May 25

Events, births and deaths that occurred on May 25.

[edit] Events

• 1876 - Philadelphia and Louisville play to a 2 - 2 tie in 14 innings. It is the first tie in National League history.
• 1899 - Deacon Phillippe of the Louisville Colonels throws a no-hitter against the New York Giants, walking 2 and striking out 1 in a 7 - 0 win over Ed Doheny.
• 1906 - Martin Dihigo is born in Matanzas, Cuba. Over the course of his career, Dihigo will make seamless transitions between all nine positions and play in several countries. As a hitter he will lead the Negro Leagues in home runs in 1926 and 1935; as a pitcher he will win more than 300 games and defeat Satchel Paige while touring Cuba. He will be elected to the American Hall of Fame in 1977, becoming the only player in history to be inducted to the American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican and Venezuelan Halls of Fame. He will later add yet another honor as one of the inaugural inductees in the Latin American Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010.
• 1922 - After being thrown out at second base trying to stretch a single, New York's Babe Ruth throws dirt in the face of umpire George Hildebrand and then goes after a fan. Ruth is ejected, and eventually fined $500 and suspended one game by American League president Ban Johnson.
• 1929 - Pitcher Dizzy Dean signs a contract with the Houston Buffaloes of the Texas League, a St. Louis Cardinals farm team.
• 1935 - Babe Ruth shows flashes of his past glory by hitting the last three home runs of his career in the Boston Braves' 11 - 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ruth hits homers in the 1st inning against Red Lucas, 3rd inning against Guy Bush and 7th inning off Bush again, along with a single in the 5th.
• 1951 - Willie Mays debuts for the New York Giants, striking out in the 1st inning against Bubba Church. Mays goes 0 for 5, but makes three good plays in the field.
• 1953 - Ralph Kiner hits the 300th home run of his career, off Al Corwin of the New York Giants at Forbes Field. Kiner is the 12th player to reach the mark.
• 1956 - 3B Tommy Brown of the Nashville Vols sets a probable Organized Baseball record when he reaches base for the 20th consecutive time. He has ten hits and ten walks during the streak.
• 1958 - Bypassing the customary Willie Mays-Roberto Clemente on-field rivalry, Willie plays directly to Roberto's constituents as he makes his bid for the Nobel Peace Prize. Bob Stevens of the San Francisco Chronicle explains: "The second largest crowd in Forbes Field history, 35,797 booing partisan fans, saw cool Willie Mays stop a free-for-all in the opening game. Even in the lair of the Pirates and despite their double defeat, Mays was the hero of the hour. In the middle of a player melee precipitated by a recurrence of a beanball feud that first broke out when Pittsburgh visited San Francisco, Willie tackled a near-berserk Orlando Cepeda to keep him from causing havoc with a bat." The mêlée stems from a May 7th meeting between the teams and culminates in today's 5th inning free-for-all with Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh charging P Ruben Gomez and being fended off by the Giant headhunter, now taking his turn at bat. Understandably concerned is Gomez's fellow Puerto Rican. Stevens continues: "Among the first to his Puerto Rican countryman's aid was 200-pounder Cepeda, eyes flashing and fists swinging at anything in sight in his lunge to get at Murtaugh. Unable to reach his immediate objective, Cepeda broke free from the milling athletes and picked up the lead-filled bat the batters swing to loosen up before going to the plate. He barely got a hand on it when from nowhere came Mays, head down and charging as hard as he could. Willie slammed into his first baseman, flattened him and pinned him until other players could help restrain the maddened Cepeda in his quest for blood. With Orlando subdued, the abortive riot broke up and Murtaugh was sent to the showers. No Giants were tossed from the contest, even though many people figured that they started the war May 7 in San Francisco when Curt Raydon and Marv Grissom began head-hunting. Mays was given a tremendous hand by the filled stands…"
• 1964 - Ground is broken for a new park for the St. Louis Cardinals. The stadium is expected to be ready in time for the 1966 season.
• 1965 - The National Brewery Co. buys 64,000 shares of stock in the Baltimore Orioles from Joe Iglehart. Jerry Hoffberger assumes the position of chairman of the board.
• 1981 - Bill Stein of the Texas Rangers hits a pinch-hit single off Doug Corbett to beat the Minnesota Twins. It is the 7th consecutive pinch-hit for Stein, breaking the American League record set by Bob Johnson in 1964.
• 1982 - Ferguson Jenkins of the Chicago Cubs fans Garry Templeton of the Padres for the 3,000th strikeout of his career. Jenkins is the 7th player to reach the plateau, but loses the game, 2 - 1.
• 1983 - Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers Jim Bibby and Jim Winn combine to walk seven straight batters, tying a 74-year-old record.
• 1984 - The Boston Red Sox trade Dennis Eckersley and Mike Brumley to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Bill Buckner.
• 1989 - The Montreal Expos, hoping to add the last piece to a playoff contender, trade Brian Holman, Gene Harris, and 6' 10" Randy Johnson to the Seattle Mariners for Mark Langston. Mike Campbell will go to Montreal in July to complete the trade.
• 2005 - The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2 - 1, in 12 innings, as manager Tony La Russa wins his 823rd game with the Cardinals, passing Whitey Herzog for second place on the franchise list. La Russa is 218 victories behind Cardinals leader Red Schoendienst.
• 2006:
  • The Houston Astros steal seven bases, the most by any team in the majors in nearly four years, in an 8 - 5 loss to the Washington Nationals. The Astros, whose club record is eight stolen bases, last stole seven on April 13, 1999, against San Francisco. Florida was the last team in the majors to steal that many, on May 27, 2002, against the Mets. Washington third-string catcher Matt LeCroy is benched during the 7th inning after allowing the seven stolen bases and committing two errors. "If my daddy was managing this team, I'm sure he would have done the same thing", LeCroy said.
  • The Kansas City Royals blow an early 6 - 0 lead and drop their 13th straight game with a 13 - 8 loss to the Detroit Tigers. The skid is the second-longest ever for the Royals, who lost 19 straight the previous season and are a major league-worst 10-35.
  • Rick Guttormson of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows flings a no-hitter against the Rakuten Golden Eagles, winning 6 - 0. It is the first no-hitter in Japan during interleague play.
• 2007 - Jamie Moyer beats the Braves. It marks his first win against Atlanta in 20 years and 2 days, the longest stretch between victories against a team in major league history. Mike Morgan had been the previous record-holder.
• 2008 - In a doubleheader loss to the Marlins, Giants shortstop Omar Vizquel ties (in game one) and then breaks (in game two) the major league record for career games played at the position. By reaching 2,584 games played, Vizquel passes a fellow Venezuelan, Luís Aparicio.
• 2009:
  • The Pirates beat the Cubs, 10 - 8. Freddy Sanchez goes 6 for 6 with 4 runs, 3 RBI, a double and a homer, the first Pirate in 19 years to have six hits in a game. Jason Jaramillo and Andy LaRoche each go 3 for 5. The Bucs, fresh off an interleague series with the White Sox, become the first team in major league history to play consecutive series against the Cubs and White Sox in Chicago.
  • Jim Thome passes Mike Schmidt for 13th on the all-time home run list, as the White Sox thump the Angels, 17 - 3.
• 2010:
  • The old Vladimir Guerrero seems to be back, albeit in a new uniform. In a game against the Royals, the Rangers' DH hits two homers and a double on an inside pitch that almost hits him to lead Texas to an 8 - 7 win. Vlad is batting .347 with 12 homers and 42 RBI in 45 games after an injury-plagued season in 2009 with the Angels.
  • The Padres continue to surprise. Sporting the best record in the National League, their starting pitchers have been outstanding. Today, Jon Garland throws 7 shutout innings before the bullpen takes over from there to defeat the Cardinals, 1 - 0. It is already San Diego's ninth shutout of the year.
• 2011:
  • It takes 6 hours and 10 minutes for the Phillies to beat the Reds, 5 - 4, in 19 innings. By the time the winning run scores with two outs in the bottom of the 19th, the Phils have been forced to use back-up infielder Wilson Valdez on the mound, in his first professional pitching appearance. He throws a scoreless inning, then picks up the win when Raul Ibanez hits a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 19th. Wilson is the first position player to earn a win since Brent Mayne in 2000. Losing pitcher Carlos Fisher does yeoman work himself, pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings before giving up the game-ending run; for the Phils, Danys Baez had earlier pitched five scoreless innings in relief. The Reds almost end the contest in the 10th, when Jay Bruce hits a solo homer, but Ryan Howard replies with a long ball of his own, and 9 more frames are necessary to determine a winner.
  • The Red Sox make it a no-contest in the battle of baseball's two hottest teams. They crush the Indians, 14 - 2, while banging out a season-high 20 hits. Jon Lester earns his 7th win, tops in the majors, while Mitch Talbot is roughed up in his return from the disabled list.
  • Jo-Jo Reyes puts his name in the record books with his 28th consecutive winless start, tying Cliff Curtis and Matt Keough, when the Blue Jays lose to the Yankees, 7 - 3. Reyes is 0-4 this season, but has pitched well: his ERA was 3.06 over his last 6 starts prior to last night's effort, yet wins have proved elusive. His last victory came on June 13, 2008 while a member of the Atlanta Braves and his record since is 0-13. Also in the game, Mariano Rivera makes his 1000th pitching appearance for the Yankees; he is the 15th to reach the mark, and the first pitcher to do it with only one team.
• 2012 - Nelson Cruz goes 4 for 5 with a grand slam and 8 RBI to lead the Rangers to a 14 - 3 win over the Blue Jays. Josh Hamilton hits his 19th home run as Derek Holland is the winner.

[edit] Births

• 1840 - Al Reach, outfielder, manager (d. 1928)
• 1845 - Lip Pike, outfielder, manager (d. 1893)
• 1850 - Charlie Cushman, manager (d. 1909)
• 1858 - Tip O'Neill, outfielder (d. 1915)
• 1863 - John Hofford, pitcher (d. 1915)
• 1883 - Heinie Heitmuller, outfielder (d. 1912)
• 1884 - Bill Kellogg, infielder (d. 1971)
• 1884 - Bill Lattimore, pitcher (d. 1919)
• 1887 - John Daley, infielder (d. 1988)
• 1892 - Doug Smith, pitcher (d. 1973)
• 1893 - Everett Bankston, outfielder (d. 1970)
• 1894 - Joe Judge, infielder (d. 1963)
• 1895 - Jim Riley, infielder (d. 1969)
• 1898 - Jimmie Keenan, pitcher (d. 1980)
• 1901 - Bud Connolly, infielder (d. 1964)
• 1901 - Doc Ozmer, pitcher (d. 1970)
• 1904 - Buz Phillips, pitcher (d. 1964)
• 1905 - Martin Dihigo, Negro League player; Hall of Fame (d. 1971)
• 1908 - Howard Craghead, pitcher (d. 1962)
• 1916 - Frank Drews, infielder (d. 1972)
• 1917 - Bert Hodge, infielder (d. 2001)
• 1918 - Johnny Beazley, pitcher (d. 1990)
• 1919 - Lindsey Nelson, announcer (b. 1995)
• 1923 - José Bache, minor league infielder; Salon de la Fama
• 1925 - Sungo Carrera, Negro League player
• 1925 - Don Liddle, pitcher (d. 2000)
• 1925 - Curley Williams, Negro League infielder (d. 2011)
• 1926 - Bill Sharman, minor league outfielder
• 1931 - Jim Marshall, infielder, manager
• 1932 - Jim Archer, pitcher
• 1935 - W.P. Kinsella, writer
• 1936 - Marshall Renfroe, pitcher (d. 1970)
• 1945 - Bill Dillman, pitcher
• 1946 - Mike Corkins, pitcher
• 1950 - Glenn Borgmann, catcher
• 1950 - John Montefusco, pitcher; All-Star
• 1954 - Bob Knepper, pitcher; All-Star
• 1955 - Suguru Egawa, NPB pitcher
• 1955 - Andres Mora, outfielder
• 1961 - Kerwin Danley, umpire
• 1962 - Clay Daniel, scout
• 1963 - François Colombier, Division Elite player and manager
• 1966 - Bill Haselman, catcher
• 1966 - Dave Hollins, infielder; All-Star
• 1968 - Will Pennyfeather, outfielder
• 1970 - Joey Eischen, pitcher
• 1970 - Luis Ortiz, infielder
• 1971 - Angel Echevarria, outfielder
• 1971 - Sean Maloney, pitcher
• 1971 - Ji-hyun Yoo, KBO infielder
• 1973 - Mel Rosario, catcher
• 1973 - Todd Walker, infielder
• 1974 - Mark Nussbeck, minor league pitcher
• 1974 - Miguel Tejada, infielder; All-Star
• 1975 - Sarfraz Ahmed, Pakistani national team infielder
• 1975 - In-sung Cho, KBO catcher
• 1975 - Adrian Johnson, umpire
• 1975 - Randall Simon, infielder
• 1975 - Mike Vento, outfielder
• 1976 - Lariel Gonzalez, pitcher
• 1976 - Tim Bishop, minor league outfielder (d. 1997)
• 1977 - Albert Garza, minor league pitcher
• 1977 - Fernando Lunar, catcher
• 1978 - Travis Hughes, pitcher
• 1978 - Mike Vento, outfielder
• 1978 - Phil Warren, minor league player and manager
• 1979 - Trey Lunsford, catcher
• 1979 - Denise Ramos, Venezuelan womens' national team catcher
• 1979 - Chris Young, pitcher; All-Star
• 1980 - Scott Hairston, infielder
• 1982 - Jason Kubel, outfielder
• 1982 - Rodney Rodriguez, Italian Baseball League pitcher
• 1982 - Brad Snyder, outfielder
• 1984 - Nestor Corredor, minor league catcher and manager
• 1984 - Graham Taylor, pitcher
• 1984 - Chao-Kuan Wu, minor league catcher
• 1985 - Jared Goedert, minor league infielder
• 1985 - Brad Lincoln, pitcher
• 1985 - Heath Rollins, minor league pitcher
• 1985 - Eric Young Jr., outfielder
• 1987 - Katsuya Kakunaka, NPB outfielder
• 1989 - Michael Kramer, Hoofdklasse outfielder
• 1989 - Neil Ramirez, minor league pitcher
• 1990 - Erisbel Arruebarruena, Cuban league infielder
• 1990 - Baasandorj Batsukh, Mongolian national team infielder
• 1990 - Jarred Cosart, minor league pitcher
• 1990 - Julius Uelschen, Bundesliga outfielder
• 1991 - Soo-young Bae, South Korean womens' national team pitcher
• 1991 - Jake Eliopoulos, drafted pitcher (d. 2013)

[edit] Deaths

• 1904 - John Hayes, outfielder (b. 1855)
• 1905 - Paul Cook, catcher (b. 1863)
• 1917 - Willie Sudhoff, pitcher (b. 1874)
• 1922 - Charlie Gessner, pitcher (b. 1863)
• 1924 - Carl Weilman, pitcher (b. 1889)
• 1928 - Max Fiske, pitcher (b. 1888)
• 1929 - Henry Blauvelt, pitcher (b. 1867)
• 1932 - Henry Boyle, pitcher (b. 1860)
• 1941 - Bob Higgins, catcher (b. 1886)
• 1942 - Bill James, pitcher (b. 1887)
• 1945 - Charlie Frye, pitcher (b. 1913)
• 1946 - Branch Bocock, college coach (b. ~1884)
• 1953 - Ray Grimes, infielder (b. 1893)
• 1959 - Dave Brain, infielder (b. 1879)
• 1963 - Leo Mackey, minor league catcher and manager (b. 1894)
• 1963 - Hi West, pitcher (b. 1884)
• 1964 - Joe Martin, utility player (b. 1876)
• 1965 - Harry Biemiller, pitcher (b. 1897)
• 1969 - Joe F. McCarthy, minor league infielder (b. 1947)
• 1969 - Jim Riley, infielder (b. 1895)
• 1975 - Bruce Hartford, infielder (b. 1892)
• 1976 - Al Lakeman, catcher (b. 1918)
• 1983 - George Wolfman, college coach (b. 1911)
• 1988 - Charlie Perkins, pitcher (b. 1905)
• 1991 - Esther Lyman, AAGPBL catcher (b. 1927)
• 1992 - Otto Denning, catcher (b. 1912)
• 2007 - Elaine Roth, AAGPBL pitcher (b. 1929)
• 2008 - Geremi Gonzalez, pitcher (b. 1975)
• 2010 - Morrie Martin, pitcher (b. 1922)
• 2011 - Fred Aug, minor league infielder (b. ????)
• 2011 - Gene Smith, Negro League pitcher (b. 1917)
• 2011 - Paul Splittorff, pitcher (b. 1946)