BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2008 With a 44-0 record and needing just one more win to become the first undefeated team in N.C.A.A. baseball history, Connecticut's Trinity College loses to Johns Hopkins 4-3. The loss sets up a winner-take-all in the Division III World Series in which the Hartford-based school scores a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth to win the game, 5-4, and the national championship.
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2009 Gerry Rodriguez completes his cycle with a tenth-inning walk-off home run. The minor leaguer's four hits help pace the Rome Braves to a 4-3 victory over the Greenville Drive in the South Atlantic League contest.

2009 Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka and two relievers combine to throw six wild pitches, marking only the fifth occurrence of the dubious feat since 1900. Dice K ties an 80-year franchise record with four errant throws to catcher George Kottaras, with relievers Manny Delcarmen and Justin Masterson each uncorking one.

 

2012 A sign showing Mike Piazza connecting for his decisive eighth-inning homer in the Mets' 3-2 victory against the Braves in New York's first professional sports event following the 9/11 terrorist attacks proves to be the winner in the revival of Banner Day, a tradition started in 1963 that lasted until 1996. The artwork, created by cousins Olivia Nuzzo and Stephanie Giangrande, include a section of NYC's former skyline, with the WTC towers silhouetted above Piazza's heroic homer in mid-swing above the words, "The home run that helped heal N.Y. God Bless America. Let's Go Mets."

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2017 "We are honored to pay tribute to the 25th anniversary of Homer at the Bat.The Simpsons has left an impressive imprint on our culture as the longest-running American sitcom, and ‘Homer at the Bat’ remains as popular today as when the episode aired in 1992." - Hall of Fame President JEFF IDELSON, commenting about the Cooperstown celebration of the animated series.

The Baseball Hall of Fame inducts the fictional cartoon character Homer Simpson as part of celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Simpsons episode 'Homer at the Bat.' A discussion of the much-beloved episode includes comments by real Hall of Famers Wade Boggs and Ozzie Smith, who played themselves on the animated show, and executive producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss, director Jim Reardon, and executive story editor Jeff Martin.

2019 In the eighth inning of the team's 6-2 victory over the Rangers, Mallex Smith steals home, the first Mariner to accomplish the feat since Dustin Ackley in 2012, to complete the rare stolen base cycle. The center fielder swipes four bases in the T-Mobile Park contest, trying a franchise mark shared by seven Mariners.

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On Memorial Day we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, including Capt. Edward L. Grant, the first major league player to die in combat during WWI.
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Johnny Bench & Davey Concepcion
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Andre Dawson, Darryl Strawberry, and Dwight Gooden
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"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball…"~Jacques Barzun, 1954
MAY 28 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1896 Warren Giles HOF executive (President National League 1951-69; GM Cincinnati Reds 1937–51)


1946 Skip Jutze player


1957 Kirk Gibson outfield (Tigers, Dodgers, 1988 NL MVP


1981 Daniel Cabrera LSU, Orioles,Tigers


1982 Jhonny Peralta shortstop, 2003-17, 3X All-Star (Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals


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This Day in Baseball History
May 28th​

1918 Bullet Joe Bush hurls a one-hitter against the White Sox and drives in the lone run in the Red Sox' victory at Fenway Park. Happy Felsch, throwing his bat at the ball on a hit-and-run play, accounts for the only Chicago hit off the Boston right-hander.

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1930 Phillies right-hander Grover Cleveland Alexander ends his 20-year career with a relief appearance in the team's 5-1 loss in Boston. 'Old Pete' finishes his two decades in the major leagues with a 373-208 (.642) record, which includes winning 30 or more games in three consecutive seasons beginning in 1915, along with a 2.56 lifetime ERA.

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1939 Over two consecutive games, George Selkirk hits four homers in four at-bats against the same pitcher. Yesterday, the Yankee outfielder victimized A's starter Robert Joyce with two homers, and today he continues his assault against the right-hander, pitching in relief, with two more round-tripper.

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1941 Before the first major league game played at night in Washington, D.C., Senator legend Walter Johnson throws a strike through a beam of light, triggering a switch that illuminates Griffith Stadium. On the field, things are not as bright for the home team when it suffers its tenth consecutive setback, a 6-5 loss to the Yankees.

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1946 General Electric president Charles E. Wilson throws out the ceremonial first pitch in the first night game played at Yankee Stadium. In front of 49,917 fans, Washington beats the Bronx Bombers, 2-1, when Dutch Leonard goes the distance, throwing a six-hitter to improve his spotless record to 5-0.

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1951 After starting his career 0-for-12, Giants rookie Willie Mays gets his first hit, a 450-foot homer off Braves left-hander Warren Spahn. Ironically, the home run is the first of the 18 the 'Say Hey Kid' will hit off the future Hall of Fame hurler, the most he will hit off any pitcher.

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1956 Going deep in the fourth inning off Carl Erskine in the team's 3-2 victory over the Dodgers at Forbes Field, Pirates first baseman Dale Long establishes a major league record by hitting his eighth home run in eight games. Yankee first baseman Don Mattingly (1987) and Mariner outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. (1993) will also match the accomplishment.

1957 The National League gives Walter O'Malley and Horace Stoneham permission to negotiate deals with cities on the West Coast, with the proviso that the future location of their respective clubs, the Dodgers and the Giants, be known by October 1st. The Brooklyn and New York owners deny there is any significance to the unanimous vote other than an opportunity to explore all the available options for the possible relocation of their clubs.

 

1960 The Pirates trade minor leaguer Julian Javier, along with right-hander Ed Bauta, to the Cardinals for infielder Dick Gray and Vinegar Bend Mizell, a southpaw who will post a 13-5 record in the Bucs' eventual world championship season. The Redbirds' rookie acquisition will immediately become the club's starting second baseman, which the 23-year-old Dominican will play for a dozen campaigns.

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1968 The American League approves playing 156 games, dividing itself into two divisions. The Junior Circuit will reconsider, playing a full complement of 162 contests and keeping divisional play for next season.

1969 The day after becoming a father, Randy Hundley hits a grand slam and a double, driving in five runs in the Cubs' 9-8 victory over the Giants at Candlestick Park. The Chicago backstop's eight-pound, four-ounce baby boy named Todd will follow in his footsteps, becoming a major league catcher, receiving for the Mets, Dodgers, and Cubs.

Todd

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1969 In a game where Jerry Koosman sets a franchise mark by striking out 15 batters, Bud Harrelson's 11th-inning single plates Cleon Jones, giving Tug McGraw and the Mets a 1-0 triumph over Padres at Shea Stadium. The contest marks the first victory of the team's record 11-game winning streak, including three walk-off wins.

Jerry Koosman Tug McGraw

Bud Harrelson Cleon Jones
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1971 The Braves sever ties with infielder Clete Boyer, who asked the team to release him after a dispute with owner Paul Richards and manager Lum Harris over alleged team rules and mismanagement. Ken and Cloyd's brother ends his career by hitting safely in his last nine games, including five home runs and nine RBIs.

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1973 Wilbur Wood, completing a suspended game from two nights ago, allows only two hits in five innings to earn the win in the 21-inning contest when Chicago beats the Indians at White Sox Park, 4-1. The 31-year-old knuckleballer, who will lose both ends of a doubleheader later in the season, then pitches a four-hit complete-game shutout in the regularly scheduled game to collect his second victories tonight.

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1976 Ron LeFlore's 31-game hitting streak ends when Ed Figueroa and Tippy Martinez hold him hitless in four at-bats in Detroit's 9-5 loss to the Yankees. The Tiger outfielder's span of consecutive games with at least one hit, the longest American League hitting streak in 27 years, began on the final day of last season.

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1979 George Brett hits for the cycle in the Royals' 5-4 victory over the Orioles, collecting a third-inning triple, homering in the eighth, singling in the tenth, and completing the feat with a double in the 14th frame. The third baseman's second home run gives Kansas City the walk-off victory in the bottom of the 16th inning.

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1980 Lotte Orions' outfielder Isao Harimoto, who began his career in 1959 with the Toei Flyers, is the first player to collect three thousand hits in Japan when he homers to right field in a game against the Hankyu Braves at Tokyo's Kawasaki Stadium. Using power and speed, the former Pacific League Rookie of the Year will compile 3,085 hits during his 23-year career to establish a Nippon Professional Baseball record.

1982 During an argument with the umpires, Durham Bulls skipper Bobby Dews throws second base into the stands and then takes off his jersey and powders under his arms with the rosin bag before kicking it into the air.


1986 Joe Cowley sets a major league record when he strikes out the first seven Rangers he faces in the White Sox's 6-3 loss to Texas. The 27-year-old Chicago right-hander lasts only 4 2-3 innings in the Arlington Stadium contest.


1987 Mike Young becomes only the fifth major leaguer to hit two extra-inning home runs in the same game when he goes deep in the 10th and 12th frames. The Orioles DH's second overtime round-tripper gives the Birds an 8-7 walk-off victory over the Halos at Memorial Stadium.

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1989 With runners on second and third, no outs, and the Mets and Dodgers tied at 3-3 in the 12th inning, home plate umpire Bob Davidson calls a balk against Roger McDowell. Dave Anderson scores the winning run in the Chavez Ravine contest when the New York reliever fails to pause and make a discernible stop.

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1995 The White Sox and Tigers combine to establish a major league record, hitting 12 home runs in Chicago's 14-12 victory in Detroit. The two teams also set an American League record by blasting 21 extra-base hits during the Motor City slugfest.

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1996 In the Orioles' 12-8 win over Seattle at the Kingdome, Cal Ripken blasts a grand slam and a pair of two-run round-trippers, giving him a career-high eight RBIs. The Baltimore shortstop's younger brother, Billy, goes deep for the Birds, marking the second time the siblings have both homered in the same game.

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1998 In the bottom of the ninth, with the bases loaded and his team ahead by two runs, Diamondbacks' manager Buck Showalter orders that Barry Bonds be intentionally walked with the bases loaded by reliever Gregg Olson. The free pass works when the next batter, Brett Mayne, lines out to deep center field, giving Arizona an 8-7 victory at Candlestick Park.

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2000 Milwaukee stops the Diamondbacks' team-record 11-game home winning streak when Marquis Grissom's 11th-inning single proves to be the difference in the team's 4-3 loss at Bank One Ballpark. Arizona winning ways started on May 5th with the team sweeping consecutive three-game series from their division rivals, the Padres and Dodgers, and continuing after the team returned to Arizona after a 3-6 road trip, with three victories against the Pirates and two from the Brewers.

2000 The Astros set a team record by homering in their 15th straight game. Ken Caminiti and Lance Berkman go deep off Rudy Seanez in the bottom of the eighth inning, making the difference in the team's 4-3 victory over Atlanta at Enron Field.

2000 For the first time in franchise history, the Angels hit four homers in one inning. Darin Erstad, Mo Vaughn, Tim Salmon, and Garret Anderson go yard in the fifth frame of the Halos' 11-4 victory.

2001 The Marlins fire skipper John Boles (22-26, 8.5 GB) a day after reliever Dan Miceli blasts the skipper and his coaching staff for their lack of major league playing experience. Hall of Fame corner infielder Tony Perez takes over the third-place team on an interim basis, compiling a 54-60 (.474) record in his only season in the Miami dugout.

2001 In an 11-inning slugfest with Colorado, LA catcher Paul Lo Duca goes 6-for-6 in the 11-10 victory at Dodger Stadium. The backstop's five singles and a three-run homer tie a National League record for hits in an extra-inning game.

2003 When Rafael Furcal, Mark DeRosa, and Gary Sheffield go deep off Reds' starter Jeff Austin in the bottom of the first inning, the Braves become only the second team in big-league history to begin a game with three consecutive home runs. In San Diego's home opener in 1987, the Padres wasted no time making up a two-run first-inning deficit when Marvell Wynn, Tony Gwynn, and John Kruk all went yard leading off in the bottom of the first inning off Giant starter Roger Mason.

2004 Saving the Yankees' 7-5 win over the Devil Rays in Tampa Bay, Mariano Rivera notches his 300th career save. The Panama City native becomes the first Yankee and 17th reliever in major league history to reach the milestone.

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2004 Matt Clement becomes the twenty-first big league pitcher and the first Cubs hurler to hit three batters in one inning in over a century. The right-hander ties a major league record when he plunks Bobby Hill, Jason Kendall, and Craig Wilson in the fifth inning of a 5-4 loss in the opener of a twin bill against Pittsburgh at PNC Park.

2005 In the eighth inning of the Red Sox' 17-1 rout over the Yankees in New York, the largest margin of victory the team has ever enjoyed against their rivals, the stadium scoreboard goes blank for a few moments when the operator cannot keep up with the Boston barrage. The team's 27 hits, which is one shy of a Bronx Bomber record for safeties allowed, are the most collected by the club since tying the franchise record of 28 in June of 2003, ironically in a game also started by Carl Pavano as the opposing pitcher, but in a Marlin uniform.

2005 At Great American Ball Park, the number 10 joins 5 (Bench), 8 (Morgan), 24 (Perez), 20 (F. Robinson), 1 (Hutchinson), and 18 (Kluszewski) on the facade of the press box, when the Reds retire Sparky Anderson's uniform number. As the skipper of the 'Big Red Machine,' George Lee Anderson became the franchise's winningest manager (863-586) and captured four NL pennants (1970, 1972, 1975-76) and two World Championships (1975-76).

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2005 With three remaining games in May, the Padres surpass the previous club record for the most wins for any month. The 5-3 win over the Giants marked the team's 19th victory since May Day. San Diego wins its next three contests, compiling a 22-6 (.786) record in the fifth month of the season.

2006 The Braves establish a new club record by hitting eight homers in a 13-12 win over the Cubs. Marcus Giles, Andruw Jones, Ryan Langerhans, Adam LaRoche (2), Brayan Pena, and Edgar Renteria (2) go deep for Atlanta in the 11-inning slugfest at Wrigley Field.

2006 At AT&T Park, Barry Bonds passes Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list, taking sole possession of second place when he hits the 715th homer of his 21-year big league career. The historic homer, comes off a 90-mph fastball by Byung-Hyun Kim of the Rockies, makes the Giants outfielder the most prolific left-handed slugger in baseball history.

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2007 Adrian Beltre strokes four extra-base hits to tie a franchise record in the Mariners' 12-5 rout of Anaheim. The Seattle third baseman collects 12 total bases with a pair of doubles and two home runs.

2010 Matt Cain throws his second career one-hitter, giving up only a two-out double to Mark Reynolds in the second inning of the Giants' 5-0 victory over Arizona. In a 2006 contest, the 25-year-old right-hander limited Oakland to one hit, a seventh-inning two-bagger to Jay Payton.

2011 During a game against Florida, fans vacate a section of upper deck seats at Dodger Stadium due to a small fire in a nearby storage area. With plumes of smoke visible coming from the top level of the ballpark on the first base side, the public address announcer informs the crowd that evacuation of the entire stadium will not be necessary.

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Today In 1946: Amazing view of the first night game in Yankee Stadium
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Today In 1951: New York Giants rookie Willie Mays collects his first major league hit, a home run vs. Boston Braves pitcher Warren Spahn at the Polo Grounds, NYC!

 

"His first major league hit was a home run off me and I'll never forgive myself. We might have gotten rid of Willie Mays forever if I'd only struck him out." ~ Legendary pitcher Warren Spahn
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