BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1899 John McGraw, 26, makes his debut as a major league manager when his Orioles enjoy a 5-3 victory over the Giants, a team he will later manage for 30 years. 'Mugsy,' a 1937 inductee of Hall of Fame, will finish his 33-year managerial career with a 2763-1948 (.586) record, en route to winning ten pennants and capturing three World Championships.

1923 In front of over 72,000 fans, Yankee Stadium opens with Babe Ruth hitting the park's first home run, a two-run homer off Red Sox hurler Howard Ehmke, which helps beat Boston, 4-1. The new $2.5 million ballpark is the first to feature three decks.

1923 At South Field on Columbia's campus in New York City, a collegian hurler strikes out seventeen batters to establish a school record but loses the game due to wildness to Williams, 5-1. The young southpaw, named Lou Gehrig, will become better known for his hitting prowess with the Yankees.

1925 At his Waldorf-Astoria apartment, 65-year-old Dodgers' owner Charles H. Ebbets dies of a heart attack. Later in the day, his team opens the home season in Brooklyn, losing to the Giants at Ebbets Field, 7-0.
1925 The Cardinals rout the Cubs, 20-5, in a game that sees Rogers Hornsby score five runs. Redbirds third baseman Les Bell leads the Wrigley Field 22-hit attack, compiling 12 total bases with a pair of home runs along with two doubles.

1929 The Yankees will become the second team to wear numbers on uniforms when rain postpones their Opening Day game, giving the Indians the distinction of being the first to don the digits. The assignment of the numbers, Earle Combs #1, Mark Koenig #2, Babe Ruth #3, Lou Gehrig #4, Bob Meusel #5, Tony Lazzeri #6, Leo Durocher #7, Johnny Grabowski #8, Benny Bengough #9, and Bill Dickey #10 (#'s 8-10 are all catchers) is the result of the player's position in the lineup.
1929 In his first at-bat since his marriage yesterday, Babe Ruth hits a home run, a first-inning solo shot off Red Ruffing in the Yankees' eventual 7-3 victory over Boston. As the 'Bambino' rounds second base, he tips his hat to his new bride, Claire Hodgson.

 

1939 The five-year ban on broadcasting games played by the New York major league teams ends when Red Barber, hired away from the Reds by Larry McPhail, calls Brooklyn's 7-3 loss to the Giants at Ebbets Field. In 1934, the two National League teams and the Yankees agreed not to air their games on the radio, fearing the exposure would reduce the number of fans attending games. The future Hall of Fame announcer was brought in from Cincinnati by the team's new president, Larry MacPhail, who had hired the 'Ol Redhead' when he was in a similar post with the Reds.

1942 Due to the fear of a Japanese attack, General L. Dewitt, the Fourth Army Commander, asks the Pacific Coast League teams to limit night-game attendance to not higher than the previous year's average number of fans 3,000 fans for most clubs. Later in the season, the commanding officer will prohibit all evening contests scheduled for ballparks within 15 miles of the Pacific Ocean, making San Diego the only club not having to shuffle their starting times.
1946 In a game against the Jersey Giants at Roosevelt Stadium, Montreal Royals' on-deck batter George Shuba congratulates Jackie Robinson with a handshake after his teammate hits his first professional home run. The gesture will become known as 'A Handshake for the Century' because the deed marks the first time that a white player publicly acknowledges the accomplishment of a black teammate.

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1947 Dodger president Branch Rickey names 62-year-old Burt Shotton, a team scout, to replace Leo Durocher, who was suspended ten days ago by Commissioner Happy Chandler for acts "unbecoming to a major league manager." Brooklyn's new skipper, the son of a sailor who operated freighters on Lake Erie, reluctantly takes over the team two games into the season and will manage the club for one year in his street clothes along with wearing the team's hat and jacket.

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1950 Eddie Waitkus, who missed most of last season after being shot in June by a deranged fan in a Chicago hotel room, goes 3-for-5 in the Phillies’ Opening Day 9-1 victory over the Dodgers at Shibe Park. The Philadelphia first baseman will be named the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year, scoring a team-high 102 runs while playing in every game for the National League Champions.

1950 The Yankees defeat the Red Sox on Opening Day, 15-10, after trailing 9-0 after five innings. The Bronx Bombers take the lead when they score nine times in the top of the eighth frame at Fenway Park, thanks to eight hits, none being home runs, and three walks surrendered by Boston's starter Mel Parnell and four relievers.
1950 In the first Opening Day game scheduled as a night contest, the Cardinals beat the Pirates at Sportsman's Park, 4-2. Gerry Staley gets the win, and Stan Musial homers in the St. Louis contest.

1950 Former Cleveland Buckeyes star of the Negro American League, Sam 'The Jet' Jethroe, becomes the first black player for the Braves. The 33-year-old highly-touted prospect, who will lead the majors with 35 stolen bases, will be named the National League's Rookie of the Year.

1950 Vin Scully calls the first game of his illustrious 67-year career with the Dodgers, detailing Brooklyn's 9-1 defeat to the Phillies on Opening Day at Philadelphia's Shibe Park. The 22-year-old broadcaster, who will become the team's primary announcer just three seasons later, will be awarded the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award by Bud Selig in 2014.

1950 The Phillies play their first game with the team's name officially changed back from Blue Jays, routing the Dodgers at Shibe Park, 9-1. Skipper Eddie Sawyer has his team wear red pinstriped uniforms, a design reminiscent of the club's look in the early 1900s.
1952 On Opening Day in Brooklyn, Willie Mays is knocked unconscious when he smashes into the Ebbets Field wall after chasing pinch-hitter Bob Morgan's seventh-inning, two-out base-loaded line drive into the gap in left field. All three Dodgers baserunners cross the plate but do not score when the motionless Giants center fielder comes to his feet and jogs into the dugout, apparently unhurt, having held onto the ball after making a fantastic catch for the third out to end the inning.

1952 In the Pirates' home Opener‚ Bob Friend tosses a five-hitter, blanking the Reds at Forbes Field‚ 3-0. After beating the Cardinals yesterday, Pittsburgh's second consecutive victory is an accomplishment not surpassed when the team does not have a winning streak longer than two games all season‚ setting a twentieth-century mark for futility.

1955 In his first major league appearance, 25-year-old Pirates reliever Al Grunwald, getting just one batter out, gives up a single to Don Mueller, a double to Monte Irvin, a triple to Willie Mays, and a homer to Whitey Lockman. The Giants' fourth-inning 'cycle' contributes to an eight-run frame in the eventual 12-3 victory over Pittsburgh at the Polo Grounds.
1956 Third base umpire Ed Rommel becomes the first major league arbitrator to wear glasses during a game during the Yankees' 9-5 victory over Washington at Griffith Stadium. The bespectacled arbitrator, known as the father of the modern knuckleball, played 13 seasons with Philadelphia, compiling an impressive record of 171-119 with the A's from 1920 to 1932.

1957 At Briggs Stadium, Roger Maris hits a game-winning, grand-slam home run in the top of the 11th inning against Detroit in the Indians' second game of the season. In his major league debut two days ago, the 22-year-old rookie outfielder went 3-for-5 in the Tribe's 3-2 loss to Chicago at Cleveland Stadium.

1958 At the LA Coliseum, in front of a National League record crowd of 78,672, the Dodgers play their first home game on the West Coast. Carl Erskine gets the win, besting Al Worthington and the Giants, 6-5.
1959 Branch Rickey, former general manager of the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Pirates, is appointed the president of the Continental League. The third potential major league never materializes but helps accelerate the expansion of the existing clubs, including putting a National League team in New York to fill the void created by the Giants' and the Dodgers' 1958 departure to the west coast.

 

1960 Ted Williams becomes the first major leaguer to homer in four different decades when he blasts a pitch from Senators' right-hander Camilo Pascual over the center-field wall for the only run in the Red Sox's 10-1 Opening Day loss at Griffith Stadium. In 1939, the then 20-year-old 'Kid' hit the first of his 521 career round-trippers, a first-inning two-run shot off Philadelphia's Bud Thomas at Fenway Park.

1964 In the top of the third inning, L.A. southpaw Sandy Koufax throws the second of his two career immaculate innings when he strikes out the side on nine pitches, quickly setting down Leo Cardenas, Johnny Edwards, and Jim Maloney. Cincinnati will score all of the game's runs in the next frame, thanks to a three-run homer hit by Deron Johnson, to beat the Dodgers in the Chavez Ravine contest, 3-0.

1966 Dodgers shortstop Maury Wills becomes the first batter to collect a hit on artificial turf in a major league game when he singles to center off future Hall of Famer Robin Roberts. The Astrodome's new playing surface, called Chemgrass initially by its manufacturer, the Monsanto Company, couldn't be made quickly enough, so the season begins with the artificial material only on the infield with the outfield remaining painted dirt until July.
1970 Denny Doyle's first-inning single is the only hit allowed by Nolan Ryan when he blanks the Phillies at Shea Stadium, 7-0. The 23-year-old right-hander ties the Mets' mark established by Jerry Koosman in 1968 with 15 strikeouts, but Tom Seaver will break the short-lived record, whiffing 19 Padres later in the week.

1972 For the first time in franchise history, the Yankees play a night game at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day. The Bronx Bombers, behind the three-hitter by thrown Steve Kline, beat the Brewers in the Bronx ballpark, 3-0.
1973 In the top of the 11th inning in San Francisco's 4-3 victory over Atlanta at Candlestick Park, Dave Rader completes an unusual unassisted double play for a catcher. After catching an attempted popped up sacrifice bunt with Braves runners on first and second base, the Giants' backstop races to second base and steps on the bag before Sonny Jackson, who had headed toward third on contact, can get back

1978 Lyman Bostock, a highly-sought free agent in the offseason who hit .336 for the Twins last year, offers not to accept a salary for April if he doesn't begin producing after going 2-for-39 (.051) to start the season. The 27-year-old outfielder raises his batting average to .296, the club's highest, before being fatally shot near the end of the season as an unintentional victim while riding a passenger in a car.

1978 After getting ahead in the count 3-0, Reggie Jackson, knowing he has a green light to hit away, feigns to be upset by getting a bogus take sign from third base coach Dick Howser. Oriole right-hander Tippy Martinez, deceived by the batter's behavior, grooves a fastball down the middle of the plate that the Yankee slugger promptly puts over the fence, giving the Yankees a 4-3 walk-off victory.

 

1981 Joining Walter Johnson, Gaylord Perry, Bob Gibson, and Nolan Ryan, Reds' right-hander Tom Seaver becomes the fifth major leaguer to collect 3,000 strikeouts when he whiffs Cardinals' infielder Keith Hernandez in the team's 10-4 loss at Riverfront Stadium. Hernandez is the fourth first baseman to mark a milestone K for the future Hall of Fame hurler, with Donn Clendenon being strikeout victim number 1, followed by Willie Montanez at #1,000 and Dan Driessen at #2,000.

1981 In International League action at McCoy Stadium, the Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings begin the longest professional game ever played. At 4:07 am, the suspended 32-inning contest ends with the score knotted at 2-2, being completed later in the season, with the Red Sox scoring the winning run in the 33rd inning
1982 Joe Torre's Braves set a National League record when they win their 11th straight game to start the season, beating Houston at the Astrodome, 6-5. The eventual NL West Division champs, who will finish the campaign with an 89-73 record, will extend the mark to 13-0 when they add two more victories against Cincinnati at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

1987 At Three Rivers Stadium, Mike Schmidt becomes the 14th player in major league history to hit 500 career home runs. The Phillies third baseman's three-run ninth-inning shot off Don Robinson is cheered by the Pittsburgh fans and his teammates in the team's 8-6 Phillies victory.

1991 A sellout crowd of 42,191 watches the White Sox play their first game at new Comiskey Park and sees the home team get crushed by the Tigers, 16-0. Jack McDowell gives up the park's first homer to Cecil Fielder.
1997 Roger Pavlik of the Rangers becomes the first starting pitcher in the American League to begin a game by walking the first four batters. The Blue Jays take advantage of the All-Star hurler's wildness by scoring five runs in the frame en route to a 6-5 victory at the Ballpark in Arlington.

 

2000 Adam Kennedy ties a franchise mark by driving in eight runs during the Angels' 16-10 rout of Toronto. The Halo infielder's run-producing single, three-run triple, and grand slam account for his RBIs in the SkyDome contest.

2000 After serving a 12-game suspension for making disrespectful comments about minorities, John Rocker pitches a scoreless ninth inning against the Phillies in a 4-3, 12-inning home victory. The outspoken Braves' reliever receives a standing ovation as he enters the game.
2000 During the Angels' 16-10 victory over the Blue Jays, a SkyDome promotion becomes a bit too frank when fans get hit with bits of hot dogs when the wieners fall apart after being shot from the 'Hot Dog Blaster.' Undaunted by the fallout, promoters continue to propel the missiles even though the hot dogs repeatedly splatter the onlookers.
2001 After a 4-10 start, former Royals' skipper Hal McRae replaces Larry Rothschild as the manager of the Devil Rays. Rothschild, the only pilot in the team's four-year history, finished in last place three consecutive years, compiling a 205-294 record.
2002 After the Brewers' dismal start of 3-12, GM Dean Taylor releases manager Davey Lopes. The fired skipper, who compiled a 144-195 overall record with Milwaukee, will be replaced on an interim basis by bench coach Jerry Royster.
2004 At Wrigley Field, Sammy Sosa surpasses Ernie Banks as the Cubs' all-time home run leader when he goes deep off Reds right-hander Paul Wilson in the first frame off in the team's 11-10 loss when he slugs his 513th dinger for the franchise. Slammin' Sammy adds another round-tripper in the third inning to bring his current career total to 543 homers, en route to finishing with 609 during his 18-year tenure in the majors.

2007 At Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field, Mark Buehrle hurls the 16th no-hitter in White Sox history and the first home no-no since 1967. The South-side southpaw faces the minimum 27 batters, thanks to picking off Sammy Sosa, who walked in the fifth inning.

2008 In his final season, Braves' right-hander Tom Glavine is put on the disabled list for the first time during his 22-year major league tenure. The 42-year-old southpaw's ailing right hamstring needs more time to heal before he goes after his 304th and next-to-last career win.
2008 The T-Bones, a minor league team in the independent Northern League, cancel the Michael Vick "Welcome to the Neighborhood Night" after receiving numerous complaints about the promotion. The plans for the event included the teams wearing black and white striped jerseys and orange jumpsuit-style uniforms to mock the former Falcons quarterback, who is serving a 23-month sentence in the nearby Leavenworth prison after pleading guilty to federal charges related to dogfighting.

 

2008 Conor Jackson, needing only a double to complete the cycle, hustles instead to get his second triple of the game. The Diamondbacks outfielder's unselfish offensive output helps to pace the club to a 9-0 win over the Padres.
2008 The Dodgers announce the fans' selection of Joe Beimel in an online poll during spring training as the player whose likeness will appear in an August 12th bobblehead promotion. The 30 year-old southpaw reliever, considered a long shot for the honor, gets the nod due to an intense internet campaign orchestrated by his parents, Ron and Marge.

2011 Tiger outfielder Ryan Raburn becomes the first player to hit a ball off Seattle's Safeco Field's retractable roof when his first-inning pop fly makes contact with one of the trusses approximately 175 feet above the playing field. The redirected foul ball, which falls between Mariner catcher Miguel Olivo and third baseman Chone Figgins, if caught, would have been the second out of the inning, according to the ballpark's ground rules.

2012 Beginning with the second pitch of the fifth inning through the seventh pitch of the eighth frame, A's right-hander Bartolo Colon throws 38 consecutive strikes en route to picking up a victory the team's 6-0 win over the Angels. The Oakland starter faces eleven straight batters who never see a pitch that is called a ball in the Anaheim contest.

2012 A memorable pitching duel between Cliff Lee, who throws ten innings of scoreless ball against San Francisco, and Matt Cain, who doesn't give up a run to the Phillies in his nine innings of work, ends with the Giants beating the Phillies, 1-0, in 11 innings at AT&T Park. The only run in the extra-inning contest, which takes only two hours and 27-minutes to complete, scores as the result of Melky Cabrera's one-out RBI single off Antonio Bastardo.

2021 Shane Bieber becomes the first major leaguer to begin the season with at least ten strikeouts in his first four starts. The Indians' right-hander fans 13 in the team's 6-3 victory over the Reds at the Great American Ball Park.

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On April 18 in Baseball History...

• • 1899 - John McGraw, only 26, made his managerial debut with the Orioles. He led them to a 5-3 victory over the New York Giants, a team he would later manage for more than 30 years.
  • 1923 - The debut of Yankee Stadium is a huge success with an announced attendance of 74,217. Bob Shawkey, aided by Babe Ruth's three-run home run, beats Howard Ehmke and the Red Sox 4-1.
  • 1925 - Charles Ebbets, Dodgers president, dies on the morning of the opener at Ebbets Field, won by New York 7-1. No N.L. games will be played on the April 21, the day of his funeral. Ed McKeever, the new club president, will catch a cold that turns into pneumonia and die on May 27.
  • 1945 - In his major league debut, one-armed outfielder Pete Gray got one hit in four at-bats in the St. Louis Browns' 7-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
  • 1946 - Jackie Robinson debuts as second baseman for the Montreal Royals (International League) and is the first recognized black to play in organized ball this century. A home run and three singles against Jersey City start off the season in which he will win the IL batting championship at .349.
  • 1947 - Dodger scout Burt Shotton is the surprise choice to replace Leo Durocher on the third day of the season. Taken to the stadium in a taxi, Shotton manages the club from the dugout in street clothes, a la Connie Mack.
  • 1950 - Sam Jethroe becomes the first black to play for the Boston Braves. He has two hits in his major league debut, including a home run. He will go on to become N.L. Rookie of the Year.
  • 1950 - The first opening-night game was held in St. Louis. The Cardinals, behind a complete game by Gerry Staley and home runs from Red Schoendienst and Stan Musial, beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2.
  • 1951 - Mickey Mantle goes 1-for-4 in his first game as Yankee southpaw Ed Lopat two-hits the Red Sox, winning 6-1.
  • 1958 - Following a downtown parade in the morning, the Giants-Dodgers game in Los Angeles sets an N.L. single-game record with 78,682 fans in attendance, as the Dodgers prevail 6-5. Hank Sauer hits two home runs for the Giants, including the first at the Los Angeles Coliseum. After he scores what would have been the tying run in the ninth, Giants infielder Jim Davenport is called out for failing to touch third base.
  • 1964 - Sandy Koufax fans the side on nine pitches in the third inning, becoming the first pitcher to do it twice, but Cincinnati wins 3-0.
  • 1965 - California Angels rookie Rudy May has a no-hitter ruined in the eighth inning of his major league debut by Jake Wood's double. The Angels lift him after nine innings of one-hit ball, and Detroit wins in 13 innings.
  • 1981 - Reds pitcher Tom Seaver strikes out Keith Hernandez in the fourth inning of a 10-4 loss to the Cardinals, becoming the fifth pitcher in major league history to register 3,000 career strikeouts.
  • 1982 - The Atlanta Braves defeated the Astros 6-5 in Houston to set a National League record as they won their 11th straight game to start the season.
  • 1986 - Despite allowing no hits (and only three fair balls hit) with ten strikeouts in five innings, Texas rookie Bobby Witt is lifted in a game in Milwaukee. Why? Witt walks eight, and throws four wild pitches, allowing two runs. Texas rallies for three runs in the ninth to win 7-5.
  • 1987 - Mike Schmidt hits his 500th career home run, a three-run shot off Pittsburgh's Don Robinson in the top of the ninth inning, to give the Phillies an 8-6 win. Schmidt is the 15th major league player to reach 500 home runs.
  • 1991 - New Comiskey Park opens with fanfare and a rout. The Tigers are the stars of the day as Detroit mauls the White Sox 16-0.

Baseball Birthdays on April 18...

• • 1864 - Doe, Fred
  • 1869 - Borchers, George
  • 1872 - Rothfuss, Jack
  • 1873 - Hearne, Hughie
  • 1873 - Friend, Danny
  • 1880 - Crawford, Sam
  • 1887 - Rodgers, Bill
  • 1888 - Lewis, Duffy
  • 1888 - McMillan, Tommy
  • 1892 - Scott, Jack
  • 1893 - Marriott, William
  • 1895 - Rasmussen, Hans
  • 1896 - Conway, Rip
  • 1899 - Hulihan, Harry
  • 1899 - Bayne, Bill
  • 1903 - Linton, Bob
  • 1905 - Moss, Mal
  • 1908 - Boland, Ed
  • 1917 - LaForest, Ty
  • 1917 - Polly, Nick
  • 1917 - Ventura, Vince
  • 1919 - Ferguson, Bob
  • 1922 - Burtschy, Moe
  • 1929 - Kraly, Steve
  • 1934 - Jones, Deacon
  • 1936 - Foss, Larry
  • 1938 - Alvarez, Rogelio
  • 1939 - McDaniel, Von
  • 1942 - Taylor, Chuck
  • 1942 - Blass, Steve
  • 1945 - Paul, Mike
  • 1946 - Janeski, Jerry
  • 1948 - Schueler, Ron
  • 1951 - Flynn, Doug
  • 1955 - Castillo, Bobby
  • 1959 - Eisenreich, Jim
  • 1959 - Rasmussen, Dennis
  • 1959 - Bordi, Rich
  • 1963 - Stanicek, Pete
  • 1963 - Madrid, Alex
  • 1967 - Dubois, Brian
  • 1970 - Brogna, Rico
  • 1970 - Dunn, Steve
  • 1973 - Encarnacion, Angelo
  • 1973 - Clark, Brady

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Doby & Veeck
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4/19
OTD
BIRTHDAYS
1915 Harry Craft player and manager, born in Ellisville, Mississippi (d. 1995)North Carolina (d. 2017)

1948 Rick Miller player, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan

1960 Frank Viola pitcher (Twins, Mets/Cy Young-1988), born in Hempstead, New York

1964 Scott Kamienicki pitcher (NY Yankees), born in Mount Clemens, Michigan

1968 Brent Mayne catcher (NY Mets), born in Loma Linda, California

1977 Joe Beimel player (Pittsburgh Pirates), born in St. Marys, Pennsylvania

1977 Dennys Reyes player, born in Higuera de Zaragoza, Sinaloa, Mexico
1983 Alberto Callaspo, player (Kansas City Royals), born in Maracay, Venezuela
1983 Zach Duke player (Cincinnati Reds), born in Clifton, Texas
1983 Joe Mauer player (Minnesota Twins), born in St. Paul, Minnesota

1983 Curtis Thigpen player, born in Dallas, Texas

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1890 The Brooklyn Bridegrooms, who will later be known as the Dodgers, play their first National League game. The former American Association team loses to the Beaneaters, who will become known as the Braves in 1912, at Boston's South End Grounds, 15-9.

1900 The Beaneaters score nine runs in the ninth to send the game into extra innings, but the Phillies recover to beat Boston in 10 innings, 19-17. The 36 runs scored in the South End Grounds set a major league record for most runs scored by two clubs on Opening Day.
1912 Due to a rainout on Opening Day, the Red Sox schedule a two-admission twin bill with games starting at 10:30 am and 3:15 pm to give morning fans the chance to see the end of the Boston Marathon and race watchers the opportunity to attend the afternoon contest. Although a Patriots' Day game will not become an annual event until 1959, the pairing of the holiday and the big crowd gathered for the 26.2-mile run almost occurs a half-of-a-century sooner if inclement weather hadn't also washed away today's Fenway Park doubleheader.
1912 At Griffith Stadium before the Senators' 6-0 victory over the A's, James S. Sherman becomes the first U.S. Vice President to throw the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day. William Howard Taft does not attend the game due to the death of Archibald Butt, a friend lost in the sinking of the Titanic.
1927 Calling the play-by-play in the Tigers' 8-5 victory over the Indians, Edwin Tyson becomes the first person in club history to broadcast a game. The radio personality will begin the game by saying, "Good afternoon, boys and girls, this is Ty Tyson speaking to you from Navin Field," which will become his familiar refrain on WWJ.

1938 During the first inning, both Dodgers' Ernie Koy and Phillies' Emmett Mueller each homer in their first major league at-bats. The pair of rookies will collectively hit a total of 42 home runs during their nine seasons in the major leagues.

1939 At an informal press conference arranged by Universal Pictures, actress Dorothy Arnold tells wire service reporters that she and Joe DiMaggio are engaged and plan to marry sometime this summer. Upon hearing the news, the somewhat surprised Yankee center fielder clarifies that no ceremony will occur during the baseball season, but the couple will exchange vows in November.

 

1944 Mel Ott hits the first National League round-tripper of the season, the 464th of his career, helping the Giants defeat the Braves, 2-1. Next season, Master Melvin will become the first National Leaguer to amass 500 career home runs.

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1948 Yankee starter Allie Super Chief Reynolds, thinking the Senators are trying to trick him, refuses to leave second base after he hits his first and only career home run, which is unbeknownst to him because he did not see the ball clear the left-field fence. In front of an amused President Truman, New York skipper Bucky Harris finally convinces the skeptical baserunner to round the bases so the Opening Day contest at Griffith Stadium can continue.

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1948 The Pirates, wearing their black and gold color scheme for the first time, lose baseball's traditional opener in Cincinnati, 4-1, in a game that features scuffles between opposing players, an ump, and a photographer, a fan who jumps on the field, and the police. The Bucs, the first team to permanently change their original colors, abandoned the familiar patriotic look of red, white, and blue, choosing instead to use hues that match the Flag of Pittsburgh.
1948 The Red Sox become the first team to hit three consecutive homers on Opening Day when Stan Spence, Vern Stephens, and Bobby Doerr go deep in the second frame. The long ball proves not to be enough with the A's 5-4 victory over Boston in 11 innings.

1949 In front of 53,000 fans on Opening Day, Johnny Groth hits home runs in two of his first three at-bats at Tiger Stadium. The 22-year-old rookie's performance enables Hal Newhowser and Detroit to beat Chicago, 5-1.

1949 On Opening Day, the Yankees unveil a monument in centerfield honoring Babe Ruth eight months after his death. The legendary "Bambino' joins Lou Gehrig and Miller Huggins, also awarded posthumously with cenotaphs, the team's highest honor.

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1949 Pirates right-hander Rip Sewell establishes a National League record when he throws his third Opening Day shutout, blanking the Cubs, 1-0, at Wrigley Field. Rick Mahler (Braves, 1982, 1985,1987) and Chris Short (Phillies, 1965, 1968, 1970) will match the record of the 42-year-old veteran hurler, who also threw zeros to start the 1943 and 1947 seasons.

1956 In the first major league game ever played in New Jersey, the Dodgers begin their Jersey City home game experiment with a 10-inning 5-4 victory over the Phillies at Roosevelt Stadium. A sparse crowd of 12,214, limited by inclement weather, sees Brooklyn backstop Roy Campanella tie the score in the tenth inning with his 1000th career hit, a double down the left-field line.

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1960 A record Opening Day crowd at Chicago's Comiskey Park enthusiastically greets their American League champs and warmly welcomes Minnie Minoso to the team after his three-year exile to Cleveland. The 34-year-old outfielder doesn't disappoint the South Side fans when, in addition to hitting a grand slam in the fourth, he blasts a ninth-inning walk-off home run, giving the White Sox a 10-9 victory over Kansas City.

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1960 Roger Maris, obtained from the A's in the offseason, goes 4-for-5 batting leadoff in his first game as a Yankee. The 25-year-old right fielder's 11 total bases, including two home runs and a double, contribute to the Bronx Bombers' Opening Day 8-4 victory over Boston at Fenway Park.

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1961 At Comiskey Park, Bill Veeck employs eight Little People to work in the stands during the White Sox home opener against Washington. The Chicago owner's hiring decision responds to complaints that fans sitting in the box seats couldn't see over the vendors.
1963 Willie Mays becomes the all-time National League right-handed home run leader when he connects for his 371st career round-tripper, a fourth-inning solo shot off Chicago's Larry Jackson in the Giants' 5-1 victory at Candlestick Park. The San Francisco center fielder surpasses Gil Hodges, who established the mark last season.

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1968 Nolan Ryan makes quick work of the Dodgers when he strikes out the side on nine pitches in the top of the third inning of the Mets' 3-2 loss at Shea Stadium. The 21-year-old New York fireballer, who will also accomplish the feat with the Angels in 1972, strikes out 11 batters in 7.1 frames, including Claude Osteen, Wes Parker, and Zoilo Versalles, the victims of his immaculate inning.

1969 Along with Dick Ellsworth and Juan Pizarro, Ken Harrelson is traded by the Red Sox to the Indians for Joe Azcue, Vicente Romo, and Sonny Siebert. The 27-year-old 'Hawk' decides to retire but reluctantly returns to the game after a conversation with commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who will later say, "the loss of Ken Harrelson would be a tragedy for baseball."

 

1972 The demolition of Crosley Field begins when two-year-old Pete Rose, Jr. pulls a lever that sends a wrecking ball into the side of the former home of the Reds. The left-field terrace area will become a parking lot but is still distinguishable due to its slope and proximity to York Street.

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1972 Sparky Lyle becomes the first reliever to come into a game with a signature entrance song when the Yankee Stadium PA system plays Pomp and Circumstance as the closer approaches the mound. Although the southpaw secures the last out of the team's 3-2 victory over Milwaukee, the reliever believes the Edward Elgar's march, selected by PR man Marty Appel, adds more pressure to his closer role and asks the public relations department to put the tradition on hold.
1979 The Mets trade Tim Foli, along with minor league prospect Greg Field, to the Pirates in exchange for second baseman Frank Taveras. Foli, appearing in 133 games, will play a significant role in the club's world championship this season, batting .291 and providing solid defense at shortstop for the Bucs.

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1979 After a 6-3 loss to the Orioles in New York, Goose Gossage sustains a sprained ligament in his left thumb due to a clubhouse brawl with Yankee teammate Cliff Johnson. The reliever will be out of action until mid-July, and Johnson, due to the altercation, will be traded to the Indians in June for southpaw Don Hood.
1987 In the 4000th game in franchise history, the Mets drop a 4-2 decision to St. Louis at Busch Stadium. The reigning World Champs, who started as an expansion team in 1962, have won exactly half of their last 1000 games, posting a 500-498-2 record during the span that began on July 19, 1980.
1987 Thanks to Rob Deer's three-run homer to tie the score and Dale Sveum's two-run winning shot, the Brewers rallied for five runs in the ninth inning, beating the Rangers, 6-4. The Milwaukee victory sets an American League record as they win their 12th straight game to start the season.