BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

Babe * Connie Mack

 

SEPTEMBER 24 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1890 Mike González Catcher, Cards, Cubs


1956 Hubie Brooks utility (MLB All-Star 1986, 87; Silver Slugger Award 1985, 86 Montreal Expos, Cubs)


1964 Rafael Palmeiro, 1st baseman (Baltimore Orioles)


1966 Bernard Gilkey MLB outfielder (NY Mets, Cards)


1966 Kevin Koslofski outfielder (Milwaukee Brewers)


1970 Paul Spoljaric pitcher (Toronto Blue Jays)

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This Day in Baseball History
September 24th​

1903 Bill Bradley hits for the cycle, accumulating 12 total bases in the Naps' 12-2 rout of Washington at American League Park. Last month, the Cleveland third baseman collected three triples in a game to tie a still-standing AL record.

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1916 At Cleveland's League Park, Marty Kavanaugh hits the first-ever pinch-hit grand slam in baseball history. The infielder's historic homer proves to be the difference as the Indians beat the Red Sox, 5-3.


1919 With a blast that clears the Polo Grounds roof, Red Sox outfielder Babe Ruth ties the game in the top of the ninth in an eventual 2-1 loss to the Yankees that takes 13 innings to complete. The Bambino's round-tripper, his 28th of the season, breaks the 19th-century home run record established in 1894 by Ned Williamson of the NL's Chicago White Stockings.

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1922 Cardinals outfielder Rogers Hornsby hits home runs off Giant hurlers Jesse and Virgil Barnes. The brothers' homers enable the 'Rajah' to set the National League record for round-trippers in a season with 42.
Jesse Virgil

 

1925 With the Yankees trailing by three runs in the bottom of the tenth inning, Babe Ruth hits a Sarge Connally pitch for a game-winning home run, which beats the White Sox, 6-5. The 'Sultan of Swat' becomes the first modern player to blast a walk-off grand slam to win the game by one run.


1925 The Senators clinch their second consecutive American League pennant when they sweep a doubleheader from Cleveland at Griffith Stadium, 4-3 and 6-2. Washington will have a week to prepare before facing Pittsburgh in the Fall Classic.

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1926 The Cardinals clinch their first pennant in the franchise's 35-year history when they beat the Giants at the Polo Grounds. Billy Southworth's second-inning two-run home run off his former team proves to be the difference in St. Louis' 6-4 victory at the Polo Grounds.

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1928 A Monday afternoon crowd of only 404 watches the Tigers blank the last-place Red Sox, 8-0. The meager amount of fans at Navin Field is the lowest American League attendance ever recorded in Detroit.

 

1933 In his last big-league at-bat, Joe Sewell ends his 14-year career, singling in the decisive run as a pinch-hitter in the Yankees' 4-3 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The infielder ends his 14-year career, spent mainly with the Indians, striking out only 114 times of 8,332 total plate appearances

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1934 A sparse crowd of 1,500 fans witnesses Babe Ruth's final appearance wearing pinstripes at Yankee Stadium. In the team's 5-0 loss to the Red Sox, the 39-year-old aging superstar, who will play with the Boston Braves next season, is replaced in the first inning by a pinch-runner after getting on base via a walk.


1940 At Shibe Park, Red Sox first baseman Jimmie Foxx blasts his 500th career home run off A's pitcher George Caster. The historic homer is one of four round-trippers hit in the inning, setting an American League mark.


1942 In the final game of his twentieth and last full season, 41-year-old Ted Lyons beats the Indians, going the distance in the White Sox' 3-1 victory at Cleveland's League Park, completing all of his twenty games, 13 started on Sundays, posting a 14-6 record along with an ERA of 2.10. 'Sunday Teddy,' although exempt from the draft, enlists in the U.S. Marine Corps after the season and fights in the Pacific during WW II.

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1948 The Red Sox's loss to the Yankees and Detroit's defeat of the Indians results in a three-way tie for first place with Boston, Cleveland, and New York, finishing the day with identical records of 91-56 with only seven games to play. A one-game playoff between the Tribe and Boston will be needed to crown Cleveland as the American League champs.

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1950 With 66,924 fans in attendance, the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 9-5, on Johnny Mize Day at Yankee Stadium. The 38-year-old first baseman and future Hall of Famer contributes to the victory over the fading Boston team, now four games behind the Bronx Bombers, with a single and double.


1957 In front of a meager crowd of 2,598 at Griffith Stadium, Senator right-hander Hal Griggs ends Ted Williams' streak of reaching base in 16 straight times when he induces the Red Sox outfielder to ground out to second base in the top of the first inning. In his next at-bat, the 'Splendid Splinter' homers off the Washington starter to begin the fourth inning, proving the difference in Boston's 2-1 victory over Washington.

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1957 Grounding out, Pirates left-handed first baseman Dee Fondy becomes the last player to bat in Ebbets Field when the Dodgers blank the Bucs, 2-0, in the final major league game ever played in Brooklyn.

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1961 En route to hitting more than twenty homers in the next 12 seasons, Billy Williams blasts his 25th home run in the team's 4-2 victory over the Braves at County Stadium, setting a Cubs' rookie record. The eventual NL Rookie of the Year's mark will last until 2015, when another ROY, Kris Bryant, goes deep 26 times.


1967 Gary Nolan becomes only the second pitcher in baseball history to strike out 200 batters in a season as a teenager when he fans Adolfo Phillips in the bottom of the fourth inning of the Reds' 3-2 victory over Chicago at Wrigley Field. The 19-year-old right-handed fireballer joins Hall of Famer Bob Feller, who accomplished the milestone before reaching the age of twenty in 1938, hurling for the Indians.

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1968 During a game against the Braves in Atlanta, Mets manager Gil Hodges suffers a mild heart attack. The New York skipper, who will die of a massive coronary in 1972, is hospitalized until October 20, when doctors give him a clean bill of health but warned him about the continued risks of stress and smoking.

1969 In the inaugural season of divisional play, the Mets clinch the first-ever National League East title. Gary Gentry fires a four-hitter, blanking the Cardinals, 6-0, in front of a frenzied Shea Stadium crowd, which spills onto the field en masse after the game to celebrate their team's amazing accomplishment.

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1971 In the top of the fourth inning of a losing effort to Philadelphia, Cubs' starter Milt Pappas strikes out the side, throwing just nine pitches. Greg Luzinski, Don Money, and Mike Anderson are the right-hander's immaculate inning victims.


1971 Al Downing becomes a 20-game winner when he blanks the Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, 2-0. The Dodger left-hander, best remembered for giving up Hank Aaron's historic 715th home run, will compile a 123-107 record during his 17-year major league career.

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1974 In his final season, Al Kaline becomes the 12th major leaguer to collect 3,000 hits. Orioles' southpaw Dave McNally gives up the milestone hit to the 39-year-old DH, an opposite-field two-bagger down the right-field line in the Tigers' 5-4 loss at Memorial Stadium.

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1975 In Oakland, the A's clinch their fifth consecutive AL West title with a 13-2 rout of Chicago. Reggie Jackson leads the 13-hit attack at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum with home runs in his first two at-bats, and Vida Blue tosses six innings to earn his 21st victory.

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1975 Tom Seaver learns the adage the "third time's the charm" isn't always true when he loses his bid for a no-hitter in the ninth inning for the third time in his career. After striking out Don Kessinger and Rick Monday, rookie outfielder Joe Wallis, playing in his 15th career game, singles to right field for the Cubs' first hit off the Mets' starter in the Wrigley Field contest.

1977 Gene Richards of the Padres and Pirates outfielder Omar Moreno swipe their 50th base of the season to surpass Sonny Jackson's rookie record set with the Astros in 1966. The Friars' first baseman will establish a new freshman mark, ending the campaign with 56 thefts, three more than the Bucs' flychaser.

1978 Yankee southpaw Ron Guidry ties the American League record for shutouts tossed in a season by a lefty when he blanks Cleveland, 4-0. With his ninth complete scoreless game, ' Gator equals Babe Ruth's mark, who accomplished the feat in 1916 with the Red Sox.

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1984 The Cubs clinch the National League East flag with a 4-2 victory over Pittsburgh at Three Rivers Stadium. Rick Sutcliffe's two-hitter gives the Northsiders their first title since 1945.

1985 Andre Dawson hits two homers in the same inning for the second time in his career, becoming the second major leaguer to accomplish the feat. The Expo outfielder also went yard twice in the same frame on July 30, 1978.


1988 Julio Franco's two-out, two-strike ninth-inning bad-hop single spoils Dave Stieb's bid for a no-hitter. The Blue Jays' starter settles for a 1-0 one-hit victory over the Indians.

1991 With his 37th homer of the season, Howard Johnson establishes a new NL record for round-trippers by a switch-hitter when he goes deep off Bob Walk in the Mets' 10-8 loss to Pittsburgh at Shea Stadium. HoJo finishes the season with 38 home runs, finishing the season with 38 home runs, extending the previous mark he had set in 1987.


1992 At 40, Dave Winfield drives in four runs with a homer and a two-run double, becoming the oldest player to drive in 100 runs. TheHall of Famer's offensive outburst helps the Blue Jays beat the Orioles, 8-2.


1992 Kenny Lofton establishes an Indian record when he steals his 62nd base of the season, a swipe of second base in the first inning. The Tribe's rookie center fielder surpasses the previous franchise mark established by Miguel Dilone in 1980.

1993 Defeating Cincinnati, 9-2, the Rockies set a National League record for wins by an expansion team. Colorado's 65th win of the season surpasses the mark established by the Houston Colt .45s in 1962.

 

1998 Tom Gordon sets a major league record for the most consecutive saves when he collects his 42nd in the Red Sox’s 9-6 win over the Orioles. 'Flash' pitches a perfect ninth inning, striking out the three batters he faces.

2001 Batting for reliever Joe Beimel in the bottom of the sixth inning, Craig Wilson drives the first pitch he sees into the seats for his seventh pinch-hit home run, tying the major league mark established last season by Dodger infielder Dave Hansen. The Pirate rookie's two-run round-tripper sparks a five-run frame, enabling the Bucs to overcome a 5-0 deficit in their eventual 7-6 victory over the Chicago at PNC Park.

2001 Former American major leaguer Tuffy Rhodes ties the Japanese single-season record set by Sadaharu Oh in 1964 when he takes fireballer Daisuke Matsuzaka deep for his 55th home run. The Kintetsu Buffaloes outfielder has five games left to break the record, but opposing pitchers will continually walk him intentionally, preventing the American from breaking the immortal Oh's record.

2002 The Astros have their first rain delay at home since July 15, 1976. To save time, officials decide to cover the Minute Maid field with a tarp during the 19-minute delay rather than use the retractable roof.

2002 Jason Giambi homers in his first two trips to the plate in the Yankees' 6-0 win over Tampa Bay at the Stadium. The pair of round-trippers gives the slugging outfielder a total of 40 for the season, and when added to Jeremy's total of 20 home runs hit with Oakland and Philadelphia, the Giambi brothers set the record for homers by siblings in the same season, topping the 59 blasted by Joe (46) and Vince DiMaggio (13) in 1937.

2003 Eric Gagne ties John Smoltz's National League mark for saves with 55 when he helps the Dodgers defeat the Padres, 5-3. The Los Angeles closer equals the NL mark in consecutive opportunities, which is also a record.

2004 Atlanta's streak of consecutive division titles extends to 13, with the Braves clinching the NL East due to an 8-7 victory over the Marlins. The record run excludes the strike-shortened season of 1994 but includes the three titles won in the NL West before the re-aligning teams in 1993.

2004 After he gives up five runs in the Red Sox' 6-4 loss to the Bronx Bombers at Fenway Park, Pedro Martinez tells the media, "they beat me. They're that good right now. They're that hot. I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy." The words will come back to haunt the Dominican right-hander when the fans begin chanting "Who's your daddy?" every time he takes the mound in New York during the American League Championship Series.

2005 Averaging more than 50,000 fans per game, the Yankees become the third franchise in major league history, and the first since the 1994 strike, to pass the four-million attendance mark. The other teams that have reached the milestone include the 1993 Colorado Rockies and the 1991-1993 Toronto Blue Jays.

2006 With the best record in the major leagues at 94-62, the Tigers clinched their first playoff spot since 1987. Detroit's 11-4 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium ends the 19-season postseason drought.

2006 As the Petco Park sellout crowd roars, Trevor Hoffman retires all three Pittsburgh batters he faces in the ninth inning, ensuring a 2-1 San Diego victory. The Padres closer's 479th career save surpasses Lee Smith's total (1980-1997), making the 38-year-old reliever the all-time leader in saves.

2006 David Ortiz ties Babe Ruth's American League record with his 32nd round-tripper on the road. 'Big Papi's 53rd homer of the season comes in the Red Sox' 13-4 losing effort to the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre.

2007 Baltimore completes a season sweep of the Royals with a 3-2 victory at Camden Yards. The Orioles, twenty-three games under the .500 mark, beat Kansas City seven times in seven tries, making it only the sixth time in the American League history that a sweep of a season series of an AL opponent has occurred.

2008 Thanks to Mark Teixeira's eighth-inning solo home run, the Mariners are defeated by the Angels, 6-5, making it the fourth time in franchise history the club has lost 100 games. Seattle is the first team with a $100 million payroll to lose 100 games.

2009 The Nationals lose their one-hundredth game of the season when the team drops a 7-6 decision to the Dodgers at home. Washington, who posted a 59-102 record last year, becomes the first National League franchise to reach the century mark in defeats in back-to-back campaigns since the Padres accomplished the dubious feat, dropping 102 contests in both 1973 and 1974.

2009 When his team beats Kansas City, 10-3, Red Sox skipper Terry Francona moves ahead of Mike Higgins with his 561st win piloting Boston, the second-most in franchise history. Joe Cronin, the club's all-time leader, accumulated 1,071 wins during his 13-year tenure from 1935 to 1947.

2010 Rafael Soriano sets a club record when he earns his 44th save in the Rays' 5-3 win over Seattle at Tropicana Field. The right-handed reliever, who will extend the mark to 45, had been tied with Roberto Hernandez, who saved 43 games for Tampa Bay in 1999.

2011 The 200,000th game played in major league history since 1876 goes overtime. In the milestone meeting of big-league clubs, the visiting Rockies need 13 innings to beat the Astros, 4-2 at Minute Maid Park.

2011 With his strikeout of pinch-hitter Jose Lopez in the Brewers' 6-4 win over Florida, John Axford earns his 45th save to set the single-season franchise mark. The Milwaukee closer surpasses Francisco Cordero, who established the record with 44 in 2007.

2011 Dillon Gee becomes the first Mets rookie to win 13 games in a season in 27 years when New York defeats Washington, 6-3. In 1984, Dwight Gooden compiled a 17-9 record as a freshman in 31 starts for the team.

2011 The Yankees celebrate the 50th anniversary of Roger Maris's record-breaking 61st home run in a pregame ceremony before a nationally televised game with Boston. The festivities include Derek Jeter carrying the bat to home plate that the Rajah used to hit the Tracy Stallard pitch, and Sal Durante, the 19-year-old fan who caught the historic homer in the right-field stands, bringing the ball hit on October 1, 1961, onto the field.

2012 Curtis Granderson becomes only the fifth player in franchise history to hit 40 home runs in consecutive seasons when he goes deep into the upper deck at Target Field in the Yankees' 6-3 victory over Minnesota. The 31-year-old southpaw-swinging slugger joins Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, and Jason Giambi as the only other Bronx Bombers to accomplish the feat.

2013 The Marlins lose their 100th game of the year, dropping a 2-1 decision to Philadelphia en route to the second-worst record (62-100) in franchise history. The season follows a much-maligned fire sale that left the team without key players from the 2012 roster, including Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, and starting pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson.

2013 Cardinals rookie Michael Wacha, making his ninth career start, loses his no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth inning on Ryan Zimmerman’s infield single in the team's 2-0 victory over the Nationals at Busch Stadium. The 22-year-old Redbird right-hander, taken out of the game after the hit, becomes the third pitcher this season to have a no-hitter broken up with one out to go, joining Yu Darvish of the Ranger and the Giants’ Yusmeiro Petit, both who had perfect games after facing 26 batters.

2014 Twins' hurler Phil Hughes loses a $500,000 bonus when he doesn't return to the mound after a 66-minute rain delay, an out short of the 210 innings needed to trigger a contract incentive worth half a half-a-million bucks. The Minnesota right-hander, who held Arizona to one run over eight innings, finishes his first year with the team with an 11.63 K/BB ratio, the highest single-season mark for a starter in the history of the game, surpassing Bret Saberhagen's record of an 11.00 K/BB accomplished with the 1994 Mets.

2018 En route to winning 108 games this season, the Red Sox break a franchise record with their 106th victory, beating the Orioles, the sixth team in American League history to lose 111 games. Boston's 6-2 triumph at home surpasses the 1912 team's 105 wins recorded in their first season at Fenway Park.
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Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Chuck Klein, and Jimmie Foxx at the 1933 All Star game.
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SEPTEMBER 25 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1835 Harry Wright Hall of Fame center fielder and manager (established baseball's first fully professional team, Cincinnati Red Stockings 1869)

1917 Philip Francis Rizzuto, nicknamed "The Scooter" HOF shortstop (5 x MLB All-Star; 7 x World Series; AL MVP 1950; NY Yankees) and broadcaster (WCBS radio, WPIX-TV)


1977 Wil Nieves catcher, Braves, Phils, Padres,Nationals


1978 Joel Pineiro

1981 Jay Bergmann


1981 Rocco Baldelli

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Today in Baseball History
September 25th​

1907 Pirates' third baseman Honus Wagner, in the 14-1 rout of New York at the Polo Grounds, swipes four bags, including second, third, and home in the second inning. Outfielder Fred Clarke also has four stolen bases for Pittsburgh.


1925 The Cardinals fine and suspend Rogers Hornsby for the remainder of the season when he refuses to play a game against the Robins. The Redbird infielder claims to feel ill despite the team doctor's opinion, who believes the infielder is well enough to take the field.

1929 At Fenway Park, a telegram is shared at home plate with the Yankees during the fifth inning, informing the team of the death of their manager, Miller Huggins. The crowd rises, and the centerfield flag is lowered to half-staff when home plate umpire Bill McGowan requests a moment of silence in memory of the Bronx Bomber skipper.

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1930 With four games remaining in the campaign, Cubs skipper Joe McCarthy (442-331) 'resigns' and is replaced by Rogers Hornsby, named by owner William Wrigley Jr. as Chicago's player-manager for next year. McCarthy, who was not offered a contract for the upcoming season with his team still mathematically alive in the pennant race, will agree in October to manage New York, winning seven World Series in his 15 seasons with the Yankees.

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1932 At home, the sixth-place Cardinals play their last games of the campaign with a doubleheader split against Pittsburgh, having drawn 279,219 fans to Sportsman's Park during the season. The Columbus Red Birds, the team's minor league affiliate in the American Association, outdraw their parent club, attracting over 310,000 patrons, thanks to a new stadium, night games, and radio broadcasts.

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1941 Combined with a Cardinal defeat, the Dodgers win their first pennant in 21 years when they beat Boston at Braves Field, 6-0. Whitlow Wyatt throws a five-hitter, and Pete Reiser hits a homer in the winning cause.

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1949 After spending 113 days in the air at Municipal Stadium waiting for the Tribe to take first place or face elimination from the pennant race, Charley Lupica climbs down from his flagpole perch in front of a cheering crowd of 33,977 attending the Indians' final home game. After leaving his nest, shifted five miles from his confectionery store to the ballpark on a hydraulic lift, the wobbly loyal fan kisses the home plate, receiving a new automobile from team owner Bill Veeck, in addition to receiving a 50-foot flagpole as a souvenir.

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1954 A crowd of 14,175 Fenway faithful fans pays tribute to retiring Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams, playing his last game at home. The Splendid Splinter's retirement lasts only until May, when his divorce becomes finalized, keeping his contract from being part of the settlement.

1954 Early Wynn loses his bid for a no-hitter when the Tigers scratch out two ninth-inning hits, producing a meaningless run in the Indians' 11-1 triumph at Cleveland Stadium. The victory is the Tribe's 111th of the season, surpassing the 1927 Yankees for the most wins in American League history.
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1955 At age 20, Al Kaline becomes the youngest player to win a batting title, finishing his sophomore season with a .340 average. Ty Cobb was one day older than the Tiger outfielder when he claimed the crown, batting .350 in 1907, also playing for Detroit.

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1956 Dodger right-hander Sal Maglie, walking only two batters, no-hits the Phillies at Ebbets Field, 5-0. The 39-year-old Barber's gem helps second-place Brooklyn to keep pace in the pennant race, staying a half-game behind the Braves with the victory.

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1957 In his final plate appearance of the season, 36-year-old Stan Musial, pinch-hitting in the eighth inning for Lindy McDaniel, singles home the tying run in the Cardinals' eventual 4-1 victory over the Braves in Milwaukee's County Stadium. The St. Louis first baseman, who does not play in the season-ending three-game series against the Cubs, finishes the campaign with a .351 batting average, 18 points higher than runner-up Willie Mays, to capture his seventh and final National League batting crown.

 

1960 The Yankees clinched the American League flag with a 4-3 victory over Boston at Fenway Park. The title will be 70-year-old Casey Stengel's tenth and last pennant after being dismissed and replaced by the team's hitting coach, Ralph Houk, when the Bronx Bombers lose the World Series to the Pirates in seven games.

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1960 Eddie Yost, dubbed the 'Walking Man' due to his propensity for getting base on balls, hits his 28th career leadoff home run in the Tigers' 6-5 victory over the A's at Detroit's Briggs Stadium, establishing a record for round-trippers to start a game. The third baseman's total will be surpassed in 1975 by Yankee outfielder Bobby Bonds, who will extend the mark to 35 during his 14-year major league tenure.


1962 After appearing in 62 games over two years, Dodger reliever Ed Roebuck suffers his first loss. The LA right-hander gives up a tenth-inning home run to Colt .45s outfielder Al Spangler, breaking the 2-2 deadlock at Chavez Ravine.

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1963 Team owner August A. Busch announces the Cardinals will permanently retire Stan Musial's uniform #6. Stan the Man is also appointed the Redbirds' vice president, a duty he'll begin at the end of this season after completing his 22-year Hall of Fame career as a player.

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1965 At the alleged age of 60, Satchel Paige becomes the oldest major leaguer. The future Hall of Fame right-hander blanks the Red Sox for three innings, striking out one and yielding a lone hit to Carl Yastrzemski as the starter in the A's 5-2 victory at KC's Municipal Stadium.

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1965 At age 34, Willie Mays becomes the oldest player to slug 50 home runs in a single season. The Giants' center fielder was also the youngest to accomplish the feat, hitting 51 homers in 1955.

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1965 Twins right-hander Mudcat Grant throws a one-hitter to beat the Senators at D.C. Stadium, 5-0, becoming the first black player in the American League to win twenty games. Don Blasingame's third-inning double spoils the 30-year-old right-hander's bid for a no-hitter.


1965 Willie Mays, who hit 51 round-trippers in 1955, joins Ralph Kiner as the second National Leaguer to have more than one 50-home run season. The milestone homer, a fourth-inning two-run blast off Bob Sadowski, helps the Giants beat Milwaukee at Candlestick Park, 7-5.


1966 The Mets, for the first time in the franchise's five-year history, will not end their season in last place. The Amazins, who will finish ahead of the Cubs, clinch ninth place by beating Cincinnati at Crosley Field, 8-4.

1968 After going for 1-for-3, Mickey Mantle, with two outs in the ninth inning, steps up to the plate for his last Yankee Stadium at-bat. The aging superstar works out a walk against Cleveland starter Luis Tiant, who will strike out the next batter to complete a 3-0 complete-game victory at the Bronx ballpark.

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1973 "I look at the kids over here, the way they're playing, the way they're fighting for themselves, and it tells me one thing: 'Willie, say good bye to America'." - WILLIE MAYS, bidding farewell to his fans at Shea Stadium.
Willie Mays Night takes place in Flushing as the Mets honor the fan-favorite player in an emotional 55-minute ceremony at Shea Stadium after their 2-1 victory over the Expos. The 'Say Hey Kid' tells the crowd of more than 50,000 fans, "Just to hear you cheer like this for me and not be able to do anything about it makes me a very sad man. This is my farewell."

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1974 In the first-of-its-kind operation, Dr. Frank Jobe transplants a tendon from Tommy John's right wrist to the Dodger pitcher's left elbow. The revolutionary ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, which will become a standard surgical procedure better known as Tommy John surgery, enables the southpaw to win an additional 164 games, more than half of his career total of 288 victories.

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1979 Behind the solid pitching of Frank Tanana, the Angels defeat the Royals, 4-1, to win their first American League West title. Jim Fregosi's 88-74 team, finishing three games ahead of second-place Kansas City, loses the best-of-five ALCS to Baltimore in four games.

1980 The Padres become the first team in baseball history to have three players steal more than 50 bases in a season when Jerry Mumphrey and Ozzie Smith swipe their 50th sack in a 5-3 extra-inning loss to Cincinnati. Fellow Friar Gene Richard, who will lead the club with 61 stolen bases, reached the milestone at the end of last month.

1980 Brian Kingman loses his 20th game when the White Sox defeats the A's at the Oakland Coliseum, 6-4. The 26-year-old right-hander, who will win his next decision to finish the season with an 8-20 record, will become the last 20-game loser of this century and the first to hurl for a winning team since Dolf Luque posted a 13-23 mark for the 1922 second-place Reds.