BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

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7/14
BIRTHDAYS
1898 A. B. "Happy" Chandler HOF executive (MLB Commissioner 1945-51) and politician (44th & 49th Governor Kentucky), born in Corydon, Kentucky (d. 1991)

1947 Steve Stone, American sportscaster (Monday Night Baseball), born in Cleveland, Ohio

1967 Robin Ventura infielder (Chicago White Sox), born in Santa Maria, California


1969 Jose Hernandez infielder (Chicago Cubs), born in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico


1970 Mark Brandenburg pitcher (Texas Rangers), born in Houston, Texas


1975 Tim Hudson(San Francisco Giants,Atlanta Braves), born in Columbus, Georgia


1979 Bernie Castro, born in Santiago, Dominican Republic


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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1916 Browns' hurler Ernie Koob pitches a complete game, going all 17 innings of the scoreless tie. Carl Mays pitches the first 15 innings for the Red Sox, with Dutch Leonard finishing the 0-0 game.

Koob & Mays

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1934 At Detroit's Navin Field, the Yankees have lumbago-stricken Lou Gehrig bat leadoff, listing him as the team's shortstop. After singling in the first inning, the 'Iron Horse' leaves the game without fielding as the Tigers bang out 11 doubles to edge the Yankees, 12-11.

1934 In the opener of a twin bill, the Phillies score 11 runs in the second inning, coasting to an 18-0 rout of the Reds at the Baker Bowl. Philadelphia will sweep the doubleheader with a 5-4 victory in the nightcap.

1938 In Toledo, the American Association All-Star squad becomes the first team to experiment with uniforms designed for wear during night games. The design of red, white, and blue shiny satin uniforms may reflect the light during the evening contests.

1946 Despite a home run and a quartet of doubles by Lou Boudreau, the Indians still lose to the Red Sox 11-10 thanks to Ted Williams' three round-trippers and eight RBIs. In the nightcap of the twin bill, player-manager Boudreau will become the first skipper to employ the 'Williams' Shift,' which puts all of the infielders and two outfielders on the right side of the field. The 'Splendid Splinter,' amused by the unusual alignment, doubles in his first at-bat against the new defense.

Lou Boudreau, Ted Williams & The Shift

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1948 The Indians host the Brooklyn Dodgers in the second half of a home-and-home exhibition series to raise funds for the Cleveland Baseball Federation. The 64,877 fans attending the Tribe's 4-3 victory in 11 innings over Brooklyn are delighted when 43-year-old Satchel Paige tosses the three-hitless frames, including striking out the side on 12 pitches in the seventh.

Feller and Satch
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1952 Walt Dropo, acquired from the Red Sox in June, collects five singles in the Tigers' 8-2 victory over New York at Yankee Stadium. The 29-year-old first baseman's 5-for-5 performance begins a string of a dozen consecutive hits.

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1956 Mel Parnell, in the final year of his career, throws the first no-hit game in the American League in three seasons when he defeats the White Sox at Fenway Park, 4-0. The 34-year-old southpaw becomes the first Red Sox hurler to throw a no-hitter since Howard Ehmke accomplished the feat against Philadelphia in 1923.

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1964 The Cubs overcome making five errors in the top of the third inning and beat the Mets, 4-2. The Chicago miscues, including shortstop Andre Rodgers and catcher Dick Bertell each committing two and first baseman Ernie Banks contributing to the total by dropping a pop fly, account for all New York's scoring at Wrigley Field.

1967 Against Giants' right-hander Juan Marichal at Candlestick Park, Eddie Mathews hits home run #500 as an Astro. The former Brave third baseman, who hit 493 homers playing for the franchise in Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta, becomes the seventh major leaguer to reach this plateau.

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1968 Hank Aaron hits home run #500 off Mike McCormick, becoming the eighth major leaguer to reach this milestone. 'Hammerin' Hank's three-run homer over the left-center field fence proves to be the difference as the Braves beat the Giants at Atlanta Stadium, 4-2.

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1968 In the nightcap of a twin bill, Don Wilson strikes out eighteen batters in a nine-inning game to tie a major league record, shared by Bob Feller (Indians, 1938) and Sandy Koufax (Dodgers, 1959 and 1962). The Astros right-hander fans future Hall of Famer Johnny Bench for the last out of his 6-1 victory over the Reds on a wind-swept night at Crosley Field.

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1968 In a 6-1 Astros victory over the Reds at Crosley Field, backstop John Bateman ties the major league record with nine consecutive putouts from the start of a game. The Houston catcher equals the mark established by Art Wilson, playing for the Giants in 1911.

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1969 At Wrigley Field, Bill Hands and the Cubs edge Tom Seaver and the Mets, 1-0. After the game's last out, Ron Santo jumps up and clicks his heels for the first time, a move the third baseman will repeat each time Chicago wins for the rest of his career.

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1970 In the twelfth inning of the All-Star Game, Pete Rose bowls over Ray Fosse at the plate to score the deciding run in an exciting 5-4 National League victory at Riverfront Stadium. The injured Indian catcher, whose career ends prematurely due to the collision, entertained 'Charlie Hustle' as a dinner guest the previous night.

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1970 Gaylord and Jim Perry become the first brothers to appear in the same All‐Star Game, representing the Giants and Twins in the Midsummer Classic. The siblings each hurl two innings for their team, collectively allowing three runs on five hits in the National League's 5-4 victory over the Junior Circuit at Riverfront Stadium.

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1972 Detroit catcher Tom Haller looks over his shoulder and sees his brother Bill, the home plate ump - a major league first. The arbitrator plays no favorites when his younger brother's team loses 1-0 to Kansas City in the Tiger Stadium contest.

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1995 Ramon Martinez throws the 22nd no-hitter in franchise history when he beats the Marlins at Dodger Stadium, 7-0. The Dodger right-hander, booed by the home crowd in his last outing, walks Tommy Gregg on a 3-2 pitch with one out in the seventh inning, spoiling his bid for a perfect game.

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2000 John Olerud has a game-tying double disallowed in the top of the sixth inning when first base umpire Jim Wolf had called time before the pitch because a baseball had come out into fair territory from the visitors' bullpen. The Mariner first baseman's disappointment is short-lived after he hits Brian Meadow's 1-0 pitch for a three-run homer, giving Seattle a 4-2 lead in their eventual victory over the Padres at Qualcomm Stadium.

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2000 Major League owners vote on returning to an unbalanced schedule (teams play more games against teams in their division) than the presently used scheme of playing approximately the same number of games against all clubs within the league. The American League has used a balanced slate since 1977, and the National League started in 1993.

2000 A report presented to owners, The Commissioner's Initiative: Women and Baseball, finds women make up 46 percent of the average crowd at a big-league game and urges teams to market more to women patrons. According to the same study, forty-three percent of women could not name a player on their home team's roster.

2001 Bobby Valentine wins his 1,000th career game as a manager when Glendon Rusch and closer Armando Benitez combine to throw a one-hitter in the Mets' 2-0 victory over the Red Sox. Trot Nixon's first-inning bunt single, resulting from the New York starter's inability to cover first base, is Boston's only hit in the Shea Stadium contest.

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2002 Nelson Barrera, Mexico's career home run and RBI leader, is electrocuted trying to free metal roofing from high-tension wires. The 44-year-old 'Admiral,' who hit 455 home runs during his 26-year Mexican Baseball League tenure, had hoped to continue playing to be the career Triple Crown by reaching the career hit record.

2004 Houston fires Jimy Williams and names Phil Garner, a former Astro, as the interim manager through the rest of the season. The 60-year-old former skipper, who had a .515 (215-197) winning percentage in his three years at the helm, including this season's 44-44 record, was roundly booed by the hometown Minute Maid Park crowd at yesterday's All-Star Game.

2005 Defeating their historical arch-rivals, the Giants become the first team to win 10,000 games as a franchise by edging the Dodgers in LA, 4-3. The Giants, who started as the New York Gothams in 1899, have posted a 10,000-8,511 record during the club's 123 seasons in the National League.

2005 The first-known baseball card, part of a children's educational game, illustrating several boys playing together in a field as one tosses a ball to another holding a bat, makes its public debut at the Smithsonian Institution. The discovery of the historical card in a Maine attic dates back to the early 19th century, predating other known cards by several decades.

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2008 Josh Hamilton, including going deep 13 consecutive times, hits a record-setting 28 home runs in the first round of the Home Run Derby but falls short in the finals, losing to Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, 5-3. With 71-year-old former coach Clay Council pitching, the Rangers outfielder breaks Bobby Abreu's mark of 24 set in 2005.

2009 The American League extends its unbeaten streak to 13 games (12-0-1) with a 4-3 victory over the NL at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Rays' outfielder Carl Crawford, who robs Brad Hawpe of a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, is named the MVP of the Midsummer Classic.

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2009 In his White Sox jacket, Barack Obama becomes the first Commander-in-Chief to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in the Midsummer Classic since Gerald Ford tossed the ball at the beginning of the 1976 contest. After warming up in the White House Rose Garden before arriving at Busch Stadium, the 44th president's pitch barely reaches the plate without bouncing, thanks to Cardinals' hometown hero Albert Pujols, who moves up from home and reaches out to scoop the low throw.

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2010 The Blue Jays trade shortstop Alex Gonzalez and minor leaguers Tim Collins and Tyler Pastornicky to the Braves for infielder Yunel Escobar and southpaw Jo-Jo Reyes. The Braves' new infielder is probably best known for his role in Florida's improbable World Series win over New York, which includes a walk-off home run in the 12th inning of Game Four, giving the Marlins a 4-3 victory and a 2-2 tie in the Fall Classic.

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2011 Reggie Walton, the presiding judge in the Roger Clemens perjury case, declares a mistrial due to evidence revealed to the jury he believed would be prejudicial against the former major league right-hander. During the brief two days of the proceedings, the U.S. District Judge had scolded prosecutors twice during the trial for violating his orders not to reveal specific evidence to the jury, saying their non-compliance could jeopardize the whole case.

2011 At the Rogers Centre, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the Yankees' 16-7 loss to Toronto, appear together in their 1,660th regular-season game, the most for two players in franchise history. Lou Gehrig and Tony Lazzeri had set the previous team mark in 1937.

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2012 Antonio Mendez's bronze statue of Jim Palmer becomes the third sculpture in a series of six unveiled at Camden Yards this season, joining the likenesses of Frank Robinson and Earl Weaver at the ballpark's Legends Park. The three-time Cy Young Award winner pitched for 19 seasons for the Orioles, winning 268 regular-season games.

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2013 Chris Davis ties Reggie Jackson's 1969 American League record for home runs before the All-Star break when he hits his 37th round-tripper, the best in the majors, in the Orioles' 7-4 victory against Toronto at Camden Yards. The Baltimore first baseman ends the first half with home runs in his last four games, the same way he started the season.

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2015 Before the 86th All-Star Game at the Great American Ball Park, MLB announces the selection of Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Sandy Koufax, and Willie Mays as the sport's greatest living players. The pregame program also unveils the fans' choices of the "Franchise Four," naming impactful players who best represent each franchise, including the hometown Reds with Johnny Bench, Barry Larkin, Joe Morgan, and Pete Rose, who receives a loud ovation from the Cincinnati fans.

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2018 Following a lackluster 8-2 home loss to the Reds at Busch Stadium, the third-place Cardinals dismiss Mike Matheny 93 games into his seventh season as the team's manager. The unexpected departure of the Redbird's skipper, who replaced future Hall of Famer Tony La Russa in 2011, marks the franchise's first in-season managerial change in two decades.

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7/15
BIRTHDAYS
1935 Donn Clendenon (d. 2005)


1939 Mike Shannon utility (World Series 1964, 67 St. Louis Cardinals) and broadcaster (St. Louis Cardinals radio 1972-2021), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2023)


1965 Kirt Manwaring, Elmira NY, catcher (SF Giants)


1965 Scott Livingstone, infielder (San Diego Padres, Det Tigers), born in Dallas, Texas


1978 Miguel Olivo


1980 Reggie Abercrombie

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1901 Christy Mathewson becomes the first rookie to throw a no-hitter in baseball history in the modern era. The 20-year-old right-hander, who will hurl another no-hit game in 1905, holds the Cardinals hitless in the Giants' 5-0 victory at Robison Field in St. Louis.

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1939 National League president Ford Frick orders two-foot screens affixed inside all foul poles after Billy Jurges of the Giants and umpire George Magerkurth spit at each other after a disputed call down the left-field line at the Polo Grounds. The American League will soon follow the Senior Circuit lead, installing screens in their ballparks.

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1941 At spacious Mann Field in Newport (AR), the Paragould Browns' Clarence "Hooks" Iott goes the distance, striking out 30 Newport Dodgers in a 16-inning Class D Northeast Arkansas League game that ends in a 1-1 tie. In September, the 21-year-old southpaw, who struck out 25 Batesville Pilots in a nine-inning game last month, will make his major league debut for the Browns, throwing two innings against the White Sox without recording a strikeout.

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