BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

This Day in Baseball History
August 30th​

1865 The National Base Ball Club of Washington and the Brooklyn Atlantics meet with President Andrew Johnson at the White House, marking the first official meeting between a president and an entire organized baseball team. The 17th commander-in-chief apologized for missing their game due to "urgent business," promising to attend a contest soon, which he does next season, watching the hometown Washington Nationals lose, 33-28, to the visiting Brooklyn Excelsiors on September 18.

​

1905 In his first major league at-bat, 18-year-old center fielder Ty Cobb doubles off Jack Chesbro in the first inning of the Tigers' 5-3 victory over the Highlanders at Detroit's Bennett Park. The two-bagger is the first of the 4,189 hits the 'Georgia Peach' will collect during his 24-year Hall of Fame career.

​

1910 In the nightcap of a doubleheader at Hilltop Park, Highlander hurler Tom Hughes tosses 9.1 innings of no-hit ball before giving up a single to Naps' left fielder Harry Niles. The New York right-hander, eventually giving up seven hits, goes the distance, losing the 11-inning contest, 5-0.

​

1912 At Navin Field, Browns' hurler Earl Hamilton no-hits the Tigers, 5-1, becoming the first hurler to accomplish the feat without recording a strikeout. Detroit gets on the scoreboard in the fourth inning thanks to a Ty Cobb walk, a two-base error, and a fielder's choice, ruining the southpaw's bid for a shutout.

'
​

1913 With the Phillies ahead 8-6, umpire William Brennan forfeits the game to the Giants in the top of the ninth inning when the Baker Bowl fans sitting in the bleachers continue to distract New York batters by waving their handkerchiefs and straw hats. After National League president Thomas Lynch reverses the decision, giving Philadelphia the victory, the circuit's board of directors orders the game, which will end with the same score, to be completed in NY on October 2nd before the start of a scheduled doubleheader between the two clubs at the Polo Grounds.

​

1916 In the fastest professional baseball nine-inning game ever played, the visiting Winston-Salem Twins beat the Tourists, 2-1, in an astounding thirty-one minutes. The 200 fans at Oates Park, unaware of the agreement to speed up the NC State League contest because both teams had trains to catch, are so upset with the brief game that Asheville owner L.L. Jenkins assures the angry patrons he will refund their price of admission.

1916 At Fenway Park, Boston's Dutch Leonard no-hits the Browns, 4-0. The 24-year-old Red Sox southpaw, who will finish the season 18-12 for the eventual World Champs, will hurl another no-hitter in 1918 against Detroit's Tigers.

​

 

1918 At Fenway Park, Carl Mays, en route to a 21-13 record this season, tosses two nine-inning complete game victories on the same day. The Red Sox right-hander beats the last-place A's 12–0 and 4–1, giving up 13 hits and striking out five batters in the twin bill.

​

​

1918 At the Polo Grounds, the Giants beat the Robins, 1-0, on an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth in a contest that takes fifty-six minutes to complete. Pete Compton's base hit off Jack Coombs plates Larry Doyle, who had singled to lead off the frame and moved to third on Ollie O'Mara's errant throw on a sacrifice bunt.
Coombs Compton

​

 

1928 Tris Speaker, in his final major league at-bat, is struck out by Red Sox hurler Red Ruffing. The 40-year-old A's outfielder known as the 'Grey Eagle' ends his 22-year Hall of Fame career with a .345 batting average, sixth-best in major league history.

​

1939 Yankee freshman Atley Donald, who will win 12 straight games to set an AL record for the most consecutive victories thrown by a rookie, throws a recorded pitch at 139 feet per second (94.7 mph) to establish a new record for a fastball. A speed meter owned by the Indians and the Cleveland Plain Dealer measured the velocity of 'Swampy's' throw.

​

1949 More than 12,000 fans attend a special night for former Chicago second baseman Jackie Hayes, whose career ended in 1940 due to the sudden loss of sight in his right eye due to glaucoma, leading to total blindness a few years later. The White Sox, showing their appreciation for his nine-year tenure with the club, honor the 43-year-old Birmingham (AL) native, showering him with gifts and cash. Tony Piet paid Jackie Hayes fare to Chicago so his former teammate could attend the Comiskey Park ceremonies.

 

1950 When Eddie Stanky gets his fourth base-on-balls off Pirates' southpaw Lefty Chambers in a 4-0 victory at Forbes Field, the Giants' leadoff hitter ties a major league record by drawing a walk in seven consecutive plate appearances. The second baseman, called the 'Brat' by his teammates, will be the league leader in walks (144) and OBP (.460) this season.

​

1952 Nine-time All-Star infielder Arky Vaughn drowns with a friend when their boat capsizes while fishing in a volcanic lake near Eagleville (CA). The former shortstop and third baseman, who compiled a .318 batting average and a .406 on-base percentage playing with the Pirates and Dodgers, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.​

​

1953 During the 19-4 win over the Pirates in the opening game of a twin bill, the Braves stroke a big-league record eight home runs, including three from rookie outfielder Jim Pendleton. Boston will add four more homers in the 11-5 nightcap victory to establish the mark for most round-trippers in a doubleheader.

 

1960 Pete Runnels, with two doubles and a single in the 3-2 nightcap victory, collects ten hits in the Red Sox doubleheader sweep of the Tigers at Fenway Park. The 32-year-old infielder, who will win the American League batting crown with a .320 average, goes 6-for-7 in the opener, which Boston wins in 15 innings, 5-4.

​

1961 A computer named Casey predicts Roger Maris' chances of passing Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in 154 games. The IBM 1481 believes the Yankee slugger has a 55 percent chance of hitting 61 round-trippers to establish a new single-season mark for homers.

1965 After recovering from a fractured hip, Casey Stengel announces his retirement as the Mets skipper, ending a 56-year career in baseball as a player, coach, and manager. At an hour-long press conference held at the Essex House, Casey's New York residence, the "Old Perfessor' shares his disappointment in the team's performance during their first four and a half seasons in the National League, and praises his interim replacement, Wes Westrum, the club's former pitching coach.

​

1966 In his final decision facing the Mets, Sandy Koufax lasts only two innings, losing to Bob Friend at Shea Stadium, 10-4. The Dodgers Hall of Fame southpaw has compiled a 17-2 record against the lowly expansion team since its inception in 1962.

​

 

1972 With the game scoreless in the fifth inning at the Astrodome, Terry Harmon hits his first major league home run in the Phillies' 5-3 loss to Houston. The Philadelphia infielder, who will hit just four round-trippers in his 10-year career, quickly circles the bases for an inside-the-park round-tripper when right fielder Jimmy Wynn fails to make a shoestring catch, and the ball rolls along the artificial turf before bouncing off the fence.

​

1972 In different games, Pete Rose of the Reds and Pittsburgh's Roberto Clemente tie their club records for hits on the same night. With his two hits at Three Rivers Stadium, the Pirates outfielder equals Honus Wagner's club mark of 2,970 career hits, and Cincinnati's 'Charlie Hustle' matches Vida Pinson's total when he singles at Riverfront Stadium to collect his 1,881st hit.

​

1973 Billy Martin orders his pitchers to throw spitballs to show the umpiring crew that they don't consistently enforce the rules when Indians right-hander Gaylord Perry is on the mound. The Tiger manager, suspended for three days by American League president Joe Cronin, doesn't understand being punished for telling the truth about asking his pitchers to throw illegal pitches.

1973 The Mets lose to the Cardinals, 1-0, thanks to a Jose Cruz tenth-inning walk-off single off Tom Seaver at Busch Stadium. The defeat drops the eventual National League champs into last place, 6.5 games behind the first-place Redbirds.

1974 Dave Nelson, leading off in the bottom of the first inning, walks and steals second and third base before completing the stolen base cycle by swiping home. The Ranger second baseman's thievery doesn't arrest (pun intended) the team's eventual 7-3 loss to the Indians at Arlington Stadium.

1975 The Braves replace manager Clyde King with scout Connie Ryan, disappointing some of the fan base who had hoped Billy Martin, recently released by the Rangers, would get the nod before being hired by the Yankees. The 55-year-old former Atlanta skipper stays with the club as a special assistant to executive vice president Eddie Robinson.

 

1984 Jim Rice grounds into his 33rd double play of the season, establishing a new major league mark. The Red Sox outfielder breaks the 1954 record set by another Boston flycatcher, Jackie Jensen.

1984 When Montreal brings back Jim Fanning to be the skipper of the Expos, the hiring marks the second time Bill Virdon will be fired during the season to be replaced by the manager he succeeded. In 1973, Danny Murtaugh returned to the dugout to replace the bespectacled skipper, who had taken his place two years earlier.

1986 Yankee hurlers Tommy John (43) and Joe Niekro (41) become the first 40+ pitchers to start both ends of a doubleheader since 1933 when White Sox hurlers Sad Sam Jones (41) and Red Faber (44) started against the A's in a twin bill at Shibe Park. John loses 1-0 in the opener and Niekro pitches five innings of the nightcap for a 3-0 victory over the Mariners.

1987 Texas catcher Geno Petralli is charged with six passed balls in one game, tying an 85-year-old major league record established by Harry Vickers in 1902 while playing for the Reds. Knuckleballer Charlie Hough, who started the Rangers' eventual 7-0 loss to Detroit at Tiger Stadium, adds to the 27-year-old backstop's tough day behind the plate.

1987 Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett, in a 10-6 victory over the Brewers, collects six hits and drives in four runs. The future Hall of Famer's 6-for-6 day at Milwaukee's County Stadium includes two homers and two doubles.

 

1990 At the Metrodome, slow-footed Ron Karkovice hits an inside-the-park grand slam off David West that is the difference in the White Sox's 4-3 victory over the Twins. The catcher's fourth-inning line drive, just barely out of reach of the shortstop, rolled to the fence, where a slipping Dan Gladden tossed the ball towards fellow outfielder John Moses to start a relay, but the ball went unattended in center field, allowing four runs to score.

1998 Defeating the Marlins 7-5, the Reds hand Florida its 89th loss, the most ever for a reigning World Series champ. The Reds lost 88 games in 1991 after its Fall Classic sweep of the A's.

1998 Toms River becomes the first American team since 1993 to win the Little League World Series. Chris Cardone hits home runs in consecutive at-bats, including a game-deciding two-run shot, beating Kashima, Japan,12-9.

1998 The Cardinals honor Jack Buck, who broadcasted more than 6,500 games for the team, with a bronze statue created by renowned sculptor Harry Weber, a St. Louis native. The sportscaster's likeness at Busch Stadium features the 'Voice of the Cardinals' sitting in front of a microphone with photos of his 46 years in the Redbirds broadcasting booth in the background.

​

1999 At the Astrodome, Edgardo Alfonzo becomes the first player in the Mets' 38-year history to go 6-for-6 en route to scoring six times and driving in five runs. The second baseman hits three homers, two singles, and a double for a team-record 16 total bases in New York's 17-1 rout of Houston.

 

2000 Except for hitting his first batter and giving up an opposite-field leadoff single in the ninth, Pedro Martinez is nearly perfect in Boston's win over the Devil Rays, 8-0. The brawl-filled contest features five fights with eight Devil Rays (five players, the manager, and two coaches) getting ejected and Carl Everett needing a single to hit for the cycle but homers for the second time.

2000 Earning his 1,600th victory, Braves' manager Bobby Cox passes former Dodger skipper Tommy Lasorda for managerial career victories. Atlanta's 5-2 win over the Reds puts the skipper 14th on the all-time list.

2002 After marathon negotiation sessions to avoid a players' strike just hours away, Bud Selig announces the players union and owners have reached an agreement on a new four-year CBA without a work stoppage. The settlement, called 'historic' by the commissioner, gives the owners the economic restraints they wanted, with the players assured of no contraction of teams until the 2007 season and the gradual implementation of a revenue-sharing plan during the contract.

2004 Chipper and Sharon Jones welcome their second child, a seven-pound, 14-ounce son. As a tribute to the New York ballpark, the couple names the boy Shea after the ballpark where the Braves' third baseman has enjoyed tremendous success against the Mets.

2005 In the long tradition of Bronx Bombers, Alex Rodriguez becomes only the second right-handed batter in Yankees history to hit 40 homers in a season. The New York third baseman joins Joe DiMaggio, who hit 46 homers in 1937, the only time 'Joltin' Joe' reached the mark.

2006 The Padres, bolstering their wild-card chances, obtain southpaw David Wells from the Red Sox for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The 43-year-old 'Boomer,' who had played for San Diego in 2004, posted a 2-3 record with a 4.98 ERA during an injury-plagued (knee) campaign in Boston.

2006 In the first inning of a 7-2 defeat to the A's, Red Sox starter Curt Schilling whiffs Nick Swisher swinging to record his 3000th career strikeout. The Alaskan-born right-hander becomes the 14th pitcher in major league history to reach the milestone.

2006 Adam LaRoche's nine total bases and three RBIs help the Braves beat the Giants at Turner Field, 5-3. The 26-year-old first baseman's offensive output includes three doubles and a triple.

2010 Cubs right-hander Carlos Zambrano becomes the first major league hurler to homer in eight consecutive seasons since 1970 when he hits a two-run homer off Brian Burres in the fifth inning of the team's 14-2 rout of the Pirates at Wrigley Field. Southpaw Gary Peters accomplished the feat for nine straight years, launching at least one round-tripper every season in 1963 while playing for the White Sox.

2011 With a 9-4 victory over Colorado at Chase Field, the Diamondbacks extend their home winning streak to a franchise record-tying 11 games. The consecutive string of victories in the desert equals the mark set by the 2000 and 2003 teams.

2014 After spending parts of 16 seasons of his 18 years in the majors with San Diego and retiring as the all-time saves leader with 601, Trevor Hoffman becomes the ninth person inducted into the Padres' Hall of Fame. The closer, known for his devastating changeup, joins Buzzie Bavasi, Nate Colbert, Jerry Coleman, Tony Gwynn, Randy Jones, Ray Kroc, Dick Williams, and Dave Winfield enshrined by the team.

2015 The NL's eventual 2015 Cy Young Award recipient Jake Arrieta, needing just 116 pitches, beats Los Angeles, 2-0, tossing the 12th no-hitter thrown at the Chavez Ravine ballpark and the 14th no-no in Cubs history. The contest marks the second time in ten games the Dodgers have been unable to get a hit after being held hitless by Astros right-hander Mike Fiers on August 21st.

​

2020 Red Sox's first baseman Bobby Dalbec homers in his first major league at-bat, becoming the ninth player in franchise history to accomplish the feat. In September, the 25-year-old Boston rookie slugger will go yard in five straight games to equal a club record shared by Jimmie Foxx (1940), Ted Williams (1957), Dick Stuart (1963), George Scott (1977), and José Canseco (1995).

2020 Giants reliever Tony Watson records his only victory of the season but doesn't get credit for facing a batter. After throwing only four pitches, the southpaw picks Jake Lamb off first base (scored as a caught stealing, 1-3-4), ending the seventh inning in the team's 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

2020 The Cubs go deep six times en route to routing the Reds at Great American Ball Park, 10-1. Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber, and Jason Heyward each homer twice, marking the first time in MLB history that all three starting outfielders have hit a pair of round-trippers in a game.
******************
261,903

 

​

 

​

 

Norm Cash burst on the nat'l scene in 1961 w @tigers leading AL w .361 BA, also hit 41 HRs w 132 RBIs. Helped #Tigers to '68 WS title. Hit 377 HRs w 139 OPS+ in career.

​

 

The man who grew up to be known as "The greatest hitter who ever lived" was born in San Diego, California on this day in 1918!

When Ted Williams gave batting tips, everyone listened!
​

 

21! The Great One, Roberto Clemente born #OTD 1934. Died tragically at age 38 in a plane crash while on humanitarian mission to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
​

 

August 31 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
**************************************
1875 Eddie Plank HOF pitcher (World Series 1910, 11, 13 Philadelphia A's),


1877 Lizzie Arlington baseball pitcher (first woman to play professional men's baseball 1898 Reading Coal Heavers


1913 Ray Dandridge HOF third baseman (3 × NgL All-Star 1935, 37, 44; American Association MVP 1950 Minneapolis Millers, Eagles, Mexico)

1921 Charles "Chub" Feeney MLB executive (President of the National League

1935 Frank Robinson Hall of Fame outfielder, manager (14 x MLB All-Star; NL MVP 1961; AL MVP 1966; World Series 1966, 70; Baltimore Orioles)


1954 Claudell Washington outfielder (MLB All Star 1975, 84; World Series 1974; Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves


1957 Tom Candiotti pitcher (LA Dodgers)


1966 Jeff Frye, infielder (Boston Red Sox)


1968 Hideo Nomo, MLB pitcher (LA Dodgers)


1979 Ramón Santiago, iTigers, Reds infielder, coach (only player in history to hit walk-off, grand slam home run in last MLB at-bat)


1982 Josh Kroeger player,

*************************************

 

This Day in Baseball History
August 31st​

1915 In the first game of a doubleheader at the Polo Grounds, Cubs' right-hander Jimmy Lavender no-hits the hometown Giants, 2-0. Next season, the 31-year-old knuckleballer will stymie New York again, tossing a one-hitter, allowing only an infield safety to Benny Kauff.


1935 Beside stroking a three-run triple, 28-year-old White Sox Vern Kennedy becomes the sixth rookie to throw a no-hitter. The right-hander's 5-0 gem against the Indians is first hitless game thrown in Comiskey Park.


1937 Rudy York belts his 17th and 18th homers of the month, establishing a major league record that lasts until 1998 when Sammy Sosa hits 19 in June. The rookie catcher's round-trippers help the Tigers maul the Senators at Navin Field, 12-3.

​

1946 With two singles in the Red Sox' 4-2 victory over Philadelphia, Johnny Pesky collects 53 hits in August, the highest monthly total in franchise history. In 1950, Dom DiMaggio, a close friend of the shortstop, ties the mark, also accomplishing the feat in August.

7 Time All Star Dom
​

 

1950 In front of 14,226 fans, Gil Hodges becomes the fourth major leaguer in the century to hit four home runs in one game, en route to tying the major league record of 17 total bases. The Dodger first baseman's quartet of round-trippers, off different Boston pitchers and Carl Furillo aboard each time, contributes to Brooklyn's 19-3 rout of the Braves at Ebbets Field.

​

1954 Closing in on the professional home run record of 69, established by Joe Hauser (Minneapolis-1938) and equaled by Bob Crues (Amarillo-1948), 32-year-old first baseman Joe Bauman blasts four home runs in the Roswell Rockets' 15-9 victory over the Wichita Falls/Sweetwater Spudders to bring his total to 68. Ponderous Bob finishes the season with 72 homers, a record that will last until Barry Bonds surpasses the mark by one round-tripper in 2001.



1957 Gus Triandos, considered one of the slowest baserunners in baseball history, hits an inside-the-park home run in the Orioles' 4-1 victory against Boston at Memorial Stadium. The Baltimore backstop circles the bases when his vicious line drive off the outfield wall caroms 100 feet past left fielder Ted Williams, allowing the 27-year-old catcher to complete his improbable round-tripper standing up.

​

1957 Oriole minor league fireballer Steve Dalkowski strikes out 24 Bluefield players but issues 18 walks, hits four batters, and uncorks six wild pitches. The New Britain, Connecticut native's wildness costs him the game when Kingsport loses in an Appalachian League contest, 9-8.

Blessed with an easy motion and a fastball that exploded out of his hand, Dalkowski could never find his control. He would strike out 18 batters in a game, while also walking almost as many. Pitching for Stockton in the California League, Dalkowski struck out 262 batters in 1960 — but he also walked 262. In nine minor league seasons, he struck out 1,324 while walking 1,236. But he hit 37 batters and uncorked 145 wild pitches.

1959 Sandy Koufax fans 18 batters to establish a new National League record for a nine-inning game in the Dodgers' 5-2 win over San Francisco at the LA Memorial Coliseum. The left-hander's performance equals the major league mark established in 1938 by Indians fireballer Bob Feller during a 4-1 loss to Detroit.

​

 

1963 With two outs in the bottom of the ninth at Wrigley Field, Ellis Burton hits an ultimate grand slam (a walk-off bases-loaded homer when a team is down three runs) off Houston hurler Hal Woodeshick, giving the Cubs a dramatic 6-5 victory. Chicago had been trailing 5-2 before the switch-hitting center fielder hit his Sayonara Slam, the most memorable of his 17 career round-trippers.

​

​

1965 Boston's backstop Russ Nixon ties a major league mark when he hits three run-scoring sacrifice flies. The catcher's three fly-ball outs are the difference in the Red Sox's 8-5 victory over the Senators at D.C. Stadium.

​

1968 Elroy Face ties Senators' Walter Johnson's mark for appearances with one team when he enters a game for the 802nd time for the Pirates, replacing Steve Blass, who remains in the game in left field and returns to the mound after the reliever retires one batter to equal the record. Before the final out in Pittsburgh's 8-0 victory over the Braves, an announcement informs the crowd that Detroit has bought the Bucs' veteran right-handed record-breaker.

Blass
​

1969 Morganna, a well-endowed fan dressed in a mini dress, jumps onto the Atlanta Stadium field and kisses Clete Boyer on the cheek while standing in the batter's box. The Braves' third baseman then promptly ends a 1-for-17 slump with an RBI single and goes on an 8-for-15 tear.

 

1974 In a Class A minor league contest, Mavericks' manager Frank Peters rotates his starting nine, allowing each player to take a different position on the field for every inning. The innovative strategy works as Portland posts an 8-7 victory over the Tri-Cities Ports, their Northwest League opponents.

1984 Trailing by five runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Rangers score six times to beat the Brewers, 7-6. With two runs in and two out, Milwaukee shortstop Robin Yount's error on Gary Ward's ground ball loads the bases, setting the stage for Buddy Bell's 'sayonara slam' over the left-field wall off Pete Ladd.

​

1990 On the final day of the season, reliever Mariano Rivera starts a game of a doubleheader for the Gulf Coast Yankees, giving him enough innings to qualify for GCL's ERA title, an accomplishment that carries a contractual bonus. The Sandman responds by hurling a seven-inning no-hitter against Bradenton to finish the season with a 0.17 ERA, 0.46 WHIP, 58 strikeouts in 52 innings, and $500 richer.

​

1990 Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr. become the first father and son to appear in the same major league lineup. The 40-year-old left fielder and his 20-year-old offspring score a run in the Mariners' 5-2 victory over the Royals at the Kingdome.

​

1990 Refusing to part with Triple-A third baseman Scott Cooper to get Larry Andersen from the Astros for the stretch run, Red Sox general manager Lou Gorman trades the Eastern League's MVP Jeff Bagwell for the right-handed relief pitcher. The University of Hartford standout will win the National League Rookie of the Year Award (1991), becoming the league's MVP the same year Andersen, who hurled only 21 innings in 15 games during his time in Boston, retires from the Phillies (1994).

​

1992 The A's trade Jose Canseco to the Rangers for Ruben Sierra, Bobby Witt, and Jeff Russell and an undisclosed amount of money. Baseball's bad boy will hit 45 home runs and bat .269 during his three-year tenure in Texas.

​

1995 Albert Belle hits an extra-inning walk-off home run in two consecutive games when he goes deep off Jimmy Rogers in the tenth, giving the Indians a 6-4 victory over the Blue Jays at Jacobs Field. The Cleveland left fielder ended yesterday's contest in the 14th frame with a round-tripper to deep left-center field off Toronto's Tony Castillo for a 4-3 win.

 

1997 Braves' outfielder Andruw Jones hits the club's tenth grand slam this year, breaking the National League mark for four-run round-trippers in a single season. Ironically, the team sets the record in an American League park when Atlanta defeats the Red Sox at Fenway, 7-3.

​

​

1997 In front of a crowd of 55,707, the Yankees add Don Mattingly's uniform number 23 to the list of retired numbers on the wall at Monument Park. The former Bronx Bomber first baseman, who served as team captain from 1991 to 1995, is the first Yankee to have his uniform number retired without playing in a World Series.

​