This Day in Baseball History

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
June 20th

1961
The voting ends in a 'worldwide election' to settle who is better, New York's Mickey Mantle or San Francisco's Willie Mays. Inspired by Bill Hoebler, a young baseball fan from Pittsburgh, the Sport magazine's poll puts the Yankee center fielder ahead of the Giants' Say Hey Kid by more than 500 votes after tallying the seventeen pounds of postcards from all 50 states and several countries.



1980
Al Cowens, exacting revenge for being hit last season with a pitch thrown by Ed Farmer that fractured his jaw, takes a detour to the mound after hitting an infield grounder and tackles the White Sox reliever, landing several punches before the two are separated. Forced to skip the remainder of the series at Comiskey Park because of an arrest warrant, the Tiger right fielder will receive a seven-day suspension for his action.




1991
Ivan Rodriguez becomes the youngest person to catch a major league game when he bats ninth in the Rangers' 7-3 victory over White Sox. The 19-year-old backstop, called Pudge by his teammates, nails two would-be base stealers and goes 1-for-4 with a two-run single in the ninth inning of the Comiskey Park contest.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
June 21st

1952
National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues president George Trautman bans the signing of women, preventing 24-year-old softball shortstop standout Eleanor Engle from playing with the Harrisburg Senators. Commissioner Ford Frick will go one step further by formally prohibiting females from professional baseball, using the ruling to prevent teams from using women players as a publicity stunt.


1957
In his first major league start, bonus baby Von McDaniel, a recent graduate of Oklahoma's Hollis High School, two-hits the Dodgers at Busch Stadium, 2-0. The 18-year-old keeps Brooklyn hitless until Jim Gilliam's soft line drive spins out second baseman Don Blasingame's glove, followed by Hal Smith's failure handling sacrifice, giving the visitors two tainted infield safeties in the sixth inning.
(Ed. Note: Our thanks to frequent contributor J. Feehan, who attended this game as a youngster with his dad, for sharing his memories of the game. -LP)


1964
On an unseasonably warm Father's Day at Shea Stadium, Phillies' right-hander Jim Bunning becomes the first modern pitcher to toss a no-hitter in both leagues when he throws a perfect game to beat the Mets, 6-0. Gus Triandos, who caught Orioles' Hoyt Wilhelm's no-hitter in 1958, becomes the first catcher to handle a no-hitter in each circuit.
(Ed. Note: In addition to being behind the mike for today's game, Mets broadcaster Bob Murphy, doing play-by-play for the Red Sox in 1958, called Bunning's no-hitter in the Tigers' 3-0 victory at Fenway Park. - LP)

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1986
Bo Jackson, the collegiate football standout who will eventually spend four seasons with the Oakland Raiders, signs a three-year contract worth just over $1 million with the World Champion Royals, who drafted him in the fourth round, 105th overall. The Auburn running back had been selected first overall in the 1986 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Heisman Trophy recipient turned down the Buccaneers' more lucrative offer when the team refused his choice to play two sports.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
June 22nd

1932
After refusing to follow suit, probably due to opposing players and fans harassing the Cardinals when they wore numerals on their sleeves in 1923, the National League finally permits teams to use uniform numbers to identify players. Some American League teams regularly implemented digits on their jerseys a few seasons ago.


1959
At LA's Memorial Coliseum, Sandy Koufax, facing 39 batters, goes the distance to beat the Phillies, 6-2. The Dodger southpaw fans 16 Philadelphia batters to set a new record for strikeouts in a night game.


1987
"If I can't pitch well, I'm not going to hurt myself and the Mets. Why would I do that? I've had doubts from the start that it could be done right. The doubts are still very evident. I'm too proud to do this badly." - TOM SEAVER, commenting privately about his attempted comeback.

After spending over two weeks of training trying to make a comeback to help the Mets' starting rotation, sidelined by injuries to four pitchers, Tom Seaver announces his retirement after being enticed by GM Frank Cashen to join the club for the rest of the season for $500,000. The future Hall of Famer ends his career with 311 victories, of which 198 came wearing a Met uniform.


2001
The Braves trade John Rocker and minor league third baseman Troy Cameron to the Indians in a four-player deal in return for Steve Karsay, Steve Reed, and cash. The Atlanta fireballer became a national figure after his negative comments about New Yorkers, gays, unwed moms, and immigrants in Sports Illustrated.



2006 well that sucks !
In his fourth major league start, Cardinals starter Anthony Reyes throws a one-hitter, but the White Sox win the U.S. Cellular Field contest, 1-0. The only hit the Redbird rookie right-hander gives up is Jim Thome's seventh-inning solo home run

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
June 23rd
1950
Eleven home runs – a major league record – drive in all the runs scored in a 10 – 9 Tiger win over the Yankees before 51,000 Detroit fans. Detroit has four home runs in the 4th inning as Dizzy Trout, Jerry Priddy, Vic Wertz and Hoot Evers connect. Pitcher Trout’s home run, off Tommy Byrne, is his second-lifetime grand slam. Evers hits another home run, an inside-the-park two-run game-winner in the 9th off Joe Page to win it. For New York, Hank Bauer connects for two homers, including one in the 4th inning. Joe DiMaggio, Jerry Coleman, Yogi Berra and pinch hitter Tommy Henrich also belt round trippers. It is the first time that nine different players connect for homers in a game.




1953
The Braves sign 17-year-old Middletown (CT) high schooler Joey Jay as an amateur free agent, giving the 17-year-old bonus baby a considerable $20,000 contract. The right-hander, who will post a 99–91 record with 999 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.77 in his 13-year career, becomes the first former Little Leaguer to play in the major leagues when he holds the Phillies scoreless next month, hurling in two innings in a relief appearance at Connie Mack Stadium.





1963
After taking Phillies right-hander Dallas Green deep, Jimmy Piersall runs around the bases in the correct order, but backward, to celebrate his 100th career home run. The Mets' outfielder, who thought of the stunt after being disappointed by the lack of attention Duke Snider's 400th round-tripper received, will be released two days later by manager Casey Stenge

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1984
The Roger Maris Museum opens in the West Acres Shopping Center in Fargo (ND). Nearly 2,000 visit the 72-foot showcase, which features memorabilia from the slugger's 12-year big league career, including a ticket stub from the 162nd game of the 1961 season, the contest in which he hit his historic 61st home run.
(Ed. Note: Originally, the former Yankee outfielder declined to have a museum dedicated to his accomplishments on the field, agreeing only if the venue was accessible to the public without charging admission. - LP)

Roger Maris Museum by Fargo-Moorhead CVB on Flickr
licensed under CC BY NC-SA 2.0

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
June 24th

1947
At Forbes Field, Jackie Robinson steals home in the Dodgers' 4-2 victory over the Pirates. It is the Brooklyn infielder's first thievery of the dish, something the rookie will accomplish 19 times during his ten-year career.



1955
Senator third baseman Harmon Killebrew hits his first major league home run in Washington's 18-7 loss to the Tigers. The 18-year-old rookie, who becomes known as 'Killer,' will finish his 22-year Hall of Fame career with 573 homers.



1955
After signing a $14,000 deal in December, Brooklyn's Lafayette High School graduate Sandy Koufax makes his major league debut, allowing one hit, issuing a walk, and striking out two batters over two scoreless innings in relief in the Dodgers' 8-2 loss to the Braves at County Stadium. The team added the 19-year-old southpaw to the active roster to replace future Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, who was optioned to Triple-A Montreal and will return to the major leagues briefly next season with the Kansas City A's.



1970
After fouling off a "Folly Floater" Steve Hamilton threw in the ninth inning of the eventual 7-2 Cleveland victory at Yankee Stadium, Tony Horton asks the New York hurler to throw him the pitch again. The Indians' first baseman crawls back to the dugout when backstop Thurman Munson catches his second foul ball.

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[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
June 25th
1985
After a line-drive foul ball drills Yankee batboy off the bat of Bronx Bomber catcher Butch Wynegar, the team mandates batboys near the on-deck circle must wear batting helmets. All major league teams will soon adopt the new rule of having batboys wearing protective helmets while on the field.



1989
The Mets, with flyball pitcher Sid Fernandez on the mound, play a nine-inning game without recording an infield assist, beating the Phillies at Shea Stadium 5-1. The Amazins set a National League record, tying the major league mark established by the 1945 Indians as the only teams to accomplish the unusual fielding feat.



1999
At Bank One Ballpark, Jose Jimenez, facing only 28 batters, outduels Randy Johnson, throwing a no-hitter en route to blanking the Diamondbacks 1-0, with the contest's only run scoring on Thomas Howard's ninth-inning single plating Darren Bragg. The 25-year-old right-hander, retiring the side in order in the bottom of the frame, becomes the 20th major league and the first since 1973 rookie to throw a no-hitter.

*** He went 5-14 that year w/ERA 5.85..
7 year career W24-L44

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[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
June 26th

1944
At the Polo Grounds, with over 50,000 fans looking on, the three New York major league teams face each other in a six-inning game (each club plays consecutive innings against the other two and then sits out an inning) to raise money for war bonds. The charity contest, billed as the Tri-Cornered Baseball Game, ends with the Dodgers scoring five times and the Yankees and Giants tallying one and no runs, respectively.

1964
University of Wisconsin standout Rick Reichardt receives the highest bonus ever when he signs with the Angels for $200,000. The bidding war for the talented Badger outfielder ultimately led the owners to institute a draft, which started in 1965 when Arizona State University's Rick Monday became the first-ever #1 overall selection.



1968
Cardinals right-hander Bob Gibson tosses his fifth consecutive shutout as he blanks the Pirates, 3-0, in the first game of a doubleheader played at Busch Stadium. The future Hall of Famer's accomplishment is one shy of the major league mark, set earlier in the month by Don Drysdale of the Dodgers.



1995 Before rejoining the Yankees to start in Chicago, Columbus Clipper starter Mariano Rivera pitches a five-inning no-hitter against the IL's Rochester Red Wings in Ohio's Cooper Stadium. During his tenure in the minor leagues, Mo, the future major league leader in career saves, was primarily used as a starter, starting 68 games, including seven complete contests, en route to compiling a 27-18 record and a 2.35 ERA.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
June 27th
1962
Pursued by all 20 major league teams, 17-year-old Bronx teenager Monroe High School standout Ed Kranepool, who sat as a guest on Opening Day in the owners' box with Mrs. Joan Payson and M. Donald Grant signs a contract with a $85,000 bonus as an amateur free agent with the Mets. The left-handed slugger will spend his 18-year career with the expansion team, establishing franchise records for hits, plate appearances, and games.



1973
Twenty days after pitching his high school team to a state championship, Rangers' rookie David Clyde pitches five innings, strikes out eight, and allows just one hit in his first major league start as Texas defeats the Twins, 4-3. A crowd of 35,698 fans, the first sellout at Arlington Stadium, sees the debut of the 18-year-old phenom, a $125,000 bonus baby.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
June 28th

1959
In another innovative promotion stage by team owner Bill Veeck, the White Sox host a three-ring circus that features acrobats, sword swallowers, and elephants between games of a Sunday doubleheader. The Pale Sox players don't clown around, sweeping the Yankees in the Comiskey Park twin bill, 9-2 and 4-2.


1974
"He thinks he's in a sales convention dealing with a bunch of short-order cooks. That's not the way to go about getting a winner. Somebody ought to sit him down and straighten him out." - DOUG RADER, Astros third baseman's comments concerning Ray Kroc's ownership style of the Padres.

Padres president Buzzie Bavasi, inspired by disparaging remarks made by Astro third baseman Doug Rader about Ray Kroc, team owner and the board chairman of McDonald's, stages a Short-Order Cooks' Night, giving fans wearing a chef's hat free admission. The Houston captain, who compared Kroc's management of the Friars to a sales convention of short-order cooks, joins in on the fun by wearing a chef's hat and an apron and carrying a skillet and spatula when he brings the lineup card to home plate. (Ed. Note: Frequent contributor Gary R. shared this interesting and ironic detail about the entry; the game ends with a flyout to John Grubb. -LP)



1976
At Tiger Stadium, Mark Fidrych, known as the 'Bird,' amuses a Monday Night Baseball national TV audience, talking to the baseball when he one-hits the Yankees, 5-1. The unsung Detroit rookie, who made the team on the final cut of spring training, will finish the season with a 19-9 record.

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[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
June 29th

1905
With the Giants leading the Superbas, 11-1, Archibald 'Moonlight' Graham makes his major league debut in the bottom of the eighth inning as a defensive replacement in right field at Brooklyn's Washington Park. The 27-year-old career minor leaguer, who will not have a major league at-bat in his only appearance in the big leagues, will become immortalized by W.P. Kinsella's book Shoeless Joe and the movie based on the author's work, Field of Dreams.

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2004
At Bank One Ballpark, Randy Johnson records his 4000th career strikeout, whiffing Padres' third baseman Jeff Cirillo, a fellow USC Trojan, to become the fourth player in major league baseball history to reach the plateau. The 40-year-old Diamondbacks fireballer known as the Big Unit needs fewer innings (3,237 1/3) than Nolan Ryan (3,844 2/3), Roger Clemens (4,151), and Steve Carlton (4,991 1/3) to accomplish the feat.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
June 30th

1962
Sandy Koufax becomes the first Dodger southpaw to throw a no-hitter since Nap Rucker accomplished the feat in 1908, keeping the expansion Mets hitless in the team's 5-0 victory in Los Angeles. En route to fanning 13, the 26-year-old left-hander strikes out the first three batters he faces - Richie Ashburn, Rod Kanehl, and Felix Mantilla, on nine pitches to start the game with an immaculate inning.



1988
Being six votes shy five minutes before the midnight deadline on the last day of the legislature session, Illinois Governor James Thompson lobbies his lawmakers to approve a new ballpark to keep the White Sox from moving to Florida. Following the drama on TV, Floridians are shocked when the stroke of midnight is delayed by three minutes, just long enough to secure the 60th vote needed to approve the $ 150 million stadium, depriving the Sunshine State of its first major league baseball team.



2008
A pair of demolition companies, which agree to work free of charge in exchange for the scrap metal, begin knocking down Tiger Stadium, starting with the bleachers in left-center field. The 96-year-old ballpark has been vacant since the Tigers started playing in nearby Comerica Park nearly nine summers ago.

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[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 1st


1934
St. Louis defeats Cincinnati, 8-6, in an 18-inning game that features both starting pitchers, Redbird right-hander Dizzy Dean and Reds southpaw Tony Freitas, throwing the first 17 frames for their teams in the Crosley Field contest. After the Cardinals tally two runs on three hits off Paul Derringer in the top of the final frame, the home team fails to score with the bases loaded, ending the four-hour and twenty-eight-minute marathon.




1943
Although the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League will not have an All-Star Game until 1946, two teams, one composed of South Bend Blue Sox and Rockford Peaches, and the other from the Kenosha Comets and Racine Belles, put on an exhibition game. The AAGPBL contest is the first night game ever played in the historic Chicago ballpark at Wrigley Field.




1960
H. Gabriel Murphy's option of first refusal to buy the Senators from current owner Calvin Griffith expires. The chief minority stockholder hopes to stop the club from moving to Minneapolis/St. Paul's area to become the Twins will lose two court decisions, preventing him from keeping the team in Washington, D.C.

* 1960 my grandparents took to me to my first MLB game to see their long suffering Senators. I'm 9 years old and baseball is my life.




1964
Five thousand cabbies and their families are at Yankee Stadium to celebrate 'Taxi Day' at the Bronx ballpark. Billy Bryan's 11th-inning solo home run is the decisive blow in Kansas City's 5-4 Wednesday afternoon victory.



1982
Considered a questionable decision due to the infielder's height, Cal Ripken is moved from third base to shortstop by Oriole manager Earl Weaver. The 6'4" future Hall of Famer takes over the job from veteran 6'1" infielder Mark Belanger, an eight-time Gold Glover.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 2nd


1962
Johnny Podres ties a major league mark record, striking out eight consecutive batters in LA's 5-1 victory over Philadelphia. The 29-year-old southpaw's streak begins with the third out in the top of the fourth frame and ends after the first out in the seventh inning of the Dodger Stadium contest.


1963
In one of baseball's most memorable pitching duels, Giants' right-hander Juan Marichal and Braves' lefty Warren Spahn hurl 15 scoreless innings before Willie Mays ends the marathon, homering off Spahnie in the bottom of the 16th to give Francisco a 1-0 win.



1978
Ron Guidry improves his record to 13-0 with a 3-2 Yankee victory over the Tigers at the Bronx ballpark. The 27-year-old southpaw, known as Louisiana Lightning, establishes the best start in franchise history en route to finishing the season with a 25-3 record.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 3rd


1958
In their 35th home date in Los Angeles, the transplanted Dodgers reach the one million mark in attendance. Last season, the team drew only 1,028,258 fans, playing games at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City (NJ) and Brooklyn's Ebbets Field.
....and they never looked back
2024 Attendance 2,151,550



1966
Tony Cloninger hits two grand slams in the same game and collects nine RBIs in the Braves' 17-3 rout of the Giants at Candlestick Park. The 26-year-old pitcher becomes the first National League player to hit two bases-loaded home runs in the same game.




1968
Luis Tiant strikes out nineteen Twins and scatters six hits in a ten-inning 1-0 complete-game victory against Minnesota at Cleveland Stadium. 'El Tiante,' who equals Sandy Koufax's record for 41 strikeouts for three consecutive games, becomes the second hurler to whiff more than 18 batters in an American League contest, behind only the 21 Baltimore batters punched out by Tom Cheney of the Senators in a 16-inning game in 1962.



1977
On his 24th birthday, Angel left-hander Frank Tanana tosses his 14th consecutive complete game with his 6-4 victory over Oakland at Anaheim Stadium. The win improves the southpaw's record to 12-5, but he will finish the season at only 15-9, due to a 'tired' arm.



1994
In a ceremony considered by many to be long overdue, the Indians retire the uniform number 14 worn by Hall of Famer Larry Doby, the first black to play in the American League. On this date exactly 47 years ago, Cleveland owner Bill Veeck purchased the 23-year-old from the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 4th

1925
In a battle of southpaws at Yankee Stadium, Herb Pennock and Lefty Grove of the A's hook up in a 15-inning pitchers' duel, which the Bronx Bombers win, 1-0. Pennock retires the first 18 batters and the last 21 batters he faces.


1939
"Fans, for the past two weeks, you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans." - LOU GEHRIG, speaking to a sold-out crowd at Yankee Stadium.

During Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium, the Iron Horse's uniform number 4 will be the first-ever to be retired. Initially too moved to speak, the emotional man of the hour changes his mind when Skipper Joe McCarthy encourages him, setting the stage for baseball's most iconic speech when he describes himself as "the luckiest man on the face of the earth."*

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2021
With the selection by his peers to be a hurler in the Midsummer Classic and being the fans' pick to be the designated hitter in the contest, Angels' right-hander Shohei Ohtani becomes the first to be an All-Star as both a position player and a pitcher. The 27-year-old will start the Coors Field contest throwing a perfect first inning for the win, going 0-for-2 batting leadoff as the DH in the American League's 5-2 victory over the Senior Circuit.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 5th

1946
Responding to Red Barber's remarks about the gentile Giants and their manager Mel Ott, Dodger skipper Leo Durocher tells the team's announcer, "Nice guys finish last." Master Mel's club finishes the season in the cellar, completing the campaign 36 games behind the first-place Cardinals, but his team beat the Dodgers today with their 7-6 walk-off victory at the Polo Grounds.



1947
Appearing 11 weeks after Jackie Robinson's Dodger debut, Larry Doby of the Indians becomes the first black to appear in the American League when he strikes out as a pinch-hitter against Chicago hurler Earl Harrist. The 23-year-old former Newark Eagle standout will play in the major leagues for 13 years, amassing 1,515 hits, just three less than Jackie Robinson.



1991
In a unanimous vote, the baseball owners give final approval for the Rockies and the Marlins to join the National League in 1993. The addition of the new franchises brings the Senior Circuit total to 14, with the placement of Colorado in the West Division and Florida joining the NL East.



2002
Baseball legend Ted Williams, considered by many the greatest hitter in the game's history, dies of cardiac arrest at 83. The first-ballot Hall of Famer, a lifetime .344 hitter, won the MVP award and Triple Crown twice and led the American League in batting for six seasons, including hitting .406 in 1941 during his 19-year career with the Red Sox.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 6th

1970
At Atlanta Stadium, Braves' second baseman Felix Millan goes 6-for-6, becoming the first player in franchise history to collect six hits in one game. The 26-year-old infielder, called the Cat by his teammates, contributes to the team's 12-4 victory over the Giants with four singles, a double, and a triple.


1977
After 1,887 plate appearances without a home run from the start of his career, Cubs outfielder Greg Gross finally goes deep when he homers off Don Stanhouse, a three-run shot to left field with two outs in the sixth inning, in the team's 8-6 victory over the Expos at Wrigley Field. The 24-year-old's homerless drought establishes a new major league record, far surpassing runner-up Duane Kuiper, who recorded his first round-tripper needing 355 fewer trips to the plate to accomplish the feat.


1983
On the Midsummer Classic's 50th anniversary, Fred Lynn hits the first grand slam in All-Star competition en route to the American League, setting a record for runs scored by one team in a game in their 13-3 victory, including a record seven-run third inning. The Junior Circuit's victory at Chicago's Comiskey Park, the site of the first All-Star Game in 1933, halts the National League's 11-game winning streak.

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1992
Commissioner Fay Vincent, using his 'in the best interest of baseball' power, mandates the National League's realignment next season, forcing teams to be more geographically correct in their respective divisions. The plan, approved by 12 of the 14 NL owners in March but blocked by Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago franchise, will send the Cubs and the Cardinals to the West Division, with the Braves and Reds moving to the East.


2000
Vin Scully, 72, is voted the No. 1 sportscaster of the 20th century by members of the American Sportscasters Association. The Dodger veteran broadcaster's 51-year career has included play-by-play of 25 Fall Classics and a dozen All-Star Games.

Vin Scully - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 7th


1936
Joe DiMaggio becomes the first rookie to appear in an All-Star Game when he starts in right field and bats third for the Junior Circuit in the team's 4-3 loss to the National League at Boston's Braves Field. The 21-year-old Yankees outfielder does not fare well in the fourth edition of the Midsummer Classic, committing an error and making the last out of the game with a man in scoring position to finish his day 0-for-5 at the plate.



1964
In the 35th and only All-Star Game ever played at Shea Stadium, the National League evens the all-time series at 17-17-1 beating the AL squad, 7-4, with a dramatic ninth-inning rally that includes a two-out and two-strike three-run homer by Phillies slugger Johnny Callison. Home team second baseman Ron Hunt becomes the first Mets player selected as a starter in the Midsummer Classic.

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1998
Jeff Shaw becomes the first player to participate in an All-Star Game wearing a uniform for a team he has not yet played for when he allows three hits and a run, pitching an inning for the National League squad before appearing in a regular-season game for the Dodgers. The 32-year-old closer, who posted a 1.81 ERA and 23 saves in the first half of the season for the Reds, was traded three days ago by Cincinnati to Los Angeles for Paul Konerko and Dennys Reyes.




2017
Eight seconds before a 5 p.m. ET deadline, the Reds and their No. 2 overall pick, Hunter Greene, reportedly agree to a record $7.23 million bonus. The 17-year-old two-way senior at Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, CA), a recent subject on the cover of Sports Illustrated, has been selected primarily as a pitcher but will also bat and occasionally play shortstop.

Sports Illustrated cover
featuring Hunter Greene.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 8th

1935
The American League's winning streak reaches three as the Junior Circuit beats the NL in All-Star action at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, 4-1. The new rule that no pitcher can throw more than three innings unless the game goes extra innings is due to Yankee southpaw Lefty Gomez pitching six outstanding innings in the Midsummer Classic.


1949
Hank Thompson, who broke into the majors as a member of the St. Louis Browns twelve days after Larry Doby's American League debut with the Indians in 1947, became the first African-American to play for the Giants. When the former Kansas City Monarchs' standout pops up to second base facing Dodger right-hander Don Newcombe, it marks the first time a pitcher-batter confrontation occurs between black players in the major leagues.
(Ed. Note: Ironically, Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in 1947, catches Thompson's infield pop-up. - LP)


1962
With Stan Musial's three home runs, the Cardinals soundly defeat the Mets at the Polo Grounds, 15-1. 'The Man,' at 41, becomes the oldest major leaguer ever to accomplish the feat, misses another opportunity to bat in the ninth inning after being replaced in the previous frame by pinch-runner Bobby Gene Smith.


1970
Jim Ray Hart completes the cycle and becomes the first player in fifty-nine years to have six RBIs in one inning when he hits a three-run homer and a three-run triple in the Giants' 13-0 rout of Atlanta. The San Francisco third baseman had already stroked a double in the second and added a single in the third before his three-base hit and round-tripper in the fifth frame.


1973
"Can you imagine a damn team that has to cheat to beat us?"- WHITEY HERZOG, Ranger manager lamenting about Milwaukee stealing signs from his 29-53 Texas team.

After losing 17-2 yesterday and dropping a doubleheader today at County Stadium, Ranger skipper Whitey Herzog accuses Bernie Brewer of cheating. The very-animated Texas skipper contends the mascot uses white-gloved costumed hands to relay signs from his center-field chalet, clapping once for a curve and twice for a fastball.



1976
Twenty-six-year-old southpaw Randy Jones, en route to a 22-14 record, posts the most victories at the All-Star break in National League history, winning his 16th game of the season in the Padres' 6-3 defeat of the Cubs at Wrigley Field. In the second half of the season, the eventual Cy Young Award winner's good fortune runs out when he loses seven games by a run, including two 1-0 losses.



1994
Red Sox shortstop John Valentin snares Marc Newfield's sixth-inning line drive, steps on second retiring Mike Blowers, and then tags the runner coming from first, Kevin Mitchell, to turn an unassisted triple play. After completing the rare triple killing, a feat that has occurred only ten times in major league history, the infielder begins a three-homer outburst by Boston in the bottom of the frame, helping the team defeat the Mariners at Fenway Park, 4-3.

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[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 9th

1946
At Boston's Fenway Park, hometown favorite Ted Williams hits two homers and two singles, collecting five RBIs in the American League's 12-0 rout of the Senior Circuit in the most lopsided game in All-Star history. The first-place Red Sox placed eight players on the Midsummer Classic roster, which includes starters Dom DiMaggio (cf), Johnny Pesky (ss), and Bobby Doerr (2b), in addition to Williams, who plays the entire game in left field.


1956
After Commissioner Ford Frick shares his belief that hurlers lack support in the MVP voting, the BBWAA, by a narrow margin of 14-12, votes to establish the Cy Young Award to honor the major leagues' most outstanding pitcher. The first recipient of the Cy Young Award will be Dodger Don Newcombe, ironically the winner of the Most Valuable Player Award.


1966
During a contest between the Cardinals and Astros on a hot and humid evening at Busch Stadium, Harry Caray does the game's play-by-play in his underwear and socks. Surprised by a photographer taking a photo of him, the veteran broadcaster adjusts the waistband of his boxer as the camera clicks.


1971
In the longest shutout in American League history, the A's beat the Angels, 1-0, when Angel Mangual plates Curt Blefary with a two-out single in the bottom of the 20th inning. Oakland's 21-year-old southpaw Vida Blue fans 17 batters in the first eleven innings of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum contest.

boston.com BaseballReference




2002
Despite chants of 'Let them play!' from the sellout crowd of 41,871 at Milwaukee's Miller Park, Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig declares the 73rd All-Star Game a 7-7 tie after 11 innings. No player is selected to receive the first Ted Williams Most Valuable Player award, an honor named for the late Red Sox legend who died five days ago.

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