September 15

Events, births and deaths that occurred on September 15.

[edit] Events

• 1889:
  • Brooklyn increases its lead over St. Louis to seven games as the Browns lose in Philadelphia while Brooklyn takes a pair from Louisville.
  • Sioux City (Western Association) sweeps a quadruple-header from visiting St. Joseph winning 6 - 1, 12 - 7, 12 - 5, and 5 - 4. The first three games are five innings apiece and the fourth game is seven innings.
• 1901:
  • In the second of two games with Milwaukee, the White Stockings hit a major-league record five triples in the 8th inning against Milwaukee. Their total of six in the game is an American League record not duplicated until September 17, 1920. Chicago wins, 9 - 4, after taking the opener, 5 - 4, and hitting four triples.
  • The Detroit Tigers roll over Cleveland behind Ed Siever with what was the most lopsided score in American League history: 21 - 0 (equaled on August 13, 1939) -- until the Cleveland Indians beat the New York Yankees 22 - 0 on August 31, 2004 at Yankee Stadium. Detroit pounds out 24 hits off rookie Jack Bracken as Pop Dillon leads the way with four hits. The game is mercifully called after 7 1/2 innings to allow Cleveland to catch a train. Bracken's ERA is not helped by this outing and he will end this season, his only one in the majors, with a 6.21 mark, the highest in the deadball era.
• 1902 - Chicago's infield combo of Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance pull off their first double play to back up Carl Lundgren's 6 - 3 win over the Reds.
• 1903 - In Cincinnati, the Reds knock out Christy Mathewson after five innings and beat the Giants, 8 - 0.
• 1904:
  • Beating the Beaneaters, 3 - 2, Giant hurler Hooks Wiltse runs his career record to 12-0. "Hooks"' dozen consecutive victories establishes the record for the most wins at the start of a career for a starter.
  • Boston edges New York, 3 - 2, to move back into first place in the American League. Jesse Tannehill allows nine hits in besting Al Orth. The nitecap is called after nine innings with the score 1 - 1.
• 1907:
  • Boston slugger Dave Brain hits his 10th homer, off the Giants' Red Ames. Brain's ten round trippers will lead the National League this year, but he will never hit another. The same fate befell Fred Odwell two years ago. Brain will be sold to the Reds in February, the same route that will taken by the 1910 homer champion, Fred Beck.
  • At the Browns-Tigers game in St. Louis, a soda bottle thrown by a fan, Hugo Dusenberg, fells umpire Billy Evans. The crowd beats up Hugo before the police come to his rescue; he is fined $100. Evans is carried from the field and hospitalized, but is not very seriously injured.
• 1908:
  • The Highlanders' Pete Wilson makes his major league debut by shutting out Boston, 1 - 0.
  • The Cardinals rattle Red Ames for five hits in the 8th inning to tie the Giants at 4 - 4. Cardinal killer Christy Mathewson relieves and when Al Bridwell scores the go-ahead run, Matty stops the Birds for his major-league record 24th consecutive win over St. Louis.
• 1910 - Cleveland tops Washington, 3 - 0, with Walter Johnson losing to the Naps after four straight wins against them. The victory goes to Fred Blanding in his major league debut. Nap Lajoie scores a run but is 0 for 3.
• 1911 - Washington manager Jimmy McAleer announces his resignation. Ban Johnson then arranges for McAleer and Robert R. McRoy to buy a half-interest in the Red Sox for $150,000. Clark Griffith will take over as manager and, by purchasing 10% of the team, its largest single stock holder.
• 1912 - In the second game of a doubleheader, Boston's Joe Wood wins his 16th straight game as he bests the Browns, 2 - 1, in a game called after eight innings because of darkness. Wood scores the winning run in the 8th, scoring from third base on a wild pitch by Earl Hamilton. Earlier in the year, Walter Johnson posted a streak of 16 straight wins.
• 1913 - Frank L. Hough, sports editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and one of two writers who owned 25 percent of the Philadelphia Athletics when the team was founded, dies.
• 1914 - Cleveland's Nap Lajoie strokes his 3,000th hit, a single off Detroit's Pug Cavet, joining Honus Wagner and Cap Anson as the only players to reach that mark.
• 1915 - The Cubs edge the Braves, 1 - 0, behind Phil Douglas, with Lefty Tyler taking the tough loss. Tomorrow, the Cubs will win another 1 - 0 battle, but it will take them 12 innings to do it.
• 1916 - The Giants, sporting a 9-game winning streak, are losing 2 - 0 to Cincy in the 4th inning when rain washes out the game.
• 1917:
  • The Senators toss shutouts in both games today with the A's. Harry Harper wins the opener 5 - 0, and Walter Johnson follows with a 4 - 0 victory.
  • At the Polo Grounds, Boston's Babe Ruth takes an 8 - 0 lead into the 9th before allowing three Yankee runs. He finishes with a complete game 8 - 3 win and slugs his 2nd and last homer of the season.
• 1920 - The Indians give Jim Bagby 14 runs on 22 hits and he coasts over the A's, 14 - 0.
• 1921:
  • Babe Ruth hits home run No. 55 in New York's 10 - 6 win over the Browns. The Yanks take game 2, 13 - 5.
  • Four A's pitchers help the Indians win 17 - 3, by contributing 16 walks. Among them is the starting pitcher Arlas Taylor, appearing in his only ML game. He fans one batter - Joe Sewell, the hardest batter to strike out in ML history.
• 1922:
  • C Butch Henline is the first National League player to hit three homers in a game since 1897, as the Phils beat the Cards 10 - 9. Henline's 3rd home run ties the game in the 9th inning and Cliff Lee then hits the game-winning home run. Lee ends the year with 17 homers - all at Baker Bowl. Only Gavvy Cravath, in 1914, and Mel Ott will have more homers in a season this century coming all at home.
  • The Browns pull to within a half game of the Yankees - losers to the White Sox - by rallying to beat the Red Sox, 7 - 1. St. Louis trails 1 - 0 after 6 1/2 innings before coming back.
• 1923 - Paul Strand, RF for Salt Lake City (Pacific Coast League), makes his 290th hit, a pro baseball record. He will play in 194 games, make 325 hits, including 66 doubles, 13 triples, and 43 home runs, for a .394 BA, with 180 runs and 187 RBI. He also has 612 total chances in the OF. Strand, 30, had come up to the Boston Braves as a pitcher in 1913 and was 6 - 2 for the 1914 pennant winners, mostly in relief. The Athletics will pay a reported $100,000 (which Connie Mack later says was really $40,000) for him, but he will hit just .228.
• 1926 - The Yankees beat the Indians, 6 - 4, as Bob Meusel drives home three runs with three sacrifice flies. This ties the major-league record set by Harry Steinfeldt in 1909. Bob Shawkey is the winning hurler.
• 1928 - In a doubleheader with the Phils, the Cardinals leave 29 runners on base but still manage to win both games, 3 - 2 and 8 - 6. Stranding 29 is a record for two regulation-length games.
• 1929 - In a field day trial, former college track star Reds LF Evar Swanson circles the bases in 13.3 seconds. Two years later, with more sophisticated equipment timing him, he will do it in 13.2 while with Columbus (American Association).
• 1930:
  • The Robins win their 11th straight, although Babe Herman once again stops to watch a home run disappear for a record second time in one season. This time, Glenn Wright lopes past the awestruck Herman to reduce a homer to a single.
  • The Cubs split a pair in Philadelphia when Lefty O'Doul pinch-hits a home run to beat the Cubs 12 - 11 in the first game. It is the second consecutive game in which O'Doul has produced a pinch-hit homer. In the second game of the day's doubleheader, Hack Wilson hits his 50th dinger to pace the Cubs to a 6 - 4 win.
  • Newspapers carry the story of the disappearance of Cardinals P Flint Rhem on the eve of a crucial series in Brooklyn.
• 1931 - The Philadelphia Athletics clinch the pennant, beating Cleveland at home, 14 - 3. Every starter for the A's has a hit and RBI. Eddie Rommel, veteran knuckleball pitcher for the A's, is the winning hurler, as Connie Mack wins his 3rd successive pennant. It is Mack's 9th, and last, American League championship. The A's went into first place for good on May 5, when they started a win streak of 17 straight games and 20 of their next 21. In mid-July they won 13 straight.
• 1932:
  • At the Polo Grounds, Kiki Cuyler continues to haunt the Giants by clouting an 11th-inning homer to give the Cubs the 8 - 7 win.
  • The Cardinals' Ray Starr makes his first major league start, shutting out the Dodgers, 3 - 0.
• 1933 - The Giants sweep a pair from the Cubs at Wrigley Field, winning, 5 - 1 and 4 - 0. Reliever Hi Bell helps apply the whitewash in game 2, besting Lon Warneke. Starter Roy Parmelee is leading 3 - 0 when he hits Tuck Stainback on the arm breaking it. He walks the bases full and Bell comes in.
• 1935 - Before an overflow crowd of 41,284 in St. Louis, the Giants' Carl Hubbell outpitches Dizzy Dean to give New York a 7 - 3 win. It is the second time in four days the two aces have matched up. The Giants, winners of 14 out of their last 22 games, are now just 1 1/2 games behind the Cardinals.
• 1936 - Johnny Allen wins his 20th for Cleveland, though he is forced to leave the game with a back injury, after hurling 5 innings of no-hit ball.
• 1937 - American League President Will Harridge upholds Cleveland's protest of the August 6 Yankee win, and the entire game is replayed as the second game of a doubleheader. The protested game is called a tie with all stats retained except those following the disputed call.
• 1938 - Brothers Lloyd and Paul Waner of the Pirates hit consecutive homers off Cliff Melton in the 5th inning at the Polo Grounds. Pirates P Jim Tobin puts Mel Ott in the record book, hitting him with a pitch 3 times. Tobin wins 7 - 2. The Waners' feat marks the first time in major league history that brothers have gone deep back-to-back; the next time will come on April 23, 2013, courtesy of B.J. and Justin Upton of the Atlanta Braves.
• 1941 - After 16 scoreless innings, the Dodgers score 5 in the top of the 17th and beat the Reds 5 - 1. Johnny Allen pitches 15 innings for Brooklyn, and Hugh Casey wins in relief.
• 1944 - Radio announcer Bill Stern reports on a scandal involving the Browns. A Chicago newspaper attributes the Browns' recent slump to the fact that the team wants a larger park for the World Series. Four days later, Stern repudiates the story.
• 1946:
  • Ernie Lombardi of the Giants slams the ball 483 feet under the stairway in right-center of the Polo Grounds, but barely makes third base. It is the 3rd triple in 7 years for Schnozz and the last of his career.
  • After dropping the opener, the Brooklyn Dodgers are stinging the Chicago Cubs 2 - 0 in the 5th inning when a swarm of gnats descends upon Ebbets Field and causes the game to be postponed.
• 1949 - Pirates P Tiny Bonham dies following an appendectomy and stomach surgery, just 18 days after his last pitching performance, an 8 - 2 win over the Phillies. Mrs. Bonham will receive the first benefits under the players pension plan, $90 a month for 10 years.
• 1950:
  • At Ebbets Field, Cardinal starter Cloyd Boyer hurts his arm while warming up and is replaced by Red Munger. The reliever goes the distance beating the Dodgers, 6 - 2, getting credit for a complete game, but not for a game started.
  • Ted Williams returns to the Red Sox lineup and raps a home run and three singles in a 12 - 9 defeat of the Browns. The Red Sox will come within two games of the first-place Yankees this week, but will end up in third place, behind both New York and Detroit.
  • In game two, Eddie Waitkus of the Phils gets five hits for the third time this season, as the Phillies beat the Reds 8 - 7 in 19 innings. Teammate Del Ennis goes 5 for 10. The Reds lead 5 - 0 after five innings, but the Phils tie it up in regulation. Both teams score twice in the 18th, and the Phils score in the 19th on a bases-loaded hit by Ennis. The Phils win the lid lifter, 2 - 1.
  • For a ML-record sixth time, Johnny Mize hits three home runs in one game, but the Yankees lose 9 - 7 at Detroit. Mize matches Babe Ruth's mark of doing it in both leagues, but the Babe only had two three-homer games. With the victory, the Tigers recapture first place from New York.
• 1951:
  • The first game of the first Dominican World Series (Los Grandes Finales) is played between Licey and Escogido in Santiago. Behind the hitting of Alonzo Perry (.400 series average) and the pitching of Marion "Sugar" Caine, Licey wins the opener 8 - 0 and goes on to take the series 4-1 to become the first champion of Dominican Professional Baseball.
  • The 7th-place Pirates rise up and collect 15 hits to whip the first-place Dodgers, 11 - 2. Rookie Jack Merson drives home six runs on a triple, double, and two singles.
  • The Giants trim the Dodger lead to five games when they cash in homers by Bobby Thomson, Willie Mays, and Don Mueller for a 5 - 2 win over Chicago. Sheldon Jones tops Paul Minner.
  • The Cardinals take 11 walks, a record-tying five by Solly Hemus, and beat the Braves 10 - 1. Boston's starter Dave Cole walks the first three batters he faces, then hits Enos Slaughter to force in Hemus.
• 1952:
  • The Braves play their last game in Boston's Braves Field before moving to Milwaukee, WI, losing to Brooklyn's Joe Black 8 - 2. The Dodgers clinch a tie for the pennant. The crowd of 8,822 is the Braves' second largest of the season.
  • In a Cold War move, the Russians decry the American game of baseball by citing their own game of "lapka" as being the progenitor of baseball. They call American players "slaves." The State Department links the Soviet claim as the founders of baseball as part of its "Hate America" campaign.
  • The Pirates become the first team to wear helmets in which the temples are protected. The headgear is worn both at the plate and in the field.
• 1959:
  • Dodger SS Maury Wills goes 5 for 5 in a 10-inning, 8 - 7 win over the Braves.
  • The Giants whip Warren Spahn and the Braves 13 - 6 behind Jack Sanford. Willie Mays has 4 hits and 5 RBI. The Giants are now 2 games in front with 8 to play.
  • Carl Yastrzemski plays for Minneapolis (American Association), but the game is protested by Omaha because Yaz is not eligible to play until OF Lee Howell leaves for military duty on the 18th.
• 1960 - Giants superstar Willie Mays ties a major league mark by hitting three triples in an 8 - 6 victory over the Phillies.
• 1961:
  • The Yankees set a new American League record for most homers in a season as they split a doubleheader in Detroit, winning 11 - 1 and losing 4 - 2. Circuit blows by Bill Skowron and Yogi Berra in the opener help Whitey Ford win his 24th and increase New York's homer total to 222. This breaks the old mark set by the 1947 Giants and tied by the 1956 Reds. Norm Cash and Steve Boros homer in the nitecap to back Ron Kline's 7-hitter.
  • With 10 strikeouts in an 11 - 2 win against the Braves, Sandy Koufax has 243 strikeouts, most ever for a National League lefty.
• 1962:
  • The Pirates beat Jack Sanford 5 - 1, the first loss by the Giant hurler after 16 straight wins.
  • At Cleveland, 22-year-old Sudden Sam McDowell pitches six scoreless innings, striking out 7. He leaves after one out in the 7th after his hard throwing causes him to breaks two ribs. With two outs in the 9th, the Twins score three to win, 3 - 2. Lee Stange, in relief, gains his first ML win. McDowell, just recalled from Portland (Pacific Coast League), where he compiled an 8-0 record, including a one-hitter and no-hitter in consecutive starts, will go 11-4 this year.
• 1966:
  • Seven pitchers are used by Al Dark's A's in an 11-inning, 1 - 0 shutout of the Indians. Kansas City wins its 7th straight game.
  • Tom Phoebus of Baltimore begins his ML career with a 2 - 0 shutout of the Angels.
  • Don Drysdale (10-16) gives up two home runs in the 9th, to Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell, with two outs, but holds on to give the Dodgers a 5 - 3 win over Pittsburgh. The Dodgers now lead the Bucs by 2 1/2 games. The Bucs and Dodgers will split the next two games.
• 1967:
  • There are just two runs scored in the Phils-Dodgers doubleheader, and Los Angeles scores both, winning 1 - 0 in each game. In game one, Phils OF Tony Gonzalez is 2 for 4, giving him 30 hits for his last 55 at bats.
  • At the spacious Astrodome, Jimmy Wynn becomes the first Astro to hit three homers in one game. The "Toy Cannon's" performance isn't enough as the Braves beat Houston, 9 - 8.
• 1968 - The Cardinals clinch the National League pennant with a 7 - 4 win at Houston. Roger Maris hits his 275th, and last, regular-season home run, off Don Wilson in the 3rd, and Curt Flood racks up five hits.
• 1969:
  • The Dodgers sweep a pair from the Reds, winning the nitecap in 12 innings. Jim Brewer wins both games with an inning of relief in the opener and four more in the second game.
  • Denny McLain records his 9th shutout, a Tiger record, beating New York, 2 - 0 at Yankee Stadium.
  • Steve Carlton of the Cardinals fans a ML-record 19 batters and still loses. Ron Swoboda hits a pair of 2-run home runs, and New York beats St. Louis, 4 - 3.
• 1970:
  • The White Sox hire manager Chuck Tanner from the Pacific Coast League. He replaces Don Gutteridge, who had been fired on September 3. Coach Bill Adair ran the team in the interim.
  • Ken Holtzman wins his 15th, and the Cubs top the Cardinals, 5 - 3. Chicago moves into 3rd place, just a game behind the first-place Mets and Pirates.
• 1971:
  • The Giants suffer their 3rd straight loss and their 10th in 11 games, losing to the Reds, 4 - 2. The Giants maintain their 1-game lead in the NL West.
  • Making his debut against the Braves, Astros' hurler Larry Yount injures his right shoulder on his very first warm-up pitch and will never get another chance to pitch in the bigs. Robin's older brother's total major league experience will consist of just one-warm up pitch.
  • At Shea Stadium, Mike Jorgensen hits a 2-out single in the 7th to break Burt Hooton's no-hit bid, and Ken Singleton follows with a homer to tie the match at 2 - 2. But Billy Williams clocks a pinch homer in the 9th and Hooton finishes the 3 - 2 victory with 15 strikeouts, notching his first major league win. In the opener of the twi-night doubleheader, Bill Hands beats Jerry Koosman, 6 - 2. Hands starts the Cubs' scoring with a 2-run single in the 2nd.
• 1972:
  • In a record-setting effort, the Reds and Padres combine for 28 strikeouts for a nine-inning game, the Padres winning 1 - 0, on Cito Gaston's 4th-inning homer. Winning P Fred Norman strikes out 15, while Don Gullett fans 11 Pads. Pedro Borbon notches the other 2.
  • Steve Carlton beats the Expos, 5 - 3, raising his record to 24-9. The rest of the Phillies pitchers have a combined record of 26-80.
• 1973 - With a runner aboard and the Braves already trailing, 2- 0, Dusty Baker makes what The Sporting News will call "the greatest catch in Atlanta Stadium history," literally climbing the center field fence to prevent Pittsburgh's Richie Hebner from doubling Atlanta's deficit with one swing of the bat. Though coming in the fourth inning, the play will later prove pivotal when, thanks to Baker, the three runs finally pushed across by game's end gives Atlanta a 3 - 2, walk-off win.
• 1974 - Cleveland's Gaylord Perry works hard for his 20th win, beating Baltimore's Ross Grimsley, 1 - 0. Perry will go 21-13 and is the last Indian pitcher this century to win 20.
• 1975:
  • Red Sox lefty Roger Moret holds on for a 9 - 7 win over the visiting Brewers. Jim Colborn takes the loss. For Moret, this is his last win as a Red Sox as he'll go to Atlanta over the winter after a 14-3 season. For the years 1970-1975 he finishes with an 18-7 record at Fenway Park, the second best Red Sox lefty at home.
  • Braves rookie Al Autry goes five innings and gets the win in a 4 - 3 decision over the Astros. Willie Montanez's 3-run homer is the big blow for Atlanta as a crowd of just 970 watches. For Autry, this is his only big league decision: Earl Huckleberry, of the 1935 Athletics, is the last pitcher to bow out with a 1-0 record.
  • Late-season call-up Mike Vail extends his hitting streak to a rookie-record 23 straight games as the Mets edge the Expos, 3 - 2.
• 1977:
  • The Orioles forfeit to the Blue Jays when manager Earl Weaver pulls his team off the field in the 5th inning citing a hazardous condition - a small tarpaulin held down by bricks on the bullpen mound. The Jays are ahead 4 - 0 when the forfeit is called. The O's will end the season tied with the Red Sox at 97-64.
  • The Reds come back from an 8 - 3 deficit to beat the Dodgers, 9 - 8. Cincy scores four in the 8th and two more in the 9th on Ken Griffey's homer.
  • The Royals set club record of 16 straight wins as they defeat the A's in ten innings in the nightcap of a doubleheader, 5 - 4.
• 1978:
  • Phil Garner hits his 2nd grand slam in two days as the Pirates beat the Expos 6 - 1. Garner is the first National League player to have slams in consecutive games since Jimmy Sheckard (September 23-24, 1901) and the first major leaguer since Brooks Robinson, in 1962. Garner will end the season with 12 dingers.
  • The Yankees, now 1 1/2 games in front of Boston, open a 3-game series in the Bronx with the Red Sox. Ron Guidry again gives up two Boston hits and wins a 4 - 0 shutout. Chris Chambliss and Graig Nettles hit successive homers off Luis Tiant in the 4-run 4th inning.
  • Tom Seaver pitches a 2-hitter to give the Reds a 6 - 1 win over the Giants at Candlestick Park. A single and a Darrell Evans homer are the only safeties.
  • The White Sox score five runs in the 10th inning to top the Mariners, 8 - 3, and win their first extra-inning game of the year. The Sox had lost their previous eight. With the victory, Chicago avoids becoming the first team in history not to win an extra-inning game.
  • The Dodgers become the first ML team ever to draw three million fans. Jay Blood is the historic three millionth spectator as the Dodgers shut out the Braves, 5 - 0. The victory is dampened when coach Jim Gilliam suffers a brain hemorrhage.
• 1979:
  • In a 10 - 2 victory over the Orioles, Red Sox Bob Watson becomes the first modern major leaguer to hit for the cycle in both leagues.
  • At Los Angeles, the Reds' Dan Driessen hits a long drive to CF with two outs in the 9th that bounces off the glove off Derrel Thomas and over the wall for a home run. The Reds win it over the Dodgers, 2 - 1.
• 1983 - Behind Marty Bystrom's 5-hit win the Phils sweep the Expos, 9 - 5. Mike Schmidt, Joe Morgan and Len Matuszek (his first in the majors) hit homers to back Steve Carlton's 298th career win.
• 1985 - The Yankees trade pitcher Jim Deshaies and two other minor leaguers to be named later to the Astros for 40-year-old Joe Niekro, reuniting the Niekro brothers as teammates for the first time since 1974 with the Braves.
• 1987 - Mets 1B Keith Hernandez collects his 2,000th ML hit as New York pounds Chicago 12 - 4. Earlier in the day the 2nd-place Mets obtained pitcher John Candelaria from the Angels for a pair of minor leaguers.
• 1990:
  • Despite solo homers in the 5th by brothers Billy Ripken and Cal Ripken, both off David Wells, the Orioles lose 4 - 3 to Toronto. The Jays score three in the bottom of the 9th on Kelly Gruber's home run to make a winner of reliever Willie Blair. The brothers Ripken will homer together one more time, in 1996, again in the same inning.
  • Striking out pinch-hitter Danny Heep, Bobby Thigpen saves his 50th game as the White Sox beat the Red Sox, 7 - 4. The Chicago closer played the outfield in college.
• 1991:
  • Cardinals rookie Ray Lankford hits for the cycle in a 7 - 2 win over the Mets.
  • In Baltimore's 4 - 3 win over Cleveland, O's OF Joe Orsulak - he starts today in LF and switches to RF - has an assist, his 6th in an 11-day stretch. He leads ML outfielders with 20 assists and will finish with 22.
• 1992:
  • Houston 1B Jeff Bagwell gets five hits in the Astros' 9 - 6 victory over the Giants. His 3-run homer in the 11th inning is the deciding blow.
  • At St. Louis, the Pirates edge the Cards, 4 - 2 behind homers by Jeff King, Barry Bonds, and Andy Van Slyke. Mark Clark (3-10) is the loser. Bucs RF Alex Cole helps with a 9-3 putout in the 2nd inning to nip Clark.
• 1993 - The National League announces realignment of its teams into three divisions, with Pittsburgh agreeing to move into the Central Division.
• 1994 - The Mets are informed that P Dwight Gooden is in violation of his aftercare program for substance abuse.
• 1996:
  • Thanks to Andres Galarraga's three-run homer the Rockies establish a big league record for runs scored at home. Colorado, which will amass 658 tallies at Coors Field, scores its 626th, 627th and 628th runs of the season when the "Big Cat" goes deep, to surpass the 1950 Red Sox who crossed the plate 625 times.
  • Frank Thomas breaks the White Sox mark for home runs established by Carlton Fisk in 1993. His 215th homer comes off Tim Wakefield in a 9 - 8 loss to the Red Sox.
  • Philadelphia C Benito Santiago drives in all his team's runs with three consecutive home runs in the Phillies' 6 - 1 win over the Cubs At Wrigley Field. Santiago will hit a homer tomorrow in his first at bat to tie a record for consecutive homers.
  • In a 16 - 6 rout of the Tigers, the Orioles break the major league record for team home runs in a season passing the 1961 Yankees mark of 240.
• 1997:
  • The Braves beat the Giants, 5 - 4 on Fred McGriff's 2-out, 2-run homer off Rod Beck in the 9th inning. The homer caps a 4-run rally for the 1st-place Braves.
  • Ken Griffey, Jr powers homers #51 and #52 in Seattle's 7 - 3 win over the Blue Jays. Junior has now hit 100 homers in a 2-year span, just the 6th major leaguer to do so.
  • Baltimore OF Eric Davis returns to action in the Orioles' 6 - 5 win over Cleveland only two months after having a cancerous tumor removed from his colon. Davis goes hitless in the contest, but rips a long fly out to deep right-center in his first at bat.
  • The Mets, 1 - 0 winners yesterday on a home run by diminutive Luis Lopez, use the long ball today to tie the Phils. New York collects four home runs in the 7th and 8th to tie at 6 apiece, then stitch six straight singles in the 10th to score 5 and win, 10 - 5. In the nitecap, the Mets lose, 2 - 1 to Darrin Winston, a 31-year-old rookie released by the Mets in the spring.
  • Anaheim Stadium, the Big A, gets a new name: Edison International Field of Anaheim. Edison, a utility giant, will pay $50 million over 20 years for a package that includes the name of the stadium, home to the Angels.
• 1998:
  • Rolando Arrojo (14-12) sets a record for wins by an expansion pitcher as the Devil Rays defeat the Angels, 8 - 1.
  • Ken Griffey, Jr. hits homer #52 and drives in the 1,000th run of his career in the Mariners' 12 - 7 win over the Twins. He becomes the 4th-youngest player in history to reach the milestone, after Mel Ott, Jimmie Foxx, and Lou Gehrig. Junior hit his 52nd on this date last year.
  • Ending a six-game drought without a homer, Mark McGwire, pinch-hitting in the ninth inning, hits his 63rd homer; the solo shot off Jason Christiansen in the Cardinals' 8 - 6 loss to the Pirates allows "Big Mac" to regain the home run lead over Sammy Sosa.
  • OF Manny Ramirez hits home runs in his last three at bats to help the Indians to a 7 - 5 win over Toronto.
  • Working the ninth for his 40th save in the Rangers' 6 - 5 win over the Orioles, John Wetteland joins three other pitchers in major league history to have three or more 40-save seasons. Dennis Eckersley, Jeff Reardon and Lee Smith have also accomplished the feat.
• 1999:
  • The Phillies defeat the Astros, 8 - 6, as OF Doug Glanville gets five hits, including a double and home run, for the victors. The loss snaps the Astros' 12-game win streak, a club record.
  • Baseball approves the sale of the Cincinnati Reds to Carl Lindner for $67 million, ending Marge Schott's 15-year reign as owner.
  • Baseball owners vote to merge the administrative operations of the American and National leagues. National League President Leonard Coleman, concluding his job has become irrelevant, announces his resignation effective after the World Series. He will become a senior adviser to Commissioner Bud Selig.
• 2000:
  • The Tigers outlast the Red Sox, 7 - 6. The two teams combine to use a league record-tying 42 players in the contest.
  • A's 1B Jason Giambi sets a team record by hitting his fourth grand slam of the season as Oakland drubs the Devil Rays, 17 - 3. The bases-loaded shot also ties a major league record for the most grand slams by a team in a single season, 12.
  • In a 5 - 4 victory over the Giants, Padres' closer Trevor Hoffman becomes the third player history to have four 40-save seasons.
  • Passing both Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, Mariner Rickey Henderson scores two runs to take over second place on the career list for runs scored. Henderson with a total of 2,175 will need to tally 71 runs to pass all-time leader, Ty Cobb (2,245).
• 2002:
  • The Diamondbacks beat the Brewers, 6 - 5, as Curt Schilling fans eight batters to give him 300 on the season. He and Randy Johnson become the first teammates to record 300 strikeouts in the same season.
  • Defeating the Indians after a 67-minute rain delay, 5 - 0, the Twins clinch the American League Central Division flag. Minnesota, which will be making its first playoff appearance since 1991, was almost eliminated during the off season due to contraction.
  • The Angels trounce the Rangers, 13 - 4, as 3B Troy Glaus strokes three home runs.
  • The Cubs shut out the Reds, 6 - 0, as OF Sammy Sosa drives in his 100th run of the season on a 3-run home run in the 8th inning. In doing so, he joins Mel Ott and Willie Mays as the only National League players to post eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons.
• 2003:
  • With his 2,063rd career base on balls, Barry Bonds passes Babe Ruth on the all-time walks list. The Giant left fielder now only trails Rickey Henderson, who has 2,190 free passes.
  • Rafael Palmeiro joins Jimmie Foxx as the only players to hit 35 homers and drive in 100 runs in nine consecutive seasons. The Hall of Fame member Foxx accomplished the feat playing for the A's and Red Sox from 1932 to 1940.
  • Thousands of Hanshin Tigers fans jump off the Ebisubashi Bridge into the Dotonbori River in celebration as their hometown heros clinch the Central League title for first time in 18 years. It has become a local ritual to jump into the murky river when the team wins.
• 2007 - Prince Fielder's 3rd-inning homer against Kirk Saarloos gives him 46 on the year - the first Milwaukee Brewers player to have hit so many. Gorman Thomas and Richie Sexson had each hit 45 in the past; Sexson had done so twice.
• 2008:
  • With his team tied for the lead in the National League Wild Card race, Ned Yost is fired as manager of the Brewers and replaced by Dale Sveum; Milwaukee is coming off being swept in four games at the hands of their main rivals, the Phillies.
  • Mariano Rivera passes Lee Smith for second on the all-time save list behind Trevor Hoffman as the Yankees top the Pale Hose, 4 - 2, to try to keep their playoff hopes alive; Chicago's lead in the AL Central falls to a game and a half.
• 2009:
  • In Boston's 4 - 1 win over the Angels, David Ortiz hits a home run, a record 270th as a designated hitter, breaking the mark held by Frank Thomas. Daisuke Matsuzaka, making his first start for the Red Sox after a three-month stay on the disabled list, pitches 6 scoreless innings for the win.
  • Andre Ethier of the Dodgers hits a two-run homer in the 13th inning as Los Angeles beats Pittsburgh, 5 - 4. It is his 6th walk-off home run of the season.
• 2010 - The Rays take back first place in their see-saw battle with the Yankees for top spot in the AL East with a 4 - 3 win at Tropicana Field. Dan Johnson hits a pair of two-run homers off Phil Hughes to account for all of Tampa Bay's runs.
• 2012:
  • The Dodgers beat the Cardinals, 4 - 3, on a pair of runs in the bottom of the 9th. Closer Jason Motte is on the mound with two outs and no one on when the Dodgers start their winning rally. Andre Ethier singles and pinch-runner Dee Gordon steals second base. Luis Cruz doubles him in, then Juan Rivera singles and another pinch-runner, Elian Herrera, scores the game-winner.
  • Ivan Nova is a winner in his return from the disabled list, 5 - 3, over the Rays. Curtis Granderson and Eduardo Nunez hit back-to-back homers in the 2nd to give the Yankees a 3 - 0 lead, and they never look back. Out three weeks with a shoulder inflammation, Nova picks up his 12th win and puts the Bronx Bombers one game ahead of their main rivals, the Orioles, who lose to the A's, 5 - 2. For their part, the Rays are now four games back and in danger of falling out of playoff contention altogether.
  • By flubbing a simple ground ball hit by the Reds' Drew Stubbs, SS Jose Reyes of the Marlins is charged with the 500,000th error in major league baseball history.
  • Spain beats Germany, 8-6, for third place in the 2012 European Championship. American Paco Figueroa and Venezuelans Dewis Navarro and Jesús Golindano each get three hits for Spain, with Navarro contributing a 3-run homer. In a losing cause, both Ludwig Glaser and Jendrick Speer go deep. Italy and the Netherlands, already set for a match tomorrow in the finale, play a close game. Italy wins, 4-3, as Dwayne Kemp just misses a grand slam in the 9th with a long foul. The Rotterdam native had already gone 3 for 4 with a homer before striking out following his long foul drive.

[edit] Births

• 1847 - Jim Snyder, infielder (d. 1922)
• 1855 - Ed Hengle, manager (deceased)
• 1856 - Doc Bushong, catcher (d. 1908)
• 1861 - Ed Flanagan, infielder (d. 1926)
• 1862 - Elmer Cleveland, infielder (d. 1913)
• 1863 - Jim Brennan, catcher (d. 1914)
• 1868 - Frank O'Connor, pitcher (d. 1913)
• 1874 - George Rohe, infielder (d. 1957)
• 1876 - Nick Altrock, pitcher (d. 1965)
• 1881 - Slow Joe Doyle, pitcher (d. 1947)
• 1887 - Harry Suter, pitcher (d. 1971)
• 1888 - Jean Dubuc, pitcher (d. 1958)
• 1892 - Harry Lunte, infielder (d. 1965)
• 1892 - Aaron McCreary, college coach (d. ????)
• 1893 - Speed Martin, pitcher (d. 1983)
• 1895 - Hugh McQuillan, pitcher (d. 1947)
• 1899 - Harry McCurdy, catcher (d. 1972)
• 1900 - Bud Clancy, infielder (d. 1968)
• 1900 - Roy Meeker, pitcher (d. 1929)
• 1902 - Russ Young, catcher (d. 1984)
• 1905 - Vance Page, pitcher (d. 1951)
• 1905 - Henry Peploski, infielder (d. 1982)
• 1906 - Charlie Biggs, pitcher (d. 1954)
• 1906 - Johnny Tobin, pinch hitter (d. 1983)
• 1907 - Fritz Ostermueller, pitcher (d. 1957)
• 1909 - Ed Katalinas, scout (d. 1988)
• 1910 - Edsall Walker, Negro League pitcher (d. 1997)
• 1915 - Stan Katkaveck, minor league catcher and manager (d. 1980)
• 1919 - Mike Budnick, pitcher (d. 1999)
• 1919 - Walt Novick, minor league catcher and manager (d. 1989)
• 1920 - Dave Garcia, manager
• 1924 - Jim Davis, pitcher (d. 1995)
• 1927 - Duke Simpson, pitcher
• 1928 - Bob Lennon, outfielder (d. 2005)
• 1929 - Lee Wheat, pitcher (d. 2008)
• 1933 - John Fitzgerald, pitcher
• 1936 - Freddie Burdette, pitcher (d. 2010)
• 1937 - Charley Smith, infielder (d. 1994)
• 1938 - Gaylord Perry, pitcher; All-Star, Hall of Famer
• 1940 - Frank Linzy, pitcher
• 1941 - Jim Barbieri, outfielder
• 1949 - Don Carrithers, pitcher
• 1949 - Dave Pagan, pitcher
• 1950 - Dave Hilton, infielder
• 1952 - Don Collins, pitcher
• 1956 - John Pacella, pitcher
• 1960 - Todd Fischer, pitcher
• 1962 - Peter Callenbach, Hoofdklasse pitcher
• 1965 - Satoru Komiyama, pitcher
• 1966 - Doug Simons, pitcher
• 1967 - Paul Abbott, pitcher
• 1967 - Dennis Moeller, pitcher
• 1968 - Marc Griffin, minor league outfielder
• 1968 - Rich Robertson, pitcher
• 1969 - Herb Perry, infielder
• 1970 - Jose Zapata, minor league player and manager
• 1971 - Jason Hardtke, infielder
• 1971 - Lloyd Peever, minor league pitcher
• 1972 - Craig Sides, minor league player
• 1973 - Koji Mitsui, NPB pitcher
• 1975 - Javier Cardona, catcher
• 1975 - Dan Smith, pitcher
• 1976 - Tomas Eriksson, Elitserien pitcher
• 1976 - Matt Thornton, pitcher; All-Star
• 1977 - Damian Rolls, infielder
• 1978 - Rickie Morton, minor league player
• 1979 - Brian Allen, minor league pitcher
• 1979 - Patricia Landry, Canadian women's national team outfielder
• 1979 - Luz Portobanco, minor league pitcher (d. 2008)
• 1981 - John Otness, minor league catcher
• 1983 - Jonathan Figueroa, minor league pitcher (d. 2009)
• 1984 - Henderson Lugo, minor league pitcher
• 1984 - Sergio Valenzuela, minor league pitcher
• 1985 - Guido Fonseca, minor league pitcher
• 1985 - [{Chayaphat Suanthong]], Thai national team infielder
• 1988 - Chih-Wei Deng, CPBL infielder
• 1988 - Murilo Gouvea, minor league pitcher
• 1988 - Jordan Hershiser, minor league pitcher
• 1991 - Quentin Becquey, Division Elite player
• 1991 - Yu Liu, China Baseball League pitcher
• 1993 - Steve Bean, minor league catcher

[edit] Deaths

• 1912 - Al Barker, outfielder (b. 1839)
• 1922 - Charlie Jones, infielder (b. 1861)
• 1924 - Frank Chance, infielder, manager; Hall of Famer (b. 1877)
• 1932 - Harry Kane, pitcher (b. 1883)
• 1935 - Joe Ardner, infielder (b. 1858)
• 1940 - Ed Yewell, infielder (b. 1862)
• 1946 - Tex Wilson, pitcher (b. 1901)
• 1949 - Heinie Beckendorf, catcher (b. 1884)
• 1949 - Tiny Bonham, pitcher; All-Star (b. 1913)
• 1950 - Joe Knotts, catcher (b. 1884)
• 1953 - Seth Sigsby, pitcher (b. 1874)
• 1956 - Thomas Hickey, minor league executive (b. ????)
• 1957 - Max Butcher, pitcher (b. 1910)
• 1958 - Snuffy Stirnweiss, infielder; All-Star (b. 1918)
• 1961 - Leon Carlson, pitcher (b. 1895)
• 1963 - Ray Miner, pitcher (b. 1897)
• 1971 - Roberto Ortiz, outfielder (b. 1915)
• 1978 - Larry Bettencourt, outfielder (b. 1905)
• 1981 - Earl Caldwell, pitcher (b. 1905)
• 1991 - Smoky Burgess, catcher; All-Star (b. 1927)
• 1993 - Ethan Allen, outfielder (b. 1904)
• 1995 - Nap Reyes, infielder (b. 1919)
• 1996 - Andy Pilney, pinch hitter (b. 1913)
• 2010 - Al LaMacchia, pitcher (b. 1921)
• 2011 - Bill Taylor, outfielder (b. 1929)
• 2012 - Max Soriano, owner (b. 1925)