April 9

From BR Bullpen


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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 9.

[edit] Events

1907 - In St. Louis, the Cardinals defeat the Browns, 9 - 1, to take the City Series four games to three. The two teams will reprise the rivalry in the fall, and the Cardinals will also take that one, 5-2.
1912 - In the first game ever played at Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox defeat Harvard University in an exhibition game played in a snow storm.
1913 - The Brooklyn Superbas and Philadelphia Phillies play the first game in the history of Ebbets Field. A crowd of 10,000 watches the visiting Phillies win, 1 - 0. The new ballpark is named after Brooklyn owner Charles Ebbets.
1922 - With a St. Louis record crowd of 29,000 on hand, the Browns top the Cardinals, 6 - 3, to win their City Series.
1947 - Commissioner Happy Chandler suspends Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher for "conduct deemed detrimental to baseball." The one-year ban will force Leo to miss the major league debut of Jackie Robinson.
1959:
- At Griffith Stadium, the Baltimore Orioles become the first team in major league history to turn a triple play on Opening Day. The Orioles turn the feat in front of Vice-President Richard Nixon, who throws out the ceremonial first pitch as a substitute for President Dwight Eisenhower. The Washington Senators defeat Baltimore, 9 - 2, behind a seven-hit, six-strikeout, complete game by Pedro Ramos, and two-run home runs by Harmon Killebrew and Reno Bertoia. Gus Triandos also hits a two-run homer for the only Orioles runs.
- In an effort to protect the Little League batters, pitching mounds are moved back two feet to a distance of 46 feet.
1962 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy throws out the first ball to open the 1962 baseball season at new District of Columbia Stadium. Despite rain, a record Washington crowd of 42,143 shows up to see Senators pitcher Bennie Daniels stop Detroit with a five-hit, 4 - 1 victory.
1965 - U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson joins 47,878 fans for the opening of Harris County Domed Stadium (the Astrodome). The Houston Astros win an exhibition against the New York Yankees, 2 - 1, in 12 innings. Yankees outfielder Mickey Mantle hits the first-ever indoor home run in the new park.
1969 - Billy Williams of the Chicago Cubs hits four consecutive doubles to lead his team to an 11 - 3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
1970 - Diminutive Baltimore Orioles outfielder Don Buford slams home runs from both sides of the plate in a 13 - 1 rout of the Cleveland Indians. Not known as a power hitter, the switch-hitter Buford will go on to hit a career-high 17 home runs in 1970.
1971 - The Oakland Athletics trade 1B/OF Felipe Alou to the New York Yankees in exchange for two prospects. In 1972, Alou's younger brother, Matty, will join him in New York pinstripes. The Yankees will acquire him in another deal with Oakland.
1974 - San Diego Padres owner Ray Kroc criticizes his club over the public address system-during a game! "Ladies and gentlemen, I suffer with you," Kroc says. "I've never seen such stupid baseball playing in my life." The announcement occurs during San Diego's 9 - 5 loss to the Houston Astros. Coincidentally, the San Diego Chicken team mascot makes its debut that day. Hearing of the incident, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn will make Kroc apologize to the fans.
1976 - In a classic Opening Day pitchers' duel between Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles and Ferguson Jenkins of the Boston Red Sox, who would combine for 552 MLB wins, Palmer prevails 1 - 0.
1978 - The Milwaukee Brewers complete a stunning season-opening, three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles by scores of 11 - 3, 16 - 3, and 13 - 5. Sixto Lezcano, Gorman Thomas, and Cecil Cooper provided the Brewers with a grand slam in each game to set a MLB record.
1980 - Two days prior to the start of the season, the Durham Bulls uniforms are stolen. Atlanta Braves minor league director, Hank Aaron, sends the affiliate team a set of used Braves uniforms to wear on the road as the Bulls decides to wear its road uniforms at home.
1981 - On Opening Day, Dodgers rookie pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, in replacement of injured starter Jerry Reuss, shuts out the visiting Astros 2 - 0, on five hits, in his first major league start. Valenzuela goes on to win eight consecutive games.
1982 - Former Chicago White Sox pitcher Francisco Barrios, 28, dies of heart attack in his native Mexico at the age of 28. Barrios was 14-7 for Chicago in 1977, despite recurring shoulder trouble.
1985:
- At County Stadium, Chicago White Sox pitcher Tom Seaver makes his 15th opening day start to break the mark set by Christy Mathewson. Seaver pitches 6 2/3 innings and is credited with the victory as the White Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4 - 2.
- A year and a day after being hit in the face by a Mike Torrez pitch, shortstop Dickie Thon returns to the Houston Astros lineup and goes 1-for-4 off Fernando Valenzuela in Houston's 2 - 1 win over the Dodgers. Thon will hit just .207 before going back on the disabled list with recurring vision problems.
1987 - Gary Carter drives in his 1,000th career run with an eighth-inning single that scores Lenny Dykstra as the Mets defeat Pittsburgh 4 - 2.
1989 - Rickey Henderson of the New York Yankees gets his his 800th career stolen base in a 4 - 3 New York loss to the Cleveland Indians.
1990:
- At the Astrodome, Houston Astros first baseman Glenn Davis ties a major league record when he is hit by pitches three times in an 8 - 4, 11-inning loss to the Cincinnati Reds. For the Reds, it is just their third road opener since 1876.
- The Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the New York Mets, 12-3, at Shea Stadium. It is the Mets' first loss in a season opener at home in 21 years.
1991 - MLB average salary on Opening Day reaches a record $891,188, with 223 players making at least $1 million.
1993:
- At Mile High Stadium, the Colorado Rockies beat the Montreal Expos, 11 - 4, for their first victory ever and set a National League record for attendance in their home debut. The crowd of 80,227 breaks the NL record of 78,672 set on April 18, 1958, by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- At Comiskey Park, Bo Jackson of the Chicago White Sox hits a home run in his first at-bat after coming back from hip replacement surgery. The White Sox, however, lose to the Yankees, 11 - 6.
- Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Darryl Hamilton sets an American League record by handling his 541st consecutive chance without an error. Milwaukee defeats the Oakland Athletics, 6 - 5.
1994 - Recently retired NBA legend Michael Jordan makes his baseball professional debut by going hitless for AA Birmingham. Chattanooga is a 10 - 3 winner over the White Sox affiliate club.
1995 - Bob Allison dies in Rio Verde, Arizona, at the age of 60. A three-time All-Star, Allison won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1959. He reached the 100-RBI mark in 1961 and 1962, hitting 256 home runs over a 13-season career for the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins.
1997 - A hearty but paltry gathering of 1,677 comes out to see the Toronto Blue Jays blank the Chicago White Sox 5 - 0 at Comiskey Park. Roger Clemens is the winning pitcher over Wilson Alvarez. The game was originally scheduled at night, but was moved to daylight because of extreme cold. The only thing lower than the attendance (the paid take was just 746) is the temperature, which is 34 degrees at game time. It is the smallest crowd to see the White Sox in 27 years.
1998 - The Baltimore Orioles win their seventh straight game, 2 - 1, tying the score on Cal Ripken's seventh inning home run, the 494th of his career. Ripken moves ahead of Lou Gehrig to 45th on the HR all-time list.
1999 - Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Kris Benson beats the Cubs in his first major league start. He is just the second #1 draft pick to win his first start; David Clyde was the other, in 1973.
2000:
- Cleveland Indians first baseman Jim Thome strikes out five times to tie a major league record. Cleveland prevails posting a 17 - 4 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
- At Kauffman Stadium, the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals, 13 - 7, as both teams each hit three consecutive home runs in the same game for the first time in MLB history. Ron Coomer, Jacque Jones and Matt LeCroy connect consecutively in the sixth inning for Minnesota, followed by three in a row by Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye, and Mike Sweeney of Kansas City two innings later.
2001:
- Hall of Famer Willie Stargell dies in Wilmington, North Carolina, at the age of 61. Stargell, who had been in failing health because of kidney problems, played key roles on the Pittsburgh Pirates World Champion teams in 1971 and 1979. Stargell hit 48 home runs in 1971 and shared the National League MVP Award with Keith Hernandez in 1979. Nicknamed "Pops" for his leadership skills, Stargell was named Pirates captain in 1974.
- Pittsburgh's PNC Park makes its major league debut as hometown product, Sean Casey, leads the visiting Reds past the Pirates, 8 - 2. The Reds first baseman, who hit the first home run ever at Miller Park three days ago, goes 4-for-4 and again has the honor of hitting the first home run in a major league park's history. The bat, which is used to hit both historic homers, is sent to the Hall of Fame.
2004 - The New York Yankees and Joe Torre agree to a three-year contract extension. The contract also includes an additional six-year deal in which the 62-year old manager will serve as a team advisor through the 2013 season.
2005 - Juan Pierre's consecutive innings played streak comes to an end at 1,700 as his name is not in the starting lineup of the Florida Marlins. His consecutive game streak stays intact at 340 by entering the contest as an eighth inning defensive replacement.
2006 - Tomoaki Kanemoto breaks Cal Ripken Jr.'s world record of 902 consecutive games played without missing an inning.
2008 - Brett Lilley of the University of Notre Dame sets a NCAA Division I record when he is hit by a pitch for the 93rd time in his collegiate career. Notre Dame wins this game, 13-8.
2009:
- Jin-woo Song becomes the first hurler in the history of the Korea Baseball Organization to reach 3,000 innings pitched. He is already the only KBO hurler to 200 wins and 2,000 strikeouts.
- Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart is killed in the early hours of the morning in Fullerton, California, hours after making his first start of the season, when the car he is riding in is hit by a van that burned a red light. Two fellow passengers are also killed in the hit-and-run collision. The Angels' game today is cancelled in mourning.
- The Blue Jays beat the Tigers 6-2 as Ricky Romero outduels Rick Porcello. It is only the 19th time since 1901 that opposing starters both made their major league debuts together - it was the first time that two former first-round draft picks debuted against one another.