May 20
From BR Bullpen
| 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 May 20.
[edit] Events
- 1919 - Babe Ruth wins a game pitching and batting as he hit his first career grand slam in the Boston Red Sox 6 - 4 victory over the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park.
- 1921 - Hal Newhouser is born in Detroit, Michigan. In 1939, Newhouser will make his major league debut for his hometown team, the Detroit Tigers. A left-handed pitcher, he will win 207 games over a 17-year career and will gain Hall of Fame honors in 1992.
- 1925 - The Cleveland Indians score six runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the New York Yankees 10 - 9. Tris Speaker scores the winning run from first base on a single.
- 1932 - Paul Waner of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits four doubles in one game to tie a major league record.
- 1941 - Lefty Grove of the Boston Red Sox wins his 20th consecutive game at Fenway Park, the longest home-park streak in the major leagues, in a 4 - 2 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
- 1945 - One-armed outfielder Pete Gray of the St. Louis Browns enjoys an incredible day against the New York Yankees. Gray makes three outstanding catches, collects four hits with two RBI, and scores the game-winning run during a doubleheader sweep of the Yankees.
- 1947 - The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Braves, 4 - 3, in a game that featured 22 hits - all singles. The Pirates hit 12 singles, the Braves 10.
- 1948 - Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees hits for the cycle and collects six RBI in a 13 - 2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. DiMaggio hits two home runs, a triple, a double and a single, and narrowly misses another extra-base hit when Chicago left fielder Ralph Hodgin makes a spectacular catch at the wall.
- 1951 - Richie Ashburn of the Philadelphia Phillies collects four hits in each game of a doubleheader as the Phillies sweep the rival Pittsburgh Pirates, 17 - 0 and 12 - 4, at Forbes Field.
- 1953 - The Milwaukee Braves play their 13th home game and surpass the attendance total for the previous season, when the franchise played in Boston. The crowd at County Stadium raises Milwaukee's attendance to 281,278 for the current season.
- 1959 - The Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees, 13 - 6, to put New York in last place for the first time in 19 years.
- 1962 - In a doubleheader, Chicago Cubs rookie Ken Hubbs hits eight singles in eight at bats as the Cubs sweep the Philadelphia Phillies, 6 - 4 and 11 - 2.
- 1968 - California Angels shortstop Jim Fregosi hits for the cycle during a 5 - 4 loss to the Boston Red Sox. The cycle is the second of Fregosi's career, tying him with several other players for the major league record.
- 1971 - Martin Dihigo dies in Cienfuegos, Cuba, at the age of 65. Over the course of his career, Dihigo made seamless transitions between all nine positions and played in several countries. As a hitter, he led the Negro Leagues in home runs in 1926 and 1935; as a pitcher he won more than 300 games and once defeated 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.
- 1978 - Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a 535-foot home run off Montreal Expos pitcher Wayne Twitchell to highlight a 6 - 0 victory at Stade Olympique. It is the longest home run in the ballpark's history and is also Stargell's 407th career home run, tying him with Duke Snider on the career all-time list.
- 1983 - Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton passes Walter Johnson to move into second place on the all-time strikeout list. Carlton's four strikeouts put him at 3,511, just 10 behind Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros. Ryan had bettered Johnson's record earlier in the month.
- 1984 - Roger Clemens earns his first major league victory as the Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 5 - 4.
- 1985 - A game between the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers scheduled for Municipal Stadium is postponed due to rain, representing the first rainout of the 1985 season. The cancellation marks the latest point that the first rainout of a season has taken place. A record 458 games have been played prior to the initial rainout.
- 1991:
- Pete Runnels dies in Pasadena, Texas, at the age of 63. A bright light on otherwise dismal teams, Runnels won two American League batting titles for the Boston Red Sox, was a three-time All-Star, and batted .291 over a 14-year career that also included stints with the Washington Senators and the Houston Colt .45s.
- Jeff Reardon earns his 300th career save and Steve Lyons and Jack Clark hit home runs as the Boston Red Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3 - 0.
- 1999 - Robin Ventura becomes the first major leaguer to hit grand slams in both games of a doubleheader, leading the New York Mets to a sweep over the Milwaukee Brewers, 11 - 10 and 10 - 1. on September 4, 1995, Ventura also hit two grand slams in a single game while playing for the Chicago White Sox.
- 2001 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hits two home runs in a 11 - 6 loss to the Atlanta Braves, giving him a total of five homers in two games, becoming the 23rd player in major league history to do so.
- 2006 - A uniform worn by Joe DiMaggio in his final World Series is sold for $195,500 during the second day of an auction of his memorabilia. The previous day, DiMaggio's 1947 American League MVP Award plaque was sold for $281,750, which included a 15 percent buyer's premium. It was his third MVP award, but it was the only plaque. The two-day auction features more than 1,000 items of DiMaggio memorabilia, also including a leather-bound album featuring autographs from DiMaggio's New York Yankees teammates and members of the Boston Red Sox, a typed note signed by Frank Sinatra, and a signed photo of DiMaggio's one-time wife, Marilyn Monroe. The aution is held by Hunt's Auctions Inc. in New York City. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.
- 2006:
- Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hits a home run in an interleague game against the Oakland Athletics, tying his home run count with that of Babe Ruth at 714. The ball is hit at the A's McAfee Coliseum against pitcher Brad Halsey, a left-hander. Because of interleague play, Bonds is the designated hitter rather than his normal spot in the outfield.
- In interleague play, Josh Beckett hits a solo home run, picks up an RBI single, and pitches seven solid innings to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Philadelphia Phillies, 8 - 4, at Citizens Bank Park. Because the designated hitter isn't used in National League parks during interleague play, regular Red Sox DH David Ortiz starts at first base. Beckett (6-1) posts his third straight win and gives the AL East-leading Boston its 10th victory in 13 games. He also becomes the first Red Sox pitcher to hit a home run since Marty Pattin on September 26, 1972.
- Russell Branyan's two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning boosts the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to a 4 - 3 victory over the Florida Marlins in interleague play. It marks Tampa Bay's second straight victory in its last at-bat. Aubrey Huff was the hero the pervious day, clubbing a game-winning solo home run off Yusmeiro Petit to lead off the bottom of the 10th in a 5 - 4 win. This is the eighth time this season the Marlins have lost in their opponents' final at-bat. Florida has lost four straight games when entering the ninth inning with a lead, tying the major league record set by Tampa Bay in May 2002.
- 2008 - Mike Piazza announced his retirement. A 12-time All-Star, Piazza hit .308/.377/.545 in 16 seasons after having been picked in the 62nd round of the amateur draft. He socked 427 home runs, scored 1,048 runs and drove in 1,335 and set the all-time MLB record for homers by a catcher. At the time of his retirement, Piazza is 30th in MLB history in slugging, 39th in home runs and 64th in OPS+. Many opine that he is the greatest catcher ever, though others argue the claim, citing Josh Gibson or others.
- 2009:
- Houston manager Cecil Cooper presents an incorrect lineup card to umpire Eric Cooper. When leadoff hitter Michael Bourn singles off Yovani Gallardo, Brewers manager Ken Macha objects and the umps call out Kazuo Matsui, who is standing in the on-deck circle, as Bourn batted out of turn. Bourn then returns to the plate, draws a walk and scores on Lance Berkman's double. Houston wins 6 - 4, behind the pitching of Wandy Rodriguez.
- David Ortiz ends the longest home run drought of his career when he connects for the first time this season off Brett Cecil of the Blue Jays in an 8 - 3 Boston win. Red Sox centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury ties a major league record by recording 12 putouts behind pitcher Brad Penny.
[edit] Births
- 1856 - Horace Phillips, manager (d. ????)
- 1860 - Walt Burnham, minor league manager (d. 1937)
- 1860 - Watch Burnham, manager (d. 1902)
- 1879 - Jake Thielman, pitcher (d. 1928)
- 1884 - Paul Howard, outfielder (d. 1968)
- 1889 - Ted Cather, outfielder (d. 1945)
- 1890 - Doc Ayers, pitcher (d. 1968)
- 1890 - Jess Buckles, pitcher (d. 1975)
- 1891 - Joe Harris, infielder (d. 1959)
- 1893 - Walter Bernhardt, pitcher (d. 1958)
- 1893 - Fritz Von Kolnitz, infielder (d. 1948)
- 1897 - Wilcy Moore, pitcher (d. 1963)
- 1900 - Claral Gillenwater, pitcher (d. 1978)
- 1900 - George Grantham, infielder (d. 1954)
- 1900 - Ollie Klee, outfielder (d. 1977)
- 1904 - Pete Appleton, pitcher (d. 1974)
- 1910 - Fernando Barradas, minor league pitcher; Salon de la Fama (d. 1995)
- 1911 - Bert Delmas, infielder (d. 1979)
- 1913 - Lou Scoffic, outfielder (d. 1997)
- 1914 - Stan Benjamin, outfielder
- 1916 - Joe Wood, pitcher (d. 2002)
- 1916 - Al Kubski, minor league infielder/manager (d. 2006)
- 1919 - Harry Taylor, pitcher (d. 2000)
- 1921 - Hal Newhouser, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer (d. 1998)
- 1921 - Earl Rapp, outfielder (d. 1992)
- 1923 - Jose Zardon, outfielder
- 1924 - Herman Wedemeyer, minor league outfielder (d. 1999)
- 1925 - Lee Griffeth, pitcher (d. 2007)
- 1930 - Tom Morgan, pitcher (d. 1987)
- 1931 - Ken Boyer, infielder, manager; All-Star (d. 1982)
- 1937 - Bob Giallombardo, pitcher
- 1940 - Sadaharu Oh, NPB infielder and manager; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
- 1943 - Dave McDonald, infielder
- 1946 - Jim Lyttle, outfielder
- 1946 - Bobby Murcer, outfielder; All-Star (d. 2008)
- 1957 - John Zisk, minor league outfielder-infielder
- 1959 - Russ Stephans, minor league catcher
- 1961 - Ralph Bryant, outfielder
- 1963 - Glen Kuiper, minor league infielder
- 1963 - David Wells, pitcher; All-Star
- 1964 - Gordon Dillard, pitcher
- 1964 - Jeff Schwarz, pitcher
- 1965 - Wayne Housie, outfielder
- 1965 - Todd Stottlemyre, pitcher
- 1965 - Carlos Yánes, Cuban leagues pitcher
- 1972 - Byung-kyu Kang, KBO pitcher
- 1973 - Jason Pruitt, minor league pitcher
- 1974 - Yoel Hernandez, Spanish national team pitcher
- 1974 - Brian McNichol, pitcher
- 1975 - Amaury Garcia, infielder
- 1975 - Luis Garcia, infielder
- 1976 - Ramon Hernandez, catcher; All-Star
- 1976 - Tomoya Satozaki, NPB catcher
- 1977 - Steve Stemle, pitcher
- 1978 - Wilson Valdez, infielder
- 1979 - Jayson Werth, outfielder; All-Star
- 1979 - Jae-woong Yoo, KBO outfielder
- 1980 - Austin Kearns, outfielder
- 1981 - Atsushi Fujii, NPB outfielder
- 1981 - Kensuke Tanaka, NPB infielder
- 1983 - Adam Rosales, infielder
- 1984 - Pedro Powell, minor league outfielder
- 1988 - Carlos Rivero, minor league infielder
- 1988 - Tony Sanchez, minor league catcher
[edit] Deaths
- 1889 - Oscar Walker, outfielder (b. 1854)
- 1891 - Jim Fogarty, outfielder, manager (b. 1864)
- 1905 - Ed Kennedy, outfielder (b. 1856)
- 1914 - Chub Collins, infielder (b. 1857)
- 1933 - Billy Lauder, infielder (b. 1874)
- 1942 - Amby McConnell, infielder (b. 1883)
- 1945 - Masaru Kageura, NPB pitcher, outfielder and infielder; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1915)
- 1948 - Frank Browning, pitcher (b. 1882)
- 1957 - Roy Hutson, outfielder (b. 1902)
- 1958 - Frank Bird, catcher (b. 1869)
- 1958 - Cotton Minahan, pitcher (b. 1882)
- 1960 - Pat Collins, catcher (b. 1896)
- 1964 - Cy Neighbors, outfielder (b. 1880)
- 1969 - Lee Allen, researcher (b. 1915)
- 1969 - Charlie Pickett, pitcher (b. 1883)
- 1971 - Martin Dihigo Hall of Famer (b. 1905)
- 1972 - Wally Dashiell, infielder (b. 1902)
- 1972 - Hoge Workman, pitcher (b. 1899)
- 1978 - Bob Logan, pitcher (b. 1910)
- 1978 - Harrison McGalliard, NPB catcher (b. 1906)
- 1982 - Leo Taylor, pinch runner (b. 1901)
- 1983 - Fred Schulte, outfielder (b. 1901)
- 1989 - Mike Reinbach, outfielder/designated hitter (b. 1949)
- 1991 - Pete Runnels, infielder, manager; All-Star (b. 1928)
- 1993 - Al Aber, pitcher (b. 1927)
- 2001 - Bob Keely, catcher (b. 1909)
- 2004 - Doug Pappas, researcher (b. 1962)
- 2008 - Herb Hash, pitcher (b. 1911)
