April 8

From BR Bullpen


January	February
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
March	April
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
May	June
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
July	August
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
September	October
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
November	December
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
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 8.

[edit] Events

1909 - While at spring training, Hal Chase of the New York Highlanders contracts smallpox. The entire team is vaccinated and quarantined while traveling north.
1914 - An attempt to legalize Sunday baseball in Massachusetts is defeated.
1916 - Outfielder Tris Speaker is still a holdout as a reaction to Boston Red Sox owner Joseph Lannin's proposal to cut his salary from $11,000 to $9,000. Speaker wants $15,000. The Red Sox, in anticipation of resolving the contract dispute by trading Speaker, purchase OF Tilly Walker from the St. Louis Browns.
1922 - At Sportsman's Park, the St. Louis Cardinals wear their new uniforms (two red birds on a bat with the words "Cardinals" across the front) for the first time in an exhibition contest with the St. Louis Browns. Browns pitcher Urban Shocker tops Cardinals' Willie Sherdel, 3 - 2, the same result as their matchup a week ago.
1927 - Four days before the season opens, recently traded Rogers Hornsby breaks the impasse by selling his stock in the St. Louis Cardinals for $112,000. He receives $86,000 from owner Sam Breadon, $2,000 from each of the other seven National League clubs, and an extra $12,000 from the New York Giants, his new team.
1934 - At Shibe Park, 15,000 fans witness the first legal baseball game between major league teams played on a Sunday in the city of Philadelphia. In a hometown exhibition game, the Phillies defeat the Athletics, 8 - 1.
1946 - Jim (Catfish) Hunter is born in Hertford, North Carolina. Hunter will make his major league debut in 1965 and will win election to the Hall of Fame in 1987.
1954 - Veteran pitcher Dave Koslo is purchased by the Baltimore Orioles from the New York Giants.
1963 - In his first major league at-bat, Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds works out a walk off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Earl Francis.
1963 - The Detroit Tigers claim little-known pitcher Denny McLain on waivers from the Chicago White Sox, who will regret their decision. After pitching brief stints for the Tigers in 1963 and 1964, McLain will win 108 games from 1965 through 1969.
1966 - At the Astrodome, the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers play the MLB first game on synthetic grass. Thanks to the Monsanto chemical company, who proposed using an experimental playing surface of nylon grass, the plan to play on an all-dirt field, necessitated by the need to paint the dome's glass panes to reduce the glare which prevented natural grass from growing, was alleviated by the use of AstroTurf.
1968 - The major leagues decide to postpone Opening Day because of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. With 11 black players on their roster, the Pittsburgh Pirates vote not to play games on Monday - the day of the scheduled opener - or Tuesday. The Pirates will open the season on Wednesday.
1969:
- Four expansion teams make their debuts. The Kansas City Royals, Seattle Pilots, Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres all win their inaugural games. At Shea Stadium, the Expos defeat the New York Mets, 11 - 10, to keep the Mets winless for openers. Pitcher Dan McGinn hits the Expos first home run as the key hit, a three-run home run by Coco Laboy, is given up by Canadian-born Mets reliever Ron Taylor.
- After a long recovery following a 1967 beaning, Tony Conigliaro starts his first game for the Boston Red Sox. His dramatic two-run 10th-inning home run gives the Red Sox a brief lead, and his 12th-inning run wins it, 5 - 4, over the Baltimore Orioles home team.
1974 - Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves blasts an historic home run at Fulton County Stadium, breaking Babe Ruth's career all-time record. The 715th home run of Aaron's career comes against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing and results in a game-delaying celebration. Aaron would finish his career with a total of 755 home runs, which remains the most in major league history.
1975 - Frank Robinson makes his debut as major league baseball's first black manager. Rachel Robinson, the widow of Jackie Robinson, throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a crowd of 56,204. As the player-manager of the Cleveland Indians, Frank Robinson hits a home run in his first at-bat, helping Cleveland to a 5 - 3 victory over the New York Yankees. For Robinson, it is his eighth Opening Day home run, setting a MLB record.
1977 - The Seattle Mariners record their first win by defeating the California Angels, 7-6, at the Kingdome. Bob Stinson and Larry Milbourne each hit run-scoring doubles in the 9th inning to seal the victory. Bill Laxton is the winning pitcher.
1984 - In a 3 - 1 loss to the Mets, Houston Astros shortstop Dickie Thon is hit in the face by a Mike Torrez pitch that breaks the orbital bone around his eye. Thon will be operated on April 11, but will miss the rest of the season. When he returns, the All-Star SS will be plagued with blurred vision and be relegated to a backup role.
1985 - At Fenway Park, 46-year-old Phil Niekro starts for the New York Yankees, becoming the second oldest pitcher ever to start in Opening Day. Only Jack Quinn, for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1931, was older at age 47. The Boston Red Sox chases Niekro after four innings and behind the pitching of Oil Can Boyd coasts to a 9 - 2 win. Niekro walks four in the third inning, including two with the bases loaded, to lose his seventh opener in a row (six with Atlanta), the worst opening day record ever. Outfielders Tony Armas, Dwight Evans and Jim Rice stroke home runs for Boston.
1986 - Facing Nolan Ryan of the Astros, Giants rookie Will Clark hits a home run in his first major league at-bat.
1987:
- Cleveland Indians pitchers Phil Niekro and Steve Carlton combine to beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 14 - 3, making it the first time in major league history that two 300-game winners pitched for the same team in the same game. Niekro goes six innings to get his 312th career win and Carlton blanks Toronto for four innings.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers vice-president Al Campanis is fired after he made racial remarks on national TV two days earlier. Campanis suggested that blacks lacked the "necessities" to become managers.
1989 - One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott makes his major league debut for the California Angels. Born without a right hand, Abbott bypassed the minors completely after starring at the University of Michigan directly to the Angels' starting rotation. He lasts only four and two-thirds innings in a 7 - 0 loss to the Seattle Mariners, but will finish his rookie season with 12 wins and a 3.92 ERA, the most ML wins in a first pro season since St. Louis Browns pitcher Ernie Wingard won 13 in his first professional season, in 1925.
1991:
- Starter Nolan Ryan and closer Goose Gossage pitches for the Texas Rangers in a 5 - 4 loss to Milwaukee. It marks the first time in MLB a 300-game winner hurls in the same contest as a teammate with 300 saves.
- MLB umpires strike on Opening Day, as amateur umpires are used as replacements. The arbiters, whose working agreement expired on December 31, will settle and return to work the next day. Among the benefits won by the World Umpires Association is an increase in starting salaries from $41,000 to $60,000.
1993 - Carlos Baerga of the Cleveland Indians becomes the first player in major league history to switch-hit home runs in the same inning. In the seventh inning, Baerga connects against Yankees relievers Steve Howe and Steve Farr. Baerga's outburst helps the Indians to a 15 - 5 win.
1994 - Atlanta Braves pitcher Kent Mercker no-hits the Dodgers, 6 - 0, striking out 10 in the process. For Mecker, it is his first complete game in the majors. Chan Ho Park comes on to pitch in the ninth inning for the Dodgers, becoming the first Korean player to appear in a major league game.
1995 - Free agents signed include outfielder Larry Walker and pitcher Bill Swift by the Rockies, and pitcher Orel Hershiser by the Indians. In other transaction, the Red Sox trade third baseman Scott Cooper, pitcher Cory Bailey, and a player to be named to the Cardinals, in exchange for outfielder Mark Whiten and pitcher Rheal Cormier.
2001 - The Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Houston Astros, 9 - 3, as third baseman Aramis Ramirez hits three home runs with six runs batted in.
2000:
- At Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher David Wells allows nine hits in shutting out the Texas Rangers, 4 - 0. Pitcher Kenny Rogers loses at home ending his 19-game home winning streak, the third longest in MLB history. The streaks dates to June 28, 1997 when Rogers was with the Yankees. Since then, Rogers pitched for Oakland and the Mets.
- The St. Louis Cardinals announce plans for a new $370 million ballpark, possibly to open in time for the 2004 season.
2002:
- Craig Biggio becomes the sixth player in Houston Astros history to hit for the cycle. Biggio also drives in four runs in the Astros 8 - 4 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
- After opening their season with six straight losses, the Detroit Tigers fire manager Phil Garner and general manager Randy Smith. Coach Luis Pujols takes over the reins on an interim basis while team president Dave Dombrowski assumes the GM's responsibilities.
2003:
- In Opening Day at PNC Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates unveils a sculpture of Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner. Kiner, who is depicted in the bronze artwork gripping a Kiner-model Louisville Slugger bat, joins Willie Stargell, Honus Wagner and Roberto Clemente as other former Pirates honored with a ballpark statutes.
- By going went 4-for-4 along with three walks, Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton sets a club record by reaching base in all seven plate appearances. Chris Stynes also set a franchise mark for most plate appearances in a game with eight.
- At Yankee Stadium home opener, with the fans chanting his name, Hideki Matsui hit his first major league home run, a grand slam, against the Minnesota Twins.
2005 - Jimmy Carter, who was not invited by the current administration to be part of the American delegation to attend today's funeral of Pope John Paul II, attends the home opener at Turner Field. The former U.S. President and his wife Roslyn, who both stayed for the entire game, watched the Braves beat the Mets, 3 - 1.
2008:
- Chase Utley ties a major league record by being hit by pitch three times in a game as the Phillies top the Mets, 5-2. Utley was hit by an Oliver Perez pitch in the first inning and was again plunked by Perez in the 4th. In the 7th, he was hit by Scott Schoeneweis to tie the record.
- Placido Polanco's MLB record run of 186 consecutive errorless games and 911 consecutive errorless chances at second base ends. Polanco has a throwing error that lets Manny Ramirez score on what would have been just a triple otherwise. The Tigers lose 5-0 to the Red Sox.
- Top Atlanta Braves prospect Jordan Schafer (named the best Carolina League prospect in 2007) is suspended 50 games for using Human Growth Hormone. Schafer had hit only .240 in 2006 before leading the affiliated minor leagues in hits in 2007. He almost won the Braves center field job in spring training.
- Reds rookie Johnny Cueto strikes out eight and walks none; that gives him 18 strikeouts and no walks in his first two major league games. No pitcher had done that since 1900.