BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

1974 "He thinks he's in a sales convention dealing with a bunch of short-order cooks. That's not the way to go about getting a winner. Somebody ought to sit him down and straighten him out." - DOUG RADER, Astros third baseman's comments concerning Ray Kroc's ownership style of the Padres.
Padres president Buzzie Bavasi, inspired by disparaging remarks made by Astro third baseman Doug Rader about Ray Kroc, team owner and the board chairman of McDonald's, stages a Short-Order Cooks' Night, giving fans wearing a chef's hat free admission. The Houston captain, who compared Kroc's management of the Friars to a sales convention of short-order cooks, joins in on the fun by wearing a chef's hat and an apron and carrying a skillet and spatula when he brings the lineup card to home plate. (Ed. Note: Frequent contributor

1976 At Tiger Stadium, Mark Fidrych, known as the 'Bird,' amuses a Monday Night Baseball national TV audience, talking to the baseball when he one-hits the Yankees, 5-1. The unsung Detroit rookie, who made the team on the final cut of spring training, will finish the season with a 19-9 record.

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1979 The Giants trade Bill Madlock, Lenny Randle, and Dave Roberts to the Pirates for hurlers Ed Whitson, Fred Breining, and Al Holland. The 'Mad Dog' will play a pivotal role for Pittsburgh this season, batting .328 in 88 games for the World Champion Bucs.

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1984 Dwight Evans completes a cycle with a walk-off home run, becoming only the fourth major league player to accomplish the feat. The Red Sox outfielder's game-ending three-run blast in the 11th inning gives Boston a dramatic 9-6 victory over Seattle at Fenway Park.

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1986 Indian knuckleballer Phil Niekro and Angels right-hander Don Sutton become the first 300-game winners to start against one another in this century. Both future Hall of Famers pitch into the seventh inning, but neither gets the decision in the Halos' 9-3 victory over the Tribe at Anaheim Stadium.

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1987 In a seven-game day, American League batters combined to hit a record 28 home runs. The A's contribute five round-trippers to the new mark when Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, known as the Bash Brothers, each go deep twice, with teammate Reggie Jackson adding another in the team's 10-0 rout of Cleveland.

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1989 In an area known as Camden Yards, the razing of structures on the 85-acre parcel of land begins to make room for the Orioles' new ballpark in downtown Baltimore. The fan-friendly baseball-only facility, which debuts in
1992, sets the standard for all new ballparks to be built in the future as teams try to copy the "retro" look done so successfully by the HOK architectural firm.

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1991 In the Reds' 8-5 victory over Houston at Riverfront Stadium, Barry Larkin hits three consecutive home runs to join Ernie Banks (1955 Cubs) and Freddie Patek (1980 Angels) as the only shortstops to go deep three times in a game. The trio of round-trippers also gives the future Hall of Famer a major league record-tying five homers over a two-game span.

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1994 In the Giants' 7-4 loss at Dodger Stadium, Matt Williams becomes the second National Leaguer to hit 28 home runs before July, tying the mark established in 1971 by Willie Stargell. The San Francisco third baseman will finish the strike-shortened season with a league-leading 43 round-trippers, losing a legitimate opportunity to break Babe Ruth's mark of 60 when the season prematurely ends on August 11.

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1999 Twenty-five-year-old shortstop Damian Jackson swipes five bags, including stealing home in the sixth inning, in the Padres' 8-7 victory at Qualcomm Stadium, establishing the modern-day rookie record for stolen bases. In 2009, Rockies freshman Dexter Fowler equals the mark in a contest that also involves San Diego.

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2000 After giving up 11 runs in the first four innings, the Rockies storm back to beat San Francisco, 17-13. Colorado third baseman Jeff Cirillo hits three homers, doubles, drives in six runs, and scores five times in the Coors Field slugfest.

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2000 In less than six seasons, the Rockies draw their 20 millionth fan to one ballpark faster than any other team in major league history. Colorado eclipses the Dodgers' mark of needing nine years in two stadiums to reach the milestone.

2001 After twenty seasons in San Diego, Padre outfielder Tony Gwynn announces he'll retire at the end of the season. The future Hall of Famer has the highest lifetime batting average (.338) among all active players.

 

2004 With his seventh-inning triple in the Phillies' 14-6 win over Montreal at Citizens Bank Park, David Bell becomes the eighth player in franchise history and the first since Gregg Jefferies in 1995 to hit for the cycle. The Philadelphia third baseman joins his grandfather Gus Bell (1951) as the only grandson and grandfather combination to have accomplished the feat.

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2006 The last-place Pirates set a franchise record with their 13th consecutive defeat, dropping a 4-3 decision to White Sox at PNC Park. Pie Traynor's 1939 Bucs had held the dubious mark, losing a dozen in a row during their 68-85 sixth-place finish in the National League.

2006 In his worst outing as a Met during two seasons with the team, the Red Sox rout Pedro Martinez in his return to Boston when the Mets drop a 10-2 decision. The Fenway crowd, who chanted, "Pedro! Pedro!" before the game, showed their appreciation of the Dominican's history as a Red Sox player with a standing ovation during yesterday's video tribute, highlighting the right-hander's achievements with Boston.

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2007 With the third of his five hits in the Astros' 8-5 victory over Colorado at Minute Maid Park, Craig Biggio collects his 3000th hit to become the 27th major leaguer to reach the plateau and the ninth player to accomplish the feat playing for one team. The hustling Houston second baseman reaches the milestone in the seventh inning with a single off Aaron Cook, trying to stretch the historic hit into a double.

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2007 Frank Thomas hits a three-run homer off Twins hurler Carlos Silva in the first inning of the Blue Jays' 8-5 loss at the Metrodome to become the 21st major leaguer to hit 500 home runs. The 'Big Hurt,' who has hit 50 homers (10%) against the Twins, also hit the first home run of his career in Minnesota in 1990.

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2008 In Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers, without the benefit of a hit for the entire game, defeat the Angels, 1-0. Due to the home team not batting in the ninth inning, the combined losing effort of Halo hurlers Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo does not officially count as a no-hitter.

2009 Mariano Rivera joins Trevor Hoffman as the second pitcher to record 500 major league saves. The right-handed reliever, who also registers his first RBI of his 15-year career when his ninth-inning base-on-balls forces in a run, reaches the milestone by getting the last four outs in the Yankees' 4-2 win over the Mets at Citi Field.

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2010 In a scene reminiscent of Dave Dravecky breaking his arm throwing a ball to a batter in 1989, Tiger reliever Joel Zumaya crumbles to his knees in extreme pain after releasing a pitch in a game against Minnesota at Target Field. The hard-throwing right-hander will miss the remainder of the season, but the prognosis for next season is optimistic because there is no ligament damage to his elbow.

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2010 The Cubs place Carlos Zambrano, suspended for three games for his recent tirade against teammate Derrek Lee, on the restricted list. Doctors, mutually selected by Major League Baseball and the players' union, will evaluate the excitable right-hander after his first-inning meltdown in the visitors' dugout after surrendering four runs to the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

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2010 The Cubs honor Ron Santo for his 50 years in baseball, giving the former third baseman and current WGN radio analyst a "Santo 50" white flag autographed by the players and a photo of the Wrigley Field marquee with the message, "Thank you, Ron, for 50 great years." The seventy-year-old will also throw out the ceremonial first pitch and sings "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch.

 

2011 After playing 299 games without a grand slam, the Mets hit two bases-full homers in seven at-bats during their 14-3 rout of Detroit at Comerica Park. Jason Bay breaks the nearly two-year drought with a fourth-inning round-tripper, and Carlos Beltran goes deep six batters later in the fifth frame.

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2012 During an on-field ceremony before the game against Arizona at Turner Field, the Braves honor Chipper Jones, who was officially inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame earlier in the day. Joining Hank Aaron (44), Warren Spahn (21), Eddie Mathews (44), Phil Niekro (35), Dale Murphy (3), Greg Maddux (31), Tom Glavine (47), John Smoltz (29), and Bobby Cox (6), 40-year-old Atlanta third baseman becomes the tenth person to have his number retired by the franchise with the unveiling of his jersey #10 on the outfield wall.




2015 Steven Matz, who goes 3-for-3 at the plate, becomes the first pitcher to drive in four runs in his major league debut, delivering a two-run double in his first at-bat and then driving in another pair with a sixth-inning single. The Mets' 24-year-old rookie right-hander from Stony Brook, NY, gives up five hits and two runs in 7.2 innings en route to earning his first victory when the Mets beat Cincinnati at Citi Field, 7-2.


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Thomas Edison Alston, who broke the color barrier for the Cardinals in 1954
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Edgar Martinez hit .625 against Mariano Rivera (10 for 16, 5 XB hits). Dude raked
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JUNE 29 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1864 Wilbert Robinson HOF catcher (Philadelphia A's, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals) and manager (Baltimore Orioles, Brooklyn Robins)


1880 Harry Frazee MLB team owner (Boston Red Sox)

1910 Burgess Whitehead (New York Giants)


1933 Bob Shaw Pitcher (Chicago White Sox)


1935 Katsuya Nomura, catcher and manager (first NPB batter to win Triple Crown 1965; Nankai Hawks)

1936 Harmon Clayton Killebrew Jr.HOF utility (13 × MLB All-Star; AL MVP 1969; 6 × AL HR leader; Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins)


1941 John Boccabella (Chicago Cubs)

1954 Rick Honeycutt pitcher (St Louis Cardinals)

1956 Pedro Guerrero (LA Dodgers)


1967 John Wehner infielder (Pittsburgh Pirates)

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Today in Baseball History​

June 29th​

1897 The Chicago Colts (Cubs) of the National League establish the record for most runs scored in a game by one team when they rout the Louisville Colonels, 36-7. In 1929, the Cardinals beat the Phillies 28-6 at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl to set the modern NL mark.
Colts Colonels

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1905 With the Giants leading the Superbas, 11-1, Archibald 'Moonlight' Graham makes his major league debut in the bottom of the eighth inning as a defensive replacement in right field at Brooklyn's Washington Park. The 27-year-old career minor leaguer, who will not have a major league at-bat in his only appearance in the big leagues, will become immortalized by W.P. Kinsella's book Shoeless Joe and the movie based on the author's work, Field of Dreams.


1909 The Pirates host their last game at Exposition Park, defeating the Cubs, 8-1, in front of 5,545 fans at the small and cramped ballpark on the north side of the Allegheny River. The team will begin to play at Forbes Field tomorrow, a spacious venue constructed of concrete and steel in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh's Exposition Park​

1923 Dodger first baseman Jacques Fournier goes 6-for-6, collecting a home run, two doubles, and three singles. The southpaw-swinging slugger's 11 total bases contribute to Brooklyn's 14-5 victory over the Phillies at the Baker Bowl.

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1933 In the second inning of the Cardinals' 7-3 victory over the Giants, Ethan Allen races around the bases for an inside-the-park home run at the Polo Grounds but is called out for batting out of turn, costing Joe Medwick his turn at the plate. The Cardinal outfielder bats again in the correct order, grounding out to third base.

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1935 Cardinal left fielder Joe Medwick hits for the cycle, but Cincinnati thwarts a ninth-inning rally to beat the 'Gashouse Gang' and Daffy Dean, 8-6. 'Ducky,' a 1968 Hall of Fame inductee, scores three runs in the Redbirds' losing effort at Crosley Field.

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1986 The White Sox trade veteran right-hander Tom Seaver to the Red Sox for Steve Lyons. 'Tom Terrific' will finish his Hall of Fame career this season in Boston, but he will not pitch in the World Series against the Mets, his first major league team that still refers to him as 'The Franchise.'

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1989 The Boise Hawks suspend manager Mal Finchman for one game for returning to the field after being ejected in the sixth inning disguised as the team's mascot, Humphrey the Hawk. The feathery impostor manages his club for the remainder of the Northwest League contest against Salem.

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1990 For the first time since 1917 (Hippo Vaughan and Fred Toney), two no-hitters occur on the same day when the A's Dave Stewart shuts out the Jays, 5-0, and the Dodgers' Fernando Valenzuela blanks the Cardinals, 6-0.

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2000 With more than 700 police officers on duty at the ballpark instead of the usual 60, John Rocker makes his much-awaited return to Shea Stadium. Before the game, the Braves reliever, who pitches a perfect eighth inning in front of 46,998 booing fans, had apologized to Mets fans for his inappropriate comments about New Yorkers, which appeared in the offseason in Sports Illustrated

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2000 After trying to get Juan Gonzalez and Sammy Sosa to bolster their failing offense, the Yankees acquire David Justice from the Indians for Ricky Ledee and two right-handers to be named later (Zach Day and Jake Westbrook). The move appears to work when the Bronx Bombers post a 50-39 (.562) record after acquiring the outfielder en route to capturing their third consecutive championship and 26th overall.

View attachment 192487 ​

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2004 At Bank One Ballpark, Randy Johnson records his 4000th career strikeout, whiffing Padres' third baseman Jeff Cirillo, a fellow USC Trojan, to become the fourth player in major league baseball history to reach the plateau. The 40-year-old Diamondbacks fireballer known as the Big Unit needs fewer innings (3,237 1/3) than Nolan Ryan (3,844 2/3), Roger Clemens (4,151), and Steve Carlton (4,991 1/3) to accomplish the feat.

View attachment 192489 ​

2004 The Tigers win their third consecutive walk-off game thanks to Dmitri Young's game-ending home run. Following the lead of teammates Eric Munson (6/26) and Carlos Pena (6/27) in the two previous games, the 30-year-old Detroit corner infielder hits a two-run dinger in the 11th inning to beat the Indians, 9-7.

View attachment 192491 ​

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2005 After being plunked for the 268th time in his career, Craig Biggio breaks Don Baylor's record for being hit by a pitch. At Coors Field, Rockies starter Byung-Hyun Kim nails the Astros' second baseman on the left elbow in the fourth inning to establish a new mark, both literally and figuratively.

 

2006 The last-place Pirates set a franchise record with their 13th consecutive defeat, dropping a 4-3 decision to White Sox at PNC Park. Pie Traynor's 1939 Bucs had held the dubious mark, losing a dozen in a row during their 68-85 sixth-place finish in the National League.

2006 In his worst outing as a Met during two seasons with the team, Pedro Martinez is routed by his former Red Sox teammates in his return when the Mets drop a 10-2 decision. The Fenway crowd, who chanted, "Pedro! Pedro!" before the game, showed their appreciation of the Dominican's history as a Red Sox player with a standing ovation during yesterday's video tribute which highlighted the right-hander's achievements with Boston.

2007 With the third of his five hits in the Astros' 8-5 victory over Colorado at Minute Maid Park, Craig Biggio collects his 3000th hit to become the 27th major leaguer to reach the plateau and the ninth player to accomplish the feat playing for one team. The hustling Houston second baseman reaches the milestone in the seventh inning with a single off Aaron Cook, trying to stretch the historic hit into a double.

2007 Frank Thomas hits a three-run homer off Twins hurler Carlos Silva in the first inning of the Blue Jays' 8-5 loss at the Metrodome to become the 21st major leaguer to hit 500 home runs. The

 

2008 In Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers, without the benefit of a hit for the entire game, defeat the Angels, 1-0. Due to the home team not batting in the ninth inning, the combined losing effort of Halo hurlers Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo does not officially count as a no-hitter.

2009 Mariano Rivera joins Trevor Hoffman as the second pitcher to record 500 major league saves. The right-handed reliever, who also registers his first RBI of his 15-year career, reaches the milestone by getting the last four outs in the Yankees' 4-2 win over the Mets at Citi Field.

2010 In a scene reminiscent of Dave Dravecky breaking his arm throwing a ball to a batter in 1989, Tiger reliever Joel Zumaya crumbles to his knees in extreme pain after releasing a pitch in a game against Minnesota at Target Field. The hard-throwing right-hander will miss the remainder of the season, but the prognosis for next season is optimistic because there is no ligament damage to his elbow.

2010 The Cubs place Carlos Zambrano, suspended for three games for his recent tirade against teammate Derrek Lee, on the restricted list. Doctors, mutually selected by Major League Baseball and the players' union, will evaluate the excitable right-hander after his first-inning meltdown in the visitors' dugout after surrendering four runs to the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

2010 The Cubs honor Ron Santo for his 50 years in baseball, giving the former third baseman and current WGN radio analyst a "Santo 50" white flag autographed by the players and a photo of the Wrigley Field marquee with the message, "Thank you, Ron, for 50 great years." The seventy-year-old will also throw out the ceremonial first pitch and sings "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch.

​

2011 After playing 299 games without a grand slam, the Mets hit two bases-full homers in seven at-bats during their 14-3 rout of Detroit at Comerica Park. Jason Bay breaks the nearly two-year drought with a fourth-inning round-tripper, and Carlos Beltran goes deep six batters later in the fifth frame.

2012 During an on-field ceremony before the game against Arizona at Turner Field, the Braves honor Chipper Jones, who was officially inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame earlier in the day. Joining Hank Aaron (44), Warren Spahn (21), Eddie Mathews (44), Phil Niekro (35), Dale Murphy (3), Greg Maddux (31), Tom Glavine (47), John Smoltz (29), and Bobby Cox (6), 40-year-old Atlanta third baseman becomes the tenth person to have his number retired by the franchise with the unveiling of his jersey #10 on the outfield

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Another trailblazer has passed away. June has been tough on the SF Giants.

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JUNE 30 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1944 Ron Swoboda outfielder and sportscaster (NY Yankees, NY Mets)


1962 Tony Fernández shortstop (5 x MLB All-Star; 4 x Gold Glove; World Series 1993 Toronto Blue Jays)


1968 Dan Peltier outfielder Notre Dame (SF Giants)


1970 Mark Grudzielanek infielder (Montreal Expos)

1972 Garret Anderson outfielder MLB All-Star 2002, 03 (MVP), 05; World Series 2002 California Angels,


1973 Chan Ho Park pitcher LA Dodgers


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