BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

OCTOBER 10 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1886 Rube Marquard HOF pitcher (NL wins leader 1912; NL strikeout leader 1911; no-hitter 1915; NY Giants)


1898 Joe Sewell HOF infielder (World Series 1920, 32; Cleveland Indians, NY Yankees; MLB record 167.7 at-bats per strikeout 1932)


1903 Walter O'Malley HOF executive (owner Brooklyn/LA Dodgers 1950-79)


1940-2023 Joe Pepitone utility (3 x MLB All-Star; 3 x Gold Glove; World Series 1962 New York Yankees)


1950 Brian Downing (California Angels)


1977 Brian Roberts second baseman (MLB All-Star 2005, 07; AL stolen base leader 2007; Baltimore Orioles)


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Today in Baseball History
October 10th​

1904 On the last day of the season, with one day of rest, Pilgrims right-hander Bill Dinneen beats Jack Chesbro when the 41-game winner uncorks a ninth-inning wild pitch, snapping a 2-2 tie against the Highlander. Boston's Big Bill completes all 37 games he started during the season, throwing 337.2 consecutive innings, with his final effort giving the team their second straight American League pennant.

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1920 Indians' Bill Wambsganss becomes the only player in World Series history to complete an unassisted triple play when he makes a leaping catch, steps on second base, and tags the runner arriving from first base. Silence engulfs Cleveland's League Park as the hometown fans try to digest what they have just witnessed.

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1920 Outfielder Elmer Smith becomes the first player to hit a grand slam in World Series history when the Indians defeat the Robins and Burleigh Grimes, 8-1. Cleveland's starter Jim Bagby contributes to his cause, blasting a three-run home run to become the first pitcher to hit a home run in the Fall Classic.

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1923 In the first postseason game ever played at Yankee Stadium, veteran Giants outfielder Casey Stengel becomes the first player to hit a World Series homer in the Bronx ballpark, breaking a 4-4 deadlock in the top of the ninth inning with an inside-the-park round-tripper off Joe Bush. The Game 1 matchup is the first Fall Classic contest broadcast nationally.

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1924 With the score tied at 3-3 and one out in the bottom of the 12th in Game 7 of the World Series, Senators' backstop Muddy Ruel lifts a high catchable foul pop-up, which Giant catcher Hank Gowdy misses when he stumbles over his mask. Given a second chance, Ruel then doubles and eventually scores the winning run, making the Senators World Champs.

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1948 Until the Dodgers host the 1959 Fall Classic at the LA Coliseum, the largest crowd to attend a World Series game jam into Cleveland's Municipal Stadium to witness a showdown between two future Hall of Famers. Braves' southpaw Warren Spahn beats Bob Feller and the Indians in Game 5 of the Fall Classic, 11-5, in front of 86,288 fans.

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1951 In Game 6 of the Fall Classic, the Yankees become World Champions for the 14th time in franchise history when they beat the Giants in the Bronx ballpark contest, 4-3. Hank Bauer delivers the signature blow, a three-run triple hit in the sixth inning off of Game 1 winner Dave Koslo.

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1956 In Game 7 of the World Series, Johnny Kucks, allowing just three singles, blanks Brooklyn, 9-0, to give the Yankees their 17th World Championship in franchise history. In the last postseason game played at Ebbets Field, the 24-year-old right-hander ends the game by striking out Jackie Robinson, which turns out to be the Dodger infielder's final major league at-bat when he decides to retire after being traded to the Giants in the off-season.

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1957 With a 5-0 victory over the defending World Champions in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium, Milwaukee captures its first World Series championship since the 'Miracle Braves' won the title representing Boston in 1914. The Most Valuable Player of the Fall Classic is right-hander Lew Burdette, who hurled three complete-game victories, including today's shutout.

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1957 Starting Game 7 on just two days rest, Lew Burdette pitches the Braves to a World Championship as he blanks the Bronx Bombers at Yankee Stadium, 5-0. The 30-year-old right-hander, named the Series MVP, tosses 24 consecutive scoreless innings and posts a 0.64 ERA in his three Fall classic victories.

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1961 The three-round National League expansion draft begins at the circuit's headquarters in Cincinnati when the Colt .45s select former Giant shortstop Eddie Bressoud, and the Mets pick Hobie Landrith, a catcher who also played for San Francisco last season. Houston and New York choose 16 players, two from each of the existing clubs, at 75,000 per player, adding two/three more players at $50,000 in round two, and then in the final round picking four players from a premium list at $125,000 apiece, costing the new owners a staggering $3,650,000 for 45 players of questionable talent.

1962 In Game 5 of the World Series, Tom Tresh belts an eighth-inning homer off Jack Sanford to give the Bronx Bombers a 5-3 comeback win over the Giants at Yankee Stadium. Mike Tresh, the rookie shortstop's dad, who hit only two home runs in his dozen big league seasons, left his seat behind home plate before the at-bat, moving to the standing-room section in Yankee Stadium, hoping to bring his son good luck.

1963 The Mets announce the club has 'traded' coaches with the Giants, bringing Wes Westrum to New York in exchange for Cookie Lavagetto, recovering from a serious illness, and requested a position nearer to his home in Oakland.
Mets manager Casey Stengel met and became fond of his new coach during the recent All-Star Game and will be replaced by him as the team's second skipper in franchise history when the 75-year-old 'Old Perfessor' retires in 1965.

1964 At Yankee Stadium, Mickey Mantle, facing Barney Schultz, slams the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning over the fence at the Bronx ballpark, giving New York a dramatic 2-1 walk-off victory and two games to one advantage over St. Louis in the Fall Classic. The Mick's game-winning round-tripper, his 16th Fall Classic round-tripper, breaking the previous mark set by Babe Ruth, makes him the fifth major leaguer to end a World Series game with a home run.

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1968 Bob Gibson, who sets the mark for total strikeouts (35) in a World Series, goes the distance in his eighth consecutive World Series game, losing Game 7 to Detroit, 4-1. The only time the St. Louis Cardinal right-hander, who will compile a 1.89 postseason ERA, didn't finish a Fall Classic contest was in his first appearance in 1964 when he tossed eight innings against the Yankees.

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1968 In the fifth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, Dal Maxvill pops out to first base, becoming the first major leaguer to go 0-for-22 in the Fall Classic. The Cardinal shortstop surpasses the single series infamous mark previously shared by Gil Hodges (1952 - Dodgers), Red Murray (1911 - Giants), Billy Sullivan (1906 - White Sox), and Jimmy Sheckard (1906 - Cubs).

Gibson ~ Flood ~ Maxvill
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970 In the first World Series game played on artificial turf, Boog Powell, Ellie Hendricks, and Brooks Robinson homer to power the Orioles past the Reds, 4-3. In Game 1 of the Fall Classic, Baltimore's offensive output overcomes Cincinnati's 3-0 early lead at Riverfront Stadium.

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1973 In the fifth and deciding game, the Mets win their second National League pennant in franchise history, beating the Reds, 7-2. Tom Seaver, who gives up seven hits in 8.1 innings, bests Cincinnati right-hander Jack Billingham in the Shea Stadium showdown.

1973 During oral arguments in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, Potter Stewart is handed a note with the startling news that Vice President Agnew had just resigned. The message also informs the glum Republican Justice, a big Reds fan, that the Mets are ahead of Cincinnati in the NLCS, 2-0.

1976 The Royals gain their first postseason victory in franchise history when they beat the Yankees, 7-3, in Game 2 of the ALCS. Kansas City southpaw Paul Splittorff, pitching 5.2 innings in relief, is credited with the victory.

1978 Before the start of Game 1 of the World Series, the Dodgers retire Jim Gilliam's uniform #19, honoring their coach who died suddenly two days ago due to a massive brain hemorrhage. The 49-year-old former All-Star LA infielder will become the team's first player not inducted into the Hall of Fame to receive this tribute.

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1982 In Game 5, the Brewers capture the American League flag, beating the Angels at County Stadium, 4-3. Milwaukee becomes the first team to overcome a 0-2 start in a best-of-a-five-game LCS, winning the remaining three games against California, all played at home.

1993 The BBWAA selects Chicago slugger Frank Thomas as the American League's Most Valuable Player. The first baseman, ranked among the top ten of the league's nine offensive categories, batted .317 with 41 home runs and knocked in 128 runs for the division-winning White Sox.

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1999 Scoring more than nineteen NFL teams, the Red Sox establish a major league record for most runs and the biggest margin of victory in a postseason game, scoring in every inning but the sixth in their 23-7 rout of the Indians. John Valentin collects seven RBIs in the Fenway Park contest as the Red Sox knot the five-game series at two games apiece.

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2000 In Game 1, the Mariners (9) and Yankees (13) combined for 22 strikeouts to set an ALCS record. Seattle wins the contest behind the solid pitching of Freddie Garcia, who rings up eight Bombers in 6.2 innings in the team's 2-0 victory in the Bronx.

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2003 The Cubs take a 2-1 game advantage in the NLCS when they beat the Marlins in extra innings at Pro Player Stadium, 5-4. The eventual winning run scores in the top of the 11th when Doug Glanville triples off Florida's Brandon Looper to plate Kenny Lofton, who had singled with one out in the frame.

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2003 Kenny Lofton sets an NLCS record and ties the ALCS mark with six hits in six consecutive at-bats. Gary Matthews (Phillies-1983), Will Clark (Giants-1989), Steve Buechele (Pirates-1991), and Javy Lopez (Braves-1996) all held the previous NL distinction with five consecutive hits, with Blue Jays' DH Paul Molitor establishing the major league standard in 1993, now shared with the Cub flychaser.

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2005 The Phillies fire Ed Wade as their general manager, although the team( 88-74) has had three straight winning seasons and missed a chance of being the wild card by only one game this season. Philadelphia has not played in the postseason for 12 consecutive years, including the last eight seasons with Wade calling the shots.

2005 Rafael Palmeiro avoids perjury charges when a Congressional subcommittee decides not to prosecute him following its investigation. The former Orioles' first baseman/DH had piqued the legislators' interest when he tested positive for steroids four months after pointing his finger at the committee during a Capitol Hill hearing, emphatically denying that he had used performance-enhancing substances.

 

2008 Earlier in the day, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel learns of his mother's death at a Virginia hospital. The grieving skipper, one of ten of June's children, stays with the team and directs his club to an 8-5 victory against the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park in Game 2 of the NLDS.


2009 In Matt Holliday's first at-bat at home since his critical error allowed LA to stage an amazing comeback victory, the Cardinals' left fielder receives a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 47,296 at Busch Stadium. The former NLCS MVP award winner (Colorado - 2007), who will become a free agent after the season, is touched by the fans' reaction and appreciative of their support.

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2009 The Dodgers advance to their second consecutive National League championship series, beating St. Louis, 5-1, to complete a three-game sweep of the Redbirds in the NLDS. Vicente Padilla's solid pitching and Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez's timely hitting close out the series, best remembered for Matt Holliday's error on James Loney's ninth-inning two-out liner, leading to a stunning two-run walk-off rally in Game 2.

2010 Behind the solid starting pitching of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels, the Phillies complete the franchise's first playoff sweep when Hamels throws a five-hit complete-game victory, beating the Reds at Great American Ball Park, 2-0. Philadelphia will have an opportunity to become the first team to win three consecutive National League pennants since the war-time Cardinals raised flags from 1942 to 1944.

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2011 At the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Nelson Cruz, who also went deep in the seventh frame, hits the first walk-off grand slam in major league playoff history when his 11th-inning round-tripper off Ryan Perry beats Detroit, 7-3. The victory in Game Two gives Texas a 2-0 advantage in the seven-game ALCS series.


2019 After compiling a .497 winning percentage in his two seasons at the helm, the Phillies fire their manager Gabe Kapler. The dismissal marks the available eighth managerial vacancy that includes skippers needed by the Mets, Pirates, Angels, Royals, Cubs, Padres, and the Giants, who will hire the former Philadelphia pilot next month as their 37th manager to replace the retiring Bruce Bochy.
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1957: The Milwaukee #Braves defeat the New York #Yankees in seven games to become World Series champions! Pitcher Lew Burdette is named MVP of the "Fall Classic" after going 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA in 27.0 IP!
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Some of Charlie’s ideas were successful, others weren’t.
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OCTOBER 11 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS
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1899 Eddie Dyer
1944 Mike Fiore (Kansas City Royals)
1960 Curt Ford
1966 Gregg Olson, pitcher (Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers)
1977 Ty Wigginton

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Today in Baseball History
October 11th​

1909 At Bennett Park, Honus Wagner becomes the first player to steal three bases in a World Series contest. The Pirates' third baseman's thievery enables Pittsburgh to beat Detroit, 8-6, in Game 3 of the Fall Classic.

1911 Ty Cobb (Tigers - AL) and Frank Schulte (Cubs - NL) receive cars for being the first-ever Most Valuable Player in their respective leagues. The new honor, known as the Chalmers Award, is sponsored by Chalmers Automotive, a Detroit-based automobile company.

1915 In front of the largest crowd ever to see a World Series game, 42,300 fans watch the Red Sox beat the Phillies in Game 3 of the Fall Classic, 2-1. The contest, which is played at the National League home of the Braves to accommodate more Boston patrons, ends when Duffy Lewis singles with two outs to score Harry Hooper in the bottom of the ninth inning.

1929 The Cubs become the first National League team to win a Fall Classic contest since 1926 when the Redbirds beat the Yankees in Game 7. Chicago breaks the Senior Circuit's ten-game World Series skid in Game 3 with a 3-1 victory over Philadelphia at Shibe Park.

1947 The Yankees trade Joe Gordon, a future Hall of Fame second baseman who will leave the Bronx after playing in precisely 1,000 games and collecting exactly 1,000 hits, to the Indians for Allie Reynolds, known as Superchief by his teammates due to his Creek heritage. The trade works well for both teams when Cleveland's newest infielder plays a significant role in the Tribe's World Championship next season, with the Bronx Bombers' recently arrived right-hander compiling an impressive 131-60 (.686) record during his eight years with the team.

1948 In Game 6 of the Fall Classic, the Indians beat Boston at Braves Field, 4-3, to capture the team's second World Series title in franchise history. Bob Lemon wins the game, with Gene Bearden pitching the final one and two-thirds innings to earn the save.

1958 Bill Mazeroski weds Milene Nicholson at Sacred Heart Church in Braddock (PA) after his manager, Danny Murtaugh, ordered him to call her after he spotted his second baseman watching the young female fan in the stands during a rain delay last season. The skipper's advice works well for the 22-year-old All-Star infielder when he and his bride stay married for over six decades, raising two sons.

1959 At Syracuse's MacArthur Stadium, middleweight champion Carmen Basilio umpires an exhibition game between Mickey Mantle's AL All-Stars and Willie Mays' NL All-Star barnstorming squads. The contest, which costs only $2.50 to attend, features a home-run hitting competition between Braves slugger Hank Aaron and Indians right fielder Rocky Colavito, who led the American League in home runs this season.

1964 In Game 4 of the World Series, Ken Boyer's sixth-inning grand slam off Yankee starter Al Downing gives the Cardinals a 4-3 victory over the Yankees. The St. Louis third baseman is the second National Leaguer to hit a postseason bases-loaded round-tripper.

1965 In Game 5, a 7-0 victory over the Twins at Dodger Stadium, Willie Davis becomes the second player to steal three bases in a World Series game. The L.A. center fielder joins Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner, who accomplished the feat on the same date 56 years ago against Detroit in Game 3 of the 1909 Fall Classic.

1967 Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Smith, and Rico Petrocelli, his second of the game, all go deep off Dick Hughes in the bottom of the fourth inning at Fenway Park, marking the first time three teammates hit home runs in the same inning in a World Series game. Boston's eventual 8-4 victory over St. Louis knots the Fall Classic at three games apiece.

1967 With a year remaining on his contract to manage Washington, Gil Hodges inks a three-year deal to become the Mets skipper, ending the speculation that Yogi Berra, a coach with the team, would replace the recently-resigned Wes Westrum. New York agrees to pay significant reparations to the Senators and send a player from the 40-man roster to Washington to get the fan-favorite former Dodger.

1968 The Giants name Clyde King as the team's new manager, replacing Herman Franks. San Francisco fires their new skipper, who will guide the club to 90 victories next season after the team blows an 8-0 lead in a contest against the Padres in May of 1970.

1968 The Cardinals trade outfielder/first baseman Bobby Tolan and right-hander Wayne Granger to the Reds for Vada Pinson. The National League Champion Redbirds obtain the former All-Star Gold Glove outfielder to replace Roger Maris, who retired after the season ended.

1970 “It was as if [Boston] Mayor Menino were to trade the USS Constitution to Baltimore for the USS Constellation." - HERB CREHAN, referring to the Red Sox dealing Tony Conigliaro to the Angels in his book Red Sox Heroes of Yesteryear.
During the O's/Reds World Series, the Red Sox trade fan-favorite Tony Conigliaro, Ray Jarvis, and Jerry Moses to the Angels for Doug Griffin, Jarvis Tatum, and Ken Tatum. The deal stuns the baseball community and crushes the former Boston outfielder, who fans admire for his courageous comeback after being hit in the left cheekbone by a Jack Hamilton pitch that caused a severe eye injury.

1971 At Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, Pat Nixon becomes the first First Lady to toss a ceremonial first pitch at a major league game. Richard's wife, a frequent visitor at Washington DC's Griffith Park with her then vice-president husband and daughters in the 1950s, does the honors before Game Two of the World Series, a contest that hometown Orioles handily beat the Pirates, 11-3.

1972 Bobby Winkles, former head baseball coach at Arizona State, becomes the first major league skipper taken from the collegiate ranks since Hugo Bezdek managed the Pirates in 1917. The Angel coach, who compiled a 524-173 record en route to three national championships with ASU, replaces the recently fired Del Rice, who spent one season with the fifth-place (75-80) Halos.

1972 In the fifth and deciding game of the NLCS at Riverfront Stadium, George Foster scores the winning run from third base in the bottom of the ninth on a wild pitch thrown by Bob Moose, giving the Reds a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory over the Pirates. Earlier in the inning, Johnny Bench hit a home run off Dave Giusti to tie the score.

1973 Less than two weeks after leaving the Yankees for the second time in his career, Ralph Houk signs a three-year deal to be the Tigers manager, a team in a rebuilding mode. The Major, replacing a fiery Bill Martin, fired by the team at the end of August, will compile a 363-443 (.450) record during his five seasons in the Motor City.

1975 As the first host of Saturday Night Live, George Carlin compares baseball to football in the opening monologue of the ground-breaking show. The comedian jokes the national pastime is a gentler game, portraying the sport as pastoral and played in a park as opposed to football, where the objective is to march downfield and penetrate enemy territory in a stadium.

1976 With Davey Johnson in the on-deck circle, Japanese home run king Sadaharu hits his 715th home run, surpassing Babe Ruth's much-heralded career home run total. Two seasons ago, Johnson was also in the lineup, batting in the hole, when Henry Aaron passed the Sultan of Swat with his 715th round-tripper to become the all-time major league home run leader.
Jack Lind, a member of the Brewers during Aaron's two-year tenure with the club (1975 to 1976), is the only other player to be a teammate of both home run kings. - LP)

1978 Rookie right-hander Bob Welch strikes out Reggie Jackson with two men on base and two out in the top of the ninth inning, dramatically preserving a 4-3 Dodger victory over the Yankees in Game 2 of the Fall Classic. The relief performance will put the 21-year-old in the national spotlight.

1981 The Expos post their first-ever playoff series triumph, winning NLDS when they beat the defending World Champion Phillies, 3-0, behind Steve Rogers' six-hit complete-game shutout at Veterans Stadium. The franchise will not advance to another postseason until 2019 when the team takes the Wild Card game as the Washington Nationals.

1992 After participating in a game against the Dolphins in Miami, NFL Falcons' cornerback Deion Sanders flies to Pittsburgh, hoping to become the first athlete to play in two professional leagues on the same day. However, the traveling outfielder will not be in the lineup for the Braves' 7-1 loss in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium that evening.

1999 An ailing Pedro Martinez, with both starters ineffective in the decisive Game 5 of the ALCS and the score tied at 8-8 in the fourth, enters the game and doesn't yield another hit to the Indians for the next six innings. Troy O'Leary collects a grand slam and a three-run home run following intentional passes to Nomar Garciaparra, contributing to the Red Sox' 12-8 victory at Cleveland's Jacobs Field.

2000 The Yankees' eight hits in the eighth inning in Game 2 set an ALCS record and contribute to the Bronx Bombers' 7-1 victory over the Mariners. The new mark surpasses the accomplishments of the Orioles (Game 1 - 1970), the Yankees (Game 2 - 1981), and the Blue Jays (Game 3 - 1985), who each had seven hits in one inning of a championship series.

2002 Buck Showalter, who compiled a 563-504 (.527) managerial record in six seasons with the Yankees and Diamondback, is hired by the last-place Rangers to replace Jerry Narron, let go two days ago as the team's skipper. The Cubs, Mets, Devil Rays, and Brewers had also expressed an interest in the 46-year-old ESPN commentator.

2003 In Game 4, the Cubs (6) and Marlins (8) tie the NLCS homer record by hitting 14 dingers in the championship series. The total, which will expand to 23 in the seven-game series, was established by the Giants and Cardinals last year.

2004 The Astros, after seven tries during their 43-year history, finally win a postseason playoff series when they eliminate the Braves in the deciding Game 5 of the NLDS, 12-3. The Houston victory marks the third consecutive year that Atlanta has lost a decisive Game 5 of the division series at home in Turner Field.

2005 The last-place Pirates name Jim Tracy as the team's manager to replace the recently fired Lloyd McClendon. The selection of the former Dodger skipper, who will guide the Bucs to a 135-189 record during his two seasons at the helm, marks the first time Pittsburgh has looked outside the organization in nearly two decades to hire its field boss.

2006 On a rainy mid-week afternoon in Manhattan, Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor Tyler Stanger die as their four-seat plane crashes into an Upper East Side high-rise building. Manny Acta, the Mets' third base coach, is not sure he will be able to go to his home after tonight's scheduled Game 1 of the NLCS at Shea Stadium due to damage to the Belaire Condominiums caused by the crash.

2009 In the final game played at the Metrodome, the Yankees advance to the ALCS by defeating the hometown Twins, 4-1. A costly eighth-inning base-running blunder by Nick Punto ends Minnesota's hopes of a comeback over a talented New York team, including Alex Rodriguez, who went 5-for-11 with two homers and six RBIs in the three-game division series sweep.

2009 Jonathan Papelbon, who had never given up a run in any of his previous 26 postseason innings, allows two inherited runners to score in the eighth and yields another three runs in the ninth, giving the Angels, trailing 5-1 going into the sixth inning, a 7-6 victory over the Red Sox. The Halos' comeback victory at Fenway completes a three-game sweep of the ALDS over a team that historically had been their nemesis, losing their past four postseason encounters with Boston.

2009 Admitting to a blown call, which led to the decisive run in the Rockies' 6-5 Game 2 NLDS loss to the Phillies at a very chilly Coors Field, home plate umpire Jerry Meals, after watching a post-game replay, states the ball that glanced off Chase Utley's leg should not have been in play. To make matters worse, in the same at-bat where the ball was foul, umpire Ron Kulpa ruled the runner safe on a close call, which appeared to have the Philadelphia infielder beat at first base.

2010 With their 3-2 victory over the Braves in Game 4 of the NLDS at Turner Field, the Giants advance to the National League Championship Series to play the Phillies. After the last out, the San Francisco players come onto the field to salute the opposing manager, Bobby Cox, who is retiring after 29 years in the dugout.

2012 For the first time since the divisional playoffs began in 1995, all four series will go the distance to a Game 5 when the Nationals and Orioles knot their respective series against the Cardinals and Yankees. Washington and Baltimore join the A's and Giants, who also forced a decisive game with victories over the Tigers and Reds in yesterday's LDS games.