April 6
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 | |
| Sources | |
| Baseball Library Chronology | |
| Today in Baseball History | |
Events, births and deaths that occurred on April 6.
[edit] Events
- 1903 - Gordon (Mickey) Cochrane is born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Cochrane will make his major league debut in 1925, when he bats .331 for the Philadelphia Athletics. A standout defensive catcher, Cochrane will bat .320 over a 13-year career. He will gain Hall of Fame honors in 1947.
- 1971 - Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants hits a home run on Opening Day, marking the start of an historic streak. Mays will hit home runs in each of the Giants' first four games, setting a major league record.
- 1972 - The first general strike in the history of the major leagues officially begins with the cancellation of Opening Day games in both leagues. The strike will be settled seven days later when the players and owners come to agreement on pension fund payments. The two sides agree not to make up the 86 missed games.
- 1973:
- The Pittsburgh Pirates retire Roberto Clemente's uniform No. 21 in a moving pre-game ceremony before 51,695 fans at Three Rivers Stadium. The 38-year-old Clemente died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve, 1972.
- At Fenway Park, Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees becomes the first designated hitter in major league history. In his first plate appearance, Blomberg walks with the bases loaded off Luis Tiant. He will end up with one hit in three at-bats as the Yankees lose to the Boston Red Sox, 15 - 5.
- 1977 - For the second time in nine years, a new franchise makes its major league debut in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners lose their first regular-season game at Kingdome to Frank Tanana and the Angels, 7 - 0.
- 1982:
- The largest crowd ever to see a baseball game in Minnesota, 52,279, turns out for the inaugural game at the brand-new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Twins rookie Gary Gaetti has four hits, including a pair of home runs, but the visiting Seattle Mariners wins, 11 - 7.
- A freak heavy spring snow storm brings subfreezing temperatures across the northeast and midwest and causes the postponement of home openers for the Yankees, Tigers, White Sox, Brewers, Indians, Phillies and Pirates.
- 1989 - The consecutive scoreless innings streak of Los Angeles Dodgers ace Orel Hershiser comes to an end. Hershiser gives up a run in the first inning of a loss to the Cincinnati Reds, ending his scoreless innings streak at 59.
- 1992 - The Baltimore Orioles play the first game in Oriole Park at Camden Yards history. The capacity crowd of 44,568 includes US President George Bush. Baltimore defeat the Cleveland Indians, 2 - 0, behind the five-hit pitching of Rick Sutcliffe
- 1996 - Chan Ho Park of the Los Angeles Dodgers becomes the first pitcher born in South Korea to win a major league game. Park throws six shutout innings of relief to earn the decision in a 3 - 1 win over the Chicago Cubs.
- 1998 - Former All-Star pitcher John Wyatt dies from a heart attack in Omaha, Nebraska, at the age of 63. After starring in the Negro Leagues, Wyatt embarked on a nine-year career in the American League, where he saved 103 games. In perhaps his most memorable appearance, he won Game Six of the 1967 World Series for the Boston Red Sox.
- 2001:
- In Opening Day at Veterans Stadium, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning's number 14 jersey is retired. Bunning, who compiled a 224-184 in his 17-year career pitching for the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers, joins Richie Ashburn (1), Robin Roberts (36), Steve Carlton (32) and Mike Schmidt (20), as the fifth player to have his number retired by the Phillies.
- The Milwaukee Brewers, after a disappointing 0-4 start on the road, get into the winner's circle in front of US President George W. Bush, as they beat the Cincinnati Reds 5 - 4, in the first game played at Miller Park. Cincinnati's Sean Casey hits the park's first home run, but Richie Sexson's home run in the eighth inning breaks a 4-4 deadlock giving Milwaukee its first victory.
- 2004:
- In an on-line poll in which nearly 8,000 fans participated, Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie is selected as the title of a documentary about the 2003 season. Other choices offered by the team and Boston Globe web sites included This Is the Year, The Ecstasy and the Agony and Always the Bridesmaid in addition to fan's wry suggestion of I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Wish I Didn't Know What You Did Last Fall.
- Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Adrian Beltre becomes the 36th player in major league history to hit 100 home runs before the age of 25.
- 2005 - At Citizens Bank Park, Brad Wilkerson of the Washington Nationals hits for the cycle in the franchise's first victory since moving to Washington, DC, 7 - 3 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Wilkerson also becomes the twentieth player in MLB to hit for the cycle twice.
- 2006 - Jimmy Rollins went 0 for 4, snapping a 38-game hitting-streak that stretched over two seasons, and the Philadelphia Phillies lost 4 - 2 to the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. Rollins' 38-game streak ranks as the eighth-longest in major league baseball history.
[edit] Births
- 1862 - Eddie Hogan, pitcher (d. 1932)
- 1863 - Dick Johnston, outfielder (d. 1934)
- 1876 - Charlie Luskey, outfielder (d. 1962)
- 1876 - Frank Murphy, outfielder (d. 1912)
- 1884 - Rudy Schwenck, pitcher (d. 1941)
- 1885 - Joe Williams Hall of Famer (d. 1951)
- 1890 - Tom Fitzsimmons, infielder (d. 1971)
- 1890 - Red Smith, infielder (d. 1966)
- 1900 - Joe Wyatt, outfielder (d. 1970)
- 1903 - Mickey Cochrane, catcher, manager; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1962)
- 1906 - Benny Frey, pitcher (d. 1937)
- 1908 - Dick Gyselman, infielder (d. 1990)
- 1908 - Ernie Lombardi, catcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1977)
- 1908 - Joe Mowry, outfielder (d. 1994)
- 1914 - Dee Moore, catcher (d. 1997)
- 1924 - Tokuji Iida, NPB Hall-of-Famer (d. 2000)
- 1925 - Hal Schacker, pitcher
- 1926 - Ed White, outfielder (d. 1982)
- 1927 - Jim Romano, pitcher (d. 1990)
- 1929 - Don Elston, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1995)
- 1931 - Sonny Senerchia, infielder (d. 2003)
- 1937 - Wayne Graham, infielder
- 1937 - Phil Regan, pitcher, manager; All-Star
- 1942 - John Wojcik, outfielder
- 1943 - Marty Pattin, pitcher; All-Star
- 1951 - Bert Blyleven, pitcher; All-Star
- 1952 - Steve Waterbury, pitcher
- 1954 - Ken Clay, pitcher
- 1958 - Leo Sutherland, outfielder
- 1962 - Koji Akiyama, NPB outfielder
- 1964 - Kenny Williams, outfielder
- 1966 - Epy Guerrero Jr., minor league infielder
- 1967 - Tommy Greene, pitcher
- 1969 - Bret Boone, infielder; All-Star
- 1970 - Tim Belk, infielder
- 1971 - Lou Merloni, infielder
- 1972 - Marty Malloy, infielder
- 1974 - Danny Clyburn, outfielder
- 1975 - Mark Seaver, minor league pitcher
- 1976 - Alex Pelaez, infielder
- 1977 - Andy Phillips, infielder
- 1977 - Barry Wesson, outfielder
- 1978 - Blaine Neal, pitcher
- 1983 - Thomas Diamond, minor league pitcher
- 1983 - Bronson Sardinha, outfielder
- 1989 - Justin Bass, minor league infielder
[edit] Deaths
- 1908 - Jim Brown, pitcher (b. 1860)
- 1909 - Doggie Miller, catcher, manager (b. 1864)
- 1916 - Fred Mann, outfielder (b. 1858)
- 1918 - Bill Bowman, catcher (b. 1869)
- 1918 - Newt Halliday, infielder (b. 1896)
- 1928 - Ike McAuley, infielder (b. 1891)
- 1938 - J.B. Young, pitcher (b. 1857)
- 1949 - Gene Madden, pinch hitter (b. 1890)
- 1965 - Rudy Kneisch, pitcher (b. 1899)
- 1966 - Rolla Mapel, pitcher (b. 1890)
- 1973 - Ernie Smith, infielder (b. 1899)
- 1974 - Roy Wood, outfielder (b. 1892)
- 1977 - Frank Rooney, infielder (b. 1884)
- 1979 - Al Evans, catcher (b. 1916)
- 1979 - Rudy Kallio, pitcher (b. 1892)
- 1981 - Steve Mesner, infielder (b. 1918)
- 1981 - Dick Seay, Negro League infielder (b. 1904)
- 1983 - Nelson Greene, pitcher (b. 1900)
- 1984 - Glenn Wright, infielder (b. 1901)
- 1987 - Bud Morse, infielder (b. 1904)
- 1989 - Carlos Bernier, outfielder (b. 1927)
- 1994 - Bill Ford, pitcher (b. 1915)
- 1994 - Goody Rosen, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1912)
- 1998 - Ichiro Maehara, scout (b. 1909)
- 1998 - Dewey Soriano, minor league pitcher and executive (b. 1920)
- 1998 - John Wyatt, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1935)
- 2000 - Don Johnson, infielder; All-Star (b. 1911)
- 2002 - Tom Sunkel, pitcher (b. 1912)
- 2004 - Lou Berberet, catcher (b. 1929)
- 2004 - Ken Johnson, pitcher (b. 1923)
- 2004 - Gene Karst, writer (b. 1906)
- 2007 - Ed Bahr, pitcher (b. 1919)
