September 23

Events, births and deaths that occurred on September 23.

[edit] Events

• 1845 - The Knickerbocker Base Ball Club is formed, and Alexander Cartwright's 20 rules, presented on September 13th, are adopted
• 1889 - An emergency meeting of the American Association Board of Directors reverses the St. Louis forfeit of September 7th, the game being ruled as a 4 - 2 Browns victory, although the forfeit of September 8th still stands.
• 1901 - Brooklyn ties its highest score ever (set on May 20, 1896) in blasting the Reds, 25 - 6. These are the most runs they will score this century. Jimmy Sheckard and Joe Kelley both connect for grand slams, with Kelley adding a 2nd homer. Jay Hughes collects four hits and a win.
• 1902:
  • Boston beats the Giants, 2 - 1, with both runs scoring on wild pitches by Christy Mathewson.
  • Cy Young eases to his 32nd win as Boston pounds the A's, 14 - 1.
• 1904 - The Giants sleepwalk against the Pirates ("Pittsburg Plays All By Itself" is the NY Herald headline) as Red Ames allows three runs in eight innings before John McGraw pulls him. His replacement is Frank Bowerman who gives up four runs in his only ML inning. The Pirates win, 7 - 0.
• 1905:
  • In Chicago, Christy Mathewson and Carl Lundgren hook up in a tight pitchers' duel, decided in Chicago's favor on a mental error by Giants 2B Bill Dahlen. With two on and two out in the 5th inning, Dahlen bobbles a grounder and touches second base as the runner arrives. Dahlen, thinking that he has the 3rd out, rolls the ball to the mound. But ump Bob Emslie calls the runner safe. Johnny Evers the runner on third base, alertly scores on the play for the game's only run. The loss stops Matty's win streak at 11 games.
  • Detroit rookie Ty Cobb, 18, hits his first home run, off Cy Falkenberg, an inside-the-park blow, in an 8 - 5 loss at Washington.
• 1907:
  • In Chicago, the Cubs clinch the pennant by beating the Phillies, 4 - 1. The game is washed out after 7 1/2 innings with Ed Reulbach winning in relief of Three Finger Brown. Chicago pulls off a triple play in the 5th inning to help seal the win.
  • At the start of the Giants match in Pittsburgh, John McGraw hands Bill Klem the lineup card with Roger Bresnahan's name in the lineup. The two argue about whether the catcher can play after yesterday's ejection and then, when Klem turns away, he is hit in the face with a glass of water. No culprit comes forward but Klem gets his revenge in the 6th by ejecting McGraw and Art Devlin for arguing a call. The Pirates win, 2 - 1.
• 1908:
  • The Pirates win their 7th victory in 10 games by topping Brooklyn, 2 - 1 behind Lefty Leifield. Kaiser Wilhelm takes the loss. Pittsburgh is now a game in back of first place.
  • Giants P Christy Mathewson and Cubs P Three Finger Brown battle in the most controversial game ever played. The score is 1 - 1, with two outs in the last of the 9th when Fred Merkle's failure to touch second after an apparent game-winning hit by Al Bridwell scoring Moose McCormick from third costs the Giants a 2 - 1 win; the ump calls Merkle out and rules the game a tie. Merkle's 'boner' will eventually cost the Giants the flag.
  • Cleveland wins its 10th straight game, defeating the Highlanders and Jack Chesbro, 9 - 3. The Naps score five runs in the 7th, while Bob Rhoads pitches strong ball until the 9th, when he allows two runs. Nap Lajoie has no official at bats, getting hit by pitched balls three times, tying an American League record, and walking his other time up.
• 1910 - George Stallings, convinced that Hal Chase tried to throw a game, but unable to make the charge stick, is replaced by his charismatic first sacker as manager of the 2nd-place Highlanders for the season's final 11 games. On his own, Prince Hal will lead the New Yorkers downhill to 6th place in 1911.
• 1911:
  • Walter Johnson gives up a 2-run homer in the 6th inning to Joe Jackson, the 8th four-bagger the Big Train has allowed this year. Johnson had given up just two in the previous four seasons. Cleveland whips the Senators, 6 - 1.
  • Christy Mathewson pitches the Giants to a 6 - 2 win over the Reds. New York now leads Chicago by eight games.
• 1912 - In Boston, 100,000 fans are on hand to greet the Red Sox after their western road trip. All business stops as the players ride from South station to the Common where Mayor Fitzgerald welcomes them. The players are given the keys to the city. Extra seating is added to Fenway Park, increasing the seating capacity to 32,000 for the World Series.
• 1914:
  • Rube Marquard loses his 12th in a row, as the Cards sink the Giants twice, but the Cards fall short of overtaking New York in 2nd place by 2 1/2 games.
  • After losing Game One to Boston, 3 - 2, the last-place Reds come back in game two to break the longest losing streak in the club's history (and 3rd longest in the National League) and tying the 20th Century mark of the 1906 Boston Beaneaters at 19 straight. Charles "King" Lear wins his only game of the year and pitches his only shutout ever, 3 - 0. The Reds wait till the 9th to score their three runs.
  • Grover Alexander coasts to a 9 - 4 win over the Cubs as Gavvy Cravath bangs two homers to lead the Phils' offense.
• 1915:
  • In the first of two games, the Yanks top the Browns, 7 - 0. George Sisler pitches one perfect inning of relief for St. Louis.
  • Before the game at Pittsburgh, manager Fred Clarke is presented with a grandfather clock and a red leather binder signed by thousands of well-wishers. Clarke plays four innings in left field and goes 1 for 2. After reaching first, Clarke is replaced by Max Carey, and the out-going manager exits to thunderous applause. Pittsburgh wins, 8 - 4, over the Braves.
  • In Philadelphia, Detroit's Ty Cobb swipes his 90th base of the year. Only 300 fans are on hand to witness the event.
  • In Chicago, Phillies ace Grover Alexander wins his 30th, beating the Cubs, 5 - 1.
• 1916 - Allowing only just one walk during a twin bill with the Cincinnati Reds, Phillies hurler Grover Alexander wins both ends of a doubleheader (7 - 3 and 4 - 0) to establish a National League record. The future Hall of Famer will repeat the feat on September 3, 1917 against the Brooklyn Robins at Ebbets Field.
• 1917 - Deja Vu all over again: Grover Alexander beats Chicago's Shufflin Phil Douglas, this time 4 - 1, their second matchup in three days.
• 1920 - The Chicago grand jury indictment adds the names of former featherweight boxing champ Abe Attell, Hal Chase, and Bill Burns as go-betweens in the World Series scandal. Confessions, later repudiated, are signed by Ed Cicotte, Joe Jackson, Lefty Williams, and Happy Felsch.
• 1921 - Trailing by two points, the Indians come to New York for a 4-game showdown. Waite Hoyt's arm and Babe Ruth's three doubles beat them 4 - 2.
• 1922 - Rogers Hornsby belts his 40th homer, a solo shot in the 6th at the Polo Grounds, but the Giants hang on to win, 7 - 5. Ross Youngs saves a homer in the 9th when he leaps to snag Jack Smith's drive. Jack Scott hits 4 for 4 and goes all the way for the win to keep the Giants six games in front of Pittsburgh.
• 1925:
  • The Pirates clinch the National League pennant, making six double plays in beating the Phils 2 - 1. Kiki Cuyler is 1 for 2.
  • Washington SS Roger Peckinpaugh, a .294 hitter, is named the American League MVP with 45 points; A's OF Al Simmons is second with 41.
• 1930 - There are 42 hits in the Phillies' 19 - 16 loss to the pennant-bound Cardinals. RF Chuck Klein makes his 44th assist, well above the record of 39 set by Mike Mitchell with the Reds in 1907.
• 1932 - Trailing 8 - 6 to Cleveland after five innings, White Sox reliever Bill Chamberlain gives up five runs to start the 6th. In disgust, Sox manager Lew Fonseca, an infielder-outfielder throughout his career, inserts himself as pitcher. With two runners on, he retires all three batters he faces, then turns the ball over to Chad Kimsey to finish the game. The Tribe wins, 13 - 6, as Wes Ferrell wins his 23rd.
• 1933:
  • The Phils and Braves, split a twinbill, each winning 5 - 4. Chuck Klein has three hits in each game, including his National League-high 28th homer in the opener. Boston's Wally Berger, 2nd in homers with 26, is out of action and doesn't play today.
  • Despite the 5th-place Tigers' 5 - 3 win over the Browns, manager Bucky Harris submits his resignation. Babe Ruth's name will be prominent in the newspapers as a possible replacement.
  • The Yankees make seven errors, three by Frank Crosetti, but have enough firepower to outslug the Red Sox 16 - 12. Including in New York's 23 hits are homers by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, number 31 for each; Lou adds two doubles and a single. Sammy Byrd, Ben Chapman and Crosetti have three hits apiece, and reliever Wilcy Moore drives in the last run with his first hit of the year. The Red Sox chase winning pitcher Herb Pennock in the 6th and make the score 13 - 9, but fall short at the end.
  • The Cubs beat the Reds 7 - 1, with Paul Derringer losing his 27th game for the last-place Reds, the most losses since George Bell in 1910. Gabby Hartnett hits a grand slam for the Cubs.
• 1935 - With the Cubs idle, the Pirates beat up on the Cards and rookie Ed Heusser to win 12 - 0. Big Jim Weaver allows four hits in the shutout.
• 1936 - Pitching in the 10th straight Giants game, Carl Hubbell notches his 16th consecutive victory, his 26th of the year. He resumes the streak next year to reach a record 24 wins in a row.
• 1937 - The Yankees lose 9 - 5 but clinch the pennant when the Red Sox beat Detroit.
• 1938 - The Cubs take 2 from the Phillies while the Reds trim the Pirates in 12 innings, cutting Pittsburgh's lead to 2 games.
• 1939 - In a 22 - 4 win over the Phillies, Cookie Lavagetto of the Dodgers reaches base seven consecutive times.
• 1942 - Larry French of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitches a brilliant one-hitter, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 6 - 0 for his 197th career win. After a brief relief stint on the 26th, he will join the U.S. Navy, rise through the ranks and retire in 1969 with the rank of captain. Larry MacPhail, the 52-year-old Dodger president, also announces today that he is quitting at the end of the season to re-enter the army.
• 1948 - The Braves clinch the National League flag by defeating the Giants, 3 - 2. They will finish 6 ½ games ahead of the Dodgers. Two days before the season is over the Braves will lose their best hitter, OF Jeff Heath, who breaks an ankle sliding home against Brooklyn.
• 1949 - Before the game, Cleveland owner Bill Veeck and a few players holds funeral services to bury the 1948 pennant in center field. The previous day, the Tribe were mathematically eliminated from the American League pennant race.
• 1950:
  • The Athletics erupt for 12 runs against the Senators in the sixth inning to win 16 - 5. Reserve catcher Joe Astroth hits his first homer, a grand slam off Julio Moreno, and a single and knocks in a since-topped record six runs in the big inning. Astroth had 22 RBIs in 104 games prior to today.
  • In what amounts to a political and monetary act of leverage, Brooklyn's Branch Rickey offers to sell his 25 percent interest to real estate mogul William Zeckendorf.
  • The Yankees, tied for first place with the Tigers and two games ahead of Boston, open a crucial series with the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Joe DiMaggio's first inning home run off Mel Parnell is all the scoring needed, as the Bombers win 8 - 0. Ed Lopat gives up five hits, including a leadoff triple to Dom DiMaggio.
  • Mike Garcia and the Indians hand the Tigers a 10 - 2 defeat to leave Detroit in second place at the end of the day.
  • Don Newcombe outpitches Robin Roberts to give Brooklyn a 3 - 2 win against the first-place Phils.
  • The Braves' Johnny Sain fails in his attempt to win his 20th game, but hits his first major-league home run, off Larry Jansen, in a 4 - 3 loss to the visiting Giants. With two outs in the 10th, Sam Jethroe loses Don Mueller's fly ball in the sun and Mueller legs out a triple. Hank Thompson's single wins it for Jansen. A Saturday crowd of 5,535 watch the Braves drop out of second place, while the Giants move to within three games of the Phils.
• 1951:
  • Pittsburgh's Murry Dickson wins his 20th game, a 3 - 0 whitewash of the Reds. Dickson's 20 wins will account for nearly a third of the Pirates' 64 victories, and helps the Bucs finish a game ahead of the last place Cubs.
  • Roy Campanella has four hits, including a homer off 15-game winner Bubba Church, and the Dodgers top the Phillies, 6 - 3. Preacher Roe is the winner, his record going to an amazing 22-2.
  • In New York, it is Sal Maglie Day and Maglie responds by winning his 22nd game in beating the Braves, 4 - 1, despite allowing 13 hits. It is the most victories by a Giant since Carl Hubbell in 1937.
• 1955:
  • The Yanks clinch the pennant by beating the Red Sox, 3 - 2.
  • After a running feud with owner Charlie Comiskey, Jr., Frank Lane resigns as general manager of the White Sox.
• 1956:
  • Ozzie Virgil becomes the first Dominican to reach the majors. The 23-year old Monte Cristi native, who will also see his son Ozzie Jr. catch in the big leagues, plays third base for the Giants.
  • With the Dodgers leading the Pirates, 8 - 3, the largest crowd in Forbes Field's history watches the game be postponed with two outs in the ninth inning as the curfew is enforced. The postponement leaves Milwaukee 1 ½ game ahead of the Dodgers.
• 1957 - The Braves clinch the National League pennant, defeating the Cards, 4 - 2, thanks to Hank Aaron's 11th-inning home run. It is the first time since 1950 that a New York team hasn't finished first.
• 1958 - For the second time this season, P Jack Harshman of the Orioles hits two home runs, in a 3 - 2 win over the Senators.
• 1959 - The Cubs continue to dash the Giants' pennant hopes as Cal Neeman's 10th-inning home run gives Chicago a 9 - 8 win. The Cubs won the day before 5 - 4, on George Altman's 9th-inning, 2-run home run.
• 1961:
  • The Phils' Wes Covington hits a solo homer in the 16th inning to top Pittsburgh's Elroy Face, 5 - 4. Face also gives up an extra-inning homer to Felipe Alou on the 11th. Bobby Malkmus earlier homered for the Phils. Jack Baldschun pitches 7 1/3 innings of shutout relief for the win.
  • An ailing Mickey Mantle's career-high 54th home run, his last of the regular season, helps New York beat Boston 8 - 3. Whitey Ford leaves the game in the 5th inning, but wins his 25th.
• 1962:
  • At Houston, Billy O'Dell beats the Colts, 10 - 3 to move the Giants three games behind the front-running Dodgers.
  • A 12 - 2 Dodger loss at St. Louis is enlivened by Maury Wills, who ties Ty Cobb's long-standing ML single-season record of 96 steals by swiping second base after singling in the 3rd, and breaks it with a repeat performance in the 7th.
• 1964:
  • The Mets surprise the Cards and Roger Craig, 2 - 1, scoring the winner on an error. The Cards' only run is Bill White's homer off Galen Cisco. Cards manager Johnny Keane is quoted as saying he has no idea whether he will be asked to return as Cards manager next year.
  • The slumping Phils (90-63) drop their 3rd in a row to the Reds, 6 - 4. Vada Pinson has two homers, good for four runs, to lead the Reds over the 1st-place Quakers. The Reds (86-66) trail by 3 1/2 games, with the Cards and Giants five back.
  • Washington's Don Loun makes his first mound appearance and shuts out the Red Sox, 1 - 0 for his only ML win. Loun will lose his next and last start.
  • The sizzling Yanks win their 9th in a row, defeating the Tribe, 4 - 3 in 11 innings and 6 - 4. Elston Howard's homer off Louie Tiant snaps a tie in the opener. John Romano homers in each game for the Indians while recently-acquired Pedro Ramos finishes up both games for New York. Ramos, however, will not be eligible for the World Series.
• 1965 - A 20-game winner in 1964, Larry Jackson loses his 20th game of 1965, as the Phillies sweep a twin bill from the Cubs, 11 - 5 and 7 - 4. Jackson is the first pitcher since Murry Dickson of the 1951-1952 Pirates to follow a 20-win season with 20 losses.
• 1966:
  • At Crosley Field, Reds ace Jim Maloney strikes out 13 in a 7 - 0 win over the Mets.
  • The Dodgers' Don Drysdale pitches his 3rd complete game in a row, shutting out the Cubs.
• 1967:
  • The White Sox move to a half game out of first place on the strength of Joel Horlen's 3-hitter, an 8 - 0 whitewash of Cleveland. The Red Sox are in 3rd place, also a half game out, after dropping a 7 - 5 decision to Baltimore. Carl Yastrzemski's 42nd home run had given the Red Sox a 5 - 4 lead, but a Brooks Robinson home run in the 8th inning won it for the O's.
  • Three straight sacrifice bunts by the Phillies tie a major-league record in a 4 - 0 win at Los Angeles.
• 1969:
  • The Braves move into first place by pounding the Astros 10 - 2. George Stone is the winner over Jim Bouton.
  • Umpires Bill Valentine and Al Salerno hit baseball with a $4 million antitrust suit.
  • In his last ML at bat, John Miller homers off the Reds' Jim Merritt, but the Dodgers lose 6 - 3. In 61 plate appearances over three years, Miller's only other home run was on September 11, 1966, for the Yankees - in his first ML at bat.
  • Dick Williams is fired as manager of the Red Sox. Coach Eddie Popowski becomes interim manager.
• 1970:
  • The Dodgers knock out starter Gaylord Perry with five runs in four innings, but the Giants come back to win 14 - 10. SF scores nine in the 6th, featuring a 2-run home run by Jim Ray Hart and a grand slam by Dick Dietz. The Dodgers tie the game at 10 - 10 in the 8th, but the Giants score four in the 9th to clinch. Ken Henderson belts a 3-run home run.
  • The Cardinals dent the pennant aspirations of the Cubs, stopping them twice by identical 2 - 1 scores. Bob Gibson and Jerry Reuss are the hurlers for the Birds.
• 1974 - The Pirates move to within a half game of first place by defeating St. Louis, 1 - 0 in 10 innings. Jim Rooker is the winner over Lynn McGlothen.
• 1977 - George Foster belts home run #50, off Buzz Capra, as the Reds beat the Braves, 5 - 1. Foster is the first Reds player to reach 50 homers: Ted Kluszewski held the Reds record with 49 homers in 1954.
• 1978:
  • The Yankees' lead over the Red Sox is trimmed to one game when Cleveland scalps New York, 10 - 1.
  • The Angels' 27-year-old OF Lyman Bostock, a .311 lifetime hitter, is hit by a shotgun blast while riding in a car in Gary, IN. The shot was meant for one of the other passengers in the car. He will die in the early hours of the next day.
• 1979 - Lou Brock steals base No. 938 to break Billy Hamilton's unofficial record in a 10-inning St. Louis victory over the Mets, 7 - 4. The Cardinal outfielder broke Ty Cobb's mark of 892 in 1977.
• 1983:
  • Steve Carlton becomes the 16th pitcher in major league history to win 300 games and the Phillies inch closer to the National League East title with a 6 - 2 win over the Cardinals.
  • Troubled Dodger reliever Steve Howe is suspended once again because of his chronic drug problem after missing the club's flight to Atlanta and refusing to take a urinalysis upon his arrival. Howe, who has 18 saves and a 1.44 ERA despite spending part of the season in a drug rehabilitation program, will not be eligible for post-season play.
• 1984 - Sparky Anderson becomes the first manager ever to win 100 games in a season with two different clubs as the Tigers beat the Yankees, 4 - 1. Anderson had led the Cincinnati Reds to 100-win seasons in 1970, 1975, and 1976.
• 1986 - Houston's Jim Deshaies strikes out the first eight batters on the way to a 2-hit, 4 - 0, win over the Dodgers. Deshaies breaks the major-league record of 7, last tied by Joe Cowley on May 28th. He finishes with 10 strikeouts.
• 1987:
  • In a 5 - 4 victory over the Astros, Albert Hall becomes the first Braves player to hit for the cycle since 1910.
  • Bill Madlock collects his 2,000th career hit as the Tigers beat Boston, 4 - 0, on Doyle Alexander's 2-hitter.
• 1988:
  • The Angels fire manager Cookie Rojas and the Phillies fire manager Lee Elia. Third base coaches Moose Stubing (California) and John Vukovich (Philadelphia) will manage the clubs for the remainder of this season. Stubing will return to the coaching box after going 0-8.
  • Oakland's Jose Canseco becomes the founder of baseball's 40-home run, 40-stolen base club by stealing two bases in a 9 - 8, 14-inning win over Milwaukee. He also hits his 41st home run.
  • At Candlestick Park, the Dodgers win 3 - 0, behind Orel Hershiser (23-8) who pitches a complete game shutout to extend his record-tying streak to 49 consecutive shutout innings. Mickey Hatcher's 2-out, 3-run homer in the 8th off starter Atlee Hammaker is all the scoring.
• 1990:
  • Gary Gaetti hits a grand slam off the Rangers' Charlie Hough for his 200th career home run, as the Twins win, 6 - 4. It comes nine years and four days after his first major league homer, also off Hough.
• 1992:
  • For the second time in eight days, the Pirates witness a 9 - 3 putout; this time it is Montreal RF Larry Walker gunning out Tim Wakefield at first base in the 6th. It is the second time this season that Walker has thrown out a runner at first. Moises Alou, who enters the game as a pinch runner, hits a grand slam in the bottom of the 14th to win it for Montreal, 5 - 1.
  • Cincinnati OF Bip Roberts ties a National League record with his 10th consecutive hit, in a 3 - 0 win over the Dodgers. He becomes the 8th player to achieve the feat. He finishes the day 1 for 4. Tim Pugh, with an inning from Rob Dibble, is the winner.
  • Bernice Gera, professional baseball's first female umpire, dies at age 61.
  • The Padres celebrate "Unemployment Night" by firing manager Greg Riddoch. He is replaced by Jim Riggleman. It doesn't help as the Astros beat San Diego, 7 - 6. Eric Anthony and Jeff Bagwell each hit their 17th home run for Houston, while Guillermo Velasquez pinch hits a 2-run homer for the Pads.
• 1995 - White Sox OF Lance Johnson strokes six hits - including three triples - scores four runs and drives in four others as Chicago defeats Minnesota, 14 - 4. 3B Robin Ventura gets five hits for the Chisox, including three doubles.
• 1997:
  • The Orioles score three runs in the first two innings of Roger Clemens (21-7), then hold on to beat the Blue Jays, 3 - 2.
  • Angels Lefty OF Jim Edmonds hits a pair of home runs off Randy Johnson, but Seattle wins, 4 - 3, to clinch the American League West. Johnson won't give up another home run to a lefty until John Olerud takes him deep in Game One of the 1999 NLDS. Jay Buhner hits his 40th homer and then K's for the 173rd time, a new Mariners record.
  • In a warm-up for the playoffs, the Indians rally from a 9 - 2 deficit to shock the Yankees, 10 - 9. Tony Fernandez and Tino Martinez match 2-run homers, while David Justice and Sandy Alomar also homer for the Tribe.
• 1998:
  • Mark McGwire goes homerless in the Cards' 7 - 1 loss to the Astros as Randy Johnson clips the Birds for his 10th win. He strikes out 8 in 8 innings. Craig Biggio is 3 for 5 and swipes #50 to become the only player besides Tris Speaker in 1912, to have 50 doubles and 50 steals in a year.
  • Sammy Sosa breaks an 0 for 21 slump, hitting his 64th and 65th home runs as the Cubs build a 7 - 0 lead over the Brewers. Milwaukee fights back, however, and scores three in the last of the 9th when Chicago OF Brant Brown drops a routine fly ball with the bases loaded and two out to allow three Brewers to score. Rod Beck is on the mound when the Merkle-like error occurs (Fred Merkle's boner occurred exactly 90 years ago). Milwaukee wins, 8 - 7, and the Cubs remain tied for the wild card spot with the Mets, who lose to Montreal, 3 - 0. With his eight total bases, Sammy has now topped the 400 mark.
  • The Giants (86-72) stay close with a 4 - 1 win over the Pirates. Joe Carter's three-run homer helps Mark Gardner (13-5) win his 5th straight. Gardner strikes out 11 in 8 innings.
  • With an 8 - 4 victory over the Indians, the 1998 Yankees tie the 1927 team for the most wins in franchise history. The Bombers' 110 victories pull them within one game of the American League record of 111 victories by the 1954 Cleveland Indians.
• 1999:
  • The Athletics beat the Orioles, 9 - 6, in the first game of a doubleheader, ending Baltimore's 13-game winning streak. The Orioles take the nightcap, 12 - 4, as OF Albert Belle gets four doubles in a game for the second time this season.
  • By drawing 27,549 fans, the Yankees break the New York City season attendance record with a total of 3,072,009. The Mets had previously held the record when 3,047,724 turned the turnstiles in 1988.
• 2000:
  • The Angels batter the Rangers, 15 - 4, despite Rafael Palmeiro's 400th career home run. He is the 32nd player to reach that total.
  • Former Dodger Carl Erskine fires up the crowd by playing the national anthem on the harmonica and then Kevin Brown fires a 2-hitter to give the Dodgers a 2 - 1 win over the Padres. Brown strikes out 13 in beating Woody Williams.
  • The Giants and Diamondbacks split a doubleheader, with Arizona winning the first game, 7 - 5, and San Francisco taking the nightcap, 9 - 5. Arizona OF Luis Gonzalez hits a 3-run home run in each game, and has a total of 8 RBIs on the day.
  • At Wrigley Field, the Cardinals defeat the Cubs, 6 - 5, despite 1B Mark Grace's 1,000th career RBI for Chicago. Joey Nation makes his major league debut and takes the loss. His consolation is singling in his first at bat, off Britt Reames.
  • Joining Frank Robinson, the Devil Rays' Fred McGriff becomes only the second player in major league history to hit 200 homers in both the American and National League.
  • Breaking the major league team record held by the 1997 Braves and the 1999 Indians for grand slams in a season, Ben Grieve's 7th inning bases-loaded home run gives the A's a record breaking 13 grand slams.
  • The Braves whitewash the Expos, 10 - 0, clinching their 9th consecutive trip to the playoffs. Greg Maddux hurls the shutout, extending his streak of scoreless innings streak to 36 1/3.
• 2001:
  • The Giants rout the Padres, 11 - 2, as Barry Bonds hits his 65th and 66th home runs of the season. The homers give Bonds a major-league record 34 road round-trippers. He also breaks Babe Ruth's major league mark for most home runs over two seasons by a lefthanded batter (115).
  • The Rangers defeat the Angels, 5 - 2, as SS Alex Rodriguez hits his 48th home run of the year to set a new major-league record for shortstops. He also ties the franchise record for home runs in a season, set by Frank Howard in 1969.
  • Sammy Sosa becomes the first player in history to hit three home runs in a game three times in a season. Despite his trio of blasts, the Cubs still lose to the Astros, 7 - 6.
  • By saving New York's 5 - 4, 10-inning win over the Orioles at Camden Yards, Yankee closer Mariano Rivera establishes a franchise single-season record with his 47th save. The previous record was held by Dave Righetti who has 46 saves in 1986.
  • Oakland defeats Seattle, 7 - 4, to clinch the AL wild card spot as Mark Mulder wins his 20th game of the season. The A's become the 6th team in major league history to make the postseason after falling 10 games under .500. They were 8-18 on May 1st.
• 2002:
  • The Cardinals use nine consecutive 2-out hits to score 10 runs in the 7th inning on their way to a 13-1 win over the Diamondbacks. The D'Backs lose more than the game when Luis Gonzalez separates his shoulder in an outfield collision with Tony Womack's knee.
  • The Red Sox edge the visiting Orioles, 5 - 4 in 15 innings. Johnny Damon walks, goes to third base on a wild throw to first by Willis Roberts, then scores on a wild pitch. Both teams score in the 14th, as Jeff Conine homers to make up for an error in the inning. Jay Gibbons has two solo home runs for Baltimore, and Shea Hillenbrand one for Boston. The O's have lost 26 of 30.
  • In the last public event in 32-year old Cinergy Field, over 40,000 fans attend a softball game featuring Reds greats of the Big Red Machine against an all-star team made up of players from the same era. Because the game is not affiliated with major league baseball, Pete Rose is allowed to play and he receives a tremendous ovation from the Cincinnati fans.
• 2005:
  • As a result of the merger of Bank One and JP Morgan Chase & Co. the Diamondbacks' home field, Bank One Ballpark, is renamed Chase Field. Arizona fans, who have come to call the stadium Bob, will be comforted to know the team will continue to employ D. Baxter Bobcat as the team's mascot.
  • Jimmy Rollins' 1st-inning single makes the shortstop's 28-game hitting streak the longest by a Phillies player in over a one hundred years. Ed Delahanty got at least one hit in 31 consecutive contests for Philadelphia's National League franchise during the 1899 season.
• 2008:
  • The Dodgers close in on the NL Western Division title, beating the Padres, 10 - 1. Manny Ramirez doubles home two runs and joins Carlos Beltran as the only major leaguers with 50 RBI in each league in a season.
  • The Red Sox hand Cliff Lee just his third loss in 25 decisions in a 5 - 4 win to clinch a playoff spot. The win eliminates the Yankees from making the postseason for the first time since 1993 (not counting the 1994 season, when the postseason was cancelled, but during which the Yanks posted the best record in the American League).
  • The Rays pull off the first doubleheader sweep in franchise history, beating Baltimore, 5 - 2 and 7 - 5. Tampa Bay's magic number to clinch the AL East title drops to 2.
  • Softbank Hawks skipper Sadaharu Oh announces he will retire at the end of the year, stating that his health (he is battling cancer) had been a distraction for the players.
  • In a 12 - 5 loss to the Doosan Bears, Woori Heroes backstop Dong-soo Kim becomes the third player in Korea Baseball Organization history to play 2,000 games and the first catcher to reach that durability milestone.
• 2009 - Bobby Cox signs a one-year extension as manager of the Atlanta Braves, but announces it will be the last. After the 2010 season, he will become a consultant to the team's front office. He has been the team's manager since 1990 and led them to the world championship in Braves and 14 postseason appearances, the last in 2005.
• 2010 - Hanshin Tigers rookie outfielder Matt Murton goes 3 for 5 to reach 200 hits for the season. He becomes the first American in Nippon Pro Baseball to have a 200-hit season and the fourth player overall (after Ichiro Suzuki, Norichika Aoki and Alex Ramirez).
• 2011 - The movie Moneyball receives its theatrical release across the United States. Starring Brad Pitt and based on Michael Lewis's book of the same name, the story focusses on Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane and his unconventional statistics-based approach that made the team surprisingly competitive during the 2002 season in spite of a tiny payroll. The film will earn a number of Academy Awards nominations.
• 2012:
  • Spain earns its first-ever berth in the World Baseball Classic by winning its qualifying pool in Jupiter, FL with a 9 - 7 extra-inning victory over Israel. Yunesky Sanchez hits a two-out, two-run single off Josh Zeid in the 10th inning, and Ivan Granados keeps Israel from scoring in the bottom half to earn the win. In the other pool, in Regensburg, German P Enorbel Marquez takes a no-hitter into the 7th, but settles for a two-hit, complete game, 16 - 1 victory over Great Britain, in a game shortened by the mercy rule. Aaron Altherr and Matt Weaver homer for Germany as British starter Kyle Wilson fails to record a single out. Germany will now play Canada in the group finals.
  • Jered Weaver wins his 19th game of the season to help the Angels complete a three-game sweep of the White Sox, 4 - 1. Albert Pujols records his 100th RBI in the win, the 11th time he has been in triple digits in his 12 major league seasons. The win brings the Halos within 2 1/2 game of a wild card berth, but they are finding it hard to overcome a 6-20 start, and a 14-22 streak immediately after the All-Star break.

[edit] Births

• 1847 - John Day, manager (d. 1926)
• 1872 - Home Run Johnson, Negro League infielder and manager (d. 1953)
• 1875 - Lee DeMontreville, infielder (d. 1962)
• 1880 - Cy Neighbors, outfielder (d. 1964)
• 1880 - Heinie Wagner, infielder, manager (d. 1943)
• 1886 - Bob Higgins, catcher (d. 1941)
• 1886 - Joe Kelly, outfielder (d. 1977)
• 1887 - Doc Martin, pitcher (d. 1935)
• 1889 - Biff Schaller, outfielder (d. 1939)
• 1895 - Johnny Mokan, outfielder (d. 1985)
• 1897 - Walt Irwin, pinch hitter (d. 1976)
• 1898 - Hod Lisenbee, pitcher (d. 1987)
• 1898 - George Murray, pitcher (d. 1955)
• 1900 - Lefty Stewart, pitcher (d. 1974)
• 1908 - Scotty Robb, umpire
• 1909 - Al Mahon, pitcher (d. 1977)
• 1912 - Hoss Walker, Negro League infielder and manager (d. 1984)
• 1913 - Pete Sivess, pitcher (d. 2003)
• 1914 - Takashi Nakajima, NPB outfielder
• 1914 - Mack Stewart, pitcher (d. 1960)
• 1920 - Marino Pieretti, pitcher (d. 1981)
• 1922 - Lino Donoso, pitcher (d. 1990)
• 1924 - Dino Restelli, outfielder
• 1928 - Ray Anderson, minor league pitcher (d. 2008)
• 1942 - Jim Rooker, pitcher
• 1942 - Woody Woodward, infielder
• 1943 - Winston Llenas, infielder
• 1943 - Marcelino Lopez, pitcher (d. 2001)
• 1944 - Licesio Fernández, Division Honor player
• 1944 - Oscar Zamora, pitcher
• 1952 - Dennis Lamp, pitcher
• 1952 - Jim Morrison, infielder
• 1952 - Pat Scanlon, infielder
• 1953 - Brian Asselstine, outfielder
• 1957 - Tony Fossas, pitcher
• 1958 - Chung-Chiu Lin, CPBL outfielder and manager
• 1959 - Jim Winn, pitcher
• 1963 - Jim Filippi, minor league pitcher
• 1963 - Terry McGriff, catcher
• 1964 - Scott Hortness, college coach
• 1964 - Rich Maloney, college coach
• 1966 - Pete Harnisch, pitcher; All-Star
• 1968 - Rodney Bolton, pitcher
• 1968 - Héctor Estrada, minor league catcher and manager
• 1969 - Tibor Brown, minor league pitcher (d. 2000)
• 1969 - Jeff Cirillo, infielder; All-Star
• 1971 - Willie Greene, infielder
• 1971 - Sean Smith, minor league player
• 1972 - Pep Harris, pitcher
• 1974 - Eric Knott, pitcher
• 1974 - Mike Walter, minor league pitcher (d. 2012)
• 1975 - Dave Elder, pitcher
• 1975 - Michael Marchesano, minor league pitcher
• 1975 - Jeff Puleri, college coach
• 1976 - Jui-Chen Chen, CPBL infielder
• 1977 - Brent Abernathy, infielder
• 1980 - Mike Gosling, pitcher
• 1981 - Qi Chen, Chinese national team outfielder
• 1984 - Daniel Farth, Elitserien outfielder
• 1984 - Jason Godin, minor league pitcher
• 1984 - Matt Kemp, outfielder; All-Star
• 1985 - Joba Chamberlain, pitcher
• 1986 - Evan Frederickson, minor league player
• 1986 - P.J. Phillips, minor league infielder
• 1986 - Bryce Stowell, minor league pitcher
• 1986 - Chris Volstad, pitcher
• 1988 - Naomichi Donoue, NPB infielder
• 1988 - Ryan Groves, South African national team pitcher
• 1988 - Jedd Gyorko, infielder
• 1989 - Lurvin Basabe, minor league player
• 1989 - Trevor May, minor league pitcher
• 1992 - Dylan Unsworth, South African national team pitcher

[edit] Deaths

• 1896 - John Crowley, catcher (b. 1862)
• 1901 - Doc McJames, pitcher (b. 1874)
• 1907 - Charlie Buffinton, pitcher, manager (b. 1861)
• 1915 - Brickyard Kennedy, pitcher (b. 1867)
• 1916 - Monk Cline, outfielder (b. 1858)
• 1920 - Doc Curley, infielder (b. 1874)
• 1922 - Butch Rementer, catcher (b. 1878)
• 1924 - Dan McFarlan, pitcher (b. 1873)
• 1932 - Oliver Brown, outfielder (b. 1849)
• 1941 - Tom Morrissey, infielder (b. 1860)
• 1942 - Tom Thomas, pitcher (b. 1873)
• 1948 - Rich Durning, pitcher (b. 1892)
• 1951 - Dale Gear, outfielder (b. 1872)
• 1954 - John Wilson, pitcher (b. 1890)
• 1955 - Gary Fortune, pitcher (b. 1894)
• 1958 - Bill Mundy, infielder (b. 1889)
• 1960 - Paul Hinson, pinch runner (b. 1904)
• 1961 - Ted Jourdan, infielder (b. 1895)
• 1962 - Tom Sullivan, pitcher (b. 1895)
• 1964 - Cy Barger, pitcher (b. 1885)
• 1973 - Jesse Fowler, pitcher (b. 1898)
• 1977 - Walter Balash, minor league pitcher (b. 1918)
• 1982 - Lefty Mills, pitcher (b. 1910)
• 1997 - Doug Million, minor league pitcher (b. 1975)
• 2000 - Aurelio Rodriguez, infielder (b. 1947)
• 2011 - Danny Litwhiler, outfielder; All-Star (b. 1916)
• 2012 - Roberto Rodriguez, pitcher (b. 1941)