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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