BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

1995 "For a huge portion of my generation, Mickey Mantle was that baseball hero. And for reasons that no statistics, no dry recitation of facts can possibly capture, he was the most compelling baseball hero of our lifetime. And he was our symbol of baseball at a time when the game meant something to us that perhaps it no longer does."- BOB COSTAS, delivering the eulogy at Mickey Mantle's funeral. The popular broadcaster, known for his love of the game and his admiration of the Yankee superstar, describes the Hall of Famer as "a fragile hero to whom we had an emotional attachment so strong and lasting that it defied logic."

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1995 The Royals designated Vince Coleman for assignment, although he is hitting .287 and has 26 stolen bases in 75 games. After acquiring the available 33-year-old fleet outfielder, the Mariners compile a 26-14 record, with their new leadoff hitter being a key factor in the team capturing the American League Wild Card.


1999 In the first frame of Anaheim's 10-2 victory in Detroit, Chuck Finley becomes the first major league hurler to strike out four batters in one inning twice in his career. The Angels' southpaw also accomplished the feat on May 12 against the Yankees.

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2005 In the Giants' 7-3 victory over the Reds, Randy Winn becomes the twenty-first player in franchise history to hit for the cycle. The fleet flychaser, obtained from the Mariners two weeks ago, singles in the first, homers in the third, doubles in the fourth, completing the feat with a triple in the sixth inning in the Great American Ball Park.

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2006 The Dodgers, with their 4-0 blanking of the Marlins, win their sixth consecutive game and 17th in the last 18 contests. The stretch is the team's best run since the Brooklyn Superbas went 20-1 in 1899.

2006 Joining Jim Hickman (1965), Dave Kingman (1978), Caudell Washington (1980), Darryl Strawberry (1985), Gary Carter (1985), and Edgardo Alfonzo (1999), Jose Reyes, in an 11-4 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, becomes the seventh Mets player to hit three homers in a game. Like all his predecessors, his trifecta takes place on the road.

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2006 In a contest that takes five hours and 21 minutes to complete, the Diamondbacks beat the Rockies at Coors Field, 2-1. The 18-inning game ties the D-Back franchise record for the most innings played in a contest and the longest in Colorado history for both frames played and the time of the game.

2007 The Devil Rays come to terms with their first overall selection in the June first-year player draft, left-handed pitcher David Price. The Vanderbilt University (11-1, 2.63) southpaw signs a six-year major league contract worth as much as $11.25 million if he sticks in the bigs for the length of the deal.

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2008 Buster Posey, the fifth overall pick in the June amateur draft, gets the largest up-front bonus in major league history when he agrees to a $6.2 million signing deal with the Giants. The highly touted catcher gets slightly more than infielders Tim Beckham (first pick/shortstop), who receives $6.15 million from the Rays, and Pedro Alvarez (second pick/third baseman), who gets $6 million from the Pirates.

 

2011 Jim Thome becomes the eighth player to reach the 600 career home runs plateau when he hits a two-run homer in the sixth (599), followed by a three-run blast an inning later off Detroit's Daniel Schlereth. Needing fewer at-bats to reach 600 than anyone except for Babe Ruth, the 40-year-old Twins slugger accomplishes the feat in his 8,167th at-bat, compared to the Bambino's 6,921.

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2011 At Petco Park, Jason Isringhausen becomes the 23rd major league pitcher to record 300 career saves when the Mets defeat San Diego in 10 innings, 5-4. The 38-year-old right-handed closer is the third pitcher, along with John Franco (1996) and Billy Wagner (2006), to achieve his 300th save wearing a Mets uniform.

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2012 Joining Philip Humber (White Sox) and Matt Cain (Giants), Felix Hernandez becomes the third hurler to throw a perfect game this season, marking the first time in major league history that three spotless gems occur in the same year. "King Felix's" 1-0 victory over the Rays at Safeco Field is the first perfect game and the fourth no-hitter in Mariner history, which includes hitless games tossed by Randy Johnson (1990) and Chris Bosio (1993) and the combined effort of six pitchers in June.

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2012 Baseball suspends Giants' left fielder Melky Cabrera for 50 games for testing positive for high levels of performance-enhancing testosterone, causing the All-Star Game's MVP to miss the rest of the season. The second-leading hitter in the National League, 13 points behind Andrew McCutchen, is one plate appearance shy of qualifying for the batting title but could win the crown if he were to have the circuit's best average after the addition of a theoretical at-bat.

 

2013 A proposal that would dramatically increase the number of reviewable plays is presented at the quarterly Owners Meetings by a committee consisting of Braves president John Schuerholz and former major league skippers Joe Torre and Tony La Russa. The rule change, to be formally voted on in November, allows a manager to ask an umpire to initiate a play review, with one challenge permitted in the first six innings and two more through the end of the game, without any provision to cover a missed call after a team uses all of its challenges.

2015 David Denson becomes the first player affiliated with a major league organization to come out as gay, sharing his sexual orientation in an interview with the Journal Sentinel. The 20-year-old first baseman/outfielder had previously shared his ground-breaking news with his Helena Brewers teammates and went public after much soul-searching and consulting with Billy Bean, a former big-leaguer who came out of the closet after he retired.

2015 In Boston's 22-10 rout of the Mariners at Fenway Park, Jackie Bradley Jr. becomes the youngest player and first Red Sox to collect with five extra-base hits in a game. The 25-year-old outfielder's 5-for-6 performance, which included five runs scored and seven RBIs, consists of three doubles and two home runs.

2020 Max Muncy hits the first leadoff sac fly in baseball history when he flies out to deep right field, scoring Chris Taylor, the Dodgers' ghost runner who stole third base on the second pitch of the tenth inning. Angels' reliever Keynan Middleton, who throws a perfect 1-2-3 inning, is tagged with the loss when the run proves to be the difference in the team's 6-5 loss in Anaheim.
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Today In 1916: Boston #RedSox pitcher Babe Ruth outduels Walter Johnson in 13 innings for a 1-0 win over the Washington Senators at Fenway Park!
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Joe Horlen, born #OTD, led all AL hurlers w a 2.32 ERA over a 5-yr stretch, 1964-68 w@whitesox
Led AL in ERA & SHO in '67 & also tossed a no-hitter that yr.

 

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Today In 1990: Philadelphia #Phillies pitcher Terry Mulholland hurls a no-hitter vs. the SFGiants at Veterans Stadium

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August 16 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1925 Willie Jones, third baseman (MLB All Star 1950, 51; Philadelphia Phillies)


1948 Mike Jorgensen Mets,Braves, Expos,Cardinals


1953 Nick Leyva manager (Phillies 1988-91)


1965 Xavier Hernandez pitcher (Houston Astros)


1966 Terry Shumpert, infielder (Chicago Cubs, Rockies)


1967 Bret Barberie, infielder (Mets, Chicago Cubs, Expos, Marlins, Orioles)

1970 Bonnie Bernstein sportscaster


1970 Quinton McCracken, outfielder (Colorado Rockies)


1973 Damian Jackson Dodgers

1974 Roger Cedeno outfielder (LA Dodgers, Mets)

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This Day in Baseball History
August 16th​

1890 Bill Phillips becomes the first pitcher to allow two grand slams in the same inning when Tom Burns and Malachi Kittridge take the Alleghenys' right-hander deep in the same frame of an 18-5 loss to the Chicago Colts. In
1999, Chan Ho Park will match the dubious feat, having the distinction of giving up both bases-full homers to the same batter, Fernando Tatis of the Cardinals.

1909 Red Murray's spectacular grab of Dots Miller's long drive becomes an electrifying catch on a gloomy, overcast day at the newly-opened Forbes Field. Just as the Giants' outfielder snags the ball on a full run in deep right-center field, lightning illuminates the play, creating an eerie but unforgettable split-second image.

1920 On a dreary afternoon at the Polo Grounds in New York, popular Indians shortstop Ray Chapman suffers a fractured skull when hit in the head by a fastball thrown by Yankee right-handed submariner Carl Mays. The 29-year-old newlywed will die before daybreak tomorrow, becoming the first on-field player fatality in major league history.

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1927 Babe Ruth, teeing off on a Tommy Thomas fastball, becomes the first player to hit a homer out of Comiskey Park. The Bambino's 37th homer traveled over the new double-deck roof in right field, powering the Bronx Bombers past the Pale Hose at the Chicago Southside ballpark, 8-1.

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1947 At Forbes Field, the Pirates beat the Cardinals 12-7 thanks to Ralph Kiner's three home runs, solo shots in the third and eighth, and a three-run blast in the fourth inning. The future Hall of Famer is the first Pirate player to accomplish this feat in the 65-year history of the franchise.

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1948 With his wife Claire and his two adopted daughters at his side, Babe Ruth, 53, dies of throat cancer at Memorial Hospital in New York City. The Bambino made his final public appearance at the premiere of The Babe Ruth Story three weeks ago in New York.

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1950 At the Polo Grounds, Hank Thompson's two inside-the-park home runs off Don Bankhead and Carl Erskine contribute to the Giants' 16-7 drubbing of the Dodgers. The 24-year-old third baseman will hit 129 round-trippers in his 9-year career, three of which will be of the IPHR variety.

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1954 The first issue of Sports Illustrated is available at the newsstands. The inaugural cover of the innovative new magazine features a Mark Kauffman photo of Braves slugger Eddie Mathews at-bat, Giants catcher Wes Westrum behind the plate, and umpire Augie Donatelli calling balls and strikes in Milwaukee County Stadium.

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1961 Roger Maris hits two home runs off White Sox hurler Billy Pierce, giving the slugger 48 in his quest to break Babe Ruth's single-season mark. The Yankee outfielder has gone deep in six consecutive games, tying an American League record.

1964 St. Louis outfielder Curt Flood collects eight consecutive hits during a doubleheader against Dodgers pitching. The Cardinals split the twin bill in Los Angeles, losing the opener to Sandy Koufax, 3-0, but take the nightcap when Curt Simmons tosses a six-hitter to give the Redbirds a 4-0 victory.

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1966 In the Giants' 3-1 win over the Cardinals, Willie Mays hits his 534th career home run. The Say Hey Kid's third-inning round-tripper ties him with Jimmie Foxx for most career home runs hit by a right-handed batter in major league history.

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1967 After retiring the first 19 Pirates he faces, Reds' starter Jim Maloney needs to leave the game when he hurts his ankle stepping in a hole in the Forbes Field turf. Billy McCool finishes the contest, giving up two hits in Cincinnati's 4-0 victory over the Pirates.

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1968 Denny McLain, who compiles a 31-6 record at the end of the season, improves his undefeated decisions on the road to 16-0 when he blanks the Red Sox 4-0 at Fenway Park. The Detroit right-hander will finish 17-2 and an ERA of 1.44 in the 21 games he pitches away from Tiger Stadium.

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1969 The Phillies post their fourth consecutive shutout, blanking the Astros at Connie Mack Stadium, 7-0. Rick Wise's four-hitter follows the complete-game performances by teammates Jerry Johnson, Woodie Fryman, Rick Wise and Grant Jackson

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1970 In late June, Milt Mason vowed not to leave his team-sponsored trailer on top of the County Stadium scoreboard until the Brewers drew a home crowd of 40,000, ending his 40-day boycott, descending from a 30-foot rope when 44,387 fans show up for Bat Day. As a tribute before he died in 1973, the team recognized the retired aviation engineer as the original Bernie Brewer. Milwaukee introduced a costumed character with the same name as the team's official mascot the same year.

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1973 At the major league's annual summer meetings in Milwaukee, American League owners vote "yes," and National League owners vote "no" on introducing interleague play next season. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, favoring a limited number of interleague contests, does not cast a vote that could have broken the impasse, citing the possibility of doing so when the legality of his ballot, presently challenged by the Senior Circuit, is resolved.

1975 After a frustrating 9-1 loss in Minnesota, Indians manager Frank Robinson chews out his 52-65 team. The fiery skipper appears to have gotten the players' attention when the Tribe wins 27 of the remaining 42 contests, finishing the season just one game under .500.

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1996 Due to a conflict with the Republican National Convention in San Diego, the first major league game ever played outside of the United States or Canada takes place in Monterrey, Mexico, with the 'home team' Padres out-slugging the Mets at Estadio de Beisbol, 15-10. Fernando Valenzuela, a native of the Mexican city of Navojoa, opens the three-game series and goes six innings to get the victory for the first-place Friars.

 

2000 The Astros, who clout six homers for the second time in four days in their 11-10 victory over Pittsburgh, set a National League record by hitting 18 home runs in four consecutive games. Enron Field will become known as 'Ten-Run' due to Houston's new ballpark's hitter-friendly dimensions, especially in left field.

2001 Despite numerous injuries to key players, the Red Sox dismisses Jimy Williams after he pilots the team 13 games above .500 . The club's well-respected pitching coach, Joe Kerrigan, replaces the ousted skipper, who finishes the season with a 17-26 record for the second-place club.

2001 Barry Bonds' second home run of the game and 53rd of the season breaks the franchise record established by his godfather, Willie Mays. With his first homer, the left fielder eclipses the National League record for home runs by a left-handed batter, established in 1947 by another Giant, Johnny Mize.


2002 Curt Schilling wins his 20th game of the season, striking out 12 Cubs in the Diamondbacks' 2-1 victory at Wrigley Field. The 35-year-old right-hander, who will finish the season with a 23-5 record, reaches the milestone for the second consecutive year, which teammate Randy Johnson will also accomplish next month.

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2002 After four days of delaying the decision, the Major League Players' Association executive board votes 57-0 to set an August 30 strike date. All eight previous negotiations since 1972 have resulted in work stoppages in the national pastime.

2002 At the opening ceremonies of the Little League Baseball World Series at Volunteer Stadium, the 1955 Little League team from Charleston (SC) is honored when fourteen players from the Cannon Street YMCA Little League, 47 years after being banned from their own state's postseason tournament due to the color of their skin, are invited to Williamsport to be recognized. At the time of their banishment, Little League officials informed the other 61 all-white South Carolina leagues that the winner of their state finals would not be permitted to participate in the tournament because they refused to play against a duly franchised team.

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2005 As skipper of the Fort Worth Cats of the Central League, Bobby Bragan becomes the oldest person to manage a professional baseball game. The 87-year-old's one day of employment, shortened by being ejected in the third inning for arguing balls and strikes, finds him eight days older than Connie Mack, who managed his last game for the 1950 Philadelphia A's.

2006 Before the Red Sox and Tigers game, the Red Sox honored Bruce Froemming during an on-field ceremony at Fenway Park. The 66-year-old home plate umpire works the 5,000th major league game of his 36-year career, behind only Bill Klem, who arbitrated 5,374 games from 1905-40.


2007 Jose Reyes becomes the first infielder and tenth player overall in the modern era (post-1898) to steal sixty bases in three consecutive seasons. The Mets shortstop, who will swipe 78 sacks this season, steals second base in the second inning for the second time in a 10-7 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park.


2007 With nine minutes left to the signing deadline, the Orioles and their top draft choice, fifth overall, come to terms when Georgia Tech standout Matt Wieters agrees to a minor league contract, including a $6 million signing bonus. The switch-hitting catcher's deal ranks second behind Justin Upton, who received $6.1 million in 2005 to play with the Diamondbacks.

2008 Francisco Rodriguez ties his own team record when he picks up his 47th save in the Angels' 4-3 win over Cleveland. After yielding a single to Johnny Peralta, the right-handed closer records three quick outs, two with strikeouts, matching the mark he established in 2006.

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2009 With his 3-for-4 performance in the Yankees' 10-3 loss in Seattle, Derek Jeter passes Luis Aparicio for the most hits ever compiled by a major league shortstop. The New York infielder, collecting career hits #2,673 and #2,674 in his first two at-bats, surpasses the Hall of Famer's total, who spent his 18-year career, ending in 1973, with the White Sox, Orioles, and Red Sox.

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2011 Rangers president Nolan Ryan announces a bronze artwork depicting Shannon Stone and his six-year-old son attending a game that will most likely reside outside the home plate entrance to the Arlington ballpark at the start of next season. The 39-year-old firefighter died after falling more than 20 feet while attempting to catch a ball tossed by Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton during a game in July.

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2011 With one out and an 0-2 count with the bases loaded, Brian Bogusevic goes deep off Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol, giving the Astros a 6-5 victory at Minute Maid Park. The converted outfielder, drafted as a southpaw pitcher, becomes the 26th player in MLB History to hit an ultimate grand slam, a walk-off home run that wins the game by one run.

2012 Clay Buchholz strikes out Adam Jones (looking), Matt Wieters (looking), and Chris Davis (swinging) on nine pitches in the bottom of the sixth inning of the Red Sox's 6-3 victory over Baltimore at Camden Yards. The immaculate inning thrown by the Red Sox right-hander marks the 47th occurrence of the feat in major league history and the first for a Boston hurler since Pedro Martinez turned the trick in 2002.

2012 With a unanimous vote, the Major League owners approve the transfer of the San Diego Padres from John Moores, who had owned the team for 18 years, to a group headed by longtime local businessman Ron Fowler. The new ownership group, the fifth in franchise history, also includes pro golfer Phil Mickelson, a San Diego native.

2013 The Phillies name Ryne Sandberg as the team's interim manager, replacing Charlie Manuel, the winner of more games than any other skipper in franchise history. During his nine seasons in the Philadelphia dugout, the 69-year-old, never selected as the NL Manager of the Year, led the club to five consecutive division titles and a world championship in 2008.

2020 Keibert Ruiz becomes the seventh player in the 131-year history of the Dodgers to homer in his first major league at-bat and the first since Garey Ingram accomplished the feat in 1994. On his first swing, the 22-year-old Venezuelan catcher deposits Julio Teheran's 1-1 fastball over the right-field fence in the team's 8-3 victory at the Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

2020 In a 7-2 victory over the Cardinals at Guaranteed Rate Field, the White Sox hit four consecutive home runs against Roel Ramirez, a 25-year-old right-hander making his major league debut. The quartet of round-trippers, with Yoan Moncada, Yasmani Grandal, Jose Abreu, and Eloy Jimenez all going deep in the six-run fifth inning, marks the tenth time in a team homers in four straight at-bats, including the Southsiders accomplishing the feat for the first time in 2008.

2020 After striking out his first hitter, Cardinals' right-hander Roel Ramirez, making his major-league debut, gives up a single, another single, and a walk to the next three White Sox batters before allowing four consecutive home runs. The 25-year-old Redbird rookie reliever becomes the ninth pitcher since at least 1901 to allow four or more round-trippers in his first visit to a big-league mound, but the only one of those to allow the homers consecutively.
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