BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2005 The Astros, one of six teams to have never played in the World Series, break the franchise's 43-year drought, advancing to the Fall Classic when they beat the Cardinals in the NLCS, 5-1. Houston had been close before, coming up short five times in their history in a game with the NL flag on the line, including being a strike away in Game 5 when Albert Pujols hit a two-out three-run ninth-inning homer, forcing a Game 6 in St. Louis.

2006 Nicole Sherry becomes the second woman to be named the head groundskeeper of a major league team when the Orioles ask her to lead the crew taking care of Camden Yards. The Wilmington, Delaware native joins Heather Nabozny, who has been in the same position with the Tigers since 1999.

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2006 In Game 7 of the NLCS at Shea Stadium, Adam Wainwright, on three pitches, strikes out Carlos Beltran looking with the bases loaded, giving the Cardinals a 3-1 victory over the Mets, their 17th pennant in franchise history, and a trip to the World Series to face the Tigers. The New York outfielder, with the best HR ratio (11/81) in postseason history, is frozen by the rookie right-hander's two-out, two-strike incredible curveball.

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2006 For a new generation, the term "the Catch" may conjure up memories of Endy Chavez's NLCS Game 7 leaping catch when he grabs a ball with his outstretched glove destined to be a Scott Rolen two-run home run and starting an unbelievable double play. The Shea Stadium heroics are overshadowed in the ninth inning when Yadier Molina hits a two-run homer and Carlos Beltran, with the best HR ratio (11/81) in postseason history, looks at a third strike with the bases loaded with Mets, giving the Cardinals a 3-1 victory and the pennant.

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2007 After 12 seasons and 12 playoff appearances, including 10 AL East titles, six pennants, and four world championships, manager Joe Torre rejects the Yankees' overture, which calls for a pay cut. The non-negotiable offer - a one-year, $5 million deal with $1 million incentives per playoff round and an $8 million option for 2009 if the Yankees reached next year's World Series - was considered by many to be insulting and a ploy to oust the popular manager without upsetting the team's fans.

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2007 The Royals hire Trey Hillman, a successful skipper in the minors and Japan, to be the team's manager. The 44-year-old current Nippon Ham Fighters pilot, who has never played, coached, or managed in the big leagues, spent 13 years in the dugout in the Yankees' minor leagues and was named manager of the year three times.

2008 Behind the solid start of Matt Garza and the stellar relief work of rookie David Price to finish the game, including a bases-loaded strikeout to end the eighth, the Rays beat the Red Sox, 3-1, in Game 7 of the ALCS, winning their first American League pennant. After posting the worst record in baseball last season, the Rays advance to the World Series, hosting the Phillies in Game 1 of the Fall Classic at Tropicana Field.

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2009 Kenji Johjima, the first Japanese catcher in major league history, surprises the Mariners by opting out of the final two seasons of his three-year deal. Unhappy about being benched, the 33-year-old struggling backstop walks away from $15.8 million to finish his career in Japan.

 

2010 The Yankees honor Freddy Schuman, a fan known for his rhythmic banging of a spoon against a skillet, displaying some of his memorabilia inside Gate 4. After a moment of silence for the fan-favorite sign-man before Game 4 of the ALCS, the fans continue to show their appreciation of 85-year-old iconic "Freddy Sez" when they photographed friends banging his pan, chanting "Fred-dy! Fred-dy!" during the contest against the Rangers at the Stadium.

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2010 The Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo signs a five-year contract extension, receiving a promotion to be the executive vice president of baseball operations. The new position, made available when team president Stan Kasten resigned, gives the 48-year-old more control over the franchise and a direct line to the team's ownership, including principal owner Ted Lerner.

2010 The Cubs select Mike Quade, Lou Piniella's interim replacement who guided the team to a 24-13 record during the last six weeks of the season, as the franchise's newest manager. Triple-A Iowa skipper and a Hall of Fame icon Ryne Sandberg, a finalist in the selection process, was thought to be the front-runner for the position.

2012 Rays closer Fernando Rodney is named the AL Comeback Player of the Year after the reliever establishes the all-time MLB mark with a 0.60 ERA and sets the franchise record with 48 saves. Before playing for Tampa Bay, the 35-year-old right-hander struggled for two seasons with the Angels, saving just 17 games during his tenure with the Halos.

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2019 In front of a sellout crowd at Minute Maid Park, the Astros win the American League pennant when Jose Altuve takes Aroldis Chapman deep in the bottom of the ninth, giving the team a 6-4 walk-off victory over the Yankees in Game 6 of the ALCS. Houston had blown a 4-2 lead in the top of the frame when Roberto Osuna allowed DJ LeMahieu's two-run homer to tie the game.

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126,004

 

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Even if you took away every one of Henry Aaron's 755 home runs, he still would have 3,000 hits
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Ted Williams had a career OBP of .482 He was basically on-base for half of his career.
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Roger Maris was never intentionally walked the year he hit 61 home runs. (Mickey Mantle batted behind him.)
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Willie Mays taking some BP
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October 20 Baseball Birthdays​

1910 Bob Sheppard announcer (MLB: NY Yankees 1951–2007; NFL: NY Giants 1956–2006), born in Richmond Hill, New York (d. 2010


(1931-1995) Mickey Mantle HOF outfielder (1956 Triple Crown; 20 x MLB All Star; 7 × World Series; 3 × AL MVP; NY Yankees), born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma


1937 Juan Marichal Hall of Fame pitcher (10 × MLB All-Star; NL wins leader 1968; MLB ERA leader 1969; no-hitter 1963; SF Giants), born in Laguna Verde, Dominican Republic


1953 Keith Hernandez 1st baseman (St Louis Cardinals, NY Mets), born in San Francisco, California


1967 Harvey Pulliam outfielder (Royals, Colorado Rockies), born in San Francisco, California


1969 Juan Gonzalez outfielder (Texas Rangers), born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico


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This Day in Baseball History October 20th​

1910 A's starter Jack Coombs, pitching with one day of rest, throws a six-hit complete game, beating the Cubs, 12-5, to give Philadelphia a commanding 3-0 lead in the World Series. 'Colby Jack' also collects three hits and drives in three runs in the West Side Park contest.

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1931 Frankie Frisch, known as the Fordham Flash, is selected as the National League's Most Valuable Player. The Cardinals' second baseman (.311, 4, 82) is considered the World Champion Redbirds' on-field leader.

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1931 Mickey Mantle, the 'Commerce Comet', is born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. The newborn's dad, a lead miner known as Mutt, names his son after Mickey Cochrane, not realizing the major league catcher's real name is not Mickey but Gordon. The future Yankee outfielder is glad his father was unaware of this fact.

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1964 Johnny Keane, three days after resigning as manager of the World Champion Cardinals, replaces Yogi Berra as the Yankees' field boss. The new skipper of the Bronx Bombers will not fare well next year, leading the aging team to their first losing season since 1925.

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1964 Red Schoendienst, a favorite former player, is named the Cardinals' new manager, replacing Johnny Keane, who resigned the day following the team's Game 7 Fall Classic victory over New York. Albert will compile a 1,041-955 record for the Redbirds during 12 full seasons and two stints in
1980 and 1990 as interim skipper, capturing a World Championship in 1967 and an NL pennant in 1968.

Red & Curt Flood

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1969 Joining the AFL's New York Jets and the Apollo 11 astronauts, the Mets become the third group this year honored with a ticker-tape parade on Broadway. The World Champions attend three rallies throughout the Big Apple, with hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers enjoying the day-long festivities.

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1972 After hitting only five home runs in the regular season, Gene Tenace goes deep for the fourth time in the World Series, hitting a three-run homer off Jim McGlothlin in the second inning of the A's 5-4 loss to the Reds in Game 5. The Oakland catcher, who will be named the MVP of the series, ties the major league mark for round-trippers in a Fall Classic shared by Babe Ruth (Yankees, 1926), Lou Gehrig (Yankees, 1928), Duke Snider (Dodgers, 1952), and Hank Bauer (Yankees, 1958).

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1982 On his 29th birthday, Keith Hernandez hits a game-tying two-run sixth-inning single off Bob McClure, helping the Cardinals capture their ninth world championship in franchise history and the first since 1967, beating Milwaukee at Busch Stadium, 6-3. The Brewers, playing in their first World Series, cannot hold on to a Game 7 lead, giving up five unanswered runs.
Hernandez and McClure, who lived in homes 100 feet from one another growing up in Pacifica (CA), were teammates in Little League and Terra Nova High School baseball teams.

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1987 Twins right-hander starter Les Straker becomes the first Venezuelan to pitch in the World Series. At Busch Stadium, the Ciudad Bolivar native blanks the Cardinals for six innings on four hits before being removed for a pinch-hitter.

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1988 The Dodgers become World Champions when Orel Hershiser limits the opposition to four singles in Game 5 of the World Series and beats the A's, 5-1. The right-hander, who also won Game 2, is named the Most Valuable Player of the Fall Classic.

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1990 The Reds complete their World Series sweep, beating the heavily favored A's at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, 2-1. With ninth-inning help from Randy Myers, Jose Rijo earns his second win of the four-game series, going 8.1 innings.

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1992 In Game 3 of the Fall Classic, the Blue Jays would have turned the second triple play in World Series history if not for a missed call. Braves' batter Terry Pendleton makes an out for passing Reggie Sanders on the bases after Devon White makes an outstanding grab in center field, and Sanders is tagged on the foot by third basemen Kelly Gruber trying to return second, although a video of the play clearly shows the third out should have been called, umpire Bob Davidson sees it differently.

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1993 Calling balls and strikes during Game 4 at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, Charlie Williams becomes the first black umpire to work home plate during a World Series. The game becomes memorable as the Blue Jays win the 15-14 marathon, which takes a record four hours and 14 minutes to complete.

1994 Receiving all 28 first-place votes, Raul Mondesi (.306, 16, 56) is named the National League's Rookie of the Year. The Los Angeles right fielder, who easily outdistanced Astros' hurler John Hudek and Braves' outfielder Ryan Klesko, is the third consecutive Dodger to win the award.

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1996 Andruw Jones becomes the fourth rookie in baseball history to hit two home runs in the same World Series game when he goes deep twice in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium. The Braves' center fielder joins Charlie Keller (1939 - Yankees), Tony Kubek (1957 - Yankees), and Willie McGee (1982 - Cardinals) in accomplishing the feat.

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2000 Major league play-by-play broadcasters and color commentators select Carlos Delgado and Todd Helton as the recipients of the Hank Aaron Award. The honor, established last year, recognizes the Blue Jay and Rockies' first baseman as the best overall hitters in each league.

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2000 The Blue Jays and Carlos Delgado agree to a record four-year $68 million contract. The Toronto first baseman's average salary of $17 million is the richest in major league history.

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2002 Twenty-year-old Venezuelan right-hander Francisco Rodriguez becomes the youngest pitcher to win a World Series game. With just 15 days of major league experience, K-Rod throws 37 pitches, retiring nine consecutive batters in three innings to pick up the victory when the Angels outslug the Giants in Game 2 of the Fall Classic, 11-10.

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2004 After dropping the first three decisions, the Red Sox win their fourth consecutive ALCS game to win the American League pennant, beating the Yankees in the Bronx, 10-3. Johnny Damon's two home runs, including a grand slam and Derek Lowe's solid pitching performance, help Boston join the 1942 Maple Leafs and the 1975 Islanders as the only teams in the history of professional sports to overcome a 3-0 series deficit to win a seven-game series​

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2008 The Cubs and Jim Hendry agreed to a four-year contract extension. The deal, which will expire in 2012 and extend into the club's new ownership tenure, is the general manager's reward for the team's best regular-season showing in more than sixty years en route to its second consecutive National League Central title.

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2008 Two storied franchises, the NFL Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees, form a partnership to handle concession and merchandise sales at the clubs' new stadiums. The company, known as Legends Hospitality Management, LLC, founded in cooperation with Goldman Sachs and CIC Partners, envisions expanding its services to other professional franchises and college programs.

 

2009 The Brewers hire Rick Peterson as their pitching coach to improve the club's woeful starting pitching, which posted a 5.37 ERA last season. The 54-year-old pitching guru, known for his focus on motion analysis, is reunited with bench coach Willie Randolph and skipper Ken Macha, his former managers with the Mets and the A's, teams he toiled for in a similar role.

2010 Ted Lilly signs a three-year, $33 million deal to remain with the Dodgers. The 34-year-old southpaw, obtained from the Cubs in early August, compiled a 7-4 record with a 3.52 ERA in 12 starts for LA, including victories in the first five starts for his new team.

2012 The Red Sox select John Farrell as their new manager to replace the fired Bobby Valentine, who let go the day after the season ended after piloting the club to a last-place finish in his only year in the Boston dugout. The team's new skipper, who spent the previous two seasons managing the Blue Jays, is obtained from Toronto by sending infielder Mike Aviles north of the border as compensation for the opportunity to hire their former pitching coach.

2012 After agreeing to pay $8 million of the remaining $21 million owed to Heath Bell, the Marlins deal their disappointing closer to the Diamondbacks in a three-team trade in which Miami obtains 22-year-old minor league shortstop Yordy Cabrera, acquired by Arizona along with Cliff Pennington from the A's for outfielder Chris Young. The D-Backs plan to use the 35-year-old right-handed reliever to set up closer J. J. Putz, who had his $6.5 million option picked up by the team earlier in the day.

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2020 Rays' skipper Kevin Cash becomes the first to play in the Little League World Series and manage a major league team in the Fall Classic. Playing for Tampa's Northside team, the former big-league catcher went 2-for-7, with a double and two runs scored in the 1989 Williamsport tournament.

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126,338

 

In 1968, Bob Gibson went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA. Five of the nine losses were 1-0 games.
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Baseball legends Mike Schmidt and George Brett strike a pose together at spring training! (1981)
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Julian Javier is tagged out by Russ Gibson during game 1 of the 1967 Cardinals-Red Sox World Series at Fenway Park.
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A young Chipper Jones
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