BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

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.

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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.

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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 team's eventual 12-3 victory over Pittsburgh at the Polo Grounds.

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1956 Third base umpire Ed Rommel becomes the first major league arbitrator to wear glasses 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 171-119 record with the A's from 1920 to 1932.

 

1957 In the Indians' second game of the season, Roger Maris hits a game-winning, grand slam in the top of the 11th inning against Detroit at Briggs Stadium. 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.

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1958 In front of a National League record crowd of 78,672, the Dodgers play their first home game on the West Coast. Carl Erskine wins, besting Al Worthington and the Giants, 6-5, in the LA Coliseum contest.

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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 departure of the Giants and the Dodgers to the West Coast last season.

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, as a 20-year-old, the 'Kid' hit the first of his 521 career round-trippers, a first-inning two-run shot off Philadelphia's Bud Thomas at Fenway Park.

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

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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, initially called Chemgrass by the Monsanto Company, cannot be made quickly enough and will cover only the infield, with the outfield remaining painted dirt until July.

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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.

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1972 The Yankees play a night game at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day for the first time in franchise history. The Bronx Bombers, behind the three-hitter thrown by Steve Kline, beat the Brewers in the Bronx ballpark, 3-0.

1973 Dave Rader completes an unusual unassisted double play for a catcher in the top of the 11th inning in San Francisco's 4-3 victory over Atlanta at Candlestick Park. 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 league suspends the 32-inning contest knotted at 2-2, 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, finishing 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 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 Pirates fans and his teammates in the team's eventual 8-6 victory at Three Rivers Stadium.

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 Rangers' right-hander Roger Pavlik begins the game by walking the first four batters, equalling the dubious feat last accomplished in 1990 by Tiger right-hander Randy Nosek. The Blue Jays take advantage of the All-Star hurler's wildness by scoring five times 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 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 by 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 four-year existence of the team, finished in last place for 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 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 of 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 going 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 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 strikes one of the trusses approximately 175 feet above the playing field. According to the rules, the redirected foul ball, which falls between Mariner catcher Miguel Olivo and third baseman Chone Figgins, would have been the second out of the inning if caught.

 

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 winning the team's 6-0 decision over the Angels. The Oakland starter faces eleven straight batters who never see a pitch that is called a ball in the Anaheim contest.

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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 two-hours and 27-minute extra-inning contest scores thanks to Melky Cabrera's one-out RBI single off Antonio Bastardo.

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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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Yanke Stadium

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Jackie Robinson must be smiling. Rachel Robinson still attending baseball games at 101 years of age. #ThankYouJackie
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April 19 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1915 Harry Craft player and manager


1948 Rick Miller Towson, Red Sox


1960 Frank Viola pitcher (Twins, Mets/Cy Young-1988


1964 Scott Kamienickil pitcher (NY Yankees)


1968 Brent Mayne catcher (NY Mets)


1977 Dennys Reyes Pitcher Rays

1983 Alberto Callaspo (Kansas City Royals) Infielder

1983 Curtis Thigpen

1983 Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins)


1983 Zach Duke (Cincinnati Reds) Lefty Hurler

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This Day in Baseball History
April 19th​

1890 The Brooklyn Bridegrooms, later 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.
Bidegrooms Beaneaters

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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 crossing the plate in the South End Grounds set a major league record for most runs scored by two clubs on Opening Day.

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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 a 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 occurred half 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.

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1938 During the first inning, both Dodgers' Ernie Koy and Phillies' Heinie Mueller homer in their first major league at-bats. The rookies will collectively hit 53 home runs during their nine seasons in the major leagues.

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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 Believing the Senators are trying to trick him, Yankee starter Allie Reynolds refuses to leave second base after hitting 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 convinces the skeptical baserunner to round the bases to continue the Opening Day contest at Griffith Stadium.

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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, a photographer, a fan who jumps on the field, and the police. Becoming the first team to change their original colors permanently, the Bucs abandoned the familiar patriotic red, white, and blue look, using 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 isn't enough to win when the A's beat the team in 11 innings, 5-4.

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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.

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1949 On Opening Day, the Yankees unveil a monument in centerfield in memory of Babe Ruth eight months after his death. The legendary "Bambino" joins Lou Gehrig and Miller Huggins, also honored 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.

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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 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, besides 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.

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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.

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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."

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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.


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, asking the public relations department to put the tradition on hold.

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1979 The Mets trade Tim Foli and minor league prospect Greg Field to the Pirates 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 Goose Gossage sustained a sprained ligament in his left thumb after a 6-3 loss to the Orioles in New York due to a clubhouse brawl with Yankee teammate Cliff Johnson. Due to the altercation, the reliever will be out of action until mid-July, and Johnson will be traded to the Indians in June for southpaw Don Hood.

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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.

1996 In the eighth, the Rangers fall one run short of setting a modern major-league mark, scoring 16 runs in one inning in their 26-7 rout of the Orioles. In 1952, the Red Sox tallied 17 times in the seventh frame in a 23-3 rout of Detroit at Fenway Park.

1997 The Cubs lose their 13th consecutive game to match the longest losing streak in their 122-year history. Reliever Turk Wendell, wearing #13, is tagged with the loss when Chicago drops a 6-3 decision to the Mets at Shea Stadium.

1997 In the first major league game ever played in Hawaii, the Cardinals edge the Padres, 1-0, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. The three-game set, known as Padres Paradise Series, find the hosts dropping two of three contests to the Redbirds.