BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

1968 Bob Gibson, who went deep in Game 7 of last year's Fall Classic, becomes the first pitcher to hit two home runs in World Series history when he connects off Detroit's Joe Sparma leading off the fourth inning of Game 4 in the Cardinals' 10-1 rout at Tiger Stadium. Oriole southpaw Dave McNally will match the mark with round-trippers in the 1969 and 1970 series.

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1978 Despite three solo home runs off Yankees' ace Catfish Hunter by Kansas City's third baseman George Brett, the Bronx Bombers win Game 3 of the ALCS, beating the Royals, 6-5.

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1980 Although the Mets finish last during his first three seasons in the dugout, the team extends manager Joe Torre's contract through the 1982 season. The future Hall of Fame skipper will compile a 286-420 (.405) record for the struggling franchise during his five seasons with the team.

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1980 In the 163rd game of the season, 35-year-old knuckleballer Joe Niekro earns his 20th victory, going the distance to defeat the Dodgers, 7-1, in the winner-take-all contest for the NL West flag. With the win, the Astros hold on to capture their first title in the 19-year history of the franchise after losing a season-ending three-game series to LA (3-2, 2-1, and 4-3) that forced the one-game playoff.

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1981 In Game 1 of the ALDS in Kansas City, Mike Norris throws a six-hit complete game, blanking the Royals, 4-0. Oakland's appearance in the playoffs makes Billy Martin the first skipper in baseball history to manage four franchises (Twins-1969, Tigers-1972, A's-1981, and Yankees 1976-78) into postseason play.

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1983 In the second game of the ALCS, Oriole hurler Mike Boddicker throws a five-hitter, beating the White Sox at Memorial Stadium, 4-0. The Baltimore right-hander, whose performance evens the series, establishes a playoff record when he strikes out 14 Chicago batters.

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1984 At Jack Murphy Stadium, Steve Garvey launches the franchise's first postseason walk-off homer, a two-run shot off future Hall of Fame closer Lee Smith in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Padres a 7-5 walk-off win over the Cubs in Game 4 of the NLCS. After losing the first two contests of the best-of-five NLCS, the victory brings the series to a decisive fifth game that San Diego will win to capture the National League pennant.

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1985 On the last day of the season, Yankee knuckleballer Phil Niekro becomes the 18th and oldest player in major league history to win his 300th victory when he blanks the Blue Jays, 8-0. The forty-six-year and 188 days old pitcher, who will win 318 games, also surpasses Satchel Paige (46 years, 75 days) to become the most senior pitcher to throw a big-league shutout.

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1991 David Cone ties a National League mark for strikeouts as he fans 19 Phillies en route to a 7-0 victory in the season's finale. The Mets right-hander finishes the campaign with a league-leading 241 strikeouts, making it the second straight season he has led the circuit.

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1991 On Fan Appreciation Day at Shea Stadium, Howard Johnson drives in a run with a seventh-inning single to finish the season with a league-leading 117 RBIs. 'HoJo' is the first switch-hitter to lead the National League in runs batted in and the first Mets player to accomplish the feat.

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1991 After flying out as a pinch-hitter, Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs completes the season hitting .332, finishing his first ten seasons with a batting average above .300. Al Simmons accomplished the feat in the first 11 seasons of his career with the A's and the White Sox from 1924-34. and Pirate outfielder Paul Waner, reaching the milestone for a dozen consecutive seasons beginning in 1926, are the only players with longer streaks than the Boston infielder, who has compiled a .345 average during the past decade

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1995 In Game 3 of the ALDS, Bernie Williams becomes the first major leaguer to hit a home run from each side of the plate in a postseason game. The Yankee outfielder's second round-tripper, an eighth-inning shot batting left-handed off Bill Risley, is tossed back onto the field by a Mariner fan unaware of the historical value of the souvenir.

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1997 After taking an early four-run lead in the Jacobs Field contest, the Indians hold on to beat the defending World Champion Yankees, 4-3, in Game 5 of the ALDS. The Tribe will beat Baltimore for the AL flag but will lose their second Fall Classic in three years when the team drops Game 7 in extra innings to Florida.

2000 Reds' officials announce that Cinergy Field games will play natural grass during their final two seasons in the ballpark. The surface in Cincinnati has been artificial turf since 1970, when the ballpark debuted as Riverfront Stadium.

2000 Chief executive officer John Harrington puts the Red Sox up for trade. Since Jean Yawkey died in 1992, the team belonged to a trust bearing her name.

 

2001 With their 116th win, the Mariners tie the 1906 Cubs as the winningest team in major league history. Bret Boone's 37th home run of the season and the shutout pitching of five Seattle pitchers prove to be the difference in the 1-0 historic win over the Rangers.

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2001 At Camden Yards, in front of a full house that includes Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, Earl Weaver, Commissioner Bud Selig, and former President Bill Clinton, Cal Ripken plays his 3,001st and final game. After a hitless night, the 41-year-old Cal watches the last out of the team's 5-1 loss to the Red Sox from the on-deck circle.

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2001 With his 151st pinch hit, Lenny Harris breaks the major league mark for career pinch hits established by Manny Mota. Coming off the Met bench to bat for Rey Ordonez, he lines a 1-2 pitch off Expo starter Carl Pavano for a single to become the career leader in pinch hits.

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2001 Tony Gwynn, who played his entire 20-year career with San Diego, collects his 3,141st and final hit, playing in his 2,439th game with the franchise.' Mr. Padre's last knock is a pinch-hit run-scoring double off Rockies' southpaw Gabe White in the bottom of the sixth inning in the team's 10-4 victory at Qualcomm Stadium.

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2003 Defeating the A's, 5-4, the Red Sox become the seventh team to win the last three games of a best-of-five playoff series. Other clubs to overcome a 0-2 deficit include the 1981 Dodgers (Astros-NLDS), 1982 Brewers (Angels-ALCS), 1984 Padres (Cubs-NLCS), 1995 Mariners (Yankees-ALDS), 1999 Red Sox (Indians-ALDS), and the 2001 Yankees (A 's-ALDS).

2005 Reds' outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. (.301, 35, 92) and Yankee first baseman/DH Jason Giambi (.271, 32, 87) are voted the Comeback Players of the Year in their respective leagues. The fans select the award winners for the first time by voting on MLB.com.

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2006 After failing to advance past the first round of the American League playoffs in their previous five postseason appearances, the A's beat the much-favored Twins, 8-3, to complete a three-game ALDS sweep. The victory, the team's tenth opportunity to win a clinching game, puts Oakland in the ALCS for the first time since 1992.

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2007 In Game 2 of the ALDS at Jacobs Field, the Indians score the tying run on a wild pitch thrown by a bug-covered Joba Chamberlain. A rare infestation of insects (midges), which appeared en masse in the eighth inning, impacts the usually reliable rookie Yankees reliever, who suffers his first blown save of the season.

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2007 At Wrigley Field, the Diamondbacks beat the Cubs, 5-1, to complete the three-game sweep of their National League division series. The loss for Chicago means the franchise has played for the last 99 years in the Windy City without winning a World Series championship.

 

2007 With their 17th win in 18 games, the Rockies beat the Phillies at Coors Field, 2-1, completing an NLDS three-game sweep of Philadelphia to advance to their first-ever National League Championship Series. The wild-card team will have to beat the Diamondbacks, their Western division foe, to win the pennant and earn a trip to the World Series.

2009 Joe Mauer wins his third batting title, becoming the first player to accomplish the feat in consecutive seasons since Nomar Garciaparra led the league in 1999-2000. The Twins catcher's .365 mark establishes a major league record for the highest batting average by a backstop.

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2009 With one out in the bottom of the 12th inning in the AL Central tiebreaker, the Twins beat the Tigers, 6-5, when Alexi Casilla's single plates Carlos Gomez from second base with the winning run. The Metrodome victory finishes a remarkable comeback by Minnesota, going 17-4 in the final month to close a seven-game deficit, and completes a colossal collapse for the Tigers, becoming the first big-league team to surrender a three-game lead with only four contests to play.

 

2010 Rays' hurler David Price is this year's recipient of the Oklahoma Sports Museum's Warren Spahn Award, given annually to the best left-handed pitcher in the big leagues. The honor, named after the winningest southpaw in the game's history, is awarded based on a point system that evaluates performance based on their wins, strikeouts, and earned run average.

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2010 The Cardinals exercised their $16 million option for next season with first baseman Albert Pujols. The 30-year-old superstar, a three-time NL MVP, led the circuit with 42 home runs and 118 RBIs.

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2010 At Citizens Bank Park, Phillies right-hander Roy Halladay throws the second no-hitter in postseason history when he beats the Reds, 4-0, in Game 1 of the NLDS. Don Larsen became the first hurler to accomplish the feat by throwing a perfect game in the Yankees' victory over Brooklyn in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

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2011 Robin Ventura, seen by many as a surprise choice, is hired by general manager Ken Williams as the White Sox's new manager. The former All-Star infielder, who played ten seasons in Chicago after being selected as the team's first-round pick in 1988, replaces a vocal and often-controversial Ozzie Guillen, who left the Windy City to be the Marlins' new skipper.

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2012 With a year remaining on his contract, Jim Tracy resigns as the Rockies manager, a position he has held since his promotion in May of 2009 from the club's bench coach. During his four-year tenure with Colorado, the former NL Manager of the Year compiled a 294-308 record, including a 64-98 finish last season, setting a franchise mark for losses.

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2012 The Orioles eliminate the two-time AL champion Rangers, 5-1, in the American League's first win-or-go-home wild-card playoff game. The victory sends the surprising Baltimore team into the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, a best-of-five division series against New York.

2012 The Indians name former Boston skipper Terry Francona, rather than Sandy Alomar Jr., who replaced Manny Acta as the interim field boss with six games remaining to be played on the schedule, to be their 42nd manager in franchise history. The 53-year-old's father, Tito, played with the Tribe from 1959 to 1964.

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2020 In Game 2 of the ALDS, the Rays' pitching staff combine to fan 18 batters, becoming the first team to accomplish the feat in a nine-inning postseason game. Tampa Bay's accomplishment in their 7-5 victory over the Yankees at Petco Park surpasses the mark shared by five teams with 17 strikeouts.

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Randy Johnson and Mark McGwire

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“Old Days”Cub Legends and HOFers Ernie Banks,Ron Santo and Billy Williams return to the dugout after a HR by Banks during a 1969 game at Wrigley Field

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1949,The Dodgers Don Newcombe walks dejectedly to the dugout after giving up Yankees Tommy Henrich's game winning HR in game 1 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium
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October 7 Baseball Birthdays
1857 Moses Walker catcher (first African-American open about his heritage to play MLB; Toledo Blue Stockings), born in Mt.


(1904-1958) Chuck Klein Hall of Fame right fielder (Triple Crown 1933; MLB All-Star 1933, 34; NL MVP 1932; Philadelphia Phillies), born in Indianapolis, Indiana


1922 Grady Hatton (d. 2013)


1943 José Cardenal outfielder (Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and 7 other teams) and coach (NY Yankees, and 4 other teams), born in Matanzas, Cuba


1964 Rich Delucia pitcher (SF Giants), born in Reading, Pennsylvania


1985 Evan Longoria born in Downey, California

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+ October 7
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1904 Jack Chesbro gets his 41st win of the season when the Highlanders beat Boston in New York, 3-2. Happy Jack's win-total is considered the modern era major league mark for the most victories in a season.

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1905 Fred Odwell hits his ninth and final home run of the season, an inside-the-park round-tripper of Cardinal right-hander Buster Brown at Robison Field, making the Reds' outfielder the National League's home run champion. 'Fritz' hit just one last year as a rookie, and after leading the majors this season, he will not hit another round-tripper for the remainder of his career, a span of 154 games.

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1911 In their last game played at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, the Red Sox beat the Senators, 8-1. Anticipating a cancellation due to the cold, damp weather and a muddy field, only 850 patrons attended the 82-minute contest, but Boston owner John I. Taylor kept his promise of having a "Kids' Day," giving free admission to hundreds of children attending the season finale.

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1925 Before Game 1 of the World Series at Forbes Field, Commissioner Landis orders the Pirates and the Senators to wear black armbands in memory of former Giants legend Christy Matthewson, who died this morning at Saran Lake (NY) of tuberculosis. Although the practice will become common, this marks the first time in major league history that teams have altered their uniform to acknowledge a fellow ballplayer's passing.

1935 In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6, the Tigers win their first World Series in franchise history when Goose Goslin singles home Mickey Cochrane to give the team a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory over the Cubs. Tommy Bridges goes the distance, giving up 12 hits, to get the Navin Field victory.

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1939 In Game 3 at Crosley Field, Charlie Keller becomes the first rookie to hit two home runs in the same World Series game. The 22-year-old outfielder's round-trippers in the first and fifth innings, both off starter Junior Thompson, help the Yankees beat the Reds, 7-3.

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1950 Rookie hurler Whitey Ford, with ninth-inning help from Allie Reynolds, beats the Phillies, 5-2, as the Yankees complete the World Series sweep of Philadelphia's 'Whiz Kids.' Jerry Coleman wins the Babe Ruth Award as the series MVP.

Vic Raschi Allie Reynolds Whitey Ford Eddie Lopat

Coleman

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1952 In the decisive Game 7, the Yankees beat the Dodgers at Ebbets Field, 4-2, to win their fourth consecutive World Championship. Gil Hodges finishes the Fall Classic hitless in twenty-one at-bats, which had prompted some Brooklyn fans to gather at local churches asking for divine help for their beloved first baseman.

1961 The Yankees win Game 3 of the World Series, beating the hometown Reds at Crosley Field, 3-2. The decisive blow is Roger Maris' home run leading off the top of the ninth inning off Cincinnati starter Bob Purkey.

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1964 Bob Uecker, who had been shagging out in left field, tries to catch batting practice balls with a tuba when an unsuspecting member of a Dixieland band leaves it unattended. Much to the delight of the crowd, the comedic Cardinals backup catcher is successful in two of his six attempts to snag a fly ball in the mouth of the instrument, but the owner, who is not amused, asks the team for $250 to cover the cost of repairing the dented brass.

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1969 The Cardinals trade Curt Flood, Byron Browne, Joe Hoerner, and Tim McCarver to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Dick Allen, Jerry Johnson, and Cookie Rojas. When Flood refuses to report to Philadelphia, St. Louis will send Willie Montanez and a minor leaguer to complete the trade, but the outfielder's courageous challenge to the reserve clause will have a dramatic impact on the game.

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1977 The Dodgers rally for three runs with none on and two outs in the top of the ninth to take a one-run lead in their eventual 6-5 victory over the Phillies at Veterans Stadium in Game 3 of the NLCS. The game appears to be over when LA's Davey Lopes is picked off first base for the final out, but a throwing error by Gene Garber advances him to second base, from where he will score the decisive run on Bill Russell's single.

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1978 In Game 4 of the NLCS, Ron Cey scores in the 10th inning on Bill Russell's two-out game-winning single, giving the Dodgers a 4-3 victory over the Phillies and their second consecutive National League pennant. Cey, who walked after the first two batters were retired, advanced into scoring position when Garry Maddox misplayed Dusty Baker's fly ball in center field.

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1981 The first postseason game outside the United States takes place in Montreal when the Expos beat the Phillies in Game 1 of NLDS, 3-1, at Olympic Stadium. The franchise will not make playoffs again for 31 years, appearing in the postseason as the Washington Nationals in 2012.

1981 After jumping to catch Manny Trillo's liner for the last out of the NLDS clincher, Warren Cromartie borrows a Canadian flag from an Expo fan sitting in the stands and begins waving it near the Phillies' dugout. The remaining Veteran Stadium crowd, already disappointed by Philadelphia's season-ending 3-0 loss to Montreal, does not react kindly to the outfielder's patriotic gesture.

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1984 In a game best remembered for Cubs' first baseman Leon Durham's seventh-inning error on an easy ground ball, the Padres win the NLCS when Tony Gwynn's seventh-inning two-run double breaks a 3-3 tie en route to a 6-3 victory at Jack Murphy Stadium. Chicago had a 2-0 game advantage and a 3-0 lead in the decisive Game 5 but could not end their thirty-nine-year World Series appearance drought.

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1988 The Yankees replace manager Lou Piniella, who had taken over for the fired Billy Martin in June, with Dallas Green. The former Phillies' skipper compiles a 56-65 record (.463) before being fired in August after calling George Steinbrenner' Manager George' due to the team's meddling with the team.

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1995 In Game 4 of the ALDS, Edgar Martinez's eighth-inning grand slam breaks a 6-6 tie with the Yankees at the Kingdome. The Mariner DH's round-tripper, considered by many the biggest in franchise history, is the difference in Seattle's eventual 11-10 victory, forcing a decisive Game 5.

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1995 With a 10-4 victory over Colorado, the Braves win their Division Series behind the solid pitching of Greg Maddux and the power provided by Fred McGriff's two home runs. The eventual World Champs will sweep Cincinnati in the NLCS before beating Cleveland in the Fall Classic

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2000 Benny Agbayani's 13th-inning home run ends the longest LDS game ever played, five hours and 22 minutes. The dramatic round-tripper by the Mets outfielder, who was voted the 36th greatest athlete from Hawaii by Sports Illustrated, gives New York a 3-2 victory and a 2-1 series advantage over the Giants.

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