April 23
From BR Bullpen
| Stats of players who were born this day | |
| Stats of players who died on this day | |
| Standings on this day | |
| Permanent link to Today's Entry | |
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| Baseball Library Chronology | |
| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on April 23.
[edit] Events
- 1903 - Behind the pitching of Harry Howell, the New York Highlanders win their first major league game, 7 - 2, over the Washington Senators.
- 1910 - At Huntington Avenue Grounds, Boston Red Sox centerfielder Tris Speaker pulls off his second unassisted double play, the gem occurring in the second inning against the Philadelphia Athletics. Speaker snares a low line drive and beats baserunner Harry Davis back to second base. The game goes 11 innings with the Athletics prevailing 5 - 3. Eddie Plank is the starter and winner over Eddie Cicotte.
- 1919 - Anticipating a poor season at the gate, the major leagues open a reduced 140-game season. Despite the lack of close races, attendance remains high all year and every club will show a profit.
- 1924 - On WMAQ, Hal Totten, a Chicago Daily News play-by-play reporter, does a play-by-play radio report of the 12 - 1 Cubs' victory over the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. It will be the first broadcast of every Cubs home game and the first time a team's games have been on the airwaves on a regular basis.
- 1936 - In his first start of the season, Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants pitches a three-hit shutout against the Boston Bees. For Hubbell, it is his 17th straight win dating back to July 17 of 1935.
- 1939 - Rookie Ted Williams goes 4-for-5, including his first major-league home run, but the Boston Red Sox lose to the Philadelphia Athletics, 12 - 8, at Fenway Park.
- 1940 - Flooding of the Ohio River causes cancellation of today's game between the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals at Crosley Field. Weather forecasters predict that the flood's waters will reach as high as eight feet at the ballpark. The next day's game will also be postponed.
- 1944 - At Braves Field, Jim Tobin of the Boston Braves pitches a one-hit 6 - 0 shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies in the Braves' home opener. Philadelphia second baseman Ford Mullen gets the only hit in the sixth inning. In his previous start Tobin lost a three-hitter to the New York Giants, 2 - 1, at the Polo Grounds.
- 1946 - Ed Head of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitches a 5-0 no-hitter against the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field. It is Head's first appearance since his return from the military.
- 1950 - At Braves Field, in the second of two games, the Boston Braves and Philadelphia Phillies start the match in daylight and finish under the lights, a first in the majors. The Phillies win, 6 - 5. Johnny Sain hurls the Braves to a 4 - 3 victory in the opener.
- 1952:
- Bob Cain of the St. Louis Browns and Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians each pitch one-hitters, with the Browns prevailing 1 - 0. This ties a major league record for the fewest hits by two teams in a game (since broken). Bobby Young hits a triple in the first inning and scores on an Al Rosen error as the Browns move into first place. The Indians' only hit is a single by Luke Easter. For Feller, it is the fourth time he's tossed a one-hitter against the Browns.
- New York Giants knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm hits a home run in his first major league at-bat as he pitches five innings in relief in a 9 - 5 win over the Braves. In his second at-bat two days later he will hit a triple. But Wilhelm, a notoriously poor hitter, will never hit another home run or triple in a major league game during the next 21 years, covering a span of 1,070 games.
- 1954:
- In his seventh major league game, Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves hits the first of his 755 career home runs off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Vic Raschi at Sportsman's Park. The Braves win in fourteen innings 7 - 5.
- Jackie Robinson steals second and third base, then steals home on the front end of a triple steal with Gil Hodges and Sandy Amorós in the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Brooklyn Dodgers win 6 - 5, in 13 innings, when Robinson doubles home Junior Gilliam with the winning run.
- 1958 - At Los Angeles Coliseum, Dodgers first baseman Gil Hodges hits his 300th career home run and shortstop Pee Wee Reese plays in his 2000th game in a 7 - 6 loss to the Cubs.
- 1961 - Art Mahaffey strikes out at least a batter in each inning, setting a club record with 17, while shutting out the Chicago Cubs, 6 - 0, in the second game of a doubleheader at Shibe Park. The Phillies win the first game behind a 1 - 0 shutout by Frank Sullivan.
- 1962 - The expansion New York Mets win their first game in franchise history after nine consecutive losses, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9 - 1 at Forbes Field. Jay Hook's five-hit complete game snaps Pittsburgh's record-tying winning streak of 10 games undefeated from the start of the season as the Mets' 0-9 start had tied a National League record for futility.
- 1964 - Ken Johnson of the Houston Colt .45s becomes the first pitcher in major league history to hurl a nine-inning no-hitter and lose the game. Second baseman Nellie Fox, usually a reliable defensive player, commits a critical run-scoring error on Vada Pinson's ground ball and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Astros, 1 - 0.
- 1966 - Two days after putting on a Chicago Cubs uniform, Ferguson Jenkins hits his first major league home run, off Don Sutton, drives in a second run, and shuts out the Dodgers to win, 2 - 0. For rookie Sutton, it is the first of 13 straight losses the Cubs will hand him.
- 1968 - The Chicago Cubs acquire outfielder Jim Hickman and relief pitcher Phil Regan from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Ted Savage and starting pitcher Jim Ellis. Regan will lead the National League with 25 saves in 1968.
- 1975 - Roy White of the New York Yankees again hits home runs from both sides of the plate, this time in an 11 - 7 loss to the Boston Red Sox. White last switch-hit home runs on August 13, 1973.
- 1978 - Joe Morgan of the Cincinnati Reds makes an error at second base, bringing his major league record of 91 consecutive errorless games to an end. Morgan had begun the streak on July 6, 1977.
- 1980 - California Angels pitcher Bruce Kison settles for a one-hitter when Ken Landreaux of the Minnesota Twins hits a double with one out in the ninth inning. California win, 17 - 0. It is the second time in a year that Kison has lost a no-hitter with one out in the ninth. For Landreaux, the hit marks the beginning of a 31-game hitting streak.
- 1989 - Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers comes within two outs of his sixth career no-hitter, losing it when Nelson Liriano hits a triple in the ninth inning. Texas beats the Toronto Blue Jays, 4 - 1, as Ryan finishes with his 10th lifetime one-hitter.
- 1990 - Steve Lyons of the Chicago White Sox plays all nine positions during an exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs.
- 1992 - Former major league slugger and current California Angels hitting coach Deron Johnson dies from lung cancer at the age of 53. Johnson hit 245 home runs during a 16-year career. In 1965, he led the National League with 130 RBI as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
- 1994 - Baltimore Orioles closer Lee Smith picks up his ninth save in just Baltimore's 16th game to reach the mark faster than anyone else in major league history.
- 1999 - Fernando Tatis of the St. Louis Cardinals becomes the first player in major league history to hit two grand slams in one inning. Tatis connects both times in the 11-run third inning against pitcher Chan Ho Park to lead the Cardinals to a 12 - 5 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He simultaneously sets a record with eight RBI in one inning. Park becomes the first pitcher in the 20th century, and only the second ever, to surrender two slams in a single frame, joining Bill Phillips of the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys.
- 2000:
- In a 10 - 7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada of the New York Yankees become the first teammates to hit a home run from both sides of the plate in the same game.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers win their 1,000th game over the Cincinnati Reds, baseball's oldest professional franchise. Since 1970, the Dodgers are the only National League franchise to play over .500 ball (120-115) in Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium and Cinergy Field.
- 2002 - Jin-woo Song of the Hanwha Eagles sets the Korea Baseball Organization record for victories by winning his 147th game. Dong-yeol Sun had been the previous record-holder.
- 2005 - Earl Wilson, a former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, dies in Southfield, Michigan, at age of 70. In 1962, Wilson became the first black pitcher in major league history to throw a no-hitter.
- 2008:
- The Chicago Cubs become the second franchise in MLB history to reach 10,000 wins. They top the Rockies, 7 - 6, in a 10-inning affair to join the Giants with 10,000. They trail 5-4 entering the 9th but Derrek Lee connects safely against Rockies closer Manuel Corpas and Aramis Ramirez homers to make it 6-5. Chicago closer Kerry Wood fails to hang onto the win; he retires two batters but Scott Podsednik singles and Ryan Spilborghs triples to tie it. In the 10th, Kip Wells allows a single to Geovany Soto; Ryan Theriot later drives in the run with a single for a 7-6 edge. This time, it holds up, as Carlos Marmol notches the save; Wood is credited with the win and Wells suffers the loss.
- The Reds switch general managers, replacing Wayne Krivsky with Walt Jocketty. Jocketty is the 4th Cincinnati Reds GM in just six years.
- 2009:
- In Philadelphia, Dave Bush holds the Phillies hitless for 7⅓ innings in a 6 - 1 Milwaukee win. The no-hit bid ends when pinch hitter Matt Stairs drives a pitch off the foul pole for a home run. Phillies' starter Cole Hamels is hit in the shoulder by a line drive off the bat of Prince Fielder in the 4th inning and has to leave the game.
- St. Louis beats the Mets 12 - 8 to complete a three-game sweep at home. Albert Pujols homers twice and Rick Ankiel homers and doubles twice for the Cardinals.
- The SK Wyverns beat the Lotte Giants 8-2. Jae-hong Park steals the 250th base of his career, becoming the first player in the history of the Korea Baseball Organization with 250 home runs and 250 stolen bases.
[edit] Births
- 1861 - John Peltz, outfielder (d. 1906)
- 1875 - Bob Ganley, outfielder (d. 1945)
- 1879 - Harry Cheek, catcher (d. 1927)
- 1882 - Connie Walsh, pitcher (d. 1953)
- 1886 - Harry Coveleski, pitcher (d. 1950)
- 1888 - Jim Scott, pitcher (d. 1957)
- 1895 - Tom Knowlson, pitcher (d. 1943)
- 1896 - Elam Vangilder, pitcher (d. 1977)
- 1900 - Jim Bottomley, infielder, manager; Hall of Famer (d. 1959)
- 1900 - Joe Kelly, outfielder (d. 1967)
- 1905 - Belve Bean, pitcher (d. 1988)
- 1906 - Ray Starr, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1963)
- 1907 - Dolph Camilli, infielder; All-Star (d. 1997)
- 1907 - Jorge Pasquel, minor league executive (d. 1955)
- 1915 - Walter Brown, pitcher (d. 1991)
- 1916 - Jack Creel, pitcher (d. 2002)
- 1917 - Tony Lupien, infielder (d. 2004)
- 1921 - Warren Spahn, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 2003)
- 1923 - Sammy Meeks, infielder (d. 2007)
- 1924 - Chuck Harmon, infielder
- 1925 - Buddy Peterson, infielder (d. 2006)
- 1935 - Ron Blackburn, pitcher (d. 1998)
- 1937 - Duke Carmel, outfielder
- 1939 - Chico Fernandez, infielder
- 1945 - Jorge Rubio, pitcher
- 1947 - Pat Jacquez, pitcher
- 1949 - Bob O'Brien, pitcher
- 1955 - Tom Dixon, pitcher
- 1957 - Darryl Cias, catcher
- 1967 - Rheal Cormier, pitcher
- 1968 - Guillermo Velasquez, infielder
- 1971 - Doug Mlicki, minor league pitcher
- 1976 - Dirk van 't Klooster, Hoofdklasse and Olympic outfielder
- 1977 - Andruw Jones, outfielder; All-Star
- 1977 - Jason Tyner, outfielder
- 1978 - Nick Brannon, minor league player
- 1979 - Alex Malihoudis, Bundesliga outfielder
- 1979 - Carlos Silva, pitcher
- 1979 - Rich Thompson, outfielder
- 1981 - Sean Henn, pitcher
- 1983 - Mike Jones, minor league pitcher
- 1983 - Fernando Perez, outfielder
- 1983 - Billy Rojo, minor league infielder
- 1984 - Dave Davidson, pitcher
- 1985 - Emilio Bonifacio, infielder
- 1986 - Luis Durango, outfielder
- 1988 - Ricardo Montilla, minor league pitcher
[edit] Deaths
- 1895 - John Ewing, pitcher (b. 1863)
- 1911 - George Craig, pitcher (b. 1887)
- 1913 - Charlie Pabor, outfielder, manager (b. 1846)
- 1925 - Ad Gumbert, pitcher (b. 1868)
- 1926 - Henry Schmidt, pitcher (b. 1873)
- 1928 - Joe Miller, infielder (b. 1861)
- 1930 - Rube Manning, pitcher (b. 1883)
- 1932 - Lon Knight, outfielder, manager (b. 1853)
- 1933 - Tim Keefe, pitcher; Hall of Famer (b. 1857)
- 1943 - Cliff Curtis, pitcher (b. 1881)
- 1950 - Bill Hallman, outfielder (b. 1876)
- 1950 - Dike Varney, pitcher (b. 1880)
- 1961 - Jack Barry, infielder, manager (b. 1887)
- 1963 - Harry Harper, pitcher (b. 1895)
- 1969 - Freddie Moncewicz, infielder (b. 1903)
- 1972 - Dino Chiozza, infielder (b. 1912)
- 1972 - Charlie Miller, infielder (b. 1892)
- 1974 - Cy Williams, outfielder (b. 1887)
- 1985 - Bob Wilson, outfielder (b. 1925)
- 1985 - Whitey Wistert, pitcher (b. 1912)
- 1989 - Howie Krist, pitcher (b. 1916)
- 1990 - Pete Wojey, pitcher (b. 1919)
- 1992 - Deron Johnson, infielder (b. 1938)
- 1996 - Jake Daniel, infielder (b. 1911)
- 2005 - Earl Wilson, pitcher (b. 1934)
- 2006 - Billy Queen, outfielder (b. 1928)
- 2007 - Sammy Meeks, infielder (b. 1923)
- 2007 - David Halberstam, author (b. 1934)

