Baseball History

[67RedSox]

“Blue Laws” were various laws first enacted by Puritan colonies in the 17th century that prohibited various activities, recreational as well as commercial, on Sunday. Sometimes the sale of certain types of merchandise was prohibited, and in some cases all retail and business activity. Connecticut may have been the first State to enact such laws. Regardless, it was these “Blue Laws” that restricted baseball from being played in the Majors until 1902 when Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis repealed theirs.
In 1907 there were two bills introduced in the State Assembly to legalize Sunday baseball however they were not successful.
In 1911 the Philadelphia Athletics led by Connie Mack petitioned for Sunday baseball there… to no avail. In 1926, the Philadelphia Athletics were selected to host the Sesquicentennial Exposition to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of American Independence. The Exposition was running a deficit so the Board of Directors voted to open on Sundays and charge an admission fee. A few days later, the Athletics announced that they would play a game on August 22, 1926 against the Chicago White Sox. Officials for the Athletics felt that there was no difference between charging people admission for Exposition amusements on Sunday, and charging a fee for a baseball game. Philadelphia mayor W. Freeland Kendrick objected to the Athletics' decision and announced that he would use police to keep Shibe Park closed. The Athletics went to court to request that Kendrick's decision be overturned. Judge Frank Smith granted the A's request and ruled on Saturday, August 21, 1926 that those seeking to prohibit Sunday baseball could only do so if "their right to quiet and undisturbed religious worship is encroached upon as a result of the game". Smith's ruling also declared that to prove the game had created "a breach of peace", the game first had to played, so the earliest legal action that could take place would be after a game was played. 12,000 spectators attended the game, where the Athletics defeated the White Sox 3-2.
Mayor Kendrick said that any Sunday game was a breach of peace and the law. He also announced that the city of Philadelphia would seek a higher court to overturn Judge Smith's ruling. The City of Philadelphia took the case to County Court, were the Court decided the baseball being played on Sunday was unlawful "worldly employment". The Athletics then announced that they would take their case to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, who ruled in September 1927, by a vote of 7 to 2, the Sunday Baseball was both "unholy" and "worldly employment". The Pennsylvania Supreme Court also threatened the Athletics, saying that if the A's continued to play on Sunday, their club corporation franchise would be revoked. In 1931, a bill to liberalize the Blue Sunday Laws was introduced by supporters in the Pennsylvania State Legislature. The bill was passed by the house 106-98, until to be soundly defeated by the State Senate. This caused A's attorney Gartling to announce plans to build a 50,000 seat stadium in Camden, New Jersey and move the team if Sunday restrictions were not eliminated. A public outcry ensued and in 1933, the House and Senate of Pennsylvania finally passed a bill that allowed local jurisdictions to vote on whether Sunday sports would be legalized in their area. When Philadelphia voted on the proposal, they easily won the right to play sports on Sunday. Sunday baseball came but it was a struggle.

It was on this date in 1917 the first Sunday game was played in New York. As part of a benefit for the 69th New York regiment-which is about to depart for France-the Giants move up the date of a game against the Cincinnati Reds. The 2‚100 European-bound troops march from the armory on 25th Street and Lexington Avenue to the East River at 34th Street‚ where a ferry takes them to the foot of 157th Street. The troops parade to the Polo Grounds‚ entering through the Eighth Avenue gate‚ and drill on the field. A concert follows. Then the Giants play their first official Sunday game within the city limits. More than 25‚000 fans watch the Reds shut out the Giants‚ 5-0. The Giants circumvent the Sunday law by stipulating that they are charging patrons for the concert‚ then allowing them to watch the game for free (with all proceeds turned over to war charities). But city officials try to prosecute the two managers-Christy Mathewson of Cincinnati and John McGraw of New York-for violating the Sunday Blue Law. Mathewson and McGraw will be called to court two days after the game but the charges against them will be quickly dismissed by Magistrate Frank McQuade‚ who actually praises them. (McQuade‚ a rabid Giants fan‚ later becomes part owner of the team.)

On this date in 1921 Ty Cobb gets hit number 3,000 off Boston pitcher Elmer Myers. At 34, he's the youngest ever to do so. Here’s the 5 youngest to reach 3,000:

Ty Cobb - 34 years, 244 days
Hank Aaron - 36 years, 101 days
Robin Yount - 36 years, 359 days
Derek Jeter - 37 years, 13 days
Pete Rose - 37 years, 21 days

It was on this date in 1941 that Umpire Jocko Conlan ejects Pittsburgh Pirates manager Frankie Frisch from the second game of a doubleheader when he appears on the field with an umbrella to protest the playing conditions at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field. The rainy argument is later portrayed in a famous oil painting by artist Norman Rockwell.

It was on this date in 1957 that New York Giants owner Horace Stoneham announced that the team's board of directors had voted 9-1 in favour of moving to San Francisco.

It was on this date in 1969 that Ken Holtzman of the Cubs blanked the Atlanta Braves with a 3-0 no-hitter at Wrigley Field. Ron Santo's three-run homer in the first inning provided the Cubs' offense. Holtzman did not strike out a batter.

It was on this date in 1934 that the Red Sox draw a record 50‚000 (46‚995 paid) to Fenway‚ but drop two games to the Tigers‚ 8-6 and 4-3. My question is where did they put everyone. I could see them squeezing about 38,000 in but after that they must have been on the roof.

On this date in 1925 Lefty O’Doul of the PCL’s Salt Lake City Bees collects 5 basehits when the Bees defeat Portland 29-9. O’Doul banged out a mere 309 hits that season, 104 for extra bases. (That was in 198 games)

 

[67RedSox]

If you care to make a trip to Brentwood, Tennessee you could have a very interesting conversation with 85 year old Tommy ‘Buckshot’ Brown who spent 35 years working at Ford’s glass making plant in Nashville that produced windshields and windows for their cars and pick-up trucks. If you wanted you could even talk Baseball to him and he would know what he was talking about. By age 25 when a lot of ML’ers today are just getting their ML careers going Brown’s was ending as a 9 year veteran. His ML career began at the age of 16 during WWII and ended in 1953…60 years ago.
Brown was a kid from Brooklyn who left school early to work to work with his Uncle, who raised him, unloading barges on the docks of New York. Brown spent his free time playing baseball on the pavement and cobblestone streets and in the famous Brooklyn Parade Grounds. The Dodgers held open tryouts there in 1943 and a friend Brown into going with him to the tryout. They joined about 2,500 other kids and Brown arrived without a glove or spikes, items he did not own. Brown was just 15 and must have favourably impressed the Dodgers because over that winter they contacted him and offered him a chance to attend spring training in Bear Mountain, New York. His “bonus” was the 25-cent fee for the ferry. Brown showed enough promise in spring training to be offered $75 a month to play for the Dodgers’ Class D Pony League farm club in Olean, New York. But Jake Pitler, manager of the Class B Newport News team, claimed him, which meant Brown would earn $125 a month. Tommy was barely sixteen when the season opened, but he proceeded to bat .297 in ninety-one games before his call-up by the Dodgers. He also led the league in triples, with eleven, and socked twenty-one doubles. On August 3, 1944 he made his Big League debut in a game against the Cubs and playing Shortstop.
His ability to hit a ball is what got him to the Majors not his ability to field or throw. Brown had quickly lived up to his nickname, Buckshot, which Durocher had given him in spring training because of his scatter arm. It was on this date in 1945 that he clubbed his first big league home run against the Pirates’ Preacher Roe in a losing cause. Brown was only seventeen years old when he hit that first home run. Five days later, he connected for another circuit blast off Adrian Zabala of the New York Giants. As a result, he is both the youngest and second youngest player ever to homer in a Major League game.
Brown remained plagued by inconsistency in the field, both throwing and catching the ball. He once threw a ball to first base that landed in the upper deck.
After the 1945 season Tommy joined fifteen other Major Leaguers on a barnstorming trip to Manila, Tokyo, and stops in the South Pacific to entertain troops by playing against service teams and holding evening bull sessions about baseball…he was still only 17 years old.
By 1951 his ML career was starting to wind down and he was traded to the Phillies and then the Cubs where he played his last game in 1953. Never a star, although he did once hit 3 HRs in a single game but a commendable ML’er for 9 years.

It was on this date in 1958 that a left-handed catcher plays a game in the Majors…out of catchers, the Cubs put left-handed first baseman Dale Long behind the plate in the opener against the Pirates. He is the first lefty backstop since 1906. The Cubs lose 4-2, then win the nightcap 5-1 with Long back at first base.

It was on this date in 1965 that Eddie Mathews hits his 28th home run as the Braves win 4-3 at Pittsburgh. The duo of Mathews and Hank Aaron, 1954-1965, becomes the top home run tandem in major league history, passing the Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig total of 772 home runs while playing together.
Do you remember Pittsburgh's Omar Moreno. It was on this date in 1980 that he steals his 70th base of the season, becoming the first player in the 20th Century with three consecutive 70-steal seasons. The fleet outfielder swiped 71 in 1978, 77 in 1979, and will finish 1980 with a career-high 96.

It was on this date in 2005 that the Rockies wallop 23 hits on their way to a 20-1 pasting of the Padres. OF Matt Holliday drives home 8 runs for Colorado in the rout.

It was on this date in 1999 that Bob Gebhard resigns as the GM of the Rockies opening the door for Dan O’Dowd to be appointed to the position about a month later. 14 years later he is still there…in some capacity.

If you were wondering about all those near No-Hitters there have been almost 1,000 1-Hitters tossed in the Majors by over 800 different pitchers.

 

[67RedSox]

Since some of us are children of the 1950’s that probably means we awakened to the grand old game of Baseball in the 1960’s. I think looking at a brief look at season by season highlights of the 1960’s might be interesting.

1960:

- The 1960 baseball season sees the making of greats and the retiring of greats. Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle begin their competition and Ted Williams hit his 500th home run and says goodbye to the game.
- The Yanks back on top in American League.
- The Pirates win their first National League flag since 1927.
- The Pirates capture the 1960 World Series in seven games.
- Bill Mazeroski cracks a ninth-inning homer to win game seven of the 1960 World Series 10-9 -- it's the only home run in history to end a Series.
- Harvey Haddix and Vern Law each win two 1960 World Series games for the Pirates.
- Yanks outhit Pirates .338-.256, outscore them 55-27, saddle Pirate pitchers with 7.11 ERA, yet lose.
- Oriole Brooks Robinson wins first Gold Glove as American League third baseman.
- Manager Casey Stengel is fired after the 1960 World Series loss despite winning nine World Series in 12 seasons at New York helm.
- Yankee Roger Maris is American League MVP.
- Pirate Dick Groat named National League MVP.
- For first time in major league history, both batting leaders hit under .330.
- Detroit's Frank Lary tops American League with 15 CGs, lowest total to that juncture to lead a league.
- On April 17, on the eve of the season's first game, Cleveland swaps Rocky Colavito to Detroit for Harvey Kuenn.
- Branch Rickey's proposed rival major league, the Continental League, forces majors to expand for first time since 1901.
- Annual income from television tops $12 million for the first time in major league history.
- Lindy McDaniel of the Cards records 26 saves, new National League record.
- Jim Brosnan writes The Long Season, probably the best book on the game written by a player.
- National League wins first of two All-Star Games, 5-3 at KC.
- National League wins the second All-Star Game two days later, 6-0 at Yankee Stadium; McDaniel earns a save in both games.
- White Sox owner Bill Veeck is first to put names on his team's uniforms.
- Veeck unveils the first exploding Scoreboard.
- Baltimore's Ron Hansen is selected as American League Rookie of the Year.
- Dodger Frank Howard is the National League ROTY.
- Ted Williams hits his 500th homer on June 17.
- San Francisco's Juan Marichal debuts on July 19 with one-hit shutout of Phils.
- On August 10, Detroit trades manager Jimmy Dykes for Cleveland manager Joe Gordon.
- Williams homers in his last major league at-bat on Sept. 28.
- American League approves transfer of Washington franchise to Minneapolis-St. Paul.
- American League grants expansion franchises for 1961 season to Washington and LA.
- Reds second baseman Billy Martin punches Cubs pitcher Jim Brewer in an on-the-field fight, breaking his cheekbone.
- Orioles manager Paul Richards devises a catcher's mitt 50 inches in circumference to handle Hoyt Wilhelm's knucklers.
- Milwaukee's Lew Burdette no-hits Phils on August 18.
- Warren Spahn no-hits the Phillies on Sept. 16.
- Ernie Banks leads the majors with 41 homers.
- Mickey Mantle leads the American League in homers (40), runs (119), and total bases (294).
- Don Cardwell of the Cubs no-hits Cards on May 15.
- Spahn and Cardinal Ernie Broglio top majors with 21 wins.
- For the first time in major league history, war-shortened seasons excepted, no one in either league makes more than 190 hits.
- Yankees allow major league record-low 2.83 runs per game on road.
- Indians score major league record-low 2.65 runs per game on road.
- Arnold Johnson dies; Charley Finley buys the A's from his heirs.
- Jerry Holtzman of the Chicago Sun-Times helps initiate the crediting of saves to relief pitchers for first time in major league history.
- Haddix wins third straight Gold Glove as National League pitcher.
- Bobby Shantz of the Yankees wins fourth straight Gold Glove as American League pitcher.
- The Braves' Del Crandall wins third straight Gold Glove as National League catcher.
- Cardinal Bill White wins first of seven straight Gold Gloves as National League first baseman.
- Ernie Banks wins his only Gold Glove as National League shortstop.
- Willie Mays is the only outfielder to win fourth straight Gold Glove.
- Law wins Cy Young Award.
- Cubs trade Ron Perranoski and two other players to Dodgers for Don Zimmer.
- The Indians trade Norm Cash to the Tigers for Steve Demeter.
- Expansion Senators trade Shantz to Pittsburgh for Harry Bright, Benny Daniels, and R.C. Stevens.
- Braves deal Billy Bruton and three other players to Detroit for Frank Boiling and Neil Chrisley.
- Phils trade Harry Anderson and Wally Post to Cincinnati for Lee Walls and Tony Gonzalez.
- Cleveland trades Kuenn to the Giants for Johnny Antonelli and Willie Kirkland.
- Cincinnati trades Roy McMillan to the Braves for Joey Jay and Juan Pizarro.
- Buddy Daley wins nine games in a row to set KC A's record.
- Bobby Wallace dies.
- Fred Clarke dies at age 87.
- Phillie Pancho Herrera fans 136 times, a National League record for a 154-game season.
- Ernie Banks leads the National League in games played a record fourth consecutive season.
- Elmer Valo receives an major league record 18 walks as a pinch hitter.
- Giants skipper Tom Sheehan, at age 66, becomes baseball's oldest rookie manager.
- Candlestick Park opens on April 12, Cards vs. Giants.
- Pete Runnels of Boston goes 6-for-7 in a 15-inning game on August 30.
- Groat goes 6-for-6 on May 13.
- Runnels tops the American League in batting at .320.
- Groat leads National League in BA (.325).
- Howard sets LA Dodgers rookie record with 23 homers.
- Hank Aaron tops National League in total bases (334) and RBI (126).
- Chicago's Richie Ashburn paces National League in walks (116) and OBP (.416).
- Cincinnati's Vada Pinson leads majors with 37 doubles.
- Maris tops American League in RBI (112).
- Luis Aparicio leads American League with 51 steals, one more than National League leader Maury Wills of the Dodgers.
- Eddie Mathews leads majors with 193 runs produced.
- The Dodgers' Don Drysdale (246) and Detroit's Jim Bunning (201) repeat as league leaders in Ks.
- Cardinal Larry Jackson tops majors in innings with 282.
- Pittsburgh leads the National League in runs scored (734) and ties for fewest runs allowed (593).
- Yankees lead American League in runs scored (746), homers (193), ERA (3.52), and saves (42).

 

[67RedSox]

Stand by Me, Runaway and Let’s Twist Again were the top tunes of 1961, Walt Disney’s 101 Dalmatians was by far the top grossing movie, Gary Player became the first international player to win the Masters and A.J. Foyt wins his first Indy 500. Unless you lived in Cincinnati Roger Maris was the top Baseball story and if you did live in Cincinnati and were a Baseball fan it was your year. It had been a long drought since 1940. Twenty straight years without a Pennant so when the calendar turned to 1961 the Cincinnati Reds were due for a win. In the twenty years since 1940 when the Cincinnati Reds last won a Pennant every other NL franchise had won at least one…the Dodgers had won 8 and the Cardinals 4. Maris, the Yankees and the Reds were some of the highlights of 1961, on the journey through the 1960's let’s look at those and more:

1961:

- The Reds triumph in the National League for first time since 1940 as they edge out the Dodgers by 4 games.
- The Yanks win their second American League flag in a row.
- The Yankees set a record for a 162-game season by winning 109.
- Chicago Cub Billy Williams is named National League Rookie of the Year.
- The Yanks rout the Reds in the 1961 World Series in five games.
- New York's Bobby Richardson leads all 1961 World Series batters with nine hits and .391 BA.
- Whitey Ford breaks Babe Ruth's record for consecutive scoreless innings hurled in World Series play.
- The American League now has ten teams, becoming the first major league loop to have that many since 1899.
- The American League plays a 162-game schedule.
- Frank Robinson wins the 1961 National League MVP Award.
- Roger Maris is the 1961 American League MVP.
- Maris breaks Ruth's major league season record by hitting 61 homers.
- Mickey Mantle hits 54 homers, giving Yankees teammate record of 115 four-baggers.
- Cubs owner William Wrigley, tired of second-division finishes, decides the team will be managed by eight coaches.
- Willie Mays hits four homers on April 30 vs. Braves.
- Detroit's Norm Cash tops expanded American League in batting with .361 BA.
- The Yankees hit 240 homers to set a new major league record.
- Whitey Ford tops majors with 25 victories and wins the 1961 Cy Young Award.
- The Phillies lose a major league record of 23 straight games.
- Pittsburgh's Roberto Clemente wins his first National League bat crown (.351).
- Giant Orlando Cepeda tops National League with 46 homers and 142 RBI.
- Warren Spahn tops National League in wins a major league record eighth time, as he and the Reds' Joey Jay win 21.
- Joey Jay ties Spahn for National League top spot in shutouts with just four.
- Spahn leads the National League in CGs (21) and ERA (3.01).
- The National League wins first All-Star Game of the year, 5-4 in ten innings at San Francisco.
- The second All-Star Game ends in 1-1 tie at Boston, as rain stops play after nine innings.
- Boston's Don Schwall is selected the American League Rookie of the Year by one vote over KC's Dick Howser.
- Ty Cobb dies.
- On May 9, Jim Gentile hits grandslams in two consecutive innings for Baltimore.
- The Braves hit four consecutive homers on June 8 vs. Reds.
- Roger Maris hits his 61st homer in final game of season, Oct. 1, off Boston's Tracy Stallard.
- The National League opts to expand to ten teams in 1962, placing franchises in New York and Houston.
- Warren Spahn no-hits Giants on April 28.
- Spahn wins his 300th game and is the first National League southpaw to do so.
- Baltimore's Dave Philley sets a new major league record when he collects 24 pinch hits.
- Luis Arroyo of the Yankees sets new major league record when he notches 29 saves.
- Detroit rookie Jake Wood fans 141 times to set new major league record.
- Milwaukee's Eddie Mathews hits 30 or more homers for a National League record ninth consecutive year.
- The Yankees have a major league record six players who hit 20 or more homers.
- Though the 1961 Yankees are widely acclaimed for their great offense, the Tigers actually score more runs (841-827).
- Willie Mays leads National League in runs (129) and runs produced (212).
- Roger Maris leads the American League in RBI (142) and total bases (366), and ties in runs (132).
- The Hall of Fame inducts Max Carey and Billy Hamilton.
- Bobby Shantz is first to win Gold Gloves in each league when he takes the prize while pitching for the Pirates.
- Bobby Richardson breaks Nellie Fox's monopoly on American League Gold Glove at second base.
- Roberto Clemente wins his first Gold Glove as National League outfielder.
- Dazzy Vance dies.
- On August 23, five Giants homer in one inning to tie the major league record.
- Jim Gentile ties the major league season record with five grandslams.
- Jim Gentile sets an Orioles franchise record with 46 home runs and 141 RBI.
- By hitting his 50th homer on August 22, Roger Maris becomes the first to have 50 homers by the end of August.
- Minnesota's Pete Ramos tops American League in losses a record fourth consecutive time (20).
- Minnie Minoso leads the majors a record ninth time in being hit by the pitch.
- Dummy Hoy dies at 99.
- Lee Thomas sets Angels record that still stands for most homers by a rookie (24).
- Norm Cash sets record for most home runs by a Tigers lefty hitter (41).
- In the All-Star Game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, pitcher Stu Miller at one point is blown off the mound by the park's infamous wind.
- Bill Dewitt becomes new owner of the Reds.
- Milwaukee's Eddie Mathews tops National League in walks (93).
- Billy Williams's 25 homers set a Cubs rookie record.
- Lew Burdette tops the National League in innings with 272.
- Johnny Podres leads National League in win pct. (.783).
- Red Vada Pinson, playing a 154-game schedule in the National League, has 208 hits -- 15 more than Norm Cash, the American League leader, who plays a 162-game schedule.
- Wood tops American League and majors with 14 triples.
- Mickey Mantle leads American League in walks (126) and SA (.687).
- Norm Cash has top OBP in majors (.488).
- LA's Wally Moon leads the National League in OBP (.438).
- Maury Wills and Luis Aparicio once again lead their leagues in steals with 35 and 53, respectively.
- Detroit's Rocky Colavito tops the American League and the majors with 234 runs produced.
- Al Kaline leads American League in doubles (41), is second in batting (.324).
- Chicago's George Altman leads the National League in triples with 12.
- Whitey Ford tops the major league in win pct. (.862) and innings (283).
- Dick Donovan, with the expansion Senators, posts the American League's top ERA (2.40).
- Camilo Pascual leads the American League in Ks with 221.
- Pascual ties Baltimore's Steve Barber for American League lead in shutouts with eight.
- Frank Lary wins 23 games for Detroit, tops majors with 22 CGs.
- Stu Miller and Pittsburgh's Roy Face tie for the National League lead in saves with 17.
- MVP Frank Robinson tops National League only in SA (.611), but is second in several other departments.
- Despite the expanded schedule, only two American League hurlers, Whitey Ford and Frank Lary, win more than 18 games.

 

[67RedSox]

I can't let today go by without mentioning that it was on this date in 1965 that San Francisco's Juan Marichal, batting against Los Angeles' Sandy Koufax, complains that catcher Johnny Roseboro's return throws are too close. He then turns and attacks Roseboro with his bat. A 14-minute brawl ensues before Koufax, Willie Mays, and other peacemakers can restore order. Roseboro suffers a considerable cut on the head. Juan Marichal is suspended eight playing days and levied a National League-record $1,750 fine. We've all seen a few baseball brawls in our days but most would pale in comparison to this one. Here's two clips:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5xuLON30AU]Juan Marichal hits Johnny Roseboro with a bat. - YouTube[/ame]

Video: Marichal looks back on incident with Roseboro | MLB.com

 

[67RedSox]

1962 was my coming out year as far as baseball was concerned. It was the first year of any real solid recollections and boy what a year that was thanks to the Dodgers and Giants. It’s not just pleasant boyhood memories that make 1962 a great season, it was a whole bunch of stuff, some of it identified following:

1962:

- Giants & Dodgers in NL Playoff for the Pennant. The Giants win. The Dodgers are involved in the fourth pennant playoff since 1946 and lose for third time.
- The Yankees eke out a 1962 World Series win in seven games.
- Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers no-hits the Mets on June 30.
- New York's Ralph Terry wins 1-0 over Jack Sanford in game seven of the World Series.
- Bobby Richardson ends the World Series by spearing Willie McCovey's line drive, leaving the tying and winning runs in scoring position.
- The Yankees win their 20th World Series in the past 40 years.
- The Yankees hit just .199, the lowest batting average by a winning team in a seven-game World Series.
- Dodger Maury Wills is the 1962 National League MVP, edging out Willie Mays.
- Mickey Mantle is named the American League MVP.
- Dodger Don Drysdale tops the majors with 25 wins and captures the Cy Young Award.
- Tommy Davis of the Dodgers wins the 1962 National League batting crown (.346) and knocks home 153 runs, most by anyone in majors since 1949.
- Wills steals a major league record 104 bases.
- Mays leads the majors with 49 homers and 382 total bases.
- The expansion New York Mets lose a modern major league record 120 games.
- Jackie Robinson becomes the first black player inducted into the Hall of Fame.
- Jack Sanford of the Giants wins 16 straight games.
- The expansion Los Angeles Angels finish third in American League and lead the loop as late as July 4th.
- The National League wins the first All-Star Game of year, 3-1 at Washington.
- The American League wins the year's second All-Star Game, played almost three weeks after the first one, 9-4 at Wrigley Field.
- On September 12, Washington's Tom Cheney Ks 21 Orioles in a 16-inning game, winning 2-1…and most don’t know his name to this day.
- Bo Belinsky of the Angels no-hits Baltimore on May 5.
- Earl Wilson of the Red Sox no-hits the Angels on June 26.
- Bill Monbouquette of Boston no-hits Chicago on August 1.
- Jack Kralick of Minnesota no-hits Kansas City on August 26.
- The three Sadowskis -- Ted, Ed, and Bob -- are the last trio of brothers to all be active in the American League in same year.
- Dodger Stadium opens on April 10.
- Harmon Killebrew sets a major league record when he fans 142 times.
- Pittsburgh reliever Diomedes Olivo, age 43, is the oldest rookie in major league history.
- On October 2, the Dodgers and Giants play for four hours and 18 minutes, setting a major league record for the longest nine-inning game. Dodgers win, 8-7.
- Cincinnati's Frank Robinson tops the majors in runs (134), doubles (51), and slugging average (.624), and leads the National League in on-base percentage (.424).
- Davis leads the majors with 230 hits and 246 runs produced.
- Pirate Elroy Face sets a new National League save record with 28.
- Mantle tops the American League in on-base percentage (.488), slugging average (.605), and walks (122).
- Boston's Pete Runnels wins his second American League batting crown (.326) and is the first to win batting titles at two positions -- second base and first base.
- Ralph Terry tops the American League with 23 wins.
- The Hall of Fame inducts Bob Feller, Bill McKechnie, and Edd Roush.
- Yankee Tom Tresh is the 1962 American League Rookie of the Year.
- Cincinnati's Ken Hubbs is the 1962 National League Rookie of the Year.
- Milwaukee's Del Crandall and Minnesota's Earl Battey win their final Gold Gloves at catcher.
- Hubbs interrupts, for one year only, Bill Mazeroski's grip on the National League Gold Glove prize at second base.
- Maury Wills wins his second Gold Glove for National League shortstops; Luis Aparicio continues to be the only American League shortstop to win a Gold Glove.
- The Mets play their first game on April 11 and lose 11-4 to Cards.
- The Mets get off to an 0-9 start and don't win their first game in franchise history until April 23, 9-1 over Pittsburgh.
- Reliever Pete Richert of LA debuts in majors on April 12 by fanning the first six batters he faces.
- Detroit's Rocky Colavito goes 7-for-10 in a 22-inning game on June 24.
- Floyd Robinson of the White Sox goes 6-for-6 on July 22.
- Bill Fischer of Kansas City pitches a major league record 84-1/3 consecutive innings without issuing a walk.
- Detroit's Norm Cash sets a major league record that still stands for the largest drop in BA-118 points-by a previous year's bat crown winner.
- Nellie Fox plays 150 or more games for an American League-record 11th consecutive season.
- Eddie Yost retires with a record 28 homers as the leadoff batter in a game (since broken).
- Hubbs sets a new major league record for second basemen by handling 418 consecutive errorless chances.
- Paul Waner dies.
- The majors adopt a Player Development Plan to address the problems of a shrinking talent pool and the collapse of the minor leagues.
- At season's end, the Pirates trade Dick Groat and Olivo to the Cards for Don Cardwell and Julio Gotay.
- Pittsburgh's Groat and Mazeroski participate in a combined National League keystone record 264 double plays (since broken).
- At Candlestick Park, the Giants' Billy Pierce has a 12-0 record in 12 starts -- a major league record for most home wins without a loss in a season.
- Craig Anderson loses 16 straight games for the Mets, setting a new major league post-dead-ball record.
- The Yankees send Bill Skowron to Dodgers for Stan Williams.
- Eddie Mathews leads National League again in walks (101).
- Four players tie for the National League lead in triples (ten).
- Kansas City's Gino Cimoli leads American League with 15 triples.
- Bob Purkey has 23 wins for the Reds and tops the National League in winning percentage (.821).
- Sandy Koufax leads the National League in ERA (2.54).
- Don Drysdale tops the majors in innings (314) and Ks (232).
- Warren Spahn leads the National League again in CGs with 22.
- Rocky Colavito tops the American League in total bases (309).
- Minnesota's Camilo Pascual again leads the American League in Ks (206) and also leads in complete games (18) and ties for lead in shutouts (five).

 

[67RedSox]

If I had to describe the 1963 season in two words, it would be easy…Sandy Koufax. Other than winning the Cy Young and MVP Awards and the Quadruple Crown of pitching he didn’t do much but 1963 was all about him and the Dodgers. As I was a Yankee fan 1963 was not one of my favourite season but our Dodger friend, Silas, was fine with it. Here’s some highlights of the final season of the Polo Grounds:

1963:

- The Dodgers sweep the Yanks. It is the first time New York is swept since 1922.
- Sandy Koufax wins two games in the 1963 World Series; Dodgers pitchers have 1.00 ERA.
- Dodger Tommy Davis leads all batters in 1963 World Series with a .400 BA.
- Dodger Bill Skowron comes back to haunt Yankees, hitting .385 in the 1963 World Series.
- Yankees skipper Ralph Houk, Casey Stengel's replacement, wins flags in each of his first three seasons as pilot.
- Ellie Howard is first black player to win an American League MVP.
- Al Kaline leads American League in runs produced with just 163.
- Sandy Koufax wins the 1963 National League MVP.
- Koufax is first unanimous choice for the Cy Young Award.
- Koufax sets a new modern National League record with 306 Ks.
- Koufax sets modern record for southpaws with 11 shutouts.
- Koufax leads majors with a 1.88 ERA.
- Carl Yastrzemski wins first American League bat crown (.321).
- Yaz leads American League in hits (183), doubles (40), walks (95), and OBP (.419).
- Tommy Davis repeats as the National League bat crown winner (.326).
- Roger Craig of the Mets ties National League single-season record when he loses 18 consecutive games.
- Warren Spahn breaks Eddie Plank's record for most career wins by a southpaw when he collects his 328th victory.
- The Mets lose a major league record 22 straight games on the road.
- White Sox Dave Nicholson fans 175 times, breaking the major league record by 33.
- Twins lead majors in runs (767) and hit 225 home runs -- the most homers in history by a non-pennant winner.
- Boston reliever Dick Radatz has 25 saves, a 15-6 record, and 162 Ks in 132-1/3 innings for a seventh-place team.
- Majors return to one All-Star Game per season; National League wins 5-3 at Cleveland.
- Cincinnati's Pete Rose wins the 1963 National League Rookie of the Year prize.
- On September 13, the three Alou brothers briefly play together in the outfield for the Giants in the same game.
- On July 31, Cleveland becomes first American League team to hit four consecutive homers -- all are off Angel Paul Foytack.
- Roger Craig has a 5-22 record for Mets and suffers nine shutout losses.
- Warren Spahn, at age 42, becomes the oldest 20-game winner in history when he goes 23-7 for Braves.
- Stan Musial retires as holder of National League record for hits with 3,630 (since broken).
- At time of retirement, Musial holds National League records for games (3,026), runs (1,949), and doubles (725).
- Musial continues to hold record for most career homers (475) by player who was never a league leader in homers.
- Musial leaves as the first major league player to play 1,000 or more games at two different positions -- first base and outfield.
- Early Wynn picks up his 300th win on July 13.
- Wynn retires with a 3.54 career ERA. -- highest by a 300-game winner.
- Sandy Koufax no-hits the Giants on May 11.
- Juan Marichal no-hits the Astros on June 15.
- Don Nottebart of Houston no-hits Phillies on May 17.
- Hank Aaron leads majors in runs (121), RBI (130), total bases (370), SA (.586), and runs produced (207).
- Aaron ties Willie McCovey for National League homer crown (44).
- Harmon Killebrew leads American League in homers (45) and SA (.555).
- On July 6, Juan Marichal beats Warren Spahn 1-0 in 16 innings on a homer by Willie Mays.
- The Hall of Fame inducts John Clarkson, Elmer Flick, Sam Rice, and Eppa Rixey.
- On March 30, Pete Rose, a non-roster player for the Reds, goes 2-for-2 in his first major league exhibition game.
- White Sox Gary Peters is American League Rookie of the Year, leads AL with a 2.33 ERA
- Minnesota's Zoilo Versalles breaks Luis Aparicio's reign as American League's Gold Glove shortstop.
- Minnesota's Vic Power continues to be the only American League first baseman to win a Gold Glove.
- Cardinal Curt Flood wins first of seven consecutive Gold Gloves.
- Rogers Hornsby dies.
- Home Run Baker dies.
- The Pirates trade Bob Skinner to Reds for Jerry Lynch.
- The Tigers deal Jim Bunning and Gus Triandos to Phillies for Don Demeter and Jack Hamilton.
- Cleveland swaps Jim Perry to Twins for Jack Kralick.
- White Sox send Al Smith and Luis Aparicio to the O's for Hoyt Wilhelm and three other players.
- San Francisco trades Felipe Alou and three other players to Milwaukee for Del Crandall and two pitchers.
- Jimmie Hall hits 33 homers to set Twins rookie record.
- On June 9 in Houston, the Colt .45s beat the Giants in the first Sunday night game in Major League history.
- Dick Stuart is the first player to hit 30 or more homers in a season in both leagues, as he clubs 42 for Boston.
- In the final game of the season, Houston's John Paciorek goes 3-for-3 with two walks, three RBI, and four runs scored in his first Major League game.
- After going 3-for-3 in his debut, Paciorek never plays another Major League game.
- Vada Pinson tops majors with 204 hits and 14 triples.
- Zolio Versalles tops the American League in triples with 13.
- Eddie Mathews leads the majors in walks (124) and is the only National League player to have a .400 OBP.
- Albie Pearson of the Angels is second in the American League in OBP (.403), runs (92), and walks (92).
- Dick Stuart tops the American League in RBI (118) and total bases (319).
- Cardinal Dick Groat tops majors with 43 doubles.
- Maury Wills and Luis Aparicio again are stolen base kings, each with 40.
- Whitey Ford leads American League in wins (24), win pct. (.774), and innings (269).
- Stu Miller tops majors with 27 saves for Baltimore.
- Camilo Pascual again tops American League in Ks (202) and wins 21 for Twins.
- Chicago's Ray Herbert leads American League with seven shutouts.
- Juan Marichal ties Sandy Koufax for Major League lead in wins (25) and also tops majors in innings (321).
- Reliever Ron Perranoski leads majors in win pct. (.842) and has 21 saves for the Dodgers.
- Lindy McDaniel tops the National League with 22 saves for the Cubs.
- Warren Spahn tops the National League for the last time in CGs (22).
- The White Sox lead the American League in ERA with a 2.97 mark.
- LA leads the National League in ERA, strikeouts (1,095), and shutouts (24).
- Cards finish in second place after leading National League in runs (747).

 

[67RedSox]

How tough did they make ballplayers in the past? Ray Caldwell was a ML pitcher from 1910 to 1921. He was known for throwing the spitball, and he was one of the 17 pitchers allowed to continue throwing the pitch after it was outlawed in 1920. Caldwell was notorious during his playing career for his addiction to alcohol and partying, he possessed a self-destructive streak that many of his contemporaries believed stopped him from reaching his potential. In 1924, Miller Huggins wrote: 'Caldwell was one of the best pitchers that ever lived, but he was one of those characters that keep a manager in a constant worry. If he had possessed a sense of responsibility and balance, Ray Caldwell would have gone down in history as one of the greatest of all pitchers. On this date in 1919 Caldwell is knocked unconscious after being struck by lightning with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. The free-wheeling spitballer refuses to leave the game, needing just one more out for the win, and goes on to record the final out for the 2-1 victory over Philadelphia at Cleveland's League Park.

 

[67RedSox]

If 1963 belonged to Sandy Koufax then 1964 belonged to the St. Louis Cardinals. Like wine there are good years and great years and 1964 was a great year for Baseball ( unless you’re a Phillie fan ) capped off by a thrilling 7 game World Series. My favourite Baseball memory happened in Game 3 of the Series when in the bottom of the 9th inning Mickey Mantle tagged Barney Schultz's first pitch for a home run to win the contest 2-1. Here’s a taste of what when on in ’64 other than things accomplished by Mickey Mantle, Bob Gibson, Kenny Boyer and, of course, Petula Clark’s smash hit, Downtown:

1964:

-The Cards emerge on top in the National League by a 1-game margin in a five-team race.
-The Cards win the 1964 World Series in seven games -- it's the first time since 1921-1922 that the Yankees have been beaten twice in a row in fall play.
- Tired Bob Gibson beats tired Mel Stottlemyre in game seven, as both start the third 1964 World Series game on only three days' rest.
- Gibson fans 13 men in ten innings in game five of the 1964 World Series.
-Tim McCarver of the Cards leads all World Series hitters with .478 BA.
-Mickey Mantle has three homers and eight RBI in his last World Series.
- Yankee Bobby Richardson sets a Series record with 13 hits.
-Yogi Berra is fired as Yankees pilot after winning a flag as a rookie manager; Cards manager Johnny Keane is hired to replace him.
-St. Louis's Ken Boyer wins the 1964 National League MVP Award.
- Brooks Robinson of Baltimore is named 1964 American League MVP.
-Tony Oliva of the Twins is named 1964 American League Rookie of the Year, as he wins bat title (.323).
-Philly's Dick Allen is named 1964 National League Rookie of the Year, as he tops the National League in total bases (352) and runs (125), and ties in triples with 13.
-The Phils lose the National League flag after leading by 6½ games with 12 to play as they lose ten straight games down the stretch.
-Boston's Dick Radatz has 16 wins and major league-top 29 saves for a team that wins only 72 games.
-On May 31, Mets and Giants play twinbill that lasts record 10½ hours; the Mets lose both games.
-The Yankees are sold to CBS.
-Wally Bunker, age 19, wins 19 games for Orioles -- the most in the 20th Century by a teenage pitcher.
-New York's Shea Stadium opens on April 17 as the Mets host Pittsburgh.
-The National League wins the All-Star Game 7-4 at Shea Stadium.
-Jim Bunning pitches a perfect game vs. the Mets on June 21 -- it's the first perfect game in the National League during the 20th Century.
-Houston's Ken Johnson becomes the lone Major League hurler to lose a CG no-hitter in nine innings, as the Reds beat him 1-0 on April 23.
-Sandy Koufax no-hits Philadelphia on June 4.
-Koufax Ks 18 Cubs on April 24.
-Koufax is held to 223 innings by arm trouble, but still leads the National League in shutouts (seven), win pct. (.792), and ERA (1.74).
-Mickey Mantle receives his first $100,000 contract.
-Boston's Tony Conigliaro, age 19, hits 24 homers and has .530 SA -- both records for a teenage player.
-Baltimore's Luis Aparicio leads American League in steals (57) for a record ninth consecutive year.
-Don Drysdale tops the majors in innings pitched (321).
-Johnny Wyatt of KC is the first pitcher in Major League history to appear in at least half of his team's games (81 of 162).
-Pedro Oliva leads the majors in hits (217) and total bases (374), and the American League in runs (109) and doubles (43).
-Oliva sets American League rookie record for hits.
-Oliva ties Major League rookie record with 374 total bases.
- Dick Allen sets National League rookie record with 352 total bases.
-The Mets finish last for the third consecutive year under Casey Stengel, losing a major league record 340 games over a three-year period.
-Willie Mays tops the National League in homers (47) and SA (.607).
-Dean Chance of the Angels wins the Cy Young Award.
-Chance tops the American League in ERA (1.65), shutouts (11), innings (278), and CGs (15).
-Larry Jackson of the Cubs tops the majors with 24 wins.
-The Cubs trade Lou Brock and two other players to the Cards for Ernie Broglio, Bobby Shantz, and Doug Clemens.
-The Hall of Fame inducts Luke Appling, Red Faber, Burleigh Grimes, Miller Huggins, Tim Keefe, Heinie -Manush, and Monte Ward.
-Bobby Shantz wins the last of eight consecutive Gold Gloves.
-Catchers Elston Howard of the Yankees and Johnny Edwards of the Reds both win second consecutive Gold Gloves.
-Vic Power wins the last of seven straight Gold Gloves as an American League first baseman.
-Chicago's Ron Santo replaces Ken Boyer as National League Gold Glove champ at third base; Santo will win five Gold Gloves in a row.
-Ruben Amaro takes Bobby Wine's job as Phils shortstop and also replaces him as reigning National League Gold Glove champ.
-Chicago's Jim Landis wins his last of five consecutive Gold Gloves given to American League outfielders.
-Jesus Alou of the Giants goes 6-for-6 on July 10.
-Oriole Jerry Adair's .994 FA sets a new major league record for second basemen.
-For the first time in major league history, third basemen win both MVP Awards.
-On Sept. 21, the Reds beat the Phils on a steal of home by Chico Ruiz; the game starts the Phils' incredible slide from the top.
-Joe Stanka is selected the MVP of Japan's Pacific League, the first American player to be so honored.
-Masanori Murakami of the Giants becomes the first Japanese-born player to play in the majors.
-The White Sox give up an American League record-low 2.63 runs per game at home.
-Cleveland deals Mudcat Grant to the Twins for George Banks and Lee Stange.
-LA sends Frank Howard and four others to Washington for Claude Osteen, John Kennedy, and cash.
-Milwaukee deals Roy McMillan to the Mets for Jay Hook and Adrian Garrett.
-Houston pitcher Jim Umbricht dies of cancer.
-Ken Hubbs of the Cubs dies in a private plane crash prior to the season.
-Reds manager Fred Hutchinson dies of cancer.
-Brooks Robinson leads the American League in games played for the fourth consecutive year to tie the loop record.
-The Twins tie the record of 1961 Yankees when six of their players hit 20 or more homers.
-The Reds blow their chance to win the National League flag by losing the last two games of the season to Phils.
-The Cards nearly blow their pennant race by losing their next-to-last game to the Mets.
-Jim Ray Hart sets a Giants franchise rookie record with 31 homers.
-Roberto Clemente tops the National League in batting (.339), and ties St. Louis's Curt Flood for lead in hits (211).
-Ken Boyer is the National League RBI leader (119) and is tops in runs produced (195).
-Maury Wills cops his fourth National League steals crown in a row (53).
-Ron Santo leads the National League in walks (86) and OBP (.401), and ties in triples (13).
-Lee Maye of the Braves tops the majors with 44 doubles.
-Juan Marichal tops the majors with 22 complete games

 

[67RedSox]

If I had to describe 1965 in two words, it would be easy…Sandy Koufax. But wait, I said that for 1963. Well, it just goes to show how dominating he was in the mid 1960’s but just to change it up a bit but not lessen Koufax’s monster year I will say the year belonged to Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale who between them won 49 games and led the offensively challenged Dodgers to another World Championship. Here’s some highlights from 1965:

1965:

-The Dodgers win the 1965 National League flag by 2 games over Giants.
-The Twins take the franchise's first American League flag since 1933.
-LA wins the 1965 World Series in seven games after dropping first two contests in Minnesota.
-Sandy Koufax wins two CG shutouts in the 1965 World Series, including a crucial seventh game 2-0 over Jim Kaat.
-LA manager Walter Alston wins a National League record fourth World Series.
-Sandy Koufax fans 29 Twins in three games of the 1965 World Series.
-Ron Fairly of LA leads all 1965 World Series hitters with .379 BA, 11 hits, and six RBI.
-Mudcat Grant wins two games for the Twins in the 1965 World Series.
-Willie Mays is named 1965 National League MVP.
-Minnesota's Zoilo Versalles is chosen as the 1965 American League MVP over teammate Tony Oliva.
-Willy Mays leads the majors in homers (52), total bases (360), SA (.645), and OBP (.399).
-For the second time, Sandy Koufax is the unanimous choice for Cy Young, as he Ks 382 to set a new major league record.
-Koufax tops the majors with 26 wins, 336 innings, 27 CGs, and 2.04 ERA.
-The majors adopt an annual free agent (rookie) draft.
-Minnesota wins 102 games after winning 79 the year before.
-Jim Maloney of the Reds pitches a no-hitter for ten innings over the Mets on June 14, but loses in 14 innings.
-Pittsburgh's Bob Veale tops the majors with 250 Ks.
-Jim Maloney has to go ten hitless innings to win a no-hitter, 1-0 over Chicago on August 19.
-The National League wins the All-Star Game 6-5 in Minnesota, and for the first time takes the lead in All-Star victories.
-At 60, Satchel Paige becomes the oldest man to play in a major league game when he hurls three scoreless innings for KC vs. Boston on Sept. 25.
-Sandy Koufax pitches a perfect game and his major league record fourth no-hitter in four years, beating Chicago 1-0 on Sept. 9.
-The first indoor stadium, the Astrodome, opens on April 9 -- Houston vs. Yankees in an exhibition game.
-The Mets lose 112 games for a four-year major league record of 452 losses.
-Bert Campaneris plays all nine positions for the A's on Sept. 8.
-Spike Eckert replaces Ford Frick as baseball's commissioner.
-Jerry Kindall leaves the majors with a .213 career BA, the lowest in the 20th Century by an infielder or outfielder.
-Ted Abernathy's 31 saves for Cubs set a new major league record.
-Dave Morehead of Boston no-hits Cleveland on September 16.
-Tony Oliva again leads the American League in batting (.321), and also leads in hits (185) and runs produced (189).
-Carl Yastrzemski tops the American League in OBP (.398) and SA (.536), and ties for the lead in doubles (45).
-Boston's Tony Conigliaro leads the American League with 32 homers, and at 20 is the youngest ever to win a league homer crown.
-Zolio Versalles tops the American League in runs (126) and total bases (308), and ties for the lead in doubles (45) and triples (12).
-Cleveland's Sam McDowell leads the American League in ERA (2.18) and sets a new American League southpaw record for Ks (325).
-Willie Mays hits National League record 17 homers in a month en route to setting Giants club record with 52 homers.
-Ted Abernathy appears in new major league record 84 games as a pitcher.
-Yankees finish in second division for first time since 1925.
-Emmett Ashford, the first black ump in major league history, debuts in the American League.
-Leo Durocher is hired to manage the Cubs, ending Wrigley's college of coaches scheme and four years of chaos.
-The Hall of Fame inducts Pud Galvin.
-Jim Lefebvre of LA is the 1965 National League Rookie of the Year.
-Curt Blefary of Baltimore is named the 1965 American League Rookie of the Year, as he hits 22 home runs.
-Bob Gibson wins the first of nine consecutive Gold Gloves given to National League pitchers.
-Detroit catcher Bill Freehan wins the first of five consecutive Gold Gloves.
-Bobby Richardson wins the last of five straight Gold Gloves given to American League second basemen.
-Yankee Joe Pepitone wins the first of three career Gold Gloves at first base.
-Branch Rickey dies.
-Bill McKechnie dies.
-The Cards send Ken Boyer to the Mets for Al Jackson and Charley Smith.
-The Giants deal Randy Hundley and Bill Hands to the Cubs for Lindy McDaniel, Don Landrum, and Jim Rittwage.
-The Cards swap Dick Groat, Bill White, and Bob Uecker to the Phils for Alex Johnson, Art Mahaffey, and Pat Corrales.
-The Indians send Tommie Agee, John Romano, and Tommy John to the White Sox; the tribe gets Rocky Colavito and Cam Carreon in a three-way deal with Kansas City.
-Zoilo Versalles sets a major league record for shortstops when he strikes out 122 times.
-Versalles ties the American League record by leading the loop in triples for third consecutive year, as he ties for the lead with 12.
-The Braves have a National League record six players with 20 or more homers.
-J.C. Martin sets the 20th Century record for catchers with 33 passed balls for White Sox.
-The average major leaguer's salary in 1965 is around $17,000.
-The Dodgers feature the first all-switch-hitting infield in major league history: Wes Parker, Lefebvre, Maury Wills, and Jim Gilliam.
-Yankees legend Yogi Berra plays four games for the Mets.
-Washington's Eddie Brinkman hits .185, tying Johnny Gochnauer's American League record for lowest BA by shortstop with a minimum of 400 at-bats.
-Gus Triandos retires with a major league record 1,206 consecutive games without being caught stealing -- though he stole only one base.
-Joe Morgan of Houston goes 6-for-6 on July 8.
-After the season, the Reds deal Frank Robinson to Baltimore for Milt Pappas and two other players.
-On September 3, the Dodgers use four pitchers to shut out the Astros the day after they used three pitchers to shut them out.
-Bert Campaneris ends Luis Aparicio's reign as American League theft king, as he swipes 51.
-Cleveland's Colavito tops the American League in RBI (108) and walks (93).
-Mudcat Grant leads the American League in wins (21), shutouts (six), and win pct. (.750).
-Mel Stottlemyre tops the American League in innings (291) and CGs (18).
-Ron Kline of Washington tops the American League with 29 saves.
-Roberto Clemente repeats as National League batting leader (.329).
-Pete Rose tops the majors with 209 hits.
-Cincinnati's Tommy Harper leads the National League in runs (126).

 

[67RedSox]

1966 saw dominant seasons from both the AL and NL MVPs, Frank Robinson the Triple Crown winner and Roberto Clemente in arguably his finest season even though his .317 BA was 40 points below his average of .357 the following year. But…it was Sandy Koufax in his final ML season that was the story. Forced to retire following the 1966 World Series because of a bum elbow, Sandy Koufax set or tied five records by pitchers in their final seasons. Among them were most wins (27), Ks (317), and innings (323). His final game in the Majors, Game 2 of the World Series, saw one of the best pitching performances in World Series history…and it was from Moe Drawbosky, not Koufax as the Orioles sweep the Dodgers in 4 straight games. Despite the sweep, it was a better WS than 2/3rds of those we’ve seen in the last 20 years. Here’s some highlights from the year:

1966:

-The Dodgers repeat as National League champs.
-The Orioles take their first flag since move to Baltimore.
-The Orioles sweep the 1966 World Series.
-The Dodgers are blanked for a Series record 33 consecutive innings after scoring two runs in game one.
-Jim Palmer, Wally Bunker, and Dave McNally shut out the Dodgers in succession in the 1966 World Series.
-In the 1966 World Series, Paul Blair and Frank Robinson win back-to-back 1-0 games for Orioles with home runs.
-The Dodgers bat .142 in the 1966 World Series.
-At age 20, Jim Palmer becomes the youngest pitcher in history to hurl a World Series shutout, as he wins 6-0 in game two.
-Frank Robinson earns the American League MVP Award after winning the Triple Crown (.316 BA, 49 homers, 122 RBI).
-Robinson leads the American League in runs (122), total bases (367), runs produced (195), OBP (.415), and slugging (.637).
-Roberto Clemente cops the 1966 National League MVP Award.
-An arthritic elbow forces Sandy Koufax to retire after 1966 season.
-In his final season, Koufax tops the majors with 27 wins, 27 CGs, 317 Ks, 323 innings, and 1.73 ERA.
-The Yankees tumble into the cellar for the first time since 1912.
-Prior to the season, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale stage the first dual holdout by teammates in ML history.
-Marvin Miller is elected president of the Major League Players Association.
-The Yankees fire broadcaster Red Barber after he calls attention on television to a sparse crowd in Yankee Stadium.
-Pitcher Tony Cloninger of the Braves hits two grandslams in game on July 3.
-The Braves move to Atlanta; their first game in Dixie is vs. the Pirates on April 12 at Fulton County Stadium.
-Willie Mays plays 150 or more games for a major league record 13th consecutive year.
-Pittsburgh's Matty Alou leads the National League in BA (.342); brother Felipe Alou of Atlanta is second (.327).
-Tony Oliva tops the American League in hits in each of his first three seasons in the majors, as he collects 191 in 1966.
-Cards rookie Larry Jaster ties for the National League lead in shutouts with five, and all five are achieved vs. the Dodgers.
-Sandy Koufax wins his third unanimous Cy Young Award in the last four years.
-Koufax tops the National League in ERA a record fifth consecutive time, and he wins the 1966 title by 49 points.
-Sonny Siebert of Cleveland no-hits Washington on June 10.
-First game in Anaheim Stadium -- White Sox vs. Angels on April 19.
-First game in Busch Stadium -- Braves vs. Cards on May 16.
-Jack Aker's 32 saves for Kansas City set a new major league record.
-California pitcher Dean Chance fans 54 times in 76 at-bats for the Angels.
-The National League wins the All-Star Game 2-1 at St. Louis.
-Felipe Alou leads the National League in runs (122) and total bases (355), and leads the majors in hits (218).
-Hank Aaron paces National League in homers (44), and majors in RBI (127) and runs produced (200).
-Juan Marichal wins 25 for San Francisco, topping the majors in win pct. (.806).
-The American League has only two hitters above .288 -- Frank Robinson (.316) and Tony Oliva (.307).
-Jim Kaat leads the American League with 25 wins, 305 innings, and 19 CGs.
-Pirates Gene Alley and Bill Mazeroski participate in a major league keystone record 289 combined DPs.
-Alley and Maz both win Gold Gloves for the first of two consecutive years.
-The Mets finish a heady ninth as the Leo Durocher-led Cubs fall into the National League basement.
-The Hall of Fame inducts Ted Williams and Casey Stengel.
-Cincinnati's Tommy Helms is the 1966 National League Rookie of the Year.
-Chicago's Tommie Agee is named the 1966 American League Rookie of the Year.
-Phillie Bill White wins the last of seven consecutive Gold Gloves as a National League first baseman.
-Angel Bobby Knoop wins the first of three consecutive Gold Gloves as an American League second baseman.
-The Phils trade Fergie Jenkins and two other players to the Cubs for Larry Jackson and Bob Buhl.
-Giants trade Orlando Cepeda to the Cards for Ray Sadecki.
-Yanks trade Clete Boyer to Atlanta for Bill Robinson and Chi-Chi Olivo.
-Dodgers trade Tommy Davis to the Mets for Ron Hunt and Jim Hickman.
-Knoop sets record for American League second basemen with 144 Ks.
-On May 1, Knoop participates in a single-game record six DPs by a second baseman.
-Bill Mazeroski performs a major league record 166 DPs by a second baseman.
-Donn Clendenon sets National League record for first basemen by participating in 182 double plays.
-Luis Aparicio leads American League shortstops in FA for a record eighth straight year.
-On August 12, Art Shamsky of the Reds enters the game as a pinch hitter and hits three homers.
-St. Louis' Tim McCarver becomes the only National League catcher ever to top loop in triples (13).
-Yanks fire Johnny Keane after a 4-16 start, bringing Ralph Houk out of the front office to replace him.
-The Yanks finish last to ruin Houk's perfect record of three flags in three years as a manager.
-Yankee workhorse Mel Stottlemyre goes 12-20.
-On August 26, Orioles Vic Roznovsky and Boog Powell hit the first back-to-back pinch homers in American League history.
-Frank Delahanty, the last surviving member of the five baseball-playing Delahanty brothers, dies at 83 years of age.
-Cub Ron Santo's National League record streak of 364 consecutive games played at third base comes to an end.
-Santo tops National League in walks (95) and OBP (.417).
-Phillie Johnny Callison tops majors with 40 doubles.
-Phillie Richie Allen tops the National League in SA (.632), and is second in homers (40).
-St. Louis' Lou Brock replaces Maury Wills as the National League steals king (74).
-Bert Campaneris replaces Aparicio as the American League theft leader (52).
-Dodger Phil Regan leads the National League in saves with 21.
-Carl Yastrzemski tops the American League in doubles with 39.
-Knoop leads the American League in triples (11), and tops American League second basemen in every major fielding department.
-Harmon Killebrew tops the majors with 103 walks and is second in homers (39) and RBI (110).
-Siebert (16-8) is the only American League pitcher to win as many as two-thirds of his decisions.
-Chicago's Gary Peters wins American League ERA crown again (1.98).
-Detroit's Denny McLain is second in the American League with 20 wins and 14 CGs.

 

[67RedSox]

Jim Thome, he of 612 HR fame was born on this date in 1970 and a soon-to-be ML Manager, Mike Maddux was born on this date in 1961. Former Manager of the Rockies, Buddy Bell, was born on this date in 1951 but a colourful character from days long gone by was born on this date in 1876…his first name was James, so was his last name. A bit awkward so he went by Jimmy James . Once he got to the Majors to stay in 1896 with the Washington Senators the newspapers created a new name for him. The first name, Jimmy, disappeared to be replaced by Doc and his last name changed to McJames…this being a combination of his middle name, McCutchen and his last name, James.
His ML career began at age 21 and ended at 26. He was a pitcher and a good one winning as many as 27 games in a season. His career on the diamond as well as his life ended prematurely. He was from South Carolina and was a refined renaissance man during a rough-hewn era of the country’s national pastime. Despite his brief career the colourful and well-spoken Southern gentleman was considered to be one of the most intelligent men in Baseball. He attended the University of South Carolina and continued his pursuit of a medical degree during the offseason using the salary he earned from professional baseball to pay the tuition. In 1898 he won 27 games for the Baltimore Orioles and also obtained his medical degree. Doc’s ML career came to end in 1901 on a sweltering July day in St. Louis when he was prostrated by heat exhaustion and had to be removed from the game. He never regained his vitality after the incident...likely due to a previous bout of tuberculosis. His MLB career ended at age 26 and his doctoring days began however a couple of months later McJames was seriously hurt in a runaway carriage accident while making a house call near his home. Reports in various newspapers noted that he received a broken arm along with a variety of other minor injuries in the crash. Lamentably, Doc was still in a weakened state from his previous bout of heat stroke and the worsening effects of tuberculosis. The jolt to his system from the wreck seemed to compound all of these maladies. The young physician’s health deteriorated rapidly and he passed away at the age of 28.

 

[67RedSox]

Well, with Sandy Koufax retired someone had to move into Baseball’s limelight in 1967 and that someone was Carl Yastrzemski who dragged his Boston Red Sox along for the ride in what can only be described as a magical season for the Boston Nine. The only one who broke their bubble that year was Bob Gibson in Game 7 of the World Series. Gibson was merely warming up for the likely never-to-be-matched season he would have in 1968. There was another ‘ski’ who had a fine season in 1967 and for those Bill Mazeroski detractors out there who suggest he’s not Hall of Fame material I point them to his 1967 season. In his early teens, Bill Mazeroski was a shortstop. He never played a single inning at that position in the Majors, however. Mazeroski's fielding prowess as a second baseman was such that batters despaired when they hit anywhere near him. In 1967, he accepted 158 more chances than any other second sacker in the National League. Here’s some highlights for the year:

1967:

-The Cards breeze to a National League pennant.
-The Red Sox win the American League flag on the last day in four-team race.
-The Cards win the 1967 World Series in seven games.
-Bob Gibson wins three Series games for the Cards despite missing a third of the season with a broken leg.
-Jim Lonborg wins two games for the Red Sox in 1967 Series, but is beaten in game seven when he pitches on three days' rest.
-Cardinal Lou Brock hits .414, steals a Series record seven bases, and scores eight runs.
-Carl Yastrzemski hits .400 for Red Sox, and cracks three homers.
-Yaz is the near-unanimous 1967 American League Most Valuable Player after winning Triple Crown (.326 BA, 44 homers, 121 RBI).
-Yaz leads the American League in runs (112), hits (189), total bases (360), runs produced (189), OBP (.421), and SA (.622).
-St. Louis' Orlando Cepeda wins the 1967 National League Most Valuable Player Award.
-Tom Seaver wins a club record 16 games for the Mets.
-Seaver named 1967 National League Rookie of the Year.
-Boston's Tony Conigliaro is beaned by Angel Jack Hamilton; his vision is impaired and he's out of the game until 1969.
-The Twins lead the American League by one game with two to play, but they lose their last two games to Boston at Fenway.
-The Tigers also finish one game out, as they split two doubleheaders with the Angels on the last two days of the season.
-The Red Sox jump from ninth place in 1966 to first in 1967 -- the first team to do so in the 20th Century.
-Two Cy Young Awards are given for the first time.
-Jim Lonborg is the easy Cy Young winner in the American League.
-San Francisco's Mike McCormick wins the 1967 National League Cy Young and leads loop with 22 wins.
-National League wins the longest game in All-Star history, 2-1 in 15 innings at Anaheim, as Red Tony Perez homers to win it.
-Al Kaline wins last of ten Gold Gloves as American League outfielder.
-Mickey Mantle hits his 500th homer on May 13.
-The Mets trade Bill Denehy and $100,000 to Washington in order to obtain Gil Hodges as their manager.
-Don Wilson of Houston no-hits Atlanta on June 18.
-Dean Chance of Minnesota no-hits Cleveland on August 25.
-Joe Horlen of Chicago no-hits Detroit on Sept. 10.
-On April 30, Orioles Steve Barber and Stu Miller lose a combined no-hitter to Detroit 2-1 in nine innings.
-Whitey Ford retires with .690 career win pct., the best in history among 200-game winners, as he compiles a 236-106 record.
-Ford retires with a 2.74 career ERA, the lowest of any pitcher active exclusively since the end of the dead-ball era.
-While on leave during military service, Cubs pitcher Ken Holtzman posts a 9-0 record.
-Cleveland pitchers fan an American League record 1,189 hitters.
-Eddie Mathews hits his 500th homer on July 14.
-Television revenue is now up to $25 million.
-Roberto Clemente leads the major league with 209 hits and 190 runs produced.
leads the National League in home runs (39), slugging (.573), and total bases (344).
-White Sox pitchers Joe Horlen, Gary Peters, and Tommy John finish one-two-four in ERA in American League, Horlen leading at 2.06.
-Yankees finish ninth in 1967 and are last in the American League in runs (522).
-American League BA is down to .236, as Red Sox are only team to hit above .243.
-Charley Finley is called a "menace to baseball" by KC's Hawk Harrelson; Finley then lets Harrelson leave as a free agent.
-White Sox finish only 3 games out with a club that has a .225 team average and no regulars who hit above .241.
-Ninth-place Astros are the only team in major league with a staff ERA above 4.00.
-Owners create the Player Relations Committee to cope with burgeoning Players Association.
-The Hall of Fame inducts Red Ruffing, Branch Rickey, and Lloyd Waner.
-Minnesota's Rod Carew is 1967 American League Rookie of the Year.
-Boston's George Scott wins first of American League record eight Gold Gloves by a first baseman.
-Bill Mazeroski wins the last of a National League record eight Gold Gloves by a second baseman.
-Mazeroski tops National League second basemen in DPs a record eighth consecutive year.
-Cardinal Curt Flood's record streak of 568 consecutive errorless chances in the outfield ends.
-Roberto Clemente tops National League outfielders in assists a record fifth consecutive year.
-Jimmie Foxx dies.
-Mets use National League record 54 players in a vain effort to escape the cellar.
-White Sox use a record four pinch runners in an inning on September 16.
-Boston trades Tony Horton and Don Demeter to Cleveland for Gary Bell.
-Pittsburgh trades Don Money and three other players to the Phils for Jim Bunning.
-1967 World Series winner's share is below $10,000 for the last time.
-Dean Chance wins 20 games and tops American League in CGs (18) and innings (284).
-Jim Lonborg leads American League in Ks (246).
-Jim Wynn sets Astros record with 37 homers.
-Mickey Lolich loses ten in a row, a Tigers record.
-Lou Brock tops National League in runs (113) and steals (52).
-Orlando Cepeda paces National League in RBI (111).
-Rusty Staub of Houston tops major league with 44 doubles.
-Vada Pinson leads majors with 13 triples.
-Chicago's Ron Santo leads National League in walks with 96.
-Phillie Dick Allen has National League's top OBP (.404).
-Harmon Killebrew ties Yaz for homer crown (44), leads major league in walks (131).
-Tony Oliva tops American League in doubles (34).
-Oriole Paul Blair's 12 triples lead American League.
-Bert Campaneris repeats as steals champ in American League (55).
-Jim Bunning, pitching for the Phils, leads the major league with 302 innings and 253 Ks, and ties for ML lead with six shutouts.
-Atlanta's Phil Niekro tops National League in ERA (1.87).
-Rookie Dick Hughes of Cards leads National League in win pct. (.727).
-Ted Abernathy, now with the Reds, paces major league with 28 saves.
-Minnie Rojas of the Angels leads American League with 27 saves.
-Fergie Jenkins of the Cubs tops major league with 20 CGs.
-Joe Horlen leads the American League in win pct. (.731) and ERA (2.06).

 

[67RedSox]

Known as "The Year of the Pitcher," the 1968 baseball season had Carl Yastrzemski taking a batting title at .301 -- the lowest winning average ever . The pitchers put up astounding numbers: Cleveland's Luis Tiant led the American League with nine shutouts and a 1.60 ERA. Detroit's Denny McLain, the first pitcher since Dizzy Dean in 1934 to win 30 games, totalled a 31-6 record and a 1.96 ERA -- winning the AL's Cy Young and MVP Awards. Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA set a post-1920 ML record in the National League; Gibson threw 13 shutouts and managed to lose nine games. His 22 victories were enough for the Cy Young Award, the MVP, and a trip to the 1968 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals who had only two players hitting more than seven homers,Orlando Cepeda had 16, Mike Shannon had 15. The season was capped off with one of the best World Series ever:

1968:

-Tigers cruise to American League flag by 12-game margin.
-Cards repeat in National League, as Giants finish second for the fourth year in a row.
-Tigers take 1968 World Series in seven games after trailing in the Series three games to one.
-Mickey Lolich wins three 1968 World Series games for Tigers and beats Bob Gibson in the closing contest.
-Gibson sets World Series record in game one when he fans 17 Tigers.
-Lou Brock once again tops all Series batters with .464 BA and record-tying seven steals.
-Al Kaline hits .379 and produces a Series-top eight RBI.
-Detroit triumphs in game seven of 1968 World Series by breaking up scoreless duel with three runs in the seventh inning.
-Detroit's Denny McLain, first 30-game winner in National League since 1934, cops 1968 American League MVP and Cy Young by racking up 31 wins.
-Gibson posts a 1.12 ERA, lowest in the major league since 1914, and is named the 1968 National League MVP and Cy Young winner.
-Gibson has 13 shutouts, most in Major League since 1916.
-The A's move to Oakland and top American League with .240 BA, lowest in major league history by a loop leader.
-Houston beats Mets 1-0 in 24 innings on April 15, the longest 1-0 game in major league history.
-Don Drysdale sets new major league record when he pitches 58 consecutive scoreless innings.
-Carl Yastrzemski wins American League bat crown with .301 BA, lowest in major league history to lead a league.
-Yankees set post-dead-ball record for lowest team batting average when they hit just .214.
-National League attendance is down to 11.7 million.
-National League wins first indoor All-Star Game 1-0 at Houston, as winning run scores on a double-play grounder.
-Willie Mays is first to win two All-Star MVP Awards.
-Cincinnati rookie catcher Johnny Bench wins first of ten consecutive Gold Gloves.
-Mickey Stanley of Tigers is awarded 1968 American League Gold Glove as outfielder, but plays shortstop in World Series.
-Luis Tiant strikes out 19 batters for the Indians in a ten-inning game on July 3.
-Player Relations Committee and Players Association hammer out their first "Basic Agreement."
-Cesar Tovar plays all nine positions for Twins on Sept. 22.
-Giant Jim Davenport's record streak of 97 consecutive errorless games at third base ends.
-Hank Aaron hits his 500th homer on July 14.
-On July 29, Senator Ron Hansen performs the first unassisted triple play in major league since 1927.
-George Culver of Cincinnati no-hits Phils on July 29.
-Tom Phoebus of Baltimore no-hits Boston on April 27.
-Gaylord Perry of Giants no-hits the Cards on Sept. 17.
-On September 18, Ray Washburn of Cards no-hits the Giants.
-On May 8, Catfish Hunter of the A's pitches a perfect game vs. Twins, and collects three hits and four RBI in his own cause.
-Washington's Frank Howard tops majors with 44 homers, 330 total bases, and .552 SA.
-Willie McCovey leads National League in homers (36), RBI (105), and SA (.545).
-Juan Marichal tops National League in wins (26), CGs (30), and innings (326).
-Wilbur Wood of White Sox pitches in 88 games, a new major league record.
-Pete Rose wins his first bat crown (.335) and becomes first switch-hitter in National League history to lead the loop in hitting.
-Tigers win flag with a third baseman, Don Wert, who hits .200, and a shortstop, Ray Oyler, who hits .135 in 111 games.
-Four teams in the major league score fewer than 500 runs.
-The Hall of Fame inducts Joe Medwick, Kiki Cuyler, and Goose Goslin.
-Johnny Bench is the 1968 National League Rookie of the Year in a close vote over Met Jerry Koosman.
-Yankee Stan Bahnsen is 1968 American League Rookie of the Year.
-Chicago's Glenn Beckert ends Bill Mazeroski's reign as National League Gold Glove champ at second base.
-Chicago's Ron Santo wins his fifth consecutive Gold Glove at third base.
-For the sixth straight year, Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Cardinal Curt Flood sweep Gold Gloves for National League outfielders.
-Angel second baseman Bobby Knoop wins third Gold Glove.
-Koosman is the first rookie in 55 years to collect as many as seven shutouts in his frosh season.
-Cub Fergie Jenkins is 20-15 with nine shutout losses, most in this century by a 20-game winner.
-Mets batters strike out a major league record 1,203 times.
-Detroit's Dick McAuliffe ties major league record when he grounds into no DPs in over 150 games.
-Sam Crawford dies at 83.
-Detroit's Gates Brown hits major league record .472 as a pinch hitter (since broken).
-Howard hits record ten homers over a six-game span.
-Cubs pitcher Bill Hands strikes out a record 14 times in a row.
-Cubs backstop Randy Hundley catches major league record 160 games.
-Curt Blefary, former American League Rookie of the Year, hits .200 for Houston -- lowest BA in history by an outfielder with 400 or more at-bats.
-Jim McAndrew of Mets loses record four consecutive games in which his team is shut out.
-McAuliffe, a .249 hitter, tops American League in runs with 95.
-Jim Northrup of Detroit hits record-tying three grandslams in a five-day period.
-Beckert tops majors in runs scored with 98.
-Brock tops the National League with 46 doubles, 14 triples, and 62 steals.
-Boston's Hawk Harrelson leads majors with 109 RBI.
-Harrelson tops American League with just 153 runs produced, setting a record low for a loop leader.
-Cincinnati's Tony Perez paces major league with 167 runs produced, setting a record low by an major league leader.
-Yaz tops majors in walks (119) and OBP (.429).
-Rose leads National League with a .394 OBP, lowest to top loop since 1917.
-Rose and Atlanta's Felipe Alou tie for National League lead in hits with 210.
-Bert Campaneris leads American League with 177 hits, fewest ever by American League leader in a full season.
-Campaneris tops American League in stolen bases (62).
-McLain leads American League in innings (336), win pct. (.838), and CGs (28).
-Cub Phil Regan tops majors with 25 saves.
-Minnesota's Al Worthington leads American League with just 18 saves.
-Luis Tiant leads American League in ERA (1.60).
-Cleveland's Sam McDowell leads American League in Ks (283).

 

[67RedSox]

Time to finish up the 1960’s and if you remember 1969 the first thing that comes to mind is likely the ‘Amazing Mets’ also known as the ‘Miracle Mets’. Of course, if you were a Cubs fan, as I was, you try not to remember 1969 beyond August 16th. Here’s some things that were going on:

1969:

-American League and National League both expand to 12 teams and divide into two divisions, with division winners to play best-of-five playoffs.
-Mets become second major league team in three years to win flag after finishing as low as ninth the preceding year.
-Orioles take American League flag.
-Braves win National League West title, bow to Mets in three straight games in first NLCS.
-Twins win first American League West title, are swept by Orioles in first ALCS.
-Mets beat heavily favored Orioles in 1969 World Series in five games to top off miracle season.
-Donn Clendenon raps three homers and hits .357 to lead Mets in the 1969 World Series.
-Jerry Koosman wins two World Series games for Mets.
-Bowie Kuhn named new commissioner, replacing Spike Eckert.
-To add more offense, rules are made to reduce the height of the pitcher's mound and the size of the strike zone.
-The National League's batting average jumps seven points and the American League's jumps 16 points.
-Harmon Killebrew leads majors with 49 homers and 140 RBI and is American League MVP.
-Willie McCovey named National League MVP after leading league in homers (45), RBI (126), SA (.656), and OBP (.458).
-The Mets' Tom Seaver tops majors with 25 wins.
-Seaver wins 1969 National League Cy Young Award.
-Detroit's Denny McLain leads American League with nine shutouts and 24 wins to repeat as American League Cy Young winner.
-Minnesota's Rod Carew steals home seven times to tie Pete Reiser's major league season record.
-Orioles' 109 wins tie 1961 Yanks for most wins in 162-game season.
-National League wins 1969 All-Star Game 9-3 at Washington.
-Dave McNally sets Orioles franchise record by winning 15 games in a row.
-Ted Williams is hired as Washington manager; the team finishes over .500 for the first time in its nine-year history.
-The Curt Flood case begins vs. OB after Flood is traded to Phils by Cards and refuses to report to new team.
-Twins manager Billy Martin beats up one of his own pitchers, Dave Boswell.
-On August 5, Pirate Willie Stargell becomes first to hit a homer out of Dodger Stadium.
-LA's Willie Davis hits in 31 consecutive games.
-Houston hurlers fan major league record 1,221 hitters.
-Wayne Granger of Reds is first pitcher to appear in 90 games.
-Bobby Bonds of Giants fans major league record 187 times.
-McCovey receives major league record 45 intentional walks.
-McCovey's .656 SA sets record for National League first basemen.
-Boston's Rico Petrocelli sets American League shortstop record with 40 homers.
-Bob Moose of Pittsburgh no-hits Mets on Sept. 20.
-Ken Holtzman of Cubs no-hits Atlanta on August 19.
-Jim Palmer of Baltimore no-hits Oakland on August 13; this comes in the midst of his 15 consecutive wins.
-Bill Stoneman of Montreal no-hits Phils on April 17.
- Hoyt Wilhelm cemented his place in baseball history as the first major league pitcher to achieve 200 career saves.
-Cincinnati's Jim Maloney no-hits Houston on April 30; the next day, Houston's Don Wilson no-hits Cincinnati.
-April 14, in the first major league game played outside the United States, Montreal beats the Cards 8-7.
-Pete Rose wins second consecutive National League bat crown (.348).
-Rod Carew takes his first American League bat crown (.332).
-For the first time since 1914, Cleveland finishes last in American League, trailing the Seattle Pilots and KC Royals, two expansion teams.
-Cleveland's Sam McDowell leads major league with 279 Ks.
-The Hall of Fame inducts Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Stan Coveleski, and Waite Hoyt.
-"Bleacher Bums" make their official debut in Wrigley Field; Cubs earn highest finish since 1945.
-Pete Rose breaks up the Curt Flood-Roberto Clemente-Willie Mays National League Gold Glove monopoly as he replaces Mays as an outfield Gold Glover.
-Baltimore's Davy Johnson takes first of three consecutive Gold Gloves as American League second baseman.
-Carl Yastrzemski wins fifth Gold Glove as an American League outfielder.
-The Royals' Lou Piniella is 1969 American League Rookie of the Year.
-LA's Ted Sizemore named 1969 National League Rookie of the Year.
-Astros trade Rusty Staub to Montreal Expos for four players and $100,000.
-Cleveland sends Luis Tiant and Stan Williams to Twins for Graig Nettles, Dean Chance, and two other players.
-Yanks trade Joe Pepitone to Astros for Curt Blefary.
-Cards trade Orlando Cepeda to Braves for Joe Torre.
-Mets trade Amos Otis and Bob Johnson to Royals for Joe Foy.
-Juan Marichal tops major league with 2.10 ERA.
-Mickey Mantle announces his retirement prior to the 1969 season.
-On September 10, Royals use an major league record 27 men in a nine-inning game.
-Houston's Jim Wynn ties National League record, receiving 148 walks.
-Washington's Dick Bosman has best ERA in American League (2.19).
-Boston's Rico Petrocelli sets American League record when he hits 40 homers as a shortstop.
-Washington's Del Unser tops American League with eight triples, fewest ever by a loop leader.
-Jim Northrup of Detroit goes 6-for-6 in a 13-inning game on August 28.
-Royals' Bob Oliver goes 6-for-6 on May 4.
-Steve Carlton of the Cards fans 19 Mets on September 15, but loses 4-3.
-On September 12, Mets Koosman and Don Cardwell both shut out the Pirates 1-0, and each gets a game-winning RBI.
-On July 9, Cubs Jim Quails singles with one out in the ninth to break up a perfect game bid by Tom Seaver.
-Seattle Pilots, defunct after only one year of existence, at least win their first game in franchise history, a 7-0 over Chicago.
-Pittsburgh's Matty Alou tops majors in hits (231) and doubles (41).
-Oakland's Reggie Jackson tops American League with 123 runs and a .608 SA.
-Tony Oliva leads American League in hits (197) and doubles (39).
-Seattle's Tommy Harper tops major league with 73 steals.
-Lou Brock leads National League with 53 thefts.
-Clemente tops major league in triples (12); second in National League in batting (.345).
-Rose and Bonds tie for National League lead in runs with 120.
-Bob Gibson leads the majors in CGs with 28.

 

[67RedSox]

Were you busy on this date in 1959…Sandy Koufax was. He breaks Dizzy Dean's NL mark and ties Bob Feller's ML record of 18 strikeouts in a game against the Giants as 82,974 fans watch. He also totals 31 strikeouts for two consecutive games to set a new major league mark. (The ML record for strikeouts in a game is now shared by Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood, while Wood holds the record with 33 strikeouts over two games.) In the game played at the Coliseum Wally Moon won it in the bottom of the 9th with one of his, Vin Scully named, patented “moonshots” to left-field, a 3-run shot to give the Dodgers a 5-2 win. Moon describes his “moonshot” swing as almost a golf swing but it was effective and kept him in the line-up. Here he is talking about it:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7l-As7c5hM]Moonshots - YouTube[/ame]

At 5’8” and 155 lbs soaking wet he’s difficult to picture as the dominant relief pitcher of the late 1950’s to early 1960’s but that’s what Elroy (Roy) Face was. He was a pioneer of modern relief pitching, he was the archetype of what came to be known as the closer. Face was the first ML’er to save 20 games more than once, leading the League three times and finishing second three times; in 1959 he set the still-standing ML record for winning percentage (.947) with 18 wins against only one loss. He held the NL record for career games pitched (846) from 1967 until 1986, and the NL record for career saves (193) from 1962 until 1982; he still holds the NL record for career wins in relief (96), and he held the NL mark for career innings pitched in relief (1,211⅓) until 1983. On his retirement, he ranked third in ML history in pitching appearances, behind only Hoyt Wilhelm and Cy Young, and second in saves behind Wilhelm. Nicknamed "The Baron," he holds the Pirates franchise records for career games (802) and saves (188). Following his baseball career, Face became a carpenter. At age 85 he’s still alive and currently resides in Pennsylvania. He regularly attends Pittsburgh area celebrity golf tournaments and graciously signs autographs. It was on this date in 1968 that Steve Blass gets the first out against the Braves, and then moves to left field as Roy Face relieves. Face retires Felix Millan and ties Walter Johnson's ML record of 802 pitching appearances with one club. Blass comes back in and the Pirates go on to win 8-0. Later in the game, the Pirates announce the sale of Face to the Tigers.

It was on this date in 1990 that the Ken Griffeys, Griffey, Jr. in center field and Ken (Sr.) in left field, become the first father-and-son combination in major league history to play as teammates, and they each go 1-for-4 in Seattle's 5-2 win over the Royals. The Mariners had signed the elder Griffey after he was waived by the Reds.

Here’s an interesting blurb on managerial strategy and It’s a good thing that our friend smf52, who spent many afternoons of her youth watching the Cubs play at Wrigley Field, doesn’t visit this Board any longer as there’s a mention of Leo Durocher. It’s quite possible I listened to this game on AFRTS radio…it does seem vaguely familiar. It was on this date in 1967 before a crowd of 4‚992 at Wrigley Field‚ rookies Tom Seaver and Rich Nye battle for 10 innings to a 1-1 tie. In the bottom of the 11th‚ the Cubs put the first two batters on base. Ernie Banks, in one of his final games in his career leads off with a single and Randy Hundley is hit by a pitch. With 2 aboard with no outs Ted Savage attempts to bunt but fails and runs the count to 1-2. At this point Durocher sends in pitcher, Fergie Jenkins to run for Banks and with the count 1-2 lifts Savage for pinch-hitter Al Spangler‚ who slaps a single to give the Cubs a 2-1 win over the Mets. Pinch runner Fergie Jenkins scores the winning run.

Do you remember Bobby Richardson the 2B for the NY Yankees. In his first 10 seasons that he played for the Yankees 1955-1964 they went to the WS nine times…the ’59 White Sox ruined the streak of 10 in a row. Richardson led the AL in Basehits in 1962 and was runner-up to Mantle as the AL’s MVP. He won 5 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1961-1965. However, where he really shone was with his play in the World Series. In other words he was a vital cog in the Yankee machinery during his time there. It was on this date in 1966, at age 31, he announces his retirement…today he might be tempted to continue playing because he’d be offered about $100M for 5 or 6 years. Is his retirement announcement worthy of a mention…well, maybe not but because 2B was my position as a kid playing baseball (no arm) and since he and Glenn Beckert were my favourites I like to work them in where I can.

Juan Nicasio was born on this date in 1987…a player who has, in my opinion, made a remarkable comeback from a very serious injury. Sticking with birthdays Frank Robinson was born on this date in 1935…Happy 78th.

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1902 that Tinker, Evers, and Chance appear together in the Chicago Cubs lineup for the first time, but not in the positions that will earn them immortality. Johnny Evers, a New York State League rookie, starts at shortstop, with Joe Tinker at third base, Frank Chance at first base, and Bobby Lowe at second base:

These are the saddest of possible words:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."
Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds,
Tinker and Evers and Chance.
Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon* bubble,
Making a Giant hit into a double –
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."

*- NL Pennant

If you’re from Winston-Salem, North Carolina you may remember Vinegar Bend Mizell as your Congressman for 3 terms in the 1960’s and 1970’s. If you’re a Baseball fan you might remember Vinegar Bend as a NL starting pitcher from 1952-1962 and a member of the 1960 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates. It was on this date in 1958, while pitching for the Cardinals he set a National League record by walking nine batters and pitching a shutout. Mizell beat Cincinnati 1-0.

During his 20 year career that began in the 1940’s and ended in 1967 Curt Simmons won 193 games. He was a left-handed starter which might account for his long career. Simmons was one of the twin anchors of the starting rotation of the "Whiz Kids", the Philadelphia Phillies' 1950 National League championship team. He is the youngest surviving player from the team. I remember him as an 18 game winner for the Cardinals in 1964 and pitching a heck of a Game 3 of the World Series pitching 8 innings of 4-hit, 1-run ball. Johnny Keane took him out in the 9th inning in favour of Barney Schultz who tossed 1 pitch and Mantle hit it into the 2nd deck for a walk-off HR. It was on this date in 1963 that he allowed six hits, drove in two runs with a triple and stole home plate in a 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Simmons' steal of home is the last by a pitcher.

It was on this date in 1964 that southpaw relief pitcher Masanori Murakami becomes the first Major League player from Japan. He debuts in a 4-1 San Francisco loss at New York. His first eleven innings will be scoreless ones.

Sal “The Barber” Maglie was the last player to play for all three NY City teams…Yankees, Giants & Dodgers.

It was on this date in 1919 that Babe Ruth wins his 89th and final game for the Red Sox. Apparently, the Red Sox trade Ruth to the Yankees who make a hitter out of him and he manages to hit 54 HRs for them in 1920...and yet a few more after that.

One of the Majors best hitters of the 1960’s and one of the early ML’ers out of the baseball-rich Dominican Republic, Rico Carty was born on this date in 1939. He won nthe NL Batting Crown in 1970 with a .366 BA.

I know he was ahead of our time, way ahead but he deserves being remembered because he was one of the leading individuals of the 19th century who helped advance the grand old game into the country’s national pastime. Jim O’Rourke was born on this date in 1850. He collected the National League’s very first basehit and when he took the field as catcher for the New York Giants on Sept. 22, 1904, he set a still-unbroken record for oldest player ever to play in the National League. A key member of championship teams in both the National Association and the National League, O’Rourke was a versatile performer in the field and a reliable .300 hitter at the plate. Thereafter, as his playing days wound down, O’Rourke assumed the role of baseball executive. O’Rourke was also a figure of some cultural significance, rising to prominence in an era when anti-Irish prejudice still flourished in many quarters. Unlike the stereotypical brawling, hard-drinking wastrel of King Kelly stripe, O’Rourke was a sober, well-educated ballplayer who earned a Law degree from Yale in 1887 and whose dignified bearing both on and off the diamond was punctuated only by a proclivity for grandiloquence. In time, these rhetorical flights of fancy, which amused and bewildered his contemporaries, gave rise to the moniker by which Jim O’Rourke is known to this day: “Orator Jim”. More than 2,600 career basehits, a .300+ lifetime BA and his non-playing contributions to the game earned him entry into the HOF in 1945.

 

[67RedSox]

They did things a bit different back in the 1930’s. On this date in 1935 the Cards open a 30-game home stand by sweeping a Labor Day doubleheader from the Pirates.

In Ted Williams’ rookie season, 1939, he struck out 64 times…the most strikeouts he had in a season during his entire career. However he walked 107 times to offset that. In every one of his 19 ML seasons he walked more times than he struck out to the rate of almost 3 to 1. 709 lifetime K’s to 2,021 Walks. In his rookie season he hit a HR off of Thornton Lee, the White Sox’ #1 starter and 15 game winner. Lee was a good ML pitcher who would win 22 games and was the AL’s ERA Champ in 1941. Williams wasn’t done with the Lee family after Thornton retired after the 1948 season. It was on this date in 1960 that Williams hit one of his final HR’s when he went deep off of Thornton Lee’s son, Washington Senator pitcher, Don Lee.

On this date in 1955, in only his second year in the Bigs, Ernie Banks sets the record for home runs hit by a shortstop by going deep for his 40th dinger. The previous record of 39 was held by Vern Stephens. He wasn’t big at 6’ 1”, 175 lbs. but Ernie was a wrist hitter, that’s where his power came from. Ernie Banks played shortstop for the Chicago Cubs from 1954-1961, and after hitting a modest 19 home runs in 1954, he hit 44, 28, 43, 47, 45, and 41 home runs from 1955-1960, which topped the totals of Henry Aaron, Mickey Mantle, and Willie Mays for that time period. Shortstops just didn't do such things in those days and neither did most other players, regardless of their position. Ten years to the day on this date in 1965 he cranks his 400th as the Cubs beat the Cardinals at Wrigley Field, 5-3.

I read yesterday where the Angels may be dropping the “of Anaheim” from their name. I’m not sure when this merry-go-round is going to stop but 48 years today on this date in 1965 Gene Autry announces the Los Angeles Angels, in anticipation of their move to Anaheim to start the 1966 season, would now be known as the California Angels, becoming the second ML team to be named after an entire state (Minnesota Twins being the 1st). The franchise is the first to change its moniker during the season.

On this date in 1972 Milt Pappas of the Chicago Cubs retired 26 San Diego Padres batters in a row before walking pinch-hitter Larry Stahl on a 3-2 pitch. Pappas then retired Garry Jestadt to finish his 8-0 no-hitter.

Success, finally! On this date in 1990 Dave Stieb, who had lost three no-hit bids with one out to go in the previous two seasons including back-to-back games, finally pitched one as the Toronto Blue Jays beat Cleveland, 3-0. It was the record ninth no-hitter of the season.

On this date in 1993 the Colorado Rockies drew 47,699 fans for their 6-1 loss to Montreal to set a single-season National League attendance record with a 62-game total of 3,617,863. Los Angeles set the previous record of 3,608,881 in 1982. Toronto set the Major League record of 4,028,318 in 1992.

This comes from the files of “make them work once they get to the Majors” …on this date in 1975 Johnny LeMaster becomes the first player to hit an inside-the-park home run in his first ML at-bat. The Giants shortstop's dash around the bases comes off Don Sutton in a 7-3 win over LA at Candlestick Park.

 

[67RedSox]

Ty Cobb played 24 seasons in the Majors…the first 22 with the Tigers where he collected 3,900 base hits. The last two seasons were played with the Philadelphia Athletics where he collected 289 base hits. It was on this date in 1928 that he picked up the last of his base hits…the 724th double of his career, as a pinch hitter in the first game of a doubleheader at Washington.

Chances are you won’t see this happen too often. On this date in 1947 the New York Yankees defeat the Red Sox 11-2 in a game at Fenway Park. In the process they collect 18 hits…the unusual thing about that is every one is a single.
Another something you don’t often see, in fact it has only happened twice in the more than 100 years of the AL being in existence…it was on this date in 1992 that the Toronto Blue Jays get 10 consecutive base hits in a game they win 16-5 over the Twins.

Have you ever kept score while watching a baseball game. I never have and if I was to make a bucket list of things I wanted to do it would be on that list…after I learn the proper way to do it. Unless...it's at a game like the the oneon this day in 1986 the Cubs and Astros complete an 18 inning marathon where they set a ML record by using 53 players‚ including 17 pitchers. Astros win 8-7 and anyone trying to keep score surely loses.

On this date in 1975 future Hall of Famer Bob Gibson gives up a pinch-hit, grand slam to Chicago's Pete LaCock. The Cardinal right-hander faces one more batter to end the inning, retiring Don Kessinger on a ground out, and never returns to a Big League mound.

He was a player in the Majors for 11 seasons and a Manager for 7 more. Eddie Stanky was born on this date in 1915. One can statistically evaluate with some degree of accuracy the worth of a baseball player to his team. However, sometimes a player stands out because of characteristics that inspire his teammates and draws the admiration and respect of fans. Eddie “The Brat” Stanky was one of those. Stanky was a gritty, scrappy player, not gifted with natural talent. He worked long and hard to achieve the success he attained. Just five feet eight and 170 pounds, Stanky seemed so much more imposing as he flew into second base with a feet-first, spikes-raised slide to break up a double play. He played for 5 different NL teams during his career but the Dodgers were his team. In the mid to late 1940’s he was one of the best “On Base” players in the game leading the NL in Base on Balls and OBP more than once. In Brooklyn Stanky replaced the navy-bound Billy Herman at second base, and in 1945, his first full season with the Dodgers, he started to make a name for himself. His hard-nosed style of play ingratiated him with the fans, who loved his spirited approach to the game. Stanky drew 148 walks in 1945—a National League record at the time; he also led the league in runs scored with 128.Brooklyn fans adored him. He was given nickname upon nickname: Stinky and Muggsy were popular. However, the most famous nickname, the one that stuck with him, was The Brat, a reference to the snarling, clamorous, hot-headed edge to Stanky that came out in moments of high emotion or tension. The Brat was more of Stanky’s on-field alter-ego.
The off-field Eddie Stanky was less of a dervish, very attentive, and spent much time learning about what it might take to be a ML manager. Stanky loved being a Dodger and the fans loved him, honoring him with an Eddie Stanky Day on September 8, 1946. When his Big League managing career ended after the 1968 season he went home to Alabama and secured the coaching job in 1969 at the University of Southern Alabama. After the relative glamour of the Majors, college ball was different. "I had played in beautiful parks with beautiful locker rooms,” he said. “At Southern Alabama, I inherited a rock pile for a ball field, with no dugouts, a four-foot-high fence around it and no grass in the infield. Stanky transformed that little school into a great college baseball team. For the next fourteen years, beginning in 1969, teams led by Stanky went 488-193. He did not have a single losing season.
Best of all, Eddie finally changed his win-at-all-costs philosophy. He adopted an “everyone plays” style. “I’m a believer in participation,” he said. “The one record I care about came in a game against Vanderbilt in 1971. I played thirty-eight men in one nine-inning game. Everyone got in. Some seasons, I’ve carried as many as forty-five players on a team.” Stanky loved coaching students, and later said the biggest thrill was when his players graduated and “their mothers come up and embrace me for helping along their sons. There is something about a mother’s tears at graduation. I can’t weigh it. Stanky sent forty-three of his players to the Majors, as his team became a Sun Belt Conference powerhouse. “He brought the University of South Alabama from just about point-zero to a national power in three years,” said a successor as coach, Steve Kittrell, who played under Stanky.

Since I’m saying Happy Birthday to players before our time I’ll say Happy Birthday to a player no one has likely heard of…Ed Konetchy who was born on this day in 1885. Why? Well because he truly loved the game and was as much a fan of the game as he was a player. Variously called the Candy Kid, the LaCrosse Lulu, the Big Bohemian, and even Edward the Mighty-but known in boxscores simply as "Koney"-Ed Konetchy led National League first basemen in fielding eight times and batted .281 in 2,085 games. His 2,150 hits included 344 doubles, 181 triples (17th all time), and 74 home runs. Koney was a right-handed hitter who almost always batted cleanup, stood straight up at the plate, choked up on his bat, and sent liners to the outfield fences. He was the kind of player that "even the umpire liked," with a "handshake that is sincere and a friendship more than surface." "I not only play baseball for the salary connected with it, but I really and truly love the game,"

 

[67RedSox]

It’s a bit of a slow day as far this day in Baseball history is concerned but I will mention one interesting if not amusing thing. For those who don’t remember him Joel 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 notoriously weak-hitting Chicago White Sox. When he came up to the Majors he was an absolute nobody…literally. His ML career began on this date in 1961 at Metropolitan Stadium, when he makes his ML debut hurling four innings of scoreless relief to get the win in the White Sox's 9-5 victory over Minnesota. The 24-year old rookie right-hander, a last-minute call-up, is forced to wear the only road jersey the club has available, one without a number.

Since it’s a slow day from a historical point of view let’s look forward to this year’s play-offs which the Dodgers will surely be part of. What are their chances of winning it all. Well, if you believe in curses they aren’t good at all. Ranking 8th on Baseball’s Legendary Curses is The Curse of Donnie Baseball. During the mid 1980’s and into the 1990’s Don Mattingly ruled the game. He was so beloved, in fact, that fans christened him with two nicknames: "Donnie Baseball" and "The Hit Man." By the time Mattingly retired in 1996, most fans were already taking bets on when he'd be inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame.
Year after year, however, Mattingly is passed up for the honor. New York Post writer Robert A. George says it's because he's cursed. Despite all of Mattingly's success as a Yankee, George argues, the team never won a World Series while Mattingly manned first base. Following his retirement, however, the Yankees celebrated World Series victory four times. Then, in 2004 after Mattingly returned to the team as a hitting coach, the Yankees promptly bombed the last four games of the Series, losing 4-3 to the Red Sox. Further fueling curse speculation is the fact that when Mattingly left the Yankees in 2007 the team went on to cinch the 2009 World Series victory: Coincidence or curse? "In a game where superstition accounts for quite a lot, Don Mattingly is the black cat, the broken mirror and the crack in the sidewalk all rolled into one," concludes Robert George.

If you’re intending to put any of these in the spokes of your bicycle you may want to re-consider the notion given they are considered the 5 most valuable baseball cards around:

5-1955 Topps Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente was a right fielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates known for a batting prowess matched by his benevolence. He scored 3,000 hits in the course of his career and led the team to a 1971 World Series victory, but he then died in a plane crash the following year while delivering supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
In May 2012, a 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente No. 164 card -- Clemente's rookie card -- sold for $432,690. The card was part of a lot made available by Dmitri Young (a 13-season Major League veteran himself) that sold through SCP Auctions for more than $2.4 million.
Professional Sports Authenticator grades card condition on a scale of 1 through 10, with 10 representing mint, perfect condition. This particular Clemente rookie card is the only card to receive a PSA 10 rating out of more than 2,860 submitted to PSA over the years. It also illustrates just how much condition correlates with sale price: The same card graded as a PSA 8 is worth only about $6,000.

4-1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth is an essential addition to the list. This card was issued in 1914, just after the fresh-faced rookie was signed to the Baltimore Orioles, then a minor-league team. The cards were issued in either red-and-white or blue-and-white color schemes with a game schedule printed on the back. Only 10 of these cards are believed to exist. A few months after this card was issued, Ruth was traded to the ML Boston Red Sox and began building his legend as one of the MLB's greatest homerun hitters.
Sportscard Guaranty graded this card using a scale of 100. While it garnered a relatively low grade of 40 (no high-grade versions are believed to exist), the card garnered 59 bids during a rare auction appearance in 2008. It sold through Robert Edwards Auctions for $517,000.

3-1909-1911 T206 Eddie Plank
Eddie Plank was a Hall of Fame pitcher who spent the bulk of his career with the Philadelphia Athletics, pitching eight 20-win seasons along the way and becoming one of the few southpaws to win 300 or more games in his career.
Issued by the American Tobacco Company over the span of three years, the 1909-1911 T206 series is one of the most popular sets in the sport. Plank's card is the more rare standard entry from the set: Only 63 have been graded by PSA. (Only the Joe Doyle error card, which falsely proclaimed the New York Highlanders pitcher as affiliated with the New York Nationals, is more rare. A PSA 3 version of that card sold at Robert Edwards Auction in May 2012 for $414,750. Potential reasons for this scarcity could be because of a broken printing plate, an aversion to tobacco products, or a possible demand by Plank for more money for the use of his image. Whatever the cause, a PSA 8 is the highest-rated survivor from the set. Orlando says a PSA 7 sold privately for at least $700,000 in summer 2012.

2-1952 Topps Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle's 18-year career with the New York Yankees led to 12 World Series appearances and a record for most home runs hit during the World Series. His 1952 Topps card is poised to set a record of a different kind.
The Topps card is often mistaken as Mantle's rookie card -- that distinction goes to the Mantle card issued by Bowman Gum in 1951. Of the more than 1,000 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle cards that have been graded by PSA, only three PSA 10 versions exist. A mint-condition card hasn't come to auction since 1997, when it sold for $121,000 and set a record for the card. A PSA 9 version of the card sold for $282,587 at an auction in 2008.
While these figures are small compared to other entries on the list, a PSA 10 1952 Mantle Topps card has the potential to eclipse every other sale on the list. Orlando says he knows of private, million-dollar offers that have been rejected. The fact that this card rarely becomes available has only whet collectors' appetites. "There's so much built-up demand for that card," he says. "Once one of them hits the market [in a PSA 10], who knows what it could generate? I would bet the farm that it would go well north of seven figures if it popped up today".

1-1909-1911 T206 Honus Wagner
The T206 Honus Wagner card is the most coveted entry on the list. Wagner was a shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and was one of the first five players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This card was pulled from circulation shortly after about 200 made it to market -- like Eddie Plank, some believe Wagner either didn't want to support tobacco use or wanted more money.
A PSA 8 Honus Wagner -- the highest surviving grade of the card -- passed through many hands, including those of hockey star Wayne Gretzky, before reaching Ken Kendrick, owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team. In 2007, Kendrick purchased a PSA 8 for $2.8 million, the highest recorded price ever paid for a baseball card.
In July 2012, the story of the T206 Honus Wagner card took an interesting turn. A federal investigation resulted in several fraud charges against sports memorabilia dealer Mastro Auctions, and led to allegations that they trimmed the edges of the Wagner card purchased by Kendrick to improve its appearance. Some experts say trimming should reduce the card's value, while others say its value might have actually increased by as much as $500,000. The card remains the best-condition T206 Wagner available, plus it has a compelling story. And in this hobby, a good story counts for a lot.