BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

MAY 29 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1924 Pepper Paire National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame catcher (1948 AAGPBL All-Star Team


1938 Fay Vincent sports executive (MLB Commissioner 1989-92

1962 Eric Davis outfielder (World Series 1990 Cincinnati Reds; MLB All-Star 1987, 89; Gold Glove 1987, 88, 89


1976 Jerry Hairston Jr. infielder/outfielder, broadcaster (Baltimore Orioles


1982 Kim Tae-kyun, South Korean baseball 1st baseman

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This Day in Baseball History
May 29th​

1905 According to legend, Dodger hurler Elmer Stricklett introduces the spitball, helping Brooklyn beat the Giants, 4-3. Before the 1921 season, the spitball will be banned, except for 17 existing spitballers who can keep throwing the slippery pitch legally until they retired, including Burleigh Grimes, the last player to throw a doctored pitch before retiring in 1934 legally.


1909 Recently elected William Howard Taft joins 14,000 fans at Pittsburgh's Exposition Park to watch the Pirates play the Cubs, becoming the first sitting president to attend a baseball game outside of Washington, D.C. The Commander in Chief proves to be a bad luck charm when the Bucs drop an 8-3 decision to Chicago, marking the only time the team loses in 19 games.

1911 Riding the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Cubs complete their 191-mile journey from Columbus (OH) to their game in Pittsburgh in three hours and thirty-five minutes, setting a land-speed record. The trip will last seventy-five minutes longer than it will take Chicago to beat the Bucs at Forbes Field, 4-1.

1916 The Giants beat Boston for their 17th consecutive road win when Christy Mathewson scatters four singles to get the complete-game 3-0 victory at Braves Field. New York surpasses the major league mark established by the Senators, who had won 16 straight games as the visiting team in 1912.

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1922 The Supreme Court rules that organized baseball is a sport, not a business, exempting major league clubs from antitrust laws and interstate commerce rules. The unanimous court decision held that professional baseball did not meet the definition of interstate commerce because their travel between states is "incidental" to the business with all the revenue generated from the actual games.

 

1928 Bill Terry hits for the cycle at Ebbets Field to pace the Giants to a 12-5 victory over the Robins (Dodgers). The New York first baseman becomes the first major leaguer to hit a grand slam in accomplishing the feat.

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1941 The Cardinals collect their tenth consecutive win when the team beats the Reds, 10-9, thanks to shortstop Marty Marion's spectacular grab of Ernie Lombardi's line drive, doubling off Ernie Koy to end the contest. The Sportsman's Park victory marks the Redbirds' fifth straight one-run winning decision, including three back-to-back games in the team's last at-bat.

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1946 Edward Klep becomes the first white to play in the Negro leagues in a reverse integration role. In a game in Grand Rapids, the Erie (PA) native tosses seven innings for the Cleveland Buckeyes against the American Giants in his debut with the Negro American League team.

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1950 David Tracy resigns as the Browns' team psychologist due to the lack of cooperation from the players. The 8-22 last-place team loses confidence in their psychological guru when his use of hypnosis, used to relax the struggling players, fails to improve the club's on-field performance.

1951 Indians GM Hank Greenberg flies to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to preside over the signing ceremony of Billy Joe Davidson, a 17-year-old American Legion standout. The Marion southpaw, who reportedly agreed to a $150,000 deal to play for the Tribe, compiles a 54-53 record, including a no-hitter, during his six years in the minors but will never throw a pitch in the major leagues.

1955 After Joe Pignatano bats out of order in the Fort Worth Cats lineup, the umpires nullify the Dodger farmhand’s second-inning round-tripper on appeal by the Shreveport Sports. When the correct number 7 batter, Maury Wills, loses his turn at the plate, the 25-year-old catcher, now hitting eighth, hits another homer.

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1956 Gus Bell connects for three consecutive home runs, helping the Reds beat the Cubs, 10-4. The Cincinnati center fielder collects 14 total bases, going 5-for-5 while collecting seven RBIs in the Wrigley Field contest.

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1956 In a 10-1 loss to the Dodgers at Forbes Field, Dale Long is held hitless by Don Newcombe, ending his consecutive-game home run streak. The Pirates' first baseman had established a new major league mark by homering in the last eight Pittsburgh contests.

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1962 Buck O'Neil, previously a scout with the Cubs, becomes the first black coach in major-league baseball. The future Hall of Famer is not assigned in-game base coaching duties and does not participate in Chicago's College of Coaches system, a revolving managerial position.

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1965 Dick Allen's 529-foot blast clears the left-center field roof, over the Coke Sign, at Connie Mack Stadium. The Phillies' third baseman's two-run prodigious poke off Chicago's right-hander Larry Jackson proves to be the difference in Philadelphia's 4-2 victory.

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1966 For the second consecutive day, Ron Santo delivers a walk-off home run in extra-innings against Atlanta when his 10th-inning blast gives the Cubs a 3-2 victory at Wrigley Field. Yesterday, the third baseman ended the game with a three-run, 12th-inning homer, beating the Braves, 8-5.

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1976 In a pitching matchup that features the Niekro brothers as starters, Astro Joe beat the Braves and Phil, 4-1. Adding insult to injury, Joe hits his first and only home run in his 22-year career off his older sibling.

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1978 In a 14-inning one-run loss to Pittsburgh, Phillies' outfielder Garry Maddox ties a franchise record when he swipes four bases. The Philadelphia fleet flychaser equals the mark set in 1906 by Sherry Magee, who accomplished the feat twice that season.


1979 At Dodger Stadium, Dusty Baker, Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Garvey, Gary Thomasson, Derrel Thomas, Joe Ferguson, and Davey Lopes set a team record by hitting seven home runs as the Dodgers crush the Reds, 17-6.

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1978 In a 14-inning one-run loss to Pittsburgh, Phillies' outfielder Garry Maddox ties a franchise record when he swipes four bases. The Philadelphia fleet flychaser equals the mark set in 1906 by Sherry Magee, who accomplished the feat twice that season.

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1979 At Dodger Stadium, Dusty Baker, Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Garvey, Gary Thomasson, Derrel Thomas, Joe Ferguson, and Davey Lopes set a team record by hitting seven home runs as the Dodgers crush the Reds, 17-6.

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1981 The Mets obtain Expos' right fielder Ellis Valentine for relief pitcher Jeff Reardon and Dan Norman, acquired in the 1977 Tom Seaver trade from the Reds. The former Montreal All-Star Gold Glover hits .261 during his two seasons in New York, with Reardon compiling 367 saves while playing for seven teams in his 16-year major league tenure.

1982 LaMarr Hoyt's 14-game winning streak, which started with five victories last season, ends when the Indians beat the White Sox. The 27-year-old right-hander throws his fourth consecutive complete game, dropping a 5-2 decision at Cleveland Stadium.

1985 The Phillies move Gold Glove third baseman Mike Schmidt to first base, replacing him at the hot corner with Rick Schu. The 23-year-old rookie will hit only .252, promoting Schmidt's return to third next season, with Schu becoming a backup for the future Hall of Fame infielder.

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1989 In a hastily called press conference in San Diego, Mike Schmidt tearfully informs the press of his immediate retirement. The fans will still select the Phillies' third baseman to start the All-Star Game, scheduled at Anaheim Stadium in July.

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1990 A's Rickey Henderson breaks the 62-year-old American League stolen base record with his theft of third base in the sixth inning of a 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Hall of outfielder Ty Cobb set the previous mark of 892 in 1928, playing for the Philadelphia A's.

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1990 The Mets fire Davey Johnson, citing the lack of team discipline in the talented team that reached the postseason only twice during his six years at the helm. Third base coach Bud Harrelson replaces the popular manager, who averaged 96 victories a season, leading the club to the World Championship in 1986.
The new manager will keep New York in contention until the end of the season, but the club dismisses him with a few games remaining next season starts, with the team ending up in fifth place.

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1994 The Braves deal outfielder Deion Sanders to the Reds for outfielder Roberto Kelly and minor league hurler Roger Etheridge, who will never appear in a major league game. Kelly will remain in Atlanta only this season, batting .286 in 63 games, while Sanders stays with Cincinnati for four years, compiling a .260 average for his new team.

1996 Cal Ripken hits his 334th career round-tripper to move past Eddie Murray for first place on the Orioles' all-time list. The Baltimore shortstop goes deep over the left-field wall off Sterling Hitchcock in the sixth inning of the team's 9-8 defeat to Seattle at the Kingdome.

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1997 After acquiring Hideki Irabu from the Chiba Lotte Marines, the Padres send the Japanese right-hander to the Yankees, completing the trade that dealt Gordon Amerson (minors) and Homer Bush to New York for Rafael Medina, Ruben Rivera, and $3,000,000. The 28-year-old refused to sign with the San Diego, insisting he would only play with the Bronx Bombers, but often incurs owner George Steinbrenner's wrath during his three years in the Big Apple, where he posts a mediocre 29-20 record

 

2000 At Yankee Stadium, Randy Velarde completes the tenth unassisted triple play in major league history. With runners on first and second, Shane Spencer hits a line drive to the A's second baseman, who catches the ball, tags out Jorge Posada coming from first base, and steps on second, tripling up Tino Martinez, who took off for third, to complete the rare event.

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2000 At the age of 104, Fred Roberts, the oldest living Dodger fan, makes his first visit to Dodger Stadium. Wearing a jersey with the number 104, the World War I veteran cheers as Shawn Green's sixth-inning grand slam helps to beat Al Leiter and the Mets, 4-1.

2002 Yankee fireballer Roger Clemens becomes the third major leaguer to strike out ten or more batters in at least 100 games. Nolan Ryan (215) and Randy Johnson (175) are the other hurlers to have accomplished the feat.

2003 The Red Sox trade their All-Star third baseman Shea Hillenbrand (.303, 3, 38) to the Diamondbacks for 24-year-old reliever turned starter Byung-Hyun Kim (1-5, 3.56). The 24-year-old South Korean right-hander wins eight of 13 decisions, helping Boston capture the American League Wild Card.

2010 Roy Halladay throws the 20th perfect game in major league history, outdueling Josh Johnson in the Phillies' 1-0 victory over the Marlins at Miami's Sun Life Stadium. The former American League Cy Young Award winner, obtained from Toronto in the off-season, joins Jim Bunning as the only hurlers in franchise history to accomplish the feat.

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2010 The Giants call up Buster Posey to start at first base, and the 23-year-old rookie responds by going three-for-four with three RBIs in a 12-1 rout of the Diamondbacks at AT&T Park. The eventual National League's Rookie of the Year does not become the team's starting catcher until the team trades Bengie Molina to Texas at the end of June.

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2010 Kendry Morales breaks his left ankle jumping on home plate while celebrating his walk-off grand slam that beat Seattle, 9-7. The freak injury results in the 26-year-old talented Angel first baseman missing the rest of the season.

2014 In the Blue Jays' 8-6 loss to Kansas City at the Rogers Centre, Edwin Encarnacion hits two two-run homers, both off Royals right-hander James Shields, to set a franchise record for home runs in a month with 16. The Toronto first baseman also shares the American League mark for most home runs in May with Yankees legend Mickey Mantle.

2016 The Yankees, limited to only one hit, defeat the Rays, 2-1, thanks to Starlin Castro's seventh-inning home run off Jake Odorizzi at Tropicana Field. The last time New York won a game while being the victim of a one-hitter occurred 102 years ago when the team beat the Indians at the Polo Grounds, 1-0.

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2016 At The Ballpark at Harbor Yard, United States softball star Jennie Finch becomes the first woman to manage a pro baseball team when she leads the Bridgeport Bluefish to a 3-1 win over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in an Atlantic League contest. The Olympic gold medal-winning pitcher, an All-American at Arizona, is married to Casey Daigle, who pitched briefly for the Diamondbacks and Astros.

2021 At Target Field, Josh Donaldson, scoring from second on a first-inning ground-rule double by Nelson Cruz, tallies the two millionth run in baseball history. Unlike Bob Watson of the Houston Astros, who scored the one-millionth run 46 years ago, the Twins' third baseman was unaware of the historical significance of crossing the plate.

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Eddie Murray, Ozzie Smith, Dave Winfield and Rollie Fingers

 

Buck O'Neil becomes the first African American coach in #MLB history with the Chicago #Cubs!
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Today In 1952: Willie Mays is sworn in to the U.S. Army! "The Say Hey Kid" would miss the rest of the '52-'53 seasons, but he returned in '54 to win the National League MVP while leading the New York Giants to a World Series championship!

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Josh Gibson became Major League Baseball’s career leader with a .372 batting average, surpassing Ty Cobb’s .367, when Negro Leagues records for more than 2,300 players were incorporated Tuesday after a three-year research project.

Gibson’s .466 average for the 1943 Homestead Grays became the season standard, followed by Charlie “Chino” Smith’s .451 for the 1929 New York Lincoln Giants. They overtook the .440 by Hugh Duffy for the National League’s Boston team in 1894. Gibson also became the career leader in slugging percentage (.718) and OPS (1.177), moving ahead of Babe Ruth (.690 and 1.164).

“It’s a show of respect for great players who performed in the Negro Leagues due to circumstances beyond their control and once those circumstances changed demonstrated that they were truly major leaguers,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press. “Maybe the single biggest factor was the success of players who played in the Negro Leagues and then came to the big leagues.”

Josh Gibson becomes MLB career and season batting leader as Negro Leagues statistics incorporated
AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports Major League Baseball’s record book looks a lot different, with Negro League records now incorporated.
A special committee on baseball records decided in 1969 to recognize six major leagues dating to 1876: the National (which launched in 1876), the American (1901), the American Association (1882-1891), Union Association (1884), Players’ League (1890) and Federal League (1914-1915). It excluded the National Association (1871-75), citing an “erratic schedule and procedures.”

MLB announced in December 2020 that it would be “correcting a longtime oversight” and would add the Negro Leagues. John Thorn, MLB’s official historian, chaired a 17-person committee that included Negro Leagues experts and statisticians. “The condensed 60-game season for the 2020 calendar year for the National League and American League prompted us to think that maybe the shortened Negro League seasons could come under the MLB umbrella, after all,” Thorn said.

An updated version of MLB’s database will become public before the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants play a tribute game to the Negro Leagues on June 20 at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

Baseball Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch said statistics on Cooperstown plaques will remain the same because they reflect the information available at the time of a player’s induction.

Standards for season leaders is the same for Negro Leagues as the other leagues: 3.1 plate appearances or one inning for each game played by a player’s team.

Gibson’s .974 slugging percentage in 1937 becomes the season record, and Barry Bonds’ .863 in 2001 dropped to fifth, also trailing Mules Suttles’ .877 in 1926, Gibson’s .871 in 1943 and Smith’s .870 in 1929.
Bond’s prior OPS record of 1.421 in 2004 dropped to third behind Gibson’s 1.474 in 1937 and 1.435 in 1943.
Willie Mays gained 10 hits from the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons, increasing his total to 3,293. Minnie Minoso surpassed 2,000 hits, credited with 150 for the New York Cubans from 1946-1948 that boosted his total to 2,113.

Jackie Robinson, who broke MLB’s color barrier with the 1947 Dodgers, was credited with 49 hits with the 1945 Kansas City Monarchs that increased his total to 1,567.
Among pitchers, Satchel Paige gained 28 wins that raised his total to 125.

The committee met six times and dealt with issues such as when compiled league statistics didn’t make sense, such as a league having more wins than losses and walks that were missing. Researchers had to identify whether players with the same name were one person or separate, tracking dates of birth, and identify people listed by nicknames. Documenting transactions and identifying ballparks in a time when neutral sites often were used is ongoing, along with uncovering statistics for independent teams.

“We made the decision at a point in time that we became convinced that it was possible to get accurate statistics that could be appropriately integrated into our record books,” Manfred said.
Kevin Johnson and Gary Ashwill, researchers who had spent nearly two decades helping assemble the Seamheads Negro Leagues Database, were included in the project. Thorn estimated 72% of Negro Leagues records from 1920-1948 are included and additional research might lead to future modifications. Thorn said a four-homer game by Gibson in 1938 and a home run by Mays in August 1948 could not be included because complete game accounts have not been found.
“Without a box score, we can’t really balance the statistics,” Johnson said. “Those games are kind of in limbo at the moment.”
Records include the first Negro National League (1920-31), Eastern Colored League (1923-28), American Negro League (1929), East-West League (1932), Negro Southern League (1932), second Negro National League (1933-48) and Negro American League (1937-48). Barnstorming exhibition games are not included.

Some game details were obtained from newspapers that covered the Black communities. Johnson said while complete accounts were found for about 95% of games in the 1920s, coverage dropped off during the Great Depression in the 1930s and never fully recovered.

 

MAY 30 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1871 Amos Rusie HOF pitcher (Triple Crown & NL wins leader 1894; 5 × NL strikeout leader; pitched no-hitter 1891; NY Giants


1878 Mike Donlin (NY Giants)


1972 Manny Ramirezl outfielder (12 × MLB All-Star; World Series 2004 [MVP], 07; 9 × Silver Slugger Award; Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox


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This Day in Baseball History
May 30th​

1894 After going 0-for-6 in the first game of a doubleheader, Beaneater Bob Lowe becomes the first major leaguer to hit four home runs in one game, helping Boston beat Cincinnati and Elton 'Icebox' Chamberlain, 20-11.

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1904 At Cincinnati's Palace of the Fans, 32-year-old Cubs' first baseman Frank Chance is plunked by a pitch five times during a doubleheader. In the first game of the twin bill, the future Hall of Famer loses consciousness briefly when one of the misguided pitches hits the Peerless Leader's head.

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1913 Red Sox outfielder and future Hall of Famer Harry Hooper becomes the first major league player to start both doubleheader games with a home run. The feat will not occur again until 1993 when A's leadoff hitter Rickey Henderson opens each game of a twin bill against Cleveland with a homer.

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1921 During an impressive Memorial Day ceremony at the Polo Grounds, the Eddie Grant Memorial, erected in memory of a former Giants player killed in World War I, is dedicated. Under the watchful eye of Baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the five-foot-high monument, located at the base of the clubhouse wall in center field, 465 feet from home plate, is unveiled by the Harvard-educated third baseman's sisters Florence Grant Robinson and Louise Grant Winters.

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1922 Chicago outfielder Cliff Heathcote and Redbird right fielder Max Flack exchange their Cardinal and Cub uniforms after being traded for one another between games of a doubleheader. The fly chasers will both get hits for their new teams in the nightcap of the Cubs Park twin bill, in a sweep by the home team, 4-1 and 3-1.

1925 Between games of a doubleheader against the Pirates at Forbes Field, second baseman Rogers Hornsby, who will continue to be an active player, replaces Branch Rickey as the Cardinals manager. Rickey will continue as the team's general manager until 1942.

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1927 Cubs' shortstop Jimmy Cooney completes an unassisted triple play as he snares Paul Waner's liner, steps on second to double up Paul's brother, Lloyd, and then tags Clyde Barnhart coming from first for the third out.

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1930 Rogers Hornsby receives his MVP award and is given a thousand gold coins by National League president John Heydler at a ceremony at home plate before the Cubs' contest against St. Louis. Ironically, the 'Rajah' will break his ankle while advancing to third base during the Wrigley Field contest and will not play again until the middle of August.

1932 After dropping a twin bill, some White Sox players accuse George Moriarty of deliberately blowing calls against their team. The umpire, a former Pale Hose player, challenges his accusers to a fight when he knocks down pitcher Milt Gaston with one punch, skipper Lew Fonseca and backstops Charlie Berry and Frank Grube even the score by thrashing the aggressive arbitrator.

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1932 In a pregame ceremony, the Yankees dedicate a plaque in memory of skipper Miller Huggins. Their former manager, who died near the end of last season, would be delighted with today's doubleheader sweep of the Red Sox, 7-5 and 13-3.

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1934 Ben Chapman breaks up Earl Whitehill's no-hitter at Yankee Stadium at the bottom of the ninth inning. Last season, after being provoked, the Bronx Bomber left fielder hit the right-hander with a punch in the passageway, causing a melee between the two teams, resulting in a 20-minute delay of the game before the police could restore order.

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1934 Burleigh Grimes notches the last victory by a pitcher legally allowed to throw a doctored pitch, tossing four innings of shutout ball in relief in the Yankees' 5-4 extra-inning triumph over the Senators in the Bronx. The 40-year-old spitballer, who records his 270th and final career win, is the last of the 17 hurlers who received permission to throw the banned pitches altered by a foreign substance after being outlawed in 1920.

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1935 "All ballplayers should quit when it starts to feel as if all the baselines run uphill." - BABE RUTH, Hall of Fame legend reflecting on his long career. Babe Ruth plays his final major league game, grounding out in a first-inning and his final career at-bat in the Braves' 11-6 loss to the Phillies At the Baker Bowl. On June 2, the former Yankees superstar, who had asked to retire earlier, will announce his retirement from baseball after an argument with team owner Judge Emil Fuchs.

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1938 The 81,841 fans attending a Memorial Day doubleheader against the Red Sox set a new Yankee Stadium attendance record. The Bronx Bombers sweep the twin bill, 10-0 and 5-4, with the nightcap ending on a wild throw by Boston's third baseman Pinky Higgins.

 

1943 With contests played in Rockford (Illinois) and Racine (Wisconsin), the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League begins the first season of its 12-year existence. The original AAGPBL four-team circuit, which includes the war-production cities of Kenosha (Wisconsin) and South Bend (Indiana), will attract 176,612 baseball enthusiasts during the league's inaugural season.

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1946 In Boston's 10-8 victory over the Dodgers, Bama Rowell's long drive hits the Bulova clock above the right-field scoreboard, marking the first time a major leaguer reaches the famous Ebbets Field landmark. The crushing blow that shatters the face of the watch, causing the glass to cascade onto Dodgers' Dixie Walker, becomes the inspiration for Bernard Malamud to have Roy Hobbs, the hero of his 1952 novel, The Natural, belt a similar home run, which also rains glass over the diamond.

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1956 At Yankee Stadium, Billy and his brothers attend their first big-league game with their dad, Jack Crystal. The future show biz superstar, who will write and perform a one-man play about his father and develop a movie script about the 1961 Yankees, tremendously enjoys watching his beloved Bronx Bombers sweep a mid-week doubleheader from the Senators, 4-3 and 12-5.

 

1962 The Mets complete their first-ever triple play when shortstop Elio Chacon snags Willie Davis's liner and flips the ball to Charlie Neal to double off Maury Wills at second, with the third out coming on a ball thrown to Gil Hodges to catch Jim Gilliam off first base. New York will be the victim of the only other triple killing this season when Joe Pignatano, in his final major league at-bat, pops out to Cubs second baseman Ken Hubbs, who starts a 4-3-6 play in the eighth in the season finale played a Wrigley Field.

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1962 Frank Thomas strokes a double off Sandy Koufax in the Mets' 13-6 loss to Los Angeles, extending his franchise mark of consecutive games with a hit to 18 for the expansion team. The streak, which will be only one shy of Maury Wills' league-leading total for the season, is halted when the New York left fielder goes 0-for-4 in the nightcap of the Dodgers' sweep at the Polo Grounds.

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1967 After retiring the first 21 batters he faces, Cardinal starter Dick Hughes gives up two runs in the eighth inning in an eventual 2-1 loss to the Reds at Crosley Field. After the Redbirds mount a rally in the top of the ninth when Orlando Cepeda and Tim McCarver open the frame with singles, the game ends abruptly when Phil Gagliano hits into a 6-4-3-2 triple play, with the last out being recorded at the plate when Cepeda attempts to score from third base.

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1969 The A's name their 25-year-old third baseman Sal Bando, playing in only his second full major league season as the team's captain. The last captain of the club was Dick Green, a second baseman who held the job when the franchise played in Kansas City.

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