August 25

From BR Bullpen

Events, births and deaths that occurred on August 25.

[edit] Events

• 1900:
  • Emmet Heidrick swipes 4 bases in St. Louis's 2 - 0 win over Chicago.
  • Criticism of administration in the National League continues. The Sporting News offers the new American League some editorial encouragement: "An organization opposed to the National League will be welcome because it will mean the elevation of the game if it is successful."
• 1902 - Ban Johnson announces the American League's intention to have a New York team in 1903, with Clark Griffith as manager. The Baltimore franchise will be moved.
• 1906:
  • Washington sweeps a doubleheader from the White Sox to end Chicago's win streak at 19 games. The Sox jumped from 4th to first on the streak.
  • The Giants trailing the Reds 3 - 2 after six innings, jump on Bob Wicker for six runs in the 7th and win going away, 8 - 3. One of the six hits in the 6th is a double by Christy Mathewson, the winning pitcher.
  • New York rookie Slow Joe Doyle debuts with a 2 - 0 shutout against Cleveland.
• 1908 - The Giants win their 3rd in a row from Pittsburgh, stopping Nick Maddox, 5 - 3. Maddox had won eight in a row. Doc Crandall is the winner. Larry Doyle triples in the 3rd inning, then steps off the bag while chatting with Buc third sacker Tommy Leach. George Gibson's throw from home nails Doyle.
• 1909 - Christy Mathewson stops the Pirates, 3 - 2, on five hits to notch his 20th victory of the season. It is the 7th season in a row that Matty's hit 20 wins. Nick Maddox takes the loss for the leading Bucs.
• 1910:
  • In the 12th inning at Brooklyn, Pittsburgh's Bobby Byrne doubles, steals third base, and then steals home to beat Brooklyn, 4 - 3. This is the National League's first 20th Century's extra-inning steal of home.
  • At St. Louis, the Athletics' Danny Murphy hits for the cycle, but it is not enough as Philadelphia loses, 9 - 6.
• 1911:
  • The Giants take over sole possession of the lead with a 3 - 2 win over Pittsburgh. New York will remain atop the National League for the rest of the way.
  • Red Sox lefty Smoky Joe Wood tops the St. Louis Browns, 3 - 2, for his 20th win.
• 1913:
  • Braves vet Art Devlin slaps the game-winning hit in the 9th for Boston and gets rewarded by manager George Stallings by being sent down to Rochester, never to return to the ML. His .229 average might have had something to do with it.
  • Ty Cobb swipes home in the 5th inning to help the Tigers edge the Senators, 6 - 5.
• 1914 - The A's score nine runs to back Rube Bressler's shut out of the Browns in the first of two games. Teammate Herb Pennock then follows with a 1 - 0 shutout.
• 1915:
  • The Giants release Rube Marquard to Toronto (International League) but the veteran pitcher refuses to go to the minors. He works out his own deal and is signed by Wilbert Robinson and the Robins. Rube will post a 13 - 6 record next season for Uncle Robby.
  • The Red Sox win 2 - 1 in 13 innings to sweep the Tigers and solidify their hold on first place. Boston has now won seven straight and 19 of 21.
• 1917 - Behind Jeff Pfeffer and Rube Marquard, the Robins apply a doubleheader whitewash to the Cardinals, winning 12 - 0 and 4 - 0. Brooklyn's Hy Myers is thrown out three times trying to steal in one game by the Cards, the second player this year to be thrown out three times in a game. Not till Rodney Scott, in 1979, will another National League runner be caught stealing three times.
• 1921 - With Cleveland waltzing to a 15 - 1 win over the Yankees, NY hurler Harry Harper, pitching in the 8th, plunks OF Charlie Jamieson in the ribs, Larry Gardner in the arm, and Steve O'Neill in the back. O'Neill throws the ball back at Harper, precipitating a bench clearing brawl. New York OF Bob Meusel contributes four errors in the game. The Tribe takes over 1st place from the Yankees.
• 1922:
  • In the first of a doubleheader before a sold-out Polo Grounds, the Browns beat the Yankees, 3 - 1, behind Urban Shocker. Waite Hoyt is the loser, but stops Ken Williams hit streak at 28 consecutive games. George Sisler hits in his 24th straight game. In game two, the Yankee jump to a 2 - 0 lead on Babe Ruth's 2-run triple, then extend it to 6 - 1 behind Joe Bush. The Browns close to 6 - 5, but that is it.
  • In spite of a fourth inning lead of 25 - 6, the Cubs need to hold on to defeat Philadelphia 26 - 23 as the Phillies leave the bases loaded in the ninth. The total amount of runs, 49, is the major league mark for most tallies in one game.
• 1924 - Walter Johnson hurls a seven-inning rain-shortened no-hitter against the Browns, winning by a score of 2 - 0.
• 1926 - The Cardinals regain first place in the National League, but the next day the Pirates retake the high ground.
• 1929:
  • After three straight shutouts by Browns hurlers, the Yankees break their 32-inning scoreless streak with a 4th-inning homer by Babe Ruth. St. Louis still wins, 3 - 2.
  • The second-largest crowd ever to pack the Reds' ballpark - 35,432 - watches their team split a pair with the pennant-bound Cubs. The Reds win the opener, 6 - 3, behind Red Lucas' 17th victory, while Guy Bush wins his 18th in the nitecap, 10 - 1.
  • At the Polo Grounds, fans are able to hear the calls of home plate ump Cy Rigler, who is wired for sound, a first in ML history. Wearing a mike, wearing metal-plated shoes, and standing on a flat metal sheet, Cy's calls are broadcast over speakers. The Giants top the Pirates, 10 - 5.
• 1930 - Tommy Bridges walks 12 Brownies, but Detroit still beats St. Louis, 7 - 5.
• 1931 - At Chicago, the Yankees record their first shutout of the season when Herb Pennock blanks the White Sox, 6 - 0. Ben Chapman has a good day with a triple, single, two runs scored and his 50th and 51st stolen bases of the year. In addition, he beats the Sox's Carl Reynolds in a pre-game 100-yard dash.
• 1934 - Schoolboy Rowe, Detroit's sensational rookie P, defeats the Senators 4 - 2 for his 16th win in a row, tying the American League record held by Walter Johnson, Joe Wood, and Lefty Grove.
• 1935 - Earle Combs of the Yankees collides on a fly ball with teammate Red Rolfe and suffers a severe shoulder injury. It will contribute to his decision to retire at the end of the season.
• 1936 - The Giants win their 13th straight and take over first place.
• 1937 - Cleveland's Bob Feller strikes out 16 Red Sox, one less than his own American League record, in an 8 - 1 victory.
• 1938 - St. Louis Browns George McQuinn's 34-game hitting streak is stopped seven short of George Sisler's American League record.
• 1939 - Red Rolfe scores for the Yankees in his 18th consecutive game, giving him a total of 30 runs.
• 1940:
  • Lefty Tom George, who started in pro ball in 1907, returns to the mound for York (Interstate League) at age 54, and wins 3 - 2. He had been inactive for five years.
  • In the 2nd game of a twinbill, the Red Sox explode for 11 runs in the 6th inning. Jimmie Foxx hits his 3rd grand slam of the year in the inning, connecting off the Browns Emil Bildilli. The game is called after seven innings, with the Sox ahead 17 - 3.
• 1942 - The largest night crowd in St. Louis history watch two aces deal, the Dodgers' Whit Wyatt and the Cardinals' Mort Cooper, go scoreless for 12 innings. Both teams score in the 13th, and the Cards win it in the 14th, 2 - 1, on Walker Cooper's solo shot. The win by Mort Cooper cuts the Dodgers lead over St. Louis to 5 1/2 games.
• 1945 - The Tigers' Joe Hoover will swipe only 19 bases in his career, but the most valuable one comes today. On the front end of a 3rd inning double steal, Hoover steals home against the Browns for the game's only run.
• 1947:
  • The Cubs' Billy Jurges, shifted from coach to active player two days ago, smashes a two-run homer in the 10th to give Chicago a 9 - 7 win over the Giants. Also homering are Bob Scheffing and Andy Pafko for Chicago and Willard Marshall and Bobby Thomson for the Giants.
  • Future major leaguer Rocky Nelson is married at home plate at Lynchburg City Stadium, home of the Lynchburg Hillcats.
• 1948 - At Boston, it is Cleveland's turn to take over first place as they roll 9 - 0 behind Bob Lemon. It is Lemon's 8th shutout of the year.
• 1950:
  • The Red Sox win their 11th straight, beating the leading Tigers, 6 - 2, behind Mel Parnell. Boston, in fourth place, is just 3 1/2 games in back of Detroit.
• 1950 - The Cubs win 7 - 6 over the Braves, as reliever Dutch Leonard tops Warren Spahn.
• 1951 - Before 66,110 at Cleveland, Mickey Mantle belts an opposite field 2-run homer off Mike Garcia to help the Yankees win, 7 - 3. New York (77-46) moves to a game back of the Tribe.
• 1952:
  • Tiger Virgil Trucks (5-14) throws the second of his two no-hitters this season blanking the Yankees, 1 - 0. Phil Rizzuto's third inning at-bat is quickly scored as an error but is changed to a hit only to be reversed again in the sixth inning making the no-hitter a bit controversial.
  • Although the game only lasts seven innings, Bill Bell of Bristol (Appalachian League) pitches his third no-hitter of the season.
• 1954 - The Dodgers hit nine home runs in a 2-day sweep of the Redlegs, winning 12 - 4 and 13 - 2. Gil Hodges of the Dodgers has two RBIs today to knock in 100 runs for the sixth consecutive season.
• 1956 - To make room for Enos Slaughter, the Yankees give Phil Rizzuto his unconditional release. Through the instigation of Ballantine Beer, Rizzuto will be in the announcing booth next year, replacing Jim Woods.
• 1959:
  • The White Sox take out pennant insurance, sending Bob Sagers and Harry Simpson packing to Pittsburgh in exchange for veteran Ted Kluszewski. Klu will hit .297 during the season and a torrid .391 in the World Series.
  • In Cleveland, Rocky Colavito homers twice as the Tribe tops the Yankees, 6 - 3. The Indians have now won seven straight to move two games behind the first-place White Sox.
• 1960:
  • Boston's Vic Wertz's 2nd career grand slam, off Don Newcombe, as a pinch hitter ties the record set by Bill Skowron in 1957. Ted Williams hits his 516th home run in a 10 - 7 Boston win over Cleveland.
  • With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Glen Hobbie concludes his pitching duel with Vinegar Bend Mizell in dramatic fashion by launching Mizell's first pitch into the left field bleachers – barely: "A great roar went up from the 11,701 fans when Hobbie connected," reports Les Biederman of the Pittsburgh Press, "and they were hoping the ball would carry to the bleachers. It went down the line and as Gino Cimoli watched, the ball barely got over the left-field railing into home-run territory." Hobbie has had the Bucs off-balance all afternoon, striking out nine, six of them looking. Pittsburgh's only run and a short-lived lead comes on Roberto Clemente's 1st-inning RBI single, but Ernie Banks ties it with one swing leading off the bottom of the second. The Pirates' only other real threat comes in the sixth when Dick Stuart's blast off the left-field bricks sets up second and third with none out for Clemente, but the predictable free pass is followed, in short order, by a pop-up and double play. In fact, the most memorable Clemente cut of this game will come his next time up, even though he doesn't make contact. Ed Wilks of the Associated Press writes: "In the eighth, Clemente took such a vicious cut at a Hobbie fast ball that the handle of his bat broke off."
• 1961:
  • In the Orioles' 5 - 2 win over the Twins, O' Dave Phillips sets a major-league record for pinch hits. His swinging bunt down the third base line is his 23rd hit, breaking the record set by the Giants' Sam Leslie in 1932. Phillips is 23 for 63 this season.
  • Jim Bunning (15-9) allows just two hits while blanking the Senators, 6 - 0, in a game called after eight innings because of rain. The win keeps the Tigers two games ahead of the Yankees.
• 1962:
  • Pirates players call off a threatened strike. They had objected to a rained-out game being rescheduled as a night game the day before a doubleheader.
  • Winning for the 18th time in 21 games - over Houston 7 - 6 - the Reds move within three games of first place. Joey Jay wins his 20th game.
• 1963:
  • Cleveland batters suffer an American League-record 27 strikeouts in a doubleheader (24 innings) split against the Red Sox. The 44 strikeouts for both teams are also an AL record, with Dick Stuart chipping in with 6.
  • With the game tied at 6 - 6 in the 6th inning, Chunichi Dragons left fielder Shinichi Etoh refuses to leave his position when rain pours down from the sky, fearing the game will be called a tie and hoping for a win. A TV station covers Etoh's actions for 20 minutes before he finally goes to the dugout.
• 1965:
  • Moonlight Graham dies in Chisholm, MN. Graham played in one ML game, for the 1905 Giants, and did not get to bat. His character in W.P. Kinsella's Field of Dreams, later played by Burt Lancaster in the movie, made him a baseball household name.
  • Braves reliever Billy O'Dell sees Red again as he is victimized for the second day in a row by a 9th inning Cincy homer. This time it is Tony Perez doing the damage by hitting a 3-run homer to defeat the Braves, 7 - 4.
  • Boston's Earl Wilson fans 13 batters in beating the Senators, 8 - 3.
• 1966:
  • The owners approve a 55 percent raise in contributions to the players' pension fund. It will come from television, World Series, and All-Star Game money. Some money will also go to pay the salary of the Players' Association executive director.
  • Whitey Ford (2-5) undergoes surgery for a circulatory problem in his left shoulder.
• 1967:
  • Houston's Don Wilson strikes out 10 Reds, including Pete Rose four times, but loses to Cincy, 2 - 1.
  • The Twins' Dean Chance throws his second no-hitter of the month, defeating the Indians 2 - 1. On August 5 he threw five perfect innings in an abbreviated game against the Red Sox.
  • Boston tops the White Sox 6 - 2 to take over 1st place by a half game. A doubleheader split with Chicago tomorrow will put the Twins back atop the American League.
• 1968:
  • The Tigers, ahead 5 - 0, fail to score with two on in the 4th inning when the Yanks bring in Rocky Colavito to pitch. The 35-year-old slugger retires Al Kaline and Willie Horton and tosses 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. In Rocky's only other appearance, in 1958, he also faced Kaline, and the victory by a non-pitcher will be the last this century. Bill Robinson and Bobby Cox crash successive homers to tie the score and, after a walk, Rocky comes around to score the winning run. In the 8th, Yankees reliever Lindy McDaniel ties the American League record for consecutive batters retired by setting down the first Tiger he faces, giving him 32 straight batters retired over four appearances. New York sweeps, winning 6 - 5 and then topping Mickey Lolich, 5 - 4. The four losses in New York leaves the Tigers just five games ahead of the Orioles.
  • After 5 hours and 27 minutes, the Orioles defeat the Red Sox, 3 - 2, in 18 innings when Brooks Robinson drives in Boog Powell.
• 1970 - In Minnesota, a bomb scare delays the game with Boston for 43 minutes in the 4th, but the only bomb is an 8th inning homer by Tony Conigliaro to give the Sox a 1 - 0 win. The Sox end the game with a double play, a 1-6 force at second base, then a throw home to nab Tony Oliva trying to score. Ken Brett is the winner in relief over Tom Hall.
• 1972 - Phillie Ken Reynolds ties a dubious National League record with his 12th straight losing decision from the start of the season after dropping a 6 - 1 decision to the Reds. Reynolds is knocked out in the 4th and loses to Don Gullett.
• 1973 - Dan Driessen drives in five runs to pace the Reds to a 6 - 4 win over the visiting Cardinals. Ken Griffey debuts in the ML with a pair of hits.
• 1975 - Astro Cliff Johnson hits a home run in the top of the 11th for his 6th in 6 consecutive games, pushing his team to a 4 - 3 lead. Unfortunately, the game is called due to rain in the bottom half of the inning, and the score reverts to what it was in the 10th, thus erasing Johnson's home run. It deprives Johnson of becoming only the second National League player to hit six home runs in six consecutive games.
• 1976 - The Yankees edge the Twins 5 - 4 in a 19-inning marathon. Grant Jackson is the winner over Pete Redfern.
• 1977 - The Twins blow a 4 - 2 lead over the Yankees when Mickey Rivers hits a 2-run single in the 7th inning and Reggie Jackson drives home a run in the next inning.
• 1978:
  • ML umpires stage a one-day strike in defiance of their union contract. Semipro and amateur umps are pressed into service until a restraining order forces the strikers to return. The umpires will walk out again at the beginning of the 1979 season.
  • With four amateur umpires officiating, Ron Guidry posts his 18th win, beating the A's 7 - 1. Reggie Jackson's home run drives in his 1,001st career RBI. The win keeps the Yankees 7 1/2 games behind the Red Sox.
  • At Toronto, the Blue Jays beat the Minnesota Twins, 7 - 3, with two amateur umpires and two coaches officiating: Toronto coach Don Leppert and Twins coach Jerry Zimmerman umpire. Since 1910, this is just the 5th time this century, and the first time since 1941, that active players or coaches have umpired.
  • Dennis Eckersley (15-5) shuts out the Angels, 6 - 0, on four hits to run his Fenway Park record to 8-0. Jim Rice belts his 32nd homer, off former teammate Don Aase, one of three hits he garners.
• 1979:
  • Angel Don Baylor ties a club record by knocking in eight runs during a 24 - 2 slaughter of the Blue Jays. The 24 runs the 26 hits are both Angels record. After the first three Jays pitchers are cuffed around, 1B Craig Kusick takes the mound in his only ML pitching appearance. He does a creditable job, pitching three 2 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and two runs. No walks or K's.
  • Willie Horton has two homers, including his 9th career grand slam, to pace Seattle to an 8 - 4 win over Detroit. Champ Summers has a pair of homers for the Tigers.
  • In a Hollywood Stars vs. the Media game played at Dodger Stadium, Robin Williams, the star of the hit television show, Mork and Mindy, in which he plays an alien, runs the bases backwards. The comedian explains circling the bags clockwise is very common on the Planet Ork, his character's home in the universe.
• 1980 - At Exhibition Stadium, Rangers P Ferguson Jenkins is arrested for possession of illegal drugs after customs officials discover an estimated $500 worth of cocaine, marijuana, and hashish in his suitcase. The arrest stuns the entire country, where Jenkins, a Canadian citizen, is considered a national hero.
• 1981 - Chicago's Dennis Lamp loses his no-hitter when the Brewers' Robin Yount leads off the 9th inning with a bloop double. Lamp settles for a one-hit 5 - 1 win.
• 1982 - In a 7 - 6 loss to Pittsburgh, San Diego outfielder Tony Gwynn breaks his wrist diving for a fly ball. Gwynn, hitting .271, will be out for three weeks. He'll return September 13, hit .348 for the rest of the year, but will fall short of the .300 mark for the only time in his career.
• 1983 - The Louisville Redbirds (American Association) become the first minor league team to draw one million fans in a season, as 31,258 watch them beat Evansville 7 - 0 to clinch the Eastern Division title. Louisville will finish the season with an attendance of 1,052,438.
• 1985 - Dwight Gooden wins his 14th consecutive game and his 20th of the season, 9 - 3 over the Padres. Gooden will finish the season 24-4. Gooden, at 20 years, 9 months of age, is the youngest pitcher ever to win 20 games. Bob Feller was a month older when he first won 20 in 1939.
• 1986 - At Tiger Stadium, A's rookie Mark McGwire hits his first major league home run off of Walt Terrell.
• 1989 - Pittsburgh's Gary Redus hits for the cycle in a 12 - 3 win over the Reds.
• 1990 - Red Sox farmhand Kevin Morton pitches a 7-inning perfect game as New Britain (AA) beats Reading, 1 - 0.
• 1991:
  • Manager Doug Rader is fired by the Angels and replaced by former Montréal Expos manager Buck Rodgers, who was let go earlier this season.
  • Cubs OF Doug Dascenzo commits an error in Chicago's 12 - 9 loss to San Diego, ending his National League-record streak of 242 consecutive games without a miscue (442 chances). The streak, which began in 1988, is two games short of the American League record.
• 1992:
  • The Astros return from the longest scheduled road trip in big league history. During the 26-game road trip, which was made necessary due to the Republican National Convention being held at the Astrodome, the team posts a record of 12-14.
  • The Expos score 5 runs - 3 earned - off Tom Glavine in 4 2/3 inning and win 6 - 0, stopping Glavine's win streak at 13 games. Chris Nabholz, who lost his last outing to Glavine, goes 7 1/3 inning for the win. Glavine will start another wining streak of 13 games - all against the Expos - and will not lose again to Montreal until June 27, 2000.
• 1994 - Las Vegas Stars C Kevin Higgins and OF Keith Lockhart both play all nine positions in the Stars' 10 - 7 victory over Tacoma in a Class AAA game.
• 1995:
  • St. Louis defeats Colorado, 8 - 3. Both leadoff hitters - Bernard Gilkey for the Cardinals and Trenidad Hubbard for the Rockies - homer in the 1st inning, marking the first time this has happened in the National League since 1986. One near tragedy occurs when 6-year-old Cameron Wilson suffers a skull fracture when hit by a foul ball off the bat of Eric Young. He will be okay.
  • Rounding second base in a 17 - 4 blowout over the Dodgers, the Phils' Darren Daulton tears the ACL in his right knee and will be out for the remainder of the season. He'll play just five games in 1996. Gregg Jefferies becomes the first Phillie in 32 years to hit for the cycle, and hurler Jeff Juden goes the distance for the win, and also hits a grand slam. It is the 3rd grand slam hit by a pitcher in the National League this season, setting a league record. Florida's Chris Hammond and Pittsburgh's Denny Neagle hit the others.
  • Jose Canseco hits a homer in his 5th straight game to account for Boston's only score in a 6 - 1 loss to Oakland. Canseco is the 5th Red Sox player to homer in five straight games. Scott Brosius clouts a pair of homers and Doug Jones hands Boston just its 3rd loss in 23 games.
• 1996:
  • The Red Sox defeat the Mariners by a score of 8 - 5. Ken Griffey, Jr. and Alex Rodriguez hit back-to-back homers for Seattle in the 8th inning, marking the 17th time this season Mariner players have hit consecutive homers, for a major league record.
  • The Cubs defeat the Braves, 3 - 2, stopping Marquis Grissom's hitting streak at 28 games.
  • The Yankees dedicate their first new monument in 47 years, to Mickey Mantle, in Monument Park in center field at Yankee Stadium. Miller Huggins, Babe Ruth, and Lou Gehrig are also honored with monuments, while 15 men are honored on plaques.
  • The Rockies defeat the Pirates, 13 - 9, despite five hits, including a home run, by Pittsburgh 2B Jeff King. Larry Walker and Vinny Castilla each drive home four runs for Colorado.
  • The Cards' Alan Benes, 1-7 in his first eight decisions, loses 4 - 1 to the Astros. It is Benes' first loss after reeling off 10 straight wins since his rocky start. Jeff Bagwell hits his 28th home run and drives in his 100th run for Houston, now up by 1 1/2 over the Cards. Donne Wall is the winner.
  • The Giants defeat the visiting Expos 7 - 2 and Barry Bonds sits, ending his consecutive games played streak at 357, a Giants record. Bonds had pinch hit in the previous two games.
• 1998:
  • Toronto's Roger Clemens strikes out 18 Royals in a 3 - 0 victory over KC. He becomes the first pitcher ever to record three games of 18 or more strikeouts. Clemens allows only three hits and does not walk a batter.
  • The Twins trade veteran Mike Morgan to the Cubs in exchange for a player to be named and cash.
• 1999:
  • The Phillies follow yesterday's scoring feast with another, defeating the Padres, 15 - 1. Rico Brogna goes 4 for 5, with two doubles and two homers, and drives home seven runs for Philadelphia. The Pads finally turn to infielder Ed Giovanola who pitches 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Giovanola last pitched in Little League.
  • The Royals defeat the Orioles, 8 - 6, as KC P Jeff Montgomery becomes the 10th hurler to notch 300 saves. In doing so, he becomes the first to record all of them with the same team.
  • The Indians defeat the Athletics, 12 - 4. Manny Ramirez hits a double and three home runs for the Tribe.
• 2001:
  • Bengie Molina sets a team record by stroking nine consecutive hits. The Angel catcher is the first Anaheim player to have consecutive four-hit games since Tim Salmon accomplished the feat in 1994.
  • The Rangers defeat the Red Sox, 8 - 7 in 18 innings, in 6 hours, 35 minutes - the longest game of the season. The teams combine to use 17 pitchers, one away from the major-league record for an extra-inning contest. Boston makes an error and a wild pitch in the last frame, and Chad Curtis scores on a grounder after stealing third base. Chris Michalak is the winning pitcher; he was the loser yesterday.
  • The Mariners edge the Indians, 3 - 2 in 11 innings, in a game marked by a bench-clearing incident in the 9th inning. When Seattle's Arthur Rhodes comes on to pitch in relief, Cleveland batter Omar Vizquel complains that sunlight is reflecting off the reliever's right earring. Rhodes begins yelling at Vizquel and is eventually ejected by third-base umpire Tim McClelland.
  • The Yankees defeat the Angels, 7 - 5, as Roger Clemens becomes the first American League hurler to go 17-1 to begin a season. OF Paul O'Neill hits his 20th home run of the year, making him the oldest player in history -at age 38 - to reach the 20 home run and 20 stolen base mark in a season.
• 2002:
  • Arizona's Randy Johnson strikes out 16 Cubs as the Diamondbacks defeat Chicago, 7 - 0.
  • Participating in a minor-league baseball promotion, a 28-year old woman collapses and dies after running from the outfield fence to the infield in quest of a hidden diamond. She was one of approximately 250 women hoping to find a small box containing the treasure after the game between the Orlando Rays and Jacksonville Suns.
• 2005 - With the 6 - 3 Cardinal win over the Pirates at PNC Park, skipper Tony LaRussa with his 2,195th career triumph, moves pass Sparky Anderson for third place for most victories by a big league manager. Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763) are first and second on the all-time managerial list for the number of major league wins.
• 2007 - Craig Stansberry of the Padres is the first Middle East native to play in the majors. He hits a pinch-hit single off Doug Brocail in his first at-bat.
• 2008:
  • The Twins try to get some help for the stretch run by picking up ex-Twin Eddie Guardado from the Rangers for Mark Hamburger. The deal creates many interesting headlines.
  • Grady Sizemore becomes the second player in Cleveland Indians history to go 30-30 in a season. He homers twice in a 4 - 3 win over the Tigers, the 8th straight victory for Cleveland. Sizemore is in the top 5 in the American League in both homers and steals through today's action.
• 2009:
  • Zach Greinke breaks the Kansas City Royals franchise record for most strikeouts in a single game, striking out 15 in a 8-inning effort. The Royals beat Cleveland, 6 - 2.
  • The Rockies continue to catch up on the Dodgers. Trailing by 15 ½ games in the NL West on June 3, the Rocks have cut the lead to just two games with a 5 - 4 win over Los Angeles today. Troy Tulowitzki singles of James McDonald with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 10th for the win.

[edit] Births

• 1858 - Frank Jones, infielder/outfielder (d. 1936)
• 1859 - Len Stockwell, outfielder (d. 1905)
• 1862 - Hank Simon, outfielder (d. 1925)
• 1869 - Jack McFetridge, pitcher (d. 1917)
• 1881 - Ned Pettigrew, pinch hitter (d. 1952)
• 1882 - Conny McGeehan, pitcher (d. 1907)
• 1883 - Elmer Brown, pitcher (d. 1955)
• 1884 - Tom Catterson, outfielder (d. 1920)
• 1884 - Duke Reilley, outfielder (d. 1968)
• 1886 - Rube Kroh, pitcher (d. 1944)
• 1887 - Dick Rudolph, pitcher (d. 1949)
• 1889 - Fred Graf, infielder (d. 1979)
• 1889 - Jim Stevens, pitcher (d. 1966)
• 1892 - Tony Boeckel, infielder (d. 1924)
• 1892 - Johnny Jones, pitcher (d. 1980)
• 1893 - Bob Gandy, outfielder (d. 1945)
• 1894 - Buzz Wetzel, pitcher (d. 1941)
• 1895 - Ray Roberts, pitcher (d. 1962)
• 1907 - Rufus Meadows, pitcher (d. 1970)
• 1908 - Ross Kendrick, British national team pitcher (d. 1975)
• 1911 - Fred Frink, outfielder (d. 1995)
• 1912 - George Cisar, outfielder
• 1913 - Sam Narron, catcher (d. 1996)
• 1913 - Bernie Snyder, infielder (d. 1999)
• 1916 - Joe Gantenbein, infielder (d. 1993)
• 1918 - Paul Busby, outfielder (d. 2003)
• 1921 - Al Jurisich, pitcher (d. 1981)
• 1922 - Jim Devlin, catcher (d. 2004)
• 1925 - Pel Austin, minor league outfielder and manager (d. 1976)
• 1926 - Bob Milliken, pitcher (d. 2007)
• 1926 - Jim Suchecki, pitcher (d. 2000)
• 1928 - Darrell Johnson, catcher, manager (d. 2004)
• 1928 - Floyd Wooldridge, pitcher (d. 2008)
• 1934 - Ralph Mauriello, pitcher
• 1937 - Choo Choo Coleman, catcher
• 1939 - Dooley Womack, pitcher
• 1940 - Don Wallace, infielder
• 1942 - Shaun Fitzmaurice, outfielder
• 1944 - Dick Smith, outfielder
• 1946 - Rollie Fingers, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer
• 1949 - Bob Babcock, pitcher
• 1950 - Dave Heaverlo, pitcher
• 1950 - Stan Perzanowski, pitcher
• 1953 - Bob Lacey, pitcher
• 1954 - Pete Redfern, pitcher
• 1960 - Bob Meacham, infielder
• 1962 - Oddibe McDowell, outfielder
• 1962 - Luis Fernando Méndez, minor league pitcher
• 1963 - Doug Schreiber, college coach
• 1965 - Sam Ferretti, minor league outfielder
• 1966 - Albert Belle, outfielder; All-Star
• 1967 - Wen-Yu Wu, Chinese Taipei national team infielder
• 1970 - Duff Brumley, pitcher
• 1970 - Doug Glanville, outfielder
• 1972 - Andy Abad, infielder
• 1972 - Mike Welch, pitcher
• 1973 - Dante Powell, outfielder
• 1974 - Gary Matthews, outfielder; All-Star
• 1974 - Pablo Ozuna, infielder
• 1976 - Pedro Feliciano, pitcher
• 1976 - Mike Rose, catcher
• 1978 - Jose Pena, minor league player
• 1979 - Trent Pratt, minor league player
• 1980 - Neal Musser, pitcher
• 1985 - Nathan Nery, minor league pitcher
• 1986 - Ramon Hernandez, minor league player
• 1987 - Justin Upton, outfielder; All-Star

[edit] Deaths

• 1891 - Jerry Sweeney, infielder (b. 1857)
• 1894 - Yank Robinson, infielder (b. 1859)
• 1913 - Red Donahue, pitcher (b. 1873)
• 1927 - Harry Cheek, catcher (b. 1879)
• 1928 - Snake Wiltse, pitcher (b. 1871)
• 1929 - Tom Maher, pinch runner (b. 1870)
• 1943 - Bill Hughes, infielder (b. 1866)
• 1949 - Mule Watson, pitcher (b. 1896)
• 1950 - George Disch, pitcher (b. 1879)
• 1952 - Harry Maupin, pitcher (b. 1872)
• 1953 - Charlie Maisel, catcher (b. 1894)
• 1955 - Jimmy Hudgens, infielder (b. 1902)
• 1957 - Ivy Griffin, infielder (b. 1896)
• 1960 - Fred Crolius, outfielder (b. 1876)
• 1962 - Skipper Friday, pitcher (b. 1897)
• 1965 - Moonlight Graham, outfielder (b. 1876)
• 1966 - Ray Rolling, infielder (b. 1886)
• 1966 - Sam Zoldak, pitcher (b. 1918)
• 1967 - Emmett Nelson, pitcher (b. 1905)
• 1970 - Leo Moon, pitcher (b. 1899)
• 1972 - Italo Chelini, pitcher (b. 1914)
• 1972 - Jack Crouch, catcher (b. 1903)
• 1980 - Cliff Lee, outfielder (b. 1896)
• 1982 - Ray Steineder, pitcher (b. 1895)
• 1984 - Waite Hoyt, pitcher; Hall of Famer (b. 1899)
• 1984 - Skeeter Scalzi, infielder (b. 1913)
• 1989 - Jim Brideweser, infielder (b. 1927)
• 1993 - Cecil Bolton, infielder (b. 1904)
• 1994 - Cliff Garrison, pitcher (b. 1906)
• 2004 - Hal Epps, outfielder (b. 1914)