BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2010 Jose Lopez hits three home runs in the Mariners’ 6-3 victory over the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The third baseman’s trio of round-trippers, collected off three different pitchers, accounts for nearly a third of his ten homers this season.

2010 The Diamondbacks hire Kevin Towers as the team's general manager, bypassing the interim GM Jerry Dipoto, a highly-regarded administrator within the organization and throughout baseball, for the job he did when replacing Josh Byrnes. During Towers' 14-year tenure in the same position with the Padres, San Diego won four division titles and played in the 1998 World Series against New York.

2011 Thanks to Shane Victorino's million-dollar pledge, the renovated 105-year-old Nicetown Boys & Girls Club celebrates its grand opening. The inner-city facility, now named after the Phillies' All-Star center fielder, is only the second club in the country to bear the name of a major leaguer, with the 'Flying Hawaiian' sharing the distinction with Willie Mays.

2011 According to the Associated Press, Leo Nunez, placed on the Marlins' restricted list without the club listing a reason, must return to the Dominican Republic to deal with legal issues concerning fake identification documents. The 29-year-old right-handed closer, whose real name is Juan Oviedo, used his childhood friend's ID to receive a more lucrative deal being 16 years of age instead of 17 when signing his first major league contract.

2012 Gio Gonzalez becomes the second pitcher in franchise history to win 20 games when Washington beats Milwaukee at Nationals Park, 10-4. The 27-year-old southpaw joins Ross Grimsley, who accomplished the feat in 1978 when the club played in Montreal as the Expos.

2013 Felix Hernandez, making his first appearance since suffering a strained oblique, sets a record for strikeouts in a start lasting four or fewer innings when he whiffs ten batters before the fifth frame in the Mariners' 3-2 victory at Angel Stadium. The fans aren't the only ones buzzing during King Felix's performance, as a swarm of bees in the outfield delays the contest for 23 minutes during the third inning.

2018 The Dodgers establish a franchise record for team home runs hit in one season for the second consecutive year when Yasmani Grandal goes deep in the bottom of the sixth inning in the team's 7-2 victory over the Padres. The catcher's round-tripper was the club's 222nd of the campaign, surpassing last year's total with seven games left on the schedule.

2019 En route to clinching a playoff spot, the Cardinals beat the Cubs 3-2, completing the team's first four-game sweep at Wrigley Field in 98 seasons. The series marks the first time in a century a home team drops four consecutive contests by a run against the same opponent, with Chicago losing five straight decisions by the slimmest margin for the first time since 1915.

2019 After dropping a 12-8 decision to the Twins, the Royals (100) join the Tigers (109), Marlins (101), and Orioles (105) in breaking the 2002 mark for the number of 100-loss teams playing in the major leagues in the same season. Conversely, the Dodgers (100), Yankees (102), and Astros (102) have won a hundred or more games, marking three straight years three teams have posted triple-digit victories.

2023 Ronald Acuña Jr., who started the game with 68 stolen bases, becomes the fifth player to join the 40-40 club when he homers off Patrick Corbin leading off in the Braves' 9-6 win at Nationals Park. In 2019, the then-21-year-old Atlanta outfielder nearly became a member of the elite group, finishing the season with 41 homers and 37 stolen bases.
******************
276,383

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

 

​

 

​

 

McCovey and Ernie Banks