BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

1956 In a 13-6 defeat to the Cubs, Dodgers' shortstop Pee Wee Reese becomes one of five active players to collect 2000 hits, and teammate Junior Gilliam sets a major league record by handling 12 assists at second base.

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1956 With the Reds' 4-3 loss to the Pirates at Crosley Field, Brooks Lawrence's 13-game winning streak comes to an end. Roberto Clemente's three-run homer in the ninth inning proves to be the decisive hit.

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1959 Under intense public pressure and the Massachusetts Committee Against Discrimination investigation, the Red Sox become the last club to integrate. Fourteen years after Boston passed on Jackie Robinson despite a successful tryout in 1945, Elijah 'Pumpsie' Green pinch runs and plays shortstop to become the first black to play for the team.

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1960 Phillies starter Robin Roberts pitches the third one-hitter of his career, and Candlestick Park's third one-hitter this season, when he goes the distance, beating the Giants in their new home, 3-0. Felipe Alou spoils Roberts' bid for a no-hitter, a feat the right-hander will not accomplish during his 19-year Hall of Fame career, with a fifth-inning infield hit, a hit third baseman Joe Morgan fields, but cannot throw the ball when he falls while making the play.

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1961 With back-to-back homers in the top of the first at Fenway Park, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris continue their assault on Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. However, the game's decisive hit is a pinch-hit grand slam by Johnny Blanchard with two outs in the ninth inning, which propels the Bronx Bombers past the Red Sox, 11-8.

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1962 After Marv Throneberry's fifth-inning error, which would have ended the frame, Vada Pinson hits a two-out, two-run homer, wasting Craig Anderson's complete-game effort against Cincinnati. The eventual 5-3 defeat at Crosley Field makes the right-hander the third consecutive Mets starter, following losing efforts by Jay Hook and Roger Craig, to pitch a complete game and not get a victory.

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1963 Pirates outfielder Jerry Lynch pinch hits a three-run home run off Chicago's Lindy McDaniel in the ninth inning to tie the Forbes Field contest at five, a game in which the Bucs will eventually win 14 innings, 6-5. The heroic homer is the left-handed hitter's 14th career round-tripper off the bench, tying a major league mark established by former Cincinnati teammate George Crowe.

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1963 The usually mild-mannered Dodger manager Walter Alston is thrown out of both games of a doubleheader when the Braves sweep a twin bill from Los Angeles for the first and only time in Milwaukee, 7-2 and 13-7. To make matters worse, the manager has beer thrown in his face by a hometown fan as he leaves the second game.

 

1970 Ignoring Clay Kirby's bid for the Padres' first no-hitter in the 259th game of their existence, skipper Preston Gomez, with his club trailing the Mets, 1-0, in the eighth inning, decides to pinch hit for his starting pitcher. Reliever Jack Baldschun fails to keep New York hitless, yielding a leadoff hit to Bud Harrelson, and San Diego eventually loses the Jack Murphy Stadium contest, 3-0.

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1973 Braves slugger Hank Aaron becomes the second major leaguer to hit 700 career home runs when he goes deep off Phillies southpaw Ken Brett in the third inning of the team's 8-4 loss at Atlanta Stadium. Bronx Bomber Babe Ruth reached the milestone in 1934, homering off Detroit's Tommy Bridges at Briggs Stadium.

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1975 In the Mets' 6-4 loss to the Astros at Shea Stadium, Joe Torre becomes the first player in National League history to hit into four straight double plays. Felix Millan, enjoying a 4-for-4 day, singles in four consecutive at-bats, making the third baseman's dubious mark possible.

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1982 The Reds, 24 games below .500, fire manager John McNamara and ask third base coach Russ Nixon to manage the team. The new skipper will win only 27 games of the 70 left in the campaign, and Cincinnati will replace him after another last-place finish at the end of next season.

1988 The Red Sox suspend Jim Rice for three days for shoving manager Joe Morgan. The Boston outfielder became upset when the skipper pinch-hit for him, using the light-hitting shortstop Spike Owen.

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1988 The Yankees trade Jay Buhner, minor league prospect Rich Balabon, and a player to be named later (Troy Evers) to the Mariners in exchange for 33-year-old Ken Phelps. The one-sided deal will be immortalized on Seinfeld by Frank Costanza, George's dad, when he laments the Bronx Bombers' poor judgment, "How could you have traded Buhner for Ken Phelps?"

1990 In his first major league start, Ben McDonald, the Orioles' top pick in last year's June draft, blanks Chicago on four hits, 2-0. The 22-year-old right-hander from Louisiana State, the first American League pitcher to debut with a shutout in 15 years, retires the final 16 White Sox batters he faces after allowing Ron Kittle's fourth-inning single.

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1993 Jose Uribe walks on a 3-2 count thanks to home umpire Harry Wendelstedt losing track of the pitches. The fifth-inning base-on-balls leads to a run when the Astros shortstop scores on Steve Finley's double in Houston's 5-3 victory over the Bucs at Three Rivers Stadium.

 

2000 The Orioles halt their 20-game Canadian losing streak, defeating the Blue Jays at the SkyDome, 9-5. Future Hall of Farmer Harold Blaine collects four hits in Baltimore's first victory north of the border since June 13, 1998.

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2001 At Camden Yards, Troy Glaus becomes the fastest Angel player to reach the 100 career home run mark. The 24-year-old Halos' third baseman hits a pair of home runs in the team's 6-5 ten-inning victory over Baltimore.

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2001 The Dodgers rout the Rockies, 22–7, scoring the most runs by the team since July 10th, 1943, when the wartime Brooklyn club beat the Pirates at Ebbets Field, 23-6. The franchise mark for tallies in a contest is 25, first accomplished on May 20th, 1896, then matched in 1901 on September 23rd.

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2003 At Dodger Stadium, Vladimir Guerrero hit his 226th career home run, breaking Andre Dawson's club record. The Expos' right fielder hits his milestone round-tripper off Odalis Perez, a 454-foot blast over the left-field wall.

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2004 Thanks to an unusual play in the outfield, David Newhan hits a rare inside-the-park homer at Fenway. Inexplicably, Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez, from left field, cuts off the relay throw from center fielder Johnny Damon, allowing two Orioles to score in Baltimore's 10-5 victory.

2004 Mark Buehrle faces the minimum 27 batters as the White Sox rout the Indians, 14-0. The 25-year-old southpaw, throwing just ninety pitches, allows only two hits, with both runners erased due to a double play.

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2004 At Wrigley Field, a club employee discovers another piece of concrete, which fell from the park's upper deck. Two other chunks have also fallen recently in different sections in the 90-year-old stadium, prompting Mayor Richard Daley to say he would not hesitate to close parts, or all, of the facility to protect fans from potential harm.

2005 Hideki Matsui plays in his 395th consecutive game to start his career, breaking Al Simmons's 1926 American League record. The Japanese outfielder will also surpass Ernie Banks' NL mark of 424 en route to establishing the new major league record of 518 consecutive contests.

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2006 Going deep in the third inning, 30-year-old Yankees' third baseman Alex Rodriguez collects his 2,000th career hit and, at the same time, becomes the youngest player to reach the 450 home run plateau. Later in the day, Padres catcher Mike Piazza also becomes a member of the 2000-hit club with a second-inning double to left field at San Francisco's AT&T Park.

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2006 After the All-Star break, as part of the scheduled "grand re-opening" of the ballpark, the Nationals stage the first live Presidents Race at the RFK Stadium, with George Washington taking first place in the inaugural competition among the Chief Executives. Although mascots Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln chalk up wins in the next two days, Teddy Roosevelt will not, thus beginning his infamous streak over more than 500 attempts before finally crossing the finish line first on the final day of the 2012 season.

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2007 Willie Harris goes 6-for-6 with two triples, a steal, and six RBI to help the Braves top the Cardinals, 14 – 6. The outfielder from Cairo (GA) joins Felix Millan, who accomplished the feat 27 years earlier, as the second Atlanta player to get six hits in a game.

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2007 The Pirates retire uniform number 11, once worn by Paul Waner, a right fielder who hit .340 during his 15-year tenure (1926-1940) in Pittsburgh. Big Poison's digits are the tenth to be retired in franchise history and the first in a decade.

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2008 Diamondback left-hander Randy Johnson becomes the first major leaguer to collect 2,000 strikeouts for two different teams. The Arizona southpaw, who fanned 2,162 batters pitching for the Mariners from 1989-98, whiffs Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez to earn the distinction.

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2008 Jose Reyes' fourth-inning three-bagger in the Mets' 7-5 victory over the Reds at Great American Ball Park makes him the franchise leader in triples. The speedy shortstop's 11th three-base hit this season, the sixty-third of his career, all as a Met, puts the 25-year-old infielder one ahead of Mookie Wilson.

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2008 Coming out of the bullpen in the eighth, Jimmy Gobble allows ten runs in two-thirds of an inning, setting a franchise record for the most runs allowed by a Royals reliever in a game. The 26-year-old southpaw, who will be placed on the 15-day disabled list the next day with a stiff lower back, gives up seven hits and walks four batters, facing 13 Tigers.

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2010 In a Middle East/Africa Regional contest played in Poland, Uganda becomes the first team to execute a triple play in a Little League tournament. The 1-2-3-5 triple killing ends the game, giving the team a 9-3 victory over heavily-favored Saudi Arabia.

 

2012 At Cooperstown's Doubleday Field, the Hall of Fame honors Fox analyst Tim McCarver and Toronto Sun's Bob Elliott for their longtime contributions in covering baseball. The pair received the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting and the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for sports writing.

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2013 In an on-field ceremony, former first baseman Carlos Delgado becomes the 10th member inducted on the Level of Excellence, an award bestowed by the Blue Jays to recognize an individual player's accomplishments for the team. Previous recipients of the prestigious award include Dave Stieb, George Bell, Joe Carter, Cito Gaston, Tony Fernandez, Pat Gillick, Tom Cheek, Roberto Alomar, and Paul Beeston.

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2015 The lengthy investigation and prosecution of Barry Bonds for obstruction of justice end when the Department of Justice reveals it is not challenging his felony conviction's reversal to the US Supreme Court. Baseball's career home run leader was convicted of obstruction of justice in 2011 for giving convoluted answers to a federal grand jury when probed about PED injections.
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7/22
BIRTHDAYS
1893 Jesse Haines HOF pitcher (World Series 1926, 31, 34; pitched no-hitter 1924; St. Louis Cardinals), born in Clayton, Ohio (d. 1978)


1905 Doc Cramer player (d. 1990)


1944 Sparky Lyle pitcher (MLB All-Star 1973, 76, 77; World Series 1977, 78; AL Cy Young Award 1977; NY Yankees), born in DuBois, Pennsylvania


1957 Dave Stieb MLB pitcher (7-time All Star, Blue Jays), born in Santa Ana, California


1973 Mike Sweeney player

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1905 In the first game of a doubleheader, A's pitcher Weldon Henley no-hits the Browns, 6-0. The Georgia native will compile a 32-43 won-loss record during his four-year big league career.

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1906 Without a single assist registered by his Cincinnati teammates, Bob Ewing beats the Phillies, 10-3. 'Long Bob' will post a stellar 2.38 ERA this season, but he will finish the season with a 13-14 record for the sixth-place Reds.

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1913 In a game against the Superbas (Dodgers), Slim Sallee becomes the first pitcher in Cardinal history to steal home. In the third inning, the Redbird southpaw scores the first run in St. Louis's 3-1 victory over Brooklyn at Ebbets Field.

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1923 At League Park, the Indians complete a 31-game homestand in which every American League team pays a visit. After a slow start, the Tribe finishes with a 16-15 record during their month at home.

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1923 At Cleveland's Dunn Field, Walter Johnson fans the Tribe's Stan Coveleski to become the first pitcher in major league history to strike out 3,000 batters. The Senator legend's milestone will remain unmatched until 1974 when Cardinals right-hander Bob Gibson whiffs Reds leadoff man Cesar Geronimo to reach the plateau at Busch Stadium.

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1926 With the help of four triples, the Reds score 11 runs in the second inning en route to a 13-1 victory over the Braves. Curt Walker ties a National League record for most triples in an inning by hitting two in the frame.

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1926 At Long Island's Mitchell Field, with the media well represented, Babe Ruth, wearing an Army uniform, catches the last of seven baseballs, traveling 100 mph from a height of about 250 to 300 feet above the ground, dropped from a plane piloted by Captain Harold McClelland. Major Benjamin Foulois arranged the publicity stunt to bring more attention to the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) and the Citizens Military Training Camp.

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1935 The Red Sox end a game for the second consecutive day with Wes Ferrell hitting a walk-off home run. As a pinch-hitter yesterday, his round-tripper beat the Tigers, 7-6, and today, as a starter, his game-ending homer gives
Boston a 2-1 victory against the Browns

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1941 Dick Wakefield becomes baseball's first 'bonus baby' when he signs with the Tigers for $52,000 and a new car. The University of Michigan standout will get one hit in seven at-bats (.143) this season.

1945 In front of a sellout crowd at Fenway Park, Red Sox right-hander Dave Ferriss, known as Boo, goes the distance, beating the Browns, 3-2. The 23-year-old rookie improves his record to 17-2 en route to finishing the season with a 21-10 (.677) mark and a 2.96 ERA.

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1954 In the ninth, Yankee skipper Casey Stengel shifts center fielder Mickey Mantle to shortstop to replace weak-hitting Willy Miranda, moving Irv Noren to center to take Mick's place with pinch-hitter Hank Bauer staying in the game in right. The move proves unnecessary when the 'Commerce Comet' hits a walk-off homer in the bottom of the tenth, giving the Bronx Bombers a 4-3 victory over the White Sox.

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1962 Floyd Robinson goes 6-for-6, helping the White Sox defeat the Red Sox at Fenway Park, 7-3. All of the Chicago outfielder's hits are singles.

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1962 During a twin bill with the Reds at Crosley Field, the Mets manage to have four runners thrown out trying to score at home plate. The new National League expansion team from New York loses both games, 11-4 and 4-3, en route to a record-setting 120 defeats this season.

1966 The Mets left fielder learns he is a new dad when the Dodger Stadium scoreboard relays the message, "Congratulations, Ron Swoboda. Your new son is born tomorrow morning". Cecilia Swoboda gave birth to Chipper, the couple's first child, at 12:02 am eastern standard time, making it the next day on the West Coast.

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1966 Lew Burdette, tossing the final two frames of scoreless ball in relief, earns his 200th career victory when the Angels score two runs in the top of the ninth in the team's eventual 6-4 victory at Yankee Stadium. The veteran right-hander, a one-time Bronx Bomber traded to Boston for Johnny Sain, is best remembered for winning three games for the Braves against his former team in the 1957 World Series.

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1966 Clay Dalrymple breaks up Giants hurler Gaylord Perry's no-hitter with an eighth-inning single. It's the second time the Phillies' catcher has spoiled a no-hit bid in the eighth inning at Candlestick Park, as he collected the only hit in Juan Marichal's debut in 1960.

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1967 The Braves use five pitchers in the same inning, establishing a major league mark for the number of hurlers used in one frame. Ken Johnson, Ramon Hernandez, Claude Raymond, Dick Kelley, and Cecil Upshaw all face batters in the ninth inning of the team's 5-4 defeat to St. Louis in 13 innings at Busch Stadium.

1968 After grounding out to first base unassisted in the seventh inning of the Yankees' 7-6 loss to the Red Sox, Mickey Mantle's lifetime batting average falls and stays below .300 (.29946). The future Hall of Fame slugger, who finishes his 18-year tenure in the major leagues with a .298 batting average, often laments in later years that his greatest regret in baseball was not ending his career with a .300 BA.

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1969 The All-Star Game, for the first time since its inception in 1939, is rained out due to the soggy conditions at RFK Stadium caused by a torrential rainstorm that pelted the nation's capital during the day. The postponement of the 40th Midsummer Classic disappoints President Nixon, who had planned to throw the ceremonial first pitch, but cannot now attend, leaving to greet the Apollo 11 crew, expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean after their historic trip to the moon.

 

1973 Reds shortstop Dave Concepcion will miss the rest of the season after fracturing the fibula of his left leg, sliding into third base two days before the Midsummer Classic. The All-Star infielder hit .287 in the 89 games he played for the eventual National League Western Division winners.

1983 Angels outfielder Brian Downing's American League record consecutive errorless streak ends at 244 games when he misplays Chet Lemon's line drive in a 13-11 loss to the Tigers. The 'Incredible Hulk' will never win a Gold Glove during his 20 years in the major leagues.

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1984 The Yankees retire Roger Maris's (#9) and Elston Howard's (#32) uniform numbers. The team also erects plaques to pay tribute to their achievements as Bronx Bombers.

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1986 Due to a series of maneuvers by Mets' manager Davey Johnson and the late-game ejections of Darryl Strawberry, Ray Knight, and Kevin Mitchell, the team runs out of position players. The lack of regulars makes for some interesting moves when catcher Gary Carter plays third base, right-handed reliever Roger McDowell plays left field (when Jesse Orosco pitches to lefties), and Orosco plays right (when McDowell faces right-handers) with Mookie Wilson moving from corner to corner as needed.
Ray Knight and Kevin Mitchell ejections resulted from a bench-clearing brawl precipitated by Knight when he decks pinch-runner Eric Davis at third base.

1987 At Comiskey Park, Harold Baines surpasses Bill Melton to become the White Sox's all-time leading home run hitter when he goes deep off Mike Boddicker during the third inning of a 10-5 loss to Baltimore. The 28-year-old Chicago DH/OF has hit 155 home runs in his eight seasons with the Pale Hose.

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1993 Giving up four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning at Three Rivers Stadium, the Braves lose to the Pirates, 8-7, to fall ten games behind the division-leading Giants. In a remarkable turn-around, Atlanta posts a 54-19 record after the All-Star break, finishing with 104 victories, winning the National League West historic race by a single game on the last day of the season.

1995 A frail Mickey Mantle bids the fans a farewell in a recorded message on the Bronx ballpark's Jumbotron on the day the Yankees celebrate Babe Ruth's hundredth birthday as part of the team's Old Timers' Day. The diminished former superstar, who will succumb to liver cancer in 22 days, tells the crowd, "I feel like Phil Rizzuto in Babe Ruth's uniform."

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1999 Cleanup batter Manny Ramirez, listed as the designated hitter in the lineup posted by Indians' manager Mike Hargrove, plays in the field in the top of the first inning, mistakenly taking Alex Ramirez's position in right field. The blunder will result in the Tribe losing a DH during their 4-3 loss to Toronto at Jacobs Field.