May 12

Events, births and deaths that occurred on May 12.

[edit] Events

• 1910 - Chief Bender of the Philadelphia Athletics pitches a 4 - 0 no-hitter against the Cleveland Naps. Bender, who misses a perfect game by issuing a walk, will compile a 23-5 record during the season.
• 1915 - Using just 67 pitches, Red Faber of the Chicago White Sox throws a complete game victory, beating the Washington Senators on three hits, 4 - 1.
• 1926 - Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators records his 400th career win when he defeats the St. Louis Browns, 7 - 4, to reach the rarely-achieved milestone.
• 1932 - Carey Selph of the Chicago White Sox collects his ninth strikeout of the season. But it won't happen again. Selph will go another 89 games without striking out, to set a major league record, hitting .283 in 396 at-bats in his second and last season. Selph's record will last until 1958, when Nellie Fox sets a new mark with 98 consecutive games whitout striking out.
• 1937 - Joe Medwick hits two home runs and two doubles to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 15 - 3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
• 1941 - After five years of being called the Bees, the National League franchise in Boston is once again known as the Braves.
• 1955 - Toothpick Sam Jones of the Chicago Cubs becomes the first black pitcher in major league history to throw a no-hitter and he does it in the hardest way. In the 9th inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jones walks the bases full and then strikes out Dick Groat, Roberto Clemente and Frank Thomas in a row to preserve his 4 - 0 victory. It is also the first no-hitter at Wrigley Field in the last 38 years. Unfortunately only 2,918 fans are on hand to witness the double milestone.
• 1956 - Carl Erskine of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitches a 3 - 0 no-hitter against the New York Giants. Erskine strikes out three and walks two. His masterpiece at Ebbets Field is the second no-hitter of his career. His first came in 1952 against the Chicago Cubs.
• 1958 - Willie Mays hits the first grand slam in the history of the San Francisco Giants. Mays also belts another home run in a 12 - 3 victory over the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants moved from New York to San Francisco prior to the season.
• 1959 - At Yankee Stadium, Yogi Berra commits an error as his errorless streak of 148 games for a catcher comes to an end in a New York 7 - 6 loss to Cleveland.
• 1962 - New York Mets relief pitcher Craig Anderson wins both ends of a doubleheader. Success will soon turn to failure, however: Anderson will lose his next 16 decisions on the season and 19 decisions overall. In fact, he will never win another game in the major leagues.
• 1966 - Lou Brock hits a RBI single in the 12th inning and gives the St. Louis Cardinals a 4 - 3 victory over the Atlanta Braves in the opening of Busch Memorial Stadium. Felipe Alou hits two home runs for Atlanta.
• 1969 - Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals becomes the seventh pitcher in National League history to strike out the side on nine pitches. Gibson enjoys his feat against the Los Angeles Dodgers, as part of a 6 - 2 win for St. Louis.
• 1970 - Ernie Banks hits his 500th career home run off Pat Jarvis in the Cubs' 4 - 3 victory over Atlanta at Wrigley Field. It is also his 1,600th career RBI. The ball, after it bounces back onto the field, is retrieved by Braves left fielder Rico Carty, who gives it to Banks. Carty, meanwhile, hits safely in his 30th consecutive game.
• 1971 - Heinie Manush dies in Sarasota, Florida, at the age of 69. Manush won the American League batting championship in 1926, and twice led the league in hits. A lifetime .330 hitter, Manush gained induction to the Hall of Fame in 1964.
• 1978 - At Royals Stadium, a potential game-ending routine fly ball becomes an Amos Otis walk-off inside-the-park home run as Reggie Jackson and Mickey Rivers collide in the outfield. The misplay turns a sure Goose Gossage save into a sour loss for the current World Champion New York Yankees.
• 1984 - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mario Soto is one out away from a no-hitter when the Cardinals' George Hendrick hits a home run to tie the game, 1 - 1. Cincinnati then rallies for a run in the bottom of the 9th inning to give Soto a one-hit, 2 - 1 victory.
• 1989 - Rick Reuschel of the San Francisco Giants records his 200th major league win, beating Montreal, 2 - 1.
• 1999:
  • Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez strikes out 15 batters for the second consecutive game in a 9 - 2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
  • The Angels shut out the Yankees, 1 - 0, behind the combined three-hit pitching of Chuck Finley and Troy Percival. Finley strikes out 11 Yankees in his eight innings of work, including four in the 3rd inning, to become the 33rd pitcher in history to strike out four in a single frame.
• 2000:
  • Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez, who posted 17 strikeouts in his last start on May 6th against Tampa Bay, strikes out 15 in a 9 - 0 shutout over the Orioles, to tie an American League record set by the Indians' Luis Tiant in 1968 for most strikeouts over two games.
  • Not only is Milwaukee's 4-hour, 22-minute, 14 - 8 drubbing of Chicago the longest 9-inning game in National League history, it also features one of the longest home runs in the history of Wrigley Field. A picture circulated by the Associated Press puts it this way: "Rick Frohock celebrates on the rooftop of a three-story building on Waveland Ave. behind the left-field bleachers of Wrigley Field after catching a home run hit by Chicago's Glenallen Hill against the Brewers. It was believed to be the first time a ball landed on top of the apartment building." Hill's shot is estimated at 490 feet by the next day's press accounts and eventually measured at 500 feet.
• 2001:
  • A.J. Burnett pitches an unlikely no-hitter, overcoming nine bases on balls to lead the Marlins over San Diego, 3 - 0.
  • Ramón Arano plays in a Mexican League game for the 6th different decade, the only player to do so. The 62-year-old pitcher allows one run in 3 1/3 innings for the Veracruz Eagle and leaves with a 1-1 score against the Nuevo Laredo Owls.
  • Major League Baseball is ordered by arbitrator Alan Symonette to reinstate nine of the 22 "resigning" umpires let go two years before, and to grant back-pay for the time missed. The order also states that veteran umpires Frank Pulli and Terry Tata do not need to retire after the season, as previously planned.
  • Carlos Delgado hits his 204th home run in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform, surpassing Joe Carter in the all-time Blue Jays career leader in homers.
• 2004 - In one of the most remarkable at-bats in major league history, Alex Cora fouls off 14 consecutive pitches and then hits the 18th pitch over the right field fence for a two-run home run off Cubs pitcher Matt Clement. The homer extends Los Angeles's lead to 4 - 0. The Dodger Stadium crowd cheers each foul ball as the total starts to be displayed on the scoreboard.
• 2008 - In the second game of a doubleheader, the Indians lose, 3 - 0, to the Blue Jays against Shaun Marcum and two relievers. The historic note goes to Cleveland, which is involved in the 6th unassisted triple play in franchise history (3 for them, 3 against them) and the 14th overall in major league annals. In the 5th, Cliff Lee lets the first two men reach. Lyle Overbay hits a liner that is caught by a diving Asdrubal Cabrera at second. Cabrera steps on the bag to force Kevin Mench, then tags out Marco Scutaro to complete the trifecta. Also of note is that Ron Hansen, involved in a 1968 unassisted triple play against Cleveland, is at the game as a Phillies scout.
• 2010:
  • Major League Baseball issues a warning to the Phillies after investigating allegations made by the Colorado Rockies that bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer used binoculars to steal signs from the centerfield bullpen in the game between the teams on May 10th. In today's game, Colorado wins, 4 - 3, as Miguel Olivo goes 5 for 5, capping his perfect day with a walk-off home run off Chad Durbin in the 10th inning.
  • The Nationals continue to surprise, beating the Mets, 6 - 4, at Citi Field, thanks to Roger Bernadina's first two homers this year. The second is a two-run shot off closer Francisco Rodriguez in the 9th inning and comes moments after Bernadina makes a diving game-saving catch to rob Jeff Francoeur with the bases loaded. Nats starter Craig Stammen contributes the other 3 RBI but does not figure in the decision; instead, reliever Tyler Clippard picks up his major-league leading 7th win, followed by Matt Capps's 14th save, which is also a major league high so far this season.
• 2011 - Carlos Beltran belts 3 homers and drives in 6 runs as the Mets beat the Rockies, 9 - 5, after a two-hour rain delay. Beltran homers from both sides of the plate and to all three fields in his power display. Ubaldo Jimenez, who set a Rockies season-record for wins in 2010, falls to 0-3.
• 2013:
  • Chris Sale of the White Sox throws the third major league one-hitter in three days in beating the Angels­, 3 - 0. Sale takes a perfect game into the 7th before Mike Trout singles with one out; he needs only 98 pitches to record his first career shutout.
  • Dè Flanegin sets a new Hoofdklasse record for games played all for a single game,. He passes Jurjan Koenen with his 692nd game for the Pioniers, but his club loses 3-1 to The Hawks behind a pitching gem from fellow veteran Elton Koeiman.

[edit] Births

• 1862 - Jimmy Wolf, outfielder, manager (d. 1903)
• 1864 - Doc Oberlander, pitcher (d. 1922)
• 1866 - Lave Cross, infielder, manager (d. 1927)
• 1868 - Harry Truby, infielder (d. 1953)
• 1874 - Ed Buckingham, pitcher (d. 1942)
• 1886 - Milo Netzel, infielder (d. 1938)
• 1887 - Casey Hageman, pitcher (d. 1964)
• 1887 - Gene Krapp, pitcher (d. 1923)
• 1889 - Al Schulz, pitcher (d. 1931)
• 1889 - Alex McCarthy, infielder (d. 1978)
• 1893 - Hob Hiller, infielder (d. 1956)
• 1893 - George Kaiserling, pitcher (d. 1918)
• 1895 - Jim Poole, infielder (d. 1975)
• 1897 - Joe Dugan, infielder (d. 1982)
• 1898 - Earl McNeely, outfielder (d. 1971)
• 1899 - Tod Dennehey, outfielder (d. 1977)
• 1900 - Phil Voyles, outfielder (d. 1972)
• 1902 - Dutch Henry, pitcher (d. 1968)
• 1906 - Charlie Butler, pitcher (d. 1964)
• 1910 - Lefty Mills, pitcher (d. 1982)
• 1911 - Archie McKain, pitcher (d. 1985)
• 1915 - Harry Dean, pitcher (d. 1960)
• 1916 - Hank Borowy, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2004)
• 1916 - Dixie Parsons, catcher (d. 1991)
• 1918 - Ed Runge, umpire (d. 2002)
• 1921 - Carl Thompson, minor league pitcher and owner (d. 2006)
• 1922 - Johnny Hetki, pitcher
• 1923 - Ed Lyons, infielder (d. 2009)
• 1925 - Yogi Berra, catcher, manager; All-Star, Hall of Famer
• 1928 - James Pomykala, minor league pitcher (d. 2008)
• 1930 - Tom Umphlett, outfielder (d. 2012)
• 1935 - Felipe Alou, outfielder, manager; All-Star
• 1938 - Norm Gigon, infielder
• 1940 - Tom Timmermann, pitcher
• 1941 - Floyd Weaver, pitcher (d. 2008)
• 1942 - Ted Kubiak, infielder
• 1947 - Vic Albury, pitcher
• 1947 - Bob Heise, infielder
• 1950 - Pat Darcy, pitcher
• 1951 - Joe Nolan, catcher
• 1951 - Dutch Weems, minor league pitcher (d. 1974)
• 1953 - Taylor Duncan, infielder (d. 2004)
• 1955 - Ralph Botting, pitcher
• 1957 - Lou Whitaker, infielder; All-Star
• 1958 - Atsuyoshi Otake, college coach
• 1959 - Kevin Bass, outfielder; All-Star
• 1959 - Willie Lozado, infielder
• 1965 - Angel Escobar, infielder
• 1966 - Rafael Bournigal, infielder
• 1967 - Kenny Greer, pitcher
• 1967 - Germán Mesa, Cuban leagues infielder and manager
• 1968 - Mark Clark, pitcher
• 1968 - Fabio Gomez, minor league player
• 1969 - Pete Yarasavich, Hoofdklasse player and coach
• 1971 - Tom Nanne, Hoofdklasse pitcher
• 1972 - Benji Simonton, minor league infielder
• 1974 - Alvie Shepherd, minor league pitcher
• 1975 - Hirokazu Ibata, NPB infielder
• 1976 - Dan Guillory, minor league pitcher
• 1976 - Wes Helms, infielder
• 1978 - Ian Holness, South African national team outfielder
• 1978 - Josh Phelps, infielder
• 1979 - Travis Dawkins, infielder
• 1980 - Felipe Lopez, infielder; All-Star
• 1980 - Roberto Miniel, minor league pitcher
• 1982 - Jamie D'Antona, infielder
• 1983 - Evan Meek, pitcher; All-Star
• 1983 - Jack Egbert, pitcher
• 1983 - Blake Lalli, catcher
• 1984 - Chris Robinson, minor league catcher
• 1987 - Adam Liberatore, minor league pitcher
• 1987 - Lance Lynn, pitcher; All-Star
• 1988 - Shaydron Buckridge, minor league catcher
• 1988 - Shota Ishimine, NPB outfielder
• 1992 - Michael Fagan, drafted pitcher
• 1992 - Hein Robb, minor league pitcher
• 1994 - Jesmuel Valentin, minor league infielder

[edit] Deaths

• 1913 - John O'Brien, infielder (b. 1866)
• 1936 - Frank Zinn, catcher (b. 1865)
• 1944 - John Pappalau, pitcher (b. 1875)
• 1952 - Charlie Young, pitcher (b. 1893)
• 1953 - Ed Summers, pitcher (b. 1884)
• 1957 - Fred Bennett, outfielder (b. 1902)
• 1960 - Gus Felix, outfielder (b. 1895)
• 1971 - Atsushi Aramaki, NPB pitcher; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1926)
• 1971 - Heinie Manush, outfielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer (b. 1901)
• 1979 - Clyde Kluttz, catcher (b. 1917)
• 1988 - Hank Schenz, infielder (b. 1919)
• 1992 - Joe Burke, general manager (b. ????)
• 1994 - Si Johnson, pitcher (b. 1906)
• 2011 - Carlos Pascual, pitcher (b. 1931)