenager will spend his entire 18-year career with the expansion team, establishing franchise records for hits, plate appearances, and games.

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1963 Tigers' first baseman Norm Cash plays an entire game without recording a put out in the team's 10-6 loss to the Twins at Minnesota's Metropolitan Stadium. Six strikeouts, sixteen balls caught in the air, and two fielder choices account for the 24 outs made by the home team.

1964 Max Alvis is stricken with a bout of spinal meningitis, which will sideline the Indians' everyday third baseman for six weeks. The Jasper, Texas native will rebound nicely, making the American League All-Star team next season and 1967.

1967 At Tiger Stadium, 32-year-old Al Kaline breaks his hand as he slams his bat into the bat rack after being struck out by Sam McDowell in the sixth inning of Detroit's 8-1 loss to the Indians. The future Hall of Famer (1980) will miss 28 games for the second-place team.

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1972 Wade Blasingame's American League debut, his last career start, for the Yankees is inauspicious when the Tigers go deep three consecutive times in the bottom of the first inning. The first frame fireworks by Aurelio Rodriguez, Al Kaline, and Willie Horton power Detroit over New York, 5-2.

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1973 In the Cardinals' 15-4 rout of the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium, Joe Torre hits for the cycle. The St. Louis first baseman accomplishes the feat with a first-inning double, a home run in the third, a triple in the fourth, and a single with two outs in the ninth.

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1973 In the opener of a twin bill at Shea Stadium, Buzz Capra pitches four innings of no-hit relief against the Phillies to get the save for starter George Stone as the Mets beat the Phillies, 7-6. A few hours earlier, the 25-year-old right-handed reliever had attended his dad's funeral in Illinois.

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1973 Twenty days after pitching his high school team to a state championship, Rangers' rookie David Clyde pitches five innings, strikes out eight, and allows just one hit in his first major league start as Texas defeats the Twins, 4-3. A crowd of 35,698 fans, the first sellout at Arlington Stadium, sees the debut of the 18-year-old phenom, a $125,000 bonus baby.

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1977 Willie McCovey becomes the first major leaguer to hit two homers in the same frame twice in his career when he smashes a solo shot and a grand slam in the Giants' ten-run sixth inning at Riverfront Park. The San Francisco first baseman, who also accomplished the feat in the first week of the 1973 season, home run heroics contributes to the team's 14-9 victory over Cincinnati.

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1977 After offering the job to Twins legend Harmon Killebrew, the Rangers hire Billy Hunter as the team's manager, making him the club's fourth skipper this week. Texas had replaced the fired Frank Lucchesi with Eddie Stanky, who left after one game due to homesickness, resulting in third base coach Connie Ryan, who refused to assume the position full-time, becoming the interim manager for six games.

 

1980 Dodger southpaw Jerry Reuss, facing only 28 batters, no-hits the Giants at Candlestick Park, 8-0. Shortstop Bill Russell's errant throw on Jack Clark's grounder with two outs in the first inning deprives the 31-year-old left-hander of tossing a perfect game.

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1982 The Braves tie a major league mark with seven double plays in the team's 2-0 victory over Cincinnati. Atlanta turns four twin killings in the first four frames of the 14 inning Riverfront Stadium contest.

1984 At Candlestick Park, after swiping second and third base, Dusty Baker, who had robbed only one bag this season, completes his stolen base cycle when he steals home in the Giants' 14-9 victory over Cincinnati. The San Francisco right fielder's third-inning thievery comes off three different hurlers pitching to Reds' catcher Brad Gulden.

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1986 The Reds catch Robby Thompson trying to steal a base four times, setting a major league record for nailing the same player in one game. The second baseman's futile attempts don't matter when the Giants beat Cincinnati, 7-6, in the 12-inning contest played at Riverfront Stadium.

1987 Freshman first baseman Mark McGwire hits three homers and drives in five runs, helping the A's defeat the Indians, 13-3. 'Big Mac' will finish the season with 49 round-trippers, far surpassing the rookie record of 38, once shared by Frank Robinson and Wally Berger.

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1993 Anthony Young sets a major league record when he drops his 24th straight decision, a 5-3 Mets loss to St. Louis at Shea Stadium. The hard-luck New York right-hander, surpassing the mark established by Boston Dove hurler Cliff Curtis in 1911, will extend the dubious streak to 27 consecutive defeats before winning a game.

1999 The Mariners beat the Rangers, 5-2, in the 1,765th and last major league game at the Kingdome. The final contest, attended by 56,530 fans in 'the Accident on the Occidental,' features a first-inning Ken Griffey, Jr. three-run homer, who also makes a great over-the-fence catch to rob Juan Gonzalez of a three-run round-tripper.

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2002 In the hunt for a playoff spot, the Expos acquire the Indians' #1 starter, right-hander Bartolo Colon, and Tim Drew as part of a six-player deal, which sends first baseman Lee Stevens and three minor league prospects, and cash to Cleveland. Montreal's farmhands, infielder Brandon Phillips, southpaw Cliff Lee, and outfielder Grady Sizemore will all become major league All-Stars.

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2003 In the 50-minute bottom of the first inning at Fenway Park against the Marlins, the Red Sox establish a major league record by scoring ten runs before making an out. With a single, double, and triple, leadoff hitter Johnny Damon ties a major league mark with three hits in an inning as the home team equals an American League record for most runs in the first frame with 14.

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2007 In his 325th game, Ryan Howard becomes the fastest player to hit 100 home runs, accomplishing the feat 60 contests quicker than the previous mark set by Ralph Kiner in 1948. The Phillies slugger's milestone round-tripper is memorable when he launches a 505-foot shot, the longest blast ever hit at Citizens Bank Park.

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2008 In a 15-6 Mets victory over the Yankees at the Stadium, Carlos Delgado, with a double, three-run homer, and a grand slam, establishes a new team record with 9 RBIs in one game. The first baseman, who breaks Dave Kingman's 1976 club mark, also surpasses Sky King on the all-time home run list with the first of his two homers, moving into 34th place with his 443rd career round-tripper.

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2010 Josh Hamilton hammers the longest home run to date at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington when he sends a pitch 485 feet over the right-center field wall. The Texas outfielder's second-inning two-run round-tripper off Roy Oswald contributes to the team's 10-1 rout of the Astros.

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2010 In a surprising transaction between last-place teams, the Indians send Russell Branyan back to the Mariners in exchange for Class AAA outfielder Ezequiel Carrera and shortstop Juan Diaz. The swap allows the Tribe to put Matt LaPorta, acquired from Milwaukee in the trade for CC Sabathia two years ago, at first base, and the move signaling that Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik wants his players to know that winning is still a priority for the M's.

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2010 The Dodgers seek bankruptcy protection in a Delaware court, citing MLB's refusal to sign off on a transaction that would provide the team with $385 million. Although there will be no disruptions for the team, the filing of Chapter 11 permits the Dodgers to use $150 million for daily operations, giving owner Frank McCourt time to find a media deal to ensure the club's long-term financial stability.

2010 In the fifth inning of an eventual 2-1 Rays' loss to Arizona, Evan Longoria confronts B.J. Upton in the dugout after the outfielder doesn't appear to hustle after Rusty Ryal's deep drive to left-center field, allowing the hit to become a triple. The nose-to-nose exchange becomes heated, and Upton, who takes exception to his third baseman's criticism, needs to be restrained by teammates.

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2016 At Great American Ball Park, Cubs' third baseman Kris Bryant becomes the third major leaguer to collect five extra-base hits in one contest and the first with three home runs and two doubles. The 24-year-old Chicago infielder's offensive output joins the ranks of Ranger outfielder Josh Hamilton (Camden Yards, 2012) and Braves first baseman Joe Adcock (Ebbets Field, 1954), having both hit four homers and a double to accomplish the feat.

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2016 With approximately 100 fans in attendance, the Rangers rally after a 3½-hour rain delay to beat the Yankees 9-6. Kirby Yates, replacing Aroldis Chapman in the ninth with a runner on first and no outs and the team ahead 6-5, plunks three batters and yields two-run singles to Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus, giving Texas an eventual 9-6 victory at 2:44 am in the Bronx ballpark.

2021 Pirates' starter Max Kranick retires all 15 batters he faces, throwing five perfect innings before torrential rain delays the Busch Stadium contest for 64 minutes. The 23-year-old right-hander, removed from the game after play resumes, gets the victory when the team beats the Cardinals, 7-2, becoming the first hurler since 1893 with a perfect start of at least five innings in his major-league debut.

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BIRTHDAYS
1914 Charles Urbanus born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 1980)


1937 Ron Luciano umpire in the American League (1969-79), born in Endicott, New York (d. 1995)


1941 Al Downing (NY Yankees), born in Trenton, New Jersey


1949 Don Baylor (Rockies, 1979 AL RBI leader, 267 HBP), born in Austin, Texas


1950 Ken Arthur, Australian softball asst coach (Olympic bronze 1996)

1967 Matt Karchner pitcher (Chicago White Sox), born in Berwick, Pennsylvania


1971 Greg Keagle pitcher (Detroit Tigers), born in Corning, New York

1971 Ron Mahay born in Crestwood, Illinois

1975 Chad Green outfielder (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Dunkirk, New York

1977 Chris Spurling (Detroit Tigers,Brewers), born in Dayton, Ohio


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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1907 Branch Rickey is behind the plate when the Senators steal 13 bases in the Highlanders' 16-5 loss to the Senators at Hilltop Park. Although the New York catcher is not a terrific player, 'the Mahatma' will become one of the premier baseball administrators in the history of the game.

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1910 At Cincinnati's Palace of the Fans, Joe Tinker steals home twice, becoming the first major leaguer to accomplish the feat in the same game. The Cubs shortstop's thievery helps Chicago beat the Reds, 11-1.

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1911 After playing home games at the Highlanders' Hilltop Park for the past six weeks, the Giants return to the Polo Grounds with a 3-0 victory over Boston. Their home, devastated by an April fire, re-opens with temporary wooden stands until the completion of the renovated steel and concrete structure next season.

1913 Due to the relocation of the Covington (KY) Blue Sox franchise to Kansas City, organized baseball declares war on the new independent Federal League. The City of Fountains is considered the territory of the American Association.

1918 After moving up to the mound for a possible cutoff play, White Sox backstop Ray Schalk continues to second base, taking a throw from first baseman Chick Gandil to double up Browns Ray Demmitt, who failed to retouch second base, attempting to get back to first. The play makes the future Hall of Famer the first catcher to make a putout at every bag, a feat not accomplished again until 1964 when Johnny Roseboro tags Willie Mays out in a rundown play when the outfielder tries to steal second.

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1919 Red Sox right-hander Carl Mays, before his July trade to today’s opponents, hurls two complete games in a doubleheader, beating the Yankees, 2-0, in the first game and losing the nightcap, 4-1, at the Polo Grounds. The 26-year-old submariner accomplished the same feat last season on August 30 when he beat the A's 12–0 and 4–1 in a twin bill played at Fenway Park.

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1939 In a twin bill sweep at Shibe Park, the Yankees set the major league record for home runs in a game and two consecutive games when the team hit eight homers in the opener and another five in the nightcap on their way to sweeping the A's, 23-2 and 10-0. In the first game of the twin bill, the Bronx Bombers collect 53 total bases to establish an American League record.

1939 At Shibe Park, Lou Gehrig receives a tremendous standing ovation from the Philadelphia crowd when he brings out the lineup card to the umpires before the second game of a twin bill. Rarely leaving the dugout, A's manager Connie Mack goes to home plate to shake the terminally ill Yankee captain's hand.

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1941 White Sox rookie Don Kolloway hits two home runs and a single in the team's 6-4 victory over the Indians at Cleveland Stadium. The 22-year-old second baseman also steals four bases, including second, third, and home in the ninth inning to add an insurance run for Chicago.

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1949 Joe DiMaggio returns to the lineup after missing the first 69 games of the season due to an ailing heel, which required an operation for bone spurs. The Yankee Clipper will go 5-for-11 (.455), connecting for four home runs and driving nine runs in the team's three-game sweep against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

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1959 In a 6-0 loss to the Giants, Wally Post becomes the first major leaguer to throw out two runners from the outfield in one inning. In the bottom of the first, the Phillies' outfielder nails Orlando Cepeda at second base and then starts a 9-6-3 double play on Daryl Spencer's fly ball to right field.

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1969 After ending an 11-game losing streak in their previous contest, the expansion Padres are the victims of a 19-0 shutout for the second time this season when Dodgers right-hander Don Drysdale equals the National League record for the largest margin of victory in a shutout. Los Angeles scores more than half of their runs in the third inning, crossing the plate ten times.

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1970 In the final two games at Forbes Field, the Pirates sweep a doubleheader from the Cubs, 3-2 and 4-1, to gain a first-place tie with the Mets. After returning from their 18-day road trip, the team will play at Three Rivers Stadium, abandoning the old Pittsburgh ballpark that served as the Bucs' home since 1909.

1973 White Sox's first baseman Dick Allen fractures his left leg after colliding with Angels' baserunner Mike Epstein at the bag. The Chicago slugger, hitting .310 with 16 homers at the time, will miss most of the season, and his team, only one game out of first place, will finish the 17 games behind Oakland, the AL West Division winners.

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1974 "He thinks he's in a sales convention dealing with a bunch of short-order cooks. That's not the way to go about getting a winner. Somebody ought to sit him down and straighten him out." - DOUG RADER, Astros third baseman's comments concerning Ray Kroc's ownership style of the Padres.
Padres president Buzzie Bavasi, inspired by disparaging remarks made by Astro third baseman Doug Rader about Ray Kroc, team owner and the board chairman of McDonald's, stages a Short-Order Cooks' Night, giving fans wearing a chef's hat free admission. The Houston captain, who compared Kroc's management of the Friars to a sales convention of short-order cooks, joins in on the fun by wearing a chef's hat and an apron and carrying a skillet and spatula when he brings the lineup card to home plate. (Ed. Note: Frequent contributor Gary R. shared this interesting and ironic detail about the entry; the game ends with a flyout to John Grubb. -LP)

1976 At Tiger Stadium, Mark Fidrych, known as the 'Bird,' amuses a Monday Night Baseball national TV audience, talking to the baseball when he one-hits the Yankees, 5-1. The unsung Detroit rookie, who made the team on the final cut of spring training, will finish the season with a 19-9 record.

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1979 The Giants trade Bill Madlock, along with Lenny Randle and Dave Roberts, to the Pirates for hurlers Ed Whitson, Fred Breining, and Al Holland. The 'Mad Dog' will play a pivotal role for Pittsburgh this season, batting .328 in 88 games for the World Champion Bucs.

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1984 Dwight Evans completes a cycle with a walk-off home run, becoming only the fourth major league player to accomplish the feat. The Red Sox outfielder's game-ending three-run blast in the 11th inning gives Boston a dramatic 9-6 victory over Seattle at Fenway Park.

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1986 Indian knuckleballer Phil Niekro and Angels right-hander Don Sutton become the first pair of 300-game winners to start against one another in this century. Both future Hall of Famer pitch into the seventh inning, but neither gets the decision in the Halos’ 9-3 victory over the Tribe at Anaheim Stadium.

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1987 In a seven-game day, American League batters combined to hit a record 28 home runs. The A's contribute five round-trippers to the new mark when Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, known as the Bash Brothers, both go deep twice, with teammate Reggie Jackson adding another in the team's 10-0 rout of Cleveland.

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1989 In an area known as Camden Yards, the razing of structures on the 85-acre parcel of land begins to make room for the Orioles' new ballpark in downtown Baltimore. The fan-friendly baseball-only facility, which debuts in 1992, sets the standard for all new ballparks to be built in the future as teams try to copy the "retro" look done so successfully by the HOK architectural firm.

1991 In the Reds' 8-5 victory over Houston at Riverfront Stadium, Barry Larkin hits three consecutive home runs to join Ernie Banks (1955 Cubs) and Freddie Patek (1980 Angels) as the only shortstops to go deep three times in a game. The trio of round-trippers also gives the future Hall of Famer a major league record-tying five homers over a two-game span.

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1994 In the Giants’ 7-4 loss at Dodger Stadium, Matt Williams becomes the second National Leaguer to hit 28 home runs before the start of July, tying the mark established in 1971 by Willie Stargell. The San Francisco third baseman will finish the strike-shortened season with league-leading 43 round-trippers, losing a legitimate opportunity to break Babe Ruth’s mark of 60 when the season prematurely ends on August 11.

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1999 Twenty-five year-old shortstop Damian Jackson swipes five bags, including stealing home in the sixth inning, in the Padres' 8-7 victory at Qualcomm Stadium, establishing the modern-day rookie record for stolen bases. In 2009, Rockies freshman Dexter Fowler matches the mark in a contest that also involves San Diego.

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2000 After giving up 11 runs in the first four innings, the Rockies storm back to beat San Francisco, 17-13. Colorado third baseman Jeff Cirillo hits three homers, doubles, drives in six runs, and scores five times in the Coors Field slugfest.

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2000 In less than six seasons, the Rockies draw their 20 millionth fan to one ballpark faster than any other team in major league history. Colorado eclipses the Dodgers' mark of needing nine years in two stadiums to reach the milestone.

2001 After twenty seasons in San Diego, Padre outfielder Tony Gwynn announces he'll retire at the end of the season. The future Hall of Famer has the highest lifetime batting average (.338) among all active players.

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2004 With his seventh-inning triple in the Phillies' 14-6 win over Montreal at Citizens Bank Park, David Bell becomes the eighth player in franchise history and the first since Gregg Jefferies in 1995 to hit for the cycle. The Philadelphia third baseman joins his grandfather Gus Bell (1951) as the only grandson and grandfather combination to have accomplished the feat.

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2006 The last-place Pirates set a franchise record with their 13th consecutive defeat, dropping a 4-3 decision to White Sox at PNC Park. Pie Traynor's 1939 Bucs had held the dubious mark, losing a dozen in a row during their 68-85 sixth-place finish in the National League.

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2006 In his worst outing as a Met during two seasons with the team, Pedro Martinez is routed by his former Red Sox teammates in his return when the Mets drop a 10-2 decision. The Fenway crowd, who chanted, "Pedro! Pedro!" before the game, showed their appreciation of the Dominican's history as a Red Sox player with a standing ovation during yesterday's video tribute which highlighted the right-hander's achievements with Boston.

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2007 With the third of his five hits in the Astros' 8-5 victory over Colorado at Minute Maid Park, Craig Biggio collects his 3000th hit to become the 27th major leaguer to reach the plateau and the ninth player to accomplish the feat playing for one team. The hustling Houston second baseman reaches the milestone in the seventh inning with a single off Aaron Cook, trying to stretch the historic hit into a double.

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2007 Frank Thomas hits a three-run homer off Twins hurler Carlos Silva in the first inning of the Blue Jays' 8-5 loss at the Metrodome to become the 21st major leaguer to hit 500 home runs. The 'Big Hurt,' who has hit 50 homers (10%) against the Twins, also hit the first home run of his career in Minnesota in 1990.

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2008 In Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers, without the benefit of a hit for the entire game, defeat the Angels, 1-0. Due to the home team not batting in the ninth inning, the combined losing effort of Halo hurlers Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo does not officially count as a no-hitter.

2009 Mariano Rivera joins Trevor Hoffman in becoming only the second pitcher to record 500 major league saves. The right-handed reliever, who also registers his first RBI of his 15-year career, reaches the milestone by getting the last four outs in the Yankees' 4-2 win over the Mets at Citi Field.

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2010 In a scene reminiscent of Dave Dravecky breaking his arm throwing a ball to a batter in 1989, Tiger reliever Joel Zumaya crumbles to his knees in extreme pain after releasing a pitch in a game against Minnesota at Target Field. The hard-throwing right-hander will miss the remainder of the season, but because there is no ligament damage to his elbow, the prognosis for next season is optimistic.

2010 The Cubs place Carlos Zambrano, suspended for three games for his recent tirade against teammate Derrek Lee, on the restricted list. Doctors, mutually selected by Major League Baseball and the players' union, will evaluate the excitable right-hander after his first-inning meltdown in the visitors' dugout after surrendering four runs to the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

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2010 The Cubs honor Ron Santo for his 50 years in baseball, giving the former third baseman and current WGN radio analyst a "Santo 50" white flag autographed by the players and a photo of the Wrigley Field marquee with the message, "Thank you, Ron, for 50 great years." The seventy-year-old will also throw out the ceremonial first pitch and sings "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch.

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2011 After playing 299 games without a grand slam, the Mets hit two bases-full homers in seven at-bats during their 14-3 rout of Detroit at Comerica Park. Jason Bay breaks the nearly two-year drought with a fourth-inning round-tripper, and Carlos Beltran goes deep six batters later in the fifth frame.

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2012 During an on-field ceremony before the game against Arizona at Turner Field, the Braves honor Chipper Jones, who was officially inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame earlier in the day. Joining Hank Aaron (44), Warren Spahn (21), Eddie Mathews (44), Phil Niekro (35), Dale Murphy (3), Greg Maddux (31), Tom Glavine (47), John Smoltz (29), and Bobby Cox (6), 40-year-old Atlanta third baseman becomes the tenth person to have his number retired by the franchise with the unveiling of his jersey #10 on the outfield wall.

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