April 23

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 2nd 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, 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 6th 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 1st 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 spanning the next 21 years, covering a then-record 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 14 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 6th 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 the 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 the 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 this season.
• 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 9th inning. California wins, 17 - 0. It is the second time in a year that Kison has lost a no-hitter with one out in the 9th. 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 9th 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 3rd 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.
• 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 major league 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 on to 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 fourth Cincinnati Reds GM in just six years.
• 2009:
  • In Philadelphia, Dave Bush holds the Phillies hitless for 7 1/3 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.
• 2010:
  • The Mets beat the Braves, 5 - 2, as Ike Davis hits his first major league home run. There is an unusual play in the 7th inning: with the Mets leading 3 - 2 with two runners on base, Jose Reyes hits a high pop-up and the umpires invoke the infield fly rule. But 3B Chipper Jones crosses in front of SS Omar Infante in the windy conditions, and the ball glances off his glove and falls to the ground. C Brian McCann picks up the ball, and not realizing that Reyes is out automatically, goes after him. He relays the ball to 1B Eric Hinske, who tags both Reyes and the bag to no avail. While the Braves are busy flogging a dead horse, Angel Pagan races around the diamond for the Mets' fourth run. Nippon Pro Baseball veteran Hisanori Takahashi replaces starter John Maine, who has to leave in the 4th inning with pain in his left elbow; he strikes out seven in three innings to pick up his first major league win.
  • There are other unusual plays in games today. In Kansas City, the Royals' David DeJesus hits a long drive that bounces off the fence and back onto the field. Twins right fielder Michael Cuddyer, convinced the ball went into the stands, does not chase it as DeJesus races around the bases for an inside-the-park homer; the Twins still win, 8 - 3. And at Chase Field, the Phillies' Jayson Werth hits a high fly ball to right field in the 4th inning; Diamondbacks RF Chris Young is camped under it, but lets the ball drop to the ground and picks it up immediately. While Young is vainly trying to convince umpire Dale Scott that he did indeed make the catch, Werth does not stop running and makes it all the way home on a rare four-base error. In spite of the embarrassment, Arizona wins, 7 - 4.
• 2011:
  • The homer-happy Yankees are at it again, connecting five times in a 15 - 3 win over the Orioles. Russell Martin goes deep twice and is joined by Jorge Posada, Brett Gardner and Alex Rodriguez, who hits a grand slam. It is the 22nd slam of A-Rod's career, moving him past the provisionally retired Manny Ramirez and into second place on the all-time list, one behind Lou Gehrig. CC Sabathia picks up his first win of the year, while Brad Bergesen is the loser.
  • Daisuke Matsuzaka holds the Angels to an infield hit over eight innings while striking out nine as the Red Sox win, 5 - 0, their fourth straight win after an awful start to the season.
• 2012:
  • Ivan Rodriguez, who has caught more games than anyone in big league history, announces his retirement after a 21-year career. He was hoping to continue playing this season as well, but found no takers for his services. The Rangers honor him by having him throw the ceremonial first pitch before today's game; unusually, he throws it from his familiar position behind the plate, with Michael Young catching it at second base and tagging out a phantom baserunner.
  • The Giants sweep the Mets in a doubleheader at Citi Field, 6 - 1 and 7 - 2. Tim Lincecum picks up his first win of the season in the opener, while Madison Bumgarner is the winner in the second contest. With a hit in both games, including a homer in the nitecap, Pablo Sandoval has now hit in all 16 games the Giants have played thus far, tying a franchise record held by Willie Mays.
  • The Blue Jays complete a four-game sweep of the Royals at Kauffman Stadium with a 4 - 1 win, powered by Jose Bautista's two-run homer. The Royals have now lost 11 straight, and all 10 of their home dates so far this season. It is the first time the Jays sweep a four-game series on the road since a visit to Yankee Stadium back in 2003.
• 2013 - For only the second time in major league history, brothers hit back-to-back homers in a game. In the second game of a doubleheader played in frigid conditions at Coors Field, the Braves' B.J. Upton leads off the 5th inning with a homer off Jon Garland, and his brother Justin immediately follows suit, driving Garland's next pitch over the center field fence for his major league-leading 11th homer of the year. Atlanta sweeps the twinbill over Colorado, 4 -3 and 10 - 2. The only previous instance of brothers going deep consecutively was Hall of Famers Lloyd and Paul Waner doing so for the Pirates on September 15, 1938.

[edit] Births

• 1861 - John Peltz, outfielder (d. 1906)
• 1866 - Joseph Lannin, owner (d. 1928)
• 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)
• 1897 - Lester B. Pearson, politician; Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (d. 1972)
• 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)
• 1917 - Gene Smith, Negro League pitcher (d. 2011)
• 1920 - Willie Hutchinson, Negro League pitcher (d. 1992)
• 1921 - Lawrence Bucynski, minor league catcher and manager (d. 1996)
• 1921 - Warren Spahn, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 2003)
• 1923 - Sammy Meeks, infielder (d. 2007)
• 1924 - Ben Haddix, minor league catcher
• 1924 - Chuck Harmon, infielder
• 1924 - Chusuke Kizuka, NPB infielder (d. 1987)
• 1925 - Buddy Peterson, infielder (d. 2006)
• 1935 - Ron Blackburn, pitcher (d. 1998)
• 1937 - Duke Carmel, outfielder
• 1937 - Giulio Ripani, Serie A1 executive; Italian Baseball Hall of Fame
• 1939 - Chico Fernandez, infielder
• 1945 - John Barletta, minor league catcher (d. 2011)
• 1945 - Jorge Rubio, pitcher
• 1947 - Pat Jacquez, pitcher
• 1949 - Bob O'Brien, pitcher
• 1953 - Hae-chang Lee, KBO outfielder
• 1955 - Tom Dixon, pitcher
• 1957 - Darryl Cias, catcher
• 1967 - Rheal Cormier, pitcher
• 1968 - Guillermo Velasquez, infielder
• 1971 - Clint Compton, Jr., minor league pitcher
• 1971 - Doug Mlicki, minor league pitcher
• 1976 - Dirk van 't Klooster, Hoofdklasse outfielder
• 1977 - Andruw Jones, outfielder; All-Star
• 1977 - Jason Tyner, outfielder
• 1978 - Nick Brannon, minor league player
• 1978 - Jose Carreno, minor league catcher
• 1978 - Lester Fortuin, South African national team pitcher
• 1979 - Tom Lipari, minor league pitcher
• 1979 - Alex Malihoudis, Bundesliga outfielder
• 1979 - Henry Owens, pitcher
• 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
• 1989 - Oliver Dominguez, minor league infielder
• 1990 - Chun-Shing Chau, Hong Kong national team 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 - Sam Hill, Negro League and minor league outfielder (b. 1929)
• 1992 - Deron Johnson, infielder (b. 1938)
• 1995 - Jake Daniel, infielder (b. 1911)
• 2002 - Jim Cohen, Negro League pitcher (b. 1918)
• 2005 - Earl Wilson, pitcher (b. 1934)
• 2006 - Billy Queen, outfielder (b. 1928)
• 2007 - Sammy Meeks, infielder (b. 1923)
• 2007 - David Halberstam, author (b. 1934)
• 2012 - Larry Chase, scout (b. 1946)