Baseball History

[4thefences]

New history for Rockies on July 10th 2013

Todd Helton collected his 2,468th hit to tie Frank Thomas for #100 on the all time hit list for MLB. 5 more hits moves Helton ahead of Joe Medwick and Ted Simmons in the 98th spot. Surely he can manage at least 32 more hits this season and get to the 2,500 mark. Helton currently has 577 doubles which puts him 20th all-time and 9 more would set him for 16th on the list. Helton with the glove ranks 3rd all-time in 1B involved in DP with 1973 and the leader Mickey Vernon had 2044. Eddie Murray was at 2033.

 

[BigDDude]

Here is some baseball history for you, all occuring on July 12.

It was on this date back in 1911 that, for the second time in his career, Ty Cobb completes the stolen base cycle in one inning when he steals second, third and home in the first frame of the Tigers' 9-0 Bennett Park victory over Philadelphia. The 'Georgia Peach' will accomplish the feat four times, establishing a major league mark shared with Honus Wagner.

1949 The major league owners agree to install warning tracks made of cinder in front of outfield fences prior to the start of next season. The origin of the concept is credited to Yankee Stadium where an actual running track, used in the ballpark's track and field events, helped fielders know their proximity to the outfield fence when attempting to make a play.

1979 After a delay of an hour and 16 minutes, the White Sox are forced to forfeit the second game of a twi-night doubleheader against the Tigers when over 5000 adolescent fans refuse to leave the field during Disco Demolition Night. Mike Veeck's promotion involves admitting fans for 98 cents with a disco record, collecting the vinyl and then literally blowing up the LPs and .45s in center field.

1988 Terry Steinbach homers in his first at-bat as an All-Star. The A's catcher becomes the first major leaguer to have homered in his first major league at-bat (9/12/86) and also in the Midsummer Classic.

1993 Mariners’ outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. becomes the first and only major leaguer to hit Baltimore’s B&O Warehouse on the fly. The estimated 460-foot shot is launched during the All-Star Game home-run hitting contest at Camden Yards in 1993

 

[BigDDude]

Here is some baseball history for you, all occuring on July 12.

It was on this date back in 1911 that, for the second time in his career, Ty Cobb completes the stolen base cycle in one inning when he steals second, third and home in the first frame of the Tigers' 9-0 Bennett Park victory over Philadelphia. The 'Georgia Peach' will accomplish the feat four times, establishing a major league mark shared with Honus Wagner.

1949 The major league owners agree to install warning tracks made of cinder in front of outfield fences prior to the start of next season. The origin of the concept is credited to Yankee Stadium where an actual running track, used in the ballpark's track and field events, helped fielders know their proximity to the outfield fence when attempting to make a play.

1979 After a delay of an hour and 16 minutes, the White Sox are forced to forfeit the second game of a twi-night doubleheader against the Tigers when over 5000 adolescent fans refuse to leave the field during Disco Demolition Night. Mike Veeck's promotion involves admitting fans for 98 cents with a disco record, collecting the vinyl and then literally blowing up the LPs and .45s in center field.

1988 Terry Steinbach homers in his first at-bat as an All-Star. The A's catcher becomes the first major leaguer to have homered in his first major league at-bat (9/12/86) and also in the Midsummer Classic.

1993 Mariners’ outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. becomes the first and only major leaguer to hit Baltimore’s B&O Warehouse on the fly. The estimated 460-foot shot is launched during the All-Star Game home-run hitting contest at Camden Yards in 1993

2 more items, because I am that bored.

L.A Angel Howie Kendrick turns 30 today, and, it was on this date back in 2008 that former Yankee player and announcer Bobby Murcer died.

 

[67RedSox]

Todd Helton collected his 2,468th hit to tie Frank Thomas for #100 on the all time hit list for MLB. 5 more hits moves Helton ahead of Joe Medwick and Ted Simmons in the 98th spot. Surely he can manage at least 32 more hits this season and get to the 2,500 mark. Helton currently has 577 doubles which puts him 20th all-time and 9 more would set him for 16th on the list. Helton with the glove ranks 3rd all-time in 1B involved in DP with 1973 and the leader Mickey Vernon had 2044. Eddie Murray was at 2033.

Every name mentioned is a significant one and clearly illustrates Helton's achievements. His accomplishments on the field are hugely underrated. It would be great if he did get to the 2,500 mark in Basehits before he retires. I think if there's any player that has worn a Rockies' uniform that can rise above the Coors Field prejudice it's Helton.
One name that I always associate Helton with is Tris Speaker. Of course, Speaker was an Outfielder so there's no comparison except both men played their position better than most and Helton has Gold Gloves to prove it (Speaker perhaps better than anyone before or since in CF ) but they both had this smoothness with the way they played in the field and at the plate. Speaker's forte was hitting Doubles and there's a group of players who belong in an elite group with him. Musial belongs in that group, so does Cobb, Pete Rose, Yaz and Wagner and others. So does Helton. You are sometimes judged by the company you keep and Helton couldn't be in better company. There will be 5 years after he retires to make a case for the HOF. However, as far as I'm concerned if I had a vote I wouldn't need 5 seconds to tick off his name.

 

[67RedSox]

BigDDude...I loved the blurb about the warning tracks. It wasn't until a few months ago when I saw some vintage photos of Old Yankee Stadium, circa 1923, that I realized there even was a running track encircling Yankee Stadium. The playing field itself was huge to begin with then came the running track then more ground to cover before the bleachers. Despite that I think the CF bleachers in Cleveland's Municipal Stadium were even farther from Home Plate which might account for why there was never a HR hit to the CF bleachers and why, at least, in those two ballparks warning tracks never existed.

 

[67RedSox]

https://www.google.ca/search?q=vint...mber-1923-aerial-view-47_6_176.html;1377;1000

Meant to attach this to my previous Post...hope the shot of Yankee Stadium with the running track comes out.

 

[67RedSox]

If you’re old enough to have watched the 1964 World Series, Cardinals vs the Yankees, you would have watched one of the one of the best Series played since World War II. The wrong team won ( guess who I was rooting for) but it had it all…Hall of Famers, dramatic Homeruns, legendary pitchers, brother against brother at 3rd Base, a losing Manager who was fired and a winning Manager who quit to manage the losing team, slugfests and 1-run games and it was the last WS ever played in old Busch Stadium or as it was commonly called Sportsman’s Park. It opened in 1902 and was demolished in 1966 but the playing field was retained for use by a Boys and Girls Club now on the site. Left-handed power hitters enjoyed hitting there because it was only 310’ to the seats in Right Field. Stan Musial benefited from playing the home-team half of his entire career here. Other sluggers took advantage, notably Babe Ruth, who hit three homers in game 4 of the 1926 World Series as well as game 4 of the 1928 World Series. When facing the Browns during the regular season, Ruth also hit well here. It’s the only ML ballpark where Babe Ruth played in LF because of the wicked sun in RF.
Well, aside from the 1964 World Series it was a pretty special place on Sundays when the Cardinals were home and the place would usually be full. On this date in 1931 the Cubs were in St. Louis to play a doubleheader ( a word that seems to no longer exist in Baseball language ) and it was a Sunday and over 45,000 fans poured in to watch both games. The teams split the two games with the Cubs winning Game 1 by a score of 7-5. Something happened in that game that had never happened in a ML game before…the Cubs and Cardinals combined to hit 9 Doubles in the game to establish a record for most Doubles by both teams in a single game. How long did that record last? Not very long. In fact, less than one game because in Game 2, which the Cardinals won 17-13 in 9 innings, the two teams banged out 23 Doubles, yes 23. A day at the ballpark and 32 Doubles later you go home. I can’t imagine too many can say they’ve seen that in one day at any level of baseball played.

Ron Fairly, one of the few MLB players to play at least 1,000 games in both the infield and outfield was born on this date in 1938. I remember when he came to the Expos in 1969 I was delighted even if he didn’t want to leave Southern California where he grew up, played College baseball and ML ball. He played 21 seasons in the Majors and has three WS rings. However, his 21 years of playing baseball in the Majors isn’t nearly as long as he was a MLB broadcaster after his playing days were over. There would be few who have been as connected to the game over the past 50 years as Fairly.

Cy Young was 23 when he broke into the Big Leagues in 1890. It was on this date in 1901 that the 34 year old Young won his 300th game…and he still had enough left in his arm to win 211 more.

‘Scranton Bill’ Coughlin was born on this date in 1878 in Scranton, Pennsylvania…thus the nickname. He was the Tigers 3B in Ty Cobb’s early career but is known as the Maestro of the Hidden Ball Trick. He perfected and pulled it off more than any other MLB player.

50 years ago today when HOFers Whitey Ford, Juan Marichal and Don Drysdale were all tossing Wins for their respective clubs a group of Marines who had formed the group, The Essex, saw their song, Easier Said Then Done, which they recorded in 20 minutes, go to the top of the music charts for the 2nd week in a row. The Great Escape starring starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough was #1 at the Box Office.

 

[67RedSox]

For almost all of the four years leading up to the 1962 season Dean Stone pitched at AAA ball. The Houston Colt .45s selected him from the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization and he made the starting rotation of the expansion team. The Terrible Mets with their colourful Manager, Casey Stengel, and his band of merry misfits got all the press that year so you never heard much of the Colt .45s but they started out with a bang by sweeping the Cubs in the first three games of the season to go 3-0 as an expansion team. Stone pitched Game 3 and shutout the Cubs, on 3 hits, with a roster that included four HOFers…Lou Brock, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo. Unfortunately, there were only 7,800 on hand at Colt Stadium to witness the gem. The Cubs left town knowing they would get their revenge when they hosted the Colt .45s the following week in Chicago. Stone was ready though and in the 2nd game of the series at Wrigley Field he tosses another shutout to defeat the Cubs 6-0. How many were in the stands to see that gem…even less than the 7,800 that were in Houston. This time there was a whopping 3,800 in the stands but that number was huge in comparison to two games earlier in the week when the Cubs played host to the Pirates…attendance figures were 1,642 and 1,937. Stone’s success and the success of the Colt .45s was short-lived however. He would soon be traded and Win only 3 more games in the Majors but he already had some success in the Majors. He came to the Majors in 1953 with the Senators and pitched for them until 1957 and was an All-Star in 1954. On this date in 1954 at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium he is the Winning Pitcher in the All-Star Game without delivering a pitch. Casey Stengel calls Stone into the game with 2 out in the 8th inning. The AL’s are losing 9-8. The Senators' southpaw throws out Red Schoendienst trying to steal home for the third out before facing his first batter in relief. The AL’s score 3 runs in the bottom of the inning to win it and Stone gets the W without throwing a pitch.

Happy 25th birthday to DJ LeMahieu who was born on this day in 1988.

Wiley Piatt was also born on this date but a few years before LeMahieu in 1874. What’s his claim to fame? Well, it’s really more a claim to infamy…he was the only Pitcher in the 20th Century to pitch two complete games in one day and lose them both. This occurred on June 25, 1903, when, pitching for the Boston Beaneaters, he lost to the St. Louis Cardinals by scores of 1-0 and 5-3.

Also, birthday wishes to Daryl Spencer who was born on this date in 1928. He was the Giants Shortstop both before they left New York and once they settled in San Francisco. He had the honour of hitting the first West Coast Home Run. He was HOFer Joe Morgan’s favourite player growing up but my favourite story about him was after his Giant days. He was with St. Louis in 1961 and while the Cardinals were playing a series in Los Angeles he was traded to the Dodgers. He left one clubhouse after going 0-4 against Koufax and moved over to the other clubhouse and faced Bob Gibson that night and went 0-4. A quick 0-8.

 

[67RedSox]

Mel Parnell, one of the Boston Red Sox finest pitchers and the winningest left-hander in club history tossed a No-Hitter against the Chicago White Sox on this date in 1956 in one of his last Starts of his ML career. His entire 10 year ML career was spent with the Red Sox from 1947-1956. He led all of Baseball in 1949 with a record of 25-7.
He especially endeared himself to Sox fans as a Yankee killer The Yanks won five straight World Series from 1949-53, but they posed considerably less of a problem for Parnell than for almost any other pitcher. Parnell beat them 15 times during that five-year stretch (though in the two final games of the 1949 season that decided the pennant, he pitched poorly as the Sox lost). In 1953, Parnell was 5-0 against the Yankees, giving up just three earned runs in 42 innings. Remarkably, four of the wins were shutouts.
Parnell was also able to tame Fenway Park notorious as it was for left-handers to pitch well in. Lifetime he was 71-30 in Fenway. That was because of his hard-breaking slider that kept the ball in on right-handed hitting batters who couldn’t get their arms extended to hit the ball with any authority.
If you know Fenway Park you know the Foul Pole in the RF corner is called the “Pesky Pole”. It was so named by Parnell following a victory during which Johnny Pesky hit the deciding home run near the right field foul pole, Parnell christened it the "Pesky Pole".

Do you remember Pete Rose bowling over Ray Fosse at HP in the All-Star game. It happened on this date in 1970, a mere 43 years ago.

Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron, teammates for 13 seasons, each hit their 500th career Homerun on this date, June 14th albeit different years. Mathews hit his 500th on this date in 1967 against HOFer Juan Marichal and on this date in 1968 Aaron reached the mark going deep against Cy Young Award winner that year, Mike McCormick. Together they combined for 863 HRs while teammates which is a record…Ruth and Gehrig combined to hit 859. Over their 13 seasons together here’s their numbers:

Aaron: 442 HRs, 1,406 Runs, 1,432 RBIs
Mathews: 421 HRs, 1,262 Runs, 1,195 RBIs.

Here’s the average cost to go to a ballgame:

1920 - $1.00
1963 - $2.25
1982 - $5.00
1994 - $10.00
2013 - $27.00

Hank Aaron played in the Majors for 23 seasons, Babe Ruth for 22. They scored the identical number of Runs during their career, 2,174.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

67sox you're the man.

 

[67RedSox]

Like most things the Foul Pole has evolved over time. Some will argue they were in existence as far back as the 1850’s in some form. They clearly began to make an appearance circa 1900 but their existence as we know them today really goes back to 1939 and owe their existence to one player, Harry Craft and the then President of the National League, Ford Frick.
It was on this date in 1939 that Frick orders two-foot screens affixed inside all foul poles after a fly ball call down the left field line is disputed at the Polo Grounds. The American League will soon follow the Senior Circuit lead and will also install foul ball screens. One other quick note before getting back to Craft and Frick is that the NL always considered any ball hitting the Foul Pole ( on the fly) to be a HR. The AL didn’t as for a while any ball hitting the Foul Pole was considered a ground rule double.
Harry Craft was the Cincinnati’s Reds CFer before WWII interrupted his career. He was a decent hitter and very good Outfielder. Unlike some players who were able to regain their baseball skills after they returned from the War Craft wasn’t able to do so. Although he never played MLB after the War he did manage three Big League ballclubs…the KC Athletics, Chicago Cubs and he was the inaugural Manager of the Houston Colt .45s for the first three years of their existence.
In a game at the Polo Grounds Craft hits a ball down the line in Left Field that ended up in the stands very near the Foul Pole. The HP umpire calls it a HR which infuriates the Giants. Craft describes the fracas that results in a 1958 newspaper article which is attached below so I won’t go into detail. It was that incident that left Frick no choice but to order the 2-foot screens be affixed inside all Foul Poles.

Ocala Star-Banner - Google News Archive Search

It was on this date in 1941 that Joe DiMaggio would extend his hitting streak to his 56th and last game with a 3-for-4 day as the New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 10-3.

It was on this date in 1920 that Babe Ruth broke his own season record of 29 Homers with his 30th as the New York Yankees beat the St. Louis Browns 5-2. Ruth would finish the season with fifty-four.

It was on this date in 1928 the Hollywood Stars (PCL) become the first professional team to travel by air when they fly from Seattle to Portland‚ where they catch a train for L.A.

It was on this date in 1892 that Bubbles Hargrave was born. He was a Catcher who spent 12 years in the Majors, all in the National League where he won a batting Crown in 1926 with an average of .353. He had a brother Pinky Hargrave, also a Catcher, who spent 10 years in the Majors, all in the American League. Bubbles and Pinky...reminds me of the Johnny Cash tune, A Boy Named Sue.

Mike Shannon who hit HRs in each of the 1964, 1967 and 1968 World Series was born on this date in 1939. Shannon also hit the last home run in the original Busch Stadium (Sportsman's Park) in 1966 and the first one for the Cardinals in the second Busch Stadium (Busch Memorial Stadium). In 1958 he played his first year of professional baseball with the Albany Cardinals of the old Class D Georgia-Florida League and has been affiliated with the Cardinals ever since, 55 years later. He was forced to retire as a player because of nephritis, a kidney disorder, after the 1970 season. He moved almost immediately to the Cardinals broadcast booth where he’s been ever since.

 

[67RedSox]

The Majors last 40 year old 20 Game Winner was Jamie Moyer in 2003 when he went 21-7 for the Seattle Mariners.

On this date one year ago the Rockies, thanks to a walk-off sacrifice fly by Dexter Fowler, defeat the Pirates 5-4 at Coors Field after blowing a 4-1 lead in the top of the 9th inning. Using that game I can highlight what accounts for why, for me, this has been a fun season versus last year. Two things, the first is at this time last year the Rockies were 19 games under .500 with a record of 35-54 and 14 games out with no realistic chance of competing.. This year they’re hovering around .500 at 46-50, 4.5 games out and with a realistic chance to compete. The second thing is this year I have confidence in the bullpen. Last year no Rockie lead was safe…they could be up 8-1 after 3 innings and I would have to hold my breath.

In the 25 years between 1950 and 1975 there were three MLers who hit as many as 50 HRs in a season - Mays, Mantle and Maris. In 1998 alone four different players connected for at least 50 HRs – McGwire, Griffey Jr., Sosa and Greg Vaughn. Players in the 1990's must have been getting more sleep I guess.

Shoeless Joe Jackson was born on this date in 1887. Most of us think of him as a White Sox and with good reason due to the infamous Black Sox scandal of 1919 but his best years were with the Cleveland Naps/Indians in 1911-1912-1913. He is wildly hailed as the greatest natural hitter in the history of the game and Babe Ruth admitted he modeled his hitting technique after Jackson's.
He was born in South Carolina, the eldest of eight children and never went to school to learn to read or write but sure learned how to play baseball. Family finances required Joe to take 12-hour shifts in the mill, and since education at the time was a luxury the Jackson family couldn't afford, Jackson was uneducated. His lack of education ultimately became an issue throughout Jackson's life and even affected the value of his memorabilia in the collectibles market. Because Jackson was illiterate, he often had his wife sign his signature. Consequently, anything actually autographed by Jackson himself brings a premium when sold, including one autograph which was sold for $23,500 in 1990. In restaurants, rather than ask someone to read the menu to him, he would wait until his teammates ordered and then order one of the items that he heard.
The textile mill where he worked sponsored a team that faced squads from other mills and factories, and Joe earned a spot in the lineup when he was 13 years old. He soon became renowned throughout the Carolinas as an outfielder, pitcher, and home-run hitter. Joe played for factory teams and semipro clubs until 1908, when Greenville obtained a franchise in the Carolina Association, a new Class D league on the lowest level of organized ball. Joe Jackson signed a contract with the Greenville Spinners for $75 a month. It was there that he was tagged with his nickname by a reporter for the Greenville News when Joe played a game in his stocking feet because his new baseball shoes were not yet broken in and giving him blisters. For the rest of his life, he was known as Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Connie Mack, then the Philadelphia Athletics Manager, knew a good thing when he saw it and bought Jackson's contract. Joe made his first ML appearance on August 25, and singled in his first trip to the plate. However, Joe was homesick, and three days later he boarded a train back to Greenville. He returned in early September, but Philadelphia, a city of two million people, was frightening to the illiterate country boy. He jumped the team once more before the 1908 season ended, finishing his first major league stint with three hits in 23 at-bats.
Jackson bounced between Philadelphia and the minors for the next two years. He won batting titles at Savannah in 1909 and at New Orleans in 1910, but did not hit well in Philadelphia in a 1909 late-season call-up. Joe did not get along with his Philadelphia teammates, many of whom teased him mercilessly about his illiteracy (which he tried to hide) and lack of polish. Connie Mack reluctantly decided that Joe would never succeed in Philadelphia, and traded him to the Cleveland Naps. Cleveland was a smaller city than Philadelphia. Many of Jackson's new teammates were either Southerners or had played in the South, so Joe fit in well and the rest of his career is well documented history including the 1919 World Series.
Jackson, whose lifetime batting average of .356 is the third highest in the game's history, played semi-pro and "unorganized" ball, mostly in the South, for many years after his expulsion from the Game. He gave a few newspaper interviews in which he made his case for reinstatement, but mostly stayed out the public eye during the last three decades of his life. He eventually moved back to his old neighbourhood in Greenville, near the Brandon Mill textile factory, where he operated a restaurant and a liquor store until his death on December 5, 1951, at the age of 63.

 

[67RedSox]

It took 50 years but Walter Johnson finally enjoyed some company back on this date in 1974 when Bob Gibson becomes the 2nd pitcher in the 3,000 Strikeout Club… Johnson doing it in 1923. There are now 16 members in the club with John Smoltz being the last to enter in 2008. The leaders among active pitchers are Andy Pettitte with 2,391, C.C. Sabathia with 2,331 and Roy Halladay with 2,101 so the 3,000 strikeout pitchers may be going the way of the dodo bird.

Happy 35th birthday to Jason Jennings the NL ROTY in 2002 who was born on this date in 1978. In his ML debut, he hit a home run and tossed a complete game shutout, becoming the first player to accomplish that feat.

It was on this date in 1938 that Deron Johnson was born. You may remember Johnson as the man who led all MLers in 1965 with 130 RBIs. You may remember him as the DH for the World Champion Oakland Athletics in the 1973 WS. You might remember him as the Yankees next Mickey Mantle or you might remember him as one of the greatest HS football players out of San Diego who turned down a scholarship from Notre Dame so he could play baseball. He was all of those things. Died way too young.

Did you know that on September 27, 1963 the Houston Colt .45s fielded an all-rookie lineup that included future stars Joe Morgan, Jimmy Wynn, Jerry Grote, and Rusty Staub? The starting pitcher was Jay Dahl who was 17 years old. The NY Mets won the game 10-3 and Dahl took the loss in the only game he ever pitched in the Majors. There aren’t too many players who can say their ML career was over by the time they were 17. Mine hadn’t even started by then and still hasn’t but I remain hopeful someone will want a no-field, no-hit 2nd baseman who can’t run but can do it all in his mind.

Among all non-pitchers in the 2013 All-Star game Bryce Harper (134) and Troy Tulowitzki (153) played in the fewest Minor league games before reaching the Majors. Catfish Hunter, Al Kaline, Mel Ott, Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax, Ernie Banks, George Sisler, Dave Winfield, and Robin Yount are some of the players to make it to the Majors never having played in the Minors. Kaline didn't need time in the Minors because at age 20 he became the youngest player ever to win a batting title by hitting .340 in 1955.

Hall of Fame baseball player Dave Winfield is the only professional athlete to have been drafted in the first round of the NFL, NBA and MLB Drafts. Oh, so you knew that…well then, what is the most popular month for marriages. It is December and if you knew that you’re good.

Was Denver ready for ML Baseball? On this date in 1994 the Rockies draw 61‚972 fans to its 10-6 win over St. Louis‚ establishing a ML record for attendance for a 4-game set with 259‚113. The Rockies won all four games outscoring the Cardinals 43-17.

It was on this date in 1974 in Los Angeles‚ during a 5-4 loss to the Expos‚ Dodger pitcher Tommy John blows his elbow out while pitching to Montreal 1B Hal Breeden. Dodger doctor Frank Jobe will suggest a ligament replacement for the torn ulnar collateral ligament‚ a first for a professional athlete. Given one chance in a hundred of ever pitching again‚ John will return after the surgery to post a 10-10 record in 1976‚ with a .340 ERA in 207 innings. He will gain 164 wins after the surgery‚ pitching until age 46.

On this date in 1961, following a year-long illness‚ Ty Cobb succumbs to cancer at age 74 at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

 

[4thefences]

They should have named the surgical elbow repair after him!! Just kidding. When John had the surgery Jobe gave him a 1% chance of full recovery(as you mentioned) and that number is now around 92% Here's a stunning stat. Of the 360 pitchers who started on a major league roster in 2013, 124 of them bear the scar of Tommy John surgery,33%.

 

[Silas]

And it seems that 123 of those pitchers have pitched for L.A. this season!

 

[67RedSox]

It has been often written and said in baseball circles that ballplayers judged with having less than distinguished playing careers make the best managers. Perhaps the ultimate example of that theory and belief is Walter Alston, whose player record consists of one Major League appearance that resulted in an error and a strikeout in just three innings. While his career as a player was brief, his managerial record of winning over two-thousand games, seven pennants, and four World Series is one of the top marks in baseball history. Put all of that together and if you visit Cooperstown he’ll be there on the inside to greet you.
Alston might have been the most even-keeled Manager I ever saw. Imagine fiery Earl Weaver at the far end of the animated Manager spectrum… Alston was at the other end. As a manager, Alston was noted for his studious approach to the game (he had taught school in the off-season while in the minors) but for one single day in his 23 years managing in the Majors he stepped out of character for on this date in 1963 the usually mild-mannered Alston was thrown out of both games of a doubleheader when the Braves sweep a twin bill from Los Angeles for the first and only time in Milwaukee, 7-2 and 13-7.

On this date in 1975 Felix Millan collected four singles for the Mets in a game against the Astros. On each occasion he was wiped out as a result of Joe Torre hitting into four doubleplays batting behind him. As good a hitter as he was if you ever saw Joe Torre run this stat wouldn’t surprise you.

I could mention that today is C.C. Sabathia’s birthday but as most wouldn’t care I won’t mention it so instead I’ll mention it was on this date in 1877 Irv Young was born. Now we all know who he is don’t we. Since the start of the modern Baseball Era in 1903 Irv’s 1905 total of 378 innings pitched and 41 complete games are still Major League records for a rookie. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say those records will stand for a while yet.

What’s in a uniform number. In 1963 the MVP’s of the NL, AL and NFL all wore #32…Sandy Koufax, Elston Howard and Jim Brown.

Of Musial’s 3,630 total hits, 1,815 of them were hit at home, and 1,815 on the road.

It only took 133 years but on Opening Day in 2009, the Arizona Diamondbacks faced the Colorado Rockies. In the bottom of the fourth inning, D-Backs second baseman Felipe Lopez, who had already homered in the game off Rockies pitcher Aaron Cook in the first inning, launched his second home run, however, this time he hit it right-handed against lefty reliever Glendon Rusch. It marked the first time in Major League Baseball history that any player had hit home runs from both sides of the plate on Opening Day. Ironically, the feat was repeated in the very same game just one inning later. Diamondbacks first baseman Tony Clark, who had also homered off Cook, launched a solo blast off Rusch with one out in the bottom of the fifth.

Backup catcher Moe Berg carved out a 15-year in Major League Baseball, spending much of his time on the bench with five different teams.Berg went to Princeton University, got his law degree at Columbia University, and studied linguistics at the Sorbonne in Paris.Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel called Berg "the strangest man in baseball," and one reporter once said, "He could speak a dozen languages but couldn't hit in any of them." He served as a spy for the U.S. government in Europe during WWII.

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1877 that Hall of Fame pitcher, Jesse Haines was born. He pitched in the Majors for 19 seasons and did Win 210 games but he has been described as the worst player in the HOF. He first appeared on the HOF ballot in 1939 and received 1 vote from among the 274 votes cast. In his last year on the ballot in 1962 he received 3 votes from among the 160 votes cast. Yet, in 1970 the Veterans Committee elected him to the Hall. In defense of his selection he does have more Wins than say Don Drysdale, Hal Newhouser, Rube Marquard and Bob Lemon who are HOFers but when you look at his record you do have to scratch your head.

Bob Uecker on being released…"They broke it to me gently. The manager came up to me before a game and told me they didn't allow visitors in the clubhouse."

"Playing without the fundamentals is like eating without a knife and fork. You make a mess". –Dick Williams

Jerry Adair a 2nd baseman from the 1960’s was described as having a face right out of the Grapes of Wrath…his nickname was Casper the Friendly Ghost.

At the start of the 2013 there were a total of 51 different countries that have been the birthplace of the 18,807 MLers.

If Derek Jeter ever plays this season and collects 10 basehits he will move into the Top 10 with 3,315.

494 position players have pitched in the Majors.

Since 1950 pitchers have lost 20 games in a season 43 times. In the first half of those 63 years it was done 42 times. In the second half of those 63 years it has happened but once by Mike Maroth in 2003 for the Tigers.

 

[67RedSox]

In 1996 the Rockies experience their first winning season when they go 83-79 and finish 8 games behind the Padres who win the Division. On this date in 1996 the Rockies swept a Doubleheader from the Mets to contribute to that winning season. In the 1st game Walt Weiss and Ellis Burks hit back-to-back HRs and the Rockies pound out 19 Hits to win 10-7. In the 2nd game Bichette, Galarraga and Castilla hit back-to-back-to-back HRs in the 1st inning and the Rockies pound out 16 Hits to win the game 11-10 with a walk-off run in the bottom of 9th inning. For the day fans are treated to 38 runs, 59 hits-including 8 HRs and 17 different pitchers being used.

If you remember the 1978 season it was a memorable one for the Yankee’s SS, Bucky Dent. In the space of 15 days he is the hero in a one game playoff with the Red Sox to determine the AL Pennant and is then the WS MVP when the Yankees defeat the Dodgers in a very good World Series, 4-2. That was also the year that there was other drama for the Yankees such as the run-ins between the Yankees volatile Manager, Billy Martin and the Yankees self-proclaimed leader, Reggie Jackson. It was on this date in 1978 Reggie Jackson returns to the team and the Yankees win their 5th straight, 3-1, over the White Sox. At the Chicago airport, Martin, reacting to reporters' questions about Jackson and Steinbrenner, replies, "The two deserve each other. One's a born liar; the other's convicted." The remarks will cost Billy his job and lead to Bob Lemon being appointed Manager.

It was on this date in 1957 that Mickey Mantle hit for the cycle in a game against the Chicago White Sox. Hitting for the cycle is not unusual. It has been accomplished 303 times in the Majors including twice this year by Mike Trout back in May and the Astros, Brandon Barnes three days ago. For the Yankees though they went through a period of 20 years where Mantle’s accomplishment in 1957 was the only time it was done in a 20 year span. The Colorado Rockies have hit for the cycle 6 times. Believe it or not the San Diego Padres have never had a player hit for the cycle during their 45 year existence.

Harry O’Neill played in just one major-league baseball game, on this day in 1939, as a defensive replacement. He had no times at bat, and no putouts or assists. Still, he won a measure of immortality as one of only two major leaguers who lost their lives during World War II. He was killed in action on March 6, 1945, during the battle for the Pacific island of Iwo Jima. His name is linked forever to that of Elmer Gedeon, an Army Air Forces pilot who was killed while flying a B-26 bomber over France on April 20, 1944.

Leave it to Jimmy Piersall who on this date in 1960 is ejected from the game for the sixth time that season after ignoring the home plate umpire's warning to stop running around the outfield with his arms raised resembling a war dance during Ted Williams’ plate appearance. The Indians’ CFer, who charges the umpire after being tossed from the game and has to be restrained by teammates, was guilty of trying to distract the batter from the field which is forbidden by the rule book.

In 1993 Alex Cole was the Rockies CFer for the majority of the season. He failed to hit a HR in 399 Plate Appearances. Cole’s streak of Plate Appearances reached 1,508 before he hit one. The ML record for most consecutive PA’s without a HR is held by Tommy Thevenow who hit two home runs in late September for the Cardinals in his first full season in 1926, but never homered again over his remaining 12 ML seasons…3,605 PA’s. Currently, the longest non-homer streak is Ben Revere of the Phillies who has gone 1,400 AB’s over 342 games. On this date in 2002 Nomar Garciaparra in a 22-4 rout of the Devil Rays at Fenway Park, the Red Sox shortstop homers three times in two innings - two two-run homers in the second and a grand slam in the third.

Don Drysdale was born on this date in 1936. There was no Ben Revere or Tommy Thevenow in him as he was one of the better hitting pitchers in MLB history. He hit 29 HRs in his 14 year career. A teammate of Drysdale and feloow HOFer, Pee Wee Reese, was born on this date in 1918.

Ginger Beaumont who led the NL in Basehits four times between 1902-07 was born on this date in 1876.
If Ginger Beaumont is remembered today, it's usually for being the first batter in modern World Series history. In the early days of the Deadball Era, however, he was considered baseball's finest leadoff man, a lifetime .311 hitter who was good enough to be named by Honus Wagner as the CFer on his all-time team. When his career ended he retired to his 180 acre farm in Wisconsin which he named, Centerfield Farm.

 

[Silas]

RS67.....................in case you were wondering, I, for one, am enjoying all of your almost daily History posts. Thank you for all of the time and effort you spend putting these pieces together.

Don Drysdale could certainly hit and I was on hand to see him hit a few of those 29 HR's. I really miss watching him play. Those were great days.

 

[67RedSox]

Silas, my pleasure. Very kind comments and I appreciate them. It's certainly not work on my part.

Anything I ramble on about is almost always something that I find of interest and I have found over the years that the stuff in Baseball that I find interesting is seldom of interest to others... except to a very particular type of baseball fan who is difficult to define but one who is both a fan of the game and its history. It's nice to be able to share that.