Baseball History

[BigDDude]

BigDDude...great info on the Zambrano game. As for Billy Meyer, I have to admit it's a name I don't know but if he's good enough to have his number retired I have to know more about him.

A quicky bio on Meyer. I also had no idea of him, until today.

BORN: January 14, 1892, Knoxville, Tenn.
DIED: March 31, 1957.
CAREER: A catcher with the White Sox and Athletics (1913, 1916-17), Meyer won eight pennants as a manager of Minor League clubs from 1926 through 1947 before becoming the Pirates manager in 1948. Known for his rapport with players, fans and the press, Meyer managed in Pittsburgh for five seasons, compiling a record of 317-452. He was Manager of the Year in 1948 when the Bucs compiled a record of 83-71. Following his five-year tenure as Pirates manager, Meyer was a Pittsburgh scout for three years

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 2005 that the Rockies play a doubleheader against the Marlins and do something that hadn’t been done in over 30 years in the Majors…start two pitchers in a doubleheader with the same last name. Sun-Woo Kim begins Game 1 which the Rockies win in the 11th on a 2-out, walk-off HR by Dustan Mohr. Byung-Hyun Kim starts Game 2 which the Rockies win 5-3.

When I was in England earlier this year I spent a little time close to Herefordshire. If you’re a kid there and athletically inclined I presume you would aspire to play football (soccer) first and rugby second. Baseball would not be a thought to baseball. Dave Brain was born in Hereford in 1879 at a time when baseball was, in all probability, unheard of there. Yet, despite being born in England and never playing baseball until he was 19 he was playing in the Majors at 22. His ML career spanned only seven years, five as a regular, but in that time he branded his name in the record books for both honorable and notorious feats. He spent two seasons with the Cardinals and both years led the team in RBIs. In 1905 he was traded to the Pirates and played 3B beside SS Honus Wagner. On this date in 1905 he hit 3 triples in a game against the Boston Beaneaters (Braves) after having a game earlier in the season in which he also hit 3 triples. Thanks to this performance, Brain holds a number of ML records. He is tied with many others for most triples in a game since 1900 and for the all-time record for most consecutive triples in a nine-inning game with three. Dave shares with three other players the all-time record for most times with three triples in one game during a career with two. Lastly, he is the only hitter in ML history to have three triples in one game twice in one season. In 1907 while playing for Boston he led not only the NL but the Majors in HRs. A contract squabble followed in 1908 and he was eventually traded to Cincinnati but in his late 20’s he saw his playing skills eroding and family and private life calling and settled in California and went to work for Standard Oil for 20 years as a credit manager but in the 1930’s studied to become a chiropractor and passed the required California exam. Dr. Brain died of congestive heart failure on May 25, 1959. So from a rural early life in England to a doctoring one in California with a MLB stop in between Dave Brain becomes the answer to this trivia question… Who is the only player to win a HR Crown in either the American or National League (since 1893) and never have another extra-base hit the rest of his major league career?

Is it possible for a batter to make two outs in one At-Bat. Apparently it is as it happened to Mark DeRosa on this date in 2006. On a 3-2 pitch, the Texas RF’er swings and misses making the second out of the inning, but when his momentum causes him to make contact with Oakland catcher Jason Kendall, who is throwing to second trying to prevent pinch-runner Jerry Hairston Jr. from stealing a base, plate umpire Jim Joyce calls interference on the batter for the third and final out of the Rangers' 7-6 loss to the A's. Thus, 1 AB and 2 Outs later DeRosa has a place in Baseball’s history. Of course, the umpire is Jim Joyce who probably made the biggest umpiring mistake in the history of the game so who knows if he made the right call here.

Cupid Childs was born on this date in 1867 and played ML baseball all through the 1890’s and until 1901. He’s one of the best hitting ML second basemen during the late nineteenth century, not to mention a better-than-average fielder who possessed great range on the diamond. Only four other second basemen in the history of major league baseball have averaged more total chances per game than Childs. His all-around outstanding play made him an integral part of the great Cleveland Spiders teams of the 1890s. A natural middle infielder, Childs threw right-handed and batted left-handed. He played shortstop during his early years in the minors but eventually settled in at the keystone position for the remainder of his career. Childs, who seldom struck out, was a great contact hitter with an excellent batting eye. In his prime, he batted anywhere from first to fourth in the batting order. His best years in the majors produced batting averages of .345, .317, .326, .353, .355 and .338. Childs' lifetime major league on-base percentage of .416 is higher than every second baseman in the Hall of Fame except Rogers Hornsby and Eddie Collins. His .306 lifetime batting average is higher than twelve of the second basemen who have already been inducted into the Hall. Childs scored over one hundred runs in a season seven times and reached double figures in triples five years in a row. However, for some reason the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee continually overlooks this talented multi-tooled player when it comes time to vote in new inductees. It seems that for now, Cupid's arrow has missed its mark in Cooperstown.

If we’re mentioning birthdays then we have to say Happy 77th to the guy who would answer to either, Hondo or The Capital Punisher, Frank Howard who was born on this date in 1936. I talked about the Dodgers before as one of my least favourite teams in the 1960’s because they were so good and a threat at WS time to either my Yankees or whatever AL team I would be rooting for in October. There was one guy on the Dodgers that I (and probably everyone) couldn’t dislike and that was Junior Gilliam. Howard, was a close second. I don’t think he had a mean bone in his body but he was terrifying at the plate. In a day when many ML’ers were not even six feet tall, and when the biggest stars in the National League—Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Frank Robinson—were no more than 180 pounds, Howard had reached 6-foot-8, and was a full 250 pounds. The bat looked like a toothpick in his hands. In the three years 1968-1969-1970 he averaged 45 HRs a season with the Senators and won two HR Crowns. He never achieved stardom with the Dodgers and after the 1964 season Walter Alston and Buzie Bavasi had both come to believe that they could not win in Dodger Stadium with power; they needed pitching, defense, and speed. When Howard asked to be traded after the season, the Dodgers obliged. On December 4, they dealt Howard to the Washington Senators. Without Howard, and ably abetted by Osteen in the starting rotation, the Dodgers went on to win the 1965 World Series without a single player who hit more than 12 home runs. “Disappointed in the trade? Oh, no,” recalled Howard. “I knew it was time. I was at the stage of my life where I had to find out if I could play every day.” Leaving L.A. allowed Howard to blossom and he did. Two stories about how hard Howard could hit a ball and because he looked frightening at the plate on television I can only imagine how opposing pitchers felt when he was at the plate. Even teammates who were on the bases with him at the plate had reason to worry…the first story, on September 16, 1958 when he was up for a cup of coffee the Dodgers were playing in Cincinnati with teammate Duke Snider on third base. Up in the radio booth, Dodgers announcer Vin Scully commented wryly that Snider was standing way off the foul line in deference to Howard’s propensity for pulling line drives down the line. Just as Scully said this, Howard hit a vicious foul liner that hit Snider in the head, knocking him briefly unconscious and ending the Duke’s season. The second story takes place in April of 1966…Howard is with the Senators then and they are hosting the White Sox. The story is told by Fred Valentine, Howard’s teammate… “Tommy John threw him something,” recalled Valentine, “and he hit a line drive back at him. John fell off the mound trying to get out of the way of the ball. CF’er Agee started in like he was going to catch a line drive. It was like a 2-iron, and it ended up in the upper deck in centerfield. They painted another seat.”

 

[67RedSox]

BigDDude I've done a bit of reading on Billy Meyer and even after that I'm a bit perplexed as to why the Pirates retired his uniform #1. There's a SABR biography on him if you care to read it:

Billy Meyer | SABR

He played briefly in the Majors during WWI but not with the Pirates. he managed the Pirates from 1948 until he walked out on them late in the 1952 season. In his rookie season as a Manager in 1948 he was named by The Sporting News as Manager of the Year for keeping an undermanned Pirate team in contention until late September. He became fed up with the team for under achieving in 1952. Here's a blurb from the SABR bio:

In a story recounted after his death, Meyer was said to have told of a Pirate-Cardinal game during this period. One of Rickey's "bonus babies" had reached base, and Meyer flashed the "steal" sign to his third base coach for relay. On the first pitch, nothing happened. Meyer put the sign on a second time. Again, the runner stayed put. Meyer tried a third time, with the same result. Finally, the Cardinal second baseman called time, walked over to the runner, and told him, "Look, they've given you the steal sign three times now. Are you going to stay on first all day?"

With two games left in the 1952 season, Meyer had finally reached his limit. He resigned on September 27 ending his major league managing career, all with the Pirates, at 317-452 (.412). "I've had enough," he said. "I just couldn't stand being with this team any longer. These kids we have now just can't do it. If there was a foreseeable future to the club, I wouldn't mind sticking it out. Everyone likes to manage a winning ball club, but this one is hopeless."

Pittsburgh Baseball writers remembered him fondly. Les Biederman, in the Press, called Meyer "one of the best liked men ever to come into baseball. He was popular with everybody: players, managers, coaches, owners, umpires, writers and the fans." Chet Smith said that a "more charming, witty, philosophical and patient man has never been in baseball. Nor a better manager . . .." The Post-Gazette's Jack Hernon remembered his days as a rookie beat writer. Meyer, Hernon recalled, insisted that his players go out of their way to co-operate with Hernon. "He never carried a dislike for anyone; never did he speak a harsh word about a friend or associate."

At some point, the Pirates retired Meyer's uniform number (No. 1), and it shares a place of honor with the retired numbers of more familiar Pirates like Wagner, Traynor, and Clemente on an upper deck façade in Pittsburgh's new PNC Park. There is no record of a "Bill Meyer Day" or any other ceremony at which his number might have been retired. No Pirate media guide of the period mentions newly-retired numbers, but since the final weekend of the 1952 season, no other Pirate has worn Billy Meyer's No. 1.

Interesting stuff...glad you mentioned him in the first place.

 

[BigDDude]

Interesting stuff...glad you mentioned him in the first place.

I am just happy that you don't seem to think I am stepping on your toes or stealing your thunder here.

 

[BigDDude]

Here are my adds for today in baseball history for 8/8.

1941 In New York, Les Brown and his Orchestra record “Joltin’ Joe” for Columbia Records. The song about Yankee outfielder Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak will be played incessantly on radio stations across the country eventually reaching number 12 on the charts.

1954 Gil Hodges comes to bat three times in the eighth inning when the Dodgers score 13 runs en route to a 20-7 rout of the Reds at Ebbets Field. The first baseman will go 1-for 3 in the frame with a leadoff triple, but will be responsible for all three outs when he hits into a double play and flies out to centerfield to end the Brooklyn barrage.

1957 Club President Walter O'Malley makes it official announcing the Dodgers will play in Los Angeles next season. The club’s departure from Brooklyn corresponds with the massive social shift taking place in the borough that finds many of its former residents leaving for the suburbs of Long Island.

1970 On Old Timers Day at the Stadium, the Yankees retire Casey Stengel’s uniform #37. The ‘Old Perfessor’s’ Bronx Bombers won seven World Series during his 12-year tenure with the team from 1949 to 1960.

1973 At Kauffman Stadium, Red Sox DH Orlando Cepeda collects four doubles in the team’s 9-4 win over the Royals. 'Cha Cha', who signed with Boston in January, was the first player since the inception of the new position to be added to a roster specifically as its designated hitter.

1988 In the first scheduled night game ever at Wrigley Field the Cubs play host to the Phillies. The game does not become official as the contest is rained out in the third inning.

1998 At the age of 41, Twins' Paul Molitor becomes the fifth player in major league history to have at least 3,000 hits and 500 steals. His 5-for-5 performance and the theft of his 500th base allows him to join Ty Cobb (4,191 hits, 892 steals), Honus Wagner (3,415, 722), Eddie Collins (3,315, 744) and Lou Brock (3,023, 938) as the only players to accomplish this milestone.

Born today - Jose (can you see) Cruz, of the Astros turns 66.

Brewers G.M Bob Melvin turns 61

And, lastly, former manager Gene Mauch died on this date back in 2005.

 

[67RedSox]

I am just happy that you don't seem to think I am stepping on your toes or stealing your thunder here.

Never would I mind anyone else contributing...it's a public Board...I'm delighted with anyone's contribution.

Another item you mentioned in a Post today is that Gene Mauch passed away on this date. I know he never went to the post-season and was at the helm when the Phillies tanked in 1964 but I consider him the best tactician among Managers I've seen in my time. I would rank him among the best Managers I have ever seen...if he played chess he must have been great at it because he was always 2 or 3 moves ahead in his thinking when he made a move. As well, when it came to the rules of the game he was ready to challenge any umpire on any call if the umpire didn't bring his A game to the park that day.

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 2002 that one of the 3rd generation Boones, Aaron, connects for 3 HRs in a game against the Padres. Two of the blasts come in Cincinnati's 9-run 1st inning. Two HRs in one inning is not a first for the family though as Aaron was only trying to keep up with his brother, Bret, who had homered twice in one inning earlier that season.
Two Home Runs in one inning by the same player, you would think, would be a rare occurrence but it has been done 58 times in MLB history. 32 players in the NL and 26 in the AL have turned the trick. Willie McCovey did it twice in 1973 and again in 1977. Andre Dawson of the Expos did it in 1978 and 1985 and Jeff King of the Pirates has also done it twice in 1995 and 1996. Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays is the last to do it in a game a couple of weeks ago.
Staying with HRs for a moment there have been 6 players to hit a HR in at least 40 different MLB parks:
Sammy Sosa 45
Ken Griffey Jr. 44
Fred McGriff 43
Ellis Burks 41
Mike Piazza 40
Gary Sheffield 40

It was on this date in 2001 that the Rockies defeated the Cubs‚ 14-5‚ despite 3 successive HRs by Sammy Sosa. Winning pitcher Mike Hampton ties the NL record for HRs in a season by a pitcher by hitting his 7th. The ML record is 9.

It was on this date in 1995 that the Sesame Street pitchers do their thing at Candlestick Park. The Giants defeat the Pirates‚ 4-3. The winning pitcher is William VanLandingham and the loser‚ Jason Christiansen. The 25 letters in the surnames of the 2 pitchers of record is the most ever in a ML game.

Felipe Alou was both a very good player and Manager at the ML level. Twice he led the NL in Basehits. In 1966 he banged out 218 and in 1968 he had 210. He could also hit for power as he had over 200 lifetime HRs. In 1966 the Dodgers win the NL Pennant behind a great pitching staff led by Koufax with 27 Wins in his swan song season. It was a close race though as the Giants and Pirates make it interesting into the final week of the season. Felipe Alou, playing for the Braves, did all he could to slow the Dodgers down. On this date in 1966 he hits a lead-off HR off of Koufax as the Braves win the game 2-1. The next day he’ll do the same thing to Don Drysdale, lead off the game with a HR as the Braves win 3-1.

It was on this date in 1901 that Phil Todt was born. He might be unique as far as MLB players go in two respects. The first is he might be the only player the Yankees considered trading Lou Gehrig for. In early 1925, the New York Yankees offered to trade Lou Gehrig to the Boston Red Sox for first baseman Phil Todt to repay Boston for the blockbuster Babe Ruth trade a few years earlier. The Red Sox turned the Yankees down. The second is he might be the only MLB player who was born in a graveyard, lived in that graveyard and is buried in that graveyard. His father was a cemetery worker, in fact was the superintendent of St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Cemetery Grounds in St. Louis. The family lived on the Grounds and Phil was literally born and lived there. When he died he was buried there.

 

[67RedSox]

What were you doing at age 21. Did you know that by the time he was 21 Harmon Killebrew was in his 5th Major League season as a player. It was on this date in 1971 that he hit his 500th Home Run.

Say Orval Overall fast three times. Tough to do isn’t it. About the only thing tougher was hitting against him when he was pitching. It was on this date in 1908 that he and Christy Mathewson hooked up in a classic pitching duel in New York…Cubs versus Giants. 20,000 fans‚ the largest crowd to ever to watch a Monday game at the Polo Grounds. Neither pitcher disappoints as the Giants win 3-2‚ but Overall allows just one hit in the loss.
Orval Overall is just one of those names Baseball fans just don’t remember although he sports the 15th best career ERA (2.23) in MLB history. Even Cubs fans may not recall that he remains the last man to be on the mound for the last out in a World Series clinching game for the Chicago Cubs…after all, it happened in 1908.

The same day that Mathewson and Overall were hooking up in New York Odell Hale was born in Louisiana. He played the infield (2B, 3B) for the Cleveland Indians during the 1930's but it was his play at 3B in one game that gained him notoriety when he took part in a September 7, 1935, bases-loaded triple play against the Red Sox. Joe Cronin hit a screaming liner to third base, hit so hard that Hale couldn't get his glove up in time. The ball hit off his forehead and, seeing the misplay, the runners took off. But the ball deflected into shortstop Bill Knickerbocker's glove; he threw to second base, where Roy Hughes stepped on the bag and threw to first, doubling up both baserunners. Needless to say, any number of stories on the “that’s using your head” theme followed the triple play. Al Schacht said, “The most astonishing thing was that the ball wasn’t damaged in the slightest.” Hale himself had suffered no ill effects; the very next day, he hit a game-tying homer and the New York Times noted that he was still “Hale and hearty” in the immediate aftermath.

Speaking of pitchers of note like Orval Overall who toiled more than a few years ago Larry Corcoran was born on this date in 1859. 1859 was quite a year. Oregon was admitted as the 33rd U.S. State, A Tale of Two Cities was first published and Big Ben rings for the first time…however back to Corcoran. His first 5 years in the NL starting in 1880 were fabulous as he averaged 34 Wins a season and then his arm went dead and he won only 14 more the rest of his career. He became the first pitcher to throw three no-hitters, setting a record that would stand until 1965, when Sandy Koufax threw his fourth no-hitter. He is also famous for being one of baseball's very few switch-pitchers. A natural righty, Corcoran could and did pitch as a lefty as well. He is credited with creating the first method of signaling pitches to his catcher,which consisted of moving a wad of chewing tobacco in his mouth to indicate what pitch would be thrown.

Now, how about this. It was on this date in 1944 at Crosley Field, Braves' hurler Charles 'Red' Barrett throws only 58 pitches beating the Reds, 2-0. The nine-inning night game takes only seventy-five minutes to play.

Something I didn’t know is that on this date in 1998 At Qualcomm Stadium, Harry Wendelstedt and his son, Hunter, become the first father-son combination to umpire a ML baseball game together. Father is behind the plate calling balls and strikes, and his son, who will remain on the same crew for the remainder of the season, makes the calls at third base when the last-place Marlins beat the first place Padres, 3-2. There’s an old saying that if you can’t say something nice about someone say nothing at all. For that reason, I’ll say nothing about Harry Wendelstedt.

50 years ago today on this date in 1963… Whitey Ford beats the Angels,Dean Chance, 2-1 when the Yankees score 2 in the 9th inning. Both Ford and Chance won Cy Young Awards when there was only one Award given out...Boog Powell becomes the first oriole to hit 3 HRs in a single game.

 

[67RedSox]

Name any power pitcher you want…Randy Johnson, Clemens, Kershaw, Gooden, Lincecum, Ryan, Pedro Martinez et al. It was on this date in 2003, just 10 years ago that Kerry Wood became the quickest pitcher to strike out 1,000 batters. He did it in on this date in 2003 in Wrigley Field in his 134th game. Previously, Clemens had set the mark doing it in 143 games.

On this date in 1966 rookie Catcher, Randy Hundley, of the Chicago Cubs hits for the cycle in a game at Wrigley Field against the Astros that the Cubs win, 9-8. As he was behind the plate looking out at his teammates on the field that day 50% would end up in the HOF…Ernie Banks at 1B, Billy Williams in RF, Ron Santo at 3B and Robin Roberts on the mound. A 5th 2B Joe Morgan was playing for the Astros.

O.K., O.K. I know he never made it to the Majors. The best he achieved was AAA in 1965 but his accomplishment on this date in 1963 deserves a mention. Pitching for Auburn in a New York-Penn League game at Batavia Paul Alspach strikes out 24 Pirate batters, in 9 innings, to win 1-0.

Just as he was ready to stay in the Big Leagues for good Warren Spahn had a calling requiring him to wear a uniform of another kind and in another place…an Army uniform on the battlefields of the Western Front, the Ardennes specifically, a heavily forested region in Belgium, France and Luxembourg. Spahn was in the thick of the Battle of the Bulge… a major German offensive campaign toward the end of World War II in Europe. The surprise attack caught the Allied forces completely off guard and became the costliest battle in terms of casualties for the United States, whose forces bore the brunt of the attack, during all of World War II. The Battle lasted about a month during which there were more American soldiers killed, 19,000 than have played in the Major Leagues since their inception. Another 47,500 were wounded and 23,000 were captured or missing in action. Spahn was twice nicked by enemy bullets in the abdomen and head but survived. After missing 3½ ML seasons he returned to pitch in the Majors in the middle of June 1946. It was for that reason he didn’t have his first 20 Win season until 1947 when he was 26. He was still winning 20 games a season when he was 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40 in 1961. It was on this date in 1961 that he picked up Win #300 against the Cubs, 2-1.

Ah, the Dodger-Giant rivalry. It was on this date in 1962 that the Dodgers protest the wetting down of the field at Candlestick, a tactic they claim is to stop Maury Wills. The Giants win 5-4, but the watering ploy earns Giants Manager, Alvin Dark, the nickname of The Swamp Fox.

 

[67RedSox]

The end of an era. It was on this date in 1963, 50 years ago today that Stan Musial announces he will retire at the end of the year.

Better late than never. It was on this date in 1984 that Pee Wee Reese, Don Drysdale and Rick Ferrell were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Ferrell had to wait 32 years, Reese 21 years and Drysdale 10 years after they became eligible for election. Why Ferrell was kept out for so long is a mystery.

What’s in a name. Have you ever wondered where MLB teams nicknames came from…seldom out of the blue.

Colorado Rockies: When team officials announced that Denver's expansion team would begin play in 1993 as the Colorado Rockies, some fans couldn't help but question why the team was adopting the same nickname as the city's former NHL franchise, which averaged an abysmal 19 wins per season from 1976 to 1982. "I think for us to compare a failed hockey franchise 10 years ago is nonsense,"￾ Rockies CEO John Antonucci said. "We feel very strongly that Colorado Rockies might be one of the strongest names in all of professional sports… it's strong, enduring, majestic "￾ According to surveys conducted by Denver's daily newspapers, fans preferred the nickname Bears, which had been used by Denver's most famous minor league team.

Detroit Tigers: Detroit's original minor league baseball team was officially known as the Wolverines. The club was also referred to as the Tigers, the nickname for the members of Michigan's oldest military unit, the 425th National Guard infantry regiment, which fought in the Civil War and Spanish-American War. When Detroit joined the newly formed American League in 1901, the team received formal permission from the regiment, which was known as the Detroit Light Guard, to use its symbol and nickname.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Los Angeles gained a second major league team in 1961 when the Los Angeles Angels entered the American League. The nickname had been used by Los Angeles' Pacific Coast League team from 1903-1957. Anything that comes after that is just silliness. The team was renamed the California Angels in 1965 and became the Anaheim Angels after the Walt Disney Company took control of the team in 1997. While the team's lease with the city requires that Anaheim be a part of the team name, owner Arte Moreno changed the team's name to include Los Angeles in 2005 in hopes of tapping into the L.A. media market. The result is one of the most absurd names in all of professional sports.

New York Mets: Team officials asked fans to choose a nickname from among 10 finalists when New York was awarded an expansion National League franchise in 1961. The finalists were Avengers, Bees, Burros, Continentals, Jets, Mets, NYBS, Rebels, Skyliners, and Skyscrapers. The team received 2,563 mailed entries, which included 9,613 suggestions, and 644 different names. Mets was the resounding winner, followed by two nicknames that weren't among the team's 10 suggestions—Empires and Islanders. Another reason was the nickname's historical baseball association. The New York Metropolitans, often called the Mets, played in the American Association from 1883 to 1888.

New York Yankees: In 1903, the original Baltimore Orioles moved to New York, where they became the Highlanders. As was common at the time, the team, which played in the American League, was also known as the New York Americans. New York Press editor Jim Price coined the nickname Yanks, or Yankees, in 1904 because it was easier to fit in headlines.

Pittsburgh Pirates:After the Players' League collapsed in 1890, the National League's Pittsburgh club signed two players, including Lou Bierbauer, whom the Philadelphia Athletics had forgotten to place on their reserve list. A Philadelphia sportswriter claimed that Pittsburgh "pirated away Bierbauer"￾ and the Pirates nickname was born.
San Diego Padres:When San Diego was awarded an expansion team in 1969, the club adopted the nickname of the city's Pacific Coast League team, the Padres. The nickname, which is Spanish for father or priest, was a reference to San Diego's status as the first Spanish Mission in the United States California.

St. Louis Cardinals: In 1899, the St. Louis Browns became the St. Louis Perfectos. That season, Willie McHale, a columnist for the St. Louis Republic reportedly heard a woman refer to the team's red stockings as a "lovely shade of Cardinal."￾ McHale included the nickname in his column and it was an instant hit among fans. The team officially changed its nickname in 1900.

 

[67RedSox]

During the Dead Ball Era or until Babe Ruth came along to liven up the game you could pretty much count on Honus Wagner leading the NL in batting and Ty Cobb leading the AL. In the 13 seasons between 1907 and 1919 Cobb won 12 Batting Crowns and Wagner won 8 in the 12 year period from 1900 to 1911. There was only one pitcher who gave Wagner fits and that was Jack Taylor who was the greatest "iron man" pitcher of the 20th century. He hurled 187 consecutive complete games, 1,727 innings, from June 20, 1901, to August 9, 1906. It was on this date in 1906 that Taylor was replaced by a reliever for the first time in over 5 years when the Brooklyn Superbas knock him out of the game in the third inning. Pitching mostly for losing teams, Taylor relied on pitch location and guile to compile a lifetime record of 152-139 with a 2.66 ERA. "Corner working is his forte," wrote one reporter. "He mixes up pitches. Fast and slow come along with almost the same motion." Ed Reulbach, who played with Taylor on the 1906-07 Cubs, claimed that his veteran teammate had a mastery over Honus Wagner. "Had Wagner been obliged to bat against Old Jack Taylor all through a season his average would have shrunk to .150," said Reulbach. "No other pitcher had Wagner's number as Taylor did. He would make Wagner so sore that the Dutchman frequently shifted and tried to hit left-handed. Honus simply could not guess Taylor right and he knew it." Retiring from baseball after the 1913 season, Taylor returned to his native Ohio and settled in Murray City where he worked as a coal miner until his health failed. The former "iron man" died at age 64 on March 4, 1938. I wonder how many of today’s players will retire from the game to become a coal miner.

It was on this date in 1987 that the Cardinals outfield sets a ML record by failing to record a single putout in a 4-2, 13-inning win over the Phillies. The 1905 St. Louis Browns, who played an 11-inning game with no outfield putouts, held the previous mark. Even Wood and Clemens, when they were striking out 20 batters in a game, had fly balls to the outfield for outs.

It was on this date in 2006 that Greg Maddux sets a ML record becoming the first pitcher to make at least 25 starts in 20 consecutive seasons. Maddux had shared the record of 25 in 19 straight with Cy Young, Warren Spahn and Tom Glavine. Glavine would match that mark the following season. A record like that goes under the radar but is truly amazing.

Something happened on this date in 2005 that had not happened in a ML game since 1960. I can’t believe it has happened at all. Each of the three Dodger outfielders make an error on successive plays in the 2nd inning. Left fielder Rickie Ledee starts with a throwing error‚ RF Jose Cruz‚ Jr.‚ follows with a fielding error on the next play. One play later‚ CF Jason Werth completes the trifecta by bobbling a ball for the third outfield error of the inning.

It was on this date in 1995 that Mickey Mantle passed away…18 years ago.

It was on this date in 1947 that Hall of Famer (selected by Veterans Committee in 2006) Willard Brown, became the first black player to hit a HR in the American league. The outfielder was one of the most feared hitters in the ***** Leagues, but he was an absolute wrecking ball in the Puerto Rican Winter League. He won the Triple Crown twice there, in 1947-48 and 1949-50. Unfortunately, he played just 21 games in the Major Leagues, all during the span of a month in 1947. He had problems with racism and the poor quality of his club, the St. Louis Browns. ***** League historians Larry Lester and Sammy Miller recorded the story of Brown who had a few nicknames, including one that was less flattering. “Brown is what we called a Sunday player,” claimed former teammate Sammie Haynes. “Willard liked to play on Sundays when we had a full house. If the stands were full you couldn’t get him out. He could play baseball as good as he wanted to. If the stands were half empty, you might find Brown loafing that day. In fact, he didn’t play on rainy or cloudy days. That’s why we called him Sonny. He loved to play on sunny days and before big crowds. And he was a real crowd pleaser.” Although his career in the Majors amounted to a mere 21 games he continued to play baseball wherever he could for another 10 years finally hanging up the cleats in 1957. He lived until 1996 but little is known of his life after he stopped playing baseball other than for the last 7 years of his life he suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease and died in a VA Hospital in Houston being a veteran serving in Europe at the height of World War II. In the Army, Brown was among those in the five thousand ships that crossed the English Channel during the Normandy invasion.

On this date in 1963, 50 years ago Ernie Broglio of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches the Cardinals to a 4-2 win over the Houston Colts en route to an 18 Win season. In 1964 the Cubs like Broglio enough to work a deal with the Cardinals to obtain him. The deal brings Lou Brock to the Cardinals from the Cubs. Broglio wins 7 games, total, for the Cubs in 1964, 1965 and 1966 before his career ends. Gee, I wonder who got the better end of that trade.

Also on this date 50 years ago today Dave DeBusschere pitches a Shutout for the Chicago White Sox as they defeat the Cleveland Indians 3-0. It’s DeBusschere’s final ML decision as he decides to trade a baseball for a basketball. 20 years later he’s in the NBA’s HOF so I guess it was a good career decision.

 

[67RedSox]

Looking at today’s birthdays here’s a few guys worthy of mentioning:

Joel Horlen was born on this date in 1937 and celebrates his 76th birthday today in San Antonio, Texas. During his career he was known as “Hard Luck Horlen” and he might be one the best pitchers with a losing record (116-117) in Major League history. While Koufax was dominating the National League in the 1960’s Joel Horlen was not dominating but was the best pitcher in the American league. Horlen led all American League pitchers with a 2.32 ERA over a five-year period (1964-68) as the right-handed ace of the Chicago White Sox. In those years the White Sox led the AL in Team Pitching in 4 of those 5 years. Alas, they had no offense to go with their pitching, fielding and defense otherwise Joel Horlen might have made an appearance or two in a World Series and people today wouldn’t say, Who?, when his name is mentioned.

There’s a couple of guys Rockies’ fans will remember from their time in Colorado…Esmil Rogers was born on this date in 1985 and is still an occasional starter for the Toronto Blue Jays this season. Perhaps that’s only because Toronto starting pitching has been decimated by injuries for the second season in a row nevertheless there he is still hanging on. Juan Pierre was born on this date in 1977. He’s toughing it out in Miami this year but has surpassed the 2,200 basehit and 600 SB marks this season.

It was on this date in 1971, before 30,678 Pittsburgh fans, Cardinals ace Bob Gibson, 35, hurls a no-hitter an 11-0 shellacking of the Pirates. Gibson walks three and strikes out 10, and paces the offense with three RBI. Tim McCarver was behind the plate more often when Gibson was pitching than any other catcher…197 of the 482 starts Gibson made in his career. Second was Ted Simmons who was behind the plate for 129 of Gibson’s starts and it was Simmons who was behind the plate for the no-hitter.
Incidentally, Gibson won 9 consecutive Gold Gloves…not a record though for pitchers as Greg Maddux won 13 consecutive and in the AL Jim Kaat won 14 consecutive.

It was on this date in 1932 that Jack Quinn wins his last ML game at the age of 49 becoming the oldest pitcher to win a ML game until Jamie Moyer came along in 2012. There will always be some doubt about that as no one knows for sure when Jack Quinn was actually born…it could be 3-4 years earlier than the generally accepted date of July 1, 1883. You see, Jack Quinn’s personal life was a mystery and he liked it that way. We do not know for certain when or where he was born, the national origin of his forebears, or even his birth name. We know him as Jack Quinn, and the reference books agree that he was born John Quinn Picus, which very likely was not the case. They also agree that he first saw the light of day in the anthracite coal mining region of Pennsylvania, but they differ on the town or the year of his birth. Among four editions of the Baseball Encyclopedia, no two of them gave the same birth date and birthplace. As for his age, it was a popular topic of speculation among baseball writers as Quinn was getting along in years. Many were of the opinion that he was at least three or four years older than the age given in most record books. Quinn did nothing to end the controversy. “I’ll tell my age when I quit,” he once said. “Nobody’s going to know before that.” Eventually, the old spitballer did retire, but he reneged on his promise and even then he did not reveal his true age.

 

[67RedSox]

In our time…at least in my time…there have been 5 MLB players do something special and that is score 6 Runs in a single game. Frank Torre, Joe’s brother, did it in 1957 with Spike Owen doing it in 1986, Edgardo Alfonso did it in 1999, Shawn Green in 2002 and Joe Randa in 2004 being the others. That, however, is not the record and I doubt any of us were around when the record of 7 Runs in a single game was set on this date in 1884. The record was set by a Guy, not a guy, who won 52 games that year as a pitcher, tossed 72 Complete Games that season and worked 670 Innings…his name, Guy Hecker of the Louisville Colonels. Now I know that’s a name that doesn’t roll off too many people’s tongues but he was a player who made his mark in the Majors, probably a bigger mark than 99% of all MLB players in the history of the game. Hecker has been regarded as the best combination of hitter and pitcher during the nineteenth century, maybe of all-time. If he wasn’t pitching he played 1B and in 1886 won a Batting Crown with an average of .341.

It was on this date in 1916 that in a classic pitching duel, Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox beat Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators, 1-0, in 13 innings at Fenway Park.

When I was a kid growing up in the 1960’s Gillette and MLB seemed to go hand in hand and I can still remember those Gillette commercials particularly during the World Series:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i_cT_6H93s]1954 Boston Pops - Look Sharp Be Sharp - YouTube[/ame]

There’s a reason for that. On radio, Gillette was MLB exclusive World Series sponsor for 32 years starting in 1939. That radio sponsorship still exists today (Gillette still exists as a Brand but was acquired by Proctor & Gamble in 2005) extending the longest running sponsorship association of any U.S. sports league into its ninth decade. The 1939 agreement between MLB and Gillette was for 6 years and when renewed on this date in 1945 Commissioner Happy Chandler sells the World Series radio rights for $150,000 to Gillette, an unheard of sum. When television came along in the late 1940’s Gillette also signed on as the exclusive sponsor.
In 1948 Gillette paid $175,000.00 for the exclusive rights to the World Series between the Boston Braves and Cleveland Indians. No station in the country telecast the entire six games because the technology linking the East Coast to the Midwest was not yet available. The games in Boston were telecast in the Northeast, while the games in Cleveland were shown only in the Midwest.
In 1949 Gillette paid $800,000.00 for the right to broadcast the World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the NY Yankees. An estimated 10 million people watched the Series broadcast only in the Northeast and Midwest.
In 1950 Gillette again paid $800,000.00 to broadcast the Series between Philadelphia and the Yankees. Gillette sold the rights to broadcast the games to any network or station willing to show the games. NBC, CBS and ABC all bought in for $350,000.00 each. In NYC the Series was available on four different stations. The Series wasn’t available west of Omaha, Nebraska or south of Jackonsville, Florida.
In 1951 the World Series was shown on the West Coast for the first time. On September 6th it was announced that the 1951 World Series would be the first sporting event ever telecast from coast to coast. However, events proved otherwise as the Giants and Dodgers tied for 1st place and a 3 game Playoff was necessary to determine the Pennant. That Playoff instead of the World Series became the first sporting event telecast coast to coast.
Gillette paid $6 Million to sponsor the World Series for the six years 1951 to 1956. Starting in 1951 the broadcast rights to the Series were sold to only one network, NBC. NBC had exclusive rights to the World Series from 1951 to 1975. Although the 1951 Fall Classic was telecast in California, the event still wasn’t available in the future ML cities of Denver, Seattle, Phoenix, Miami and Tampa-St. Pete’s. The first truly national broadcast was the 1952 Series between the Yankees and Dodgers.
In 1954 Havana received live television coverage of the Series between the Indians and Giants. A Cuban television network chartered a DC-3 to fly over the Gulf of Mexico to serve as a relay for the transmission from a station in Miami.
The 1955 Series was the first to be telecast in colour albeit to only a fraction of the 180 stations in the U.S. and the 20 in Canada…just as well though because the technology for colour was in its infancy.
In 1971 the beginning of the end for any veteran baseball fan began when the 4th game of that Series was telecast at night. In 1972 all three weeknight games were telecast at night. The first weekend game to be televised at night was in 1976 on a cold Sunday night from Cincinnati. The first World Series in which every game was at night was in 1985.

We’ve talked about it before and I’m reluctant to mention it again but on this date in 1989, in his second start since returning to the Majors after cancer treatment, Giants southpaw Dave Dravecky breaks his pitching arm while throwing to Tim Raines in the sixth inning of a 3-2 San Francisco win. Dravecky will not pitch again in the Majors. After two more surgeries, his left arm continued to deteriorate, and on June 18, 1991, less than two years after his comeback with the Giants, Dravecky's left arm and shoulder were amputated. After recovering from the surgery, Dravecky went on to begin a new career as a motivational speaker.

It was on this date in 1962 that Don Demeter of the Phillies hits 2 Homeruns in a game against the Mets at the Polo Grounds. The name of the pitcher he hits the Homeruns off is Bob Lee however Demeter’s Homeruns were not both hit off the same pitcher. The explanation is that the Mets have two different pitchers with the name of Bob Lee. The first HR is hit off of Bob Lee, the starting pitcher who would win WS Rings with the Dodgers and Pirates and the second HR is hit off of Bob Lee, the reliever who’s in the final season of a 5 year ML career.

 

[BigDDude]

Let me add just a few more items from today in baseball history.

1970 With the bases loaded and one gone in the bottom of the ninth with a 2-1 lead, Tom Seaver strikes out Bob Tillman for the apparent second out, but Jerry Grote's passed ball allows Tony Gonzalez to score the tying run for the Braves. In his effort to cut down the runner at home, the Mets catcher overthrows Seaver, who is covering the plate, bringing in Rico Carty home from third base with the winning tally giving Atlanta a stunning 3-2 victory, thanks to the two runs being scored on a called third strike.

1975 Earl Weaver is ejected twice by umpire Ron Luciano. The fiery Baltimore manager is thrown out in the first game of a doubleheader and is tossed again before the start of the second game.

1990 Phillie southpaw Terry Mulholland faces just twenty-seven hitters no-hitting the Giants 6-0 as a double play erases the only batter to reach base due to third baseman Charlie Hayes' throwing error. It is the record eighth no-hitter of the season surpassing the previous record of seven set in 1908 and tied in 1917.

1993 Nolan Ryan wins the 324th and last victory of his 27-year career when the Rangers beat Cleveland, 6-4. The 46 year-old right-hander, who will lose his his next four games, sees his career come to an end two starts sooner than he planned when a torn ligament forces him to leave the mound in the first inning in what will prove to be his worst big league outing and final major league appearance.

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 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 Babino's 6,921.

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 have been hurled in the same year. "King Felix's" 1-0 victory over the Rays at Safeco Field is 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.

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

Born today -

Tony C's younger brother Bobby Coniglario is 66 today.

Twins manger Tom Kelly turns 63.

This info was news to me. Bubby Brister is 51. Yes, THAT bubby Brister.

Walter "Bubby" Brister was drafted in the 4th round of the 1981 amateur draft by the Detroit Tigers. Brister spent one year in the minors with the Bristol Tigers. An outfielder, he fielded .906 and hit .180/.289/.243. He stole 5 bases in 7 tries and walked 16 times in 39 games.
Brister then went to college and played quarterback on the gridiron. He was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1986 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and spent 15 seasons in the NFL.

Scott Brosius turns 47

 

[67RedSox]

BigDDude...good stuff. I love the Seaver story. 2 runs score and he loses the game by striking out a batter. How strange the Game is sometimes. I never really cared for the All-American boy.
Many felt Luciano was a terrible umpire but I liked his style. Weaver and Luciano never got along, must have been their personalities. Luciano gave Weaver the heave-ho 12 times in the Majors and 4 times in the Minors. Weaver got tossed in both games of a doubleheader three times.
To be honest I thought Billy Conigliaro had passed away for some reason...glad to know he's alive and likely living in the Boston area. The story of Tony C. is nothing but tragic.

 

[BigDDude]

BigDDude...good stuff. I love the Seaver story. 2 runs score and he loses the game by striking out a batter. How strange the Game is sometimes. I never really cared for the All-American boy.
Many felt Luciano was a terrible umpire but I liked his style. Weaver and Luciano never got along, must have been their personalities. Luciano gave Weaver the heave-ho 12 times in the Majors and 4 times in the Minors. Weaver got tossed in both games of a doubleheader three times.
To be honest I thought Billy Conigliaro had passed away for some reason...glad to know he's alive and likely living in the Boston area. The story of Tony C. is nothing but tragic.

Again, just glad to be able to contribute to your now long running gig. I know this does not get a lot of responses. Threads like this tend not to. IMO, the goal with this is to get reads, and get people to learn about the past of this great game of ours.

 

[67RedSox]

Again, just glad to be able to contribute to your now long running gig. I know this does not get a lot of responses. Threads like this tend not to. IMO, the goal with this is to get reads, and get people to learn about the past of this great game of ours.

BigDDude...I agree 100%. Maybe there's only 1 topic in 20 that someone finds of interest but that 1 topic might be enough to spark someone into looking a little further into something and getting more interested in the history of the Game. Your mention of Billy Meyer of the Pirates in the last 10 days or so caused me to look into someone I had never heard of and as a result I learned about the guy and took a couple of side trips into the history of the Pirates that I otherwise would not have...it proved very interesting.

 

[67RedSox]

Two sad notes to begin…it was on this date in 1948, 65 years ago today that Babe Ruth died, and

It was on this date in 1920 at the Polo Grounds Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman, 29, is beaned by a Carl Mays pitch. A right-handed batter who crowds the plate, Chapman freezes and fails to get out of the way of the submarine delivery. He is carried from the field and he dies the next day from a fractured skull.

It was on this date in 1969…Seattle's Sicks Stadium shakes when 250-pound Boog Powell legs out an inside-the-park homer in the 9th against ex-teammate Steve Barber. It really isn't that vital‚ as Baltimore romps 15-3 but it would have been a joy to watch.

Over the years you’ve probably heard the term ‘electrifying catch’ dozens if not hundreds of times. It was on this date in 1909 when one of the Game’s greatest (and unknown) outfielders made such a catch. The venue for the catch was Forbes Field and the main character in the story is Red Murray. Both Forbes Field and Red Murray, in their own right, are worth talking about…so I will. (You can cringe now)

Forbes Field, in my opinion, is one of the great old ballparks and it’s an example of what separates Baseball from any other team sport when it comes to historical importance in the life of the United States and its people. It was demolished in 1971, or most of it was, and that’s a shame but enough of it remains to ensure for years to come it’s majesty will not be forgotten.
It was the first of the ‘modern’ ballparks to be built because it was constructed of concrete and steel, not wood. The first game was played on June 30, 1909 before a standing room only crowd of 30,338… a record for a baseball game to that time. On opening day, ticket prices ranged from $1.25 (equal to $31.94 today) for box seats and $1 (equal to $25.55 today) for reserved grand stand sections; temporary bleachers were set up for the occasion and cost $0.50. Ticket prices were considered high for the day.
The owner of the Pirates, who built the ballpark, hated cheap home runs and vowed he'd have none in his park, which led him to design a large playing field for Forbes Field. The original distances to the outfield fence in left, center, and right field were 360 feet , 462 feet and 376 feet respectively. Although Forbes Field developed a reputation as a "pitcher-friendly" ballpark, there was never a no-hitter thrown in the more than 4,700 games at the stadium.
Adjacent to Forbes Field was the University of Pittsburgh (“Pitt”) and for the first 15 years of its life Forbes Field was home for Pitt’s football team. When it’s age started to show and discussions began about replacing it the University bought Forbes Field in 1958 and agreed to lease it to the Pirates until a replacement could be built.
I mentioned above that Forbes Field, or most of it, was demolished in 1971. True. There is a portion still standing and it’s the left-center and centerfield brick wall with "457 FT" and "436 FT" painted on… it still stands at its original location, along with the stadium's flagpole, adjacent to the University of Pittsburgh's Mervis and Posvar Halls. Despite not technically being the correct section of wall where Mazeroski's famous HR in the 1960 World Series cleared it is often locally referred to as "Mazeroski's Wall." This portion of the wall remained after Forbes Field was torn down, and was refurbished in 2006 in time for the All-Star Game hosted in Pittsburgh. In addition, a wooden replica of an entrance to the stadium, including a ticket window and players entrance, was constructed and placed near the remaining wall in 2006. A ceremony is held each October 13 at the outfield wall to listen to a taped broadcast of the final game of the 1960 World Series. The tradition was started by Squirrel Hill resident Saul Finkelstein, who at 1:05 pm on October 13, 1985, sat alone at the base of the flagpole and listened to the NBC radio broadcast of Chuck Thompson and Jack Quinlan. Finkelstein continued the tradition for eight more years, until word spread and other people began attending in 1993. On October 13, 2000—the game's 40th anniversary—over 600 people attended to listen to the broadcast, including Mazeroski himself. For the 50th anniversary, on October 13, 2010, a plaque honouring Mazeroski was dedicated and more than 1,000 attended the broadcast, including Mazeroski and several other former Pirates. I think this is the stuff that separates Baseball from all other sports when it comes to its impact in the history of the United States.

Well that takes care of Forbes Field now on to the aforementioned, Red Murray. "Red Murray was for years noted as one of the greatest outfielders in the National League," wrote J.C. Kofoed in the April 1924 issue of Baseball Magazine. "His throwing arm was the best ever, his ground covering ability and sureness of eye were classic. Furthermore, he was remarkably fast as a base runner, and noted as a batter as well." In his seven seasons as a regular, Murray led NL outfielders in home runs, runs batted in, stolen bases, and assists a total of 16 times. Despite his impressive statistics in power hitting, baserunning, and fielding, he remains one of the least-recognized stars of the Deadball Era. Red Murray became the cleanup hitter of John McGraw's juggernaut Giants of 1911-13, winners of three consecutive NL pennants. From 1909-12 Murray ranked third in the NL in total RBIs, trailing only Honus Wagner and Sherry Magee. He and Wagner tied for the most home runs in the majors from 1907 through 1909 (21). Murray's combination of power and speed places him in some heady company. Since 1900 only 13 players have finished in the top five in the major leagues in home runs and stolen bases during the same season. Willie Mays (1955) and Hank Aaron (1963) are the only players to accomplish this feat in the past 70 years. Only three men did it twice: Honus Wagner (1907-08); Red Murray (1908-09); and Ty Cobb (1909-10).

O.K., now to the ‘electrifying catch’. On a gloomy and extremely overcast day at newly-opened Forbes Field, Red Murray's spectacular grab of Dots Miller's long drive becomes a truly electrifying catch. Just as the Giants' outfielder snags the ball on a full run in deep right-center field, a bolt of lightning illuminates the field and creates an a eerie, but unforgettable split-second image.

 

[67RedSox]

This year Casper Wells either feels terribly popular or terribly unwanted. He went to Spring Training as a Seattle Mariner and 10 days into the season he was selected off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays. That’s a move of 2,057 miles. Less than two weeks later the Oakland Athletics purchase him from Toronto. That’s another 2,246 mile move but at least he ends up only 673 miles from where he started in Seattle. But wait, 7 days later the Chicago White Sox want him and buy him from Oakland. Another move East but at least this one is under 2,000 miles at only 1,833 miles. The White Sox like him so much they even use him as a pitcher but come August the Phillies claim him off waivers and bring him 677 miles further East. The way his season has been going he may well end up with someone other than the Phillies before the season is over.

On this date in 2001 the Braves and Giants hook up for a game where Tony Bennett left his heart. The 41,000 fans in attendance were treated to a real pitching gem Greg Maddux for the Braves versus Livan Hernandez. With 2 runs in the 7th the Braves eke out a 2-1 win. The interesting stat in the game for me is that in the bottom of the 3rd inning Livan Hernandez, the Giant’s pitcher, reaches 1st Base on an error by the Braves 3B thereby snapping a streak of 8 straight At Bats with a base hit for him.

On this date in 1967 Reggie Jackson hits his first Major league HR and on this date in 1985 he hits his 522nd to move ahead of both Willie McCovey and Ted Williams on the All-Time HR list.

It was on this date in 1937 in Cincinnati that the Cardinals beat the Reds with the final out being recorded at 12:02 a.m. making it the first ML game ever completed after midnight or which started on one day and finished the next. Unfortunately, for those of us in the East that is now pretty much the M.O. for any World Series game. How I will envy 4thefences out in Morro Bay come October.

It was on this date in 1929 that Bobby Reeves hits a leadoff homer off Lefty Stewart for the only score of the game as the Red Sox edge the Browns‚ 1-0. Not significant I know but interesting that the next AL game in which a leadoff homer is the only score won't come until 1976 almost 50 years later.

On this date in 1977 Mike Maroth was born and in the event you forgot... he was the last ML pitcher to have a 20 Loss season when he went 9-21 for the 43-119 Detroit Tigers in 2003.

Alex Cole who played CF for the Rockies in their inaugural game in 1993 was born on this date in 1965.

100 years ago…on this date in 1913 one of Detroit’s All-Time feared sluggers, not only of the 1930’s and 1940’s when he played but of all time, Rudy York, was born. In his 9 seasons with the Tigers he averaged 104 RBI’s and 26 HR’s a season. His problem was he had a wooden glove and finding a position where he could play and not hurt you too much was the Tigers problem. Always threatening at the plate, the 6'1" 210-lb York overcame those defensive troubles and jibes at his ancestry (he was half American Indian) to become a productive ML first baseman. As MVP of the Texas League in 1935 and the American Association in 1936, York was trapped behind the Tigers' first baseman Hank Greenberg, who was AL MVP himself in '35. As a rookie in 1937, York put together one of the greatest months in baseball history, breaking Babe Ruth's record for home runs in one month with 18 in August, while driving in 49 runs, another ML one-month record. He finished at .307 with 35 HR and 103 RBI in only 375 at-bats while splitting time between catcher and third base. When Mickey Cochrane suffered a career-ending skull fracture, York became Detroit's everyday catcher, but by 1940 Tiger management realized York belonged at first base. They paid Greenberg a bonus to move to left field, and he hit 41 home runs that year. York added 33, and the Tigers won the pennant.
Greenberg left for WWII in 1941, leaving York to supply the Tigers' power, but he slipped to 27 and 21 HR in 1941-42, although he hit three in one game on September 1, 1941. York rebounded in 1943 to lead the AL in both HR and RBI, but fell below 20 the next two years. When the Tigers switched Greenberg back to 1B at the end of his career, York was traded to the Red Sox in 1946.
York was never a defensive whiz, leading AL first basemen in errors three times and prompting one sportswriter to quip, "Rudy York is part Indian and part first baseman." He was, however, extremely dangerous with the bases loaded, belting 12 career grand slams, including two in one game July 27, 1946, a game in which he drove in ten runs.

 

[67RedSox]

If still standing Braves Field in Boston would be 98 years old as it opened on this date in 1915. It deserves some recognition as until Yankee Stadium was opened in 1923 it was MLB’s largest ballpark as far as both seating capacity (40,000) and in the dimensions of the playing field. I don’t believe any ML park ever rivalled it for playing field size. It was home to the Boston Braves, the oldest of all MLB teams from 1915 until 1952 when the Braves left Boston for Milwaukee. When they left Boston University bought the ballpark and eventually demolished most of the old field but did retain some of the stands and outfield wall and incorporate them into Nickerson Field, where Boston University’s soccer, lacrosse, and other sports teams play their home games.
In December 1912, James Gaffney bought the former Allston Golf Club, off Commonwealth Avenue, to build a modern ballpark for his National League Boston Braves. Gaffney erected a new style concrete-and-steel stadium to replace the team’s old fire-prone wooden home in Boston’s South End. It was the site of the longest game (26 innings) in big league history, and the home field of Boston’s first black ML’er in 1950 (yes, almost a decade before Red Sox infielder Pumpsie Green). Fans watched up-and-coming pitcher Babe Ruth take the mound here in the 1916 World Series, and they watched him leave the batter’s box as an over-the-hill slugger during the Depression.
What most stood out was the size of the field itself. From home plate, it was 402 feet to the left and right field walls, and a Herculean 550 feet to deepest center field—far larger than any park then or now (center field distances range from as low as 390 feet to 435 feet, tops). But Gaffney wanted to see a lot of inside-the-park home runs. This made more sense at the time, when conditions favored pitching, defense, and base running strategy. In those days—the “dead ball” era—a single ball would be used (often surreptitiously smeared with spit or jelly) for an entire game or several games. Home runs were rare, and pitching duels were common, such as the one that first brought Babe Ruth to Braves Field.
In 1920, Major League Baseball banned the spitball and mandated frequent in-game ball replacements, ushering in the “live ball” era. Ruth bashed 54 homers that year with the New York Yankees. Other teams followed suit, hiring or developing their own home run hitters. And fans loved it. Cavernous Braves Field suddenly looked dated. At the advent of the lively ball era, it became clear that the fans were unhappy with Gaffney's vision of how baseball should be played. Compounding the challenges that batters faced there, the wind caromed off the river and blew infield (sometimes bringing with it a shower of coal dust from the railroad yard just beyond the outfield fence). For years, the only home runs hit there were inside-the-park jobs, not counting a few flukes, such as when a ball went through an open slat in the scoreboard or bounced out of play in fair territory (which counted as a homer then). Indeed, the first two home runs hit over the right field wall didn’t come until 1917 and 1921—both hit by the same player, Walton Cruise (first with the St. Louis Cardinals, next with the Braves). And nobody hit a ball over the left field wall until the New York Giants’ Frank Snyder in May 1925—almost 10 years after the park opened. Over the years a number of attempts were made to modify the field…inner fences were built and moved in and out on a whim but Braves Field was what it was.

A couple of days ago BigDDude mentioned Billy Conigliaro and that led to brief comments about his brother, Tony C. It was on this date in 1967 that Tony C’s left cheekbone is shattered by a fastball thrown by Angels' hurler Jack Hamilton. The 22-year old Red Sox slugger will miss the rest of 1967 and all next year, and will never come close to the Hall of Fame potential displayed during his first three seasons and his life would end prematurely at age 45 eight years after suffering a heart attack that left him with irreversible brain damage and unable to care for himself.

HOF’er Wee Willie Keeler came to the plate 672 times during the 1906 season. It was on this date in 1906 that he struck out for the 2nd time on his way to a season that saw him strikeout only 5 times in 149 games. The Rockies Roberto Mejia struck out 5 times in one game in 1993.

It was on this date in 1977 that HOF’er Don Sutton throws his 5th (and final) 1-Hitter which ties the NL record for most 1-Hitters. Steve Carleton would later set the record with six 1-Hitters. The ML record is held by Nolan Ryan and Bob Feller, both with 12. The most in one season since the Dead-Ball Era is Dave Stieb with 3 in 1988. Stieb had back-to-back starts in which he lost his No-Hitter with 2 out in the 9th inning.

A funny thing happened on this date in 1998 at Turner Field when the braves defeated the Giants, 8-4. The Braves had 9 hits in the game…every single one of those hits were doubles. Walt Weiss had two and Andres Galarraga one of those doubles.