BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

1971 A's southpaw Vida Blue, en route to a 24-8 record in his first full year in the major leagues, becomes a 20-game winner when he goes the distance, blanking the White Sox, 1-0. The only run of the game scores on a balk committed by Joe Horlen in the sixth inning of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum contest.

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1972 The Hall of Fame inducts pitchers Sandy Koufax (1st yr, 86.9%), the author of four no-hitters, and three hundred game winner Early Wynn (4th yr, 76.0%). Yogi Berra (2nd yr, 85.6%), who retired as the AL leader for catcher putouts with 8,723, is also enshrined in Cooperstown.

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1973 An ambulance rushes Oakland owner Charlie Finley to Chicago's Northwestern University Hospital after collapsing due to a heart attack. During the meddlesome owner's absence, the A's flourish, winning 13 of 14 games, including nine consecutive victories, to go into first place, a position they will not relinquish.

1976 A strike away from throwing a no-hitter, Steve Luebber gives up a single to Roy Howell, who advances to third base on an error in center field by Lyman Bostock. The 27-year-old right-hander will yield another hit and a run before being replaced on the mound by reliever Bill Campbell in the Twins' 3-1 victory over the Rangers at Arlington Stadium.

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1978 Mel Allen and Red Barber become the first recipients of the Ford C. Frick Broadcasting Award. The Hall of Fame voters, unable to choose between the two legendary voices, select each Yankee announcer to receive the honor, recognizing excellence among baseball broadcasters.

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1982 Jim Rice climbs into the Fenway Park stands from the dugout to assist a young boy hit by a savage line drive off the bat of Dave Stapleton. The Red Sox slugger's quick response of picking up the four-year-old boy and running through the dugout to a waiting ambulance possibly saved the child's life.

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1983 The team honors Bobby Murcer by giving him a day at Yankee Stadium. The popular Oklahoman, who will become a long-time team broadcaster, played 13 seasons for the Bronx Bombers, compiling a .278 batting average while in pinstripes.

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1985 A five-year agreement between the union and owners, which includes salary arbitration eligibility increasing from two to three years, ends the two-day midseason players' strike. The season will resume tomorrow, with the 25 games scheduled for yesterday and today made up later.

1987 Bill Mazeroski's uniform jersey #9 is officially retired from active service by the Pirates. The 1960 World Series hero joins Billy Meyer (1), Willie Stargell (8), Pie Traynor (20), Roberto Clemente (21), Honus Wagner (33), and Danny Murtaugh (40) to be honored by Pittsburgh in this manner.

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1988 The Mariners establish a major league record with five sacrifice flies in their 12-7 victory over Oakland. Alvin Davis, Rey Quinones, Jay Buhner, Darnell Coles, and Jim Presley drive in a run with a long fly ball out in the Oakland Coliseum contest.

 

1993 In his first major league appearance since being involved in a tragic accident during spring training, Indian pitcher Bobby Ojeda receives a warm reception from the Orioles fans attending the Camden Yards contest. In March, the veteran southpaw sustained severe injuries at Little Lake Nellie in Clermont (FL) in a motorboat accident that claimed the lives of two teammates, relievers Tim Crews and Steve Olin.

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1999 A major leaguer gets his 3000th hit for the second consecutive day when Wade Boggs homers in the sixth off Indian Chris Haney. The Devil Rays' third baseman, the first player to reach the milestone with a home run, rounds the bases pointing skyward and blowing a kiss in memory of his mom and gets down on his knees to kiss home plate.

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1999 The Royals honor George Brett's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame with an on-field ceremony before the game against Minnesota. The former third baseman played his entire 21-year career in Kansas City, compiling a .305 lifetime batting average.

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2000 The Yankees claim Jose Canseco off waivers from the Devil Rays. The 35-year-old slugger will appear in just 37 games for the Bronx Bombers, primarily as a designated hitter, hitting .247 in 111 at-bats.

2001 Home plate umpire Angel Hernandez ejects Steve 'Mongo' McMichael from Wrigley Field when the former Chicago Bear football player is about to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch. Presently a pro wrestler, McMichael tells the crowd over the P.A. system, "he'll have a talk with the ump" concerning a close call made by Hernandez earlier in the game, bows and blows a kiss toward the ump.

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2001 Black Betsy, Shoeless Joe Jackson's 40-ounce warped hickory bat, becomes available in a ten-day eBay auction. Rob Mitchell, a 30-year-old businessman, places the winning bid of $577,610, believed to be the largest amount ever paid for a baseball bat.

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2001 Passing the mark of 68 established by Christy Mathewson (Giants - 1913) and Randy Jones (Padres - 1976), Braves right-hander Greg Maddux sets the NL record for consecutive innings without allowing a walk, pitching six innings without giving up a base on balls to extend the record to 70.1 innings. The major league record is 84.1 innings without a free pass, established in 1962 by A's sinker-slider hurler Bill Fischer.

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2002 Major leaguers agree to be checked randomly for illegal steroids starting next year. The proposal, which addresses, The agreement ends the players' decades-old opposition to mandatory drug testing, a major issue in the current contract talks.

2002 The Rockies give Clint Hurdle a two-year contract extension after he pilots the team to a 45-45 record as the interim skipper. The club's former hitting coach replaced Buddy Bell, who Colorado fired near the end of April.

2003 Albert Pujols joins Jose Canseco as the only other player in major league history to hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs during his first three seasons. The Cardinals left fielder accomplished the feat with a run-scoring double in the first inning of the team's 3-0 victory over Florida at Busch Stadium.

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2003 Fireballer Eric Gagne ties the single-season record for consecutive saves to start a season, established in 1995 by Jose Mesa of the Indians. The Dodger closer strikes out the Reds' side in the ninth inning for his 38th save this season and 46th consecutive regular-season save overall.

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2004 In less than a masterful performance, Greg Maddux pitches five innings to register his 300th victory when the Cubs beat the Giants, 8-4. The 38-year-old is the 22nd pitcher to reach the plateau, and many believe he may be the last to reach this coveted milestone.

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2005 In the battle of the Zambranos, the Mets' Victor is victorious when he defeats Carlos and the Cubs at Shea Stadium, 6-1. In addition to sharing the same last name, the two unrelated Venezuelan pitchers wear the same number (38), enter the game with the same amount of career wins (41), play for teams that started the series with the same record (54-54), and both switch hit and throw right-handed.

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2005 On the left-left concourse at U.S. Cellular Field, the White Sox unveiled a life-sized bronze statue of Carlton Fisk. The Hall of Fame catcher, who played for the ChiSox from 1981 to the end of his career in 1993, joins team founder Charles A. Comiskey and Cuban legend Minnie Minoso, also honored with statues in the Chicago ballpark.

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2006 The Diamondbacks trade a pair of pitching prospects, Matt Chico and Garrett Mock, to the Nationals for veteran right-hander Livan Hernandez (9-8, 5.34). Washington had put the 31-year-old Cuban on waivers with the hopes of making a deal with any team, but Arizona blocked that option, trying to stay in the NL West hunt.

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2007 In front of a very supportive home crowd at AT&T Park, Barry Bonds surpasses Hank Aaron as the all-time home run leader when he connects on a 3-2 pitch for #756 off southpaw Mike Bacsik of the Nationals. During the 10-minute celebration following the historic homer, a surprise video message on the scoreboard shows Hammerin' Hank congratulating the Giants' left fielder for breaking the 31-year-old record.

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2010 Chris Young becomes the sixth major leaguer to lead off and end a game with a round-tripper, hitting a pair of solo home runs in the Diamondbacks' 6-5 victory over the Padres at Chase Field. In the first frame, the Arizona center fielder connected off Clayton Richard and hits his walk-off blast to deep left field off Luke Gregerson leading off the ninth inning.

2010 James Shields ties a major league record for dingers allowed in one game when he gives up six round-trippers in the Rays' 17-11 loss to Toronto at the Rogers Centre. 'Big Fly James', in his four innings of work, yields homers to Aaron Hill (2), Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind, Jose Bautista, and J.P. Arencibia.

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2010 In a 17-11 slugfest against Tampa Bay at the Rogers Centre, J.P. Arencibia becomes the 28th player to hit a home run on the first pitch he sees as a major leaguer. The Blue Jays rookie catcher will also hit a double, a single, and another home run, finishing the contest just a triple shy of completing the cycle.

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2014 The Mets freshman Jacob deGrom establishes a franchise mark for rookies when he throws 67.1 innings, a span of 10 games, without allowing a home run. The 26-year-old right-hander's streak ends when Ian Desmond takes him deep in the second inning of the team's 5-3 loss to Washington at Nationals Park.

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2016 The first triple play in Petco Park history takes place in the bottom of the seventh inning when Jabari Blash, with runners on first and second, hits a grounder to Phillies' third baseman Maikel Franco, who steps on the bag to begin 5-4-3 around-the-horn triple killing. The last triple play Philadelphia pulled off was accomplished single-handedly by Eric Bruntlett, who retired three Mets in a 2009 contest at Citi Field.

2016 Ichiro Suzuki becomes the 30th major leaguer to collect 3,000 hits when he legs out a seventh-inning triple in the Marlins' 10-7 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. The 42-year-old center fielder joins Paul Molitor as the only other player to reach the milestone with a three-bagger.

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2016 "Of course I think I can play baseball. You always think you have one more hit in you. That wasn't in the cards. That was the Yankees' decision and I'm at peace with it." - ALEX RODRIGUEZ, announcing his retirement. At a crowded news conference, Yankee 3B/DH Alex Rodriguez announces he will play his final major league game against the Rays in the Bronx on August 12th before becoming a special adviser and instructor with the team. The 41-year-old A-Rod, currently hitting .204, will end his career with 696 home runs, fourth on the all-time list, trailing only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), and Babe Ruth (714).

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2017 On his 26th birthday, Mike Trout collects his 1,000th career hit, a line-drive double into the left-field corner off Dylan Bundy in the Halos' 6-2 loss to the Orioles at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The Millville Meteor becomes the tenth American Leaguer to reach the milestone before his age-26 season.

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BIRTHDAYS

1927 Johnny Temple player (d. 1994)


1936 Frank Howard (NL Rookie of the Year 1960)


1947 José Cruz left fielder (St Louis Cards, Houston Astros), born in Arroyo, Puerto Rico


1963 Ron Karkovice catcher (Chicago White Sox)


1966 John Hudek player


1971 Steve Hinton infielder (Olympics 1996)


1976 Seung-Yeop Lee player


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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1903 In the third inning of the 4-3 nightcap loss to New York at the Polo Grounds, Dodger starter Henry Schmidt is thrown out of the game after he throws the baseball out of the park. The Brooklyn hurler became very angry when opposing pitcher Joe McGinnity dashed home from third base while his infielders argued the close call at the bag.

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1913 On April 25, the American Association minor league contest was stopped with the score tied 1-1 due to rain and replayed on June 15, resulting in a 6-6 tie after nine innings when the game ended because of darkness. The game is started again on August 7, and after the 13th, the 2-2 contest is halted once more due to darkness, but after four attempts, Minneapolis finally beats Indianapolis today, 11-2.

1915 Gavvy Cravath ties a major league mark when he hits four doubles in the Phillies' 14-7 victory over Cincinnati. The Philadelphia outfielder also establishes a franchise record when he drives in eight runs in the Redland Field contest.

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1921 Appearing as a pinch-hitter in the top of the ninth inning, Browns' second baseman Luke Stuart hits a home run in his first major league at-bat. The 29-year-old rookie infielder, the first American Leaguer to accomplish the feat, strokes his only career round-tripper in a 16-5 loss to Washington at Griffith Stadium off future Hall of Famer Walter Johnson.

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1922 Pittsburgh bangs out another 19 hits in their 7-3 win after collecting 27 safeties in their 19-8 rout in the first game of the twin bill. The Pirates' barrage at Philadelphia's Shibe Park establishes a major league record with 46 hits in a doubleheader.

1933 William Veeck, president of the Cubs, proposes a series of Midsummer Classic games. Although the idea receives some support, it will be 64 years before a team from the American League plays a club from the National League during the regular season.

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1941 In New York, Les Brown and his Orchestra record "Joltin' Joe" for Columbia Records. The song about Yankee outfielder Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak plays incessantly on radio stations across the country, eventually reaching number 12 on the charts.

1947 Phillies right-hander Schoolboy Rowe pinch hits for Johnny Sain to become the first major leaguer to appear in different All-Star Games representing National League and American League teams. In the 1936 Midsummer classic, the former Philadelphia A's ace threw three innings of relief against the NL stars.

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1953 Southpaws Whitey Ford and Bob Kuzava blank the White Sox, 1-0 and 3-0, respectively, for a Yankee doubleheader sweep. Kuzava gives up his only hit in the ninth inning, a one-out double to Bob Boyd.

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1954 Gil Hodges bats three times in the eighth inning when the Dodgers score 13 runs en route to a 20-7 rout of the Reds at Ebbets Field. The first baseman will go 1-for-3 in the frame with a leadoff triple but will be responsible for all three outs when he hits into a double play and flies out to centerfield to end the Brooklyn barrage.

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1956 Robin Roberts gets his fourth victory in the past ten days when the Phillies beat New York at the Polo Grounds, 8-3. Philadelphia's shortstop Ted Kazanski becomes just the fourth player in franchise history to hit an inside-the-park grand slam.

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1970 Five years after the Mets bestow the honor to their first skipper, the Yankees retire Casey Stengel's uniform #37 during Old Timers Day at the Stadium. The 'Old Perfessor,' who won seven World Series during his twelve-year tenure with the team, managed the Bronx Bombers from 1949 to 1960.

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1972 After much speculation about the team's future, the Yankees sign a thirty-year lease to play in the 'new' Yankee Stadium starting in 1976. After completing the Stadium's 50th-Anniversary next season, the Bronx Bombers will play their home games for the next two years at Shea Stadium while remodeling the 'House that Ruth Built.'
Amazon Remembering Yankee Stadium

1973 At Royals Stadium, Red Sox DH Orlando Cepeda collects four doubles in the team's 9-4 win over the Royals. 'Cha Cha,' who signed with Boston in January, was the first player since the inception of the new position to be added to a roster specifically as its designated hitter.

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1976 In the first game of a doubleheader against Kansas City at Comiskey Park, the White Sox take the field wearing shorts. After a 5-2 comfortable win in the opener, Chicago dons long pants for the nightcap, coming out on the short end to the Royals, 7-1.

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1982 The Yankees trade 1978 playoff hero Bucky Dent to the Rangers for outfielder/first baseman Lee Mazzilli. The popular Yankee infielder, batting only .191, was nearly elected to the All-Star Game by the Bronx Bombers' fans.

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1982 In the 9-5 Angels' victory over the Mariners at the Kingdome, Doug DeCinces hits three home runs in a game for the second time in less than a week. The California third baseman also poked a trio of round-trippers against Minnesota six days ago.

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1988 In the first scheduled night game at Wrigley Field, the Cubs play host to the Phillies. The game does not become official when the contest ends in the third inning because of a fierce thunderstorm.

1989 In his major league debut, former Met farmhand Mauro Gozzo blanks the Rangers for eight innings, helping the Blue Jays go over .500 for the first time since Opening Day. Toronto will eventually win the American League East.

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1990 Throwing just three pitches to one batter in relief at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Jeff Ballard records three outs when he snags A's second baseman Willie Randolph's line drive, starting a 1-6-3 triple play. The Orioles' left-handed reliever throws the ball to Cal Ripken to catch Terry Steinbeck off second base, with the shortstop relaying the ball to Sam Horn to triple up Walt Weiss at first base.

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1997 At Busch Stadium, Mark McGwire, recently acquired from the A's, hits his 364th career home run on a pitch thrown by Phillies' right-hander Mark Leiter for his first National League round-tripper. The Cardinals slugging first baseman will go deep 220 times in the Senior Circuit, all for the Redbirds.

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1998 The Twins' Paul Molitor becomes the fifth player in major league history to have at least 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases with his 5-for-5 performance and the theft of his 500th base. The 41-year-old joins Ty Cobb (4,191 hits, 892 steals), Honus Wagner (3,415, 722), Eddie Collins (3,315, 744), and Lou Brock (3,023, 938) as the only players to reach this milestone.

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2000 In the bottom of the ninth, A's closer Jason Isringhausen throws just two pitches, and the Yankees go from losing 3-2 to winning 4-3. Bernie Williams and David Justice hit home runs on the first pitch they see from the Oakland reliever.

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2000 Cubs hurler Phil Norton becomes the 18th pitcher in major league history to give up four homers in one inning in the Dodgers' 7-5 victory at Chavez Ravine. Kevin Elster, Darren Dreifort, Gary Sheffield, and Shawn Green all take the 24-year-old southpaw deep in the bottom of the fourth inning.

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2000 After kissing one another in the seventh inning, the Dodgers ask a female couple to leave Dodger Stadium immediately, told never to "set foot back on the premises" for "lewd behavior." The pair had planned to sue the organization, deciding not to after the team apologized, promising to contribute 5,000 tickets to GLBT organizations and continue sensitivity training for all its employees.

 

2000 Darren Dreifort hits two home runs to help his cause in the Dodgers' 7-5 victory over the Cubs. The starting pitcher hurls 6.2 innings, going deep in the bottom of the fourth and fifth frames.

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2002 Closer John Smoltz records his 40th save in the 114th game of the Braves schedule, making it the earliest point a relief pitcher has reached that mark in a season. Lee Smith of the Cardinals accomplished the feat in his 117th game in 1993, and White Sox closer Bobby Thigpen turned the trick in 118 games en route to setting the major league record with 57 saves in 1990.

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2004 At Yankee Stadium, less than an hour after the Blue Jays lose to New York for their fifth consecutive defeat, Toronto fires their manager, Carlos Tosca. First-base coach John Gibbons will be the interim skipper for the remainder of the season.

2006 Mark DeRosa makes two outs in one at-bat, ending the McAfee Coliseum contest in a most unlikely manner in the Rangers' 7-6 loss to the A's. The right fielder swings and misses, making the second out of the inning, but when his momentum causes contact with Jason Kendall, who is trying to prevent Jerry Hairston Jr., from stealing second, plate umpire Jim Joyce calls interference on the batter for the third and final out.

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2009 Albert Pujols drives in three runs in the Cardinals' 5-3 victory over Pittsburgh at PNC Park, surpassing the 100 RBI mark for the ninth straight season to start his career. The only major leaguer with a longer streak was Hall of Fame outfielder Al Simmons, who accomplished the feat for 11 consecutive seasons, beginning with his rookie year with the A's in 1924.

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