This Day in Baseball History

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 10th

1911
After being ejected for disputing a called third strike, Sherry Magee knocks out home plate umpire Bill Finneran with just one punch. The National League suspends the star Phillies flychaser for the rest of the season, but he misses only 36 games due to an appeal.


1934
At the All-Star Game played in New York's Polo Grounds, Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell faces a starting lineup comprised of nine eventual Hall of Famers. After giving a single and a walk to his first two batters, King Carl consecutively fans Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin.

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1947
Home plate umpire Jocko Conlan asks Reds hurler Bucky Walters to make the calls at first base when some of his crew fails to show for a rescheduled contest between Cincinnati and Boston necessitated by a rainout on May 1. Dick Culler covers third base with second base remaining without an arbitrator in the hometown's 6-4 victory at Braves Field.




1962
John F. Kennedy returns to D.C. Stadium and becomes the first president to throw the ceremonial first pitch at an All-Star Game, a 3-1 National League victory. In April, JFK, who will stay for the entire contest, threw the ceremonial first pitch at the Senators' home opener, the first game in Washington's new $24-million ballpark.

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1986
A very disappointed Oil Can Boyd (11-6, 3.71) begins shouting and throwing clothes in the clubhouse after learning KC manager Dick Howser had not selected him as one of the eight pitchers to make the American League All-Star team. The inconsolable Red Sox right-hander, who will storm out of Fenway Park before the team's scheduled game against California, will be suspended, without pay, for three days for his tirade.




1999
At Leland's 'Hero's Auction' of sports memorabilia held in New York, Carlton Fisk's 12th inning Game 6 home run ball, to end one of the most dramatic games in World Series history, is sold for $113,273. Reds' left fielder George Foster retrieved the historic horsehide after it hit the Fenway foul pole, deciding to sell the 1975 souvenir, realizing the ball's potential value after Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball sold for almost $3 million.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 11th
1989
In a contest best remembered for the Ruthian blast by Bo Jackson, the game's MVP who will join Willie Mays as the second player to hit a home run and steal a base in an All-Star Game, the American League beats the NL's best players, 5-3, at Anaheim Stadium. During the first inning of the Midsummer Classic, former US President and one-time baseball announcer Ronald Reagan joins Vin Scully in the NBC broadcast booth.

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[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 12th

1911
For the second time in his career, Ty Cobb completes the stolen base cycle in one inning when he steals second, third, and home in the first frame of the Tigers' 9-0 Bennett Park victory over Philadelphia. The 'Georgia Peach' will accomplish the feat four


1943
An Armed Forces All-Star team, managed by Babe Ruth and featuring Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams, plays a fund-raising game against the Braves in Boston. The All-Stars win on a Splendid Splinter's home run, 9-8.


1949
The major league owners agree to install warning tracks made of cinder in front of outfield fences before the start of the season next year. The concept began at Yankee Stadium, where an actual running track, used in the ballpark's track and field events, helped fielders know their proximity to the outfield fence when attempting to make a play.


1949
The first All-Star Game featuring black players occurs at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field. Dodgers Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson, and Don Newcombe represent the National League in an 11-7 loss to Indians outfielder Larry Doby and his AL teammates.


1979
After an hour and 16-minute delay, the White Sox forfeited the second game of a twi-night doubleheader against the Tigers when over 5,000 adolescents refused to leave the field during Disco Demolition Night. Mike Veeck's promotion involves admitting fans for 98 cents with a disco LP or .45 and then collecting the vinyl records to blow up in center field.

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1993
Ken Griffey, Jr. becomes the first and only major leaguer to hit Baltimore's B&O Warehouse on the fly. The Mariner outfielder launches the estimated 460-foot shot during the All-Star Game Home Run Derby contest at Camden Yards.

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[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 13th

1954
In front of 68,752 fans, the second-largest crowd in the history of the Midsummer Classic, the NL and AL combine for an All-Star record six home runs in the Junior Circuit's 11-9 victory at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. Indians' third baseman Al Rosen, hitting with a broken finger, accounts for two round-trippers, helping the American League snap a four-game losing streak.


1965
For the first time in All-Star history, the National League takes the lead in games won over the American League, beating the Junior Circuit, 6-5, at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington (MN). Bob Gibson, pitching two innings in relief, strikes out Harmon Killebrew and Joe Pepitone to end the game with Tony Oliva in scoring position, who doubled in the ninth inning, giving the Senior Circuit an 18-17 advantage in ASG contests.


1971
In a game featuring six home runs, including Reggie Jackson crushing a Dock Ellis pitch off the power generator located on the Tiger Stadium right-field roof 520 feet from home plate, the American League beats the NL, 6-4, the Junior Circuit's only win from 1963 to 1982. All the sluggers, J. Bench, H. Aaron, R. Clemente, F. Robinson, H. Killebrew, and Reggie, will become members of the Hall of Fame.

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1977
In a game against the Cubs with New York third baseman Lenny Randle at the plate in the sixth inning, Shea Stadium goes dark when the Big Apple suddenly experiences a blackout that eventually suspends the contest. During the delay, the Mets' players drive their cars onto the field, amusing the crowd by performing various antics in front of the headlights.
(Ed. Note: My thanks to Anthony Ventarola for submitting this event -LP).

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1993
In a game best remembered for John Kruk's non-at-bat against fireballer Randy Johnson, the AL All-Stars beat the NL rivals at Baltimore's Camden Yards, 9-3. As the Phillies' first baseman flails at the Big Unit's fastballs comically, Kirby Puckett's double and home run earn the Twins outfielder the Midsummer Classic's MVP Award.

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[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 14th



1934
At Detroit's Navin Field, the Yankees have lumbago-stricken Lou Gehrig bat leadoff, listing him as the team's shortstop. After singling in the first inning, the 'Iron Horse' leaves the game without fielding as the Tigers bang out 11 doubles to edge the Yankees, 12-11.

1970
In the twelfth inning of the All-Star Game, Pete Rose bowls over Ray Fosse at the plate to score the deciding run in an exciting 5-4 National League victory at Riverfront Stadium. The injured Indian catcher, whose career will end prematurely due to the collision, entertained 'Charlie Hustle' as a dinner guest the previous night.

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[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 15th\

1939
National League president Ford Frick orders two-foot screens affixed inside all foul poles after Billy Jurges of the Giants and umpire George Magerkurth spit at each other after a disputed call down the left-field line at the Polo Grounds. The American League will soon follow the Senior Circuit lead, installing screens in their ballparks.



1960
Home plate umpire Frank Dascoli stops play for 24 minutes after San Francisco's first baseman Willie McCovey hits a pitch into shallow left field that no one can see because of the dense fog. The Giants' infielder second-inning invisible triple doesn't deter the Dodgers when they win the Candlestick Park contest, 5-3.
*When I lived there in 1967 we would watch the fog roll down Telegraph Hill as we played hoops . Have to stop when it engulfed us...Time outs because of Fog..



1967
A Roberto Clemente line drive fractures Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson's right fibula during a 6-3 loss to the Pirates. The injury will sideline the Redbird right-hander until Labor Day, but he will recover enough to allow only three earned runs in three complete World Series game victories over the Red Sox.



1985
At the Metrodome in Minnesota, Reds' right fielder Dave Parker wins the first Home Run Derby, a new tradition to take place the day before the All-Star Game. Although these hitting exhibitions have occurred in the past, the event marks the first time Major League Baseball acknowledges the contest.

 

[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 16th

1999
New York closer Mariano Rivera blows the save, giving up four ninth-inning runs in the team's 10-7 loss to Atlanta, after hearing Enter Sandman played as his entrance song for the first time. Seeing the San Diego fans' enthusiastic reaction to Trevor Hoffman's entrance to AC/DC's Hell's Bells during the World Series, the Yankees' ownership came up with the iconic Metallica heavy metal rock song for the quiet Panamanian, who is a devout Christian.

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[MadJack]

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[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 18th

1994
In Seattle, officials close the Kingdome after four ceiling tiles drop nearly 180 feet into the stands behind home plate. Due to the mishap, the Mariners embark on a 22-day road trip, cut short by the players' strike.


1998
The Mariners' promotion "Turn Ahead the Clock Night" features the team donning futuristic uniforms with an oversized compass rose logo, caps worn backward, untucked jerseys, cut sleeves, and spray-painted metallic cleats. After Star Trek actor James Doohan arrives at the pitcher's mound in a DeLorean to toss the ceremonial first pitch, Seattle beats the visiting Royals, wearing yellow gold vests featuring royal blue sleeves and white pants trimmed in blue and gold.

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1999
On Yogi Berra Day at Yankee Stadium, 36-year-old David Cone becomes the 16th pitcher in major league history and the third Yankee to toss a perfect game when he beats the Expos, 6-0. Don Larsen threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Yogi in pregame ceremonies, commemorating his 1956 World Series perfect game.

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[Old School]

Today in Baseball History
July 19th

1920
Babe Ruth, with the first of his two homers in the nightcap of a twin bill against Chicago at the Polo Grounds, becomes the first player to hit 30 home runs in a season. The historic homer, a two-run, fourth-inning shot off Dickey Kerr, breaks his season mark of 29, and the 'Rajah of Rap' will finish the season with a resounding 54 round-trippers.


1936
Seventeen-year-old Iowa farm boy Bob Feller makes his major league debut, pitching one inning of relief against the Senators in Washington, D.C. The hard-throwing 'kid' allows no hits and no runs, striking out one batter and walking two.
(Ed. Note: Feller believed the original box score that indicated no strikeouts was wrong, claiming in his autobiography he struck out Buddy Lewis, a fact verified by the Baseball Reference website.)


1960
In his major league debut, Giants' rookie righty Juan Marichal one-hits the Phillies at Candlestick Park, 2-0. Philadelphia's lone hit is a two-out eighth-inning single by pinch-hitter Clay Dalrymple.


1982
Tony Gwynn doubles off southpaw Sid Monge for his first major league hit. The 22-year-old rookie outfielder, who will end his Hall of Fame career with 3,141 hits, goes 2-for-4 with a sacrifice fly in the Padres' 7-6 loss to Philadelphia at Jack Murphy Stadium.