Baseball History

[67RedSox]

In the last few years there’s been more than a few weird injuries suffered by baseball players that have caused them to miss playing time. They happened while pulling on a pair of cowboy boots, dislocating a shoulder by tearing a phone book in half and straining an elbow while signing 100 autographs at a charity event to name but a few. Silly injuries aren’t new. It was on this date in 1894 Boston SS Herman Long accidentally flicks hot ashes from his cigar into his eye‚ causing him to miss several games. He played 15 years in the Majors from 1889 to 1904 and 13 were with the Boston Beaneaters ( later the Boston/Milwaukee and now Atlanta Braves ). Long was probably the best Shortstop of the 19th Century. Almost a contradiction to that is Long holds the Major League record for most errors in a career, with 1,096. The seeming contradiction between a high error rate and exceptional fielding skill is attributable to the fact that Long had a greater fielding range than most shortstops. He could get to balls batted to his left and right that other fielders would not have reached. He was one of three Beaneaters to play on five NL pennant winners in the 1890s, he was a strong run producer, twice knocking in over 100 and scoring over 100 seven times. His 149 runs scored led the NL in 1893 and his 12 home runs led in 1900. Noisy and uncouth on the field, he urged teammates to greater efforts, ragged opponents, and stirred up fans. He always played all out, once breaking Pittsburgh catcher Connie Mack's leg with a ferocious slide when there was no play at the plate. After retiring in 1904 at the age of 38 he managed briefly in the Minors but contracted tuberculosis and moved to Denver for health reasons but died in 1909 broke and friendless far from the life he enjoyed in Boston.

Herman Long - BR Bullpen

We all know the American League was fully accepted as a sister Major League in 1903 but Most don’t know it had existed as the Western League and was organized by Ban Johnson on November 20, 1893 and began play in 1894. After the 1899 season, the National League announced it was dropping the teams in Baltimore, Cleveland, Louisville and Washington. This afforded an opportunity for the Western circuit to expand into those vacated cities. In a meeting in Chicago on October 11, 1899, the Western League renamed itself the American League. After the 1900 season, the American League declined to renew its membership in the National Agreement and declared itself a Major League. It began raiding National League rosters and attempting to compete directly against the NL. The American League's claim to Major League status was initially disputed, but had to be recognized after the Boston Red Sox defeated the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series in 1903. One the original members of the 1894 version of the Western League was the Detroit Tigers. They are the oldest continuous one-name, one-city franchise in the American League. It was on this date in 1900 the Tigers play their first Sunday home game at a new park just beyond the city limits, Burns Park. Continuing into 1901 and 1902, Burns Park was used to observe blue laws, which prevented Sunday games from being played at Bennett Park, the team's primary baseball park. Burns Park was named after the first Tigers' owner, James D. Burns, who built the ballpark on his own property.

Ballparks of the Deadball Era: Burns Park in Detroit

It was on this date in 1906, 109 years ago that the Pittsburgh ground crew uses a tarp to cover the entire infield‚ the first time a ML team has done this. Fred Clarke‚ the Pirates manager‚ will file for a patent on June 7 for a "diamond cover‚" and the patent will be approved on February 2‚ 1911. Previously‚ some club owners protected only the pitcher's slab or the home plate‚ while others covered the bases as well but none the entire infield as is still the case today.

baseball tarp - Google Search

It was on this date in 1915, 100 years ago today that Red Sox pitcher, Babe Ruth, clouts his first ML HR‚ off the Yankees Jack Warhop in the 3rd inning at New York's Polo Grounds, the Yankees home before Yankee Stadium was built or as some say, “the house that Ruth built”.

May 6, 1915 Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

Happy 84th Birthday to HOF’er Willie Mays who was born on this date in 1931.


Bobby Shantz, a ML pitcher for 16 seasons, made his ML debut on this date in 1949 with the woeful Philadelphia Athletics. The team may have been woeful by Shantz was nothing short of spectacular in his debut. He came in to the game in the 4th inning to relieve the starter, Carl Scheib who was struggling against the Tigers who gave up 3 runs in the inning without retiring a batter. Shantz began his ML career by tossing 9 innings of no-hit ball. In the 13th inning the Tigers finally picked up a couple of hits but the Athletics won the game making Shantz the winner. The Athletics were entering one of their darkest periods as a baseball team and had only 1 winning season between 1950 and 1968, the year they moved to Oakland after first spending 12 years in Kansas City. That single season they had a winning record was in 1952…thanks to Shantz who went 24-7 with an ERA of 2.48 and win the AL’s MVP Crown.

Bobby Shantz - BR Bullpen

It was on this date in 1953 Bobo Holloman of the St. Louis Browns pitches a no-hitter in his first ML start‚ only the 3rd rookie to do so‚ in a 6-0 win over the Philadelphia A's Morris Martin. Bobo also drives home three runs on a pair of singles‚ his only 2 ML hits. Within 3 months he will be out of the Majors for good‚ the winner of just 3 games‚ the fewest by a no-hit pitcher.

Bobo Holloman | SABR


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Between 1950-1969 Willie McCovey did it 2 years in a row, so did Willie Mays and Hank Aaron in the National League. In the American League Mickey Mantle did it 2 years in a row…none of them did it 3 years in a row. Can you name the one NL’er and the 1 AL’er to win HR Crowns three years in a row during the 1950s and 1960s.

The answer to yesterday’s question…CC Sabathia, 2008 (Who is the only pitcher to lead both the Al and NL in shutouts… in the same season.)

 

[67RedSox]

Artifiical turf in Baseball has all but disappeared. It exists in Toronto and Tampa but Toronto is converting to natural grass in 2 years. It will be longer in Tampa… until they either get a new stadium or leave town.
The man who collected more base hits than any other player should be a good source to check on whether it was easier for a hitter to get a base hit on natural grass or artificial turf. Here’s the question…Did Pete Rose hit better on grass or turf? If you said grass you’re wrong. If you said turf you’re wrong. If you said he hit exactly the same on both you would be correct. In his career, on artificial turf, Pete Rose had 2,133 hits in 7,043 At-Bats, for a batting average of .30285…on grass, he was 2,123 for 7,010, for an average of .30285. I guess he could just plain hit regardless.
In a more detailed study of hitting on natural grass versus artificial turf the 22,806 ML games played between 1984-1994 totalled over 1.5 million at-bats. Over the course of those 11 years the batting average on grass was .259 and on turf it was .258, virtually no difference. There is one big difference between the two…doubles and triples are dramatically higher on artificial turf.

Baseball Extras: Effect of Artificial Turf vs. Grass

There have been 118 Major Leaguers hit a HR in their first ML at-bat. Of those 30 have done it on the first pitch they saw in the Majors including Eddie Rosario of the Twins who did it last night. It was, on this date in 1922, it was done for the very first time. The only question is…who hit the HR. For a few years it was credited to Claude Rowher. The only problem is that Claude Rowher never played in a single ML game. It was in fact, Walter Mueller.
Every player dreams of hitting a home run the first time he comes to the plate in the Majors. Just imagine the satisfaction of seeing your name in the boxscore the next day. On the other hand, imagine a player hitting a three-run home run on the first pitch to him in the Majors and off one of baseball's best pitchers to boot, only to look at the paper the next day and not only find that the credit had gone to someone else but also that your name was not even in the boxscore! Sounds fantastic, doesn't it? But it did happen.
Mueller spent four years with the Pirates but is best remembered as the father of Don Mueller, a solid outfield partner of Willie Mays with the New York Giants in the 1950s. The Giants won the World Series in 1954 and Mueller was one of their stars, leading the Majors in Hits and batting a cool .343. Back to Walter Mueller though…he was with the Pirates at the start of the 1922 season, but he sat on the bench for three weeks before Manager George Gibson decided to give him a chance to play. Because Pittsburgh had no Sunday ball in those days, the Pirates interrupted a home stay to go to Chicago for a one-day trip on Sunday, May 7, 1922. The Pirates hopped all over future HOF’er Grover Cleveland Alexander, driving him from the mound in the second inning, and went on to win, 11-5. Alexander received a bad break in the first inning when Jigger Statz misjudged a line drive and it got by him for a three-run home run. In the boxscore the home run is credited to "C. Rohwer." The Pirates had brothers Ray and Claude Rohwer on their roster to start the 1922 campaign. Ray was a good sub and pinch-hitter who was in his second season with the Pirates, but Claude, who was farmed out several days later, never played a game in the Majors. Yet, the name of "C. Rohwer" appeared in the boxscore in the game of and received credit for the HR.

Walter Mueller - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of Major League Baseball players with a home run in their first major league at bat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On this date in 1957 something bad happened in Cleveland…23 year old Herb Score’s pitching career virtually came to an end although it wouldn’t be until 1962 that it became official. In 1955 the 22 year old lefthander with Cleveland was the AL’s Rookie of the Year and led the Majors in strikeouts. In 1956 he got even better winning 20 games for the Indians and again leading the Majors in strikeouts. On May 7, 1957 he was pitching the 1st inning of a home game against New York when Yankee shortstop Gil McDougald, the second batter he faced, smashed a line drive back towards Score. The ball hit Score in the right eye and ricocheted to third baseman Al Smith, who threw to first base for the out. But McDougald was not running down the first-base line. Instead he ran straight to the pitching mound, where Score was lying with his glove covering his eye. Because of Score’s delivery, he was defenseless against a batted ball after he threw. Cleveland catcher Jim Hegan explained the scene: “It was a low fastball. I saw it leave Herb’s hand and I saw it go straight back at him. I’m sure Herb never saw it, though. He just wasn’t able to pick up its flight. I saw it hit him flush in the eye. He had turned so that the blood was dripping to the ground. I didn’t know if it was his eye or his nose and I wondered what I could do to help. All I could say was, ‘Stay there,’ ‘Don’t move.’ Score was taken to Lakeside Hospital. He had suffered a broken nose, a lacerated right eyelid, damage to the right cheekbone and damage to the right eye. McDougald was an emotional mess after the incident. He told himself if Score didn’t play again neither would he. It was only after he had a long conversation with Score’s mother that he felt some ease. Score was hospitalized for three weeks, until May 28. Although he looked fit and fully recovered, Score was months away from the playing field. Although he did come back to pitch again he was effective only for a few games before he developed problems with his elbow. In 1956 he won 20 games and that was more than he won (19) in the next 6 years before he called it quits. Score retired from playing baseball in 1962. Beginning in 1964, he was employed as a television and radio play-by-play announcer with the Cleveland Indians for the next 34 years before being severely injured in an automobile accident.

May 7, 1957 New York Yankees at Cleveland Indians Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com


If Vic Power’s name is mentioned it usually brings up visions of one of the Game’s best fielding 1st Basemen of all-time. He’s the only AL first basemen to win 7 consecutive Gold Gloves, 1958-1964 when winning a Gold Glove actually meant you were the best fielder at your position. He played the deepest 1B in the game, about 15 feet deeper, and trained his infielders to throw the ball to 1st base and not him. He would often arrive at the bag the same time the ball did instead of standing there waiting for it. It was also on this date in 1957 he becomes the first modern ML’er to hit both a leadoff and walk-off HR in the same game. The A's first baseman went deep off Hal Brown leading off the game and ends the contest in the 10th frame with a round-tripper off Brown again, giving Kansas City a 3-2 victory over Baltimore.

Vc Power - BR Bullpen

It was on this date in 1960 that the Phillies and Dodgers engage in an extra-inning game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Dodgers prevail when catcher Norm Sherry hits a walk-off HR in the bottom of the 11th inning. He makes his battery-mate the winning pitcher…his brother, Larry Sherry.

May 7, 1960 Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

In 1972 the Dodgers retired their first uniform numbers saluting 3 players. All three players played for the Dodgers while they were in Brooklyn…only one played both in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Who are these 3 players…one is still living.

The answer to yesterday’s question…NL - Ralph Kiner, 1950-51-52, AL - Harmon Killebrew 1962-63-64 (Between 1950-1969 Willie McCovey did it 2 years in a row, so did Willie Mays and Hank Aaron in the National League. In the American League Mickey Mantle did it 2 years in a row…none of them did it 3 years in a row. Can you name the one NL’er and the 1 AL’er to win HR Crowns three years in a row during the 1950s and 1960s.)

 

[67RedSox]

Having said that have you ever heard of an unassisted Triple Play by an Outfielder? When is an unassisted Triple Play not an unassisted Triple Play? It was on this date in 1878, in a game between the Providence Grays and Boston Red Caps ( now the Atlanta Braves ) that the Grays center fielder, Paul Hines, with runners on second and third, catches a line drive from Jack Burdock that the runners thought was uncatchable. When he caught it, both runners had already passed third (according to the Boston Globe account of the game). Hines stepped on third, which by the rules of the day meant both runners were out. To make sure, he threw the ball to Charlie Sweasy at second base. It is still debated whether this was truly an unassisted triple play. Modern rules would have required either the ball to be conveyed to second base to put out the runner who had been on that base and had not tagged up, or that runner to be tagged. This touches off a lively debate over whether the Triple Play was unassisted or not‚ a debate that still continues over a century later. Incidentally, the same Paul Hines becomes the first of 15 players to win the Triple Crown that same season. His numbers were .358 / 4 / 50. His unassisted Triple Play may still be in dispute but not his Triple Crown.

Paul Hines - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

HOF’er Edd Roush was born on this date in 1893. He was a hitter extraodinaire in his time and there may still be some who will argue he’s the best hitter to ever wear a Cincinnati Reds uniform. In his 12 year career with the Reds that spanned both the Dead-Ball and Live-Ball Eras his Batting Average was .331 and he twice won NL Batting Crowns with marks of .341 (1917) and .321 (1919). Roush wielded a short, thick-handled bat that weighed 48 ounces, one of the heaviest ever in baseball. "I only take a half swing at the ball, and the weight of the bat rather than my swing is what drives it."

Edd Roush - BR Bullpen

Can you imagine Fenway Park with bleachers in Left Field instead of the fabled Green Monster. Well, that’s the way the Park was built but it was on this date in 1926 that the wooden LF bleachers are destroyed by fire. Boston owner Bob Quinn, strapped for cash, collected the insurance money and, rather than rebuild, used the windfall to make payroll. The team removed the charred remains and the area where the bleachers once occupied remained a vacant lot for several years, a prominent yet unsightly feature of the park. It wasn’t until 1934, when new owner Tom Yawkey ordered major renovations to the ballpark, that the eyesore was eliminated and the Monster was given life.

Forgotten Features | fenwayfanatics.com

If you were writing a book about the colourful and entertaining players to ever play in the Majors then pitcher Bobo Newsom would have to be included. The name Bobo came about because Newsom never could or would remember anybody's name, so he called everyone Bobo and thus earned that nickname for himself. The right-hander was talkative and swelling with confidence. He would brag, "Ol' Bobo is on the mound today and you can put it in the win column." Few Major League players were traded as often as Bobo. Over his career he played for 9 different ML teams and wore 13 different uniform numbers. There have been a handful of 4-Decade players in the Majors…Newsom is one of them. His first season was 1929 and his last was 1953. He was 211-222 in his Major League career, one of only two pitchers who won more than 200 games but finished with a losing record. Many of those losses came from pitching for poor teams like the Philadelphia Athletics, the St. Louis Browns, and the Washington Senators. You would think all of what he did in the Majors would constitute a full career in baseball but the well-traveled Newsom also won 146 games and lost 112 in the Minor Leagues. There is something the 6’3”, 200 lb Bobo did only once in his career though and that is hit a HR. It was on this date in 1937 in Detroit when Bobo goes deep off of the Tigers ace, Schoolboy Rowe, and his Senators defeat the Tigers 8-3.

Bobo Newsom Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1946 that Red Sox future HOF’er Johnny Pesky just back from spending 3 years goes 4 for 5 in a game against the White Sox but scores 6 runs to become the first AL player to score 6 runs in a game. Scoring 6 runs in a single game is a Post-1900 MLB record that has been done 16 times. The only player to do it more than once is Mel Ott who did it twice, and both in the same season…1934. The only player to score more in a single game was Guy Hecker with 7 in 1886.

May 8, 1946 Chicago White Sox at Boston Red Sox Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

Runs Scored Records by Baseball Almanac

It was on this date in 1961 one of the two new entries in the NL is officially named the "Mets." Not Metropolitans‚ just Mets. At a ceremony at the Savoy Hilton‚ owner Joan Payton swings a bottle of champagne and after three unsuccessful whacks turns the job over to a waiter who uses a bottle opener. The "Mets" was the choice among the 10 finalists: Continentals‚ Burros‚ Mets‚ Skyliners‚ Skyscrapers‚ Bees‚ Rebels‚ NYBs‚ Avengers‚ and Jets. The original list was 644 names from 9‚613 suggestions.

What's in a Nickname? The Origins of All 30 MLB Team Names | Mental Floss

Welcome to Baltimore. It was on this date in 1966 that Frank Robinson, in just his 10th game playing there, hits the first ball ever hit completely out of Baltimore's Memorial Stadium‚ a 451-foot shot to LF ending Luis Tiant's scoreless-innings streak at 27. Baltimore wins 8-3 and ties Cleveland for first place. Robinson would win the Triple Crown that season and the Orioles the World Series.

Memorial Stadium - history, photos and more of the Baltimore Orioles former ballpark

It was on this date in 1968 Oakland's Catfish Hunter pitches a Perfect Game against the Twins‚ winning 4-0. The 22-year old righthander hurls the first American League regular season Perfecto in 46 years. He strikes out 11‚ including Harmon Killebrew three times‚ and drives in three of the A's four runs. Not a bad day’s work.

May 8, 1968 Minnesota Twins at Oakland Athletics Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Three players, two pitchers and one position player have won 2 World Series MVP Awards since the Award was re-introduced in 1955. The only position player to win did so in the 1970s and the two pitchers did so before that. Can you name them.

The answer to yesterday’s question is…32-Sandy Koufax, 39-Roy Campanella, 42-Jackie Robinson. (In 1972 the Dodgers retired their first uniform numbers saluting 3 players. All three players played for the Dodgers while they were in Brooklyn…only one played both in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Who are these 3 players…one is still living.)

Dodgers Retired Numbers | dodgers.com: History

MLB Retired Uniforms | Baseball-Reference.com

 

[67RedSox]

On this date in 1916 the Philadelphia Athletics hooked up with the Tigers in Detroit and both teams set the ML record for the most Walks in a single game…30. A’s pitchers coughed up 18 and Tiger pitchers 12. Detroit won the game 16-2. A’s batters were on base 15 times but collected only 3 hits.

May 9, 1916 Detroit Tigers at Philadelphia Athletics Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

Base on Balls and Intentional Bases on Balls Team Records by Baseball Almanac

Ice Box Chamberlain was a ML pitcher in the 1880s and 1890s. His given name was Elton but the Baseball writers dubbed him Ice Box, or Icebox, for the ice water that flowed through his veins. According to historian Lee Allen, Elton got his nickname because he was said to possess “austere calm in the face of all hostility by the enemy.” It didn’t matter whether he was facing hostility on the Baseball diamond or in a barroom. And he did like his bars, and poolrooms, and the night life. Elton became one of three 19th century hurlers known to have pitched ambidextrously. It was on this date in 1888, a season in which he won 25 games, he pitched the first seven innings right-handed and the final two innings as a lefty as the Colonels routed the Kansas City Cowboys 18-6. He seldom pitched left-handed, but he used his dexterity another way. He did not wear a glove, so he could use either hand to throw to a base. As baserunners could never tell with which hand he would throw, he became adept at picking them off.

Ice Box Chamberlain Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

Time to visit some old ballparks courtesy of thisgreatgame.com:

The Ballparks: Baker Bowl

The Ballparks: Braves Field, Boston, Massachusetts

The Ballparks: Milwaukee County Stadium

The Ballparks: Ebbets Field

The Ballparks: Cleveland League Park


Pete Rose was the last player-manager in the NL…1986. In the AL it was Don Kessinger in 1979.

List of Major League Baseball player-managers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eddie Mathews, Willie Mays, Ted Kluszewski, Ernie Banks and Roy Campenella is a pretty impressive array of ML sluggers from the 1950s. In fact all do rank in the Top 10 HR hitters for the decade. However, a much forgotten Del Ennis topped them all when it came to driving runners in. Ennis drove in an average 180 more runs in the decade than this group.

Del Ennis Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

I was the second player in MLB history to hit 2 HRs in his first ML game…5 have now done so. No one has played in more no-hitters than I have, 11. I hold the ML record for the most consecutive games with a Stolen Base, 12. I played with 15 HOF’ers during my career including Billy Williams, Willie McCovey, Nolan Ryan, Satchel Paige, Fergie Jenkins, Rod Carew and Dave Winfield but I’m not in the Hall myself. I can’t tell you what position I played but did play over 2,000 career games there but you could find me playing any position on the field. Do you know who I am

The answer to yesterday’s question…Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson. (Three players, two pitchers and one position player have won 2 World Series MVP Awards since the Award was re-introduced in 1955. The only position player to win did so in the 1970s and the two pitchers did so before that. Can you name them.)

 

[67RedSox]

For 12 years from 1911 to 1923 Fred Toney pitched in the Majors and was a very good pitcher indeed. His problem wasn’t his ability as a pitcher but the rather mediocre teams he played for. His record was 139-102 over his career including a 24 Win season in 1915 for the Reds and a sizzling lifetime ERA of 2.69 ( 77th on all-time list )but what he is remembered most for are two very unique no-hitters he tossed, one in the Majors and an even better one in the Minors.
He and Hippo Vaughn faced each other on the mound in a game at what is now known as Wrigley Field in Chicago on May 2, 1917. It ended up being the only ‘double no-hitter’ in MLB history. Toney dueled with Hippo Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs during nine hitless innings before Toney and the Reds prevailed in the 10th inning after Vaughn gave up 2 hits. 75 years later MLB revised their rules regarding no-hitters and simply tossing 9 innings of no-hit ball was no longer considered sufficient to qualify as a no-hitter if you subsequently give hits in extra innings. Nevertheless, that game is still referred to as the ‘double no-hitter’.
How do you top that…by tossing the longest no-hitter in professional baseball history. It was on this date in 1909 that Toney tossed a 17 inning no-hitter for the Class-D Winchester Hustlers against the Lexington Colts. The 17th inning was starting in the late afternoon and the game was close to being called on account of darkness. Had it been called the game would have been unofficial and played over in its entirety. Fortunately, Winchester scored to win the game and preserve the no-hitter for Toney.

The 17-Inning No-Hitter

Baseball's Only Double No-Hitter - Neatorama

Billy Purtell was a 3rd baseman for the White Sox, Red Sox and Tigers in a 5 year ML career starting in 1908 and that consisted of only two seasons as a full time player. He is remembered for a couple of things though neither of which would get him into the HOF. In 1910 Purtell set a record that would not encourage bragging rights and still stands today in the AL. Playing for the White Sox and the Red Sox, he appeared in 151 games that season and hit only six doubles. At the time of his death – more than half a century later – this “record” was noted in his 1962 obituary – the fewest doubles hit by any player who’d appeared in 150 or more games. In 2012, he still holds the American League record; Dal Maxvill’s five-double season in 152 games in 1970 gives Maxvill the ML mark. Also, on this date in 1910 he gains the dubious distinction of becoming the first player in ML history to strike out two times in the same frame. During the sixth inning of the White Sox' 10-3 victory over Washington, the Chicago third baseman is victimized twice by future Hall of Famer Walter Johnson.

Billy Purtell Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

He was possibly the greatest new pitcher in the Majors in the Post WWII Era and no one remembers him as there was always someone else to take the spotlight when he shone. It was Larry Jansen of the NY Giants who made his ML debut as a starter on this date in 1947 scattering 6 hits to give the Giants a 2-1 win over the visiting Boston Braves. It was a very good start to a ML career. Jansen had a sensational rookie campaign in which he went 21-5 to lead the NL in Winning % at .808. Most years that would have been enough to capture Rookie of the Year honours but it was also Jackie Robinson’s rookie season and he won the hardware 129 points to 105 for Jansen in the rookie voting. In 1951 it was Jansen who paced the NL champion Giants with 23 victories and helped lead their improbable August and September comeback against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jansen was the winning pitcher in the famous final game of the playoff on October 3, 1951 but was overshadowed by Bobby Thomson and his “Shot Heard ‘Round The World”. Jansen was also a 30 Game winner with San Francisco in 1946 but that was in the Pacific Coast League with the Seals and no one remembers big winners in the Minors. He did return to San Francisco and the Giants in 1961 as their pitching coach for 11 seasons where he developed some pretty good pitchers in HOF’ers Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry and Cy Young winner Mike McCormick…but who remembers the pitching coach.

Larry Jansen Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

May 10, 1947 Boston Braves at New York Giants Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1967 Braves' outfielder Hank Aaron hits an inside-the-park homer off Phillies’ pitcher, HOF’er Jim Bunning. It will be his only HR which doesn't clear the fence out of his record setting 755 round-trippers.

May 10, 1967 Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

For a pitcher to appear in 1,000 games lifetime is a pretty big deal. In the history of the Grand Old Game there have been a total of 16 reach that mark. The first to do was Hoyt Wilhelm who did it on this date in 1970. He still ranks 6th on the all-time list with 1,070 games.

Hoyt Wilhelm Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

May 10, 1970 St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com


Baseball Trivia:: ( Answer Tomorrow )

It has happened only once where NY Yankees won both the MVP and Cy Young Awards in the same year. Can you name the players…both of whom were alive when St. Louis’ Gas House Gang won the 1934 World Series.

The answer to yesterday’s question… Bert ‘Campy’ Campaneris ( I was the second player in MLB history to hit 2 HRs in his first ML game…5 have now done so. No one has played in more no-hitters than I have, 11. I hold the ML record for the most consecutive games with a Stolen Base, 12. I played with 15 HOF’ers during my career including Billy Williams, Willie McCovey, Nolan Ryan, Satchel Paige, Fergie Jenkins, Rod Carew and Dave Winfield but I’m not in the Hall myself. I can’t tell you what position I played but did play over 2,000 career games there but you could find me playing any position on the field. Do you know who I am. )

 

[67RedSox]

HOF‘er Charlie Gehringer was born on this date in 1903. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest second basemen of all time. He batted left-handed and threw with his right, compiled a .320 batting average and had seven seasons with more than 200 hits. He was the AL’s Batting Champ and MVP in 1937 when he hit .371. Gehringer was also one of the best-fielding second basemen in history, having led all American League second basemen in fielding percentage and assists seven times. The precision with which he hit and fielded plus he seldom missing games led to his nickname…”The Mechanical Man”. He was as quiet and unassuming as he was a good baseball player. His teammate / manager, Mickey Cochrane joked that "Charlie says `hello' on Opening Day, `goodbye' on closing day, and in between hits .350." In fact, when they had a “Charlie Gehringer Day” for him the fans presented Gehringer with a set of golf clubs. Though the clubs were right-handed, and Gehringer was left-handed, Gehringer learned to golf right-handed rather than trade for a left-handed set of clubs.

Charlie Gehringer Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

The triple has always been the rarest of all baseball hits. Despite that hitting three in a single game has been accomplished almost 50 times in the history of the National and American Leagues and it was on this date in 1920 Hall of Famer, Ross Youngs, hits 3 triples in a game to tie the ML record. Youngs is one of those players, despite being in the Hall of Fame, that almost no one remembers or knows anything about and are familiar with the name only because he’s a HOF’er. His career was as brief as possible to gain access to Cooperstown…10 seasons and he just qualified on that count as he had 9 full seasons and a 10th season in which he played but 7 games. His career spanned the Dead-Ball and Live-Ball Eras, 1917-1926 and was spent entirely with the NY Giants playing a solid Right Field. He was a good hitter with a lifetime BA of .322 and didn’t have much power ( who did in those days ) or drive in a lot of runs. He did play on those very good NY Giant teams that won 4 consecutive NL Pennants and went to 4 consecutive World Series, 1921-22-23-24.Unfortunately, his career and life came to a premature end in 1927 at the age of 30 from Bright’s Disease (kidney) that saw him dwindle to a mere 100 pounds.
Youngs was included in the inaugural balloting for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, but received less than 5% of the vote from the BBWAA. Youngs remained on the ballot every year through 1956, receiving his highest vote total in 1947 with 22%. How then did he end up in the HOF? Former Giants teammates Bill Terry and Frankie Frisch joined the Veterans Committee in 1967 and aided the elections of several of their former teammates, including Youngs in 1972. In addition to Youngs, Terry and Frisch shepherded the selections of Giants teammates Jesse Haines in 1970, Dave Bancroft and Chick Hafey in 1971, George Kelly in 1973, Jim Bottomley in 1974, and Freddie Lindstrom in 1976. Youngs' selection, along with some of the other selections made by Terry and Frisch, has been considered one of the weakest in some circles. According to the BBWAA, the Veterans Committee was not selective enough in choosing members, and charges of cronyism were later levied against the committee. This led to the Veterans Committee having its powers reduced in subsequent years. Baseball statistician Bill James recognized this and wrote that Youngs does not belong in the Hall of Fame. In 1981, however, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included Youngs in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. They explained what they called "the Smoky Joe Wood Syndrome," where a player of truly exceptional talent but a career curtailed by injury or illness should still — in spite of not owning career statistics that would quantitatively rank him with the all-time greats — be included on their list of the 100 greatest players.

Well since triples was mentioned above here’s the names of some other HOF’ers who managed to hit 3 triples in a single game…Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Ernie Banks and Roberto Clemente. Another HOF’er, Willie McCovey, shares the ML record of hitting 2 triples in his first ML game.

Ross Youngs Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

Triples Records by Baseball Almanac

Pete Schneider was a hard-throwing pitcher who struggled with injuries and control problems during his 6 year ML career mostly with the Reds, 1914-1919. In his ML debut, at age 18, he made a promising debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 1914 pitching a 1–0 shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He tossed a couple of 1-hitters and did win as many as 20 games in a season but he also lost 19 games in three consecutive seasons including 1915 which led the National league. What does a 23 year old ML pitcher who finds himself no longer able to pitch in the Majors do? He goes to the Minors and re-invents himself as a hitter. Despite not getting back to the Majors Schneider must made a pretty good job of converting to a hitter as it was on this date in 1923 he while playing the outfield with the Vernon Tigers of the Pacific Coast League, as he set League records by hitting 5 HRs with 14 RBI in a game, during a 35–11 romp over Salt Lake City. A 6th HR was missed by two feet when he belted a line-drive double off the center field fence.

http://www.diamondsinthedusk.com/uploads/articles/9-img2-SCHNEIDER_Pete.pdf

Milt Pappas, who won 209 ML games in his career was born on this date in 1939. He came up with the Orioles in 1957 and in 9 seasons he won 110 games for them. He was involved in the trade after the ’65 season that brought Frank Robinson to Baltimore. Cincinnati wanted to get something for “an old 30 year old” in Robinson. Robinson promptly won the Triple Crown and was AL MVP in 1966. Pappas will be remembered for two things. The first, is the no-hitter he tossed for the Cubs in 1972 against the Padres. Just like Armando Galarraga was denied a Perfect Game in 2010 by a blown umpire call in 2010 one of the worst umpires of his time, Bruce Froemming denied Pappas his Perfect Game. Pappas retired the first 26 batters and was one strike away from a perfect game with a 2–2 count on pinch-hitter Larry Stahl, but called the next two pitches, borderline pitches, both balls. Pappas believed he had struck out Stahl. The difference between the two lost Perfect Games is that umpire Jim Joyce acknowledged his mistake with tears in his eyes while Froemming smirked at Pappas immediately after he called for the walk on Stahl. The second, is the disappearance of his wife who left their home and for five years, no sign was found of her, her car, her clothing, or her body. It was 5 years later workers draining a shallow pond four blocks from the Pappas home discovered the car she had been driving as well as her body. It was determined she died by drowning and must have accidently drove into the pond.

Milt Pappas' no-hitter in 1972 | MLB.com

It was on this date in 1963 Sandy Koufax tosses the 2nd of 4 no-hitters of his career. The Giants and Juan Marichal are the victims in a game played at Dodger Stadium in front of 49,807.

May 11, 1963 San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1972 the Giants trade future Hall of Famer Willie Mays to the Mets for Minor League pitcher Charlie Williams and cash.

Baseball Prospectus | Wezen-Ball: The Willie Mays Trade


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Can you name any 1 of the 3 National League Gold Glove winners in the outfield from 2014?

The answer to yesterday’s question…1961 – Roger Maris and Whitey Ford (It has happened only once where NY Yankees won both the MVP and Cy Young Awards in the same year. Can you name the players…both of whom were alive when St. Louis’ Gas House Gang won the 1934 World Series.)

 

[67RedSox]

The New York Yankees came of age in the 1920s going the World Series six times and fielding what many consider the greatest team of time in 1927. Quick now…who played 3rd Base on those great Yankee teams. Either you snap the answer immediately or you have no clue. For most, they have no idea it was Jumping Joe Dugan, who was born on this date in 1897. Those that most appreciated Dugan were Managers both his own, Miller Huggins and the opposition’s like the NY Giants’ John McGraw who knew just how valuable he was as he watched Dugan alter the flow of the 1923 World Series and lead the Yankees to victory in the pivotal Game 5. Here’s a couple of amusing antedotes about Dugan. The first had to do with his superstitions as a ballplayer… like many players, Dugan had superstitions. One of them was that he would never throw the baseball back to the pitcher, not even in infield practice. He would either toss the ball to one of the other infielders or the catcher to toss back to the mound. Oftentimes, his teammates would turn their back on Joe, forcing him to walk the ball to the hill himself, and place the ball in the pitcher’s glove. The second had to do with how the opposition would pitch to him. He batted 6th or 7th in the line-up and by the time they got to his place in the order the opposition was pretty fed up with the damage the top 5 men in the order had inflicted so they took it out on Dugan, here’s how he described it… “It’s always the same. Combs walks. Koenig singles. Ruth hits one out of the park. Gehrig doubles. Lazzeri triples. Then Dugan goes down on the dirt on his can,”

The Unofficial 1927 New York Yankees Home Page

Yogi Berra was born on this date in 1925. He becomes the fourth currently living HOF member to reach the age of 90 behind, Bobby Doerr, Monte Irvin and Red Schoendienst. Next up is 87 year old Tommy Lasorda.


It was on this date in 1926 that Walter Johnson and the Senators defeat the St. Louis Browns, 7-4 at Griffith Stadium and he becomes the second and last pitcher in MLB history to win 400 games. He will retire with a record of 417-279 and a lifetime ERA of 2.17, let me repeat, 2.17. In a 10 year span, 1910-1919, albeit the last years of Dead-Ball Era, his ERA was only over 2.00 once and his WHIP above 1.00 only twice. It’s worth pointing out that he produced these numbers while pitching hitter-friendly ballparks his entire career.


It was on this date in 1970 Ernie Banks hits his 500th career HR, the 9th man to do so.

BB Moments: Banks Joins 500 Club | MLB.com

HOF’er Heinie Manush, who died on this date in 1971, played 17 seasons in the Majors from 1923 to 1939 and became one of the fiercest and most feared hitters in the game. He was the king of line drives and ended his ML career with a lifetime BA of .330. He had 200 Hit seasons multi times, won the AL Batting Crown in 1926 with a mark of .378 and his 241 hits in 1928 has been topped by only a handful of players before or since. What Manush is often remembered for though is not his hitting but his fierce temper and the spirit in which he played the game. The most famous of his outbursts happened in the 1933 World Series that caused Judge Landis to issue an edict still in place today.

It was a thrill to be in the World Series, the only one he played in, but Manush was terribly disappointed in his performance. During the Series, he took it out on the umpires. In Game 3, the Senators had the tying run on second with two out in the sixth inning, when Manush hit a ball past a diving Bill Terry that Howie Critz somehow grabbed and flipped to Hubbell to nip Manush -- that is, according to umpire Charlie Moran. It was an extremely close play, and an enraged Senators outfielder and his infuriated manager hotly debated the call! The home plate umpire finally broke up the fierce confrontation by ordering Cronin and Manush to take their positions in the field. While Cronin reluctantly sauntered out to shortstop, Manush gave Moran one more verbal blast on his way out to right field and was tossed from the game. It took all of Cronin’s strength to restrain his right fielder from attacking Moran. After being dragged off the field, Manush had to be physically restrained from throwing things at the first-base umpire. Washington fans showed their displeasure at the call by heaving hundreds of soda bottles in the umpire’s direction. Manush recalled the play years later. “It actually was more than an argument,” he said. “Moran had every right to chase me when I tell you what I did. I was too smart to lay a hand on Moran when I was arguing the call. But when he bellied up to me and asked me what I wanted to make of it, there was a temptation that was too great. Moran, like the other umps in those days, was wearing a black bow tie, the kind that comes with an elastic band. What I did was grab the tie and let it snap back into Moran’s neck. That’s when he gave it to me.”

Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who was at the game, disagreed with the umpire’s decision to kick Manush out, and ruled from then on that no player in the World Series could be thrown out without first getting the commissioner’s almighty permission.

Heinie Manush Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Carl Yastrzemski won 3 AL Batting Crowns during the 1960s but he wasn’t the only Red Sox player to win multiple AL Batting Crowns in that decade…who was the other player to do it?

The answer to yesterday’s question is…Christian Yelich - Juan Lagares - Jason Heyward (Can you name any 1 of the 3 National League Gold Glove winners in the outfield from 2014?)

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1882 the National League announces that for the next season players they will not be required to wear the uniforms known as "clown costumes‚" with different colour combinations for each position. This is much to the relief of the players. Below are some renderings of the 1882 Cincinnati Reds so you can get a feel for what it was like. The different colours were assigned as follows…Catcher- scarlet, Pitcher-sky blue, 1B-red and white stripes, 2B-black and yellow stripes, SS-maroon, 3B-gray and white stripes, LF-white, CF-red and black stripes, LF-gray, utility player-brown, change pitcher and extra man-was assigned the color green.

1882 Cincinnati | Threads Of Our Game

It was on this date in 1911 Ty Cobb hits his first Grand Slam HR. That isn’t earth-shattering news but mentioned just to illustrate that although Cobb is not thought of as a HR hitter ( 117 in his 24 year career with no more than 12 in any season ) he could and did hit HRs and even won a Triple Crown in 1909 with numbers of 9 / 107 / .377

The day Ty Cobb hit three home runs - SweetSpot - ESPN

On this date in 1912 a smart-alecky Western Union telegraph operator named Lou Proctor inserts his name as a pinch hitter into the Browns-Red Sox box score (a walk in his at bat) as a lark and becomes one of MLB’s “Phantom Ballplayers”. The Spoting News will publish the box score and‚ years later‚ Proctor's name will appear in the first edition of The Baseball Encyclopedia.

Phantom ballplayer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here’s something you may have to wait and see until it snows in St. Louis in July. It was on this date in 1923 that the future Manager of the Cleveland Indians, Ossie Vitt, then playing for the Salt Lake City Bees and his teammate, Paul Strand each connect for 2 homers in the same inning. Vitt played 10 seasons in the Majors, 1912-1921, as a 3rd Baseman where he hit only 4 HRs in over 1,000 games so hitting 2 in an inning was very much out of character. Vitt is however remembered for something other than anything he did as a player. He’s remembered for the player mutiny against him by the team called the “Cleveland Crybabies” when he was the Manager of the Indians in 1940. He managed the Indians from 1938 through 1940, and 18 seasons in the Minor Leagues, after his ten years as a player.
Vitt began managing in 1925 in the Pacific Coast League with Salt Lake City before spending the next 9 seasons managing the Hollywood Stars then moving to the Yankees organization to become their Manager-in-waiting by managing their top farm club for the next three seasons, 1935-36-37. It was after the 1937 that the Indians swooped in to sign him as their Manager. On October 20, 1937 Cleveland announced that the team had signed him to a two-year deal. Vitt seemed like an unknown to some, but on the West Coast he had long been considered, the Cleveland Plain Dealer told its readers, a “Major League manager buried in the Minors.” The Indians were coming off fifth- and fourth-place finishes under prior Manager Steve O’Neill. Vitt knew he had a pitching phenom in young Bob Feller, but little else. In those days Cleveland was not the model MLB team. Noted Baseball writer Shirley Povich described the team, “If there was an Alcatraz in baseball, the Cleveland club would certainly qualify ... the Indians are seemingly confirmed violators of the baseball laws. Their faculty for getting into trouble is no less than amazing.”
Grantland Rice was more direct when Vitt was introduced as the Manager… “Oscar Vitt starts in Cleveland, where some good men have failed. Cleveland’s baseball temperament is unstable. The hopes of the fans are riding high one day and coasting to the depths the next. And too frequently the Manager has been caught in the middle. Sharply critical scribes, noisily articulate fans, and, too frequently, ballplayers who huddled in cliques in the clubhouse corners, have wrecked the careers of Managers who have tried desperately to win in Cleveland.” Rice added, “Oscar knows all this, of course. He walked into the job with his eyes wide open and against the warnings of some of his friends. He knew it was a hard job, but he didn’t hesitate to tackle it.”
The 1938 began well for the Indians and at mid-season they were in 1st place and Vitt was being complimented for his handling of Cleveland’s temperamental players. The team slumped in August but still finished a very respectable 3rd in the standings and repeated that in the 1939 season.

1940 began with Bob Feller throwing a 1-0 no-hitter against the White Sox on Opening Day. Problems were developing in the clubhouse but despite that there were only two days all season long -- May 7 and June 15 -- that the Indians sank as low as third place. They were in first or second place almost all season long, and in first place for most of August. Then it started…the player rebellion broke out in mid-June. What was said to be virtually every Cleveland player who was not a rookie personally confronted owner Alva Bradley in his office in what the Associated Press termed a “mass protest, believed unprecedented in major league baseball history.” They said they couldn’t win under Vitt, who was guilty of “insincerity, ridiculing of players and caustic criticism.” Veteran Cleveland sportswriter Gordon Cobbledick wrote in the June 14 Plain Dealer that the players’ demand was “incontrovertible evidence” that he did not have his players’ confidence and therefore by definition was a poor manager. “The Indians say it is difficult to hustle for Vitt. They charge that he has destroyed their spirit and wrecked the incentive to play winning ball. It isn’t merely that they dislike him, for other managers have been disliked by their players and still made a success. Their chief complaint is that he has forfeited their respect and caused them to lose face with other teams.” Team owner, Bradley, for his part, expressed complete surprise to hear all this.

On June 16, all the players (except for three who were not present for unrelated reasons) signed a statement withdrawing everything they had said, citing the withdrawal as for the betterment of the team. However, the beast had been released and Vitt had been stung by the charges and that couldn’t be wiped away by the withdrawal. Povich of the Post suggested that had been a strategic retreat, since the players “suddenly discovered that they had whipped up an awful fuss and were making themselves, as well as Bradley and Vitt, laughing stocks.” They also found that Bradley was going to stick by Vitt, and “baseball players don’t argue with club owners.”

Around baseball, even other ballplayers tended to sympathize with Vitt, in part because they realized he had an unusually large number of problematic ballplayers on his team, and players on other teams were heard to call them “sneaks” and “crybabies.” The team did go on a 12-2 run getting back into first place and, staying there into early September. Bradley was well aware that the problems remained and said later in August that “even the winning of the pennant and the World Series won’t smooth over the present difficulties.” The race went right down to the wire, the Tigers coming in first and the Indians second, with Detroit only winning out in the final home stand for the Indians. Cleveland wound up one game out of first place. In any event, surprising no one, the Indians chose not to renew his contract for 1941. He went back to the Pacific Coast League to manage and Roger Peckinpaugh was hired to manage the Indians which he did to a sub .500 season finishing 4 games under .500 instead of the 24 games over .500 that Vitt had managed the season before.

1940 Cleveland Indians - BR Bullpen

Ossie Vitt Managerial Record | Baseball-Reference.com


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

In 1969 he slammed 47 HRs…the most he hit in a single season ( remember there were no steroids around then ). In 1982 he won the last of his 4 HR Crowns when hit 39. In between those two seasons he won an MVP and was on 5 World Series winning teams missing one of those Series being injured. Can you name this HOF’er ?

The answer to yesterday’s question…Pete Runnels won AL Batting Crowns in 1960 and 1962 (Carl Yastrzemski won 3 AL Batting Crowns during the 1960s but he wasn’t the only Red Sox player to win multiple AL Batting Crowns in that decade…who was the other player to do it?)

 

[67RedSox]

The Phillies have lost 10,574 games in their history. That’s more Losses than any other club in the Majors. They’ve also managed to win a few games ( 9,476 ) since they began playing as the “Quakers” back in 1883 and it was on this date In in 1883 they won their first Big League game ever, a shellacking of the Chicago Cubs ( then known as the White Stockings ), 12-0. There are no players who participated in that game still actively playing in the Majors. Home to Philadelphia in those days was Recreation Park. It had a seating capacity of 6.500 and was built on maybe the oddest shaped lot of any MLB park. The shape of the lot dictated that outfield fence distances were: LF-300', CF-331', RF-247'. Couldn't find a picture of the 1883 team but the 1884 version of the Philadelphia Quakers follows. What I do find interesting in the picture is the shot of the grandstand behind the players…it looks like something I might build with my limited skills and this from a civilization that built the Pyramids, the Coliseum, the Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower, Suez Canal et al.

File:Philadelphia Quakers 1884.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

recreation park philadelphia - Google Search

It was on this date in 1911 that NL President, Tom Lynch, asked umpires to "hustle the games along." I guess one thing in baseball hasn’t changed even though the average game took about 1 hr and 50 minutes to play in those days.

Tom Lynch | SABR

Here’s an example though of how the Game has changed. It was on this date in 1916 Cardinals rookie, Rogers Hornsby, hits the first of his 301 ML Home Runs. It’s a flare that bounces behind 3B and hops into the seats…it’s a bounce HR, legal till 1931, but a ground-rule double today.

May 14, 1916 Brooklyn Robins at St. Louis Cardinals Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1920 Walter Johnson, reached a milestone, by winning his 300th game in the Majors by beating the Tigers 9-8, oddly in relief. Johnson will beat Detroit 66 times in his career‚ the most wins over one team by an AL pitcher. Just as Cy Young’s career Wins was approaching 500 and his career coming to a close the greatest pitcher of all-time in many people’s opinion, Johnson, was starting his asualt on greatness and on his way to winning 417 games himself. In the 10 year period 1910-1919 which closed out the Dead-Ball Era Johnson, with a fastball that sizzled, won 265 games with an ERA of 1.80 and tossing on average 342 Innings a season. Try that today and see if you can avoid Tommy John surgery. The great Ty Cobb admitted Johnson’s fastball "made me flinch" and "hissed with danger." Johnson was admired all over America not only for his pitching exploits and his fierce competitiveness, but also for the modesty, humility and dignity with which he conducted himself, never arguing with umpires, berating his teammates for their errors, brushing back hitters or using "foreign substances" on the baseball. At a time when many ballplayers were ruffians and drunkards, Walter was never in a brawl and didn't patronize saloons. As superlative as his pitching record was, Baseball writer, Shirley Povich said… "Walter Johnson, more than any other ballplayer, probably more than any other athlete, professional or amateur, became the symbol of gentlemanly conduct in the heat of battle."

May 14, 1920 Detroit Tigers at Washington Senators Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

On this date in 1939 it’s Mother’s Day and Bob Feller's mother travels from Iowa to watch her son pitch against the White Sox. It is the first time she's seen him play in the Majors‚ and she is given a box along the 1B line at Comiskey Park. Sox 3B Marv Owen then lines a Feller fast ball that knocks Mrs. Feller unconscious. She’s revived and receives 6 stitches over the eye but otherwise is none the worse for wear. The Indians win‚ 9-4. Ah, what mothers endure for their children.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Google News Archive Search

Sticking with milestones…it was on this date in 1967 that Mickey Mantle becomes just the 6th ML’er to hit 500 HRs in his career when he takes Stu Miller of the Orioles deep in a game at Yankee Stadium on Mother’s Day in front of a crowd of 18,872. In the same game the greatest fielding ML Shortstop of the 1970’s, Mark Belanger, hits his 1st ML Homerun. Belanger would fall 480 HRs short of hitting 500 career HRs.


Here’s some names from yesteryear to ponder…Jim Gilliam, Frank Howard, Ron Santo, Joe Christopher, Richie “Call Me Dick” Allen, Tommy McGraw, Zoilo Versalles, Rich Rollins, Bob Allison, Harmon Killebrew and Don Mincher all hit HRs 51 years ago today on this date in 1964.

May 14th is a popular birth date for HOF’ers. Ed Walsh, pitcher for the Dead-Ball Era Chicago White Sox and the Majors last 40 game winner ( 1908 ) was born on this date in 1881. Earle Combs, the great NY Yankee CF’er through all their glory years in the 1920s and 1930s was born on this date in 1899 and Tony Perez the 1B of the Big Red Machine was born on this date in 1942.

Ed Walsh Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

Earle Combs Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

Tony Perez Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

There have been 7 NY Yankees play in 50 or more World Series games. There has been 1 non-Yankee to play in at least 50 WS games. Can you name the non-Yankee who was the NL’s MVP in 1931. Many rank him among the Top 5 2B all-time and in 1926 was traded for Rogers Hornsby considered by most as the greatest 2B of all-time.

The answer to yesterday’s question…Reggie Jackson (In 1969 he slammed 47 HRs…the most he hit in a single season ( remember there were no steroids around then ). In 1982 he won the last of his 4 HR Crowns when hit 39. In between those two seasons he won an MVP and was on 5 World Series winning teams missing one of those Series being injured. Can you name this HOF’er ?)

 

[67RedSox]

There have been dozens, hundreds of ballparks across the country that have contributed significantly in the history of the Grand Old Game at all levels. Some are still in use. Most however served their purpose and have disappeared from the landscape. One of those long gone is The Union Base Ball and Cricket Grounds, or as it became known as… The Union Grounds in Brooklyn.
When you think Brooklyn and Baseball you think of the Dodgers and Ebbets Field. Although the Dodgers are long gone from Brooklyn (1957) most fans young and old know of Ebbets Field. Ebbets Field though was only the last of 4 stadiums the Dodgers played at after being established in 1883. I wonder how many are familiar with the first three? Now go back even further…20 years further to the 1860’s and we get to… The Union Grounds. It was on this date in 1862 The Union Baseball Grounds at Marcy Avenue and Rutledge Street in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn opens for the first time. This is significant as it’s the first enclosed ball field and the first to charge an admission fee. The Union Grounds had seating for 1,500 spectators but many more could be accommodated around the extremely large field without being likely to interfere with play. A band provided music for the spectators throughout the first game proceedings. An estimated 3,000 visitors helped the Union Grounds to an auspicious beginning.
Until ballparks became enclosed it was common for games to be interrupted by rowdies, those having had a little too much to drink or people simply walking across the field of play. The enclosed field and admission kept the undesirables out and women could now begin to attend games and feel safe doing so.
The park did not sit idle during the winter. Its field was flooded and served as the rink for an ice skating club. Aside from its early status as an enclosed field, the Union Grounds had one other highly unusual feature: a pagoda was in play in deep center field. This structure was three storeys high, and during skating season it would be filled with lamps each evening to decorate the pond with glittering reflections.

union grounds - Google Search

It was on this date in 1894 a fight breaks out in a game between the Baltimore Orioles (then of the NL) and the Boston Beaneaters ( Braves ). The combatants were future HOF’er John McGraw of the Orioles and Beaneaters’ 1st baseman, Tommy Tucker. A devastating fire, probably caused by a tossed cigar‚ starts in the RF stands at Boston's South End Grounds. The fire spreads to adjacent blocks and eventually destroys or severely damages 170 buildings and leaves 1‚900 homeless.

The Great South End Grounds Fire of 1894 - New England Historical Society

It isn’t often that a pitcher tosses two Shutouts in one game but it was on this date in 1918 that Walter Johnson pitches the first of two 18-inning Shutouts in ML history. Carl Hubbell would match the feat in 1933 but on this day in a game that features no substitutes and no errors‚ White Sox pitcher Lefty Williams and the Senators Walter Johnson hook up for the 18-inning shutout marathon. The Nats finally push across a run in the 18th when Williams gives up two singles and then‚ with runners on the corners‚ heaves a wild pitch. Johnson scatters 10 hits in the win while Lefty allows 8.

May 15, 1918 Chicago White Sox at Washington Senators Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

When you think of Lou Gehrig and his abilities you seldom, at least I don’t, think of him as a base stealer and particularly someone who would steal home…but he is among the Top 20 in doing so in all of MLB history. It was on this date in 1935 Gehrig steals home in a 4-0 Yankee win over the Tigers. It is his 15th and last steal of home.

Stealing Home Base Records by Baseball Almanac

It was on this date in 1941 Joe DiMaggio begins his 56-game hitting streak with a hit against White Sox pitcher Edgar Smith. The Yankee outfielder will collect at least one hit in every game until July 17, when his unrivaled accomplishment, which captures the attention of a Nation at War, is stopped in Cleveland with the help of outstanding defensive plays by third baseman Ken Keltner.


Despite playing 14 years in the Majors from 1934 to 1949, leading the NL one year in Saves and another in Winning % ( 14-5, .737 ) Clyde ‘Hardrock’ Shoun is virtually unknown but it was on this date in 1944, in his first start of the season, in front of maybe the smallest crowd to witness a No-Hitter, just 1,014 fans at Crosley Field, he no-hits the Braves, 1-0.

May 15, 1944 Boston Braves at Cincinnati Reds Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

Despite a blazing fastball the ML fortunes of Dick Barrett were unimpressive. Over the course of 5 ML seasons between 1933 and 1945 he finished with a mark of 35-58 with an ERA of 4.28. His last season in the Majors in 1945 he pitched for the Phillies and his 20 Losses led the National League. However, the success that eluded him in the Majors did not in the Minors…the roly-poly pitcher was a Pacific Coast League standout ( mostly with Seattle ), with seven 20-win seasons, 234 wins, and the League's most career strikeouts. It was on this date in 1948 he tosses a Perfect Game as the Seattle Rainiers defeat the Sacramento Solons 2-0.

Dick Barrett Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

After three mediocre seasons in Philadelphia, The Phillies trade RHP Don Cardwell to the Cubs and on this date in 1960 he pitches a No-Hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals in his first start for his new team, the only pitcher ever to do so.


In 1976 the late Mark “The Bird” Fidrych owned the American League. He was a rookie with the Detroit Tigers. It was on this date in 1976 Fidrych wins his first ML game. Fidrych wasn’t as animated as this guy but he was pretty busy on the mound.


On this date in 1981 the Indians Len Barker pitches the 9th perfect game in 20th Century ML history 3-0 over the Blue Jays before just 7‚290 fans on a rainy night in Cleveland. Barker never once reached Ball 3 against any Blue Jay hitter. He recorded strikeouts against seven of the last eleven Blue Jays hitters. Barker was the first Perfect Game pitcher who did not come to bat during the entire game after the DH was introduced in 1973.

Len Barker Perfect Game Box Score by Baseball Almanac

Happy Birthday to a couple of Hall of Famers in George Brett, 62 who was born on this date in 1953 and John Smoltz, 48 who was born on this date in 1967.

George Brett - BR Bullpen

John Smoltz - BR Bullpen


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Between 2000-2014 there has been only one World Series champion who won at least 100 in the regular season the year they won the Series. The fewest wins in a season by a World Series champion was 83. Can you name the team ( year is not necessary ) that won 103 games and the World Series and the team that won only 83 yet still were WS champions.

The answer to yesterday’s question… Frankie Frisch, the Fordham Flash. (There have been 7 NY Yankees play in 50 or more World Series games. There has been 1 non-Yankee to play in at least 50 WS games. Can you name the non-Yankee who was the NL’s MVP in 1931. Many rank him among the Top 5 2B all-time and in 1926 was traded for Rogers Hornsby considered by most as the greatest 2B of all-time.)

 

[67RedSox]

If you were in Boston on this date in 1871 you would have been able to take in the first professional Baseball game played in Beantown. The Troy Haymakers beat the Red Stockings 29-14 in front of a crowd of 5,000. The Red Stockings (would eventually become the Atlanta Braves). The game was played at the South End Grounds which was rebuilt twice in its lifetime but remained a NL park until 1914. The interesting thing about the South End Grounds was it had no right or left fields but one large center field. Of course, that’s an exaggeration but the way the field had to be squeezed into the lot it was built on between a street and railway tracks meant the right field fence was 255’ from home plate and the left field fence 250’and then everywhere else sharply changed to about 450’from right center all the way to left center. The diagram below shows this better.

south end grounds - Google Search

Baseball History: 1871

The Canary Islands are a gorgeous group of 12 islands located about 60 miles due west of North Africa’s Morocco with Tenerife being the largest. 12 million tourists flock there every year so it has a lot going for it. There’s a lot to see and do in the Canaries, alas baseball is not one of them. The Canary Islands although part of the African continent belong to Spain, 800 miles to the northeast. Now that the geography lesson is out of the way what’s the point of even mentioning the Canaries. Well, on this date in 1913 Alfredo Cabrera played his one and only ML game. He went a disappointing 0–2 at the plate in that game. Born in the Canary Islands he did make history as he became the first Spanish-born and also the first and even to this day only African-born Major Leaguer. He did play in Cuba and is in the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Short Flight Of El Pájaro, The Cuban Legend Who Played His Only Game In The Major Leagues 100 Years Ago Today

During a 7-4 Giants win over the Reds at the Polo Grounds on this date in 1921‚ Giants' fan‚ Reuben Berman‚ refuses to return a foul ball‚ and he is detained‚ given his ticket price back‚ and ejected from the park. Berman sues for $20‚000 and wins a $100 claim in Court. The Giants will then allow fans to keep foul balls. The Cubs were the first to institute the policy‚ in 1916. The Pirates will follow suit in two months. Here's a typical foul ball in the stands...great facial reactions.

The Baseball: A Cultural Phenom Beyond The Game | Here & Now

On this date in 1933 Cecil Travis plays his first ML game and collects 5 basehits. We all have a player or two who are not in the Hall of Fame but who we consider worthy to be there. Cecil Travis is one of those players for me. Travis came up with the Washington Senators as a 19 year old in 1933 and was their Shortstop until after the 1941 season when the Army came calling and he spent the next four years in an Army uniform. Those four years and what he endured ended up costing him his baseball career. How good was he? The Sporting News named him as the best all-around Shortstop pre WWII. He was born on a farm in Georgia in 1913. One of his tasks as a kid was chopping cotton ( chopping down weeds that are growing in the rows that the cotton is planted )and Baseball offered one of the few means of escape so he took it. In his 9 seasons before heading off to War he hit over .300 in 8 of them and .292 in the other. At the conclusion of the 1941 season his lifetime batting average was .328.

The historic 1941 baseball season set the stage for Travis' most remarkable season in the Majors. After experimenting that spring with a heavier bat, different grip, and a stance farther back in the batter's box, the former opposite-field hitter emerged as a pull hitter with some pop. He went on to set career highs in batting average (.359), doubles (39), triples (19), home runs (7), RBIs (101), and runs scored (106). He also collected a career-best 218 hits, which led all of Baseball that season-a surprising fact when considering that Joe DiMaggio staged a record 56-game hitting streak and Ted Williams hit .406 that same year. In the classic 1941 All-Star game in Detroit, Travis' take-out slide at 2B in the 9th inning prevented a double play and kept the game alive, allowing Ted Williams to follow with his memorable game-winning HR. Soon after Pearl Harbor, Travis was inducted into the U.S. Army. As a member of the Special Forces in the 76th Infantry Division (nicknamed "Onaway" Division), Travis was sent to Europe for active duty. The 76th was stationed briefly in England before crossing the Channel and entering the European Theater in December. That winter, the 76th performed "mop-up" duty in following behind the Germans as Hitler's forces retreated from the Battle of the Bulge. American soldiers battled the elements during that cold winter; Travis developed frostbite to two toes of his left foot and spent time in a hospital before rejoining his unit. Onaway Division pursued Hitler's army on into Germany and, following the surrender of Germany in May 1945, remained as part of the occupying forces.

When he returned to the Majors after the War it was evident he was not able to perform at the level he had previously and after a couple of mediocre seasons his career was over. Travis is remembered as one of the classiest players in the Game. He was a quiet, unassuming star, and AL umpires once voted him their favourite player. Such names as Ted Williams, Bob Feller, and Bowie Kuhn (who served as a batboy and scoreboard operator for the Senators during Travis' tenure) have called for Travis' induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Travis himself refused to campaign for himself. "I was a good player, but I wasn't a great one," he told Furman Bisher of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has never bemoaned the playing years lost to military service. "We had a job to do, an obligation, and we did it. I was hardly the only one". After a long life he died at the age of 93 in 2006.

Baseball in Wartime - Cecil Travis

It was on this date in 1939 the first night game in AL history is played in Shibe Park in Philadelphia in front of 15,109 on a cold night. The Indians defeat the A’s 8-3. Frankie Hayes, the Athletics catcher hit a HR in the 2nd inning to become the first player to hit a HR in a night game. Hayes was a 6-time All-Star who still holds two records…when he caught 155 games in 1944, he set a still-standing American League record for games played in a season as catcher. His accomplishment of 312 consecutive games caught remains an unbroken ML record.

https://mlblogsphilliesinsider.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/shibe-park-lights.jpg

It was on this date in 1951 Mickey Mantle slams the first of his 266 Yankee Stadium career HRs.

May 16, 1951 Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1965 Jim Palmer, still a teenager, picks up his first ML Win‚ topping the Yankees‚ 7-5. Palmer also bangs his first ML homer‚ a two-run drive off Jim Bouton‚ to give himself the victory margin.

May 16, 1965 New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

On this date in 1970 during a game against the Giants at Dodger Stadium, a 14 year old boy, Alan Fish, sitting with friends from the Poinsettia Playground in the second row seats along the first base line, is struck in the head by a foul ball off the bat of Manny Mota. He initially reports feeling fine‚ but after the game he becomes disoriented and starts walking in circles. He will be hospitalized and die in four days. The parents will bring a lawsuit against the team and the doctor‚ but it will be concluded in 1973 in favour of the team. He becomes the only fatality as a result of a batted ball in ML history although it has happened four times in Minor League games.

40 years ago today: A death at Dodger Stadium, and still the only one of its kind at an MLB game | Farther Off the Wall

Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Since WWII there have been two seasons (back-to-back in fact) when the leader in Hits for both the NL and AL played in the same city that season. All you need to do is name either of the two cities or one of the players involved. Since WWII continues to get further and further out there I will offer a bit of a clue and tell you that of the 4 players involved…all played their last ML game before Jim Palmer picked up his first ML Win.

The answer to yesterday’s question…2009 Yankees win 103, 2006 Cardinals win 83 (Between 2000-2014 there has been only one World Series champion who won at least 100 in the regular season the year they won the Series. The fewest wins in a season by a World Series champion was 83. Can you name the team ( year is not necessary ) that won 103 games and the World Series and the team that won only 83 yet still were WS champions.)

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1906 that Ty Cobb successfully bunts to break up Rube Waddell’s no-hitter. Shame on Cobb. Waddell, a Hall of Famer, was one of the Game’s more colourful characters of his day. He was also as good a pitcher as they came. His fastball rivaled Walter Johnson’s and that combined with a wicked curve ball allowed him to lead the AL in strikeouts for six consecutive seasons …1902-1907. In 1904 he struck out 349 - an AL record that stood for over 70 years until surpassed by Nolan Ryan. He could drink as well as he could pitch and the Sporting News dubbed the southpaw the “sousepaw” . It was also the Sporting News that dubbed him the only “one ring circus that travels with a ball club”.
He spent money as fast as he got it. For a time the A's paid him in dollar bills, hoping to make his money last longer. He was forever borrowing or conning extra money out of Connie Mack. Waddell enjoyed waving his teammates off the field and then striking out the side. He actually did so only in exhibition games, since the rules prohibit playing with fewer than nine men on the field in regulation play. But, in a League game in Detroit, Waddell had his outfielders come in close and sit down on the grass. He struck out the side.
Waddell wrestled alligators in Florida, hung around in firehouses, married two women who then left him, and tended bar when he wasn't the saloon's best customer. He held up the start of games he was scheduled to pitch while he played marbles with children outside the park. There was a provision in Waddell's contract barring him from eating Animal Crackers in bed. In those days, two players had to share a double bed on the road, and Ossie Schreckengost was Waddell's catcher and roommate. "Schreck wouldn't sign unless he saw that clause in Waddell's contract," said Mack, "so I wrote it in there, and the Rube stuck to it."

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

Lou Chiozza was born on this date in 1910 and his name is worth mentioning for three reasons despite a rather non-descript 6 year career as primarily a 3B with the Phillies and Giants. First, he and his brother, Dino, a catcher were one of the first sets of brothers to play on the same team in MLB history. Second, while playing for the Phillies, Chiozza was the first ML player in history to bat in a night game. He was the leadoff man for the Phillies when he appeared against the Reds in Cincinnati in the first night game in the Majors on May 24, 1935. Finally, it was as a result of a ball hit by Chiozza that Babe Ruth decided it was time for him to retire. On May 29, 1935, the Phillies were playing against the Boston Braves at Baker Bowl, the old cracker-box park of the old Philadelphia Phillies. Babe Ruth, playing left field at age 40 for the Braves, had been through for years but was still being exploited for his name. Just a few days before the Philadelphia series, the Babe hit three home runs in Pittsburgh. Chiozza, who had just been brought up from the Memphis Chicks, hit a short fly ball down the left field line that would have ordinarily at best been a double. Due to his advanced age and decreased mobility, Ruth stumbled after the ball in the outfield. The shortstop ran out, retrieved the ball and threw the ball home to barely stop Chiozza from an inside-the-park home run. Many in the park believed that the umpire felt sorry for the aging star and called an obviously safe Chiozza out at home plate. After Ruth realized that he was so slow that Lou almost made a home run on an ordinary base hit, he stood for a minute, folded his glove and walked off the field into the clubhouse. The Babe knew he was done and he officially retired a few days later on June 2, 1935.

Lou Chiozza Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

No single subject consumes more television time, worldwide, than live sports events. No other kind of programming had as much impact on making television commercially viable in its infancy than sports and motivated enough people to buy the newfangled gadget, the TV…and it all started with a baseball game, 76 years ago on this date in 1939. Televising a regular athletic event was tried for the first time. A Columbia-Princeton baseball game at Baker Field was carried by the National Broadcasting Company to the 400 or so sets then capable of receiving its broadcast signal. Satisfied with the result, NBC decided to try doing a ML game. Five months later it did, from Brooklyn's Ebbets Field. Reviewing the game the next day‚ the New York Times sniffs‚ "it is difficult to see how this sort of thing can catch the public fancy."

Incidentally, this is apparently not the same field Lou Gehrig played his college ball on while playing at Columbia in the early 1920s. See photo below of Gehrig on South Field in 1922.

All Funked Up :: First Televised Sporting Event in 1939

lou gehrig columbia university - Google Search

It was on this date in 1970 at Crosley Field in Cicinnati that Hank Aaron collects his 3‚000th hit‚ a first-inning infield single.

May 17, 1970 Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1989 that Specs Toporcer died at the age of 90. Toporcer played through the 1920s on the Cardinals as a utility infielder despite never playing baseball in high school, college, or the Minors and went right from the sandlots to the Majors. He is widely considered as the first MLB position player to wear eyeglasses on the playing field. After leaving the Majors, he was the International League's MVP with Rochester in 1929 and 1930.After his playing career ended he managed in the Minors and became the Farm Director for the Boston Red Sox. His eyesight became progressively worse and by 1951 he was completely blind and spent the last 38 years of his life that way. His life story was featured in a network TV show in which he played the lead.

Specs Toporcer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What a welcome to the Majors pitcher, Ervin Santana, received on this date in 2005 when he made his MLB debut. On the first 10 pitches he tosses in his debut the 22-year old allows a collective cycle to the first four Indian batters he faces: a triple by Grady Sizemore, a double by Coco Crisp, a single by Travis Hafner followed by a home run blasted by Ben Broussard. Ouch!

May 17, 2005 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Cleveland Indians Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

Harmon Killebrew died on this date in 2011 at the age of 74. One of the true gentlemen who played the Game in the 1950s-1970s. His death was particularly sad for the man who when he retired was #5 on the all-time HR list. For some reason he lived the final years of his life making ends meet by marketing autographs and making speeches. He lost everything in the late 1980s when he lost his way the victim of fraud, inexperience, poor advice and bad decisions. Even in Minneapolis, a city he once owned, he was virtually ignored in death. Only a small group of fans showed up a Memorial Service held for him at Target Field and only 4 players from the Minnesota Twins baseball team despite the day being an open day for the Twins as they closed a home series before heading to California.

Was Harmon Killebrew the inspiration for the MLB logo? - Big League Stew - MLBBlog - Yahoo! Sports


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Can you name the last player in the Majors to lead his League in Stolen Bases for 5 consecutive seasons…Vince Coleman did it 1985-1990 ( 6 seasons ) but it’s been done since then.

The answer to yesterday’s question… 1947 Boston…Tommy Holmes NL – 191, Johnny Pesky AL- 206, 1948 St. Louis…Stan Musial NL – 230, Bob Dillinger AL – 207. (Since WWII there have been two seasons (back-to-back in fact) when the leader in Hits for both the NL and AL played in the same city that season. All you need to do is name either of the two cities or one of the players involved. Since WWII continues to get further and further out there I will offer a bit of a clue and tell you that of the 4 players involved…all played their last ML game before Jim Palmer picked up his first ML Win.)

 

[67RedSox]

Scrappy Bill Joyce last played in the Majors in 1898 so I doubt many of us actually got to see him play. He’s worth a mention for a few reasons. The first, it was on this date in 1897 his four triples pace the New York Giants to an 11-5 win over the Pirates at Pittsburgh, a ML record he shares with George Strief. Several have hit 3 in a game since including the likes of Ernie Banks, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays and Joltin Joe but no one has matched it. The second thing he’s worth a mention for his being partly responsible for the term “Texas Leaguer” to denote a fly ball that drops between an infielder and an outfielder for a hit. He’s among a group of three players who arrived in the International League from the Texas League and they started hitting these bloop singles just out of the reach of the infielders and folks starting referring to these as Texas Leaguers hits and the term stuck. Finally, in the entire history of the game there are only a handful of players who were adept at getting on base than Joyce. His lifetime OB% is .435, good for 7th on the all-time list. Players like Cobb, Hornsby, Speaker and Shoeless Joe have to look up to see him.

Bill Joyce - BR Bullpen

Sticking with birthdays a bit longer it was on this date in 1929 Jack Sanford was born. Few remember him despite his accomplishments in the Majors. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1957 when he won 19 games for the Phillies and led the NL in Strikeouts which was quite surprising since he wasn’t a strikeout pitcher in the Minors. After the following season the Phillies traded him to the Giants in what the Phils’ owner, Robert Carpenter, later called the worst deal of his career. In 1962 he had a career year with 24 Wins, including 16 consecutively, and started 3 games in the World Series against the mighty Yankees and there are few pitchers who can put that sort of stuff on their Big League resume. Had two things not gotten in way that year he might be remembered today…the first was something that roamed Southern California 338 miles to the South in the form of Don Drysdale who won 25 games that season, led the NL in Strikeouts and won the NL Cy Young Award. The second was Ralph Terry who outpitched Sanford in Game 7 of the World Series which the Yankees won by the narrowest of scores, 1-0…in the most dramatic Baseball game ever witnessed.

Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star

Ah, the good old days when such a thing as a doubleheader existed. It was also on this date in 1929 the Dodgers and Phillies play a doubleheader in the band box in Philadelphia known as the Baker Bowl and split the games by scores of 20-16 and 8-6.. It had a little something for everyone except those who like low scoring pitching duels. The Dodgers and Phillies combined for 66 basehits and 50 runs in the space of about 4 and ½ hours. So many runs, in fact, it’s still the ML record for most runs scored in a doubleheader. We’ve mentioned the Baker Bowl before but I’ll say again it was one of the most unique MLB ballparks of all time and maybe had the most bizarre dimensions of any.

The Best Baker Bowl Photos on the Internet, Part 1 Philly Sports History

May 18, 1929 Brooklyn Robins at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

May 18, 1929 Brooklyn Robins at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

Carroll Hardy, the primary architect of the Denver Broncos bruising Defense of the 1970s known as the “Orange Crush” was born on this date in 1933. Of course, that’s what he did after his Baseball career and as interesting as that is it’s what he did in a Baseball uniform that’s more interesting.
Hardy attended the University of Colorado from 1951–1955 and was selected in the 3rd Round of the NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49er’s. He played one season for the 49er’s as a halfback, caught 12 passes including 4 for touchdowns but after that one season decided to play baseball instead. After playing two seasons with the San Diego Padres in the Pacific Coast League the Indians called him up to the play in the Big Leagues. He played 8 seasons in the Majors with the Indians, Red Sox, Astros and Twins. His time in the Majors was mostly as a 4th outfielder playing full-time in only one year, 1962 with the Red Sox.
On this date in 1958 he pinch-hits for Roger Maris and hits a 3-run homer and there aren’t too many who can say that. Again, interesting but why Hardy is remembered is for two pinch-hit appearances he made other than his pinch-hitting for Roger Maris. He is the only player who ever pinch-hit for Carl Yastrzemski and he is also the only player to ever pinch-hit for Ted Williams and that is saying something special.

Carroll Hardy - 1955 49ers Team Issue #13 - Vintage Football Card Gallery

Carroll Hardy Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

On this date in 1953 the Dodgers play the Reds in Cincinnati. Its Preacher Roe for the Dodgers against Bud Podbielan for the Reds. Podbielan’s control is awful and he walks 13 in the game…but wins 2-1. In contrast to that in 1989 The Montreal Expos play the Los Angeles Dodgers in a game that goes 22 innings and their pitchers do not walk a single batter setting the Major League record for longest game (by number of innings) without a walk by a team.

May 18, 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

This is how the game used to be played…at least by Mickey Lolich. On this date in 1969 Rod Carew steals 2B‚ 3B‚ and Home in the 3rd inning of Minnesota's 8-2 loss to Detroit. Cesar Tovar also steals 3rd and Home ahead of Carew‚ and the 2 steals of home in an inning ties a ML record. Tovar pays a price when Mickey Lolich hits him in the head with a pitch in his next at bat.

Rod Carew Record of Stealing Home 7 Times In A Season

Happy Birthday to a couple of Hall of Famers. The Human Vacuum Cleaner, a.k.a. Brooks Robinson, was born on this date in 1937 and The Straw That Stirs The Drink, Reggie Jackson was born on this date in 1946. That means one is pushing 80 and the other is pushing 70…I must be getting old.

Brooks Robinson - BR Bullpen

Reggie Jackson - BR Bullpen


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Since the inception of the Rookie of the Year Award in 1947 there have been 3 former ROTY Award winners manage a World Series Champion…can you name two of those three. ( all were AL ROTY and two won the World Series managing an AL team, one managing a NL team )

The answer to yesterday’s question…Kenny Lofton, 1992-96 (Can you name the last player in the Majors to lead his League in Stolen Bases for 5 consecutive seasons…Vince Coleman did it 1985-1990 ( 6 seasons ) but it’s been done since then.)

 

[67RedSox]

Jake Beckley…have you ever heard of him? If you haven’t don’t feel bad because 99% of Baseball fans wouldn’t know the name and couldn’t pick Beckley out of a crowd of two. Yes, he’s a player of yesteryear but he is in the Hall of Fame and he deserves to be there and I mention him because players of accomplishment should never be forgotten. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971 which was 53 years after his death. Few people knew the name then and fewer know it today. Beckley's reputation suffered because he never played on a Pennant winner, and only one team he played for (the 1893 Pirates) finished as high as second place. It was on this date in 1898 that Jake Beckley hit three consecutive triples in one game. Three triples in a game is not a common thing but it does happen once in a while. Post WWII it has happened 15 times. Ernie Banks has done it, so has Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente. Beckley was a powerful 5'10" 200-lb slugger who hit .300 or better 13 times, including six straight years, 1899-1904. He had 2,930 hits lifetime, and his 244 triples rank fourth on the career list. He scored 100 runs five times in the 1890s, and stole 315 bases in his career. Until Eddie Murray surpassed him he was the all-time leader in games played by a 1st Baseman however he still ranks # 1 among 1st basemen all-time with 25,000 chances and 23,696 putouts. He was a marvel with the glove.
Beckley had a few idiosyncrasies. He yelled "Chickazoola!" to rattle opposing pitchers when he was on a batting tear, and he perfected the unusual (and now-illegal) practice of bunting with the handle of his bat. As the pitch approached the plate, Jake flipped the bat around in his hands and tapped the ball with the handle. Casey Stengel was a teenager when he saw the maneuver performed. "I showed our players," said Stengel 50 years later, when he was managing the Yankees, "and they said it's the silliest thing they ever saw, which it probably is but [Beckley] done it." Beckley wasn't afraid to bend the rules. He didn't mind cutting across the infield to shorten the distance between bases if the umpire's back was turned. One day, when umpire Tim Hurst wasn't looking, Jake ran almost directly from second base to home, sliding in without a throw. Hurst called him out because he knew something was amiss saying, "You big son of a bitch, you got here too fast!"

Jake Beckley Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

MLB History: 10 Things You Never Knew about Jake Beckley | Bleacher Report

Rosin is a solid form of resin obtained from pines and some other plants, mostly conifers, produced by heating fresh liquid resin to vaporize the volatile liquid terpene components. It is semi-transparent and varies in color from yellow to black. It was on this date in 1921 at the annual meeting of the NL owners‚ they vote in favor of restoring the resin bag for pitchers. It had been banned along with the spitball‚ shine ball‚ and other odd pitches.


The Babe’s first season with the Yankees was 1920 when their catcher was 31 year old Truck Hannah then in his final year of his ML career. His baseball career was far from over as he went on to play about 15 more years in the Pacific Coast League with Vernon and Los Angeles. He then moves to managing Memphis in the Southern Association. On this date in 1940 when both his catchers go down Hannah, then in his 50s, catches both games of a doubleheader with Nashville and Memphis wins them both.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bpv/images/7/77/TruckHannah.jpg

Truck Hannah Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1946 that Ted Lyons, the best pitcher in the history of the Chicago White Sox, pitched his last game in the Majors at the age of 45. In the game he did what was his trademark…pitch on Sunday and toss a Complete Game in under 2 hours. Although it was his final game as a player he wasn’t taking off the uniform as he became the team’s Manager.
Lyons is a Hall of Famer and deservedly so. His ML career and professional baseball career began with the White Sox in 1923 ( he never played in the Minors ) and ended in 1946. He pitched a total of 21 seasons, all with the White Sox, and missed 1943, 1944, 1945 serving in the Marines. In his career he pitched in 100 doubleheaders. He started Game 1 in all 100 of those, never pitched the 2nd game.
Ted Lyons is remembered as the “Sunday pitcher” who started only once a week for much of his career. But he completed more games than any other contemporary starter. In 1942, his 20th season in the Majors, the 41 year-old completed all twenty of his starts, going 14-6 and led the AL with a 2.10 ERA. How did he top that…by joining the Marine Corps and was the oldest active ML’er to serve in the War. He was too old for the military draft, but he was single without dependents. While he made no patriotic speeches about his decision to enlist, he had seen fellow players who had families sign up to do their part for the war effort. “So, take him away, marines,” the Chicago Tribune’s Irving Vaughn wrote, “but don’t lose the return address.” Lyons was commissioned a second lieutenant and eventually was promoted to captain.
Ted Lyons was the face of the White Sox for a quarter-century. He still holds club records for wins, innings pitched, and complete games. The Sox had finished as high as third place only twice during his career; many sportswriters later said his 260 victories would have been 300-plus with a decent team.

Ted Lyons Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

I’m old enough to remember Billy O’Dell, through his baseball cards, who pitched in the Majors for 13 years starting in 1953. For all but the final 4 years of his career he was a starter and pitched mainly with the Orioles and the Giants. In 1962 he won 19 games for the SF Giants and started Game 1 of the World Series against the Yankees. It’s not his pitching that gets him a mention today but his hitting and a pretty famous HR he hit on this date in 1959.
Before getting to that HR let me ask you a question…what is the distance from home plate to 2nd Base? If you were a mathematician you would know and you’d tell me it was 127’, 3 3/8ths inches and explain it something like this…well, the distance between each of the four bases on a baseball diamond is 90 feet. A straight line from home plate to 2nd Base creates two equal triangles in that diamond so using the pythagorean formula and squared both sides of 90 and adding them together you get 16,200. The square root from that would be 127.279. Thus, the distance from home plate to 2nd Base is 127’, 3 3/8 inches.
Now, back to the Billy O’Dell HR. O’Dell was pitching for the Orioles in a match-up against Billy Pierce of the White Sox. ( O'Dell and Pierce would be teammates in 1962 in the Giants starting rotation ) With the Orioles batting in the bottom of the 2nd inning O’Dell comes to the plate with 2 out following a walk to the Orioles # 8 hitter, 2B Billy Gardner. O’Dell lines a pitch into right field and it travels all of 120 feet but bounces over the head of the White Sox’ incoming RF’er Al Smith. O’Dell ends up with a 2-run inside the park HR and wins the game 2-1 on a ball that wouldn’t even reach 2B in the air.

distance home plate to 2nd base - Google Search

Billy O'Dell Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

It was on this date in 1962 Stan Musial gets hit number 3‚431‚ to break Honus Wagner's then recognized NL record of 3‚430 (since revised to 3‚418)‚ as St. Louis downs the Dodgers 8-1. Musial's 9th-inning single comes off Ron Perranoski.

May 19, 1962 St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

Stan Musial - Career Achievements | cardinals.com: Fan Forum


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Who is the only Modern-Day (Post 1900) catcher to lead the Majors in Doubles. Going back to 1900 is a long way back so I’ll add this…it was done in the same season Clayton Kershaw won his 3rd Cy Young Award.

The answer to yesterday’s trivia question…1947-Alvin Dark (Oakland 1974), 1969-Lou Piniella (Cincinnati 1990) and 1985-Ozzie Guillen (Chi WS 2005). (Since the inception of the Rookie of the Year Award in 1947 there have been 3 former ROTY Award winners manage a World Series Champion…can you name two of those three. ( all were AL ROTY and two won the World Series managing an AL team, one managing a NL team )

 

[67RedSox]

Hall of Famer, Cap Anson, was a premier batsman and leader, Anson is widely regarded as the foremost on-field baseball figure of the 19th century. He led the NL in hitting three times and was the first man to get 3,000 hits. As a Manager, he took his Chicago team to five Pennants. Counting five years in the National Association, he played 27 seasons at the highest level of Baseball competition and was a regular each year. He was stern, iron-willed, and incorruptible, and his influence went far beyond the field as Baseball became the national game. It was on this date in 1880 the modern “Pitching Rotation” system is introduced by Anson when, as the Manager of the NL’s Chicago White Stockings (later the Cubs ), he begins using hurlers Larry Corcoran and Fred Goldsmith in alternating games‚ thereby establishing the first "pitching rotation" ever.

Cap Anson - BR Bullpen

During his career Babe Ruth hit 16 Grand Slam homeruns. It was on this date in 1919 he hit his first in a game against the Browns in St. Louis. If you were wondering, and I know you weren’t, Tony Cloninger is the only ML pitcher to hit 2 Grand Slams in one season and he hit both in the same game. On July 3, 1966 he hit one in the first inning off of Bob Priddy and in the 4th inning slammed one off of Ray Sadecki. He had 9 RBI’s in the game and picked up a Complete Game victory against the Giants, 17-3. Cloninger would hit 5 HRs and have 23 RBIs that season.

May 20, 1919 Boston Red Sox at St. Louis Browns Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

July 3, 1966 Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

Grand Slam Records

On this date in 1972 the LA Dodgers do something they never did before that game or since…play a complete 9 inning game in 1 hr, 30 minutes. Bobby Valentine homers on the first pitch of the game and Al Downing shuts out Houston on 2 hits to give the Dodgers a 3-0 win. What this means is that some of the late arrival fans the Dodgers are known for might have missed the game.

May 20, 1972 Houston Astros at Los Angeles Dodgers Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

There’s a couple of birthdays today well worth noting. Hall of Fame pitcher Hal Newhouser was born on this date in 1921. Newhouser was the Majors best pitcher in the 1940’s. Toiling for the Detroit Tigers he led the AL in Wins in 4 out of 5 seasons 1944, 1945, 1946 and 1948 averaging 22 Wins a season over that 5 years stretch. He won back-to-back MVP Awards in 1944 and 1945 and narrowly lost out to Ted Williams in 1946. He scouted for a number of ML teams…the Astros, Orioles, Indians and Tigers and knew talent when he saw it whether it was on the pitching mound or not. He discovered and signed players like Milt Pappas who won more than 200 games in the Majors, Dean Chance who won a Cy Young and is credited as being the scout who discovered Derek Jeter. He was so high on Jeter he pleaded with the Astros to draft him but they ignored his advice and signed Phil Nevin instead. Newhouser was so upset he resigned although had intended on retiring anyway.

Hal Newhouser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ken Boyer was born on this date in 1931. He’s not in the Hall of Fame…yet. He may never end up in the Hall of Fame but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be there. Usually when Boyer’s name is mentioned the comments are focused on 1964 when he won the MVP and hit the Grand Slam in the pivotal Game 4 of the World Series allowing the Cardinals to win the game, 4-3 and knot the Series, 2-2. However, that was just the tip of the iceberg as far as Boyer was concerned. His value to the Cardinals was defined by two things, one, his work ethic ( I could spend some time on this topic alone ) and his focus on the big picture…winning, being the best. The 1964 St. Louis Cardinals were a bad team for almost 5 months of the season. They languished in 5th, 6th even 7th place into July playing a little above or a little below .500. When they finally got their act together toward the end of August when they were still 11 games behind the Phillies it still required a collapse by the Phillies to allow them to go to the World Series. A number of Cardinals struggled for much of the year like Bob Gibson, Tim McCarver, Bill White and others for one reason or another. Lou Brock didn’t come over from the Cubs until 2 ½ months into the season. It was the first time since the 1940’s Stan Musial wasn’t around to lead them. Contributions from lesser names like Mike Shannon, Curt Flood, Curt Simmons and Ray Sadecki helped keep them above water but the glue that held everything together, the one guy that everyone looked up to, the guy who stepped forward to mentor the young players, often by example, when Musial retired was Ken Boyer. That’s why he was the MVP that year and that’s why his value is never fully appreciated because you can’t see that in statistics and that’s why he should be in the HOF.

Ken Boyer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Major League ballparks have gone from bandboxes squeezed into a city block and their dimensions dependent upon the shape of that block like the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia to Petco Park in San Diego where it’s not just about the ballpark itself but the surrounding area as well. It appears that the next wave of ballparks will have to incorporate far more than just a ballpark…it will be an entertainment district anchored by a ballpark …take a look at what the Braves new ballpark, scheduled to open in 2017, will encompass.

The Ballparks: Baker Bowl

The Ballparks: Petco Park

The Ballparks: The Future



Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

In the 6 years, 1998-2003 the Texas Rangers had three different players win the AL’s MVP Award. Can you name all three…their last names all ended with the letter “ z ”.

The answer to yesterday’s question…Jonathan Lucroy, 2014 with 53 (Who is the only Modern-Day (Post 1900) catcher to lead the Majors in Doubles. Going back to 1900 is a long way back so I’ll add this…it was done in the same season Clayton Kershaw won his 3rd Cy Young Award.)

 

[67RedSox]

I’ve mentioned “Harvard” Eddie Grant before but I’ll mention him again because Baseball + War is always worth mentioning. Grant was born on this date in 1883 and was Harvard educated. He played 10 years in the Majors retiring at the age of 32 after the 1915 season to practice law. His career as a lawyer lasted but one year. When the United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, he became the first ML’er to enlist (Hank Gowdy was the first active ML’er). Arriving in France as part of the American Expeditionary Forces, Grant's division saw some combat before being assigned to the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the final great American drive of the war. His Regiment launched an attack in the Argonne Forest, a rugged, heavily wooded area with thick underbrush, deep ravines, and marshes. Later that day the 307th was moving forward when Major Jay, as he was carried past on a litter, ordered Captain Grant, the highest-ranking officer left in his battalion, to assume command. The major had hardly spoken when a shell came through the trees, wounding two of Grant's lieutenants. Eddie was waiving his hands and calling out for more stretcher bearers when a shell struck him. It was a direct hit, killing him instantly. Eddie Grant was buried in the Argonne Forest, only a few yards from where he fell.

Eddie Grant - Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice

Eddie Grant Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com


We used no mattress on our hands,

No cage upon our face;

We stood right up and caught the ball,

With courage and with grace.

— Harry Ellard, “The Reds of Sixty-Nine”

Starting in the 1870s catchers began to use protective equipment…first a mouth protector, than a face-mask, gloves and on to the chest protector. This was all necessary as catchers were moved closer and closer to the batter. It wasn’t until Opening Day in 1907 that HOF’er Roger Bresnahan, the NY Giants backstop, sported shin guards. Up until that time catchers had experimented with padding underneath their uniform pants. Brasnahan’s shin guards were modeled after a cricketer’s and bulky in construction. In early May of that year the Giants hosted the Pirates for a series at the Polo Grounds and the Pirate’s Manager, Fred Clarke, protested Bresnahan’s use of the shin guards on the grounds they could be of danger to opposition base runners. It was on this date in 1907 NL President, Harry Pulliam, dismisses Clarke’s protest and that paved the way for catchers wearing shin guards.

The Evolution of Catchers Equipment | SABR

Bresnahan, Roger | Baseball Hall of Fame

It was on this date in 1917 that the visiting Cubs are defeated by the Phillies, 4-3 in which the Phillies collect 9 hits…one by each player on the Phillies including pitcher, Eppa Rixey. No big deal but it is interesting to look at the boxscore and see every player for the Phillies that day collect 1 hit, no more or no less.

May 21, 1917 Chicago Cubs at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

In 1915 the New York Yankees were purchased by Colonel Jacob Ruppert and Captain Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston for $1.25 million. Ruppert had inherited a brewery fortune, providing the Yankees with an owner who possessed deep pockets and a willingness to dig into them to produce a winning team. This would lead the team to more success and prestige than Ruppert could ever have envisioned. The acquisition of Babe Ruth and the multitude of HRs proved so popular that the Yankees began drawing more people in the Polo Grounds than their landlords, the Giants. Other important newcomers to the team in this period were Manager Miller Huggins and General Manager Ed Barrow. The hiring of Huggins by Ruppert would cause a break between the owners that eventually led to Ruppert buying Huston out in 1923. That same year, 1923 saw the Yankees move to their new home, Yankee Stadium. It was the first triple-deck venue in baseball and seated an astounding 58,000 people. In the first game at Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth hit a home run, which was fitting as his home runs and drawing power paid for the stadium, giving it its nickname of "The House That Ruth Built". That however is not what’s really important here. It was on this date in 1923 Formal transfer of T. L. Huston's interest in the Yankees to Jake Ruppert is completed for $1.5 million and with that money… insert drum roll here…Ruppert buys 2 more sets of uniforms so his players can wear a clean outfit every day‚ an unprecedented move.

Former Yankees Owner Jacob Ruppert Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame - Pinstripe Alley

Earl Sheely’s MLB career began with the advent of the Live-Ball Era thanks, in part, to the Black Sox scandal. He became the White Sox’ 1B after the suspension of the ‘8 Men Out’ became effective. Sheely was a big slow-footed 1B but a whiz with the glove. He also had a knack for driving in runs and hitting .300 so he was a valuable player during his 9 year career. He was a career .300 hitter and on this date in 1926 he ties the ML record by collecting 7 straight extra-base hits…3 doubles followed by a HR followed by 3 more doubles over two games. More on Sheely in a minute but exactly 70 years later to the day, on this date in 1996 Larry Walker of the Rockies begins his record tying 7 consecutive extra-base hits in a 12-10 win over the Pirates. Walker connects for 2 HRs‚ a triple and a double as Colorado tallies 20 hits. Walker begins the following game with a double‚ triple‚ and triple.
Back to Sheely…he didn’t make it to the Majors until he was 28 thus his ML career was limited to 9 years but he also played 15 seasons in the Minors before and after the Majors where he collected over 2,300 base hits including almost 2,000 in the Pacific Coast League. After 7 full seasons with the White Sox he played with Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League in 1928 and merely hit .381 on 240 base hits. That got him back to the Majors with the Pirates in 1929 where he hit .293. He went back to the Pacific Coast League in 1930 with the SF Seals to see if he could duplicate the .381 he had hit two years previously. He fared even better collecting 289 hits on way to a .403 batting average and another Batting Crown. The Boston Braves were impressed enough to bring the 38 year old back in 1931, his last season in the Majors after which he both managed and GM’d in the Pacific Coast League and scouted at the ML level.
He died in 1952, still in his 50s, but spent almost his entire life doing what he loved in one capacity or another.

Earl Sheely - BR Bullpen

Babe Ruth holds the ML record for the most multi-HR games with 72. Surprisingly, 70 of those 72 games were 2-HR games. He had only two 3-HR games in his career and the first of those, in his 17th season was on this date in 1930. The HRs were the 523rd, 524th and 525th of his career. He hits three consecutive HRs in the first game of a doubleheader against the A's‚ then batting against Jack Quinn in the 9th‚ Ruth decides to hit right-handed. After 2 strikes‚ he switches to lefty but strikes out.

Babe Ruth Career Home Runs | Baseball-Reference.com

Can’t let the day go by without mentioning this which belongs in the category of…”it can’t be true, but it is”. It was on this date in 1952 the Dodgers score a ML record fifteen 1st inning runs on route to a 19-1 victory over the Reds at Ebbets Field. Wait it gets better… the Dodgers after seeing their first batter retired then have 19 batters in a row reach base…10 hits, 7 BB & 2 HBP. I’m not from Missouri but I’d almost have to see it to believe it. Scroll down beneath the box score to see the 1st inning that went on, batter after batter.

May 21, 1952 Cincinnati Reds at Brooklyn Dodgers Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Clayton Kershaw has led the NL in Wins twice, 2011 (tied) and 2014. Can you name the only other NL pitcher who was active in 2015 who has also led the NL in Wins twice.

The answer to yesterday’s question is… 1998-Juan Gonzalez, 1999-Ivan Rodriguez, 2003-Alex Rodriguez. (In the 6 years, 1998-2003 the Texas Rangers had three different players win the AL’s MVP Award. Can you name all three…their last names all ended with the letter “ z ”.)

 

[67RedSox]

The 1929-1931 Philadelphia Athletics, The Team That Time Forgot, were otherworldly. The 1929 Athletics may have been the greatest baseball team ever assembled…better than the 1927 Yankees, better than the 1938 Yankees. It was on this date in 1902 that the guy who led those Philadelphia Athletics on the field, Aloys Szymanski, was born. He played under the name of Al Simmons and is a Hall of Famer. Like the team that time has forgotten Al Simmons is the Baseball great that has been forgotten. His mistake was having a career that happened to coincide with Ruth, Gehrig and the Yankees of the 1920s and 1930s. He was an extraordinary hitter. He spent his first 9 seasons in the Majors with the Athletics until after the 1932 season. The success of the Athletics led to Connie Mack not being able to afford to keep the team together and Simmons was sold to the White Sox for $100,000.00. In those 9 seasons with the Athletics he averaged .357 and 130 RBIs. Pick a number… 3,5,6,7,8,10,20,28,32 or 38 Simmons wasn’t hung up on wearing a certain uniform number…during his career he wore 10 different numbers.

al simmons, baseball - Google Search

Al Simmons - BR Bullpen

When the new Yankee Stadium opened in 2009 it was after 2 years and 8 months of construction and a cost of $2.3 Billion. It replaced the original Yankee Stadium whose construction was started on this date in 1922 and was completed in only 284 days, and at a cost of $2.4 Million. Thus, 1,000 original Yankee Stadiums could have been built in 1922/23 with the money used to build the new one. The stadium's construction was paid for entirely by Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert, who was eager to have his own stadium after sharing the Polo Grounds with the New York Giants baseball team the previous 10 years.

The Original Yankee Stadium - Photographs and Memories - Stuff Nobody Cares About

Joe Sewell’s opportunity to play in the Majors resulted from a horrifying tragedy: That was what the death of Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman presented to 21-year-old Joseph Wheeler Sewell in the late summer of 1920. Chapman, a stellar shortstop for the contending Indians, died on August 17 after being struck in the head by a pitched baseball. The Indians purchased Sewell’s contract from the New Orleans Pelicans of the Class A Southern Association. Sewell’s professional experience at the time amounted to 346 at-bats, yet out of necessity he was inserted into the middle of the infield of a team that was competing for the American League pennant. Sewell debuted on September 10, 1920, against the New York Yankees, going 0-2 at the plate. His arrival was expected to stabilize the infield, and despite his 15 errors in 22 games, 10 hits in his first 24 opportunities provided and unanticipated offensive bonus. The team capped Sewell’s first season with World Series win over Brooklyn, and Cleveland’s double play tandem of Wambsganss and Sewell was set for the next three years. It proved to be the opening foray of what would become a Hall of Fame career for the shortstop.

Here’s a couple of numbers – 66 and 63. These are not just random numbers but are the number of players in the Majors who struck out more than 114 times in 2012 and 2013. In those 2 seasons there were 216 players strike out at least 100 times. Clearly, it’s safe to say that neither players nor MLB teams care any more about strikeouts…it is not a negative statistic. Adam Dunn can strike out 200 times a season and still be paid more than 350 average Americans earn in a single year. It wasn’t always that way. Yes Virginia, there was a time when a ML batter possessed the ability to put his bat on the ball. It was on this date in 1933 Joe Sewell then the NY Yankees 3B struck out, a victim of Cleveland's Wes Ferrell. In 1933 that was news because it was the first time Sewell had struck out that season and he would only do so three more times that year despite coming to the plate over 600 times. Sewell played 14 seasons in the Majors and struck out a total of 114 times or about 8 times a year on average.

Joe Sewell Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

1968 was Mickey Mantle’s last year in the Majors. He played 144 games that season, 131 at 1st Base. He made 1,195 putouts that season mostly on throws from his other infielders…Horace Clarke at 2B, Tom Tresh at SS and this player at 3B, now in the Hall of Fame who was born on this date in 1941. If you said Bobby Cox you’d be correct.

bobby cox 1968 yankees - Google Search

It was on this date in 1949 Don Newcombe makes his first ML start. Although he coughs up hits to the first two batters he faces he ends up pitching a dandy‚ shutting out the Reds‚ 3-0 in Cincinnati. It's the first shutout in a National League debut in eleven years. He would win 17 games, be an All-Star and the NL Rookie of the Year that season started 2 games in the World Series. Not bad for a rookie. He would stay with the Dodgers through the rest of their stay in Brooklyn and move West with them for their 1st year in Los Angeles going to the World Series three times ( but never winning a WS game, going 0-4 ) and winning an MVP and the first ever awarded Cy Young Award along the way.

May 22, 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds Box Score and Play by Play | Baseball-Reference.com

Roger Maris played 12 seasons in the Majors and oddly the only season he did not receive an Intentional Base on Balls was in 1961 when he hit a then record 61 HRs (still considered the record by many). It was on this date in 1962 Maris is intentionally walked four times to establish a MLB record. That record would be broken 28 years to the date when on this date in 1990 HOF’er, Andre Dawson, is walked intentionally 5 times in the Cubs' 2-1 victory against the Reds in a 16-inning contest at Wrigley Field.

May 22, 1962 Los Angeles Angels at New York Yankees Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

May 22, 1990 Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

Mario Mendoza was a light hitting Shortstop who played 9 seasons in the Majors with the Pirates, Mariners and Rangers. Most baseball fans, even if they have never heard of Mendoza directly, have heard of the Mendoza Line. The Mendoza Line is an expression in baseball named after Mendoza whose batting average is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting. The cutoff point is most often said to be .200 and, when a position player's batting average falls below that level, the player is said to be "below the Mendoza Line". This is often thought of as the offensive threshold below which a player's presence in Major League Baseball cannot be justified, regardless of his defensive abilities. It was on this date in 1982 that Mario Mendoza has his last ML at-bat and reaches on a fielder’s choice, ending his 9-year career with a .215 batting average…5 of those 9 seasons his BA was under .200. The story could end there but before you go can you guess what job Mendoza retired to…it’s true…he became a Minor-League batting instructor…go figure.

Mario Mendoza Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Pick a team…either the Red Sox or the Braves, or both if you want. Each has had 5 players hit at least 300 HRs while wearing their uniform. Can you name them?

The answer to yesterday’s question…Adam Wainwright, 2009 and 2013 (tied) (Clayton Kershaw has led the NL in Wins twice, 2011 (tied) and 2014. Can you name the only other NL pitcher who was active in 2015 who has also led the NL in Wins twice.)

 

[Indrid Cold]

Roger Maris played 12 seasons in the Majors and oddly the only season he did not receive an Intentional Base on Balls was in 1961 when he hit a then record 61 HRs (still considered the record by many). It was on this date in 1962 Maris is intentionally walked four times to establish a MLB record. That record would be broken 28 years to the date when on this date in 1990 HOF’er, Andre Dawson, is walked intentionally 5 times in the Cubs' 2-1 victory against the Reds in a 16-inning contest at Wrigley Field.

May 22, 1962 Los Angeles Angels at New York Yankees Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

I first thought the 0 IBB for Maris in '61 was very odd...but, Roger almost always batted in front of Mickey Mantle that season. An IBB is typically used to get to a weaker overall hitter or get a platoon advantage, but who would ever want to walk somebody to pitch to an extremely powerful SWITCH HITTER like Mantle? And, Mickey was honestly a much scarier hitter than Rog in '61.
Mantle was hurt a lot more in '62 and Maris also hit behind Mickey in a fair number of games...you'll note that Mantle was out of the lineup on May 22 and Johnny Blanchard, who hit .232 that season, was hitting behind Roger.

 

[67RedSox]

Indrid Cold...very good observation on Blanchard which I never noticed.

 

[67RedSox]

Zack Wheat, born on this date in 1888, who played his last game for the Dodgers in 1926 remains the Dodgers all-time franchise leader in hits, doubles, triples, RBI, and total bases. His hitting marks haven’t faded, only his name among baseball fans. He was an outstanding first-ball hitter, and he was also so renowned as a curveball hitter that John McGraw reportedly had a standing order prohibiting his pitchers from throwing him benders.

Zack Wheat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pop-boy Smith was born on this date in 1892. His ML career was almost forgettable as he Won only 1 game in 26 games pitched over 3 seasons with the Indians and White Sox. He’s worthy of a mention because of his unique nickname. His given name was Clarence but as a young boy Clarence was always a baseball fan, and he took a job selling sodas in the bleachers of the then-new stadium in Birmingham just to see the games. Such workers were called "Pop Boys" in that era, a nickname that would stick with him.

Pop-boy Smith Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com

The 1895 version of the Louisville Colonels finished last in the National League with a record of 35-96. One of those 96 Losses happened in a unique way…it was on this date in 1895 the Louisville Colonels drop a game to Brooklyn because they have run out of baseballs. The home team is responsible for supplying balls‚ but the game begins with just three baseballs on hand‚ two of them practice balls borrowed from Brooklyn. By the 3rd inning‚ the balls are worn out and a messenger sent for new ones does not arrive back in time. Louisville is forced to forfeit the game.

1895 Louisville Colonels Schedule and Results | Baseball-Reference.com

On this date in 1901 the Cleveland Blues are trailing Washington 13-5 with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning and 2 strikes on the batter. Guess who wins the game? Surely Washington, you say. Cleveland puts 10 straight men on base, score 9 runs and win the game 14-13. The Blues were actually the Bluebirds in that inaugural American league season but changed their name the following seasons to the Bronchos/Broncos and the season after that to the Naps ( in honour of their Manager, HOF’er, Nap Lajoie ). It wasn’t until 1915 they adopted the nickname of the Indians.

1901 Cleveland Bluebirds season - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For accurate and detailed information on any player’s or any team’s salary information then you visit the Cot’s Baseball Contracts website. It was on this date in 1923 the Pittsburgh Pirates sends 2B Cotton Tierney and P Whitney Glazner to the Phils for 2B Johnny Rawlings and P Lee Meadows. In 2005, Jeff Euston, Tierney's great-great-nephew, created a website tracking all salaries of MLB players, naming it "Cot's Baseball Contracts", after his baseball ancestor. Considered "the unofficial clearinghouse for MLB contracts", the website had 4 million page views by the end of 2008. In 2010, Baseball Prospectus purchased Cot's Contracts, and began hosting the site.

cotton tierney - Google Search

Cot's Baseball Contracts

Walter Johnson, like fine wine, aged pretty good as a pitcher. It was on this date in 1924 he tosses a one-hit Shutout over the Chicago White Sox. At age 36, in his 17th ML season, and in almost the 700th game he has pitched in he sets a personal best with 14 strikeouts on his way to a 23-7 season and the AL’s MVP Crown.

May 23, 1924 Chicago White Sox at Washington Senators Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

How many times has a player hit 2 HRs in one inning? It was on this date in 1962 Joe Pepitone, a rookie with the NY Yankees, became the 6th AL’er to it. It happens more often than one might think… 58 times…32 times in the NL and 26 times in the AL.

joe pepitone - Google Search

May 23, 1962 Kansas City Athletics at New York Yankees Play by Play and Box Score | Baseball-Reference.com

A lot of baseball players in yesteryear used baseball to escape having to work on farms or in factories or coal mines. Earl Webb, who died on this date in 1965, had it reversed. When his MLB career ended he went to work in the coal mines. He made his mark in the majors though. Since 1931, he has held the ML record for the most doubles hit in a single season – 67. It is one of the longest-lasting records in Baseball, despite the fact that when it was set, the season was eight games shorter than today’s 162-game schedule.

Earl Webb Statistics and History | Baseball-Reference.com


Baseball Trivia: ( Answer Tomorrow )

Can you name the 2006 AL MVP and CY Young Award winners…they played for the same team.

The answer to yesterday’s question…Red Sox – Dwight Evans, David Ortiz, Jim Rice, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski / Braves- Hank Aaron, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Eddie Mathews, Dale Murphy (Pick a team…either the Red Sox or the Braves, or both if you want. Each has had 5 players hit at least 300 HRs while wearing their uniform. Can you name them?)