Baseball History

[67RedSox]

The Cincinnati Red Stockings, established in 1869, were the first openly all-professional baseball team. After the 1870 season they voted to dissolve and some of that group moved East to Boston and took their name with them to form the nucleus of the Boston Red Stockings, a charter member of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players. The original Boston Red Stockings team and its successors, now known as the Atlanta Braves can lay claim to being the oldest continuously playing team in American professional sports. (The only other team that has been organized as long, the Chicago Cubs, did not play for the two years following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.)
The team became one of the National League's charter franchises in 1876, called the "Red Caps" (as a new Cincinnati Red Stockings club was another charter member). The “Red Caps” became the “Beaneaters” in 1883, the “Beaneaters” became the “Doves” in 1907, the “Doves” became the “Rustlers” in 1911 and finally the “Doves” became the “Braves” in 1912 and from 1936-1940 new owners tried to change the image of the downtrodden team by re-naming them the “Bees” but it didn’t really take and reverted back to the “Braves” and the team has been called that ever since although has changed cities twice…Milwaukee and then Atlanta.
It was on this date in 1888 Boston’s only ever double-decker Baseball stadium, The Grand Pavillion or South End Grounds opened. Though the Pavilion sat only 6‚800‚ 12‚000 see the Beaneaters lose their home opener to the Phillies 4-1. It was indeed a grand ballpark consisting of a large double-decked grandstand behind home plate and uncovered stands stretching down the right and left field lines, as well as bleachers in right-center field. The medieval-style "witch's cap" turrets were a very popular decoration on public seating structures of the 1880s and 1890s. It was the only double-decked baseball stadium built in Boston, apart from the rooftop seating which has turned the single-decked Fenway Park into a de facto double-deck ballpark. The stadium was destroyed in the Great Roxbury Fire of May 15, 1894, which began when children started a small fire beneath the right field bleachers, and which spread and destroyed the stadium and 117 other buildings.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=bost...ipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSouth_End_Grounds;933;591

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/1c/56/aa/1c56aa590d9523d4508544ef40b542b6.jpg

https://www.google.ca/search?q=bost...2Fimage-south-end-grounds-boston.html;730;578

It was on this date in 1923 in Detroit‚ Ty Cobb scores his 1‚741st run‚ to pass Honus Wagner and become Baseball’s all-time leader. He would hold that position for 78 years until Ricky Henderson passed him in 2001.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=ty+c...-Tigers-history-timeline-World-Series;960;726

It was on this date in 1935 Babe Ruth has a last hurrah‚ hitting 3 HRs at Pittsburgh. The first shot is hit off Red Lucas‚ while the last two homers come off veteran Guy Bush. The final one‚ the last of his 714 career HRs‚ is the first to clear the RF grandstand at Forbes Field and is measured at 600 feet. Ruth‚ who hit 3 HRs in a game just once in the AL (May 21‚ 1930)‚ is the first player to turn this hat trick in both Leagues.


Here is Robert Creamer's account of the Babe's last home run in his 1974 book‚ "Babe":
Guy Bush said‚ 'I never saw a ball hit so hard before or since. He was fat and old‚ but he still had that great swing. Even when he missed‚ you could hear the bat go swish. I can't remember anything about the first home run he hit off me that day. I guess it was just another homer. But I can't forget that last one. It's probably still going. It was unbelievably long‚ completely over the roof of the double-decked stands in right field and out of the park. Nobody had ever hit a ball over the roof in Forbes Field before.' Gus Miller‚ the head usher‚ went to investigate‚ and was told the ball landed on the roof of one house‚ bounced onto another and then into a lot‚ where a boy picked it up and ran off with it. Miller measured the distance from the first house back to home plate and said it was 600 feet. His measurement may have been imprecise‚ but it was still the longest home run ever hit in Pittsburgh.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=babe...-october-old-school-the-old-padres%2F;800;611

https://www.google.ca/search?q=forb...626%2Fthe-life-and-times-of-ted-beard;869;600

It was on this date in 1951 Giants rookie Willie Mays‚ who was hitting .477 with Minneapolis‚ goes 0-for-5 in his ML debut against the Phils. He strikes out in his first at bat‚ against Bubba Church but makes two outstanding defensive plays to contribute to New York’s 8-5 victory.
Don Liddle was born on this date in 1925. Liddle was a sometimes starter, sometimes reliever for the Braves, Giants and Cardinals during the 1950s. His career record was 28-18 but he is best remembered as the man who, in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, threw the pitch to Vic Wertz that resulted in The Catch — Giant center fielder Willie Mays' historic back-to-home-plate, over-the-shoulder grab of Wertz' long drive with two men on base in the deepest part of centerfield at the Giants' home field, the Polo Grounds. Speaking of that game I’ll use this opportunity to mention a Baseball book that is on my Bucket List of books to read…A Day in the Bleachers by Arnold Hano. It’s 192 pages covering a few hours of time from the subway ride to the ballpark, through batting practice and warm-ups, to the game-winning home run, A Day in the Bleachers describes inning by inning the strategies, heroics, and ineluctable rhythms of the opening game of the 1954 World Series. Here are the spectacular exploits of the Indians and Giants, and of a young player named Willie Mays, who made the most-talked-about catch in baseball history. The book has been in print since the 1950s, is considered a ‘must read’ for Baseball fans and I had never heard of it until earlier this year…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dK6zPbkFnE

A Day In The Bleachers by Arnold Hano ? Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

 

[67RedSox]

The number of players who have accumulated 1,000 extra-base hits in their career totals 35. Hank Aaron leads the way with 1,477. It was on this date in 1923 Ty Cobb becomes the first player to achieve 1,000 extra-base hits when he doubles in Detroit's 8-1 win over the White Sox. The 'Georgia Peach', who surpassed Honus Wagner's record of 996 earlier in the season, will finish his 24-year ML career with 1,136…still good enough for 12th place overall.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=ty+c...2F06%2Fel-caballero-del-santiago.html;678;514

Braves Field was a baseball park that formerly stood on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium was home to the Boston Braves National League franchise from 1915–1952, when the team moved to Milwaukee. Significant portions of the original structure still stand in place, and make up part of the Nickerson Field sports complex for Boston College. Walton Cruise was a ML Outfielder for 10 seasons between 1914-1924 splitting his time almost equally between the Dead-Ball and Live-Ball Eras and the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Braves. Cruise was not a HR hitter as he collected an average of 3 per season over his career. However, when you put Cruise in Braves Field he became a slugger of monumental proportions. It was on this date in 1917, Cruise then with the Cardinals, becomes the first player to hit a ball out of Braves Field when he parks one in the "Jury Box"‚ the 25 cents stands in right field past the 402 foot mark. The Cards are victorious‚ 8-6. The next ball hit out of the park will come in 1921‚ when Cruise does it again‚ this time as a Brave.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=walt...2Flibrary_of_congress%2F5853173492%2F;640;468

https://www.google.ca/search?q=brav....com%2Fstadiumgraveyard%2Fbraves.html;400;257

Just a word of warning if you plan on attending a ML game this Memorial Day. That warning should have been stated to Bryan Hayes in 1919. On this date in 1919 in a Memorial Day game in Philadelphia‚ the Red Sox takes 2-0 lead over the A's‚ but when Philadelphia scores 3 runs in the 2nd inning off big Bill James‚ fans start pounding on tin roof of the visitors' dugout. The din is interrupted when Carl Mays emerges from the Sox dugout and fires a fast ball into the crowd striking a fan named Bryan Hayes. After the game‚ won 6-4 by Boston‚ Hayes goes to the police who issue a warrant for the arrest of Mays. The Sox leave town before the arrest can be made‚ but the warrant will remain outstanding. Mays will be fined $100 by MLB for the incident.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=carl...13%2F08%2Fthesagaofcarlmayspart1.html;548;750

On this date in 1940 the Reds receive their 1939 World Series rings from Commissioner Landis and then beat the Cardinals 1-0 on Paul Derringer's one-hitter. Stuart Martin's 1st inning single is the only hit. The game also celebrates the champion Reds from 1869 and in the stands are 21 fans who saw the 1869 champion Reds in action.

http://www.cincinnativiews.net/images-3/Orcajo-Team Photo.jpg

https://www.google.ca/search?q=1869...69-cincinnati-red-stockings-the-first;500;398

It was on this date in 1955 Dodgers P Don Newcombe becomes the only NL pitcher of the decade to steal home when he hits a triple and swipes home in the 9th inning in Pittsburgh.

Pitchers Stealing Home

May 26, 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers at Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1959 the single greatest MLB pitching performance takes place and the pitcher responsible comes away with nothing but a Loss. Harvey Haddix of the Pirates pitches a perfect game against Milwaukee for 12 innings‚ only to lose in the 13th. Felix Mantilla opens the last inning by reaching base on an error. A sacrifice and an intentional walk to Hank Aaron brings up Joe Adcock‚ who hits one out of the park in right-CF for an apparent 3-0 victory. Aaron pulls a "Merkle‚" leaving the field‚ and Adcock passes him on the basepaths. Both are called out as Mantilla scores. Initially the score is 2-0 as Aaron returns and score; it is later called a 1-0 game. Lew Burdette goes all 13 innings for his 8th win‚ scattering 12 hits. Haddix's gem makes him the 9th pitcher to lose a no-hitter in extra innings; A combined effort of three Reds pitcher‚ on May 26‚ 1956‚ was the last. Making Haddix's effort even more remarkable is the fact that the Braves hitters knew what was coming. In 1993‚ Bob Buhl admitted that the Braves pitchers were stealing the signs from the catcher, Smoky Burgess. They would place a towel on the bullpen fence in such a way to signal fastball or breaking ball.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amcg7A_-M-g

 

[67RedSox]

Here’s one from the ‘silly files’. Louis Hirsch was a composer and lyricist who wrote several tunes for Broadway musicals. It was on this date in 1920 Hirsch sues the Yankees for $100‚000 because of an incident at the Yankee game at the Polo Grounds. To avoid sitting next to a cigar smoker‚ Hirsch switched seats with his brother. An usher informed him it was against the rules to shift seats‚ and ordered the two brothers to switch back. Hirsch refused and was forcibly ejected from the stands...don't know how it turned out.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=loui...loffame.org%2Fnotable_writers%2FC5018;168;168

Here’s the Majors Top 5 in Pitching Wins during the 1930’s. It’s a pretty impressive list. All but Wes Ferrell are in the Hall of Fame and Ferrell would likely be there if he had played on any strong clubs during his career. Ferrell’s brother Rick is in the HOF as one of the best Catchers in the history of the game. Rick caught Wes when he won 25 games in 1935 for the Red Sox. At least he’s remembered as the best power hitting Pitcher in the history of the Majors thanks to holding the single season and career records for most HRs by a pitcher with 9 and 37 respectively. It was on this date in 1937 that Carl Hubbell wins his 24th consecutive game to establish the ML record for the most consecutive Wins by a pitcher. On July 17, 1936 Hubbell won the 1st in the streak when the NY Giants defeated the Pirates, 6-0 and then kept on winning, closing out the season with 16 straight victories. He didn't stop there and went on to win his first eight games in 1937. He finally lost on May 31 to the Brooklyn Dodgers:

Lefty Grove – 199
Carl Hubbell – 188
Red Ruffing – 175
Wes Ferrell – 170
Lefty Gomez – 165

Carl Hubbell performance in the 1934 All-Star Game is one of the best Midsummer Classic moments of all time | MLB.com: News

Norm Zauchin was a 6’5”, 220 lb 1st Baseman who you would expect would have power and he did. You wouldn’t expect him to be graceful with the glove but he was. Although his career consisted of only one season in which he played as a regular he made his mark in the Majors and particularly with the Red Sox. His single season as a regular was his rookie season with the Red Sox. His bat was fairly quiet until on this date in 1955 it came alive and he had as good a 5 inning stretch with the bat as anyone who ever played the game. At Fenway Park against the Washington Senators Zauchin hit bombs over the Green Monster in the 1st, 2nd and 5th innings and in the 4th inning he emptied the bases which were loaded with a Double. In 5 innings of play he hit 3 HRs, 1 Double and drove in 10 runs. Those are both still Red Sox records (tied) for one game. Zauchin finished his rookie season with 27 HRs and 93 RBIs and finished 3rd in ROTY voting. 2-time AL Batting Champ, Mickey Vernon, was acquired after the season by the Red Sox and became their 1B moving Zauchin to a utility role but despite never repeating the numbers of his 1st season he did leave his mark.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=norm...om%2Findex.php%3Ftitle%3DNorm_Zauchin;363;241

Aside from Stan Musial hitting a HR on this date in 1948, Gary Nolan, a pitcher with the Reds from 1967-1977 was born. He wasn’t the next coming of Sandy Koufax or Bob Gibson but he was one of the best pitchers in MLB in the late 1960’s and early 1970s. Although injuries sidetracked his career there’s no need for sympathy…in his 10 ML seasons he went to the World Series 4 times and won 2 Rings. At age 18, Nolan, in his first major league start, defeated the Houston Astros 7-3 at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field on April 15, 1967. In the first inning he struck out Sonny Jackson, Jim Landis, and Jimmy Wynn en route to a 7-3 victory. Later in the season, on June 7 with the bases loaded with San Francisco Giants he used his fireball pitches to strike out Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Jim Ray Hart. At game’s end he had struck out Mays four times. Mays pointed out, “Nobody’s ever done that to me before.” By the end of his stellar first major league season he had set modern day records for a pitcher who began the season at the age of 18 or younger with a 14-8 win/loss record, a 2.58 ERA, four shutouts and 206 strikeouts in 227 innings.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=gary...abr.org%2Fbioproj%2Fperson%2Fdd89241b;289;406

It was on this date in 1991 during a Pacific Coast League game against the Portland Beavers at Civic Stadium‚ Portland‚ Vancouver OF Rodney McCray runs through a plywood fence in right field while trying to catch a ball hit by Chip Hale. McCray was not hurt seriously‚ but becomes an instant celebrity.

Rodney McCray runs through a wall

 

[67RedSox]

In Post-1900 MLB there have been 13 pitchers win as many as 30 Games in a season. Of those 13 only 5 have done it more than once…Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Joe McGinnity and one of Baseball’s most tragic of figures, Grover Cleveland Alexander who pitched his final game in the Majors on this date in 1930. He is the only pitcher in the past 100 years to win 30 games in 3 consecutive seasons, 1915-16-17. Christy Mathewson is the only other to win 30 in three consecutive seasons, 1903-04-05…Coincidently, both Alexander and Mathewson were called to serve in WWI. Many men survived the war, but they didn't recover from it. One of the many cruel coincidences of the war is that it destroyed the two greatest NL pitchers of the Dead Ball Era, if not of the 20th century, Christy Mathewson and Grover Cleveland Alexander.
Alexander spent 7 weeks at the Front under relentless bombardment that left him deaf in his left ear. Pulling the lanyard to fire the howitzers caused muscle damage in his right arm. He caught some shrapnel in his outer right ear, an injury thought not serious at the time but which may have been the progenitor of cancer almost thirty years later. He was shell-shocked. Worst of all, the man who used to have a round or two with the guys and call it a day became alcoholic and epileptic. Alex tried to cover up his epilepsy, using alcohol in the mistaken belief that it would alleviate the condition. Living in a world that believed epileptics to be touched by the devil, he knew it was more socially acceptable to be a drunk. A human wreck, Alexander returned to the Cubs on May 11, 1919.
The second half of his ML career saw a couple of decent seasons but nothing that approached what he accomplished earlier. The last two decades of Alexander's life are the picture of a man spinning out of control with nobody able to stop the free-fall. He shuffled around the country in an odyssey of odd jobs, cheap hotels, boarding houses and the like. His poverty and inability to straighten out became an embarrassment to the NL. The Alexander file at the Hall of Fame contains a collection of letters exchanged among Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, NL President Ford Frick, Cardinal President Sam Breadon, and Cardinal GM Branch Rickey-all of them addressing the question "What to do about Alexander?" They finally settled on the ruse of a NL pension of fifty dollars a month that was actually paid by the Cardinals and sent to whoever was keeping Alex to dole out to him as necessary. That, they hoped, with his small army pension, might keep Alexander from drowning.
On this date in 1934 In St. Louis‚ Gehrig hits a 6th inning homer‚ off Paul Andrews‚ then follows Ruth's 7th inning homer with another round tripper. The back-to-back homers‚ off Jack Knott‚ are the last the pair will combine on.
In 1947 he was injured in a fall during an epileptic seizure in Los Angeles. He developed cancer on his right ear, necessitating its amputation and death soon, mercifully followd. He was buried with full military honors in his family's plot in Elmwood Cemetery outside St. Paul.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=grov...zeprock.com%2FAlexanderGallery.html;1408;1978

It was on this date in 1951 after starting his career 0-for-12, Giants rookie Willie Mays gets his first hit, a 450-foot homer off Braves left-hander Warren Spahn. Ironically it is the first of 18 home runs the 'Say Hey Kid' will hit off the Hall of Fame hurler, the most he will hit off any one pitcher.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=will...75602-Bill-s-Rare-Photo-Finds%2Fpage4;760;537

May 28, 1951 Boston Braves at New York Giants Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com

On this date in 1956 a couple of future HOF’ers hook up…White Sox SS Luis Aparicio hits his first Major League HR‚ off Kansas City's Tom Lasorda.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=luis...ogspot.com%2F2013_12_01_archive.html;749;1056

https://www.google.ca/search?q=tom+...t-custom-1956-tom-lasorda-kc-as.html;1125;786

On this date in 1957 with a unanimous vote, National League owners grant permission to allow both the Dodgers and Giants to move their clubs to the West Coast if the clubs so desire provided both clubs make their request before October 1st and move at the same time. There will not be a National League team in New York next season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmMO-YeJzNg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD68Gt7JaRI

 

[67RedSox]

It might have been Frank Corrindon who invented the spitball in 1902…then again it might have been George Hildebrand who invented it in the same year. No one is certain. What is more certain is that Brooklyn hurler Elmer Strickland introduced to the Majors on this date in 1905. Stricklett denied inventing the spitball, though he claimed to be the first pitcher to master the spitball and to feature it exclusively. Stricklett apparently learned the spitball from Minor League teammate George Hildebrand in 1902, who is thought to have learned about it from Frank Corridon. There’s no question Stricklett played an important role in popularizing the spitball as he taught the pitch to Jack Chesbro in the Spring of 1904. Chesbro took to it immediately despite having experimented with it earlier in the Minors with no success. Chesbro had a sensational 1904 season in which he won 14 straight games and set modern records with 41 wins and 48 complete games which went a long way to him getting his ticket punched for entry into the HOF. Stricklett then taught it to Ed Walsh while they roomed together with the White Sox. Walsh was a rookie and like Chesbro took to it immediately and in 1908 became the last ML pitcher to win 40 games in a season. Like Chesbro he also got his ticket to the HOF punched and the spitball would have been a huge part of his success.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=elme...es%2Fgalleries%2F72157622609476533%2F;500;368

https://www.google.ca/search?q=jack...stuffworks.com%2Fjack-chesbro-hof.htm;200;292

https://www.google.ca/search?q=ed+w....howstuffworks.com%2Fed-walsh-hof.htm;400;321

Pete Rose and Ty Cobb are the only two ML players who had more than 3,000 singles in their career. Rose ranks first with 3,215 and Cobb comes in at 3,053. However, the ultimate singles hitter was HOF’er Richie Ashburn who hit leadoff for 15 years, batting over .300 nine times, winning two Batting Crowns and finishing second three times. 2,119 of his 2,574 hits (82%) were for singles. In his 15 ML seasons he hit 2 or fewer HRs in 11 of them, 29 in total over his career. In his day he was regarded as the archetypal "spray hitter," stroking the ball equally well to all fields, thus making him harder to defend against. Ashburn accumulated the most hits (1,875) of any batter during the 1950s. It was on this date in 1948 he hit his first ML Homerun. Thornton Lee who was pretty stingy when it came to giving up HRs was the pitcher he hit it off of. There is no truth to the rumour that Lee retired immediately after Ashburn’s wallop. It was in fact several days later.

May 29, 1948 Philadelphia Phillies at New York Giants Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qinNXD71eWk

Howie Judson was a ML pitcher for 7 seasons (1948-1954) primarily for the White Sox but also with the Reds. He has the distinction of having a losing season in every one of the 7 seasons he played. Judson was 17-37 in his 54 Major League decisions, for a winning percentage of only .315. It was on this date in 1950 Judson, loser of 15 straight games (14 to close out the previous season) breaks his string of reverses with a 12-8 relief win over the Browns.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=howi...%2F155954-gambo-t_wil1-photo-300.html;278;400

May 29, 1950 Chicago White Sox at St. Louis Browns Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1965 one of the longest HRs ever hit at Connie Mack Stadium, Richie Allen's 529-foot blast clears the left-center field roof, over the Coke Sign. The Phillies' third baseman's two-run prodigious poke is off Chicago’s right-hander Larry Jackson whose 24 Wins the year before led the Majors. In the photo below you can see the Coca-Cola sign atop the roof in left-centre field.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoP0OZ8mZX4

https://www.google.ca/search?q=conn...2F%2Fballparks.phanfare.com%2F2414367;575;419

 

[67RedSox]

Dale Alexander. Most will say, Who? and the answer to that is “the forgotten batting king”, the AL’s Batting Champ of 1932 with a .367 batting average. When Alexander won the batting crown in 1932 it was his 4th season in the Majors. In his rookie season with the Tigers in 1929 he led the AL in basehits with 215, hit .343 and set a rookie record with 137 RBIs ( broken in 1939 by Ted Williams’ 145 ). There was no sophomore jinx for Alexander as he hit .326 in 1930 and drove in 135 runs. Only Joe DiMaggio had more RBIs in his first two seasons. The hit parade continued in 1931 when he hit .325. Alexander was built like a lumberjack at 6’3” and 220 lbs. His weakness was playing in the field…he was a DH ahead of his time… Shirley Povich, one of Baseball’s great writers said this of him…"Alexander never could play 1st Base acceptably, but they couldn't bench his bat."
In 1932 Alexander’s bat started slowly. After playing in 23 games he hadn't had an extra-base hit, and was hitting just .250, with but four RBIs. The Tigers had a new, excellent-fielding 1st baseman in Harry Davis. It looked as though Alexander might have come to the end of the road with the Tigers. The Red Sox had tried several 1st basemen but were satisfied with none of them. Voila, a trade followed and Alexander packed his bags for Beantown. It was a great trade for the Red Sox. Alexander caught fire. Alexander's first game in a Red Sox uniform came on June 15, 1932. He was 2-for-3 and drove in a run. On June 19, he had a 6-for-8 day in a doubleheader. By July 4, he was leading the team with a .367 average and would win the American League batting title. After four seasons into his ML career he had a lifetime batting average of .338 and a Batting Crown and then disaster. Alexander’s ML career ended abruptly on this date in 1933 when he suffered an injury by twisting his knee sliding into home in the 2nd game of a doubleheader loss to the A's. The 1st baseman will undergo a new therapy‚ diathermy‚ which will lead to 3rd degree burns‚ gangrene and the near loss of his leg. He never again played in the Majors but did recover sufficiently to play again at the Minor League level and then went into managing and scouting but was soon forgotten, even by the Red Sox who after they released him later in the year never sent him a Christmas card nor was he ever invited to any Red Sox functions as a former batting champion. I love Alexander's philosophy on hitting..."If the pitch looks good, I swing at it."

https://www.google.ca/search?q=dale...84046-gambo-t_wil1-photopack-777.html;500;702

Here’s the Hall of Famers who have played with seven or more teams during their career:

Dan Brouthers – 11
Hoyt Wilhelm – 9
Deacon White – 9
Goose Gossage – 9
Rickey Henderson – 8
Gaylord Perry – 8
Jim O’Rourke – 8
Alomar, Roberto – 7
Grimes, Burleigh – 7
Hoyt, Waite – 7
Kelly, King – 7
Simmons, Al – 7

Baseball Hall of Fame | Preserving History - Honoring Excellence - Connecting Generations

In 1993 A's leadoff hitter Rickey Henderson opened each game of a twin bill against Cleveland with a HR. It had happened only once before, 80 years previously. It was on this date in 1913 Red Sox outfielder and future Hall of Famer Harry Hooper becomes the first ML’er to start both games of a doubleheader with a HR. His 2 HRs that day were one-half of the 4 he hit all year.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=rick...of-famer-jay-bell-only-way-these.html;580;680

https://www.google.ca/search?q=harr...-conlon-original-photo-lot98467.aspx;800;1003

Max Flack played 12 seasons in the Majors from 1914 to 1925. He was a RF’er. He was labeled the “Goat” of the 1918 World Series for a number of errors and strange plays including getting picked off base twice in one game...the only player that has happened to. Here’s something else that’s a bit strange…on this date in 1922 the Cardinals squared off in a game against the Cubs in Chicago. Max Flack was the Cubs RF’er in the game and went 0-4. The same day Max Flack was the Cardinals RF’er against the Cubs and went 1-4. No there were not two Max Flacks but there was a doubleheader that day between the Cubs and Cardinals and Flack was traded from the Cubs to the Cardinals between games which allowed him to play for the Cubs in Game 1 and the Cardinals in Game 2. He was traded for his RF counterpart, Cliff Heathcote…you guessed it…Heathcote was in the Cardinals outfield in Game 1 and the Cubs outfield in Game 2.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=max+...de%2Fmax-flack-and-cliff-heathcote%2F;630;393

It was on this date in 1935 Babe Ruth plays his last ML game…at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, the Braves versus the Phillies. Ruth goes hitless in a first inning at-bat against the Phillies.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=babe...y-in-baseball-history-ruth-plays.html;249;320

May 30, 1935 Boston Braves at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1982, 32 years ago, Cal Ripken's 2,632 record consecutive game streak, which will span 17 seasons, begins with the Oriole rookie going 0-for-2, batting eighth in a 6-0 loss to Toronto at Memorial Stadium. The 21 year-old infielder plays 3B, his position for the first 27 games of the streak, before becoming the team's everyday shortstop. It is also the start of 8,243 consecutive innings, another record.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=cal+...ken-jr-2006-topps-rookie-of-week.html;477;703

May 30, 1982 Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1886 the first MLB game to draw at least 20,000 paying fans is played in the original version of the Polo Grounds in New York. The Detroit Wolverines defeat the NY Giants by a score of 4-1. The winning pitcher is Lady Baldwin…an unusual name for a ML baseball player. Nevertheless, Lady it was and not only did he beat the Giants that day but he led the NL that season with 42 Wins, the 2nd most single season Wins recorded in the history of the Majors by a southpaw (Matt Kilroy had 47 the following season for the Baltimore Orioles). Baldwin was given the nickname "Lady" because of his "quiet ways" and his refusal to swear or to come into contact with either tobacco or liquor.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=lady...84046-gambo-t_wil1-photopack-122.html;400;600

There have been 15 Unassisted Triple Plays in ML history, Post 1900. The first was by 2B, Neal Ball, of Cleveland in 1909 in a game against the Red Sox. The most recent was by 2B Eric Bruntlett of the Phillies, 100 years later in 2009 in a game against the Mets. It was on this date in 1927 during the 9th inning at Navin Field (later Briggs Stadium then Tiger Stadium)1B Johnny Neun saves the Tigers' 1-0 victory when he completes the rare play by catching a Homer Summa line drive, tagging Charlie Jamieson, who was on first, and beating Glenn Myatt to second base, making it the first time the last three outs of a game result from solo triple killing.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=john...oncollection.com%2Fjohnny-neun-3.html;640;800

Cotton Pippen’s ML career was not the stuff that will earn you induction into the Hall of Fame. In his three seasons in the Majors…1936 (0-2), 1939 (4-12) and 1940 (1-2) he manages to go 5-16 with an ERA of 6.38 in 25 Starts and 317 baserunners allowed in 175 innings. However, he is far more successful in the Pacific Coast League and on this date in 1943 he tosses the League’s first ever Perfect Game on the way to a 20 Win season with the Oakland Oaks.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=cott...w.sportsartifacts.com%2Fpclcards.html;652;417

On this date in 1944 Cal McLish, at age 18, picks up his 1st ML victory. He would win his last game in the Majors 19 years later when he goes 13-11 for the Phillies. The only thing about him that was longer than his ML career was his name which was the longest of any player in ML history… Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish, or Bus to his friends.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=cal+...m%2F2012%2F08%2Fbatters-busted.html;1600;1327

It was on this date in 1948 a 20 year old lefthander for the Schenectady Blue Jays (Canadian-American League) named Tom Lasorda strikes out 25 in a 15-inning game against Amsterdam. He was the property of the Phillies that season, his 2nd as a pro, but would soon be acquired by the Brooklyn Dodgers and his blood turned from being red to Dodger Blue.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=tom+...logspot.com%2F2012_06_01_archive.html;400;299

It was on this date in 1961 Carroll Hardy bunts for a single in the eighth inning of a 7-6 loss to the Yankees pinch-hitting for rookie, Carl Yastrzemski. It would be the first and only time in Yaz’s 23 ML career he would be pinch-hit for.

May 31, 1961 New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1965…for the first time in history, an all-switch-hitting infield starts a Big League game. In the nightcap of a twin bill, the Dodgers, with Wes Parker at first base, Jim Lefebvre at second, Maury Wills at shortstop and Jim Gilliam at third, lose to the visiting Reds, 6-1.

1965 Los Angeles Dodgers Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com

 

[67RedSox]

Robert E. Jones who dabbles in baseball history feels there’s a team feat, scoring in every inning of a nine inning game, which is probably the most unusual occurrence in baseball, and is probably the least appreciated of baseball's rarities. It is unusual because of the incredible combinations of team play needed to pull it off, and it is less appreciated because no heroic efforts are required of any one player. The only result of the game is an interesting line score. For any mathematicians out there a formula does exist to calculate the probability and the likelihood of it happening is once in every 451,834 games.
Since 1900, only two teams have managed to score in each of nine innings of a game. On this date in 1923, the New York Giants did it against the Philadelphia Phillies, winning 22-8. On September 13, 1964, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 15-2 and likewise never gave the opposing pitchers an inning to be proud of. How did the Giants and Cardinals manage their scoring binges? Simple. They had a day when hitters could do no wrong, opposing pitchers could do no right, and a more than moderate amount of luck was thrown in.

June 1, 1923 New York Giants at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com

September 13, 1964 St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1925 Lou Gehrig begins his streak of playing in 2,130 straight games when he comes off the Yankee bench to pinch-hit for rookie infielder Pee-Wee Wanninger.

Lou Gehrig - The Iron Horse on Pinterest

In 1963 Sandy Koufax has his first sensational season. He goes 25-5 with a League leading ERA of 1.88, 11 Shutouts and his first season of 300+ strikeouts. At the end of the season he walks away with both the CY Young and MVP Awards. In the World Series Yankee hitters discovered there was no point in even taking a bat with them to the plate as he proved to be almost unhittable. What did it take to beat Koufax that year…well on this date in 1963 Joey Jay showed just that. In a game played at Crosley Field Koufax starts against the 1-8 Jay but Jay and the Reds are victorious as the Reds win by the narrowest of scores, 1-0.

Sandy Koufax 1963 Game by Game Pitching Logs

Ted Breitenstein was born on this date in 1869 and pitched 11 years in the Majors, 1891-1901, and managed to accumulate 160 Wins including 3-20 Win seasons. He also lost 170 games including 30 in 1895 for the St. Louis Browns. He is most known today for throwing a no-hitter in his first Major League start. During his first season in the Majors, he was able to pitch occasionally in relief, but on the final day of the 1891 season, October 4, Breitenstein was allowed to start and he pitched a no-hitter against the Louisville Colonels, an 8–0 victory.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=Ted+...Historic-Photographic-Archive%2Fpage2;728;504

Gene Stephens played 12 seasons in the Majors but never as a regular. 8 of those seasons were with the Red Sox where he was known as Ted Williams “caddy” or played when Williams couldn’t. One of those occasions was in 1953 while Williams was away serving with the Marines in the Korean War. Stephens collected three hits in one inning during a 23-3 Red Sox victory over the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Boston exploded for 17 runs in the seventh inning, sending 23 batters to the plate during their 47-minute half of the inning. Stephens had a double and two singles off three different Detroit pitchers. He became the first AL’er to collect 3 hits in one inning and the first ML’er to do it since 1883.

Gene Stephens - One Inning Wonder

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1941 Lou Gehrig dies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at age 37 in New York. Gehrig died at his home in the Bronx. From that time on‚ the illness is known primarily as Lou Gehrig's Disease. If you haven't already you likely will at some point hear that Gehrig may not have died of ALS, a type of motor neurone disease. He may instead have died due to repeated brain traumas... from the repeated concussions he received on the baseball field as well as when he played American football in school and at University, the effects of which can mask the symptoms of ALS. The Mayo Clinic so far is declining to release the records for Gehrig citing there are no surviving relatives who can authorize them doing so and Clinic officials are not sure the disclosure would be conclusive anyway. But with increased publicity surrounding sports concussions and their roles in mental and physical health of athletes, it may sometime happen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=626Dt9JdjQs

It was on this date in 1972 the Braves play the Mets at Shea Stadium in front of 42,757. Playing 1B for each team was a future Hall of Famer who each happened to have 648 HRs. Collectively, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron went 0-7 with 3 strikeouts.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=will...com%2Fphotos%2Fall-star-game%2Fphoto2;605;412

June 2, 1972 Atlanta Braves at New York Mets Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

Two No-Hitters and a Perfect Game were thrown on June 2.

It was on this date in 1918 Dutch Leonard tosses his 2nd ML No-Hitter as he holds the Tigers hitless in the Red Sox 5-0 victory at Navin Field. A hard-throwing, spectacularly talented left-hander who posted the best single-season earned run average in American League history in 1914, Dutch Leonard was also one of the Deadball Era’s most controversial figures. At nearly every stop along his journey in professional baseball, Leonard feuded with management over his salary, and at one point was even suspended from organized baseball for nearly three years for refusing to report for work. Regarded as a selfish, cowardly player by many of his contemporaries, Leonard frittered away much of his major league career, alternating periods of brilliance with long bouts of inertia. “As a pitcher, he was gutless,” Hall of Fame umpire Billy Evans once declared. “We umpires had no respect for Leonard, for he whined on every pitch called against him.” After exiting the game in 1925, Leonard touched off one of the biggest scandals in baseball history when he accused Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker of conspiring to throw a baseball game in 1919. Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis dismissed the charges, and Leonard retired to his California ranch, where he earned millions of dollars growing grapes.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=dutc...2FDutch_Leonard_(left-handed_pitcher);200;358

It was on this date in 1990 Randy Johnson becomes the first Mariner in franchise history to pitch a no-hitter when he blanks the Tigers 2-0. The southpaw strikes out eight while walking six in the first hitless game thrown in the 14-year existence of the Kingdome, now thankfully demolished.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnjvlAWEI7o

It was on this date in 2010 Armando Galarraga tosses his Perfect Game. Everyone but the 1B Umpire, Jim Joyce saw it.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=arma...s-draft-thread-1092296%2Findex72.html;610;352

When you think of power pitchers in the 1960’s the mind immediately turns to Sandy Koufax, Juan Marichal, Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale. There was another in the person of Jim Maloney who was born on this date in 1940. A threat to no-hit the opposition every time he went to the mound, Maloney tossed a 9-inning no-hitter and a 10-inning no-hitter ( 187 pitches ), lost a no-hitter in the 11th inning, and was forced to leave two no-hitters in the 7th inning due to injuries. "That fellow could throw as hard as anybody," said Roberto Clemente about Maloney.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=jim+...ney-80-Baseball-Card-Value-Prices.htm;271;386

 

[67RedSox]

How can this bit of Baseball history not be mentioned today…the first publication of Ernest L. Thayer's poem Casey at the Bat appears in the San Francisco Examiner on this date in 1888. Not until August 15‚ when actor Dewitt Hopper recites the poem with the New York Giants and Chicago White Stockings in the audience‚ will it become popular. When Hopper dies in 1935‚ it is estimated he recited the poem 10‚000 times.The work is originally published under the pen name 'Phin', because the poet feels embarrassed by what he considers to be bad verse and decides to keep his identity a secret.

HistoryBuff.com -- The Story Behind the Poem Casey at the Bat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-2lXQQcXb8

It was on this date in 1932 in Philadelphia, Lou Gehrig becomes the first player in the twentieth century to blast four home runs in one game, and barely misses hitting a fifth. The Yankees hammer out a Major League record with 50 total bases in a 20-13 slugfest with the Athletics.

June 3, 1932 New York Yankees at Philadelphia Athletics Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

In 1902 John McGraw took over as the Manager of the NY Giants. He would remain in that post for 31 seasons and while Gehrig was bashing those 4 HRs on this date in 1932, the Giants, citing poor health, announce McGraw's resignation. During his tenure, the fiery manager won three World Series and nine National League Pennants, including a record four consecutive flags.

Crowdsourcing the Greats: The Top 10 Managers of All Time | UmpBump.com | A baseball fan blog

It was on this date in 1967 Harmon Killebrew launches the longest home run ever hit in Metropolitan Stadium, a 503 foot shot which travels deep in the second deck of the left-center field bleachers. The stadium is long gone replaced by the largest shopping mall in the U.S. but the chair the ball landed in remains exactly where it was when the HR was hit.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=kill...usual-tribute-to-H%3Furn%3Dmlb-wp6755;409;280

https://www.google.ca/search?q=kill...ball.com%2F%3Ftag%3Dmall-of-america;1744;1152

Jim Gentile was born on this date in 1934. He turns 80 today and if you remember him and don’t feel old you’re doing better than me. Everyone remembers the 1961 baseball season. If you’re not old enough to have been around then you’ve at least read and heard about it. It was the year both Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle chased Babe Ruth’s single season HR record. Maris with 61 caught and passed Ruth while Mantle settled for 54. Gentile was also popping a few out that year, 46 in total and was tied with Killebrew for the 3rd most in the League. No one drove in more runs that year than Gentile’s 141…he was tied with Maris. Not bad numbers for someone forgotten in the year of the M & M Boys.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=jim+...%2Fp%2Fmy-favorite-oriole-cards.html;1028;756

 

[67RedSox]

Tim Hurst was a colorful player, manager, and umpire who was often the focus of controversy. He has the dubious distinction of being the only umpire fired by both the National and the American Leagues.He died on this date in 1915, ironically while attending a funeral. His umpiring career lasted 16 seasons from 1891 to 1909. For one season, in 1898, he became the on-field manager of the St. Louis Browns, and the team had a record of 39–111 in 154 games. After his season of managing the Browns, he returned to his umpiring career.
From 1891 through 1904 he umpired in the NL, then finished his career in the AL. Noted for his pugnacious and combative style, Hurst was suspended on several occasions for refusing to report player misconduct to his League office, insisting instead that he ought to be allowed to settle matters with players personally, often engaging them in fights after the game was over. Hurst was among the several umpires who were named to a Roll of Honor by the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946, at a time when no umpires had yet received full membership in the Hall.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=tim+...torical-Archival-Photographs%2Fpage15;742;630

It was on this date in 1929 Harry Frazee the owner of the Boston Red Sox from 1916 to 1923 and who sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920 dies of kidney failure at the age of 48 in his home on Park Avenue. Frazee was buried in Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, New York. 12 years later Lou Gehrig would be buried close by in the same cemetery.

Harry Frazee and the Red Sox | SABR

It was on this date in 1940 the Braves, then the Boston Braves, sign 19 year old high-schooler, Warren Spahn. 12 years later in 1952 the Braves signed another teenager, Hank Aaron. You can decide which signing was the most important in the history of the Club as I can’t choose between them. Here’s some quotes attributable to Spahn, the first two describe his philosophy of pitching…keeping the batter off balance:

"Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing."
"A pitcher needs two pitches, one they're looking for and one to cross them up."
"Once Stan Musial timed your fastball, your infielders were in jeopardy."
"When I throw a ground ball, I expect it to be an out, maybe two."

Spahn won 363 games, more than any other left-handed pitcher in history, and more than any other pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 Live Ball Era. This was accomplished despite losing three full seasons to WWII where he had a far rougher World War II experience than most Big-Leaguers, who spent the conflict out of harm’s way with gloves instead of guns. He fought in the snowy, frozen Battle of the Bulge, twice taking bullets…in the abdomen and back of the head. He was the only ballplayer given a battlefield promotion, from staff sergeant to second lieutenant. In all, he earned a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, a battlefield promotion, and a Presidential citation. That made him the most decorated ballplayer in World War II.
He won 20 games or more in 13 seasons, including a 23–7 record when he was age 42. During that 23 Win season as a 42 year old he hooked with against Juan Marichal in a pitching duel for the Ages. It was the 42-year-old against the 25-year old. The score was still 0–0 after more than four hours when Willie Mays hit a game-winning solo home run off Spahn with one out in the bottom of the 16th inning.
Marichal's manager, Alvin Dark, visited the mound in the 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, and 14th innings, and was talked out of removing Marichal each time. During the 14th-inning visit, Marichal told Dark, "Do you see that man pitching for the other side? Do you know that man is 42 years old? I'm only 25. If that man is on the mound, nobody is going to take me out of here." Marichal ended up throwing 227 pitches in the complete game 1–0 win, while Spahn threw 201 in the loss, allowing nine hits and one walk.
Spahn’s last season in the Majors was 1965. He says he didn’t retire from Baseball, that Baseball retired him. After his playing career was over he managed in the Minors and in 1968 led the Tulsa Oilers who won the Pacific Coast League championship and he was named Manager of the Year. He was fired from that position a couple of years later because he’d refused a promotion to Cardinals pitching coach the previous year.

WARREN SPAHN - Video Dailymotion

It was on this date in 1947 that the toughest player to ever play the game, OF’er Pistol Pete Reiser of the Brooklyn Dodgers crashes into the wall at Ebbets Field and is knocked unconscious. He still manages to hold onto the long fly by Cully Rickard to help the Dodgers win over Pittsburgh 9-4. In the clubhouse a priest administers the last rites of the Catholic Church to Reiser‚ who will be hospitalized for 10 days.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=pete...%2F31-pete-reiser-50-greatest-dodgers;800;450

Sandy Koufax tosses a No-Hitter on this date in 1964 shutting out the Phillies, 3-0 at Connie Mack Stadium. It’s his 3rd No-Hitter and he joins Bob Feller, Larry Corcoran and Cy Young as the only pitchers to toss 3 No-Hitters.

June 4, 1964 Los Angeles Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

Well, we mentioned Koufax we may as well mention Drysdale. It was on this date in 1968 Drysdale tosses his 6th consecutive Shutout…5-0 against the Pirates at Dodger Stadium. Soon afterwards, a few miles away, Robert Kennedy acknowledges Drysdale’s effort in his victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel just a few minutes before he's shot and later dies.

June 4, 1968 Pittsburgh Pirates at Los Angeles Dodgers Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

 

[67RedSox]

Hall of Famer, Bert Blyleven made his ML debut on this date in 1970. The Minnesota Twins had called him up from the Minors to replace an injured Luis Tiant. In a demonstration of what was to come as far as Blyleven’s career was concerned he coughs up a HR to the first batter he faces, Lee Maye. He settles down and allows just 4 more hits in 7 innings and beats Washington‚ 2-1. In 1986 Blyleven would establish the ML record of allowing 50 HRs in a single season, a mark that still stands. Over the course of his career he surrendered HRs to 244 ML batters. Lee Maye who hit that first HR spent 13 seasons in the Bigs as an outfielder and is best remembered as an outfielder with the Braves in the 1960s. In 1964 he hit .304 and led the NL with 44 Doubles. He was also an accomplished singer, both Doo Wop and R & B. Following is one of his recordings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4anq4wjjA8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av80qqf8CkE

It was on this date in 1959 Dick Stuart, Pittsburgh's slugging first baseman, hits a 457-foot homer over the Forbes Field center field wall, making the blast the longest home run in the 50-year history of the ballpark. Stuart could hit a baseball with the best of them. He was kneeling in the on-deck circle when Mazeroski hit the Series ending HR in 1960. In 1961 he slammed 35 HRs and drove in 117 runs for the Pirates but topped both of those numbers with the Red Sox 2 years later in 1963 with 42 HRs and 118 RBIs. However, that isn’t why he’s remembered. He’s remembered more for something he couldn’t do…that’s field a ball cleanly. Frank Jackson wrote a great article about Stuart in The Hardball Times a couple of years ago. Although Stuart last played in a ML game in 45 years ago and died in 2002 he remains a bit of a legend. Here’s some of what Jackson writes:

“Stuart…is still fondly remembered as Dr. Strangeglove. People who never saw him play remember that nickname. People who weren’t born when he retired remember that nickname. After all, having heard it once, how could you ever forget it?”

Was he that bad a fielder…the answer is an emphatic, YES, and maybe even worse. In 1963, he set a record by committing 29 errors, a ML record for 1B that still stands. Every play hit his way was an adventure, the most routine play a challenge to his artlessness. It is hard to describe this to anyone who has not seen it. Stuart’s first error came, you guessed it… in his first game, a July 10, 1958 contest against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Appropriately, he also hit his first home run in the ninth inning of that same game.
Stuart once picked up a hot dog wrapper that was blowing toward his 1B position. He received a standing ovation from the crowd. It was the first thing he had managed to pick up all day, and the fans realized it could very well be the last.
Stuart had a second nickname…The Ancient Mariner, and Frank Jackson also explained how this came about:

“It’s from the Coleridge poem we had to read in high school, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Well, like Dr. Strangeglove, this nickname pertains to Stuart’s fielding lapses. It derives from the opening lines of the poem:

It is an ancient mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=dick...ankee-stadium-and-the-summer-of-63%2F;754;604

Retiring after 23 years of being at the helm Walter Alston’s uniform #24 is retired by the Dodgers on this date in 1977. Alston guided the Dodgers to 7 NL Pennants and 4 World Series Championships during the 11 years between 1955 and 1965 when the Yankees were dominant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7CoyV_jsUo

Harold Baines had more RBIs more than Mike Schmidt, Harmon Killebrew and Joe DiMaggio…the point is Harold Baines had a lot of RBIs. Harold Baines had more Basehits than Andre Dawson, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Reggie Jackson or Ernie Banks…the point is Harold Baines had a lot of Basehits. Harold Baines had more HRs than Jim Rice, Orlando Cepeda and Ralph Kiner. The point is Harold Baines hit a lot of HRs. Harold Baines scored more Runs than Duke Snider, Willie McCovey or Willie Stargell. The point is Harold Baines scored a lot of runs.
Among all names mentioned above there is only one who is not in the Hall of Fame, in fact, has never received more than 6% of the vote for election to the Hall of Fame. Dave Concepcion has, so has Bernie Williams, Keith Hernandez and Don Larsen who went 81-91 in his ML career. The point is it’s interesting numbers just as is the fact that in his 19 year ML career Mariano Rivera led the League in Saves only three times. Guys like Jose Valverde, Lindy McDaniel and Craig Kimbrel have managed that.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=haro...lar-field%2F263929-harold-baines.html;384;512

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1892 that the grandson portion of the only grandfather/grandson duo to serve as Presidents of the United States, Benjamin Harrison becomes the first U.S. President to attend a MLB game. It was at Washington's Swampoodle Grounds and the Commander-in-Chief watches Cincinnati defeat the hometown Senators in 11 innings, 7-4.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=benj...ball_card_postcard-239003039789356961;512;512

On this date in 1944 MLB cancels their scheduled eight-game slate due to the Allied invasion of Normandy. The military operation, known as D-Day, has 60,000 Allied troops landing along a heavily protected 50-mile stretch of the coastline in France to fight Germany.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=d-da...det-remembers-d-day-in-letter-home%2F;364;317

It was on this date in 1959 Maury Wills makes his ML debut as the Dodgers behind Sandy Koufax defeat the Braves 3-2 in Milwaukee.

June 6, 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers at Milwaukee Braves Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com

It may come as a surprise but the team we now know as the St. Louis Cardinals were not named after that robust, seed eating bird with the strong bill that stands atop the baseball bat on their uniform. The bird actually came after the team was named the “Cardinals” for the cardinal red stockings they wore. It might be best to go back to the beginning of the franchise to explain and in doing so we’ll talk about the ballpark they played in because it was the sale of that ballpark that afforded the Cardinals the funds to create the first “farm system” in the Majors. Hope you’re interested in some St. Louis Cardinals history otherwise you might want to tune out.
The Cardinals began in 1892 not as the Cardinals but as the St. Louis Browns. The ballpark built for the club was called New Sportsman's Park. It would also be known as League Park and Cardinal Field but it’s generally remembered as Robison Field after the Robison brothers who bought the team in 1899. Although the Cardinals never won a Pennant playing there fourteen members of that early NL organization have since been immortalized in the HOF.
When Robison Field opened it was billed as "one of the most beautiful baseball and athletic parks in America" albeit asymmetrical in design…home plate faced a deep CF reported to be 500 feet. Most historians state 290 feet for right field and 470 for left - a mightily lopsided outfield for sure.
On April 16, 1898, a serious fire in the stands occurred during a game between the Browns and Chicago…it spelled disaster. Some 4,000 spectators witnessed a commotion they at first believed to be a fight erupting among fans. Their curiosity turned to horror when they saw the flames. After the fire department extinguished the blaze, the grandstand and left field bleachers remained only as charred embers. At least 100 people suffered serious burns, and one death resulted. Miraculously, the occupants of the boxes on the roof escaped without serious harm. That night a crew of men, including ballplayers, worked to repair the burned fences and construct temporary stands for the following day's game. Lawsuits resulting from the inferno forced the team owner into bankruptcy. The owners of the Cleveland Spiders, another NL franchise, the Robison brothers, bought the St. Louis Browns out of bankruptcy and their name changed to the Perfectos. However, they kept the Spiders as well--a blatant conflict of interest. Believing the Perfectos would draw greater attendance in St. Louis, the Robisons transferred most of the Cleveland stars, including future Baseball HOF’ers Cy Young, Jesse Burkett, and Bobby Wallace to St. Louis. With a decimated roster, the Spiders finished with a dismal W-L record of 20–134 (.130), the worst in MLB history, 84 games behind Pennant-winning Brooklyn and 35 games behind the next-to-last (11th) place Washington Senators. The Robisons' decision to effectively reduce the Spiders to Minor League status spelled their doom and they were contracted out of the National League at the end of the 1899 season.
The Robisons focused on their new team and made improvements to the ballpark their main priority. The bleachers were rebuilt and moved in closer to the field, the grandstand was restructured and the new seating capacity reached 15,200. Also, the clubhouse in centerfield was rebuilt with the addition of steam and vapor baths. The scoreboard remained at its original spot in center in front of the clubhouse. The team was managed by Pat Tebeau and fans began to call the team, Pat's Perfectos so that’s how the St. Louis Browns became known as the Perfectos for the 1899 season.
A new, permanent club name arose with the new century. In 1900 Robison changed the colour of the team's stockings from brown to Cardinal red, giving rise to the title… St. Louis Cardinals that remains today. Thus, the St. Louis Cardinals' name was derived from a colour, and not the bird. The bird on the bat logo came later.
Problems continued to plague the ballpark. In May 1901, another fire during a game erupted in the grandstand, to the right of the press box, near the Robison's private box. As before, the consternation in the stands appeared to many as a fracas among fans. By the time firemen arrived, the flames, thought to have been ignited by a discarded cigar, engulfed the grandstand, pavilion and office. Although the north fence and part of the east and west fences were destroyed, firefighters managed to salvage the bleachers.
Because the stairs to the grandstand were wider and straighter due to reconstruction since the first fire, fans were able to get out unharmed. Moreover, owing to occupants of the rooftop boxes narrow escape from death during the 1898 fire, those boxes had not been rebuilt. Consequently, the damage in 1901 was mostly confined to property.
Repairs were made and in 1909 further renovations were made and capacity increased to about 20,000. The first of the Robison brothers, Frank died in 1908 and the second, Stanley in 1911 leaving the team to Frank’s 32 year old daughter, Helens Robison-Britton who became the first woman to own a ML Baseball franchise. No stranger to the sport, Mrs. Britton had often accompanied her father and uncle on baseball trips. So as time passed, Cardinal fans adjusted to the novelty of a female owner, and Helene gained respect among her peers.
An astute businesswoman, Helene tried various promotions, including schemes to lure more women to the park. She instituted a lady's day that allowed free admission to women with male escorts. But eventually the club suffered financially, and the park fell into disrepair.
Rumours of an impending sale of the Cardinals began as early as January 1916. In March of 1917, Mrs. Britton sold her baseball interest to a group of stockholders for $350,000. Of this figure, $250,000 was placed as the value of the franchise, and $100,000 for the property. When club stockholder Sam Breadon became the President of the Cardinals in 1920, one of his first decisions was to move the club to a different, existing, park. Stating that it would cost close to a half million dollars to make Robison Field fit for habitation, he arranged for the Cardinals to share old Sportsman's Park, which by then boasted larger, sturdier stands, with the American League Browns. For the next 32 years‚ St. Louis will be the only two-franchise city with one ball park.
On this date in 1920, the Cards played their last game at Robison Field, by then known as Cardinal Field. The proceeds from the sale of the aging ballpark was used to finance Branch Rickey's idea of establishing a farm system by investing in a club affiliation with a Minor League team in Houston, Texas. Thus, the modern farm system as we know it today had it’s beginning in St. Louis with the Cardinals.
In 1922, the Cardinals wore uniforms for the first time that featured the two familiar cardinal birds perched on a baseball bat over the name "Cardinals" with the letter "C" of the word hooked over the bat. The concept of the birds originated after general manager Branch Rickey noticed a colorful cardboard arrangement featuring cardinal birds on a table in a Presbyterian church in Ferguson, Missouri, at which he was speaking. The arrangement's production was by a woman named Allie May Schmidt. Schmidt's father, a graphic designer, helped Ricky make the logo a familiar staple on Cardinals uniforms. Colloquially referred to as the "birds on the bat," it initially appeared with the birds perched on a black bat and "Cardinals" in printed letters. Like most logos it has undergone changes over the years.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=Robi...afe.com%2Ftag%2Fopera-and-baseball%2F;660;512

https://www.flickr.com/photos/67827566@N00/2525511713/

St. Louis Cardinals Primary Logo - National League (NL) - Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Page - SportsLogos.Net

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1890 rookie John McFetridge‚ 20‚ wins his ML debut‚ a 5-hit 4-1 win over Brooklyn in a game 2 of a doubleheader at Philadelphia . He doesn’t pitch again in the Majors until 1903 when he wins his second game for the Phillies…his only two ML Wins come 13 years apart.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=jack...o.mlblogs.com%2Ftag%2Faaron-holbert%2F;90;135

1890 Philadelphia Phillies season - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you want beautiful scenery head to Mid-Coast Maine and pick a town from Belfast to Camden to Rockport to Rockland and you won’t be disappointed. Of all the visits I’ve made there I will admit never once was it the Grand Old Game that lured me there. The United States Navy on the other hand will tell you different. It was on this date in 1906 In Washington‚ Rear Admiral Evans announces that as a result of the actions by Provincetown‚ Mass. which bans Sunday baseball‚ he is moving the battleships Maine and Missouri and the cruiser Yankton of the Atlantic fleet and their 10,000 crew members to Rockport Maine for the summer so they would have a place to play. Provincetown had initially endorsed Sunday baseball and then relented because of pressure from preachers who denounced the practice. Some things do change over time.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=rock...2F33_Rockport_Harbor_ME_United_States;662;441

https://www.google.ca/search?q=uss+...w.cityofart.net%2Fbship%2Fmaine02.htm;582;391

USS Missouri (BB-11) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://www.google.ca/search?q=uss+...itefleet.info%2FAuxiliary_Ships.html;1108;700

The 1934 and 1935 Brooklyn Dodgers were managed by Casey Stengel. They didn’t enjoy success in the standings but were an entertaining team to watch. Their CF’er for most of those two seasons was Len Koenecke, who hit .304 in those two seasons. On this date in 1934, batting leadoff for the Dodgers in a game against the Phillies in Philadelphia he hits a leadoff HR off George Darrow on the first pitch of the game. The game is effectively over after one pitch as the HR is the only score of the game as Brooklyn beats the Phillies‚ 1-0. Koenecke’s ML career and life will come to an end in September 1935. Despite his good hitting, he gets in Stengel’s doghouse for his erratic play in the field and his behaviour. The Dodgers were on a road trip through Chicago and St. Louis and Stengel sends Koenecke home to New York. Koenecke catches a commercial flight for New York. During the flight he drank a quart of whiskey and became very drunk. After harassing other passengers and striking a stewardess, the pilot had to sit on him to restrain him as he was shackled to his seat. He was removed unconscious from the flight in Detroit. After sleeping on a chair in the airport he chartered a flight to Buffalo. While flying over Canada he had a disagreement with the pilot and his assistant ( co-pilot, presumably ) and attempted to take control of the aircraft. In order to avoid a crash he was hit over the head a few times with a fire extinguisher. After an emergency landing on a racetrack it was found that Koenecke had died of a cerebral hemorrhage. The two pilots were charged with manslaughter but were found not guilty in a trial soon after.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=len+...nuary-18-1904-september-17-1935-photo;482;625

Spokane Daily Chronicle - Google News Archive Search

https://www.google.ca/search?q=len+...en-koenecke-la-bagarre-sans-retour%2F;676;555

In 1921 Walter Johnson strikes out his 2,804th career batter to move ahead of Cy Young as the all-time ML strikeout artist. He would finish his career with 3,509. In the 93 years since Johnson took over the lead either he or Nolan Ryan has been #1 except for a short period when another pitcher slipped ahead of Ryan temporarily only to be re-passed by Ryan. It was on this date in 1983 Steve Carlton overtakes Nolan Ryan as baseball's all-time strikeout leader‚ fanning 6 batters in a 2-1 loss to the Cardinals to bring his career total to 3‚526 over Ryan’s 3,525.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iHFkgs1zx8

Herb Score, the AL’s Rookie of the Year in 1955 and the Majors strikeout leader, by a long shot, in both 1955 and 1956 was born on this date in 1933. His career would all but end tragically on May 7, 1957 when he was struck in the eye by a line drive. He was pitching the first inning of a home game against New York when Yankee shortstop Gil McDougald, the second batter he faced, smashed a line drive back towards Score. The ball hit Score in the right eye and ricocheted to third baseman Al Smith, who threw to first base for the out. But McDougald was not running down the first-base line. Instead he ran to the pitching mound, where Score was lying. Score would return to resume his career but was never the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CXFb3pzrC0

Thurman Munson, the AL’s Rookie of the Year in 1970 was born on this date in 1947. Tragedy would also find him in 1979 when he died a private plane crash he was piloting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xJDZ0dDilc

 

[67RedSox]

Obviously, there was no “mercy rule” or “10-run rule” in place on this date in 1869 when the highest scoring game of Baseball on record occurred. In a game between the Niagara and Colombia clubs‚ both of Buffalo‚ NY the final score is Niagaras 209‚ Colombias 10. The Niagaras had a 58 run 8th inning. The game took as long to play as the average ML game today does, 3 hours.

http://www.sabrneworleans.com/publications/arthurschott/NiagaraVsColumbia(05-2010).pdf

Sounds like 100 years ago you got more bang for your buck in the Pacific Coast League than you did in the Majors. On this date in 1909 San Francisco hurler Cack Henley tosses a 24-inning 1-0 shutout over Oakland‚ surrendering only 9 hits and one walk in the 3-hour and 35-minute contest. Jimmy Wiggs matches Henley for 23 frames before Nick Williams drives home the winner with a single in the 24th. In the only other game scheduled in the league‚ Portland and Sacramento play an 18 inning 1-1 tie.

1909 Pacific Coast League Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com

Navin Field which morphed into Briggs Stadium and then Tiger Stadium was the site of one of the longest HRs hit in the history of the game but likely not the 626’ shot it’s given credit for being. It was on this date in 1926 in Detroit‚ Babe Ruth slugs a HR reported to carry 626 feet‚ in the Yanks 11-9 slugfest over the Tigers. The hit‚ off Tiger pitcher, Lil Stoner‚ lands at the intersection of Cherry Street and Brooklyn Avenue‚ two blocks from Navin Field. The youngster who retrieves the ball sells it to the Babe for $20.

Babe Ruth?s longest home run was launched in Detroit

The first professional baseball team to travel by air was the Cincinnati Reds. It was on this date in 1934 the Reds GM Larry MacPhail flies 19 of his players to Chicago for a series against the Cubs. The Reds chartered an American Airlines DC-2. The first baseball team to purchase their own airplane was the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers purchased their own Convair CV-440 on the 4th of January 1957. To reduce the cost of the aircraft to $775,000 ( $6M in 2014 $ ) the Dodgers purchased their aircraft as part of Eastern Airlines order for CV-440 aircraft. In 1946 Larry MacPhail had moved from the Reds to the Yankees as the team’s general manager and the Yankees became the first team to travel regularly to games by air. MacPhail contracted a DC-4, nicknamed the Yankee Mainliner, for the 1946 season.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=DC2,...craft.wikia.com%2Fwiki%2FDouglas_DC-2;625;381

https://www.google.ca/search?q=yank...-flight-new-york-yankees-players-on;1280;1008

Now, here’s something I didn’t know and was surprised to learn…it was on this date in 1927 Tony Lazzeri becomes the first Yankee to hit three HRs in one game. Babe Ruth had 72 multi-HR games in his career but 70 of them were of the 2 HR variety. His final 3 Major League HRs were hit in 1 game in the final week of his career while playing for the Boston Braves which means despite hitting 659 HRs in a Yankee uniform and another 49 with the Red Sox he had only 1 game in those 21 seasons ( 2,475 games ) in which he hit 3 in one game. Interestingly, Babe Ruth did not have a three home run game in any of the four years (1919, 1920, 1921, and 1927) in which he set the single season HR record. Nor did Roger Maris (or for that matter, Mickey Mantle) in 1961. Lou Gehrig had 43 multi-HR games…39 with 2 HRs, 3 with 3 HRS and a single game with 4 HRs.
In the Dead Ball Era between 1900 and 1920, not one player hit three home runs in a ML game.

The Greedy Pinstripes: This Day In New York Yankees History 6/8

The days of a relief pitcher being driven in from the bullpen became extinct in the mid 1990’s. It seems it was on this date in 1951 White Sox reliever Marv Rotblatt becomes the first pitcher to be driven in from the bullpen when he enters the game in the 8th inning to face the Yankees in a 4-2 loss at Comiskey Park although some argue the Cleveland Indians probably started the bullpen transportation concept in 1950. They used a small, red car. Here’s some other interesting facts:
- The White Sox started using a relievers’ cart at Comiskey Park in 1951 and stopped in ’55 because fans would throw debris at the cart. Those were tough fans.
- Yankees manager Casey Stengel said his pitchers would not get into bullpen carts because his players were used to Cadillacs. So one night at Comiskey a black Cadillac from a funeral home was stationed in the Yanks’ bullpen.
- At a late ’60s game at Dodger Stadium, the bullpen cart driver could not be found so backup catcher Tom Haller drove reliever Jim Brewer to the field. Brewer got out, turned for the mound and Haller drove into the lefty.
- It looks like another fine Dodgers reliever, the idiosyncratic Mike Marshall, in ’74 became the first to eschew the cart and make the run from bullpen to mound.
- In ’79, Orioles pitcher Mike Flanagan said, “I could never play in New York. The first time I ever came into a game there, I got in the bullpen car and they told me to lock the doors.”
- White Sox again: They used a Chrysler LeBaron as their bullpen vehicle in ’81. White Sox fans again: Full beers would be heaved at the LeBaron, so it did not return in ’82.
- Several teams had the same idea for the bullpen cart: Make it look like a huge baseball, with the team’s cap as the roof.
- The Seattle Mariners in ’82 designed their bullpen cart to resemble a tugboat on which a reliever would ride in the back. On opening day, Mariners pitcher Bill Caudill stole the tugboat’s keys during pregame activities. The start of the game was delayed until the keys were found and the tugboat could be removed from the field.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=reli...Fshowthread.php%3F83738-Bullpen-Cars;1024;641

It was on this date in 1955, after only eight games and 13 innings of work, the Dodgers option rookie left-handed pitcher Tom Lasorda to Montreal to make room for a bonus baby who is also a southpaw. Sandy Koufax, who had injured his ankle, comes off the 30-day disabled list. I’m sure the two Hall of Famers have talked about that more than once over the years.

Tommy Lasorda 1955 Game by Game Pitching Logs

The American Association (AA) was a Minor League baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997. Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in Minor League baseball, at least for the eastern half of the United States. Over the course of its 90 year history a good many ML’ers and future Hall of Famers played on AA fields. None had a longer hitting streak than the 43 game streak of Howie Bedell in 1961. The 13 year Minor Leaguer could not convert his hitting prowess in the Minors to the Majors. In 1962 he hit .196 in 58 games for the Milwaukee Braves before being banished back to the Minors where he played until the Phillies brought him back to the Majors in 1968 for 9 games when he hit .143. However…as anemic as his bat was it was Bedell who brought Don Drysdale’s record setting streak of 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings to an end. It was on this date in 1968 that Bedell, pinch-hitting in the top of the 5th inning, hit a sacrifice fly to score Tony Taylor and end the streak.

June 8, 1968 Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1969 Mickey Mantle’s #7 is retired and he gets a CF plaque in a ceremony at Yankee Stadium.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpiMCLqzjNE

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1907, throwing the only perfect game of his career‚ Weiser (Idaho) P Walter Johnson beats Emmett‚ 11-0. He strikes out 14. Weiser ( pronounced we-zer ) is a town that sits on the confluence of the Weiser and Snake Rivers in Western Idaho. Across the Snake is Oregon. Its population is something a little in excess of 5,000 today. If you want to go to the “big city” then Boise is 70 miles to the south. I suspect there aren’t too many people outside of Idaho or Oregon who would be familiar with the town but HOF’er Walter Johnson was because he pitched there for two seasons after High School. landed him a job playing for the Weiser (Idaho) team in the semipro Southern Idaho League. In Weiser, he was paid $90 a week, ostensibly to work for the local telephone company, but actually to play baseball on weekends. There was plenty of time to enjoy hunting and fishing in the nearby mountains during the week. Pitching until July for Weiser, Johnson racked up a 7-1 record, then returned to his California home. It wasn't until after Walter returned for a second season in Weiser and was on his way to a 14-2 mark that his pitching prowess came to the attention of major league baseball. "The Weiser Wonder" posted a 0.55 ERA while striking out 214 batters in 146 innings. Manager Joe Cantillon of the Washington Senators began receiving telegrams touting Johnson's feats and the wire services were spreading far and wide the story of the young pitcher's string of 77 scoreless innings, which included back-to-back no-hitters. Finally, Cantillon sent an injured catcher, Cliff Blankenship, west on a scouting trip. Blankenship persuaded the young phenom to accept a Washington contract. The 19-year-old was so reluctant to accept the offer that he demanded a train ticket to return home to California in case he didn't make good, and insisted on wiring his parents to obtain their permission to sign. On July 22, 1907, a large crowd came to the Weiser depot to see him off. As Johnson said goodbye to his pals, there were tears in his eyes. A group of appreciative Weiser fans had tried to convince him to stay, offering to set him up with a cigar store on the town square. Johnson thanked them, but declined the offer. "You know how you are at 19," he explained later. "You want to see things." The rest, as they say, is history for the guy whose signature pitching motion was unique -- a short windmill-style windup followed by a sweeping sidearm delivery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imwUHeuVqME

It was on this date in 1914 in a game at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia‚ Honus Wagner joins Cap Anson as the only members of the 3‚000 hit club when collects a 9th-inning double off the Phillies Erskine Mayer‚ and scores the Bucs lone run in a 3-1 loss.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=honu...om%2Fhmarker.php%3FmarkerId%3D1-A-E;4969;6364

On this date in 1963 the first ML Sunday night game is played in Houston…the Colt 45s beat the Giants 3-0. Due to the extreme heat during the days of the Texas summer months, baseball grants permission for games to be played in the evening at Colt Stadium.

June 9, 1963 San Francisco Giants at Houston Colt .45's Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1946 Ted Williams clouts the farthest home run ever hit at Fenway Park, a shot estimated to have traveled 502 feet before striking the straw hat of a fan sitting in seat 21 in the 37th row in of section 42 in right field. The seat will be painted red to commemorate the location of Splendid Splinter's Ruthian blast, although at the time of the homer the area consisted of bleachers and not individual seats.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=the+....es%2Fquefuede%2Ftag%2Ffenway-park%2F;400;267

50 years ago…1964:

Pedro Oliva used his brother's birth certificate when he applied for a passport to enter the United States, and thereafter kept the name of his sibling Tony. In 1964, he set several American League rookie records and topped the circuit in runs scored (109), hits (217), doubles (43), total bases (374), and batting average (.323).

https://www.google.ca/search?q=tony...pot.com%2F2012%2F04%2Ftony-oliva.html;857;341

Dean Chance of the Angels wins the Cy Young Award and tops the American League in ERA (1.65), shutouts (11), innings (278), and CGs (15).

https://www.google.ca/search?q=dean...ormer-cy-young-winner-short-mets.html;238;320

For the first time in ML history, third basemen win both MVP Awards Ken Boyer and Brooks Robinson.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=ken+...ks-Robinson-Nm-991412-%2F190941973096;300;217

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1998 Colorado OF Dante Bichette becomes the first Rockies player ever to hit for the cycle in the team's 9-8‚ 10-inning victory over the Rangers. Bichette doubles in the 4th‚ homers in the 6th‚ triples in the 9th‚ and singles in the 10th.

June 10, 1998 Texas Rangers at Colorado Rockies Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1930 the Pacific Coast League sees its first night game when Sacramento hosts Oakland before 10‚000 fans at Moreing Field. There are 180‚000 watts of light from 40 lamps on 40 poles. By the end of next season every Pacific Coast League team will have lights. Ed Bryan, who won over 200 games in the Minors without reaching the Majors, turns the lights out on the visitors‚ winning 5-0.
How bright would 180,000 watts of light been…I guess enough to play as they obviously did. Today, Bank One Stadium in Arizona, for instance uses 850 1500 watt lamps ( 1,275,000 watts or 1,275 kilowatts ) and those are state of the art halide lights that are efficient and bright. If you’re wondering and I know you weren’t… the cost of electricity in the U.S. runs anywhere from about 8-17 cents an hour per kilowatt ( unless you live in Hawaii where it’s 37 cents ) so at 10 cents per kilowatt it would cost $127.50 to operate the lights for one hour. If you divide that amount by 60, you would arrive at $2.125. The cost of operating the lights at in a MLB park is approximately $2.13 per minute.

https://www.google.ca/search?sa=N&e...ks.tripod.com%2Fsolons%2Fmoreing.html;216;172

HOF’er Lefty Grove had a blazing fastball and a temper to match. By the time he had pitched 17 seasons, eking out a 300th win in his last appearance, both were gone. He arrived with a reputation for wrath, and led the American League in strikeouts seven consecutive years, victories four times (including 31 wins in 1931), ERA nine times (no one else ever did more than five), and winning percentage five times. Grove also led in shredded uniforms, kicked buckets, ripped-apart lockers, and alienated teammates.
What Lefty couldn’t do was hit, and he readily called himself the worst hitter in Baseball despite collecting over 200 career hits and 15 HRs. It was on this date in 1933 Grove strikes out 5 times in a single game becoming the first player to do so in the 20th Century. Over his career he would whiff 593, the ML record for pitchers.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=left...rcules%26page%3D33%26user_id%3D140605;798;431

If Lefty Grove was not a good hitting pitcher let’s talk about one who was…even if his time in the Majors was brief. Bill LeFebvre was a lefthanded pitcher who played 4 seasons in the Majors, 6 games with the Red Sox in 1938 and 1939 and 30 games with the Senators in 1943 and 1944. His record was 5-5 with 3 Saves. The Red Sox brought him up in 1938…it was a brief stay, 1 game. On this date in 1938 LeFebvre was sent into the game in the 6th inning in Boston that the Red Sox were losing 9-1 to the White Sox. It was mop-up duty for him and the Red Sox left him in for the rest of the game despite his giving up 8 hits and 6 runs. In the 8th inning his turn in the batting order came up. The Manager, Joe Cronin, sent him up to hit…
'Go up and hit, kid! Go up and hit!' So I went up and hit, and the first ball Monty Stratton threw to me, I hit it over the left-field fence. I was a left-hand hitter; I swung a little late. In those days, they didn't have the screen (on top of the wall). They had horns to advertise. They used to announce the lineups and so forth. Loudspeakers. And it hit in the loudspeaker, which was an automatic home run. But I don't know that. And the ball came back on the field. Mike Kreevich is playing center field, and he's taking his time. When I hit the ball, I figured I'd hit the wall and I'd make a double anyway. When I got to second base -- he knew it was a home run, but I didn't -- and I said to myself, 'Christ, he's not hustling,' and I went sliding into third base. Bill McGowan was the umpire and he hollered, 'Come on, kid. Come on in, you hit a home run.' I didn't even know it was a home run." He’s the only player in ML history to play one game in a season, see one pitch and hit a HR. His BA was 1.000 and Slugging % was 4.000 and that’s as good as it gets.
A few days later the Red Sox sent him down to Minneapolis, where he stayed the rest of the year. The following season the Red Sox brought him up again, this time for all of 5 games. He got his first ML Win on August 29th in Cleveland thanks to a Grand Slam by his former teammate in Minneapolis, rookie, Ted Williams. LeFebvre went 2 for 3 in the game. On September 3rd , the day WWII broke out in Europe, Lefebvre won another game, but with his bat, not his glove. The Yankees were at Fenway. It was the bottom of the eighth, with the score tied, 11-11, and the bases loaded. Elden Auker was due up, the third pitcher of the game for the Red Sox. Joe Cronin, remembering he had a good left-handed bat on the bench in Lefebvre, sent him up and Lefty singled in the one run that proved the game-winner.
It would be 1943 before he made it back to the Majors again, this time with the Washington Senators. On the strength of a good season in the Minors he was brought up to the Washington Senators in mid-August. He pitched 32 innings, finishing 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA. In 1944, Lefebvre was with Washington all year long (2-4, 4.50 in 69 2/3 innings of work.) Lefebvre led the League with 10 pinch hits that year and thus ended the ML career of a pitcher who ended up being a pretty good hitter, .276 lifetime.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=bill...oncollection.com%2Fbill-lefebvre.html;640;800

It was on this date in 1944 Joe Nuxhall of the Cincinnati Reds is the youngest player in the 20th Century to appear in a game. Nuxhall‚ only 15 years‚ 10 months old‚ pitches 2/3 of an inning in an 18-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=joe+...cin%2Ffan_forum%2Fnuxhall_gallery.jsp;300;250

It was on this date in 1959 Rocky Colavito hits 4 consecutive HRs in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium to lead the Indians to an 11-8 win. Colavito joins Lou Gehrig and Bobby Lowe as the only ML players to hit 4 consecutive four-baggers.

Rocky Colavito - the original "The Rock" on Pinterest

It was on this date in 1967 Astros' outfielder Jimmy Wynn hits the longest home run in the history of Cincinnati's Crosley Field off Reds' right-hander Mel Queen. The Toy Cannon's monstrous shot clears the 58-foot scoreboard in left-center and bounces onto Interstate 75 outside the stadium.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTlJJBthYb0

 

[67RedSox]

Walter Johnson was the Majors’ premier pitcher during the Dead Ball Era. He was also a very good pitcher in the Live Ball Era. Of course, that’s not a revelation merely a fact made obvious by a record of 417-279 and a lifetime ERA of 2.17. Some might argue there was a pitcher better than Johnson during those days. Unfortunately, coulda, woulda, shoulda doesn’t count so we will never know just how good a pitcher Ray Caldwell could have been, we just know that he was a very good pitcher for a long time, the first half of his pitching career in the Majors, 1910-1921 and the second half in the Minors, 1922-1933.
A little bit more about Ray Caldwell in a minute but first a mention of why he’s mentioned today. It was on this date in 1915 at the Polo Grounds in a 10-9 victory over the White Sox, Ray Caldwell becomes first ML’er to hit a home run in consecutive pinch-hit appearances. The Yankee pitcher, who wins 19 games that season, hits the second of his two round-trippers as a pinch hitter, having also hit a HR the previous day pinch-hitting against Chicago. The next day he’ll hit another HR but while pitching, not pinch-hitting.
Ray Caldwell was a pitcher of immense talent who had an enormous appetite for the nightlife and a weakness for alcohol. For his obituary The Sporting News wrote, "his escapades were legendary". 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. Over the course of two decades, from 1910 to 1933, he won nearly 300 games, 133 of them in the majors. As the ace of the New York Americans/Yankees in the early 'teens, he was at times so dominant that Washington once offered Walter Johnson for him in a trade. Ray's flashes of brilliance were usually followed by "outbreaks of misbehaviour," followed by repentance, recovery, and pitching excellence, before the cycle began anew.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=ray+...ing-bolt-drive-him-from-the-mound%2F;1024;750

It was on this date in 1938 Johnny VandDer Meer throws the first of his two consecutive No-Hitters.

75 Years Ago: The Double No-Hit Champion | The Saturday Evening Post

June 11, 1938 Boston Bees at Cincinnati Reds Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1947 HOF’er Mel Ott has his final at-bat in the Majors. Pinch-hitting he pops out to the Shortstop but despite this he retires with 511 HRs which is over 200 more than any other National League player ever hit and 3rd on the all-time list behind Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx. Not bad for the 5’9” 170 lb slugger who was told he was too small to play professional baseball.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=mel+...g;http%3A%2F%2Fbaseball-brains.com%2F;597;745

Hank Sauer, one of the most popular Cubs of all-time and the 1952 National League MVP hit 3 HRs in a single game on this date in 1952 in Wrigley Field. All three are needed as the Cubs beat the Phillies 3-2. All three HRs were hit off of a very good pitcher, Curt Simmons, who pitched in the Majors for 20 seasons. It was his second and final 3 HR game in the Majors. On August 28, 1950 Sauer, who hit 288 career HRs, hit three consecutive home runs during one game in Wrigley Field in a game against the same Phillies, and yes, all three were hit off of Curt Simmons.
Nolan Ryan tossed four No-Hitters in the 1970’s, he tossed one in the 1980’s and on this date in 1990 he tossed his 6th but not his last and thereby became the first pitcher to toss No-Hitters in three different decades and also the first to throw No- Hitters with three different teams ( Angels, Astros & Rangers ).

Hank Sauer Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac

 

[67RedSox]

Do you remember this line from Field of Dreams ( of course, that’s a rhetorical question )

Son, if I'd only gotten to be a doctor for five minutes... now that would have been a tragedy.

The line was delivered by Moonlight Graham, who appeared as a right fielder in a single Major League game for the New York Giants in 1905. That line could have also been spoken by John Lee Richmond of the Worcestor Ruby Legs who pitched the first Perfect Game in Major League history on this date in 1880. Less than a week later, on June 16, 1880 Lee Richmond, who would eventually become a medical doctor, was awarded his degree from Brown University. The "spot" where he stood when he tossed this perfect game is now marked by a plaque located on the campus of Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts. The inscription reads…
"ON JUNE 12, 1880, THE FIRST PERFECT GAME IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL HISTORY WAS PITCHED ON THIS SITE (THE FORMER WORCESTER AGRICULTURAL FAIRGROUNDS) BY J. LEE RICHMOND OF WORCESTER AGAINST CLEVELAND IN A NATIONAL LEAGUE GAME."

https://www.google.ca/search?q=WORC...ers-own%2Fthe-first-perfect-game%2F;5120;2582

https://www.google.ca/search?q=WORC...me-in-worcester-mass-in-1880-photo%2F;584;368

It was on this date in 1916 Babe Ruth hits the 6th HR of his ML career. It’s a 3-run shot in the 7th inning of a game against the Browns in St. Louis to knot the score, 3-3. It was the only HR of the 714 he hit that he hit as a pinch-hitter.

June 12, 1916 Boston Red Sox at St. Louis Browns Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

Well, so far we spoken about a ballplayer turned doctor and Babe Ruth. Now, let’s do a blurb combining both of those things. Hub “Shucks” Pruett was a left-handed pitcher in the Majors for 7 seasons between 1922 and 1932. He acquired the nickname "Shucks" because that was the strongest word in his vocabulary. He played for the St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, and Boston Braves and didn’t enjoy a lot of success except when he pitched to Babe Ruth. Over his 7 seasons he had but one winning season and his overall ML record was 29-48 with an ERA of 4.68. How hard did he throw…well, I guess most of his pitches would have trouble breaking a pane of glass. On this date in 1922 as a rookie with the Brown’s Pruett K's Babe Ruth 3 times en route to a 7-1 win over the Yankees. However, Ruth had nothing but fits against him striking out 13 of the first 16 times he faced him and had a lifetime batting average of .095 against him. Pruett knew he needed to find a new line of work and used his baseball salary to pay for his medical studies. One of the reasons the Browns kept him for 3 seasons was because of his success against the Babe. Years later after became a physician in St. Louis Pruett personally thanked Ruth for role he played extending his baseball career by his futility in hitting against him.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=hub+...11%2F28%2Fhub-pruett_n_2206493.html;1536;1825

On July 30, 2010 the Colorado Rockies come to bat in the bottom of the 8th inning in a game at Coors Field leading the Cubs, 5-2. The score is still 5-2 with 2 outs and 2 strikes on the batter, Carlos Gonzalez. It must have been at that point that the Rockies decide it’s time for some batting practise. Gonzalez hits a line drive single to RF and the hits came and came and they kept on coming until the Rockies had strung together a ML record 11 in a row, and scored 12 runs, to put a Pike's Peak-sized cap on a 17-2 rout at Coors Field. The St. Louis Cardinals had spun together 10 consecutive hits twice before including on this date in 1922. One of the hits is a smash over the short RF fence with 2 men on by SS Specs Toporcer‚ the first non-pitcher to wear glasses in the Majors. But Toporcer's first homer is negated when he passes base runner Doc Lavan on the basepaths and Specs is credited with a single. I wonder what kind of glasses allow you to better see a baseball whizzing in from 60’ away at 80+ mph but not someone ahead of you on the base paths.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=spec...ollection.com%2Fspecs-toporcer-3.html;640;800

It was on this date in 1939 the greatest gathering of members and future inductees of the Baseball Hall of Fame assembles in Cooperstown‚ NY‚ for the dedication of the museum. A 6-inning game at Doubleday Field showcases lineups studded with players who will be elected in the future. Honus Wagner's lineup defeats Eddie Collins' squad‚ 4-2. Babe Ruth‚ Ty Cobb‚ Honus Wagner‚ Walter Johnson‚ Grover Alexander‚ Nap Lajoie‚ George Sisler‚ Eddie Collins‚ Tris Speaker‚ Cy Young‚ and Connie Mack accept their plaques. Cobb‚ angry at Commissioner Landis‚ shows up after the ceremony and photo taking to accept his plaque. Other inductees‚ all deceased‚ include Cap Anson‚ Charles Comiskey‚ Candy Cummings‚ Buck Ewing‚ Hoss Radbourn‚ Al Spalding and Wee Willie Keeler.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=1939...anging-past-a-necessary-illusion%2F;1816;1481

At a strikeout per every 2.68, 2.90 and 3.31 at-bats…Mark Reynolds, Adam Dunn and Jim Thome are considered to be the most prolific strikeout guys in the history of the game. Well, even these guys have to move over for Dave Nicholson who struck out once in every 2.45 at-bats (34.5%). The fact he played in only 538 ML games with 1,419 at-bats doesn’t qualify him to be included with the others, nevertheless, his numbers indicate just how often he struck out. It was on this date in 1963 Nicholson ties the ML record for the most strikeouts in a doubleheader with 7. He was playing for the White Sox and that year he would establish a new record for the most strikeouts in one season with 175. That record would stand until Bobby Bonds whiffed 187 times in 1969. Part of Nicholson’s strikeout rate could be attributed to his batting stance…holding the bat almost over his head as he'd look out at the pitcher from underneath his arms.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=dave...Fbrowse.php%3Fcatid%3D141%26page%3D18;319;398

It was on this date in 1979 Sparky Anderson is appointed as the Manager of the Detroit Tigers, a gig that would last 17 seasons with only 1 Pennant and World Series victory, in 1984. He would win as many as 104 games with the Tigers (1984) and lose as many as 103 (1989). The question is…who did Anderson replace in Detroit. If you said Les Moss you would be correct. Moss managed 4 seasons in the Tigers Minor League chain before getting the gig in Detroit. In 1975 and 1976 he managed their AA team winning the Southern League championship each season and being promoted to manage their AAA team in Evansville in 1977 and 1978. His success continued and The Sporting News named him as the Minor League Manager of the Year in 1978. When Ralph Houk said he wouldn’t return as the Tigers Manager after the 1978 season Les Moss was named the Manager of the Tigers for 1979. Sparky Anderson was fired by Cincinnati despite the Reds winning 92 games in 1978 and was poised to accept a long-term deal with the Cubs. Despite Moss having managed the Tigers for a mere 2 months and having them playing above .500 the Tigers abruptly fired him to snag Anderson. Obviously, loyalty meant nothing to Tiger GM, Jim Campbell.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=spar...ductid%3D23029%26cat%3D262%26page%3D1;307;397

Faithful soldier Moss stepped aside for Sparky in ?79

 

[67RedSox]

On this date in 1870 in New York‚ a crowd of 7‚500 paid $.50 each to watch the Cincinnati Red Stockings defeat the Mutuals‚ 13-3‚ in the first game of Cincinnati's Eastern tour. That a total of $3,600.00 in gate receipts. Today, the gate receipts for a crowd of 7,500 in New York’s Yankee Stadium would be $1,230,000.00 at an average ticket price for a Yankee game this year being $164.00.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=1870...70-cincinnati-red-stockings-tour.html;730;450

https://www.google.ca/search?q=new+...bc.forumotion.com%2Ft2178-early-teams;425;308

Anytime you build anything in a flood-plain, including a baseball field, you have to understand it’s subject to flooding. The birthplace of Baseball in Pittsburgh was Exposition Park built on the flood-plain of the Allegheny River. Exposition Park stood on the north shore of the Allegheny River across from downtown Pittsburgh, facing what has become the Point. The park was located about two blocks west of where PNC Park stands today. Three rebuilt versions of Exposition Park housed various Pittsburgh baseball teams from 1882 until 1915 when Forbes Field, a three-tiered stadium out of steel and concrete to increase longevity—the first of its kind in the nation. The stories of the Alleghenys and Pirates, both playing in their flooded ballpark, are legendary with fly balls hit to waist high water considered ground-rule doubles. The first of those floods happened on this date in 1883. I can’t find photos of that day but here are some other ballparks that experienced a little water. Incidentally, Pittsburgh’s ML team originally played in Allegheny then a separate city to Pittsburgh. In 1887 the Allegheny team switched from the American Association to the National League ( the AA being the rival Major League rival of the NL ) and became known as the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. In 1891 they took the name of the Pirates…almost as a joke. The Alleghenys signed several players from American Association teams. One of them was highly regarded second baseman Lou Bierbauer, who had previously played with the A.A.'s Philadelphia Athletics. The Athletics failed to include him on their reserve list, and the Alleghenys picked him up. This led to loud protests by the Athletics, and in an official complaint, an AA official claimed the Alleghenys' were behaving like pirates. This incident quickly accelerated into a schism between the Leagues that contributed to the demise of the AA. Although the Alleghenys were never found guilty of wrongdoing, they made sport of being denounced for being "piratical" by renaming themselves "the Pirates" for the 1891 season.

In the pictures below the before and after of the Harrisburg, PA. ballfield and then Crosley Field in Cincinnati in the great flood of 1937 when Home Plate was 21 feet underwater.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=harr...etro-bank-park-stadium-renovations%2F;714;426

https://www.google.ca/search?q=floo...2011%2F09%2F08%2FgIQA9VcHDK_blog.html;606;581

https://www.google.ca/search?q=cros...napshots.com%2Ftag%2Fcrosley-field%2F;517;410

https://www.google.ca/search?q=cros...%3Ftopic_id%3D1647752%26forum_id%3D53;669;423

On this date in 1930, for the first time baseball history, former Batting Champs are exchanged for one another when the Senators trade future HOF'er Goose Goslin to the Browns for future HOF'er Heinie Manush. Both Hall of Fame outfielders won their titles in the American League, with Manush hitting .387 playing for the Tigers in 1926, and Goslin leading the circuit two years later with a .378 batting average for Washington.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=goos...75602-Bill-s-Rare-Photo-Finds%2Fpage7;949;715

https://www.google.ca/search?q=hein...inie-manush-washington-baseball-now;1536;1920

It was on this date in 1948 with the crowd of 49,641 singing 'Auld Lang Syne' to the Babe, the Yankees celebrate the silver anniversary of Yankee Stadium by holding 'Babe Ruth Day'. With members of the 1923 team (the first team to play in the stadium) looking on, the dying superstar's uniform number 3 is retired and sent to Cooperstown.

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/video/june-13-1948-babes-number-170842585.html

It was on this date in 1973 the Dodgers infield, which will be together eight and a half years, setting a ML record for longevity, play together the first time. 1B Steve Garvey, 2B Davey Lopes, 3B Ron Cey and SS Bill Russell are in the line-up in the 16-3 defeat to the Phillies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le-Uv2VD_Gc

Mel Parnell was born on this date in 1922. Parnell devoted a full decade to the Boston Red Sox, from 1947 through 1956, winning 123 games while losing just 75. He ranks first among left-handed Red Sox pitchers in wins, number of games started (232), and number of innings pitched (1,752 2/3). The New Orleans native performed exceptionally well in Fenway Park, a ballpark thought to be unkind to southpaws, compiling a 71-30 mark there. In his final season, 1956, he threw a midseason no-hitter against the White Sox, also at Fenway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD4H6L7xcEE