Baseball History

[67RedSox]

Homer Smoot was born on this date in 1878. He played all but 60 of his ML career with the St. Louis Cardinals in the Dead-Ball Era. He was a centerfielder and had a career batting average of .290. None of that is very special or unique but what is unique about Smoot is that he never had a MLB season in which he had fewer than 500 at-bats. In fact, Smoot is the only player ever to have at least 500 at-bats in a season while playing in as many as five seasons.

Doc Smoot | SABR

Gavvy Cravath was born on this date in 1881. His motto while hitting was… "Short singles are like left-hand jabs in the boxing ring, but a home run is a knock-out punch"…so he hit a lot of HRs for the Philadelphia Phillies between 1912 and 1920. In fact he was the NL’s HR Champ 6 times in those seasons. Despite a MLB career that spanned 11 years he was just getting started. After his career in the Grand Old Game ended he spent 36 years on the Bench as a Judge in Laguna Beach in California. At his death in 1963 at the age of 82 few Laguna Beach residents even realized that in a prior life, the Honorable Clifford C. Cravath had set Major League HR records that it took the mighty Babe Ruth to break.

Gavvy Cravath Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

Johnny Logan was born on this date in 1926. All but forgotten today Logan was the Braves Shortstop for almost all of the 1950s first in Boston and then in Milwaukee. A four-time All-Star, he helped the Braves win back-to-back pennants in 1957 and 1958 and a World Series in 1957. When his ML career ended after the 1963 season he played the 1964 season with the Nankai Hawks in the Japan Pacific League, at age 39, and became the first Major League ballplayer to play on championship teams in both the United States and Japan.

johnny logan - Google Search

For 60 years the Dodgers, both the Brooklyn and Los Angeles versions, were married to the City of Vero Beach. Bud Holman played Cupid between the two and his vision was realized in 1948 when the Dodgers arrived in Vero Beach and would stay for 60 years and create a 65 acre baseball mecca called Dodgertown which would later be greatly enlarged. It all started in 1942 when the U.S. Navy notified Vero Beach that it had selected its airport for a naval air station and purchased 1,500 acres surrounding the airport. The base was commissioned as Naval Air Station Vero Beach in 1942 and training for pilots began in February 1943 with Brewster Buccaneer and later the F6F Hellcat. At its peak NAS Vero Beach was home to 1,400 U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps servicemen and 250 aircraft. After the war it was reduced to a skeletal staff and in 1947 the Navy closed it and returned it to the city. Bud Holman became the airport director and his vision was to bring a MLB team to Vero Beach and to use the abandoned base as its Spring Training site. So, in 1947 he went to Cuba where the Dodgers were training and approached team president Branch Rickey with his idea. "There are barracks there that can house nearly 1,000 people," Holman told Rickey, "and you can have the whole organization all under one roof and in one place." The idea fascinated Rickey, who believed that only good could come out of having everyone together in a sort of family community.

There were barracks to house the assembled throng of as many as 600 including players from all levels of the organization, the coaching staff, the front office, newspaper people and anyone else connected with the team. Complementing the lack of heating and air conditioning in the two wooden barracks, each standing two stories high on stilts, were the paper-thin walls. Neither bats nor cleats were permitted inside — bats for obvious reasons and cleats because they would ruin the floors. For most of the players, they would sleep six in a room. "You didn't dare light a match for fear of burning the whole place down” said Don Zimmer. "At 7 a.m. every morning, they would blow a whistle - just like in the army - and you'd get in the chow line. You never knew who you'd be standing there with. There'd be kids from Class-D ball right next to Walter O'Malley and his wife, Kay. There was no 'class' system. Everybody ate together." The Dodgers Manager, Leo Durocher and his actress wife, Laraine Day, were assigned to one of the barrack’s finest “suites,” but Day found it more than wanting and moved them to the beachfront hotel, the Windswept, five miles away from Dodgertown.

On this date in 1951 the Dodgers sign a 21 year lease with the City to continue to use the site and life at Dodgertown greatly improved over the years not only as far as living and baseball facilities were concerned but recreational facilities as well such as two golf courses. Like many marriages made in heaven the break-up of the Dodgers and Vero Beach was not pleasant. In 2001, the Dodgers seriously considered moving their spring training operations to Arizona, but the city of Vero Beach persuaded them to stay by purchasing the Historic Dodgertown complex from the team and leasing it back for a nominal $1 per year. In 2006, the Dodgers again received offers from several Arizona cities, attempting to persuade them to move. Ultimately, the offers were too lucrative to overcome the burden of having to reimburse Vero Beach for purchasing the complex. The Vero Beach city fathers were outraged when the Dodgers announced plans to pick up stakes and leave. The Dodgers' last spring training game in Vero Beach was on March 17, 2008.

Walter O'Malley : Dodger History : Dodgertown : Dodgertown's Magical Appeal

Virgil “Fire” Trucks died on this date in 2013 at the age of 95. Trucks was a solid ML pitcher for 17 seasons, mostly with the Tigers, winning 177 games in a playing career that started in 1941 and ended in 1958. Twice he led the AL in Shutouts ( 1949 and 1954 ) and in each of those years he Won 19 games. In 1953 he had his only 20 Win season when he went 20-10 with an ERA of 2.93. However, the season most talked about when it comes to Trucks is 1952 when he had a dismal record of 5-19. What made that season remarkable considering his record is that he became the 3rd ML pitcher to toss 2 no-hitters in the same season and a 1-hitter for good measure. He tossed no-hitters against the Washington Senators and NY Yankees winning both games by a score of 1-0.

virgil trucks - Google Search

This and That:

- Joe DiMaggio was known as “Baseball’s Greatest Living Player,” but, in fact, was not elected to the Hall of Fame until his third try.

- Al Simmons the HOF left fielder for the Philadelphia Athletics through the 1920s and into the 1930s was a rookie in 1924. It would be 1935 before he had his first season with under 100 RBIs and a batting average under .300

- Only Babe Ruth (12) won more HR titles than Mike Schmidt (8)

- Babe Ruth at 17-5, while pitching for the Red Sox, had the best career mark against the Yankees among pitchers with at least 15 Wins against them.

- The most HRs hit by one team in one game is 10 by the Toronto Blue Jays in an 18-3 win over the Orioles in 1987. The NL record is 9 by the Reds in a 22-3 win over the Phillies in 1999.

- In 1974 Mike Marshall of the Dodgers sets the record for most games in one season by a pitcher when he appeared in 106 and won the NL’s Cy Young Award. In 1979 the same Mike Marshall set the AL record when he appeared in 90 games for the Twins.


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Who is the only MLB player to play at least 500 games at 5 different positions on the field…

The answer to yesterday’s trivia question is…Nomar Garciaparra - 1999 & 2000 and Larry Walker - 1999 & 2001 (Who are the only two players to win Batting Crowns in both the 20th and 21st Centuries. Each of the two saw one of those Batting Crowns come with a Batting Average above .370)

 

[67RedSox]

How often does a team make a trade during Spring Training that nets them the player who will win that year’s Cy Young Award or MVP Award but on this date in 1984 the Detroit Tigers make a deal with the Phillies and obtain a player who will win both the AL Cy Young Award and the AL MVP Award in 1984…relief pitcher, Willie Hernandez. One of the two players the Tigers send to the Phillies is John Wockenfuss, C-1B-UT and a guy who’s remembered for two things, 1) his batting stance where his feet point almost directly at the catcher, and 2) his name – either because he couldn’t pronounce it or because he found it funny, the Cubs broadcaster, Harry Carey pronounced his name backwards as "suffnecow".

Willie Hernandez Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

Hall of Famer George Sisler was born on this date in 1893. There are craftsmen and then there’s master craftsmen and when it came to hitting George Sisler was a master craftsman with his .340 lifetime batting average and two seasons hitting north of .400. In the first three years of the Live-Ball Era Sisler hit .407, .371 and .420 to average .400 for the entire three years (.39966 ).
He was more than a hitter though as his defense was stellar and his baserunning superb. If there’s a discussion of great 1st Basemen of the 20th Century then Sisler deserves to be in that discussion. In the 52 year history of the St. Louis Browns, 1902-1953, there would be no argument that Sisler was the best player to ever wear the uniform.
In 1920, Sisler played every inning of each game and collected 257 hits which was a ML record for 84 years until Ichiro Suzuki topped it in 2004 in a game in which Sisler's daughter, Frances, and other of his family members were in attendance.
His two sons Dick and Dave both played in the Majors with Dick also managing the Cincinnati Reds in the 1960s.



George Kell died on this date in 2009. In a career that spanned 15 seasons he batted .306 in 1,795 career games. In 1949 both he and Ted Williams hit .343 but Kell was awarded the Batting Crown as he hit .3429 narrowly above Williams’ mark of .3428. Williams was thus denied his 3rd Triple Crown. Kell hit over .300 in nine seasons. A 10-time All-Star, he was finally inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. When his playing career was over, he turned to the microphone and was a Tigers broadcaster for 37 seasons. He must have spent as much time in Tiger Stadium as anyone.



Starlin Castro was born on this date in 1990 and I don’t often bother with the here and now when I ramble in this space but his birthday is worth mentioning because he’s accomplished something that only a handful of players in MLB history have done, 24 to be exact…collect as many hits as he has by the age of 25…Castro has 846. Included in that group are some players you may have heard about…Aaron, Mantle, Foxx, Griffey Jr., Medwick, Hornsby, Cepeda, Miguel Cabrera and Roberto Alomar. Now I’m not saying Castro will ultimately end up in either the 3,000 hit club or HOF but his accomplishment is worthy of mention. There have been 6 players to collect 1,000 hits by age 25…here they are:

1,207 – Ty Cobb

1,095 – Freddie Lindstrom

1,071 – Buddy Lewis

1,059 – Mel Ott

1,047 – Al Kaline

1,031 – Robin Yount

Of the above 6 names the one that may sound least familiar is Buddy Lewis. Buddy is also worth a mention. He was a right fielder with the Washington Senators in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He was a very good hitter and of those who preceded him in the Majors only Ty Cobb had more base hits by age 24. Then WWII came along and Lewis was gone from the Majors for 3 ½ years. He served in the United States Army Air Forces as a transport pilot. He flew more than 500 missions in the China-Burma-India Theater and won the Distinguished Flying Cross. Although he did return to the Senators after the War he only played two more full seasons. I’m sure there were absolutely no regrets on his part.


Starlin Castro Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com



There have been 38 ML’ers come out of the State of Vermont. The best known among those 38 would be HOF’er Carlton Fisk. Not too far back of Fisk is Birdie Tebbetts who died on this date in 1999 at the age of 86. Tebbetts belonged to that disappearing group that spent almost their entire life being involved in the Grand Old Game in some capacity or another. His MLB career spanned 14 seasons from 1936 to 1952. Like Fisk he was a catcher and like Fisk played for the Red Sox as well as the Tigers and Indians. He caught for the American League in the 1941 and 1942 All-Star Games, but like the above-mentioned Buddy Lewis he spent about 3 ½ years in the military during World War II. He knew Baseball would be his career and demonstrated that when the aspiring pre-med student chose Providence College over a scholarship from the University of Vermont because afternoon laboratory sessions there would conflict with baseball practice. Almost as soon as he retired as a player he became a Big League Manager in 1954 in Cincinnati at the age of 41. Over the course of 11 seasons he managed three ML teams, the Reds, Braves and Indians and with each of those teams his record as a Manager was above .500 and 748-705 overall. When his ML managing came to an end Tebbetts worked in professional baseball as a scout and Minor League manager for the New York Mets, New York Yankees, and Baltimore Orioles until his retirement in 1992. Settling down in Holmes Beach, Florida, in his 80s he then turned his hand to helping out with the local Little League.

birdie tebbetts - Google Search

Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Among MLB teams active over the past 50 years there are two, one in the American League and one in the National League who have failed to have a player win an MVP Crown…can you name either of those teams.

The answer to yesterday’s trivia question…Pete Rose, 1B, 2B, 3B, RF, LF (Who is the only MLB player to play at least 500 games at 5 different positions on the field…)

 

[67RedSox]

Frank Dwyer, born on this date in 1868, was a NL pitcher in the 1890s tossing primarily for the Cincinnati Reds. He won 177 Big League games in his career and had a couple of 20-Win seasons. If he wasn’t starting ball games he would also relieve occasionally and in 1893 he led the Majors (tied) in Saves…with 2. Yes, 2 Saves led the League. I suspect Frank went to his grave in 1943 never knowing that he led the Majors in Saves one year, or even what a Save was. There have been 2 Saves recorded in 1 day by the same pitcher over 125 times.

If we fast forward from 1893 when Frank had that monster year in relief to May 5, 1904 we discover that Cy Young tossed the best game of his career. For a guy who pitched in 906 games with 511 Wins it might be hard to pick just one game as being his best but since he tossed a Perfect Game against the Philadelphia Athletics in the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston, Massachusetts, in front of 10,267 fans chances are it was his best. Guess who was the Umpire behind the plate calling the Perfect Game…if you said Frank Dwyer you would be correct. Young’s Perfect Game was the 3rd in ML history but the 1st under the Modern Rules (1893). The first two were both thrown in 1880 ( by Lee Richmond & John Ward ) when the pitcher’s mound was 45 feet from the plate, pitchers did not throw overhand and walks required 8 balls.

Incidentally, there have been 40 former MLB players who subsequently umpired in the Majors. It was not uncommon to see that happen in the early days of the Game, say up to about 1930. The last to do so was Bill Kunkel who pitched for the KC Athletics in 1961, 1962 and then for the Yankees in 1963. He retired as a player after the 1965 season and turned to umpiring, reaching the Major Leagues in September, 1968. His son Jeff played in the Majors for 8 years ( 357 games ). In a Spring Training game in 1984 Kunkel's son, a member of the Texas Rangers, brought the lineup card to the plate the only time father and son have appeared in the same ML game as umpire and player. Shortly after his son Jeff was called up by the Rangers in July of that season, Bill Kunkel retired as an umpire working his last game on August 28, 1984 and died a few months later from cancer at the age of 47.

Frank Dwyer Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

Bill Kunkel - BR Bullpen

Dutch Leonard was born on this date in 1909. He enjoyed a 20 year ML career and posted a 191–181 record with 1170 strikeouts and a 3.25 ERA in 3218.1 innings over those years. He was a six-time All-Star selection and made his living throwing a knuckleball. On July 4, 1939 Leonard pitched a complete game and the Senators defeated the New York Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. Between the two games Lou Gehrig delivered his famous "luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech. During the 1945 season, Leonard was part of what was possibly the only four-man rotation in baseball history to have been all knuckleball pitchers. Reportedly, after facing Leonard, Jackie Robinson once said: "I am glad of one thing, and that is I don't have to hit against Dutch Leonard every day. Man, what a knuckleball…it comes up, makes a face at you, then runs away."
During the first four years and the final four years of his career Leonard tossed out of the bullpen but for the 12 seasons in between he was a starter mostly for the hapless Washington Senators and was a winning pitcher. Like Frank Dwyer above Leonard also led the NL in Saves. It was in 1935 while pitching for the Dodgers and his was a whopping total of 8 Saves.

Dutch Leonard Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

Woodie Held was born on this date in 1932. He was a long-time ML’er from 1954 to 1969 and was equally adept at playing just about anywhere on the field…Shortstop, Outfield, 2B and 3B. He played his entire career in relative obscurity but was part of one very special moment in ML history. In a game in July 1963 Cleveland batters hit four consecutive home runs in the sixth inning off Los Angeles Angels pitcher Paul Foytack. With two outs in the frame, Woodie playing 3B that day hit a bomb to left field. He was followed by pitcher Pedro Ramos, who hit his second of the game. The parade continued with Tito Francona and then second baseman Larry Brown, whose homer, just clearing the left field fence, was the first of his career. The crowd of 7,288 went wild with the sudden power surge on display. It was the first time the feat had been accomplished in the American League. The Milwaukee Braves had become the first Major League team to hit four home runs consecutively in 1961.

Top 100 Indians: #54 Woodie Held - Let's Go Tribe

July 31, 1963 Los Angeles Angels at Cleveland Indians Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

Clyde Milan was born on this date in 1887. He toiled in CF for the Washington Senators for 16 seasons and 1,903 games through most of the Dead-Ball Era but "Deerfoot" Milan achieved his greatest fame as a base stealer. After Milan supplanted Ty Cobb as the American League's stolen-base leader by pilfering 88 bases in 1912 and 75 in 1913, F. C. Lane of Baseball Magazine called him "Milan the Marvel, the Flying Mercury of the diamond, the man who shattered the American League record, and the greatest base runner of the decade." It was hyperbole, of course; Cobb re-claimed the AL record in 1915 by stealing 96 bases and went on to swipe far more bases over the decade than Milan, but Deerfoot stole a total of 481 during the Dead-Ball Era, ranking third in the AL behind only Cobb (765) and Eddie Collins (564).

Clyde Milan Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

Since I just mentioned Eddie Collins in the line above I’ll stay with him. It was on this date in 1951 the Hall of Famer died at the age of 63. With 3,315 lifetime hits and a lifetime BA of .333 he gained admittance to the Hall of Fame in 1939 but, strangely, it wasn’t until his 4th try in the voting that he got in. He was a gentleman off the field but hard-nosed between the foul lines. For the first 2 years after his playing career ended (1931 and 1932) he was a full-time coach in Philadelphia before joining the Boston Red Sox as Vice-President and General Manager when an old school chum, Tom Yawkey, purchased the team in early 1933. Collins remained with the Red Sox for the rest of his life, but his most notable act as GM was his decision to absent himself from Fenway Park on April 16, 1945, when Jackie Robinson and two other ***** League players tried out for the Red Sox. Facing pressure from local press and politicians, Collins and Yawkey had offered the sham tryout only reluctantly, and their failure to take Robinson and the other black prospects seriously resulted in the Red Sox becoming the last team to integrate (1959) instead of the first. What many people forget about Collins is that he was the Captain of the most infamous team in MLB history…the 1919 Chicago Black Sox. Although Collins, like many others, heard that the "fix was on" during the 1919 Series, he refused to believe the rumors, and said he was not suspicious of the actions of any of the eight players later accused. "Even today, no one realizes how subtly conceived and executed the whole thing was," Collins later marveled. "Sure, I heard that the fix was on, but I looked on it as just idle gossip and completely preposterous." There was never any suggestion Collins was part of the conspiracy and was considered to have played honestly (his low .226 batting average notwithstanding).



Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Can you name the most recent National League 3rd Baseman to win back-to-back Gold Gloves.

The answers to yesterday’s trivia question are… Cleveland Indians (1953 was last MVP winner in Al Rosen) and NY Mets who have never had a player win MVP honours. (Among MLB teams active over the past 50 years there are two, one in the American League and one in the National League who have failed to have a player win an MVP Crown…can you name either of those teams.)

 

[67RedSox]

Mickey Mantle had not even played his first ML game and he was turning heads. It was on this date in 1951 that the 19 year old hits two of the longest HRs ever hit in Los Angeles history. During the Yankees first ever West Coast trip in a spring exhibition game against the University of Southern California at Bovard Field, Mantle hits a home run which is estimated to have travelled 650 feet. It was one of two HRs the rookie hit that day, one from each side of the plate.

The one he hit right-handed went out of the park, across a street and landed on the roof of a three-story house several houses down the street, a distance over 600 feet. The left-handed homer is a legendary shot that may well be the longest homer ever hit anywhere by anyone. It cleared the right-centerfield wall, crossed an adjacent football field, and landed 656 feet from home plate on the fly. This home run is well documented with two eye-witnesses (the USC center fielder, Tom Riach, and legendary USC Coach Rod Dedeaux). Both walked out (separately) after the game and pointed to the spot the ball landed. The two spots they pointed to were only a few feet apart.

Bovard Field is long gone and the distance the Homeruns travelled had to have been exaggerated but there seems little doubt they were both tape measure blasts and that they travelled further than Wally Moon’s “moonshots” later in the decade.

bovard field mickey mantle 1951 - Google Search

MLB’s invasion of the Pacific Coast League began in 1958 when the Dodgers and Giants came to Los Angeles and San Francisco. It ended 11 years later on this date in 1969 when MLB pays an indemnity of $540‚000 to the Pacific Coast League for the ML invasion of San Diego and Seattle. The Rainiers and Padres (Pacific Coast League style) would be no more.

sick's stadium - Google Search

ted williams san diego padres - Google Search

Ah, Spring Training can be fun at times. For Jackie Price both baseball and life were fun…always a story to tell. It was on this date in 1947 Cleveland manager Lou Boudreau orders Jackie Price off the train at San Diego after Price lets loose two five-foot long snakes on the train from Los Angeles. A coach full of women returning from the American Bowling Congress is extremely upset by the prank. When Tribe owner Bill Veeck says that‚ "either the snakes go or Price goes‚" the 35-year-old infielder's days are numbered.
Although he only played 7 games in the Majors he was as colourful an individual as any that donned a ML uniform. Although his ML career, brief as it was, ended with the snakes he spent the better part of the next decade traveling around the country using his skills in baseball as a sideshow for the game…he could take batting practice hanging upside down, bunt with the knob end of the bat, throw two balls into the air and hit both – one a grounder and one a pop-up and throwing two balls at once to two different catchers – one would be a fastball and one a curve. Price estimated he drove between 40,000 and 50,000 miles during baseball season, with his wife Martha, making $150 to $500 a night, depending on the venue.

Jackie Price: Baseballs Sad Clown | Did The Tribe Win Last Night?

Jack McCarthy was born on this date in 1869 and was a ML outfielder for 12 seasons between the years 1893 and 1907. McCarthy is remembered for two things. The first is that since 1900 no one has gone more at-bats without a home run, 2,736, than he did after he hit his last in 1899 and how about this… on April 26 1905, McCarthy becomes the first fielder to throw out three base runners at home plate, achieving the feat against the Pittsburgh Pirates and that’s not just the first outfielder but any fielder.

Jack McCarthy Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

This and That:

In the mid-19th century Baseball was primarily popular among local clubs in the Northeast, often made up of members of the same occupation. Eventually, competition broadened. The movement of Union soldiers during the Civil War helped to spread the game, and increased opportunities for leisure, improved communications, and easier travel after the war fostered a wider competitive base and increased interest.

In 1868 the first pack of Baseball cards produced.

Prior to the 1930 American League season, and prior to the 1931 National League season, fly balls that bounced over or through the outfield fence were home runs. Babe Ruth reportedly had no "bounce" home runs; Lou Gehrig had a few.

Most folks know that foul poles are really "fair" poles since they are in fair territory. But the folks who put the finishing touches on Dodger Stadium (aka Chavez Ravine) apparently interpreted the foul pole designation literally. During their inaugural season (1962) in the ballpark, the Dodgers discovered that the foul poles were yes indeed, positioned entirely in foul territory. A special dispensation by the National League allowed the foul poles to stay foul for the rest of the season. After the season, rather than reconfiguring the poles, the groundskeepers moved back home plate, and tweaked the location of the bases and the pitching rubber, to make the foul poles fair.

The shape of home plate is changed from a twelve-inch square to a five-sided figure seventeen inches wide as we know it today.

The Braves prior team names were numerous…”The Red Stockings” / “The Red Caps” / “ The Beaneaters” / “ The Doves” / “The Rustlers”/ “The Bees”. “ The Braves” was adopted in 1912 and has pretty much remained so except for the years 1936-1940 when “ Bees” was adopted but didn’t stick.

The Cardinals prior team names were, “The Brown Stockings” (1882), “The Browns” (1883-1898), and “The Perfectos” (1899).

The Pirate prior team names were, “ The Pittsburgh Alleghenys” (1887-1890), “ The Pittsburg Pirates” (1891-1911) and became “ The Pittsburgh Pirates” in 1912. The Pirates are likely the only team who have seen a spelling change to the name of their city…Pittsburgh has been spelled with an h officially and historically since its founding in 1758--except for the period between 1890 and 1911 when the United States Board on Geographic Names decided that the final h was to be dropped in the names of all cities and towns ending in burgh. In 1911, after protest from citizens who wished to preserve the historic spelling, the United States Board on Geographic Names reversed its decision and restored the h to Pittsburgh.

The Giants prior team name was “ The Gothams” 1883-1884 adopting “ The Giants” in their 3rd season of play in 1885. I do not know the reason behind the name change from the Gothams to the Giants but the 1883 NY Gothams were credited with having the first stylish uniform with the following emblem over the heart…pretty cool, I think.

First Stylish MLB Uniformsthe 1883 New York Gothams - Todd Radom Design


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Since 1932 the then Brooklyn and now Los Angeles NL team has been known as “ The Dodgers”. Since their inception back in 1884 until 1932 they played under 7 different nicknames before settling on “ The Dodgers”. Can you name more than 1 of those different nicknames.

The answer to yesterday’s question is…Nolan Arenado, 2013-2014 (Can you name the most recent National League 3rd Baseman to win back-to-back Gold Gloves.)

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1902 that a Chicago Daily News headline reads, 'Manager of the Cubs is in Doubt Only on Two Positions', marking the first time that the team's nickname has appeared in print. Although the moniker has been around since 1890, the Orphans, also once known as the Colts and White Stockings, will not officially adopt the Cubs as its new name until 1907. 1902 would also be the first year the Tinker-to Evers-to Chance trio would record their first double-play.

Cubs Timeline | cubs.com: History

At age 28 it’s all over for Denny McLain. The Atlanta Braves release McLain on this date in 1973 ending his ML career. With a record of 55-15 he wins back-to-back Cy Young Awards by age 25. The next 3 seasons see him go 17-34. Meanwhile, teammate Phil Niekro, 5 years his senior, still has 15 seasons and 221 ML Wins to go before his career will come to an end. He was an accomplished organist if you didn’t know.



Hall of Famer Miller Huggins was born on this date in 1878. The tendency is to think of Huggins only as a Manager and with good reason since he was elected to the HOF as a Manager and his managerial record includes 6 AL Pennants and 3 World Series wins during the 1920s with the powerhouse Yankees. He was a pretty good player though playing 13 seasons in the Majors, 6 with the Reds and 7 with the Cardinals in 4 of which he was their playing-manager. Sadly, Huggins fell ill (blood poisoning) on September 20, 1929, and checked into hospital for erysipelas. His condition was complicated by the development of influenza with high fever. The Yankees' club physician, in consultation with other doctors, decided to administer blood transfusions but despite their best efforts, Huggins died at the age of 50 on September 25, 1929 of pyaemia, fatal as antibiotics were not yet available. The Yankees dedicated a monument to Huggins on May 30, 1932, placing it in front of the flagpole in center field at Yankee Stadium. Huggins was the first of many Yankees legends granted this honor, which eventually became "Monument Park".

Yankees: Miller Huggins | MLB.com

Can’t let today go by without mentioning Wes Covington who was born on this date in 1932. In the summer of 1952 the Eau Claire Bears, the Boston Braves’ affiliate in the Class C Northern League, featured two young African-American outfielders who would go on to have long careers in the Major Leagues. One was Hank Aaron; the other was Wes Covington. Aaron went on to become one of Baseball’s all-time greats and a member of the Hall of Fame.

As a young player, Covington was thought to be in Aaron’s class. His skill and potential were so boundless that Aaron, in reference to the Eau Claire team, wrote in his autobiography, “At that point, if people had known that one of our players would someday be the all-time major league home run leader, everybody would have assumed that Covington would be the guy.” It was not to be. Covington’s injuries and outspokenness combined to keep his potential from ever being fully unlocked. The Phillies Encyclopedia put Covington’s career succinctly, stating, “Wes Covington lasted 11 years in the Majors because of a bat that made a lot of noise and in spite of a mouth that did likewise.... He specialized in long home runs and long interviews that tended to get people around him a bit testy.”

Covington won a WS Ring with the Braves in 1957 and he was a critical part of that team. He hit .284 with 21 home runs and drove in 65 runs in just 96 games over the second half of the season. His inspired play continued in the Series against the New York Yankees, highlighted by two defensive plays that preserved wins for Lew Burdette.

Covington also is one of a handful of Major Leaguers to have played for four different teams in one season, playing for the Braves, White Sox, Athletics and Phillies in the 1961 season.


Tom Hawthorn's blog: Wes Covington, baseball player (1932-2011)


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Bruce Bochy has led the Giants to 3 World Series Championships in the past 5 years. Can you name the last Giants Manager, before Bochy, to lead them to a WS Championship…Bochy was born in 1955 and it was before he was born. By the way, Bochy is one of just eight Major Leaguers to be born in France (in Bussac-Forêt, Charente-Maritime), where his father, Sgt. Major Gus Bochy, was stationed as a U.S. Army officer at the time.

The answer to yesterday’s question…Atlantics, Grays, Bridegrooms, Grooms, Superbas, Trolley Dodgers, Robins. (Since 1932 the then Brooklyn and now Los Angeles NL team has been known as “ The Dodgers”. Since their inception back in 1884 until 1932 they played under 7 different nicknames before settling on “ The Dodgers”. Can you name more than 1 of those different nicknames.)

 

[67RedSox]

Have you ever heard of a player being traded for a ball park. Well, it has happened. On this date in 1903 the St. Louis Browns trade Buzzy Wares to the Montgomery Rebels in exchange for the rent-free use of the Minor League's team stadium during Spring Training. The Southern Association Class-A team will return the 26 year-old infielder to St. Louis later in the season.
Not quite finished with Montgomery because its present Minor League ball park, Riverwalk Stadium, is certainly worthy of mention and another example of the importance of the Grand Old Game in American society. Montgomery, the capital city of Alabama had a population of only 30,000 in 1903 when its Baseball team traded the use of its stadium but today is a city of more than 200,000 that has seen both good times and bad times since that trade 112 years ago. It’s a revitalized city and that revitalization started in the early 2000s with the construction of the Montgomery Biscuits Minor League baseball stadium, Riverwalk Stadium and the construction of Riverfront Park. Following those developments hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent by various companies transforming old warehouses and buildings into high end loft apartments, restaurants, retail, hotels, and businesses. Currently there is vast demand for downtown living space and there is currently over 500 apartments under construction downtown.
In the January issue of Stadium Journey Magazine, Riverwalk Stadium, home of the Montgomery Biscuits of the AA Southern League is ranked as the 2nd best experience among Minor League baseball parks and 4th best among all professional baseball parks. That ranking is based upon the FANFARE scale, which measures food & beverage at the stadium, overall atmosphere, the neighborhood in which it resides, the fans, access outside and inside the stadium, return on investment, and allows for room for "bonus points" for unique features. It’s not just Stadium Journey Magazine that gives Riverwalk Stadium such high marks. Others like Baseball America and ESPN have been just as generous with their rankings.

All I can say is that it sounds like if you’re a baseball fan living in Montgomery…you’re pretty darn lucky.

BASEBALLPARKS.COM, ballpark photos, reviews and rankings. Serving baseball fans since 1997.

It was on this date in 1978 Richie “Call me Dick” Allen is released by the Oakland Athletics bringing end to his 15 year MLB baseball career that saw him 9 years with the Phillies where he was Rookie of the Year in 1964, 3 years with the White Sox where he won the AL MVP Crown in 1972 and 1 year with each the Dodgers, Cardinals and Athletics. Allen was one of the most feared hitters in baseball in the 1960s. In an era dominated by pitching, he slugged some of the most prodigious home runs and quickly became one of the most exciting players in the game. Allen finished his career at the age of 35 with a .292 average, 351 home runs, and 1,119 RBIs. After baseball, he endured many personal tragedies and was estranged from the game for several years. Sabermetrician Bill James rated Dick Allen as the second-most controversial player in baseball history, behind Rogers Hornsby. James called Allen's autobiography, Crash, "one of the best baseball books in recent years".
Dick Allen sang professionally in a high, delicate tenor. During Allen's time with the Sixties-era Phillies, he sang lead with a doo-wop group called the The Ebonistics. Dick Allen and The Ebonistics sang professionally at Philadelphia night clubs. Allen gained lasting praise for a recording on the Groovy Grooves label titled, "Echoes of November."



Since the 1930s when players like Ruth and Gehrig roamed Yankee Stadium there has been only one pitcher to win 20 games in back-to-back-to-back seasons for the NY Yankees. That pitcher, Vic Raschi, was born on this date in 1919. He is truly a NY Yankee great yet his uniform number #17 is one of the few not retired by the Yankees. In 8 seasons with the Yankees they went to the World Series 6 times and won it every single time. In the Yankees’ unprecedented streak of five straight World Series titles between 1949 and 1953, Vic Raschi’s record was 92-40, an average of eighteen wins a season and a winning percentage of .697. His 8 years with the Yankees produced a record of 120-50, .706 Winning % and an ERA of 3.47. On August 4, 1953 he set a ML record for pitchers by driving in 7 runs in a game…since broken by Tony Cloninger. Because of WWII the start of his ML career was delayed until his late 20s and a remarkable fact beyond those already stated was that in his entire 10 year ML career he never missed a start.

Vic Raschi Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

August 4, 1953 Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

HOF’er Chuck Klein died on this date in 1958 at the age of only 53. He was one of the most prodigious National League sluggers in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He became the first baseball player to be named to the All-Star Game as a member of two different teams. Klein won the NL home run title in 1929, his first full year in the Majors. Along with his batting prowess, Klein was also a superb defensive right fielder who still holds the single-season mark with 44 assists in 1930. In 1932, Klein led the NL in both home runs and stolen bases. No player since has led the League in both categories in the same year. In 1933 Klein won the Triple Crown (.368, 28, 120), though Carl Hubbell took MVP honors.

Klein had his detractors…which accounts for his failure to be elected to the Hall of Fame by the BB writers. It wasn’t until 1980 that the Veterans Committee put him in. Klein’s detractors argued that his gaudy statistics were due to the tiny dimensions of the Baker Bowl. With the right-field stands a mere 280 feet from home plate, the Baker Bowl surely had a short porch for left-handed hitters, but it wasn’t the only chip shot in the game at the time. During the years Klein starred in Philadelphia, the Polo Grounds right field porch was a Pony League-like 258 feet, which surely helped Mel Ott put up his Hall of Fame numbers. On the other side of New York, in Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig took aim at a fence just 295 feet from home plate. And players in those parks didn’t have to hit the ball over a sixty-foot barricade, as Klein had to do in order to clear the Bowl’s right field wall.

The Best Baker Bowl Photos on the Internet Part 2 Philly Sports History

HOF’er Johnny Evers died on this date in 1947 at the age of 65. He was Evers portion of the Tinker-to Evers- to Chance DP combination of those great Chicago Cubs teams of the Dead-Ball Era. An excellent bunter, accomplished base stealer, and pesky left-handed hitter who usually had the National League's best walk-to-strikeout ratio after his first few seasons, Johnny Evers was considered one of the Dead-Ball Era's smartest and best all-around players, but he was just as well known for his fiery disposition. The star second baseman's nickname, "The Human Crab," was originally bestowed due to his unorthodox manner of sidling over to ground balls before gobbling them up, but most Baseball men considered it better suited to his temperament than his fielding. A 5'9", 125 lb. pepper-pot with a protruding jaw that came to be a symbol of the man, for he was always jawing about something, Evers developed a reputation as a troublemaker by squabbling regularly with teammates, opponents, and especially umpires. "They claim he is a crab, and perhaps they are right," said Cleveland Indians manager Joe Birmingham. "But I would like to have 25 such crabs playing for me. If I did, I would have no doubts over the pennant. They would win hands down."

Johnny Evers - HowStuffWorks

Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

There are 5 active players who have a lifetime Batting Average of .310 or better (Minimum 3,000 At-bats). Can you name at least 3 of them.

The answer to yesterday’s question is…Leo Durocher, 1954 (Bruce Bochy has led the Giants to 3 World Series Championships in the past 5 years. Can you name the last Giants Manager, before Bochy, to lead them to a WS Championship…Bochy was born in 1955 and it was before he was born. By the way, Bochy is one of just eight Major Leaguers to be born in France (in Bussac-Forêt, Charente-Maritime), where his father, Sgt. Major Gus Bochy, was stationed as a U.S. Army officer at the time.)

 

[67RedSox]

Given he played in an era when giants like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Jimmie Foxx and so many others roamed MLB ball parks and because he died young of a heart attack it’s not hard to be forgotten and that’s pretty much the case for Hall of Famer, KiKi Cuyler, who breaks his leg in Spring Training on this date in 1933 and will miss the first half of the season after missing two months of the previous season because of a broken foot. Cuyler could do two things very well…he could hit and he could run. He had 4 seasons where he hit .350 or better and finished his career as a .321 lifetime batter. In the 5 seasons, 1926-1930, he led the NL in Stolen Bases four times and in 1925 he used that speed to hit 8 inside-the-park HRs. He was not a power hitter, collecting only 128 HRs in his 18 years career. He did not accumulate anywhere near 3,000 hits…his lifetime total was 2,299 but he was thought of highly as evidenced by his being in the Hall of Fame, by Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig including him in their book, The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time and by being voted the Cubs 21st greatest player of all time.
Cuyler, who played with the Cubs in 1932, and in the Cubs outfield in all 4 World Series games that year including Game 3 in Right Field when Ruth “called his shot” ( or did he )and it would have sailed over his head into Baseball lore forever.
Incidentally, Cuyler’s given names were Hazen Shirley so I’m sure he appreciated being given the nickname KiKi. Most people pronounce it incorrectly as “key-Key” when in fact it is “Cuy-Cuy” a play off his last name.

Kiki Cuyler Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

kiki cuyler - Google Search

For 20 seasons, 1934-1953, Phil Cavarretta played for the Chicago Cubs pretty much as their 1st Baseman but with the occasional stint in the outfield. It was he who led the Cubs to 98 Wins in 1945 and their last trip to the World Series when he hit .355 to win the NL Batting Crown and the NL’s MVP Award. He was the Cubs player/manager during each of the 1951, 1952 and 1953 seasons. He was going to be their Manager again in 1954 but was not pleased with the team assembled for him. On this date in 1954 he commented to reporters his team had little chance to finish in the first division of the 8-team National League that season. He was fired as the Manager for saying as much. Owner Phil Wrigley doesn’t appreciate his “defeatist attitude”. He becomes the 1st Manager in MLB history to be fired during Spring Training. He also ended up gone from the Cubs in any capacity and played the 1954 season with the cross-town White Sox. How did the Cubs fare in 1954 under new Manager, Stan Hack…they went 54-90 to finish in 7th place, 33 games behind the Giants proving Cavarretta correct. The White Sox with Cavarretta won 94 games in 1954 but it was the year of the Indians who won 111 and finished 8 games up on the Yankees who themselves won 103.

Phil Cavarretta - BR Bullpen

On this date in 1944 the visiting Los Angeles Angels are scheduled to play the Oakland Oaks in a Pacific Coast League game when 5 of its players are injured in a car accident and not able to play. The accommodating Oaks lend them enough players to play the game and the Angels beat the Oaks 6-2.

los angeles angels pcl - Google Search

1944 oakland oaks pcl - Google Search

Cy Young was born on this date in 1867. Apparently, he was a good pitcher as he went on to win 511 ML games and have some pitching Award named after him. Although he was a starting pitcher extraordinaire ( 749 Complete Games in 815 lifetime starts ) he would pitch in relief a number of times in all of his 22 seasons except his final season. He never warmed up prior to a game as pitcher do today although he would toss for a few minutes and he never went out to the bullpen. He would always sit on the bench when not pitching and if called into the game would go right from the bench to the mound, toss a few warm-ups and get right to work. The key to his success was his control, throwing strikes and forcing batters to hit the ball so he could throw as few pitches as possible…he absolutely hated to waste pitches. Here’s a poem by Ogden Nash that appeared in Sport magazine in 1949, entitled…

Line-Up For Yesterday

Y is for Young

The magnificent Cy;

People batted against him,

But I never knew why.



There have been at least 89 Major Leaguers who died during their careers including 4 future HOF’ers…Roberto Clemente (plane crash), Ed Delahanty (swept over Niagara Falls), Addie Joss (meningitis) and Ross Youngs (Brights…kidney… Disease). The first to do so was Al Thake an outfielder with the Brooklyn Atlantics ( Dodgers ) in 1872 who drowned while fishing. The most recent is Oscar Tavares in a car accident late last year. It was on this date in 1907 that Cozy Dolan, an OF’er with the Boston Braves dies of…yes…typhoid fever. Commonly, typhoid fever is thought of as a thing of the past but far from true. In 2010 there were 27 million cases reported. The disease is most common in India. it is estimated to occur in about 6,000 people per year in the United States. In 2013 it resulted in about 161,000 deaths – down from 181,000 in 1990 The risk of death may be as high as 25% without treatment while with treatment it is between one and four percent. This Public Health message was brought to you by the letter “T”.

List of baseball players who died during their careers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This and That:

This is not “history” in nature but I always await the Spring evaluation of Major League Baseball teams by Forbes Magazine and this year’s value are out and significant television revenues are moving values to the moon. Here’s the latest numbers:

The Business Of Baseball - Forbes

Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

During the 15 seasons in the 21st Century, 2000-2014 there have been 6 AL Rookie of the Year Award winners from West Coast teams however there has been only one NL Rookie of the Year from a West Coast team. Who is that player.

The answer to yesterday’s question… Miguel Cabrera .320, Joe Mauer .319, Ichiro Suzuki .317, Albert Pujols .317 and Joey Votto .310 (There are 5 active players who have a lifetime Batting Average of .310 or better (Minimum 3,000 At-bats). Can you name at least 3 of them.)

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1860 Frank Pearce was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky. He played all of 1 game in the Majors tossing 4 innings for the Louisville Grays in 1876 in which he gave up 4 runs for a career mark of 0-0 with an ERA of 9.00. His ML career began and ended at the age of 16.

Frank Pearce Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

George Van Haltren…quick, who was he? Don’t know!...Well don’t feel bad almost no one does or ever will. He was born on this date in 1866 and despite no one having a clue about him he was, until a devastating ankle injury effectively ended his Major League career, the late 19th-century Baseball’s premier leadoff man, most notably with the NY Giants. A lefty hitter with keen strike-zone awareness and a quick bat, Van Haltren topped the .300 mark in 13 of his 14 seasons as a lineup regular finishing with more than 2,500 lifetime hits (91st in MLB history) and a lifetime BA of .316 (70th in MLB history sandwiched between Todd Helton and Frankie Frisch). He also drew a slew of walks, stole 583 bases (21st in MLB history), and scored more than 100 runs a dozen times during his heyday and 1,642 in his career (37th in MLB history). Fleet afoot with a converted pitcher’s throwing arm, Van Haltren was also a fine defensive outfielder, leading the National League in outfield assists on three occasions. If you wanted to make a case for him being among the Top 50-100 players all-time you could easily do so but the bigger difficulty would be finding anyone who’s ever heard of him.

George Van Haltren - BR Bullpen

It was on this date in 1879 the Boston Red Stockings raise the price of season tickets from $10.00 to a whopping $14.00.

1879 Boston Red Stockings - Google Search

The phrase "gas house" referred to plants that manufactured town gas for lighting and cooking from coal, which were common fixtures in US cities prior to the widespread use of natural gas. The plants were noted for their foul smell and were typically located near railroad yards in the poorest neighborhood in the city. The Gashouse Gang was a nickname applied to the Cardinals team of 1934. The Cardinals, by most accounts, earned this nickname from the team's generally very shabby appearance and rough-and-tumble tactics. An opponent once stated that the Cardinals players usually went into the field in unwashed, dirty, and smelly uniforms, which alone spread horror among their rivals. Scrappy Shortstop, Leo Durocher, coined the term. He and his teammates were speaking derisively of the American League, and the consensus was that the Redbirds – should they prevail in the National League race – would handle whoever won the AL pennant. "Why, they wouldn't even let us in that League over there," Durocher, who had played for the New York Yankees, observed. "They think we're just a bunch of gashousers." On this date in 1904, Ripper Collins, one of the most important members of the Gashouse Gang was born. Collins had a breakout season in 1934 with 35 home runs, to win the NL Home Run Crown, 128 runs batted in, and a .333 batting average. He also hit .367 in the World Series, which the Cardinals won in seven games. Collins is the only 1B to have twice recorded no putouts in a nine-inning game - once for the Cardinals in 1935, and again for the Cubs in 1937. Collins played in the Pacific Coast League and Eastern League after his Major League career was over. In 1944, he was named Minor League Player of the Year while with Albany of the Eastern League. That season – at the age of 40 – he managed to hit .396 with a league-leading 40 doubles.

1934 ripper collins - Google Search

It was on this date in 1948 the Pacific Coast League integrates as San Diego's John Ritchey pinch hits against Los Angeles. Ritchey‚ the reigning AL (***** League) batting champ‚ will hit a HR the next day in a starting role and hit .323 in 103 games. Ritchey will never play in the Majors but will play 9 years in the Minors…7 of them in the Pacific Coast League which was not the first Minor League to integrate, but it was the first Minor League not affiliated with any teams of the Brooklyn Dodgers to integrate. It was also the first League to integrate all teams in the League.

Ritchey, John Franklin (1923-2003) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed

We’ve talked about the Koufax-Drysdale Holdout in the Spring of 1966 before. It was on this date in 1966 an agreement was reached in which Koufax would earn $130,000.00 and Drysdale $105,000.00 for the coming season, Koufax’ last in the Majors. I won’t ramble about it because Bob Costas does the issue justice in the following…it’s well worth the watch and the ramifications of the holdout were significant for others as Koufax and Drysdale did make it better for those who followed.

MLB Network on Koufax, Drysdale | MLB.com

Billy Cox, one of the Boys of Summer died on this date in 1978. He came to the Majors as a Pirate but is remembered as the 3B on those Dodger teams of the late 1940s and early 1950s. he’s another one of those guys to lose some of their best years to WWII…he lost 4 seasons spending 1942-43-44-45 in Europe with the 814th Signal Corps. He saw action in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany. His unit would come in behind the front line troops, laying wires and setting up communication centers. There was little time for baseball.

Baseball in Wartime - Billy Cox

There have been 5 NY Yankee pitchers win the Cy Young Award, the first of which, Bob Turley who died on this date in 2013. It was in 1958 Turley won the Award in the year which has seen the closest race ever for the Award. In those days there was just the single Award, not one for each League, and there was only 2 votes separating the top 4…Turley, Warren Spahn (Braves), Lew Burdette (Braves) and Bob Friend (Pirates). Not only did Turley top Spahn ( who won the Award in 1957 ) but his Yankees beat and Spahn and Burdette’s Braves in the World Series that year.

Bob Turley tribute | yankees.com

Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

It is rare for a HR hitter to lead his League in a Hits category other than HRs but occasionally a big bopper will lead the League say in Doubles…Hank Aaron did that, or Triples…Willie Mays did that. Can you name the only ML’er among the Top 50 HR hitters of all-time (412 or more HRs) to Lead the League in Singles, Doubles and Triples in one year or another during his career. He’s a HOF’er so don’t waste your time with active players and he did it Post WWII so don’t waste your time with old-timers. To make it easy…he led the League in Singles (142), Doubles (50) and Triples (20) all in the same season and if you don’t think that’s hard to do I believe Ty Cobb may be the only other player to do so but his lifetime HR total of 117 doesn’t put him in the Top 50 all-time…he’s in 665th place.

The answer to yesterday’s question…Buster Posey 2010. (During the 15 seasons in the 21st Century, 2000-2014 there have been 6 AL Rookie of the Year Award winners from West Coast teams however there has been only one NL Rookie of the Year from a West Coast team. Who is that player.)

 

[67RedSox]

The answer to yesterday's trivia question...Stan Musial, 1946.(It is rare for a HR hitter to lead his League in a Hits category other than HRs but occasionally a big bopper will lead the League say in Doubles…Hank Aaron did that, or Triples…Willie Mays did that. Can you name the only ML’er among the Top 50 HR hitters of all-time (412 or more HRs) to Lead the League in Singles, Doubles and Triples in one year or another during his career. He’s a HOF’er so don’t waste your time with active players and he did it Post WWII so don’t waste your time with old-timers. To make it easy…he led the League in Singles (142), Doubles (50) and Triples (20) all in the same season and if you don’t think that’s hard to do I believe Ty Cobb may be the only other player to do so but his lifetime HR total of 117 doesn’t put him in the Top 50 all-time…he’s in 665th place.)

 

[67RedSox]

John McMullin was born on this date in 1849. He was a pitcher & outfielder in the Majors first professional league season in 1871. What made him unique was he was the only left-handed pitcher that season. He wasn’t great as a pitcher going 12-15 with an ERA of 5.53 and gave up 430 Hits in 249 Innings Pitched…one source indicates that he had 10 wild pitches in one inning. He pitched in what was called the National Association (NA), considered a ‘Major League’ before it morphed into the National League in 1876.

John McMullin Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1888 the Texas League plays its first game‚ Houston winning at home 3-1 over Galveston before 3‚000 fans.

Texas League | The Pecan Park Eagle

It was on this date in 1914 future Hall of Famer Rube Waddell‚ weakened by a heroic effort to help contain a winter flood in Kentucky‚ dies at 37 of tuberculosis in a San Antonio sanitarium. He entered this World on Friday the 13th and exited on April Fools Day. In the 37 intervening years, Rube Waddell struck out more batters, frustrated more managers and attracted more fans than any pitcher of his era.His lifetime ERA of 2.16 puts him among the Top Ten of all-time among Post 1900 pitchers.

YouRememberThat.Com - Taking You Back In Time... - Rube Waddell Baseballs Oddest Player

Hall of Famer Phil Niekro was born on this date in 1939.


Le Grand Orange, Rusty Staub, was born on this date in 1944. He played 23 years in the Majors and is the only player in MLB history to collect 500 hits with four different teams. Despite he only playing 3 full seasons in Montreal, 1969-70-71 he is a legend there and in all of Canada.

Rusty Staub Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

Gerald “Jerry” Juzek was a football and baseball star at the University of Mississippi. WWII came calling and Juzek entered military service, his sophomore year at Ol’ Miss, and served with the Marines. He landed with the first wave of Marines to hit the beach at Guadalcanal in August 1942. During the advance his left leg was peppered with shell fragments and his thigh was left with a gaping hole. Juzek managed to crawl back to receive emergency medical attention and was then flown out to Auckland, New Zealand. Navy medics told him he would never walk again. “But I swore that I would walk,” he said. “I vowed I would even play baseball again.” Juzek never gave up on his dream to play baseball again, and on this date in 1944, less than two years after his devastating injuries, Juzek pitched the last three innings of a 7-1 loss for the Pacific Coast League’s Los Angeles Angels in an exhibition game against the Port Hueneme Seabees. He allowed only one hit and proved that he could pitch at the professional level. He never made it to the Majors but it was the the beginning of an eight-year Minor League career.

BIW - Jerry Juzek

It was on this date in 1950 the Hollywood Stars, of the Pacific Coast League, open their season against Portland clad in Bermuda shorts‚ rayon shirts‚ and knee socks. "These suits will give us more speed‚" predicts manager Fred Haney. But the outfits are used only occasionally during the season.

Hollywood's Baseball Team Wore Shorts For 4 Seasons | LA as Subject | SoCal Focus | KCET

First signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943 Duke Snider’s time with the ball club comes to an end on this date in 1963 when he is sold to the NY Mets. Snider will play in 129 games for the Mets that season and Casey Stengel will have him play all three outfield positions during the seasons. In 1962 the Mets lose 120 games without Snider. In 1963 the Mets will lose 111 games with Snider. Snider’s return to New York is brief as he will head back out to the West Coast in 1964 to finish his career with the SF Giants…oh, say it ain’t so Duke must have been on the lips of every Dodger fan in New York and Los Angeles.

duke snider new york mets - Google Search

Lou Piniella spent 23 years managing in the Big Leagues with 5 different teams and almost half of those years were in Seattle however he did spend 3 years in Cincinnati where he led the Reds to the NL Pennant and a World Series win over Oakland in 1990. That was after he had spent 18 seasons in the Majors as a player. At one point Piniella must have wondered if he would ever play regularly in the Majors and if he did for what team. It all started to come together for him on this date in 1969 when the expansion Kansas City Royals get him in a trade from the other expansion team in the AL, the Seattle Pilots. Despite it being his 5th ML team and the 3rd one he played since coming up and playing with the Orioles in 1964 Piniella would become the 1969 AL’s Rookie of the Year after failing to stick with the Indians, Senators, Orioles and Pilots.

Kansas City Royals History - Lou Piniella


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Joe Mauer of the Twins won Batting Crowns in 2006, 2008 and 2009. Two teammates of his for each of those three seasons has since won a Batting Crown…who are they.

 

[67RedSox]

The first version of the Washington Nationals played four seasons in the National League from 1886 to 1889. The team was never a successful one, playing under .500 every season and finishing their 4-year run with a record of 163-337 and a Winning % of .326. The team’s one claim to fame is that Connie Mack played all four seasons with them. It was on this date in 1886 the home of the Nationals, Capitol Park, a.k.a. "Swampdoodle Grounds", is opened with the playing of an exhibition game. It had a seating capacity of 6,000. The stadium, in the shadow of the Capitol Building, was named for the Swampoodle neighborhood.

swampoodle grounds - Google Search

Although James Fenimore Cooper died over 160 years ago his name lives on thanks mostly to the historical novels he wrote such as The Last of the Mohicans, The Pathfinder and The Deerslayer. What most people don’t know is that it was his father who established the village of Cooperstown in 1786 and James Fenimore Cooper grew up there as a child and spent the final years of his life there, buried about a long home run from Doubleday Field or a Roberto Clemente throw from the Hall of Fame Museum. It was on this date in 1908, after a 2-year investigation‚ the Mills Committee‚ formed on the recommendation of Al Spalding and headed by the former NL president A. G. Mills‚ declares that baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown‚ NY in 1839. Overwhelming evidence to the contrary is ignored‚ but the designation makes James Fenimore Cooper's town the most likely site for a Hall of Fame and museum when these establishments are conceived some 30 years later.

James Fenimore Cooper < Authors < Literature 1991 < American History From Revolution To Reconstruction and beyond

cooperstown hall of fame - Google Search

He may not have been well-liked but Ty Cobb was respected for his baseball abilities. It was on this date in 1942 The Baseball Bible, The Sporting News, raises its price to 15 cents a copy‚ $7 per year. Publisher A.J. Spink‚ in TSN‚ reports on the result of a poll of 100 former Major Leaguers and Managers as to who their choice is as best player of all time. Ty Cobb is the overwhelming pick‚ getting 60 of the votes cast. The remaining 40 votes are divided among 14 players: Honus Wagner (17): Babe Ruth (11); and Rogers Hornsby and Ross Youngs (2 votes each). The following players each received one vote: Lou Gehrig‚ Ed Delahanty‚ Tris Speaker‚ Joe DiMaggio‚ Mel Ott‚ George Sisler‚ Eddie Collins‚ Christy Mathewson‚ Walter Johnson‚ and Jerry Denny. Among those who reveal they voted for Cobb are Speaker‚ Collins‚ Sisler‚ Johnson‚ Al Simmons‚ Connie Mack‚ and Jack Coombs.

the sporting news 1942 - Google Search

Although it would be 40 years before Denver gets a MLB team it was on this date in 1952 Denver would host a MLB exhibition game that would have ramifications on the NL’s 1952 regular season. Giants slugger Monte Irvin breaks his ankle sliding into 3B in an exhibition game against the Indians and as a result will play just 46 games in 1952 and drive in only 21 runs, exactly 100 less than he did in 1951 when he led the NL. The Giants would win 92 games but finish second to the Dodgers who won 96.

monte irvin denver - Google Search


"Not getting booed at Ebbets Field was an amazing thing. Those fans knew their baseball, and Gil was the only player I can remember whom the fans never, I mean never, booed."—Clem Labine

It was on this date in 1972 that Gil Hodges died suddenly of a heart attack in West Palm Beach, Florida. Hodges is one of a handful of players who won a World Championship while wearing a Dodger uniform on both Coasts. Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Clem Labine, Junior Gilliam and Don Zimmer were others who can also lay claim to that…hope I haven’t missed anyone. In 1968 Hodges would move back to New York to manage the Mets after managing the Washington Senators for 5 seasons and two things happened in 1969. Hodges had his first winning season as a Manager, and oh yes, the Mets won the World Series. The spring of 1972 saw the first modern players strike. On April 2, Easter Sunday, Hodges played golf at the Palm Beach Lakes golf course in Florida with coaches Joe Pignatano, Rube Walker, and Eddie Yost. The first two were old Brooklyn Dodger pals, while Yost had been with Hodges since the Senators days. As they walked off the final hole of their twenty-seven-hole day toward their rooms at the Ramada Inn, Pignatano asked Hodges what time they were to meet for dinner. Hodges answered him, "7:30," and then he fell to the pavement. He was pronounced dead of a coronary at 5:45 p.m. in West Palm Beach.

The Victoria Advocate - Google News Archive Search

Three Hall of Famers were born on April 2.

Hughie Jennings was born on this date in 1869. A Shortstop and 1st Baseman who had a lifetime BA of .312 with a number of ML teams also managed the Detroit Tigers through most of Ty Cobb’s most productive years and won 3 Pennants with those Tigers. Even though he had to deal with the temperamental Cobb, Jennings was the most colorful, animated and cheerful manager in the game.

Hughie Jennings - BR Bullpen

Luke Appling was born on this date in 1907. He played his entire ML career with the White Sox, 1930-1950 winning two Batting Crowns, 1936 when he hit .388 and in 1943 when he hit .328.

Luke Appling - BR Bullpen

Don Sutton was born on this date in 1945. In his entire 23 year pitching in the Majors I don’t ever recall him missing a start. If he did miss any they were certainly few and far between. Sutton was never a sensational pitcher…he just won…to the tune of 324 Games in his career, 233 with the Dodgers. He’s the Dodgers all-time leader in Wins (233), Innings (3816), Strikeouts (2,696), Starts (533) and Shutouts (52).

Don Sutton - BR Bullpen

Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

There have been 4 Shortstops who have played in at least 2,500 games at that position during their career. Can you name at least 2 of them. Luke Appling mentioned above was the career leader with 2,218 when he retired so that tells you you’re looking for players whose careers ended Post 1950.

The answer to yesterday’s question… Michael Cuddyer, Colorado 2013 NL .331, and Justin Morneau, Colorado 2014 NL .319 (Joe Mauer of the Twins won Batting Crowns in 2006, 2008 and 2009. Two teammates of his for each of those three seasons has since won a Batting Crown…who are they.)

 

[67RedSox]

It was opened in 1924 at a cost of $200,000.00 or $2.75M of today’s dollars. It has a capacity of 4,000 and has undergone two renovations. It is McCormick Field in Asheville, North Carolina and is at present the home of the Asheville Tourists the Class A farm team of the Colorado Rockies. It is two other things…it is the oldest Minor League ballpark in regular use and is one of the prettiest settings for a ballpark anywhere. It was on this date in 1924 the first game was played at McCormick Field and it was a smashing success as the visiting Detroit Tigers beat the Ashville Skylanders‚ 18-14. A crowd of 3,199 watches as HOF’er Harry Heilmann bangs 3 homers‚ two off the top of the LF grandstand. Ty Cobb adds a homer. Chances are you know where the Brooklyn Dodgers ended up when they left New York after the 1957 season. However, do you know where their scoreboard ended up? Well, when the Dodgers left Brooklyn the Ebbets Field scoreboard was relocated to McCormick Field.

mccormick field - Google Search

McCormick Field - Asheville, North Carolina

There are a couple of birthdays worth mentioning today. It was on this date in 1856 Guy Hecker is born. Now that name doesn’t ring too many bells today but it did in the 19th century. Guy Hecker has been regarded as the best combination of hitter and pitcher during the 19th Century. In a Major League career that lasted from 1882 to 1890 he won 175 games and compiled a .290 batting average. But when one looks at his year-by-year record, two seasons stand out. Fittingly, one was as a hitter and one was as a pitcher. In 1884 he wins 52, yes 52 games. He leads the League with a record of 52-20 and is tops with an ERA of 1.80, Starts with 73, Complete Games with 72, Innings Pitched with 671 and Strikeouts with 385. Two years later in 1886 he wins the Batting Crown with a .341 mark.

Guy Hecker Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1930, Wally Moon is born. Yes, he may have had the longest unibrow in the history of the game but he’ll be remembered for his patented ‘moonshots’ over the left-field fence in the LA memorial Coliseum when the Dodgers played there. As I’ve mentioned before I think he’s one of the best interviews in the game.

wally moon - Google Search


The Army can teach a young man many different skills including how to play baseball apparently. General Crowder died on this date in 1972 and he’s the guy who learned to play baseball when he was a private in the Army. He had been shipped from Siberia to the Philippines and back to Siberia before a Pacific Coast League scout offered him a job. He ended up tossing 11 seasons in the Majors, 1926-1936 and was a 20 Game winner 3 times. In 1932 he led the AL with 26 Wins and showing it was no fluke he led the AL again in 1933 with 24 Wins and leading the Washington Senators to the World Series. In 1934 he was picked up by the Tigers who went to the World Series in 1934 and in 1935 playing the Gashouse Gang Cardinals in 1934 and losing and then beating the Cubs in 1935. In 1932 the General set the record, which he still holds, for the most innings pitched in a season without hitting a batter, with 327.

General Crowder Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

There are 3 living Hall of Famers who won Batting Crowns in the 1950s. Can you name two of them.

The answer to yesterday’s question…Omar Vizquel-2,709, Derek Jeter-2,674, Luis Aparicio-2,581, Ozzie Smith-2,511 (There have been 4 Shortstops who have played in at least 2,500 games at that position during their career. Can you name at least 2 of them. Luke Appling mentioned above was the career leader with 2,218 when he retired so that tells you you’re looking for players whose careers ended Post 1950.)

 

[67RedSox]

Tristram E. Speaker was born on this date in 1888, in Hubbard, Texas, a railroad town of 500 people 70 miles south of Dallas. Speaker, Ty Cobb’s friendly rival as the greatest center fielder of the Dead Ball Era, could field and throw better than the Georgia Peach even if he could not quite match him as a hitter. Legendary for his short outfield play, Speaker led the American League in putouts seven times and in double plays six times in a 22-year career with Boston, Cleveland, Washington, and Philadelphia. Speaker’s career totals in both categories are still ML records at his position. No slouch at the plate, Speaker had a lifetime batting average of .345, sixth on the all-time list, and no one has surpassed his career mark of 792 doubles. He was also one of the game’s most successful player-managers. A man’s man who hunted, fished, could bulldog a steer, and taught Will Rogers how to use a lariat, Speaker was involved in more than his share of umpire baiting and brawls with teammates and opposing players. When executing a hook slide on the bases, tracking a fly ball at the crack of an opponent’s bat, or slashing one of his patented extra-base hits, Speaker made everything he did look easy.

Tris Speaker - HowStuffWorks

It was on this date in 1919 that Babe Ruth showed the folks in Tampa how to hit a near 600’ Home Run. It’s legendary.

Along the Watchtower, page 3: Tampa's Plant Field, April 4, 1919: The spring training home run that changed baseball history...forever!

Gil Hodges was born on this date in 1924. He was only 47 when he died of a heart attack after playing 27 holes of golf on an off-day in Spring Training. Quotes from teammates follow.

"Not getting booed at Ebbets Field was an amazing thing. Those fans knew their baseball, and Gil was the only player I can remember whom the fans never, I mean never, booed." – Clem Labine

"If you had a son, it would be a great thing to have him grow up to be just like Gil Hodges."—Pee Wee Reese

"Gil Hodges is a Hall of Famer; he deserves it and it's a shame his family and friends have had to wait so long."—Duke Snider

Baseball in Wartime - Gil Hodges

Mickey Mantle and Vada Pinson could go from Home to 1st base in 3.1 seconds as can Billy Hamilton… or so they say. It’s rumoured John Lester covered 90’ in 3.1 seconds to sign the contract the Cubs offered him last Fall. On this date in 1948 Baseball fans in St. Pete’s were treated to the foot race of the Century when 84 year old Connie Mack challenges Clark Griffith, the 78-year-old owner of the Senators, to a foot race from home plate to first base. It was quite a treat and apparently ended in a dead heat. There’s no mention of the time of the dead heat but I’m thinking it was slower than 3.1 seconds.

Kentucky New Era - Google News Archive Search

Forbes Field was built to be a pitcher’s park with as spacious an outfield as you’d see. Barney Dreyfuss, the Pirates owner, hated cheap home runs and vowed he'd have none in his park, which led him to design a large playing field. The original distances to the outfield fence in left, center, and right field were 360 feet, 462 feet and 376 feet respectively. Despite it being pitcher friendly there was never a no-hitter thrown there in 62 seasons. In 1925 a grandstand out behind right field was built. The roof of the grandstand was 86’ high. Until the stadium’s final game in 1970 only 10 different players, ever cleared the roof. Among the men who accomplished the feat were some of the most prodigious sluggers of all time: Babe Ruth saved a mammoth blast for his last ML home run when he hit his 714th over the roof in 1935. Willie Stargell did it a record seven times and Eddie Matthews twice.

And then there was 5’8”, 165 pound Ted Beard; in the company of power hitters such as those, he was the most unlikely slugger of them all but he accomplished it in 1950. His professional baseball career lasted for 19 seasons. If Beard never ultimately realized lasting success in the Major Leagues (he played just 194 games over parts of seven seasons), he nevertheless enjoyed great success in the minors (1,915 games). As with many players, the transition from Triple A to the Majors proved a challenge that Beard was never quite able to overcome, yet he produced several dominant seasons at the lower levels, including a number of performances that surpassed his most notable Major League achievement. On this date in 1953 at San Diego, he set a Pacific Coast League record by hitting four home runs in one game: in a 6-5 victory he went four for five, driving in all six runs with home runs, all hit to right center field, 375 feet away. Later in the month he then tied another record when he went 12 for 12, collecting five home runs, a double and six singles, before ending his string with a fly out.

Ted Beard - BR Bullpen

Forbes Field 079CWC 568 copy | Bradystewartcollection's Blog

Carl Mays died on this date in 1971 in El Cajon, California. He pitched 15 years in the Majors and won 207 games but to most he’s remembered for a single pitch he threw…the one that that led to the death of Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman in August of 1920.

Carl Mays | SABR

It was on this date in 1974 that Hank Aaron hits an Opening Day HR off Jack Billingham at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium. It’s his 714th tying him with Babe Ruth for the all-time lead. He would hit 715 four days later in Atlanta’s home opener.


Armed with a powerful fastball and a hard-nosed attitude, he was identified as one of the most intimidating pitchers in the game. He was a 5-time 20 Game winner, Cy Young Award winner, 300 Game winner and Hall of Famer. He was included on the 1999 The Sporting News list of the 100 greatest players in Baseball history.… Early Wynn died on this date in 1999.

Early Wynn | SABR


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Since 2010 there have been 3 Major Leaguers whose last name begins with the letter “G” to lead their League in RBIs. Can you name 2 of them.

The answer to yesterday’s trivia question… Willie Mays-1954, Al Kaline-1955, Hank Aaron-1956 & 1959 (There are 3 living Hall of Famers who won Batting Crowns in the 1950s. Can you name two of them.)

 

[67RedSox]

Sugar Cain was born, Merritt Patrick Cain, on this date in 1907 in Macon, Georgia. He was a MLB pitcher of modest success in the 1930’s pitching for the A’s, White and Browns…three times winning at least 12 games in a season. His mention here though is strictly because of his nickname which has to be one of the best in the history of the game. He died in 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia and was carmelized, er, I mean to say cremated.

Sugar Cain Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1913 the Dodgers play their first game ( exhibition ) in Ebbets Field and beat the New York Yankees, 3-2, with Casey Stengel hitting the park's first home run, an inside-the-parker. 10 years later Stengel would hit the first HR in Yankee Stadium as well.

ebbets field 1913 - Google Search

A couple of days ago I did a blurb on McCormick Field in Asheville, North Carolina. 89 years ago, in 1926, Babe Ruth stood in the outfield there, smelled the honeysuckle and said, “My, my, what a beautiful place to play.” He did play at McCormick Field with the New York Yankees and liked what he saw. Ruth and teammate Lou Gehrig both hit home runs in New York’s 11-3 win during an exhibition game at McCormick Field. As far as Ruth’s supposed death in Asheville is concerned, that event garnered the nickname, “The Bellyache Heard ‘Round The World.” A variety of stories have made their way to print over the past 90 years, yet the following is what happened, based on the most credible accounts.

It was on this date in 1925 the New York Yankees were working their way north from ST in Florida. The tradition in those days had teams playing exhibition games for approximately two weeks while riding the trains to the Northeast to open the regular season. The Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers were slated to meet in a series of contests, including stops in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Asheville, prior to Opening Day on April 14.

Such games produced excitement at every stop, for the Yankees were the game’s biggest draw and Ruth ranked among the world’s greatest celebrities. Ruth had not been feeling well since he celebrated his 30th birthday on February 6, 1925. His weight had increased significantly topped off by an eating and drinking binge since the end of the 1924 campaign that left Ruth tipping the scales at 255 pounds. In an effort to drop some weight, Ruth reported to Hot Springs, Arkansas, in February for a combination of exercise and steam baths. His efforts proved fruitless before he caught the flu just prior to heading for spring training in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Ruth battled his health for most of March until the team ventured north at the end of the month. On the way to Atlanta, Ruth complained of chills and fever. He continued to fight through his conditions in Chattanooga, yet thrilled the locals with two home runs after feeling too sick to take batting practice. Ruth added another roundtripper in Knoxville, only to suffer stomach cramps with a high fever shortly after the contest.

The bumpy ride along the winding tracks through the Great Smoky Mountains did little to improve Ruth’s condition. The Bambino was not alone, for several of his Yankee teammates reportedly felt nauseous on the trip prior to pulling into the Asheville train station on Depot Street. Ruth staggered off the train in front of a large crowd that had gathered to meet him and immediately fainted. Had teammate Steve O’Neill failed to catch the falling Babe, Ruth might have been seriously injured had his head landed on the station’s marble floor.

The Yankees made plans to ship Ruth to New York along with scout Paul Krichell. In the meantime, an unconscious Ruth was carried to a taxi by his teammates and driven to the Battery Park Hotel. He remained at the hotel overnight in the care of Dr. A.S. Jordan prior to departing the next afternoon, at 3:50. With little information to report, rumors started to circulate, including one that stated Ruth had died in Western North Carolina.

Sportswriter W.O. McGeehan of the New York Tribune is the one who initially described Ruth’s ailments as “The bellyache heard ‘round the world.” Ruth’s bellyache, however, proved to be much more than a virus or a temporary case of indigestion. Shortly after his arrival at New York’s St. Vincent’s Hospital on West Eleventh Street, the Babe underwent surgery for what was described as an “intestinal abscess.” He wound up spending seven weeks in the hospital, from April 9 through May 25. Amazingly, Ruth took the field shortly thereafter, playing in his first game on June 1.

Regardless of what bothered the Babe in early 1925, he managed to overcome the problem. He wound up hitting .290 with 25 home runs in 98 games that year, numbers that represent one of the lower outputs of his laudable career but every year thereafter until 1932 his legend continued to grow by leading the Majors in HRs.

Baseball History in 1925: An Intestinal Excess

It was on this date in 1938 Ron Hansen was born. One of those great fielding Shortstops of the 1960’s who just didn’t hit for average although Hansen did have a couple of 20 HR seasons. He was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1960. On July 30, 1968, playing for the Washington Senators Hansen pulled off one of Baseball’s rarest and most difficult feats when he turned an unassisted triple play against the Cleveland Indians. This diamond rarity took place at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland during the bottom of the first inning after leadoff hitter Dave Nelson singled and Russ Snyder followed that up with a walk. The next batter, catcher Joe Azcue, worked the count to three balls and two strikes off Senators pitcher Bruce Howard. With both runners moving on the pitch, Howard delivered the ball to Azcue, who laced a line drive between Hansen and second base. Ron took a step to his left and snagged the ball out of the air. With his momentum carrying him toward second, he stepped on the bag to double up Nelson. Hansen then ran towards Snyder, who was caught in no man’s land between first and second base, tagging him for the third out. It was the first unassisted triple play in the major leagues in 41 years. Hansen later donated his glove and the ball from that historic play to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Ron Hansen - Tall Cool One!

Herb Gorman had only one ML at-bat in one game played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1952. Despite that he played with three Hall of Famers in Stan Musial, Enos Slaughter and Red Schoendienst. It was on this date in 1953 in the 6th inning of a Pacific Coast League game against Hollywood‚ the San Diego Padres outfielder suffers a heart attack and dies on the way to the hospital. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Stars Gorman rapped two doubles in two at-bats. He trotted out to his left field position in the sixth inning, his wife watching proudly from the stands. Within minutes, Gorman called time out and slumped to the ground. Teammates helped Gorman to the dugout where he walked unaided to the dressing room. The team trainer applied oxygen and sent for a doctor who quickly called for an ambulance. Gorman, unconscious at the time, was rushed to a hospital while still wearing his baseball uniform. Upon arrival at the hospital, the 28-year-old Gorman was pronounced dead. A massive blood clot that had traveled to his heart was ruled the cause of death. Teammates learned of Gorman’s death in the ninth inning while losing 4-2. When the game ended with the same score, the nearly 4,000 fans in attendance were informed of Gorman’s passing and told that the second game would be cancelled.

Herb Gorman - BR Bullpen

Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Can you name the last player to hit .375 in the NL or the AL. One is in the Hall of Fame.

The answer to yesterday’s question…Adrian Gonzalez-2014, Paul Goldschmidt-2013, Curtis Granderson-2011. (Since 2010 there have been 3 Major Leaguers whose last name begins with the letter “G” to lead their League in RBIs. Can you name 2 of them.)

 

[67RedSox]

There are some things that you just have to sit down and think about to fully appreciate just how impressive they truly are. From 1950-1961 Robin Roberts made 12 consecutive Opening Day starts, all for the Philadelphia Phillies. That record stood for over 30 years but on this date in 1992 Jack Morris topped it by making his 13th consecutive Opening Day start when he pitched a Complete Game 4-2 Win for the Blue Jays over the Tigers. He would also be the Jays Opening Day pitcher in 1993 extending the record to 14 consecutive Opening Day starts.

The SABR Baseball List & Record Book: Baseball's Most Fascinating Records ... - Society for American Baseball Research - Google Books

Ever hear of the Chicago Cubs unorthodox experiment with the College of Coaches during the 1961 and 1962 seasons in which the Manager or “Head Coach” would rotate from one coach to another every three or four weeks. Ever hear of Vedie Himsl. It was on this date in 1961 Himsl is designated as the first head coach of the Cubs for the opening weeks of the season. He posted a 10–21 won-loss record.

The Cub Can Of Worms: The College Of Coaches - Bleed Cubbie Blue

Two of the greatest Catchers the Game has known, both Hall of Famers, were born on April 6th. Mickey Cochrane, after whom Mickey Mantle was named, was born on this date in 1903 and Ernie Lombardi was born on this date in 1908.

Cochrane with a lifetime Batting Average of .320 played from 1925-1937. The first nine of those seasons were with the Philadelphia Athletics and the final four with the Detroit Tigers. He would cop an MVP Award and World Series title in each city. He was the first Catcher elected to the HOF by the Baseball writers in 1947 ( three…Buck Ewing, Roger Bresnahan and Wilbert Robinson had been selected earlier by the Veterans Committee).

Mickey Cochrane - BR Bullpen

Lombardi played 17 seasons in the NL from 1931-1947 and was a MVP winner in 1938. He was also a lifetime .300 hitter with an overall mark of .306… twice winning NL Batting Crowns in 1938 with an average of .342 and in 1942 with a mark of .330. Pretty remarkable in the sense that he has been dubbed “the slowest man to ever play Major League baseball well." He is listed at 6'3" and 230 lbs, but he probably approached 300 lbs towards the end of his career.
While Lombardi played for the Reds as the starting catcher, teammate and backup catcher Willard Hershberger became the only ML player to commit suicide during a season. Hershberger oddly enough told manager Bill McKechnie that "my father killed himself, and I'm going to do it, too!" After failing to appear at the stadium the next day the Reds checked Hershberger's room at the hotel only to find that he had slit his throat and wrist.
A sad footnote to the Hershberger suicide was Lombardi's eerily similar suicide attempt in 1953. Lombardi had been battling depression for some time and agreed to go to a sanitorium at his wife's urging. While staying overnight with a relative en route to the facility, Ernie slit his throat from ear to ear with a razor and begged not to be saved. Papers described him as "clinging to life" but he made a full recovery.
Lombardi was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1986, nine years after he died in 1977.

Ernie Lombardi - BR Bullpen

In 1937 there were 105 future MLB players born, some of them pretty darn good players from HOF’ers…Brooks Robinson, Orlando Cepeda, and Juan Marichal to Juan Pizarro, Clete Boyer, Jim Brewer, Mike Cuellar and Dick Radatz. One of my favourites was Fiery Phil Regan dubbed “The Vulture” by Sandy Koufax who was born on this date in 1937. He pitched in the Majors from 1960 to 1972 first as a starter with Detroit until 1965. He came over to the Dodgers after the 1965 season and with 75% of the Dodgers starting rotation HOF bound (Koufax, Drysdale, Sutton) and their 4th starter Claude Osteen, (who would Win 196 games in his career) it’s no surprise Regan ended up in the bullpen. Even better, he became their Closer going 14-1 and leading the NL in Saves. Regan's knack for earning wins in late-inning relief situations caused Sandy Koufax to nickname him "The Vulture". He would also lead the League in Saves again in 1968 after the Dodgers traded him to the Cubs and he became their guy out of the bullpen for four seasons. He would later both coach and Manage at the ML level. He also managed teams in the Venezuelan Winter League for 18 seasons, 1989-2009.

Phil Regan - BR Bullpen

It was on this date in 1973 at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium in front of a record crowd of 51,695, the Pirates retire Roberto Clemente's uniform number 21 posthumously.

The Untold Story of Roberto Clementes Plane Crash Litigation | Community FanGraphs Baseball

It was also on this date in 1973 at Fenway Park, Ron Blomberg of the Yankees becomes the first Designated Hitter in ML history. In the historic plate appearance, Blomberg draws a first-inning bases-loaded walk on a 3-1 pitch off Luis Tiant, and will become the first DH to get a hit when he singles in the third frame of the 15-5 Red Sox rout of the Bronx Bombers.

Baseball Almanac - Box Score of First Designated Hitter Game

Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

In 1923 Babe Ruth set the ML record by getting on base 379 times in a single season. Getting on base at least 330 times in a single season has been done 22 times but only one right-handed hitter has managed to do that…Can you name who holds the ML record for getting on base by a right-handed hitter…it happened in 1999. This player won both the Rookie of the Year Award and an MVP Award in the 1990’s. In his 14 full ML seasons he almost never missed a game. He retired after the 2005 season and has so far not been successful in HOF elections settling in at around 55% of the vote.

The answer to yesterday’s question…NL-Larry Walker, .379 in 1999 & AL-George Brett, .390 in 1980 (Can you name the last player to hit .375 in the NL or the AL. One is in the Hall of Fame.)

 

[67RedSox]

John McGraw, Manager of the NY Giants for 31 years…1902-1932 was born on this date in 1873.

John McGraw | SABR

The 6th oldest living Major Leaguer and the oldest living HOF`er, Bobby Doerr, was born on this date in 1918…Happy 97th. He broke into the Majors in 1937 at the age of 19 and went 3 for 5 in his first game.

Bobby Doerr - BR Bullpen

Tom Phoebus was born on this date in 1942. He pitched 7 seasons in the Majors including 3 very good seasons in the Baltimore Orioles starting rotation in the late 1960s when the Orioles were one of the premier teams in the Game. Phoebus won 56 games in his career and 1 World Series game but aside from a no-hitter he threw in 1968 it’s his first 2 games that he remembers best. Phoebus was born and lived in the shadow cast by Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. It was his dream to play for his hometown Orioles and after paying his dues for 3 seasons at their AAA club in 1964, 1965 and 1966 he got the call-up to pitch the 1st game of a doubleheader against the Angels on September 15, 1966. The bad news was he would be facing Dean Chance who had won the Cy Young Award in 1964. No problem…he responded by pitching a complete-game shutout, beating Chance, 2-0 in front of family, friends and neighbors sitting in the stands. He struck out eight, walked two, and allowed only four hits. As he fanned the last hitter, the fans gave him a standing ovation. After his triumph, Phoebus was immediately hailed by the Baltimore press as the new hometown hero. Five days later Phoebus got his second start and pitched his second shutout. Pitching against future Cy Young Award winner and HOF`er, Catfish Hunter in Kansas City, he blanked the Athletics, 4-0. Phoebus became only the seventh pitcher since 1900 to pitch shutouts in his first two games. The streak ended in his next start but his dream had been realized.

April 27, 1968: Tom Phoebus throws Orioles' 3rd no-hitter | SABR

A couple of interesting things happened on this date in 1969 to Hall of Famers Don Drysdale and Ted Williams.

Don Drysdale was a Dodger in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Surprisingly, his career was not a lengthy one, only 12 full seasons plus his first and last seasons where he pitched under 100 innings in each. His numbers were staggering though. In his 12 full seasons here’s what he averaged…any current starter might want to sit down. Between 1957 and 1968 he averaged 37 Starts, 273 Innings and almost 17 Wins a season with an ERA under 3 at 2.95. Those numbers demand respect but on this date in 1969 the Cincinnati Reds, at least their first two hitters, showed him none in the season’s Opener in Cincinnati. The first pitch of the game Drysdale threw Pete Rose he hit it out of the park. The next batter, Bobby Tolan hit the first pitch he saw out of the park. Two pitches, two Hrs, two runs. Oddly, Alex Johnson batting 3rd in the Reds line-up was not drilled by Drysdale but my guess was he might have seen a pitch or two somewhere close to his chin. Drysdale quickly got it together as did the Dodgers and beat the Reds, 3-2, with the W going to Drysdale. Bill Singer gets the Save which is the first official Save in ML history.

500 miles to the East of Cincinnati the Washington Senators are Opening their season against the Yankees and Ted Williams is making his ML debut as a Manager. The Yankees win 8-4 but Washington takes the Series by winning the next two.

April 7, 1969 Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

April 7, 1969 New York Yankees at Washington Senators Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1958 the Dodgers erect a 42-foot screen in LF at the Los Angeles Coliseum to cut down on HRs‚ since it is only 250 feet down the line. It didn’t stop Wally Moon.

http://www.walteromalley.com/images/feat/firstlagame/7/C_usc_0073.jpg


It was on this date in 1931 Seals Stadium opened. It was built to accommodate San Francisco’s two Pacific Coast league teams, the Seals who played there until the Giants arrived and the Mission Reds who re-located in 1938 to become the Hollywood Stars. The stadium was unusual in that it was built with three dressing rooms - one for the visiting team, and one for each of the Seals and the Mission Reds, a.k.a. the San Francisco Missions. It was built for night games, with six tower banks which were described as the best in Minor League baseball at the time. With a capacity of 18,600, the stadium had no roof over the grandstands because of San Francisco's lack of rainfall during the summertime and the fans' preference to sit in the sun. The stadium initially consisted of an uncovered grandstand stretching from foul pole to foul pole and an uncovered bleacher section in right field. A separate uncovered bleacher section was added in left field when the New York Giants moved to the city in 1958. The Giants played at Seals Stadium for two years while Candlestick Park was under construction. It lacked a warning track. It was demolished almost as soon as Candlestick was open. It’s now a Mall if you want to shop at Safeway.

Seals Stadium - history, photos and more of the San Francisco Giants former ballpark

Doc Crandall is generally regarded as the premier relief specialist of the Dead Ball Era and the first pitcher to be used consistently as a reliever. Though he never led the National League in Saves, he did lead the League in relief appearances each year from 1909 to 1913, and from 1910 to 1912 he led the NL each year in relief victories, compiling an overall record of 45-16. "Crandall is the NY Giants' ambulance corps," wrote Damon Runyon after the 1911 campaign. "He is first aid to the injured. He is the physician of the pitching emergency, and they sometimes call him old Doctor Crandall. He is without an equal as an extinguisher of batting rallies and run riots, or as a pinch hitter." After his ML career ended he pitched a number of years for Los Angeles in the Pacific Coast League and on this date in 1918 Crandall’s bid for a No-Hitter against Salt Lake City is spoiled with 2 outs in the 9th… by Crandall's brother, Karl.

Doc Crandall Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

It’s on this date in 1896 the NL’s Louisville Colonels, Pete Cassidy, becomes the first baseball player in history to be X-rayed‚ as a splinter of bone is removed from his wrist.

Pete Cassidy Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Babe Ruth (12), Gavvy Cravath (6) and Mel Ott (6) won six or more HR Crowns. Can you name the three players to win at least 6 single season Home Run Crowns, Post World War II. I will say that Hank Aaron did not accomplish this feat and the last player to do so did it in the 1970s and 1980s.

The answer to yesterday`s question…Jeff Bagwell (In 1923 Babe Ruth set the ML record by getting on base 379 times in a single season. Getting on base at least 330 times in a single season has been done 22 times but only one right-handed hitter has managed to do that…Can you name who holds the ML record for getting on base by a right-handed hitter…it happened in 1999. This player won both the Rookie of the Year Award and an MVP Award in the 1990’s. In his 14 full ML seasons he almost never missed a game. He retired after the 2005 season and has so far not been successful in HOF elections settling in at around 55% of the vote.)

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1922 at Sportsman's Park‚ the Cardinals wear their new uniforms (two red birds on a bat with the words "Cardinals" across the front) for the first time in an exhibition contest with the Browns. Easily, one of the classic uniforms in Baseball.

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

Two Hall of Famers, of our time but no longer with us, were born on this date. Gary Carter was born on this date in 1954. Jim Catfish Hunter was born on this date in 1946.



It was 52 years ago today when Pete Rose played in his first Major League game on this date in 1963. It was Opening Day at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field and the Reds were playing the Pirates. Rose was hitting 2nd in the Reds line-up and in his first ML at-bat he faces Earl Francis, the first African-American Opening Day pitcher for the Pirates, and walks…two batters later he scores on a HR by Frank Robinson. Rose would finish the year as the NL’s Rookie of the Year easily winning the award taking 17 of 20 votes.

April 8, 1963 Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

The same day Rose is making his ML debut, on this date in 1963, the Detroit Tigers claim young pitcher Denny McLain from the White Sox for the $25‚000 waiver price. Pretty good pick-up.

Denny McLain Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

The 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers were the best team in Baseball and proved that by embarrassing the NY Yankees in the World Series beating them in 4 straight and limiting the Bronx Bombers to a measly 4 runs. Today if a pitcher keeps his ERA under 4.00 he’s often lauded. The 1963 version Dodgers had a team ERA of 2.85 led by Koufax 25-5 with an ERA of 1.88 and Don Drysdale 19-17 and an ERA of 2.63. Well, it was on this date in 1960 that the Dodgers acquired on of the major pieces to their great teams of the 1960s when they acquired Ron Perranoski in a trade with the Cubs for Don Zimmer. Perranoski developed into one of the Game’s premier relief specialists with the Dodgers and in 1963 he went 16-3 with an ERA of 1.67. He finished 4th in the MVP voting behind Koufax, Dick Groat and Hank Aaron. After his playing career ended, Perranoski stayed with the Dodgers for 21 years first as their Minor League pitching coordinator (1973–80), then as the pitching coach for 14 seasons (1981–94). If you’re a Dodger fan he then went over to the Dark Side joining the Giants and since 2000 has been a special assistant to GM Brian Sabean.

Ron Perranoski Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1969 the four expansion teams Kansas City Royals‚ Montreal Expos‚ San Diego Padres‚ and Seattle Pilots make things look easy by winning their first regular-season games. The Expos win by scoring 11 runs against the Mets to win 11-10. Pitcher Dan McGinn cracks the Expos first (and only) homer‚ off Tom Seaver‚ to help keep the Mets winless for Openers. The host Royals edge the Twins in 12 innings‚ 4-3. Seattle wins‚ 4-3‚ at Anaheim. Mike Hegan hits the first Pilots' HR‚ a 1st inning solo shot off the late Jim McGlothlin.( McGlothlin would not too long after be diagnosed with leukemia and pass away at age 32). In the Padres opening night 2-1 victory over Houston‚ the leadoff batter at Jack Murphy Stadium is Astro outfielder Jesus Alou. Brother Matty‚ with the Pirates‚ was the first batter up at the opening of Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium on April 12‚ 1966‚ and Brother Felipe‚ playing for Atlanta‚ was the first batter up when Busch Stadium opened in St. Louis a month later.

Forty years ago, on this date in 1974 in the 4th inning‚ of the Braves home opener 7-4 win against the Dodgers‚ Henry Aaron parks an Al Downing pitch in the left-centerfield stands for career home run number 715‚ breaking Ruth's once thought to be unapproachable record. Looking on is Braves manager Eddie Mathews, who homered in the same game as Aaron 75 times, a Major League record for duos. After Downing walks the next 2 batters‚ Mike Marshall makes his first appearance as a Dodger‚ and the first of a record 106 appearances this year. The Dodgers are wearing black arm-bands this game (and for the next few) in memory of Ken McMullen's wife‚ who died just before the season started.



Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

He is the Astros All-Time leader in pitching Wins with 144. His brother is one of the Game’s twenty-four 300 Game winners.

The answer to yesterday’s question is…Mike Schmidt (8), Ralph Kiner (7) and Harmon Killebrew (6) (Babe Ruth (12), Gavvy Cravath (6) and Mel Ott (6) won six or more HR Crowns. Can you name the three players to win at least 6 single season Home Run Crowns, Post World War II. I will say that Hank Aaron did not accomplish this feat and the last player to do so did it in the 1970s and 1980s.)

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1907 Wellington Titus receives a patent for the first portable batting cage. Necessity is often the mother of invention they say. As the catcher for his local amateur baseball club invented what he called a “baseball back stop” today better known as a “batting cage”. Titus disliked chasing errant pitches and fouled back balls. To save time and play more ball Titus designed the portable batting cage and it was an instant hit. Titus had signed an agreement with A.G. Spalding and Brothers Company, to manufacture his portable batting cage. Spalding paid Titus $5 for each cage sold. The cage was a hit because it was portable, stationary, adaptable in and out of doors, and prevented lost or stolen balls. Prior to Titus' invention, baseball teams hired young boys from the neighborhood as ball chasers. I guess the invention was great for everyone but the ball chasers.

A History of Inventing in New Jersey: From Thomas Edison to the Ice Cream Cone - Linda J. Barth - Google Books

It has been 102 years to the day, on this date in 1913, that the first game was played at Ebbets Field when the Dodgers play their Opener-and first regular-season game in cold weather that kept the crowd down to about 12‚000. The visiting Philadelphia Phillies win the game behind knuckleballer Tom Seaton, 1-0.

Seaton would go on to Win a lot of games that season…in fact…he led the NL in Wins with 27 and in strikeouts with 168. Only the legendary Walter Johnson, over in the American league, would top both of those figures. However, by the time he left organized baseball about 10 years later his reputation was blacker than Shoeless Joe Jackson’s, Black Betsy.

The Federal League competed with the established ML's for the 1914 season. Seaton signed a 3-year contract to play for the Federal League team in Brooklyn at $7,000 per year, along with a $5,000 advance however the Phillies complained that they had a verbal agreement with Seaton to pay the pitcher in excess of $6,000 for the 1913 season. The story gets complicated when Seaton reports to Spring Training in Shreveport, Louisiana, with the Chicago Federals. In the end Seaton agreed to play for Brooklyn when the owner agreed to increase Seaton’s salary to $8,500.00 a year for three years and pay his wife’s expenses as she traveled with her husband on the road.

Seaton was 25-14 for Brooklyn in 1914. He was among the top pitchers but between 1911 and 1914, Seaton pitched 1,262 innings and that work was too much. All of those breaking pitches in all of those innings took their toll. Seaton struggled in 1915 going 12-11 in 32 games.When the Federal League folded after the 1915 season, Seaton was available to any ML team and ended up with the Chicago but won only 6 games in 1916 and 5 games in 1917 after which he was traded to the L.A. Angels of the Pacific Coast League.

As the 1920 season began, trouble was brewing for Seaton. During his baseball career, Seaton had apparently earned himself a reputation as a less than honest character. In the wake of the Black Sox scandal of 1919, the Pacific Coast League targeted several players who were considered undesirable for the League. Seaton was one of them and he was turfed. The best he could do after that was semi-pro ball in Texas. Judge Landis cleaning up the Majors had a trickle-down effect, all professional Leagues following his lead and respecting each other’s bans.

Dodgers Homebase: History of Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York - BlackandBrownNews.com (BBN)BlackandBrownNews.com (BBN)

Major League Baseball Players of 1916: A Biographical Dictionary - Paul Batesel - Google Books

I mentioned Black Betsy above and should mention a little more… Black Betsy was the primary baseball bat of Shoeless Joe Jackson. It was created in 1903 when Jackson was 15. It broke the record for the highest sold baseball bat in history, when it was sold for $577,610 in 2001. By then it was considered one of baseball's most fabled artifacts.

It was created by a local fan of the South Carolina mill teams, Charlie Fergerson. He used the northern side of a hickory tree to make the bat. It ended up measuring 36 inches and weighting 48 ounces. Knowing that Jackson liked blacked bats, Fergerson darkened the bat with tobacco juice. Shoeless Joe took the bat to the Minor Leagues, where the fans chanted "Give em Black Betsy" whenever he came to bat. Jackson took the bat with him when he was sold to the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League. He considered Black Betsy to be his favorite bat. The bat broke early in 1911 and he sent the bat to the J. F. Hillerich Company to get it fixed. He used the bat for the rest of his ML career. Jackson’s lifetime batting average of .356 is the third highest in the Game's history. Jackson kept Black Betsy until his death in 1951. After his wife's death a few years later it was bequeathed to her cousin and her son, who kept the bat on a bookcase for over 40 years before he decided to sell it.

black betsy - Google Search

In the last 16 seasons in the Majors Hall of Famer Frank Thomas had but one season in which he hit as many as 2 triples. Harmon Killebrew over the course of his 22 years in the Majors averaged 1 triple per year. Then there’s the other side of the coin…Curt Walker, Reds did it in 1926. Al Zarilla,Cardinals did it next in 1946. Then Gil Coan, Washington Senators did it in 1951. Since then it’s only been once and that was on this date in 2006 by Cory Sullivan of the Colorado Rockies in a game in San Diego. These players are the only four to hit 2 triples in one inning since 1900. A rare feat indeed.


When you think of batting records for the San Diego Padres it’s Tony Gwynn’s name that comes to mind as it should. However, Nate Colbert, who was born on this date in 1946, was the first real star for the Padres, and remains the San Diego Padres all-time HR leader with 163. Nate Colbert is one of only two players, along with Stan Musial to hit 5 HRs in one day and he was in the ballpark for both. Colbert is from St. Louis and was in attendance as an 8 year old in 1954 when Musial accomplished the feat. I bet he remembers hitting those 5 HRs more fondly than something else… Colbert played on nine consecutive last-place teams, from 1968–1976…ouch! The only times he was not on a last place team were when he came up with the Astros for a cup of coffee and had 7 at-bats as a 20 year old in 1966 and the last 2 games of His ML career in 1976 with Oakland…all of 5 at-bats. So in the 3,422 times he came to bat in the Majors 3,410 were in the uniform of a last place team.

Colbert set history 40 years ago | UTSanDiego.com

HOF’er Willie Stargell died on this date in 2001 and Nick Adenhart, all of 22 with 18 innings pitched in the Majors, died on this date in 2009.

PIT: Willie Stargell, No. 8 | MLB.com



Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

He played his first MLB game in 1956. He is the only player to play in at least 6 All-Star games for each League.

The answer to yesterday’s question is…Joe Niekro ( He is the Astros All-Time leader in pitching Wins with 144. His brother is one of the Game’s twenty-four 300 Game winners.)

 

[67RedSox]

Max West was a pretty good ballplayer both at the Major and Minor League level and enjoyed a professional career that started in 1935 and ended in 1954. It was on this date in 1949 while playing for San Diego he set a Pacific Coast League record as he goes 5-for-5 with 5 extra base hits… 3 homers and a pair of doubles. A day like that would make up for the day he had playing for Casey Stengel’s Boston Braves. He was a regular in the Braves outfield for the 5 seasons 1938-1942. During a game played in 1941 he hit a grounder and was thrown out at 1st Base with men on base. As he returned to the Braves' dugout on the 3rd base side and crossed behind home plate, a ball rolled by his feet. West thought it was foul and tossed it back to Phillies catcher Mickey Livingston. The ball was actually live and he watched as Livingston tagged a Braves' runner out who was trying to score on the passed ball. His embarrassment wasn't over. West continued to the dugout to be berated by Boston manager Casey Stengel. As he went to the water cooler to escape Stengel's wrath, Braves' outfielder Paul Waner hit a foul into the dugout, catching West in the jaw and breaking his teeth.

Baseball in Wartime - Max West

It was on this date in 1961 the last Opener ever to be played at Griffith Stadium takes place. Rookie President, JFK, throws out the longest and hardest thrown ceremonial first pitch in history as the ball sails over the heads of the players lined up in front of the presidential box. The newly elected commander in chief, an avid Red Sox fan, stays for the entire game and sees the 'new' Washington Senators, the former team having moved to Minnesota, play their first game losing to the White Sox, 4-3.

April 10, 1961 Chicago White Sox at Washington Senators Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

THE KENNEDY GALLERY

The consensus would seem that today Tropicana Field in St. Pete’s is worst ballpark in the Majors. My guess is it’s a palace compared to what Colt Stadium in Houston had to offer. It was on this date in 1962 the Astros, who were then known as the Colt .45s, won their first ever game. It was played at their home ballpark, Colt Stadium. It was the temporary home of the Colt .45s for the 1962-1963-1964 seasons while the Astrodome was being built across the parking lot from it. If you like watching baseball in horribly hot and humid conditions this was the place for you. It might be the worst MLB ballpark of all-time, at least in the past 100 years. In an average year there are 15.7 million blood donations made. Given the number and size of mosquitos that called the Colt Stadium area home those mosquitos may have collected more blood in a year than the Red Cross. Players also had to be careful as rattlesnakes would often take up residence on the field. One baseball annual published just before the 1962 season referred to it as "a barn-like thing". In that 1962 game played before 25,271 the Colt .45s stun the Cubs, 11-2, behind the brilliant pitching of Bobby Shantz who was the AL’s MVP in 1951. The Cubs had four future Hall of Famers on the field that day, two in the outfield and two in the infield…Lou Brock, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo.

April 10, 1962

Meanwhile, a 1,546 drive to the West of Houston something else is happening for the first time. It was also on this date in 1962 that Dodger Stadium‚ the first MLB stadium privately financed since Yankee Stadium in 1922-23‚ opens in Chavez Ravine. With 52‚564 fans on hand‚ the Dodgers inaugurate the $22 million facility with a 6-3 loss to the Reds. Wally Post hits the first homer in the new stadium‚ a 3-run shot over the CF fence in the 7th. Bob Purkey wins the game for the Reds and he would go on to win 23 games that season but Don Drysdale has his career year and wins 25 and the Cy Young Award.

Los Angeles: Stadium, 1962 by Granger

It was on this date in 1964 demolition begins on the Polo Grounds to clear the way for a housing project.

polo grounds demolition - Google Search

It was on this date in 1971 the first game is Played in Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium. It’s one of those cookie-cutter stadiums that calls itself a ballpark but really isn’t. In the game the Phillies defeat the Expos 4-1. Fortunately, it was imploded in 2004.


It was on this date in 1973 Kansas City opens its new park‚ Royals Stadium‚ with a 12-1 rout of the Rangers. The game is attended by 39‚464 fans braving 39-degree weather. The name was changed in 1993 to Kauffman Stadium. It was built specifically for baseball during an era where building multisport "cookie-cutter" stadiums was commonplace. It is often held up along with Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles as one of the best examples of modernist stadium design. It is currently the only ballpark in the American League to be named after a person, Ewing Kauffman. It is also one of 10 stadiums in Major League Baseball that does not have a corporate-sponsored name; the others are: Marlins Park, Turner Field, Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, and Nationals Park. (Kauffman, Wrigley, and Turner are named for the individuals and not the corporations they owned.) The stadium is 42 years old, making it the sixth-oldest stadium in Major League Baseball.

Kauffman Stadium

A seven-time All-Star and The Sporting News' Pitcher of the Year Award in 1982, Dave Stieb amassed 140 wins in the 1980s, the second-highest total by a pitcher in that decade, behind only Jack Morris. It was on this date in 1989 that Stieb throws his 3rd 1-hitter in four starts when he 1-hits the Yankees. He is spared some of the agony he suffered in the first two 1-hiiters when Jamie Quirk gets a 5th inning single. In the previous two 1-hitters he was one strike away from the no-hitter, only to settle for one-hitters each time. Julio Franco spoiled the first bid with a bad-bounce grounder past the second baseman, and Jim Traber ruined the second with a clean single to right. This is the fourth 1-hitter of his career as he had previously 1-hit the Brewers. Stieb would finally get that elusive No-Hitter the following season when he no-hit the Indians.


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Other than Ichiro Suzuki can you name the only two Major Leaguers to collect at least 240 hits in a season. One retired after the 1999 season and the other after the 2009 season.

The answer to yesterday’s question…Frank Robinson ( He played his first MLB game in 1956. He is the only player to play in at least 6 All-Star games for each League.)

 

[67RedSox]

Carl Yastrzemski and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, then simply the Los Angeles Angels, have something in common. It was on this date in 1961, in different games, the Angels win their first ML game ever and Yastrzemski gets his first ML base hit. It was Opening Day for both the Angels and Red Sox.

Perhaps because it was overcast with rain and a temperature of 45 in Boston or perhaps because the two teams who were playing finished at the bottom of the AL, Boston and Kansas City ( 65-89 & 58-96 ), the game attracted only 10,277 to Fenway Park. Those who did go got to see Yastrzemski play LF and collect his first ML hit, a single, in the 2nd inning. Alas, his time on the bases was cut short when the Kansas City catcher, Haywood Sullivan, would throw him out trying to steal 2nd Base. Ironically, before Yastrzemski’s playing career ended the same Haywood Sullivan, a self-made millionaire, would first become the GM of the Red Sox and then an owner of the team.

360 miles south of Boston along the I-95 the Angels were in Baltimore opening not only the season but their MLB career. In front of 37,352 at Memorial Stadium the Angels scored 7 runs in the first two innings and go on to defeat the Orioles 7-2. The big bopper in the Angels line-up that day was Ted Kluszewski. In his first two at-bats he hit a 2-run and a 3-run HR. Not bad, 2 HRs in 2 ABs with 5 RBIs. The Angels drafted Kluszewski in the 1960 expansion draft hoping he would add some fizz to their line-up. His track record was pretty good. In the 4 seasons 1953-1956 he averaged 42 HRs, 116 RBIs and a BA of .313. However, what is even more incredible than those numbers is another number, his strikeout total. In each of those 4 seasons he struck out fewer times than he hit HRs. His HR / K totals for each of those 4 seasons were… 40/34, 49/35, 47/40 and 35/31. In the history of the grand old game no other slugger has hit that many HRs with fewer strike outs.

1960s Baseball: March 2011

April 11, 1961 Los Angeles Angels at Baltimore Orioles Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

Crosley Field ( Redland Field then ) opened on this date in 1912. I always liked Crosley Field and it was much more of a ballpark than Riverfront Stadium ever was even with its slope in the outfield, no warning track and under 20 feet of water in the 1937 flood.

redland field 1912 - Google Search

crosley field flooded - Google Search

Also on this date in 1912 playing the Red Sox in the opener at New York's Hilltop Park‚ the Yankees wear pinstripes for the first time.

1912 yankee pinstripes - Google Search

The Seattle Pilots have their first and only Home Opener on this date in 1969 in front of 14,993 fans at Sicks Stadium. Their first homestand will draw a total of 44,000 fans or less than 9,000 on average.

sicks stadium - Google Search

Ossee Schrecongost was born on this date in 1875. I put him in today to see if you could say his name three times fast. Schreckengost made his ML debut with the Louisville Colonels on September 8, 1897, and appeared in his final game on October 2, 1908, which was the Perfect Game pitched by Addie Joss. He was also on the wrong side of Cy Young's Perfect Game, pitched four years earlier. He may be best remembered for being Rube Waddell's primary catcher and roommate for the duration of Waddell's Philadelphia Athletic years. Waddell's unpredictable and bizarre nature famously led to Ossee insisting on a "no crackers in bed" clause added to Waddell's contract. Players at the time would bunk together while on the road, and while Ossee was one of the few who could generally handle Rube's antics, even he couldn't get past having to sleep with food in the bed.

Ossee Schrecongost Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

I would love to see the replay. Montreal Expos Archi Cianfrocco gets the most from his first ML hit. On this date in 1992 he collects 3 RBIs on a bases loaded single…behind the 2nd Base bag with no errors on the play.

April 11, 1992 Montreal Expos at New York Mets Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

Bret Saberhagen, a two-time Cy Young Award winner by age 25 was born on this date in 1964. Other than pitchers still active or recently retired and not yet eligible for HOF voting offhand I can think of only three multiple Cy Young Award winners not in the HOF…Saberhagen, Denny McLain and Roger Clemens. McLain never cracked 1% of the vote and the best Saberhagen collected 7 of 545 votes cast…402 votes shy of the 409 needed for election.

Bret Saberhagen - BR Bullpen

Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

It doesn’t happen often but generally when it does it’s by a very good pitcher like Bob Feller, Robin Roberts, Mickey Lolich or Steve Carlton. Can you name the pitcher, who in 2014, led his League (and the Majors) in both Hits Allowed and Strikeouts.

==============================================================================

Apology For Yesterday’s Question…I left out a critical part of the question…it should have included, “since 1930”

The question should have read… Since 1930 other than Ichiro Suzuki can you name the only two Major Leaguers to collect at least 240 hits in a season. One retired after the 1999 season and the other after the 2009 season.

Had I asked the question correctly the answer would have been… Wade Boggs, 240 (1985), Darin Erstad, 240 (2000)

=====================================================================================